Spatter

Point Reyes National Seashore - Part 2

Fri, 01 Jun 2012 13:49:40 -0400

Further up the coast from the lighthouse we spotted a herd of Tulee Elk.

Point Reyes National Seashore - Part 1

Thu, 31 May 2012 19:53:19 -0400

Cold and windy!

Lots and lots of steps down…

to get to the light…

Stopping for some photo ops made going back up easier…you can see the exertion didn’t get my jacket off. I can’t imagine how cold it must feel on foggy days!

Read more about the lighthouse and its history here.

Birthday Weekend

Tue, 29 May 2012 13:10:53 -0400

I’ve always liked that I had a birthday that fell on a holiday weekend. This weekend was especially nice. It was my 60th and we celebrated with friends and family…the ones that could make it to Blackberry Ridge for the occasion. For those who didn’t make it, here are a few pictures. As you will see, lots of fun and lots of relaxation…which means it was perfect!

Judy and Helen relaxing on the back deck:

Me and our pups relaxing on the sofa:

The birthday gathering starts:

The cake: Judy tried her best to reproduce the shadow cake made by my friend Meg. Her family’s been serving it to me for years. This one wasn’t it, but it still tasted good.

The party goes on into the night…lovely night on our screened porch:

Me and Cooper:

Judy and me:

Day after:

Our friends and their three dogs left this morning. It was great to have them and to spend some quality time with them. Cooper and Suki thought so too! Now, it’s time to catch up with our chores and projects…

Baker Beach

Sun, 27 May 2012 09:30:00 -0400

After our tour of the California Academy of Sciences, Meg took me to Baker Beach, located in the Presidio. It has wonderful views of the Golden Gate Bridge and Marin Headlands.

Dogs are welcomed…

And of course, there’s wildlife to see…

All sorts of wildlife…as in naked people.

The northern part of the beach is clothing optional. That guy in the background was partaking. He was annoying though. He knew he was in the way of our shots…but never did try to get out of the way.

California Academy of Sciences

Sun, 27 May 2012 09:04:00 -0400

I’ve finally gotten my photos together and today starts a string of posts documenting my trip 2012 to California.

After a very, very, very long day of travel my first day was spent in San Francisco getting a personalized tour of the California Academy of Sciences’ new facility in Golden Gate Park. thanks to my friend Meg, who is a program director there.

In 2008 it moved into its impressive new building. You can read all about the museum’s history here. I’ve included a few pictures I took. But for a good look at was it offers, take a look at their website.

GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE Baker BeachSan Francisco, CA© All Rights...

Wed, 23 May 2012 12:41:28 -0400

GOLDEN GATE BRIDGE

Baker Beach
San Francisco, CA

© All Rights Reserved
No use whatsoever without permission

CURLEW Baker BeachSan Francisco, CA© All Rights ReservedNo use...

Tue, 22 May 2012 21:30:33 -0400

CURLEW

Baker Beach
San Francisco, CA

© All Rights Reserved
No use whatsoever without permission

BUTTERFLY FISH California Academy of ScienceSan Francisco, CA©...

Mon, 21 May 2012 21:12:47 -0400

BUTTERFLY FISH

California Academy of Science
San Francisco, CA

© All Rights Reserved
No use whatsoever without permission

RED WINGED BLACKBIRD Wakodahatchee WetlandsDelray Beach, FL© All...

Sun, 20 May 2012 20:28:39 -0400

RED WINGED BLACKBIRD

Wakodahatchee Wetlands
Delray Beach, FL

© All Rights Reserved
No use whatsoever without permission

No, not Yosemite…and no, I’m not back in Florida. this was back in March. Just getting back to my photos at last.

Stay Tuned

Fri, 18 May 2012 07:52:00 -0400

It’s been a while since my last post. I know. I’m finding it easier to leave a blurb on Facebook than to compose something here as I’ve been focused on the move and getting settled in, then getting ready for my trip, then being on my trip (with no computer), and now catching up from my trip!

But soon there will be pictures to post and a few stories to tell. Stay tuned.

Feather For The Nest

Wed, 02 May 2012 10:55:27 -0400

Bearded Irises

Sat, 28 Apr 2012 14:04:58 -0400

A look at our bearded irises. Judy and I are enjoying being up here early enough to see their bloom from the get go vs towards the end of their cycle. We just had to share!

April Weather

Thu, 26 Apr 2012 17:37:00 -0400

I’d describe the weather we’ve been having as tranistional. Warm one week, snow the next, cold rain the next. I think this weekend is supposed to be sunny and warm again. It’s my first April in Floyd, so can’t say if any of this is typical. I’m thinking the snow, at least, is not.

In between it all, we did get some landscaping work done, including getting fertilizer put down. Of course, now with all the rain, it’s growing fast. I’m going to have quite a job of mowing it this weekend! The rain also washed out our road…again…and quite badly. One day I’d like to find a way to curb the wash outs some. A few years back we had someone come out about it. They said there wasn’t much that could be done. I’m about ready to get some other opinions. I know I can’t eliminate entirely, but maybe SOME relief can be had.

It’s not at the top of the bucket list though. First comes getting the house better insulated and some interior cosmetic work done. No, wait…first comes my trip to Yosemite :-)

The Swallows Are Here

Sun, 15 Apr 2012 11:44:25 -0400

Just about every one of our bird boxes have been occupied by tree swallows. I got some quick shots to show. Just a couple boxes left for the blue birds, of which I’ve seen a couple on branches as if to be shopping around.

Look for your box…if you don’t see yours, it’s currently vacant. I you don’t have a box, come visit so you can make one!

15 Things You Should Give Up To Be Happy

Tue, 10 Apr 2012 19:33:00 -0400

15 Things You Should Give Up To Be Happy:

Click on the title for some good tips.

We’re still working on getting re-settled…making progress though.

Freeze warning tonight. We’ve had 40mph gusts all day. Waiting for some rain so I can fertilize, but not in the 10 day forecast.

Dog Tired

Wed, 04 Apr 2012 21:00:18 -0400

Today was day 4 of getting settled in. We’ve been working at it at least 9 hours a day, and yes…we have made progress. Still a long way to go though. The loft…aka the dump site…awaits us. In between, I managed to get the lawn cut. It was pretty high and wild. Much to do outside, but most of it will have to wait.

Meanwhile, the pups are loving country living. They romped and scavenged all day in the mild, windy air. They’re as tired as we are :-)

On a different note, it’s exciting for me to see spring. Leaves are budding out…bright greens with the tree’s structure still showing is a new treat for me. Also loving the dogwoods and redbuds.

Easter Chuckle

Tue, 03 Apr 2012 23:19:53 -0400

Knee deep in boxes and clutter…doing a bit each day and in between, other errands and tasks that need doing. Not much time to write, but sharing this for a chuckle to those who didn’t see on Facebook…

Sat, 24 Mar 2012 08:24:36 -0400

NESTING MATERIAL

Here We Are

Wed, 21 Mar 2012 21:35:10 -0400

Well, here we are. Some have followed what’s been happening on Facebook, but for those who haven’t, it’s been a winter filled with significant events. We’ve come through it…a bit exhausted, a bit melancholy, and yet at the same time, exhilarated about our new beginning.

The season began with foot surgery. I finally bit the bullet and had my neuroma taken out. While I was under, I had the doctor do a bit of work on my other foot’s toes that were prone to developing corns. The surgery was in December. I spent all of January bandaged and hobbling. Things got better in February…mobile enough for what was needed as we put our house on the market.

After years of talk, we finally decided it was time to sell Florida. We put it on the market in mid January and two weeks later, we had a contract. Pleasant surprise. I had prepared myself for having it on the market for months…but BAM…we were facing the reality of our decision.

February was spent going through the process: inspection, appraisal, etc. Also, we did a lot of thinning out…though you’d never know it when you looked at what we had to pack up at the end. Everything went pretty smoothly…except for the appraisal. Suffice it to say the banks are manipulating the market. Oh, I almost forgot…we also had a glitch when the buyer’s title search uncovered a pending building permit for our hurricane shutters. That’s another long story.

March was spent coordinating furniture sales/donations, packing, tying up loose ends, and finally, cleaning. Closing came on the 20th and have spent the past couple of days closing out utility accounts and insurance policies.

Finally, I think we’ve caught up with ourselves. We’ve given ourselves a couple of weeks to breathe before getting to Floyd and facing the undoing of all the doing: boxes and boxes and boxes…

But as Scarlet O’hara would say…I’ll think about it tomorrow!

Done Deal

Tue, 21 Feb 2012 10:08:10 -0500

We put our Florida home on the market just after the first of the year. Two weeks after, we had a contract. We spent the next few weeks getting the “stuff” done…inspection and appraisal. While we waited, we spent our time thinning out our stuff, researching and settling on a mover, and finding a rental for next winter’s stay.

Happy to report that now, at last, it’s a done deal.

The process went very smoothly until the appraisal. It came in low and was unfair and inaccurate in everyone’s opinion save the bank. It’s become so obvious to us that the banks are manipulating the market. At any rate, both parties took reasonable positions and compromised to make it happen: the difference between sale price and appraisal is being split 50-50.

Now the packing up and closing out begins in earnest.