Thursday, August 29, 2013
Monday, August 26, 2013
Cats and dogs will shake their tails
George getting into trouble
Some outdoor time. What is that dog doing?
Just being friendly.
---
No rain since Katrina. It's dry, dry dry. One website says that ragweed "flourishes during dry hot spells which promote growth and pollen formation." I'm a believer.
The moon has been so bright that you could read by it. Moony phrases keep popping into my head. "The road was a ribbon of moonlight" and "by the light of the silvery moon" and so forth.
White Sands National Monument
From the title of this post and my post the other day, you've probably figured out that I'm not in Louisiana any more!
Tuesday morning (January 3rd) after spending a delightful two weeks over the holidays with extended family, I departed for points west once again. I zipped through Texas (well, it's not really possible to “zip” through unless you're traveling across the panhandle) in two full days of driving spending one night at Lake Mineral Wells State Park southwest of the Dallas metro area on U.S. 180.
It was a leisurely drive from Mineral Wells along U.S. 180 all the way to Hobbs, New Mexico where I spent the second night (January 4th) at the Harry McAdams Campground on the northwest side of Hobbs.
Thursday (January 5th) was an even more leisurely and interesting drive, going north from Hobbs to U.S. 82 through the high desert and over the Sacramento Mountains to Alamogordo. In spite of the dire warnings on numerous signs on the way to the mountains, the drive through was really quite nice. The grades weren't nearly as steep as some I've been on. It was a gradual uphill climb through a surprisingly forested area and the descent was not bad at all.
That night I stayed at Oliver Lee Memorial State Park, 15 miles south of Alamogordo, at the base of the mountains overlooking the city. The next morning (Friday, January 6th) I drove the short distance to White Sands National Monument arriving just as the visitor center opened at nine o'clock. After watching the very informative movie and viewing the exhibits, I drove on into the dune field.
The sand at White Sands is unlike any that I've ever seen before. The dunes are hard packed and easy to walk on but the texture of the loose sand in the top layer is unusual. Most sand is rather coarse but this sand was so fine and soft – it has a consistency somewhat like talcum powder, it is that fine. When you squeeze it in your hands it sticks together but then easily crumbles. Very cool stuff. And very, very White!
I walked the one-mile nature trail through the dunes and the boardwalk trail then drove on out to the end of the road. The last few miles of the road are unpaved – they bulldoze a road through the dunes with ample areas for pulling off to the side and large parking areas so you can explore the dunes on your own.
Stopping at the end of the road, I strolled through, around, and over the dunes for about 3 hours. It was amazing how easy it was to walk on the dunes. It was also very quiet, few other people were out and about. In fact, I saw no one else while on my walk until I was almost back at the van. Every so often a jet plane from the nearby Air Force Base would fly overhead. But the quietness seemed even quieter once it passed by. It was a cool 36 degrees when I entered the park but with the sunshine and no wind whatsoever it felt much warmer. Though it was short, I very much enjoyed my visit to White Sands.
Plants take root in the dunes and when the dunes move on, these structures are left behind. They are very hard-packed and feel almost as hard as stone, except when you move your hand across the face of the mound it easily crumbles into soft dust.
It's hard to show it, but the top layer of sand is extremely fine and soft textured.
There were a few remnants of the last big snow storm (those white chunks in the center).
This was the only person I saw during my three-hour walk on the dunes. The bright white area on the left side is part of what remains from the last snowfall.
The top of this dune, where I was standing was about 35 feet high.
I saw very few areas of ripples like these, which surprised me. There was virtually no wind blowing on the day of my visit so these had been there for awhile.
The Sacramento mountains off to the east. Snowfall in the area has been light thus far this year, only the highest peaks are snow covered. All photos were taken on Friday, January 6th.
Tuesday morning (January 3rd) after spending a delightful two weeks over the holidays with extended family, I departed for points west once again. I zipped through Texas (well, it's not really possible to “zip” through unless you're traveling across the panhandle) in two full days of driving spending one night at Lake Mineral Wells State Park southwest of the Dallas metro area on U.S. 180.
It was a leisurely drive from Mineral Wells along U.S. 180 all the way to Hobbs, New Mexico where I spent the second night (January 4th) at the Harry McAdams Campground on the northwest side of Hobbs.
Thursday (January 5th) was an even more leisurely and interesting drive, going north from Hobbs to U.S. 82 through the high desert and over the Sacramento Mountains to Alamogordo. In spite of the dire warnings on numerous signs on the way to the mountains, the drive through was really quite nice. The grades weren't nearly as steep as some I've been on. It was a gradual uphill climb through a surprisingly forested area and the descent was not bad at all.
That night I stayed at Oliver Lee Memorial State Park, 15 miles south of Alamogordo, at the base of the mountains overlooking the city. The next morning (Friday, January 6th) I drove the short distance to White Sands National Monument arriving just as the visitor center opened at nine o'clock. After watching the very informative movie and viewing the exhibits, I drove on into the dune field.
The sand at White Sands is unlike any that I've ever seen before. The dunes are hard packed and easy to walk on but the texture of the loose sand in the top layer is unusual. Most sand is rather coarse but this sand was so fine and soft – it has a consistency somewhat like talcum powder, it is that fine. When you squeeze it in your hands it sticks together but then easily crumbles. Very cool stuff. And very, very White!
I walked the one-mile nature trail through the dunes and the boardwalk trail then drove on out to the end of the road. The last few miles of the road are unpaved – they bulldoze a road through the dunes with ample areas for pulling off to the side and large parking areas so you can explore the dunes on your own.
Stopping at the end of the road, I strolled through, around, and over the dunes for about 3 hours. It was amazing how easy it was to walk on the dunes. It was also very quiet, few other people were out and about. In fact, I saw no one else while on my walk until I was almost back at the van. Every so often a jet plane from the nearby Air Force Base would fly overhead. But the quietness seemed even quieter once it passed by. It was a cool 36 degrees when I entered the park but with the sunshine and no wind whatsoever it felt much warmer. Though it was short, I very much enjoyed my visit to White Sands.
Plants take root in the dunes and when the dunes move on, these structures are left behind. They are very hard-packed and feel almost as hard as stone, except when you move your hand across the face of the mound it easily crumbles into soft dust.
It's hard to show it, but the top layer of sand is extremely fine and soft textured.
There were a few remnants of the last big snow storm (those white chunks in the center).
This was the only person I saw during my three-hour walk on the dunes. The bright white area on the left side is part of what remains from the last snowfall.
The top of this dune, where I was standing was about 35 feet high.
I saw very few areas of ripples like these, which surprised me. There was virtually no wind blowing on the day of my visit so these had been there for awhile.
The Sacramento mountains off to the east. Snowfall in the area has been light thus far this year, only the highest peaks are snow covered. All photos were taken on Friday, January 6th.
Sunday, August 25, 2013
Happy Father's Day
After playing pickleball, we went to the Water Park in Williamsburg. That was what Nathan picked to do for his special day and considering it was so hot, it was a great pick as far as the rest of us were concerned. Our travel buddies joined us, so we had twice the fun. Joshua went on all of the big rides that the adults did! We had a great day.
I hope you had a wonderful Father's Day honey and I hope you get lots of use out of your gift.
I hope you had a wonderful Father's Day honey and I hope you get lots of use out of your gift.
Saturday, August 24, 2013
I love it here
A gray, rainy day. My husband calls on the cell phone.
"Look out the window. There's a turkey in the back yard!"
Meleagris gallopavo, eating clover.
I duck-walk below window level to grab the camera.
And spy this out the kitchen window:
Snowy Egret, Egretta thula.
-----
This was the first time we'd seen only one turkey. Normally they're in flocks. It seemed awfully large for a female, and we wondered if it might be a first-year male. I'm not sure when they develop the red color on their heads or when they grow their beards. I couldn't find any info about that online, so if you know please feel free to instruct me!
The Snowy (a new yard bird for us) hung around the rest of the afternoon, foraging in the pond. In the past we've only seen them at the beach I think, so this was the first time we'd noticed foot-stirring behavior.
"Look at him, what in the world is he doing shuffling his feet like that?!" He'd take one foot, and move it ahead in the shallow water in a back and forth motion. Like he was stirring up the mud on the bottom.
Ah, YouTube to the rescue. There's a video of the behavior here. Our guy was moving much more slowly and deliberately though, and the behavior was more obvious since the water was so shallow.
From what I read online, that behavior is used to forage for crustaceans. In the time we watched, he didn't catch any of those, but did score one small fish and one rock (which he threw back).
"Look out the window. There's a turkey in the back yard!"
Meleagris gallopavo, eating clover.
I duck-walk below window level to grab the camera.
And spy this out the kitchen window:
Snowy Egret, Egretta thula.
-----
This was the first time we'd seen only one turkey. Normally they're in flocks. It seemed awfully large for a female, and we wondered if it might be a first-year male. I'm not sure when they develop the red color on their heads or when they grow their beards. I couldn't find any info about that online, so if you know please feel free to instruct me!
The Snowy (a new yard bird for us) hung around the rest of the afternoon, foraging in the pond. In the past we've only seen them at the beach I think, so this was the first time we'd noticed foot-stirring behavior.
"Look at him, what in the world is he doing shuffling his feet like that?!" He'd take one foot, and move it ahead in the shallow water in a back and forth motion. Like he was stirring up the mud on the bottom.
Ah, YouTube to the rescue. There's a video of the behavior here. Our guy was moving much more slowly and deliberately though, and the behavior was more obvious since the water was so shallow.
From what I read online, that behavior is used to forage for crustaceans. In the time we watched, he didn't catch any of those, but did score one small fish and one rock (which he threw back).
Friday, August 23, 2013
Dinner's at Cody's Original Roadhouse
Tonight we got together to take advantage of Fajita night at Cody's Original Roadhouse. We planned to go last week with Tim and Marlene and cancelled when we learned there was a big event there. It worked out well for us because this week Buddy and Diane were back in our area, so they got to come join us!
The food was just as good as last time and we enjoyed the company too! We don't have a whole lot more weeks to do dinner here so we are enjoying the last few times we have.
Death Valley :: Zabriskie Point
Wednesday, March 7th - - I was tempted to spend another night at the motel in Pahrump because the strong winds were still blowing. But the sun was shining and patches of blue sky were showing through the clouds and the weather forecast called for diminishing winds later in the day. There was still quite a bit of dust in the air and the mountains in the distance were rather hazy looking. It was late morning when I left Pahrump and the drive to Death Valley National Park was rather nice. There wasn't a lot of traffic to fight with and I was driving into the wind so the van wasn't buffeted from the side like all day Tuesday.
Having been stationed in California, I have visited Death Valley several times the latest being in April ... Like many of our National Parks, each time you visit you see things in a different way. The quality of the light is always different depending upon the time of day and other atmospheric conditions. And the light is what makes things seem to appear different. Because there was so much sand and dust in the air I concentrated this time on the closer views at Zabriske Point, abstracting Mother Nature a bit. There is no sense of dimension in the photos, no way to tell how large or how small the mounds of dirt and rocks really are...
Having been stationed in California, I have visited Death Valley several times the latest being in April ... Like many of our National Parks, each time you visit you see things in a different way. The quality of the light is always different depending upon the time of day and other atmospheric conditions. And the light is what makes things seem to appear different. Because there was so much sand and dust in the air I concentrated this time on the closer views at Zabriske Point, abstracting Mother Nature a bit. There is no sense of dimension in the photos, no way to tell how large or how small the mounds of dirt and rocks really are...
Thursday, August 22, 2013
The continued discusssion................
A week or so ago a buddy of mine and his friends were caught in a slide. Three of them were dragged a good ways, two of them seriously hurt.
More than amonth previous on my first day in Chamonix two good friends were buried and went at least a 1/4 mile in the run out. Both ended up on the surface, unhurtfor the most part but not unscathed. Scared the shit out of me watching as they went by and set the tone (likely a good thing) for the following sixweeks in Chamonix. All thatliterally a few hundred meters from the lift terminal and we were on foot!.
Look closely and you can still see the one meter crown from the slide just a few minutes before.
The list of my friends that have died in the mountains is highlighted by the deaths in avalanches. Most have died in avalanches. It bearsrepeating...most have died in avalanches.
My preference is simply to not ski in avalanche terrain these days. Easier said than done if you want to b-c ski in the NW or Canada. InChamonix we skied heavily crevassed glacier terrain on a almost daily basis. Same place the local mtn rescuewas "averaging 10 people a day off the Vallee Blanche.Crevasse falls, breaks, fatigue." All that "off piste".
I am not a big fan of skiing in crevassed terrain either. I generally try to avoid that as well.
As you might imagine that instigated some serious discussion and disagreements. Becasue if I wasn't climbing I was going to ski and do it up high on the glaciers in the Mtn Blanc Massif.
My idea is "don't ski in places that you could easily die". So knowing the terrain, be cautiousand be aware and honest about your own skills are key.
My idea of what I "might die on." May not agree with what, "you might die on".
I hadn't seriously skied in 10 years or so until this winter. That after working on skis for 20+ years in my previous life. But I have been thinking about it for a while now. To be honest even with all the experience,miles on skis and avalanche schools and snow studies,snow still simply scares me. I don't spend enough time out in the weatherand snowthese daysand know much of what I don't know. Which is why it scares me.Thatgot me thinking,"shouldkeep my head buried in the sand" or actually organize my kitto ski in relativesafety on questionable terrain and most importantly get out more and become aware of the situation in the field.
Depending on the scenario the kitwould generally include combos of transcievers, the Avalung, shovel,rope, harness, hardware, probe and a rescue sled. I owna Brooks Range Eskimo Rescue sled these days as part of that kit. And to date I haven't been required to used it, thankfully. But more and more I am thinking the entire kitjust might be better if you are going to ski in avi terrain or just simply out in the B-C skiing.
Be sure to dbl click the videos towatch them on a full screen.
More here:
http://brooks-range.com/Rescue-Sleds/
More than amonth previous on my first day in Chamonix two good friends were buried and went at least a 1/4 mile in the run out. Both ended up on the surface, unhurtfor the most part but not unscathed. Scared the shit out of me watching as they went by and set the tone (likely a good thing) for the following sixweeks in Chamonix. All thatliterally a few hundred meters from the lift terminal and we were on foot!.
Look closely and you can still see the one meter crown from the slide just a few minutes before.
The list of my friends that have died in the mountains is highlighted by the deaths in avalanches. Most have died in avalanches. It bearsrepeating...most have died in avalanches.
My preference is simply to not ski in avalanche terrain these days. Easier said than done if you want to b-c ski in the NW or Canada. InChamonix we skied heavily crevassed glacier terrain on a almost daily basis. Same place the local mtn rescuewas "averaging 10 people a day off the Vallee Blanche.Crevasse falls, breaks, fatigue." All that "off piste".
I am not a big fan of skiing in crevassed terrain either. I generally try to avoid that as well.
As you might imagine that instigated some serious discussion and disagreements. Becasue if I wasn't climbing I was going to ski and do it up high on the glaciers in the Mtn Blanc Massif.
My idea is "don't ski in places that you could easily die". So knowing the terrain, be cautiousand be aware and honest about your own skills are key.
My idea of what I "might die on." May not agree with what, "you might die on".
I hadn't seriously skied in 10 years or so until this winter. That after working on skis for 20+ years in my previous life. But I have been thinking about it for a while now. To be honest even with all the experience,miles on skis and avalanche schools and snow studies,snow still simply scares me. I don't spend enough time out in the weatherand snowthese daysand know much of what I don't know. Which is why it scares me.Thatgot me thinking,"shouldkeep my head buried in the sand" or actually organize my kitto ski in relativesafety on questionable terrain and most importantly get out more and become aware of the situation in the field.
Depending on the scenario the kitwould generally include combos of transcievers, the Avalung, shovel,rope, harness, hardware, probe and a rescue sled. I owna Brooks Range Eskimo Rescue sled these days as part of that kit. And to date I haven't been required to used it, thankfully. But more and more I am thinking the entire kitjust might be better if you are going to ski in avi terrain or just simply out in the B-C skiing.
Be sure to dbl click the videos towatch them on a full screen.
More here:
http://brooks-range.com/Rescue-Sleds/
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Strange Setting on Camera
My new camera has a setting I have never seen on a camera before. It takes photos that make the subject look like pencil drawings. Here are some I took. The camera is a G.E. brand that I got from WalMart. 
Wind & Sand
It is so dry here. We are in a heck of a drought as are several of the other southwestern states. The wind blows and the sand creeps into the house through each and every little crack. You might think you have the best windows made but find out there is not any window that seals well enought to keep this dust out. There are brush fires everywhere. New Mexico, Texas, Colorado, Oklahoma, Arizona that I am sure of. Tornados are just as bad like in Iowa and Wisconsin. These photos don't show the wind and dirt that well, but they are kind of blurry due to the blowing sand. The first one is after a windy day when the sand is blown like little waves.
Saturday, August 17, 2013
Some Hopeful Non-Resolutions
I don't know about you, but New Year's resolutions never seem to work for me - my resolve melting away with winter's first snowman. So doing away with the futile ardor of determination, I instead put forth some hopes for this brand-new year:In I hope to...
. learn to mount and dismount a bicycle "properly",
.complete my first "century" (100 mile) ride,
. go on my first multi-day trip by bike,
. cycle in Ireland (where I am likely to be in March),
. finally stage some bicycle photoshoots in our studio,
. finish and give away (yes, give away!) my "roadbike for ladies",
. do a good job on myBella Ciaoproject,
. have a chance to work on other interesting projects, and
. continue Lovely Bicycle on a close-to daily basis - rain or shine!
Of course, that's only the bicycle stuff, and there are many personal hopes as well. But somehow the bike stuff is easier to focus on - maybe because it is so specific, and at the same time, relatively detached from the stresses of "real life". It is funny that several readers have told me now, that they get the impression I am an organised person from reading the blog. In reality, my world is almost comically disorganised and chaotic. So perhapsLovely Bicycle is my "wishful thinking" manifestation of how I'd like things to be. Is it time to get my life in order and really focus, as I am able to focus here? Maybe. Or at least something worth considering.What about you and your hopes - or, dare I say, resolutions - for ?
Boys And Girls
This weekend is National Digital Scrapooking Weekend. Which means I have sat glued to my computer for hours on end in order to download all the freebie goodies that were out there. Because I am a woman, I used that time to multi-task and play with a new photo editing program too.
I went back to pictures that I snapped months ago and played around with pictures of my niece and nephew. And while I was editing, I cracked up at what I saw. Starting with this picture where I was trying to capture Prissy Missy doing the girl walk in the pool. When I went to crop the picture, I noticed Wild Man off to the side doing his thing.
This got me to thinking about girls and boys and the differences between the two. This is not a boys vs girls thing, because it isn't a competition about which is better. We are just different is all. In the case of Kyanna and David, they are both equally cute and sweet. But they definitely have different focuses in life. Let me show you what I mean.
Girls:
Boys:
Girls:
Boys:
Girls:
Boys:
Girls:
Boys:
Girls:
Boys:
Girls (unaware of Boy):
and one last time, Boys:
Need I say more? All the nurture in the world doesn't change some things and I'm glad. It's nice to be who we are instead of fighting it so hopefully these two stay who they are, even when the world tries to tell them otherwise. They crack me up!
Living the life in Sunny Florida!
I went back to pictures that I snapped months ago and played around with pictures of my niece and nephew. And while I was editing, I cracked up at what I saw. Starting with this picture where I was trying to capture Prissy Missy doing the girl walk in the pool. When I went to crop the picture, I noticed Wild Man off to the side doing his thing.
This got me to thinking about girls and boys and the differences between the two. This is not a boys vs girls thing, because it isn't a competition about which is better. We are just different is all. In the case of Kyanna and David, they are both equally cute and sweet. But they definitely have different focuses in life. Let me show you what I mean.
Girls:
Boys:
Girls:
Boys:
Girls:
Boys:
Girls:
Boys:
Girls:
Boys:
Girls (unaware of Boy):
and one last time, Boys:
Need I say more? All the nurture in the world doesn't change some things and I'm glad. It's nice to be who we are instead of fighting it so hopefully these two stay who they are, even when the world tries to tell them otherwise. They crack me up!
Living the life in Sunny Florida!
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Rustic Montana Barns
Sunday, September 18th - - While traveling back north on state road 541, along the Montana Bale Trail, I saw these two barns near the road and just “had” to stop. I love the colors on the weathered siding, especially on the barn on the left. The sun was playing hide and seek with the clouds and a brisk wind was blowing...
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