Early Morning Around the Pool

I was outside early Wednesday morning--working around the pool just after 5AM getting it ready for the afternoon End of the School; Year Party--depending of course on the thunderstorms which while forecast never materialized. And the party was a smashing success. Although I was late getting there because Ethan broke his arm and needed some Pop-pop help.

After the Party

The light was just beginning to grace the eastern sky as I was out there working and I could see bats chasing their meals above me in the twilight sky.

The automatic pool cleaner needed to come out of the pool as I had let it run overnight to get everything as ready as possible for the day ahead. Work, party, and sleep. What a combination.

I remember the morning--it was humid, with some rain falling during the night and the temperature staying in the 70's. The smells hanging in the air were familiar summer smells of mown grass and decaying plant matter. I considered, for a moment, jumping into the pool for an early morning swim--but for some reason thought better of it and decided to stay dry. I think the thought of going inside to the air conditioned house and being cold was the primary reason, and I didn't have enough time to stay outside and dry off.

Chris did a day trip to NYC with Jodie and Troy yesterday. I am glad that she is not only able to hit the road now that school is over, but that her attendance with them is wanted. There are some big decisions that are going to need to be made--and she has a way of helping to cut through the noise and get to the root of the issue at hand.

It was too bad the O's had a day off last night because it would have been a good evening to sojurn to the ballpark for a game--but there is always next week. I am going to a game tonight AND they are in town next week while Chris is planned to be away again.

Maybe I should jump into the pool next time I'm out there early in the morning. Why? Just because.

Last Northern Goshawk Killed

I read an article yesterday in the Baltimore Sun which really made me sad and outraged.

It was about a bird--but it shows that people are still really ignorant about some things--and among those things are wildlife, ecology, being green , and preserving life.

The article was about the last northern goshawk in the state of Maryland being killed. Actually, the headline was incorrect--because actually the last four were killed if you count the three dead chicks in the nest.

Why would someone shoot a bird--just because?

I guess because people shoot people, just because.

And it makes me sad that we, as a species, are so short-sighted and ignorant.

I love birds--and especially raptors. They bring a lot of joy to my heart as I watch them do something magnificent that I cannot do--and that is fly.  God blessed them with flight.

The loss of this bird and her chicks is something that will likely become a mere footnote in the history books of extinct species some day. I remember reading about passenger pigeons and how they darkened the skies, until they were hunted to extinction.

And now, I 've had to read about the last northern goshawk.

We must change or we will follow in their now silent footsteps.

Ethan starts summer with a break

The Cast is Put On

One of the three princes has started out summer vacation much like his mother did many years ago, by breaking his arm. Ethan is a trooper though and kept a good sense of humor through it all.

I was even there to provide moral support.

So much for summer.

Travel, Hotels, and Water

Of course, they really do go together.  In a perfect world, I would be traveling to a hotel on the water in some tropical place.

Oh--I am going to be doing that in less than three weeks.

Flowers at Monticello

But really, last weekend's trip to Charlottesville was exciting because I had the opportunity to play with the camera again and attempt to take some interesting images--and not just of buildings. I tried to get one of a bee on a flower--I wanted to get it just with the bee either landing or taking off. Lesson learned: those guys are faster than my finger is on the shutter!

Who knew bees were that quick--OK, I did as I have been stung a lot when I thought I could brush them off.

'Tis but a flesh wound!

So the travel season is upon us and I am planning to travel a bit, although, it dawned upon me yesterday that my wife is traveling more and enjoying it more than I am. Between bus trips to New York City and flying to Ithaca, I can hardly keep up with her.

And as for water--I love vacations with water involved. I know that next year I am going to have to bite the bullet and go to the big ditch (Grand Canyon) but hey, who knows maybe we can do some rafting on the Colorado River.

YeeHaa!!

Summer Begins

It is much like a movie--and so it begins. At 1:13pm EDT officially summer begins.

Yay.

As most of you know I have been waiting for this day since September of last year.

The pool is open. The lawns are mowed. The heat is slowly being turned up outside and the trees and grass are green.

I am already enjoying the summer, even though it has barely begun. But last evening as I was cleaning the pool, I enjoyed the idea that the clear water possessed the capability to provide so much enjoyment and fun. And yes, I did take a quick dip even though the temperatures were only in the 70's.

But July and August are ahead.

And so is the heat and the ever oppressive dog days.

The next up holiday is the 4th of July.

And then, shortly after that it is off to to St Lucia and a much needed vacation.

The fireflies were out again last evening, too. Truly summertime is with us despite the slowness of the calendar.

Th first pool party of the summer is tomorrow. Bring it on.

And it all begins early this afternoon.

Monday Musings - June 20, 2011

1. I am amazed how much history is within such a short drive of our home. Battlefields, decisive happenings, and the homes of four of the first five Presidents: Washington, Jefferson, Madison, and Monroe. We really owe a lot to the Virginians.

2. Wine brings people together for conversation, laughter, and fun.

3. Chris was a trooper this weekend, she rode in the backseat all weekend as we traveled around.

4. Be wary of the GPS, they are not as smart as they would have you believe.

5. Rain is a game changer. Embrace it.

6. Organizational picnics, softball, and dunk tanks go together, so don't be surprised when you, too get wet.

7. Makayla loves to go for rides in the car. One word, road-trip and she is all about getting into the car for a ride. I don't know why she gets so excited, but it may have something to do with not being left behind. I don't like being lef behind, either.

8. I suffered through a pop quiz this weekend at Monticello and only got partial credit for my answer to the question: How tall was Thomas Jefferson? I said six foot two inches. The correct answer was six foot two and a half inches.

9. This is now my second blog entry from my new iPad. I'm still getting used to it, but it works not all that bad, although pictures are a problem that I still need to address.

10. Thank you to my family for a wonderful Father's Day. I'm sorry that many of you couldn't spend time with me, but knowing that you wanted to really warmed my heart. Thanks for calling and making me feel loved and for loving me enough to allow me to go off on a wine/history weekend and miss spending some all-too-short time with you.

11. And so another week begins as the year slides into half gone and the sun climbs to it's most northerly position in the sky tomorrow. Summer is upon us and it is all downhill from here.

Out the hotel window -Charlottesville

It was a great day yesterday. We decided to take a weekend away and used some travel points I had to get a hotel and zipped, more like slogged our way in heavy traffic, to Charlottesville, VA for an infusion of history and some wine.

Out my hotel window is pretty boring a sight, but at least we do not face another building directly.  And the sky is visible. I can see the humidity hanging in the air this morning and I know it is going to be a very humid day.

Yesterday we enjoyed Monticello again. I continue to be fascinated by Jefferson and I learn something more every time I visit. The last time I was here, it seemed they focused upon Jefferson the intellectual. This time, they were very apologetic for Jefferson the slave owner.

We did manage three wineries yesterday and bought a few bottles to share.

Today, more wine and some time with James and Dolley Madison.

Happy Fathers Day to all the fathers out there!

Winnebago or Bust

There was a time, not too many years ago, when my dream of retirement was wrapped up in a huge motor home towing my car behind me on the open road headed to wherever my heart desired.

I would see those big RVs on the highway and begin salivating in my mind about how to acquire one to experience the freedom they represented.

Ah, the thought of the open road--by the way, have you seen an open road lately? Mine are all jammed with traffic and patrolled by police looking to supplement the state coffers by writing as many nuisance tickets as they possibly can. The other day, I saw three of them patrolling a five-mile stretch of Route 100. Ugh!

Now though, the dream is gone. I do not see these behemoths of the highway as being any fun at all. Slow, gas guzzling, hard to park, huge to drive RVs that lumber along and surely cannot be any fun at all in city driving areas.

It all just doesn't seem to be any fun to me now.

Big vehicles, lumbering along and congested highways.

Maybe a couple decades ago--but now, I'd rather fly, get to my destination and enjoy time not on the road.

I guess I've lost the dream. Maybe I just realize that the roads are not getting any less congested.

And then, I haven't listened to Willie Nelson sing "On the Road Again" in a really long while.

Green Evening

Sitting on the deck last evening, watching the rain fall straight down from the sky to water the plants and the lawn, I realized that one of the things that I love about summer is the green.  The leaves on the trees make a rolling, enveloping canopy of green that envelopes my mind and helps me to relax after a particularly hectic day.

Of course the glass of wine in my hand assisted in that effort as well.

I would not be well suited to live in a desert environment--of that I am sure--I prefer green leaves to ubiquitous sand. 

In addition to being a comforting sight in the trees, the green backdrop also serves to highlight the colors of the flowers around the yard, like the hibiscus that Chris imaged the other day. We winter these plants in the house to enjoy their blooms year after year--during the winter season parts of the house look like a greenhouse--but as soon as the weather warms--outside they go to begin recovering from the less than ideal growing conditions we subject them to from November to about April. But they survive, and this plant is over 10 years old--having made it through a number of those dark seasons in the house.

This year, we have a few additional treats around the yard as well. At least two families of wrens have decided that we have a pleasurable environment and the young birds are now heading out on their own--although still staying pretty close to their parents. They are fun to watch as they fly single file from one tree to another and then squawk at the cats who are contained within the fence in the yard. For such small birds they sure can squawk and sing loudly.

But looking at the leaves and the different shades of green and blue-green that they add to the canvass of the world is also enjoyable. I remember the bare limbs of the winter ready trees, and now these green, leaf laden trees are a beautiful sight to enjoy. I want to keep it etched into my mind--long into the dark days of winter.

Tell the Truth (really?)

I had an interesting discussion the other night about being truthful.

The conversation started over a career opportunity that was being considered and once we pealed away the layers we got down to the basic question of:

Why don't we tell the truth when asked important questions?

Why, I began wondering in my mind and we pursued the discussion--apparently because we don't want to hurt the other person's feelings (OK--that is a good point). So maybe there is an upside?  probably not.

When we are not honest in providing a response to a question, and the other person subsequently makes a decision based upon that answer--it is important to realize that we cannot and must not harbor ill will. One person makes a decision in good faith based upon the input from another--and somehow usually the decision-maker becomes the problem.  How unfair is that when the problem is the person providing the defective answer.

It happens with a lot of things--purchases of big things like houses and cars, and washers and dryers. It also happens when dealing with vacation spots and finances.  It is amazing how we play the martyr and not tell the truth and then expect compensation. Have you ever heard someone say: "I hope you are enjoying your vacation, because I didn't want to come here at all!"

That's wrong.

OK--note to self--there are a couple of things we probably shouldn't respond truthfully to if the results are bad and these are usually those leading questions from women about age, weight, and looks!  So guys, keep that in mind--I'm reminded of the Geico commercial about Honest Abe trying to answer his wife in a leading question he was asked.

Despite these few exceptions though,we need to be truthful with each other--say what we mean and mean what we say.

And, tell the truth--really (mostly?)!