Taken from the window by Sue Reinfeld as she was landing in Seattle. You’ve read my friend Sue’s comments on the blog. Recently we were photographing goats together along the Monongahela. Thanks for the beautiful view, Sue.
“It’s been awhile since I’ve seen something in this category that was worth a U-turn and a stop.
I spotted this one while returning on a rainy day from “The Last Ride of the Year” which I go to every year to see some of my long distance riding friends. I was between rain clouds and the contrasts of light and shadow really caught my eye. Not in the picture, but off to the right, set much further back from the road, was a nice double-wide trailer. I’m guessing this building was the original family homestead now abandoned with a descendent family still living on the property. Whether this old house is kept for the memories or it’s just to expensive to tear down . . . who knows. Definitely worth a stop. I’ll bet this building could tell a story or two if it could talk.”
It’s alway satisfying to receive a photo and the sender says they thought of me when they took it. This photo was sent by my SIL Bobbie in Kansas City.
Bobbie says.
I took a photo of this lone shoe, seen during my regular early Saturday morning walk.”
Our family friend Shuey has done it again. Sent photos that create a guest blog post. He’d driven his motorcycle up from Niceville Florida.
“I rode up to be a motorcycle safety volunteer for a charity bicycle event running out of Seneca, PA. It was in support of MS research and I monitored traffic at an intersection to facilitate travel for over 300 cyclists riding a 75 mile course. Weather was decent last Saturday and I think everyone had a good time. The route was quite hilly and twisty; these were serious riders.”
Last Saturday Shuey captured the Snowman after his volunteer duty was completed.
“The Snowman is a one-of-a-kind, 13-foot tall custom built roadside attraction originally from New Mexico. In 2013, he found his permanent home right here in Portersville, Pennsylvania.”
They have a nest behind our site. The female and male take turns sitting on the nest. They walk around the campground checking everyone out. The other day I missed a great photo when an alligator swam over to the nest. The male Sandhill poked the alligator with his beak and the alligator swam off. Notice the red eyes they have. The male is a few inches taller then the female but hard tell when they are not together.
Sand Hill Cranes like to look at themselves in our bumper.
Do you pick one word or phrase as your focus for the upcoming new year? Choosing a word can work as a meaningful guide throughout the year and be a compass for your goals.
Old friends Colleen and JB live far from one another, but for the past several years they meet on January 1st via telephone for their annual “summit”. They discuss their goals and dreams for the future. They come prepared with lists, notes, ideas for “word of the year” as well as a glass of champagne to make an optimistic toast.
The discussion always includes the usual topics like diet and exercise goals and often include budget/debt worries, creative ideas and travel plans. They bring their calendars to plan out a few trips to see one another (well, not this year!). It’s really refreshing to share a friend’s dreams and commit in writing to creative projects or specific action plans. They talk again frequently to check in on progress and offer support.
This year’s words:
Colleen ~ BREATHE. It’s been a stressful year with more to come, and the isolation has her wound up tight. Family health issues are all consuming and make her feel like a little helpless. Big on her action list are meditation, creativity as a release, and taking a good deep breath often.
JB ~ GRACE. Adopted from a book by Melanie Dale Calm the H*ck Down acronym “Gratitude, Read, Adapt, Create, and Engage.” All needed right now to navigate through this unusual and unknown territory ahead.
Colleen’s Summit Prep JB’s tableJB’s sister starts the new year with a new box of chocolatesColleen’s black-eyed peas and bacon soup
During the Pandemic, I’ve been fortunate to receive photos from family and friends who live in different locations. They contribute to the blog and add interest. This is a collaborative effort by neighbors in Massachusetts.
I received a photo of an owl sitting on a snow covered wall from my longtime friend Linda Dempster.
Photo by Linda Dempster
Later Linda sent me another photo of the owl who’d flown up in a tree. She’d received it from her neighbor. I asked her to ask the neighbor if they’d consent to the owl in the tree photo being posted on the blog. So thank you Linda and neighbor Anne Laibe Bertalino for the interesting owl photos and being the guest bloggers today.
Perfectly framed by the branches. Photo by Anne Laibe Bertalino.Look at those owl eyes! Wonderful capture, Anne.
In 2012 my most popular post was from guest blogger Shuey in Florida with his barred owl photo.
They have a nest behind our site. The female and male take turns sitting on the nest. They walk around the campground checking everyone out. The other day I missed a great photo when an alligator swam over to the nest. The male Sandhill poked the alligator with his beak and the alligator swam off. Notice the red eyes they have. The male is a few inches taller then the female but hard tell when they are not together. 
