Skywatch Friday

Dark storm clouds swallow up the last of the blue sky.

It got very windy before the rain.

The fur kids were mad that they had to stop playing.

More photos of the sky here: Skywatch.

Skywatch Friday

More photos from Port Antonio, Jamaica.

More photos of the sky and more: Skywatch.

My favorite vacations since 2009

Four years ago today, I took a hiatus from this blog. I can't remember why I stopped writing in the first place, but I think it is worth mentioning. Here are a few photos of our honeymoon in Jamaica in 2010 and our road trip to California last year.

Cadillac Ranch, Amarillo, TX

Totem at our hotel in Santa Fe, NM

Trollies in San Francisco

Tunnel in Yosemite NP, CA

Grand Canyon

Painted Desert, Petrified Forest NP, AZ

 

Vegas

Yosemite NP, CA

Yosemit

Honeymoon in Port Antonio, Jamaica

Rasta farian at our resort

Husband hanging out and fishing with the locals

Tidal pool I didn't want to leave

Husband looking over the edge of the cliff

Cheesy foot shot at my favorite place at the resort

Skywatch Friday

I took this in 2010 on the Coosa River at Corn Creek Park in Wetumpka, Alabama, after a long day of fishing and kayaking. The park is closed now. I haven't been on the river at all in a couple of years. I need to go back.

More photos here: Skywatch.

Four years

It's been almost exactly four years since I've posted here. Even though my other posts only go back to 2008, I've really had this blog since 2003 or 2004, but I erased all those posts long ago because they were embarrassing. All of my old posts that have survived don't seem to be as stupid, so I'll leave them as a diary for me to look back on.

A lot has happened in four years. Around the last blog post, I got a dog, another cat, bought a house, and moved in with my boyfriend (actually he moved in with me, ha). My first cat died shortly after. Then my 22-year-old cat at my parents' house died. A year later, in May 2010, my boyfriend became my husband. Only two of my friends went to the wedding. We honeymooned in Jamaica. We've been to Texas at least once or twice to visit his sister. My grandmother died. My husband's horse had a baby. During this time last year, we were getting ready to go on a road trip to California, something I've always wanted to do, and received a letter for an audit right before we left, of which I am still dealing with repercussions. My dog died. We took in a stray who had seven puppies that we are trying to find homes for. My mother has been in the hospital three times in the past year, once for a rapid heartbeat that turned out to be from a medication she was taking, a second time for diverticulitis, a colon flare up, and the last time to have a colon resection, which is what it sounds like: part of her colon was cut out the rest was put together.

This year has been pretty good so far. I finally figured out that taking lots of vitamin D makes my seasonal depression disappear. I resolved last year to be healthier, and I actually have. My work life is much, much calmer than it ever has been. I have a (mostly free) trip to Orlando coming up in three weeks and a (very expensive) beach festival to go to in May. I'm hoping I can get in better shape by the time summer is officially here, so I won't be embarrassed to put on a bathing suit. We'll see if I actually accomplish that, or if I do what I do every year and just say fuck it and wear what I want.

Maybe I'll remember why I always loved writing and keep up with this blog. Even if no one else ever reads it, it's fun for me to look back on.

SkyWatch 35

We went camping this past weekend with the son's cub scout pack. The moon and the landscape were very inspiring. So was the haunted-feeling house we used for the bathroom. Unfortunately, the other parents were mostly lame.

We went hiking along a stream.

And caught a few baby catfish while midnight fishing. I totally forgot that they "talk" and it had me almost falling over laughing. This guy was saying "hello."

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SkyWatch 31

Stupid power lines. I'm not sure I'm completely behind power lines being installed underground, for environmental reasons. Pipelines seem like enough crap to put in the earth, but it sure would make the landscape prettier. And there would be fewer power outages. So maybe I'm for it.

I took this while I was out house hunting. Found one! I close on it March 27th. Yay! No more apartment!

Go see more great photos of the sky (maybe even some with power lines!) at SkyWatch Friday.

I've been told that three percent of the population is insane

I'm finally buying a house after three years of looking and a (so far) failed attempt to build one. I had a home inspection done today. Everything was pretty ok there, but it seems I will have a crazy neighbor. Who doesn't, right? No, just wait.

The inspector and I parked in the driveway and my parents came later because they hadn't seen the house yet. They came in separate cars and parked in the street in front of the house.

After we had been there for a while, a blue Trailblazer drove up and stopped in the middle of the street just behind my parents' cars. We thought maybe they were looking at the house, which still has a for sale sign in the yard. After a few minutes, they pulled in the driveway. A guy got out and started talking to the inspector, Doug, who was in his truck. We still didn't think anything weird was happening. If they were looking at the house, maybe they were asking Doug about it or maybe it was a neighbor wondering what was going on. Whatever.

Then I hear, "I've lived hear fifteen years and no one's ever parked in the street!" from blue Trailblazer guy (BTG), who is now waving a cell phone wildly in the air. How is that even possible? So now I'm wondering what the hell is going on. By the time I got outside, BTG was going back to his car.

Apparently, he stopped by to yell at Doug because there were cars parked in the street, on the curb, and to tell him that he had called the cops about it. Then he angrily sped down the street out of sight and eventually came back to his house two houses down. But the cops never came. At least not while we were still there.

BTG also told Doug that the only people allowed to park in the street are "church-going people." What does that even MEAN? How could he know that we are not "church-going people?" From looking at our cars? Church-going people would NEVER drive a Mercedes, a (silver) Trailblazer and an F-150. Heavens no!

Maybe BTG is a psychic medium. Maybe I should become friends with him so he can tell me what's in my future if he can tell so much about people by the cars they drive. This should be fun!

SkyWatch 30

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SkyWatch #28

These are two of my favorite photos taken not too far from Denali National Park, Alaska. I love the clouds in both of these pictures.

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SkyWatch Friday

It was cold last night (20F; cold for us in the deep south) when I took this, but luckily 5 or 6 Jack and Cokes helped with that. These were not photoshopped or anything, I just used different settings on my camera.

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This will be a little more interesting than I planned for

I went to my first photography class last night, which I am pretty excited about. I've always been interested in photography, but I've never taken formal classes for it. Well, I did take Photo I during my second year in college and somehow got the film jammed in my dad's 35-year-old Minolta, got way behind in classwork and had to drop out halfway through. I don't really count that one.

I got to class a little more than 10 minutes early, but the class was already mostly full. I took a seat all the way in the back. I wanted to be near the front at least, but I guess people started getting there 30 minutes early or something.

I got to sit behind a flamingly gay, 18-year-old, self-proclaimed expert wedding photographer. He was dressed in a newsboy cap, patterned hoodie, Gap 1969 skinny-legged jeans and black/white Converse. His boxers were also from the Gap. How do I know? I spent half the class being distracted by smiley faced Jack'o lanterns, frowny faced Jack'o lanterns and upside down Jack'o lanterns.

Moon!

I've already submitted my SkyWatch photo for the week, but I just took these and I'm so excited that I got the moon to show up as more than a bright, white ball. I don't want to wait until next Thursday to submit them, so I'm making this my own personal SkyWatch. And hopefully I'll have something better and different to post for next week.

SkyWatch

I dig these fluffy clouds! At one point, they looked like mountains behind the trees, but you couldn't see that in the picture. So, I give you this one instead.

Go to SkyWatch Friday to see more photos of the sky from around the world.

Umm...I believe you are mistaken

You can't really tell from the picture, but this is a refrigerator magnet. I know this because they were sent out around my town before the election. Note the edges starting to peel up. Why would anyone think this is a bumper sticker and why would you want to put it on your car anyway? I'm just confused. I took this picture last night, Jan. 5, 2009.

Here is the magnet that I got off of my refrigerator.

I wonder if this person glued it to the car to keep it in place. I can't imagine any other way it would stay on for so long with the edges peeling away like that. This makes me kind of sad.

SkyWatch Friday

I took these the same day as the ones in the post below before Christmas Part I with the boy's family. I do hate power lines, but the vapor trail there fits the theme. So, what the hell. And I really like this picture anyway, power lines or not.

Here's another shot a few minutes later after I walked down the road. What looks kind of like a mountain is actually a cold front and it did get really cold when the sun went down. Which let to my infiltration of the boy's club. See story below for details.

I hope everyone had a great holiday! 

For more shots from around the world, check out SkyWatch Friday.

No girls allowed!!

I went to a Christmas family gathering with the boy for the first time the other day. I've met everyone a few times and felt comfortable going. No problems there.

As soon as everyone was done unwrapping gifts, all the men started running around gathering all the wrapping paper, empty boxes and other trash. I took my gifts and went to put them in the truck and smoke a cigarette. All the guys came out right behind me and headed straight for an old 50-gallon barrel and set all the trash on fire. 

I was standing pretty far away and thought, hmm, I bet it's pretty warm by that fire. I was trying to decide if I should go over or not when the boy looked my way and started walking toward me, so I decided it would be ok. I mean, it was pretty cold. I stood just outside their circle and didn't join in the conversation. 

When I was about to throw my cigarette in the fire, the boy's dad looked at me and in mock surpirse said, "Oh, there's a woman out here! Women aren't supposed to be here!"

"Well, I'm leaving," I said, threw my cigarette out and walked away.

"He was just kidding," the boy called after me. 

"Yeah, I know. I just wanted to smoke my cigarette by the fire."

"Yeah, I was only joking."

"No really. I just wanted to be by the fire for a minute. I'm done."

And I went inside.

When everyone came back inside, I could feel the tension. No one would look at me. I felt like I had done something really, really bad. I sat by myself for a few minutes. After a while, the boy's dad came and sat next to me. A few moments later, the boy sat on my other side.  No one said anything.

I asked his dad, "You didn't really think I was mad at you, did you?"

"Well yeah, the way you stormed off."

"I didn't mean to storm off," I told him laughing a little.

He explained what happened to his sister-in-law, Aunt H. Oh my god here we go.

Aunt H: "Oh yeah that's been a tradition for what, 30 years? When did me and D get married? Thirty-one years at least. Women NEVER go out there. Ah ha ha ha."

Seriously. I took a gulp of my drink.

On the way home, I asked the boy if there were any other traditions I needed to be warned about. Please let me know. We had a pretty good laugh about their "stupid" tradition (his words) and thought about ways to get his dad back for calling me out.

Other than that, I actually enjoyed myself and got some pretty good gifts out of it. I managed to keep a power drill during "Dirty Santa" and the boy got an iced tea maker. Oh, and these pictures:

I love taking pictures of old things. Merry Christmas!