Take This Fun Test

I found a new blog called The English Muse that had this blog post "I write like...Kurt Vonnegut??"

I took a five-second test to see whose writing mine most closely matched. The results were Cory Doctorow. I don't know who he/she is but will definitely have to find out. I was hoping for Jane Austen. Maybe I'll be surprised after reading some of Mr./Ms. Doctorow.
Take the test and let me know who you write like. It's fun!I write like
Cory Doctorow

I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!

facination and love of a land unknown

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Spring Flow, Glen Avon Falls

Yesterday I went down the shore to photograph some of the rivers at their spring flow. The rivers have really opened up over the weekend and boy was it ever cool to see them flowing at such high capacity. There was water everywhere along Highway 61 as I drove south. The ditches were full of water and temporary waterfalls were everywhere along the highway rock cuts. The rivers were bursting at their seams with water. Some of the larger rivers still had chunks of ice that were floating downstream. The photo you see here is of a waterfall on the Beaver River. It is a location that I visited for the first time last year, but I was there when the water was low. At that time I thought it would be cool to come back when the water was high, and I was right! This spot was amazing, I love how it doesn't even really look like a river, it looks like the water is just running straight down through the forest. It was 71 degrees here when I made this shot, and just a few miles away where the river empties into Lake Superior, the temperature was only 43 degrees! I guess spring and "cooler by the lake" is now officially here :-)

California Poppies

A pair of California Poppies in mid-May, 2006.

Mama's Quilts

http://www.smokymountainsentinel.com/news/../0613/leisure/016.html
Click on the above link to see an article about my mama's quilts. She recently gave me the first quilt she made. She was probably in her 20's. The stitches are much longer than the ones she makes now. I find this endearing and it's one of the reasons this strawberry quilt is one of my favorites.

What I Did During My Summer Vacation

At least one morning of it, I took photos at our public library of people with their dogs. They'll be hung in the library for the "Dog Days of August" exhibition. After it's over, they'll be given their photos to keep. It was a fun two hours getting to meet the different dogs and their people.

Multnomah Falls

Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area - Oregon



Multnomah, more than any other waterfall in the Columbia River Gorge, is arguably the "must-see" waterfall in that area. It is also one of the easiest ones to see, with excellent access just off the roadway. We arrived late in the day but still managed to squeeze off a few shots before it got too dark to see the falls. This was a 6 second exposure taken from near the base of the falls.

Families and Dogs and the World Wide Moment

Hi Again! We have had a week of visiting with Mama's mother and sister, who came all the way from NYC! We had a ton of fun with them and will explain the above photo in a bit. Suffice it to say, that the only way you can drive from San Francisco to the county we live in is to go through the tunnel pictured below. Maybe you can see that the archway above the openings are painted with rainbows!
Well, we had a wonderful time with the visiting duo, as well as Mama's and Dad's little family out here in the wild west. We acted as touring agents, showing them Miller Creek park, McInnis Park, where Sammie and Shanti gave an obedience demonstration and finally, showed them some football fields where Mom's granddaughter, Hannah was cheering. We pointed at some terrific restaurants... but dang! The managements wouldn't let us in! Can you imagine? We took them up to the top of Mount Tamalpais, driving through tule fog and rain. Mom vowed that we'd see some holes in the fog/clouds/rain and get views. It actually happened. The visit was magical and we miss the NYC duo very much. The day after they left, we went to see our pals in the park - McInnis again. Here are some of us all smiling!
And below, we're waiting for somebuddy to throw a stick at Miller Creek!
Sue and Mom and me, Sammie at the McInnis Park Rangers' Carnival for Doggehs. Shanti and I demonstrated our obedience routines. There were lots of puppers there and a bunch of cool things to do, like swim, run through an agility course, and hear tips from our local Humane Society Director, Trish King.
There are two blogging doggehs you may know in the above picture! Can you find them??? (In next post, will tell you who they are!)
I sure love my parents' grandpeep, Cam, a LOT!!! (Thank you Kristin - Sierra's Mom - for providing this lovely photo!)
Here's a collage of the Hu-Family with us, BEGGING to be set free!!! There wasn't a soul up there, even though the wind was blowing the clouds away, allowing us to see how high up we were!
YAY!!!
I know the Hu-Family must have missed us at this place in the top picture. Life just couldn't be the same without us, eh?!!! In the bottom picture, you can see that the clouds are going away!
Robert Brault said, "In a houseful of toddlers and pets, you can start out having a bad day, but you keep getting detoured."
So here's another photo of that amazing rainbow we saw as the clouds parted and the sun shone through - it really was totally magical. And speaking of magical... many of you know about the Second Annual World Wide Moment, coming up at exactly 11:00 pm (23:00) GMT on Sunday, November 14, . We will all be turning towards the skies together for one silent moment, wishing and sending any and every fur, feathered, fuzzy creature (with us on Earth or across the Rainbow Bridge) whatever is in our hearts that will help them feel the love and support they need right now. Please visit Fergi and Jake for a ton more information on this AMAZING MOMENT. And please do spread the news or make a post about this event. Thank you!

...And Then There Was One

Poor Sick Chick died last night. She was a lovely old ex-battery hen, the most vocal, and gentle, of the original four. She liked nothing better than to scratch around and chatter to us as we worked. We shall miss her, so will Little Red Hen.
She lies buried in the middle of Owl Wood.
I realise that to non-hen people this is a fuss about nothing. Our rescued, rescue hens were great little characters who showed us that big personalities can also come in small, feathery packages.A hen is not 'just a hen'.

Altitude Sickness?

I think I have some altitude sickness, Since arriving in West Yellowstone Tuesday, I have been at over 6000 ft. Each day I call it a quit a little earlier. Tired, short of breath, constant light headache. Even with my walking stick, I was not doing well..

Anyway - this morning, I hightailed it to Canyon. Along the way there, I detoured through the one-way drive to take better photos of Virginia Cascades. Success - was able to stop on the road (nobody coming) and get the photos.

Today's tour was the South loop of the park.

First big photo shoot area this morning was Yellowstone Falls and the Canyon the the Yellowstone. checked out and took photos on both sides of the river. Got some good photos. (see here)

Stopped at Mud Volcano. Took a couple photos of the thermal action there. There are fires in this area of the park. Another driver told me that all turn-outs South to Fishing Bridge was closed because of the fire.

By the time I got to Yellowstone Lake, it was past breakfast time. Just got under the wire as breakfast at the Lake Lodge cafeteria closed at 10am. Already, my knee and short of breath was getting to me

Debated, but eventually got out of the car and did a short walk (with my walking stick) at West Thumb Geyser Basin. Thinking that I might walk more there tomorrow when I head South.

Stopped at Kepler Cascades. It was right along the road near Old Faithful. Speaking of Old Faithful, I was planning to stop there for photos and a walk. But, by the time I was there, I would have parked a long way away from the geyser basin.

There were a couple other of other places I wad thought about stopping - but they were busy, too. Guess these will be other places to visit when I head south to the Grand Tetons and Jackson.

Processed all of the photos taken today. Heath Blizzard this afternoon. No getting ready to pack up for being on the road in the morning.

Things I did ths week

1. Tasted Honeysuckle nectar.
I know that I am on the board of the South Carolina Exotic Plant Pest Council but I can't help loving this plant when it flowers! That scent signals the onset of summer for me. Bare feet, windows down, lightning bugs, screen doors. This is my time of year.2. Found 10 Killdeer Eggs.
Three nests and three shrieking momma birds. These birds love the gravel roadways of nurseries and they lay their eggs directly on the ground. You know that you are near a Killdeer nest because the mother will try to distract you by running from the nest dragging her wing. They are good actresses, playing the role of an injured bird.
3. Scouted a few nurseries.
This is best time of year to do what I do. Plants are flowering, trucks are being loaded and shipped to the garden centers and the weather is perfect. This wasn't one of the nurseries I scouted this week, but I love the way the different types of plants created a floral quilt across the hillside in this picture.
So, wow, I'm not that exciting!
But I'll take it.