In Wendy's World

I'm Baaaaacccckk

2009-04-11T18:13:00.002-04:00

I thought I would keep up this blog while I was in Costa Rica, but found it unrealistic to try. There was just not enough time. We did not have internet access at our house or even a telephone. When I went to the internet cafes, it was all I could handle just to keep up with emails and my Facebook activities. I had thought about typing into my laptop and taking to the internet cafe, but our electricity was not a direct hook-up. We received our electricity from a line hooked into our neighbor's line. I had to be careful with the amount of electricity used and also loss of power was too frequent for me to be comfortable using my laptop much. I did get a surge protector and power backup eventually. I had difficulty finding one as I didn't know where to look and couldn't speak enough Spanish to inquire where to find one for the first month or so I was there.

We came back earlier than planned. We had planned to return on June 10th, but John injured himself (ripped muscles around the ribcage and nerve damage associated). We decided to return home where his health insurance would cover physical therapy and doctor visits.

My cats were well-cared-for while I was gone. They seemed not to care that I had left them for three months. And, it's great to have my desktop computer set up again and online once more.

Sharing

2008-12-10T21:43:00.002-05:00

Great source for photo-related info and gadgets:

Having Fun

2008-11-24T18:42:00.003-05:00

I'm having so much fun creating new art from my photos! Check this out:

New Creation from Costa Rica Photo

2008-11-21T13:41:00.005-05:00

I joined an online artistic creation tool site a few weeks ago. Using one of my photos from my last Costa Rica trip, I created this:

(Click on the image to see larger image...and you really need to see it larger to fully appreciate it.)
If I had fabric with this print, I would make curtains for the house in Costa Rica!

Autumn is "Leafing"

2008-11-14T02:21:00.002-05:00

Actually, I think Autumn has "left". I found this leaf on the ground at John's house last weekend. I thought it was colorful.

How Time Flies!

2008-11-10T18:48:00.007-05:00

It has been a month since I posted anything on this blog--and then it was just a photo! I've been busy playing with Phoenix and Peacock on Aviary.com, learning to create art from my photos. I especially like this creation:

It started from this photo that I took at the Cornell Plantations a few months ago:

I've also been sleeping a lot lately. I need to have a new sleep study done, I believe. Even with my BiPAP machine, I am waking numerous times that I'm aware of and who knows how many times I stop breathing without waking enough to realize it. It's like pulling teeth to get anyone to take me seriously and follow through on setting up the study for me. My doctor's office was supposed to check into this months ago but I hadn't heard anything from them so I called and got a call back a couple days later saying I could just call the center and set up the appointment. I was given a different story by the sleep study center. They told me I had to do it through my doctor's office. So I called them back and was told they would do that and call me back the next day. It is four days later and I have not received that call yet. If they don't call me tomorrow, I am going to call them again. I'm tired of being tired all the time!

Chicken-head Plant

2008-10-10T02:12:00.001-04:00

This is a picture that I took in 2006 in Costa Rica. The local Americans called this the "chicken-head plant".

My Dad - Harvey Wright

2008-09-17T01:43:00.003-04:00

A relative sent me a picture with my father and his fiddle in it. I cropped it so only my Dad shows:

Race Day

2008-09-10T02:17:00.002-04:00

A Photo to Share

2008-09-05T01:10:00.001-04:00

My grandson, Matthew, and a possible tutor? No, just some local art on "The Commons" in Ithaca, NY.

Adirondacks: Venturers Ride-In

2008-08-27T19:53:00.003-04:00

I attended (as a guest) the Venturers club Olympic Region Ride-In this past week. I was invited by and attended with my friend WOWSkunk (Cindi). I'm very glad I went. I had a good time and made some new friends. I also shared a lot of laughs with Cindi's friends (who are now my friends!).

House Guest

2008-08-15T13:00:00.003-04:00

This woodchuck has been residing under my porch. He/she seems a little less wary than it used to be, but still ducks and runs if I try to go outdoors to take its picture. So I took the photo through my screened window. I was amazed how well it came out under the circumstances.

On my way to John's today for the weekend. If my motorcycle buddy doesn't need to change plans, will be leaving Tuesday from John's for the motorcycle rally in the Adirondacks.

Today's Photo Post

2008-07-31T09:48:00.003-04:00

Beautiful Flower - Hibiscus

2008-07-03T22:04:00.006-04:00

I took a photo of this huge and beautiful hibiscus at Cornell Plantations. I removed the background and gave it a totally black background and added a golden shadow. I used a program called Fluid Mask Lite and another by Serif Software called PhotoPlus X2.

I also took the next two photos at Cornell Plantations. Using the same software programs as the hibiscus, I produced the following images.

Curves - VFXY Theme of the Week

2008-06-27T02:22:00.001-04:00

Cornell Plantations and Cornell's "Hole-y Cows"

2008-06-27T01:22:00.001-04:00

VFXY Theme is Water

2008-06-20T12:28:00.001-04:00

My Grandson, the Hare Scramble Racer

2008-06-17T22:18:00.003-04:00

This is a picture from a year or so ago. Came across it in my photo files and decided to post it here.

I Love this Time of Year

2008-06-04T11:36:00.002-04:00

Yesterday and today, I took some photos of the nature in my yard.

When I changed my blog format, I lost my list of links. I will reconstruct them one of these days. I'm off to John's tonight. He has a gig at Big Kahuna's in Auburn tonight. I didn't see him this past weekend because he had a bad cold and didn't want to risk infecting me with it (which I appreciate immensely). I will leave Auburn on Friday to go visit my friend, Cindi, (who lives just outside of Buffalo) for the weekend. I'm sure I'll have lots of pictures to post next week.

Today's Finds

2008-05-30T22:10:00.005-04:00

Here's a fun magazine cover I made using my photo of my granddaughter. Check out magmypic.com

Create Fake Magazine Covers with your own picture at MagMyPic.com

Another John Reilly:
Step Brothers

Business Card for John Reilly Band

2008-05-30T14:25:00.001-04:00

Here is the business card I created for John's band.

The John Reilly Band of Auburn, NY

2008-05-20T19:01:00.004-04:00

Saturday night I took a new photo of John's band to use for P.R. and announcement flyers. We were at Dilaj's Motor Inn on route 34 on the other side of Auburn because the guys were gigging there that night. We decided the lighting would be much better outside. Great decision! Look at that sunset background. I also used the photo in a new business card design for the band. It was another fun night. Lots of dancers on the floor.

The following afternoon they had a gig at a birthday party. The people in attendance really seemed pleased and happy the John Reilly Band was the entertainment for the party. John plays standards, rock, and country from mostly the 50's to 80's eras. He also has a few of his own originals that the people like to hear. They also love to hear his saxophone playing. He sings, plays the guitar and the saxophone, and writes his own music--what a talented man! Course I'm just a little bit prejudiced...possibly.

Glorious Spring!

2008-05-06T18:42:00.003-04:00

What wonderful weather this week! These are the days I've waited anxiously for for many cold, dreary, wintry months. Last year I didn't even get my motorcycle inspected, so therefore did not ride it at all. This year will be different. Riding my motorcycle is a big morale booster for me. Today I took it to Wal-Mart to pick up some prescriptions at their pharmacy. While waiting for them to be prepared, I went to the Subway in the store to grab a quick lunch (it turned out to be lunch and supper since they have the foot-long sub for $5). While there, I saw an old friend (someone I've known for quite awhile--not someone old). It was great seeing her again. As I was about to leave Wal-Mart, I saw a different-looking motorcycle pull into the parking lot. I watched to see where he parked and walked over and caught up with him walking toward the entry to Wal-Mart. I was able to chat with him about the motorcycle (Piaggio 3-wheel mp3 scooter). What caught my eye was the fact that it had two front wheels and one back wheel. While talking with him we exchanged names and he then asked me if I was related to (fill in my brother-in-law's name here) and he said his son worked the same place as my brother-in-law for many years. Small world. I decided from there to stop in on Green Street at the old Ithaca Photo place and visit my friend, Diane, who is the owner of a print shop there (On Paper Plus). I hadn't seen her for several years. She and I rode motorcycles (Harleys at that time) to a Women On Wheels(R) Ride-In in Minneapolis, MN in 1996. We went by way of Canada. Anyway, it was great to see her again and she may throw me some graphics work down the road. I tell you all of this to tell you how uplifted I was feeling on this wondrous spring day. This is the perfect weather for me. Warm enough to be comfortable (for me anyway, others may disagree), without being too warm.

Wouldn't you know it, on the way home, I took my first spill on this motorcycle! It was in the city on a hill with a traffic signal and a long line of cars both ahead and behind me. I've never had any problem here before, but somehow after inching forward for the umpteenth time, (I probably squeezed the front brake too hard) (because I had both feet--tiptoes--down) and the pavement on the right-hand side was lower than I expected so down I went (but kind of in slow motion). I picked myself up immediately and turned the bike off. I then surprised myself and was able to pick the bike up and I held it and reached over the seat and reached the sidestand and put it down. Some gasoline had spilled out on the pavement, but there was no damage whatsoever to the bike. I motioned for the vehicles behind me to go ahead and then just got back on and started the bike (didn't start on the first try, but popped off at the second try) and rode safely home and parked it in front of the garage door. Even this did not put a damper on my day. I'm still feeling great. I love blue-sky sunny days! And I'll be back on the bike tomorrow.

My Photoblog

2008-04-22T22:00:00.004-04:00

I have a couple of other places where you can find some more of my photos:

Wendysworks

That site shows a photo per day. These photos are then collected (and linked back to Wendysworks) at this site: I'm VFXY. This site enables me to sell my photos if someone wishes to buy. I haven't sold any yet...but you never know!

Snake in the Water

2008-04-21T19:18:00.015-04:00

John and I went to Cascade and the Owasco Wetlands yesterday. It was a great day. The weather was so perfect and we got to see some special sights. The best image of the day was lost to weakened batteries in the camera, however. I had put fresh ones in when we first got there, but I saw so many things to photograph that they were too weak to zoom in to get a picture of the beaver we saw. John spotted it and pointed it out to me. First it was in the water swimming, then got out on the opposite shore and rummaged a short while and looked like it had a stick or something in its mouth and slipped back into the water and swam back to our side of the shore just a little too far ahead of where we were standing and disappeared into the underside of the bank. It was a huge beaver!

Earlier we had climbed up the bank off the side of the road so we could get a better look at one of the "cascades" and there was a cool piece of "driftwood" in the water. While investigating that, John spotted a snake in the water. I thought it was a little strange because I thought snakes liked to lie on a rock in the sun--not submerge in cold flowing water!! Guess he was just cooling his jets.

It was great to see a family (and their little dog) out enjoying nature together.

I was amazed by all the skunk cabbage growing in the Owasco Wetlands. I guess it's edible, but only after complicated methods. I never knew they had flowers either. Here is a link to provide more information (if you are so inclined): Stalking the Spring Harbinger, Skunk Cabbage

When I took this picture, I wasn't sure if there actually was a great blue heron perched on top of a mound sticking up out of the water (it was too far away and too small in the camera's viewfinder), but I got lucky.
We also saw quite a few trees with interesting "blossoms". I would guess that maybe they are some kind of willow, but not sure. I found them interesting though.

House on French Avenue

2008-04-08T13:43:00.004-04:00

Lighting was right, so I just wanted to photograph this nice looking home.
Check out my VFXY page: wbpics

Almost Missed Opportunity

2008-04-07T22:03:00.002-04:00

When I first saw the deer they were right out front next to the road. Even though my camera bag was right next to me on the car seat, by the time I got the camera out of the bag and turned on they had moved to the background and turned around to look at me from a safe distance.

Odd

2008-03-31T03:02:00.002-04:00

Long Time...No Write

2008-03-30T22:58:00.002-04:00

Guess I've been pretty neglectful of this blog. I have been concentrating too much on my photo display site (http://photos.vfxy.com/photoblogs/3905) and other photo sharing sites.

I don't feel too badly though, since I don't think I have much of a following, except maybe my little brother Kerry. Speaking of Kerry, he was in NYS for the first time in about 30 years just a couple weeks ago. He's been gone from the US only a week and I miss him and his wife already. This was the first I'd seen him in about eight years, and the first I'd seen his current (and I think, final) wife, Lisa. She is originally from the Philippines. Well, don't know why I'm writing this, since he already knows this stuff! Anyways, I love her, and I think the rest of the family loves her too. I am looking forward to seeing them again soon, I hope.

Time for a New Look

2008-02-29T00:33:00.004-05:00

I found a new template to use for my blog. I like it better than the old one. I think its more pleasing to look at. Though I lost some things (like my list of interesting links), but maybe I can replace them in time. I love the rainbow in the background. Hope you like it too.

Funny Pictures and Myspace Layouts at pYzam.com

Moo.com

2008-02-28T21:00:00.006-05:00

I discovered Moo.com through Flikr.com membership. I share photos there with family, friends and sometimes the public. ;-) I got Moo post cards, Moo stickers, and Moo minicards using a few of the photos I took on my last trip to Costa Rica (January 2008). I absolutely love them. I plan on sending a few of the post cards to the friends in Costa Rica, whose property or pet is the picture used on the post card. I can't wait to hear their reactions!

I also found, and wanted to share, this on their website:
Enter the ICHC online Poker Cats Contest!

Got good reports from the doctor's office yesterday on my blood tests (most everything is within the acceptable levels or has been improved upon), so life is good today. I went to lunch at Applebee's today with my friend Brenda. After lunch, we went to see "The Spiderwick Chronicles". I loved it. I like that style of movie. I don't like the blood and guts horror movies that the young kids of today seem to like. I won't even watch some of the CSI tv shows because they get too graphic for my taste. Maybe I'm a woos, but I don't think so.

Post Costa Rica

2008-01-28T21:44:00.000-05:00

I have been back from Costa Rica for a week now. I'm feeling kind of depressed being back here in the wintry weather. I don't get much sun because I hate getting out in the cold. The weather was perfect, of course, in Costa Rica. Got some color. Maybe that will get me through to spring!

Hopefully you can view some of my pictures here:

Christmas Day 2007

2007-12-27T20:52:00.000-05:00

I had a great Christmas with my grandchildren this year. My son got called out to work because of some fleeting sleet problems, so he missed seeing the kids open their presents--such is the life of a transportation department employee. I took lots of pictures--as you can see. I even went next door to my daughter-in-law's parents home. Got some good pictures of their dog "Pudge". He's a character.

Also updated a page on John's Costa Rica land http://www.roadsidetraveler.com/costarica/Mollejones.html.

Pillows I made for my grandchildren for Christmas

2007-12-17T04:03:00.000-05:00

Above are the pillows I made for my grandchildren for Christmas. I've been lazy lately and haven't been keeping up with my blog. No excuses other than that. I am a Scrooge when it comes to Christmas. It's way too commercial for my taste. But I can't disappoint the grandkids, so I decided to make their gifts. My four-year-old granddaughter loves Dora the Explorer and also loves horses--she's nuts about them. My grandson is a hare scramble motorcycle racer and also plays basketball on his school team. Above are pictures of the pillows I made them. I thought about making a pillow for the 17-year-old, but if I put a picture of her boyfriend on it, it would only be obsolete in a few short weeks and she might not want to see his face on her pillow after that! So I guess I'll just have to figure out something else to give her.

October 21 & 22, 2007 Pics

2007-10-23T20:56:00.000-04:00

This picture was taken at a "turkey shoot". He says he will be shaving his head after Halloween. He also told me that last year, he had a Christmas tree with a candy cane on it and red and blue lights. He strikes me as a man who isn't afraid to enjoy the fun things in life.

I was hoping I could upload a bunch of pictures at once (using Picasa). I forgot the system doesn't work that way. It seems to limit me to four at a time. (So I am uploading them in groups of four at a time and copying the code into my original post. I save it as draft until I have finished adding and arranging the photos, adding text, etc.) I am using the smaller view so be sure to click on individual pics to see the larger version.

Fun and Friends

2007-10-11T14:47:00.000-04:00

This past weekend, I attended a birthday party for the husband of a friend that I met when I first went to work at Cornell University. I have been retired for five years next month. The birthday party was really nice and a lot of fun. They had a band called "Radio London". The dance floor was full for most of their songs. They don't do "country", but they were really good and did a lot of the songs from my era. While I was at the party, my good friend Brenda and I learned of a lunch and wine tasting trip, and then a visit to Country Critters (which is owned and operated by another Cornell friend and her husband) planned for this past Tuesday by some of our other Cornell friends. We were invited to join them. We had a great lunch on the deck at Castel Grisch winery. The weather cooperated for lunch and part of the wine tasting. By the time we got to Custom Critters, the rain had subsided for the most part, but would have been too muddy to go through the 9-acre maize maze (my name for it). But I took a picture of the framed aerial photo of the maze. The maze amazes me!

Enjoy these photos:

Some of my recent photos

2007-10-03T13:28:00.000-04:00

Here are some photos I've taken within the past month. These next two pictures were taken in Skaneateles. The gentleman was from the Binghamton area. He had two schnauzers with him--a male and female (mother and son I believe he said).
(1) The mother "gave him a kiss".
(2) Shows how he trains them to kiss him. Look closely at his mouth and you will see he is holding a treat between his lips. He usually holds the treat out of sight to the side of his face, but it wasn't working this particular time. (Click on the photo to see a larger version.)
(3) Duck that had been hoping for a handout from tourists.
(4) Anonymous couple enjoying the ducks in Skaneateles.
(5) Two shetland ponies that live across the road from the Weedsport Airport.
(6) Dog (afghan?) that was playing in the yard of a home near the Weedsport Airport. The photo was taken from a distance away, using the 12X zoom on my camera.
Photos (7 to 11) were also taken at the Weedsport Airport.
(12) Siberian Husky that belonged to one of the people enjoying John's band (John Reilly Band from Auburn, NY) when they played at the Belvedere on State Street in Auburn on September 29th. Check out the "watch eye" heterochromia iridis. The owner told me the dog has papers and is available for stud service, so contact me if you'd like to get in touch with the owner.
(13) Young heifer that appears to be showing off her new "pierced earrings."
(14) Evening countryside view from Gahweiler Road in Niles, NY.
(15) Roadside view of farm animals.
(16) Farm country.
(17) Sunset from Gahweiler Road in Niles, NY.
(18) Puffball. Note the size compared to the hand!
(19) Same puffball.
(20) My friend's flowering plants adorning her front porch area.
(21) Same friend's dog Zoe.

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Errands and Visits

2007-09-11T20:22:00.000-04:00

I had to be at Robert Packer Hospital in Sayre, PA, this morning at 8:40. I was on time, amazingly enough. I got behind a school bus almost first thing and then another slow-moving vehicle, but I stayed calm and it worked out just right. They listened to my heart and drew three vials of blood for testing and discussed my surgery. I was out by 10:00 and headed toward home. I checked on my father's land in Lockwood and managed to talk to a couple of the neighbors and they are both interested in buying the land. That will help, as I have been paying the taxes on it since 1989. I just need to figure out a fair price. I stopped to visit my cousin Kathy for awhile. We were more like sisters than cousins back in the sixties. We both got married (she at 14 and me at 18) and drifted apart somewhat since our respective husband's didn't care for each other. Her husband was killed in a car accident a few years ago. Mine died six years ago from pancreatitis complications. Her new husband and my boyfriend seem to be able to get along with each other, so hopefully we will see more of each other. As long as I was out, I stopped to see my sister and her significant other before heading home. I was just in time to drive in the downpour. I had to drive very slowly most of the way home because the rain was coming down so hard and fast it was difficult to see. By the time I pulled into my driveway, the rain had subsided. I took a look at the flowers and decided it would be a good time to take some pictures of the flowers to show my grandson, Matthew. Since he helped me plant the flowers, I thought he might like to see how well they had survived and grown. This flower is a lisianthus. I wish it were a perennial, but am told it is not. I am going to try to put it in a pot and bring it indoors before the fall frost hits it. I love the purple and white flowers.

Short and Sweet

2007-09-08T19:21:00.000-04:00

I know its been awhile since I've posted here. I've been busy and very tired. I got a call from the co-manager of the Subway where I used to work. The building that housed that Subway and some other shops as well as the bowling alley has been torn down and replaced with a new RiteAid. So anyway, she wanted me to help her out because she had to fire the manager at the Dryden Subway and said it would only be until she could hire and train someone else. I was hired almost five years ago on that same line..."help me out until I can get someone else trained" and I was there for three years. Left in February of 2006 when I went to Costa Rica for two months. Its good to have a reason to get out of the house and keep me on my feet, but with the sleep apnea thing it is really tiring for me. I was scheduled to go back for re-evaluation at the sleep study center, but in the meantime I saw an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist and they have scheduled me for surgery this next Thursday. So I cancelled the sleep study. Made no sense to me to be evaluated before the surgery.

Anyway, I am at John's house this weekend. Earlier today we took a ride out in the country to look at properties that are being foreclosed on for taxes. He's not buying, just wanted to see what stuff goes for. While we were looking for one property today we had the opportunity to get some pictures of a "red shouldered" hawk, which I think is also a "chicken" hawk. I will share a pic of it with you now and get back to posting another time.

Picasa Post

2007-08-08T21:19:00.000-04:00

I downloaded Picasa2 earlier tonight. It catalogued all my photos--even the ones on my external hard drive! So far, I love it. This post is using Picasa! Check out the moon--yes, it's the moon--picture I got one night on my way home from Auburn. This is short and sweet because I am really tired tonight. My obstructive sleep apnea is robbing me of a lot of sleep lately. I am going back to the sleep study center on September 9th for re-evaluation. Catch you later.

Matt's Birthday

2007-08-04T14:21:00.000-04:00

Last Saturday was my grandson's 11th birthday. He's been racing in motorcycle hare scrambles since he was five years old. He has taken first place for the season in his class twice so far. I think he does really well, but he never thinks he's good unless he comes in first. Anyway, I have no idea why he wanted a pocket rocket for his birthday since it seems pretty tame to me to what he's used to. His riding spaces are very limited on the pocket rocket since it is only supposed to be ridden on asphalt and that does not include the public roads. Oh well, what do I know. I'm getting close to sixity years old, after all!
My grandchildren's cousins have a new dog named Otis. I guess since those children also call me grandma, Otis must be another "granddoggie" of mine!

Memories -- and Making Memories

2007-08-02T22:39:00.000-04:00

I have been lax in posting; but I don't need to tell you that! I've been busy going to birthday parties and my family reunion; babysitting the granddaughter (Kelly) of a friend of mine and also my great niece (Hayleigh). In fact, I had both of them this afternoon. It was their first meeting and it went well for the most part. (I hope I can look back someday and say that was the beginning of a lifelong friendship for them.) Kelly was like a little mother to Hayleigh (she's a month older than Hayleigh; they'll both be turning two years in two and three months, respectively), but Hayleigh is too independent and didn't always take that kindly to being mothered! They were fun, but I sure am glad its not a full-time gig!

Tonight I have been looking through my digital files and thought I'd share some with you. These are two of my granddoggies: Clifford and Chester.

This is a picture I created with a sunflower picture taken about six or seven years ago and one of my grandchildren that I took last summer at Stewart Park.

This was a couple years ago in my back yard (my lawn kind of turned into a meadow) then (as it is now--again). My granddaughter, Jaden.

I believe this was the cake from Elaine's "Maunnnnnument Party".

This was one of my late husband's (wow, it still feels weird to write of him using that term) sunflower plants.

These pictures were taken in October of 2001. My friends, Bonnie, Elaine, Cindi, and I had a lot of fun checking out the botanical gardens in Buffalo, NY.

Stewart Park Circle of Drums

2007-07-17T19:24:00.000-04:00

I didn't go to Auburn this past weekend. It was nice I didn't have to make the hour's drive. John came to my house instead for the weekend.

Gimme some food!
I SAID gimme some food!
Mama stood by keeping other adults away so her babies got fed

Here is an interesting link on confusing domestic geese (and hybrids): confusing domestic geese...

So anyway, on Saturday afternoon we went to Stewart Park (Cayuga Lake) and walked around a bit and enjoyed the scenery and all the Canada geese and seagulls begging for food. A fellow John had corresponded with online had said he and a group of others would be at the park around 5:00ish for a drum circle. We didn't know exactly where they would be, but didn't actually hear any drumming until around 5:30. So we wandered over where they were and actually joined right in and beat some time. It may seem weird to some people, but it was kind of fun, social, family-friendly and FREE (and free of alcohol).

We are both planning to head to Woodstock on Thursday to spend a couple of days there relaxing at a summer party/BBQ with old friends of John's. John will be taking his PA and guitar with him because his friends from that area that are coming to the party are all musicians. (John used to live and work in that area for about 20 years.)

93rd Birthday Celebration Weekend

2007-07-10T21:23:00.000-04:00

This past weekend was a terrific weekend! We started out with a nice evening picnic at the sailboat launch in Emerson Park on Owasco Lake. John picked up take-out from Connie's (a Mexican restaurant in Auburn) for the two of us. I took some photos while we were there.

Owasco Lake - Auburn, NY

John's dad turned 93 on Wednesday, July 4th. On Saturday, we had a wonderful picnic celebration at John's sister's home (which is the home John and his brothers and sisters grew up in).

John's dad cutting birthday cake

John's dad and oldest son, Christopher

John played and sang

"Now I've got a few words to say."

On Sunday, we took a drive out route 318 and dug up some "butterfly weed" that we had seen growing there on our way out to Rochester the weekend before. We also dug up a "black-eyed Susan-looking plant". (I transplanted them all to my house yesterday.) When we got back from rt. 318 we stopped in briefly at Emerson Park again and I got some pics of young ducks. Then we went to Niles, heading toward our friends' Jack and Heather's house. We stopped and visited an old silo down a seasonal road on the way there. John would like to play his sax and guitar in the silo because of the fantastic sound qualities. He is going to try to get permission from the owner.

We call these young ducks "teens"

Old barn and silo in Niles

I thought the different shading of the bark on this tree looked interesting.

This was a storm coming in.

While we were at Jack and Heather's, we noticed all the moths "parked" on a shed door. They were quite interesting and didn't seem to care that we were observing them. I am finding that if I take time to observe them closely, they turn into "cute little critters" that Pixar could use as a base for movie characters.

My Latest Accomplishment

2007-07-05T15:28:00.000-04:00

I took a video with my SONY DSC-H5 camera at one of John's gigs (John Reilly Band from Auburn, NY) on June 22, 2007. I created an edited down-sized movie from it. Check it out:

More of Recent Photos

2007-06-26T13:55:00.000-04:00

This is a picture of the sky from the back corner of my deck as a rain/hail storm was coming in on June 22, 2007. As my usual, I see a face in the cloud formation. I edited a copy of this picture to help point out the face I see.

Most of the rest of the sky was solid dark clouds, but I found this image in the sky with the sun casting light and shadow very intriguing.

This is another cloud formation from about the same time as the others. I think the white clouds are so pretty against the blue background.

Here is a photo from the week before that I think I forgot to post. This is the flower garden that my grandson, Matthew, became my personal gardener for. He says it's his garden now!

Not Impressed with WYSIWYG Writer and Blogspot

2007-06-19T18:35:00.000-04:00

So much for WYSIWYG Writer!! Can't publish my photos after I get them placed within the text where I want them. So here I am back to my regular form of publishing, checking the page and moving things and re-publishing, and re-publishing.

I had another weekend of great photo ops in Auburn and surrounding areas. This must have been the weekend for painted turtles to mate or something. I saw one in Cascade park area and another on Townline Road in Sennett, NY. They were both in their respective roadways. After checking them out and taking pics, they were moved out of the road.

Isn't this a great little dragonfly?! Actually, there are two different ones.

This couple oared by us while we were walking the trail by the inlet/outlet (can't remember which it is) on Sunday afternoon. We took John's dad along with us on this trip. He seemed to enjoy getting out for a little while to someplace different.

We stopped for ice cream just outside Moravia. The ice cream was great and I enjoyed some sights while there, but the pesky flies I could have done without quite nicely!

This started out as a shot of the sunset when I came over the hill from Moravia toward Niles. I did a little photo manipulation and turned it into a fake lake with the sunset in the background.

See you in a few days. Gotta go get some stuff ready for a yard sale this weekend.

Wow, Video Upload!

2007-06-15T17:27:00.000-04:00

It has been a few weeks since I last posted. I decided I would make a quick post before heading to see my boyfriend for the weekend. What a nice surprise to find that we can now upload video! Thanks, Blogspot; I'll give it a try. (I couldn't find where that capability is accessed and don't have time now to research it. Maybe next time.)
Here are some of my recent photos. I just loved the columbine. It came from my sister's garden. I visited her the other evening and she sent me home with a bouquet of cut flowers (irises, peonies--pink, white, & red, and the columbine).

I managed to capture pics of two different dragonflies last weekend:

And here is what I am told is a "Viceroy butterfly":

This is a Canada goose I captured on my camera card recently. Wouldn't this make a great painting?

Meet Savannah! She is the latest addition to my "Chihuahua grandchildren" (my son and daughter-in-law have four of them!).

I'm sure I have others I could share with you, but I need to get "on the road again". 'Til next time, enjoy.

P.S., Lest you think my cats do nothing while I am gone away, look what I found when I returned home last Sunday night. It is a real bunny head--minus one ear.

Weekend With WOWSkunk

2007-05-21T11:03:00.000-04:00

Where do I start?! What a great weekend. I arrived at my friend, Cindi's, around 4:30 P.M. Friday. We enjoyed dinner at Kodiak Jack's. The following night was party night. The first guests arrived on their motorcycle with pop-up camper attached. It was a friend of Cindi's, Mike, and his daughter, Megan. Other guests arrived periodically after that. Cindi's other friends (by that I mean other than me) at the party were a lot of fun. We had a lot of laughs--and a lot of warmth, wink, wink! Oops, lest you misunderstand--there was a GIGANTIC bonfire during the party. This first picture shows you the size of the pile (notice Cindi's grandson in the front).

The size of the actual burning pile gets lost in the dark background.

I always manage to see different images in a lot of pictures. This next photo looks to me like there are demons in the flames. (Besides Cindi's demons, ha ha. Oh, maybe these are Cindi's demons!)

This pictures looks like a (ever so appropriate) fire-breathing dragon:

This truck belongs to a friend of Cindi's son, Cory. Notice the car and motorcycle between the wheels, to give you some perspective on the size of the truck!

All in all, it was a fun weekend and I now feel I have a lot of new friends that I hope to see again and become better acquainted with. Here they are, bringing up the rear.
Thanks so much Cindi!

My Second Post of the Day

2007-05-10T21:23:00.000-04:00

I had a strange experience this afternoon. I often have to catch little critters that my cats bring inside to play with and then get bored with. Today, the field mouse that kept showing up in my living room was eating my hanging plant (philodendron). My female cat, Mrs. Whiggins, would get real close to it and just reach out and touch it with her paw and the mouse did not run away! However, when I got close to it, it would amble away (and Mrs. Whiggins didn't even chase after it!). NOTE: when you have an in/out door for your cat, you have to decide whether you'd rather have an indoor litter box or put up with the critters! Anyway, here is Mrs. Whiggins looking like she has spring fever...not!

I had finally cornered the mouse into a small cardboard box and put it outside where the mouse finally emerged and that is what Mrs. Whiggins is looking at. I'm surprised she didn't go out the kitty door and come around front and bring the mouse back in!

The mouse is still on the porch; however, it is no longer living. Must've died of fright or else eating the philodendron was its downfall...

Ooops, best laid plans...

2007-05-10T13:29:00.000-04:00

We ended up postponing our trip to Costa Rica. We have until near the end of February 2008 to use our airline tickets. Not sure when we will actually be able to go. John felt (and I agree) he shouldn't leave the country without taking his youngest son with us--teenagers will be teenagers, LOL.

Since we didn't go to Costa Rica, we spent some time in the country again taking pictures. The chipmunk was eagerly chowing down on bird feeder spillover:

This tree photo is the opposite side of the "tree of men" in my previous post. We were so drawn to that tree that we went back for another look and discovered the "devilish face" on the other side of that tree. (See the possibility of horns rising from the forehead?)

Beautiful Weekend before Costa Rica trip

2007-04-25T03:03:00.000-04:00

This past weekend and the days since have been a boon to my mental health! I fare a lot better when it is warm and sunny! This coming Saturday John and I will be heading to warm and sunny Costa Rica. I will try to update the blog while there, but don't know how successful I'll be.

Here are a few photos out of a whole bunch I took this past Sunday (April 22, 2007). See if you can see at least two faces in the "mantree" picture. Hope you enjoy it and the rest of them. I also recorded the spring peepers that we were surprised to find whooping it up in the late afternoon instead of early evening (it's not much to look at, but the sound is impressive).

I liked this picture because it looks surreal.

I loved this view of the countryside with Skaneateles Lake in the background:

Being a fellow motorcycle rider, I had to capture this biker out enjoying the great riding weather after being stuck on four wheels through the winter season:

I believe these next photos are of a downy woodpecker:

Where Is Spring?

2007-04-18T22:20:00.000-04:00

I got snowed in at John's house in Auburn Monday. I didn't mind staying in Auburn, but I sure hate this snow and cold. I had to shovel my driveway out when I got home last night. I only shoveled enough to break through what the State Department of Transportation plowed into the end of the driveway and in just a few feet more. Then I just floored it and let the car go as far as it would into the snow. I figured it was going to be melting in a day or two anyway. Am looking forward to flying to Costa Rica a week from this Saturday (28th). At least it will be warm and sunny there! In the meantime, here are a couple/few pics I've taken recently.

No Energy

2007-04-11T22:52:00.000-04:00

Hello again. Wow, it's hard to believe it has been slightly over a month since I last posted. I just don't seem to have the energy lately I used to have. I know I don't get enough sleep because of the sleep apnea. Most people around me don't seem to understand that just because I may "sleep" eight hours (or more), it doesn't mean I am actually resting that whole time. Even with the machine, I don't stay asleep like normal people do. Anyway, as long as I am here...here are a few pics I've taken lately. These were taken while I was at a friend's house. All have been modified slightly on the computer.

Do I Have Cheese? Do You Have Cheese?

2007-03-01T18:43:00.000-05:00

I just read something that I really connected with its message. I'd like to share it with you:

Beyond Blue This is a great site! Hope you enjoy and find it helpful.

More of Finding the Beauty

2007-02-17T21:05:00.000-05:00

After shoveling as much snow as I have this past week, I very much enjoyed the beauty along the lake on my way to John's house. He spent Friday night at my house, so when he was on his way back to Auburn so he could take his son to work, he noticed the awesome number of waterfowl along Route 38 near Auburn. He called me to let me know so I could drive that route as well in getting to his house for the rest of the weekend. Luckily they were still there when I came through. Awesome. There were Canada geese, Trumpeter and Royal White Mute swans and ducks also. Not a really good place to park, however, to get pics, but I managed to get a few shots anyway.

Finding the Beauty

2007-02-08T18:28:00.000-05:00

Since I can't go to Costa Rica for awhile, I have to find some beauty in this ccccccold area of Upstate New York. I looked out my window a little while ago and could see the beginnings of the sunset and decided to brave the cold to go outside and capture it with my camera. It wasn't nearly as cold as it was on Sunday, luckily. I can't wait to complain of the heat!

Cold and Blustery Photo Day

2007-02-03T19:10:00.000-05:00

Today was beautiful from the perspective of seeing--not so beautiful for taking pictures without gloves on! But I did get some good shots. I used the polarizing lens and I think it gives the pics too much of a brownish tinge. However, it is a learning experience. What do you think?

Photo Manipulation

2007-01-30T08:11:00.000-05:00

I've been playing again with photo manipulation. Check out this pic of my grandson, Matthew, and his sister Jaden.

OK. I think I'll go take a nap now. I have been up all night just playing with photos in PhotoShop.

G'night, er g'day, all.

Always Learning Something New

2007-01-25T19:14:00.000-05:00

I'm still busy with my camera, but also with my scanner and old photos and enhancing photos. This is a picture I took a few months ago. I was just trying to capture the glimmer of the water in the little creek in the woods--so imagine my surprise and happiness to see what I had captured in those woods. The woods are on the edge of property owned by friends Heather and Jack in Niles, NY. John's shadow played a part in the ability to capture this view. I see many faces in this photo, but the two that really jump out at me are the "panther face" and the man's partial face tucked into the left side of the panther. "I see faces..." hmm, where have I heard that before? LOL

See if you see more faces (monsters have faces too)--and the head of a bird--in the same picture turned upside down.

Working on my photos helps me forget for awhile the cold that is on the other side of the walls of my house. My fingers get a bit cold even inside though because I keep the thermostat set to 62 degrees F. Even though this has been a very unusual and mild winter, I am thoroughly looking forward to the warm sunshine of spring.

Reminiscing with Old Photos

2007-01-09T16:18:00.000-05:00

Hi, everyone. I've been having fun scanning old photos--makes you think back to life during the era the photo was taken. I'm not old enough to have been alive at the time all the photos were taken though, LOL. Photos of my ancestors are kind of fun to see. The first picture is of my mother's fraternal grandparents. You can see I didn't take the time to remove the crack in the photo.

The second picture is my oldest (half-) brother. He died in a car accident when he was 27. His son was six months old at the time and my son was a newborn. My son will be 37 this year! The second picture (obviously not really an "old photo") is of my grandson during one of his hare scramble races last year or maybe the year before. He's been racing since he was 5 years old. He will be 11 this summer.

The next photo is, to me, the most perfect Santa picture. Look at those rosy cheeks! How could anyone doubt that this guy is the REAL Santa. He is being hugged by one of my great nephews (David) when he was a little guy.

This photo is my mother, father, oldest brother and oldest sister. It makes me feel ancient that they are all deceased now.

I love this computer age (at least most of the time).

Sharing Christmas Morning

2007-01-05T05:13:00.000-05:00

Just thought I'd share a couple of pictures from Christmas morning. This is my granddaughter, Jaden, and my son's dog that Jaden named Clifford. (So far, my son has not been able to rename him.)

Hooray, It's a New Year!

2007-01-02T21:24:00.000-05:00

I had another nice weekend with John. I always take my portable toolbox with me because there is a good chance I can use some of them at his house. I love that we can work on projects together. Of course, it is always a learning experience as well! This weekend we laid new linoleum in his second bathroom--operative word being "second". As beginners on a project like this, it took us a good part of three days to complete. John had previously removed the old floor tiles, so we didn't have to deal with that also. We had to fix the water shut-off valve to the toilet first of all because it leaked when we tried to shut off the water. That turned out to be the easiest fix--we replaced the gasket. We had several places to cut around to make the flooring fit. We didn't have a grease pencil, so we used a felt-tip pen on the reverse side (which meant we had to "reverse" everything) so that took a bit of studying, measuring, re-measuring, and re-cutting (because I figured it was better to have to cut out more later, rather than cutting too much). That process paid off. The floor ended up fitting pretty well. Before we could cut out for the toilet area, we had to remove the toilet. So after all that and glueing the linoleum down, we had to rebuild the toilet! It was so old, all the bolts and nuts were rusted and the gaskets were hardened and misshapen. The jury is still out on how well that turned out. When I left today, the water was not leaking from around the tank to toilet gasket, but the water would not shut off in the tank when it got full. John is going to get new guts for the tank now sometime this week. We're beginning to feel like "John" experts now. Who knew a toilet had all those gaskets or that I would ever be part of replacing the "wax seal"? One of our next projects will probably be removing the rust and repainting the heat venting in the bathroom.

On my way home today, I stopped and took another picture of a tree that fascinates me. I've taken pictures of it before, but the sun wasn't shining and they didn't turn out that great. The sun cooperated today. I love the way the shadows show on some of the branches and I also love the way the branches seem to reach out like welcoming arms.

I also got a great shot of the moon this afternoon. I manipulated the shadow lighting so that the texture shows through a little better.

That's all for now, folks....

Whew, It's Over!

2006-12-29T15:07:00.000-05:00

I guess you can tell I'm glad Christmas is over. I'm kind of a bah humbug person. I do not decorate or put up a tree. Christmas is way too commercialized and really turns me off for the season. I bought presents for my grandchildren and my son and daughter-in-law, and I went to their place for Christmas morning. As soon as gifts were opened and they had to leave to go to my daughter-in-law's mother's house, I went home (I was home before 10:00 a.m.) and took a long nap and just vegged out until 6:00 p.m. I then left to go to John's house for the night.

I guess I pretty much veg most of the time since I am not working. I need to get more active and find another part-time job. I haven't found homes for my cats yet, so I haven't made the move to John's full-time. I guess I'm spoiled. I have no objection to service jobs except that I'm afraid they will want me to work weekends. I could go back to work for Subway, but that would require me to drive too far and over the back roads to get to Dryden, and I just don't feel it's worth the hourly wage. I'd rather work from home with my computer, but I don't want to get into any kind of sales or marketing gigs, or sending voluminous unwanted emails to people. I want to do creative work with my computer. I got to do some fun creative work this week--fun work. I scanned several old family photos for a project my niece wants to do with her scrapbooking. I will share a few with you.

These pictures are of my deceased sister and deceased brother, as well as my two living brothers and another sister when they were children. The boys pictures were taken in 1966. My sister's picture was taken the year she died--I'm not sure what year, but somewhere around 1949. She was 5 years old when she died. According to my mother, she died from spinal meningitis, and I also had it. The doctors told my mother I survived it because I was a baby and babies have stronger immune systems than 5 year olds and I was better able to fight it off. Her name was Evelyn, and she was named after my grandmother--and it turns out my grandmother's real first name was Agnes and Evelyn was actually her middle name. Harvey is my deceased brother. He died a year ago on December 17th. My mother died on December 17th also, in 1995. The brother with the bolo tie is Elwin, named after my father's brother. The last boy pictured is my youngest brother. He lives in Kuwait now. And this last picture is my sister, Pat. She is two years older than me.

Guess I'll go get dressed now so I can head back to John's house. I'll try not to be so long in updating next time. No promises, however, even if New Year's is coming up!

Time Flies

2006-12-12T20:37:00.000-05:00

It's hard for me to believe it's been so long since my last post. Guess I'm getting lazier. I'm still taking pictures with my new camera, but I still have so much to learn. I don't get the results I'm looking for when I take the pictures. I tried to take some pictures last night of my son's new dog. I had a lot of difficulty because three grandchildren were too rambunctious and kept getting in the way or getting the attention of the dog so it kept turning its back to me. The ones I did get were not focused as clearly as I would have liked. Nevertheless, here are a few pics. The parakeets are my grandson's Christmas present. I don't know the birds' names, but the dog is named "Clifford" (named by my 3 and a half year old granddaughter). The dog belongs to my son, so I'm not sure it will remain named "Clifford."

Earlier today I wanted to print some photos on my inkjet printer, but I got a message that the paper wasn't loaded properly. Upon investigating I discovered the reason the paper didn't load correctly...there was a dead mouse in the paper load area. Guess my cat, Mrs. Whiggins, must've tossed it in there when she was playing with it. (See photo.)

I took a lot of pictures of windmills and other scenic areas over the weekend also. Sunday was a beautiful day in the high country around Niles.

Photos and Paintings

2006-11-27T21:08:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago, I captured some images on my way to John's house in Auburn. One shows a prism in the sky, taken from the parking lot of the Ford garage in Ithaca. I took the sunset pics between Genoa and Scipio Center. It took me at least a half hour longer to get to Auburn because of my frequent stops to take pictures. The sky and the clouds fascinate me.

I spent this past weekend with John and his family, beginning Thanksgiving day. I went to John's house and he and his two sons and I went to John's brother's house in Fairport to have dinner with a houseful of relatives. It was very nice. The following day was bright and sunny, so we took some of John's art collection outdoors to get photos of them because I didn't want to have to use the flash because it washes out parts of the pictures. The only problem with that is the sun sparkled on the paintings and makes them look like there are small white spots on them.

Sunday, we drove around and found some cool scenes to capture. I am still learning about the camera. I have found that some of the ones that look fantastic on the camera screen don't translate as well onto the computer screen and also don't print as well as they look on the camera. I hope to get better with trial and error--in addition to reading. I think the lighting has a lot to do with it. I hope you can see the "two faces in the water" in the pictures posted here. I just wanted to take a picture of the water in the creek; but the lighting and shadows ended up forming a "sleepy-eyed jaguar" and also a man's face to the left and kind of tucked into the jaguar face. I often "see faces" (Oooooooo Oooo Ooooooooooooooooo!) in other images and textures.

This next picture is at 12X optical zoom. For some reason, the pictures I take at extreme zoom look hazy to me. Maybe it is the filters on the camera that cause it. I will try taking the filters off next time. These other pictures were taken around Owasco area. Hope you enjoy looking at them. Maybe tomorrow I will post some more art by John's artist friend "Jak WRobel".

Second Entry Today

2006-11-08T19:32:00.000-05:00

I decided to come back and post some additional photos. This is my motorcycle; and it is for sale. It's a 1997 800cc Honda (Pacific Coast). As you can see by the photo, it has 24,242 miles on it. It has been garage-kept except when it was parked outside motels when I took it to places like Prescott, AZ, Athens, GA, Canaan Valley, WV and other places I've traveled. I need to sell it to pay back the loan I had to take out to pay my property taxes--one of the not-so-fun realities of living in New York State!

Be sure and check out my previous entry for today (below).

I Didn't Get to Vote

2006-11-08T17:26:00.000-05:00

I didn't get to vote this year. I had planned to, but it just didn't work out. I had to drop my car off Tuesday morning at the Ford garage for it's 55,000 mile checkup. It had a broken rear spring and it needed new front brake pads and rotors, but was supposed to be ready at the end of the day. My sister picked me up from the garage and I worked with her for a couple of hours and then she dropped me off at home. I would have had her take me to the voting place if I had known my car was not going to be ready to be picked up by 5:00 (I figured I had until 9:00 P.M. to vote). The dealership called me and said it would not be ready Tuesday, but would be ready this morning. My sister came over again, intending to take me to pick up my car, but I had not received a call that the car was ready, so around 2:20 I called them and was told they had not gotten the replacement springs yet for the car. I was not very happy. I only took the car there for the work because I thought I had to because I had the extended warranty. Valuable lesson learned. The car is only three years old and I have had to put (by the end of the current repair) almost $1800 in repairs on the car. I got totally screwed when I traded in my husband's 4x4 pick-up truck! I will never buy another vehicle from them and I will not have any further work done on the car by them!

Well enough of my rant. I move on to more enjoyable topics (once I think of them!). Well I guess one of them would be the fact that even without my vote, my would-be choices for the most part won their election.

Here's another more enjoyable topic.... I scanned in this old photo of my sister when she was a young child (around 5 years). I don't have any photos of myself at that age, but surmise I was probably almost as cute--ha ha. I also scanned in photos of my grandfather (as an adult) and my grandmother (as a child). I love photos. Maybe I'll come back later and post more photos.

More Fun With My New SONY DSC-H5

2006-11-02T17:58:00.000-05:00

I've been having more fun with my new camera today--and also with Photoshop.

I decided to experiment with a portion of the sky in this picture and ended up with "cloud monster(s)".

Fascinating results! So much fun I had to go back and try another section of the sky which included a small portion of a tree, so in the final picture, the tree becomes part of the "beard".

Early Birthday Present

2006-10-31T23:28:00.000-05:00

Lucky me! I got my birthday present (and Christmas too!) a week early. John got me a new SONY DSC-H5 digital camera and extra lenses. I have a lot to learn about the lenses. The UV lens, I already knew about because I had one on my old Nikon. I have to learn when to use which ones and how to use some. He got me a telephoto lens and a wide angle lens. The camera is extremely light until you attach the telephoto lens or the wide angle lens. Once I learn to use it, I will be able to get great shots of the wildlife down back of my house. The camera has 12x optical and then adding the 2x telephoto lens will give me 24x zoom! He also got me a 2GB card for the camera. My old laptop is only 4GB!!! I've experimented with a few little movies with it. With the 2GB card, I can actually film for several minutes. I will upload a few of the pics that I've taken so far (I've taken about 130 pics in the last two days).

My grandchildren, Matthew and Jaden, dressed in their Halloween costumes. The camera's "no red-eye" seemed to work appropriately--Jaden's eyes didn't turn red in the pic, but notice Dracula's eyes!
Jaden posed and asked me to take this picture of her. Too bad she stood in front of the garbage can...
My friend's long-haired mottled fur kitten. The kitten is adorable--as long as she/he stays at my friend's house.
The same friend's granddaughter, Kelly, showed me "peek-a-boo". Hasn't she got the bluest eyes?! Actually I have another picture of her where her eyes are much bluer looking. Will go back and find that one to show you all next time.

The pictures were very easy to download to the computer. And you can even zoom in and "trim" the pics as copies (doesn't change original photo) and size them to VGA (web) or bigger if you want right on the camera! I love it.

Women On Wheels(R)

2006-10-25T14:36:00.000-04:00

If you're looking for a great organization for women motorcycling enthusiasts, check out: Women On Wheels(R)

Freedom...for the Chipmunk

2006-10-19T12:02:00.000-04:00

Good morning! Oh, I just remem-bered...I have a cold cup of coffee somewhere in my kitchen. I had just finished preparing it and had not even tasted it yet when my two cats walked into the kitchen from being outside. When they came in, the chipmunk in my pantry chirped. Ahah! He/she was still alive and in residence! I decided to investigate more closely. I made sure my Hav-a-Heart(R) trap was set and ready at the doorway. I positioned other items in the doorway on either side of the trap doorway and then started moving a couple of plastic bags that were on the floor that had "garden stones" in them. Lo and behold, the chipmunk sprang forth and entered the trap! I grabbed the cage and my camera and took them outside on my deck to get pictures before taking him out to the pine trees to let him go. I wanted a picture of him coming out of the cage, but he wouldn't cooperate. When he finally fled the cage, it was at the end away from my hand and he was gone like a flash. I couldn't even tell which direction it went. Anyway, I am happy he is alive and free. Hope the winter isn't too rough on him.

Christmas comes earlier and earlier!

2006-10-16T23:52:00.000-04:00

I just have to share with everyone my "Christmas cactus". It's more like a pre-Halloween cactus! But I don't care. It's beautiful to look at. Christmas does seem to come earlier and earlier though. Someone sent me a cartoon that was a combination of Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas. I post it here for your enjoyment, but please note I am not the author.

Update on the Chipmunk in My House

2006-10-14T12:35:00.000-04:00

Last night I discovered the chipmunk is still in my house and apparently live and well, if not frightened! He/she is/was in my pantry. My cat, Mrs. Whiggins, was in there nosing around and I heard the familiar chirp, though I did not see it. At least Mrs. Whiggins did not have it in her mouth! I baited my small Hav-A-Heart(R) trap with cheese crackers and left it at the open doorway of the pantry. The chipmunk is still loose somewhere, but hope to come home in a couple of days and find it alive inside the trap. I am assuming it would want to be outside free, though it is sure to be behind in nut-gathering for the winter. I'm off to Auburn in a few minutes for the weekend. John is playing again with the Sons of the Bunkhouse band at the Red Rooster Pub in Skaneateles Falls, NY, at 4:00, so I'd better scoot to the shower so I will be ready to travel.

I Need a New Loving Home for My Cats

2006-10-12T14:48:00.000-04:00

Today was a pleasant surprise. I had expected a drizzly wet day, but it has been partially sunny though somewhat windy and cool. When the sun shines, it makes my day!

A couple days ago I was cold and had no heat in my house, but after investigating what was up with my furnace I was able to get the heat back on. For some reason the pilot light was out. After a few tries, I was able to get it lit and now have heat. I cleaned the filter as best I could (I should probably get a new replacement filter) and cleaned the dust and dirt from the furnace door. Now it looks good AND works good.

I have kind of decided to move in with my boyfriend and try to rent out my house. I have found my land and school taxes for the year are too much for me.

In order to rent my house and move I will have to find a good home for my two cats (together or separately). They are both somewhere around twelve years old and are pretty spoiled. They are both very loving. They would make a wonderful companion for senior citizens. Onslo is a neutered male with no front claws. Mrs. Whiggins is a spayed female and is a small build (close to maybe two-thirds the size of a normal cat). She has all her claws and likes to hunt. She has brought lots of mice for me to see and a few birds and chipmunks. Actually, this past Tuesday morning I awoke to a chipmunk sitting on my open palm in my bed. I felt something on my hand and opened my eyes to see a chipmunk scamper off. I was not frightened or startled because I knew the chipmunk was somewhere in the house as I had heard his/her chirps for the past couple of weeks. I have not heard it since then so I am hoping he found his way out of the house. (I haven't found any dead body yet.) Both cats are accustomed to going in and out on their own through a small-animal door, but have also used a litter box at times. They need a home in the country with someone who will love them as much as I do.

It's Cold in My House!!

2006-10-10T12:13:00.000-04:00

Guess I'd better make a phone call and have my furnace serviced. I turned it off when I no longer needed the heat and only used the air conditioning a week or two this summer. I had the temperature set to about 62 degrees F. but discovered this morning that the furnace wasn't heating. I can live with it now, but soon will have to worry about freezing pipes. Can't afford that fiasco, so will get someone here to check it out for me. I will take a look at it in the meantime in case it's just a case of the pilot light being out.

This past weekend, John played again (as part of the "Sons of the Bunk-house") at the Red Rooster Pub in Skan-eateles Falls. They sounded great--not that I'm at all prejudiced! It's kind of a small space for them though, but the really good thing about it is that it is early and they get out by seven. There was a good turnout of people that came to hear them, so the bar's owner asked them to play an extra half-hour. They will be playing there every Saturday in October and every other Saturday in November.

Why Tanning Isn't Good for Us...

2006-09-23T15:15:00.000-04:00

Just a quick share today. I found this at http://coolshade.tamu.edu/gallery/pages/pigs.htm

I Came Across Some Memories Today

2006-09-18T16:26:00.000-04:00

The full moon picture was taken from my deck on September 8th (this year) at 2:21 a.m.
The flower letters were taken at 7:23 p.m. the same day. I was on my way to John's house and decided to stop and take this picture. Why, you say? My friend Cindi will understand. I'm not really sure who gave me the name originally--probably Cindi. The story behind the name "BW"... For several years, several of us "Women On Wheels(R)" members got together at Americade(R) (the world's largest motorcycle touring rally) in Lake George, NY. For several years, we rented a cottage for the week and shared much more than the cost. I'm sure this is where our friendships became cemented. We were a group larger than could be accommodated by the bedrooms (3) in the cottage so some of us slept in chairs, on couches, and on the floor in the main room of the cottage. I was known to be a loud snorer (later to be remedied by a CPAP machine). I tried to warn everyone and maybe even offered to sleep on the porch (I can't remember that clearly). One of the ladies that was new to sharing the cottage (Betsey) said my snoring would be no problem--she could sleep through anything. Guess who we found sleeping out on the porch the next morning! I felt badly, but I couldn't help it...and I did warn her. Anyway, we ended up having a lot of fun and laughter over that. There were two of us in the cottage named "Wendy" and the other Wendy was quiet and sweet and studious, so to differentiate between us, the snorer got nicknamed the "Bad Wendy" and the other was nicknamed the "Good Wendy". Bad Wendy got shortened to "BW" in the WOW chatroom and among my close motorcycle friends I am still "BW". The "BW" in the picture actually stands for Borg Warner, but I couldn't resist.

So now I have to explain to you the pic of the woodchuck. The quality of the photo isn't great because I had to take the picture quickly and knew I couldn't go outside to get it because he(or she) would be gone in a flash if I made any noise. I took the pic through my livingroom window, which also has a screen in it...and it was raining to boot. "Woody" broke through the mulch and plant fabric that I had laid down to keep the wood chips from tracking into the house. I have since found the entrance to Woody's abode. Woody has burrowed under the cement pad of my garage. Guess he thought he was hidden behind the long stems of the Golden Glow flowers planted at the backside of my garage. My sister and I were doing some clean-up work after the flowers had pretty much died off, and she had cut the stems down to just a couple inches revealing the entranceway. I am assuming the woodchuck will remain there into the winter and perhaps I will see him/her again in the spring.

Life Since Last Monday

2006-09-17T21:40:00.000-04:00

Thanks, Cindi, for not getting after me about being behind on my blog! Love you.

My sister came over Wednesday and we spent a few hours together. We shopped at Lowe's because I needed some materials for the renovation of the roof on my back deck. The original roof was not properly designed and built, so I had a lot of damage due to wind and the snow from the last couple of winters. The other days of the week (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday) I spend a lot of time on the computer editing and printing photos (and sleeping in, of course). I did spend one day (Tuesday, I think) with my three-and-a-half-year-old granddaughter, Jaden. She entertained herself quite well with some marker pens and an old packet of dollar-store inkjet photo paper (which doesn't give me the print quality I prefer, so that is why I let her use it). She had fun with my cat Onslo and "playing" my piano. After all that fun, however, we went outside in the sunshine and she had fun jumping on my trampoline. When she arrived, she informed her mom and me that she was staying until tomorrow. But after about six hours she decided to go home after all. Mom had to come pick her up because I didn't have a car seat for her. I was actually relieved not to have to make the trip (even though it's just a few miles), because it was early evening and I was feeling tired (not having the energy I had when I was younger). Oh the joys of being a grandparent! You get to have all the fun with the kids and then send them home. When mom arrived to pick her up, she also had one of the family dogs with her (Shady Lee). Their dogs are almost grandchildren too, so I had to get a pic of her before they left. It took a few shots to finally get a good one, but finally got it.

My weekends are spent with my boyfriend, John. He is gigging with an additional band now. Saturday night was their first gig together. The gig was at the Red Rooster Pub in Skaneateles Falls. The band is an acoustic instruments band (two guitar players, a bass player, and a mandolin player). John is probably the main singer, although another guy in the band also sings a few songs. The gig was also in remembrance of a friend and member of the band who passed away recently. After the gig was over, John and I went to Doug's Fish Fry in Skaneateles for dinner. Then we drove back to Auburn and spent several hours at the Bunkhouse (home of our friends Dave and Sheila). The guys jammed and we girls sang some harmony and had fun with some percussion toys (spoons, tambourine, an old cheese and veggie grater). It was a fun evening. Jasper was a big source of entertainment as well. He is smart, fast, and seemingly tireless as well as being extremely gentle and friendly (one of the nicest dogs I've ever seen). He kept playing with all of his toys...bringing them to someone to throw for him to fetch or to play tug of war with.

Tomato Fest and Knobby Acres Motorcycle Race

2006-09-11T18:13:00.000-04:00

This was a great weekend. I'm happy to know Ralph "Bucky" Phillips is back in custody and won't be hurting anyone else. I don't understand why a guy who had only a few days left of his sentence that escapes and basically ends any possibility of a decent life and chance for his family to be proud of him. Enough said.

John's band, Roadside Traveler, played at the annual Tomato Fest in Emerson Park, Auburn, NY, on Saturday, September 9th. They were great, of course! (Left to right: Jim Andrews, John Reilly, Mike Burns, Bill Leonard)

Sunday morning I got up early (for me!) and drove to Cortland to attend my grandson's hare scramble motorcycle race. He didn't do as well as he had hoped, but 8th is not that bad for a kid who doesn't get a chance to practice (or ride!) except at each race. There are usually at least a dozen kids in his class. This is his first year racing with a motorcycle with manual shift and a bigger bike than he raced with previous years. Hopefully, next year his dad will make sure he gets more time to practice.

Ralph "Bucky" Phillips

2006-09-04T11:32:00.000-04:00

Today, I will just share this link with you. Ralph "Bucky" Phillips--what a disgrace to the American Indians!

http://www.amw.com/fugitives/case.cfm?id=39219

What a Dreary Day...

2006-09-02T17:46:00.000-04:00

Today is such a dreary day. I hate dreary days. I know we can't have sunshine everyday (at least in upstate New York), but that doesn't mean I can't hate it when we don't! It's hard to get motivated on a day like today. I am thankful for yesterday though. John had an outdoor gig at the Polish Falcons in Auburn last night from 5:00 until 9:00. (Sorry, pics didn't turn out good.) The temperature was perfect and we didn't get rained on. Attendance was very slow at first, but picked up as the evening went on. There was a lot of competition for attendance--the biggest being a FREE concert with FREE parking at the lake (Owasco). The "Blue Lights" were playing. We checked it out after John's gig was over. The band was really good, but it was so crowded, you could hardly get through the door and even hard to get onto the dance floor--let alone room to dance! But the wine cooler tasted good, and John got a chance to see some people he knew and chat a bit so it was worth going. I'm looking forward to Monday (wow, haven't said that in a while--on yeah, I'm retired now so I have a reason to look forward to Mondays!), as the weather is supposed to be like yesterday's--partly cloudy (hey, that's better than a downpouring rain).

We Shoulda' Named Him "Garfield"!!!

2006-08-31T17:22:00.000-04:00

After reading a posting from Widow With Dogs (Egg-in-a-Poke), I was reminded and inspired to cook myself some eggs-in-toast.

Well, it turns out (big surprise--NOT) my cat Onslo wanted to get at it also. As you can probably surmise, Onslo thinks every food is for him and that he feels he hasn't been fed since infinity--I guess he should have been named "Garfield".

Great Artist - Jack Wrobel

2006-08-29T20:23:00.000-04:00

I had to come back and add a new post to showcase the art of our friend Jack Wrobel. This is a photo of a painting Jack did. It is now part of John W. Reilly's collection. Hope you can see the textures in the painting.

Today Was an Indoor Day!

2006-08-29T19:31:00.000-04:00

Rain, rain, rain! It rained so much during the night and into the morning that at one point my driveway had a wide river across it. Luckily my property is so stony it has really good drainage so the river disappeared before noon. Since I couldn't do much outside (or maybe just didn't feel like it?), I played at the computer today and had more fun with my pictures from yesterday. I enjoyed the alpacas so much I post another pic today. Also, here are more pics from my visit to Baker's Acres in Lansing.

Animals and Plants!

2006-08-28T22:56:00.000-04:00

I went to John's house on Saturday this weekend because he had a practice session on Friday night with the new band he's in. He played saxophone with a keyboard player named "Bobby McGee" on Saturday night in Canandaigua at a place called Eddie O'Brien's. So if I had asked him who was playing that night, he figured he could say "Me and Bobby McGee"! Anyway... Sunday we worked around his house for a while and then visited our friends Jack and Heather. I had the camera with me, so I was able to get some pics of their pets and also some alpacas on the way to their house.

The dog pictures are of "Cassie"; she loves attention! The cat picture is of "Chloe". Both belong to Jack and Heather.

On the way to Jack and Heather's we saw some alpacas and also some wild "Joe Pye Weed" along the side of the road. Today I stopped at Baker's Acres in Lansing and found the domestic version of the plant so I took a picture of the label so I knew the scientific name for it. I can't wait to take my sister to see all the plants there, but I better wait for pay day!

The alpacas seemed as curious about their photographer as she was about them!

When I got the picture of the Joe Pye Weed label, I also got some shots of the many, many beautiful and interesting plants at Baker's Acres. I've added a couple of pics here.

I love digital cameras!

Thank Goodness for Friends and Family

2006-08-24T16:18:00.000-04:00

Yesterday while my sister and I were outdoors at my house working on weeding and planting, a big pickup truck with a cap on it pulled into the driveway. I couldn't imagine who it was...until he got out of the truck and walked toward me. It was an old friend from many years ago. He said he had been working in Cortland and came by my house everyday and decided he would stop in and see how I was doing. While we were visiting we happened to talk about my lawn mower and he got down on his knees and checked it out for me. I felt it was vibrating too much and thought maybe the shaft or blades were bent, but he said they weren't and would bring me some sponge pipe insulation to help with the vibration. I thought that was nice but he would probably not remember it and I wouldn't see him again. Well, this afternoon he surprised me and stopped in again. He not only brought the insulation, but he put it on the mower and taped it so it wouldn't fall off. Before he arrived today, I had been working on my storm door. I wanted to take the old one off (because it was damaged at the bottom) and put a different one on, but the screws were rusted and I couldn't get them out. I asked his advice on what I could do to get the screws out. He not only told me, he got them out and together we put another door on that I had in my garage. He had to drill new holes because the screw holes didn't line up with the doorway screwholes, and he had to do some adjustment on one corner of the doorway so the door didn't catch. So now I have a nice door with a screen in it! Thanks to Tom Brady.

After Tom left yesterday, my sister and I went driving in the country and found some wild flowering plants to plant at my house. She has been coming to my house every Wednesday to help me around my house. She gets me going and gets me out in the sunshine instead of sitting in my chair watching mindless TV. We are making a brick patio between my deck and the side of my garage. It is hard work. We have the sand down but will have to level it and lay the bricks yet. Here is a pic of the project in progress. Thanks Pat.

The Commander Cody Band at Turkey Trot

2006-08-21T18:27:00.000-04:00

The photo is of my boyfriend, John (left) with Chris "Tiny" Olson (right). Because of lighting and position, I could not get a good pic of the whole band. Chris has performed with John in the past and is the steel player on some of John's recordings. During the breaks, Chris and John were able to spend some time reminiscing and making future plans. Chris will be adding his steel to some new original songs by John. I found everyone in the band to be very down to earth and nice. It was a great experience--not to mention how great the food was! I love the Turkey Trot facilities (Candor, NY).

"Prism in the Sky"

2006-08-08T15:19:00.000-04:00

I caught this pic at the last minute. The view is from Gahwiler Rd. (in Moravia, I believe), out in the country where we often go to look at the view over Owasco Lake and surrounding area.
The inset shows the prism I wanted to capture. It was much stronger when I first saw it, but by the time I could get the camera going it has faded out.

My pics from Skaneateles

2006-08-08T14:25:00.000-04:00

I thought this was pretty cute and clever!

I caught this shot at the last minute as the gull
was flying over my head.

Where are all the Lilliputians?!

A Day in Skaneateles and Auburn Area

2006-08-07T23:14:00.000-04:00

My boyfriend, John, and I had a wonderful day in Skaneateles, NY, yesterday. We started out with breakfast on the back deck of the Blue Water Grill. The weather was perfect (some might have thought the breeze was cold, but it was perfect for us). After breakfast we walked along the lake front in the park and I took pictures of the sights--ducks, flowers, statues, antique car (Studebaker), the tour boat, a local church, boats, dogs, birds, etc. We went into the "chocolate store" and limited ourselves to a small slice of fudge with cherries in it and three truffles. All were delicious of course. We checked out the Skaneateles Yacht and Country Club and I took lots of pictures of sailboats and seagulls. When we left there we traveled to our friends Heather and Jack's geodesic dome home and visited with them and took a walk in the woods below their home. The day was so great already, but didn't end there. We went to Kosta's restaurant on Grant Ave. (Auburn) and each got a marinated chicken caesar salad for our dinner. After dinner we visited our friend Bob Mahar and his daughter Trisha for a short while before heading home to John's house and a night of pleasant sleep after re-living in my mind the day's events. Every day in my life should be so pleasant!!!

Here In Wendy's World

2006-08-03T02:11:00.000-04:00

Last October was my first trip out of the U.S. I traveled with my boyfriend to Costa Rica for two weeks. We liked it so much we went again in December. We liked it so much we bought land there. We went again in February of this year. John's two teenage boys also went with us on this trip. The boys and John had to return to the U.S. after ten days because the boys had to go back to school and John had to go back to work. Lucky me though, I got to stay there (because I am retired) for two months and finalized the purchase of additional land. This photo was captured from our land looking across the road to our neighbor's land. When I saw the formation of the cloud I just had to capture it. The "smokestack" looks like the profile of a man's face (looking to the left). See his mouth and nose? He had just let off some steam (see the puff in the sky)!

Hmmm,

The Birth of Wendy's World

2006-07-31T16:25:00.000-04:00

Hello World! I've never blogged before! A blog virgin is what the world has at its hands here. My friend Stinki sent me a notification about her new blog and after checking it out I decided to try my hand (or should I say "hands") at it. I am a motorcycle rider. I used to refer to myself as a motorcycle enthusiast because I lived and breathed motorcycling. I am getting older now and have found some new interests and--truthfully--have gotten lazy. It's just easier these days to hop in the car. I used to wonder how people could just ride basically during vacation--now I know--firsthand. My husband passed away five years ago and I just happened to find almost two years ago someone I connected with who isn't a motorcycle rider. We do other things together that I had always wanted to do, so I just don't miss the intensity of motorcycling that I was used to before. I still want to ride so I will keep my motorcycle for as long as my body will allow. I started riding my own motorcycle in 1972, so it has been a long time. I started out with a little 175cc Honda off/on-road model and have owned two Harleys since then. I now ride an 800cc Honda Pacific Coast that used to belong to my husband. I had sold my Harley dresser just about a month before my husband got sick. I've learned that after healing, change can be good as life goes on.