My Pawesome Secret Santa!

Now can you guess who my secret Sandy Paws was???
I got this in the mail a few days ago, but Momma hid it from me!
On Christmas morning, I finally got to OPEN IT!!!
Here I am examining what could possibly be inside! It looked like it was made of grated cheddar cheese! What could it be???
I couldn't quite get it open, so I concentrated on the other pressie that had a most beautiful pink satin ribbon - mom stole that from me - she loved it!!!
WOOFFIES!!! Robbie Dawg Peanut Butter Carrot cookies!!! Gimme some Ma!
Oh My Dogness, are these ever yumzers! I ate half the box and could have snarfed down the whole thing if Ma had let me heheh!
And the shredded cheddar cheesy thing??? A wonderful parrot that, as you will see, I simply adore!
Look at all this loot! Okay guys, enough posing - it is time to play!
I totally favor Mr. Parrot as you can see and can't thank you enough, Asta! You were too thoughtful to think of me on my fave holiday - mucho smoochies back at you - big sloppy kissies too! We all hope you have a furry pawesome , dear Asta and family. We also want to send huge thanks to Sally for organizing this fun secret santa arrangement! And if you don't know Asta, you can say a big hello to her at. Hope all you doggies have a wonderful time playing with the new loot in... the new snow, rain, but hopefully sunshine and with your peeps! Happy Boxing Day!
PS: Tomorrow is another "steak" day. I have an obedience trial again - will let you know how it goes - Mom is a nervous nelly about these things, but I know it'll go great heheh!

A Mixed Bag

Hunting Island State Park — South Carolina
Temps: lO 59f / hI 67f (15c / 19c)

A mixed bag of a day to be sure — weather-wise as well as the varied places we explored.

We started the day with a gorgeous sunrise and blue skies that were quickly replaced by a thick cloud cover that stayed with us while we were out and about exploring Saint Helena Island and Beaufort. At least it was dry — until 1:46p when the skies opened up in a sudden downpour. With a 70% chance of rain forecasted, we were not surprised. Luckily, we had just arrived at the car after our last sightseeing stop, so we avoided being drenched.

By the time we arrived at the campground, the rain was really coming down. So we settled in for a cozy afternoon at home. Not so fast; Mother Nature added a bit of excitement into the mix when a tornado watch was issued until 9:00p. Oh! Oh! The good news is that the watch was canceled at 5:30p. In the end, we only had to contend with a severe thunderstorm, which passed over the area around 4:45p. It was a fast moving storm, and it didn’t linger long; but it hasn’t stopped raining since. We sure are glad that our weather radio was on top of things and kept us informed even as we searched the weather radar sites for more information. (The white arrow in the above radar image points to our approximate location.)

But that’s the bad weather news, and rather than dwell on it, I’ll go back to the simply glorious morning we woke up to. A beautiful morning that invited us to take a walk on the beach even before we had breakfast. Food can wait — got to make hay while the sun shines … isn’t that what they say?

A word about the bottom right photo … no there aren’t huge cliffs here at HISP;
Mui shot this photo of the edge of a tidal pool from a low perspective because
it reminded him of the Ross Ice Shelf of Antarctica — admittedly a very dirty ice shelf!

How's that for warming things up?

We walked as far as the “River Jordan” to see how it was doing. I wanted to get a video of it when the tide was coming in, and then duplicate the scene as the tide went out this afternoon. Needless to say, with the thunderstorm that came through, I didn’t make it back out there today.

19 seconds as the tide comes in.

We returned home before the incoming tide made the point near the campground impassable. The temp was comfortable, and the sun was still shining, so we enjoyed a simple breakfast at the picnic table before heading out to explore sights nearby.

For a change of pace, we skip the trails and go to Fort Fremont and historic Beaufort.
(1) HISP [green]; (2) Fort Fremont [Yellow]; (3) Beaumont (red)

Fishing trawlers at the Gay Fish Company on Saint Helena Island. Mui stopped by here on
Saturday to pick up some fresh shrimp and grouper to cook at home. Hmmm, Hmmm good!

Our first stop was at Fort Fremont, which dates back to 1899. We didn’t know what to expect of this place; just decided to go there because we saw a brown sign pointing to it near the intersection of Hwy 21 and Martin Luther King Blvd (aka Lands End Road).

MLK Boulevard — aka Lands End Road — is a lovely drive with beautiful oak trees
reaching out from either side to create a natural tunnel.

It turns out that the fortifications are within a preserve. Unfortunately, they are not in the greatest shape. In fact, there are signs at the entrance warning visitors to explore at their own risk. So we did.

From what I have since read, at the onset of the Spanish-American War, a clapboard hospital that stood on the site was demolished and replaced with a concrete building and the fortifications we saw today. The fort, which was designed to protect Port Royal Sound, was named after General Charles C. Fremont, a leading figure in liberating California from Mexico.

According to Historic Resources of the Lowcountry, “Fort Fremont is said to have
been the most expensive of all beaufort area forts and perhaps the most useless,
because no shot was ever fired from the fort.”

The Batteries are overgrown with vegetation and the walls are covered with moss and graffiti.

Pictured in the bottom right is Battery Fornance. The guns that once armed this
battery, and Battery Jessup as well, are long gone.

Our next stop was an unexpected find not far from the fort — Chapel of Ease. Constructed around 1740, this was apparently a place of worship built as sort of an annex to the main parish church in Beaufort so that local planters and their families could attend services on a regular basis. The chapel, which was made a church in its own right after the Revolution, burned down in a forest fire in 1886.

A glimpse of tabby walls through draperies of Spanish moss invited us to stop and explore.
(Tabby is a mixture of shell, lime, and water; it was used by lowcountry planters for construction.)

Scenes from around the ruins of the Chapel of Ease.
Mui decides the Spanish moss makes nice pigtails!

According to the National Register, “the church was virtually abandoned when the
planters evacuated the area in the fall of 1861. During the Federal occupation of
Saint Helena, the church was used frequently by several of the northerners who
had come to the island to educate and train the freedmen.”

From here, we drove to Beaufort. Initially, our plan was to just find a hardware store so Mui could pick up some EternaBond to repair a small crack in one of the rails of the Phaeton — he found something else at a marine shop instead. Anyway, seeing as how we were so close to the town’s waterfront park, we decided to check it out. Despite the overcast, it turned out to be a good place to eat our packed-lunch before spending an hour wandering the national landmark historic district. Oh, and yes, somewhere in there we got some chocolate fetish ice cream from Southern Sweets. The name says it all … and all I can say is, yummm!

The Henry C. Chambers Waterfront Park is all decked out for the holidays.
The gentleman with the gold lamé neckwear is Thomas Heyward Jr, one of the
signers of the Declaration of Independence and a favorite son of the state.

Originally constructed in 1799, the Beaufort Arsenal is home to a museum as well as
a visitor information center; we stopped by to pick up a map from the latter.

Left: Built in the 1800s, the William Elliott house was renamed “The Anchorage”
by a retired naval officer who bought the house in the early 1900s.

Right: The maxcy-Rhett house is known as “Secession House” because it was “the scene
of many informal discussions and formal meetings during the 1850s by the Rhetts and
their allies advocating secession and southern independence.”

Our last stop in the city was Saint Helena’s Episcopal Church, established in 1712 and celebrating 300 years as a place of worship. The docent who greeted us when we stepped inside for a quick look-see explained that the church, which was was erected in 1724, gained its current size in 1842. Local history has it that the church was used as a stable by the British during the Revolution, and as a hospital during the Civil War.

The wooden altar was carved by the crew of the USS New Hampshire while
the warship was docked in the harbor during Reconstruction.

According to the docent, of the 1000 graves in the attached cemetery, 800 or so have been identified. He also pointed out that amongst those buried are two British Revolutionary officers and three American generals. As well, we saw several graves marked with flags to honor veterans who were interred here.

The grave in the top left photo dates back to 1776.
the bottom middle photo is the oldest grave in the cemetery; it dates back to 1724.

This is about when we started feeling a light sprinkle, but the downpour kindly held off until we were back at the car so that we wouldn’t be soaked.

Not wanting to end this post at the cemetery, I left my favorite photo from today as the last one.

A tricolored heron and a great egret keeping company in the swamp.
These birds were quite distant, and the heron blended into the environment
so well that I didn’t even notice it until I looked at my photos later.

Well, this brings us to the end of our stay at HISP; tomorrow is moving day. If one is to believe the weather forecasters, the rain is supposed to end overnight and we’re supposed to have a dry day to continue our way south. We shall see!

Shortest day colour

When everything else is dull, you need a zingy bus. I was thwarted in taking a photo of the rear - a lorry drew up and then the bus moved off - but it reads 'run, run, run', 'missed it again', 'stay cool' Not being up to speed with either mobile phones or 'pop music' (I can see my teenagers cringing), it took me a bit of time to work out that each line is the title of a 'tune' you can download to your Nokia mobile phone.

Cascade on McWay Creek

A cascade upstream from the famous McWay Falls.

Momma Fox

This is a photo of the latest "friendly fox" that has been hanging around near where I live. A litter of fox were born this year underneath the Catholic Church in Grand Portage, MN and lately the young ones (and mom) have been very active on the grounds surrounding the church. The evening I captured this shot we had spent a total of about an hour and a half watching the foxes. Mom was around most of the time, with the young ones making an appearance every ten minutes or so. When I took this photo Mom was just sitting in the grass about 25 feet away from us, watching us as much as we were watching her. I love the eyes of a fox, they can convey so much emotion. In this photo she just seems to be more curious than anything, and her behavior also led us to believe that at this moment, the only thing on her mind was curiousity. She was probably wondering what these guys were doing pointing these big white camera lenses at her!
Below: One of Momma Fox's babies

Winter-greens

Several members of my wildflower group are already itching to get out in the wild. They're dying to dig.
Unless it's a rescue, I'm more of a looker than a digger. My thrill is in the hunt. I do enjoy garden tours, but to me, there's nothing like finding the flowers in their natural environment. (And then leaving them there!)
Anyway, I wouldn't recommend digging in January or February. But this Jacob's Ladder (Polemonium reptans) is one of the plants you can scout early - it's probably easier to spot the green now.
The plant's a lot taller in the spring, but some of the lower leaves stay green throughout the winter here. I'm not sure if that's the case in the north or not - maybe someone will comment and let me know.
There are several different types of Jacob's ladder, in almost every state and several Canadian provinces. But reptans is the only one in the south.

Bigtime Funtimes with Pals

I have been sooooooo lucky to meet some of the pawsome bloggers in the flesh, as well as in the blosgosphere! A couple of days ago, I was fortunate enough to meet Cabana (http://oursforayear.blogspot.com), who lives pretty nearby. We met at a furry cool park about 8 miles north of us and had a funderbul time! Check it out!

Sierra and I did end up getting major bathies - mine took about an hour arghhhhh - but I got a great massage in the process hehee! Yesterday, Sierra and I went up to the mountains for some snow fun and I'll be posting that when I get back. We will be taking a mini vacay for about five days and will be return next week. Have a wonderful weekend pals!

Big Hugs xo

A Trip to Annie's Annuals

Annie's Annuals is an incredible nursery in Richmond, California. They have the largest selection of rare and unusual annuals and perennials anywhere. Some rarities they carry include a double-flowered nasturtium, a large, blue-flowered form of scarlet pimpernel, and a freakishly amazing South African spider iris.
Although Annie's is a veritable gardener's heaven, you need to drive through some rough neighborhoods to get there. That didn't prevent me, however, from stopping by and loading up on California native wildflowers such as baby blue eyes, tidy tips, bird's eyes, and 'Apricot Chiffon' California poppies.
Annie's Annuals is definitely worth a visit if you live in the Bay Area or are ever passing through.
Anyone else have excellent nurseries nearby?

Cyclo-Cross Race

This was a busy weekend. After Bike Bash Friday evening, I took pictures of the cyclo-cross races Saturday and Sunday. Swanson Park is a great venue.
What a switch in the weather! Saturday was sunny and 80. Sunday was low 60s and cloudy.
Shooting a cyclo-cross race is great. The course is out in the open. Endless possibilities for vantage points. The sunny day Saturday also helped - specially for action shots. I caught some really awesome shots.
The photos from the Saturday race are on my web site. Watch for posting of the Bike Bash and Sunday race later today or tomorrow. Thanks to Omaha Velo for putting on a great event (and taking the picture of me ready to ship a few pics).
BTW - I was able to get out and ride a little at Manawa Saturday afternoon. A week without a ride, much less a dirt ride, was toooo much. At least 35 minutes was better than none.

Songs with a spiritual link to bike touring

I made the following post in reply to a thread on this topic at bikeforums.net. For whatever reason, I thought it worthy of a blog post.
For me the answer usually depends on which CD I had on high rotation immediately before/after the tour in question. Yet there are a few individual tracks that stand out.On my first tour across northern New South Wales in Australia it was "Weir" from Killing Heidi. There seemed to be something about breaking free and taking a risk that I got from that song, perfectly suited to a first tour. 18 months later, when I was riding across the high plateau near Queen Mary Falls in Queensland, the song was "History" from the Verve. It always takes me back to that ride, as does "Storm Clouds" from the same CD -- largely because that day ended with a sudden downpour.
"Pink Bullets" from The Shins reminds me of those tranquil, overcast days on Tasmania's East Coast -- especially Triabunna and Maria Island. In fact, most of the tracks on that album ("Chute's Too Narrow") take me back to some part of Tasmania. "We Are A Brutal Kind" came up on the West Coast, and when one takes a look at some of the damage to the natural environment around Queenstown, it's easy to understand. I actually missed seeing them play in Brisbane because I was flying to Hobart to start the tour on the same weekend.
Have a listen to "Building Bridges, Digging Caves" from The Boat People for a song that perfectly encapsulates riding along the west coast of New Zealand's South Island, or at least it does in my mind. Then there was the Glaswegian band Travis who's big hit was "Why Does It Always Rain On Me?". Imagine hearing that in a Scottish pub near the end of a month-long tour during which you've been rained on almost every day (true story). Some of the songs on their latest album also come to mind when I think back on that tour -- particularly "Battleships" and "Selfish Jean" (no, I don't know why). There's also that song from the Manic Street Preachers called "Your Love Alone Is Not Enough". I first heard that on the flight from Australia to the UK, and listened to it several times, so that song now seems to be permanently associated with that trip. It was also appropriate as I was feeling a little unlucky in love at the time, but that's another story.
And finally (at last I hear you say), there were two different Manic Street Preachers albums that hark back to my two tours in Victoria, Australia. In Western Victoria it was songs like Epicentre (when I was riding away from the coast across the plains and rolling hills toward the centre), Freedom Of Speech Won't Feed My Children, Let Robeson Sing and The Year Of Purification (I could name half a dozen other songs from Know Your Enemy if I really wanted to). For some reason, "Outside of Me" from Killing Heidi came up on the Great Ocean road. I'm almost certain that was just a matter of which CD I was listening to at the time.
In 2004, in Eastern Victoria, there was one particular Manics track -- "Solitude", that seemed to express a solo tour perfectly ("Solitude sometimes is"), and also "Cardiff Afterlife" from the same album. That tour also came as I was discovering Sarah Blasko, and tracks like Sweet November (the tour was in November), Cinders (one of my all time favourite songs) and Perfect Now. Perfect Now seems appropriate because for me it suggests falling in love with something/someone, but somehow knowing that you can't stay there, and knowing that the view you have of it at that moment is idealised and the reality could never match up with it.
I'm sure that several others will leap to mind shortly after I press the "publish post" button. In the meantime, any tourers who read this might like to add some of their own to the comments section.

Pat Conroy's Writing

I have a new favorite author, Pat Conroy.  I just finished reading Beach Music.  This book would make a great movie.  I found myself reading passages out loud to whomever would listen.  His prose is amazing.  I don't have the ability to properly describe the deliciousness and sensuality of his writing.  He writes about the South Carolina Low Country in such a way that you can feel the salty, moisture-laden air on your face and smell the marshes at low tide.  The story itself reels you in as it gradually unfolds and you find yourself swept along for a ride you don't want to end.  There's a specialness about the Low Country I can't describe. We just got back from a week in South Carolina.  While there, I noticed that one of their car tags has on it IN GOD WE TRUST.  Also, while Georgia changed its flag to be more politically correct, South Carolina still flies the Confederate flag on their state flag.  I like their style and tenacity for their heritage.
Ah, I love the South!  I love to travel but am always so glad to be home.  When we lived in California for two and a half years and I would fly into Atlanta, I was seriously tempted to kiss the ground when I stepped off the plane.  I cried every day for those two and a half years because I was so homesick for the South.  God had lessons for me to learn, but that's another post for another day.

SLOE GIN AND SLEEPY DOGS

I got up early this morning, obviously a little too early for Pip...

who was sleeping so deeply that I was able to photograph her asleep on the sofa and making herself very comfortable amongst the cushions.





The sun rose from behind the old railway track, Farmer T has begun baling the straw - from some places it looks like a straw bale version of Stonehenge - although about a third of the barley remains unharvested due to the rain.

I am not complaining, because compared to the States we are having it easy at the moment, but goodness have we had some thunder storms and rain today. All very dramatic, with great streaks of lightning and lots of thunder to scare Toby. The rain fell very suddenly, and so heavily that it was like stair-rods falling from the sky.

This was the view from the kitchen door just before one of the episodes. The amount of rain made it necessary for your Pa to drain the system at the back of the house - but don't worry - he has worked out why it couldn't cope and he's going to divert the overflows to the system you installed in the car park. No doubt he'll talk to you about it.





I picked lots of runner beans this morning, and spent some time cleaning and blanching them all ready for the freezer. Time consuming, but satisfying. Five bags so far, and lots left to pick.





The fruit farm on Rye Lane is advertising that it will be open for apple-picking in a few days so that will be one of the next jobs. One of these days your Dad will get the apple press out and we will try our hand at making cider.





We made several bottles of sloe gin, and for variety we also made blackcurrant gin - they'll be ready in time for giving out as gifts in December (don't worry, we'll save you one). They look so beautiful that I had to photograph them for you.

Monster hunting

Back in July we had a French friend of my daughter's staying with us. On her previous visits we've been very much Edinburgh based, so it was time for a quick tour of some of Scotland's other delights. Our first stop was Loch Ness and a spot of monster hunting. As you see above, we were lucky enough to spot the familiar long neck rising from the 755 feet deep waters. In the ladies' toilets of the The Loch Ness Exhibition, that is.
The exhibition is a tourist magnet. We arrived just after opening time, but already the car park was busy. The exhibition was more balanced than I had expected in its presentation of the 'mystery' of Loch Ness (conclusion: probably not enough of a food chain in the loch to support a beast of the size of the supposed dinosaur relic). But there was the inevitable, heart-sinking, no escape exit through the gift shop.
Outside however was a glimpse of the delightful passion with which people have pursued the monster. This little yellow submarine was used for research dives during the 1960s. It looks like something out of The Clangers, or The Wombles. When I took this shot I didn't notice the boat in the nearby field, perhaps because it's nothing unusual. In Scotland you quite often come across boats moored halfway up a hill, as we'll see later in this tour.

The Loch itself isn't one of the most scenic in Scotland. It's long, and very deep, and often gloomy, as it was on our visit. There are no towering peaks along its shores. Still, it does give the impression that something may lurk in its depths, and it does have an iconic ruined castle - Urquhart Castle - from which this next shot was taken. Note the restraining rail courtesy of Historic Scotland, lest any tourist should topple over into the waters below. I wonder what the clansmen would have made of safety rails?

On our visit the castle was bristling with tourists. Every shot of battlements and craggy walls that I took turned out also to include dayglo waterproof jackets from across the globe. There was one bit of military excitement. A couple of F-16 fighter jets roared down the loch, just captured in the shot below. I know they were F-16s because I was informed by an American tourist who had been in the US Air Force and was overcome by patriotism at the sight of these planes screaming up the loch. I imagine the clansmen would have traded the safety rails for a couple of F-16s.

Our base for our 24 hours at Loch Ness was Kilmore Farmhouse, a B&B at Drumnadrochit which I can thoroughly recommend.