THE 12TH DAY OF THE TENTH MONTH OF THE YEAR OF THE CAMELLIA

ONE PIECE AT A TIME

Yesterday I did my morning walk at the Riverbanks Zoo.  Why not!  We have season passes so it's free to walk AND I get to take photographs too.

From the smallest or at least the daintiest.

I forgot that it was a holiday of sorts, so all the crumb crunchers and there parents were out strolling around, screaming, and generally making themselves obnoxious.  Lord, the animals were better behaved.

Got a good image of the largest.

He may just make the cut for the Easton Waterfowl Festival.  All he needs is feathers!

The 11th day of the tenth month of the year of the Camellia

SOCCER!

Last evening we, Sheri and I, took the dogs to a school play ground for a run.  We found an operable soccer ball and never having played soccer past the second grade, I thought it would be fun to play a game with the dogs.

That would be "Missy", our over energetic border collie and spaniel mix.  Must have been painful!

At first she wasn't too sure of this old guy running around kicking a big ball.

Then there was "McGee", the Chalupa dog!  He could have cared less and became the game official who watched the re-runs and then made an official decision.  But only when bribed with a "Cookie"

"McGee" became the official, "Official" because he had no interest in the ball other than to get out of it's way because it was bigger than he.

"Missy" began to get into it with the pregame press interviews and picture sessions.

She quickly proved to be very good at defense. She was so quick, it was so difficult to get a ball past her.

McGee quickly cried foul when she simply picked the ball up and ran with it.  This was not football Missy!

Missy goes for a header.

I finally got an opening and "Score"!

She was pretty petulant about my score!

In fact, I just simply wore her out.  The Chalupa dog was still looking for a cookie so they both got a treat.

I guess the old man still has it!



TEN ~ TEN ~ TEN

The tenth day of the tenth month of the year of Camellia (2010)

Ok, another wierd state of affairs.  Doesn't happen very often but is cool when it does. 

Play the lottery maybe?  I wonder just how many people do play something like that on the lottery?

Think I have already hit it, but not on that number or any other.  Two great kids and four fantastic grand kids.  Best lottery going!

It's going to be back in the high eighties low nineties here for the next week, but the past week God blessed with absolutely crystal clear skies, low humidity, temps in the seventies to low eighties.  Just can't beat that.

I have had to cancel my apprearance at the Lighthouse Challenge in New Jersey next week, so all of you that were going to me me in Angle Sea...........You'll just have to do it in Easton, Maryland----the Weekend of Nov. 19,20, and 21.  I realize there aren't three days in most weekends, but the show starts on Friday.  This is my 21st year and most of the local papers will play that up.  It is also the 40th year of the show.  Just hope I can make the fiftieth.  My new goal!

I will be taking a few of the local photos I made like the Bataue in the fog seen here. 

Good luck with that lottery thing!

The 8th day of the 10th month of the year of the Camellia

WALKED THE RIVER WALK YESTERDAY!

Got a couple of shots which might make the cut. 

There seem to be many more geese on the river than last year.  I dare say even more than I have seen in the past five years.  Does that mean a harsher winter up north this year?  Critters are so much smarter in these things than we.  I have not taken a look at the "Farmer's Almanac" yet, so who knows.

I have so many images of great blue herons, so I decided to use this reflection of one that was intent on feeding.  The only time one can get close enough to these guys is if they have some hapless minnows they are looking at as breakfast.

Red Spider Lilly

A dab of color in what reminds me of "Rock, Paper, Scissors", although I have no idea why.  Could be the softness of the "Lycoris Radiata" positioned next to the harshness of solid rock.



The Fifth day of the tenth month of the year of the Camellia

THE LITTLE PEOPLE OF THE KUDZU!

Gather round kids!  Yesterday I had the chance to revisit the "Valley of the Little People of the Kudzu".  If you recall last year about this time I introduced you to the little people. 

  I remind you again that on Halloween night, the little people venture forth from their castles to prey upon unsuspecting children dressed for the night.  I guess they really don't prey on the children, but rather on the bags of goodies the kids collect.  Chocolate is their favorite.  And this is the only time of the year they venture out of their castles.  So beware!

They live in these huge castles carved from natures hand and crafted to take the shape and size of all the trees and bushes in the valley.

I am told they are only five to six inches tall and scamper around under the green canopy, and up and down the leafy spires all day long.  I personally have not seen of them, but have heard them hard at work.  I have assured by people in the know, that they really do exist.  I also have been confronted and threatened by their confidante and protector.................Mr. Mocker.

There must be a symbiotic relationship (I know kids it is a big word which basically means you scratch my back and I'll scratch yours). The little people  keep their castles clean as a whistle.  That means they shoo away all the bugs and little lizards.  That gives Mr. Mocker a chance to dine (I know that's another big word, but it just means to eat).

   In return, Mr Mocker keeps watch over the little people and warns them of danger.  That's what he is doing with what's called a wing flash.  He is the only bird known for this behavior, so it must have been learned from the little people.  I mean where else would he learn such a thing?

All of Mr. Mocker's children learn of this behavior at a very young age and are trained in the ways of the little people.

So even at an early age they learn "The Look" which tells people and larger animals to stay away from the Castles.

Even in their teen years, the mocking birds display a feisty attitude.  All in training so that one day they may sit upon the watch tower tree in the valley.

Whereby, you may see the only evidence of the "Little People of the Kudzu".  He's watching you.  It's their protector, and that's how we know they are really there, and not our marauding our Halloween bags.

The fourth day of the third to last month of the year of the Camellia

FROM BLUE GRASS TO THE TARANTELLA

From the title you can tell I had a rather diverse weekend.  We started out attending the "Congaree Blue Grass Festival", and as workers in our little community association tent.  Sold cowboy hats, bandanas, house signs and tried to get some hapless neighbors to join the group.   I was a good time and we actually did accomplish something worthwhile.

Here are some of the movers and shakers who helped to put this event together.

Our tent looked very professional and thank the Lord we were down wind of those folk burning hamburgers all day.

And of course my favorite local policemen were there, hiding from real work!  Ooooops, sorry John and Mike.  Just kidding

I figure these two guys to be my get out of jail free card, If I am ever arrested, that is!  But probably not if I keep talking about them this way.

The music was good.  They had everything from deep in the gulley, West Virginia mountain soul sounds to I am gona save your soul blue grass.  Actually, I do enjoy this type of country music.  Got to love a Banjo.  It's sort of like rubbing your belly with one hand while tapping the top of your head with the other.  Takes a whole lot of talent!

Then in the afternoon we went to the Italian Festival.  Featuring "U breaka the egg wid a bocce ball"

This will give you the idea of the setting!

And of course the Tarantella!

Then we finished the weekend off with one of God's gifts to all, whether we earned it or not!

The Lord's gift at Lake Murray Sunday night!

The first day of the tenth month of the year of the Camellia

THE BEAUTY AND THE BEAST!

Did my three miles this morning.  Electric went off sometime during the night, but I didn't hear a storm.  Must have been some more rain and a little wind though.

The Beauty

And the beast!

I guess this answers the question regarding what I slept through last night or early this morning.  This was a hundred year old Oak tree on a neighbor's yard a block away from us.  We have had a lot of rain, but nowhere near what some others have had.  Certainly nowhere near what they had in North Carolina or the North East, but the moisture was enough for this old titan to pull up roots, split, block the street, and make a not too nice dent in the home owner's roof.  A couple of transformers blew and a real mess was created when it became obvious that it's not nice to make mother nature mad.

I would have been much happier if the tree had been one of the huge pine trees we have around here, and not an old majestic hardwood.  But I guess it's time for us all to have some serious tree pruning done in order to forestall such another such occurrence.  Too bad for the homeowner, I know it's going to cost them one way or another.  Too bad for the old tree.

I much prefer a kinder, gentler mother nature as witnessed in the two other images I made this morning.