Random Pictures

Just Mooing Around...

What kind of flower IS this?

Another View of the Mountain

Been a long day.  This is about as ambitious as I feel like getting.
And tomorrow is Monday.
Blech!

Looking Back Before Looking Forward

 On top of Mt. Killington, VT

I was looking at my 2007 posts and I can't believe how busy I was!
I did quizzes, notified readers of contests, discovered a book review site, told jokes and plastered a lot of pictures everywhere.
What happened?
Oh yeah, I was no longer a stay-at-home-mom.  Huge difference.  I went back to work in the fall of that same year and everything went downhill from there.

And it languished. But I can still share pictures!

A quiet moment to reflect

Peeking through Killington's woods

I've been a little more active here than I've been in a year so that's good. I'm trying to make time and it's not easy.  I don't think I showed you some of the pictures we got when we went. It was so nice because at the time we took these pictures, it was like we were the only people on the mountain.  We got there before the crowds -- they were arriving as we were leaving.  So the serenity was undisturbed for us while we were there.  Don't you wish you could take the time to smell the pine? And I'm telling you true. Walking through those woods was like walking through a Forest sachet where the scent of pine was as fresh and sharp as a freshly cut Christmas tree, without the snow and cold. *VBG*

May you find your serenity today.

Highland Games 4th year

Why did it have to be the HOTTEST day ever for the Highland games?

We made it to the opening ceremonies and I tell you, Mr. Zahn gives me goosebumps when he sings our National Anthem. The man can Sing!

Then we have the clan presentations. And no, I don't have a speck of Scot in me that I know of, darn it. Anyway...it was adorable that this little tyke with his dad tried to keep up with the rest of the drummers. He had his own little drum and he had his own beat. Such a cutie.

Oh yeah, this guy with the rather rough attire. Get this, and I think it's going to crush the fantasies of every romance reader who imagines brawny Scotsmen in kilts and sporrans.

What this guy is wearing is ACTUAL high linen fashion from the Highlanders. A Plaid is actually - and there is a Gaelic word for it that I obviously can't possibly know - a BLANKET - Plaid does NOT refer to a pattern of a clan. Neither is a Kilt, those cute little manly skirts. He told me kilt means "pleated" so a Plaid Kilt or Kilted Plaid is basically a Pleated Blanket! No romance in that! And while discussing weapons of the period, only the broadsword and what he's holding, a battle hammer/axe is authentic. There is this one that would be used for the foot soldiers and a shorter one for those on horseback.

And while discussing weaponry, a Scott in full regalia - modern version, tee hee, stepped up and they started tearing apart the movie, Braveheart. ROTGL- ground laughing since I was outside. lol - anyway, another guy showed up with baseball cap and shades so I was surrounded by all these guys in different dress debating history versus Hollywood. Braveheart was 10% history and 90% Hollywood fiction. Even the face paint that Mel Gibson used hadn't been used in hundreds of years- going back to the Picts. The only things that were consistent with history were the fight scenes and the depiction of the king. Wow. It was a lot of fun being in the middle of that. I learned so much more but how long do you want this post to be? ::snicker::

Anyway, the last picture here is the caber toss... did I at least spell that right this year? I couldn't get close pictures like usual because silly and scatterbrained me forgot my camera!! I forgot to unpack it from vacation so I had to rush to CVS to get a one time use camera. At least I got some but sheesh! I was so disappointed in myself. So, that's my current fun. Hope you are having fun this summer too!

Things in general

Views from Quichee Gorge,VT

Not sure what kind of bird that was but it was the only wild life brave enough to hang around despite the many people on the other side of the rock outcroppings. Perhaps it had to do with the teeming fish life in the shallows?
Picturesque, isn't it?

I love the look of filtered sunlight through trees - I couldn't go much farther on the trail - poison ivy was rampant.

In general:

Things in general are alright. The summer schedule means I work nights so no more Zumba during the summer. I miss it terribly. By the time I get out of work and make it back home, Zumba class is over or almost over. For this reason, I'm looking forward to September.

Summer is nice, but what do YOU look forward to at the start of autumn?

The Sentinal Ant protects his Aphids

What a busy place it is on the tip of a tree branch.

The Storm blew this way and that

ALL TOO EASILY, THAT TREE COULD HAVE DECIDED TO LET GO ON OUR DRIVEWAY.

AS IT IS, IT WENT OVER ONTO OUR NEIGHBOR'S. I MADE SUPPER WHILE THE REST OF THE FAMILY HELPED THE LONE WOMAN AND HER TRUSTY CHAIN SAW GET THE JOB DONE. IT WAS GOOD TO SHOW MY KIDLETS WHAT BEING A GOOD NEIGHBOR IS ALL ABOUT. THESE PICS ARE BUT A MEMORY NOW - THE ONLY STUFF LEFT ARE LEAVES, TWIGS AND DEBRIS. BET MOST AREAS COMMUNITIES WISH IT WERE SO EASY TO CLEAN UP THEIR MESSES. MANY AREAS HAD TO CLOSE ALL SCHOOLS DUE TO TREES AND POWER LINES DOWN. I THINK WE WERE VERY VERY LUCK....

Find the Happy in Botany

OK...a bit of nature too. LOL....





Some posts just do not need words, since nature tends to express herself so well.
Take some time and marvel.
You'll be glad you did.

Haggis Rocks!

Well, you don't have to agree with me. LOL
Yes, I ate haggis at the Scottish Festival.
When the vender suggested I eat my haggis puff with some steak sauce, I only put a dab at the corner. EWWWW.

I like my haggis straight And they make the BEST fish and chips there. Sure it's a bit pricey, but we budgeted for this. I look forward to this every year. This is the third year in a row we've gone.

And I got my airbrush tatoo too.

I took some awesome pics of the caber toss and the weight throwing contest. Can you imagine throwing a metal ball weighing 65 pounds, overhead behind you, up and over a 14 foot height? Yep, that's what they do. Well, try anyway. Tee hee

Did you ever see the bicep width of these guys? Hmmmmm.

.

OH and did you notice? Under the kilt? Just a regular ol' pair of athletic shorts. *sigh*



Like I said... it's HARD to throw that kind of weight backwards. HOW do they train for THAT?
Whoa.
Is it any wonder these are my favorite things to see?

Why?

Why do kids have to go through things that break a parent's heart?
Why are there things we absolutely cannot protect them from?

My little one? His seizures are still not under control, despite being on the highest dose he can be on the current medication. So, they've added a second.

Last Monday he had 24 hour ambulatroy EEG. It showed 26 seizures in that period. ON medication. Can you imagine how many he must have been having before he was diagnosed? That is why he was failing school. If the seizures can last up to 8 seconds...and he lost whatever instruction was going on directly preceeding the incident, day in and day out throughout the school year, it's amazing he learned anything at all! I mean, I 'd heard Absance Seizures/Petit Mal can occur up to 100 times a day; guess it's true,




This second medicine comes with scary side affects so I'm watching him close.

IN other, better news...



We went to our local farmer's market this past week. The local farm that sells meat products was serving up cooked burgers and it was supper time, so we decided to eat there. This elderly guy walks up with his own half eaten burger and tells me and my kids, "You are going to love your hamburgers. I swear it's the best I ever had! But I don't think I have enough money to buy another one. Let me check"


He proceeds to count out four one dollar bills and folds them in half. "You know?, he says, " I could have sworn I had a bit more money than this."


When he Unfolded the dollar bills, they had all changed to TWENTY Dollar bills!! The guy was a MAGICIAN! How cool was that? VERY. And, the hambergers were pretty darned good. LOL


Later on, after we ate our burgers, one of my kids turned to me and said" No insult, Mom, but their burgers Really Are Better."

Um...gee thanks. :-)



*************


My last post, I had mentioned that I"d post a pic of my son's scorpion project. Here it is. He got an A. I'm proud of him. :-)

Mel Ruins the View

Last month we took a long drive to leaf peep. We'd heard the leaves were bright and the view from on top of the mountain, glorious. You can imagine expectations being high. Then again, you know what they say, Be Careful What You Wish For, the results can be skued. You see, Mel had been there. Mel left a mess. Mel robbed me of a tower climb. A climb which was guaranteed to appeal to my leaf peeping, picture taking heart. Instead, I got roped-off areas, a blocked-off tower and the remnants of spent movie magic.

Mr. Mel Gibson filmed on that mountain. He turned my experience on its ear. Instead of being in awe of the color palette that is nature, I was presented with a bit of illusion and man's ability to use a color palette to create what doesn't exist.

Of course I took pictures. It was what I'd come to do, never expecting to capture something more elusive than fall foliage. Unlike trees which will once again unfurl leaves to recreate their colorful glory next autumn, this sight will never be repeated.


The following picture looks good BUT, the foreground has bushes. If I'd been able to go where I expected to go, the only thing I would have captured and you would have seen were uninterrupted panoramic views of the valley from high in the air. As it is, all I got were pictures close to the ground. I had a mammal's view when I wanted an eagle's.


This next shot is perfect to illustrate just how dramatic movie magic can effect the landscape. See the foreground? Looks like six feet at least of concrete, right? Did you notice the RADIATION warning?

See the grey ridged wall formation that surrounds the building? Do you see the field stone square on the upper left with the white pole sticking up? The ONLY thing original is the field stone square up there because THAT is the tower. That is where I was supposed to be, had expected to go. The cement was actually WOOD. Wood and paint and putty created an impressive and impenetrable cement bunker. They even had used paint and putty to create aged, rusted and weather beaten iron tracks for what I can only assume was a trolley system. The glass is not a part of the original building. In fact, this building is twice the size as the actual building. It's quite impressive, isn't it? And it's not real.

The next one is a clearer example of movie magic. This is what you will see in the movie...somewhere.

This next photo is what it really looked like.

Did you notice the pretty tree stump with the flowers inside? They built the scenery around the natural environment. I laughed when I saw that.

Next is proof that they filmed at night, or dusk or in bad lighting. There were quite a few pieces of equipment left. The lighting looks kind of sad and neglected, doesn't it? Then again, I like the pretty color - like a lizard.

Just think, everything, and I do mean everything, constructed in this next shot is fake. There is nothing in view that is part of the original building. Doesn't it look like metal? Doesn't it look impressive? It's all wood, folks. But look beyond to the view of the mountains. Isn't it gorgeous???

All in all, I guess Mel did provide me with some unexpected, picturesque and unusual once-in-a-lifetime opportunities and for that, I thank him.

The view from the bridge at the bottom of Mt. Sugarloaf.

Time to change the post

Not a very original title is it?

I always have things to say but that doesn't translate automatically to a blog.
I decided to post pictures.

I mean, why not? A picture is worth a thousand words so this blog ends up being a short story, right? LOL

This first picture is of a place I drive by at least twice a month but I've been doing it for 15 years. Finally I slowed down enough to snap this picture. I wanted to share this with you so you could see the sheer absurdity of posting two different speed postings so close together. I mean, if you go 35MPH, do you get a ticket for breaking the 25MPH limit?
Which one do you choose and since when should we HAVE a choice? LOLOL
I don't think it's too often where numbers make me laugh,but these sure do.
What were they thinking? And why leave it for over a decade?



This next photo is one of three baby snakes my kids found. They put 2 in the hole they dug so they could view nature up close. Of course I had to come out to see what the excitement was about. Personally, I'm not too excited or enthusiastic about things that slither but I have to admit, small things, even snakes, are cute.


This next shot is of an unusual bug that up until I moved to the country, I thought were exotic and had only seen them on TV. What an amazing surprise to find this five incher...possible six, in our yard after a rather humdinger of a thunderstorm. It's an amazing critter and you know what? I think they bite. Won't catch me testing that theory out though. ::shudder::



I love this picture. It's of a friends frisky dog and I was able to snap the pic because the little darling needed a rest after racing pell mell all over the neighborhood when we took her for a 'walk'.
**gg**
She's such an adorable and loving puppy. Though I think she'll be a year old fairly soon. Where does the time go?



This last picture is of my SIL's dog. Another cutie who luurves his mommy. My SIL was out on the porch talking to my DH and the dog was inside. As you can see, inside is NOT where he wanted to be. Isn't the paw up in the air endearing? Soon after this picture was taken we took pity and let him out so he could jump joyously around my SIL. I'm personally not a dog person but being in these two dogs' company for awhile, I can see the appeal.


Well, there you have it. Words do come from pictures and I now have my blog post.
Have a wonderful week everyone!

Frogs and Fodder

So, how are things?

Survive the heat?

A lot of towns closed all their schools this past Tuesday because of the intense heat. That caused a lot of parents a dilemma because it was a scramble to find child care.

Me? I have to work different days and arrive at 8AM instead of 9AM. Have to make up the hours since I have to leave work early on Friday. I really dislike having my plans thwarted.

So, did you visit LASR? Have you entered Daisy's contest? I still hope you do so was can talk about her book. It rocks!

BTW - a thought came into my head.

If a Pirate says, "Blow me down!"

Who says, "Blow me up?"

Are you doing anything to celebrate Father's Day for the dad-men in your life?

Mine is going deep sea fishing. Only his second time and I hope THIS time, we get some fish! LOL

As it is, I'm glad he's going to do manly fun things instead of mowing the lawn or cleaning the gutters.

OH, this groaner just in:

What do Skunks use to make telephone calls?

A Smell-phone.

Have you even seen a bridge with such Odd Guardians? Thought I'd share them with you. I forget the city but it is in Connecticut. Enjoy the oddity!

Fort Griswold

The day before Memorial Day, we discovered Fort Griswold in Connecticut.

To say we were shocked is an understatement. The internet site under Fort Griswold showed a different fort structure so we were driving around and around looking for this huge stone building and we only found the earthen remains of one.

Turns out, there are two forts and both share a tragic and important part of history.

Fort Griswold is the scene of a massacre.

Turns out, the British annihilated nearly every last person in this fort. Some that survived were treated brutally.

Seems the commanding officer surrendered and told his men to lay down arms, after fighting long and hard. Unfortunately, the succeeding British officer, a lesser man promoted because the original leaders were killed, didn't care about honoring the terms of surrender and proceeded to cut down unarmed men.

The jerk.

This is the monument erected to honor the men who died. It has 170 steps no bigger than 20 inches across. If someone is coming up, no one is coming down. There is NO room to pass, no room to comfortably place two feet side by side. If you're claustrophobic in any way, don't attempt this.

Me? Um... I was winded by the time I got to the top, sure. But what I didn't expect was a panic attack. I posed for a picture on the top just to show that I wouldn't let it beat me. My DH was more than willing to let me go back down, to not force me to continue. But I'm stubborn. I was not going to let the feelings overtake me. Oh sure, I had to put my head between my knees at the top but who cares? I did it. HA!

The City of Groton has this nice memorial honoring the fallen..

This is another memento honoring this place of courage and death.

Sorry about all the shadows hiding some of the letters. I couldn't get an angle where my body shadow didn't obliterate the words. There was a lot of history to share from this one place.

Like I said above, I refused to let my panic/anxiety attack defeat me. I stood p and looked out the tiny window for a spectacular view. See?

Not much left of this fort. Heck, the town of New London across the river was burnt to the ground by none other than troops under Benedict Arnold. You must remember HIS name from our history. The British troops who massacred the soldiers and people at Fort Griswold were a part of Arnold's contingent... they think 800 men all told were involved in the whole mess. They split up and attacked Fort Griswold, Fort Trumbell and New London. I have pics of Fort Trumbell but that will be for another day.

See the ferry? What a view!

All that's left is the earthen structures.

I took a very shaky (sorry) video clip of one of the trenches of Fort Griswold.

So that was the first day of our mini vacation. It was beautiful, it was informative and it was memorable.

Hope your Memorial Day was memorable too.