Visitation Totals for Mount Rainier Park

The last graph got me wondering, what was the general visitation totals for Mount Rainier during the same period, 1991 to 2005. As you can see, there has been a decline overall. I gathered these stats from here.

Tennessee Neighbors

This fair lady is the neighbor of my parents in Tennessee. Last time I visited, she gave me a huge cabbage from her garden. When I got home, I sliced, blanched, and froze it. I'll make cabbage stew this winter.
I've taken photos of her barn in all seasons. I want to do a watercolor of it soon.
When I was a small girl, I'd visit her parents with my grandma. Two smells I associate with their house and yard; tobacco (one of both of them dipped) and boxwoods. They had these huge ones on either side of their walkway you'd have to pass through to get to their front door. Today when I smell a boxwood, it makes me swoon. I guess that's one of the reasons I love Williamsburg so much. There are hundreds of boxwoods there. I'm going to order two English boxwoods for containers. They are the ones that have the wonderful smell. I'm not so sure they'll flourish down here with our humidity, but I won't know unless I try.

Nene Way 9 - Wansford - Ferry Meadows

10 miles. With Marta. Sunny, warm, delightful weather.

From Wansford we took the road opposite the church which leads towards the A1. Just before the road the path turns right and goes downhill towards the river underneath two huge bridges before making its way up towards the A47, past a lorry park, then turning right behind the petrol station along a path through fields. For a while we walked parallel to the road, then following the curve of the river turned south-east. We joined a wider track (a dismantled railway) but followed it a bit too far into some stables. Quick question and we were set right - we'd missed the signs on a kissing gate next to a field gate! The path led us into the village of Sutton - (Sutton Only as the signposts from the road tell us), past playing fields, houses and the church with its open bell tower. Then we turned briefly west, and south across more fields towards Wansford Station, the headquarters of the Nene Valley Railway.





A quick coffee stop and nose around, and we were ready for off.



The station and railway have been used in lots of documentaries and other filmsand there are plenty of events.









The Nene Way runs alongside the railway for half a mile or so, then moves further south towards the river, crossing fields full of Roman remains, which are not visible as anything other than humps and bumps.

Water Newton

Roman remains?

The path follows the river but turns sharply left to negotiate a meander just before Mill Hill - a noticeably higher piece of ground. We crossed a footbridge, where we saw this orderly family of swans.







After the bridge we followed the higher ground round to the road down to Castor Old Mill. There's a water mill and remains of a windmill.


There is a ford and a footbridge over the mill arm of the river (Back Dike). The Nene Way crosses the bridge and turns left following Back Dike, crossing another footbridge and then walking with the main Nene on the right. A clear path leads us under a railway bridge (Nene Valley Railway) and into Ferry Meadows. The Cycle hire and Canoe centre is across Gunwade Lake.







We continued past Ferry Bridge and along Ferry Walk Path to finish at Green Cafe near the Ferry Meadows Visitor Centre.





Wildlife - herons, grebes, geese, green woodpeckers (we heard more than we saw). Fish - no idea what sort.

My First Open A Obedience Trial at Del Valle

Hi Pals! Last March, I passed my 3rd and final leg of Novice A, earning my CD. Mom and Barbara had a little chat and Ma told Barbara somethin' like this: "I feel so good about Del Vallethat our new goal is to be ready for Open A by Del Valle ." Barbara was wary. We pushed on. I knew I could try to be ready!

So we worked and worked and worked. I had problems with the broad jump. I hated the dumbell for a long time. And finally, I wouldn't even "Come" for the Drop on Recall. OMD! But Ma entered me in Open A at Del Valle . It's a five day show, from Thursday to Monday. I was due to "do ma thang" on Friday (indoors) and Saturday (ourdoors). My teach, Barbara, even worked the video in two parts. Here they are.

And Part II...

After these tests, I had to go back in the ring with other doggehs to do "Sits and Downs," where I have to Sit for 3 Minutes while Ma is out of the ring away from my sight, then Down for five minutes with Mom out of sight. Even if I've done good on my exercises, I can just as easily get an NQ if I get up from a down, or ... the reverse. I stayed on both and Mom was patting me hard and finally giving me treats when I got back to my area!!! Then imagine all our surprises when...

Holy Moly... I won Open A! So after a while of partying and such, we went home and slept soundly... believe you me, it's just exhausting to answer to Ma's commands!

The next day was "Specialty Day" when it was all Golden Retrievers - woo hoo! And guesses to who was there? No pix, but my boyfriend, Jackson, was there! Also, Avalon met up with her brothers, Ronan and Thistle. Above is Avalon with Ronan!

Even though I was entered in Open A again, I failed to "DROP" on the recall and NQ'd... bummer. Jes' didn't hear Ma right heheh! But I was due to be in a "Rescue" parade after my class. Here I am trotting out with so many other NorCal golden retriever rescues!

And here I am with Momma! Man, was I tired!
And so was my sis! We was exhausted!

The Lost World

Mysterious labels appeared in St Andrew's Square Gardens last week. Attached to loop-headed canes, they were so tossed and buffeted by the wind that I had to hold this one steady to get a shot.
After 'The Lost World', I came across:
Frustratingly, the shot I took of the reverse side of this label didn't come out - the wind was so strong that it blurred the words even in my iron grip. I went back yesterday to capture it - but of course the labels had all gone. But I can tell you that it read 'Mighty prehistoric monsters clashing with modern lovers', and that should give you the clue - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's book 'The Lost World'.
So the little fluttery labels are a tiny part of a celebration of the 150th anniversary of the birth of Arthur Conan Doyle, and the bicentenary of the birth of Charles Darwin. 'The Lost World Read ..' is a mass read, and more besides, taking place in Scotland and England.
And this has taught me two things about photo-blogging: always take more shots than you think you'll need, and never assume that you can go back to take your photo another day!

Dock Diving In Hollister with Avalon's Furamily!

We're just going to jump right in (love those bad puns heheh) and start by woofing that there's nothing on earth we love more than swimming... well... wait! Nothing, that is... except maybe DOCK DIVING!!! And we had a ball on Saturday afternoon with two of Avalon's brothers and her Mom, Sport (who really is an athlete!) at Doggone Dirty Dock Diving!
You can rent the pool for a couple of hours and practice, although we just "practiced" having a blast, flying off the dock! And we did not want to stop our turns to give the other puppers a chance, either!
C'mon Mom... not fair!!!
MO-o0M! Pleeeeeeeeze can I gooooooo back in???!!!! Enjoy this slideshow below - biggify for funnest enjoyment!

Below is a FABULOUS "sequence" photo of Avalon by Don McKee of Topflight Photography - what a very cool image! Thank you so much Don, for sending this awesome photo sequence!

A Wise Quote from Samuel Rutherford

"When I find myself in the cellar of affliction, I always look about for the wine."
A little history on Samuel Rutherford. He was born around 1600 near the borders area of Scotland. He was a Scottish Presbyterian theologian and author.
His most famous work is Lex, Rex, a political book presenting a theory of limited government and constitutionalism.
After the Restoration of Charles II of England, the authorities burned Lex, Rex and cited Rutherford for high treason, but his death intervened before the charge could be tried, lucky for him!
He was also one of the Scottish commissioners to the Westminster Assembly. This group of righteous men was appointed by England's Long Parliament in order to restructure the Church of England. They met for six years from 1643-1649. Out of this assembly came the Westminster Larger and Shorter Catechisms, the Directory of Public Worship, and the Confession of Faith. These are the major confessional standards of the Presbyterian faith, of which I am an adherent.
Andrew Bonar, a minister of the Free Church of Scotland, edited Samuel Rutherford's letters. Andrew was the youngest brother of Horatius Bonar, the great hymnist, whose songs we sing including Blessing and Honor, Here Oh My Lord I See Thee Face to Face, Not What My Hands Have Done, No Not Despairingly, Thy Works Not Mine O Christ, When The Weary Seeking Rest, and Yes, For Me He Careth and many, many more.
So the next time life gives you sour grapes, remember Samuel Rutherford and look for the vintage bottle of wine