Gearing up for spring!

actually we went to "demo days" that our favorite kayak shop (Austin Canoe and kayak) holds twice a year

you get to try out kayaks and accessories to your hearts content

this year we already had our kayaks but wanted better paddles, the ones we picked out will work great for us!

and as usual a great time was had by all

It's Spring!

saved up for a new mega-zoom camera lens, and of course we had the first decent several days of measurable rain since fall of 2007. Today the sun came out and I got a chance to try it out.

I'm very pleased with the early results. I've only used a monopod on these photos. I slightly cropped and sharpened them, that's all. Yeah!
a few more are here

Good Day for cooking

I've been so busy, I've neglected posting. this fall, Wayne and I have started cooking again. What fun!

I sort of made up a dish that I thought I saw in a recipe book, but it turns out I saw one recipe with sweet potatoes and a different one with chipotles and black beans, so I combined them sort of; and for once when I experimented, it worked! I could tell you some horror stories...

I made it last weekend and it was so good, I'm making it again so we can have some yummy lunches & an easy dinner if we want. let me know if you want the recipe

hurricane weekend

Calm before the storm?
Friday night before Ike hits Texas coast

Austin ended up being out of harm's way
receiving only some blustery winds

but they didn't stop this dude
from squirreling away all the nuts he could find

Labor Day Hunting Expedition

the bird dogs, ready and waiting for the hunt

Labor Day weekend usually means a trip to the farm and dove hunting. This year, we hunted in our yard, and instead of a shotgun, I used my camera. Here are a few "captures"
more photos from the weekend here
no idea what kind of bee/insect this is, but he was quite interested in the yellow bells

fall can't be far off now

finally, the elusive hummingbird...

then the last capture of the weekend, this pretty butterfly

Summer Flowers in PA

it seems everyone that lives in Lancaster County has a green thumb

everywhere you look, there are gorgeous flower beds

not sure of the names of many of the flowers

so if you know some of them, feel free to leave me a note and let me know!

Visit to Pennsylvania

I visit my Dad as often as I can, when I get to PA

we always go up to the Dutch country and ride the steam train

drive through the countryside

and have a great time