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?)!

Dogs

I took a moment the other day to consider my dog, Makayla.

It was as I was selling an old dog crate which had been in storage for a couple of years and the person who was buying it brought his puppy along to check it out and give it her seal of approval--which she did. He had had the puppy for three days--and so was still getting used to its habits and was also in the middle of trying to get it trained.  A never-ending process it seems.

I allowed Makayla out to play with the puppy--who was very accepting of the bigger dog. And of course, Makayla was fantastic with the puppy and made her feel welcomed and safe.

Makayla: Duck Hunter!

As I was chatting with the puppy's owner, I mentioned a few of the dogs that I have had as friends in the past, specifically Meghan and Nufi; and how they were great, well trained companions, as is Makayla.

I love looking into Makayla's eyes--which I do nearly every day, and seeing the calm acceptance looking back at me from her furry face. I was also reminded of her as a puppy, and now a dog and how she in three short years has developed into such a faithful companion.

Where would we be without dogs to fill our lives with unconditional love and acceptance?

Lightning Bugs

It was kind of magical last evening as Chris and I sat outside talking about the day and our plans for the future and the summer ahead.  On the calendar it is still officially Springtime, but given the temperatures of last week, and the length of the days we are experiencing right now--we know it is really more Summertime.  And one little harbinger confirming the beginning of the Summer season was out to greet us last evening--a firefly or, if you prefer a lightning bug.

We had one lone firefly dancing in the cool evening air for our entertainment and enjoyment last evening. Being the first one of the season, it was especially significant as we both reminisced about summers past and chasing and capturing fireflies as children and putting them into jars so that we could enjoy their eerie light on demand--but releasing them, unlike so many other bugs which were summarily executed, back into the night so that their lights  would continue to fascinate and entertain us.

The evening was cool--almost crisp , and the air had been cleansed of the oppressive humidity of last week. Some mosquitoes were also annoying us, as mosquitoes are born to do--but we engaged in a bit of chemical warfare to thwart their attacks.

But that firefly most certainly caught our attention. I remembered summer evenings past when the canopy of tulip poplars above us would twinkle by the light of fireflies, as if filled by thousands of stars, and smiled knowing we are still on the upside of summer--the season I dream of every day from October until April.

It is funny how one, lone firefly can help us to recall the good times of our past and help us to look forward to so many more--thinking of the grandsons chasing them in the yard on still to come summer evenings brings a smile to my heart.

Monday Musings - June 13, 2011

1. Weiner shouldn't have.

2. Storms remind us of the power of nature.

3. Note to friends: next time we hear the rumble of thunder, let's get out of the pool!

4. A bottle of wine, some cheese and crackers, and planked salmon--what could be a better evening?

5. Something that makes me appreciate the pace of life around the house on a day-to-day basis is watching two grandsons overnight! While they are a joy, they sure do turn up the energy level in the house.

6. I confess that I am not an NBA basketball fan anymore, but I was cheering for anybody other than the Miami Heat to win the championship--and it happened. Congrats to the Dallas Mavericks for putting the beasts of the NBA back in the box.

7. I watched a movie the other day and they postulated that riding the roller coaster of life and marriage is far more desirable than riding the merry-go-round.

8. A funny thing happened with the pool yesterday--I decided to add some heat so we could enjoy it better, but by the time the temperature got to the right place in the pool, storms came through and made it too cold to swim anyway.  Thankfully, we did spend a couple hours in the pool, even in its cool state earlier in the day. These 60-some degree nights are taking a toll on the temperature of the water.

9. I am in shock thinking about the upcoming summer vacation. We leave in less than four weeks. It is funny--over a year in planning is coming to reality and I'm still going to be in the panic mode when it actually gets here.

10. It is supposed to be cooler this week--I miss the 90's already!