My Last day at work this Year

is tomorrow. Happy hour tomorrow night with the gang from the office. It should be fun. It has been a great 6.5 years there and I will miss them. However, I am sure that we will cross paths. So, I look at this time as a new beginning. My new adventure begins in January.

Cliches

All good things come to those who wait.
All good things come to an end.
When one door closes, another opens.
Everything happens for a reason.

Yes, these are just some of the many things I have heard this week now that I know my job of 6.5 years is coming to an end. Thankfully, I have had many, many positive notes from soon-to-be former colleagues. They are refreshing to hear. I put all the positive comments together in a note for myself, as a reminder, that I am smart enough, good enough, and gosh darnit, people like me. Ah, Stuart Smalley was great. ; )

So, January will start a new year and new endeavors and I welcome them!

Quirky waitress

OK, so last night after the movie we decided to go out for a bite to eat. Soup at Panera Bread actually. We walk in and the girl behind the counter is singing Christmas carols. She was very "chipper". A little too chipper. And I believe she took a liking to us (because we were the coolest people there:) as she kept stopping over to talk to us while we were eating. Not like, how's your food, but very personal stuff like"my boyfriend is in Vegas right now and called me to say he was at an all nude strip bar"; she continues: I was like, what do you want me to do about it? We mentioned we had just seen king Kong and she carried on a conversation about that, getting a bladder infection from holding her pee too long and then went off onto the Brokeback Mountain movie and how she wanted to go see that. 'Cuz the guys are so hot. Hmmm. Very bizarre little college girl working at Panera bread. Entertaining, but not, because we wanted to talk to each other but she kept popping her head into our conversation. She even tried to take away the food my friend was eating while he was still eating it?!? Very bizarre. He and I had a good laugh about her. She was either heavily caffeinated or...Ah, to be 20 again. I felt so old.

King Kong - My review

Well, my friend and I went to see King Kong. He was much more brave than I was. You might say that I was rather whimpy even or that the special effects were so good it scared me out of my seat a few times. Luckily, he was there to let me know that it was just a movie. The special effects were very good and the creatures were very disturbing at times. I had to look away many times although I ended up peeking thru my scarf to see if the creepy scene was over. All in all, I say, GO see it! King Kong is the creature you grow to love.

King Kong

Tomorrow's the day it opens in GR. I will be attending tomorrow night with a friend. It should be fun (and scarey). Just looking at his face scares me!

Shopping for the perfect Garage Fridge

My sisters and I decided we would go in on a Garage fridge for my dad to replace the old one that finally bit the dust. Not wanting to spend a fortune on such a storage device, I did some shopping online and at various big box stores and found fridges for around 300. However, ABC Warehouse, had one advertised for $257. By the time we add in taxes and delivery, we are looking at the magic 300 and some change. Dreading ABC warehouse, I thought perhaps I could call the store close to my dad's house, order it and set up delivery for after Xmas. Sounds easy right? Well, they referred me to the local store who could set everything up. So, off I trek in the cold blustery snow to one of my least favorite appliance stores to get the $257 garage fridge. (I should have known it would be a challenge when there were NO cars in the parking lot other than what seemed to be employee cars. I was the ONLY customer stepping foot into the store.)
Low and behold, ALL of the sales people are sitting around kibbitzing, and like a vulture looking for the latest road kill, the closest salesperson to the door swooped in for the kill.
With flier in hand (printed off their website) I go back to the Refrigerator section. Salesman closest to the door follows me all the way back.
What can I help you find? A garage fridge, I say and show him the one I am looking for. He walks me over there and shows me the model in the ad. Hmm. It is marked at 317 and not marked on sale. But I have the flier with the lower advertised price.
His sell begins. "We do not have ANY of those in stock." (Of course not, that's just what you advertise to get me in the door) Well, can you check your computer and see if one of the other stores in MI has it? "Well, uh, well."
Finally I have persuaded him to check the inventory levels. Sure enough, 0. No guarantees that we will have any by xmas. Once again I tell him, that's fine because my dad will be out of town until New Years.
The bigger story/sell now begins (trying to make me worry that my dad will not have a garage fridge for the holidays). Let me see what I can do. [He walks me down the fridge aisle to the more expensive models and says he can sell me the 499 fridge for 399.] whoopee! Such a deal!
but really, I am only here for the garage fridge, an overflow fridge, nothing fancy, nothing pretty, just something to keep some beer and a few odds and ends cold. Lots of hemming and hawing now. He casts judgment on the sale fridge (and essentially me and my sisters for wanting to buy it) and really wants me in the upscale model. No deal. I am here for the $257 model.
If you and the store would like a sale tonight, please, take my money. I don't want to miss the sale price.
He clearly does not want to do this. However, I am persistent like the Boston Terriers we had that would not let go of the sock when you were playing tug-of-war. He takes me to the register to ring up the $257 fridge. Well, you know, you should really buy the extended warranty on this item because the Garage is VERY hard on the compressor. No, thank you. Dad had the last garage fridge out in the garage for 15+ years. I explain I don't think it will be an issue since he has insulated garage doors, etc. I just want the fridge delivered to my dad after new years!
Finally, I have a receipt for $314 which includes the 257 fridge 40 delivery and taxes.
I am sure his commission was next to nothing, although it was more than ANYONE else in the store was getting since I was the only customer. Hmmm, I wonder why?

Hopefully, they will get the fridge I ordered, if not, I will get another (better) one for that price. Just because of all the grief I went thru to order dad's xmas fridge. It will be fun. I hate going into ABC Warehouse, but would only be able to find that "deal" at the scratch and dent store.

Turkey day has come and gone

It seems as though Thanksgiving was ages ago. However, I am pretty sure it was just a week ago based on the calendar. Time has flown by fast this year. I cannot believe it is already december and there are 22 days until Christmas. Wow. Well, most of my shopping is done. Just a few more little things to get. Pics are from Thanksgiving. There was turkey, pork, (and lamb for the Australians) attending. There were 3 pies and one fancy mereinge dessert. Too much food for the size group we had but there were plenty of leftovers for those that do not mind eating them. It was a very nice evening for all with no family fueds which makes it a bonus.

ipod - do you?

Normally, I am not one to buy the latest and greatest techno gadget to say I own it. However, in an effort to listen to more music (that I already own and enjoy) I decided to buy an iPod. To consolidate my collection of CDs into an easy access format. Specifically, the 30gb iPod Video - in Black. Yes, it is beautiful. I never thought I would be as hooked as I am, but I am officially hooked. My buddy Dave (who has every iPod since the birth of the iPod), has the newest one and raved about it, so here I am, the proud owner of a new iPod, cables/transmitters for the car, stereo, and a new external Hard drive so I can back up my computer. Gee, the $299 ended up costing a bit more. Oh well, merry christmas to me! Perhaps I can put a few thousand images or a few videos on it as well. I don't care, I just know that I love it and so far it only has music on it. : )
Now I just need to upload all my tunes...a good winter project.

Knee Surgery

Well, my sister successfully made it thru her knee replacement surgery. At 42, she is quite young to have the surgery done, but since Rheumatoid Arthritis has obliterated the joint there was not much else she could do. She was in a ton of pain before the surgery but sounds awesome now. The amazing thing is that she had the surgery done on Tuesday at about 2 pm and she left the hospital today! I hope that she continues the speedy recovery. I will go home tomorrow to help out for the weekend. Shopping, laundry, whatever, I just want to help out my sis and her family.

First Snow of the Season

As much as I hate winter, it is now upon us in West Michigan. Tonight we are getting "Lake Effect" snow. Oh, joy. One of the things I love about snow is the ability for it to wipe out the color in a photograph. Winter can be very Black and White. It's hard to believe that just four days ago we had highs in the mid 60s. I was out hauling and stacking wood in a long sleeve shirt and jeans. What a difference a few days make.

Crusty Pod Puffs

or milkweed part 2.
Yes, I am a freak. But I find these beautiful. They start out as purple flowers and end up a pod with a crusty outer shell and little seeds attached to cotton puffs. They are so cool. I loved them as a kid and forgot about them for the most part. However, I now have my own crusty pod puffs growing in my yard. : )

Milkweed

Ah, I remember these from when I was a kid. Up at the cottage along the road on the way to the beach. I don't remember the pretty light purple flowers they have earlier in the year, just the prickly pod of seeds that blow gently into the wind. I thought I took pics of the flower yet I could not find them in my catalog of images, so these will have to do.

Fall at it's peak

Ah, the colors are beautiful at my house these days. I know that it will not last much longer as the heavy clouds are finding their way into MI. A sure sign of the impending winter season. While I am not a big fan of winter I am trying to take in all the warmth of the colorful leaves. Many of my trees have shed their season's growth, but a few are just beginning the process. I think it all has to do with the hills and valleys in my yard; which spots are cooler (more exposed) and those that are more protected from the wind. Those that are more protected still have many of their leaves and the colors went from green (last week) to yellow this week. Its funny how the colors of the leaves are so warm when the weather begins to cool and we are left with nothing but cool colors thru winter.

Feeling "normal" again

Ok, my short rant about getting sick. I went to a Dr. (dermatologist) last week and ended up getting sick. Now I didn't go in because I was sick, but the Dr. I visited was. When she sneezed upon entering the room she proceeded to apologize for being sick and wiping out half her office. Great. You are a doctor. Go HOME! Don't infect others that are not sick. Needless to say, I was sneezing within 12 hours of seeing this doctor and decided to work from home for 2 days so as not to spread the germs. Too bad the Dr. didn't do that as well. Not only did she take out half the staff, she infected at least one of her patients. Bummer. I spent all weekend at home and missed my friend's Halloween party. I am starting to feel better. Drug of choice for this flu? TheraFlu and TheraFlu Nighttime.

Fall Colors

Yes, it's that time of year again. The time just before the time of year I like the least. [winter] Fall is turning out to be a very colorful one around west MI. I have lots of trees on my 3-acre lot. Many maples, a cherry, a few oaks, some crab apples, a couple elm and then a couple I have no idea what they are. I shot a couple picks of the leaves in hopes that someone might know what they are.
Perhaps this one above should be the "State of MI" tree. Since it is kinda shaped like the Michigan mitten {minus the U.P.} Below are some other examples of the same tree's leaves.
The third image reminds me of an Oak leaf. However, the Oak leaves are not typically jagged? I don't know. Wish I did. Wish I had that collection of wax paper-ironed fall leaves from grade school that would tell me what leaves I was looking at. Oh well, I do not have them. Perhaps I can make my own collection of wax paper/ironed leaves. If I could only remember how... Ah, the art projects of childhood.

Headhuggers, Not tree huggers

About 8 months ago a bunch of women at the office invited me to "knitting, lunch, and learn". Since I had NO idea how to knit, I decided to sit in and see what these women were doing. First project, a ten-inch square which would later be turned into a quilt and donated. It was not that easy as I am left handed and nearly everyone else was right-handed. Oh well. I finally figured it out after reading Stitch 'N Bitch: The Knitter's Handbook by Debbie Stoller. (a very fun book for someone interested in learning to knit. Young & hip. Not old and boring.)
The next thing was to make Chemo Caps. A very nice thing to do for people that have lost their hair to Chemotherapy. Well, that seemed to go quite well and soon I had 2 hats made. The first hat was a bit large (even too big for my bucket head) but, would work with a pretty ribbon. The third hat in the pic was my dad's girlfriend's first hat. Not too shabby. I finally bundled them all up and sent them off to Headhuggers to distribute to those in need. I hope they enjoy them. Now I need to knit one for myself since winter is approaching. Next donation? My hair. I am close to the 10" (plus 2" to cleanup & style) needed to send off to Locks of Love. That will be my 5th donation to Locks of Love since 1999. At 12" each time, that means I will have cut off 60" inches of hair since 1999. Yikes!

Men and their cars

Much like new moms want pictures of their new babies, men love their cars (and pictures of them).

This was obvious on Sunday when I went to the Harvest Happening at the Waterford Hills Race Track. There were lots of men with their cars on display before each of them took a turn or two on the race track. The hoods were open for all to see. (Unless of course you had not customized it) All sorts of cars: Corvettes, a Trans Am, kit cars, a lot of Mustangs, a Ford Focus, and a few imports. The guys really love their cars. I think they love them as much as women love babies. They even want pictures of their cars to hang in their office or the garage. I guess the pics bring back memories of life with the car? Good times had in the back seat? At the wheel? Cleaning it? I dunno.
Oh well. As a woman my need to photograph my car is not really that strong. However, after growing up in the Detroit area, (new car Mecca) I have an affinity for the automobile. It was great living in that area since there were always new cars on the roads that had not released to the public yet.
My first Car? A 1970 Chevrolet Station Wagon that was big enough to put a sunfish boat in the back end and head out to the lake. It was the green machine with the seat in the way back.
It was great. Some of the other cars I had the privilege of driving:

• 1976 Oldsmobile Delta 88 Rag Top (Cherry Red w/white Top)
• 1980 Mercury LN7
• 1982 Lincoln Town Car (Black, w/ moon roof) I was styling in this car but caught hell for driving it from my artist boyfriend in college.
• 1986 Chevy Cavalier (the first car I bought --for $3k sold it for $2k 5 years later.)
• 1989 Toyota Camry (USED- totaled before I bought it. : ( --got my money back when I discovered it)
• 1988 Ford Crown Victoria (interim car until I got cash back for Camry 1)
• 1996 Volkswagen Golf (my first new car)
• 2002 Toyota Camry (my second new car--love it)

What was your first car? Your Favorite car?

Gentleman's Race

Today I got to watch my brother-in-law live out one of his dreams of riding his 2002 Corvette something series (sorry, I don't know the model #) on a race track. The "race" considered to be a "Gentleman's race" where the men are not out to place first (or damage their pricey cars) but just want to ride on a closed course race track with straight-aways, tight corners, hills, etc. and feel as though they are actually in a race. There is some passing for position, but nothing too intense. These guys seemed to be out there because they love (to drive) their cars instead of wanting to win the race. It was cool to watch.

I got in trouble a couple of times because I got a little too close to the track and was asked to back off. I backed off but still got some good shots. I shot about 200 pictures. A few of them were for other men that saw me shooting and wanted pics of their car/race. It was fun. Very different than the Figure 8 races I have attended in the past year, but enjoyable none-the-less.

Phallic Container

For those of you who do not know what "phallic" is the definition I found on dictionary.com is as follows: Of, relating to, or resembling a phallus (or penis).
I am sure that most people of a certain age understand the word, however...
I was chatting with a friend of mine today and spotted an odd object in his office. I looked at him, he looked at me, and we both snickered. Perhaps we should not have snickered, but we just could not resist. It was a 7" phallus-looking clear plastic tube filled with liquid that had a light yellow color. I was brave and picked up the object to find that it was actually a grapefruit-mango flavored protein drink!

Questions now fill my head.

• Who is the target market for such a product?
• Why the shape?
• Why clear plastic and a yellowish liquid? (Why not a more vibrant color that does not look like a urine speciman??)
• Who would drink out of this?
• Why such a heavy duty container? Who came up with the shape?
• Why is the opening at the base?
• Did they do market research to determine the shape of the packaging?
• How many do they sell?
• Do they sell other phallic products?
• Why would they put a clear protein drink in a container shaped like a phallus?
• Who would pay $3 per 2.7oz. vile of protein?
• Do you buy it only for the shape?
• Is the container recyclable?

I could go on for days, however, I will spare you. You be the judge. What questions come to your mind? Would you drink from this "bottle"? Nine out of ten men that I questioned said, NO! I have to take them at their word, but someone is buying this product. Who is it? I cannot say I would buy it other for the novelty of the shape. Maybe for a bachelorette party? I felt like I needed to wash my hands after touching it. I would love to hear your comments. : )

Grilled Salmon

Although I am not a seafood fan, I decided I must try the salmon that I was given in return for the photos I took. So, I marinated the salmon steaks in olive oil, lime juice, crushed garlic and pepper; grilled them and had one for dinner. The smell and the flavor of the meat was not at all fishy [probably because it was sooo fresh] which was a very good thing. It was good, but I must say, I had a hard time peeling the skin off so I could eat the fish. It really creeped me out as it was too close to the fish for me. My next career will not be, "fisherman".

I remember fishing with my grandfather when I was a little girl and spending a lot of time puking from the smell. (I don't think he was too happy about that.) To think, that my family comes from a fishing community in Nfld.

Oh well, the fish did not go to waste. I called my friend Carole (who loves Salmon) and gave her 3 grilled steaks and 4 frozen steaks. She was, oh, so happy to have the salmon. I just could not eat the salmon. I wonder, if I went to a farmer's field, and took pictures of his beef cattle, would he give me some steaks in trade?

Salmon - swim upstream to die?

In the past couple weeks, while driving downtown GR over the Grand River, I noticed a bunch of guys out there fishing. It is that time of year when the salmon are swimming upstream in an effort to lay their eggs (and I guess die?).

Anyway, I talked to one of the fishermen at the office to find out what time of day would be best to catch them fishing downtown. I was told that daybreak was the best time of day. So, this morning, I was up at 6 so I could get downtown by sunrise. Much to my surprise, there were already about 30 guys with their poles in the water hoping to reel in a big one. It was a beautiful fall morning and perfect for checking out the fishermen. There were a few guys reeling them in and a bunch of other guys hooking them, but losing them to the fast current.

I think the coolest thing for me was to see the fish flying out of the water in an effort to get over the wall and into the next level of the river. Unfortunately, I was unable to capture any of those shots. : (

However, I did get a few other shots that you may enjoy.

My question is this: If the fish are going upstream to lay eggs and die, is the meat bad or old? Not as flavorful? Why are so many guys in the river trying to reel them in if it is not edible? Who knows, perhaps it is just for the sport of it. It was a good way to start my day.
Check out a couple of the photos at Flickr

The stars are out tonight

One of the many things I like about living out in the "country" is being able to walk out into my yard at night and look up and see the stars. Not a bunch of city lights that block the bigger dipper and other constellations. I get to see the stars. : )

Tonight as I walked out to the mailbox and observed the stars, I was reminded of living in Raleigh, NC, after Hurricane Fran [9.6.96]. Although the hurricane had done some damage to the area and I had no power for 10+ days, my friends and I enjoyed hanging out under the stars in the middle of the city. It was a treat to see the stars in an area normally flooded by city lights. The nights after the storm were pretty peaceful, actually relaxing. The storm sure as hell wasn't. A storm like that changes your perspective on things. I know my view of hurricanes has changed and I really don't want to go thru another one. I guess it is OK living in Michigan.

Demo Scramble at Ionia

After last week's exciting bus races at Berlin, I decided to check out the Demo Scramble that my old boss was racing in. It was not his normal Figure 8 fare, but a "demo scramble" chock full of cars that had seen many races in days gone by. Well, Figure 8 (in his 2nd number 42 car for the season) was in the first heat. It seemed as though he was off to a good start, and then, something happened. He ended up a wallflower off to the side [not out of harm's way] wanting to take another turn. However, no such luck. I will have to check out his blog, or stop by and drop off the pics and find out what happened.
All in all, it was still more fun than the bus races at Berlin. Lots of cars bit the dust and ended up like an upside down bug needing attention to go any further. Hopefully Figure 8 will get one of the cars up for the last race of the season. Who knows.
At any rate, here are a couple of shots from the race. (in no particular order)

the man on the moon

is smiling cause he's in love with the girl on the world? [from a Harry Connick, Jr song] I can hear the tune, but was never good with all the lyrics of a song. Like the b-52s song love shack, I thought the one line was, Hen-ry, Bust-ed! [instead it is really Tin Roof, Rusted] Hmm, I think it is because of the video where someone walks into the house and then they say, ...Tin Roof, Rusted?
I am sure there are other songs that I have messed up the lyrics on, but I remember the melody.
Well, you can't see the man on the moon here, but that is what I think of when I see the full moon. This shot is from 9.26.04. Kathlee inspired me to go shoot another, but I didn't catch it at the right time. So, this will have to do. Love the full moon.

Bus Races at Berlin Raceway

Sam asked if I would like to go see the Bus Races at Berlin Speedway. So, having nothing scheduled for last night, I decided that it would be interesting to go out there and see the buses race. It was more of a car race with a Bus special event than a bus race but, it was interesting.

It provided a great opportunity to people watch. People that I do not see on a regular basis. There were a few women in evening gowns [seemed odd] but mostly people in jeans & t-shirts which was OK by me. I would be remiss if I failed to mention the giant foam Cowboy hats (which you could not see around if you had one in front of you) and the t-shirt of the day? F... Milk. Got Beer?

Sam and I ate before we went out there as I am not a big fan of overpriced, carni-style food. However, it was interesting to see what others were eating. Buckets of fries, and what I thought were batter dipped french fries [how much grease do you need in one fry?] but Sam insisted they were chicken strips. Hmmm. There were lots of cans of beer and wine-type coolers for sale, along with krispie creme donuts, ice cream, and cotton candy.

Back to the race, the stock cars went around in circles, some hitting the others but mostly trying to avoid hitting others or speeding out of control. Their cars cost a lot more [than fig. 8 cars] so they probably do not want to smash them up. The bus races were a little tense as they are SO BIG on that little track so that was fun.

I think the figure 8 races that I went to were a little more exciting because there was always some smashing going on. Junker cars roaming around on the track smashing into each other at the center of the 8. Perhaps it is because a friend of mine is just crazy enough to ride in the figure 8s that I enjoy those more. Who knows.

Cockscomb

Cockscomb. An odd name for the plant but I guess it does resemble a rooster's comb. It's pretty amazing since even as it dries it retains it's vibrant color. There are a ton of seeds (the size of poppy seeds), so perhaps I will give them a go next spring and see if I will have a nice new batch of cockscomb.

Below is the ornamental eggplant I bought at the farmers market last weekend. I thought they were pretty cool looking. Not at all like an eggplant, but...

Art or Body Debris?

You decide.
I went out with a man I met off the Internet. His name was Brian. 45, an artist, well-educated [4 MFA degrees]. The 4 MFA degrees scared me a little bit as I wonder: who really needs four MFA degrees? In 4 different areas from separate schools? I have 2 degrees. One BFA [in printmaking] and an MFA [in Photography] 2, for me, is enough. I thought about getting my PhD. But, I really needed to start working and pay off the MFA degree. No more school. Enough with teachers, etc.
Anyway, back to the brainiac. When he told me about his art, I found him a little odd.
What do you think? Is it art to cut off your finger nails [gotta be in one piece] and save all the nail clippings until there are thousands of them? (at which point you display them on a wall, in little baggies.) Could you stop cutting your nails after the piece is "complete"? No, apparently you need to keep cutting them and saving them because you have done it for so long it is now part of your life.
Another "piece of artwork" is one of pubic hair arranged on a grid and taped down. Some are curly, some straight, etc. (Oh, look at the pretty patterns...)

I'm sorry, NO WAY! I am an artist, and not all of my art is as conservative as what is on my blog, but fingernails and pubic hair do NOT make ART. They are body debris. Things to be thrown out or washed down the drain! No need to leave it on the soap, the counter, the toilet seat, the bed. Say good-bye to them. They are Pubic Hairs, NOT ART. The only pubic hair that is enjoyable, is that attached to the body. Call me crazy, but it ceases to be "ART" once it is shed from the body.

2 dates with this man were plenty (although the guys at the office wanted me to go out on another just to see what crazy sh-- he would come up with next.)

I could not do it. Let him be an artist. He is obviously too deep for me (and many of my artist friends). I will be a real person who makes art on occasion and who does not save finger nail clippings or pubic hair for public displays. I prefer "pretty" pictures that include the human body, flowers and landscapes; not body debris.

Men and their hair plugs

Ok, so, it is not a man. But last weekend as I walked down the beach of Lake Michigan, it reminded me of a man I know that decided he needed to cover up his balding head and had plugs of hair embedded. I think he was much sexier bald. The plugs looked totally fake; much like this rock covered in algae. My advice to balding men:
Don't put plugs in. Don't do the toupe. Please, please, please don't do the comb-over! You are not fooling anyone. Let it go! Shave it off. It is OK! Men look good without hair on their head.
I used to love the feeling of rubbing my hands on my boyfriend's shaved head. It felt great against my hands. Touch is a wonderful thing.

Ah, if only I had a good man in my life. I miss my pork tartare. : (

my left foot

and then my right foot. Not the movie, but my feet. : )
They felt soo good on the smooth, wet rock in Lake Michigan on Sunday. The water is still relatively warm thanks to the higher than normal temps this summer. Dad and I walked the beach one hour north of his house and back. We had a good talk.
It was a gorgeous day as the light is amazing at this time of year. Just what I needed.

Guardian Frog

Some people have guardian angels, I had a guardian frog this weekend.
I found it odd to see him affixed to the side of my house and then on the screen door. [I believe he is a tree frog due to the cool little suction cups on his "Feet".] However, froggy decided to stay close by my side this weekend. So, I decided to be the paparazzi and shoot him.

Ah, I remember the days when my little sister used to go down the road at the cottage to go froggin. She kissed a lot of frogs back then; even fed one to an unsuspecting horse. I am sure the horse was not very happy (about as unhappy as Keydiddle was when the horse ate the frog she was showing him). Oh well, something new for the horse that day.

Those were the days. Summers up north at the cottage. It was great fun.

Prickly One

The only thing soft on this, are the sprays of purple coming off the head of this beast. It is nothing but menacing.

If everything on God's green earth has a purpose, could someone tell me the purpose of the thistle? To be 6' tall and covered in needles? Yikes. While it is visually pleasing, I don't understand the value of thistle. (other than giving me the ability to understand why there are other plants/flowers I like much better.) Does any good come from such a prickly beast?

Canon EOS-10D, iso 1600, lens 105mm, shutter 1/125 sec, aperture f/4.5.

Bumble Bees

My sunflowers are all a buzz right now with Bumble Bees. I pull in nightly and stop to see how many of them are hanging out on the flowers. Tonight I decided I needed a few more photos. They are really quite amazing because they had no care in the world that I was even there. All they wanted was the pollen. I was nothing to them. That's OK since I am not into getting stung. But it was pretty cool to be so close and not be bothered by them.