It pays to carry a camera with you

Yes indeed, it does pay to have a camera with you when you travel the roads, as you go about your daily business. I may have missed this stunning shot if I forgotten to place the camera on the front seat of my car, and waited until next week. You never know when a wind storm will come up and whip all that glorious color from the trees.

Clammy but beautiful

Click on the picture for a better view.

As I drove through a rural area this morning on my way to work, I couldn't resist taking this photo from the car. As Usual, my camera was on the passenger seat, as you never know when a photo opportunity may arise.
On this small farm is rolling acreage where the owner raises sheep, and as I drove along the road beside the farm, I could see the sheep happily grazing the rich green grass, while the damp fog drifted in and swirled around the farmhouse and out buildings.

I have been waiting for this day

The first thing I would do after greeting my client each week when I went to her home, was to look at her orchid.
A few weeks ago this lovely flower was just a small bump on the stem, and today I was delighted to see the first of three flowers in bloom.

I am on top of the cleanup chores this year

It has been a cleanup day around the yard today. I took 24 cuttings from some of the plants and shrubs in the garden so I will have some nice new plants next spring. One in particular is a gorgeous dark purple geranium. I took five cuttings of this one and hope they all grow, although that is not always the case. The vegetable garden is pretty much cleaned up, except for spreading some straw on the raised beds to protect them throughout the winter.
The gutters over the front door have been cleaned out, and a messy job it was. Mr C and I are discussing placing some specially made foam inserts in the gutters to keep all the leaves and pine needles out, but it is rather expensive stuff, so we will buy a few lengths at a time.
The pine needles have been raked up from under the tree which grows by the front door, and swept from the front porch, but dang if the wind didn't come up about the time I scooped the last bucket full up, so I will have more needles to sweep up. You know what they say about "no rest for the wicked" I guess I must be really wicked.

This week the weather is supposed to be 60F + degrees so I will endeavor to get some more compost spread on the rest of the garden. It is a race against time, to get everything done before the weather is too cold to work outdoors.

There is a nice large stack of books sitting next to my favorite chair just waiting to be read. I have been collecting books for a few weeks now, usually buying them at yard sales or at the local thrift store. Yesterday, I bought 10 books for a dollar at the local Eagles yard sale, what a great find.
I am almost ready to hibernate in front of a nice cheery fire with my books for the winter, which is not my favorite time of year.

WINDOW THROUGH WHICH WE LOOK

A young couple moves into a new neighborhood.
The next morning while they are eating breakfast, The young woman sees her neighbor hanging the wash outside.
"That laundry is not very clean", she said. "She doesn't know how to wash correctly. Perhaps she needs better laundry soap."

Her husband looked on, but remained silent.

Every time her neighbor would hang her wash to dry,
The young woman would make the same comments.

About one month later, the woman was surprised to see a Nice clean wash on the line and said to her husband:

"Look, she has learned how to wash correctly. I wonder who taught her this."

The husband said, "I got up early this morning and Cleaned our windows."

Reno - part two

During the Gun Blogger Rendezvous held in Reno Nevada, a couple of weeks ago, we had a day at the range to introduce "Steel Challenge" to the folks who were interested. There were two stages set up, so all could shoot the stages and find out for themselves just how much fun it was.
I really enjoyed seeing the smiles on the faces of the shooters, as lead met the metal targets and the shooters were challenged to shoot five steel targets, hitting all in the shortest possible time.
When Mr C gets time, he will have a post on the day with more pictures to share.

Reno visit part one

Last week we in Reno Nevada for the fourth Gun Blogger Rendezvous, and were gifted with the bonus of seeing the Reno balloon Races.

We were delighted to watch around 100 hot air balloons take to the skies over Reno, Nevada for The Great Reno Balloon Race. Since 1982, this event has attracted visitors from all over.
The Glow Show was on both Saturday and Sunday mornings, but you had to be at the park to view it. At 5am from our bedroom window on the 28th floor of our hotel room, I could see just the tops of a couple of the glowing balloons above the trees in the distance.

At 6:45a.m. on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, I watched the Mass Ascension of balloons launched from Rancho San Rafael Park.
Among the uniquely shaped balloons I saw at the event this year, were the Energizer Bunny, Smokey the Bear, Tony the Tiger, a Panda Bear, and a stage coach.
I have finally had my wish granted to see a mass of beautiful and unusual shaped balloons quietly drifting against a brilliant blue sky.

We are back in the real world

We are back (a day late, due to mechanical problems with the plane) from our visit to Reno. We are both very tired, but had a great time.
During the Gun Blogger Rendezvous, and also from an online raffle, we sold tickets to raise money for ProjectValour-It , and are proud to say many dollars were raised for this most worthy cause.

I have many, many photos to edit, and as soon as I can, I will begin on some posts ASAP

Six days of R&R

Tomorrow, bright and early 5am *groan* we will be waiting for the shuttle which will be taking us to Seatac. From Seatac we fly to Reno to attend The Gun Blogger Rendezvous.
There is a LOT of talk about firearms, shooting etc. you know, guy talk. After a while I glaze over and escape to the casinos. I am one of those people who only takes a certain amount of money to gamble (and it's not much) and have fun with. This time I am going with the intention of winning BIG and retiring. Well! it could happen you know *chuckle*
This is the third year for the Rendezvous and promises to be the best yet. We are raising funds to help our wounded veterans, a very worthy cause indeed.

Garden snakes can be dangerous

Garden Grass Snakes also known as Garter Snakes (Thamnophissirtalis) can be dangerous. Yes, grass snakes, not rattlesnakes. Here's why............

A couple in Sweetwater, Texas, had a lot of potted plants. During a recent cold spell, the wife was bringing a lot of them indoors to protect them from a possible freeze.

It turned out that a little green garden grass snake was hidden in one of the plants. When it had warmed up, it slithered out and the wife saw it go under the sofa.

She let out a very loud scream.

The husband (who was taking a shower) ran out into the living room naked to see what the problem was. She told him there was a snake under the sofa. He got down on the floor on his hands and knees to look for it. About that time the family dog came and cold-nosed him on the behind. He thought the snake had bitten him, so he screamed and fell over on the floor.

His wife thought he had had a heart attack, so she covered him up, told him to lie still and called an ambulance. The attendants rushed in, would not listen to his protests, loaded him on the stretcher, and started carrying him out.

About that time, the snake came out from under the sofa and the Emergency Medical Technician saw it and dropped his end of the stretcher. That's when the man broke his leg and why he is still in the hospital.

The wife still had the problem of the snake in the house, so she called on a neighbor who volunteered to capture the snake. He armed himself with a rolled-up newspaper and began poking under the couch. Soon he decided it was gone and told the woman, who sat down on the sofa in relief. But while relaxing, her hand dangled in between the cushions, where she felt the snake wriggling around. She screamed and fainted, the snake rushed back under the sofa.

The neighbor man, seeing her lying there passed out, tried to use CPR to revive her. The neighbor's wife, who had just returned from shopping at the grocery store, saw her husband's mouth on the woman's mouth and slammed her husband in the back of the head with a bag of canned goods, knocking him out and cutting his scalp to a point where it needed stitches.

The noise woke the woman from her dead faint and she saw her neighbor lying on the floor with his wife bending over him, so she assumed that the snake had bitten him. She went to the kitchen and got a small bottle of whiskey, and began pouring it down the man's throat.

By now, the police had arrived. Breathe here......

They saw the unconscious man, smelled the whiskey, and assumed that a drunken fight had occurred. They were about to arrest them all, when the women tried to explain how it all happened over a little green snake.

The police called an ambulance, which took away the neighbor and his sobbing wife.

Now, the little snake again crawled out from under the sofa and one of the policemen drew his gun and fired at it. He missed the snake and hit the leg of the end table. The table fell over, the lamp on it shattered and, as the bulb broke, it started a fire in the drapes.

The other policeman tried to beat out the flames, and fell through the window into the yard on top of the family dog who, startled, jumped out and raced into the street, where an oncoming car swerved to avoid it and smashed into the parked police car.

Meanwhile, neighbors saw the burning drapes and called in the fire department. The firemen had started raising the fire ladder when they were halfway down the street. The rising ladder tore out the overhead wires, put out the power, and disconnected the telephones in a ten-square city block area (but they did get the house fire out).

Time passed! Both men were discharged from the hospital, the house was repaired, the dog came home, the police acquired a new car and all was right with their world.

A while later they were watching TV and the weatherman announced a cold snap for that night. The wife asked her husband if he thought they should bring in their plants for the night.

And that's when he shot her.

Thanks to Gail

Whidbey Roundup

I have the privilege to live on beautiful Whidbey Island, and wish to share with you some of the lovely places I visit as I travel the roads.

There was the promise of a beautiful day ahead as the fog drifted in over the ocean, obliterating the sun, then fading away to let the warmth of the sun, kiss the sand on the beach.

Piles of driftwood giving protection to wildflowers and grasses

A couple of birds, probably sandpipers, foraging for food in the tidal pools.

Visitors to the beach have constructed shelters from driftwood, or perhaps they are forts built by children.

Progress report on my new garden

Early June 2009 I started work on my new Shade garden. Here is a slide show from the beginning up until 8/31/2009. I still have plenty more to do before it will be finished, that is, if a garden is ever complete. Us gardeners are inclined to change our minds about the location of plants, and of course we are always buying new plants to add to our gardens.

I have moved plants from the flower bed in front of the house into the shade garden, and planted quite a few hellebore which were in pots, into the terraced beds and alongside the path which leads down the incline. I am anxious to see how this is all going to look next year, after the plants have had a chance to settle in and put on a spurt of growth in the spring and summer. A friend has offered some ferns from her place so I had better get my shovel and go dig them and get them into the ground before the cool weather gets here.

Makeover completed

The three pots I bought in a garage sale yesterday, (look at the previous post to see how shabby they looked) have been made over using a couple of cans of spray paint, formulated for use on plastic. Next spring I will have fun deciding what plants and the color combinations will grace these pots. Now I am thinking all my older pots are looking kinda' sad and also need a makeover. I will put that task on my to do list.

A day off for fun

This morning Mr C and I decided to go garage sale hopping, and we both found a few treasures to bring home.

I found the large flower pots, the book and the fish shaped serving (for lack of a better word) dish, at separate garage sales. The pots will get a good scrubbing, then painted using a can of the special paint made especially for plastics. I have in mind to use some nice bright colors on them so they will be a focal point in my garden. As I glanced briefly through the book before deciding to buy it, I found there was some very useful information on growing vegetables, and for a dollar I couldn't go wrong.

When I saw this fish shaped 'thing' sitting on a piece of plywood with other merchandise for sale, I was immediately intrigued. What on earth is that, I asked myself? The woman who was hosting the yard sale came by, so I asked her about this unusual 'object D' art' I was told that it came from Mexico and it was used in restaurants to hold, and keep food hot. A can of Sterno was placed inside the mouth of the fish and lit to keep the top of the server hot. H'ors deurves were then placed in the center section, while tooth picks filled the sections at either end. I don't know if I will ever use it as intended, which would certainly be a talking point at a party, or if it will end up as garden art. I nearly forgot to tell you, that I also bought a nearly new push lawnmower for $2 I have wanted one to mow the grass in front of the vegetable garden, but did not want to pay around $85 for a new one. Mr C is going to adjust the blades so it will do a better job, and I will be able to keep the grass under control. The rabbits are way too slow in doing their part to help *grin*

As we were driving down a narrow road after perusing yet another yard sale, I had Mr C stop our car, so I could snap a picture of the bird houses adorning the tops of the fence posts surrounding a garden.
That was our fun morning, and to top it off, we stopped a Dairy Queen for a Blizzard treat.

California trip

Last .Wednesday Mr C and I flew down to Burbank CA, picked up a rental car and drove to Valencia, where we stayed until Saturday. Mr C competed in the World Steel Challenge which was held on a range about a half hour drive from the hotel, at a place called Piru.

Thursday morning Mr C was to compete, and we had to be out at the range very early, so he could register for the match as we arrived too late the night before to do so. As we drove to the range I noticed this finger of fog slowly drifting in over the hills down into the valley we were passing through.

The fog thickened as we drove along, but did not drift in over the road. It was a pretty sight indeed. This is a very dry, hot, dusty place except for the areas which are irrigated for the various crops being grown.I saw chili peppers, tomatoes, oranges, and other crops I could not name, as I saw them from our vehicle, as we drove along.

The day after Mr C Competed, we once again drove to the range to watch more of the competitors shoot. Not far from this orange grove is a fruit stand, where last year we stopped so I could buy some freshly picked oranges. I was sorely disappointed as they were not at all very sweet.

As we made the turn onto a side road which led to the range, this herd of horses came ambling towards us, so we had to stop and wait, until they passed on by.

A section of the range.

The building front you see, are set up for Cowboy action shooting, but was not part of the weeks events.

There was a Steel Challenge stage set up behind the western store fronts.

The last day on the range was quite warm, in the upper 80's, which was a whole lot better than last year when we had to suffer temperatures in the 100 degree range. The only complaint, well almost the only one, is that the wind came up whipping up the fine dust, which found its way into our eyes, down the top of our shirts sticking to our damp sweaty skin. I was very happy to arrive back at the hotel to take a nice long shower and wash all the grit off myself.

Sighhhh!

Yes, that is a sighhhh! of relief you hear.

Last night and into early this morning, we have had a good soaking rain.

The plants and critters seem happy to see this downpour.
I watched a little finch sitting on a branch in the rain, fluffing it's feathers and preening for all it's worth, and happy flocks of birds were bathing in the puddles on the driveway leading to the house.

Visitors to my garden

Pictures from a road trip in New Zealand

I can't believe it is almost two years since I was back in New Zealand and I still have pictures I have not shared with you, and there will be more when I return from another visit in November. Sheesh! I had better 'get with the program'

My brother, took me for a drive up, and around the hills and country roads surrounding the city of Palmerston North where we grew up. We drove through rolling pastures dotted with sheep, through small ravines covered in beautiful lush growth, and wound around narrow country roads sometime pulling over to let a farmer driving his tractor towing a piece of farm machinery.

I have an appreciation for the stunning country I grew up in.

Ahhh! relief from the heat

I'm over all my whining about the heat, as it was a more reasonable 82 degrees here at our house today. It has been nice to be able to get outside and get a little gardening done.
Earlier this evening, I spent time pulling out all the peas which were past producing, and tomorrow morning I am going to plant a fall crop of peas, scarlet runner beans, spinach, beets, and lettuce.

I sure had an audience as I worked in the garden. Three rabbits were almost climbing the fence looking for a handout. You should have seen the excitement from them when I threw some of the pea vines over the fence. One rabbit even went so far, as to grab a whole vine and run, I mean hop off with it, and hide under one of our vehicles to eat it.
Tomorrow the temperature is supposed to be 75 F so it should be a pleasant day to be out doors.
You all have a wonderful weekend.

Whine, whine whine

It is too "bleeping" hot to do much of anything. I have weeds in the garden needing my attention, a dishwasher which needs emptying, blogging to catch up on and a myriad of other chores calling my name. This Kiwi just can't function when the temperatures are in the 90's I am about as limp as a wilted piece of lettuce. We don't have air conditioning in our home here as it really doesn't stay hot for extended periods, but this week will be hot all week. Sheesh!!!!
Last Friday morning we drove to Idaho for the Eddy Brown Memorial steel challenge match. You can read about our adventures HERE
On the 12th of August we fly down to Piru CA for the World Steel Challenge. I will not be shooting in this match, but MrC will. I guess this heat wave we are experiencing is acclimatizing us to the heat we will have to bear when in Piru.
That is about all for now, I am going to get a nice cold drink and see if there is anywhere cooler than this spot in front of my PC.

Talk to them and

they will be friends.

Any time I went outdoors and saw any of the wild rabbits, I would talk to them. Imagine my surprise, a couple of days ago, when this little guy/girl came right up to me as I was doing some gardening. I slowly made my way inside, and asked Mr C to bring the camera while I found something I thought the rabbit would like to eat. I knelt on the ground and spoke softly to the little rabbit, trying to entice it to come and eat out of my hand. The picture tells the rest of the story.

Since that day, every time I went outside, this little one, would appear at my feet looking up at me, asking with it's eyes, for food from my veggie garden.

A short time ago I was taking some pictures of flowers for a blog story, when I felt a tickle on my sandaled foot. I very nearly kicked out and squealed thinking it was some kind of bug crawling on my foot, but no, it was Wabbit (new name) nuzzling my foot. Of course I had to pick some peas for Wabbit, which seem to be rabbit candy.

I sat on the ground taking pictures, to show you how unafraid Wabbit is of me.

Isn't he/she a cutie?
I find I am now paying more attention at looking before I step, just in case Wabbit has crept up on me.

Salpiglosis

Painted Tongue has become one of my favorite flowers. Next year I intend on growing many more, to see how many more of the stunning jewel-like colors there are.

Progress report on our 'baby'

Our furry little friend we are now calling 'our miracle bunny' Most times baby rabbits will die within hours or just a few days of their rescue, but this little one, has defied the odds and is thriving.

6/30/2009

7/4/2009

7/17/2009
We sure do get a kick out of the rabbit's antics. he/she likes to groom Mr C's hands.
I guess that means Mr C is now 'family'.

The quail family

Daddy quail sitting atop a pile of gravel, well at least I think it should be Daddy, watching out for predators, while his family search for food.

I have noticed two quail families which seek the protection of the blackberry bushes near our house. This family, and one other with much younger chicks. I have attempted to take photos of the smaller chicks, but they are very shy, and move faster than I can get the camera ready to take their picture.

There is alway another side

to seeing things.

As I sat on the porch enjoying a cool drink, I glanced down on to a pot of pansies. Instead of looking at their happy faces, I was looking at the back of some of the flowers, and it was then I realized how interesting flowers look from the back or underside.



If we take the time to really look around us, most times, there is always something we have not noticed before, to interest us.

July 4th Celebration 2009

This evening we enjoyed watching fireworks from our front deck. We are fortunate to look out across Useless bay and down onto the beach, where many bonfires glow in the dark, and fireworks light up the sky and reflect on the still water of the bay. I love the way the fireworks in the photos, have the look of modern pieces of art.

Bunny update

As requested, here is more on our little rabbit. We decided to make a little video so you can see for yourself how cute our little friend is. It was his/her left eye, which had been injured somehow, and was badly infected. Well we are happy to say, and you can see, that all the infection is gone, and it appears he/she can see out of the injured eye.