A New Pet Peeve

I've noticed a trend in new fiction that's making me crazy; yeah I even throw books across the room. And that's when they don't use quotation marks. It makes the book way too hard to read.
I don't want to take time to try and figure out who's saying what and when they're saying it. Why do they think quotation marks were invented in the first place?
Here's my stand. If there are no quotation marks, I'm not reading it. Period. I say, "Put back the quotations marks!"

Glen Canyon NRA - Alstrom Point

I wasn't really looking forward to today, since the forecast was calling for some pretty miserable weather all day. That's just how it started out, too. I stayed in Kanab, Utah last night and when I woke this morning it was going back and forth between rain and snow. When I got in the car and decided to head towards Page, Arizona it was hailing... actually more like kind of a slush coming down. Kanab isn't a very big town, and by the time I drove from one side of town to the other my car was covered in this hail/slush mix and I had to pull over to clear my wipers of the mess. Once I got a few miles outside of town, the clouds parted and the sun came out. It was sunny and warm (65 to 70 degrees) the rest of the day!

On my way out of town I stopped at the Kanab visitor center for the Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monument. I ran into a very helpful older man with a white beard who has lived in the Page/Kanab area for the past 30 years. I told him I was interested in trying to get to Alstrom Point on Lake Powell, but wasn't sure of the way since the route is off the main roads. He gave me directions on how to get there and we visited for quite a while about other areas of interest as well. Once I had my fill of local knowledge, I thanked him and headed for Page and Lake Powell.

For those of you who might not know, Lake Powell is a man-made lake, created from the construction of the Glen Canyon dam in Page, Arizona. The dam is in Arizona, but the majority of the lake lies in Utah. Lake Powell and the surrounding land makes up what is known as the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area. There are a couple of marinas on the lake, and houseboating is big business there. If you drive near the main marina you can see row after row of houseboats.

I spent a good part of the day just exploring the part of the lake that is right near Page. It certainly is a beautiful area... I could easily see myself living here. I wanted to shoot the sunset from Alstrom Point, and based on my "local knowledge", when 5:30 rolled around I figured I better get started on those backroads to get to the point. My directions told me it was about 25 miles to the point, which turned out to be spot-on. My GPS read 25.2 miles once I got there. I was told the way would be "relatively" easy so long as the clay portion of the road was dry. And it was, for the most part. There was only one section about 100 feet long that was a little bit wet but my Honda Element made it through without any problem, although not before flinging up a decent amount of mud and getting my car good and dirty.

Alstrom Point was sublime. I chose to walk the last mile and a half or "road" which went right out onto the point itself. I could have driven it, but it was easier to walk. The road at that point was more suited for a high-clearance Jeep. The sunset turned out to be the best one of the trip so far. The rocks seemed to glow as the light hit them, and the clouds were vibrant hues of pink and blue. After this amazing light show was over, I ate my Subway sandwich that I had brought along for supper, then opened the rear hatch on my car and rolled my sleeping bag out on the floor. I camped in the car for the night, since I didn't feel like driving back out on that road in the dark. It was a wonderful night and it was warm enough that I left the hatch open while I slept (no bugs here.... yay!!!!!), with the warm Arizona breeze keeping me company all night long.

Upcoming Photography Exhibit

I took this self-portrait with my camera mounted on a tripod and a timed shutter release. I would depress the button to take the photo, run and get into place, and wait to hear it click. I had it set for sixteen seconds; long enough for me to get into place.
It took about twenty tries before I finally got a good one. I had to make sure the railing wasn't reflecting in the glass. The grass was reflected, but I tilted the photo to where the grass's reflection was where the field was in the photo. In the real photo the foreground isn't green. Clever of me to work out the problem in this way, wasn't it?
The reason for the self-portrait is that I've been asked to be in the main gallery of our local art center for six weeks beginning October 8. The other photographer that was scheduled to do it backed out at the last minute. So they called me. I said, "Yes, of course!"
I'm very excited about being in the main gallery. I have to put together thirty works in two weeks. Fortunately, I have quite a stockpile, so I have half ready to go. The other half has to be enlarged, framed, or handtinted.
"What is handtinting?" you may ask. It's when I take a black and white photograph and paint over it with translucent oil paints. It's ethereal, old-fashioned looking, and very subtle. I'll have about three or four of them in the show. I'll show you one when I finish it.
I'm meeting with my personal photo enlarger dude in the morning to tell him what I want done to the images. And then it's off to Hobby Lobby to buy frames at 50% off. Good timing on their part!

The effects of Hurricane Sandy in Chicago

Most of our attention has been focused on Hurricane Sandy's effects on the northeastern states. But the superstorm was so enormous, it affected Chicago as well.

Tight isobars indicate the intensity of the low pressure system.

We were spared the drama and destruction of Hurricane Sandy. But we got some of the wind.

Not our usual marine forecast and flood warning.

Waves to 23 feet on Lake Michigan, with occasional waves up to 31 feet; this called for cameras, not kayaks. Of course, the waves weren't that big near shore, but they were big enough.

Waves exploding over the break wall at North Avenue.

Gale-force winds blowing the tops off breaking waves near Oak Street Beach.

Water streaming back down after flooding the bike path.

As evening approached on Tuesday, the waves continued to build. The lakefront path was closed, but Chicagoans gathered at a safe distance to watch the mayhem.

The path was a dramatic but perilous place.

Wave watchers put the plumes in perspective.

Weather .... or Not!

We got up to see this again today and we are not happy about it... humpffffff.
Yesterday was totally cool though, and we got to release our pent-up energies at McInnis with some of our good pals, including Sierra! There she is with my sis, who is getting Kong retrieval lessons from me. Above: I'd give her a B+.
Heeyyyyy... nice form Ava - I'll paw you an A-!
Uh oh... wha...???? Hey... come back here. You never, ever drop a kong until you deliver it to a hooman. A Big "F" fur that boo-boo.
I guess she was distracted by her pal, Callie. I'll just tiptoe around them and grab that kong fur myself.
Hee hee! THAT got her attentions!
Now that is how you play a good game of Kong-On-A-Rope, as the Ao4 would say!
Well then Shanti's brand new baby sis, Shasta (15 weeks old) showed up and we all got to go for a walk on the nearby levies - trails that skim inlets to and from the SF Bay. Lots of these (below) and tons of ducks. Avalon loves these feathered creatures, while I glue my snooter onto the many gopher holes along the way. The lady painter up ahead was creating a very beautiful picture.
Shasta wasn't too excited about looking at those geese, but Avalon thought they were very cool and even barked quite a bit at them.
Then we turned around to head back. Lots of birdie and gopher smells. We grazed on the green grass along the way. Moo moo.
Pretty stop along the way - tide is high!
One more check before we head on home...
I think Shasta enjoyed her first levie walk!
Thanks to Sierra's Mom for taking the Levie walk pictures. Poor Sierra! That's why there are no pictures of her in this portion of our post today. Hope it's nicer weather at your places! If you desire snow today... may you receive! Happy Wednesday!

Salvia, Salvia, Save Me (from the deer)

This post, "Salvia, Salvia, Save Me (from the deer)", was written for my blogspot blog called The Transplantable Rose by Annie in Austin.

A year ago I sang farewell to an Arizona Ash tree on YouTube ~ today's song is a musical tribute to the beautiful, deer-resistant flowers in the genus Salvia.
Welcome to Annie's virtual piano bar ~ find a cozy table and spend two minutes in Austin, the Live-Music Capital of the World. We tried to make it sound live by using a simple mic connected to the built-in recorder on a laptop.





Philo and I had five years to learn about gardening with deer at our last Austin house. I wrote "Salvia, Salvia, Save Me (from the deer)" while we still lived there - it's part of an unfinished musical play called Roots in Austin. This plea came straight from the heart!
Our present garden doesn't seem to need deer-resistant plants so our Salvias don't have to work for us - they can just be beautiful.
This post, "Salvia, Salvia, Save Me (from the deer)", was written for my blogspot blog called The Transplantable Rose by Annie in Austin.

Loch Muick

While on Deeside we walked part of the circuit round Loch Muick. I have an annoying Achilles tendon injury this summer, so we were limited to walking on the flat. The name of the loch, before I go any further, is pronounced 'mick' rather than the 'muck' you might think! In my experience one of the main purposes of Gaelic is to set pronunciation traps.

The loch is resoundingly bare in panorama in a way that doesn't do full justice to it. The heather was just starting to come into bloom and doesn't show up in these shots, but the track was lined with vivid purple clumps.





On the single track road in we passed a group of beehives - possibly for the Royal honey? In terms of royal presence here, the house in the first shot is Glas-allt Shiel, built by Queen Victoria as a retreat from the hurly-burly of Balmoral Castle.



Below, a boathouse towards the head of the loch, and a path which we unfortunately couldn't take that day.



Where a burn runs into the loch there's a geography lesson on river deltas in miniature.





Note the rings in this fence outside the bothy below. They're used for tethering the sturdy ponies used to carry carcasses in the deer-stalking season.





An abandoned building, very forlorn with the wind sighing through the pines all around.





And a mountain rescue post, complete with frothy honeysuckle.

Many Different Directions

I've discovered the fountain of youth.  It's called Floradix.  I got it at the health food store for Darcie to try and build her blood up after surgery.  It has herbs, fruit and vegetable juices, and iron.  
The first day I took it twice like the bottle said.  I finally went to bed at 3:00 a.m. Boy was I wired!  I got lots done; quickly.  The next day I only took it once early in the morning.  I mixed it with Monavie active, green tea, and prune juice.  I had to throw the prune juice in, because the iron gave me constipation.  I know.   TMI.  Sorry.
Boy, this stuff works.  I haven't had this much energy since 1980 B.C.   That's Before Children.  This is what I got done this morning before going to work at the gallery at 11:00.
Got up at 5:45.  From 6-7 I got dressed, did 35 push-ups, stripped my bed and remade it with clean sheets, washed a load of clothes, checked my e-mails, and put away a stack of papers.  My husband went dove hunting at 6:00, so that's why I could do my bed that early in the morning.
From 7-8 I deboned a chicken and made chicken salad, packed my lunch, did a 20-minute walk, peeled and stewed some pears, fed my chickens, fed the cats and dog,  and looked for some photos I'd misplaced in my studio.
From 8-9 I ate a bowl of cereal, made peanut brittle, copies a recipe for Victoria Sponge Cake, made vegetable beef stew in the crockpot, and cooked waffles for son #2.  (I had l/4 of one.)
From 9-10 I hung out a load of clothes, shuffled some paper piles, pulled a few weeds, watched a hawk to see if it was going to attack my chickens, and wrote out a chore list for son #2.
From 10-11 I changed clothes, fixed my face and hair, packed all my projects to be worked on at the gallery, talked to daughter #1 on the phone, and left to go to the gallery.  Not bad for a morning's work.  I have an even longer list that I accomplished from 11-7, but I won't bore you with that. 
Yessiree, Bob.  I LOVE this stuff.

Counting trees

Recently it's dawned on me that every mature tree in Edinburgh city parks now sports a little blue tag with a number on it. The younger trees are free from this branding, presumably because as they grow and expand the tag might well ping off. One wonders quite why so much effort has gone into tagging each tree. Perhaps if one escapes it can be brought back to the right place. I should ask the City Council. Maybe there's a job opportunity there - I would exchange my day job for one counting trees.

Making a Difference in the World

"Anything you do from the soulful self will help lighten the burdens of the world. Anything. You have no idea what the smallest word, the tiniest generosity, can cause to be set in motion....Mend the part of the world that is within your reach." Clarissa Pinkola Estes
I want to take these words to heart. I need to quit looking for the bigger thing to do. I know in my own life that the things that have made the biggest impacts on my life have been the small things; a word said in passing that shook my world, a kind smile that eased my aching heart, a quick touch on the hand that said, "I care about you"....such small things can have a big effect on the heart for good.
Today I want to do small things for my loved ones and strangers alike. I want to live mindfully and deliberately, and by lightening someone else's load, I'll bring more joy into my own life.

Best of the Trip

I have done this a couple other times - pick the best of my trip. I will start with cycling:

Best pavement ride - Moab Canyon Trail, Moab, UT. Rode this trail from downtown Moab to Arches National Park.



Best singletrack ride - J.E.M. Trail, Hurricane, UT



Best National Park scenery - Capitol Reef, Torrey, UT



Best State Park scenery - Valley of Fire, Nevada



Unusual scenery - Goblin Valley State Park, UT



I took a lot of HDR photos during the trip. They are available to viewing at: http://www.tomwinfield.com/vietnam/Echo/echo-12.html