One more guitar mania

Guitar hero 3

Why the dogs were not howling I'll never know. Actually Mark and Bry entertained us with electric guitar music most of the afternoon (we took a break to go see the wretched Golden compass) and it really was quite fun watching and listening. Actually they both started off just playing a computer game and by later in the afternoon they were both actually rocking out!

Gingerbread creations and creators

Anne and Kim had the best time making gingerbread houses

Christmas 2007

What a great time we had. We started by going to visit University of Georgia in Athens with Anne and Mark on Sunday. This is UGA (or at least one version of him). Bry wanted to make sure the picture taking started out correctly Petey made sure everyone felt welcome, except Wood in HIS chair. The before dinner table.

Winter is here indeed!

It has been 23 or 24 when we've been getting up at 5 am to go to the gym, brrrrr. I think the azaleas and camelias are going to bite the dust for the rest of the year.

Snakes and dragons and mice, oh my!

couple more shots from the San Diego zoo. Look at how long this dude is! Komodo dragon I believe. Ok and now for the mouse/mice. One night last week while Wood and I were eating dinner on the couch, watching tv and enjoying a fire, Wood said, "BD look quick". Couldn't see what it was he wanted me to see at first, but then I saw a MOUSE IN THE HOUSE!!! Ok, you all know I can handle spiders and bugs and even snakes, but DEFINITELY not a mouse in the house. Makes me feel dirty and crawly. I did the girl thing (no not standing on the couch and screaming) and said, please get that mouse out of the house, I just can not handle mice in the house and I can't help you with this one. He really was a cute mouse, larger than the usual kind (I think it was a deer mouse or something, he had black around his eyes) but none the less he had to go. I thought he might have come in when we got the wood from outside on the deck but no, he has to go and disappear for awhile through a little tiny hole in the fireplace rock. Seems as though it isn't sealed quite enough to keep the little buggers out. Ok so we tried to catch him, to no avail, so finally Wood just opened the back french doors and he eventually scurried out (although I don't know why it was about 30 degrees out and why would you leave a cozy house with a fire to go freeze outside... hmm maybe pending doom if you remained inside? ) Ok, mouse story continued. Last night Wood started his motorcycle class for the weekend, so I was sitting (really reclining) on the couch watching the tube when ARRRRRGGGGHHH another and different/littler mouse scrurried out of a different hole in the fireplace rock and this time MUCH CLOSER TO ME!!! Ok, so I am by myself, no knight in shining armor to rescue me this time. What's a girl to do. Well I went to my bedroom and retrieved some pantyhose and stuffed all the holes I could find close to the wood floors with them. No more mouse for the rest of the night, but Petey and I heard noises constantly until Wood came home a bit later. So today on my list of things to do, get mouse traps, buy some silicon and finish the job the fireplace builders started by sealing up the fireplace. Have I mentioned I don't like mice? :-)

More SD zoo

What a fine looking specimen! This was taken behind glass! Pretty cool no reflection! I love hibiscus! This one really was a kind of ugly purple gray but it was huge and in its own way really gorgeous

Hurray for the San Diego Zoo!

We were able to see a couple of the pandas but they were really too far away with my little camera to get a really really clear shot. This is zoomed and cropped so a tad out of focus. They are big guys though! This dakir (?) was really intent on performing for us and wanted in the worst way to stand on his tippy toes for ??? who knows what reason.... I didn't see any food in the tree or smeared on the wire cage around the tree The mountain lion here just kept pacing back and forth and eyeing the little girl. It was kind of spooky really and I would have been a little nervous if I had been the mom, because it was so intent on the scrumptious morsel she would have made and its intentions were really obvious

Bring on the music

Wood just bought a new guitar today..... one he has be lusting after.... oops, desiring greatly for a looooong time. He played a few quick ditties this afternoon to demonstrate its sound quality and just general overall wonderfulness and I have to say, wowee, am I in store for some hot my-own -private concert sessions! He is great and the guitar is spiffy and the two together... mm mmm I am a lucky guitar music loving woman.

Not quite skinned alive

Although I thought I made it perfectly clear that we were in for a trim.... only 1/2 inch off please and not too close on the nose, I think what we got was 1/2 inch left.... poor little guy. We'll get it straight one of these days.

Petey gone wild

Not sure what is going on here, but Petey has turned into a wild eating and pooping machine... AND the colder weather is making him run around the house and the yard like a maniac. He LOVES it!! I am taking him to get trimmed tomorrow so thought you all might like to see a couple of before shots.

Stories - Petey and Emerson

I lost Petey Sunday evening.... Well sort of lost him. See the thing is he is never more than 5 feet away from me at any time. So I was wandering around the house Sunday evening putting stuff away and just generally picking up and I realized that my shadow was missing. I went from room to room and couldn't find him anywhere. Thought back to what I had been doing and decided to look in our bedroom closet (no noise coming from there just thought that I had recently put some tops away) As a preface to opening the door, let me tell you that we recently replaced one of our flat oval mirrors in the guest bathroom with a real medicine cabinet with a mirror. While deciding what to do with the flat oval mirror we are storing it horizontally on the back wall of our closet. Petey loves to chat with the "dog in the mirror". Well you guessed it, I opened the closet door and out pops and hops and jumps Petey, oh so glad to be let out of the closet and not at all angry with me for shutting him in. Do you think he will spend a little less time obsessing with himself in front of the mirror now??? Ok, now for Emerson. Emerson is the little town that we actually live in. Only 1000 people. In fact it is so small that it can't deliver our mail to us which is why we have a Cartersville address. Well when there are only 532 eligible voters and we are electing a new mayor and two new city council members and when folks are cutting down trees in our area faster than you can blink, I was thinking that I really should start paying more attention to what is going on and actually vote today in a city election. Well easier said than done. For one thing where we vote seems to be a little murky. Some folks think it is one place and some think it is another. Who to vote for remains a mystery since there has been no publicity about any of the candidates. So yesterday I subscribed to a daily version of the local paper instead of just the Sunday version. Aha!!!!! Just today what did I learn???? We vote in a location unknown to anyone that I talked to and it is open only from 8-5 (What kind of voting hours are those for working folks???). I learned that our water rates are doubling!!! I learned that our newly moved in next door neighbor, the out our front door view destroyer, is also planning to have rezoned another 2 acres that he owns from agricultural to industrial!!! I learned that the highway patrolman that I luckily saw just in time to slow down and avoid a ticket yesterday, is part of a new program, just in our county, to prevent trucking accidents. Boy am I glad I am getting the new and very easy to read quickly, daily version of our local paper!!!! (and you guessed it, I think I have to get involved in local politics- who ever heard of not knowing where you are voting or what you are voting for or who is on the ballot- until the day of the election!!! we've got to at least have a little more publicity about this, right?

? Favorite

I just LOVE this time of year in the South. Even with the drought and weirdly hot hot hot weather that we seemed to have forever this year, the leaves are turning the gloriously vivid yellows, oranges and red. And even though there is more brown than usual mixed in this year, fall really is just gorgeous here. We are sneaking into the high 30's at night this week and the crisp air just begs for walks among the fallen leaves. I really really do love spring with its vibrant, life-exuding greens and all the new flowers breaking forth, but fall in the south may just be my favorite season.

Wiiekend

Bry and Kim came over Saturday for some Chicken Taco's and brought their Wii. What a ton of fun!! Bry is indeed the tennis KING. We played bowling, tennis and boxing. I have to say that the boxing really does help you get out lots of aggression, but I have no strategy so as soon as I stopped playing the warm up crew and started playing Bry... he knocked me out in no time. I should have guessed after his pool sharkedness from last year, but Wood is a star bowler and tennis player and quite a bit more aggressive at tennis than I would have guessed. It is a great work out and we had a really wonderful evening.

Ray's on the River and Wood's family

Went to Ray's on the river for their Sunday Brunch. First time we had been since the renovation. Food was still great and I like the new look, but Wood was missing the more nostalgic look it had before. We had a great visit with Wood's mom, brother Mic and his wife Carole. Petey fell in love with Mic and would hardly leave his side.... I think the feeling was mutual ;-)

Vogel park and Anna ruby falls

We visited one of our favorite spots on Wed - Vogel State Park

Today we checked out Burts Farm and bought pumpkins and gourds and hay bales to decorate the porch and then tooled over to Anna Ruby Falls which we had not seen before. I think Amicalola has them beat but kind of hard to tell in a drought that has been going on for about a year what they would look like in full swing.

The Randomness of Today

Today we decided to drive to the North Georgia Outlet Mall to visit the Restoration Hardware Furniture outlet to see if we could pick up a bargain, but still very nifty, medicine cabinet for our guest bathroom. We thought we would take about an 8 mile detour through the mountains to the source of the Appalachian trail- Springer Mountain. We set off with our trusty map in hand which is a blow up of the North Georgia Mountains only (ie the detail I see on the map is all there is I am guessing- an erroneous assumption it turns out). So we head out on this little two lane paved Aska road and turn off after a beautiful drive through some creek-filled farm land, mountain passes dotted with trees and see our turn off to Springer mountain, a decent looking gravel road. It really was fairly decent, no huge ruts anywhere and as we traveled the 6 miles up the mountain toward our destination we were treated to some gorgeous views. So we arrive at this kind of parking lot (the kind you find in remote mountain locations) and see a lone car parked in it. I do not have a good feeling. In fact, I am wondering if it might have been a good idea to wear my t-shirt that reads "hike faster, I hear banjo music". (Deliverance for those of you too young to get that). Anyway we check out the sign and see that it is really about a one mile hike to the beginning of the Appalachian Trail from this lot and hmmm we drive a little closer to this old 70's Ford LTD and see that although its tags were current a year ago, all of the windows had been broken out of it. Ok that settles it for both of us, we skip the short hike and decide to drive the rest of the road (which appeared on the map as a straight up and over the mountain) down to a two lane paved highway that will take us to the Outlet mall about 25 miles away. Ahhhh the beauty of the Blueridge Wildlife management district is that they are somewhat more advanced than our newly purchased map, ie, they had more numbered gravel roads than they did the one or two named roads that displayed on the map. So we came to a fork in the road (not on the map) and had to choose which gravel road to take.... well you got it we chose wrong.... so about 15 minutes later, I remember that Wood has a compass in his truck and I figure out what direction on the non existent map road we are traveling in and hopefully where we will reach a semblance of civilization. Speaking of which, up until we took the wrong turn we had seen no one.... then we passed a random truck with hunter types (think banjo music- at least I heard a little strumming) and then out of no where up pops this man in the road asking if we had cell phone coverage. He looked a little fragile to be out there all by himself but neither Wood nor I felt too comfortable staying for a chat so just answered honestly that we did not have cell phone coverage and took off. Ok so then we pass a couple of other folks in trucks ( of course) and then we pass a couple of army trucks with army dudes that are out camping?!?! what is that about??? Ok so next random event on this totally out in the wilderness area we come across a Georgia Federally run Fishery. Ok you have to understand there is nothing around.... nothing. I do notice that we have been following a pretty little creek for awhile and there are some small power poles..... but here it is out in the middle of nowhere- a pretty big US Fish and Wildlife service run fishery..... Ok keep driving for awhile.... still don't see any houses or anything.... an occasional camping spot or two, but then out of nowhere pops a beauty salon ... the kind run out of a home..... but who is going here???? ya gonna trek across the hills for a cut and a perm or what????? so random..... 20 minutes later still no houses visible and hills with trees thick on both sides of us, is your pretty little white Baptist church.... kind of reminded me of the book Christy. It was well maintained so someone had to go there and worship and some one had to be living somewhere around in the hills that we couldn't see. Ok so more gravel roads to choose from and finally we get to a two lane paved little country road that actually has a road sign labeling it and lo and behold it is actually on our map! We have made a big U and are about 5 miles away from where we started a couple of hours before. Off to the outlet mall which is about as opposite an experience as you can imagine. Restoration Hardware does not have what we want, we scurry to get some lunch and get back to our cabin for a 3 pm appointment and what do we do again but get lost this time in the Rich Mountain Wilderness Area.... again our not so trusty map does not distinguish between a road that is paved and a road that is not. We saw some gorgeous homes fronting creeks in the middle of nowhere along this 20 mile or so stretch of gravel roads totally lost in the Chattahoochee National forest.... but gee how do they ever give anyone directions on how to get to their house???? We came across so many roads that weren't on the map and the roads supposedly on the map were gone, that it wasn't funny. Keep in mind there is no cell phone coverage, so luckily before we had made this last venture into the assumed easy way home we had called and delayed our meeting, and we did finally arrive back to paved roads with real signs (ie ones on the map) before it started thundering, lightening and raining and in time for our meeting. What a totally random day!!!

Bolsa Chica Wetlands

Got to visit one of my favorite places this past weekend. Sue has much better and sharper bird pictures but just wanted to share the action in these. These are pretty small but this bottom picture has such a diversity of terns, skimmers, gulls and pelicans in it. Just need to see it bigger. And check out the tern splashing in the water at the top of the picture in one of the ones above. (Actually if you click on each picture they will blow up bigger)

the Last lazy days of summer

i love the rivers around our house. We were out exploring last weekend and caught these geese feeding in a shallow spot. When we first drove by most of them were bottoms up, but I just couldn't get them to coordinate again. It was hilarious. this little guy thought there was something really interesting underneath our patio table and we thought he must be doped up or something because he just kept staring at me and letting me get really pretty close to take pictures of him. After I was done, we got just a tad closer with a finger and he was off like lightning

September with the Budds

The 'music room' aka 'used to be play room' was the source of all kinds of family fun after several evenings of late nights working to put some finishing touches on the house before it goes on the market. Dave and Sarah worked like dogs every waking moment and sometimes past my waking moments, cleaning, adding a patio, getting rid of stuff, etc... so this was a much enjoyed break to spend some time just hanging out. Finally a chance to see the newest Budd addition. What a cutie he is with two dimples and a pretty ready smile. He, according to Sarah's scientific method (which really should be pretty accurate) has gained 6 lbs in 6 weeks and is now a whopping 16 lbs. All I know is he is heavy, can already hold up his head and giggles and smiles. We got to have a few snuggles which I really enjoyed. Nothing like rocking with a snuggly baby :-) I just LOVE this picture of Isaiah. He toggles between terrific and terrible two- most of the time wiping out any memories of recent tears with a ready and most charming smile. Even while crying from a fall at the grocery store he charmed a couple of passing grandparents who said how cute he is (and this is while crying!) Isaiah loves puzzles and is a whiz at putting together a United States puzzle (an old wooden one with no outlines to indicate which state goes where). In fact he corrected me on the positioning of a couple of them. :-) I had the most fun going to a farm on Thursday to pick corn. Oh my goodness it was so delicious I could have kept eating and eating it. There was lots of other vegetable growing there as well. Isaiah thought these pumpkins were pretty cool. Ellen has quite the imagination and she regularly regaled us all with her stories of her 'sister' and her many adventures. She is quite the helper for Sarah and keeps both Isaiah and Brennan in line with a firm but gentle hand. Ellen loves to dance and I finally discovered that she gets the wrinkled-up-nose-face that accompanies her dances from her dad who tends to do the same :-) Ellen isn't a fan of getting too dirty but she helped carry the corn basket and helped point out nice fat ears for picking. I did get her to help me break up the potting soil for some whiskey barrels we planted with flowers, but only after she saw how much fun Isaiah and I were having squishing around in the dirt. Too bad there wasn't an earthworm or two in the potting soil. That would have been lots of fun.... for at least one of us :-) I just couldn't be quite quick enough to catch Brennan's smile, but rest assured he really does have two dimples.

Crater Lake

I took a different route to see the Budds in Portland this September. When you fly from Phoenix to Portland, if you have a really super pilot, he tips the plane over Crater Lake. I had never seen it before and was quite in a dither to capture it on camera before I missed my chance. Soooo coool.