Ramblings of a Simple Man

15 years

2012-01-25T18:38:00.002-06:00

Fifteen years ago today Needles and I went on our first date. It seems like only yesterday and yet it seems like I have known her my whole life. We have been through so much. The good times and the not so good times but I wouldn't change a thing. I feel like the best is yet to come. Happy Anniversary Sweetheart.

Do Nothing.

2012-01-07T21:57:00.002-06:00

This weekend is the first weekend that we haven't either had company or been company for several weeks. This morning I got to sleep late and when I got up I went straight to the couch. Needles made a nice breakfast and for supper I grilled New York strip steaks with sides of grilled asparagus and potato blend. Saturday is almost in the books and in a few more hours I will be back in bed. This is has been a great, do nothing, day. I have enjoyed it.

Happy New Years.

2012-01-01T19:19:00.002-06:00

As you can see it is a new year and with a new year comes a new look to the blog. I finally dumped the old hard HTML code and slipped into the easy template type blog which is a lot easier to edit but less customization. OH Well to cap off 2011, I would have to describe it as an exciting adventure with highs and lows and I am glad it is behind me. Probably the high for the year would be our Alaskan vacation and the low would be the ongoing family drama with sprinklings of mediocrity in between. I am hoping that 2012 will be better. I hope that everyone had a happy and safe ringing in of the new year. 2012 I have faith in you, don't let me down.

PS. I have never been much on new years resolutions but I think I am going to try one this year. I won't make it public so in a way it's kind of an experiment. Maybe a year from now I will look back on this post and think Wow!...and hopefully not thinking "What a waste of time."

Christmas Part 2

2011-12-25T22:39:00.002-06:00

Saturday we went down to the farm. We had sandwiches for supper in preparation for the feast the next day. Christmas morning came at 7:00am and was time the get the turkey in the oven. After the bird was in the hot box it was time for coffee and pecan pie squares. Around noon the uncles showed up and exchanged gifts. I ended up winning 7 bucks on scratch off lotto tickets and got some candy and few bucks to put in my wallet. We had our meal and to say I over ate is an understatement. Now I need to get back on my diet. Also I think Needles and I are going to get back on our regular exercise program. Our trip in March is getting closer day by day and I am glad to state the the Kilauea Volcano is spilling lava in the ocean again after a several month hiatus. I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas.

Christmas Part 1

2011-12-18T10:05:00.004-06:00

Friday night my parents made the trip North from Kentucky. They arrived before I got home from work but Needles had everything in control and she even made an amazing tomato bisque soup with dill bread. I got home a close to 3:30pm and settled in.The plans were to go out for supper and the Trace Inn was the decided destination. When we arrived around 5:15pm there was a line at the door and the wait was over 30 minutes before we were seated. The food was very good and we all had a good time. After our supper we went to Rudy's house and visited until time to go home. The next morning we had breakfast and after all the preparations were ready for us to head out for Christmas Part 1. We all ate our fill of ham, green beans, broccoli cheese casserole and turtle and pecan pie. After the meal it was time to open the gifts. After the gifts were all opened and the malaise of over eating was pulled over us like a warm blanket. I had trouble staying awake for the movies we watched. When the movies were over, one of the local churches was putting on a live nativity scene. The road from town was lined with lights all the way out to the scene. We got back and watched Christmas with the Kranks and then Needles and I returned home. We had a great time and flet like everyone had time to visit with each other. I think the kids wanted a little alone time with the grandparents. Maybe next time. Hope everyone had a great Christmas part 1. Next weekend will be part 2.

You'll shoot your eye out!

2011-12-12T16:10:00.004-06:00

Friday after work Needles and I made the trip South to visit with family. We made good time arriving in Owensboro just after dark. We were greeted warmly and invited in to sip coffee, catch up with each other and enjoy the Christmas cheer. For supper we had Cynical goulash with corn muffins. Mmmmm, tasty. A quick Starbucks run and we stayed up way too late. The next day we had breakfast and then headed out the door to Target. Needles wanted to lay hands on a Kindle Touch and I scored some Wasabi covered peas. We stopped by Great Harvest Bread Company were we got some great sandwiches and soup. I picked up a couple of brownies that were very rich. We made our way back home where Cynical and Ragged prepared a pre Christmas Christmas meal. We had ham, mashed potatoes, green bean almondine and rolls. It was all very good and fortifying for us to brave the cold temperatures and venture out to the local theater for a play. The play was A Christmas Story. It was done very well and it included all of the memorable moments from Flick getting his tongue stuck to the flag pole to Ralphie's infamous saying of the word FUDGE! We returned home by way of seeing a few Christmas lights and then off to bed. Sunday morning we had breakfast and the adjourned to the living room to get in a few more conversations before it was time to return North. We had a wonderful weekend with great food, great conversation and great friends. We will have to do it again very soon.

Rant/ Venting.

2011-11-22T20:51:00.003-06:00

I don't need any response. I just need to get this out there and off my chest. It seemed just a few short months ago that life seemed to be going pretty good, not great but working on it. It seems that since then one life disappointment has lead to another and another. It seems that drama and immature behavior has crept into my life and won't go away. I have been trying to ignore the situation which probably isn't the best thing to do but I am not sure what to do about it as I am unfamiliar with a situation like this. It is a terrible terrible thing when family disappoints you. It's one of the worst things that can happen to you in your adult life other than the death of a loved one. In away it's a kind of death of how a person is perceived and now that perception is forever changed. When a friend lets you down there is a feeling of hurt and disappointment but when its family, it hurts you to the core of your soul. I have been hurt and disappointed multiple times by my family almost to the point that I wonder if I really need that portion of my life anymore. It is a painful decision and believe me not an easy one. It can be compared to cutting a piece of your body away and expected to not to miss it but sometimes when a body part is diseased to the point that there is no cure then it must be removed to cure the rest of the body. These words may sound profound and deep but I am hoping that by writing this that it maybe cathartic to my soul. As Needles says that sometimes you just got to release it into the universe and let it sort itself out. I don't have a lot of faith that it will but I hope it sorts itself out before I have to start cutting.

11-11-11

2011-11-11T19:21:00.001-06:00

Happy Veterans Day and Happy 11-11-11 Day!

Almost Here.

2011-11-07T20:36:00.002-06:00

It is the time of year I look forward to. I have been going through the usual preparations. I have checked my gear and have grown my annual deer season beard. We have 3 of our 6 only paid holiday coming in the next 2 months and also shotgun deer season that I have been counting down the days. I know that idea of setting in a tree stand freezing your rear end off doesn't sound like a lot of fun to some but it seems like the first weekend deer season is to me the official start of the holiday season. Just setting in the stand with the sounds of nature all around is something that seems to bring me an inner calm just before the hectic holiday season. The next few weeks will come and go in a blur.

All good things.

2011-10-31T20:35:00.005-05:00

After 15 years of decorating for Halloween, adding new things to our display every year to get the kids to venture down to our end of the block passing all the darkened porch lights and handing out handfuls of candy to make the trip worth it. We have had steadily declining numbers of trick or treaters so I think Needles and I have come to a decision. This will be the last year we decorate and hand out candy. I think the best year we ended up with around 70+ T or T'ers. Last year we had 52 and this year 37. I think we can decorate our yard all we want but I can't make my stingy ass neighbors turn on their porch lights and hand out candy. Oh well it was a good run. They win, our light will be off next year.

Zombie Walk 2011 Video

2011-10-18T23:42:00.000-05:00

Zombie Walk 2011

2011-10-16T21:32:00.002-05:00

Made the trip down to Greenville, Kentucky this weekend to attend the Zombie Walk. We had a great time watching all the Zombies and getting some pictures. I think the last head count was over 350 zombies with well over 500 watching the event.

Bar Harbor Coastal Panoramic View

2011-10-11T22:12:00.003-05:00

TGTFWIO

2011-10-07T21:48:00.002-05:00

Thank God This F*cking Week Is Over.

To say I am done with this week is an understatement. October is getting off to a rough start.

Sense of Loss.

2011-10-01T19:15:00.003-05:00

This week hasn't been a good week. There seems to be a little uproar with my family that I am not taking sides and just staying out of it. The less I know the better. On top of that situation we had a long time neighbor and friend of the family pass away on Wednesday and I found out about it Thursday and if that wasn't enough we received a phone call this morning that informed us that my sister-in-law's brother loss their 14 month old child in her sleep. This of course would be devastating news to anyone but this same thing has happened to one of the parents more that once just makes it even worse. I feel like I am numb from all the emotions I have been through this week and I feel like my emotions aren't in check as they usually are. I hope that the situation with my family resolves itself soon and my heart goes out to my neighbor's and sister-in-law's family.

Acadia National Park

2011-09-28T22:27:00.001-05:00

Portland Lighthouse Cruise

2011-09-26T18:41:00.001-05:00

Bar Harbor Sand Bar

2011-09-26T18:39:00.000-05:00

Cadillac Mountain Panoramic VIew

2011-09-24T23:19:00.006-05:00

Bar Harbor Vacation

2011-09-22T18:21:00.015-05:00

Wednesday the 14th after work I came home a grabbed my bags and Needles and we headed to Indianapolis to the Microtel and did the park, sleep and fly for our vacation. We went to Kazablanka for our supper and I had the Kuesadilla and Needles had the BLT. We returned to our room and prepared for our travel day.

Day One: Thursday at 5:45 am we had a shuttle to the airport to get checked in and begin our trip to Bar Harbor, Maine. We arrived and went through the customary security checks. We sat and waited for our flight to board. The flight was uneventful as you would hope to happen on your flight. Our first lay over was Reagan International Airport and because we weren't familiar with the layout led us to have to go through security again to arrive at the other concourse to get to our next flight. We again had an uneventful flight to our destination and quickly picked up our bags and made it to the rental car counter for our reserved car. They gave us a brand new Nissan Altima with about 200 miles on the thing. We grabbed the fob, no keys and was on the road and heading North on Highway 1. We had planned to make a few stops on the way to Bar Harbor but we were pressed for time. We stopped for lunch at Wicked Good Captain's Fresh Idea Restaurant in Waldoboro, Maine. Needles tried to have a Salmon Salad but they were out of salmon which kinda detracted from the visit so she went with a Grilled Chicken Breast Salad. I had their Lobster Roll. The meals were good and we set back on the road. Our next stop was Pemaquid Point Lighthouse in Bristol, Maine. We entered the park and roamed the grounds before again making our way northward to our final destination. We arrived a Bar Harbor and The Saltair Inn at around 6pm and met our Innkeepers Matt and Kristi. Matt showed us around and showed us to our room. The Cottage room was just the right size with an average size bathroom. The neat thing about the room was the spa tub with disco lights. It had a button that would turn on the light in the tub. Every time you pushed the button the lights would change color and then the final push would make the colors shift through all of them. We settled in just long enough to put some of our things away and head out for supper. Our hungry stomachs lead us to The Thirsty Whale. Needles had the Whale Salad with Salmon. I had the Blacked Haddock Fish and Chips. The meals were good and after looking around at a few shops we ended up in Ben and Bill's Chocolate Emporium. We both had a double scoop on a waffle cone and went on to the B&B. We turned in early because we had to be up before breakfast for our whale watching trip with Bar Harbor Whale Watch Company.

Day Two: Friday when we showed up for our cruise we were told that the cruise was cancelled due to rough seas. We rescheduled for the 1pm trip and headed back toward the Inn. On our way back, we ventured out on the sand bar that only comes out twice a day when the tide is out. It was very interesting to see all the shells and rocks on the bar. The seagulls were picking up mussels and dropping them from several feet up on the rocks to break open their shells for a meal. Sometime the shells were dropped so close that it sounded like light bulbs being broken all around. We went back to the Inn to grab the car and headed to Thunder hole in Acadia National Park. After a short visit there and then headed back into town for our 1pm whale watch. We called to confirm and were told things were a go, we arrived to see tons of people in line waiting to board the boat. At the last second the trip was called off yet again due to rough seas. We heard that this was the third day in a row they called the trip off. We were a bit disappointed but this is why I scheduled the trip early in our vacation. We again rescheduled for Sunday since we had a Nature Cruise aboard the Acadia with the same company on Saturday and was told since it stays in the Harbor it shouldn't be cancelled. We had lunch at Geddy's with Needles having the Fish and Chips and I had the Crab Meat Roll. We also walked the shore path along the edge of Bar Harbor that ended up taking us to a path that led to Main Street and Mount Desert Ice Cream where again we both picked up a couple of cones from the Ice Cream Shop that served a couple of scoops to President Barrack Obama just a few months ago. That evening we went to Rosalie's Pizza and Needles and I both had the Pepperoni and Cheese Calzone. They were very good and filling. We walked back down town and went through a few more shops before returning back to the Inn.

Day Three: Saturday morning we were able to have breakfast at the Inn. We had a Quiche and Herb Potatoes which was very good. We then made our way back downtown for our Nature Tour. We headed around the north coast of Bar Harbor and was told about the history and stories of the island. The view of the coast was very beautiful and watching the waves crashing on the rock cliffs was mesmerizing. We made it to Thunder Hole in Acadia National Park and made the turn to Egg Rock Lighthouse. We got close enough to see a few gray seals bobbing around in the surf. We went by several other islands on our return trip back to the harbor. We learned about lobster fishing and also saw a bald eagle in a tree near the edge of one of the islands. We also learned about some of the families that call some of these private islands home. When we got back from our trip we went to West Street Cafe. Needles had the Salmon and I had the Crabcakes. This was my favorite seafood meal in Bar Harbor. It was served with a horseradish sauce with totally made the dish. After the meal we grabbed the car and headed back out to Acadia and to Otter Point. Just setting and watching the water was relaxing and peaceful. We ventured deeper into the park making our way up Cadillac Mountain which is the first point that sunlight touches in North America every morning for three months of the year. The view from Cadillac was amazing and you could see almost the whole island from that spot. After a bit of a drive we ended up at South West Harbor and Bass Harbor Lighthouse. We headed back to Bar Harbor and that night we had a craving for Chinese food so we walked to the only Chinese place in Bar Harbor, China Joy. Needles had the Chicken and Vegetables and I had the General Tso's. This was probably some of the best General Tso's I have had in a while. We returned to the Inn with our bellies full and satisfied.

Day Four: Sunday, we started the morning off with breakfast at the Inn. Baked Pairs and Herb Scrambled Eggs with Bree and Chicken Sausage. After the meal we were energized to set out on our day after a brief walk along the sand bar we made our way to our whale watch trip. We boarded the AtlantiCat and set off some 20ish miles off shore to an area they call the ballfield. This area is where the ocean depth drops off and is where plankton seem to be and also the whales. We spotted a few harbor porpoise on the way out to the area and before long we we had a mother and her calf near the boat. The calf put on quite a show with its flipper and tail flapping and also a few breeches. The front and left side of the boat seemed to get the better show and of course we were on the right side so what we saw was amazing but somewhat limited as compared to some of the others. After spending a lot of the time with the mother (Victim)and calf we also happened upon a group of four adults (Sword, Spoon, Atlas and Anchor) that promptly split into two groups of two. I think we saw anywhere from six to ten whales total. When we got back to shore we went to Stewman's for lunch. Needles had the salmon with asparagus and I had The Pier House Catch. This was another spot that the POTUS had stopped in. We then returned to Acadia and stopped in a Schooner head overlook and to the sea cave. For supper we went to Poor Boy's Gourmet where Needles had the Salmon and I had the Lobster Poor Boy. Not my favorite meal. On the way back to the Inn we stopped a CJ's Big Dipper Ice Cream.

Day Five: Monday, French Toast for breakfast at the Inn and we were free from any scheduled activities so we hiked across the sand bar to the summit of Bar Island and then spent the day at Acadia. We decided to park the car a Otter Point and walk the Ocean Path to Sandy Beach 3 miles away. The scenic view and awesome overlooks was amazing along the way. When we got to Sandy Beach we walked back to Thunder Hole and await the hour that activity seems to be at its peak. Unfortunately it seems that activity is really at its peak in Jan. and Feb. We returned to our car and back to the Inn and went to Testa's for supper. Needles had the Salmon Salad and I had the Maine Lobster Newburgh. After some last minute souvenir shopping the sun was going down so Needles made hot chocolate and we enjoyed the warm mugs while setting in the Adirondack chairs in the back yard watching the fading light of the sun.

Day Six: Tuesday, Blueberry Pancakes with Sausage and Biscuits was on the breakfast menu. This was our last morning in Bar Harbor and we packed up our things and headed back to Portland. We had plans of stopping in at a few places along the way.

We stopped at several lighthouses. Grindle Point, Indian Head, Rockland Breakwater and Marshall Point to name a few and also the LL Bean flag store in Freeport, Maine. We had to get the rental car back by 5 pm so we made it there with about 20 minutes to spare. We called the shuttle to pick us up and take us the the Holiday Inn by the Bay. After checking in we decided to eat in the Lounge and grabbed a couple of Angus Burgers with a side of fries. We retired to the room and prepared for a busy day with a freezing cold dip in the hotel pool.

Day Seven: Wednesday was to be very busy and the last day of our vacation. We started the morning off with watching the sun come up in Portland Harbor and then searching for breakfast. Since Portland seems to be a sleepy town we ended up at a Dunkin Donuts as it was the only thing open at that hour. We made our way to Long Wharf were the Portland Discovery is that runs the Land and Sea Tour we had scheduled. We boarded our Trolley and headed out for the Land part of the tour. We were told some of the history of Portland and some of the historical events that had happened. We also got to see some very nice homes and made a trip out to Portland Head Lighthouse where we ran into an artist and author that was at Nubble Lighthouse the last time we were in Maine. I kicked myself for not purchasing a print from him then, so in the short time we had left at the stop Needles purchased a print for me. This made the land trip very special and I never thought I would get a second chance at meeting with the artist and purchasing a print . The Artists name is Bill Thompson and he sells the customized prints and books to raise money for upkeep and restoration of the lighthouses. After the land part of the trip we got aboard the Islander for the sea portion of the tour. We sailed by several lighthouses, scenic coastlines and some of the island communities in Portland Harbor. We again learned a little about lobster fishing andthe history of the fortifications in the harbor during wartime in the past and more recently World War 2. When we got back to land we quickly looked for something to eat and settled on Andy's Old Port Pub. Needles had the Fish and Chips and I had the Lobster Melt. After our lunch we hiked up the hill past Shipyard Brewery to the Portland Observatory. We joined a tour already in progress to try to fit several things into the remainder of our last day in Portland. It was interesting to hear the history of the Observatory and the restoration process. We spent a little time at the observation deck and then headed down and walked down Commerce Street to a few yarn and fiber shops to scratch Needles itch. We then proceeded toward Henry Wadsworth Longfellows home. We went to the Cryptozoology Museum before calling it a day and stopping only to take a few pictures of the Victorian Mansion on way back to the Hotel. When we got to the room we decided to go out for supper and just a bock way was the Dogfish Bar & Grill. Needles had the Grilled Turkey Cobb Salad and I had the Seafood Sliders. Let me say they were AWESOME. By far the best meal I had for the trip. I guess they saved the best for last.

Day Eight: Thursday, travel day and back toward home. We left out of the Hotel at 5:30am to catch our shuttle back to the Portland Airport. We flew to Philadelphia Airport and changed planes to get to Indianapolis. We picked up our bag and headed to the shuttle pickup area and back to the car. On our way home we stopped at Wendy's for a burger and chicken nuggets. We had to do a quick grocery stop before we could finally make it home. The cats were glad to see us although a bit skiddish and meowy. Lets just say the duel litter boxes was very well used in our absents. We had a great time and one of these days we will be going back to Maine. It's just the way life should be.

Where were you?

2011-09-11T19:40:00.002-05:00

I was standing in the waiting room of Daviess County Hospital in Washington, IN. My first patient hadn't showed up yet and I was watching the waiting room T.V. showing one of the twin towers on fire. It's the day my world changed. All of our worlds changed. I will never forget.

Sumner Fall Festival Parade 2011

2011-09-10T09:13:00.000-05:00

Weekend in Kentucky

2011-09-05T19:22:00.004-05:00

This Labor Day weekend we headed South after work to spend the weekend in Kentucky with my family. Friday night we spent the evening talking and catching up. Aunt "R" and Grandma came over to visit and see the video of Needles and myself's travels and in no time they were going home and it was time to go to bed. Saturday we headed into Central City for the Car Show.

It was neat seeing some of the old cars and I think my Dad said he at one time or another owned several cars like the ones at the show.

After the show we went to Island, Ky. for an Island Burger. We got back and relaxed for the evening.

Sunday we stayed home except for a Dairy Queen run. I had the new Peanut Butter Bash and it was good but I don't ever need another one. Needles and I made a couple of laps in the back forty in the golf cart. Monday came too fast and before long it was time to head back North and home. The weekend was nice and it was good to have the extra time with my family. Hope everyone had a nice holiday weekend.

Starry Night 3

2011-08-25T22:58:00.001-05:00

Tonight's picture

2011-08-24T23:36:00.001-05:00

Stars

2011-08-24T00:03:00.002-05:00

Kittens

2011-08-21T20:26:00.001-05:00

Just a few more days.

2011-08-20T21:08:00.003-05:00

We are just a few more days from our trip back to Maine. We made a trip up there last year but only got to spend a couple days in Kittery, York and Ogunquit area. We enjoyed our time there so much we decided to go back and stay at Bar Harbor. We have several things scheduled like a whale watching trip and a nature cruise while in Bar Harbor and on our way back into Portland we will do a land and sea tour. I can't wait to get back up there and be close to the ocean and get away from here for a few days. I guess you could say we have been bitten by the travel bug because we already have our 2012 trip booked for March.

Just a picture

2011-08-07T20:34:00.002-05:00

Weekend Pics.

2011-07-24T17:49:00.003-05:00

Overloaded.

2011-07-22T23:06:00.004-05:00

Lots of change going on in our neck of the woods, mostly at work. New systems, new room, new processes, all of which I could report make things easier and quicker but unfortunately with every change it seems we have to do more with less. Our new information system which is by far a better system unfortunately makes an old process that took about 15 to 20 key strokes and about 5 mouse clicks has transformed to 20 to 30 keys strokes and 10 to 20 mouse clicks. Like I said for every improvement we seem to back slide in efficiency. With the heat and a generator test that turned our dept. on it's head for about 4 hours yesterday, having this week behind me is a good thing. It seems this next week will also be very trying for our dept. and with a new upcoming change I am hoping that we can all just keep up. Tape your ankles.

End of an Era.

2011-07-08T18:41:00.004-05:00

I remember where I was when the first shuttle was launched, I remember where I was when the Challenger exploded in the sky during launch, I remember when I heard about the Columbia breaking up during reentry and now I will remember where I was when I watched the last shuttle launched. It seems the shuttle has been around my whole life and for the most part, it has. It's almost like saying goodbye to an old friend. We have been through the whole gambit of emotions, excitement, curiosity, intrigue and sadness. You will be missed.

Fourth of July

2011-07-04T18:10:00.002-05:00

This weekend we were lucky to have some guests. Needles friend Jenny from up North came to visit Saturday afternoon and Cynical and Ragged from the South. Saturday morning started early at 6 am with getting the smoker ready for 2 chickens and a 5 pound pork shoulder. Everything seemed to come along nicely and at just around 1 pm the chickens were done and the shoulder needed a little more time to come to temp. Around 3 pm Jenny arrived and the meal was prepared and a late lunch of smoked chicken, cole slaw, macaroni salad and baked beans was ready. After the meal we sat and caught up with each other. Just after lunch I pulled the pork shoulder off the smoker and let it rest until time to pull it apart. The rest of our visitors arrived later in the evening around 8:30 pm. After another catch up session that lasted late into the night it was time to go to bed. The next morning we had a breakfast of scrambled eggs, beacon and toast. Rain and a few power outages dotted the Sunday and then a visit to Rudy and Brando finished off the afternoon. We made a run up to the Dairy Dee but unfortunately the storms caused a power outage that closed them early. Last night we heard a few of the neighbors setting off fireworks. Jenny had to leave us Sunday to visit with her parents while Cynical and Ragged stayed until today before heading home. I finally got to mow at Mom and Dads since it has been almost 3 weeks since the last mowing and it needed it badly. We had a great fourth of July weekend but it has passed by too quickly. At least with the holiday, next week is only a 4 day work week. Hope everyone had a happy fourth of July.

Moon

2011-06-15T22:52:00.001-05:00

Just a few pics.

2011-06-13T19:51:00.005-05:00

Mendenhall Panorama

2011-05-29T22:57:00.001-05:00

Click on image to see more detail.

Vancouver Harbor Panorama.

2011-05-29T22:55:00.000-05:00

Click on image to see more detail.

Vacation Videos

2011-05-29T17:50:00.002-05:00

I put together a few videos from our Vacation. Just click the link in the gutter on the right for my YouTube channel or click the link below.

Rambin's YouTube Channel

North to Alaska.

2011-05-22T22:44:00.015-05:00

As you may see from the updated photo slideshow that we are back from vacation. I all seems a blur now. We left after work Thursday May 5th and packed up our stuff and headed North to Indianapolis. We had a early morning flight and with a time zone difference made it even more so. I didn't sleep a wink and had a long day ahead of me. We had a shuttle to run us to the airport and while awaiting the plane tried to stay conscious. Before long we were walking down the tunnel to our plane and the start of our amazing vacation. The first leg of our journey went without a hitch. We landed in Denver and had a lay over until our next leg. A little Russian coffee helped to keep my peepers open. Leaving Denver we were on the wrong side of the plane to see the snow capped peaks passing by out the window but after a while we banked and got to see some of the amazing scenery. We landed in Seattle and after a very short wait we were climbing on a bus for the last leg of our journey into Canada. After about 2 hours we stopped at the Tulalip Casinos and picked up 3 Canadian ladies. Let me tell you if I had a nickel for every time I heard one of the ladies say Yah over the next 4 hours, I could have paid for our vacation and had money to spare. I think from hearing these ladies chatter, complain and giggle annoyingly, I through osmosis developed a Canadian accent. Thank goodness this passed over the next few hours and I returned to relatively normal...Well, normal for me. When we got to the hotel while we were checking in, it must have been the exhausted look on our faces but the very friendly clerk chatted with us and we discussed our travel day from hell and they upgraded our room to a larger room with an awesome view of the harbor. They got two thumbs up from us. After we unloaded all of our luggage and collapsed on the bed. We quickly made our way to the hot tub even though it was raining and after that called room service. The food was amazing and before long we were preparing for bed and ready to take on what Vancouver had in store for us.

Vancouver

The next day we made our way down to Canada Place and stopped by the 2010 Olympic cauldron and the large raid drop and pixelated killer whale. After a few minutes waiting in the rain our trolley pulled up and we were on the tour route. Our first stop was the Vancouver Aquarium. After spending a couple hours there we moved on the the totem poles at Stanley Park and then on to Prospect Point. While at Prospect we developed a bit of an appetite so we had Fish and Chips at Prospect Point Cafe. The view of Lionsgate Bridge was great and on the ceiling where metal tubing that were heated and made the lookout deck very cozy from the chilling drizzle outside. By the time we finished our lunch the drizzle had stopped and the sun popped out. While we waited for the trolley we enjoyed the flowers planted in beds of a black mulch. The mulch was soaking up the suns heat and steam was wafting from the brightly colored beds. We rode the trolley around to get the lay of the land and on into Vancouver and the various stops. Later on we made it back to our hotel and another dip in the hot tub and a meet up with another couple that was on the same cruise as us. This couple was from Manitoba, Canada. After comparing excursions planed and the up coming cruise we had been in the hot tub way too long. We made it back the room and decided to hold to our tradition of ordering Chinese food delivered to the hotel. We called the clerk and asked about a recommendation for Chinese food. They quickly responded by sending up a copy of the Chinese places menu. The food was very good and a lot off it. I did my best to finish it off but couldn't. I was stuffed like a Chinese egg roll. The next day I woke up early and looked online to see our cruise ship was getting ready to sail under Lionsgate Bridge and into Vancouver Harbor. Needles and I both watched as it sailed into view past Stanley Park and disappeared down the harbor. We got up and headed back down to Canada Place to see the ship for the first time with our own eyes and also finish up a few stops on our tour an did an alternate loop that ended up getting delayed by an protest to legalize pot before we had to head back pack up and board the ship at 2pm. We made it down to Gas town and finish up some souvenir shopping. While in the shop waiting out the rain we also had a few hail storms that popped up. We jumped back on the trolley and got back as close as we could to our hotel before making a break for it. We packed up our luggage and since the rain and hail stopped we decided to walk the 3 blocks to where we would board the cruise ship. The weather held out with only and sprinkle to two making our way to Canada Place. After making our way through Security, infectious disease questions, a quick look over our Passports, video cam photo and ID/key cards we were walking up the gangplank to the ship. This all sounds pretty quick but the process took probably an hour or more. Since I have nothing to reference this too, I don't know if this was quick or slow for boarding.

The Norwegian Pearl

We got on board and the rooms weren't ready so we made our way to the buffet. This was when we hear for the first time of many more to come "Washy washy happy happy!" While eating our fill, we heard that the staterooms were ready so we made our way to our room and awaited the delivery of our luggage. While waiting we meet the people that was in charge of cleaning our cabin. They were very nice and told us to contact them if we needed anything. Within an hour or so our luggage was delivered and we put away our things. After that Needles and I decided to hang out on the balcony and watched as the Norwegian Pearl pulled away from the docks and headed back under the Lionsgate Bridge and North into the Inside Passage. After awhile we decided to head to the spa to see what emanates they had to offer. We planned on getting the limited spa pass and when we did the tour Needles asked for it as soon as they mentioned it. Before long our key cards were stickered and we were a go to spa. After the walk through we headed back to the room and got ready to explore the ship and swing into the buffet for supper. That night we slipped into the Spinnaker Lounge and watched a game called Majority Rules played with groups of people. They asked trivia questions and was graded by points by the most common answer amongst the groups. The catch was the last one to submit their answer in writing to the desk had to stay on stage and dance while the DJ played various music clips. Prizes was given to all they participated and grand prize to the winner. It was hilarious. After that we headed back to the room for the evening to figure out how to work the shower in our room. I watched a little TV and soon was ready for bed. The next day was a day at sea with no port stops. The weather was overcast and cool. We did make a lap or two around the ship to stretch our legs and also kept our sea eye open for the occasional whale sighting. We did stop by the spa and unfortunately they were having some water problems and part of the spa was shut down and what was open had luke warm water. We heard later they had fixed the issue and that we made a return visit that afternoon. We also attended a Presentation on the history of Alaska in the Stardust theater.

Ketchikan

Tuesday was our first port day. Ketchikan, Alaska is very touristy. The building are all brightly painted and all the shops seem inviting to step into a browse. When we first stepped off the ship it was sprinkling and we weren't surprised, this being not only the salmon capital but the rain capital also. The iconic rain gauge showed their record rain fall of over 200 inches a year. We conceded to the fact that this was going to be the weather for our entire trip but was pleasantly surprised that after a few minutes the rain stopped the sun popped out and the rest of the day was cool but sunny. After we spent a few minutes looking around one of the shops we waited for our shuttle to our first excursion. Island Wings Misty Fjord float plane tour. We were along with three other people on the tour other than the pilot. I sat in the tail of the plane and Needles was just in front of me. The take off was very smooth and I almost didn't feel the lift off until I noticed the wings pitched to the left as we flew past our cruise ship in the harbor. The scenic sights on the way to the fjord was muted a little with the hazy morning cloud cover. The sights were still breath taking and just to experience a float plane ride was exciting in itself. After about an hour flight time we made our way into the fjord and proceeded to land. Again I was expecting a shutter or jerk as the large pontoons made contact with the water surface of the fjord but this was not the case. A smooth gliding landing found us in the middle of one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen. The water was glass smooth and surrounding coast line walled with large evergreen trees with stadium seating up the steep walls of the mountains. The snow capped mountains and waterfalls was straight off of a post card everywhere you looked. While we were there four seals came to investigate our visit. Our stay was short as any length would be to such a place and we climbed back into the plane for the trip back. This time I got to set in the co pilots seat. The trip back the haze had much improved and the already scenic views took on an all new grandeur. Mountain lakes, islands and a dormant volcano highlighted almost every bank and turn. We arrived back at Ketchikan and was returned back to our drop off. Since we still had time we made our way to Creek Street famous for the shops elevated on pylons over the water. While walking down the pier area I was wondering if I would see a bald eagle and on cue, one flew over our head and landed on a nearby post. I was able to get several pictures before the flock of tourist moving toward him made him uneasy and he moved down the pier. I was satisfied to get several more photos of the majestic bird and move on to see what adventures awaited us. We walked several blocks to the Salmon Hatchery and Eagle Sanctuary and Totem Heritage Center where they had several totem poles that had been taken down and preserved. Several displays of native Inuit masks and ceremonial dress was on display. The hatchery showed how they harvest eggs from the female salmon and fertilize the eggs to raise baby salmon in a man made setting to release into the nearby streams. Also a couple of injured bald eagle were on display and used to educate people about this amazing bird of prey. We made our way back to the dock. We decide on Fish Pirates Saloon. It had live music and fresh fish. We ordered the salmon and dungeoness crab meal. It was very good and I was amazed at the difference in the taste in "fresh" salmon vs. our salmon back home. The crab meat was sweet and dipped in the butter sauce made it even better. After our meal we finished up with a little souvenir shopping and returned to the ship. After unloading our purchases in the room and changing out of our excursion attire we made our way to a Comedy/Juggling act called Shark Bait. It was very funny. Later that evening found us back in the spa and a stop by the buffet for supper.

Juneau

The next day our excursion was Harv and Marv Whale Watching tour. We were surprised that none of the shops were open when we disembarked. We wandered around port for almost an hour until our ride picked us up to start our excursion. We traveled several miles North of Juneau to Auk Bay where we loaded on to a couple of small boats, ours named OB1 for Out Back One and the other named Merlin. We skipped along the glassy surface into the bay in search of our air spouting quarry. After several minutes Captain Shawn slowed the boat and glassed the horizon of the Bay. He made the announcement "Got one!" We slipped closer to the area and was able to view a single humpback whale sporadicly breaking the surface of the water with breathes and the occasional dorsal hump. A few minutes later we got a call from one of the other ships in the Bay of a mother and her calf. We left and headed in the direction of the report. When we arrived it was amazing to see the intermittent breaths of both mother and calf and I scored some choice pictures of when they would both surface at the same time. While observing the two for several minutes Capt. Shawn got a phone call. Earlier in the trip he made the statement that Orca whales were not usually spotted this early in the season and even during the times they are usually there only 1 in 10 trips happen on Orca. The phone call he just got told him that AF pod a residential pod of about 40 killer whales were in the Bay. My excitement level already high at the sight of a calf humpback went through the roof. I think my excitement may have been seconded by Capt. Shawn as he made mention earlier in the trip that his favorite animal was the Orca and that he follows their migration pattern and does whale watching tours in Hawaii in the off season for Alaska. We made our way toward the area of the pod and it was reported that only about 20 or so of the pod was there. When we got close to the area, we didn't know where to look their was so much going on. Baby orca breaching into the air. Dorsal fins popping up all along the coastline. The moment you framed your shot on one thing something else would happen and pull your interest and the shot in another direction. This was by far some of the trickiest photography of the trip. The humpback whales give you 5 to 10 seconds with every surfacing for some pictures, the orcas are more like 3 seconds to frame and make a shot. After we were there a few minutes a large male dorsal fin broke the waters surface just a few feet from the starboard side of our boat. The fin was 6ft tall estimated by the Captain of our tour. The time flew and we were in danger of being late back to the dock so we had to break off the chase and return back. When we got back to the pier we had just enough time to do some shopping and jump back on the ship.

The Tracy Arm

The second part of the day was to be spent cruising down the Tracy Arm Fjord toward Sawyer Glacier. We entered the Fjord and noticed right away a few icebergs. Little did we know that this was the first of thousands we would encounter on our trip. The fjord narrowed and the walls rose steeply as we made our way deeper into the channel. Lichen aligned some of the walls of the mountains and everywhere the evergreens could get a foot hold held a tree. The waterfalls, some falling hundreds of feet, were countless as we slipped slowly down the fjord. The occasional iceberg would brush the ships hull and give me flashbacks of the Titanic movie. The wake from our ships engines would lap waves upon the icebergs and sometimes cause them to fall apart and collapse into the water. We spent almost four hours on our balcony that day soaking in the scenic surroundings. When we got closer to the Sawyer Glacier they made an announcement that we were passing through the S pass. A particularly bendy part that we had to proceed slow. When we got past it we slowed to a stop and then started the turn about. An another announcement was made that we were several miles from the Glacier and we couldn't proceed any further due to ice and the safety of the ship. As we looked on down the fjord we could see where the icebergs that were spaced apart enough for a large ship to pass through were starting to jumble up as we got farther into the fjord. On down the passage it look like you wouldn't even be able to get a smaller boat past them. Our return trip back out of the fjord was just as scenic as we got to see the other side of the fjord. We did encounter a seal on our trip in and also the lucky people on the starboard side got a glimpse of a bear.

Skagway

First off when disembarking you notice that paintings of the years of cruise ships logos on the rock wall across from you. Some of them spanning back years and years of the tourist industry that is so vital to the area. They say they Skagway experienced their gold rush a second time with the millions on people that step on their piers off of the cruise ships. We stopped by the front of the ship for a quick photo and then made our way into the depot for our all day excursion that would take us many miles into the interior of the panhandle of Alaska and even back into Canada. Our train trip along the White Pass Yukon Route made our way by the Gold Rush Cemetery an old cemetery for the people who lost their lives during that time from accidents, disease and murder. We also made our way by a train caboose that can be rented by the night to stay the night just 5 miles up the pass. The rest of our trip was very scenic with tunnels, bridges, waterfalls, steep drops into the gorge below and snow highlighted mountains. The occasional sign post would mark a site of the gold rush trail or some other historic point of interest. One spot was a black cross marking the grave site of a couple of workers when a large bolder slide off the mountain and crushed them. Their bodies are still in place under the large rock about the size of railroad car. As we ascended up the mountain the temperature dropped and we noticed the snow getting deeper on the ground and started to fall from the sky. Just three week prior they made a pass with the rotary snow engine to clear the train tracks for the trip. At times the snow piled up past the windows of the train car. When we made it to Fraser B.C. we had to submit passports to continue our journey on bus. We made our way north along the Yukon Highway and into Carcross B.C. where we stopped for lunch. A quick visit with some Alaskan Husky Pups and a trip through a taxidermy museum and before long we needed to head back. The snow falling from the sky made it seem as though the sun was about to go down but we still had most of the day ahead of us. The snow was so heavy at times that it would block out the sun and drop visibility to zero. At Carcross we got to stop by Emerald Lake and also Carcross Desert and large sandy area that resembles a desert. The sand was left there by a glacier that passed by long ago. It was weird to see sand rolling over the hills with the occasional evergreen tree poking up through the yellowy sand. On our return visit the sand was starting to cover over with snow. As we made our way back to Skagway the weather improved and our tour driver dropped us off in town to look around at the shops. We made our way back to the boat after scoring a warm beverage and picking up some whole bean coffee to take back with us home. We backed away from the dock and the direction of the ship turned South to our next port. This made me a little sad as it also made it all too clear that our trip was coming to an end in a few days.

Prince Rupert B.C.

The odd thing right off the bat was that our balcony over looked the town. With us being on the port side for the trip we usually found ourselves looking into the sound or bay at our ports. After they assembled the walkways we disembarked. As we arrived later in the day they assembled us in the theater and then escorted us to the exit as time would be a factor to pull this one off. We made our way to the port and again had to show our passports as we were in Canada. We boarded the Catamaran named Inside Passage for our Grizzly Bear excursion. We skipped along the water and had occasional sightings of bald eagles and other birds that live near the water. We slipped by a rocky point and spotted some harbor seals that slipped back into the water upon our approach. We arrived a Khutzemateen Sanctuary and decreased our speed to start looking for our furry prey. We slipped by a couple of spots they seemed to look at as frequent spots and before long I noticed that peoples interest seemed to be directed to a dark spot on the far off bank. The tour guide leaned in and told me to toward the dark spot by a tree stump on the bank. The engines were cut and we coasted in closer and closer to where the bear shaped spot was. The closer to the bank we got I noticed my excitement level started to ramp up. I started to take a few pictures even when we were still a good ways from the bank as I was afraid the bear would spook and dash back into the trees. To my amazement we edged closer and closer to reveal that this was a Momma bear and a year old cub. We got closer and closer and eventually got to within 40 feet of the bear and her cub. The wary mother kept an eye on us and occasionally glimpsed over her shoulder to look where Junior was. They were eating grass along the shore as the guide told us they do after coming out of hibernation to kind of jump start the digestive tract in preparation for the salmon run just a few weeks from now. It was amazing to get that close to these bears and for them to tolerate our visit into their world. We were able to approach the pair 3 different times. On our way back to Prince Rupert the sun was starting to drop quickly We happened on a large group of bald eagles in various stages of maturity just before we arrive back into port and shuffle back onto the ship. Or last day on the ship would be spent at sea. We enjoyed a show did one of our daily spa trips and packed up our luggage for a quick departure the following morning. For those who can carry their own bags they allow you to debark first so we were able to start our Seattle sightseeing.

Seattle

We planned on jumping on the double decker pink bus that we were expected to stop at Pier 66 a little after 9am. Unfortunately the bus didn't end up showing until almost 10am so we stood in the rain with 30 of our closest Chinese friends for almost an hour. We finally boarded the pink bus and began our tour with our first stop at the EMP/Sci Fi Museum that was featuring Battlestar Galactica and Nirvana. It was neat to see some of the old and new props from the show. After that we made our way through the Music part of the museum seeing memorabilia from Jimmy Hendrix, Kurt Cobain and other various artists. Our next stop would be the Space Needle. After purchasing our ticket and a quick check of our bags we were on the elevator and heading up into the clouds. Yes I say clouds because it was a very cloudy and rainy day in Seattle. Surprise...I know. The scenic view from the Needle was nice but of course would have been better on a clear day. We did pick up some coffee while there and since we had to pick up our luggage in storage and grab the light link rail South to the SeaTac stop and the shuttle to the Cedar Brook Lodge. The hotel was tucked away and seemed almost like a line of large homes tucked into the Seattle hill side. The building seemed small and one level but when you entered it was a split level that proceeded with a restaurant and bar with exterior patio and yard on the lower level. Our room was in a different building and was kind of confusing since our room was on the 3rd floor but our window looked out just above ground level. One nice touch was free snacks in the form of malted milk ball in dark, milk and mint chocolate, bottled water, chips, yogurt, fruit and Haagen Daz ice cream. Our next day we headed back into downtown Seattle to finish off our vacation and see a few more sights in Seattle. We stopped by the Public Market Place and got to see Pikes Place and the very first Starbucks. We ended up eating at Lowells and setting in a window seat on the third floor watching the traffic in Elliot Bay. We made a couple of trips around the tour route and actually ended up chatting with the tour narrator about or trip since we were the only ones on the bus. We got dropped off to do what was to be our last stop The Underground Seattle tour. This tour was to tell us about the history and perils of Seattle. The tour guides were funny and added just the right amount of crude humor to make it fun and interesting. After the tour was over we hoofed it the couple of blocks to the Chinatown Light Rail stop and was instantly notified by an announcement that the train wasn't making the stop at this terminal due to a disabled train in the tube. We were routed to a bus that took us a couple of stops down the track and let us off so that we could race to the University stop to catch the train inly to hear that the whole thing was a drill and train service has resumed. We made it back to the hotel and ended up just doing some snacks for supper and packed up for our travel day back home. We arrived at SeaTac way too early and after getting through security and boarded the plane we had on of those experiences that is often seen in a movie. About 30 minutes after take off that had a lady pass out and made the over head announcement "Is there a doctor on board?" I noticed a couple of people made their way forward so I relaxed and settled into the flight. Since we had a medical emergency we were late in disembarking our flight so catching our next flight was gonna be tight. We made it with ten minutes to spare and was on our way to Indy. I finally felt like home was almost in sight when we landed in Indianapolis but after waiting for our shuttle for 20 minutes and then having to wait another 10 to 15 minutes on another family to get to the bus I was more than ready to be in my car and on my way home.

Home

We arrived home around 5pm and after a quick visit to my Brother ans Sister in Laws I called it a night and went to bed around 8:45pm. I was beat and ended up sleeping until 10 am the next morning. I am glad we are home but can't wait to go back to Alaska in the future. It's was an amazing trip and I feel that our next vacation will have a hard time topping it.

Total mileage traveled rough estimate 6,800 miles.

Vacation 2011

2011-05-18T22:03:00.006-05:00

Vacation Slideshow

Three More Days

2011-05-02T21:35:00.004-05:00

In just a few days we will be leaving on our Alaskan adventure. I am sure we will have a fantastic time but I am a little hesitant to let my guard down and just relax and go with the flow. It seems that when I do relax, the other shoe drops and something doesn't go exactly to plan. We will be leaving Friday from Indy, dark and early and either waiting in an airport, on a plane or on a bus for 17 hours. I am not really looking forward to this but this is how it had to be to get there for reasonable money. I just hope that all the flights are on time and all the connects work out and that our luggage gets there when we do. By 7:30pm Central time Friday we will be in Vancouver and probably exhausted. We would like to do some running around Friday evening but I suspect our running around will consist of getting something to eat and resting. We might slip down to the 2010 Olympic Cauldron since it is only about a block or so from the Hotel. Wish us luck and hope to post some pics soon.

East Fork Lake Pics

2011-04-30T16:51:00.005-05:00

Momma eagle watching over her young.

Three young ones in the nest.

Momma keeping a protective eye out.

Looking out over the lake.

Caught.

Going.

Gulp!

Gone.

To fly.

To sing.

To be free.

Happy Early Birthday to Me.

2011-04-25T17:53:00.004-05:00

I have been long lusting after a L lens for my DSLR for some time now. When I sold my pop up camper I had a choice to make, use the money to add the lens to my current DSLR or upgrade to a new camera body . I decided on the later and ended up picking up a Canon 60D from Amazon. I got the camera a week ago and I am very pleased with its abilities and thought in time I might pair it with the L lens of my dreams. I decided to give Needles the Canon XS DSLR as she has been wanting one also. Little did I know that Needles had decided with her "hand me down" DSLR that she might buy the L lens I wanted and we could share it. The lens came in the mail Saturday and just after she brought the package in the house, she holds it out to me and says "Happy Early Birthday!" To say I was thrilled is an understatement. Thank you Needles. You make my dreams come true. Love you and you shouldn't have.

Original picture

Crop of the image above. Amazing.

Happy Easter!

2011-04-23T15:05:00.003-05:00

The Easter Bunny came for a visit today. The candy he left didn't taste so good. Happy Easter everyone.

Bacon Explosion!

2011-04-23T13:45:00.006-05:00

Bacon Explosion with hamburger.

Interleave bacon 6 down and six across.

Mix 1lb hamburger and 1lb sausage with seasonings and pork rub.

Spread mixture over your bacon.

Fry remaining bacon on a pan.

Spread over mixture.

Roll it up and season with more pork rub.

Put in on to smoke.

Done @ 165 degrees.

Countdown.

2011-04-17T16:35:00.002-05:00

I have been counting down the days until we go on vacation. I was trying to control my excitement with the upcoming trip and was thinking everything was seeming to go well until I got some unexpected news from my work a couple weeks ago. It's amazing how your world and your perspective of it can change in just a few seconds and just a few words. Needless to say my stress levels have shot up a little more lately, my fuse a little shorter and looking forward to the trip is a little bitter sweet with what is weighing on my mind. I was just going to ignore it and hope that some how the world would sort it out some way and that whatever happens, happens. But the more I try to ignored it the more my mind slips back to the situation like a paper cut that can be forgotten but suddenly becomes all encompassing in a painful split second. I don't know why I am so surprised of the situation. I guess I am just taking things day by day and as said before things will sort themselves out in time.....So I guess I have two countdowns...One good and one, I don't know yet.

Productive Weekend.

2011-03-12T19:49:00.007-06:00

This weekend has been a busy one so far. This morning we got up and had breakfast. I had a follow up eye doctors appointment so we decided to head into town early and swing by our local bald eagles nest to find one of the eagles setting on at least one egg. We stayed for about 30 minutes and then decided to run into town for lunch. Our stop was Ophelia's Cup and Needles had the Great Big Gorgeous Salad and I had the Robust Reuben washed down with some pomegranate and cherry tea. It was all very good. We still had an hour to kill before my appointment so we stopped by the park to see if we could see some white squirrels but no luck. We stopped to do some grocery shopping and then off to the appointment. After the appointment one our way out of town we stopped back by the eagles nest and was treated to see both make an appearance. When we got home we unloaded the groceries and I prepped my smoker for some Boston butts I was going to smoke for the Renshaw Family get together tomorrow. While that was smoking away nicely I also replaced a phone line in the house and also replaced a light in the garage. I am glad we finally have some weather nice enough to be able to do some thins outside. I was starting to get a little cabin fever. Have a great weekend.

My thoughts are with the people in Japan that have been effected by the earthquake, tsunami, 2 nuclear power plants heading toward melt down and now the volcano erupting. They can't catch a break.

Storm

2011-02-27T23:11:00.004-06:00

Weekend in Kentucky.

2011-02-23T19:03:00.002-06:00

Last weekend Needles and I made the trip to Kentucky. We both got out from work Friday a little early so we got an early jump in heading to the promise land. We arrived just before 6pm and my Mother had a small feast ready for us. We got to sit, visit and catch up on things. Before long it was time to go to bed. The next morning after breakfast Dad and I went to check out his rabbit traps and then around 10am we went into town to see my cousin at his shop. After a brief visit we headed on into town and stopped off a Uncle Lee's, where I hoped they would have the pair of boots I have been wanting but no luck. Needles scored a pair of thermals and then we were off to the local Rural King. I still didn't find my boots but instead scored some mesquite smoking chips, some Jack Daniels smoking chips and a bag of charcoal. I guess I am still a little shocked when I see people in a store smoking a cigarette but we were 2 for 2 in this category of walking through second hand smoke while inside a store trying to shop. To cleans the palate on our way back to my parents we made a pit stop to Sonic for cherry lime aids. Mmmmmmm. When we got back to my parents my Aunt and Grandma came to visit and we had lunch. All too soon it was time to go to bed. Sunday morning Mom and Dad got ready for church and Needles and I packed up to head back North. On our way home we stopped off at a scenic area just North of Henderson and walked the trails at Eagles Slough. The bird watching deck wasn't done yet so we will have to stop back by later. On our way through Mt. Carmel we made stop at Subway and then finally home. It was a nice weekend but it went too quickly.

HDR Photography

2011-02-12T19:35:00.007-06:00

I ran up on an interesting effect you can do with cameras that do bracket photography. What you do is take at least 3 images each of different exposure levels and combine them with a computer program to boost the dynamic range of the image. It evens out the bright and dark areas and pumps up the saturation of the image. I will post the three images that I used as a practice and then the final image. I will definitely be looking into trying this technique in the future. Exposure Value +1Exposure Level -1Exposure Level 0

Final Product HDR Image

Weather Update.

2011-02-02T18:37:00.003-06:00

Well the icy rain fell and coated everything in a quarter inch layer of ice until about 8 pm last night the temp rose to 36 and it started to melt. The only unfortunate thing about the whole evening was that around 5:30pm the Internet went down and didn't returned until sometime in the middle of the night. By this morning most of the ice was gone but it was bitterly cold at 21. While driving to work the snow was falling and by 3pm the ground was covered and the roads were starting to become white. By the time Needles got home we had about an inch of snow on the ground and it was still coming down. I think the snow is just about over but with the temps being frigid I don't think it will be going anywhere very fast. I guess Punxsutawney Phil didn't see his shadow so I expect by this time next week will be in the 80's. Have a good evening.

Winter Storm.

2011-02-01T16:09:00.002-06:00

The doom has begun. Only time will tell what we end up with.

Weekend.

2011-01-30T17:23:00.003-06:00

Our do nothing weekend ended up being a doing something weekend. I got a phone call Saturday from my Brother wanting to take us to lunch in celebration of our 14th anniversary. We went to the Trace Inn and had a good time watching the hundred of geese flying in and out of the lake. A large portion of the lake is frozen so they seem to congregate around the Trace Inn area. We got to catch up with Rudy and the Gang and before long we found ourselves back at home and doing some of the chores that we needed to get done. Needles made a meatloaf. It's was her first and it was magnificent. Today we went down to Needles's Mom's L's house. She made one of my favorite meals of the many she makes. She made sweet and sour meatballs. Yum! It's been a good weekend. Now I am doing laundry in preparation of the impending work week. We are also supposed to get some bad weather tomorrow night. Icy rain with snow chaser. I wonder what we will end up with. I guess we will know around this time tomorrow. Have a good week.

Do Nothins.

2011-01-28T17:06:00.002-06:00

This weekend is a do dothing weekend. We are going to sleep in and relax. I think we will venture to Needles Moms on Sunday but other than that......Nothin.

White Weekend.

2011-01-23T19:48:00.005-06:00

We got about 6 to 7 inches of the white stuff last week and it is safe to say I am sick and tired of the snow. Even as I type this post there is even more of the stuff falling from the sky. By one websites account we have gotten about 17 inches of snow this year so far. This weekend has been somewhat uneventful. I did pick up a couple of 5 pound pork butts and smoked them Saturday. I started them around 8:15am and they finished up about 5:45pm. They turned out pretty good but I bet if I let them go for about 30 more minutes they would have been a little more tender. We pulled the pork off the bone and now have plenty of fixins for pork sandwiches and the like. Today Needles and I needed to get out of the house so we made a run to the big city and stopped off at Rural King and Lowe's. While at Lowe's I ran into my boss and talked a bit. After we left there we returned back across the river and stopped at one of our favorite Chinese places to celebrate our 14th year together which will be on Tuesday the 25th. Needles picked up a couple of items she was wanting but I returned home empty handed. I did however order a mini dehumidifier to help with the humidity in our bedroom. Hope everyone had a nice weekend.

Goodbye Gabriella.

2011-01-03T20:33:00.006-06:00

Gabby

Sept 1995 - Jan. 3rd 2011
Needles and Gabby
Gabby and I
Gabby napping just a couple days ago.

Tonight I got the call that I had been expecting to come anytime now. Gabby my first cat that I had when I first moved from my parents home to my own home had passed away. She lived with me for several years until my job kept me away from home alot so she went to stay at my parents. When my parents moved to Kentucky she went to stay with Needles Mom and spent the last few years on the farm. She was a sweet cat and I will miss scritching her head when I go to L's house. She was 15 years and 4ish months old. Brent and Brando found her wandering around a church parking lot on a very cold night in Oct. 1995 and they brought her to me. Goodbye Gabby I am glad you were a part of my life and I could be a part of yours.

Happy New Year 2011!

2011-01-01T19:45:00.003-06:00

After suffering with a migraine for most of Friday. The headache finally let up just in tme for the New Year. Today has been enjoyable with a visit to Needles Mom's house for New Years lunch and then when we got home Needles and I did some de cluttering. I hope that the New Year will bring about some changes for the better. Only time will tell. Happy New Year to everyone.

2011-01-01T19:42:00.002-06:00

Holiday travels and pics.

2010-12-25T18:30:00.010-06:00

Christmas this years just seems like we are going through the paces to get it over with. Last Sunday my Mom and Dad came up for our families Christmas and in a blink of an eye they were back to the promise land. Like if they spent any more time here they would get contaminated or something. I got money, gift cards, 2 pair of gloves and some wrenches to round out my haul for Christmas part 1. Christmas part 2 was less than a week away.
The week went by slowly and it seemed that there were a lot of people that weren't feeling the Christmas spirit as I had a run in with a crazy woman at work and the same happened to one of my co workers. I don't know what has happened to these people but you can't reason with crazy. Since Christmas fell on a Saturday we got a shortened work week. Friday after noon we headed South to Needles Mom.
It snowed most of the day and by the time we were ready to travel it was already 3pm. The ground was starting to cover over with snow and the roads were also starting to frost over with the white stuff.
We made our way South and on our way through a little town we noticed some deer off in a field beside the road. To see watch the video below. By the time we made it to L's house the snow was coming down hard in huge flakes. I decided to go check my trail cam since the weather was getting bad. By the time I walked to and from the trail cam I had about a half inch of snow on the bill of my cap. My shoe prints in the snow on the way down was already starting to fill in with fresh snow. To see the results of the trail cam please visit my hunting blog.

Saturday morning Needles got out of bed early to help her mom with the turkey. I tried to sleep in but with the snow outside, her Uncle J was inside and making lots of noise in his early morning activities so I decided to go ahead an get up. As the morning rolled on Needles three uncles rolled in one at a time and gifts were exchanged. A box of candy, some fruit and scratch off lottery tickets are the customary gifts for the family and conversations about a wide range of topics which keeps me guessing on what the next topic might be. All this while sipping coffee and smelling the turkey and dressing in the air. We had a nice time but it just seemed like Christmas was lacking the magic it has had in the past. Maybe it's the lack of time I have gotten to spend with my family but maybe it's because people just don't seem to be in the spirit of Christmas.

Deer in the field. Watch in full screen to see the deer better.

Last weekend pics.

2010-12-23T18:51:00.003-06:00

Work Christmas Party

2010-12-11T16:31:00.003-06:00

Tonight is the work Xmas party. I am sure we will have a good time.

Thwarted!!!

2010-11-28T18:52:00.002-06:00

Just before we left for our last vacation Needles decided we could use an automatic feeder for our cats. We are gone a lot of the time with traveling to see family so instead of finding someone to feed and water our furry housemates we decided on the Le Bistro automatic cat feeder. Upon reading the reviews we found that most people were happy with the feeder and that the cats no longer beg food or trip up the feeder person trying to get to the food bowl to feed the cat. While we are happy with the feeder in that we no longer have to find someone to provide sustenance to our demanding cohabitants, we have noticed that they still beg for food and chase after us when we go back to where the feeder is. I suspect it is because they think they aren't getting feed enough. We have adjusted the food allotment several times and if we go any more than what we have now, one of the cats seems to eat too much at a setting and when we get home from work we find mounds of partially chewed food on the carpet. We read in some of the reviews that some peoples cats are super intelligent and get extra food from the feeder. I assure you intelligence plays no part in this action, more like gluttony. The only thing is he is robbing from the next feeding. Needles was concerned that Tugger, the skinner of the two, might not be getting the food since Copper, the plumper of the two, might be getting Tuggers portion. We did some internet research to see if anyone else had the issue and modified the feeder to keep one cat from getting prefeeding treats. We found a solution and after some thought put the plan into effect. Copper would trigger the food paddles by sticking his paw up the food chute and flipping the paddles to dislodge a few morsels of food and have them slide down the chute to a starving cat. He would continue to do this until no more food would dispense. The way we decide to keep the meaty paw from its goal was to half the size of the open area in the chute with a knitting needle going across the chute. This seems to have done the trick. Needles and I will keep an eye on the situation and see if any more modifications might be needed. I do know that when we came back from our last vacation the food bowl was dislodged from the hopper. This might need to be further modified to keep this from happening.

Post Thanksgiving.

2010-11-28T15:33:00.002-06:00

Thanksgiving went as usual. We went down to Needles Mom's the night before. We sat around the kitchen table and sipped coffee and I did my stomach exercises to prepare for the fest to come the next day. That night the ladies got the fixings for the dressing ready and prepped the bird. Only a 20 pound bird this year as last years was 22 pounds. The next morning after Needles and her Mom put the bird on for its heat treatment, Needles came back to bed and we slept in until 10am. When we opened the door to the bedroom to come out of our hibernation the smell of turkey and dressing permeated my senses and instantly I was hungry. We wandered into the kitchen and had a light breakfast. Before long the Uncles were filing in and we were within an hour of the bird coming out of the oven. The golden bird finally made its long awaited appearance and my belly started to grumble. The table was set and the side items were ready to go. Turkey and dressing sided with green beans, mashed potatoes, home-made rolls and a new item this year sweet potatoes. Our beverage was Needles cranberry slush drink and it was very good. For dessert squash pie with cool whip topping. After I had eaten the equivalent of my weight in turkey I fought to keep my eyes open and keep a coherent thought in my head. We returned home and became couch potatoes for the rest of the evening. Friday I went to work and it as a slow day indeed. We had a friend coming for a visit but a sudden head cold kept her from making the journey. Saturday was a day to sleep late, relax and not leave the house. This morning we had breakfast and after that I went to my parents house to finish mowing up the rest of the leaves for the season. When I got home I did a little straightening up in the garage and put things away in preparation for the winter months. Not much going on in this neck of the woods. Hope everyone had a Happy Thanksgiving and the upcoming Holidays brings you and your family joy and a Happy Holidays.

Deer Season 2010.

2010-11-21T14:22:00.002-06:00

Deer season 2010 is over. I was lucky enough to kill out the first season getting a doe Saturday morning and a 7 point buck this morning. If you want to see more check out the Hunting Blog.

Deer Season

2010-11-17T22:53:00.003-06:00

Tomorrow after work Needles and I will be loading up and heading to L's house for first deer season. I am excited and ready for it. I just hope I get some deer moving by my stand. Last year I got my doe right off the bat and the second day I missed out on a huge buck. From then on the season took a nose dive with not another deer seen for the rest of first and season season. I had to finish up in the late doe season. I hope the next time I post there will be pics of deer on my hunting blog.

Stealth Camera Update...

2010-11-07T16:45:00.003-06:00

Checked the trail cam today. It has been out there unchecked for almost a month. Really didn't have a lot going on. If you would like to see more go to my hunting blog. http://ramblinshunt.blogspot.com/

Also posted some pics from Needles Uncle C's trail camera.

Come to Jesus....We have Crafts!

2010-10-29T19:59:00.009-05:00

Let me just start off that when I was growing up, my family and I went to church 3 times a week, every Sunday morning and night and Wednesday evenings. I don't know why but I never was much impressed with it. I would see the preacher speaking on how to be a good Christian and then seeing people behaving and treating each other in non-Christian like ways outside of the church's walls. When my family and I moved away because of my Dad's job, we continued to go to church. My family knew the preacher and therefore was comfortable in going to a new church. The church seemed more at ease and peaceful than the one we came from but also I think that maybe we hadn't been there long enough to hear all the gossip and get caught up in all the drama that can sometimes swirl around families and get brought to the church. I understand that the church is there to help with family that fall on hard times and the difficulties when people loose there way and need a little guidance in their lives but when the church parking lot becomes a gossip fest and when church becomes a fashion show on who can wear the most expensive clothes and drive the nicest car then I think the message of Christianity has missed it's mark. We then moved twice within the next 2 years and my family stopped going to church. Maybe it was because we didn't know very many people where we moved to or that there wasn't a denomination close by that was of our type of service, but we just didn't go. I have to say that I really didn't miss it. I didn't feel like my up bringing was delinquent in any way. I knew of church and the Bible and the stories in the Bible. To this day I can still recite the books of the Bible in a little diddy that was taught to me in Bible school when I was five. After a few years I find myself as close to an adult as I think I will get and a few years ago my parents decided to move back to where they were raised and they have embraced their religion and church deeper than I have ever seen them before. Unfortunately the preachers that were there were even less of a Christian than most people in prison. The first preacher they had seemed to like to break the 8th and 9th commandment when it benefited him and the other seemed to believe he had a higher calling to the detriment to the church he was currently preaching. Let's just say that with what the church was when I was a child and now as an adult hearing of the failings of preachers that is supposed to lead by example, my confidence in that religion is shaky at best. Don't get me wrong I respect the church and all the good that it does for people personally, socially and globally but I also know that religion as a man made and regulated concept has a pretty crappy track record.ie. Crusades. I guess I am not trusting enough in my fellow man to make the right decision and that is my short coming, that I can let go of what I think is a perceived control of my life and believe that something I can't see, hear or touch has a plan and direction for my time on this planet is a concept hard for me to swallow....Maybe that's why they call it faith. You just don't ever know for sure, you just trust in it. I guess that just isn't good enough for me and my inquisitive mind. I believe in evolution over creationism. I believe that the Bible is a collection of stories collected by man to help people live productively in a civilized society. I also believe that for some people they need a "hell" to "make" them do good. There also are somethings done by certain religions that I don't agree with. I don't think that God needs your money. I don't believe that God needs an ornate building to worship in. I don't believe that you need someone else help to speak to God and no amount of money paid will remove the mark of sin. I believe that your "God" and my "God" are the same god be he or she called Buddha, Allah, Jehovah or Vishnu. I think people get so hung up on the label of things that are fundamentally the same thing and they argue the differences as small as they might be instead of seeing and understanding the similarities in concepts and beliefs. I also don't believe a religion should go to another civilization, country or people and give food, clothes and aid with the stipulation that you worship a certain religion. These things should be given selflessly without stipulation or conditions. I believe you can preach your religion and if the people want to listen or participate in your faith then fine but God doesn't need worshipers that are bribed into the faith. I know my "God" doesn't. Religion and faith can be a very touchy subject and I understand that peoples beliefs are very strong and can vary greatly. So much so that if you even have people of the same faith discuss their beliefs that they will vary in some way for every individual. That is why the Christian faith has been dissected into so many different faiths. The Christian faith started out so simply, it's just when people started to create so many rules and regulations that the religion started to twist, pervert and complicate the original simplistic religious concept. Maybe that it why my belief doesn't fit into other common belief systems. It's like trying to fit a round peg into a hole that has so many sides I just don't know what you would call it. I call it complicated. So with saying all of that, when I came home today there was a post card stuck in the door frame. The side showing said "You are invited!" in big black letters with festive colors. Was it a Birthday party or maybe a invite to go on a trip. When I removed the card from the door and flipped it over to see what exactly I was invited to, I read the words radiating like spokes of a wheel. Puppets, Crafts, Music and Games, these words were radiating out from a central name, a name of power and meaning and the name was Jesus. I appreciated the thought and generosity of sharing your belief but I don't need puppets, crafts, music and games to entice me to worship in the same manner as you. Thanks but no thanks.

PS. When first read the postcard it stated only a time 10am.... At first I thought, well what day is it on? Then in the process of the question forming in my mind I just started to laugh. Maybe I do need to go to church.

Carolina Hills

2010-10-25T20:23:00.002-05:00

This is a time lapse video of the hills across from our cabin while vacationing in North Carolina. The video was taken over 10 hours which is condensed into 2 minutes.

We're Home.

2010-10-24T22:18:00.006-05:00

The last day of our vacation we decided to run into Asheville and do a little last minute shopping and eating. We ended up going to Jack of the Wood. They seemed busy but I would have to say the service there had a lot to be desired. It only took us 2 hours to get out of there. The food was good but I would have to say that I don't need to return. After the disappointing eating experience we jumped in the car and made or way to the Blue Ridge Parkway and drove a short way up the parkway and stopped at a couple of scenic view areas. After that we needed to shag butt back to the cabin as we were having company in the form of Ragged's family. Before long our guests were showing up and with 4 children and several adults talking, chatting and sometimes screaming the evening was certainly entertaining and the food was fantastic. After our guests left, Needles, Cynical and I had a last dip in the hot tub. We watched TV until late and finally went to bed. This morning we got up dark and early. I wanted to be on the road by 7am local time...that's 6 am central. We all worked like well oiled machines to pack everything we owned into every nook and cranny and then slipped down the steep driveway one last time and locked the gate behind. Ahead of us we had 500 miles of twisting and winding roads. The first few hours went without a hitch until we hit Nashville, TN. We experienced game day traffic and it took us 45 minutes to travel and mere mile and a half. After the delay we ended up getting to O'town to drop off our traveling companions around 2pm and then after a quick goodbye we were on the road home. We got home just a little before 4pm. I think for the vacation we had a total of 25 hours on the road and well over 1500 miles. I am tired and ready for bed so I think I will leave it there. We had a great time.

It's almost over.

2010-10-23T09:31:00.006-05:00

Vacation is coming to an end with today being our last full day before heading back early in the morning. I guess I should catch up from where I left off. Last Wed. was a stay at the cabin and do nothing kinda day. We literally stayed at the cabin and relaxed and napped and soaked in the hot tub. Thursday morning we got up early to spend the day in Asheville. We stopped in at a book store awaiting for some of the shops to open and then made it to Earth Guild where we found out that Bill Clinton was going to be in town speaking just a few blocks from where we were standing. We had about an hour to waste so we went to Mayfels to eat and then on to where Mr. Clinton was to speak. We got right in and got a ticket to the limited area just behind the press. We got up very close, I would guess about 60 to 70 yards from the podium and waited, and waited, and waited. Finally about an hour and a half late Bill showed up. Of course of all the days to leave my 300mm zoom lens at home. I had my 55mm lens and it just had to do. I got some pics and I am glad I got to see and hear him speak. He is the first president I ever got to see live. After we listened to his speech we made our way to the craft show at the Civic Center. There was a lot of very neat had made expensive things. Anywhere from pottery to blown glass, wood work, paintings and materials arts. After wandering through we were feeling tired and ready to grab something to eat and make our way back to the cabin. After Ragged talked with her family it was decided we would split up and they would go to see her family and Needles and I went back to the cabin. After a nice soak in the hot tub we were all relaxed and ready for the next day. Before long Cynical and Ragged was dropped off and we all sat and discussed the days events. It was fairly late before we retired for bed. The next day we got up earlier than I would have liked. The ladies had plans to go to SAFF. A fiber festival that is held yearly here. We drove down and dropped them off and made our way back to the cabin. We had plans to pick them up around 6pm so a little after 5pm we left to be on our way. We got caught up in a little traffic on our way so the usually 40 minute trip took a little longer. We picked up the weary gals and their fibery purchases. We then made our way to Chili's for supper and then on to Target to pick up a few odds and ends. We made it back to the cabin well after dark and settled in to relax. Today we are still deciding on what to do our last day. Do we get out and about or stay and relax. I guess only time will tell.

Vacation Update.

2010-10-20T08:36:00.005-05:00

Monday we explored the town of Weaverville and stopped and ate at a local bakery. It was called the Well Bred Bakery and the food was great and the dessert was amazing. After eating we did some grocery shopping and on the way back to the cabin stopped in at some scenic areas. We wasn't at the cabin long until it was time to head back to Asheville to meet up with Ragged family for a late supper. The food was fantastic and the conversation even more so. Their home was very eclectic with splashes of vivid colors which makes me think about repainting every room in my own house. The cozy living room with a small wood burning stove in the corner gave a welcoming warmth to the home and loved the coffee table which was an old converted pinball machine. Everywhere you look there was interesting things to excite the eye and ponder. Before long it was time to head back to hour cabin in the hills and say good night to our wonderful hosts. The evening ended with a very late dip in the hot tub and a little TV watching. The next morning we didn't get an early jump on things as we leisurely prepared for a day in Asheville. We started at the All Souls Crescent area. We stopped at a yarn shop for the gals and then wandered in and out of the shops until hunger diverted us to a local Mexican place called the Neo Cantina. The food was good and a lot of it. Of course I was able to finish off everything but the black beans. While filling our stomachs we made plans for what we wanted to do with the rest of the day and week. We opted to do the Biltmore home tour. We followed the GPS to the gaits and went into the place to get tickets. The audio tour was the best option for us so we drove the 5 miles to the entrance to the home and the beginning of our tour. We were given our headsets and instructed on how to use them. We followed our numbered map and pressed the corresponding number of the room into our headset and began hearing the narrator tell us about the home and all its many luxuries. After the home tour was done we walked out to the southern terrace and down to the gardens and Conservatory. Since we got a late start a lot of the people and school kids had already left and the lighting in the garden was less harsh than in mid day. We left the home and returned to the car for another 5 mile drive back to the Antler Village and Winery. There we signed up and started the winery tour and ended up with a tasting. When we finished the tour it was dark and we were hungry so we decided to find a place to eat in downtown Asheville. Upon deciding on a place we found that finding a parking spot to be very frustrating but after about a dozen wrong turns and a few broken laws we finally made it to a parking garage close by. We decided to eat at a local noodle house called Doc Chey's. After a short wait we were seated and enjoying the food. It was too much so we all had to take home dogie bags which is unusual for me to say the least. We got home last night at a round 10pm local time and Needles and I took another dip in the hot tub to soak the soar muscles from all the walking the day demanded. It was a nice way to end the day.

Vacation so far.

2010-10-18T10:58:00.011-05:00

We arrived at our cabin after running into Asheville for a late lunch and a little grocery shopping. We didn't get a lot since we didn't have a lot of room to put it the car still packed with luggage. We followed the GPS's directions and the hill just before you get to the turn off is a decent grade. I could definitely tell the car was laboring to get up the hill with 4 people with luggage, the groceries and such. When we turned off onto our road we snaked our way back along the twisty turning roads and before long we were at the locked gait to our cabin. After unlocking the gait and crossing the bridge we had a pretty steep drive way to go up to get to the cabin. I put my foot into the accelerator and with very little spinning made it up to the back of the cabin. The inside of the cabin was very warm, open and accommodating. We then lugged in all of our luggage and groceries. After deciding on bedrooms we then settled in to do a little relaxing after the seven hour drive. We finished off the evening with a late dip into the hot tub out on the deck. The water was nice and warm and after a nice long soak we decided to get out. The only problem it that it was 50 degrees outside and when we got out of the water the coolness nearly took our breath. We watched some TV and before long it was time to go to bed. The next day we had plans to go to LEAF (Lake Edens Art Festival). After we checked in we took a bus into the camp grounds. We walked through all the tents with hand-made items of all sorts and health type items. There was live music and food booths of all nationalities and preference. I got a drink called Buchi fire and it was very spicy. I believe it contained quite a bit of ginger. I guess it is a drink fermented but not alcoholic. Imagine very spicy apple cider without the sweet. For lunch I had a chicken pita that was very good. I think Needles had a mushroom and garlic crepe. We shared a lemonade and later on enjoyed a funnel cake for dessert. We watched part of a play and then watched contra dancing (think square dancing) and then some live music. By then it was starting to get dark so we wandered on into downtown Asheville to a neat lace to eat. The Early Girl Diner was a place we enjoyed the last time we were in Asheville. With the heavy Sunday crowd you could tell they had been busy as the floors were somewhat slippery from the deep fryer grease in the air. The food was warm and good. When we finished we headed out and on our way back to the cabin. When we arrived I don' t think I was in the cabin a minute before I changed and slipped out onto the deck and into the hot tub for another relaxing soak. The day to an end we went to bed still warm from the hot tub. This morning was a morning to sleep in. After getting up and a nice breakfast prepared by Cynical, Cynical and I did a quick hike up a over grown trail behind the cabin. It appears to be an old logging road that has long since grown up. We walked up the hill until we were well above the top of the cabin and could see a little ways across the valley we are nesselled in. We hiked back to the cabin for a morning dip in the hot tub and then settled in the living room to relax and enjoy the morning with no plans. I think we will be getting out this evening to do a little more grocery shopping and visiting with Ragged's family.

Leaving Tomorrow.

2010-10-14T21:55:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow after work Needles and I are heading South to the land of Cynical and Ragged for a night and then we are all packing up and head to Asheville, North Carolina. We have been there before but loved it the first time and can't wait to get back there. While there we are staying at a secluded cabin and since we are there for peak leaf peeping, I imaging I will have the camera glued to my face for most of the trip. I will try to post some pics as the vacation progresses. Also while there we are going to attend an arts festival and the rest of it we will just take it as it comes. Hopefully the next time you hear from me I will be in Asheville.

Later

2010-10-10T21:11:00.006-05:00

This morning Needles and I made our way to "L's" and I took my old deer stand down and replaced it with my new deer stand. After rolling around in knee high poison ivy we finally got the stand together and put up in the tree. After eating lunch and visiting with Needles family we came home to get showers to hopefully keep from getting poison ivy. Not long after that we got a phone call from my Mom saying they were 30 minutes out from getting here. We gathered the food and ll the things to take out to them and went out there for a visit. After eating way too much we went with them out to Rudy's for my parent to see the finished up stairs. While there we also looked over the Halloween decorations. On our way back we stopped out at the Dairy Dee and got some of the good stuff. We stayed out at Mom and Dads until just after 8pm and decided to come home and get ready for the work week. If you want to see a couple pictures from the trail cam check out my hunting blog. After I got home I received a phone call from a co worker. She told me that a part time EMT that works for the place I work was killed last night while responding to a car accident. Apparently when the Ambulance pulled out from the scene a truck crashed into the ambulance and the EMT which was in the back of the unit was ejected from the vehicle. He was transferred to a local hospital where he coded and didn't make it. My heart goes out to his family and If nothing else, please whenever you see emergency vehicles, slow down and pay attention and don't drink and drive. Something as easy as this could have saved three lives last night. There has been 66 EMS deaths so far this year. 93 last year. If you want to know more about the accident click here.

Busy Weekend.

2010-10-08T20:16:00.002-05:00

Tonight Needles and I prepped 3 chickens and a pork loin for the smoker tomorrow. We have plans to go to Needles Mom on Sunday. While we are there I will be putting up my deer stand for the 2010/ 2011 season. I will also be checking on the trail camera. Sunday afternoon my parents are coming up from Kentucky for a visit. I will post more later.

What Weekend?

2010-09-26T21:23:00.004-05:00

Friday after working a little late, I got home to find the replacement lid for my new smoker on the front porch. After Needles and I had supper we both went out to the garage to work on our projects. She had her fiber that she had dyed a couple of days before to braid and get ready to sell on her Saturday trek to a yarn and fiber get together. I had several smoker modifications to implement. I first mounted the 2 new temperature gauges and started on the baffles. The baffles make the heat from the charcoal box move across the bottom of the smoker instead of going straight up. It makes for even heat in the cooking chamber. Needles and I finally called it quits around 10pm. The next day Needles as off to her get together while I worked on seasoning the smoker. Like a cast iron skillet the smoker needed to be put through a heat cycle and be wiped down with vegetable oil. The seasoning takes about 4 hours but since my new baffle was a little more restrictive than I liked the heating took longer than I expected. It ended up taking over an hour to get the temps into the needed range. After I got finished with that it was close to 2pm and Needles was on her way home. That afternoon I was just simply wiped out. Every time I sat down I was fighting to keep my eyes open. I felt very tired and had a headache. The rest of the afternoon I spent on the couch. We went to bed somewhat early for a Sat. night calling it at 11pm. The next day we had plans to visit with Needles Mom and I need to to check my rail camera since I hadn't checked it for 3 weeks. If you want to see the results click here. This evening we both have just taken it easy in preparation for tomorrow and the start of new week. Hope you had a good weekend.

Main Street Costumes (New Location)

2010-09-19T21:35:00.001-05:00

Weekend so far.

2010-09-12T13:39:00.003-05:00

Friday night was uneventful. We ended the night with prepping 2 chickens and 2 lbs of Salmon for the Saturday smoke. Saturday morning I got up around 7:30am and started in on getting the smoker ready. Around 2pm I pulled the Salmon and the chickens off the smokers. The Salmon was for a late lunch and the chicken was later pulled off the bone to eat Sunday and early next week. This was the first time I had done a brine for the Salmon so I wasn't surprised that the fish was a little salty. I think I should have rinsed them before putting them on the smoker. The chickens were brined overnight and also dry rubbed before going in the smoker. They turned out pretty good. Unfortunately I was hit with a migraine about the time we started to eat. From 2pm to 6pm I suffered on the couch and finally gave up and went to bed. After about a 4 and a half hour nap it was 10:30pm and I noticed the TV was still on. I got up and felt a lot better. Needles and I ended up staying up pretty late. This morning we woke up and had plans to do a little shopping in V'cennes. Before we left I checked my email and noticed I had some email failure to send notifications. I thought this was strange since I hadn't sent an email to the people on the list. On our way to V'cennes I got a call from a co worker that say she had received an email from me last night. I told her to delete it, that it was a Virus or my email had been hacked. Not long after that I got a call from another co worker that received the same email. After we got home I changed my email password and did and full systems scan which showed no infection. Hopefully that is over with. Shopping in V'cennes yielded a pair of pants for me and several tops for Needles. Now we are home and enjoying what is left of our weekend.

Pulled the Trigger.

2010-09-07T16:15:00.004-05:00

Since Needle's Mom got me the Brinkmann Gourmet Vertical Water Smoker I have been smoking meats almost every weekend to my hearts content. I have seemed to stumble upon an addiction of sorts. I have been thinking on getting another smoker. A larger one with an offset firebox. I found the website that I want to buy it from and as I slept last night I contemplated the purchase. I know we have another vacation coming up and the money would be best spent there but I happen to find the type of smoker I wanted on a end of summer clearance discount with an additional 10% off and free shipping. How could I pass this up so I pulled the trigger. It is supposed to be here Friday but we will see. I think this design will be easier to flip, mop and move around the meat instead of disassembling half the smoker and loosing you heat every time you need to do any of these things as I have to do with the vertical smoker.

From this.
To this.

Trail Cam Pics.

2010-09-06T15:50:00.002-05:00

I posted some trail camera pics on my hunting blog. If you want to check them out.

CLICK HERE.

2010-09-01T21:19:00.003-05:00

Just a few more pictures of the upstairs progress. This is Braden's room in Cold Stone Blue. We are progressing down the stairs with a stair rail. They are hoping to have carpet by next weekend. They they will have few finishing touches. Building shelves for the built in book cases, trimming and doors for the closets.

Braden's dormer with new window and air conditioner.

Built in book case.

Pocket door.

Doorway to large walk in closet.

Branden's room.

Railing just installed.

Upstairs Update.

2010-08-25T21:07:00.005-05:00

Dry wall is done!

South bedroom.

North bedroom.

South bedroom in Wild Grape.

North bedroom freshly finished with knock down texture.

Close up of the knock down texture.

Summer Cleaning.

2010-08-22T08:24:00.007-05:00

The last few days Needles and I have been going through a lot of our junk and decided to donate it to the hospitals rummage sale they are going to be having. You know what they say one mans junk is another mans junk to pack home a stick in a closet. The money made from the rummage sale will go to Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure. Our hospital is registered for the walk and we are raising money for the event. My boss has asked me to design the T-shirt for the walk so last week we brain stormed for a bit and came up with what we thought was a neat design. Since we have one of few Mobile Digital Mammography trucks in the Nation we thought this design was fitting. Have a look.During the clean up we were going through the pantry. In the past Needles Mom L liked to get us Easter baskets every year for Easter. This started a Easter basket collection that seemed to hang out in there. While clearing out the clutter we managed to set one of the baskets on the freezer top until I could take it to the hospital to donate the next morning. Well apparently that purple plastic Easter grass was just too much of a temptation on our simple minded Copper. When I came home from work Wednesday I noticed cat puke on the couch cover. Also amongst the food was purple plastic Easter grass. I bet that was tasty. Unfortunately Copper suffered the repercussions of his actions the next day too. Lets just say that he put the purple plastic Easter grass behind him... Anyway he is doing fine now and the incident hasn't effected his appetite one bit.

In other news Needles in a bid for her own safety has purchased a automatic cat feeder. Three times a day the feeder dispenses food on a programmed schedule. They get 1/4th cup at 6am, 1/2 cup at 2pm and 1/4th at 10pm. So far they seem to do well with the feeding. It is funny to watch them when the feeder goes off. You can hear when the food slides into the bowl so when it dispenses the cats run into the back room like a all day looser hitting the jackpot at a slot machine in Vegas.

Yesterday I did apple smoked pork chops with a Jamaican rub. They turned out OK but I think Needles and I are still looking for the perfect combination of rub seasonings.

Today we are going down to Needles Mom L house and since it is getting close to that time of year I am taking the stealth trail cam down to put out in the woods, so hopefully there will be some pictures of critters on my Hunting Blog in a couple of weeks. Either click the link or click the picture of the cabin in the gutter to the right. Have great day.

Not Much.

2010-08-16T21:37:00.004-05:00

Not a lot going on in my neck of the woods. We have finished dry walling my brothers upstairs and the mudding is currently underway. They are thinking it will be few more days before it is done. Work has been work, not a lot to say. since Needles mom got the smoker from the auction a few weeks ago I have been trying my hand at BBQ and smoking meats. Over the last 6 weekends I have smoked something 5 of them. I think I have mastered a technique that works for me. The jest of it is smoke for 2 hours and then flip and mop. Then 2 more hours and then flip and wrap in foil and mop generously and put back in smoker for 2 more hours. This seems to be the winning combination. Not too much to report. Just making it day by day until Oct. I am hoping to work on some Halloween projects when the weather cools off a little. I am ready for Fall.

PS. The picture is of a funnel cloud that was spotted in Vincennes last week during the storms.

Whats is new is a pain in the arse.

2010-07-28T20:30:00.002-05:00

Over the last few weeks my cell phone wasn't holding a charge very long so I decided to get a new phone. After getting the phone I decided to activate it and it seemed that calling to get my old number transferred was going to be a pain so I just decided to get a new number. Well now I am not sure if that was a good idea because now I am getting texted weather updates from a place in Indiana and also texts from some company that offers loans which must be amazing because that's what they say in the text. I have since contacted the place in Indiana to remove the number and also blocked the number from which these loan texts are coming from. All I can say is the guy that had the number before me was named Tony and he has been a pain in my ass. Also today I have found that I can receive texts but I cant send them.....Nice.

On another note we have been getting a notice on our satellite system that satellite signal 2 has been dropping in and out. After pulling out the receiver and inspecting the cables we have found that lightning must have ran in on that line because the center wire on the coax wire has been burned and fused into the coax port on the back of the receiver, so now we have to order a new receiver...It just keeps getting better. With the news that our retirement package has changed at my work and probably not for the better, the moral at work is in the dumpster. It seems that my already short fuse has just been getting shorter and shorter. This is getting old.

I am hoping that our visit South this weekend might help in this matter but I am not holding my breath.

Strange Moth.

2010-07-25T15:53:00.002-05:00

This is a Hummingbird or Bee Moth. I am not sure if I had ever seen one before.

My Brother's Upstairs Addition.

2010-07-21T20:09:00.008-05:00

In May my brother and sister in law wanted to add on a couple of bedrooms in their attic. Here is a few pics of the progress so far.

The Beginning...
May 8th ---Sub flooring.
May 17th---Framing.June 16th---Doors, Stairs and Insulation.

June 27th---Drywall.
July 11th---Still Drywall.

My hand at smoking.

2010-07-17T15:39:00.003-05:00

The cajun rub on the left and the mesquite on the right.

Close up of the cajun rub chicken.

Last weekend I tried smoking a rack of pork loin ribs and a pork loin. They turned out OK. The ribs could have been a little more tender and the loin should have marinated longer. If I had to do it over again I would have smoked the ribs for 8 hours instead of 6 and at a little higher temp. The loin was only marinated for about an hour. I think over night would have been a lot better. This weekend I thought I would try chicken. Friday after work I picked up a couple of 4 lbs chickens and started preparing them last night at 6pm. I rubbed one down with a Mesquite rub and the other with a Cajun rub. I let them stay in the fridge over night and this morning at 7:30 I pulled them out and mopped them with brown sugar, butter, thyme, paprika, chili powder, onion powder, garlic powder and cayenne pepper. They went into the smoker at 8:30am and the first turn was at 10:30am. They got turned and mopped at 12:30pm and pulled out at 1:15pm. They turned out pretty good. I think next on the agenda is fish.

Tugger & Copper VS. Laser Pointer.

2010-07-15T13:59:00.001-05:00

Fourth of July and after.

2010-07-11T17:31:00.007-05:00

Last weekend we had company. Cynical and Ragged came for a visit. The nice thing about the visit is since we had a holiday weekend, we got an extra day to visit with each other. Friday July 2nd, Rudy and Brando invited us to go with them to The Log Inn in Warrenton, Indiana. They had eatten there a few times but it was the first time for Needles and I. We arrived at the restaurant around 6pm and after a bit of a wait we were seated in the Lincoln Room. Rudy had the roast beef and the rest of us had the boneless catfish. The rest of the meal was what was called family style. This basically means bottomless bowls of peas, corn, sweet oil slaw, Germany style potatoes, mashed potatoes, brown and white gravy and corn bread. We were able to finish off everything but the white gravy and the ladies each brought home a piece of fish. After waddling back to the car, we headed home. We got home around 8pm and after dropping off Rudy and Brando we headed home to find our guests unloading their car. We greeted our weekend guests and headed inside to relax and catch up with each other. We stayed up rather late and called it a night just after midnight. The next day I thought we would head to Mt. Carmel and see if we might get a sight of the bald eagles. When we arrived at the area the nest looked abandoned. We searched the tree line to see if there might be some juveniles hanging around the area. After a fruitless search of the area we headed back to the viewing station and then returned home. Later that weekend I would find out that the young eagles had already fledged and even though they might still be coming back to the nest, they are out learning to hunt most of the day. When we got home we meet up with Rudy and Brando and went out to eat Mexican. It was very good and then we returned home to digest the food in our full stomachs. Before long it was time to hit the hay. They next morning we had breakfast and then lounged around the house and watched few movies to pass the time and a weekend wouldn't be complete without a run to the Dairy Dee. Later that night we were invited to visit with Rudy and Brando to watch the firework their family were setting off. At around 9:30 the fireworks were over and we headed home. On our way home we noticed some other fireworks near the Jr. High so we parked and watched while the display astounded us. We were shock that a home display was so elaborate. It went on for almost an hour and we finally got home at close to 11pm. We stayed up for about an hour before time to go to bed. The next day we grilled turkey filet mignon and asparagus spears. All to soon it was time for our guests to return home. We had a good time visiting and hope to do it again soon.

This weekend was a busy one although uneventful. I had plans to smoke a rack of pork loin ribs and a pork loin so Saturday morning I was up by 7am. I went outside to get everything together and do allot of the prep work. I sat the ribs out to come to room temperature while I got the charcoal ready I also soaked the mesquite chunks. By the time the coals were ready, I had the ribs covered in the rub and ready for the smoker. After a couple of hours it was time the marinate the loin. An hour of marinate and the loin joined the ribs in the smoker. After a 6 hour smoke for the ribs and a 3 hour smoke for the loin it was time to eat. Around 3pm my brother and nephew visited and ate with us. The ribs had really good flavor but I think they could have smoked for a couple more hours to get them a little more tender. The loin was good but I think a longer marinate, probably overnight, would have made it better. After my belly was full it was time for a nap. A nap to aid in digestion and to regain some energy for the lawn that needed mowing and the dry wall that needed carried inside. After all the chores were done Rudy and Brando teated us to a trip to Chilly Willie's. Needles had the Pineapple Dolewhip and I had the Fudgey Nutter Parfait. It was very good and we returned home at close to 10pm. I didn't sleep well last night so we slept in late this morning. We didn't get up until 10am. Even sleeping late I only got about 4 hours sleep. We had plans to take fixings for sandwiches to Needle's Mom's and for dessert Moose Tracks ice cream. I had a lot of stuff to do so we headed home around 2pm and when we got home I headed out to Mom and Dad's to mow. It is now 6:30pm on Sunday night and I am exhausted and still need to get a shower and head out to Rudy and Brando's for our True Blood get together. Hope everyone had a good weekend. I needed more sleep.

Whale Watching Boston, Mass.

2010-06-15T15:28:00.002-05:00

Cape Neddick Lighthouse York, Maine

2010-06-14T20:45:00.000-05:00

Multimedia message

2010-06-05T15:04:00.001-05:00

Vacation Recap.

2010-05-31T19:00:00.005-05:00

Friday May 21st Needles and I headed North to Indianapolis to stay at Microtel. The cost of the room for the night and a weeks worth of parking was cheaper than just parking for a week at the airport parking. When we got settled in we walked over to the restaurant Kazablanka. The food was good and before long we were going to bed in anticipation of the flight the next morning. The next morning we went down for a continental breakfast and our shuttle ride to the airport. Check in at the Indianapolis airport was smooth as glass and we ended up with an hour and a half to burn. We waited until one hour until the flight before heading through security. After getting the full body scan we wandered through the gates and was amazed when we spied a vending machine. This wasn't your ordinary venting machine. This one dispensed make up and not your Walmart cheap stuff as explained to me by Needles. We made it to our gate and waited until time to board. The plane arrived and we settled into our seats. The flight was smooth and the next stop was Beantown. Flying into Logan Aiport was neat to see Boston Harbor pass under the plane. Seeing the boats and the small islands off the coast made the destination more concrete and not just a dream or a destination made up in a story. We grabbed our checked luggage and made our way to the taxi stand. Taxis were there waiting and after we loaded in we were in route to the Bulfinch Hotel. The room was nice and spacious with a huge comfy bed dominating the room and dark stained furniture. The tiled shower was inviting but we were hoping to get some food and then do the Ghost and Graveyard trolley tour. We ended up eating at Boston Beer Works and then I knew we needed to call and get reservations for the tour but when I called I got a automated services. The chances of getting into the tour schedule for that night wasn't looking to good. Before long I got a phone call and it was the G&G trolley tour calling to see if I could make it for the 9pm tour. We said sure and hot footed it the mile down to Atlantic and to the G&G trolley stop. We waited about 15 minutes until our tour was going to start. We sat on the trolley and enjoyed as the people putting on the tour sneeked around the trolley and scared the crap out of passengers that weren't paying attention. I do know that before the tour was underway we did loose a couple of passengers that I guess didn't take to being scared. They just got up and walked off down the sidewalk. The tour started and as we made our way through the streets of Boston where we were treated to tales of the macabre. We did visit two burying grounds one being The Grainary and Copp's Hill. The Grainary holds the bodies of Ben Franklin's parents, Paul Revere, and John Hancock. We drove by the first hotel in the United States, The Omni Parker Hotel. This hotel is also known to be one of the most haunted. We also drove down Charles street and the room of Mary Sullivan the disputed last victim of The Boston Strangler. We also visited Boston Common which was the first public park in the United States. This area was used for grazing of livestock and also public executions. They explained the art and skill in execution by hanging and some of the more grotesque details in the act. Also the fade of paying off grave diggers to bury people who paid the price over other peoples graves and have their names also etched into the already used tombstone. When the tour concluded it was around 10:30pm so it was time to head back to the hotel. End of Day One.
The next morning we had a Whale Watching Cruise scheduled so we again walked the mile to the New England Aquarium and checked in for our cruise. The cruise personnel informed us of the sea conditions and also taking motion sickness medication might be needed. They said that the boat would rise and fall 2 to 3 feet every 8 seconds and that the temperature was about 10 degrees cooler than land temp. With the boat moving about 30 to 40 mph that makes the temps feel more like 20 to 30 degrees cooler than land temps. We boarded the catamaran and was under way. After we made it out of the harbor the speed of the boat increased and the fog that seemed to surround us made me think that this trip maybe a waist of time. About the time we got to the whales feeding area the fog started to clear and the sun started to shine and within just a few minutes our first whale was spotted just off the front of the boat. We made our way in that direction and drifted into a parallel direction of the whales movement. We got to spend about 45 minutes in the area with the whales and in no time it was time to head back. We did get to see a couple of humpback whales and from a photo of one of the tails or flukes they determined one of them was a whale they named Pallet. The trip back was quicker and we sat on the second deck out of the wind and sun. On our way back into the harbor we passed by a couple of lighthouses, Long Island and Grave's. We also passed by sailboats moving through the harbor. After we docked we finished looking around the aquarium. We got to see the penguins and various types of fish, rays, sharks and jelly fish in the tanks. We also watched some of the seal training exercises. At the end of the day we decided to eat at the aquarium's dining center. When we sat down we still could feel the movement of the boat swimming in our ears. It took a few hours for this weird sensation to pass. We made our way make to the hotel and settled in for the night. I developed a serious craving for Chinese food and it didn't take much convincing to make Needles agree. I think it went something like this. ME- "I'm craving Chinese." NEEDLES-"YES!" We did a little Internet search for the closest Chinese restaurant and then decided on delivery. The food was excellent and there was way too much of it. We ended up eating about half of it and since we didn't have a refrigerator in the room, ended up throwing the rest of it away. End of Day Two.
Day three was trolley tour day. We walked to stop number four which was Boston Garden. After a short wait we boarded our trolley. The driver's name was Buck and he was great. The information about the city was entertaining and witty with some comedic flare. He even broke into song at times and was very friendly with the people on the tour. We got to go by many historical places and the architecture of some of the building was amazing. A lot of the churches were very ornate in detail. We got to see the original Cheers, the Old State House and the site of the Boston Massacre. The Old North Church and site of Paul Revere's one if by land two if by sea. As mentioned before we went by the Boston Gardens and also Fenway Park. We got to visit the Destroyer class ship Cassin Young and USS Constitution. We also walked to the site and Memorial of Bunker Hill and Paul Revere's House. We ended the day around 5pm because that's when the trolley tour ended and also we had been on the go a lot the last few days and decided to relax the rest of the evening. When we got back to the hotel we showered to wash off the day. We decided on room service from the Flat Iron Tapas Grill and was that ever the right decision. I had the Cajun Ribs and Needles had the Beef Tips and it was excellent. That was the perfect end of day three.

Day four was our last day in Boston and since we couldn't check into our B&B in Salem until 3pm we decided to have our luggage stored at the hotel and finish a few things in Boston. We walked to Boston Museum of Science and looked over the interesting displays. We also did a Dinosaurs 3D movie which was interesting. When we left the Museum we caught the trolley to do some souvenir shopping and then catch the orange trolley line into the South of Boston. This is where the Boston tea party happened but unfortunately the ship is having some renovation work and wasn't there. We did get to go by the Old South Train Station and several interesting buildings. When we got back it was time to pick up our luggage at the hotel and head to North Station and then to Salem. After several stops we were in Salem and a phone call to the B&B we soon had transportation to the Morning Glory B&B. After we got settled in we decided to grab some supper. It was still early for the restaurants to open so we grabbed a cold beverage from Captain Dusty's to hold us over. It was Mexican night at In a Pig's Eye so we ordered and enjoyed our food. When we returned back to the B&B I noticed that the road beside the place was a dead end terminating at Salem Sound. There was a bench that you could set and watch the harbor traffic. Also just down the wharf there was a light house Derby Wharf Light. We sat and enjoyed the scenery until it got late. End of Day Four.Day Five started after our breakfast at the B&B. We soon found out that we had an hour before things started to wake up in town. We walked down the street to the Friendship and old style recreation of a sailboat and on into town and to the trolley stop. We grabbed a couple of tickets and passed the time in the souvenir shop until the first trolley arrived. We hopped aboard and was under way stopping at several sites in town and then moving on to Winter Island and the site of Old Fort Pickering. We drove by Willow Park and Dead Horse Beach and was told the interesting story of how Dead Horse Beach got its name. We then went through the high rent district and got to see some of the homes that were some of the first in New England Design. Door windows and coffin doors and also a house that had a front stair case for the boys and another for the girls so when they wore petticoats the boys wouldn't be able to look up their skirts. We got to tour the Burying Point and see the grave site of the man the build the House of Seven Gables. Also the grave of The Hanging Judge Hawthorne of the Witch Trials and a gentleman that came over on the Mayflower. Lunch time found us close to Red's, a local restaurant that makes just about anything would would want to eat. It was very good and for a spooky note while we were there eating the power went out and was out for several seconds. After lunch we visited several of the museums a yarn shop and some of the quirky souvenir shops. It was getting close to 5 pm and the museums were getting ready to close so we decided to head back to the B&B and relax the rest of the evening. We ate supper at The Witch's Brew and the Brew Steak was amazing. When we got back the skies looked cloudy and dark and with in a few minutes the rain started to come down. The wind kicked up and dropped the unseasonably warm temps down by 15 degrees. That night we were able to sleep with the windows open and the sound of bells on the buoys in the harbor ringing. A few cracks of thunder the air as the storm moved though the area. End of Day Five.

Day Six was to be our last day in Salem. We packed up our luggage and stowed it in the hallway until our rental car was to be delivered for the 3rd part of our trip. We walked over to the house of Seven Gables and walked the tour, we then stopped by Ole Pepper Candy Shop, the oldest candy shop in the United States. On into town we waited on the opening of Count Orlock's and also to do some souvenir shopping. A quick stop at a coffee shop and it was time for lunch so we stopped in at Derby Deli for our last meal in Salem before heading North. After lunch we walked to the B&B and gathered our luggage awaiting the rental car. We enjoyed the garden seating area and all too soon it was time to leave Salem for the next leg of the trip. We were driven to Beverly, MA. We dropped off the Enterprise guys and did some quick paperwork and were on our way to Kittery, Maine. We drove through New Hampshire and into Maine. Just over the Bridge we came into Kittery and made the right to get to our next B&B. The Ocean's Edge B&B was a cozy home just at the edge of an inlet. When arrived we settled in and walked around the area to get a lay of the land. We decided to go into town foe Supper so a trip to Robert's Maine Grill. After supper we went back to the B&B and relaxed the rest of the evening. End of Day Six.

Day Seven was a day of exploration. I had a couple of things I wanted to see but most of the day kinda fell just the way it did by pure happenstance. We started the day at Fort McClary and looking over the fort and the grounds. We could also see Portsmouth Harbor light and Whale Back lighthouse. We then moved on North up the coast and into York and Cape Neddick. Nubble lighthouse is one of the most photographed lighthouse on the East coast. We sat and watched the waves crash on the rocks and the wildlife moving through the water between the main land and the island the lighthouse is on. We visited the local souvenir shop and then stumbled upon Brown's Old Fashion Ice Cream Shop. The ice cream was excellent and we then kept moving North to Ogunquit. We stopped and walked to The Marginal Walkway which is a walkway along the coast with breathtaking views of the surrounding beach and rocky coast. It was amazing and I think it was then when Needles and I fell in love with Maine. We loved the small town feel and the small quirky shops that line the streets. The pet friendly atmosphere and the general friendliness and easy going personalities. It just seemed the air was a lot easier to breath in Maine. Needles wanted to visit a local yarn shop so we headed back toward Kittery and to the yarn shop. We got back to the B&B and made plans for supper. We made it to Warren's Lobster House. The food was good and with our last meals from Kittery in our bellies it was time to go back to the B&B for our last night on Maine. End Day Seven.Day Eight was a travel day. It started early with driving South from Kittery, Maine to Beverly, Mass. We then turned in the rental car and walked the .2 mile to the train station heading to Boston's North Station. At North Station we grabbed a taxi to get to Logan Airport and catch our first flight. First part of the flight delivered us to Atlanta, Ga. We had a lay over of about an hour before our final flight to Indianapolis, Indiana. When we arrived in Indy we called the Microtel for our shuttle back to the hotel and our parked car. When we got back to the car we had the three hour drive home. We arrived home around 7pm. When we got home we were exhausted but since the A/C was turned off it was too hot to be able to get a quick nap so while the A/C cooled down the house we cleaned up the kitty hair the cats left all over the house. We watched a little TV and made a few phone calls but ultimately ended up going to bed around 10pm. It was a fantastic trip and I wish it didn't end but I am also glad to be home.

Vacation

2010-05-29T21:25:00.003-05:00

Three flights, one cruise, 2 cabs, 3 trolley tours and 2670 miles later vacation is over.
It was a blast but I am exhausted.

Check out the slide show of the vacation pics to the right.

One More Day...

2010-05-20T22:07:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow we are heading off on our vacation. I hope to have some interesting photos to share when I get back. If I find time I will try to post a few pics while we are gone. See ya in a few days.

VACATION!

2010-05-13T19:16:00.005-05:00

Lots to do and just eight more days until we leave. I think we have a lot of our itinerary planned out but we left the last couple of days free so we can play it how we like. Friday after work we will be loading up and going up to Indy to stay our first night at a park and fly. Saturday we will make our way to the airport for the flight to Boston.W hen we arrive in Boston we will head to the Bulfinch Hotel for our first few nights. While in Boston we have made plans to visit the Aquarium and do a whale watching cruise. Also we will tour the city on the Old Town Trolley Tours like we did when we were in Washington D.C. last year. There are several interesting stops along the route with one of them being the original Cheers. We will then travel by train to Salem for the second leg of our trip. We have reservations for the Morning Glory B&B and specifically the Sarah Good room. The B&B comes with it's own ghost. We plan to tour the city by trolley while visiting several of the museums there. Then we will rent a car and move on North through New Hampshire and into Kittery, Maine. We will be staying at the Ocean's Edge B&B for the last part of our trip and hopefully some relaxation before it is time to head home.

Pre Vacation Shopping.

2010-05-08T19:34:00.002-05:00

Today Needles and I had plans to meet up with Jenny from the Block and do a little shopping. We headed out around 10am and arrived a Kohl's where I scored a couple pairs of jeans and Needles nabbed a couple of tops. We then decided to stop at Appleby's and have lunch. Needles and Jenny had the sirloin and I had their new Jalapeno burger which was very good. After lunch we needed to walk off some of our full stomachs, so we went to Walmart. Needles was finally able to find some jeans that were long enough and I got another pair of pants. I think Jennifer ended up with an outfit and a pair of sunglasses from Kohl's and a couple tops from Walmart. After Walmart we stopped by Pop Around the Clock for some gourmet popcorn. On our way home we had to swing by Dairy Dee. Mmmm D-a-i-r-y-D-e-e-e-e-e. When I got home I went over to Rudy & Brando's house to help with the new construction. They are in the process of adding a couple of rooms in the attic of their house. The 4x8 sheets of plywood for the floor is just about finished. Next framing for the ceiling and the walls. This might happen tomorrow. When I got home I had to jump in the shower for the second shower today. I was itching from head to toe from insulation dust. Yuck! Hope you are having a good weekend.

Just a few pics.

2010-05-07T19:07:00.003-05:00

Wide angle lens of my brothers koi pond.

Time lapse of water fall. Exposure time 4 seconds.

Saturday.

2010-05-01T23:15:00.003-05:00

Today I was home alone as Needles had a water color workshop in L'ville. I decided to finally put the new taillights on my camper since the tree that fell on the camper last month broke the lens on one of them. I had to order two of them since they didn't make the square lights like it had before. After I got home I finished a video project I had been working on. You will have to check out Needlefingers blog for that. After we had a late supper we noticed the distant rumble of thunder so I grabbed my camera and tried to do some lightning catching. I will say I was somewhat successful. I did manage to catch some lightning on about 4 shots but here is the best ones.