Happy Mother's Day 2009

This is my wish to all mothers and especially those whose children cannot be with them on this day...Happy Mother's Day and may your memories bring you joy and comfort! This is the handbag I knitted for my mother in Germany and when I called her this morning to wish her a Happy Mothers day, she said she received the bag and she really likes it. No matter how old my daughter gets, she'll always be my little girl to me. This is one of my favorite photos of us. It was taken back in 1997 at Mimi's Restaurant in California. I find great comfort in my little fur balls, to whom I'm a mom too. My dog, Gizzy and my cat, Middi. It's nice to be needed, even if only by a fur-baby ;-) My Middi is a very good and smart cat. She has to put up with a lot of nonsense from Gizzy and so far, she's been very tolerant of him. (Guess it's still better than starving outside) I took Gizzy to Bank's Lake in the afternoon to spent a few hours with my friend who runs the Outpost. We shared some ice cold watermelon and watched a fisherman catch and release a nice sized (pregnant) bass. I also bought Gizzy a new plush hand puppet at the Outpost, where they sell only animals that one would find at this National Wildlife Refuge. As you can see, he loves his new alligator! Earlier today, I received a surprise invitation to join my long-time friends in Valdosta for dinner. We all went to a nice little seafood restaurant (no, not the Red Lobster) that served us an assortment of tasty seafood and I enjoyed some fried green tomatoes. But best of all was the company. It was so nice seeing them again! HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

A Gator and a Skink

Hello again from Bank's Lake. Today was a beautiful day (and still is) with a nice breeze. If you can stay away from the trees where the moist, shaded spots are, you should be ok with the mosquitoes not being too bothersome. I visited my friend (who runs Bank's Lake Outpost) with Gizzy today and we sat outside on the bench chatting about this and that (my favorite topic.) That's us: My friend, I and Gizzy! (oh, and the guy who's taking the photo) As we were sitting there talking, she pointed out an alligator to me. I left Gizzy tied up to the bench for a minute, while I walked on the dock to take a closer look. My camera doesn't have a very strong zoom lens, so I had to crop the photo to see it better: Just double-click on the photos to make them bigger and that should help. Wile I was out there by myself (without the dog) I took a few photos of some water lilies. They are all over the lake now and from a distance look like big, puffy snowballs. You can even smell them way before you get close to them (especially today with a nice breeze going.) Their scent reminds me of a mix between a passion flower and a tuberose. They smell sweet with a hint of citrus. I just love it! We watched the fishermen pull up with their boats and walking to the Outpost to purchase their crickets and such. The worms were all gone because there was a big fishing tournament yesterday. I read the paper and suddenly noticed some movement out of the corner of my eye...here came along this little skink, it's a form of a lizard, and he ran right past us and back towards the Outpost because he knows where he can find some crickets ;-) It was another beautiful day and I couldn't resist taking a few more photos: There were quite a few people canoeing and kayaking today. Here we saw what looked like to me a father and son team, coming back in: As I drove away, I saw a couple having a picnic under a tree with their three-wheel motorcycle right next to them. You see a lot of motorcycles here because it's just such a beautiful place to ride.

My first real life alligator at Bank's Lake

Wouldn't you know it? The first time I see a real life alligator, I don't have my camera with me. Yesterday, I met a very nice young couple at the Bank's Lake National Wildlife Refuge, where Gizzy and I visit often. He was fishing from this pier and ended up catching a baby alligator (about 1 1/2 feet long.) Thankfully, the young lady took a couple of photos that I received in an e-mail from her today (5/18/09) so here they are: I got to touch my first gator ever (he felt like a cool tire) and I got my photo taken, but have to wait to receive it from them. They were preparing to move into their new home togehter on six acres of land, located in the Smoky Mountains in Tennessee. She has horses and he drives a Harley. What a life!!! They invited me to look them up if I ever make it out that way. I do believe that I will stop by and say hello the next time I take another extended road trip up north since I love the mountains and enjoy exploring placed I've never seen. (I've never been to Tennessee.) We exchanged cards so that she can send me the photo and to keep in touch. Turns out she has an Etsy shop too. Here it is, if you want to look: Cre8tive Creations Gizzy barked at the little gator that was making those throaty baby grunting sounds. Good thing momma gator wasn't nearby or else ... (I've heard some stories!) The little fella got the hook removed from his mouth and then released back in the water. He'll probably never, ever will bite another earthworm with a hook on it. Today, Gizzy and I went again to Bank's Lake and even though it was not very sunny, I still managed to get a few scenic shots. This is a Water Lilly. They grow abundantly in the lake right now. I took a couple of pictures of us From the deck, we can watch people fish and the boats pull in and out of the dock. It is a nice breezy day, just the way we like it. Not too hot and just right for being outside. This little green lizard was sitting on the fence of the deck looking down into the water... watch out little fella! Just another look around - I still can't get over those cypress trees growing right out of the water like that... Gizzy slowly waddling towards the car. He really loves being outside, but I believe he's always relieved to get away from this lake because he senses the alligators in there and he's never quite comfortable when we're walking on the deck, close to the water. (Did you know that dog is one of the alligator's favorite foods?) This is the Outpost that my friend runs. I visit her periodically and we chat while sitting outside on the bench (no dogs allowed inside) while I usually knit or crochet. Gizzy loves to watch the people as they dock their fishing boats in and out of the water, or walk up to the Outpost to purchase their crickets and worms.