I can't find my snow shovel

80-degrees; fishing lines in the  water; boats on the river

A perfect April or May bloom....in late December

ORMOND BEACH, FL - - The weather is weird all over the country.  We shouldn't be complaining.  In a regular year we might run the heat a few times.  This year, it's AC everyday.  People on vacation should love the weather, especially if they haven't been to Florida before.  Of course if you want to swim in the ocean, paying attention to the lifeguards and their information on rough waves and rip currents is a must.
     There will be a wake-up call sooner or later.  The temperatures...if only for a day or two..will drop to near 40 or lower.  The beautiful white, orange-ish, yellow and vermilion colored blooms on our bushes will realize that this really isn't mid-spring. 

Happy Holidays

Alf and Murphy

ORMOND BEACH, FL - - On this Christmas Day, we take a moment to reflect on loved ones who are no longer with us.  For 17 years the above two fur balls made life in our house interesting.  We miss them.

Not sure if your neighborhood is like ours, but we've seen Santa's Helpers buzzing around the streets on golf carts...pulling carts loaded with packages...and wearing brown!!  Not a red nose or elves clothing to be seen anywhere.

Out and about

Fish for breakfast

"I think I may have a problem."

ORMOND BEACH, FL - -  It's been nearly a month since my last post.  We've gone a few places to check out what has changed in the five months we were away...not much.  And our photoshoots involved much of the same subjects as last year. 
     One new discovery has been Lake Apopka Wildlife Drive,  an 11-mile (one-way) meander mainly through the wetlands on the North Shore of Lake Apopka but also a stretch of the shore line.  We found more birds than we've seen in a long time.
     As we were driving along we spotted a Great Blue Heron make a strike at a fish.  The bird was below us in a drainage canal so we couldn't immediately tell if got lucky.  The GBH quickly took off and it was evident it has speared something big.  Luckily the bird landed on the other side of the canal and we could see it's problem:  big fish; bad angle for swallowing and really stuck on it's bill.  Add to that that other birds will soon show up trying to steal the fish.
     We watched for a short while, didn't see much progress and then drove on.  

Home, again

Sunrise...OB

ORMOND BEACH, FL - - Well, here we are.  Back at home in Ormond Beach.  We've cleaned out our VW "Bus" and again marveled at what we had stuffed inside.  You would think after six (five month) trips out West we would have packing down to a science.  Close, but not quite. 
     You could say that things are about back to normal...what ever that is.  We've been out to a couple of our bird locations.  It looks like our feathered friends are still on vacation.  So we'll take it easy and wait a bit for the weather to cool down (80's) before checking again.  Fortunately we know our favorite restaurants are still open.

1498; 1499; 1500

WEST END, NC - -  I know there were doubters out there.  Too many pieces; they won't finish the puzzle.  Here it is all done.  1500 pieces, no empty holes.  Now, what do we do with it??

Blue skies

French streetscape

John Burroughs two story cabin

Saugerties lighthouse

SOUTHERN PINES, NC - - After 10 days of rain, grey skies, more rain and mostly miserable weather, today the skies are blue.  Thankfully, there was no serious flooding where we are like there was in South Carolina.  So, what do you do when the weather is crappy: hang out in our favorite coffe house; spend lots of time (Lydia) on a 1,500 piece jig saw puzzle or grab an Amtrack train to Poughkeepsie, NY to visit my mother and brother.
     Some of the weather followed us tp Pok but we went out exploring just the same.  John Burroughs was a literary naturalist who liked to hang out in the woods.  His two story cabin, called 'slabsides' because of the rough-sided wood he used to build it, is now  nature center.
     The Saugerties Lighthouse went into use in 1869 and continued until 1950.  It is only 46 feet tall and was used to cover a very narrow section of the Hudson River.  It is now maintained by a local lighthouse association and functions as a two unit bed and breakfast.  The nature trail you traverse to reach the lighthouse could be termed 'interesting.'
    Last Sunday we were in Penn Station in NYC ready to hop on our train but aware of the bad weather in the Carolinas.  Thirty minutes to go and one moment the schedule board says our train is on time and the next minute "CANCELLED."  (In all, it was cancelled four days straight.)  We got lucky and were able to get on another train headed to New Orleans, but going through Greensboro.  The train stopped at 12:15am and Lydia's brother picked us us.  Luckily we got near our destination.  Not sure how a lot of the other cancelled passengers fared.  (Our route home to OB...I-95...ended up having 75 miles closed for a period of time but we still have a couple of days yet before we're due back.)    

Guard Kitty

Want to find out how sharp my claws are??

SEVEN LAKES, NC - - Max, the guard kitty at the family BBQ reception we recently went to,  didn't sound off much.  Just a flex of the claws was enough to let folks know if they were on the invite list.

Grits for breakfast

SOUTHERN PINES, NC - - After some  sage advice from Lydia, I decided not to take photos of the "Y'all come back now" eatery.  Oh, the advice: "They probably shoot tourists taking photographs."  We stopped in Liberty, NC for breakfast.  Perfect.  Sausage and gravy;  buttery biscuits; red-eye gravy and GRITS.  Nearly four months without grits and you can get a craving.  Or not.   (My choice:  Sausage and cheese omelette plus grits and a biscuit. Got to save room because we have a BBQ get together to go to this afternoon).
      The small eatery, tucked in the middle of a row of buildings, was filled with people who seemed to know everyone's name.  No computers or smart phones until a Youngster (40-ish) joined those ready to fill up on good southern cooking. 

A battlefield along the way

"Know the power that is peace"    Black Elk

GRAYSON, KY - - One of the things we do on days we spend needing to put in some big miles on is look back.  One of my favorite places to visit if we are in the area is the Little Bighorn Battlefield National Monument (Crow Agency, MT).  A great majority of folks have heard of the Battle of the Little Bighorn and General Custer.  A visit to the area and the battlefield toward setting the  story straight.

On the trail of the Tin Man

Fay man in kilt checking out the pizza menu

Forest fire  damage in G;acier NL

Golden Marmot in Rockey Mountain NP

DANVILLE, MO - - We were in Montana in my last blog.  It's been a long road, some computer problems and not too many places with wifi since then.  We've been through apple country (Wenatchee, WA) , cherry country, smoky areas covered with haze from forest fires, hay fields, hay stacks, fields of what I call " cow corn" waiting to be harvested for winter feed.  Now we're near St. Louis so I'd guess we're back to civilization.  It's been interesting, but not real photogenic although we did  see some characters.  The chubby guy waiting for the pizza joint to open so he could chow down and get back to the Scottish/Irish festival just outside Rocky Mountain NP was one.

Bear day

WEST GLACIER, MT - - We took a trip to Many Glacier Lodge on the East side of the mountains hoping for some better weather.  No such luck.  Rain, low clouds, wind and maybe 40-degrees.  We figured maybe we would see some bears.  We usually do...if you use binoculars.  Luckily this beary fellow (or ms.) was grubbing the hillside just above the roadway.  The sound of cameras clicking did seem to irk a bit judged by the facial expression we got every so often.

On a cold and rainy day

Porky

WEST GLACIER, MT - - A colorful blanket on the couch; a favorite 'frog' pillow and a nice gentile rain.  That's all the inducement Porky need to take a nap.  Of course Porky doesn't real need any inducement to take a nap because 'every day is nap day all day long.'  As a watchdog at the campground he has a pretty good job.

Polebridge day trip

The center of activity.  And the bakery is open.

The "Lending Library."

WEST GLACIER, MT - - Polebridge is a bit off the grid.  No power, no phones and the folks who live out there like it that way. Solar panels or generators are the 'make-do' system. The Merc has been serving the area for over 100 years.  The  real drawing point is the bakery  with bear claws; scones; fruity buns plus cookies, coffee and other delicious items.  The drive is mainly on a bumpy dirt road and well worth it.
      If the residents need a library book they can walk over to the Polebridge Lending Library and take or exchange one.  The selection may not be huge, but it's nice to know you can tell folks:  "Hey, we have a library."

Photo for previous blog...and add 2

Great visability

Lake McDonald (GNP), mountains, hazy/smoky/stormy clouda

Art shot:  vanilla ice cream flowing thru the rocks

The 'great smokies'

WEST GLACIER, MT - - We are back in one of our favorite places - -  Glacier Campground just outside the (west) gate to Glacier National Park.  Our two day trip from Anacortes, WA took us through a sea of apple orchards and fields and fields of what I call "cattle corn" which is basically winter feed.  And then there were fields of unmown  hay for bailing and stocking away.  That was the fun part. 
     Day two we had smoke and more smoke.  The wind created some heavy smoke, some not too bad but always a reminder of the massive forest fires burning north of us.  A tele-sign near our destination reminded us that 40 miles from our campground the highway was closed as fires burned too close to let traffic through. 
     At the campground our hosts had settled us into the same site we used while working at GNP for three summers (2011-12-13).  Great folks, sort of like visiting relatives you really like.
    This morning (Sunday) the smoke has cleared quite a bit, but the sky is filled with angry clouds.  Rain is good to help the fire fighters.  And while we wait to see what the weather brings, we're hanging out in Montana Coffee Roasters, sucking up coffee and working the net.

Time for the next adventure

Cap Sante Marina: 800 boat slips plus 200 work boat and transient slips

ANACORDES, WA - - After 11 days of resting up / goofing off and listening to the music of the rigging on the masts being played by the wind, it's time to head East.  Next stop: Glacier National Park to visit some friends.  The weather forecast once we leave  Anacordesis hot and smoky.  A large portion of Washington State to our east is struggling with forest fires so we are monitoring the route(s) we want to take to West Glacier.  Of course the shortest route runs through the area most devastated. 
     No more listening to the sea gulls until we get home in mid-October.

Checking out the neighborhood

Home sweet home

Fried egg on a stem?

ANACORDES, WA - - We like to walk the neighborhood and check out the houses and everything else.  The flower which looks like a fried egg was just one of many flowering displays included in landscaping.  Our favorite though was the VW van used as a bird house.  We see lots of VW vans around, most used for camping like ours; some used for long term parking never to roll again. 
     The forest fires to the east of us are quite bad.  We get to see some some smoke and smell the burning when the wind is right. 

Getting things ship shape

Nearly finished:  The Blue North and Bristol Leader

ANACORDES, WA - - Our campground on the grounds of the in the Cap Sante Marina  is less than half a mile from Dakota Creek Industries.  They build and repair big ships (up to 275' and 450 tons) for the fishing industry and also tugs and ferry boats.
     The Blue North should be launched in October.  It is a cod fishing long liner incorporating new technology to increase the 'catch' yet make it easier and keep the workers drier.
     The Blue North works  way up  North on the East Coast while the Bristol Leader has the Bering Sea as it's fishing grounds.  The Bristol Leader must be in for (recent) repairs or updating of some sort as its name doesn't appear on the company website work list.
     One interesting project is the building of the R/V Neil Armstrong and Sally Ride.  The ship is to be used as an oceanography vessel.  The rear of the hull was visible through a maze of other work projects  making for bad photos

Sweet good bye

Fudge anyone?

Last place

ANACORTES, WA - - We spent a day in Port Townsend before heading back to Anacortes.  Not by choice.  There was no room on the ferry and even the last ferry out might be full.  Not only that, the three campgrounds we checked were all full.  We did the motel gig, walked around Port Townsend in the morning and then got in line for our ferry 45 minutes early.  We were waved up to the payment booth, flashed our 'plastic' and got the last berth on the earlier boat.  Oh yeah, the fudge store wasn't open early. 

Back to our travels

The neighborhood

Mieka

Lulu

POLSBO, WA - - Our house sit in Polsbo is over.  Our 16 days went quickly despite the company of two somewhat aloof kitties.  Actually they were friendly...in their own way and only when they wanted to be. Of course now that we are leaving the kitties are dishing out a small bit of affection.
     Our viewpoint from the top deck runs around half the house and overlooks a number of other houses and the Port Orchard  Bay which means   there's plenty of boat watching.  The weather has been quite good with the only rain yesterday along with 'cold' temperatures (58).  Actually a cold rain with a breeze is stimulating.
     Now, we head back to the campgrounds on Whidbey Island and see where our GPS takes us next. 

Going deep...and deeper

Deep Quest.  Sort of sleek

Triest.  A deep dive bathyscape

POULSBO, WA - -  The first objects you encounter on a trip to the Naval Undersea Museum are displays too big to go into the museum.  With underwater submersibles there are two types of deep:  (1) workable deep for geological projects or discovery and recovery of naval items from incidents.  Deep Quest fits the bill.  (2)  Really deep.  The Triest is ugly but functional.  Note the ball located in front of the 'forward fin'  That's the work area for the three crew.  the only work area.  On January 23, 1960 three brave souls set out on a nearly six hour dive into the Mariana Trench near the island of Guam to reach a depth of 35,800'.  The record has held for 55 years...of course the Soviet and Chinese aren't talking.

Dive! Dive! Dive!

Submarine commander Lydia checks the periscope

POULSBO, WA - - Right around the corner from our sit, not more than 4 miles away in Keyport, is the Naval Undersea Museum.  Well worth a visit to see the history of submarine technology;  diving and salvage; undersea  weapons technology and more. It's worth at least 3 hours to take it all in.

Boats, nets & color

POULSBO, WA - - Random sightings on a walk around our nearby boat harbor.

Let's go to Seattle

The Public Market ... with a ferry in the background

The isles inside TPM seem to go on forever

Seafood so fresh it wants to bite your hand

And the Space Needle

POULSBO, WA - - Today we took a trip to Seattle...mainly by ferry, what else.  Our main sim was to see the market, also known as The Pike Street Market, which is a delight to wander through.  It's almost like the saying "If we don't  have it, you don't need it."  The seafood stalls caught my eye, especially one where the workers in one were playing catch with a big fish with those in the other stall and cheering while they did it. Places to eat all over the place, but at noon-ish when we were wandering the lines to get in anywhere were long. 
     Later, we took off on the monorail, went through the armory, saw the long lines to go up in the Space Needle and passed by and finally watched a street performer on a unicycle.  We'll probably head back for another trip to Seattle and check out some of the other things within walking or public transport range.

A bit of catch-up

Our "water limo" arrives to take us away from Anacordes

We have a marina within 1 mile of our house sit

It's not too hard to find a seafood restaurant nearby

POULSBO, WA - -  We're settling into our 16-day house sit just out side the town of Poulsbo.  We sit on the upstairs deck or the downstairs patio and watch the sailboats / fishing boats / power boats play on  Port Orchard Bay.  If its early in the morning we might see one or more deer...as we did this morning.   For exercise we can always walk about a mile (downhill) to the marina.  The hard part is we have to water the outdoor plants and feed two kitties who are starting to become friendly.

Photography in 3 steps

Wait

Watch

Get ready to shoot

ANACORTES, WA - - A couple of days ago we found  Cap Sante which was perfect lookout point to check out a big marina mainly filled with pleasure craft.  We also had a good view of ships loading from near by refinery docks. 
     An eagle had made a close fly by for the past two days and we were hoping the raptor would do it again today.  We took up two vantage points...but no eagle.   Other birds teased us, but none came close.
     As you can see from the above shots, patience is a main ingredient...that and lots of luck.  Or maybe the eagle didn't like the bright fleece / visor Lydia was wearing.  
   

Always keep a spare handy

Big power boat leads while 'little guy' follows in the wake

ANACORTES, WA - - We probably had the nicest weather of all our trips on our ferry ride out to Friday Harbor.  Lots of boat activity on the Strait of Juan De Fuca makes it fun to stay outside even in the cool 20+ mph winds