Road Trip - Colonial Parkway

Starting out with a little inspiration this morning, I loaded Bounce into the car and headed off for a drive down Colonial Parkway.

We dipped into several of the plantations along the way, stopping at the Berkley Plantation was awesome! On the road into the house there was a lovely pond on the side of the drive, with this colorful goose gliding along. I couldn't pass it up.

I hopped out and the next thing that I know he has swam right over to where I was. Not only did he just swim over to the edge of the pond, he climbed right out and walked over to me. All the while honking and carrying on, basis sass mouthing. He was quite intent on getting my attention and nearly came beak to camera lens. I could not have asked for a better subject.

All the while, poor Bounce is having a fit in the car. I can hardly blame the poor thing for wanting to get out and 'play' with this new creature. Finally getting back into the car, I was the one who was surprised. My new found friend didn't want us to leave. In fact he chased the car down the road for a short way. I felt sorry for him.

After checking out the plantation house and starting back up the drive, back past the pond and our friend. We arrived to find him holding a carload of visitors hostage. The driver had pulled all the way over in the opposite lane to go around, but he had moved out into the center of the road and was right next to the passengers door.

I hopped back out of the car with camera in hand which caused him to run right over. I really do think that he liked having his picture taken. So while I was pretending to take more photos of him, the girls were released from their captivity and passed by laughing as he 'talked' with me on the side of the driveway.

Having completed my mission, back to the car I went followed closely behind by my friend. I started down the drive and he ran along side the car - I was doing 10 mph and he was keeping pace. I gunned it just a hair and he started flapping his wings. I thought for sure that he was going to take flight and follow me all the way out.

Bounce settled back and really seemed to enjoy the rest of the trip. We stopped at a little beach area along the Colonial Parkway to allow him some stretching time. He hadn't ever been near the river or on sand before. Oh my goodness! He had a blast.

You would have thought he was practicing his football moves. He had his front paws spread apart and then zig zagged from side to side, broke to the left, ran down the beach, ran up and tried to bite the wave coming to shore, jumped in the air and shot back the opposite direction.

The biting the waves part was the most amusing thing he did. He'd dive right in to the water, try to bite it and then jump sideways back out of the water. I could tell him to get the water and he'd actually repeat the process. I nearly cried from laughing so hard.

We made it all the way to Yorktown, but there were a few too many people there. Not if it had been just me but with Bounce it was better with smaller crowds. I did make a stop back to the beach area on the return trip where I was equally as entertained as the first time.

The last BIG experience on tap for Bounce was a trip on the ferry. He did great getting onto the ferry yet he was sitting in the back seat shaking until I got him out and walked him around the deck. He did so well and was quite popular with a number of the other passengers. He received loads of compliments on how handsome he is.

Once finally back home, he promptly plopped on the sofa and has been sleeping like a rock since.

Check out the pictures from our adventure.

Gunshot to the Head

Linda Burnett, 23, a resident of San Diego, was visiting her in-laws and, while there, went to a nearby supermarket to pick up some groceries.

Later, her husband noticed her sitting in her car in the driveway with the windows rolled up and her eyes closed, with both hands behind the back of her head. He became concerned and walked over to the car.

He noticed that Linda's eyes were now open and she looked very strange. He asked her if she was okay, and Linda replied that she had been shot in the back of the head and had been holding her brains in for over an hour.

The husband called the paramedics, who broke into the car because the doors were locked and Linda refused to remove her hands from her head. When they finally got in, they found that Linda had a wad of bread dough on the back of her head.

A Pillsbury biscuit canister had exploded from the heat, making a loud noise that sounded like a gunshot, and the wad of dough hit her in the back of her head. When she reached back to find out what it was, she felt the dough and thought it was her brains. She initially passed out, but quickly recovered.

Linda is a blonde, a Democrat, and an Obama supporter, but that could all be a coincidence.

The defective biscuit canister was analyzed and the expiration date was in 2008, so it was determined to be Bush's fault.

Political Humor

Nearly fell over laughing when I was shown this package of gum today!
Turns out that this is a real product that can be purchased from Perpetual Kid.

Judy Smith Photography

 Judy Smith Photography is now on Facebook. Be sure to like to keep posted on the latest photos.

Pre-Obama Gas Prices

This morning a local radio station, WRVA 1140 was offered gasoline to the first 150 lucky drivers at $1.84 per gallon. The average price for gasoline before Obama took office.

What an eye opener! Here we sit today with gas prices nearly double with no sign of the price coming back down in the near future.

Sure would like to see the US utilize more of our energy resources and drive the price down even further than that, maybe back to under $1.00 per gallon. We can only hope!

The line put me in mind of the gas lines of the 1970's. I still can remember the odd and even days method of gas rationing. But back then gas was under $0.50 per gallon.

More Photos of Those Waiting

Fiery Friday

It has been some kind of crazy week and threats and violence has broken out all over. One local DJ called it "The World On Fire Friday". Just looking over the headlines that are on the Drudge Report make one wonder if he isn't right.

Let’s see what do the following have in common:

• Terror scare in Kansas City 
• University of Texas - Classes Canceled by ‘Al Qaeda Threat’ 
• North Dakota State University Bomb Threat 
• Threat at Valparaiso University 
• Nuke Reactor Evacuate in Austin 

Word is that these threats are not connected. Then there is the US Embassies Under Seige, as reported on Drudge & Fox News, in....

• Casablanca, Morocco 
•  Tel Aviv, Israel 
•  Tunis, Tunisia 
•  Benghazi, Libya 
•  Khatoum, Sudan 
•  Cairo, Egypt 
•  Sana’a, Yemen 
•  Baghdad, Iraq 
•  Tehran, Iran 

Hmm.... and the official word on this that the protest are not directed at USA.

Borrowed from a Facebook posting.

Obviously something is going on and leadership is lacking. We all need to be vigilant and prayerful.

A Word from Ben Stein...

Paradoxical Quote of The Day From Ben Stein: "Fathom the hypocrisy of a government that requires every citizen to prove they are insured... But not everyone must prove they are a citizen." Now add this, "Many of those who refuse, or are unable, to prove they are citizens will receive free insurance paid for by those who are forced to buy insurance because they are citizens."

Remembering

National Empty Chair Day

Labor Day 2012

Remember to keep your chair out on the lawn from now until Election Day. Let's remind everyone of the lack of leadership that we have had for the last four years; and the millions of jobs that have been lost during that time.

Weekend at the Lake

The weekend started early on Friday afternoon. I hopped in the car and head out to the lake for the weekend. The further south I went the cloudier it became, by the time I had arrived at my destination, it was sprinkling rain.  No worries, it was time to relax.

We headed out to a local restaurant for dinner. It was a great evening of food and conversation. A really awesome start of the weekend together.

Saturday morning we were greeted with a downpour early in the morning. I enjoyed listening to the rain hitting the skylight. Very peaceful. With the rain came a drop in temperature. I was sure glad that I had taken jeans with me. Brr.  Of course as the skies cleared the temperature rose to a more seasonable level. We did get down to the dock for a while in the early evening, just long enough to let Borla chase a few balls in the lake and I even saw an Osprey across the lake.

The sun rose Sunday morning shining brightly. The sky was only slightly cloudy and promised us a day of sun and fun. We were able to spend a good portion of the day swimming, hanging out of the dock and riding the jet ski. Borla had a great time retrieving the tennis ball from the lake, over and over again.

I'm just a little sun kissed this evening it should be all good in the morning. The ride home was uneventful, although I don't think I ever make the trip down and back the same way. Some day I maybe able to make it using the same route. All in all it was a great weekend at the weekend with friends.

Lake Photos 

Brownie for One! Yum!!

I've been searching around on Pinterest lately and came across several different recipes for cakes, brownies, and such in a mug. There are a multitude of variations on this basic recipe theme.

I tried this one this evening and it came out pretty well. The original recipe calls for a scoop of ice cream. That might have made it a bit more "gooey" but if I had thrown in a Hershey Kiss or two and it would have been awesome!

Mug Brownie 

1 egg
1/4 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup powdered sugar (a little bit more would give it an extra punch)

In a mug, whisk together the egg, cocoa, and powdered sugar until a batter forms. Zap the mug full of batter in the microwave for 60 seconds (can be up to 90 seconds). The key is to watch it through the window of the microwave door, cake is done when it rises to the top of the mug and then just begins to fall.

Great Lightroom Presets

Mom passed on this link to a great set of Lightroom Presets by Matt Kloskowski. Here's a before and after using just one of them.

Before

After

Congratulations Dr. Goldberg!!

My dear friend, dentist and author, Dr. Michael Goldberg was interview by dLife about cosmetic dentistry and about the various types of cosmetic dental procedures and the potential risks they may have for a person with diabetes.

His interview is full of information for the diabetic.

Read Dr. Goldberg's Interview Here

A Hunting We Will Go

I had a wonderful morning, albeit a very early one, with Dad today. We headed out to the middle of no where for him to help judge a dog competition. I thought that it would be good opportunity to get out and get some different types of photos.

We headed out bright and early this morning, at 2 a.m.!!! The temperature was nice for a drive without AC. I never thought that we would ever get there. We twisted this way, turned that way, and a couple of times seemed to be making a circle. We even saw nine deer on the side of the road as we were on the last leg of the journey to our destination.  Thought there for a few minutes we were going to be taking home a deer with us (they were very close to the edge of the road).

It was amazing how long these dog kept at it trying to search out what they were looking for. A few of them reminded me of Bounce, with their ears flapping as they trotted along and their tongues all lolled out seeming to be four times their normal length.

At one time several came trotting along in a line when they were passed by a dog going in the opposite direction - they seemed to question why he was going that way. Then a couple popped out of the woods acting like they had found something, that was until they hit the road. There they had that look of "Where did it go?"

Although we didn't see a whole lot of activity at the corner where we were sitting. I did get some nice pictures of the flowers (aka weeds) and the sunrise.

On our trip back home, Dad spotted a turkey - he even turned around so I could take some photos of it. Finally there were some calves, who came right out to the fence for photos. One even "mooed" at me.

I really enjoyed spending the time with Dad, it is something we haven't done in years.

Outing with Dad Photos

Thank You

I would like to thank my daughter for all the love and kindness that she has shown to me over the past few years.

How much I have looked forward to sharing the grandchildren growing up and reaching those developmental milestones. First words, first steps, birthdays, school plays and the like. They are just some of the things that make being a grandparent such a joy.

Knowing just the things that will bring a sparkle to their eyes. Having them on out on little day trips or overnight. Sharing with them the things that once were shared with her. Learning about them and being able to be there for them as they grow up.

Not to mention how much she has enabled our family to draw closer to one another.

How painful would it be to be cut off and totally disassociated with. Without the love of your children and grandchildren. Being alone. What a horrible way to go through life - knowing that your child and grandchildren are there just out of reach. Knowing that others know the joy of spending time with them yet are unable to share this because of the pain and torment that it can cause.

How hard a callus must have to develop to withstand this knowledge and rejection by your own flesh and blood. Such sorrow and sadness.

Happy Birthday Alec!

Happy Birthday Alice!

Special Offer from Adobe

SCAM Alert

WARNING: I received a call this evening from a person stating that she was from Feldman Mead and Associates and that they wanted to know if someone was going to be home tomorrow because they were going to be serving papers. I inquired as to who the were looking for, so I could let them know whether they had the right address or not. They asked for "X", and I informed them that the person that they were looking for did not nor had they ever lived at our home.

I was told that my name was on the file associated with this person and that I would need to have them return their call to have my name removed. I reiterated to them that no such person lived or had lived at our home. She asked me to check with other members of the household and have them give the message to "X" so that they could return the call and have my name removed from the file associated with "X".

I told them I would take their name and number, but that we had only had this phone number for a couple of years and had no idea of who had it prior to us.

THIS IS A SCAM!

I did a quick search for Feldman Mead and Associates with the phone number of 866-378-833, and found several sites that have this company listed as a scam.

• Did you get a call from 866-378-8333
• Did you get a call from 405-233-3382
• Posts here give the company's contact info 

When you analyze this a whole lot of things about the calls in general just don't add up:

1. They do not call before serving papers. How dumb would that be?
2. They called our house line, which generally only gets calls from political committees and pollsters, or just plain old wrong numbers. We just don't use the number for anything at all if someone wants us they know how to reach us. We've only had the house phone for a couple of years - and who know who had it before we did!
3. I didn't push it, but should have found out what address they were going to try to serve. It would have been interesting to find out if they were actually going to try to serve our house.
4. They never did ask my name or tell me my name, so I don't know who's name it is that they have associated with that file number they gave me.

With the economy in the state that it is in, I can see why someone may fall for this. Who would want to have their a lawsuit filed against them for whatever the reason. From what I read on the various boards, it appears that this group is just out to scam people out of money - by pressuring them to make a settlement on some alleged past debt.

REMEMBER:

• Never volunteer any information to someone that calls you.
• Check them out.
• You can always call the local police to check if is a SCAM.