Outside with my dogs

Hello my friends - I'm still alive and kicking, only not as high as I used to - more like dragging, but we are hanging in there. We is me, my dogs Weezie and Teddy. This morning we went to Roquemore Memorial Park and afterward visited Banks Lake National Wildlife Refuge.

Weezie at Roquemore Memorial Park

Teddy at Roquemore Memorial Park

Teddy enjoying the Park

Weezie (left) and Teddy on a bench at the Park. Teddy's getting bored with photo sessions!

We left at 7:30 and returned by 9:30 and it still wasn't quite 80 degrees. If tomorrow is the same as this morning was, then we're out there again - come August, we're done with summer. Couped up and cranky knowing we still have another three months of heat before it starts to cool down. I saw Halloween candy in the store today, can you believe that? Anyway, here are a few photos from this morning. Please enjoy and forgive me for not being here much anymore. I'm always on Facebook and I simply can't handle both, my blog and the Facebook. Please, come and see me there! I'd love to hear from you! Take care and I'll try to check in more often than just once a year.

Weezie walking on the boardwalk at Banks Lake Nat'l. Wildlife Refuge

Weezie at Banks Lake National Wildlife Refuge

Teddy Bear at Banks Lake National Wildlife Refuge

Teddy (left) and Weezie at Roquemore Memorial Park

Teddy (left) and Weezie at Banks Lake

Weezie at Banks Lake (she lost one of her eyes to a severe ulcer last year in February, the same day my father died)

Teddy enjoying the view at Banks Lake

Honeybee on Waterlily at Banks Lake

Swamp Cypress and Waterlilies in Banks Lake

Swamp Cypress (or Bald Cypress) growing in Banks Lake  

 Thank you for reading this and I will try to visit you soon. I'm in the process of crocheting for Christmas and fall fundraisers plus will be spending a lot more time outside as soon as it cools down (which won't be for a while yet) and once I get on the computer, it takes me hours before I get back off... so often I don't even turn it on so that I can get things done ;-) I'm sure some of can relate.

Again, it's nice to visit again and I wish you all a wonderful day and a great week ahead!

Blueberries, Frogs and rain shower

On our evening walk around lake Irma, we saw a huge, dark cloud moving in just as we were about half way around. It hovered above the otherwise lovely sunset and I just knew we were going to get wet on the homestretch. Thankfully it was just a few big drops, but it made me hurry and want to get home quickly.

I noticed that the blueberry bushes were producing a good amount of blueberries again. I look forward to them every year. They should be ready by early June. Anyone is allowed to pick these growing at the lake.

The tree frogs serenaded us around the lake and I managed to capture the end of their overture on my video.

That's it till next time...

Dragonflies are my friends

Not only do I love bees, but I have always enjoyed watching the dragonflies. I recently became even more enchanted with them when I learned that they also eat mosquitoes, which makes them my allies. I was at Bank's Lake again today and managed to snap a photo of one that actually flew closer as if to pose for me: While Gizzy and I were walking around, I noticed how pretty the clouds looked (I love big, puffy, cumulus clouds) and decided to take a few pictures of the sky as well: One of these days, I'll get a better zoom lens, but for now, you'll just have to double click on the pictures to make them bigger, but take a look at all the rows of water lilies floating amongst those cypress trees in the water. I just love them! We didn't stay long because it was windy and Gizzy was antsy, but I enjoyed the little outing and I'm thankful for having this lake so close by. Tomorrow, my friend is working at the Outpost again, so I may go and visit with her for a while. Who knows? Maybe I'll spot another alligator. These two fishermen headed in also as we walked to the car to leave:

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.

Bank's Lake National Wildlife Refuge and Pear Blossoms

Greetings from Bank's Lake! (This photo was taken two years ago, when my friend took me for a boat ride and we kept getting stuck on the roots of the Cypress trees) (REMEMBER to double click on the photos to make them large for better viewing.) Today, I would like to share a few photos that I took on the way to Bank's Lake back on February 1st, 2009, because the weather was interesting with the clouds and the sun playing peek-a-boo. I live only about 1 mile away from the National Wildlife Refuge, so we (my dog, Gizzy, and I) visit there often. If you would like to know more about Bank's Lake, just click here: U.S.Fish & Wildlife Service On the way to the lake, I passed my two most favorite pear trees. They are late/winter pears and give an abundance of pears that I like to cook up into a delicious compote. I look forward to these pears, but look, they were blooming already and it was barely February. We were still expecting some frost and freezing temperatures. My concern was that the blossoms won't survive and I would not get pears again this year. They didn't produce last year. I was told these trees skip a season sometimes. But the blossoms sure looked beautiful. I wanted to share some pictures for those of you that still had snow to provide a little glimpse of Spring. Here's Gizzy inside the car, barking and yelping at me as if to say: "hurry up already with the picture taking and take me to the lake..." When we got there, I placed him on an old tree stump and proceeded to take a few very photogenic shots of him posing like Rin-Tin-Tin (for those of you too young to remember, Rin-Tin-Tin was a German Shepard movie hero dog, similar to Lassie that I saw on TV in Germany when I was a kid) Soon, the clouds began to get darker and thicken, so that the sun was almost covered completely, except for a few rays that reflected on the water. Eventually, it got so dark that I feared of getting rained on and we headed on home. Only it never rained that day.

Walking Buddies (with video clip)

This clip is from last year, in July, but since I didn't blog then, here it is now. A few of us always ended up being at the lake (Lake Irma) in the morning at the same time. Some walked regularly, others fished and I just did whatever Gizzy wanted to do because, after all, it's HIS walk. (Lake Irma, March,'09) We decided to have a little celebration whenever it's someone's birthday. This time it was Joe's 70th and I brought my camera along. This little clip was an accidental movie (July, '08) because I had never filmed before and somehow I recorded, when I thought I was just making a group photo. I think it's kind of cute, so here it is ;-)

Ein Spatziergang mit Gizzy

(BITTE MERKEN: dass wenn man auf den Bildern zweimal klickd, dann werden sie gross und sind besser zu sehen.) Ich mache jetzt diesen "Post" damit meine Familie in Deutschland genau sehen kann wie die Landschaft hier aussieht wo ich wohne. Falls (oder wenn) ich etwas falsch buchstabiere, dann bitte ich um Entschuldigung, aber nachdem ich schon lange nicht mehr Deutsch spreche, habe ich leider schon viel vergessen. Deshalb versuche ich so wenig wie moeglich zu schreiben und Euch lieber die Photographien zeigen. Also, jetzt geht's los: Heute war ein besonders schoener Tag und wir sind durch den Wald und dann runter zum Teich gegangen. Da laufen wir auf dem sandigen Weg und der Gizzy zieht nach dem Wald. Weiter und weiter geht's... Dann machen wir rechts um die Ecke und in das kleine Waeldchen hinein. und jetzt sehr vorsichtig, Gizzy...aufpassen...da liegen die vielen, spitzigen Tannenzipfel am Waldboden. Da hinten links steht ein schoenes Haeuschen Langsam wird der kleine Kerl auch muede... und ich setzte ihn auf mein Waegerle und schiebe ihn weiter. Die Voegelchen zwitschern, die Libellen fliegen hin und her und die Sonne scheint schoen zwischen den Baeumen. Gizzy geniesst die Sonne und ist sehr bequem auf seinem Sitz (der eigenlich meiner sein soll). Jetzt kann er wieder ein Wenig weiter laufen, der kleine Hund im grossen Wald. Ah, jetzt sind wir bald wieder an der Strasse wo ich wohne. Da rechts ist das Brombeerfeld und hinten ist die Siedlung wo ich wohne. Jetzt machen wir links wo es der Strasse entlang zum Teich geht, welcher "Lake Irma" heisst. Am schoenen, grossen Haus vorbei wo die reiche Frau wohnt und weiter zum Teich Schoene Azalea Straeucher bluehen jetzt ueberall in weiss, rosa, orange und rot. Und jetzt koennen wir das Wasser in der Sonne glitzern sehen Das schoene, grosse Haus welches dem Teich gegenueber steht. Ich liebe es wenn die Sonne am Wasser wie Diamanten glitzert Ein anderes Haus beim Teich. Die Baeume mit den schoenen, weissen Blueten heissen "Dogwood" (Hundeholz) und die Blueten haben einen sehr schoenen Duft, aber die tragen keine Fruechte. Da links ist eine kleine Insel im Teich mit Schilf (Katzenschwanz.) Die Voegel machen dort gern ihre Nester. Noch ein anderes Haus beim Teich Jetzt geht's links wieder der Strasse hinauf zum Heimweg Schoene, kleine weisse Mini Azaleas Noch ein schoener, bluehender Dogwood Baum Azalea Strauch Schoene Bluemchen welche ein Nachbar in unserer Siedlung gepflanzt hat Und da wohne ich. Meine Wohnung ist an der Ecke mit je einen weissen Baum vorne und hinten. Und da geht es Vorne in meine Wohnung hinein. Und zum Letzten, ein paar schoene Bilder von den bluehenden Baeumen neben meiner Wohnung. Die heissen "Ornamental Pear" und haben nur kleine unessbare Fruechte. Aber die bluehen schoen im Fruehling (mit viele Bienen drin.) Auch im Herbst faerben sich die Blaetter sehr schoen und bunt. Das war unser heutiger Spatziergang. Ich hoffe es hat Euch gefallen. Es hat uns sehr gut gefallen und wir machen's bald wieder.