THERE'S A WALLABY BOUNCING ROUND THE GRAVEYARD...

The wallaby is bouncing around in the graveyard, opposite the pub! Dawn (landlady of the Railway Tavern) has just rung me for the phone number of the watermill. It is blowing a gale here, the rain has started and it is pitch black out there. Silly boy should have picked his time a bit better than that.





Today was special asI managed to get my wellies on for the first time in two and a half weeks. Very fortunate really because the weather forecast is pretty wet and horrible for the next few days.





I walked Toby and the cats round the wood - Pip refused to come out as she had already been round with George. It is looking beautiful at the moment - especially when I compare it to how dreadful it was when we first took it over. All that hard work is really paying off.





The cats loved it, they were especially playful and crazy because the wind was blowing hard, the leaves make a crisp, crunchy sound which they seem to like -and they are young and energetic cats anyway.

They ran up trees, down trees, chased Toby, chased one another, stalked the hens, and had a great time. It was a tonic to watch them.

the owl box doesn't seem to have any residents of any kind that I can spot.

Perhaps we will have more luck next year.

I took a quick tour of the garden





There are still some lovely flowers to be found.





Tomorrow we have to take the Aged Aunt to Grimsby to do a few things, then we'll take her for a bite to eat before taking her home - this means that I may not get time to do a post Jonny -, but if I do have the time (and more importantly, the energy) then I am hoping to do it about the truly exciting subject of the drainage system.





I know, I can hardly wait! Just joking. Your Pa wants me to show you the work he has been doing and he has taken photos as he has gone along so that you will know what is what and where it is located.





Lots of love,





Mum

xxx

A Great Hike and More Silky Water

We wanted to make the most of our last day in the Smokies, but we also wanted to enjoy a couple of hours relaxing at the campground.  So, we opted for a moderate hike that one of the NPS rangers had recommended and planned to make it a half-and-half day.

We don’t have to drive far into the park to put our plans into play.

The trail in question is maintained by the Great Smoky Mountains Institute at Tremont, which is located just off a spur on Laurel Creek Road as one heads in the direction of Cades Cove.  Tremont is a “non-profit residential environmental education center that provides in-depth experiences through education programs that celebrate ecological and cultural diversity, foster stewardship, and nurture appreciation of Great Smoky Mountains National Park.”  There was a sign on their board for a wildflower photography class that I would love to have attended, unfortunately I was a week too early :-(

When we arrived at the office/bookstore we almost turned back, because there was a big pile of backpacks near the trailhead.  Instead of going off half-cocked, however, we asked what was going on and learned that a group of teenagers were leaving after a week-long in-residence program.  As it turns out, we had the trail to ourselves except for one speed-hiker who was on a mission to get to the falls first.  When we got there we could understand why he was in such a hurry, but I’m glad we took our time as I’d venture to say that we enjoyed the trail more than he did.

The in-out trail is a mile each way.
stop at the institute for specific directions so you don’t take the wrong trail.

This is not a trail where two people can walk side by side; in a lot of places, it’s little more than a narrow goat-path.  Not that it was a problem — I made so many stops to photograph tiny wildflowers along the way that Mui and I weren’t keeping pace anyway.  Part of the way, we walked between hedges of mountain laurel in bloom on either side of the trail.  Simply gorgeous; and the only place on this trip where we saw the blooms.

A few spots on the trail were muddy, but for the most part the dirt path was dry.  Tree roots and rocks required us to pay attention to where we stepped as we hiked up one side of Mill Ridge and then made our way down to the Spruce Flats Falls at the other end.  Of course, what went down had to come back up on the return, but it wasn’t a particularly strenuous climb.

OK, I’ll shut up and just let the pictures tell the story of our hike.  First some scenes from the trail …

… then some of the flowers on the trail.  (I identified some of them, but if I have the IDs wrong, do chime in with a comment.)

Mountain Laurel is a plant in the blueberry family.  Who knew!

This flowering plant is also known as spoonwood.  The name comes the fact that
native Americans used to make their spoons out of it.

Clockwise from top left: yellow trillium; Perfoliate Bellwort; yellow trillium;
and Golden Ragwort.

Top right: Star chickweed; Bottom left: Bettleweed; the rest — pending id.

There were some bugs and crawlies along the way, too.  Thankfully, we didn’t see any snakes; it was cooler at this elevation, so maybe that’s why.  (I have requests for IDs out; but again, if you know what these critters are, please pipe up.)

Clockwise from top left: caterpillar; beetle — the ID request came back with the following comment: “Somebody in the genus Phyllophaga, but species determinations are tough without male genitalia dissection”; millipede; diurnal firefly — Lucidota Atra.

Of course, the star attraction was Spruce Flats Falls, which consists of a main waterfall and a couple of cataracts, each splashing down into a plunge pool at the base.  The main falls are of a type referred to as a fan and are 30 feet (9 m) high.  A true gem; all the more so because we had the place pretty much to ourselves.  Yeah, the speed-hiker/photographer was there, but he was too busy to pay any attention to us.

You can see why the upper-tier waterfall is designated as a fan.

After taking a break at the falls to enjoy our snacks, we headed back the way we came.  Our goal was to check out a set of cascades somewhere on the Middle Prong Trail.  We got directions from the staff at the Institute’s bookstore and drove the three-mile gravel road to the trailhead.  We even got on the wide trail and walked about half a mile.  But we soon tired of tip-toeing around the rather fresh and odoriferous piles of horse poop.  So, we went to plan B — lunch break perched on the boulders overlooking Middle Prong/Little River, followed by a slow drive along the riverbed with frequent stops for photo ops.

We perched on these rocks to have lunch and play.

Photo ops along Middle Prong/Little River.

Dog violet — I think — and spider (left); and red clover, a perennial weed.

And my favorite photo from our scenic drive …

Yes, I admit I have thing for silky water.  And I’m delighted the Smokies afforded me so
many opportunities to practice shooting water in motion.

It was a little after 3:00p when we returned to the campground.  It was much too nice an afternoon to be doing packing-up chores, so we put them off, grabbed our laptops, and made ourselves comfortable in our comfy chairs where we’ve been setting them up by the railing behind the coach.  A quiet afternoon, with Mui taking a little time out to check important things like the Phaeton’s tire pressure and fluid levels.  A great way to round out our much too short stay in the Smokies.  We’ll be back — perhaps not to this same area and campground, but we’ll be back.  There’s so much to explore in this great park, and we haven’t even scratched the surface.

Norwood's Find-Your-Better-Half Contest Entry

Oksie Doksie... Norwood is having a "Find-Your-Better-Half" competition as an adjunct (what does THAT mean?) to the MM woo hoo!!! It looks and sounds so cool, and the prizes are so pawesome, that we just can't resist entering! So we've been searching for our (male doggeh) twinses! And we found some - boy did we evahhhhh!

So above, here is moi, Sammie!

But doesn't the above pitchur look like moi too??? Believe it or not, HIS name is Sammy! He is up for adoption out of the Grrand Golden Retriever Rescue from Louisville, KY. If you would be interested in adopting my twin, the phone number is: 1-866-981-2251. It's toll-free, so give these great folks a call about Sammy! Here is their website: http://www.grrand.org/showpage.php?page=dogdtl.htm&petid=2446!

And Avalon found a twin too and again, with ALMOST the same name - can you believe it??? Below, a pitchur of the bootiful Avalanche from Adopt-A-Pet. Here is the page where you can read all about him: http://www.adoptapet.com/pet4554675.html. If you'd like to call for more info, here is the toll-free #: 1-800 Save-A-Pet. He sounds super loyal, playful, pawesome and simply wonderful. Besides... he is absolutely adorable!

Awwwww! Avalon would love to meet and play with her twin!

Riding the Trace

With all the flooding along the Missouri River, bicycle riding has taken a turn. The longest ride on paved trails in Council Bluffs is Valley View, 5 miles one way. The options are riding the streets and roads or riding the Wabash Trace.
Over the last week, I took two rides on the Trace from Silver City to Malvern. I was surprised to see the Silver Creek is quite low. Might be a bit higher now, with the rain this week. Some change from the Missouri!
Friday's ride was solo. Took a few more photos of the Silver Creek Bridge. Trail surface was pretty good, just a couple soft spots.
Sunday, I rode with Dennis. With the rain Saturday night, the trail was a little soft. Slowed me down some. We headed out from Silver City about 10:30 as it was going to be a warm and humid day. Though there was a breeze from the SE, there was basically no air moving on The Trace. We were both dripping with sweat when we got done about 12:30. I stayed inside the rest of the day (computer work).
Lots of traffic on the Wabash Trace Sunday. More than I have ever seen before between Silver City and Malvern. Does the flooding (closed trails along the river) put more traffic on the Trace? Sure seemed to, Dennis and I both expect to ride the Trace more this year because of the flooding.

Show and Tell: My Collection

The above photo is what instigated this post. Norwood asked what I had hanging from my collar, so I thought I'd show you my collection today since it's raining heavily. But first I need to woof a couple of things. Awwkkk! I hope I get to go out!
Okay, so here starts the explaining. ONE of these would be a nice thing for dad to keep in his office. But. Dad has three... count 'em... three. And guess what he has all packed full in every drawer of each chest?
These. He collects these. Some are junk and some are nice.
These are some of his faves - oops, some are crooked! But he also collects all things "Welsh." Hence one reason for the enormous tag hanging off my collar.
I don't know where dad found this, but it's his family crest. I think it was meant to be a key chain, but he decided to make it into a tag for me. And then he put it on my Celtic collar that has a matching leash.
Our names and phone number are on the back.
I got this tag at the annual party that the rangers put on at McInnis Park.
Here are my collars. I like them and wear them all. Some of my collars are serving as "bandana holders" as you'll see in the next picture.
The top bandana is from Alaska as well as the bottom neck warmy. You can see my x-mas and summer neckware as well as my latest pumpkin bandana for Howloween!
I think it's very ridiculous that I have so many leashes cause I mostly go offleash, but a couple of them serve as training and trial leashes. I didn't put the long tracking leash in there or the flexi.
Here's an assortment of training bling.
And here is where I keep my collection - right near the kitchen door.
And right next to my bling are pictures and stories and awards, like my Canine Good Citizen certificate. Up top is that cool picture of Sam that I won! Thanks again, Sam! And some pictures of me and Honey that I got from Honey's mom. I treasure those.
The rain is lulling me back into some Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzs.