tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24695091763160259612024-03-18T11:56:45.675-04:00Life in a Small TownMaryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533317405680450964noreply@blogger.comBlogger1341125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2469509176316025961.post-2825029898772424862024-03-18T03:30:00.005-04:002024-03-18T03:30:00.139-04:00Great West Trip 2023: Part 4<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>This is a cross-post from <a href="https://www.coopersflyingthecoop.com/" target="_blank">Flyin' the Coop</a></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp372jyw4ActNvAbXUeF8NNmPneI2gQN1g79KBvQ2ET5PagzwqXRWBz8ZOh7LTNNLDso0WZrLhkIhWEL5hi5bqq2QXHk9FSPWTy5CIHASvLC1XtKioYfNEDsU699MvFVthw8JHXH50DllawJFtPmRDRVkl9KOu0Ca4vsgQsT8qwWvDJMBW50woXZWkddY/s1280/West%20Trip%202023.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp372jyw4ActNvAbXUeF8NNmPneI2gQN1g79KBvQ2ET5PagzwqXRWBz8ZOh7LTNNLDso0WZrLhkIhWEL5hi5bqq2QXHk9FSPWTy5CIHASvLC1XtKioYfNEDsU699MvFVthw8JHXH50DllawJFtPmRDRVkl9KOu0Ca4vsgQsT8qwWvDJMBW50woXZWkddY/w320-h180/West%20Trip%202023.png" width="320" /></a><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></div><div>We entered Yellowstone National Park through the East Entrance and began driving through what I would call the mountain area. I had no idea that each part of the park would look so different. Our first stop was at an overlook. We had to stop because the views were spectacular. The pictures don't do it justice.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiceQr1vXx_lF-7UekTSxnIaC3ow0GUowvMLeEPU0lfeVIZooOqd0O8D6BGFCec9SL2mnAxQa21MkId7PLs9RIbpG7-SQmF8xuviVMhrPzvOAWq1CfzrWJeHkSOvpGu8a6ckxPAoxof__cmUTgFHNkKO0T4gsoFM05yqor7keFkIbCzlzFEn_qGqt6QVGg/s4032/0714230839c.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><i><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiceQr1vXx_lF-7UekTSxnIaC3ow0GUowvMLeEPU0lfeVIZooOqd0O8D6BGFCec9SL2mnAxQa21MkId7PLs9RIbpG7-SQmF8xuviVMhrPzvOAWq1CfzrWJeHkSOvpGu8a6ckxPAoxof__cmUTgFHNkKO0T4gsoFM05yqor7keFkIbCzlzFEn_qGqt6QVGg/s320/0714230839c.jpg" width="240" /></i></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The obligatory picture at the entrance</i>.</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpbe56bpXV6zI4y6N6l4jRs2Rsrdqfxu-Tto44hwdhGUzz-AUPSFBN2e9KQRiABlGJTO1XEi6L2HRsmQH34ULR9Ao_mSlHE2LWbmOCCgXKPpeB-y9Ili-QR_xQjLOr4WHu1Y0vrcw8t2UFUF2XmN1alNUiO6kKK1hS7bMgeI1rtwC6sW9daZ8PKkDAz-8/s5184/IMG_7938.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpbe56bpXV6zI4y6N6l4jRs2Rsrdqfxu-Tto44hwdhGUzz-AUPSFBN2e9KQRiABlGJTO1XEi6L2HRsmQH34ULR9Ao_mSlHE2LWbmOCCgXKPpeB-y9Ili-QR_xQjLOr4WHu1Y0vrcw8t2UFUF2XmN1alNUiO6kKK1hS7bMgeI1rtwC6sW9daZ8PKkDAz-8/s320/IMG_7938.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHUDruUaDSCnuw0EwtxAHbAVZFmMyHyLxZJY9Bods9lCyTuuSFAz4cVyRGoXpK334dY1wSRTZRFrQlPQhCNLC6LCvbZkucTyGaSWptrgnyOY4rfN6v-g7ZVCa6Roxr0Y8oGCIrD_lxks-BNqm-xvS85zZkVzcGh7XIJi7hniIgw6pV_MsZLpp-B2mbGl4/s5184/IMG_7945%202.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHUDruUaDSCnuw0EwtxAHbAVZFmMyHyLxZJY9Bods9lCyTuuSFAz4cVyRGoXpK334dY1wSRTZRFrQlPQhCNLC6LCvbZkucTyGaSWptrgnyOY4rfN6v-g7ZVCa6Roxr0Y8oGCIrD_lxks-BNqm-xvS85zZkVzcGh7XIJi7hniIgw6pV_MsZLpp-B2mbGl4/s320/IMG_7945%202.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMwRNaqFd7lab_g7Z4G2-IJzcvFe1ehEL3EmdgYAaPlqQ5MaKzDE2BrLz2JTrhqLGThsc9iKaNqY9KVJe6GEMRjvEdjFnS0vGTLnX_lgZxY-FK_Wh-Y-0ZtMy7RdGIBKPPv4qjAS_vhgdPAziTfkjZF-Izoxyaq86uH_qPRZQujg1-9eAUMoSSx5qH6J4/s3456/IMG_7947-2.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMwRNaqFd7lab_g7Z4G2-IJzcvFe1ehEL3EmdgYAaPlqQ5MaKzDE2BrLz2JTrhqLGThsc9iKaNqY9KVJe6GEMRjvEdjFnS0vGTLnX_lgZxY-FK_Wh-Y-0ZtMy7RdGIBKPPv4qjAS_vhgdPAziTfkjZF-Izoxyaq86uH_qPRZQujg1-9eAUMoSSx5qH6J4/s320/IMG_7947-2.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>As we made our way through the park, we started to see random buffalo in the fields. There weren't big packs of them in this section but it was a thrill to finally see some.<p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhima4dOs4Pp55tfeBEIqX3YcMw_6r0fO_MXINMCB4G9cM1566rL-d4FbKKYGN2zGEqVUW7ygK9Hpq3MKoiWSagne6LS7TTG5lL7PZo-vCViYKrBz2MU1vv0gL-HBuHJpQgin0hwNX1b45Ly6tawtlDj1DvSsjoB0pJGiZO6Wwg2Tmg69m6eZKpLie4OwM/s5184/IMG_7954.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhima4dOs4Pp55tfeBEIqX3YcMw_6r0fO_MXINMCB4G9cM1566rL-d4FbKKYGN2zGEqVUW7ygK9Hpq3MKoiWSagne6LS7TTG5lL7PZo-vCViYKrBz2MU1vv0gL-HBuHJpQgin0hwNX1b45Ly6tawtlDj1DvSsjoB0pJGiZO6Wwg2Tmg69m6eZKpLie4OwM/s320/IMG_7954.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>We saw our first geyser/ hot spring of the day</i></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNg6Tk23_10KBv_BNBVNtY5fLC6UZzuAC2d_Dt8bT-E3tJ6VXrzUNj2aBW1XrpVA1RK0tEW0fVEMWOu2Dj25WiNYaBZd7TSnEXfN57h7FoZoj23cE_PHrtsXS954a99jmQ3uDnnwAyB3cWuR5g6xIe9euHpNsDJiLmgBlAeQrSY4bnAhjuLrGjOqwVrls/s5184/IMG_7955.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNg6Tk23_10KBv_BNBVNtY5fLC6UZzuAC2d_Dt8bT-E3tJ6VXrzUNj2aBW1XrpVA1RK0tEW0fVEMWOu2Dj25WiNYaBZd7TSnEXfN57h7FoZoj23cE_PHrtsXS954a99jmQ3uDnnwAyB3cWuR5g6xIe9euHpNsDJiLmgBlAeQrSY4bnAhjuLrGjOqwVrls/s320/IMG_7955.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>First buffalo sighting!</i></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3BGEi-ry5UY5bkc6w4u6IhwPCtf4FaAGnV8nKmilqJwifMiWoH5b_rnW4cSDC9An1ZaaPk8r3Bhivfnh1dxXDBXPU_-scnxUHx266iR6bV6EfooJqMUnZ7JfiPCUfd4gZpBBs2bvXmzE4AM3jqxmtKHzJLoK8A95o-iDi5GBvAPUojZ-7SYoWIuSehjA/s5184/IMG_7966.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3BGEi-ry5UY5bkc6w4u6IhwPCtf4FaAGnV8nKmilqJwifMiWoH5b_rnW4cSDC9An1ZaaPk8r3Bhivfnh1dxXDBXPU_-scnxUHx266iR6bV6EfooJqMUnZ7JfiPCUfd4gZpBBs2bvXmzE4AM3jqxmtKHzJLoK8A95o-iDi5GBvAPUojZ-7SYoWIuSehjA/s320/IMG_7966.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>We noticed this rather large crow sitting on the roof of the bathroom. It was pretty loud and Robert was able to get rather close to it.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>We stopped at Calcite Springs and I walked the path to the overlook. The water was a stunning color.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju7gsYJ_2LNqLAaCghJNgQLZ_y9B5NPFfONdtfLJ222gDw7aoIWLzD-c3QTYPrc8Qg5z2wJ9LW0mD7aWrRQAojn2ccr5I_pYBBrsS2EuH3-MdKQCtJUfkxz15LEOsES24MNcFXshFvkLmaYW7hjzzUgsK3RAa3FgXSEtPbG8l6wH6UsxE1FAHww-EnMjk/s5184/IMG_7976.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju7gsYJ_2LNqLAaCghJNgQLZ_y9B5NPFfONdtfLJ222gDw7aoIWLzD-c3QTYPrc8Qg5z2wJ9LW0mD7aWrRQAojn2ccr5I_pYBBrsS2EuH3-MdKQCtJUfkxz15LEOsES24MNcFXshFvkLmaYW7hjzzUgsK3RAa3FgXSEtPbG8l6wH6UsxE1FAHww-EnMjk/s320/IMG_7976.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The steam coming from the side of the river was pretty cool.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4NVrEjJa2fiysBP-qn3xKQyFOUX2pyw5XVzIdjq5iugvKFssRduI9ll7mVFfyQnOHbtKJN5Cu9cZ-Tv4xokbxZW5AdarAE8nAjm8zRvMnTc4oKK6srikGNCvm7hridYsSVjH2mnAj4pzSTmD0EQYDQ2MlxbgI5mTzPGgCsDZu0dH5BMmnU2gWNvUt17w/s4032/0714231119a.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh4NVrEjJa2fiysBP-qn3xKQyFOUX2pyw5XVzIdjq5iugvKFssRduI9ll7mVFfyQnOHbtKJN5Cu9cZ-Tv4xokbxZW5AdarAE8nAjm8zRvMnTc4oKK6srikGNCvm7hridYsSVjH2mnAj4pzSTmD0EQYDQ2MlxbgI5mTzPGgCsDZu0dH5BMmnU2gWNvUt17w/s320/0714231119a.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>See what I mean about the color of the water?</i></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNzpq95N5Bg5IvJXRuv4haszExpek7vyx43kpfylkbEC-_u77ztmNUm74pxxijzX-SXP205RXGJtIVDJPFmmvI-urTgQoyyeZvmHCOUNJsYWUvHfccWS2waKTmw23GQnr4hmqB_s1R4jgcVCC0TOlYF0EZ118lwMIAPmiSvElP2_SOZUVhgid3XGSxjwQ/s5184/IMG_7979.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNzpq95N5Bg5IvJXRuv4haszExpek7vyx43kpfylkbEC-_u77ztmNUm74pxxijzX-SXP205RXGJtIVDJPFmmvI-urTgQoyyeZvmHCOUNJsYWUvHfccWS2waKTmw23GQnr4hmqB_s1R4jgcVCC0TOlYF0EZ118lwMIAPmiSvElP2_SOZUVhgid3XGSxjwQ/s320/IMG_7979.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>These formations were made by volcanic activity</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p>We were surprised that we hadn't seen as many buffalo as we were expecting. A quick talk with a ranger gave us the information we needed. We drove through what I would call the "plains section" and managed to see a lot of them. Babies, mamas, daddies, and even some pronghorns in the mix.</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP8ixh-gLgYtTBB44ZeEHPiJplQ1K5rJB8KKyijak7bpzehPTuJdnXAm2KbVG5JRNHHInjX9ULnqyTpndK3DjDxa3jayF5w2zC1NhRNZ3xn68u87YtKcKBkB2gn5USAoa9YVmM8xxqauSoj-4dtqR4jC98yV_2UZGDkxsZjeM2RKz-HkcQioIxHDIi7qc/s5184/IMG_7984.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgP8ixh-gLgYtTBB44ZeEHPiJplQ1K5rJB8KKyijak7bpzehPTuJdnXAm2KbVG5JRNHHInjX9ULnqyTpndK3DjDxa3jayF5w2zC1NhRNZ3xn68u87YtKcKBkB2gn5USAoa9YVmM8xxqauSoj-4dtqR4jC98yV_2UZGDkxsZjeM2RKz-HkcQioIxHDIi7qc/s320/IMG_7984.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Buffalo mamas and babies</i></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijbovy3KWYsyNUfz-YoZ0435dTe2Lt10LjXL8wYh9mshdkCbh0LuhKjzR7GQWhW3xoxHTwkj5KlJ9RC5EslCFUwd4zDMRyjWO9d7qd7U6L60_zboCpKAGa4EiFT_M3S0KxfrtnMdPkLexByAvLMzkPhvV6ISiLlZ1oiJ4gNNxiYgFj2cHAM8iRtchJDHo/s5184/IMG_7994.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijbovy3KWYsyNUfz-YoZ0435dTe2Lt10LjXL8wYh9mshdkCbh0LuhKjzR7GQWhW3xoxHTwkj5KlJ9RC5EslCFUwd4zDMRyjWO9d7qd7U6L60_zboCpKAGa4EiFT_M3S0KxfrtnMdPkLexByAvLMzkPhvV6ISiLlZ1oiJ4gNNxiYgFj2cHAM8iRtchJDHo/s320/IMG_7994.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Pronghorns in the background mixing in with the buffalo</i></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzOpTNE9OqyG6YJ3nh2D-ddAW88i7-8hjGeg-_MJEUOexCEpjy9VAzQ_5Ix5wJKinKlULUehb-x7mmcILl3BQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>Having our fill of buffalo, we continued on. We stopped at the Albright station at the North Entrance and saw some elk as well as some interesting rock.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi09WKzvOUsClZRkmW05QrZsKWX11iKWydqwD_89E6f-513YN6KdPI2xRk29BhgajGf02IGhK__LIUbvQ-oNRzJPfkZTisrycmc2aKF_PhAhUQFV8g4pYBPJSmgS6JYhty_blSk0LYUbE3nLsXyphyphenhyphenQp7vr1gB0Thz2SyMCMrBfKwdh8wn7jDqMtKm-Pd0/s5184/IMG_8003.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi09WKzvOUsClZRkmW05QrZsKWX11iKWydqwD_89E6f-513YN6KdPI2xRk29BhgajGf02IGhK__LIUbvQ-oNRzJPfkZTisrycmc2aKF_PhAhUQFV8g4pYBPJSmgS6JYhty_blSk0LYUbE3nLsXyphyphenhyphenQp7vr1gB0Thz2SyMCMrBfKwdh8wn7jDqMtKm-Pd0/s320/IMG_8003.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>We were amazed that these elk were just hanging out in the midst of the visitor's center with a lot of people around</i></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpKSNdlfcoAGloF0WnoxbEqEZe8uhr-mzCScEOQUBbRJXw-YJzl6nfIXwrsPXu0hlZjA-4VKxJuwPFqISQJInFrmkTH0oS2KNisralVj2kLE2J6DIgQpxIeHBrWAXLEtQgntJ4sOrXmHPlLyJd70KdrlCI3pL3YXwvgT2sFPG4yWNPvriUmoRUAu_loH4/s5184/IMG_8010.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpKSNdlfcoAGloF0WnoxbEqEZe8uhr-mzCScEOQUBbRJXw-YJzl6nfIXwrsPXu0hlZjA-4VKxJuwPFqISQJInFrmkTH0oS2KNisralVj2kLE2J6DIgQpxIeHBrWAXLEtQgntJ4sOrXmHPlLyJd70KdrlCI3pL3YXwvgT2sFPG4yWNPvriUmoRUAu_loH4/s320/IMG_8010.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>This rock looks like snow cascading down a mountain</i></td></tr></tbody></table>In the afternoon we made it to the geyser section (as I call it) which is in the west side of the park. We opted to skip Old Faithful which I think turned out to be a good choice. We aren't crazy about getting in with the crowds and by the look of the line of cars, it was going to be pretty crowded. We stopped at Beryl Springs and got a pretty good idea of what a geyser looks like on a smaller scale and without a lot of people.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsPe6CM5UCmHM-3P6QosjOk4LeoTeSJkA6NBYYlFtwqmhxIqtYlS15vCHgmG4L8WO8-jeWYLhebiM7HiDhVyLv15Ta4az5Z9eMosrt49eGjWMehglU4W2P2nOA3N12CKf3CHr2JXkF2xLBd63OSbR4jX0fWahyphenhyphenCaswpPtKNdYTauwd_-srH-ukogxNF2Q/s5184/IMG_8014.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsPe6CM5UCmHM-3P6QosjOk4LeoTeSJkA6NBYYlFtwqmhxIqtYlS15vCHgmG4L8WO8-jeWYLhebiM7HiDhVyLv15Ta4az5Z9eMosrt49eGjWMehglU4W2P2nOA3N12CKf3CHr2JXkF2xLBd63OSbR4jX0fWahyphenhyphenCaswpPtKNdYTauwd_-srH-ukogxNF2Q/s320/IMG_8014.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Beryl Spring is one of the hottest springs in Yellowstone.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNCsjNqpR7XGNd4L24aNpz8oUF9knwLDxD6funvSPioUf9fRUvAlBpTdVaBygZChoUKbMF4ahLbFwb9IOUpDUly0i6YEqitthFtO2xc65_jT35TQmi5DZDQkCwNqC2q7T428s1Rg6vhftP7YMD6aE_trkEvJmsnU7rjD6Lj2QoB110FsjwvoLPuacfaCE/s5184/IMG_8018.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNCsjNqpR7XGNd4L24aNpz8oUF9knwLDxD6funvSPioUf9fRUvAlBpTdVaBygZChoUKbMF4ahLbFwb9IOUpDUly0i6YEqitthFtO2xc65_jT35TQmi5DZDQkCwNqC2q7T428s1Rg6vhftP7YMD6aE_trkEvJmsnU7rjD6Lj2QoB110FsjwvoLPuacfaCE/s320/IMG_8018.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>It was named "Beryl" because of the blue-green color of the water reminiscent of the gem beryl.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dy8uIplytc7X7AEqJz3oKL422OEw5EvlM5ibXU03yM_2WXu05mV-sKx4jXCDQsZNxx2Lb9uoU64BJKodRYvwQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe></div>We stopped at Flood Geyser just as it was finishing its performance. This is one of several geysers in the "flood area" of the park.<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKwKv4a-iG9gnt4LWk-1XuPM8tN8lZ8gxuKg3noivEOCCAxwUBNUFxbHiaPAlJUGwNL1UZbHo20yYU0eiBLOec0hErgb4o97fuXMZKoqtTCDyeQsWJBhMQ5NVFWuzIZ05UCOVryyWPvvaqRKOwZQsfhwmk0v1nkQt-i9D5v2WjAoGVIU97hF3w4fCxgU8/s4032/0714231551.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKwKv4a-iG9gnt4LWk-1XuPM8tN8lZ8gxuKg3noivEOCCAxwUBNUFxbHiaPAlJUGwNL1UZbHo20yYU0eiBLOec0hErgb4o97fuXMZKoqtTCDyeQsWJBhMQ5NVFWuzIZ05UCOVryyWPvvaqRKOwZQsfhwmk0v1nkQt-i9D5v2WjAoGVIU97hF3w4fCxgU8/s320/0714231551.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I couldn't find this so I'm going on the assumption that it's possible that this area floods since there is a stream/river flowing through this section.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCPfa5nZ_yH8dJsNA6TOLEJRk54TQajX21HWCGUm3T10kgNqz_QAL7mw4TXYSnnOl85_NxSDjgizalMYjyAH0QiwsZwIH2VF38V5Jt1OpkteB2m-vwuhNcpv9MBSmJcqoUd-Nzt1wFmpMlR99z-CBAMsdf14-CtSlrht6PWb49yse5c8m9WlTj_E_zpUc/s4032/0714231552.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCPfa5nZ_yH8dJsNA6TOLEJRk54TQajX21HWCGUm3T10kgNqz_QAL7mw4TXYSnnOl85_NxSDjgizalMYjyAH0QiwsZwIH2VF38V5Jt1OpkteB2m-vwuhNcpv9MBSmJcqoUd-Nzt1wFmpMlR99z-CBAMsdf14-CtSlrht6PWb49yse5c8m9WlTj_E_zpUc/s320/0714231552.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Or maybe it's because it looks like it's flooded. If you know, let me know!</i></td></tr></tbody></table>As we made our way to the South exit, we saw a few more geysers/hot springs which were just fantastic to drive through:<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFnubR78m8iYwmdG5fqFKoNt_eoSCcdAs4nTsDXyq0kbtAs9YDJavDXQCEIlSaF3X_dseu3kI0Xzy3LKSI8XsP7grDGnAk7zJclKHidSNVLcWiTAqVlUJCAUvFnzAC_xjVYDVTOglNqHAN0coESr2GgvW4apkySbrwB8ho0QRIOECKMHbuuYRiDINrzco/s5184/IMG_8031.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFnubR78m8iYwmdG5fqFKoNt_eoSCcdAs4nTsDXyq0kbtAs9YDJavDXQCEIlSaF3X_dseu3kI0Xzy3LKSI8XsP7grDGnAk7zJclKHidSNVLcWiTAqVlUJCAUvFnzAC_xjVYDVTOglNqHAN0coESr2GgvW4apkySbrwB8ho0QRIOECKMHbuuYRiDINrzco/s320/IMG_8031.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiZkLbHei_23gISatv-JhU4jqL7mNS5XkUZM2iBmIlnU9zfRPlKix0XIOr2f00taielEhk_ub7d6qIqrNTG3cLw9oitiAWjMZCS_9TAxAjwBSL8fVnB4xh-QYajTJmiMcptcibU2PZScFzXSdxG0G3St4SULHDTwkLkIoHKx7tdeqP0soyf9fF3jeX3sk/s5184/IMG_8042.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiZkLbHei_23gISatv-JhU4jqL7mNS5XkUZM2iBmIlnU9zfRPlKix0XIOr2f00taielEhk_ub7d6qIqrNTG3cLw9oitiAWjMZCS_9TAxAjwBSL8fVnB4xh-QYajTJmiMcptcibU2PZScFzXSdxG0G3St4SULHDTwkLkIoHKx7tdeqP0soyf9fF3jeX3sk/s320/IMG_8042.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>Our next mission was to find a place to stay for the night. I had the coordinates of a place to boondock but, surprisingly, Robert wanted to find a campground instead. We stopped at one place and were pretty much told, "Good luck". I checked a campground in the Tetons and, as luck would have it, they had one spot left. We snatched it up right away. It wasn't the best campsite we've ever had, but it gave us a place to park the van. More on that next time!<div><br /></div><div>I realize how much we missed by doing Yellowstone in one day. This will be one place I want to return to and spend more time. There is so much to see!</div>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533317405680450964noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2469509176316025961.post-6535562384643788972024-03-15T03:30:00.012-04:002024-03-15T03:30:00.156-04:00Friday Fotos 2024 #4<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZNFGpf-gClgmI_nEgLMkYaFmvVKV_uMlBpMhQOOQDq9oLPtKp1VrgPYBCGxlXW_msNdbt5bnyl9Wy9fy-S2skD6VdOjDhxQL5Vt9OnK4pwSgYDeKAv42gyjjJTRst8iKKgZcnz7GYTo66amRVeGgJxCOG_Tr-WJakzzBLAA7USGzxlBkAdgGqOqhpvezJ/s1958/Friday%20Fotos.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1958" data-original-width="1699" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZNFGpf-gClgmI_nEgLMkYaFmvVKV_uMlBpMhQOOQDq9oLPtKp1VrgPYBCGxlXW_msNdbt5bnyl9Wy9fy-S2skD6VdOjDhxQL5Vt9OnK4pwSgYDeKAv42gyjjJTRst8iKKgZcnz7GYTo66amRVeGgJxCOG_Tr-WJakzzBLAA7USGzxlBkAdgGqOqhpvezJ/w174-h200/Friday%20Fotos.png" width="174" /></a></div><p><span data-mce-style="color:#000000;">Friday Fotos is a post where I can dump some photos from the previous week. The goal is to make me more aware of the beauty and fun in my everyday life. </span></p><p>I don't have very many photos this week. I didn't keep up with my "picture a day"!</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7y-q5C7uCQLwRr1vQyrI86cK14et5g0_EK6G6qCV3P7mGzG2YbX3od4NpcsIL6kbRn9GwZXFFv93bDx9tTh_iTnUdL7AtPzB1wbAGIUTL7YBw2UR2DKSgewWhmQZqqKZozYNiS_cNXct69hPKxJe0Xw3xetwMSQ3xIWxhkAkGgXqcLRGrwVE-UZrkRbip/s1356/0309241402a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1356" data-original-width="1356" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7y-q5C7uCQLwRr1vQyrI86cK14et5g0_EK6G6qCV3P7mGzG2YbX3od4NpcsIL6kbRn9GwZXFFv93bDx9tTh_iTnUdL7AtPzB1wbAGIUTL7YBw2UR2DKSgewWhmQZqqKZozYNiS_cNXct69hPKxJe0Xw3xetwMSQ3xIWxhkAkGgXqcLRGrwVE-UZrkRbip/s320/0309241402a.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">I think this is a cherry tree just starting to flower. </span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFzOIIKIA77hnbpGpij1jJdnHfYmSeThlAD577h2ssF6Tet7c9mqg-zYMK96RCHDmSKrrKO2rtI0N1WpLJJEoAfWnXr_8jpHZKDaqHrEZdl3Tn_1G45la6P-9nwkVy0STkY_TvmEH60XFlWnb0N93Ut4wRGzoBT9Gu5KrexZ2m9xr0BaOK3AXXy_n04M9q/s1356/0308241348a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1356" data-original-width="1356" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFzOIIKIA77hnbpGpij1jJdnHfYmSeThlAD577h2ssF6Tet7c9mqg-zYMK96RCHDmSKrrKO2rtI0N1WpLJJEoAfWnXr_8jpHZKDaqHrEZdl3Tn_1G45la6P-9nwkVy0STkY_TvmEH60XFlWnb0N93Ut4wRGzoBT9Gu5KrexZ2m9xr0BaOK3AXXy_n04M9q/s320/0308241348a.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Bradford Pears get a bad rap but when they bloom they are gorgeous.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMEuXVP3N0oLi9IFP_C7gYjmMGJztOP9dXtF_85l2zVNnmaVPNwDa2NGB_vHkDUCLyNDUqt0bjDUd-59BpGZR6JMq9WkGDy9NOT2etbK1qia_oi8fADXu5uiCRrnP2lJkRfVIfDo2XQrzOA4M_3qM_Djt_X4QOYtAExAbAqn7OvdPuc3qgoZ-W_XL1YYWl/s580/84528~2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="490" data-original-width="580" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMEuXVP3N0oLi9IFP_C7gYjmMGJztOP9dXtF_85l2zVNnmaVPNwDa2NGB_vHkDUCLyNDUqt0bjDUd-59BpGZR6JMq9WkGDy9NOT2etbK1qia_oi8fADXu5uiCRrnP2lJkRfVIfDo2XQrzOA4M_3qM_Djt_X4QOYtAExAbAqn7OvdPuc3qgoZ-W_XL1YYWl/s320/84528~2.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">We had a get-together over the weekend since one of my sisters came in from out of state. We're missing 2 siblings in the picture.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicmz1K93IGZG6ABBrh5bV4XTWfD2nR3dFq-LqEwI-zGpCQZvS_8i42UUwP51whnhkRQr_7g2C0u43gtkP3BtxANmUaIR-zzSA6SkSWUUbU68rHzio855pWjCZ2jM4NepJVyqfkQXEtsPIFLlgKnCJrhaPe_I8WQP20X470kJObvTWWsjdXDzBqiez2AdzJ/s723/84529~2.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="446" data-original-width="723" height="197" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicmz1K93IGZG6ABBrh5bV4XTWfD2nR3dFq-LqEwI-zGpCQZvS_8i42UUwP51whnhkRQr_7g2C0u43gtkP3BtxANmUaIR-zzSA6SkSWUUbU68rHzio855pWjCZ2jM4NepJVyqfkQXEtsPIFLlgKnCJrhaPe_I8WQP20X470kJObvTWWsjdXDzBqiez2AdzJ/s320/84529~2.jpeg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Here's everyone (minus the one taking the picture) who came. We always have a good time when we're together.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgftKg9SKxJ6e62puZcYK2dZCE1CsWPs2DPFDfYaymTOWXgpn3iiU5O_R8YyZ6jIEXJ98hQsOrhYs5VamFn1zT8Om_MqYWJvMHClfm3nQgDYlFOuXmXNGKD3j1p7frMJNfoQdrtCDwgxcheStWJUUOUACPZZdcz2Y37c9zHXQuz16r0VGF6cw7ICu5ebnFl/s2460/0311241831.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2460" data-original-width="2460" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgftKg9SKxJ6e62puZcYK2dZCE1CsWPs2DPFDfYaymTOWXgpn3iiU5O_R8YyZ6jIEXJ98hQsOrhYs5VamFn1zT8Om_MqYWJvMHClfm3nQgDYlFOuXmXNGKD3j1p7frMJNfoQdrtCDwgxcheStWJUUOUACPZZdcz2Y37c9zHXQuz16r0VGF6cw7ICu5ebnFl/s320/0311241831.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">I got some extra time with my out-of-state sister. </span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNpTVfplroBxdUAD6A-PNpI5eO3uqYV15eW4lA5HHXYp1T-qniXagT23EukG4rTBQ965hJReHnEfJpj-3AiQ8DPu93tSXCOzfSUwI0RWDkT8jnTclijqQKTPE7r-5-YH3ukvQLTjnD1QDd8TE8WlsBVoo7OMT4YDWxKTCC3KhWfgTzCTexEwkjPQ9jkOLm/s1356/0314241147.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1356" data-original-width="1356" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNpTVfplroBxdUAD6A-PNpI5eO3uqYV15eW4lA5HHXYp1T-qniXagT23EukG4rTBQ965hJReHnEfJpj-3AiQ8DPu93tSXCOzfSUwI0RWDkT8jnTclijqQKTPE7r-5-YH3ukvQLTjnD1QDd8TE8WlsBVoo7OMT4YDWxKTCC3KhWfgTzCTexEwkjPQ9jkOLm/s320/0314241147.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">YS' dog waiting for him to come home from work. She's a pretty good girl but still has quite a bit of puppy in her. I've never seen a dog with such loving eyes!<br /></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div>How has your week been? What kind of pictures are on your phone for the week? Until next time!</div>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533317405680450964noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2469509176316025961.post-2897701678795118472024-03-13T11:54:00.003-04:002024-03-13T11:54:33.665-04:00Rollin' with the Hodgepodge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPznLaAYEukKcujlIdZWk9mXxoorInyDmDODQHiiZuWQDJN1y0NRr8vhW2LMZj9uxR5z6RbL9kR2V11aFG6LTPoSC5KZSeCaCnrRKHeYNPAGr7xxdrSDUGYD4kfZEjCQg5thtdoNnG-hMXQer4HnySf6rWqdZGLcL1eAf-2k3cF1-LLLvkZ2iansl7yG0U/s273/hodgepodge-button.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="273" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPznLaAYEukKcujlIdZWk9mXxoorInyDmDODQHiiZuWQDJN1y0NRr8vhW2LMZj9uxR5z6RbL9kR2V11aFG6LTPoSC5KZSeCaCnrRKHeYNPAGr7xxdrSDUGYD4kfZEjCQg5thtdoNnG-hMXQer4HnySf6rWqdZGLcL1eAf-2k3cF1-LLLvkZ2iansl7yG0U/w200-h183/hodgepodge-button.png" width="200" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">1. Thursday is National Pi Day...are you good at math? What was the last thing you had to calculate? Did you use your head or technology? Last slice of pie you ate? </span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><i>I am horrible at math. Numbers don't mean a thing to me, but I jokingly say that I can conjugate the heck out of some verbs in a couple of different languages! (I used to be able to, anyway!) I have to use technology...rarely can I use my head. The last slice of pie I ate had to have been pie from Buttermilk Sky Pie. It was probably the buttermilk pie, which sounds kind of gross but is actually quite good.</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><br /></span>2. What makes a house a home? </div><div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; text-align: left;"><i>Laughter. And being comfortable. One of the boys' ex-girlfriends mentioned that our house was comfortable. That's exactly what I go for. My house is lived in!</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; text-align: left;"><br />3. Your current favorite green thing? </div><div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; text-align: left;"><i>Grass. </i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; text-align: left;"><i><br /></i>4. How do you define achievement? How does your personal definition look similar to, or different than, society's definition? What's something you think is worth achieving in life? </div><div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; text-align: left;"><i>Being happy. Society says achievement is having that big house with the manicured lawn and having "things". That is definitely not my definition. If you can be happy and have joy, you have achieved great things.</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; text-align: left;"><br />5. What song is a good soundtrack for your life right now? </div><div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; text-align: left;"><i>I had to look through some playlists on Spotify to pick just there right one. Here is it:</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/u_vkKozA8OI" width="320" youtube-src-id="u_vkKozA8OI"></iframe></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; text-align: left;"><br /><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">6. Insert your own random thought here.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><i>An old friend of mine from back in the colorguard instructing days and his wife bought a flat in Scotland that they will live in part-time. The wife has started a blog describing what that new life is like. She's an excellent writer and makes you feel like you are right there with them. Check it out <a href="https://journl.app/@wander" target="_blank">here</a>.</i> </span><span style="color: #666666; font-size: 13.2px;"> </span></div>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533317405680450964noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2469509176316025961.post-60494129184878503302024-03-11T03:30:00.001-04:002024-03-11T03:30:00.130-04:00Great West Trip 2023: Part 3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>This is a cross-post from <a href="https://www.coopersflyingthecoop.com/2024/03/the-great-west-trip-part-3.html" target="_blank">Flyin' the Coop</a></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1IzW1KsyxP4oYUydvv2NfVNXAK5EAp09gM8QiDupcupauRNXt2D_AdYXcRypGUDr0h608eQXF7QsNLZ9jGDFNxsMR5mvNQ7Wd2cYrI4Bp6cZFsVIBywrnFSGnrMUHf65_aOwy36lm3EcKjQNEbNDsuueUDSDbo4V8pYvvlMc7_OjjrfXzTfv9HxKwf4s/s1280/West%20Trip%202023.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1IzW1KsyxP4oYUydvv2NfVNXAK5EAp09gM8QiDupcupauRNXt2D_AdYXcRypGUDr0h608eQXF7QsNLZ9jGDFNxsMR5mvNQ7Wd2cYrI4Bp6cZFsVIBywrnFSGnrMUHf65_aOwy36lm3EcKjQNEbNDsuueUDSDbo4V8pYvvlMc7_OjjrfXzTfv9HxKwf4s/w320-h180/West%20Trip%202023.png" width="320" /></a><span style="text-align: left;"> </span></div><p>Decision time: Do we go north to Banff, northwest to Glacier, or south to Yellowstone? When I looked at how many miles it was to Banff, it looked like we would spend 6 days just getting there and back to Billings. So, we decided against it. We also decided against Glacier. Cody was of some interest to us, so we made the choice to drive there. The views were well worth it:</p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtcabPY416vyFOf-3i9Z2zcI2z6hf7jhyphenhyphenuk25n7JIIx7zu4JIr9zru4iOOQivaWnBa3yw5Gqi_nvfFtxqgWUWTt9EfAlSmJXBQMBQmMx7m4fnKPdpobAF0gcXrRGRUiLmCrf7hU0QgAvK5R2CgLkJzXD0g1P6SztSl_tlr2hS4bqrwRPzpnwBbFAPqKdI/s3456/IMG_7913%202.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="3456" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtcabPY416vyFOf-3i9Z2zcI2z6hf7jhyphenhyphenuk25n7JIIx7zu4JIr9zru4iOOQivaWnBa3yw5Gqi_nvfFtxqgWUWTt9EfAlSmJXBQMBQmMx7m4fnKPdpobAF0gcXrRGRUiLmCrf7hU0QgAvK5R2CgLkJzXD0g1P6SztSl_tlr2hS4bqrwRPzpnwBbFAPqKdI/s320/IMG_7913%202.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>This house on top of the butte interested me. It seemed like it was the only house around for miles.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSY8QdIRNmaW6z7aqlHe0YMkFejZnxi6Pv1qeM_6-zZRN_YucL5-bCofJO0N0BXuzH_0qXqt8ieR2L72UP99jTe8mDkf78BBke56tRYj-SpO39GmmPpAxP4619iOAnsG-HPAvvPkq715Sk8ADsKDgi_vuYJAJOzKXw2JwAfTCc9X8UgMbvQEVeI5ZMy98/s5184/IMG_7918%202.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSY8QdIRNmaW6z7aqlHe0YMkFejZnxi6Pv1qeM_6-zZRN_YucL5-bCofJO0N0BXuzH_0qXqt8ieR2L72UP99jTe8mDkf78BBke56tRYj-SpO39GmmPpAxP4619iOAnsG-HPAvvPkq715Sk8ADsKDgi_vuYJAJOzKXw2JwAfTCc9X8UgMbvQEVeI5ZMy98/s320/IMG_7918%202.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>The different colors of the mountains/hills were beautiful.<br /></i></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPrPRKdL3pLMv_Xff1CMw7Zvhebx3Hpwwlp0tijnyM35TcE2Pnhn0WArlyPgeKnvM2tgUrFdkflHVZqx6wYMW6pJuWxW-amflTKZ82rvnzvK5OPIiiO1ibnVuWSXKn9JPuWg_4E3T7FKo2Hsh6MBeuXjbD5Gz8nZ3R1fvvToBmy9t5yXYjWJj7fZBKFf0/s4675/IMG_7919%202.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3219" data-original-width="4675" height="220" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPrPRKdL3pLMv_Xff1CMw7Zvhebx3Hpwwlp0tijnyM35TcE2Pnhn0WArlyPgeKnvM2tgUrFdkflHVZqx6wYMW6pJuWxW-amflTKZ82rvnzvK5OPIiiO1ibnVuWSXKn9JPuWg_4E3T7FKo2Hsh6MBeuXjbD5Gz8nZ3R1fvvToBmy9t5yXYjWJj7fZBKFf0/s320/IMG_7919%202.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Again, this sight struck me as interesting!</i></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfhhrXgkfz6dq9EK3DdtlE2orQIsXuPsH1HR1pAxV5dnmjxFa-YqYB3JKBV5W1kRVYU9E6ud644wgY2GMoGqbTwN5xUtPD-Ow9B1uIwUEREnBOZwhYxO2hxJB7FPDCEM9-poFVWkP-PIjxSoh5Dd0fzIlWCOjHBChRS42aCt721aV2S5fbtHm1hlrO7_A/s5184/IMG_7921.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfhhrXgkfz6dq9EK3DdtlE2orQIsXuPsH1HR1pAxV5dnmjxFa-YqYB3JKBV5W1kRVYU9E6ud644wgY2GMoGqbTwN5xUtPD-Ow9B1uIwUEREnBOZwhYxO2hxJB7FPDCEM9-poFVWkP-PIjxSoh5Dd0fzIlWCOjHBChRS42aCt721aV2S5fbtHm1hlrO7_A/s320/IMG_7921.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>2 tunnels on the road: it kind of reminded me of Ireland.</i></td></tr></tbody></table>After we arrived in Cody, we went by the visitor's center to get information on the town, as well as a recommendation on where to eat lunch. The young lady was most helpful and suggested <a href="https://www.irmahotel.com/dining/" target="_blank">Irma's</a>. The official name is <a href="https://www.irmahotel.com/" target="_blank">Buffalo Bill's Irma Hotel</a>. Buffalo Bill Cody built the hotel in 1902 and named it after his daughter. The building is a working hotel; the rates are actually quite reasonable. Some of the rooms are historical while some were added on as late as the 1970's. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUDljhBdHOa3fa9LbBMNm2oXoBYt4pvRWN9Fn2cmnDpwPAJlIVRob_3kUcq9UQjNY1Of1q6IV_vjphgEeKnt5MTL5BWDvuPHj-rX-zjPaQwsIAkuejWrTYNWQHOb_Ut80Cy9io3w16a2A0UBlqW0YcIjdzyKRwxL69WCW3pIUNtubijfJr6wQfLJGnoQs/s4032/0713231213.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUDljhBdHOa3fa9LbBMNm2oXoBYt4pvRWN9Fn2cmnDpwPAJlIVRob_3kUcq9UQjNY1Of1q6IV_vjphgEeKnt5MTL5BWDvuPHj-rX-zjPaQwsIAkuejWrTYNWQHOb_Ut80Cy9io3w16a2A0UBlqW0YcIjdzyKRwxL69WCW3pIUNtubijfJr6wQfLJGnoQs/w240-h320/0713231213.jpg" title="The Grill at the Irma Hotel in Cody, Wyoming" width="240" /></a></div>The grill was recommended to us for lunch. We split a sandwich and had potato salad for a side. I'm super picky about my potato salad so I try to steer clear of ordering it at a restaurant, but theirs was just like my mom's! Quite a pleasant surprise!<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNaNEYmOeNHt40ArQBIF1LQlZdUjz8Bt-fzDoiFXEPl5f87ZrPeO04xGp4TVW5er4JNkjfLQTaDi5jr1e4VSfB-kJXGzlcl28otRLnufwJfdz_u-hhh_mIAEbDG2WhI4cnjJhF21MV1X1m50m9quOOHxTe_0NpeRLwawRnPF3zR73tnzc66s9w5cvTzgc/s3024/original_9f2ffd6e-f55d-4834-80d6-8af2ce89070d_0713231105_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3023" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhNaNEYmOeNHt40ArQBIF1LQlZdUjz8Bt-fzDoiFXEPl5f87ZrPeO04xGp4TVW5er4JNkjfLQTaDi5jr1e4VSfB-kJXGzlcl28otRLnufwJfdz_u-hhh_mIAEbDG2WhI4cnjJhF21MV1X1m50m9quOOHxTe_0NpeRLwawRnPF3zR73tnzc66s9w5cvTzgc/w320-h320/original_9f2ffd6e-f55d-4834-80d6-8af2ce89070d_0713231105_HDR.jpg" title="Cherrywood bar in the Irma Hotel, Cody, Wyoming" width="320" /></a></div>This cherrywood bar was presented to Buffalo Bill by Queen Victoria. She shipped it to the hotel after his performance for her in London.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZEHHGNAPC-dPReCDJT6hyphenhyphenRtVP7OYJNVp_8tEAQtqhnFCBZAzfMi8E0ONYxEGcDhYOWEtqmUZWGPOWyJKoAfbf7a_r9VW-4SoJOVMSzy7d8cJbYb-2nnLsJ15jWXM_skCWAH6fX8mzSSK5XeriXZQOJED9eSHPjRt0V-Rq-4xoTIbtLmCYp_CYkxUsUbI/s4032/original_b265ea7d-5123-4d29-9a3d-f8bf7bae6353_0713231113_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZEHHGNAPC-dPReCDJT6hyphenhyphenRtVP7OYJNVp_8tEAQtqhnFCBZAzfMi8E0ONYxEGcDhYOWEtqmUZWGPOWyJKoAfbf7a_r9VW-4SoJOVMSzy7d8cJbYb-2nnLsJ15jWXM_skCWAH6fX8mzSSK5XeriXZQOJED9eSHPjRt0V-Rq-4xoTIbtLmCYp_CYkxUsUbI/w240-h320/original_b265ea7d-5123-4d29-9a3d-f8bf7bae6353_0713231113_HDR.jpg" title="Stone fireplace in the Irma Hotel, Cody, Wyoming" width="240" /></a></div>The fireplace is in the hotel section of the building. It is made from rocks, fossils, ores, and minerals from the Big Horn Basin.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZZC5FIbYbHnorDL23rPpT-4gEsIkynNVx95IfObUB14DhDt2RR4KPtUNz0V4byIq7ErTA6wL6m3DtpiEbyCYiPDkttcJggbSqvPPL8Ha4bq5wJuAoOXTIrys0HlDag2UaknoBO0nchNCkJE0fcNSu28Rj8GQNAQsrJIFbYAeVwoTcVyqwWx2krgQgL-E/s2460/original_e6838a97-4cbd-483f-b1ce-6979beb8a4a4_0713231139a_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2458" data-original-width="2460" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZZC5FIbYbHnorDL23rPpT-4gEsIkynNVx95IfObUB14DhDt2RR4KPtUNz0V4byIq7ErTA6wL6m3DtpiEbyCYiPDkttcJggbSqvPPL8Ha4bq5wJuAoOXTIrys0HlDag2UaknoBO0nchNCkJE0fcNSu28Rj8GQNAQsrJIFbYAeVwoTcVyqwWx2krgQgL-E/s320/original_e6838a97-4cbd-483f-b1ce-6979beb8a4a4_0713231139a_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>After we ate we visited the Cody Historical Society and learned more about the town. I asked the ladies who were working if any of Buffalo Bill's family still lived in the area. He had 2 descendants (from Irma) who were in the area. One of them steers clear of the Cody name; the other one used it to make his fortune. Sadly, he was killed in an airplane crash. I wasn't able to confirm this by researching on the internet; there isn't much published about the family.<div><br /></div><div>From Cody we headed to Yellowstone. There are several campgrounds along the way. We chose Rex Hale because it is the closest to the park gate that has a bathroom. Although we have a bathroom in the van, it's nice to have one close by so we can empty the cassette toilet before leaving. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFgKmH2euyYPD8mwsyXVXXXTx0mljGmJPESesNSoHYPbS9Lv_goO_N28rbBanZfGp7E0MdeGL9bDPmuNC_zQNj7J-R5M-Yt03ld4OFq_4lZXbvOSlXWXVITFF-il9GCF35zzoyYwFZ5L1bE_g4N41-e8-pr6YcnZZh1VrCJm5BSeHkUaItJIKtClgVwrw/s3024/0714230805%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFgKmH2euyYPD8mwsyXVXXXTx0mljGmJPESesNSoHYPbS9Lv_goO_N28rbBanZfGp7E0MdeGL9bDPmuNC_zQNj7J-R5M-Yt03ld4OFq_4lZXbvOSlXWXVITFF-il9GCF35zzoyYwFZ5L1bE_g4N41-e8-pr6YcnZZh1VrCJm5BSeHkUaItJIKtClgVwrw/w320-h320/0714230805%202.jpg" title="Rex Hale Campground Wyoming" width="320" /></a></div><div>We almost turned around and went back to the Wapiti Campground since it looked like it was better shaded but there was a spot here. The camp host was extremely nice. He is a retired archeologist and was very interesting to talk with. Plus, the vault toilet was the best-smelling vault toilet I've ever been in! He kept it immaculate!</div><div>There are no showers, electricity, or other amenities here. But the views are worth it! Maeve looked great in that setting:<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghHIVaEM1iUSCgTRCk2_d5UA6IYKfbb-kzkVJxyb3GPTRWpiEzauuc7PoQYPr8xVgNphG_2f9ka__cKLEYquSjYfseGN0v8tTJB27nWTvgSdX_VgU4wnFOu46mrGwYCE1rrhXSc0nK1hNb4kGMX5od2x_45EKyZ0hLaS52Y49004yzgtEvNPVTuXpqFHk/s4032/0713231358a%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghHIVaEM1iUSCgTRCk2_d5UA6IYKfbb-kzkVJxyb3GPTRWpiEzauuc7PoQYPr8xVgNphG_2f9ka__cKLEYquSjYfseGN0v8tTJB27nWTvgSdX_VgU4wnFOu46mrGwYCE1rrhXSc0nK1hNb4kGMX5od2x_45EKyZ0hLaS52Y49004yzgtEvNPVTuXpqFHk/w240-h320/0713231358a%202.jpg" title="Rex Hale Campground Wyoming" width="240" /></a></div></div><div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTWYDpzUBaFaJ6E5qBHy6MnrEhcKIvRXjL0DFak8yqHN_EpC4DA7Ev0_ho6NHSOMIsVOh0I-zbA8E3bOS-IbVviU_df1MsH2e0YZ1gMhDhr6U-j48lxH0H2zFLAC3pEeVoV-BhWcw71nUDWSr6kdkEFtaFsLWFWbMw7CK4GCgkuDojlFppkMzHkFAdX2g/s4032/0713231357.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTWYDpzUBaFaJ6E5qBHy6MnrEhcKIvRXjL0DFak8yqHN_EpC4DA7Ev0_ho6NHSOMIsVOh0I-zbA8E3bOS-IbVviU_df1MsH2e0YZ1gMhDhr6U-j48lxH0H2zFLAC3pEeVoV-BhWcw71nUDWSr6kdkEFtaFsLWFWbMw7CK4GCgkuDojlFppkMzHkFAdX2g/w240-h320/0713231357.jpg" title="Rex Hale Campground Wyoming" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF1CSCocOPGYN3cTgEsOqDhYfiw-Y3NAMmWr7Vb-x_RzXoQGoDCZ0vts8ZLjOkNPdKgwAnz1zGG9tZkRT6jPRuPs0vglRI0SGhyphenhyphen43S2rRv_Sa9-mM7kVdt2W3wJSATAvg4Tv5n1vZhr5_5I8VX8CZZhUW5x9P6i_cPsx0nj1yVaJ4RdGDx24PVVP0Emns/s4032/0713231401a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF1CSCocOPGYN3cTgEsOqDhYfiw-Y3NAMmWr7Vb-x_RzXoQGoDCZ0vts8ZLjOkNPdKgwAnz1zGG9tZkRT6jPRuPs0vglRI0SGhyphenhyphen43S2rRv_Sa9-mM7kVdt2W3wJSATAvg4Tv5n1vZhr5_5I8VX8CZZhUW5x9P6i_cPsx0nj1yVaJ4RdGDx24PVVP0Emns/w320-h240/0713231401a.jpg" title="Rex Hale Campground Wyoming" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAPxbvKYMqYLX-4Dsp-T1CXtW85s0FohBD7vAFu0TnOkLbSvDBQWTrtTX165jfq27Y0GhK9v1XMunnzYfhsar6X2NTILqnb_NtBvfpihLNTgjY3kBCPjF9NfRuDawoQCQVpS7n0_i7H54Udh3oGKE-GHIF-gUruONz3YZLZ3S-98yhO8VME66TJB-gUqI/s4032/0713231403a.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAPxbvKYMqYLX-4Dsp-T1CXtW85s0FohBD7vAFu0TnOkLbSvDBQWTrtTX165jfq27Y0GhK9v1XMunnzYfhsar6X2NTILqnb_NtBvfpihLNTgjY3kBCPjF9NfRuDawoQCQVpS7n0_i7H54Udh3oGKE-GHIF-gUruONz3YZLZ3S-98yhO8VME66TJB-gUqI/w320-h240/0713231403a.jpg" title="Rex Hale Campground Wyoming" width="320" /></a></div></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDVEk8oxTmKLf6H60Wv0Cpt4MDYlXYjvukSZ_5awZbciSGMVWihpiie9UZa8HFJIniSqA8uiCIEq7we2a8XuYPy0NRbgJb8Sbb9atBaFfVYHPz4Ifnkky9fTnd8RpIz-zotMU-vg4-VBzKPaTg5yw7SJRDeM6pMPsQxm77SJ-bePDhZMTiGgJZR9tafJA/s5184/IMG_7933.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDVEk8oxTmKLf6H60Wv0Cpt4MDYlXYjvukSZ_5awZbciSGMVWihpiie9UZa8HFJIniSqA8uiCIEq7we2a8XuYPy0NRbgJb8Sbb9atBaFfVYHPz4Ifnkky9fTnd8RpIz-zotMU-vg4-VBzKPaTg5yw7SJRDeM6pMPsQxm77SJ-bePDhZMTiGgJZR9tafJA/w320-h213/IMG_7933.JPG" title="Rex Hale Campground Wyoming" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjUaUjavAsXwB8_HGjslcjKSRyvYqVIc-R6BXidh-aG6Ls3zxkUiUgd5zZg9JogFJE26u7ti6QcrHSNQYKyO4AkltOl_7z4dVXSTXcI-tLa4Ym6y4IQVwlTTT4OX23xl25yMtm8x53OFHZ-sXM-gw5wrVDdv3zc7EDIdFvX9rFKUdTeHpCxAo6j05INUE/s5184/IMG_7928.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjUaUjavAsXwB8_HGjslcjKSRyvYqVIc-R6BXidh-aG6Ls3zxkUiUgd5zZg9JogFJE26u7ti6QcrHSNQYKyO4AkltOl_7z4dVXSTXcI-tLa4Ym6y4IQVwlTTT4OX23xl25yMtm8x53OFHZ-sXM-gw5wrVDdv3zc7EDIdFvX9rFKUdTeHpCxAo6j05INUE/w320-h213/IMG_7928.JPG" title="Rex Hale Campground Wyoming" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXoCZ1qhaTZXBc3uywvIp2EcU5kwZ0rJEpUUjI33o81XvtsHPoZoEkfx7Z9Q1KyYc7Z2aC6u_RmYSCh56EYSZLHDy5Dh4tzIxIplErvkOJafYIWK09MuRxMi6w32UOSFC0CAv3HwU5TrAXQzog-lfS_vnqbEwpzDUh-9YXJeRXIiWD3gSSNEFrwymqjwA/s3024/0714230804%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXoCZ1qhaTZXBc3uywvIp2EcU5kwZ0rJEpUUjI33o81XvtsHPoZoEkfx7Z9Q1KyYc7Z2aC6u_RmYSCh56EYSZLHDy5Dh4tzIxIplErvkOJafYIWK09MuRxMi6w32UOSFC0CAv3HwU5TrAXQzog-lfS_vnqbEwpzDUh-9YXJeRXIiWD3gSSNEFrwymqjwA/s320/0714230804%202.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>It was very quiet and peaceful; exactly what we wanted and needed. The host said there were little to no worries about bears. The North Fork Shoshone River runs behind the campground and if there are any bears to be seen, they would be fishing in the river. We chose not to chance it and stayed away.<div><br /></div><div>That was our big day in Cody. We discussed going back into town before we headed to Yellowstone but then chose to keep going. Yellowstone has to have a post all on its own!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533317405680450964noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2469509176316025961.post-26280998777776578052024-03-08T10:37:00.003-05:002024-03-08T10:37:32.195-05:00Friday Fotos 2024 #3<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZWvRaO5wFpaZCDJ0x5QM6Cmgw-wgx8o6yN39kHqXSG8E5X6Cl2duKVhM6a_uxGuT8mzNwP1OD3tFIdfmu3aF5o4z3Fn_PCfuZTmxG-Kiv7-xldXNsh7aB8d6WeEndAVNAZTRcqYoYX6hrbcNFVbwaAZ0T6fR_9Ew7zQuQ_2b2Rbres0Lmv1RBmt6BJjsR/s1958/Friday%20Fotos.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1958" data-original-width="1699" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZWvRaO5wFpaZCDJ0x5QM6Cmgw-wgx8o6yN39kHqXSG8E5X6Cl2duKVhM6a_uxGuT8mzNwP1OD3tFIdfmu3aF5o4z3Fn_PCfuZTmxG-Kiv7-xldXNsh7aB8d6WeEndAVNAZTRcqYoYX6hrbcNFVbwaAZ0T6fR_9Ew7zQuQ_2b2Rbres0Lmv1RBmt6BJjsR/w174-h200/Friday%20Fotos.png" width="174" /></a></div><p><span data-mce-style="color:#000000;">Friday Fotos is a post where I can dump some photos from the previous week. The goal is to make me more aware of the beauty and fun in my everyday life. </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_zLY9doP9Tyqn0CIN45D2J3xURsqqj7-1hf2DKeB6UBy8chZJBBFOJp5MDYcRoZrn1W9YmEeM3pj6pyv3D_oVpwR4I9VMnx2jCBt9Mil2hw2neK_DC_BAfI38qKrULGe11eGxQQ6ZKny7ZIYnBB5YlJfWEhJW9mYESY2w-ZtbagkH5bhrXFxxD26wGcoO/s1356/0301241410.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1356" data-original-width="1356" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_zLY9doP9Tyqn0CIN45D2J3xURsqqj7-1hf2DKeB6UBy8chZJBBFOJp5MDYcRoZrn1W9YmEeM3pj6pyv3D_oVpwR4I9VMnx2jCBt9Mil2hw2neK_DC_BAfI38qKrULGe11eGxQQ6ZKny7ZIYnBB5YlJfWEhJW9mYESY2w-ZtbagkH5bhrXFxxD26wGcoO/s320/0301241410.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">Trees in the park were budding at the end of last week. I love the sign of new life, spring, and warm weather!</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ZYsvWKdHcG2x4prRRgbt-rZEFG7m6fq1Bqv2hk2TXQvHA9TwhQ3CCFKm3w5St0fziFhiVLdE58jlo_zDi_KH4Sijj_e5HWPTlAL1Uuz4d18gcS6p3Yjl5SGI3pTnUm5yyumKkr-l4CJlXkg_E2MnORnYa7IxbQae9zQ21peLSYAGkE_8oNoDxmmKKYYs/s1356/0304241447.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1356" data-original-width="1356" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ZYsvWKdHcG2x4prRRgbt-rZEFG7m6fq1Bqv2hk2TXQvHA9TwhQ3CCFKm3w5St0fziFhiVLdE58jlo_zDi_KH4Sijj_e5HWPTlAL1Uuz4d18gcS6p3Yjl5SGI3pTnUm5yyumKkr-l4CJlXkg_E2MnORnYa7IxbQae9zQ21peLSYAGkE_8oNoDxmmKKYYs/s320/0304241447.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">This is a horrible picture of a hawk. I hear them all the time in the park but rarely see them. This is a red-shouldered hawk. I hear them in the park, and then red-tailed hawks circle in the field across from my house. They are magnificent birds!</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLBK9xib7oqFbxneI8ydUFbogonEb0FX-HdglbaOxEm4aWMWmtMRCygy4QgNt0_dGdE1dvyezEFlhSMYMlqWhhkRVvZBmAgT0dbL0D3YrIE2uYLKygFu8KryJcku9qK7F8GBl10sX57SX8hvmQgdFsRWaU6k5O94i10dHQ1zxRtcWRYeYazSQOfcyKENzc/s859/0305241422.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="859" data-original-width="859" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLBK9xib7oqFbxneI8ydUFbogonEb0FX-HdglbaOxEm4aWMWmtMRCygy4QgNt0_dGdE1dvyezEFlhSMYMlqWhhkRVvZBmAgT0dbL0D3YrIE2uYLKygFu8KryJcku9qK7F8GBl10sX57SX8hvmQgdFsRWaU6k5O94i10dHQ1zxRtcWRYeYazSQOfcyKENzc/s320/0305241422.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">I think this is a red maple. I noticed its color while on a walk. Just beautiful.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir4jXe71rJLb_IEWY0Su3yRViBtAHnat2YY5RQtiT0Nx3ULmWp7AYH10uwmPOfh_p6GYfgzvAFM_xx6qswN1fBL4Tb7ReJPEAcI_jrcSYxa2BHXkYJTEVEZAI5wRRgH6cHTiOGapkXTBClBc-KivZV0fcA3t3tQ2vbq9XHu1MYaOYE521yah6cjTZG7MP8/s953/0305241424.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="953" data-original-width="953" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir4jXe71rJLb_IEWY0Su3yRViBtAHnat2YY5RQtiT0Nx3ULmWp7AYH10uwmPOfh_p6GYfgzvAFM_xx6qswN1fBL4Tb7ReJPEAcI_jrcSYxa2BHXkYJTEVEZAI5wRRgH6cHTiOGapkXTBClBc-KivZV0fcA3t3tQ2vbq9XHu1MYaOYE521yah6cjTZG7MP8/s320/0305241424.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">This is the same tree as the first picture, but a few days later. </span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUCfyHuAoWcjDt9nivVXRwEG63rmPErTm8ufQqxN4FkrFkZDNXGhCpbnwb1AoaC1HYUCj1Go4h0nKrmRMYJMTXaPByxnZSFNyJshNJdddbZ_RQCbiM5T6gBUDYfBqQD1m9BuXON4WIjREvETLp4QtNhI_VKQDL7aqnBiDsGFpjdXNWc4CLDsRil9v-OZCL/s1356/0305241429.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1355" data-original-width="1356" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUCfyHuAoWcjDt9nivVXRwEG63rmPErTm8ufQqxN4FkrFkZDNXGhCpbnwb1AoaC1HYUCj1Go4h0nKrmRMYJMTXaPByxnZSFNyJshNJdddbZ_RQCbiM5T6gBUDYfBqQD1m9BuXON4WIjREvETLp4QtNhI_VKQDL7aqnBiDsGFpjdXNWc4CLDsRil9v-OZCL/s320/0305241429.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">This pretty little flower is a bunch daffodil. So small & delicate!</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipM0ddwIhGrrTfHVaR2-UkikwBSgKcOPFWwUshQjQLq6nmgsQa81tTaxcficyIzzl6eSrmEv-HS7e4IUAtAq_DLGjM_m-qjtVAs8tCGTrZISeYnNRnXv3swZjN0DWST5UN3VQ_zSmRzp78MmxureYSJtzu5f6pZrQrA9SFJ_z_Uh07iRLGTNp-v6x_6G-7/s1356/0306241107a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1355" data-original-width="1356" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipM0ddwIhGrrTfHVaR2-UkikwBSgKcOPFWwUshQjQLq6nmgsQa81tTaxcficyIzzl6eSrmEv-HS7e4IUAtAq_DLGjM_m-qjtVAs8tCGTrZISeYnNRnXv3swZjN0DWST5UN3VQ_zSmRzp78MmxureYSJtzu5f6pZrQrA9SFJ_z_Uh07iRLGTNp-v6x_6G-7/s320/0306241107a.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: helvetica; font-size: medium;">One of the signs in the rival town of the Small Town. How many times have I driven by this sign and not read it? I need to learn to slow down and take time to read some of the history that's in my backyard.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br />I hope you're taking the time to enjoy the beauty that's around you every day. Until next time!Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533317405680450964noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2469509176316025961.post-18711885247511339412024-03-06T03:30:00.002-05:002024-03-06T09:33:05.820-05:00Awesome Sauce Hodgepodge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFyLLpqbKG18Uk5PEHYhkK4vhlxzMKX15mYq-Eup_ByNdNgeAUX2k1pPCUDWBCgG8jpKx7IjgtrCzGLgha3PYbRwo6szhomNL-7s7ntOvYcTDeoUsYWzDU55ANYnCPA-DMzCNGxFJqK-mh869p9rouhQe6zTQ0WKYPly0uPW5CUoY4-wCxu8X7XUpgv3Cd/s273/hodgepodge-button.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="273" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFyLLpqbKG18Uk5PEHYhkK4vhlxzMKX15mYq-Eup_ByNdNgeAUX2k1pPCUDWBCgG8jpKx7IjgtrCzGLgha3PYbRwo6szhomNL-7s7ntOvYcTDeoUsYWzDU55ANYnCPA-DMzCNGxFJqK-mh869p9rouhQe6zTQ0WKYPly0uPW5CUoY4-wCxu8X7XUpgv3Cd/w200-h183/hodgepodge-button.png" width="200" /></a></div><p><span data-mce-style="color:#000000;">Joyce asks the questions, and we provide the answers. See how others answered at </span><a href="http://www.fromthissideofthepond.com/" target="_blank">From This Side of the Pond.</a></p><!--StartFragment--><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">1. Has March come in like a lion where you live? If not a lion then what animal would you use to describe the weather in your area this first week of March? Does the weather affect your emotions? When did you last feel 'under the weather'? </span><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, Palatino Linotype, Palatino, serif;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, Palatino Linotype, Palatino, serif;"><i>We had quite a bit of rain and some very windy weather but thankfully no storms. I don't think weather affects my emotions. I had what I think was a cold a couple of weeks ago but it was kind of weird: I had a scratchy throat & congestion on a Monday and felt like crap, but by Wednesday I felt okay. I guess it could have been COVID; I didn't test because it really doesn't matter!</i><br /></span><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"></p><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">2. Do you know what your name means? Does the meaning of your name fit with your personality? Do you like your name? If you have children did you consider the meaning of their names before choosing them? </p><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><i>Mary is a derivative of the Hebrew name "Miriam" or "Mariam". A quick search says it means "beloved", "love", and even "bitter" or "rebellious". I'm not bitter and not very rebellious, so I'll go with the first 2. I love my name! Every now and then, I will come across a child with the name "Mary". It's one of those names that doesn't seem to be used much any more.</i></p><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><i>When we had our boys, the meaning of the name didn't even come into question. OS was named after CH's father, MS was named after CH's best friend and his middle name came from CH's brother's middle name, and YS was named after both our next-door-neighbors' last names! It's tough to pick a name for your child when you work in a school. </i></p><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">3. It's National Sauce Month...what's your favorite sauce? Last thing you ate that used a sauce? </p><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><i>Shrimp sauce. I don't usually use sauce unless it's shrimp sauce. I don't even use ketchup that much but the last time I did it was on french fries.</i></p><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">4. Something you've seen, tasted, done lately that you'd describe as 'awesome sauce'? </p><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><i>I really had to rack my brains over this one and didn't come up with anything. I'm just status quo here: I'm in a routine (finally) and haven't done anything out of the ordinary. YS fixed me an amazing swordfish taco a couple of weeks ago. It was incredible!</i></p><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">5. What kinds of things do you love to collect? </p><div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; text-align: left;"><i>Dust. I'm not a big collector; I've learned through the years to let things go. I do have quite a collection of books that I need to read, though. But they are sitting on the shelf collecting dust.</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj90TzS3wKHb9N9mPQIe2FS9DrVniWQSwMB4JNbwqe5MM1149YyFhfaNW8DiJV2umKI74wvSpChoetljUdHqsumMvb2PysnVUopWw_zs9m6PBbEle3oEHTd54d7K8QhBieyqJcGyJEdzXTe1pnsaIkNDOF6OzPrIKMrlj8uPYm2PXYdXU6emteXhz8SkxRh/s1343/0305241041.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1343" data-original-width="1343" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj90TzS3wKHb9N9mPQIe2FS9DrVniWQSwMB4JNbwqe5MM1149YyFhfaNW8DiJV2umKI74wvSpChoetljUdHqsumMvb2PysnVUopWw_zs9m6PBbEle3oEHTd54d7K8QhBieyqJcGyJEdzXTe1pnsaIkNDOF6OzPrIKMrlj8uPYm2PXYdXU6emteXhz8SkxRh/w200-h200/0305241041.jpg" width="200" /></a></div></div><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">6. Insert your own random thought here. </p><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><i>Inspiration for blog posting has hit me hard. In addition to my Great West Adventure posts, I'm also resurrecting my Friday Fotos post on this blog. I also wrote a post on my Not So Perfect Catholic blog on the stages of hope that I've gone through. You can read it <a href="https://www.thenotsoperfectcatholic.com/2024/03/hope-never-disappoints.html" target="_blank">here</a>.</i></p><p><br /></p></div>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533317405680450964noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2469509176316025961.post-68473912832858056042024-03-04T03:30:00.006-05:002024-03-04T03:30:00.125-05:00Great West Trip 2023: Part 2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>This is a cross-post from <a href="https://www.coopersflyingthecoop.com/" target="_blank">Flyin' the Coop</a></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRLQY6sO7QJrYbkjRksjrgEgmLW4kWz9tKu1jKkjqSCAvcLiuZA_ASuBN8CrAl4nlmQFzfJYKiAwArHpFM7T2S6B0mZaFzNjh6RIVuW8aRjFAJIOE8-5FgmZz2iR5E-2qKzFXUjS6-DbeS9U5EoXJprRQVH_OFQz7olGBFuRHuV22LF_gLyEoVAf_MVx8/s1280/West%20Trip%202023.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRLQY6sO7QJrYbkjRksjrgEgmLW4kWz9tKu1jKkjqSCAvcLiuZA_ASuBN8CrAl4nlmQFzfJYKiAwArHpFM7T2S6B0mZaFzNjh6RIVuW8aRjFAJIOE8-5FgmZz2iR5E-2qKzFXUjS6-DbeS9U5EoXJprRQVH_OFQz7olGBFuRHuV22LF_gLyEoVAf_MVx8/s320/West%20Trip%202023.png" width="320" /></a></div><div>After we left the Badlands, Devils Tower was next on the list. We just passed through and honestly, I would have been happy with seeing it in the distance and not actually driving into the park. It was rather crowded and, since we weren't hiking, the views weren't worth it to wait in line to get to the parking area. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi72rMUl3Rp5OZmrrP5tnojSjEQNtf3sHPZDismhWUnbiDTrRFD2Cqupfyugxu1zKtQ-P8-Rjdzvl7cHEozvoVmtY7cslpGjEaJBcmECzRV3dbgzPjqQ_oP746hoIApKqW_hJ-KN4xf0BvFYc-9tgHD-levhLcVZ7kETZ9NBbyJmEevjgkLTNFJbzarJGY/s3024/0710231148a%20square.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi72rMUl3Rp5OZmrrP5tnojSjEQNtf3sHPZDismhWUnbiDTrRFD2Cqupfyugxu1zKtQ-P8-Rjdzvl7cHEozvoVmtY7cslpGjEaJBcmECzRV3dbgzPjqQ_oP746hoIApKqW_hJ-KN4xf0BvFYc-9tgHD-levhLcVZ7kETZ9NBbyJmEevjgkLTNFJbzarJGY/w320-h320/0710231148a%20square.jpg" title="Devils Tower Wyoming from a distance" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both;">It was hot, but it was July, and crowded. I am surprised that climbing is allowed, for a fee, of course. We ran into a Polish couple in Yellowstone who climbed it. It must be done in the back of the tower; I didn't see anyone climbing but we saw the information for it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiROg5CJ9bK13n7oUgAoHtGqIgxc8_yGnEjkRUHtoX8HtjQ9nvVNHYKx1q1L69i9cN6cgqyjgeVEmywGlsQAc0d4zGTFuP9BHtfxZe3FaHFo7AvF-EhrTofbJgyewgR6GhflAbIQONGkA8uCdPo44-jz2KeM_2ztNw8q96anc2r6ZYOqaX10tbuVXX7uKE/s3280/0710231258_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3280" data-original-width="2460" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiROg5CJ9bK13n7oUgAoHtGqIgxc8_yGnEjkRUHtoX8HtjQ9nvVNHYKx1q1L69i9cN6cgqyjgeVEmywGlsQAc0d4zGTFuP9BHtfxZe3FaHFo7AvF-EhrTofbJgyewgR6GhflAbIQONGkA8uCdPo44-jz2KeM_2ztNw8q96anc2r6ZYOqaX10tbuVXX7uKE/w240-h320/0710231258_HDR.jpg" title="Devils Tower, Wyoming" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiRdYwcsV3md75pgApRZBlhm4-aZflRBH9FOaPCQVLtslMLQb6Z_oyt-AjnQ0eM2031K8sMcVW0pmrimTFheXOxr4SW5sLOvK3HHUTiyyVJF1gdDSjCptTOhIrIXts9JnWWLuSp5-69i6LZFWG36DHGiPkxKNHLsYdwykmsI3uAVhkFNOF_IAEkL068PA/s4958/IMG_7892%20(2).JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3306" data-original-width="4958" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiRdYwcsV3md75pgApRZBlhm4-aZflRBH9FOaPCQVLtslMLQb6Z_oyt-AjnQ0eM2031K8sMcVW0pmrimTFheXOxr4SW5sLOvK3HHUTiyyVJF1gdDSjCptTOhIrIXts9JnWWLuSp5-69i6LZFWG36DHGiPkxKNHLsYdwykmsI3uAVhkFNOF_IAEkL068PA/w320-h213/IMG_7892%20(2).JPG" title="Devils Tower, Wyoming" width="320" /></a></div>We thought about camping in the area but with the temperatures predicted to be fairly warm overnight, we opted to stay in a hotel in Gillette. At some point in your life, comfort outweighs adventure.<p></p><div>From there we headed to Billings, Montana. We needed a "rest day" and it was a good time to do laundry and replenish groceries. We were able to secure a somewhat shaded spot at the KOA. This just happened to be KOA #1 so we felt like we found gold!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHayJUcFhjsOFVZFKOQqaZDPkRxW4v36shM3nfJQuR_sjhPXkj-NBnRhz9E7i9RImTFPKLuw7eTgGK_oFONYYIi_COripqlssfIAUxmZgUDrCrvT5LvlCIJpLr-yAG6FD6bUd43RQFbcSYvR9Ut0e51HAcW-9wAfifscb41B6oZYAHyXa0DJP5CjqJ2qY/s3024/KOA%20Sign.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHayJUcFhjsOFVZFKOQqaZDPkRxW4v36shM3nfJQuR_sjhPXkj-NBnRhz9E7i9RImTFPKLuw7eTgGK_oFONYYIi_COripqlssfIAUxmZgUDrCrvT5LvlCIJpLr-yAG6FD6bUd43RQFbcSYvR9Ut0e51HAcW-9wAfifscb41B6oZYAHyXa0DJP5CjqJ2qY/w320-h320/KOA%20Sign.jpg" title="KOA Holiday #1 Billings, Montana" width="320" /></a></div>It was your typical KOA: Kind of tight spaces but the amenities were nice. We thought the location was a little odd: It was behind a residential area. We decided that the campground was probably there first and the houses were built later. Robert soaked in the pool and I sat with my feet in it for a while. We finished our laundry and relaxed. The Yellowstone River runs behind the campground.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5zVsyHY3-F6XZ-RE_U7SJCOaHEswriGA93uWW-NYdcYnoNvwF13PqwuZzDNSZXcuk5-Z8E5K7zy7dviE-2SF0OQytKSrxgAMSEF9SyH_rt_pCPWVbUJ9z-zpN3XJAavpmbGFo0v8km3VWDM75IXlwDYktwiqBzyEMWuUnEJr2KrDQIlpG-lcNx6q7NcA/s3024/0711231515~2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3023" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5zVsyHY3-F6XZ-RE_U7SJCOaHEswriGA93uWW-NYdcYnoNvwF13PqwuZzDNSZXcuk5-Z8E5K7zy7dviE-2SF0OQytKSrxgAMSEF9SyH_rt_pCPWVbUJ9z-zpN3XJAavpmbGFo0v8km3VWDM75IXlwDYktwiqBzyEMWuUnEJr2KrDQIlpG-lcNx6q7NcA/w320-h320/0711231515~2.jpg" title="Yellowstone River, Billings, Montana" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrPbFQqETIo4_mu0_KuE5tcK2pn8vq8ut0pv9-wgq-3Q6GODGzk0PtVAzhnBTI8h2rrch9GYle2_Qh9NUOkUweUPYCYhPm53AzP2JjSMn108N3SHZRZTI7D63Qs92Vn50GR5X4F8bFE_2xyp6gVFvRxa6BTRAq1GUhbTvfWLWBWQi7CBwuC50znF4Vl-c/s5184/IMG_7898.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrPbFQqETIo4_mu0_KuE5tcK2pn8vq8ut0pv9-wgq-3Q6GODGzk0PtVAzhnBTI8h2rrch9GYle2_Qh9NUOkUweUPYCYhPm53AzP2JjSMn108N3SHZRZTI7D63Qs92Vn50GR5X4F8bFE_2xyp6gVFvRxa6BTRAq1GUhbTvfWLWBWQi7CBwuC50znF4Vl-c/w320-h213/IMG_7898.JPG" title="Cliffs of Yellowstone River, Billings, Montana" width="320" /></a></div>While driving into town to go to the grocery store, I was pleased to see that the underpasses had been spruced up:<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiSluRirrK6G5weDNkVVGvEYbOd8RBe05LW7zDcM6-Xl4Q3oyQxFaIYq11bqQwSV26gnRYAKa6buP1eKlH0l47FvlUJpoEuJQ3W_XIR7wwUthJSRCxp6csjAIlwcktr9qFcBui31enH5rTmwWgMwW7gaBrsW3EsaOHXWr11urkmf4em6vHMtuRintK8gA/s3492/0711231759_HDR%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3492" data-original-width="3492" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiSluRirrK6G5weDNkVVGvEYbOd8RBe05LW7zDcM6-Xl4Q3oyQxFaIYq11bqQwSV26gnRYAKa6buP1eKlH0l47FvlUJpoEuJQ3W_XIR7wwUthJSRCxp6csjAIlwcktr9qFcBui31enH5rTmwWgMwW7gaBrsW3EsaOHXWr11urkmf4em6vHMtuRintK8gA/w320-h320/0711231759_HDR%202.jpg" title="Underpass in Billings, Montana" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGFIZSWa4X7Gigis4FSCg2M8_Ril0wmge6QHAk8jC0t-M-Jak8MQ0RLOjinhL4Yv0tDrIYW90IfXF52My-gtKOQvVzWNwIbNmZPhKnpOnqD4hxd9YzWeiGmDqVsWGoqHavSA7E-nbLa46U4sjGrljXIavLFtQPQm93kEfuhefxJSbdM3lQCbnh4im460w/s2478/0711231759a_HDR%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2478" data-original-width="2478" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGFIZSWa4X7Gigis4FSCg2M8_Ril0wmge6QHAk8jC0t-M-Jak8MQ0RLOjinhL4Yv0tDrIYW90IfXF52My-gtKOQvVzWNwIbNmZPhKnpOnqD4hxd9YzWeiGmDqVsWGoqHavSA7E-nbLa46U4sjGrljXIavLFtQPQm93kEfuhefxJSbdM3lQCbnh4im460w/w320-h320/0711231759a_HDR%202.jpg" title="Underpass in Billings, Montana" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggmTSex1dEZx4y6-5C68bC82nUe2CHvgOLTZw2-W4JAphiclsFqN_gZPjn2AguJw4Cs52U3lrE7ZpBKWEDTK7FMZ-zD-QyEgf3WxsLyJpL-4s90NMnEKAUzsbbZUTnKRM7M0UAi0yUprsLGFZ36ZVazMHzaL68AY0OO0PZ2OX-WBbt9WlD1Rc40l1eoo8/s1357/0711231758%202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1357" data-original-width="1357" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggmTSex1dEZx4y6-5C68bC82nUe2CHvgOLTZw2-W4JAphiclsFqN_gZPjn2AguJw4Cs52U3lrE7ZpBKWEDTK7FMZ-zD-QyEgf3WxsLyJpL-4s90NMnEKAUzsbbZUTnKRM7M0UAi0yUprsLGFZ36ZVazMHzaL68AY0OO0PZ2OX-WBbt9WlD1Rc40l1eoo8/w320-h320/0711231758%202.jpg" title="Underpass in Billings, Montana" width="320" /></a></div>While at the campground, we discovered we had some interesting neighbors:<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrbvgDc_irByssoxEDgSj_i_KxazoWxbg0Qtf1fiu4O3luyBwDkcjkiZ5rsUzAwPPfqD3rmoVVzZ63dAdwkh_Mo1IUKh53Xw9h2pYZ4zRMAZdnaNYKZg9w3AkJ03UiCFvkNthXqBF19dKcWlzHXjY3zNBJrCDAuGPLCIjkHaUNDSe-D71a-K7uulQVzSA/s5184/IMG_7893.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrbvgDc_irByssoxEDgSj_i_KxazoWxbg0Qtf1fiu4O3luyBwDkcjkiZ5rsUzAwPPfqD3rmoVVzZ63dAdwkh_Mo1IUKh53Xw9h2pYZ4zRMAZdnaNYKZg9w3AkJ03UiCFvkNthXqBF19dKcWlzHXjY3zNBJrCDAuGPLCIjkHaUNDSe-D71a-K7uulQVzSA/w320-h213/IMG_7893.JPG" title="Bald Faced Hornet" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiHtCyXr4z91tkfqfCxjy_a9ekjCb2nHr9UCTn3qEeBeVX8wPzomGSuCSKnQdfWsurpCubXg3MC58jw-3DAuNs_3ul4ja-r8m_gfFAYgz3He2JhSGQGXbk-3JQMfMsgyGX8vUR1vo8N7iUpSRETscd8Tn-Y46Wdi7Wu25tZkIICiU86a-cuNJVEv41G6U/s5184/IMG_7896.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiHtCyXr4z91tkfqfCxjy_a9ekjCb2nHr9UCTn3qEeBeVX8wPzomGSuCSKnQdfWsurpCubXg3MC58jw-3DAuNs_3ul4ja-r8m_gfFAYgz3He2JhSGQGXbk-3JQMfMsgyGX8vUR1vo8N7iUpSRETscd8Tn-Y46Wdi7Wu25tZkIICiU86a-cuNJVEv41G6U/w320-h213/IMG_7896.JPG" title="Bald Faced Hornet" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div>Robert looked it up because the employees had some question as to when to attempt to remove the nest with the least amount of bother to the campers. It's a "bald-faced hornet" and is very aggressive. According to some sites I looked at, they sting repeatedly and can spray a "venom" in the eyes of an attacker causing watering of the eyes and temporary blindness. The nest was across the path from our site but thankfully they waited until after we left to take care of it.</div><div><br /></div><div>We had a big decision to make. After seeing Robert's pictures when he rode his motorcycle to the Arctic Circle, I've wanted to see Lake Louise. We made sure we brought our passports just in case we went over the border but we had some considerations that we had to take into account. Do we go north into Canada, west to Glacier National Park, or south to Yellowstone? Or do we decide to go another route and do something different? Find out in Part 3!</div>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533317405680450964noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2469509176316025961.post-50380332188301601172024-03-01T10:20:00.004-05:002024-03-01T13:12:29.106-05:00Friday Fotos 2024 #2<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiwgo4I-Vz7UgOD8WW8g03_wRjU91N9bcTD1lNkA7kG-_1W1-ZloGbpCW35dWqKy7ezLZiqCUb0XhqMNLVwjfO8onOQM4v6ReRHrXWMwVw0UsID4OvXXKLw9tQgOkj2_jbG_YVND98RKlq6P5c4YUTkQPtQ-rB2bck1LH8Uw9AgTfGHvBhEpcxef3x7vaV/s1958/Friday%20Fotos.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1958" data-original-width="1699" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiwgo4I-Vz7UgOD8WW8g03_wRjU91N9bcTD1lNkA7kG-_1W1-ZloGbpCW35dWqKy7ezLZiqCUb0XhqMNLVwjfO8onOQM4v6ReRHrXWMwVw0UsID4OvXXKLw9tQgOkj2_jbG_YVND98RKlq6P5c4YUTkQPtQ-rB2bck1LH8Uw9AgTfGHvBhEpcxef3x7vaV/w174-h200/Friday%20Fotos.png" width="174" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Friday Fotos is a post where I can dump some photos from the previous week. The goal is to make me more aware of the beauty and fun in my everyday life. </span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiXtvjBPxMkBp3Fu0sZFtkEJrATlaWBCIwIMPitLl-qFl3Dc1USe8S76AcSBUInXW5qW0s5ychGMVSN6uIjAhENzAQ8XmTtUvQWF0Q0_TBNwn-SAiru2KCi1nlKeVyibz23wQm4-4ofT68ReUjGC2S3DSG_ebC22yQ0EGWIsxfrWLnpBkmNLeB9KAeaHl0/s3280/0223241437.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3280" data-original-width="2460" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiXtvjBPxMkBp3Fu0sZFtkEJrATlaWBCIwIMPitLl-qFl3Dc1USe8S76AcSBUInXW5qW0s5ychGMVSN6uIjAhENzAQ8XmTtUvQWF0Q0_TBNwn-SAiru2KCi1nlKeVyibz23wQm4-4ofT68ReUjGC2S3DSG_ebC22yQ0EGWIsxfrWLnpBkmNLeB9KAeaHl0/s320/0223241437.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">There's nothing like running into your sister when you go out to eat lunch! It was completely unplanned, but so nice!</span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ysjCoO2zKvlBr2XUCPmnFXj9jfHoJXRuN5JqljlCz_YxSm8inTjW34-oeafx4bLmbDQ4URuRI9yBOTYTBjVYXlUYtHJJwpfeeTsm4eiSq48RonGZiASbzemsCvHGkQSvl01Sydv8L3Hw8wrsr0_YLleBCG1DP9Qyg2PEaUq-EPDCTCimDxD9H5xJvuny/s4032/0223241726.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9ysjCoO2zKvlBr2XUCPmnFXj9jfHoJXRuN5JqljlCz_YxSm8inTjW34-oeafx4bLmbDQ4URuRI9yBOTYTBjVYXlUYtHJJwpfeeTsm4eiSq48RonGZiASbzemsCvHGkQSvl01Sydv8L3Hw8wrsr0_YLleBCG1DP9Qyg2PEaUq-EPDCTCimDxD9H5xJvuny/s320/0223241726.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">I captured this rainbow one evening. It was just stunning!</span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs8pgvB8bJgoTLUZ83b-bs4cnDwEzlk-RNu0KvN_6mOYOpD8jbb_ZhdbLQk0PolFwdJRY-giaoZNxCwbqHfO2fOP4uSz4gqB3E5gb2Z2xhBsLtTXKEB1QTQu9MgyvwONrYQIFP9SXWYebecYd59RAnPGlodNmcw1SljnCS8O4LnER3MRa6HlwhZqzO3pNc/s4032/0224241339_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs8pgvB8bJgoTLUZ83b-bs4cnDwEzlk-RNu0KvN_6mOYOpD8jbb_ZhdbLQk0PolFwdJRY-giaoZNxCwbqHfO2fOP4uSz4gqB3E5gb2Z2xhBsLtTXKEB1QTQu9MgyvwONrYQIFP9SXWYebecYd59RAnPGlodNmcw1SljnCS8O4LnER3MRa6HlwhZqzO3pNc/s320/0224241339_HDR.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">The Lenten Roses are blooming in the park.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL2esTjacJ2mu-g49t6RwrQmjbRiV4cl9KGF0V9XrHqNkwvuG_HdbAfTx8jeyw1GUe9Cbm-EujrntzV-NLD2sXiwJMYlxUt6qmoE2Q-lRzuMjQ6ejfEbTBLTvr-aZH4tAHO9NwqG3pcJcAkKO2rJJPxTDvCtVQLmhFVzVvQMCgukzZpxUgnyKjTg0-SWCa/s4032/0227241522.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhL2esTjacJ2mu-g49t6RwrQmjbRiV4cl9KGF0V9XrHqNkwvuG_HdbAfTx8jeyw1GUe9Cbm-EujrntzV-NLD2sXiwJMYlxUt6qmoE2Q-lRzuMjQ6ejfEbTBLTvr-aZH4tAHO9NwqG3pcJcAkKO2rJJPxTDvCtVQLmhFVzVvQMCgukzZpxUgnyKjTg0-SWCa/s320/0227241522.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Gurl Dogg enjoys her daily walks, even when it's windy.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5xdm07T_lYlsnbuAacbD-066ggnCmXpD8gdtBZWaVG7uPxrYcvwafIoxp1iHtE7qPCqtF2LrPNZ3_BS-9CyTO0WQnGRPpxxAJtvnikvbNCobz3BnEAQYJV8YeUnr0Xd0Uwt-n9o1lhA63V9bD5-wyURTmJ4xw_iXupTrApRPbH1UVB0PcPKuCmZf1G3SO/s4032/0227241531.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5xdm07T_lYlsnbuAacbD-066ggnCmXpD8gdtBZWaVG7uPxrYcvwafIoxp1iHtE7qPCqtF2LrPNZ3_BS-9CyTO0WQnGRPpxxAJtvnikvbNCobz3BnEAQYJV8YeUnr0Xd0Uwt-n9o1lhA63V9bD5-wyURTmJ4xw_iXupTrApRPbH1UVB0PcPKuCmZf1G3SO/s320/0227241531.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">My lone daffodil in my yard. Every year I look at it and think I need to plant more. </span></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-x62ZavgD5SqCMFFMnc-jsVBFAfPc5CPi6Ckv-DI6RbtHmLGtoPhriuIqyY1BIVJY_pmD6vn5nSwoqanF-AQpt8PXkRAw6yPK0JJ7x782CcKSx1gJv5CfCsB2vFGWfxXtAVB9it7BUDns7QShZLOFdb60bQ2SJu5EBQyRXHwvixwBdLDfC4-f35P4y-bn/s4032/0228241734_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-x62ZavgD5SqCMFFMnc-jsVBFAfPc5CPi6Ckv-DI6RbtHmLGtoPhriuIqyY1BIVJY_pmD6vn5nSwoqanF-AQpt8PXkRAw6yPK0JJ7x782CcKSx1gJv5CfCsB2vFGWfxXtAVB9it7BUDns7QShZLOFdb60bQ2SJu5EBQyRXHwvixwBdLDfC4-f35P4y-bn/s320/0228241734_HDR.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">We had a couple of very windy days. This tree (and the bridge) in the park were casualties.</span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaS-Fm5tnN_FR62YqB-fPY7wlDqMX1YmWjoX8u3Ctux3eHlIXOC7lapDiAvT8Aq-VHYClDwxIly6ATRqxMpYKmY_Ls8WtKAFyLn08kX3YPPDmdKmfoMMdyalFKnl_0H9yaYYccDoxuuIi9L_4QLK_ekMam-MvqfNiq-dqrWd7BfcrOoOV5SUIsaCmVdM6d/s1080/original_d5f59335-2c8e-40f2-8522-550fc5dcb52d_Screenshot_20240228-172956.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1058" data-original-width="1080" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaS-Fm5tnN_FR62YqB-fPY7wlDqMX1YmWjoX8u3Ctux3eHlIXOC7lapDiAvT8Aq-VHYClDwxIly6ATRqxMpYKmY_Ls8WtKAFyLn08kX3YPPDmdKmfoMMdyalFKnl_0H9yaYYccDoxuuIi9L_4QLK_ekMam-MvqfNiq-dqrWd7BfcrOoOV5SUIsaCmVdM6d/s320/original_d5f59335-2c8e-40f2-8522-550fc5dcb52d_Screenshot_20240228-172956.png" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: arial; font-size: medium;">Look what I heard in the park one evening! I heard a couple of owls that evening and a few days before I heard one that sounded like he was very close to the house. Owls & Hawks are just the coolest birds! I think this was the first time I heard a Kinglet around my house. The <a href="https://merlin.allaboutbirds.org/" target="_blank">Merlin app </a>is so interesting!</span></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Until next time! </p>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533317405680450964noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2469509176316025961.post-20109551469356572032024-02-28T03:30:00.002-05:002024-02-28T06:59:07.025-05:00Guess the Category Hodgepodge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf6nuu1pDowSC_BLC2GBuvFUDXdyHD-15DBPErNkH9RsNpE_sMjhJGkbB3UoXJiuVAu96MSIgENuHA_IFsMcVAkvGrqJ1tTBipfsQGqbYrQwSM8YQNg6F4tnECBWCOxiUUjNHMh0xnfPegxO47rs_G_YDJSvaTk1lue_QllC2faJ0aJDQIXA6WGwuVi9tn/s273/hodgepodge-button.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="273" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhf6nuu1pDowSC_BLC2GBuvFUDXdyHD-15DBPErNkH9RsNpE_sMjhJGkbB3UoXJiuVAu96MSIgENuHA_IFsMcVAkvGrqJ1tTBipfsQGqbYrQwSM8YQNg6F4tnECBWCOxiUUjNHMh0xnfPegxO47rs_G_YDJSvaTk1lue_QllC2faJ0aJDQIXA6WGwuVi9tn/w200-h183/hodgepodge-button.png" width="200" /></a></div><p> <span data-mce-style="color:#000000;">Joyce asks the questions, and we provide the answers. See how others answered at </span><a href="http://www.fromthissideofthepond.com/" target="_blank">From This Side of the Pond.</a></p><p></p><div style="text-align: left;"><!--StartFragment--><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">1. February is coming to a close. Give us a two-word phrase that tells us something about how yours went.</span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><i>Stress-relieving</i></span></div><p></p><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"></p><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">2. If you had to describe how you're feeling right now as an amusement park ride, what ride are you on? Explain. </p><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><i>Lazy River. Things are starting to slow down for me and I'm trying to just take it all as it is coming.</i></p><div><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">3. What's something on your desk or a nearby wall that cheers you up when you see it or walk past? </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkgj2VUbDiy4JkYB_AMO96C997SmCplec7PcbQqpMaryYNn5sg6dbbbdMpi_9IY8_fp55g4Uip01Kwk5Fu-WoHVl_MqM6l1mapdoJza1Ff_USuIePCf84h2pzLpzQGMJcInt8UZOQ_UQIgdDffhrZPaZxS2zBA4UXCKFYFEG6Yg0xrV3AQC6gwrF9MwIjs/s2540/original_80de2151-b35c-4ee2-b0cf-a6bc530782c0_0227241034.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2539" data-original-width="2540" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkgj2VUbDiy4JkYB_AMO96C997SmCplec7PcbQqpMaryYNn5sg6dbbbdMpi_9IY8_fp55g4Uip01Kwk5Fu-WoHVl_MqM6l1mapdoJza1Ff_USuIePCf84h2pzLpzQGMJcInt8UZOQ_UQIgdDffhrZPaZxS2zBA4UXCKFYFEG6Yg0xrV3AQC6gwrF9MwIjs/w200-h200/original_80de2151-b35c-4ee2-b0cf-a6bc530782c0_0227241034.jpg" title="Divine Mercy" width="200" /></a></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; text-align: left;"><i>This is the Divine Mercy with the words "Jesus, I Trust in You!" under it. I taped this to my window during COVID and it has stayed right where I put it. This image has gotten me through so much over the past 3 years; it's a constant reminder that He always has my back. </i></div><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">4. Are you a salad eater? How many salads do you typically eat in a week? Your favorite kind of salad? </p><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><i>If I eat veggies, I eat them through a salad. I've never cared for cooked vegetables, but give me some raw ones and I'm all good! I prefer just a regular tossed salad, and ones from restaurants are so much better than any I make at home. I really like the Texas Roadhouse salad.</i></p><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">5. Without telling us the category give us your top five ______________. </p><div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; text-align: left;"><i>Miss Scarlet and the Duke</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; text-align: left;"><i>All Creatures Great and Small</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; text-align: left;"><i>Doc Martin</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; text-align: left;"><i>Poldark</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; text-align: left;"><i>Unforgotten (Seasons 1-4)</i></div><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">6. Insert your own random thought here. </p><!--EndFragment--></div><p><i><span style="font-family: trebuchet; font-size: medium;">It's been 7 months since CH & I went on our trip out west. I'm finally getting around to posting about it on the <a href="https://www.coopersflyingthecoop.com/" target="_blank">Flyin' the Coop</a> blog. I decided to cross-post over on this blog, so check back every Monday for a new installment of the series. <a href="https://www.marylifeinasmalltown.com/2024/02/the-great-west-trip-2023-part-1.html" target="_blank">Part One</a> was published this past Monday.</span></i></p>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533317405680450964noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2469509176316025961.post-10914287431013118772024-02-26T04:00:00.002-05:002024-02-26T04:00:00.234-05:00The Great West Trip 2023: Part 1<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>This is a cross-post from <a href="https://www.coopersflyingthecoop.com/" target="_blank">Flyin' the Coop</a></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRMtyXnAFtx3Pczo0lq1jVSHNL8Tm0DDRleizOTT_Oix4J5VEy5bJv9sRNuzEdKu-d_fyoG9pUSycumoTyRAelfd99UNlbxmdIp_qoDFENp24yK2w0XfQ12fc3q0PozoAf3bRale_7_HzGRkmufKt13x_Ae_eUz4YeZCxUVua2aA6x0-SyRe8c6HTnnRM/s1280/West%20Trip%202023.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="720" data-original-width="1280" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRMtyXnAFtx3Pczo0lq1jVSHNL8Tm0DDRleizOTT_Oix4J5VEy5bJv9sRNuzEdKu-d_fyoG9pUSycumoTyRAelfd99UNlbxmdIp_qoDFENp24yK2w0XfQ12fc3q0PozoAf3bRale_7_HzGRkmufKt13x_Ae_eUz4YeZCxUVua2aA6x0-SyRe8c6HTnnRM/w400-h225/West%20Trip%202023.png" width="400" /></a></div><p>For our big trip, we talked about either going north or west. It just happened that the northern US was being pounded by a lot of rain, so we decided to go west. One of the reasons for that decision was that I (Mary) had never been to Utah. I wanted to see Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons, and Arches. Plus, I wanted to see some places in Colorado that Robert talked about. We decided that we wouldn't push ourselves and would take our time. We didn't make any reservations except for the Harvest Hosts on the way to the Badlands. </p><div>We made our way out of TN with the first Harvest Host as the first goal. We ended up leaving a day later than expected because of an issue with our cabin air conditioner. We took it by the dealer where we purchased the van only to be told that the battery was okay. I'm not sure if they didn't understand that we knew the battery was okay; it was the AC that needed to be looked at. In hindsight, when Robert bought it, I think he just checked to make sure that it was blowing and not that it was cooling. Anyway, we made the decision to go ahead with the trip without a working AC unit in the cabin; if it was too hot at night we would just get a hotel room. This actually worked extremely well for us. We ended up staying a few nights in hotels but opening the window above the bed and turning on the MaxxAir was all we needed. <br /><a href="https://membership.harvesthosts.com/member/host/profile/6juEi9Hgl8fGRBto0nWi" target="_blank">Holt RV Service </a>was our first host. We spent the night of the 4th of July there. They were so very welcoming, even though they had a family party happening that night. We were treated to fireworks and nice conversation. If you're thinking, "Couldn't he have fixed the AC?", the answer is "no" due to the voltage of our AC. <table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8o398WensmVcSPpeBR1KXZhD_tafMorFqdf4Bf2wUrLnLwZeEAPym6Utun1zQjE1rxMvBdVg8y3fNUkwa3ddrvMMkumcdIpYW8sh020pMPBIEcaCLyHMYN_3hZO8DKcqXIYDApISbvibO4vgdSOzVex39EcN8QrmIflbddeymSqj7-I8C5c8yKBnhWBM/s3023/0704231857_HDR~2.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3023" data-original-width="3023" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8o398WensmVcSPpeBR1KXZhD_tafMorFqdf4Bf2wUrLnLwZeEAPym6Utun1zQjE1rxMvBdVg8y3fNUkwa3ddrvMMkumcdIpYW8sh020pMPBIEcaCLyHMYN_3hZO8DKcqXIYDApISbvibO4vgdSOzVex39EcN8QrmIflbddeymSqj7-I8C5c8yKBnhWBM/w320-h320/0704231857_HDR~2.jpg" title="Harvest Hosts at Holt RV Service" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Nice spot at Holt RV Service</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi53wfprGTaQ5OLHnGry8i4GhIXTQvXvIFfxzfmCSP_Wn_Y6xfRN2USNg96e9YZIdSnFjchvxRLSgkTECdKgQEN6W7kGLuTKXcaTs1g6LF7D53DAXbFZZ85F_ng0aYTB87FpG2Fh3NuO413NVGYHqf9GHTnuL2GAIX_AEzIfRani3oXq-XWNM6Rp7O8S_4/s3024/0704231821.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi53wfprGTaQ5OLHnGry8i4GhIXTQvXvIFfxzfmCSP_Wn_Y6xfRN2USNg96e9YZIdSnFjchvxRLSgkTECdKgQEN6W7kGLuTKXcaTs1g6LF7D53DAXbFZZ85F_ng0aYTB87FpG2Fh3NuO413NVGYHqf9GHTnuL2GAIX_AEzIfRani3oXq-XWNM6Rp7O8S_4/w320-h320/0704231821.jpg" title="Friendly Cat at Holt RV Service" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">They have a super friendly cat that we had to make sure we didn't take along with us when we left the next day.</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>The next stop was my sister's house in Missouri, just north of Kansas City. We ended up spending a couple of nights there so I could have my sister time, then headed to the next Harvest Host site in Iowa. <a href="https://membership.harvesthosts.com/member/host/profile/stensland-family-farm" target="_blank">Stensland Family Farm</a> is a working dairy farm. We dealt with flies, but it is a dairy farm. The parking was in the parking lot which was very level and quiet. We got a quick tour of how the freeze-dried ice cream was made and were given some samples. There is a small store with a pizza maker, ice cream, and cheese. You pay via the honor system which means if you want to use a credit card you have to make a phone call. They ended up getting a bit of a tip since we didn't have exact change.<br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgya0F8MIL-jUqsK_3bpQQ7JFmvscSRD50q7EIpNg6IuaBZLIC8kZIotsYOd7BIBcn-OzGr5pOLrd5bHLTOroNDHwdmOTMVGXhYV4yyNxAwfpjqk2gmvwU9Gj7LveItcDdi8OvV70RzWalucEmHwjtsyjSuj6drzfoJOYdeH9XcZa22mH2vywKAM7PRUpM/s2603/original_8aee0dfe-e712-4745-9bfb-bfff178576ad_0708230732a.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2602" data-original-width="2603" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgya0F8MIL-jUqsK_3bpQQ7JFmvscSRD50q7EIpNg6IuaBZLIC8kZIotsYOd7BIBcn-OzGr5pOLrd5bHLTOroNDHwdmOTMVGXhYV4yyNxAwfpjqk2gmvwU9Gj7LveItcDdi8OvV70RzWalucEmHwjtsyjSuj6drzfoJOYdeH9XcZa22mH2vywKAM7PRUpM/w320-h320/original_8aee0dfe-e712-4745-9bfb-bfff178576ad_0708230732a.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>View heading toward the farm</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbfTX4Pjy1jS8jiUOVJa2CKukomU_CNeqCAb5hQvCz_KYvjzR4RqF9bGDdihvZC5Qf8OSoF9A37pNsOID8NmWm5Cdy1z6ldg3fXTimlsmp15JEsy33ZdU7qml1QCKPTkvAXeSBWRalNjX1Mfa9VFkGDoSBLnlGu2Nm9E22dP758nBOWJgLX3J3PS4BCAs/s2551/0708230729.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2551" data-original-width="2551" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgbfTX4Pjy1jS8jiUOVJa2CKukomU_CNeqCAb5hQvCz_KYvjzR4RqF9bGDdihvZC5Qf8OSoF9A37pNsOID8NmWm5Cdy1z6ldg3fXTimlsmp15JEsy33ZdU7qml1QCKPTkvAXeSBWRalNjX1Mfa9VFkGDoSBLnlGu2Nm9E22dP758nBOWJgLX3J3PS4BCAs/w320-h320/0708230729.jpg" title="Stensland Dairy Farm" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN3xz7duk_eLzkgde8atMfS4QEuq04Jt0thWL_CDAzlfuGg22TXXRTCnCnbI74Yp0DuxlipenLQOTrIEvLa1rMxUGBnqNs073FMviinNQstanUDbI_wIA_fmGeKZLNxm8vyXqS5nKHTy_2gRdx8jGovgrn67tQ7wbpx-vS1qQ7lpTW79fKh86X1ssVSCc/s2709/original_8f78eb06-ffa1-4af0-aa8d-5c9f24e126e6_0707231628_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2708" data-original-width="2709" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN3xz7duk_eLzkgde8atMfS4QEuq04Jt0thWL_CDAzlfuGg22TXXRTCnCnbI74Yp0DuxlipenLQOTrIEvLa1rMxUGBnqNs073FMviinNQstanUDbI_wIA_fmGeKZLNxm8vyXqS5nKHTy_2gRdx8jGovgrn67tQ7wbpx-vS1qQ7lpTW79fKh86X1ssVSCc/w320-h320/original_8f78eb06-ffa1-4af0-aa8d-5c9f24e126e6_0707231628_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>View from the front of the van</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFX7lMoMbgfSglLYbLu1hb_8JfqUIRi5ywovsjZb7B2PedJqZQc0cZ946o_MCRPWRK82N5WJi4Yj0bGmH-8R9UkvS1yA3ZKGh3bEWWwW-_1nz2RzR8PSO70vhUUB8zSIrVWS7wElFbz606Id9Idsg6En-RnjKFI6q69g8LLrU53UHMJ-Gc6apjiu_OL6I/s2123/0707231612.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2123" data-original-width="2123" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFX7lMoMbgfSglLYbLu1hb_8JfqUIRi5ywovsjZb7B2PedJqZQc0cZ946o_MCRPWRK82N5WJi4Yj0bGmH-8R9UkvS1yA3ZKGh3bEWWwW-_1nz2RzR8PSO70vhUUB8zSIrVWS7wElFbz606Id9Idsg6En-RnjKFI6q69g8LLrU53UHMJ-Gc6apjiu_OL6I/w320-h320/0707231612.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>We parked in the parking lot but it was a quiet night. There was one other camper who came in while we were there.</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTM2_M4LR3fNx4hT0z01PP31hmsUr7LVkoCWCMJe6r5XgbVL7Vd7AngHQV-LcFeQKkHX22SA9lYNwXZOOCGKN36Ms3Yy9QFSosKA-uE6jom-6feejspjV1ya5v-NHl1nmcsYilaegZ0EVyVDB30PQY1zt2J6arZL6iyxwdGQQ8TsN24zvxUxQg_I9VNhc/s3280/0707231611.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3280" data-original-width="2460" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiTM2_M4LR3fNx4hT0z01PP31hmsUr7LVkoCWCMJe6r5XgbVL7Vd7AngHQV-LcFeQKkHX22SA9lYNwXZOOCGKN36Ms3Yy9QFSosKA-uE6jom-6feejspjV1ya5v-NHl1nmcsYilaegZ0EVyVDB30PQY1zt2J6arZL6iyxwdGQQ8TsN24zvxUxQg_I9VNhc/w240-h320/0707231611.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>It's a working dairy farm....you've gotta take a picture with a cow (real or not!)</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table>On to the Badlands! On our previous trip out west we drove past this National Park but didn't actually go <i>into </i>it. This was one place I knew I had to visit and it definitely didn't disappoint. The scenery was breathtaking! We found an amazing place to Boondock, along with about 100 other people. You'll want to make sure you get to this space in the afternoon; if you wait until the evening you won't be able to find the best spot.<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUqpCrWeleYXOur5c07ntu7ArtUWVbKsG-xujQ430tklxOEB3sUi2TnJkziNkhcfXtt0K2hoKWFo1O0g-iW7deB7NrDuxqnY2p-7MH4ReP-6CcuXVtcjVa9Na0yDJxCI1_l-UOoPDZ-8oec4k96g9Koe-dLz2eO8cZXIZ0hZpn32F5qdU5eHAR-NPMN5Q/s4032/0708231510_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUqpCrWeleYXOur5c07ntu7ArtUWVbKsG-xujQ430tklxOEB3sUi2TnJkziNkhcfXtt0K2hoKWFo1O0g-iW7deB7NrDuxqnY2p-7MH4ReP-6CcuXVtcjVa9Na0yDJxCI1_l-UOoPDZ-8oec4k96g9Koe-dLz2eO8cZXIZ0hZpn32F5qdU5eHAR-NPMN5Q/w320-h240/0708231510_HDR.jpg" title="The Badlands National Park" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4an2L5m0a2SXQnX8zB9mg8eZypD7v2W-pi9ckNDjg_A9SjgB33BghB7mGN4UI3wM0hmnVSP4uUIXoJ21HX6BFelVdEQvidAR0yY_fIuy7W2R3OsFXdJnFny1DY9L6_NOgmfnl-B6-8TodpOorfSnRt2-KRug029oWEWX6VM4Ns2RHIp8BxbDPjRseVqI/s4032/0708231931a.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4an2L5m0a2SXQnX8zB9mg8eZypD7v2W-pi9ckNDjg_A9SjgB33BghB7mGN4UI3wM0hmnVSP4uUIXoJ21HX6BFelVdEQvidAR0yY_fIuy7W2R3OsFXdJnFny1DY9L6_NOgmfnl-B6-8TodpOorfSnRt2-KRug029oWEWX6VM4Ns2RHIp8BxbDPjRseVqI/w240-h320/0708231931a.jpg" title="Pinnacle Boondocking Area, Badlands National Park" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The view from our van</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p>We spent 2 nights on the Pinnacles (also called "Badlands Boondocking Area" or "Badlands Boondock Campspot" on Google Maps). The whole drive through the Badlands was just breathtaking. We rode through the "loop" when we got there, found a spot to spend the night, and then spent the next day going back through the park at a much slower pace. We showered at the campground and then headed back to the Pinnacles to find a spot for the night. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfeDpMlJa7-w_dJg7KkB-jwokX2XUMksI3wo8lTQf9-7O1wDCH-7EvD-u6e-q_HBH-llJUVO6UKbGmxqqff3_oa5pltYN-pMecbBLrAJh45JFx-9X5QmpP5ev133eVzNZUYjE2WQHFiDxWMZdX46nkEIjacygwgE_2GN85ejl4Xriz565mj_lxoxcMPyE/s4032/0708231611.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfeDpMlJa7-w_dJg7KkB-jwokX2XUMksI3wo8lTQf9-7O1wDCH-7EvD-u6e-q_HBH-llJUVO6UKbGmxqqff3_oa5pltYN-pMecbBLrAJh45JFx-9X5QmpP5ev133eVzNZUYjE2WQHFiDxWMZdX46nkEIjacygwgE_2GN85ejl4Xriz565mj_lxoxcMPyE/w320-h240/0708231611.jpg" title="Badlands National Park" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNd7av0qu93JW_SExa-vM8C-ohOEXyynmIRq5RE4mjsHHF7p2LUjXHZAj6rDyrIPVWbNYXS1W1hry966OgJSIOYobrNS_hjED1jeiAgqXL8mNV3oMCG9MOmjmJ6XOOdS3ZZ24JbDleCKD3dWw9tOwau8Mm_wMnzqkkZHMeIv2haquwxF3eGLTuO1fZvOY/s5184/IMG_7822%20(2).JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNd7av0qu93JW_SExa-vM8C-ohOEXyynmIRq5RE4mjsHHF7p2LUjXHZAj6rDyrIPVWbNYXS1W1hry966OgJSIOYobrNS_hjED1jeiAgqXL8mNV3oMCG9MOmjmJ6XOOdS3ZZ24JbDleCKD3dWw9tOwau8Mm_wMnzqkkZHMeIv2haquwxF3eGLTuO1fZvOY/w320-h213/IMG_7822%20(2).JPG" title="Badlands National Park" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwna7oZ6Un-VzNAbp8RNZo2MCtVQQG-2gEoH_fqrmOFSXkxLn0pyngOKasP85R3fOkyl84oHNsOWYa5kDkzeEH8kFLMU3cRwXyUHTZyFurRYrfcGXulkcnlA-lHnBl78Awru2cPMP6fNuHK5-1944X1URKuIOZEtpEm_iZM1ILfZ2UaXZhjLs9BU60ERA/s5184/IMG_7873%20(2).JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwna7oZ6Un-VzNAbp8RNZo2MCtVQQG-2gEoH_fqrmOFSXkxLn0pyngOKasP85R3fOkyl84oHNsOWYa5kDkzeEH8kFLMU3cRwXyUHTZyFurRYrfcGXulkcnlA-lHnBl78Awru2cPMP6fNuHK5-1944X1URKuIOZEtpEm_iZM1ILfZ2UaXZhjLs9BU60ERA/w320-h213/IMG_7873%20(2).JPG" title="Badlands National Park" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp2Jy4zh5CO-sFoJXXqOjAeln7q51cC0AI79bi1tRlk7J6ad5HR_LTG-wrnzOxFoJD0SmHFR-D7KqNk54EOSIIPxba-G-hWilSR33phhquyiVlmFBf0dYFFfizvXLcr0_Vwd1xfX3vtsc17C06u0SKK1pxegQzzfttOizYvUTa2eSn5Kr-6l91e_9jxYs/s5184/IMG_7886%20(2).JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp2Jy4zh5CO-sFoJXXqOjAeln7q51cC0AI79bi1tRlk7J6ad5HR_LTG-wrnzOxFoJD0SmHFR-D7KqNk54EOSIIPxba-G-hWilSR33phhquyiVlmFBf0dYFFfizvXLcr0_Vwd1xfX3vtsc17C06u0SKK1pxegQzzfttOizYvUTa2eSn5Kr-6l91e_9jxYs/w320-h213/IMG_7886%20(2).JPG" title="Badlands National Park" width="320" /></a></div><p>We had been advised to be aware of the wind. We had a young couple in a tent in back of us. Luckily the winds weren't too bad that night and their tent didn't end up against the van. We ended up seeing the couple again a couple of days after that on the interstate to Billings. It was very cool to have someone to wave to when we were so far away from home. </p><p>From the Badlands, we started heading north/northwest. We had the luxury of taking our time deciding where we were going to go next as we drove along. We averaged 4-5 hours of driving each day which was perfect for us. I was already amazed at how beautiful this area of the country is; there was much more to come!</p>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533317405680450964noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2469509176316025961.post-22850518923518741742024-02-23T04:30:00.001-05:002024-02-23T04:30:00.150-05:00Bringing Back Friday Fotos<div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeHPZhze3w2RShrA1YSpXzaqrP9WjYEgwNJGbkBVV_EKBYvEWm3ABBq5lVLeMbfMDQaMVngsakaFooiT5eunicdn4Kb4FkbBHajLdqJbqe7gU3OwVdsxduCUMkTOHbhs1cXoV4W3hgbmceZKsDjPe5jd2q4XpN3XeE9bW7fehoYKQ-5s2F_52eHeoGd-N0/s1958/Friday%20Fotos.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1958" data-original-width="1699" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeHPZhze3w2RShrA1YSpXzaqrP9WjYEgwNJGbkBVV_EKBYvEWm3ABBq5lVLeMbfMDQaMVngsakaFooiT5eunicdn4Kb4FkbBHajLdqJbqe7gU3OwVdsxduCUMkTOHbhs1cXoV4W3hgbmceZKsDjPe5jd2q4XpN3XeE9bW7fehoYKQ-5s2F_52eHeoGd-N0/w174-h200/Friday%20Fotos.png" width="174" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: PlusJakartaSans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", Ubuntu, sans-serif; text-align: start; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Photo by Designecologist: https://www.pexels.com/photo/image-of-river-on-smartphone-1398339/</i></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">I decided it's time for me to revive my "Friday Fotos". It's a way for me to find the beauty in my everyday life and share it on Fridays. Hopefully, I'll be able to keep this up, at least for a while. This post is a short one!</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9dGibLSnP41elzTQ2egAMSY5JDcJzz67G3M6h97FvCeMjc2tMmRXgBBVlM7bM8ztdgNfZezffHid1KgXjZ72iluA1JF4tEadRA5pcl0fRy-rcNk9Tz7kQtvLmO9wmK1h9YZNgpMxPpQgKttr-743SuTQypRcxeQVnEoznqXRYiQrwG4v3yC-K6Li9ec1c/s2460/0215241840.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2460" data-original-width="2460" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9dGibLSnP41elzTQ2egAMSY5JDcJzz67G3M6h97FvCeMjc2tMmRXgBBVlM7bM8ztdgNfZezffHid1KgXjZ72iluA1JF4tEadRA5pcl0fRy-rcNk9Tz7kQtvLmO9wmK1h9YZNgpMxPpQgKttr-743SuTQypRcxeQVnEoznqXRYiQrwG4v3yC-K6Li9ec1c/w320-h320/0215241840.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Gurl Dogg rarely gives me cuddles. The other day she crawled onto my lap and laid her head on my shoulder. </i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpAHxs5G_lK6VEVxExojdY7tjlXRkxdlm2Mg6rPwmdJUARNIkpEiDryCpgEi-_313gsqUGlEq-k8R6zqOEVEiVmTpRdJvJNVoUn43owKyRt8qe5y2KmJl_HBKFz7oKceEOuPrewUpzleVSp2d38Z_XAhT-Sp12JTGIfSX8B1GEuCJPb9xq1KOEN1ilKYup/s2587/0218241703.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2587" data-original-width="2587" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpAHxs5G_lK6VEVxExojdY7tjlXRkxdlm2Mg6rPwmdJUARNIkpEiDryCpgEi-_313gsqUGlEq-k8R6zqOEVEiVmTpRdJvJNVoUn43owKyRt8qe5y2KmJl_HBKFz7oKceEOuPrewUpzleVSp2d38Z_XAhT-Sp12JTGIfSX8B1GEuCJPb9xq1KOEN1ilKYup/s320/0218241703.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I popped into the church and noticed the light produced a shadow of the cross behind the crucifix. </i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1q7qi9y-Axs5oTCylVNXSE0UVSuT8lIMEGgI_Cj8VfC_hV9-VKf5lmyVZlZg4HiKZ38sRLENS5ppzgmKywZXlOL7VNfn5yVMFBkSkUqRW8Wm9AED6Wsnx6mtYhHhbwcSHZbzkwvDYJSXNfIjVJvFlQmycf8Zqd9IpM7CyezHnNKCt2jll4Zn1ehsjhMzQ/s3024/0220241340.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1q7qi9y-Axs5oTCylVNXSE0UVSuT8lIMEGgI_Cj8VfC_hV9-VKf5lmyVZlZg4HiKZ38sRLENS5ppzgmKywZXlOL7VNfn5yVMFBkSkUqRW8Wm9AED6Wsnx6mtYhHhbwcSHZbzkwvDYJSXNfIjVJvFlQmycf8Zqd9IpM7CyezHnNKCt2jll4Zn1ehsjhMzQ/s320/0220241340.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>During a walk, I noticed a branch fell and landed sideways with other branches holding it in place. Interesting.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw8hWCg-oycMg-O08ACttj6WXlqbWah_IX8rEPblmj23Jmhy43VXcEY7IK-QjF7gILRoqt-bqhLnjwlB8-G3jWzm22Xtm43orpkVpltw84WYMaSO1JG7OKw4kd63xOgolignUPtxFAIHlPhncL251qgq_QSLoKOIDdzH-HnndjpqeAeseXiPjXuLCMLog0/s2047/original_5f9329f4-3a8b-42ee-9146-576c6ff11e94_0220241028.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2046" data-original-width="2047" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhw8hWCg-oycMg-O08ACttj6WXlqbWah_IX8rEPblmj23Jmhy43VXcEY7IK-QjF7gILRoqt-bqhLnjwlB8-G3jWzm22Xtm43orpkVpltw84WYMaSO1JG7OKw4kd63xOgolignUPtxFAIHlPhncL251qgq_QSLoKOIDdzH-HnndjpqeAeseXiPjXuLCMLog0/s320/original_5f9329f4-3a8b-42ee-9146-576c6ff11e94_0220241028.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>If you read "<a href="https://www.marylifeinasmalltown.com/2024/02/an-opinionated-hodgepodge.html" target="_blank">An Opinionated Hodgepodge</a>", you've already seen this picture. YS put some bird seed on the window ledge in my office so I could enjoy the birds up close & personal. This titmouse seemed interested in what I was doing before he grabbed a snack.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioRUNR-yGcwMV3ZFSBVgNzJWbhO6jFr0WZQdko-CNhIqWeZXn9ZhbNLjccoI95EcWgoE_DNyihYmxvfB9KkxZJyhJ_t6kliDnE_Sf2MN_x772uTuF2IgZgLvyyIIvigHptrpqoPmbN29oG8TH9b-D0QlryeJH6TJu2_BFSbO_bMevSW3v4-eBLK8Z-l14F/s3024/0222241206.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3020" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioRUNR-yGcwMV3ZFSBVgNzJWbhO6jFr0WZQdko-CNhIqWeZXn9ZhbNLjccoI95EcWgoE_DNyihYmxvfB9KkxZJyhJ_t6kliDnE_Sf2MN_x772uTuF2IgZgLvyyIIvigHptrpqoPmbN29oG8TH9b-D0QlryeJH6TJu2_BFSbO_bMevSW3v4-eBLK8Z-l14F/s320/0222241206.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I took this as a sign of how safe the Small Town is. I noticed this child's bike the day before I snapped this photo. It was in the same place the next day. Gurl Dogg is checking it out.<br /></i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div style="text-align: left;">What interesting and/or beautiful things did you see in your world this week? Notice the world around you and take a photo each day of something beautiful. </div>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533317405680450964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2469509176316025961.post-64226299561466393462024-02-21T03:00:00.002-05:002024-02-21T06:38:11.539-05:00An Opinionated Hodgepodge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKtch6vMXKlSd-5ALqJKXqNVbL7HYUXAlYogCVq-66gUKCs2srZzwuY-r2l8NAfvrtaRexmEwBNOZOg7808neUshTCsWR_CRIdyur4MHLKyr81mSKIQokEkFLRsbPZ5vl1s28IkduhtgDR2Yc7fZmTsORvYpvSSDU9vgKy2BuuDqiuy96vbtRj7xvOTjPa/s273/hodgepodge-button.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="273" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKtch6vMXKlSd-5ALqJKXqNVbL7HYUXAlYogCVq-66gUKCs2srZzwuY-r2l8NAfvrtaRexmEwBNOZOg7808neUshTCsWR_CRIdyur4MHLKyr81mSKIQokEkFLRsbPZ5vl1s28IkduhtgDR2Yc7fZmTsORvYpvSSDU9vgKy2BuuDqiuy96vbtRj7xvOTjPa/w200-h183/hodgepodge-button.png" width="200" /></a></div><p> <span data-mce-style="color:#000000;">Joyce asks the questions, and we provide the answers. See how others answered at </span><a href="http://www.fromthissideofthepond.com/" target="_blank">From This Side of the Pond.</a></p><p><!--StartFragment--><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">1. What kind of thinker are you-doer concrete thinking) analyst (analytical and abstract thinking), orator (logical thinking) inventor (imaginative thinking) or original thinker (creative)? What makes you say so? You can try this little quiz </span><a href="https://psychologia.co/types-of-thinking/" style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; text-decoration-line: none;">(link here)</a><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"> to help with your answer. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><i>The test result was "Inventor" but I disagree with that. I think "Orator" fits me better after reading the descriptions. One of the reasons I disagreed with Inventor is because I have an extremely difficult time imagining what something is supposed to look like. I have to have it right in front of me or see a visual representation of it.</i></span></p><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">2. Do you own a crock pot, air fryer, and/or instapot? Do you leave said small appliance sitting out? How often do you use it/them? Favorite thing to make in one of these? </p><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><i>I have all 3 and they don't sit on my counter. I try to limit how much is on my counter; I don't like it to be cluttered. That being said, MS has a Ninja Foodie that has options to air fry/air roast/air broil/bake/toast/bagel that is too big to fit into my appliance cabinet. And it drives me crazy that it has to go on the counter and can't be put up. It's a very handy appliance, though, and is so versatile! Maybe a cover would make me feel better about it living there; maybe not. It gets used a lot; if not every day then every other day. It's great for popping a pizza in or single servings. </i></p><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><i>I have a separate air fryer but it will be going in with items to sell in a yard sale, when we get our act together! I had to buy a new oven last October; the new one has an air fryer built in. I haven't used that feature yet; I don't need it since a Foodie is sitting on my counter.</i></p><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><i>I love to make soup in my crock pot. It gets used more in the hot summer months when I don't want to turn on the oven. I also like how my roast turns out when I use it.</i></p><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><i>I haven't used my Instant Pot a whole lot. I bought a 3-quart IP to make it easier to cook while camping. We made pasta in it a couple of times and I've discovered how great it is at making a baked potato. It cuts the time in half! </i></p><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">3. What's something you hold a strong opinion on that matters not at all in the grand scheme of things? </p><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><i>Oh, gosh! So many things. I'm a pretty opinionated person and won't hold back if you ask me. I don't think I can narrow it down to 1 thing. Maybe the opinion of having things sitting on the kitchen counter. (See #2)</i></p><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">4. Describe the view from your window. </p><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><i>YS filled up the bird feeders on Monday and I have a couple outside of my office window. I'm currently watching some purple finches (which are actually red in color) enjoying their snacks. YS put a little bit of seed on my windowsill. I had a brave little titmouse come a few times and snatch some after looking into the window at me for a few seconds.</i></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKVBhfbgCpz9x-Nde0Z0zux-qHgUILr8P8vHB-W8Iu_H2tzzujS7PF5gQp5ZkJc_edUKn94FzxpLax-sQmd-TfG2cqostKl5yh9Os6a1bhGIuFyE9bmCLBq7SHc6xdGy33eh5B1Tgmckzb5pBJ_7d02LM8VsOiuA4mzJNgr1FoKbVLNI2jKo6AdELmwULi/s2047/original_5f9329f4-3a8b-42ee-9146-576c6ff11e94_0220241028.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2046" data-original-width="2047" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKVBhfbgCpz9x-Nde0Z0zux-qHgUILr8P8vHB-W8Iu_H2tzzujS7PF5gQp5ZkJc_edUKn94FzxpLax-sQmd-TfG2cqostKl5yh9Os6a1bhGIuFyE9bmCLBq7SHc6xdGy33eh5B1Tgmckzb5pBJ_7d02LM8VsOiuA4mzJNgr1FoKbVLNI2jKo6AdELmwULi/w200-h200/original_5f9329f4-3a8b-42ee-9146-576c6ff11e94_0220241028.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><br /><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">5. Do you have a favorite brand? Explain.</p><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><i>Of what? Once I find something I like, I tend to stick with it and not deviate. </i></p><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">6. Insert your own random thought here. </p><p><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, Palatino Linotype, Palatino, serif;"><i>My travel calendar is filling up! I have something every month from April to October. Some activities are with family, some with friends, and one that begins by myself but will end with family. I'm on a waitlist for a trip at the end of October; we'll see if I get in. If I don't, I'll find things close to home to do. There is one trip I'm gathering information for, but I think that will have to wait until Spring. It's going to be a longer one, time-wise. Hopefully, it will pan out because it's to some places I've seen on TV that are just gorgeous. And, I have friends in that area of the world who have offered their assistance. It just doesn't get any better than this!</i></span></p>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533317405680450964noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2469509176316025961.post-66289625667444653532024-02-14T03:00:00.001-05:002024-02-14T03:00:00.239-05:00A Lovely Hodgepodge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSrOc0UJ-G-K7zsSZMar8r8buo-ZmKVcYmDZsAbXrN0o9iDnjjNDE2lK6KPZyNsV8z-9s8bBkrVxY48Kg8Bv8A5ruy8J774xhDsyspLZs5RAaVrOXRzaqcDBP6VPW9jFVYunhOyfY3LYmz-GsDjL-AnUv9fUYDCFNC8ZhRuMFEfVoBvUsygul0x6nXO1hC/s273/hodgepodge-button.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="273" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSrOc0UJ-G-K7zsSZMar8r8buo-ZmKVcYmDZsAbXrN0o9iDnjjNDE2lK6KPZyNsV8z-9s8bBkrVxY48Kg8Bv8A5ruy8J774xhDsyspLZs5RAaVrOXRzaqcDBP6VPW9jFVYunhOyfY3LYmz-GsDjL-AnUv9fUYDCFNC8ZhRuMFEfVoBvUsygul0x6nXO1hC/w200-h183/hodgepodge-button.png" width="200" /></a></div><p><span data-mce-style="color:#000000;">Joyce asks the questions, and we provide the answers. See how others answered at </span><a href="http://www.fromthissideofthepond.com/">From This Side of the Pond.</a></p><p>1. What does love mean to you? </p><p><i>Being there for the other person no matter what. Doing the hard things, the gross things, things you don't want to do or ever thought you would have to do. Laughing through the hard times and knowing that at some point one of you will be left to remember the love you shared through the good and the bad times but still sticking beside that person through sickness and health.</i></p><p></p><div>2. Is love blind? </div><div><br /></div><div><i>True love, the kind that carries through the years is not. Once you live with someone for decades you know that person inside and out. There is no way it could be blind!</i></div><div><br /></div><div>3. How do you remember Valentine's Day as a kid? Do you have any special plans for the day this year? </div><div><br /></div><div><i>I don't remember any of them except my 3rd grade. This was the year the schools in the small town integrated. There was a slight riot at the high school so we didn't get to have our party. You can read about it <a href="https://www.marylifeinasmalltown.com/2013/04/valentines-day-riot.html" target="_blank">here</a>. As I re-read that post that was written 11 years ago, one thing that is different is that both sides of town are truly integrated now. </i></div><div><i>I've never been a big Valentine's Day person; in fact, I think it's the dumbest day the card industry has come up with. 1 of my sisters asked me if that day was going to bother me, and I told her "no". We never really did anything special that day so it's not going to bother me at all. Besides, Ash Wednesday falls on Valentine's Day so I'm thinking that's more important to focus on. </i></div><div><br /></div><div>4 Are you a fan of the movie genre known as 'rom-com'? What's your favorite (or one of your favorites)?</div><div><br /></div><div><i>I do like a good rom-com! If you know anything about me, you know that The Holiday is my favorite movie. Period. If you haven't seen Valentine's Day, it's a good movie to watch this time of year.</i></div><div><br /></div><div>5. What's something you recently put your heart into? </div><div><br /></div><div><i>Discovering how to travel solo. I'm doing a lot of research into traveling solo, both domestically and internationally. At some point, I'm going to have to actually get out there and do it. I've found a podcast that has excellent advice, along with a couple of blogs. If you've traveled solo and have some good sites I need to investigate or some tips, please let me know.</i></div><div><br /></div><div>6. Insert your own random thought here. </div><div><br style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 13.2px;" /></div><div><i>This past weekend was busy. I drove a couple of hours to spend some time with a friend who isn't well, then to CH's aunt's surprise party, and spent the night with 1 of his cousins. The next day I picked up a college friend for lunch, and then spent the night with my sister who lives in the area. Sunday morning we had an amazing breakfast in the oldest town in TN. On the drive up, I thought about how many historical sites there are between my house and my sister's (Davy Crockett Tavern and Andrew Johnson's home are just a couple). I'm going to make it a point to visit them and start my solo traveling in my backyard. </i></div><div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWGmacdfqWTFI66ekfdGVX00X-5p9cHloSu2XJxf0x25e3QFB33CEhZ1QDPHImgKiD0GwczDgbyaMFfjinM_h4GH02lzZRkiecfh9gIj5SOcRsCdX6bFEwSyR14VZkK2WOEYidBPsxRTudpQEfR2YMm7a9aNaXlV8jLqeG0LCH-WZZw6nLD0uODToPq31T/s3024/0211241002_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3020" data-original-width="3024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWGmacdfqWTFI66ekfdGVX00X-5p9cHloSu2XJxf0x25e3QFB33CEhZ1QDPHImgKiD0GwczDgbyaMFfjinM_h4GH02lzZRkiecfh9gIj5SOcRsCdX6bFEwSyR14VZkK2WOEYidBPsxRTudpQEfR2YMm7a9aNaXlV8jLqeG0LCH-WZZw6nLD0uODToPq31T/w200-h200/0211241002_HDR.jpg" title="Olde Towne Pancake House" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Olde Towne Pancake House in Jonesborough, TN</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnNYx6J3qznHvATL3iCFE5Q9LajWmhdIx92MmYt4ugj7z6bHIu_UQae4nsQTmcDJMtNCaHyY-NN17Z8288O0Gfv8H-DcbNS3KYQJLkRKwf8irucLgJ-Nquc5znw81csTwB5yU757BkgXE96VgA8xs8keOyo7Gsu1Qvf0jk-XvYdBaKRKUrUOgDlR9oHTgX/s3024/0211240938.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3020" data-original-width="3024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnNYx6J3qznHvATL3iCFE5Q9LajWmhdIx92MmYt4ugj7z6bHIu_UQae4nsQTmcDJMtNCaHyY-NN17Z8288O0Gfv8H-DcbNS3KYQJLkRKwf8irucLgJ-Nquc5znw81csTwB5yU757BkgXE96VgA8xs8keOyo7Gsu1Qvf0jk-XvYdBaKRKUrUOgDlR9oHTgX/w200-h200/0211240938.jpg" title="Biscuit & gravy and apple pancake" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">The biscuits & gravy were sooooo good! The apple pancake was also delicious.</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm9maJrmdzGrvjQNsOLC17DLhGbuBeGJ5iX1JK5giV5xSOajUbbKkfA0Y_OtA3EwnxLdCG3rmhwi3RwTl4XI_jw4b8aS6SBeoL1AEp0960gtutb-seCDCsl2in6dVQAQD88InrIS2a1_S7oHj70OHc6AohJ-7vZ9V8pN8OPOcRNFDh0vOQMD92oE0L0Pg5/s3024/0211241001.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3020" data-original-width="3024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgm9maJrmdzGrvjQNsOLC17DLhGbuBeGJ5iX1JK5giV5xSOajUbbKkfA0Y_OtA3EwnxLdCG3rmhwi3RwTl4XI_jw4b8aS6SBeoL1AEp0960gtutb-seCDCsl2in6dVQAQD88InrIS2a1_S7oHj70OHc6AohJ-7vZ9V8pN8OPOcRNFDh0vOQMD92oE0L0Pg5/w200-h200/0211241001.jpg" title="Olde Towne Pancake House entrance" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">The entrance to the restaurant</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><i>I couldn't go by the largest Buc-ees and not stop for some quick shopping. My favorites: Overbites and Beaver Nuggets. I didn't get the kolaches this time. The boys like the beef jerky so I bought some fresh jerky for them.</i><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiSGBQkR_SmHfkCRECIO-ZDnM6LQ_uqgV5aJdXdm2XrDVVEVOPl9EXlumOR4DfNSqEb1n6xgbwDIio7oJuUAnqbo10x7MPzYsO4kiDa4Ehq8PdNr0GiJyi2jQqy1IROZuGa16-wh3LVrNktstB38Kx8LmMzJG5fINZjdiJ5pSClyFrk5Kdif39l5nWpwCm/s3280/0211241315.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3280" data-original-width="2460" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiSGBQkR_SmHfkCRECIO-ZDnM6LQ_uqgV5aJdXdm2XrDVVEVOPl9EXlumOR4DfNSqEb1n6xgbwDIio7oJuUAnqbo10x7MPzYsO4kiDa4Ehq8PdNr0GiJyi2jQqy1IROZuGa16-wh3LVrNktstB38Kx8LmMzJG5fINZjdiJ5pSClyFrk5Kdif39l5nWpwCm/w150-h200/0211241315.jpg" title="World's largest Buc-ees" width="150" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">The world's largest Buc-ees (for now, anyway!)</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533317405680450964noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2469509176316025961.post-69730090223784531412024-02-07T04:30:00.040-05:002024-02-07T08:15:56.553-05:00Waiting...and Planning Hodgepodge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggrqnlTeQ9QI2soeAJvNXzlibrFpy7JZTQVkyS4aX1sR0eUk-sJUqJ8e8Z80f6tVOOGh9gzlyvwbAsZYo80kxQLCbq8E0Hb4PwaKO0ljZ1Uh_WbJzScplFx867jIb2EetE2PU1hgD3r3s2oYguLOmTuuvPIxl0necvZA0iFGpyI8fQyeXk6nPf1kM_DE_S/s273/hodgepodge-button.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="273" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggrqnlTeQ9QI2soeAJvNXzlibrFpy7JZTQVkyS4aX1sR0eUk-sJUqJ8e8Z80f6tVOOGh9gzlyvwbAsZYo80kxQLCbq8E0Hb4PwaKO0ljZ1Uh_WbJzScplFx867jIb2EetE2PU1hgD3r3s2oYguLOmTuuvPIxl0necvZA0iFGpyI8fQyeXk6nPf1kM_DE_S/w200-h183/hodgepodge-button.png" width="200" /></a></div><p><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><span data-mce-style="color:#000000;">Joyce asks the questions, and we provide the answers. See how others answered at </span><a href="http://www.fromthissideofthepond.com/" target="_blank">From This Side of the Pond.</a></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">1. Something you've waited for recently? </span></p><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><i>All I've been doing is waiting! Right now I'm waiting for April and a trip to a place I've been to a couple of times before. I'm taking 3 of my sisters with me this time and then meeting my SIL there. </i></span></div><div style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiByhIPG13eyCSXVsNR3mSK86OXVGl3SS5yYEVV2d_2evs7G18XDX0uV5HrvRf5BlVVEvXAJynCGfmcf9kbtFQ-SUlgtXr6aqU9JU66F4_Qo-jsT6G1vQeGVvbwX9qiDkgJQjERBf4xOGFm0Xwzk25YqOvnMcuJ5S4UK_XW-IIBVN2DbH-lRL3jA4McAQ2Y/s3000/IMG_20220317_170430%20(2).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3000" data-original-width="3000" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiByhIPG13eyCSXVsNR3mSK86OXVGl3SS5yYEVV2d_2evs7G18XDX0uV5HrvRf5BlVVEvXAJynCGfmcf9kbtFQ-SUlgtXr6aqU9JU66F4_Qo-jsT6G1vQeGVvbwX9qiDkgJQjERBf4xOGFm0Xwzk25YqOvnMcuJ5S4UK_XW-IIBVN2DbH-lRL3jA4McAQ2Y/w200-h200/IMG_20220317_170430%20(2).jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Here's a hint...can you guess?</i></td></tr></tbody></table></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">2. What's something you loved to do as a child? </span></div><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><i>Why is this question so tough? I can only remember things I did during the summers...play outside and go to the swimming pool.</i></p><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">3. Something you learned from a grandparent? </p><div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; text-align: left;"><i>I didn't really know my grandparents; only 1 was living when I was born and I only saw her every other year. Even then, I only saw her for a short amount of time. But, she was an amazing woman, of what I knew of her. I'm sure I've learned things from her through my mom.</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7JxSlcNPNie01zDklyItjcG0zCkz-eMTp-f3A1irJEddB68b9qCt8qnu65T_vVU0XLV8w8rBZzlLLAaqilG8UKFn46GGRlwy2M0U1y6wNV3P7C_-zqi6fqLIvaz_8wGo0kY6Wv5OU6BpFV6t4iENjco9rQvbqGYGDYvyCpO9RtQSTOKZKzUaBbB1Rv-6p/s2048/305396559_5606461129421581_1095134183401472649_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1390" data-original-width="2048" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7JxSlcNPNie01zDklyItjcG0zCkz-eMTp-f3A1irJEddB68b9qCt8qnu65T_vVU0XLV8w8rBZzlLLAaqilG8UKFn46GGRlwy2M0U1y6wNV3P7C_-zqi6fqLIvaz_8wGo0kY6Wv5OU6BpFV6t4iENjco9rQvbqGYGDYvyCpO9RtQSTOKZKzUaBbB1Rv-6p/s320/305396559_5606461129421581_1095134183401472649_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>I'm crouching down beside my grandma; I was around 8 at the time.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><i><br /></i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; text-align: left;">4. The most visited cities in the world last year <a href="https://www.traveloffpath.com/these-are-the-10-most-visited-cities-in-the-world-right-now/" style="text-decoration-line: none;">(according to this site)</a> were <i>Bangkok, Paris, London, Dubai, and Singapore.</i> Have you been to any of the cities mentioned? Which would you most like to see? How do you feel about international travel in general these days? </div><div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; text-align: left;"><i>I've been to London and would like to go to Paris. I have no desire to visit the other places. I have no worries about traveling internationally...as long as it's to Europe or Great Britain. </i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisP2pg2lrCSUtoy5tM5KpCst9dkeEIz0k8ENVbkAj2A5QI5SZippazkN0C31YyNR3kn3R5gMtw6Tgg4YI1ztM6EvF01PWn-mmcFtW2z8JlzXQq_EDE1HI7AQuKii2OdZXd7xl2NmpeQ2m0Q4MsfFmmsdPCLCU6iBA3GiTnV_HTgSZ38Guy0OR4YB_g1V5O/s1600/IMG_1727.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisP2pg2lrCSUtoy5tM5KpCst9dkeEIz0k8ENVbkAj2A5QI5SZippazkN0C31YyNR3kn3R5gMtw6Tgg4YI1ztM6EvF01PWn-mmcFtW2z8JlzXQq_EDE1HI7AQuKii2OdZXd7xl2NmpeQ2m0Q4MsfFmmsdPCLCU6iBA3GiTnV_HTgSZ38Guy0OR4YB_g1V5O/w150-h200/IMG_1727.JPG" width="150" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>This is the church in Surrey that was in the movies Four Weddings and a Funeral, Bridget Jones' Diary, and The Holiday</i></td></tr></tbody></table></div><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">5. February is the perfect month to ______________________.</p><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><i>Dream of spring and plan new adventures. </i></p><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">6. Insert your own random thought here. </p><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><i>I am doing a great job of coming up with places I want to go and things I want to see. Now I just have to gather the courage to get off my tush and do it! </i></p>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533317405680450964noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2469509176316025961.post-10442547288438795042024-01-31T06:34:00.004-05:002024-01-31T06:34:23.570-05:00A Puzzling Hodgepodge<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAkFNEcJR-e6xr0clx3nAFKRF4VPiJs54C676Sw2FavJXRaljzfu5JbJ_UqqBQ92EDDYwpne6PY5pmQNds6qEWifosVAgBPASTUyO8ulkhIYOOuAT_T22IW6LqdtjIo8hLke3sjrRP-26OO5QQ5zV_wAWRlSrcSCSTQXecakCi0INkpwzW1600AUDS0cPH/s273/hodgepodge-button.png" style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="273" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAkFNEcJR-e6xr0clx3nAFKRF4VPiJs54C676Sw2FavJXRaljzfu5JbJ_UqqBQ92EDDYwpne6PY5pmQNds6qEWifosVAgBPASTUyO8ulkhIYOOuAT_T22IW6LqdtjIo8hLke3sjrRP-26OO5QQ5zV_wAWRlSrcSCSTQXecakCi0INkpwzW1600AUDS0cPH/w200-h183/hodgepodge-button.png" width="200" /></a></div><p> <span data-mce-style="color:#000000;">Joyce asks the questions, and we provide the answers. See how others answered at </span><a href="http://www.fromthissideofthepond.com/">From This Side of the Pond.</a><br /></p><p><!--StartFragment--><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">1. January 29th is National Puzzle Day. Do you enjoy puzzles? What kind (crossword, jigsaw, sudoku, etc)? How often do you work a puzzle? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><i>I like puzzles. I had a couple of jigsaw puzzle apps on my tablet but took them off because I was spending too much time on them. I've been doing Wordle for a few months. Some of my sisters & I text our results daily. We're also doing Connections, also from the New York Times. You're given 16 words that you have to put in 4 categories. You only get 5 tries though. Some of them are extremely difficult. I also do the free mini puzzle from the NYT.</i></span></p><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"></p><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">2. Something you currently find 'puzzling'? </p><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><i>There are so many things I can say to answer this question. From politics to social media, there are just so many things...but I'll keep my mouth shut.</i></p><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">3. What's your go-to dish to take to someone who needs a meal (new baby, bereavement, etc)?</p><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><i>I haven't taken anything to someone in forever, although I appreciated the food that was brought to the house after CH's passing. A friend brought some excellent tortellini soup; another lady brought some amazing ziti.</i> </p><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">4. Do you watch any HGTV and/or The Food Network? If so, what's your favorite program there? </p><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><i>Every now and then I'll watch International House Hunters. I usually only watch the Food Network around the holidays.</i></p><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">5. Wrap up your January in five words, with a five-word phrase, or with a five-word sentence. </p><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><i>I'm so glad it's over. The cold snap we had with the snow that stayed on the ground for over a week (very much a rarity!) was mentally exhausting. I was so worried about the camper van...the battery can't get below a certain temp. and CH & I decided we weren't going to winterize. (This is a 4-season van; all of the water pipes are inside the van except for the gray water tank which has its own heater.) I didn't think just a space heater would keep the van warm so I used the van's heating system instead. This was the first time it had been used for any amount of time and I was concerned about it not working properly. There was a little bit of trial and error with setting the heat to be on continuously and not stop after a day, and there was an extremely nervous minute or two that had me shaking (literally...I was really anxious about it!) but I figured it out with the help of the FB group. She behaved exactly as she was supposed to and the temps are back where they should be, if not a little warmer. </i></p><p><!--EndFragment--></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">6. Insert your own random thought here. </p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><i>Gurl Dogg and I went on our first solo camping last week. We only went to a KOA 30 minutes from the house, but it was a good first run. It would have been better if it hadn't been raining; we had to stay in the van most of the time. But, GD did well for the first time; she was a little nervous at first until she found "her space". I'm still thinking about what to do with the van and if I even want one. I found a small one that would be perfect, but this is the first year it's been out so I'd need to wait until the next one comes out to make sure the kinks are worked out. </i></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiYJqK9Y13OkUQgdiU2N9Nl-BwWSNL2rvAiofDalrbI6kGbF6U9q4DadiakYv8AxUURtprMsUd9d2kRotRF4A82fah4nUzRLXTUluwMabEfLyGbFllf-uduQ7_dCDyQenIhf2YdYBtJDaeLJeBMqOz1jvH2dWyGcIwVY1kQueQs215GGGNzHCWNCo9UsBQ/s2250/original_0dd8e65e-835f-4176-b739-5ee2f1489035_0124241433.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2249" data-original-width="2250" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiYJqK9Y13OkUQgdiU2N9Nl-BwWSNL2rvAiofDalrbI6kGbF6U9q4DadiakYv8AxUURtprMsUd9d2kRotRF4A82fah4nUzRLXTUluwMabEfLyGbFllf-uduQ7_dCDyQenIhf2YdYBtJDaeLJeBMqOz1jvH2dWyGcIwVY1kQueQs215GGGNzHCWNCo9UsBQ/w200-h200/original_0dd8e65e-835f-4176-b739-5ee2f1489035_0124241433.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Maeve Anne in our camping spot</i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_MkPaBfpmtBVeVjTwvMe-Fu0sl01voUHV82sOPgUezQU9yn7DWDRfgfdb7HQcut4FXFmPhnALda88MmZWy1lzy4uJqpM9mxynAFOvzKgQpG9kRgz8eHXVWzfJOxfuX7pSeLDmjOXCs-oj0Jpw0HXOqcQA9eSMWoh9y8OdGbIt0rFzGZApgRDIe_Galmin/s4032/0124241923_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_MkPaBfpmtBVeVjTwvMe-Fu0sl01voUHV82sOPgUezQU9yn7DWDRfgfdb7HQcut4FXFmPhnALda88MmZWy1lzy4uJqpM9mxynAFOvzKgQpG9kRgz8eHXVWzfJOxfuX7pSeLDmjOXCs-oj0Jpw0HXOqcQA9eSMWoh9y8OdGbIt0rFzGZApgRDIe_Galmin/w150-h200/0124241923_HDR.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Gurl Dogg all tucked in. Since the bed is so high, I had to lift her to put her in/take her out of the bed.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533317405680450964noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2469509176316025961.post-78846528478026349422024-01-24T07:00:00.003-05:002024-01-24T10:22:06.256-05:00Tipping for the Hodgepodge<p></p><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirjQzx4e-B-zwEaSwMCGzqZGGuNP-y-Sw0S07gEE9i_utw-d3DZC8o-l40lPObrcJiL9HAf9scBp5YgcFPX0c6QAJgKpRAdtYflWBSXfSbxDV4x5CN0ckhesj7yyORp_1FXTnWcSJGOQgeo8EQQu65P0t6VtEurcJ0jIO1F8-j1_o0JJSrWG60GGIGUSGr/s273/hodgepodge-button.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="273" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirjQzx4e-B-zwEaSwMCGzqZGGuNP-y-Sw0S07gEE9i_utw-d3DZC8o-l40lPObrcJiL9HAf9scBp5YgcFPX0c6QAJgKpRAdtYflWBSXfSbxDV4x5CN0ckhesj7yyORp_1FXTnWcSJGOQgeo8EQQu65P0t6VtEurcJ0jIO1F8-j1_o0JJSrWG60GGIGUSGr/w200-h183/hodgepodge-button.png" width="200" /></a></div><span data-mce-style="color:#000000;">Joyce asks the questions, and we provide the answers. See how others answered at </span><a href="http://www.fromthissideofthepond.com/">From This Side of the Pond.</a><p></p><p><!--StartFragment--><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">1. Do you have a word for the year (WOTY)? If so, and you'd like to share, please share. How do you decide on a word? If you don't have a word are you still on the hunt for one for 2024? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><i>This is the first time in about 4 years I haven't had a word. Usually the word just comes to me. As I'm typing this, the word "Adventure" came to mind. CH made me promise him that I would travel and I have 1 trip planned with family in April. I'm hoping to go on another trip later in the year but I'm waiting to hear if I can get a spot or not. </i></span></p><p></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">2. January 23rd is National Pie Day...will you celebrate? Do you like pie? What's your favorite? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><i>As luck would have it, I had an errand to run right next to <a href="https://buttermilkskypie.com/" target="_blank">Buttermilk Sky Pie</a> yesterday so I picked up a few small ones. So, I'd say we'll be celebrating at my house! I'm not a huge pie person; I prefer <strike>icing </strike>cake. I like a good Key Lime Pie or any kind of cream pie the best.</i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">3. Tipping. What are your thoughts, expectations, as to who, when where? Do you appreciate a store/restaurant giving a 'suggested amount'? Have you ever left an extravagant tip? </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><i>CH & I had a running joke about knowing how much to tip. When we first got married, I'd tip $5. It didn't matter how much the bill was, the waitress would get $5. TN's tax is right at 10% so it's easy for me to figure out how much to tip. If the service is exceptional, I'll tip more. The only huge tip we've given is when we go to a local restaurant for dinner and have a coupon for a free meal for 2. We would give the server the amount that the meal would have been. </i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">4. Share with us one household 'tip' that works for you. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><i>Wiping down my bathroom countertops/sink and toilet before I go to bed at night. I love waking up to a clean bathroom! I had been trying to sweep my kitchen floor before I go to bed but I've gotten a little lazyish lately and haven't done it. </i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">5. Influencers on social media are people who've built a reputation for their knowledge and expertise on a particular subject. Do you follow any influencers online? Have you made a purchase or tried something new because of that 'influence'? If there's one you particularly enjoy tell us who they are and why you enjoy them. </span></p><p><i style="font-family: trebuchet;">Ugh. Really? I'm not a big fan of the word; it really leaves me with negative feelings. I'm not sure if these people can be called "influencers", but I do follow a couple from NC who are campers. They started in a van similar to mine but have since upgraded. I bought a mattress topper that he recommended because I figured it must have been a good one since they're roughly our age. <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@VANTREKKINGlifestyle" target="_blank">Van Trekking Lifestyle</a></i></p><p><!--EndFragment--></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">6. Insert your own random thought here.</span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><i>I honestly don't know how you Northerners do it. We had a snowstorm that came through 8 days ago and we still have a lot of snow on the ground. Schools are still out but hopefully will be back in session tomorrow since the temps are finally supposed to stay above freezing. I don't ever remember snow being on the ground for this long. </i></span></p><p style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBCJeMIWgH-vwXMG9DAML8uHhXYcPbB9LqAIDC2up8025YtIkL8y8umvHWcZXmLbc4tkUuev2uWOLf1AML7vMloUxbF-HrUzgWcrzQx9fJdnlYCCEiV7V94gb8jQ0uXk40CPuXrUwrCzUj81t0IUoYxAI2lM8exq6fdBpYPS4VT1_55ihU8MDEUm8XlY_V/s4032/0116241425.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiBCJeMIWgH-vwXMG9DAML8uHhXYcPbB9LqAIDC2up8025YtIkL8y8umvHWcZXmLbc4tkUuev2uWOLf1AML7vMloUxbF-HrUzgWcrzQx9fJdnlYCCEiV7V94gb8jQ0uXk40CPuXrUwrCzUj81t0IUoYxAI2lM8exq6fdBpYPS4VT1_55ihU8MDEUm8XlY_V/w150-h200/0116241425.jpg" width="150" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>This was our first day out in the snow. Laika (the big dog) was not a fan!<br /></i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFK2LSN_Aood4aKBM3KjFrfBPNqnVB3jVDZDAkGzMMWoI-gbiUgO4QKrPfq_fvZ5ejDLYzSz477tog0z1WN9HUDQ-bI1fjNOa2rccVZGUqnnbENN-ehO_ejGbKQyA57ZmCPh7aKC0aVPcJjKk5E2dDjF3_CPOGtj0HhLAELkZU5nGOdQ2Um56h6IMvoOvc/s4032/0122241621.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiFK2LSN_Aood4aKBM3KjFrfBPNqnVB3jVDZDAkGzMMWoI-gbiUgO4QKrPfq_fvZ5ejDLYzSz477tog0z1WN9HUDQ-bI1fjNOa2rccVZGUqnnbENN-ehO_ejGbKQyA57ZmCPh7aKC0aVPcJjKk5E2dDjF3_CPOGtj0HhLAELkZU5nGOdQ2Um56h6IMvoOvc/s320/0122241621.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><i>Someone made some beautiful snow angels in the park!</i><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmIhAcr7UW0QaRUsjqWoRbXy0fkaWvyBS4yJ4kPMm4T-9qcgQETB4wsfgCcF4QNZNhpBSX5CuIrFnx5D-4rfTY1bRwka3k1zkLmVACN6rfU6x6kbmh0fQjPRGWKUVzWxaiQqHU_VIvdC7rzZmlaK6miyEg57SzaLO_HatWoyd4iGKrp0qCQmY-Ism0GeJ3/s4032/0122241616.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmIhAcr7UW0QaRUsjqWoRbXy0fkaWvyBS4yJ4kPMm4T-9qcgQETB4wsfgCcF4QNZNhpBSX5CuIrFnx5D-4rfTY1bRwka3k1zkLmVACN6rfU6x6kbmh0fQjPRGWKUVzWxaiQqHU_VIvdC7rzZmlaK6miyEg57SzaLO_HatWoyd4iGKrp0qCQmY-Ism0GeJ3/s320/0122241616.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><i>The glaze on the snow was beautiful when light shone on it.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p></p>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533317405680450964noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2469509176316025961.post-17220284544041523942023-11-29T04:00:00.002-05:002023-11-29T06:58:26.985-05:00Still November Hodgepodge<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGRmO-XHuQiFjn7Wmc0GwE97HwbY568-JioNTJ_AKCwm7danOAULDwXd6soelEpcgsct-xzGcHXWc_fcmMcflRzOlIxAlbS6VA-IE4e0SS9XY34MQqIokXLIAJAtzFJVlhbuFsa5dkD54tL2zllvdG05XY96EFWw-5j_LamxaoSmSEu_s6s2c158o4QPgF/s273/hodgepodge-button.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="273" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGRmO-XHuQiFjn7Wmc0GwE97HwbY568-JioNTJ_AKCwm7danOAULDwXd6soelEpcgsct-xzGcHXWc_fcmMcflRzOlIxAlbS6VA-IE4e0SS9XY34MQqIokXLIAJAtzFJVlhbuFsa5dkD54tL2zllvdG05XY96EFWw-5j_LamxaoSmSEu_s6s2c158o4QPgF/w200-h183/hodgepodge-button.png" width="200" /></a></div><span data-mce-style="color:#000000;">Joyce asks the questions, and we provide the answers. See how others answered at </span><a href="http://www.fromthissideofthepond.com/">From This Side of the Pond.</a><p></p><p><!--StartFragment--><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">1. Does anybody really know what day it is? Last week we skipped the Hodgepodge and I just assumed this week would find us in December, but nope. Still November. Do you wear a watch? Use a paper calendar or strictly electronic? What's your favorite hour of the day? Why? </span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><iframe allowfullscreen="" class="BLOG_video_class" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/9FzCWLOHUes" width="320" youtube-src-id="9FzCWLOHUes"></iframe></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I realize that's not exactly what Joyce asked, but it's what came to mind! I absolutely have no idea what day it is. I guess that's what retirement will do for you. I wear a semi-smart watch; it's an off-brand and will notify me of texts/calls but I can't answer through the phone. I use it a lot for the timer. </span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">When I was working I tried to use an electronic calendar but found I needed a paper one. These days it's strictly Google Calendar. </span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">I don't have a favorite hour of the day, but Gurl Dogg's is the 2:00 or 3:00 hour...that's when she goes for her teetee-poo walk in the park.</span></i></div><div style="text-align: left;"><i><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsZvoYlMSye5CpFCZwqu78q7PRz_NOwnf2JYAhkrO2YQDg_xBcWHRJTRj00EfjSkYQEqUuNWga3nFPcdBsgi38BFy0mCZxYVIuW-B_PPXHHKnxw4wgBRSoBysV2EWdMTVsPXP3ChrNrOIZmOj18ufhI62VP3OzOe0tZAENne7DAV_sdV8Zok_iOT0hfr5B/s4032/1019231510.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsZvoYlMSye5CpFCZwqu78q7PRz_NOwnf2JYAhkrO2YQDg_xBcWHRJTRj00EfjSkYQEqUuNWga3nFPcdBsgi38BFy0mCZxYVIuW-B_PPXHHKnxw4wgBRSoBysV2EWdMTVsPXP3ChrNrOIZmOj18ufhI62VP3OzOe0tZAENne7DAV_sdV8Zok_iOT0hfr5B/w150-h200/1019231510.jpg" width="150" /></a></div></i></div><p></p><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"></p><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">2. Tell us something about how you celebrated the Thanksgiving holiday. </p><p><i><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">The boys and their girlfriends were all here, plus one of my son's friends. It was different without CH being here but we managed to have a good time talking and laughing. </span></i></p><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">3. What's a sound you hate to hear? </p><p><i><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">The squealing of tires. I always wait for a crash at the end. </span></i></p><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">4. Where do you not mind waiting? </p><p><i><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">At home. While I'm waiting on packages from Amazon.</span></i></p><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">5. I really wish____________________________________. </p><p><i><span style="font-family: trebuchet;">Well, not to be a Debbie Downer, but I wish I had asked CH some things that I realize we didn't talk about. We talked about a LOT but of course, some things were missed.</span></i></p><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">6. Insert your own random thought here. </p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><i>If you've read this far, then you probably have put 2 & 2 together. CH passed away on Veteran's Day from complications from colon cancer. His health declined rapidly over the past couple of months and he was just so tired after almost 3 years of treatments. He prepared us as well as he could have and as I'm doing the paperwork for various things, I'm realizing he's still taking care of me. </i></span></p><p><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"></span></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip7SKXTtzu7IIYgmqJy5QxQWJokautbuXiY4HO7Cz6US_iKdRBasex7KR__mchdp4QvSZTFH5UkJRjn6Br90os7jlBQdOoZa8AdeUIJnasszpOCvynk6BI9fK4yTk3FRW6yX72qR_2SJ77iiF35wnjL9QorR2EW8NVkfUuk7hjohLT-is7TQ65o_OEoSwi/s3280/0718231249_HDR%20(2).jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3280" data-original-width="2460" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip7SKXTtzu7IIYgmqJy5QxQWJokautbuXiY4HO7Cz6US_iKdRBasex7KR__mchdp4QvSZTFH5UkJRjn6Br90os7jlBQdOoZa8AdeUIJnasszpOCvynk6BI9fK4yTk3FRW6yX72qR_2SJ77iiF35wnjL9QorR2EW8NVkfUuk7hjohLT-is7TQ65o_OEoSwi/w150-h200/0718231249_HDR%20(2).jpg" title="Little Grand Canyon, UT" width="150" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>This was taken at the Little Grand Canyon, UT in July. We never imagined that 4 months later he would be gone.</i></td></tr></tbody></table><span style="font-family: trebuchet;"><br /><i><br /></i></span><p></p><p></p>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533317405680450964noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2469509176316025961.post-84255305197817110182023-06-14T09:10:00.005-04:002023-06-14T09:10:42.028-04:00The Hodgepodge Splurge<p></p><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMamAkqcS5Uwi_fNR2npxRPjLGcxN2C-4b0yh-uywnJFZhV0b9Peuaa2wi3Crymm_rg7_7dnPNwqx34f-J1_xEGbCqgIzhCbt0hKTSoD09tW8oZNCjAKianpe-keyTJ1tlyUC0C8O4eTghPraMAryq33oiZtDmjGt8KMX2L-AFWHXTZmKL8V1somf41w/s273/hodgepodge-button.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="273" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMamAkqcS5Uwi_fNR2npxRPjLGcxN2C-4b0yh-uywnJFZhV0b9Peuaa2wi3Crymm_rg7_7dnPNwqx34f-J1_xEGbCqgIzhCbt0hKTSoD09tW8oZNCjAKianpe-keyTJ1tlyUC0C8O4eTghPraMAryq33oiZtDmjGt8KMX2L-AFWHXTZmKL8V1somf41w/w200-h183/hodgepodge-button.png" width="200" /></a></div><span data-mce-style="color:#000000;">Joyce asks the questions, and we provide the answers. See how others answered at </span><a href="http://www.fromthissideofthepond.com/">From This Side of the Pond.</a><p></p><div class="separator" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: both; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: justify; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><span style="text-align: left;">1. What does productivity look like to you? </span></div><div class="separator" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: both; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><i>It looks a lot different now than it did a month ago. I have no idea what retirement productivity is going to look like. I'm assuming it will mean actually getting out of my pj's before 9:00 and doing things around the house.</i></div><div class="separator" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; clear: both; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">2. What was your fondest (or<span> </span><i>one</i><span> </span>of your fondest) memory of High School? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><i>My high school life centered around band. That being said, one of the memories I have was when I was a freshman at band practice. I kept getting something wrong, and the director ran over to me and said, "Mary! What are you doing???" I just replied, "I don't know!" Needless to say, I think I got it right after that!</i></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">3. What did you do the summer after High School? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><i>I went to college! The university where I attended switched from the quarter-to-semester system that fall so they gave freshmen the opportunity to take some classes. It was a great introduction to college: we could only take 2-3 classes and only freshmen were in them. I met a future roommate that summer. </i></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">4. June 14th is National Strawberry Shortcake Day...are you a fan, and if so will you celebrate? How do you make yours? Have you been strawberry picking? If so what do you do with all those berries? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><i>I love strawberries but I'm not a big fan of strawberry shortcake. I don't know that I've ever "made" them: I have bought the sponges shells, thrown some strawberry pie filling in it, and topped with whipped cream. YS planted a strawberry plant that is kicking but has produced very little strawberries that we've seen. I think maybe a bird, squirrel, or rabbit has been getting them.</i></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><i><br /></i></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">5. What's something you always splurge on? </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><i>Cherries...when they're on sale. </i></div><p><!--StartFragment--><!--EndFragment--></p><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;">6. Insert your own random thought here. </div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><i>We still haven't decided where we're going for our big trip. Who knows? We may just get in the van and see where the road takes us!</i></div><div style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: left; text-decoration-color: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"><i>We did get away this past week but it didn't go as we planned. Stay tuned for a post on that coming up soon!</i></div>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533317405680450964noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2469509176316025961.post-41258363570793363152023-06-12T12:29:00.000-04:002023-06-12T12:29:01.963-04:00Exploring East Tennessee: Tsali Notch Vineyard<p></p><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_4n6oE-IDPD9kn5WPQgv4YFvn85aA-oN4c9a6SdyL5WNKQhnXY7b4QIij4Utm7tDA5DKuWRAVqqndVdG2hdcp7UyHWDXwZ6up3ENSbjUvJJVcz6XQp-8iV57OvaYsEStMrpcMK2a_WH87IbDrGP4Nd8UsRWsIfZUeSkAGr2bK2DgjiG4n4IyYeHAxrg/s512/Discovering%20E%20Tn.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="377" data-original-width="512" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_4n6oE-IDPD9kn5WPQgv4YFvn85aA-oN4c9a6SdyL5WNKQhnXY7b4QIij4Utm7tDA5DKuWRAVqqndVdG2hdcp7UyHWDXwZ6up3ENSbjUvJJVcz6XQp-8iV57OvaYsEStMrpcMK2a_WH87IbDrGP4Nd8UsRWsIfZUeSkAGr2bK2DgjiG4n4IyYeHAxrg/s320/Discovering%20E%20Tn.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>After visiting Grain Bin Commodities, we drove just a few miles to <a href="https://tsalinotch.com/" target="_blank">Tsali Notch Vineyard</a> in Madisonville, TN. They are only 2 exits away from each other. <a href="https://thelostsea.com/" target="_blank">The Lost Sea Adventure</a> is very close to the vineyards and would be another good stop. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTp0ucq79KmAXT9DJ7Oy-C5-fi5U8bwwICG5TKUcu9U97gJ07qYW7ZvTJO0E_J61wieRl0hi33b9HeUIGJwR7I2TIrg90bX8FSZN0t0NTdefu9Uw7otjHCvY6lNBpWAsrm-9sx1-LE0pMOjIUQZckFFnmTVJWz_kDHrZsh83GBuN5LoRMc1TNJOKtKwA/s5184/IMG_7742.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTp0ucq79KmAXT9DJ7Oy-C5-fi5U8bwwICG5TKUcu9U97gJ07qYW7ZvTJO0E_J61wieRl0hi33b9HeUIGJwR7I2TIrg90bX8FSZN0t0NTdefu9Uw7otjHCvY6lNBpWAsrm-9sx1-LE0pMOjIUQZckFFnmTVJWz_kDHrZsh83GBuN5LoRMc1TNJOKtKwA/w320-h213/IMG_7742.JPG" title="Tsali Notch Vineyards, Madisonville, TN" width="320" /></a></div><div><div>Tsali Notch Vineyard is a Muscadine Vineyard but if you're a dry, red wine person, don't let that deter you from visiting. I was skeptical because I don't particularly like sweet wines but during the taste testing I was pleasantly surprised. They have wine for any taste. I was especially surprised by the Rose, so much so that I ended up buying a bottle.</div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAkRPLzfwZiusGns4quAeyLozAsMr8EhuJNYesyEOV-ngb-03JSkceiXTtc1F8u49_uWktzUlox1kKbwcoSCNsF05qfK0veNwHrX2OSg5h__4ACDaagY0CQHqDgCwuAAbqinjEGzGOsX_p4CvQHyQhO2r3iR_4Rs6Y-g6sCdeTd3CJCLjDFOyZ36LwEw/s5184/IMG_7709.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAkRPLzfwZiusGns4quAeyLozAsMr8EhuJNYesyEOV-ngb-03JSkceiXTtc1F8u49_uWktzUlox1kKbwcoSCNsF05qfK0veNwHrX2OSg5h__4ACDaagY0CQHqDgCwuAAbqinjEGzGOsX_p4CvQHyQhO2r3iR_4Rs6Y-g6sCdeTd3CJCLjDFOyZ36LwEw/w320-h213/IMG_7709.JPG" title="Tasting Room, Tsali Notch Vineyards" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">The Tasting Room</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><h3 style="text-align: center;">Why Tsali?</h3><div>Tsali was a Cherokee Indian Chief who refused to leave his NC home after they ceded their lands to the US Government. There is folklore and then history as to what happened to Tsali: legend says that he surrendered to the US Infantry Division but documents indicate he did not. The result is the same: Tsali was killed by another Cherokee, one of his neighbors. Euchella hunted down Tsali and killed him so that he could stay in the area, as promised by the US Government. If you've ever heard of the outdoor drama <i><a href="https://cherokeehistorical.org/unto-these-hills/" target="_blank">Unto These Hills</a></i>, you would know the story which is about Tsali. The play has been open for over 60 years in Cherokee, NC.</div><div><br /></div><h3 style="text-align: center;">Back to the Vineyard!</h3><div>With over 6000 vines, Tsali Vineyards covers 35 acres. With the Appalachian Mountains as its backdrop, the scenery is absolutely gorgeous. It's quiet, with the wind blowing around the valley as its only sound. There is a Tasting Room where you can test 4 of the wines plus the juice (which is only juice...no sweeteners added) for $10. You also receive the small glass you used for the testing. The wines included when I tested were Chatsworth (dry red), French Broad (Rose), Atala (sparkling wine similar to Prosecco), and Tallulah (dessert wine similar to a Port). I ended up buying a Chatsworth, French Broad, and a bottle of juice (for CH). There is plenty of seating around the Tasting Room to take a bottle of wine and enjoy the view.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQAnyEkXXorVOSxKpadYZJadwQPflg3hP1O4LsPS_Yh-bLWES0UoH8JFb-Ixnue5QXfxCAvjcuN-wsVb2SwX-M3y9ClkDGmuvtdHK6t1wUTO9qLPfd8TcQmJw1c6QpTl_Osi4Aa01rH_rLKWXwGMoOVV-O5uS4LeFYpKBKc022s9MUUmY7u4N0YocCbg/s5184/IMG_7703.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQAnyEkXXorVOSxKpadYZJadwQPflg3hP1O4LsPS_Yh-bLWES0UoH8JFb-Ixnue5QXfxCAvjcuN-wsVb2SwX-M3y9ClkDGmuvtdHK6t1wUTO9qLPfd8TcQmJw1c6QpTl_Osi4Aa01rH_rLKWXwGMoOVV-O5uS4LeFYpKBKc022s9MUUmY7u4N0YocCbg/w320-h213/IMG_7703.JPG" title="Tsali Notch Vineyards" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpLtzWmRpeXpm1E9QxCllSuldNgBNEPVwbolvnpBvf7S0PhPLj5SqeJXWi0FplgQV00BugJvABwOJFsKNePDVY-hrPjkTpJ5pqGpFKoWh_0vz8jvs5rfMvwZixyjSm0gSzvglxZlWRRj2JH4CVptKKFEWBNlHcx0G0DsmNnPtN6vwjWKE5Hl5FZYCBxg/s5184/IMG_7710.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpLtzWmRpeXpm1E9QxCllSuldNgBNEPVwbolvnpBvf7S0PhPLj5SqeJXWi0FplgQV00BugJvABwOJFsKNePDVY-hrPjkTpJ5pqGpFKoWh_0vz8jvs5rfMvwZixyjSm0gSzvglxZlWRRj2JH4CVptKKFEWBNlHcx0G0DsmNnPtN6vwjWKE5Hl5FZYCBxg/w320-h213/IMG_7710.JPG" title="Tsali Notch Vineyards" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRDvxBZk-fsGoWMbtlzj9k9kOgymqMeQEMSsz_jwkkTOODSwM1HNDiluSZq-w941ZZA4btDfSGUeOi0MC_DnHxQqwScfuDr0Hwd-7YgILAg6OAIY_R58FKcIPCCLi28ElCPI43yAeIrPqgOK_kiLa4DlwxBJJsdH334QKA9LlW2PSHgpKmMXmX6PtorQ/s5184/IMG_7720.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRDvxBZk-fsGoWMbtlzj9k9kOgymqMeQEMSsz_jwkkTOODSwM1HNDiluSZq-w941ZZA4btDfSGUeOi0MC_DnHxQqwScfuDr0Hwd-7YgILAg6OAIY_R58FKcIPCCLi28ElCPI43yAeIrPqgOK_kiLa4DlwxBJJsdH334QKA9LlW2PSHgpKmMXmX6PtorQ/w320-h213/IMG_7720.JPG" title="Tsali Notch Vineyards" width="320" /></a></div><h3 style="text-align: center;">There's more to the Vineyard than just Vines</h3><div>Also on the property is an event barn. When we drove in, JD was prepping for an event. We were parked on the other side of the Tasting Room (up the hill from the barn) so we didn't get in their way or vice versa. Since we were using our Harvest Hosts Membership, we spent the rainy afternoon hanging out in Maeve Anne. It was incredibly peaceful.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsMNxuwAXcUyDsJaJPIPtVS72Qr3_MVhokP0f5oVU7LtQR_zq1tSQD2AZSFpONRuUWdiLg25ONZ488bJprPuqoCuyIktExFqSOBEOxhO6evj5LqiePYHUNh_og4Cba4apow4SUyOA1oAbp6G6SPWh2m129vQhkiWsTbmMky_hpACELyKAOYmEo03f0DA/s5184/IMG_7698.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsMNxuwAXcUyDsJaJPIPtVS72Qr3_MVhokP0f5oVU7LtQR_zq1tSQD2AZSFpONRuUWdiLg25ONZ488bJprPuqoCuyIktExFqSOBEOxhO6evj5LqiePYHUNh_og4Cba4apow4SUyOA1oAbp6G6SPWh2m129vQhkiWsTbmMky_hpACELyKAOYmEo03f0DA/w320-h213/IMG_7698.JPG" title="Event Barn, Tsali Notch Vineyards" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtURnRGvwMJ4V6u1YC7eJOLoOPxkTbkEAfZWQYV75cX_dVwUhFmzUC2vP03sWzo0ha_WZ8oOaOb62SE74HWuUQAssqAcD7qemd3NpxqvqkFYcJYkXLV8QRyR88Aapyq3THLPONfy0uksXfHSjaNdIMJHx6vWbrL_kYtwhiohDtiPHwJDDNEcrR_F1jwQ/s5184/IMG_7699.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtURnRGvwMJ4V6u1YC7eJOLoOPxkTbkEAfZWQYV75cX_dVwUhFmzUC2vP03sWzo0ha_WZ8oOaOb62SE74HWuUQAssqAcD7qemd3NpxqvqkFYcJYkXLV8QRyR88Aapyq3THLPONfy0uksXfHSjaNdIMJHx6vWbrL_kYtwhiohDtiPHwJDDNEcrR_F1jwQ/w320-h213/IMG_7699.JPG" title="Event Barn, Tsali Notch Vineyards" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeyoGmpx8Q2-hev6n636dycUCcfPc0nuluv7WKY2qulhqooXFdmOoTfssLFaVWvu_TscJcThfI4SopyInz19LEGhR1koj5ADSL0MXsoOhXT50L2hNdEfEuJoJX48tHkfRVUR2dVbIdFO-MYHrGu2wsX4A0431hwQp1sKdXI6H94gHwnLc2ZS0OSLudMw/s5184/IMG_7735.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjeyoGmpx8Q2-hev6n636dycUCcfPc0nuluv7WKY2qulhqooXFdmOoTfssLFaVWvu_TscJcThfI4SopyInz19LEGhR1koj5ADSL0MXsoOhXT50L2hNdEfEuJoJX48tHkfRVUR2dVbIdFO-MYHrGu2wsX4A0431hwQp1sKdXI6H94gHwnLc2ZS0OSLudMw/w320-h213/IMG_7735.JPG" title="Event Barn in morning fog, Tsali Notch Vineyards" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQN5R4ZEyR7J2Dyu-_mgjMwVQxeaXtbLH7gJagLE8S749_29ECFS1lUxFoc_lI6u2rRijl4S3q6zGJ1cgvgu_oBcbdy_WBmo-_Ud94sTFPe_0FwYC2Cq3Pw8AcrY2rr51SSYe258WJG_2FfjXemxZoN-Tea43X8nX-PoQTLI1saZDxAY9ICqQo1cF4jg/s5184/IMG_7736.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQN5R4ZEyR7J2Dyu-_mgjMwVQxeaXtbLH7gJagLE8S749_29ECFS1lUxFoc_lI6u2rRijl4S3q6zGJ1cgvgu_oBcbdy_WBmo-_Ud94sTFPe_0FwYC2Cq3Pw8AcrY2rr51SSYe258WJG_2FfjXemxZoN-Tea43X8nX-PoQTLI1saZDxAY9ICqQo1cF4jg/w320-h213/IMG_7736.JPG" title="Event Barn, Tsali Notch Vineyards" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjawB2l2AhmApHXknk0JiQ9Xnbu5GZ2ikCF0kaW0BJZQ5XfMxmRKO9yQPifqOnvqLEUXQ9-d8im-Tzs7OyYsWD255ZNQIXylivJ6yRXIx-dLXUxRETjvFpsr0akJXrRWaYiPd9VWzoY9rB5B8xcs-cOhgfB8yaOBqXp9kma3FfY26cjnOtusrW7qX5LnQ/s3024/0520231356.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjawB2l2AhmApHXknk0JiQ9Xnbu5GZ2ikCF0kaW0BJZQ5XfMxmRKO9yQPifqOnvqLEUXQ9-d8im-Tzs7OyYsWD255ZNQIXylivJ6yRXIx-dLXUxRETjvFpsr0akJXrRWaYiPd9VWzoY9rB5B8xcs-cOhgfB8yaOBqXp9kma3FfY26cjnOtusrW7qX5LnQ/w320-h320/0520231356.jpg" title="Tsali Notch Vineyards" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">View from the side window during the rain</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQPKzlftNxyEFSfdHluE7Jd5dnfu-AzC-3cG33qfS9v7cwpHDtx4Vt1smrHcs7szNFjMsMwWP4W1JFvVvosDRgGyN1zCX6XjO1Sq3gS6CrkQFxxOfVE73mhGhpR4p3RLX3Pj3gh5dAbHLYzW1Xii3HyemY2NPu1Jo6SCWtszZPFhwL92X864oeWKYbrg/s5184/IMG_7724.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQPKzlftNxyEFSfdHluE7Jd5dnfu-AzC-3cG33qfS9v7cwpHDtx4Vt1smrHcs7szNFjMsMwWP4W1JFvVvosDRgGyN1zCX6XjO1Sq3gS6CrkQFxxOfVE73mhGhpR4p3RLX3Pj3gh5dAbHLYzW1Xii3HyemY2NPu1Jo6SCWtszZPFhwL92X864oeWKYbrg/w320-h213/IMG_7724.JPG" title="Tsali Notch Vineyards" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Clouds hanging over the vineyards after the rain</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuAWJZtRCfjFudwyJou-kZKM5VGsj-nWrStwl5e3kTfODGVkMveD_ov2xEeAGAqYZ_2FbAEfaq2EC2ZTr3iU2UM41NuRWMsdT64J8QswJ0ujZGQTeviaBJPFXWO4S2-DYvkOgR6ChrJ7kZTJKtq3Ygidfv1GHWrEbuO1BPBzDh6VXuQU4D3aW5xxIrbg/s2012/original_e8cc5826-85f3-4dc5-9802-a3b0e3c5b464_0520231341_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2012" data-original-width="2012" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuAWJZtRCfjFudwyJou-kZKM5VGsj-nWrStwl5e3kTfODGVkMveD_ov2xEeAGAqYZ_2FbAEfaq2EC2ZTr3iU2UM41NuRWMsdT64J8QswJ0ujZGQTeviaBJPFXWO4S2-DYvkOgR6ChrJ7kZTJKtq3Ygidfv1GHWrEbuO1BPBzDh6VXuQU4D3aW5xxIrbg/w320-h320/original_e8cc5826-85f3-4dc5-9802-a3b0e3c5b464_0520231341_HDR.jpg" title="Tsali Notch Vineyards" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>View from the front during the rain</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div>Honestly, I had no idea there were places like this within an hour from my house. There's so much to explore in this area. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRV_tA1CtvcmWudueQayfpX9YNLOrR7Jr6ZunodsZek9Y0bkDHlLlwtWkrR6kFNYBv3VYM9FjNI_PiAUVY2jFBXnyF40uIFU4YEE0ne3Gdygeq-CA_8Z3kQ0CKLF3TuQTRubuZQmcyi6Lree5_iCI4ZHLZ9n8KA0mdud6UpIIe-zxkruJul2ka_1N22Q/s5184/IMG_7701.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRV_tA1CtvcmWudueQayfpX9YNLOrR7Jr6ZunodsZek9Y0bkDHlLlwtWkrR6kFNYBv3VYM9FjNI_PiAUVY2jFBXnyF40uIFU4YEE0ne3Gdygeq-CA_8Z3kQ0CKLF3TuQTRubuZQmcyi6Lree5_iCI4ZHLZ9n8KA0mdud6UpIIe-zxkruJul2ka_1N22Q/w320-h213/IMG_7701.JPG" title="Tsali Notch Vineyards" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHMQrJnd_hKXwluX0DiFLRmbXFhtXOevip4_c0GIKKdMDBaWm6pYqEwTA5rMAbQY19WpmLaclTdWDCbvkIoOzfe6NJKiTd-O55Ts7hnboIA4mRcWG137bPHNrPYz2oS9o4qH60i68GBAhc9yxGcwLl8RZHoVDmM2levSPqXNs3YF0X_J9fZRZeCAZ4nw/s5184/IMG_7706.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHMQrJnd_hKXwluX0DiFLRmbXFhtXOevip4_c0GIKKdMDBaWm6pYqEwTA5rMAbQY19WpmLaclTdWDCbvkIoOzfe6NJKiTd-O55Ts7hnboIA4mRcWG137bPHNrPYz2oS9o4qH60i68GBAhc9yxGcwLl8RZHoVDmM2levSPqXNs3YF0X_J9fZRZeCAZ4nw/w320-h213/IMG_7706.JPG" title="Tsali Notch Vineyards" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdBUDWgPPLR5zeTNuXwTmGpdfw2dltaWh6l0p24ibvnzNMCe5Ec4PNxkHxWuLyyI9n3o-INXklkPz_tPQZRRydcZfDU6KHn7y6M6cbt4Zj1uRteaY6thQc4nbUBp6HJE4jqyIo5oPjMBOw-eMPX3fmRpMivi7ehH37B_IDTyF_RFtBmC0wMZ5_BgMH_Q/s5184/IMG_7713.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdBUDWgPPLR5zeTNuXwTmGpdfw2dltaWh6l0p24ibvnzNMCe5Ec4PNxkHxWuLyyI9n3o-INXklkPz_tPQZRRydcZfDU6KHn7y6M6cbt4Zj1uRteaY6thQc4nbUBp6HJE4jqyIo5oPjMBOw-eMPX3fmRpMivi7ehH37B_IDTyF_RFtBmC0wMZ5_BgMH_Q/w320-h213/IMG_7713.JPG" title="Harvest Hosts, Tsali Notch Vineyard" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_RjLl7Y-RXBoAq1aMJgnTNCwWsv4jiTzD_TGB0_ZGF26Hk-zJMJl0TUi-ZtpB6b6MJgcylkUFqtL0I1lkEOL0ScS2tQ9QblfXXtJmChEdNjdRaxcldC0nJXW6eilhjUymH7llpoqWmiBv7wzcD4oibdIZy2A2ahXGVYRwxEh2kOiUrSgZt5ZUA49IAQ/s5184/IMG_7715.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_RjLl7Y-RXBoAq1aMJgnTNCwWsv4jiTzD_TGB0_ZGF26Hk-zJMJl0TUi-ZtpB6b6MJgcylkUFqtL0I1lkEOL0ScS2tQ9QblfXXtJmChEdNjdRaxcldC0nJXW6eilhjUymH7llpoqWmiBv7wzcD4oibdIZy2A2ahXGVYRwxEh2kOiUrSgZt5ZUA49IAQ/w320-h213/IMG_7715.JPG" title="Tsali Notch Vineyard" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi01w9fMsr50QWNQsjQs-jSRjacrjxREWZRFK_r4kjv-BNdZoiaAi_2dvjBBIB6M2Ke6SClYw_WNWjMAjQAtsiTfXA22VS_1n-pxUyOW3tKLPIPHGvKtfMOVXQCKSgua4QxpeyM9XOkvRmQ70oeVGOmdNFpjaje7-rMV4My2nUsPeGukt-MBuAKe16dwA/s5184/IMG_7733.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi01w9fMsr50QWNQsjQs-jSRjacrjxREWZRFK_r4kjv-BNdZoiaAi_2dvjBBIB6M2Ke6SClYw_WNWjMAjQAtsiTfXA22VS_1n-pxUyOW3tKLPIPHGvKtfMOVXQCKSgua4QxpeyM9XOkvRmQ70oeVGOmdNFpjaje7-rMV4My2nUsPeGukt-MBuAKe16dwA/w320-h213/IMG_7733.JPG" title="Tsali Notch Vineyard" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><em data-mce-style="font-size:70%;color:#000000;" style="font-size: 11.2px;">Have you heard about Harvest Hosts? It's an RV camping membership that has opened up exciting and new overnight experiences for my road trips! Use it to unlock unlimited overnight stays at locations such as farms, wineries, museums and so much more. The network has over 4000 locations and is expanding daily - and it's so much fun! I think that you'd really enjoy it. Here is the link to join with a special discount: <a href="https://gr3f.co/c/53807/TdItX" target="_blank">Flyin' the Coop Harvest Hosts Invitation.</a></em><em data-mce-style="font-size:70%;color:#000000;" style="font-size: 11.2px;"> Check it out and let me know what you think!</em></div></div>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533317405680450964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2469509176316025961.post-73554152166940832702023-06-07T03:00:00.002-04:002023-06-07T09:56:45.080-04:00Ageless Wednesday Hodgepodge<p></p><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1TP9JDn0L1AIqhulGGXlq4ZDIdnnj51Wi0SB75LSOCw5iT351dOr6c-NqKDRdGJ_NyUX-dFSzW4rBN9wJ5YxXm1L6JOK5IOMbL9FjODQRItiQOD3fh3vxGSa6a-laMGXSKa4h-CwCoNffjPvONIJsPsZWXlW_eUQe9kYHTuCrsgadEm4zmjS5BYouWQ/s273/hodgepodge-button.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="273" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1TP9JDn0L1AIqhulGGXlq4ZDIdnnj51Wi0SB75LSOCw5iT351dOr6c-NqKDRdGJ_NyUX-dFSzW4rBN9wJ5YxXm1L6JOK5IOMbL9FjODQRItiQOD3fh3vxGSa6a-laMGXSKa4h-CwCoNffjPvONIJsPsZWXlW_eUQe9kYHTuCrsgadEm4zmjS5BYouWQ/w200-h183/hodgepodge-button.png" width="200" /></a></div><span data-mce-style="color:#000000;">Joyce asks the questions, and we provide the answers. See how others answered at<a href="http://www.fromthissideofthepond.com/" target="_blank"> </a></span><a href="http://www.fromthissideofthepond.com/" target="_blank">From This Side of the Pond.</a><p></p><div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">1. Tell me something you remember (</span><i style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">or if you're not there yet, something you look forward to</i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">) about being 35.</span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><i>I don't remember a whole lot about being 35. I had an 8, 5, and 2-year-old so I was pretty busy with them. CH & I laugh because he'll bring up something we did or saw from waaaaay back and I usually don't remember them. I tell him it's because I had more important things on my mind...like surviving with 3 little boys.</i></span></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; text-align: left;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><br /></span>2. Last time you 'burned the candle at both ends'? </div><div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; text-align: left;"><i>I've learned through the years to say "no". I've really cut back on "extracurricular" activities to focus on home life (and camping!). I try not to stress myself out anymore. So, to answer the question: I really can't remember! </i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; text-align: left;"><i><br /></i>3. Are you someone with the 'gift of gab'? Elaborate (<i>which shouldn't be a problem if you answered yes teehee</i>). </div><div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; text-align: left;"><i>This question is a little trickier than you'd think. I can hold my own in a conversation and I definitely will give my opinion on things, but when you first meet me I may appear on the quiet side. (CH and my siblings-if they read this-are probably doubled over with laughter!) When I met a group of online friends at a convention a few years back, one of them said that I was a lot quieter than she thought I would be. </i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Uzi7nlByvaSiGMiVek1C8DzH1PAKigkTgtp_DPbQwhK5bMgeUfmfWC79XgRIJhCwLJzp0gvWFtxYZPd_BdevAuH2LMuticdPaGt14BH9rNTBAsxvILagvGCPehqDkdtlmhadImjF4wPKNq4tTwME3V2mxM6fD8R322eV_EAsLPbfhKOpko8_NERu6g/s960/19989253_10210308200647027_3592984976362283076_n.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="810" data-original-width="960" height="270" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7Uzi7nlByvaSiGMiVek1C8DzH1PAKigkTgtp_DPbQwhK5bMgeUfmfWC79XgRIJhCwLJzp0gvWFtxYZPd_BdevAuH2LMuticdPaGt14BH9rNTBAsxvILagvGCPehqDkdtlmhadImjF4wPKNq4tTwME3V2mxM6fD8R322eV_EAsLPbfhKOpko8_NERu6g/s320/19989253_10210308200647027_3592984976362283076_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Splitcoast Speechies: New Orleans, 2017 (minus our Ohio girl!)<br />States represented: Texas, Oregon, Washington, Tennessee, California, New Hampshire, Louisiana</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; text-align: left;">4. Do you request a special meal on your birthday, and if so tell us what that meal is? Do you want the same kind of cake year after year or will any flavor work? Do you want cake at all? Growing up were birthdays a big deal in your house? Are they a big deal now? </div><div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; text-align: left;"><i>We usually have a family birthday dinner with the birthday boy/girl picking the restaurant. I love birthday cake but haven't had one in a long time. Give me chocolate and I'm a happy birthday girl. Growing up with 9 siblings, we were allowed 1 birthday party. I had mine when I turned 7. On birthdays, mama would fix us what we requested for that day. Other than that, no big deal. They aren't a big deal now, either. Just another day!</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; text-align: center;"><i>Pictures of my first 4 birthday cakes that my mom made:</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV21LgrXt2Ly9czlHKM1JAztNmx_5gxjmlnj1ldWiRIAON88SeQ9y-r6owMu3f-TlH9NRW_I1x8nb1YO4EqvlgCqpphJDng3qUuOxjOMG72uxhcKbvp5etPPhXnz7RRoP14ecYOZFX_PL_i0VsUIZ7fRNG82mKkaB76pSV44YdDT7mNhd8P3Hc2rOkng/s800/scan0155.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="554" data-original-width="800" height="222" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiV21LgrXt2Ly9czlHKM1JAztNmx_5gxjmlnj1ldWiRIAON88SeQ9y-r6owMu3f-TlH9NRW_I1x8nb1YO4EqvlgCqpphJDng3qUuOxjOMG72uxhcKbvp5etPPhXnz7RRoP14ecYOZFX_PL_i0VsUIZ7fRNG82mKkaB76pSV44YdDT7mNhd8P3Hc2rOkng/s320/scan0155.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqebqmTo9LUK4MB9yxTgRYOROhzG9qs_s94WqCEmkcz3pcZxsh3v1RHYEtoK8OoKRdkgDSMQ5aN1_UlYLZDWnYsygn_j2lDDny2s_cXCVM2Kn9WZfD4rQaokcBZbZ051dbRmS6XdpJV9C0OF02b0oSPI6juHyUoT1r5DGJzXQNJho-08D6pz1O52Y29Q/s797/scan0232.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="536" data-original-width="797" height="215" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqebqmTo9LUK4MB9yxTgRYOROhzG9qs_s94WqCEmkcz3pcZxsh3v1RHYEtoK8OoKRdkgDSMQ5aN1_UlYLZDWnYsygn_j2lDDny2s_cXCVM2Kn9WZfD4rQaokcBZbZ051dbRmS6XdpJV9C0OF02b0oSPI6juHyUoT1r5DGJzXQNJho-08D6pz1O52Y29Q/s320/scan0232.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioSUpqkB53DQhguwYM9IjEQJ1WorzLDRrxZqXoDRgEkyywspPIXg_gaeYRzkO03o9X7uL1DWCeSW_XQRMaQ-InKMvA_UkjUhdgWTZqK68MUD7pb4eA--ftbxCX8dolywP4AsQdmDLXCqUZHRLzHnilA8TTVILR_TEFbqllH6fBfU9PzRZseTEVveeNaQ/s820/scan0205.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="556" data-original-width="820" height="217" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioSUpqkB53DQhguwYM9IjEQJ1WorzLDRrxZqXoDRgEkyywspPIXg_gaeYRzkO03o9X7uL1DWCeSW_XQRMaQ-InKMvA_UkjUhdgWTZqK68MUD7pb4eA--ftbxCX8dolywP4AsQdmDLXCqUZHRLzHnilA8TTVILR_TEFbqllH6fBfU9PzRZseTEVveeNaQ/s320/scan0205.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQi6oOqCwBTCmpoGhbJx1E-jh7dTxUPsgewMMGoDtEPJ01-GybEt1Y6jJHCccXhCbkqGfdLE0tsYmtR9W2v-j6yIno9oHiodxsC_gUq0RXeXABM_Fw27xL7qlONzWTn1bnRkjiFK9AO-dshQxuZ4PL_Tsw5kTX5tLv_S9mHmxpLsxWX169OblJdKzOBA/s769/scan0230.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="769" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQi6oOqCwBTCmpoGhbJx1E-jh7dTxUPsgewMMGoDtEPJ01-GybEt1Y6jJHCccXhCbkqGfdLE0tsYmtR9W2v-j6yIno9oHiodxsC_gUq0RXeXABM_Fw27xL7qlONzWTn1bnRkjiFK9AO-dshQxuZ4PL_Tsw5kTX5tLv_S9mHmxpLsxWX169OblJdKzOBA/s320/scan0230.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>5. <i>'Age is just a number.'</i>..agree or disagree? Tell us why. </div><div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; text-align: left;"><i>I definitely agree. I just hit 61 a few months ago and really don't feel any older than 35. You're as old as you feel and I'm just not there yet!</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; text-align: left;">6. Insert your own random thought here.</div><div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; text-align: left;"><i>We're getting ready to plan a big trip! We don't have to be home until mid-August so we can take our time and just enjoy seeing new sights (for me, anyway) and the beauty of North America. We'll definitely be heading north since it's summer, but how far north will we go? Any guesses?</i></div><div style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; text-align: left;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7lDeejtQ59iKOXUlzhEkHWlRcNgXhubfiQlqvIt0AeVAMwPvlNH0cOAjBIzAGqTkB-EBsO7s4ftr_rxZa4j4REu4Pw4UNXCgNxsi99mswfWrxh5JjK2kLMIAke32SVRWFFT-PLs002tLJasZz3blBGJ-Tux7tm5eoNPMIMsOc5w3C4e1rwHY8J_yquQ/s4032/0529232111.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7lDeejtQ59iKOXUlzhEkHWlRcNgXhubfiQlqvIt0AeVAMwPvlNH0cOAjBIzAGqTkB-EBsO7s4ftr_rxZa4j4REu4Pw4UNXCgNxsi99mswfWrxh5JjK2kLMIAke32SVRWFFT-PLs002tLJasZz3blBGJ-Tux7tm5eoNPMIMsOc5w3C4e1rwHY8J_yquQ/s320/0529232111.jpg" width="240" /></a></div></div><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif; font-size: 13.2px;"></p>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533317405680450964noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2469509176316025961.post-66668596666452221972023-06-03T10:26:00.002-04:002023-06-10T08:53:47.538-04:00Exploring East Tennessee: Grain Bin Commodities<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYTvob7zPanXPdTXn0zA7WgnDdx_EzajfP14esVIvx4MK0RKYDO2Sr2Pqgh6f_6hac-VAHvP6SS9y5xKZ6dicUrd4zDkEqCABj8Aa4jknFy7S33YqEmHuM6LnW9d0OQRstBKhbH6AC-T19IiA4Lg8WO57hB8wke95nJOFYC12nJWYDXuZcSKw2lxSHvA/s512/Discovering%20E%20Tn.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="377" data-original-width="512" height="236" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYTvob7zPanXPdTXn0zA7WgnDdx_EzajfP14esVIvx4MK0RKYDO2Sr2Pqgh6f_6hac-VAHvP6SS9y5xKZ6dicUrd4zDkEqCABj8Aa4jknFy7S33YqEmHuM6LnW9d0OQRstBKhbH6AC-T19IiA4Lg8WO57hB8wke95nJOFYC12nJWYDXuZcSKw2lxSHvA/s320/Discovering%20E%20Tn.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>Wow. It's been a "hot minute" since I've written one of these posts...2 years (almost to the day) to be exact. I hope to be writing more of these in the near future.</p><div style="text-align: left;">CH & I used our <a href="https://harvesthosts.com/" target="_blank">Harvest Hosts</a> membership to stay the night in <a href="https://www.coopersflyingthecoop.com/" target="_blank">Maeve Anne</a> at a unique place. <a href="https://www.grainbincommodities.com/" target="_blank">Grain Bin Commodities</a> is a bakery in the middle of a farm in Sweetwater, TN. It was just a hop, skip, and jump off of I75. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAswlT2MWZvMQk06ZL2lX7iwg0SQTPysAHrwiwXlIuwKEr9Nd4p3-FCPcSqdwZqhAyhbTETxWViMMjrKJ-ZsCX84QCAG113QX2KEVd3OnrgS1hReTDMVL8l74oEubupjN5z2kxCCr8Uu-V5vvQ1r--TO1Mnm6HC-R_H4XiHXEEIA995MY_NxtdePUKkA/s4898/IMG_7671.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3265" data-original-width="4898" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAswlT2MWZvMQk06ZL2lX7iwg0SQTPysAHrwiwXlIuwKEr9Nd4p3-FCPcSqdwZqhAyhbTETxWViMMjrKJ-ZsCX84QCAG113QX2KEVd3OnrgS1hReTDMVL8l74oEubupjN5z2kxCCr8Uu-V5vvQ1r--TO1Mnm6HC-R_H4XiHXEEIA995MY_NxtdePUKkA/w320-h213/IMG_7671.JPG" title="Entrance to Grain Bin Commodities" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Entrance to Grain Bin Commodities</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;">Callie & Craig are a super sweet couple who own the business. Callie started the bakery with her mom in their home, and after the spare bedrooms were used for packaging and storing Craig decided he wanted his home back. They began building but he wasn't happy with the contractor. He fired him and found another one who had the building up in no time. And then COVID hit. Amidst that chaos, they continued to build on to what was already on the farm to add to the charm. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaF-fY_2IOoiiEwwlh554_1OFBCFULHUu9FcGkQUC5W6-t093xcC5xsmtT1pUXPOSZGDhBQra3VZSdLCRKHlG0NZpf7pmxDZmX0Ln5PCIeR2vVfCnTAB3WpcBuSjn25YY-TaPORddSTbPpopW6O-L0FdO4Eh7EHZAK9pu-4aJ4-uty4M6LWZLN2ooG-Q/s5184/IMG_7676.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaF-fY_2IOoiiEwwlh554_1OFBCFULHUu9FcGkQUC5W6-t093xcC5xsmtT1pUXPOSZGDhBQra3VZSdLCRKHlG0NZpf7pmxDZmX0Ln5PCIeR2vVfCnTAB3WpcBuSjn25YY-TaPORddSTbPpopW6O-L0FdO4Eh7EHZAK9pu-4aJ4-uty4M6LWZLN2ooG-Q/w320-h213/IMG_7676.JPG" title="The Bakery at Grain Bin Commodities" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">The Bakery</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;">What they have now is simply amazing. There is the bakery, but there is also a patio with beautiful scenery in the background, a barn for private events, and an outdoor fireplace for those chilly fall/spring East TN nights. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOPlcBC6tmVpsLcXCvkpGG48yDjTCLokhTT7sHEezXcLLkCHh6ssRhON5xQ_u0eHgTyhQ8FwrEkucIxDhMmaGK77tzLFMe6qqRxLO1EI3pTuNG_5fRp5ogN1RZHtzWmMR_913XfGmYaxD7bd_4XhFvxYYXh2tyWjSsz5o-RH8tve6fWMauQH74HkUHTQ/s5184/IMG_7675.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOPlcBC6tmVpsLcXCvkpGG48yDjTCLokhTT7sHEezXcLLkCHh6ssRhON5xQ_u0eHgTyhQ8FwrEkucIxDhMmaGK77tzLFMe6qqRxLO1EI3pTuNG_5fRp5ogN1RZHtzWmMR_913XfGmYaxD7bd_4XhFvxYYXh2tyWjSsz5o-RH8tve6fWMauQH74HkUHTQ/w320-h213/IMG_7675.JPG" title="The Event Barn at Grain Bin Commodities" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>The Event Barn</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEe0Mi5Fqbnmk-fxfKef2iE2BJrvsPUGvpVssM2GXXxY_AsDQS2KUkuZ41leJPQvmpTGVxM1NcvGMjPUiJwVbA2XWY-fiz4udnbjp45GovN_S4E18BbMmpWN79XXQp2j33Ytz1XRGJDubNFPTccGaQdQafjWnoN1rKDyct8VFfWeisVZzn5kwYbBwMqg/s5184/IMG_7677.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEe0Mi5Fqbnmk-fxfKef2iE2BJrvsPUGvpVssM2GXXxY_AsDQS2KUkuZ41leJPQvmpTGVxM1NcvGMjPUiJwVbA2XWY-fiz4udnbjp45GovN_S4E18BbMmpWN79XXQp2j33Ytz1XRGJDubNFPTccGaQdQafjWnoN1rKDyct8VFfWeisVZzn5kwYbBwMqg/w320-h213/IMG_7677.JPG" title="The Patio at Grain Bin Commodities" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">The Patio</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQd615BMGfjXhxpegy0Hvf4TaLPy9UBncEXSLSc-Tmfi92LlMDxTIyfIKDxqxykivH-XubN_f9xZf0tyAABLqOcOVT8MiwPlhHaPmVPMogou2NUB51EggZq7yc3LofU_z8TNfYjdIiyfKLWUMjHJsG5uuu3CSOMUsjOcvW8RJ3RVEGTTa1sc_-O3rhmQ/s4180/IMG_7680.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2787" data-original-width="4180" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQd615BMGfjXhxpegy0Hvf4TaLPy9UBncEXSLSc-Tmfi92LlMDxTIyfIKDxqxykivH-XubN_f9xZf0tyAABLqOcOVT8MiwPlhHaPmVPMogou2NUB51EggZq7yc3LofU_z8TNfYjdIiyfKLWUMjHJsG5uuu3CSOMUsjOcvW8RJ3RVEGTTa1sc_-O3rhmQ/w320-h213/IMG_7680.JPG" title="Swings at Grain Bin Commodities" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">How relaxing would it be to sit here and look out at the East TN Countryside?<br /></span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEielGkFXPUh3gF50rDs5UVc0FEe5JqhyNoG5hVb2cP7mLrGjNCRKWM6ic371VjlWWJea4Okpuhda4z__CsS_-iXCOdLtAreqKfPGhb_iXJgvBtS3jOeaMwLWKs6Vz1cSy4RYjFYCQE37G8vKWW-4Lekz6JBmeih3H2DxR9rnQhV1FRRNYgHBHWBQ5dvCg/s5184/IMG_7681.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEielGkFXPUh3gF50rDs5UVc0FEe5JqhyNoG5hVb2cP7mLrGjNCRKWM6ic371VjlWWJea4Okpuhda4z__CsS_-iXCOdLtAreqKfPGhb_iXJgvBtS3jOeaMwLWKs6Vz1cSy4RYjFYCQE37G8vKWW-4Lekz6JBmeih3H2DxR9rnQhV1FRRNYgHBHWBQ5dvCg/w320-h213/IMG_7681.JPG" title="The View from Grain Bin Commodities" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">The view!</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6prXUDxELbwL3GMI6vQEFZJ6LiIpXubUQ3yBnik2XEBBZZGVsZTMx6dXWbWx2qUsR21hEL0cPUbqCQqTkg2hGUjVuakPhi9cS3FL0uhHUBIGBS_6CYWN3NeJ9dvM1iB6rA2EjnAnMZwmKn9xKXJpeiWNq4z0MbYI8agPsyMVKYM6UBLl4vWYKnRyAtQ/s5184/IMG_7685.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6prXUDxELbwL3GMI6vQEFZJ6LiIpXubUQ3yBnik2XEBBZZGVsZTMx6dXWbWx2qUsR21hEL0cPUbqCQqTkg2hGUjVuakPhi9cS3FL0uhHUBIGBS_6CYWN3NeJ9dvM1iB6rA2EjnAnMZwmKn9xKXJpeiWNq4z0MbYI8agPsyMVKYM6UBLl4vWYKnRyAtQ/w320-h213/IMG_7685.JPG" title="Outdoor fireplace at Grain Bin Commodities" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><i>Outdoor fireplace</i></span></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;">They paid very close attention to every little detail. You can even see it in their bathrooms. </div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij8sQoTeVa3aTtMLrgB1XqXQn90XnT8lJktJd4O0Z23KsGyuAz1wRkln8gARTFgsgzxobIDtOWIqOTm-fgRX8LZRBXBbPYnYg11z7KXlSMrfYR4EDiP-Ycd4tOAewN78ZDnTG94RnKI6hrDw6zN5NaMctfVjQyC8Cd2A4C86te_9Ia89WCo6uxPld6yA/s5184/IMG_7686.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEij8sQoTeVa3aTtMLrgB1XqXQn90XnT8lJktJd4O0Z23KsGyuAz1wRkln8gARTFgsgzxobIDtOWIqOTm-fgRX8LZRBXBbPYnYg11z7KXlSMrfYR4EDiP-Ycd4tOAewN78ZDnTG94RnKI6hrDw6zN5NaMctfVjQyC8Cd2A4C86te_9Ia89WCo6uxPld6yA/w320-h213/IMG_7686.JPG" title="Storage barn at Grain Bin Commodities" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Details!</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0CSNvNMPwI2g0iQT_Ap51DE5q5p5U3P60KN5ZN0_z-y-M-YToIhhmmIDWA9MXvjsJEC5XamN9RQbXIq0HCBiZj64xBttMlyd6YS4esT_CwzTZt0dBYS_5OBmFyKLcaPwCufpFhKspNx6vKxWJGbJ9Gg6CV3uDCRSxKOE0Q-A-2mNNwvKMq-axeAs6jA/s4032/0520230953.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0CSNvNMPwI2g0iQT_Ap51DE5q5p5U3P60KN5ZN0_z-y-M-YToIhhmmIDWA9MXvjsJEC5XamN9RQbXIq0HCBiZj64xBttMlyd6YS4esT_CwzTZt0dBYS_5OBmFyKLcaPwCufpFhKspNx6vKxWJGbJ9Gg6CV3uDCRSxKOE0Q-A-2mNNwvKMq-axeAs6jA/w240-h320/0520230953.jpg" title="Toilet paper roll at Grain Bin Commodities" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: left;">The bakery is "farm to table". Craig said they are going to try to grow their own grain so it will everything will truly be from the farm. We went in right at opening time on a Saturday morning, and things were really bustling. Carrot cake muffins were just coming out of the oven right before we left. They have an amazing array of baked goods, from country ham and cheese bite-sized muffins to cupcakes. It was really hard not buying at least one of everything.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT0THZWaNlci8GgQTi0-zUnbTeU-mmDD0vpCFrTE6oXqO6lThVlmX3-sNMGzjL7EccTnGSlEns4ihQUzZPzRRJkTGOYH9p8OPyElotgdXCHsmPh63rrKBe9oGjduw-Ds5BeJUxfEN7skK05n5SHYDbIykcfZ6vTdVuktfrN2u00-E4N5tSmLyRc6gaew/s5184/IMG_7688.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT0THZWaNlci8GgQTi0-zUnbTeU-mmDD0vpCFrTE6oXqO6lThVlmX3-sNMGzjL7EccTnGSlEns4ihQUzZPzRRJkTGOYH9p8OPyElotgdXCHsmPh63rrKBe9oGjduw-Ds5BeJUxfEN7skK05n5SHYDbIykcfZ6vTdVuktfrN2u00-E4N5tSmLyRc6gaew/w320-h213/IMG_7688.JPG" title="Grain Bin Commodities Display Case #1" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu-O5r91tGSQYmj5ReF0lHwQ3J6LdlfrO2SliNN1MSPgk9Mk8jMg30D8z6tqcODsYsMOPuvKUeFCuCD75U4jDB1_D7hsECFm8yU0_08zbfsOaKSguEJDa64eIiEs6pSe-1kpCOhIH9uqvlAFO4r5V6u1feEBtNsCYxX79bVKAJ52YvIHqRRW3UtzypXw/s5184/IMG_7689.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgu-O5r91tGSQYmj5ReF0lHwQ3J6LdlfrO2SliNN1MSPgk9Mk8jMg30D8z6tqcODsYsMOPuvKUeFCuCD75U4jDB1_D7hsECFm8yU0_08zbfsOaKSguEJDa64eIiEs6pSe-1kpCOhIH9uqvlAFO4r5V6u1feEBtNsCYxX79bVKAJ52YvIHqRRW3UtzypXw/w320-h213/IMG_7689.JPG" title="Grain Bin Commodities Display Case #2" width="320" /></a></div><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6USLNDd8Z4B-i8QuUQld7w1S8bGzNBCPR9YyAsghxJMuN_IpynlCq8qZ8ZbYMd4KSJyXEbqnM_1Yvy3QbbtTcqoa7NBWbFKS_Ez4XdkvlbmZIsm2idl3K443sVNjxsktyFQf7LOT3Q91tCxgdzbkrzeb975CXcnSym3sthyEGaKm0guyPBpGLxg8ZWg/s3024/original_3c0e4c14-42cc-41a6-ad28-119c4dff0168_0520230934a.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3023" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6USLNDd8Z4B-i8QuUQld7w1S8bGzNBCPR9YyAsghxJMuN_IpynlCq8qZ8ZbYMd4KSJyXEbqnM_1Yvy3QbbtTcqoa7NBWbFKS_Ez4XdkvlbmZIsm2idl3K443sVNjxsktyFQf7LOT3Q91tCxgdzbkrzeb975CXcnSym3sthyEGaKm0guyPBpGLxg8ZWg/w320-h320/original_3c0e4c14-42cc-41a6-ad28-119c4dff0168_0520230934a.jpg" title="Coffee Cake Donut and Cream Cheese Roll at Grain Bin Commodities" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Coffee Cake Donut and Cream Cheese Roll</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLbZmGHLiDazbqXvOCZx27OPV8PAZpJSOMXxkN4OoJbgtOaxne5iDivO6Cup-bggkVT30oxwWaiQDeaajp_ttGIUeUWV8NI5U8IKfMHl4yRNnGSPtP6fVkZRjPklZcl-yptFNNnahh5OtH7uOsqK6HL3G8Hkg4qxTVV6qBXGF5jqdhFD6bD53ci9jOWQ/s3024/original_81b25658-4317-4304-8e28-466af69da48b_0520230934.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3023" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLbZmGHLiDazbqXvOCZx27OPV8PAZpJSOMXxkN4OoJbgtOaxne5iDivO6Cup-bggkVT30oxwWaiQDeaajp_ttGIUeUWV8NI5U8IKfMHl4yRNnGSPtP6fVkZRjPklZcl-yptFNNnahh5OtH7uOsqK6HL3G8Hkg4qxTVV6qBXGF5jqdhFD6bD53ci9jOWQ/w320-h320/original_81b25658-4317-4304-8e28-466af69da48b_0520230934.jpg" title="Scones, Country Ham/Cheese Muffins, Sausage Balls from Grain Bin Commodities" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Scone, country ham & cheese muffins, sausage balls</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="text-align: left;">This is definitely a place I'd go back to. It's only about an hour from my house so it could easily be done without spending the night. If you're traveling between Chattanooga and Knoxville, it would be a wonderful detour to stretch your legs and buy some baked goods. And, if you're a member of Harvest Hosts and need a place to stay for the night, this is worth a stay.</div><div style="text-align: left;">They are working on building a few small "cabins" that look quite nice. So, if you don't have an RV or aren't self-contained, this is also a possibility.<br /></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghveqNjWmtx2AgHuyZkdZv_TUwVp27gRNH9JQRDH_FuBSQC1eJFq16WNFyzpYh6tgTOcF_2auc_sUTgP32SUN1DYnlXhcaN9D7fcv3VmoycuVwyuLoMtqV9CjZwwORmmwE_3Swg-iQ98JajJ7E6EbVin1rlW5f2PsfyJJNUZRG1d2XcjmjY2tz1xRk0A/s5184/IMG_7672.JPG" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3456" data-original-width="5184" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghveqNjWmtx2AgHuyZkdZv_TUwVp27gRNH9JQRDH_FuBSQC1eJFq16WNFyzpYh6tgTOcF_2auc_sUTgP32SUN1DYnlXhcaN9D7fcv3VmoycuVwyuLoMtqV9CjZwwORmmwE_3Swg-iQ98JajJ7E6EbVin1rlW5f2PsfyJJNUZRG1d2XcjmjY2tz1xRk0A/w320-h213/IMG_7672.JPG" title="View of Harvest Hosts Spots at Grain Bin Commodities" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i><span style="font-size: x-small;">View of the field across the street. The camping spots are below the camper in the picture.</span></i></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div style="text-align: left;"><em data-mce-style="font-size:70%;color:#000000;" style="font-size: 70%;">Have you heard about Harvest Hosts? It's an RV camping membership that has opened up exciting and new overnight experiences for my road trips! Use it to unlock unlimited overnight stays at locations such as farms, wineries, museums and so much more. The network has over 4000 locations and is expanding daily - and it's so much fun! I think that you'd really enjoy it. Here is the link to join with a special discount: <a href="https://gr3f.co/c/53807/TdItX" target="_blank">Flyin' the Coop Harvest Hosts Invitation.</a></em><em data-mce-style="font-size:70%;color:#000000;" style="font-size: 70%;"> Check it out and let me know what you think!</em></div><p><br /></p>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533317405680450964noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2469509176316025961.post-61248512616603618842023-05-10T03:00:00.002-04:002023-05-10T15:39:40.184-04:00Queen Mother of All Hodgepodges<p></p><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgAiDq97Khv2U9-25vdTK92w33EN9fAojatYRRDaFj3rhuAyhc2tSF7x5uAehNGpoUXsCnNdglN2Xuo6X0th1R3KJTeaRS_UOlSZfstGomLY62l9DwcSJjPPc35AuJGNuZRCsi9mCWoujCxyz6OPXWt9tNzCseZ21enNRzzSzXhhVGnQQXNn01hTk1Ysg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img data-original-height="250" data-original-width="273" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgAiDq97Khv2U9-25vdTK92w33EN9fAojatYRRDaFj3rhuAyhc2tSF7x5uAehNGpoUXsCnNdglN2Xuo6X0th1R3KJTeaRS_UOlSZfstGomLY62l9DwcSJjPPc35AuJGNuZRCsi9mCWoujCxyz6OPXWt9tNzCseZ21enNRzzSzXhhVGnQQXNn01hTk1Ysg=w200-h183" width="200" /></a></div><span data-mce-style="color:#000000;">Joyce asks the questions, and we provide the answers. See how others answered at<a href="http://www.fromthissideofthepond.com/" target="_blank"> </a></span><a href="http://www.fromthissideofthepond.com/" target="_blank">From This Side of the Pond.</a><p></p><p><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">1. Did you watch the coronation of King Charles III? Share some of your thoughts about that, or about the royal family in general. </span></p><p><span style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><i>I had no interest in the coronation. I find the royal family intriguing but I think it's lost some of its luster without Queen Elizabeth.</i></span></p><p style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"></p><p style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">2. What are you the uncrowned queen of? </p><p style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><i>Nothing comes to mind but I'm sure if I asked CH or my boys, they'd have a few things to say.</i></p><p style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">3. In a box of chocolates which one do you usually go for? </p><p style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><i>All of them. I'm talking double-fisted, shove in my mouth, regardless of which one it is!</i></p><p style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">4. Something learned at your mother's knee? </p><p style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><i>My faith.</i></p><p style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">5. 'Like mother, like daughter'...in what way is this saying true for you? </p><p style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><i>I looked in the mirror the other day and was really taken aback by how much I looked like her at that moment. I definitely have a love of music in church as she did. At a meeting of the women's group the other night the president mentioned my mom as an officer but said she didn't remember which office she held. I said under my breath "Secretary" and everybody laughed because that's the position I held for a term and have had to take over this term. </i></p><p style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">6. Insert your own random thought here. </p><p style="color: #666666; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><i>I keep harping on this, but retirement will be here very soon. I'm thinking about how I'm going to react on that last day...to walk out for that last time. It's actually pretty scary, not knowing what my future is going to look like. Guess that's where my faith comes in. I don't know what's in store, but I know God has a plan and I have to be able to just go with the flow and allow Him to work!</i></p>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533317405680450964noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2469509176316025961.post-54322915971204694062023-04-29T11:53:00.005-04:002023-04-29T11:56:38.255-04:00Time for an Update<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs4hm1QIqrbXIhZ-7Oyf9HpM7Aj1xq4mlzdBGFjPNibRLOlDFQ4qps86jX72ZXY636QN7sKGb-LuyOEgwbGBu4MElB79pPezOoui8fZWMfGona1ZRGwJo8OKLpBecKEyLkGYRIa8AJurv02Lr-FPHPOOY8NX-TrzuoPcBiTuMmMfLhs8lNDf9BT2k5_Q/s3999/update.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2666" data-original-width="3999" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs4hm1QIqrbXIhZ-7Oyf9HpM7Aj1xq4mlzdBGFjPNibRLOlDFQ4qps86jX72ZXY636QN7sKGb-LuyOEgwbGBu4MElB79pPezOoui8fZWMfGona1ZRGwJo8OKLpBecKEyLkGYRIa8AJurv02Lr-FPHPOOY8NX-TrzuoPcBiTuMmMfLhs8lNDf9BT2k5_Q/s320/update.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: PlusJakartaSans, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Oxygen, Cantarell, "Helvetica Neue", Ubuntu, sans-serif; text-align: start; white-space: pre;"><span style="font-size: xx-small;"><i>Photo by Markus Winkler: https://www.pexels.com/photo/a-white-paper-in-a-vintage-typewriter-4052195/</i></span></span></td></tr></tbody></table><p>There's been a whole lot of nuttin' going on around our household. I had surgery 2 weeks before Christmas and was limited to only walking around the house for a couple of weeks. Then I was able to walk for 20 minutes but no lifting or bending over. I swear I dropped 50 things a day and had to call CH or MS to pick them up. There was no cooking, which meant no Christmas baking or candy-making. One of my sisters was sweet enough to send a care package with baked goodies for us.</p><p>We weren't able to go anywhere during my break. I have to say, it was really weird</p><p>Having those 2 extra weeks off before Christmas Break made it extremely difficult to go back to work, especially knowing that soon I'll be retired and will get into a brand new routine. I don't know what I'm going to do, but I do have some options.</p><p>CH worked on some improvements to the van to get her ready for some adventures. He had the padding done so that we can sleep in the van if we need/want to. I was looking forward to the improvements he's making. But then something incredible happened...</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEo9hkCxetx6ti9Bz_1BlQKV3lB-6-sWrqfzJu9Poc3trDFyURNJt902JuSIyethdyDR6xER5eGAyqENfjJuxZFRt7y_JhJH7lDneKTo7qyC3R4w3GFcsR7dKsQ7XyZJWg8Azh-LazbwacFemssAF1sU4WsM0-4NGWiUQ4wIy5NQwGB-o8k8Lek-OcCQ/s2460/0313231051_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2460" data-original-width="2460" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEo9hkCxetx6ti9Bz_1BlQKV3lB-6-sWrqfzJu9Poc3trDFyURNJt902JuSIyethdyDR6xER5eGAyqENfjJuxZFRt7y_JhJH7lDneKTo7qyC3R4w3GFcsR7dKsQ7XyZJWg8Azh-LazbwacFemssAF1sU4WsM0-4NGWiUQ4wIy5NQwGB-o8k8Lek-OcCQ/s320/0313231051_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>During Spring Break we camped at FDR State Park in Pine Mountain, GA. We knew there was a chance it wasn't going to be warm; the weather the 2 weeks leading up to the break were incredibly nice and warm. We (and by "we" I mean "CH") loaded up the Delica with our tent, gazebo, cots, sleeping bags, and everything else we needed. We figured if it was too cold we could always sleep in the van. Once at the campsite, we unloaded everything and set up camp. Luckily, there was electricity at the campground so we plugged in a space heater. It worked well until 7:00 a.m. the 1st morning. I was walking back to the tent from the bathroom and saw a flash of light from inside the tent. Fortunately, it was only a fuse in the heater, and nothing caught on fire. We were able to find another small heater in town that worked well for us for the next 2 nights. We actually stayed pretty warm with the heater going. CH thought ahead and put a quilted blanket over the top of the tent to keep the warm air in, and he bought some padding for the floor so we weren't walking directly on the cold ground. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLPBrgtq3mFiwRRDN2BxtXU7BTWzBw2l0Fn5SDY-ITJRNXNPfAZ1UfVajTSvpQq-aKbxmkU99COvx18QM7QhJTm1M7jh_2sZqr2lTwuVGUu8baGI9IvnxXvyqLPmZafkj6sSSQDwflwYNNJiDeojO0iFI-LYYat4VZrBfGD3ysEQR_mChfuLKHoZPqTQ/s4656/0316230858.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4656" data-original-width="3492" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLPBrgtq3mFiwRRDN2BxtXU7BTWzBw2l0Fn5SDY-ITJRNXNPfAZ1UfVajTSvpQq-aKbxmkU99COvx18QM7QhJTm1M7jh_2sZqr2lTwuVGUu8baGI9IvnxXvyqLPmZafkj6sSSQDwflwYNNJiDeojO0iFI-LYYat4VZrBfGD3ysEQR_mChfuLKHoZPqTQ/s320/0316230858.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>Having the blanket on top of the tent helped keep the warm air inside</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Here's the incredible thing that happened: I think that trip convinced CH that if we are going to continue to camp like we want to, and if we are going to travel <i>and </i>camp, we need to make a change. We began our search for a campervan. To make a long story short, we narrowed it down to 2 vans: 1 was a 4-wheel drive and the other was a front-wheel drive. The front wheel had a TON of storage and a lift kit could be added to it so it would have the ground clearance CH wants. But...we wouldn't be able to camp right on the beach or off the beaten path. We would be limited to where we could camp. So we decided to go with the 4-wheel drive. </p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3kyj2-L4DpEf1f-2WTAhglEerbWk3KhnG1B3qMYs9QxX9wHsvgzyHG0xDkNRFjZrmoPmasTmlSUoFLMI5dQuqWMBoi2D9q36F2DMm3iADOL1rRhfHWo4k7JHqOJU01uuR-NCWlzzbnKksd5NusSON-BCA6VoOYcBPLY56vmypNwXanuNEaI4VryqtPw/s1435/IMG_20230415_200617.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1435" data-original-width="1434" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3kyj2-L4DpEf1f-2WTAhglEerbWk3KhnG1B3qMYs9QxX9wHsvgzyHG0xDkNRFjZrmoPmasTmlSUoFLMI5dQuqWMBoi2D9q36F2DMm3iADOL1rRhfHWo4k7JHqOJU01uuR-NCWlzzbnKksd5NusSON-BCA6VoOYcBPLY56vmypNwXanuNEaI4VryqtPw/s320/IMG_20230415_200617.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><i>How stylish do I look with leggings, socks, and crocs!</i></td></tr></tbody></table><p>To find out more about our journey to find our van, read <a href="https://www.coopersflyingthecoop.com/2023/04/the-journey-to-find-maeve-anne.html" target="_blank">The Journey to Find Maeve Anne </a>on our camping blog, <a href="https://www.coopersflyingthecoop.com/" target="_blank">Flyin' the Coop</a>. The path to find her wasn't filled with roses. We can't wait for our adventures to begin. </p><p>That's our big news. Well, aside from my retirement in just a few short weeks. I've looked through my materials, made a spreadsheet of what I want to sell and give away, and have started boxing some things up. It's unreal to think that it's almost here. But I'm ready. Without a doubt, I'm ready. </p><p>Hopefully I can revive this blog, but if not, catch me over at <a href="https://www.coopersflyingthecoop.com/" target="_blank">Flyin' the Coop</a>. </p>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533317405680450964noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2469509176316025961.post-75606133061659517522023-02-01T20:01:00.004-05:002023-02-01T20:01:31.482-05:00Jumping Back Into the Hodgepodge<p></p><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSm6peW84kjhzjI3Hfu6WnfYbc00cFn4VLeJ3lj_zzlhxYygPts7O_4_QdxX6_kS0biVJsix6yy7kKShyd5ViUWUQe-1ZX5k7-9qJIlFGhtaoDPTsqhfpfnNqUFSe7oCRZrOh3RPbuSildQn_FH481ssvzywuiLJSnO8-KK55PjHsvEHzmUxagACoGrQ/s273/hodgepodge-button.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="250" data-original-width="273" height="183" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSm6peW84kjhzjI3Hfu6WnfYbc00cFn4VLeJ3lj_zzlhxYygPts7O_4_QdxX6_kS0biVJsix6yy7kKShyd5ViUWUQe-1ZX5k7-9qJIlFGhtaoDPTsqhfpfnNqUFSe7oCRZrOh3RPbuSildQn_FH481ssvzywuiLJSnO8-KK55PjHsvEHzmUxagACoGrQ/w200-h183/hodgepodge-button.png" width="200" /></a></div>Joyce asks the questions, and we provide the answers. See how others answered at <a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/2469509176316025961/5085129661800127438#">From This Side of the Pond.</a><p></p><p><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">1. Tell us anything you want about your January. </span></p><p><span style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><i>January is over??? It went by like a flash, for sure. I didn't work a full week in Jan. between an "inclement weather expected" day, appointments, and another round of COVID.</i></span></p><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"></p><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">2. Lake Superior State University posts <a href="https://www.lssu.edu/traditions/banishedwords/" style="text-decoration-line: none;">a list each year of words they think should be banished from the Queen's English</a> for misuse, overuse, and/or general uselessness. The 2023 list includes <i>GOAT, inflection point, quiet quitting, gaslighting, moving forward, amazing, Does that make sense?, irregardless, absolutely, and it is what it is.</i></p><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">Which of these words/phrases do you use regularly? Which of these words would you most like to see banished from everyday speech and why? Is there a word/phrase <i>not</i> on the list you'd like to add? </p><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><i>I use 'amazing', 'absolutely', and 'Does that make sense' on a regular basis, but I don't hear them overused. I've never heard of a few of those words/phrases but I think GOAT and gaslighting should <u>definitely </u>go away.</i></p><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">3. February 2nd is Groundhog Day. What's something that feels repeated in your life right now? </p><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><i>CH's appointments every other week, asking how his numbers are, and seeing him have a few days of feeling bad.</i></p><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">4. What's a food you love that's named after a place?</p><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><i>Right now it's Dubliner Cheese. It's super good on toasted french bread.</i></p><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">5. What's the best season of the year to visit your city or your part of the country? Tell us why. </p><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><i>I'd say fall, especially when the colors are at their peak.</i></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCl8QA6oEQtxbGqiqehLOfM8Pq4WNEM_vAeGMWL5cOgENTprmLPx3-LN0wMNwBX95lwxBaxGW1RbgQnILFAOOul1h9JnPX0Pz_WID5eYbV0ovdTDRQEv0889gaxvxmtlTOnkNdi2zsXrNNeNQJ4gbnu23UdXTn8ydKumDyLhVe3M9W7RXfI--IUuq-Vw/s2497/original_bde0ce96-e0c9-494c-bec2-692bd9506fbc_1101221413_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2496" data-original-width="2497" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCl8QA6oEQtxbGqiqehLOfM8Pq4WNEM_vAeGMWL5cOgENTprmLPx3-LN0wMNwBX95lwxBaxGW1RbgQnILFAOOul1h9JnPX0Pz_WID5eYbV0ovdTDRQEv0889gaxvxmtlTOnkNdi2zsXrNNeNQJ4gbnu23UdXTn8ydKumDyLhVe3M9W7RXfI--IUuq-Vw/w200-h200/original_bde0ce96-e0c9-494c-bec2-692bd9506fbc_1101221413_HDR.jpg" width="200" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Picture in the park next to our house this fall.</td></tr></tbody></table><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;">6. Insert your own random thought here. </p><p style="font-family: Georgia, Utopia, "Palatino Linotype", Palatino, serif;"><i>Retirement is beginning to be a reality. I received my retirement forms to fill out for the school system a few weeks ago. They, along with the State forms have to be turned in by Spring Break, which is mid-March. I've started looking through my school materials and throwing away some things, plus marking some things as giveaways to other people. It's getting real!</i></p>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533317405680450964noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2469509176316025961.post-3372124432738439702022-08-05T03:30:00.001-04:002022-08-05T03:30:00.177-04:00Back in the Swing Friday Fotos<p></p><div style="text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNsBKYZXMdCER5ErMW3IrkqHhke714M1NqOgD_ugcvDEtW8g790EplHzarW5X8B-5t2n62DQhNsV7ShhXLXceWqwGNGBQGbzr352BxvkJPyXWlHkkf3w9HyqpaHK5K9WKenvSDctQceOKY7iziHWwClDG-hdmY0ySxIexWgvVu-pRo9ns2JW3yz1hArA/s1200/Friday%20Fotos.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="133" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNsBKYZXMdCER5ErMW3IrkqHhke714M1NqOgD_ugcvDEtW8g790EplHzarW5X8B-5t2n62DQhNsV7ShhXLXceWqwGNGBQGbzr352BxvkJPyXWlHkkf3w9HyqpaHK5K9WKenvSDctQceOKY7iziHWwClDG-hdmY0ySxIexWgvVu-pRo9ns2JW3yz1hArA/w200-h133/Friday%20Fotos.jpg" width="200" /></a></div><p>My last first week of school is in the books. 8 more until my last Fall Break. It's been an exhausting week and I haven't even started seeing my students yet!</p><p></p><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRfg7t6HOIDls7ixG2JusV2DGS1Ty41Pc8itgFJXzXUORGOzY0M0d3qIaFo1tSt1VEw_gPLmBNj-GBJ5iv_SNBu7RkCBqOJqx3R63MApvs8SVD1fqx4MX83l0R-B0CJFPiPBDHSbV0VL_JMjpedM10SCvGjQVWy2HoBUocyNmIooHHUfpezUJ-qOl9Gg/s2628/0730220839.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2627" data-original-width="2628" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRfg7t6HOIDls7ixG2JusV2DGS1Ty41Pc8itgFJXzXUORGOzY0M0d3qIaFo1tSt1VEw_gPLmBNj-GBJ5iv_SNBu7RkCBqOJqx3R63MApvs8SVD1fqx4MX83l0R-B0CJFPiPBDHSbV0VL_JMjpedM10SCvGjQVWy2HoBUocyNmIooHHUfpezUJ-qOl9Gg/w320-h320/0730220839.jpg" title="King Arthur Scones" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I made scones from a King Arthur Mix and they were delicious!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPHnxap4yGKVO7hY92RoEoeDedjQ5Xqs9bMCT6dlrdMmThwSp9gBqM5k6Mu7HHQi0q6B9d_uoT5PRCtZkQ2Az8OOINK6FWcAOZTiELZCOC7DW6HqiNWNU2TsFn5KlorSxIiHl58zhLjAAgeOpmVmk1NAscEjIhK_CGcK0Vb6OgafolL8lfq_zBWvkXvw/s4032/0731221200_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPHnxap4yGKVO7hY92RoEoeDedjQ5Xqs9bMCT6dlrdMmThwSp9gBqM5k6Mu7HHQi0q6B9d_uoT5PRCtZkQ2Az8OOINK6FWcAOZTiELZCOC7DW6HqiNWNU2TsFn5KlorSxIiHl58zhLjAAgeOpmVmk1NAscEjIhK_CGcK0Vb6OgafolL8lfq_zBWvkXvw/w240-h320/0731221200_HDR.jpg" title="Dog stretched out on couch" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looks like I wasn't the only one tuckered out by the end of the week!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuWszQTs6f9j0nDyvlM3KBTBC5Qe_pcxrwNAbjU-iKkKXIVbRt8-FuXL8QXDuSZGmE_YAmcRq-i303cPtrxAi_0bZSvCMC0J9IoeJQqxUNWd4t212_4uijAFcYamtxBw5-2X8OkDLsw6_669-yTiIt59buNWGbxXIxztDs5__s-CfhgJxWjaQtLz3stw/s4032/0804221031_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuWszQTs6f9j0nDyvlM3KBTBC5Qe_pcxrwNAbjU-iKkKXIVbRt8-FuXL8QXDuSZGmE_YAmcRq-i303cPtrxAi_0bZSvCMC0J9IoeJQqxUNWd4t212_4uijAFcYamtxBw5-2X8OkDLsw6_669-yTiIt59buNWGbxXIxztDs5__s-CfhgJxWjaQtLz3stw/s320/0804221031_HDR.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My stuff is back in the room but no flooring. I'm hearing over "break" but I don't think what break was specified. I'm glad they polished the floor, but the concrete dust was <i>everywhere</i>. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEKuDP30NST-8qlbqgAtbrlCJRC_GBGKosyVSzmmKET3JWRS5ZD-eqW92v1sbl8lHUPuPCZZuHHXZlKAdgn6me0VjRXMm-Ts3eOiqmSUrSuVAjwKcGbgLUzfXAEZTELHlMXlZhqopAXvP4TYo-ItLIGz5mFhaBB4V4Ksoa0GNYyv_5MUtKFhKx3Z4Xbw/s4656/0804221517_HDR.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4656" data-original-width="3492" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEKuDP30NST-8qlbqgAtbrlCJRC_GBGKosyVSzmmKET3JWRS5ZD-eqW92v1sbl8lHUPuPCZZuHHXZlKAdgn6me0VjRXMm-Ts3eOiqmSUrSuVAjwKcGbgLUzfXAEZTELHlMXlZhqopAXvP4TYo-ItLIGz5mFhaBB4V4Ksoa0GNYyv_5MUtKFhKx3Z4Xbw/s320/0804221517_HDR.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After over 2 weeks the Mystery Machine is back! CH took her to a place for routine maintenance on the brake line but the people messed it up so he had to have it towed to another place to have it fixed. It was weird not seeing her in the driveway. I missed her!</td></tr></tbody></table><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIkxkYzj_aAw5O4Q-erpORLE-wo6YTvMgXZ4gDQ6uD3um_ho3vDuxf_vouKzo_tvivhU54hEpvmAjh8s-x5qhYbntFqGYDLFBiuxlcjqUWpHPFsapYaM5F4zZROmICZ4Pj1xBxEcVVTFgFzMpoRlMuytBQ8SzEbkAK5jLE1ywOCCRVU0odJJLeyw_xgA/s2574/original_edbfd9d4-b1e3-4e41-a93a-1945e1f30671_0803220549.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2573" data-original-width="2574" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIkxkYzj_aAw5O4Q-erpORLE-wo6YTvMgXZ4gDQ6uD3um_ho3vDuxf_vouKzo_tvivhU54hEpvmAjh8s-x5qhYbntFqGYDLFBiuxlcjqUWpHPFsapYaM5F4zZROmICZ4Pj1xBxEcVVTFgFzMpoRlMuytBQ8SzEbkAK5jLE1ywOCCRVU0odJJLeyw_xgA/s320/original_edbfd9d4-b1e3-4e41-a93a-1945e1f30671_0803220549.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gurl Dogg was just too tired to chew on the chewy one morning but she kept it close so Laika wouldn't snatch it from her!</td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><br /><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRxj6hjlKr-Q8-1k3ZP-9INqiOswFCoAFdiMbheDVWY9CxeAkUMMXJfUQWLdNrqUmX_XJ-W7T1fP-tt-VqJDitbOqVIfCAL-1LqFaaZwUHSvkf40Smr1jBzcEtA5qSOWeJxgFSDDmB1FIN7HAURaVBnTFZKxwgU0qp0Pv3LHNq6kGmzxjA7qfE-AK-XQ/s1279/0804221206a~2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1279" data-original-width="1279" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRxj6hjlKr-Q8-1k3ZP-9INqiOswFCoAFdiMbheDVWY9CxeAkUMMXJfUQWLdNrqUmX_XJ-W7T1fP-tt-VqJDitbOqVIfCAL-1LqFaaZwUHSvkf40Smr1jBzcEtA5qSOWeJxgFSDDmB1FIN7HAURaVBnTFZKxwgU0qp0Pv3LHNq6kGmzxjA7qfE-AK-XQ/s320/0804221206a~2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On Election Day I drove over to this restaurant in the mountain town to grab a sandwich.<br /><br /></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGQ1E7wlm2nNtMmLiNcOkVZl5h2Zu7htzPokTXMaXItrCb4v_D73YsxLf_GqyxgOMOLeTzexYYh3_ijqLY5CDk7vr2Myl_Fzq0CGELtZSl705G7uQFFFPJ939WPFoYUafjr8-KP722pkymRXgqs3my49nGUvAK0cPmCtSt3bnVanpug_2E0r8fVL7DKg/s3024/0804221204~2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3023" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGQ1E7wlm2nNtMmLiNcOkVZl5h2Zu7htzPokTXMaXItrCb4v_D73YsxLf_GqyxgOMOLeTzexYYh3_ijqLY5CDk7vr2Myl_Fzq0CGELtZSl705G7uQFFFPJ939WPFoYUafjr8-KP722pkymRXgqs3my49nGUvAK0cPmCtSt3bnVanpug_2E0r8fVL7DKg/s320/0804221204~2.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's right on the river so you can sit outside and enjoy the sound and the view. </td></tr></tbody></table><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_jfV3VfqDoADQUXqK6-jbRYxGP3HOfH_9OdT62RhNxOWR5JQ49Qg3ljGA4EeVv6oQIy3Dn88TZM6bU88dZMh9SN1So4uorOAnwGOSBHxViStdkWoti7gQRpL_20jCK4FW6HdGX27JbM7pTMRVOqfcFvUiL2YdU4F5KXeHkLRwMVcueEhiGY969XrivA/s2933/0804221148~2.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" data-original-height="2932" data-original-width="2933" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_jfV3VfqDoADQUXqK6-jbRYxGP3HOfH_9OdT62RhNxOWR5JQ49Qg3ljGA4EeVv6oQIy3Dn88TZM6bU88dZMh9SN1So4uorOAnwGOSBHxViStdkWoti7gQRpL_20jCK4FW6HdGX27JbM7pTMRVOqfcFvUiL2YdU4F5KXeHkLRwMVcueEhiGY969XrivA/s320/0804221148~2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>How cool is this? When you walk in you walk through the chapel to get to the bar area to order food.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">As I said...1 week down, and 8 more to go until Fall Break. I'm really making an effort to be in the moment and not take pictures. With school back in session, there's not just a whole lot else going on!</div>Maryhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11533317405680450964noreply@blogger.com1