This and That....

Here are some pictures from NC.

Ahhhh, retirement...the living is easy

 Mr. Squirrel was wondering if I would be just a little more generous with the sunflower seeds.

Just love the Spanish moss.  There's tons of it at the camp and not a shred of it at my house, less than two miles away.

My new/old fixed up bird feeder is in that pic somewhere.

 This morning I realized I had been retired for one month and hadn't wet a line.  I pulled out my fav top water lure and gave it a few casts.  This is a small bass I caught.  He was too small to keep so he went back to grow a little.  I only got about three casts before I caught my lure on my neighbor's wharf.  I couldn't get it back because he has 5 dogs in his back yard.  He got it for me this afternoon when he got home from work.  Those lures aren't cheap and I'm now on a budget.

Stepped out in the back yard this afternoon and there was a Great White Egret in my back yard at the house.  I've never seen one back there before.  It was a gift.  I watched him strut around the yard for a while.  I also made sure one of my cats didn't go after him.  

This is my little mixed spring green garden.  The seeds are just starting to sprout.  Something else I'll have more time to do.

Of course, it is hummer season.  There's lots of them but they just won't stop for me to take a pic.  

This was a cool looking mushroom I found.  Looks like a little sombrero 

CT United Ride Remembers 9/11

On Sunday we happened to be in Westport where we had the chance
to see some of the riders that take part in the annual CT United Ride to
commemorate 9/11....Some 2,400 motorcycles with police escorts from various towns travel 60 miles from Norwalk to Seaside Park in Bridgeport, passing through several towns along the way...

Firefighters from the towns erect the flag arches with ladder trucks....

It is pretty impressive to see and hear lots of bikes riding together along the route....It has turned into a charitable event as they charge to

be part of the 'parade' & the money collected is contributed to police & fire fighters funds in CT....These pics are not mine but from the local paper...Didn't have a camera when we came across the event on Sunday...

Downtown Cloudcroft

We are visiting Cloudcroft again. John is doing a service here tomorrow.  There was a delightful melodrama last night at a small open air theatre.  This morning we sat out in the back and enjoyed all the birds. Late this morning and early afternoon we went to the downtown festivities.  They had sidewalk sales and a Wild West Show from El Paso - not to far from here.  Here are some pics.

Cloudcroft

I see we are getting close to 200 with the last post.  I will put up some pictures I took in Cloudcroft.  Most are of the house where we stayed.  It is owned by a very kind member of the church there.  The house is 100 years old and is very rustic.  Most of the walls in the house are paneled with knotty pine.  We enjoyed our stay there so much.  Our host lives next door saves the house for priests who come to provide services or good friends of his partner and himself.  All the windows have coverings that are made like quilts which is great for insullation. It is a large house with 4 bedrooms and 2 full bathrooms. There is no ac nor central heat.  Most rooms have stoves with pellets for fuel. There is a lovely little patio in the back of the house (2 pics).  One of the pics I am sharing is going down the mountain when we were leaving Cloudcroft - the pic is of the horizon - and the thin white strip is actually of the white sands on the horizon.  I thought that was amazing.  I will take some pictures of NC and post later.

Road Trip

We are once more on the road.  John is doing a service in Cloudcroft NM in the morning. Hunter, GD, is visiting us so we brought her with us.  It has been a fun trip so far. Cloudcroft is about 225 miles from ABQ and much of that is 2 lane highways.  We are about 25 miles from White Sands National Monument so visited there this afternoon.  On the way to Cloudcroft we stopped at a place called Fire Valley.  At one time there must have been some volcanos there- as evidenced by lots of black rocks.  We stopped and took pics.  So here we all are.  Oh yes, Cloudcroft is 8600 ft elevation and the temp this afternoon was high 70's  - yet 25 miles away is White Sands (not sure of elevation) and it was 102. We did get out at WS and walked on a board walk.  The sand is actually gypsum and does not have same texture as sand on beaches.  The gypsum was much finer. Not allowed to take any gypsum out of park.