Asheville Cats

The Long Road Home

2010-04-29T11:54:00.000-07:00

We decided to take a different route home and go along the Gulf coast. We cut across on Alligator Alley and made a stop in Captiva, where we used to have a condo.

There's nothing like the beach in Captiva! We ate lunch at one of our old favorite haunts, The Mucky Duck. From there we drove up to Tampa and spent the night downtown on the waterfront. That made up for our budget-trip down.

The next morning we drove the rest of the way home from Tampa. It seemed like it took FOREVER. We cut across Florida and got back on I-95 in Jacksonville. When we got onto I-26 traffic was backed up and it was stop and go all the way to Columbia, SC. Once we got through that we hit a huge hail storm in Spartanburg. The hail was the size of marbles. We got off the expressway and took refuge under cover at a gas station, along with everyone else. It looked like it had snowed. When the hail let up we took off and the tornado sirens were going off. I kept one eye on the sky. As soon as we got into North Carolina we got off I-26 and took back roads the rest of the way. It was a relief to get home.

Islamorada Beach House

2010-04-29T11:39:00.000-07:00

This is the Islamorada Beach House. You can see our chairs lined up down below. It was nice to have that covered area to sit under for some of us fairer-skinned beach lovers.

Me and Nancy in our bathing suits.

Robert enjoying the sun.

Oops!

HELP!

Don to the rescue.

Hot tub buddies.

What the???

Too much fun in the sun.

Robert sea kayaking.

A slight mishap.

Our last sunrise.

Islamorada Beach House

2010-04-29T10:31:00.000-07:00

We arrived at the beach house in the afternoon. Just in time to see the 2 bald eagles next door. They came everyday at least twice a day and were fun to watch.

Our first sunrise.

Views from the house. This deck was one of our many places to sit and enjoy the ocean.
Nancy had to have an emergency pedicure so we killed time at a near-by tiki bar. This was Don's first time in a tiki bar.

We also went to a big outdoor-gear store where they had this boat which was the sister-boat to Hemmingway's boat.

We drove down to Key West for a day and rented an electric cart to drive around in.

Jeeves drove us around for the day.

We visited the Hemmingway House & Gardens.

We met Charlie Chaplin.

Robert & Don enjoying the gardens.

We did the other touristy-thing and went to the southernmost point.

The Road to Islamorada

2010-04-19T08:04:00.000-07:00

Last month we took a trip to the Keys to get away from the stress of our winter in the mountains. We rented a beach house in Islamorada with Nancy & Don (aka Da Yoopers.) We decided to make a road trip out of it and drive. (It had nothing to do with the fact we could bring as much wine with us that a Honda Pilot could hold.)
When we left home early in the morning it was in the low 30s. COLD! Once we got into Florida we stopped at a rest area and stripped down and put on summer clothes. How good it was to feel the air on my toes! I wanted to stop in St. Augustine and get out and walk around. Robert wouldn't stop because it was too crowded. We drove down the coast and found a public beach and he let me out so I could run like a dog.

It was great to be on the beach again!

The only way out of the parking area was to drive on the beach for awhile to the exit. I had never driven on the beach. I don't think it's the best thing for the environment.

We decided to go the budget route on the way down and booked a cheap hotel off the interstate in Vero Beach. At least it was clean. We did look out the window in the morning to see if our car was still there.

We put the "Ho" in HoJos.

The pool looked inviting but we didn't have time for a swim.

We found a place on the beach for dinner. My first oysters of the trip!

The next day we took our time driving down to the Keys since we couldn't get into the rental house until 4:00. I found where I want to live next. Palm Beach!

One More Time

2010-03-15T12:19:00.000-07:00

OK, enough is enough. This was about 2 weeks ago. We didn't get as much snow as other times so it was cleared sooner and we weren't trapped for too long.

You can see the snow wasn't as high on the birdbath as in the past.

Now, here are some signs of Spring.

Notice the sun is rising further to the East. It used to come up between the gap in the trees and it's moving over.

Now it's not even in the gapl

Crocus is blooming!

Witchhazel is blooming. I normally don't leave tags on the shrubs like Minnie Pearl plants. However, those who know Robert (aka Dogwood Dick) know I have to do this so he won't chop them down.

Here We Go Again

2010-02-15T09:44:00.000-08:00

This morning we woke up to - more snow! Not very much and it stopped early. It's nice and sunny now so I'm sure the roads are OK. Good thing because I have a hair appointment tomorrow in Black Mountain. Or as Erin says - I'm getting my spikes sharpened.

IF IT'S FRIDAY, WE'RE GETTING HAMMERED

2010-02-15T09:28:00.000-08:00

(with snow.)
Yes, for the 3rd Friday in a row we are snowed-in here in Western North Carolina. This one caught everyone off guard. The snow was supposed to hit further south and we were only going to get a dusting. Surprise! It wasn't a lot of snow this time but enough to make the roads very slippery during rush hour. Our neighbor, George, was coming home from town at about 6:00 and couldn't make it up the road past the gazebo. He said there were accidents and cars off the road all the way down Highway 9 (which, if you've driven Highway 9 you know it's scary on a GOOD day.) Robert went to his rescue and picked him up and drove him home. On the way back Robert rescued another neighbor who couldn't make it up the mountain. I was thinking of tying a keg around his neck like a St. Bernard.
Saturday morning the roads were still covered with snow. Erin was going to drive up for the night but we told her to stay home. Later that afternoon the roads cleared and she ended up coming afterall. We had our surf & turf dinner that night. It was the best Valentine's Day ever!

Sunday after breakfast we went for a walk before Erin had to go back to Greenville.

She got a little blurry.

We built a snow woman along the road. On the way back I noticed her arm had fallen off and when I tried to put it back on she fell over and broke. I ruin everything!

Yikes!

We ran into this skunk on the way home.

Latest Alert

2010-02-10T15:13:00.000-08:00

This is our latest weather alert: High wind and blizzard warning until tomorrow morning. The winds have been blowing all day. It woke me up at 5:00 this morning. Good thing or I might have missed this sunrise.

Someone Help Us

2010-02-10T15:10:00.000-08:00

This is how pathetic we are from being locked in here.

Robert grilling dinner with his headset on so he doesn't miss "The Bachelor."

I'm Dreaming of a Green Summer

2010-02-08T11:19:00.000-08:00

In the millions of snow & ice pictures I have stored on my computer I came across this one of my old garden. The tea house! Everything BUT tea was consumed there! Someday the mountains will be green again.

A Southern Winter?

2010-02-07T15:57:00.000-08:00

OK, so here is how we spend winter in the south. Go to the store, stock up on food then get snowed in for a few days. Go to the store, stock up on food then get snowed in for a few days. Go to the store, stock up on food then snowed in for a few days. Oh, wait a minute. Sometimes we're iced in instead. We found out before we left Charleston that a big snow storm was coming along I-40 so we stopped at our neighborhood Ingles on the way home and stocked up. The next day we got about 9" of snow. It wasn't as bad as the week-before-Christmas-snow and we were dug out in a few days.

On our day of freedom we got really crazy and went to Asheville. We got our supplies then had freezing rain which kept us in for a few days. It wasn't as bad as the Christmas Day storm. The trees weren't falling down around us.

We got out once again and went into Black Mountain for more food. This time we were in for snow topped with freezing rain, rain, sleet, etc.

As promised, it snowed a few inches then we had sleet/rain all night and the next day.

Once again the trees were heavy with ice but very few were cracking and falling around us.

The cats don't mind being snowed in.

The trees were bending from the weight of the ice.

Saturday the sun came out for a bit in the afternoon. It made the trees sparkle.

We just started out for a walk when dark clouds rolled in and the wind kicked up and chunks of ice were falling everywhere. We chickened out and went back home.

At about 5:00 our neighbor, Barbara, called and we walked down to meet her at the gazebo.

Dark clouds started to roll in again so we all headed for home.

Sunday morning the sun was out and the trees were sparkling again.

Throughout the afternoon the sun was melting the ice on the trees and it was raining ice chunks in the woods. The trees that were bent over from the weight of the ice were springing back up.

Sunset.

Charleston

2010-02-06T13:37:00.000-08:00

In between snow storms we managed to escape to Charleston for a few days. George & Theresa were there for a few weeks and invited us down. We took a carriage ride.

We had dinner here the 2nd night.

Erin Moves to Greenville

2010-02-06T13:16:00.000-08:00

Erin moved into her own apartment in downtown Greenville in January. We started by making a trip to Ikea in Charlotte. Erin wanted a bed and we were buying it for Christmas/Birthday. I know you're not supposed to buy combo gifts for your kids when their birthday just happens to be close to Christmas but when they want expensive things - tough rocks.

We had lunch in the cafeteria. Erin got the Swedish meatballs & gravy. This was a real treat for her because I NEVER made meatballs for her because to me they are just little meatloafs in disguise.

We passed through Gaffney, SC, home of the big peach butt in the sky.

Miss Bobbie and I volunteered to help Erin set up her kitchen. I took a load of her boxes and we went to see her new place. The sleeping closet (aka the bedroom) was painted a dark brown and kind of gave me the willies. I made the mistake of saying if it were my place I wouldn't sleep in that room until it was painted. The 3 of us ended up painting it the next day.

The following weekend Erin and Cousin Michael showed up at our house with a U-Haul. She finally got all her crap out of our house!

The next day Robert and I went over and helped her put things together and get organized.

Robert hung the curtain to her sleeping closet.

The following weekend Bill made his annual trip down for Martin Luther King weekend.

Of course, it didn't take long for Erin to get a cat.

This is my itty-bitty grandkitty, Smitty.

Isn't he adorable?

A New View

2009-12-29T08:57:00.000-08:00

Our view is a bit more open now. You can see the snapped-off trees and limbs.

The Morning After

2009-12-29T08:50:00.000-08:00

When I woke up the next morning and could see the sunrise I knew the bad weather was gone. I called Bobbie and rescheduled Christmas. She came up from Greenville with Michael, David and Pebbles. Our neighbor, Barbara, joined up for dinner, too. It was the best Boxing Day ever!

Our driveway. What a difference a day makes!

Behind our house is littered with tree limbs.

We had a beautiful sunset that evening.

The Last of the Ice Pics

2009-12-29T08:39:00.000-08:00

While the trees were exploding and falling around us Erin wanted to walk down to the bottom of the road and see if her car was OK. I wouldn't allow it. Later that day as it warmed up the trees stopped snapping off and it sounded like it was raining ice. I went outside with her and watched her walk to her car but told her not to walk under any trees.

My favorite dogwood!

You can see the tops broken off the tulip tree.

Everything was covered with thick ice.

More Ice Pics

2009-12-28T09:50:00.000-08:00

The top of this tree landed upside-down.

More limbs on the ground.

The trees were bending even more as the day went on.

Erin found this part of the tulip tree on the deck.

The deck looked like it was covered with broken glass but it was ice. We were lucky the glass table top didn't break.

PeeWee and Harvey spent the day in front of the fire.

Later in the afternoon Robert went back up in the attic and pulled insulation away. He found a stick poking through the roof. The top of the tulip tree must have hit the roof first, poking a hole in it before it smashed the chair. He plugged the hole with bubblewrap and duct tape and put a large container underneath for insurance. We were glad to find the problem and didn't have to worry about this happening again. We were glad to be able to put the dining room furniture back, too.

What More Could Happen?

2009-12-28T09:27:00.000-08:00

Well, since we weren't going anywhere and no one could come here, we decided to have mimosas with our breakfast. We finally got Robert off the phone - everyone was calling about downed trees blocking the roads - breakfast was ready and Erin was whining about opening gifts. I just poured the mimosas and was carrying mine to the living room when I noticed a spot of water on the dining room table cloth. I looked up at the ceiling and saw water dripping in. Then I looked at the buffet and it was covered with water. We all sprung into action and removed the breakables from the buffet and Robert & Erin pushed it into the kitchen. Then I took the table cloth off and Erin took the leaves off the table so we could push it out of the way and roll up the rug. Erin grabbed containers to put under the drips and I went upstairs in the attic but didn't see any water coming through. I was glad because I didn't want to have to move all the boxes up there but then that meant the leak was probably due to ice dams (or damn ice) and that's not good.

We pretended the buffet was a kitchen island.

Erin was using the dining room as a dance floor.

We finally had all the drips falling in containers and sat down to breakfast and gift-opening.

Our favorite was this one from Grandma. Was it a sock puppet that didn't work? We talked to her later and found out it's used to put a wine bottle in and give to someone. (Don't ask Erin for wine as a gift!)

Merry Christmas?

2009-12-28T09:11:00.000-08:00

I was sitting on the couch with the cats and heard a loud crack followed by a big thud. We all jumped. I looked out the door and this big tree limb was laying on the chair on the deck and had bent the metal frame. It was actually the top of the tulip tree next to the deck.

The trees were really bending from the weight of the ice.

Erin and I took a few pictures from the lower level patio but stayed under cover at all times because it was so scary.

The ground was becoming littered with limbs.

My favorite mountain laurel was bending.

This snapped-off tree was a sourwood.

Merry Christmas?

2009-12-28T08:54:00.000-08:00

Christmas morning I awoke at 6:45 to the sound of - reindeer paws on the roof? No, it was the generator purring outside the bedroom window. My first thought was, "Oh, #*&+@!!! We got the ice storm!" I got out of bed and turned on some outside lights and everything I could see was covered with ice. I waited until it started to get light and stood on the front porch and back deck and took these pictures. It was beautiful! But then I kept hearing what sounded like gunshots all around. It was the trees snapping off and breaking from the weight of the ice and limbs were falling everywhere. I sent some pictures to Bobbie so she would understand why we were postponing Christmas dinner. Then we lost cable, internet and phone.

Snow Daze Continued

2009-12-22T03:59:00.000-08:00

Monday - Day 4

I woke up this morning thinking, will this be the day? Will this be the day we get outta here? We're still nowhere near the point of starvation but starting to run low on a few things. Like orange juice. And green vegetables. We're down to our last few leaves of lettuce, three carrots and some celery. If this goes any longer we could get scurvy and then a big wind could come along and blow us away (right, Ma?) I salvaged what I could out of the last few strawberries for breakfast. I rationed the blueberries. I went downstairs to the freezer to see what I could scrape up for dinner. I found some chicken leg quarters and knew I could make some kind of edible dish with them. I scouted the freezer to see what our next meal could be (if necessary) and we're down to the Bubba Burgers Robert bought when I was out of town. I decided right then and there today HAS to be the day. I had this heavy feeling ever since I found out that Gary doesn't really have a snowplow - he drags some kind of scraper behind the tractor. We're in the south. Down here they just don't have snowplows laying around because they never need them except maybe once every ten years or so. The snow was really deep at the bottom of Kalmia Lane where Gary made an attempt to come up with the tractor. I came up with a plan. This afternoon we were going to trudge back down to the roundabout with our snow shovel and I was going to dig us out. Not Robert - he could have a heart attack then what would we do?
After lunch we bundled up and headed outside with our snow shovel.

The garden ornaments were finally visible.

Then I heard a voice. A human voice! It was George Morris trying to get up our driveway on his Mule! I looked down the driveway and Berry Lane and Kalmia had been plowed! We were saved! Robert jumped on the Mule with George (somehow I think they had this planned in advance) and off they went to scout out what was going on in the outside world.

I continued on my walk alone.

These winterberry at the gazebo were full of red berries last time I saw them. Now they were almost bare. The shrubs were surrounded by turkey footprints. At least the turkeys were eating.

I sat in the gazebo for awhile enjoying the sunshine and new-found freedom.

On my way back I ran into Robert & George heading for home.

A Mule and Two Asses.

They had been out on the main road (Mt. Hebron/Crooked Creek) and it had just been cleared and was drivable to Old Fort. They traded the Mule for Robert's car and headed to Old Fort to mail the Christmas packages that never got mailed last Friday.

Snow Daze Continued

2009-12-20T14:56:00.000-08:00

Saturday - Day 2

We decided to go for a walk in the afternoon to see how far we could get. Robert insisted on bringing the shovel to clean off his car. Don't ask me why because we certainly weren't going anywhere soon.

While he worked, I made a snowman.

We headed down Kalmia.

We didn't get very far. The car-cleaning-off wore Robert out.

Sunday - Day 3

We have a skylight in the stairway and it's covered with snow. It's usually bright in the stairway but now it's dark. I feel that when the skylight opens up, we'll be able to get outta here.

In the afternooon we decided to go for a walk again. The plan was to walk to the roundabout/gazebo (1/2 mile) to meet up with our neighbor, Barbara.

In some areas the snow wasn't as deep as it is at our house because it's more open windblown.

Still, it wasn't an easy walk. I stayed behind Robert and walked in his footprints.

We got to the roundabout at the same time as Barbara.

You can see the tractor tire prints where Robert is standing. Gary (the groundskeeper) tried to drive up Kalmia to plow us out but couldn't make it up the slope. The snow had drifted there and is very deep. Who knows WHEN we'll get out!

Barbara's snazzy boots.

Robert & Barbara taking a break.

My turn.

Gary was able to make one sweep through most of the community. Still not wide enough for a car.

Barbara's house is up the mountain on the right side of the picture. She walked down Creston Dr. on the left. It doesn't look very steep in this picture, but it is. The problem was she had to go back up!

As we headed back up Kalmia for home a huge black cloud was rolling in from the west.

We walked as fast as we could.

Snow Daze

2009-12-19T11:23:00.000-08:00

We are officially snowed-in! The snow started yesterday (Friday) morning. It wasn't supposed to start until afternoon but we woke up to it. We had 3 packages we were planning to take to the post office first thing in the morning. The local news station was telling people to stay home because the roads were slippery. I told this to Robert so he decided to drive to the post office in Old Fort instead of Black Mountain. He didn't make it and turned around and barely made it home. He left the car down at the bottom of our road so he wouldn't slide down backwards as he's been known to do.

The snow was just starting to cover the furniture on the deck.

What Asheville Cats do when they're snowbound.

After a few hours I thought we should hike down to the car to retrieve the packages because they were full of cookies and I didn't want them to freeze.

We bundled up and Robert put his cleates on his boots - birthday gift from Erin. I was armed with my hiking stick. We slung backpacks on our backs and headed down the driveway.

There was a layer of frozen slush under the snow but enough snow had fallen so it wasn't too slippery.

The "death slide."

The sundial was getting buried as the day went on.

The snow was getting deeper on the deck.

Snow was piling up on my little fleur-de-lis garden spike.

The screened porch was full of snow and the one side was covered so you couldn't see out.

Oh, Christmas Tree.

The front porch.

Looking out our front door.

Robert insisted on grilling the salmon for dinner even though the grill was covered with snow.

At this point there was 10" on the deck.

Luckily, we brought a snow shovel with us from Michigan and he was able to plow through.

Saturday morning we woke up to sunshine. The snow was melting a bit and dripping off the eaves.

Everything in the front of the house was buried.

Check out the sundial.

The wall was almost gone.

It was so deep it was hard to walk.

This is the tip of a ruler. It could go down further but I didn't want to lose it.

Looking down our driveway.

The car looks lonely down there.

I was standing in our driveway when I took this. There's the car.

Gary, the groundskeeper at Creston, is snowed in at his house and won't be able to plow us out for at least 2 more days. I guess it doesn't matter because we wouldn't be able to get far on the roads anyway.

The tip of the fleur-de-lis.

Birdbath.

Well, we won't starve to death. Luckily, we bought a freezer and have it stocked. We have a generator if we lose power. Let's just hope the wine supply holds out.

Robert's Birthday Continued

2009-12-19T11:18:00.000-08:00

Robert has caught on to my method of celebrating my birthday and he dragged his out all week.

Sunday we met Miss Bobbie and Erin for lunch at the Bayfront Pub on Lake Lure.

Erin cracks up at everything I say.

Montford Home Tour

2009-12-19T11:07:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday afternoon we went on the Montford Home Tour. Montford is a historic neighborhood in Asheville.

The first house was the biggest on the tour. It is no longer used as a residence and is currently vacant and for sale or lease. It had been used as office space and is kind of chopped up inside and has lovely grasscloth on the walls.

The next house we went to was this Dutch Colonial. It has a guest house in the back and had been used as a bed & breakfast and is currently for sale. The asking price is way below market @ $600,000. It needs a lot of work.

This pebbledash/stucco house was owned by a gay couple who collected EVERYTHING you could imagine. It was a lovely house but you could barely walk through and every square inch of wallspace had something hanging on it. But I liked it.

The last house we visited was a bed & breakfast called the Black Walnut Inn. We stayed here almost 5 years ago for our 10th anniversary. It was probably the nicest house on the tour.

The Deer

2009-12-19T11:04:00.000-08:00

Our deer friends are back! A few months ago a mother & baby deer were hanging out around our house until one day the generator came on and it scared them away. The baby no longer has spots but I'm sure it's the same family.

This was taken outside our bedroom window.

Asheville Cats

2009-12-19T10:45:00.000-08:00

PeeWee's latest OCD thing is drinking out of our bathroom faucets. She is obsessed with it. It scares me half to death when I get up during the night and walk in the bathroom in the dark and see something move. Some nights she sleeps on the cold concrete countertops.

The kitties love wintertime with a fire every night. It didn't take Pee long to get used to this.

Harvey likes to help decorate the tree but didn't like it when I decorated him.

P
Pee playing with her Christmas string. What a poser.

Where's my blankie?

A new pose.

Robert's Birthday

2009-12-19T10:23:00.000-08:00

December 9, was Robert's birthday. For his birthday eve dinner he wanted a series of small plates served to him.

We started with appetizers of smoked salmon & goat cheese on toasted baguette, olives & grapes and, of course, wine.

The first course was cream of celery soup.

Second course - salad with roasted pears and toasted goat cheese.

There was time in between courses for a little catnap. All this eating is exhausting!

Next we had pan-seared scallops with cucumber salad and roasted lemon vinegarette.

For dessert a delicious cranberry duff and vanilla ice cream.

On the actual birthday we drove up to Blowing Rock with George & Theresa to have lunch. It was a beautiful day - sunny and in the 50s. When we got up to Linville Falls we hopped on the Parkway to take it the rest of the way. After a while the Parkway was closed. It is common for it to be closed in sections in the winter, especially as you head north, because of ice. We got off the Parkway and took Highway 221 the rest of the way. It was just as beautiful as the Parkway.

We passed Grandfather Mountain.

There were waterfalls all along the side of the road.

There was a big rock hanging over the road.

We had a nice lunch at a bistro in Blowing Rock and drove through the town a bit. Blowing Rock is a picturesque old town with several of the buildings and churches made from local stone.

After lunch we headed towards home and stopped at our favorite "Choose 'n Cut" in Linville Falls for a Christmas Tree. You choose/they cut, bale and put it on top of your car.

Thanksgiving

2009-12-19T08:32:00.000-08:00

For Thanksgiving this year we went to Miss Bobbie's in Simpsonville. There was me, Robert, Erin, Michael, Bobbie and the Barnhouse Boys - David (her beau) and his brother, Michael. I didn't take any pictures of the dinner guests or the food.

Goldie Farb waiting for the snacks to be served.

Robert in his usual after-Thanksgiving-dinner position.

Morning on the Mountain

2009-12-19T08:29:00.000-08:00

This was the sunrise one morning. It looked like the sky was on fire.

A few days later this was the same view.

A Day at the Races

2009-12-19T08:19:00.000-08:00

Early November me, Robert and Bobbie made our annual trek to Louisville to spend the weekend with Bill & Kent. We had to take the scenic route up because I-40 between Asheville & Knoxville is closed due to a rockslide. They don't expect it to be open again until spring.

Bill & Kent always plan some type of fun activity for us when we visit. This time we went to Churchill Downs to bet on the ponies. We had a table inside with a view of the track and a sliding glass door so you could step out and get a better view when the horses were running. It was fun placing the bets. Nobody won big (I think Robert ended up about $30 ahead) and nobody went home shirtless.

Halloween

2009-12-19T08:14:00.000-08:00

This is Erin going out for Halloween. Don't ask me who she's supposed to be. I think it was Brent Michaels or something. When she told me who she was going to be I thought he was a sportscaster on ESPN and wondered why she would dress up like him but I guess he's someone on "Rock of Love" which I have never watched. Unless it's a daytime soap, I haven't seen it.

I drew the tattoo on her arm. She bought some washable markers and I made her try them out on her leg first to make sure it would wash off because she had a job interview that Monday.

Visitors from Back Home

2009-12-19T07:34:00.000-08:00

The weekend before Halloween the Houslanders and Stimmels (finally) came down to see us. They drove down in a huge van. They looked like they were either a church group or some other kind of group out on a weekend pass.
We had a great time.

Tablerock and Linn Cove Viaduct

2009-12-19T07:14:00.000-08:00

In October me, Robert & Erin took a drive up to Linville Falls and went to Tablerock. You can see it in the first picture - it's a big rock formation that looks like a table. There were a few overlooks to view Tablerock, Hawksbill and the Linville Gorge.

Hawksbill

A view along the roadside.

From there we headed up the Blue Ridge Parkway to the Linn Cove Viaduct. The viaduct was the last link of the Parkway, constructed in the 1980s. It wraps around Grandfather Mountain. We went up there one time a few years ago but it was too foggy to seen anything. Luckily, this time we had a clear day.

October on the Mountain

2009-12-19T06:33:00.000-08:00

It had snowed in the higher elevations. It was pretty against the fall colors.

Michigan in October

2009-12-19T06:16:00.000-08:00

Early October we went back up to Michigan for Sarasota Sue's father's funeral and to close the cabin for the winter.

The night we arrived in Detroit we went to a wine tasting at Andiamo in Royal Oak with Jim & Monica and Al & Carol.

The funeral was the next day. After the funeral we went to The Cadieux Cafe in Detroit. It's a Belgian bar so we all had mussels and beer and some did a little feather bowling. Sue's dad was Belgian.

Summer in September

2009-12-19T06:11:00.000-08:00

In September I drove up to Michigan by myself and spent about a week at the cabin. Carol & Monica came up for a night. John & Lou were staying next door at Mom's.

Here's John taxiing a group of beautiful women around the lake.

Rainbow Falls

2009-12-19T06:08:00.000-08:00

One day we took a hike to Rainbow Falls in Gorges State Park.

You can see people on a ledge to the left of the falls jumping in.

Best Birthday Ever

2009-12-18T08:48:00.000-08:00

My only souvenier from Michigan - a pantry full of Better Made Chips. (I have more stashed elsewhere.)

We were back on the mountain for awhile. Of course, we were conveniently available for visitors on my Birthday Weekend. Bill & Kent came for the weekend and Bobbie, David and Michael drove up for the day from Greenville. Of course, Erin was there, too.

My party glasses from Nancy were a hit. Everyone had to take a turn wearing them.

Bill took it very seriously.

Wedding

2009-12-18T08:41:00.000-08:00

From Calgary we flew to Detroit for Bryan Stimmel's wedding (to Leandra.) We arrived on Thursday, the wedding was Friday and we drove home to NC on Saturday. It was fun seeing everyone and catching up.

I had more pictures from the wedding ceremony - of the bride & groom - but somehow lost them off my camera and this is the only one that was left. I guess Brayden got tired of being the ring bearer. Of course, he IS a Stimmel!

Jan, Patti, Scott & Margaret

The Cutesie Boys and Girls

Parents of the groom, Jan & Stimmel

Calgary Kids

2009-12-10T12:01:00.000-08:00

At the end of July we went to Calgary to visit Robert's #1 and #2 sons and families.

We went to Megan's Jazzercise recital and watched her perform and get her certificate.
We visited the Lougheed House, a historic home in Calgary.

The grandgirls at the house.

Some of us took a hike to Grassi Lakes.

Grandpa and Megan taking a break.

We all took an overnight road trip down to Waterton (in Alberta) and Glacier (in Montana) National Parks. It was beautiful.

Red Rock Canyon in Waterton.

A lake that I can't remember the name of in Waterton.

The Prince of Wales (I think?) Hotel in Waterton.

Hendry men.

The Hendry Clan.

The road to Glacier.

Glacier.

This meadow was full of wildflowers. The elevation here was over 6,000 ' roughly the same as Mt. Mitchell in the Blue Ridge, the highest peak east of the Mississippi.

Robert, Rob, Susan, Dave and Robbie hiked this trail to Hidden Lakes. It was too hot & sunny for me. I stayed behind with Sarah and Megan and we listened to a talk given by a park ranger.

Next time I go to Glacier I want to ride around in one of these. It looked like a lot of fun.

Our picnic lunch in the parking lot.

Back in Calgary at the Zoo with Megan & Robbie.

Who taught him to do that?

We stayed with Robert & Susan.

Robert & Rob on the front porch.

Robbie after eating Grandma's spaghetti. Did he hate it or does he want more? Looks like Grandpa after some meals I've cooked for him.

Da U.P.

2009-12-05T15:56:00.000-08:00

The next leg of our adventure took us over the bridge and up to the U.P. for the annual wine tasting at Chamberlins in Curtis with Nancy & Don and Sue & Roger. They have gone before but we have never been able to join them because it always takes place the same weekend as FinnFest. FinnFest was cancelled this year in memory of my uncle - plus we had all just seen each other in May at his memorial and that was enough.

Don, Roger, Nancy, Sue & Robert before everyone got drunk & dirty. The wine tasting started out quite tame but ended up more of a wine guzzling and a contest to see who could get the biggest pours. I think Sue won.

Nancy reserved a "hospitality suite" where we sobered up before having dinner at Chamberlins.
Sue in bed with Robert...

Nancy & Don.

Nancy & Don's new baby girl, Orange Blossom.

The day after the wine tasting we went to Nancy & Don's property on a lake. It was beautiful.

Ma & Pa Kettle.

We had lunch.

It rained a bit.

The next day Don, Nancy, Robert & I went to Munising and took the boat trip in Lake Superior along the shoreline of Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore. I had been to Pictured Rocks over 25 years ago but had never taken the boat ride.

Enjoying snacks on the boat.

A woman on the boat offered to take a picture of all of us. She almost cut us out.

Back to the North

2009-12-02T10:21:00.000-08:00

The day after the birthday party I headed back up I-75 to the cabin. The following day my dear friend and former sister-in-law and Erin's aunt, Diane, lost her very brave 15 month battle with brain cancer. Robert & Erin drove up together from North Carolina and I met them in Grand Rapids for the funeral. It was very sad.

Erin came back to the cabin for a few days then drove back to NC, stopping for a night with Bill & Kent in Louisville.

Erin and I had a quick Heine at Talley's.

Back to the City

2009-12-02T10:07:00.000-08:00

Oops! Here is one picture that somehow disappeared from the last blog entry. While I was still at the cabin I met up with Patti and had dinner at her sister Chris' place near Grayling.

That weekend it was back to Detroit. I went to Birmingham and had my hair cut by Catherine, who had been cutting my hair for almost 20 years.

Then to Royal Oak to Dan & Susan's house. Tommy was the only one who would let me take his picture.

From there I went to John & Lou's in Livonia. Lou was throwing a big (non-surprise) 50th birthday party for John. It made me feel old that my little brother was turning 50.
Here is everyone before they got drunk & dirty.

John's body language shows his opinion of the cake NOT being chocolate with blue frosting.

Can you tell we're siblings? GROW UP!

Some of John's little friends from the 'hood.

Back to Detroit Then Up Again

2009-12-01T13:43:00.000-08:00

We drove back to Detroit because Robert had to catch a flight back to Asheville. I dropped him off at Metro and went to Royal Oak to have lunch with my friends from the Royal Oak Woman's Club. On my way to Royal Oak I snuck past my old house in Detroit, 17363 Heyden. Robert hates it when I go through the 'hood but something draws me there. Our house still looks pretty good compared to the rest of the neighborhood - especially Nancy Bodner's old house next door. The siding is melted on the side facing our house. Quite a few of the houses are gone. I can't believe we fit 8 people in that house!
It was great catching up with my old group from the ROWC but too short. I haven't seen most of them since we moved.

Next stop was back up to the cabin. Sarasota Sue & Nancy were able to escape, I mean, get away and spend some time up there with me.

Sue was showing off her birthday glasses from Nancy and her latest trick - putting the wire thingy from a champagne bottle on her nose. I hope this doesn't pop up on a Ferris website by "accident!"

No trip to Lewiston is complete without having a beer at Talley's

Up North

2009-12-01T13:33:00.000-08:00

After spending a few days in Detroit visiting friends we went up to the cabin. One day I went to Traverse City with my mother to have lunch with my Aunt Yaya, Aunt Maxine and Cousin Cindy.

Robert's #3 son, Nick, came from Toronto to visit us. He's my favorite because he brought me a 12-pack of Brador.

You can tell by what everyone is wearing that it's still not warm in Michigan.

How I Spent My Summer Vacation

2009-12-01T13:14:00.000-08:00

I know it's almost winter and I haven't posted any pictures from summer yet. I somehow have gotten behind but will try to catch up and stay current. One reason is because I was gone most of summer. We left June 24 for Michigan and didn't return home until August 8. Robert went home for a 2 week stint in July for the annual meeting of our property owner's association because he's on the board of directors. I'm not - so I didn't.

When we arrived in Detroit we had to go to some of my favorite haunts. Mexicantown to pick up the usual tamales at Evies and we had lunch at a restaurant down the street. Looks like Robert's was liquid.
The train station is still standing but Tiger Stadium is not.

Next stop Royal Oak for Big Al's Big-Ass Birthday Party at Andiamo. Never throw a surprise party for someone turning 70. We thought he was having a heart attack.

Chickens Galore

2009-06-23T20:21:00.000-07:00

Today Erin and I drove Robert to the airport in Charlotte, about 2 hours away. We passed this "chicken wagon" on I-40. There were feathers flying off the truck. Poor things.

Father's Day

2009-06-23T20:11:00.000-07:00

For Father's Day Erin and I took Robert on a garden tour in Biltmore Forest. How did we get him to go on a garden tour you ask? Easy. Andie MacDowell's house was on the tour. Or Andie McGraw. Or Ali MacDowell. Whatever.

This is her house and garden on the golf course.

Robert didn't think much of her garden.

Sue & Roger

2009-06-23T19:56:00.000-07:00

Last week (Sarasota) Sue & Roger stopped by for a few days on their way back to Michigan from Florida. We took them on our usual tour of Creston starting at the community center at the top of the mountain.

As usual, Star was there to greet us.
Then we took a bottle of wine down to Allison Falls. It looks like it was night time but it was just very cloudy.

The next day we went back up to Craggy Gardens. It was a week after our first visit and the rhododendron were almost at their peak.

Sue is such an experienced hiker she can do it with her eyes closed.

It was foggy that day so when we made it up to the summit there was no view but we enjoyed the fog. The lack of sun made the colors of the flowers stand out more.

2009-06-23T19:49:00.000-07:00

PeeWee loves mountain life. She spends most of the day sleeping on the screened porch in a wicker chair with her blankie. Kind of like an old lady in a rest home.

She has made herself very useful watching to make sure Robert is eating a healthy diet.

She even predicts the weather.

Craggy Gardens

2009-06-23T19:06:00.000-07:00

One day we took a drive up to the Craggy Gardens. Craggy Gardens is located along the Parkway and up until recently the Parkway was closed just south of the Gardens due to a landslide so we haven't been able to get there. It took a year and a half to repair it. Craggy Gardens is part of the Craggy Mountain range and has been a popular spot to visit since the 1800s. It is a heath bald, which means the plant material is all in the heath family (rhododendron, azaleas, leucothoe, blueberries, etc.) and there are no big trees which make it look bald from a distance compared to other mountains. The time to visit the Gardens is in mid-June when the rhododendron are blooming. There are a few trails so we decided to hike the Pinnacle Trail which is at just under 6,000 feet at the summit.

The first part of the trail is a rhododendron tunnel. Then through a forest full of wildflowers and interesting trees. A lot of the larger trees have been blown over from the high winds and have grown sideways.

The Craggys are home to some rare native plants that only grow at that elevation and at that location.

Even though the rhododendron we not yet at their peak it was still a beautiful hike. Once we reached the summit there were 360 degree views.

We barely made it home before a huge thunderstorm hit. Hail was coming down like ice cubes. Robert had gone over to another part of the development and the road was covered with ice like it was winter. This is some of the hail about an hour after the storm ended.

She's Baaaaack!

2009-06-22T18:01:00.000-07:00

While we were gone a miracle occured. PeeWee came home! She already took over Robert's chair. Oh, and Erin moved down here, too. She is living with Amy & Cheri in a house Amy just bought in Hendersonville, about 45 minutes away. It's so good to have both my girls back!

Stimmels

2009-06-22T17:54:00.000-07:00

Back up to the cabin and Jan & Stimmel came up for the weekend. You can tell by our WINTER COATS that it was COLD. It wasn't really boating weather but we managed to get one ride in. We spent most of the time hiding out in the cabin with the heat on. After they left on Monday morning we packed up and headed back down south.

Jan was impressed by our matching jackets.

Moreheads

2009-06-22T17:47:00.000-07:00

We had to make a trip down to Birmingham to pick up my new glasses and spent the night out at Carol & Al's cottage on Mandon Lake. We went for a booze cruise on the pontoon.

Cap'n Al.

They surprised us with a visit from Jim & Monica. I think Robert & Jim were bored with each other.

The Cabin

2009-06-21T19:51:00.000-07:00

It was good to have the cabin opened up for the season.

Harvey playing with his favorite toy.

Waiting for supper.

Memorial

2009-06-21T19:37:00.000-07:00

Our reason for going up to Michigan in May was to attend the memorial/burial of my Uncle Jim who died at the end of December. We went to Traverse City where we went to the burial then to a delicious luncheon at the VFW Hall then on to Memorial Gardens to see the plaque in his honor for serving in WWII. It was nice to see our cousins from Colorado who we hadn't seen in a while.

Meet Your Friends at the Speedway

2009-06-20T16:05:00.000-07:00

Last month we drove up to Michigan. When we were in southern Kentucky there was a huge accident in the southbound lanes of I-75. The expressway was closed for miles and traffic was backed up to get off. I remembered Sue & Roger were driving down to Florida that day so we called to let them know about the accident. They were still in Detroit so weren't caught up in it. We talked to Roger a few more times along the road then realized we were going to pass by each other so got off at the same exit in Ohio and met up for a few minutes.

We spent the night at our favorite LaQuinta Inn in Perrysberg, Ohio. Harvey was trying to make himself disappear.

Some beautiful scenery driving into Detroit. We made our usual stop at Evie's for tamales.

We drove past the old train depot and what was left of Tiger Stadium.

The Fog

2009-05-13T07:20:00.000-07:00

Last week we had a photo-op emergency. George & Theresa stopped by for a glass (or two) of wine and after they left I started to cook dinner. The phone rang and while I was talking Robert's cell phone rang. I was trying to pay attention to my conversation and I could hear him saying things like, "I'll be right there," and "I'm leaving right now!" I thought Creston was on fire so I got off the phone and he was running around and I asked what was going on. He said, "George just called from up at the swing and the fog is really beautiful. I'm going up to take pictures." So I turned off the stove and grabbed my camera and we threw his camera and tripod in the car and took off. When we got up to the swing George & Theresa were still there taking pictures with their phone. I got a few shots in but by the time Robert got his camera and tripod out of the car the fog had moved in again and he missed the shots. We got in the car and went up the road to turn around. By the time we got back to the swing the fog had moved out again so we got some more shots. We could see the end of the sunset in one direction and the moon had already risen in the other direction. Our house is somewhere out there under the fog.

I took different pictures of the moon but somehow they all ended up the same on the blog. Technical error.

Spring & Misc.

2009-05-04T12:57:00.000-07:00

Spring has hit the Blue Ridge! We've been watching the daily progress of the trees leafing out here on the mountain. We are now 100%. The dogwood were just beautiful this year. We had so many on our property this year. Some that didn't bloom last year were full of blooms especially one in the front of the house along the driveway.

This dogwood and rhododendron were just planted last fall. They're just blooming now.

Napsters.

The Whole Dan Family

2009-04-20T10:59:00.000-07:00

Dan, Susan, Patrick, Tommy & Jimmy came down for a visit. They arrived on a Sunday night and left Friday morning so we only had 4 days to pack things in.

The first day we stayed local. We took them down to see Allison Falls and up to the community center. We also went into Black Mountain for ice cream.

Tuesday Bobbie & Michael come up in a blizzard. We celebrated Patrick's SEVENTEENTH birthday. Can you believe it?

This picture came out blurry but you can see how handsome Michael is without facial hair.

Wednesday Robert & Dan escaped, I mean, went golfing so me, Susan & the boys went into Asheville. We shopped a bit and had lunch at the Mellow Mushroom. After lunch we went to the WNC Nature Center and saw all kinds of wild animals. Unfortunately, the bears weren't out that day.

An otter.

Wolves.

A wolf-boy.

More wolf-boys.

A cougar.

And a group of chimpanzees.

Thursday we packed a pic-a-nic basket and went up to Grandfather Mountain.

We went to the animal habitat and finally got to see a bear!

We crossed the mile-high swinging bridge.

Some of the braver ones went out on the rocks. Not me!

We stopped at the Split Rock and ran around for a while.

Friday they got up early and headed home.

Someone was glad to have his couch and blankie back.

Da Yoopers

2009-04-02T07:32:00.000-07:00

Last week our friends, Don & Nancy, came to visit from the U.P. The week started out sunny & warm so we took advantage of it and went to Pearson's Falls in Saluda. It's a nice walk to the falls and we got to see the early wildflowers blooming - bloodroot, spring beauty and hepatica. After the falls we went up through Lake Lure and stopped at the pub on the lake for a snack and a liquid refreshment. The next day we headed up the Parkway to Mt. Mitchell, the highest point east of the Mississippi. The new observation deck just opened - it's been under construction since we've lived here - so we were finally able to get to the summit at 6,684 feet. The next day we heard rain was heading in that night so we took advantage of one more day of sunshine and headed down to Allison Falls with some wine. Then we headed up the mountain to an overlook and finished the wine relaxing in the sun and taking in the view. When we came back to the house the most wonderful gift was waiting for me on the porch. Don & Nancy had Better Mades shipped down for me! Four Family Size! I was in Chip Heaven.

It rained the rest of the week but we managed to have fun anyway. We went to the Grove Park Inn, stayed home one day and Nancy & I watched, "A Hard Day's Night" and danced like Ringo and the last day we took a drive to Brevard and had lunch. After lunch we went on a drive to Looking Glass Falls and showed them Sliding Rock. It was good to see the creeks & rivers flowing so nicely with all the rain.

The only evidence of their visit - wine corks and half-eaten bags of chips.

They Call Him The Streak

2009-04-02T07:28:00.000-07:00

This is Robert hiding from the camera after I came home and found him cleaning out the litter box in his birthday suit.

The Nice Weather Continues

2009-03-11T14:47:00.000-07:00

Saturday Miss Bobbie came for a visit with her friend, Tina. They arrived with their tops down, I mean, in Tina's convertible with the top down. It was in the 70s.
We took Tina on the tour of Creston ending at the falls with a bottle of Prosecco. Good thing they were spending the night.

The 70s weather continued into the week and Monday Robert & I went for a walk up the mountain - probably about 1 1/2 miles one way and Tuesday walked about 2 miles up the mountain. Which means we also had to walk back but it's easier coming down. With all this nice weather it's starting to feel like spring. The red maples and pussywillows are in bloom and we saw a wild cherry just starting to open. I drove into Asheville today (Wednesday) and saw daffodils, forsythia and Bradford pear trees in bloom.

Oh, Yeah, THIS is Why I Live in the South

2009-03-11T14:29:00.000-07:00

By Friday it was up into the 60s so we went for a hike to Bridal Veil Falls. Bridal Veil Falls are in the Dupont State Forest between Hendersonville and Brevard and were featured in the movie, "Last of the Mohicans." It was a 2 mile easy hike into the falls. The hike was pretty level but the roads were muddy in spots from all the rain and snow. There was still some snow in the woods.

The trail took us across an airstrip. We were hoping it wasn't still in use.

Why I Live in the South???

2009-03-11T14:15:00.000-07:00

While I was up fighting off the snow in Chicago we had snow in the mountains. We only got about 4 inches - which is the most snow since we've lived there - and other areas got a lot more. It snowed 6 inches in Greenville, SC where Miss Bobbie lives and some of the higher elevations got up to a foot. It was very pretty, though, but made it a bit tricky for Robert to get to the airport on Monday to pick me up. He hit some icy spots on the roads and slid frontwards down our road instead of our usual backwards death-defying act. He said it was scarier going down forward. These pictures were taken on Tuesday so some of the snow had already melted.

Why I Live in the South

2009-03-11T14:04:00.000-07:00

Saturday in Chicago was so sunny I thought we could walk to the beach on Sunday. Well, I was wrong! Sunday was gray, windy and snowy. We drove to the beach and were outside for about 5 minutes and I thought my face was going to freeze off.

PeeWee knows to hang around the kitchen when her REAL mumma visits.

Little Edie

2009-03-09T12:38:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I went to Chicago to visit Erin and PeeWee. We started the day with turkey bacon & eggs for breakfast. PeeWee smelled the bacon cooking and popped out of her quilt tunnel. She almost doesn't recognize food-cooking smells anymore, it's been so long. It was a sunny but cold day so we went to Oak Park to tour the Frank Lloyd Wright Home & Studio. There were other Wright-designed homes in the neighborhood so we took a brisk walk after our tour.

That evening before dinner we met Erin's friend, Russ, and Chris at a wine bar. Chris is the baby sister of my friends Patti & Margaret Z. from Detroit. She and her family live near Chicago and she came into the city to visit a friend. Chris wanted me to photoshop her picture so I added a few chins.

Our Deer Friends

2009-02-22T12:04:00.000-08:00

These same 5 deer keep showing up and eating our grass.

Slickrock Falls

2009-02-22T11:40:00.000-08:00

Last Saturday was a beautiful day so we decided to find a few waterfalls for our weekly hike. We went to Translyvania County (Land of Waterfalls) near Brevard armed with directions to find Slickrock Falls and Cove Creek Falls. We took the Parkway and when we got to Mt. Pisgah I decided to pull off and check out the hike to the summit (I was driving so Robert could take his afternoon nap.) Last time we were at Mt. Pisgah, about 1 1/2 years ago, the fog rolled in so fast we jumped in the car and took off so we could get out while we could still see so we really didn't get to see the view from up there. I checked out the sign for the summit hike (Robert was still snoozing) and it was only about a mile but was steep. I figured we'd save that for another day and stick to our original plan. Plus, once again, there was fog at the summit but I was able to get a picture of the view from the parking lot. So, back in the car and off to find the falls. A little further up the road we got off the Parkway and found Slickrock Falls. It was really easy to find - the falls are right off the road so there wasn't much of a hike involved. The directions to Cove Creek Falls were a little trickier. It wasn't far from where we were but the directions weren't very clear. We found where to park then walked into a campground. We followed a creek most of the way then found a trailhead and took it. We walked quite a ways then realized we were on the wrong trail. The directions said to walk about a mile and the falls would be right there. We figured we had walked over a mile and saw a pretty creek but no big falls. It was getting late in the day so we turned around and headed back. It was bugging me that we somehow missed the trail to the falls so when we got home I found a different set of directions in a book. These directions told of a different trail off to the left in the campground. The directions I had from the internet didn't say that. Well, it was a nice hike anyway and now we know how to get there so we'll save that for another hike.

Slickrock Falls

Sun & Moon

2009-02-21T08:32:00.000-08:00

Moonrise, sunrise, sunrise and moonset.

One morning the sun was rising on one side of the house while the moon was still setting on the other.

Mountains-to-Sea Trail Hike

2009-02-20T15:33:00.000-08:00

Two weeks ago we decided to go up the Blueridge Parkway to the Craggy Gardens for a hike. It was a warm, clear day and the views are supposed to be spectacular. We knew the Parkway was closed at the Gardens and has been for over a year due to a landslide but we were told you can still get to the hiking trails. Well, for some reason, the Parkway was closed quite a bit south of the Craggy Gardens. We found a trailhead to access the Mountains-to-Sea Trail so hiked on that instead. The MTS Trail follows the Parkway and runs - you guessed it - from the mountains to the sea. We walked for about an hour then turned around and came back.

Let's Get Physical

2009-02-20T13:08:00.000-08:00

So, we've been keeping up on our walking & hiking. One day I got Robert to walk up to the swing with me. George & Theresa have a house about a mile past the swing so they walked down and met us there. A few days later I walked all the way to George & Theresa's house. My goal is go all the way to the community center at the top of the mountain. Robert's goal is to not go with me. It seems like our walks are always my idea. It usually goes something like this:

Me: "Robert, darling, would you like to take a walk with me?"
Robert: "I would but I have a lot of calls to make."
Me: "Speaking of calls, the nursing home called and they have an opening."
Robert: "I'll get my coat."

An article in the newpaper caught my eye last week. The headline read, "Wife Exercises Husband to Death." I called it to Robert's attention and then went on to read how she did it. The 41-year-old wife and 73-year-old husband were in a swimming pool and she wouldn't let him get out. The article didn't explain where the pool was - if it was in their backyard, at the neighborhood Y or what, but for some reason there was a video of the whole thing. It showed the husband trying to get out of the pool 43 times and the wife kept pushing him back in. Then she was dragging him around in the pool by his ankles. After he finally got out of the pool he had a heart attack and died. The article went on to tell how the wife USED to be a man until she had a sex-change operation and at that time changed her last name to Newton-John because she admired the singer and liked the movie Grease. After reading that, Robert certainly has nothing to complain about. He knows I'm hopelessly devoted to him.

It's Cold Down Here

2009-02-19T06:43:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm back from hiatus by popular demand. All I can say to the thousands of you who begged me to post more pictures on my blog is - "Get a life!"

A few weeks ago we had some very cold weather. This time, the local news was right. It was frigid. The temps. were below 0 with the windchill. They also predicted ice & snow so, clever as we are, we moved Robert's car down to the bottom of our road the night before just in case we needed to get out in the morning. No more backwards-Honda-sliding for us! Turns out our road wasn't icy this time but at least we're getting smarter.

No more Wheel!

Harvey likes the cold nights. He has us trained to build a fire for him in the evenings and he curls up on his pillow in front of the hearth.

Weather Pix

2009-02-03T14:10:00.000-08:00

Swingin' Time

2009-02-03T13:57:00.000-08:00

I've been getting a little more brave with my walks. This is my new walk to the swing. It's about 1 mile from our house.
You can see the swing just below the house under construction and to the right. It has a little roof over it. It's more visible in the 2nd picture taken with the telephoto lens. What you can't see is that the road to the swing is very steep. That's the brave part.

Closer...

Here it is!

The reward is I can sit there and look at the view. In the close-up picture you can see the roundabout and gazebo that USED to be our walking destination back when we were wimps. You can barely see our house from there.