Heron

The public landing at the end of Route 611 in Onemo is probably my favorite.  

Last weekend I stopped in to say hello 

and noticed a very-clearly disgruntled heron fly off as I pulled up.

He didn't go very far, although I didn't know that 

until I used the zoom on my camera and discovered him 

eyeballing me from the end of the dock.

From a distance, he blended in quite well with his surroundings.

But zooming in, I caught him giving me the old stink eye.

The hairy eyeball.

(As only a heron can give.)

I had invaded his territory, and he was giving me 

the what for with his body language.

Here, he was basically telling me he was way taller than me.  

(I didn't argue.)

(I've learned over the years, it's futile arguing with herons.)

Then, when he realized I wasn't there to encroach any further,

nor was I disputing anything he was trying to tell me,

he finally

allowed himself

to relax.

I love herons.

And I thank this one for allowing me to invade his turf for a few minutes.

Happy February 29.

Winter Harbor

These are a few random shots

taken on my recent boat outing

in the Winter Harbor area.

Vacation (wait, did I actually go on vacation?) feels as if it's in the distant past, as work continues to try to kill me remains steadily hectic.  One day this week I left at 6:15 a.m. and didn't return home until 7:30 in the evening.  That's over 12 hours of sitting between the commute and my office job.

My goal for this weekend is to get outdoors and move.  Vigorously. I'm tired of this sloth-like and lethargic  sedentary existence.

I hope your week has been better and your weekend is a great one.

~~~~~

p.s. One sedentary activity I do have planned for this weekend is a trip to Donk's to see John Berry Saturday night. The one good thing about this is I only have to travel 1.37 miles.  Yee-haw.

Winter Harbor

Sunday morning I received a text from my friends Glenda and Billy asking if I'd like to join them for an afternoon boat ride.

Why yes.  As a matter of fact I would love to join them for a boat ride!

I met them at the landing at Peary, and away we went to an isolated beach just around the bend.

This was only the second boat ride I've taken this summer, and the first time I've been outside for any extended period of time since my surgery almost two weeks ago.  It was a much-needed excursion that was long overdue.

This week is the busiest of the year at work, but thankfully I have a vacation looming just around the corner next week.  So although it will be like running a half-marathon this week, there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

I'll post more pictures from this boat trip later in the week.

To read about other adventures with Glenda and Billy, click here and here 

This and That

These are recycled from February 2013 but are as good as new to me since I haven't seen them in a while. This dock and boat, in their advanced state of deterioration, really appeal to me.

But then again I don't get out much.

And I'm very easily entertained.

Growing up in Mathews in the days before technology, the back yard was the cable TV, the internet, the cell phone, the Netflix, everything. You made your own fun.  Luckily I've not forgotten those days and am still very much amused by almost nothing at all.

It's either a life skill or some form of insanity, I'm not sure which.

Not to sound like a broken record, but things are busier than ever at work and at home--especially work. This weekend is a long one, though, thanks to the federal holiday on Monday.

Saturday morning bright and early, Baby Sis and I will jog a 10K over in New Kent at a winery, a first for us.  We'll trot up and down hills and meander through neighborhoods and with any luck be rewarded with wine and chocolate at the finish.  I dread the running in this cold, cold weather but look forward to the rest.

Baby Sis is trying to talk me into seeing a band in Richmond on Saturday night, after the 10K.

Something tells me after the week I've had and the early morning jog in frigid temperatures, I'll be ready for nothing more than a very long nap Saturday evening. And staring out my window onto Queens Creek from the comfort, warmth and quiet of my warm living room.

But we'll see.

I hope your weekend is fantastic.

Seagulls

Sunday morning, on my way to Bethel Beach to go for a short run, I pulled in here to check on the dock,

the boats

and the crab pots.

At the end of the dock, 

two seagulls made it clear they had the situation under control.

The weekend was cool here, downright cold Saturday night.  It's great weather for running though.

And sleeping.

Neither of which can happen on this day called Monday, the return to work.

I'm very much looking forward to the coming weekend, which includes a federal holiday that means three glorious days off from commuting.

Hallelujah.

Perched

I'm woefully behind on taking new pictures but was glad to find these forgotten photos from earlier this summer on one of the Winter Harbor boat trips.

Another thing I'm woefully behind on is laundry yard work bill paying and paperwork rest and sleep, both of which I hope to get plenty of this weekend.

Have a great one.

Egret

This elegant egret spent Saturday afternoon in the mud of the marsh off Winter Harbor.

I caught him contemplating the meaning of life on one of my breaks from playing games with my friend Glenda's girls on the nearby beach.

The weather started off iffy but later was sunny and unseasonably cool considering we're well into the month of June, usually heavy with humidity.

Saturday was spent on this wonderful beach.  Sunday I caught up on chores and ended up watching the USA-Portugal World Cup match.  After however many years of cheering on my daughter in soccer, I still don't know the rules find it hard to go from Wide Open to Zero on the spectator speedometer that summertime brings.

So World Cup has helped fill a void--says the person who hates watching sports on TV, even though she clutches a cowbell on the sidelines in real life.

Anyway, I'm enjoying the World Cup.

Emmett H.

This is the Emmett H, a gorgeous boat that lives at Winter Harbor.

I took these a couple weekends ago from the beach where my friends Glenda and Billy took me.

This has been a long week at work--it is busy season there, so the days are long and all the issues are urgent. Just as the school calendar to which I'm chained winds down, my job gets busier.  At least it doesn't happen at the same time, I guess I can be grateful for that.

Anyway, after another long day, that in addition to the usual madness included an EMG* for some nagging nerve pain, I was thrilled to get a message from Billy asking if I wanted to join them for another day out on the boat on Saturday.

Oh, yes.  Yes, I do.

Aside from a jog, Saturday's boat excursion is the only thing on my weekend's horizon.

And that's just fine with me.

I hope your weekend is wonderful.


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------


*P.S. If a doctor ever suggests that you need an EMG to determine the cause of otherwise unexplained nerve pain, be sure to explain to the doctor that all of a sudden a miracle has occurred, and there is no more nerve pain and you do not need an EMG. Even if that's a blatant lie. Getting shocked for thirty minutes straight and then spending another thirty minutes having needles plunged directly into those same nerves should be against the law.  That's the last time I'm doing that. I still love my doctor though, she just wanted to be sure nothing awful was wrong. And I also appreciate the poor person who had to give me the EMG, who clearly has more patience than any other human being alive.

Humidity

These were taken on Sunday's trip to the beach at Winter Harbor with friends Glenda and Billy.

It was a beautiful weekend with almost perfect weather: bright, clear skies, warm sunshine, a light breeze, and little to no humidity.

Fast forward to yesterday when the heat and humidity finally found Mathews County.

Yesterday I finally broke down and turned on my air conditioning.  Yes, believe it or not, I'd gone this long without turning it on, courtesy of an over-$300 heating bill earlier this year that set me off into outer space when I opened it up.  That was the most I'd ever had to pay Dominion Virginia Power for just one month of usage.

So, I went on strike, turned off the HVAC unit, told the kids to wear sweaters and blankets until the weather got warmer, and when it finally did get warmer, just turned open the windows and enjoyed some incoming layers of yellow pollen by day; incessant, blood-curdling fox screams and heron calls by night fresh air and the sounds of Nature.

Until yesterday, when not even Cheapskate CBW could take it anymore.

When turning on the A/C unit for the first time in months is the most newsworthy item in your life, it might be time to reevaluate things.  Of course, there are bigger and better things getting ready to happen, with Son's impending graduation, but this is the lull before the weekend's graduation storm.

Anyway, it's finally turned humid here in Mathews.

The End.