What else has been going on

Some of these¹

have been doing some of this,

while nearby, this² was found:

Toothwort³ mania began in earnest.

We had visitors⁴.

This

gave way to this⁵.

There was also this⁶, which is not the same.

And neither is this⁷.

Some excavation⁸ was going on.

But was apparently not satisfactory.

Ahhh it's almost trillium time⁹.

Tiny snails were observed, and also something else¹⁰ that I'm still pondering.

-----
¹Virginia Bluebells, Mertensia virginica
²See this earlier post if you're curious about the redrock fossils.
³Dentaria spp. Or is it all Cardamine now? I get confused.
⁴Canada Geese, Branta canadensis. I would say, "I know that you knew that already, I'm just trying to be consistent," but since there was a woman on a game show last night who did not know that the northern neighbor of the US is CANADA, for crying out loud, I'm not taking any chances.
⁵Hepatica or Liverleaf
⁶Rue Anemone, Thalictrum thalictroides
⁷Jacob's Ladder (Polemonium reptans) with Spring Beauty (Claytonia virginica) flower
⁸I'm guessing Pileated Woodpecker (Dryocopus pileatus), but I'm not sure.
⁹Trailing Trillium, Trillium decumbens
¹⁰Little groups of tiny, tiny rocks are held together and to the larger rock surface like glue. Is something alive in there?

Sparky gets Sniffy & Hen Comes to Tea

click to enlarge!

Sparky, taking time to smell the flowers.My giant poppies are a brief seasonal treat. They are delicate. When I spotted Sparky having a jolly good sniff I was - concerned.I am happy to say the poppies survived Sparky's attention.

Unfortunately the wind and the rain took care of them later that day. They were nice while they lasted.

This little red hen is the sole survivor of the original rescue hens. She is an old girl now. Throughout the time we had the gang of four she was always the quiet one.

She wasn't greedy, grumpy or gregarious, she just stayed in the background, feathers golden and glowing, always gorgeous, but aloof.

Now that she is without her old friends she has developed quite a character, or should I say, we now have the opportunity to fully appreciate her character and her habits.

She doesn't doearly mornings, she likes a little lie-in. Then she likes to go to bed nice and early, with a mug of cocoa and a couple of digestive biscuits to dunk and nibble as she watches Emmerdale Farm.




She doesn't like to be handled, or to take food from the hand...unless it is Harry who is doing it when she suddenly becomes compliant.

Her routine has developed into escaping from the Owl Wood twice a day. Somehow she gets herself over the fence onto the old pew and then flutters heavily into the log store area.

Little Red Hen then comes through the vegetable garden, round to the patio and taps loudly on the kitchen door. She will not be budged until she has had a tasty scrap or two, then she quite happily walks back and waits to be let into Owl Wood.

Scone is her treat of choice at teatime.

No doubt while Jonny is home her breakfast treat will be bacon scraps or cheese rinds.

The VA Beach Boardwalk

Sea Mist RV Park — NAS Oceana, Dam Neck Annex — Virginia Beach, Virginia
Temps: Lo 74F / Hi 83F (23C / 28C)

Figured out another plus to the new awning curtain (post here) — to some extent it acts as a rain barrier — assuming the wet stuff is light and the wind isn’t blowing. We’ve had on and off rain since I last posted four days ago. Even then, when the temperature and humidity allowed it, I was able to sit on the patio without getting wet — or more importantly, without getting the laptop wet. That’s a good thing ;-)

We’ve been busy, even if it wasn’t to go out and explore the area. Only one of our planned walks happened; the others were rained out. We could have gone to a museum or two, I suppose, but with beach activities curtailed, we figured they would be crowded with visitors looking for alternative fun. Besides, we’re not all that into museums. So, we focused our attention on other things instead — most of them not blog-worthy. We expect to be particularly active during the September-December time frame, so we see nothing wrong with having a couple of slow summer months to make sure our batteries are fully charged before we go on our sea-air-road vacation.

Where did we go on that one walk that didn’t get rained out? To the Virginia Beach Boardwalk — rightfully designated a “Great Public Place” in . It wouldn’t be my cup of tea when it is choc-a-block people, but early on a weekday morning, it was a great place for an easy walk. (All of the photos in today’s blog are from the boardwalk.)

To beat the heat and humidity, Thursday morning we left home shortly after 6:00a and drove the 7.5 miles (12 km) from our campground at Dam Neck Annex to the south end of the boardwalk. We arrived just in time to nab one of the two remaining parking spots near the boat channel that are free until 10:00a. With our to-go-breakfast and a couple of bottles of water stowed in Mui’s daypack, we started our 6-mile round-trip walk shortly after 6:30a.

The sun was still low on the horizon; the temp was already at 75F (24C), but with a low humidex; and a light breeze was coming off the ocean to keep us comfy. In other words, perfect walking weather.

While I wouldn’t describe the boardwalk as deserted, it sure wasn’t crowded. Fishermen had their poles in the water at the south end of the boardwalk … surfers were trying to catch a wave or two — not very successfully since the ocean wasn’t cooperating … people were sitting on benches, sipping lattes and reading books or newspapers … bikers were spinning up and down the bike path that parallels the pedestrian-only boardwalk … strollers and speed-walkers, and runners and joggers were giving their feet a workout … guests at hotels and condos were chatting quietly on balconies warmed by the rising sun … here and there shop owners were raising shutters and setting out displays to attract buyers.

Sounds like we had a lot of company on our walk, doesn’t it? Not really. At that early hour, the boardwalk — and the wide expanse of sand and surf — offered plenty of space for all to enjoy.

A short ways up the boardwalk, we sat on a bench to eat our breakfast and do some light-people-watching. A little further along, we stopped to take a look at the Old Coast Guard Station that is now a museum. Had it been open, we would have gone in to check out the exhibits, but we were three hours too early. So, we took a gander at pieces of a shipwreck (top right in the collage below) exhibited outside and moved on.

Found in December 1993 near the shoreline following a winter storm, the wreckage is thought
to be part of the the barkentine Nettie, which sailed from the West Indies to Norfolk with a
cargo of salt and wrecked 1.5 miles south of the Little Island Life-Saving Station on January 7, 1894.

The next stop on our route was at the Naval Aviation Monument. It was a short stop. Not because it wasn’t interesting, but because the temp and humidity were rising, and we still had a ways to go to get to the end of the boardwalk and then make the return trip back to the car.

Top Left: The Homecoming … the family reunited.
bottom left: The Team … the modern force - Naval Aviation in the 21st Century.
center: Pilots man your planes … the Greatest Generation - Naval Aviation in WWII.
Right: Where It Began … the Birthplace of Carrier Aviation.

It was 8:00a by the time we finally got to the north end of the boardwalk. By then the breeze had died down, and the humidity had increased to make us feel sticky and uncomfortable. As luck would have it, a big cloud moved in to veil the sun for nearly the duration of our walk back to the car, affording us some relief.

Not feeding the parking meter. Rather, trying to feed the “donation” meter.
Alas none would take our coins. They were either jammed or not yet operational.
[click the photo on the left for a more legible size]

A stop at the bank; another one to check out Ocean Pines, the off-base military campground at NAS Oceana, and we were back home in time for lunch.

(As an aside for those readers who are eligible to stay at military campgrounds: While Ocean Pines seems like a decent campground, we didn’t care for its ambiance for a long-term stay … too many sites seemed to be occupied by homesteaders. An oddity at this campground — the sewer hook-up is in the middle of the pad!!! That said, if we needed a place for a night or two, and wanted to be closer to the commissary and BX than we are at Sea Mist, we would definitely consider Ocean Pines.)

So far the forecast for the first week of July has more rain and overcast than sunshine. The likelihood of getting out and doing something blog-worthy is small, but you never know — stay tuned.

Currumbin Valley turns it on

I've been so busy over the last few days that I almost completely forgot to mention something special that happened on Sunday. I set off for what should have been a regulation 60km "recovery ride" after Saturday's spectacular 142km. What I was left with were the remains of the previous night's rain throwing all sorts of spectacular shapes around in the form of clouds hanging around the surrounding mountains.

At the end of the valley is, of course, the short, pleasant walk through the rainforest to Cougal's Cascades. What occurred to me at this point was that I had not ventured out here in several months, despite the relative proximity of this place to many of the others I regularly visit. I really should rectify that in the future.

This weekend I'm lining up a weekend tour to Mt Barney, including a hike to the mysterious Mt Barney Falls. I know nothing about them, save that they are located somewhere near the Lower Portals in Mt Barney National Park. I also know from prior experience that the Mt Barney Lodge has one of the most scenic campgrounds in South East Queensland. That alone will justify the effort I'll go to for this tour. Anything else will be a bonus.

Scoping Out "Going to the Sun" road

Slept in as much as I could this morning. still, I was on the road by 8am. The motel "breakfast" did not have any hot food. So had coffee and a packaged cinnamon roll.

With the start I had, I decided to head up to St, Mary to scope out the "Going to the Sun" road rather than drive US 2 to Kalispell. On the way to St. Mary I kept an eye out for a place to eat breakfast. There were non along the road until I arrived in St. Marys.

Got to St, Mary's at 9. One place did not open until 10. Other places had waiting lines. So, I entered the park and started drive toward Logan Pass. Stopped to take some photos on the drive. The photo here is a tunnel on the "Going to the Sun" road up toward Logan Pass.

Traffic was bad at the pass Visitor Center, so just kept driving down toward Lake McDonald. Missed the turn to the Apgar Visitors Center and before i realized it, I was exiting the park. By now (11:30) I was getting hungry. Gobbled up a patty melt and fries at the West Glacier Restaurant.

Back into the park to the Visitor Center to get books, post cards, and check on places to hike. The ranger suggested getting up early and driving up to Logan Pass. Nice, easy hike and there are still wild flowers at the pass. Back in West Glacier Village, picked up walking stick (with bear bell), a cap, t-shirts, and a couple more post cards.



Still lots of time to do things in Kalispell. Picked up a hydration bladder for my camera backpack. Checked into the motel. Moved bikes and other stuff into the room. Then, got directions to Wheaton's Cycle (local Trek Dealer) from the motel. Picked up an area trail map.

Talking with the desk clerk at the Motel. Sky was a bit hazy, though the temperature was pleasant. He said the haze is smoke from a forest fire about 2 hours to the South. No wonder I smelled something - wondering if the car, brakes, or such were overheating Hope we get clearer skies tomorrow..

The Resurrection Life

"Grant me more and more of the resurrection life: may it rule me, may I walk in its power, and be strengthened through its influence." -The Valley of Vision

Adding, but not taking away

More of the above technique required



A lot of life seems to go like this - adding more new things to do, but not removing anything. So there is less and less time. Work counts as one of those things that ‘has to be added’, especially if you are self employed. Time for family, friends and leisure (in my case climbing) counts as one of those things that ‘has to be sacrificed’. Too many sacrifices in a row create a bit of a crisis. And for me, thats what’s happened now.



Over the past three or four years, I’ve worked more and more and more. And every piece of added work has made me less happy. Thats not to say I don’t enjoy the work. I enjoy all of the things I do. But not the balance of them. There’s just too much of one ingredient thats blotting out everything else. Bit of a mess.



So now I just cannot continue at this pace of getting up and working straight through to the wee hours every day of my life, trying to fit in training and life on the end. Along the slide of this slippery slope I’ve forgotten what options I have for replacing new activities for old, rather than just adding, and generally fitting everything in better.



Like any big and deep change I’m going to have to be pretty firm about it. I’m hoping it follows the pattern of other really important changes that you know are the right and necessary thing to do; the hardest thing to initiate the move and the easiest thing to finish it.

If these guys would stop posing, I would stop taking their photos

Three in one shot...





But as cool as seeing 3 together, this two shot is my favorite iguana photo so far.

The Ritz Carlton IGUANAS

Our condo almost shares a beach with the Ritz Carlton Hotel and Time Share property. We walk through there often. Plenty of photo opps, so you will see their property again...

But this gy is unusual. he obviously has been feed by guests often. Instead of running from people (like every other iguana I have met, he walks right up and waits for lunch...



He is about 4 feet long... among the biggest I have seen



Here's his beach roaming counterpart... equally unafraid of humans...



But the scary ones are the ones that just blend into the rocks and surprise you.