A Visit to Lincoln Log Cabin

The annual Bluegrass Festival was last weekend at Lincoln Log Cabin Historical Park. I enjoy listening to the old tunes I remember from back in the day.  Neighbor and what I refer to as my non-related "other brother" plays in one group. He's wearing the cap. We used to go over to his house on Saturday nights and listen to good music. His mom and dad were very talented musicians, too.

After the music, we took a walk. We go there all the time, but I always try to find something different to take pictures of. I have taken pictures of this old barn before, but this time there was a tree growing in front of it. Unless the park gets some additional funding, this building will soon be beyond repair.

Below is inside the cook house at the Sargent Farm. 

 The nursery.

 The kitchen....

 ...and weird rock critters hiding in the garden.

Crops, Dust, and a Really Fast Plane

I love watching airplanes of any kind. Last year Hubby and I went to an air show, a first for me. I loved every minute of it. Probably because my brother and I used to play airplane all the time. He was always the pilot, of course, and I the co-pilot. We drew all kinds of instruments on our blackboard and would sit in front of it for hours flying all over the world.

So, when Hubby and I spotted a crop duster as we were driving down the road, we pulled over so I could take some pictures.  

Oops! Missed it!

 

Crud! Tail!

A blur!

 Almost...

 More blurr!

 

Not quite as blurry as the others...this is the best I could do.  Man was he fast!

Friday Fences

On the outskirts of a tiny town called Jewett, I found this really high fence. It would have to be to keep the deer from jumping over.  I prefer to see them running free across the fields...but not in front of my car.

HAPPY FRIDAY!!!
Linking to Friday Fences

Friday Fences and a Tree

I've decided I'm not having a very good year. I've always heard bad things come in threes, well my three is up so hoping for a better 'rest of the year'. The dryer kicked off, as did my computers-plural, and now it's the dishwasher. I'm re-learning how to hand wash dishes. My brilliant, philosophical Hubby told me, "It's just like riding a bike." Okay, so he was right. I didn't forget.  I do remember how much I hated washing the utensils and I cringe every time I stick the dishcloth down inside a glass. I almost cut off my thumb back in the 70s when a glass broke with my hand twirling around inside.  Not good. To be honest, I'm kind of enjoying dish washing. It gives me some quiet time. Especially since hubby runs like a scared rabbit the minute I get out a dishwashing liquid. And there is the water saving factor. All good intentions aside, I'll be appliance shopping this weekend.

I found this fence on my drive through the country a couple of weeks ago. 

 

I enjoy seeing the amazing trees Texwisgirl over at The Run Around Ranch finds, so I'm always on the lookout for an interesting tree—of the dead variety. I found this one along the road just before I got to the fence above.



HAPPY FRIDAY!!!
Linking to Friday Fences

Friday Fences

Today's fence has historical significance. The first courthouse in Cumberland County, in which Abraham Lincoln once lost a case and then pardoned the man after he became Governor, burned on 11/5/1885.  It is widely believed to have been arson. The courthouse was rebuilt and is still conducting business to this day.  It sits in the center of town square.

There is a photo of the old building hanging in the entry hall of the current courthouse, which shows a fence encompassing the courthouse lawn.  It isn't there anymore, guess I assumed it was taken down during re-building. But what happened to that fence? I recently found out it was moved to the cemetery.  It separates the property line to the south. 

Last weekend I took some pictures of that really old fence.

Linking to Friday Fences
Happy Friday!

Barn Charm

I took a drive Sunday, looking for barns and fences. I didn't find many barns, but did find this one in Walla Walla, which is an unincorporated community.  Having heard of Walla Walla all my life, I was expecting a town. Basically it is an intersection with a few houses.

Linking to Barn Charm

No Meme Just Me Me

I clicked on my meme list tab and tried to find a meme to post for today.  Some are no more—guess that's what I get for going missing for so long—so decided to post some random pictures from my day today.

Hubs came out of retirement to work at Home Depot part-time which means he works most weekends. He worked today.  After pacing around the house wondering what I could do to keep my mind off missing Willie, I turned to a sewing project that should have been finished weeks ago. For those who may not know Willie, he was my 14 year old lab mix. He crossed the Rainbow Bridge 12 days ago.

A work-mate is having twins and today is the day she goes to the hospital, so dragged out the unfinished baby quilts and finished them.  One is pink and the other is purple with some bright colors tossed in for good measure. Personally, I like the one without the extra colors better. Wish I had the energy to tear out and re-do, but no way!  I finally finished both and dropped them off on her front porch. Project finished.

 Then I went about trying to get a decent shot for July's camera club assignment. The picture must have a book in it somewhere.  I came up with the following three shots. Not happy with any of them. Which do you think is the lesser of 3 evils?

Then I took a drive. This is Cameo Winery in a nearby town. The wine bottle in the camera club offering is from this winery.

 Hubs is back home now, so maybe he has something exciting we can do. I'm off...Happy Sunday!

Friday Fences

This was taken last year when spring was only a promise.

Hope everyone had a nice 4th.
Linking to FRIDAY FENCES

Watery Wednesday

After yet another rain!

Linking to Watery Wednesday

Barn Charm

A happy barn for Monday.  This is my father-in-laws old barn that I've taken tons of pictures of, but on this particular evening the colors were vibrant.

Linking with Barn Charm

Freedom Day

Our town celebrates July 4th by having our fireworks on the Saturday before the actual holiday.  Advertised as Freedom Day.  There are games and music on the town square during the day and fireworks at night.

Last night was the night.  Daughter and 2 of her sons came to watch from our excellent vantage point—the backyard.  We worried all day they would be cancelled due to rain, but then miraculously the clouds went away around 6:00 p.m.  The kids were elated.  Unfortunately, it was a little early for elation.  The clouds moved back in about 8:30.  We stayed inside the house until it was dark. When we did go outside, rain drops greeted us at the back door.  Since the rain was more of a rain drop here and there, we decided to brave it and took our seats for the show.  Before it was time for the fireworks to begin, it was raining enough to get us wet, so we went back inside thinking they were surely called off.  About 5 minutes later we heard the first boom.  The kids were off like a shot.  Their mom and I followed more slowly—with my umbrella.  We put the boys on our laps and scooted the chairs together so we could all stay dry.  That's the first time I've ever watched fireworks from beneath an umbrella. 

Since I didn't want to ruin my camera, it stayed inside.  This is a shot from last year.

Hope everyone had a wonderful 4th of July holiday!

Deptford Pink

This area has had lots of rain so far this growing season.  It's been too wet to do anything in the garden.  After 2 days of sunshine and wind, yesterday we went down to see if the weeds had taken over.  We had zucchini ready, which will be a nice addition to the salad I planned to make for dinner tonight.  Daughter and 2 of the grands are coming later today. Tonight is our fireworks display.  We always have it on the Saturday before the 4th. 

After Hubby took the chicken wire off the tomato cages, he pulled out his 22 handgun for some target practice with Bro O.  I wandered off with my camera.  I couldn't find any cool flowers, but did find this tiny bloom.

Deptford Pink.  The name refers to Deptford, England, which is now a part of London.

Happy Saturday!

Friday Fence and a Squirrel

While enjoying a cool libation at my daughter's, we were entertained by this silly squirrel. The closer I tried to get, the farther he went. Friday Fences

Run Free Willie

I haven't been blogging of late, as some may have noticed. My PC and good laptop both crashed and it wasn't easy working with a tablet or our old, slow as molasses laptop. I planned to get back to blogging now that I have a new computer, but then I had a set back.

 

My daughter and son-in-law rescued Willie from the Dallas SPCA and gave him to me for Christmas. I will never forget that happy little guy wiggling and wagging his tail when I petted him. I always wanted a lap dog, but since his feet were larger than his head, I suspected the lap dog wasn't going to happen. Too late, I was in love.

 

Sadly, the next day he got sick. A trip to the emergency vet gave us the dreaded diagnosis of parvovirus. The vet recommended he be euthanized. We decided to try to save him. He was put on IV meds overnight. I took him to my vet the next day and I could tell he didn't think Willie would live. I spoon fed him chicken broth, rice, and bits of boiled chicken. Low and behold, he began to improve and after a few days it was clear he had survived.

 

Willie was my constant companion for 14 years. He suffered from hip dysplasia. The last few weeks his front legs started giving out on him. He would fall and whimper. Last weekend it became clear I had to do the right thing.  I made the hardest decision of my life and let him go. I miss him.  Run Free my faithful friend. I miss you!

 



 

Barn Charm

It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood! Can spring really be here this time?  It's 75 degrees and the sun is shining. I went for a long walk and then a drive through the country, where I found this dilapidated old barn. Things are starting to turn green, as you can see through the door.

Hubs had to work today. It's a busy time at Home Depot. I wish he could have a weekend off occastionally, but part-timers don't seem to have much choice. He gets Monday and Tuesday off so he will have time to plant 2 peach trees and a weeping cherry he bought for me.

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend.

Linking with Barn Charm.

Sunrise Over the Bins

Anyone else watching the Jodi Arias trial? I'm trying not to, but when flipping through channels I find myself pausing and watching for a few minutes. I can't imagine her being found not guilty, but then who knows.... One of the jurors was fired today. Reports say she was crying as she left.  After 40 days, I would have been dancing a jig.

I'm pretty sure I have already posted this sunrise pic, taken last October.  I like it so I'm thinking even if I have, it's worth a repeat.  Hey, I'm getting old, plus I'm scraping the bottom of the barrel. lol

Tomorrow is Wednesday, yay! Happy Wednesday!

Poor Raccoon and a Buzzard

Look, I've posted 2 days in a row! WOW! Of course it won't be long until I run out of something to post about unless I'm able to get out and take some more pics. Today's post could be a bit disturbing for some, so if you are squeamish, pass me by today.

Poor raccoon passed on in the middle of an empty field. Big bad buzzard found him, but I scared him away when I shoved my camera out the car window.

Most of the birds I find are either sparrows or buzzards. Yesterday's owl was a fluke, but I do keep trying.
Hope you had a wonderful Monday!

Barred Owl

Finally, a day outside in the fresh air...sort of. It is supposed to be spring, but this weekend is the first it has really felt like it. It was too nice to stay inside, but Hubs has been recovering from the flu I gave him. Poor guy, and he had the flu shot. Anyway, he didn't feel like a hike in the woods so we took a drive down to where Hubs lived before we got married. On the way we took a detour through Sam Parr State Park. I thought it would be a little too early to find any interesting birds, but to our surprise we saw a male and female Wood Duck on a murky little creek. Sadly, they flew before the shutter opened. That's the first time I've seen a Wood Duck outside of the zoo.

On our way back to the highway, I saw this guy hanging out in a tiny tree beside the road. I think he was sleep flying.  This is the only shot I got before he woke up and took off for a tree farther from the road.

 He found a good place to hide in plain sight.

Hope everyone had a wonderful Easter.

Snow, Cold, An Exhibit, and Oscar

I'm not starting this post with excuses as to why I haven't been posting. ;)

It's way too cold to do anything outside, even thought the sun is shining. If Willie could, he would skip the outside thing. He hurries out and hurries back to his warm bed. At least the snow is melting. Below is a shot of the Rez taken a couple of weeks ago...

 ...and this is a shot of the courthouse/lawn taken Friday morning. This round of snow was a little deeper than the last, but still nothing like we used to get 'back in the day'. No! I'm starting to sound like those old folks I used to listen to when I was a mere babe.

It's that time of year again, Lake Land College Photo Exhibition. Last year I got an honorable mention. This year when I dropped my pics off, I almost turned around and walked out. Why? I saw examples from my competition. There are some really impressive photographers out there. I'm hoping they were all in the professional category and not amateur like me. These are my entries.  The old house you have seen more times than I can count...

 ...and this jug. I really like it, but it didn't get any votes at camera club. I'm just hoping the judge has my taste. I won't know until March 7th at the reception. I would love to have a winner, but I would be thrilled with honorable mention again.

I'm going to be watching The Academy Awards tonight, along with the majority of the country. It isn't as much fun as it was when the kids were still home. We had an Oscar party. We didn't dress up in fancy dancy  garb, but we did have snacks and we each picked our favorites for the major awards. It was a competition. Of course, we lived in Dallas where there were movie theaters within easy driving distance.  Now It is a 60 mile round trip, so we rarely see movies until cable. The only nominated movie I've seen is Argo, so I'll pick it to win. Is or did anyone watch the awards? What was your favorite movie?

I didn't begin with excuses, but I'll end with them. LOL! I've been working my full time job, reading some good books, and editing a few stories I'm getting ready for submission.  By the time I spend the day and evening on the computer, all I want to do is shut it off, not post. Plus I haven't been able to get out with my camera, so not many pictures to post. So I guess my real excuse is: Not in the mood.

Happy Sunday!

Finally, a Hawk, I Think

I see quite a few hawks while driving down the Interstate, but rarely when I might be able to get a halfway decent shot.  Friday afternoon was Hubby's follow-up Doctor's appointment and in case you were wondering, he is doing well, almost ready to go back to work. I'm getting sidetracked. What does the doctor's appointment have to do with hawks, well we saw 5 along the interstate. However, there was one on the road leading up to the interstate. He was sitting on an electric wire. Happily, I didn't have to yell, "STOP!"  Hehe, I was driving. Guess what I did?  Yep, locked up the brakes. Hubby who was about to nod off, loudly and not happily, wanted to know what was going on. He quit asking when he saw me grabbing the camera. It isn't the great shot I was shooting for, but you can tell it's a hawk of sorts, I think.  My confusion lies in the lack of tail feathers to shake.  Any ideas out there? Hubby thinks it might be a Goshawk.

This Old House

We woke up to snow this morning. Willie paused at the door, working up his nerve to battle the frigid temps. He hurried out and back in, nearly knocking me down on his way back to his bed before the warm spot got cold. I had to go out to the store since the dog food bucket was empty. While out, I decided to try to get a snow shot.  I've taken pictures of this old abandoned house before, but not in the snow.

 The mailbox is across the street from our house.

Hope you are having better weather than here. Happy Saturday!

It's Me Again

Okay, so I'm hating WordPress so I decided to give Blogger another chance—and guess what? It worked!

So, here is a weird sky photo I just happened to have on this computer.  

Since this worked, I'm going to be shutting down WordPress!  Sorry about the jumping around!