Jan. 28, 2018

Knitting with NoNo…..

Dec. 24, 2017

Deb wonders what I will play….

Nov. 24, 2017

Birthday gift’s and dogs deciding who is Alpha.

Dress

The family

Longwood Gardens

The lights

and birthday girl.

Hike #49 #52hikechallenge – 2 dogs made it more of a pull…. Goddard Park Avondale, PA

Oct. 15, 2017

A sign along a morning bike ride on gravel and dirt roads.

Then off to find a waterfall I looked for before, but didn’t get to.

Thunderhole Falls – Hike #42

The trail to the falls is unmarked and requires a little bush whacking.

But worth the effort.

This is only the top, it has a lower fall section too.

Remember the bushwhacking part? This is the climb up, I don’t know if we could have made it without the rope!

after the hike we went driving looking for color and dirt roads. Old NC 105 follows a ridge and includes this overlook of Linville Gorge at Wiseman’s View.

 

Sept. 4, 2017

Sam and I hit the Virginia Creeper trail early to beat the crowds. 17 miles of downhill biking!

and a bunch of bridges on the old railroad trail.

Making art!

A successful morning! Last time we rode this trail, Deb flipped and suffered a concussion so we didn’t get to enjoy the ride (or the ER visit) today Deb served as our personal shuttle. After a lunch in Damascus and breaking down camp we headed home…..

but had time to stop at Grayson Highlands State Park. Deb had never been there since normally Sam and I backpack there, but I wanted her to see the wild ponies. There were lots of foals (less than a year old) like this one scratching itself on a tree.

and this one that wanted to be petted? There are signs everywhere don’t feed or pet the ponies…. but this did everything but purr!

Family picture, sans Sam she doesn’t want to touch them?

Hike #33

On the way down I am looking at the park map and see “waterfall” – I had no idea, we come for the AT trail, the bald mountain tops, Rhododendron Trail, etc. This is a unnamed? 25 foot falls on Cabin Creek trail. A hidden gem, almost no one on the trail and very pretty!  hike #34 – #52hikechallenge

Aug. 21, 2017

The day started bright and clear skies (we made a great choice) we did a quick hike – Hike #30 of #52hikechallenge on the Upper Chattooga River trail.

After the hike, we claimed the big rock in the middle of the river and I feel asleep on my blanket under a bright blue sky. I awoke an hour later with a chill to a completely gray sky –  (we made the wrong choice)

Even in the cloudy woods, as total eclipse started, the woods got as dark as night! This picture is only the start, I gave up it was so dark!

After totality, the sun broke through the clouds for some pictures – it was still so cloudy, this is without a filter!

as the eclipse continued, we saw more and more…

Even Kodak was protected!

James, Beth and my family. We may have missed seeing the totality, but had a blast, experienced the feeling of totality, and enjoyed the long drive home on small back roads, following the Gazetteer.

July 18, 2017

Deb told me when I got up at 6am, “I think I wrecked the car” – she was driving home at 3am-ish and hit a tire tread in the road…. so I spend an hour (while it was cool) and removed the valence, engine protective pan and a fuel filter platic pan. At lunch I picked up the needed clips and after work installed everything so she could take the car to work! I am happy it was an easy fix!

July 15, 2017

Captain Sam heads across Lake Murray.

a quick visit with my brother at his lake house, exploring, playing on the boat, swimming and a Low Country Boil

 

a great day!

July 4, 2017

The threat of rain…

the group

another evening paddle

May 14, 2017

Mother’s Day – Breakfast in bed. (Uncle Wayne, do you recognize the pan?)

Deb went back to bed to celebrate her day and I went for bike ride on the Blue Ridge Parkway. This is me trying to rescue a snake.

Then some work around the “mountain place” including yard work and finding thsi salamander.

Then it was time to hike. #19 #52hikechallenge – Gragg Prong Falls. Sam and I started last year to hike to these falls, but it was getting woods dark and we didn’t have a place to camp yet so we turned around, really glad we went back, awesome place and great swimming hole when it warms up.

The whole hike is beautiful!

There are a couple of creek crossings, in the end we gave up trying to keep the boots dry!