Random

Friends

To My Democratic Friends:*

Please accept with no obligation, implied or explicit, my best wishes for an
environmentally conscious, socially responsible, low-stress, non-addictive,
gender-neutral celebration of the winter solstice holiday, practiced within
the most enjoyable traditions of the religious persuasion of your choice, or
secular practices of your choice, with respect for the religious/secular
persuasion and/or traditions of others, or their choice not to practice
religious or secular traditions at all. I also wish you a fiscally
successful, personally fulfilling and medically uncomplicated recognition of
the onset of the generally accepted calendar year 2011 but not without due
respect for the calendars of choice of other cultures whose contributions to
society have helped make America great. Not to imply that "America" is
necessarily greater than any other country nor the only "America" in the
Western Hemisphere. Also, this wish is made without regard to the race,
creed, color, age, physical ability, religious faith or sexual preference of
the wishee.

*To My Republican Friends:*

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

Fall on the Farm and out in the Field

Saving sunflower seeds

Pond on Goldman Road

Vermont State Fair 2008

Almost to Vermont

The Green Mountains are indeed green, amazingly enough

The night sky was amazing

Trent Tomlinson

For Steve

Something a little prettier

Elusive Oriole

This guy followed me around all day...or so it seemed. If I was planting scarlet runner beans, out of the apple tree he popped, to sing like a robin only louder and clearer. Then I was on the front porch watering plants and he came chasing his lady friend through the box elder bushes.

All righty then, I will stop what I am doing and go get the camera.

Apple tree, sans oriole

Instantly he vanished. All morning and half the afternoon he had been hanging around in plain view and no more than twenty feet from me. But once the camera showed up, whoosh, gone.....He was still there actually, right in the old apple tree outside the kitchen window, but would he come out to get his picture taken? Nope, too shy (although he is not too shy to get up to all manner of high jinks with his girl friend. My goodness!)

And so, with much cropping etc., here is what I got.

If he hangs around I promise to keep trying. Maybe he will let me get some better shots another day.

Upstate traffic

Some Amish we saw today...practically a traffic jam.

Even more Howe Caverns

Howe Caverns

Do click if you have time...there is much more detail in all of them close up

Is a great place to celebrate getting your driver's license...so I took Alan today. Imagine living 25 miles from this fantastic place and he had never been and it has been over 30 years since I have.

More Howe Caverns pics

There isn't a lot of wildlife in the caverns but you do find some occasionally

Still more cavern pictures

This formation is supposed to resemble a mud turtle

A stalagmite

Our guide and the Leaning Tower of Pisa

Alan testing out this formation, which is called the Keyboard. It forms a natural resonating chamber and makes delightful music when someone hums under it.

And the Pipe Organ, which is across the passage from the Keyboard

More new camera stuff

Geese

H2O

Whirl fish

Not whirl fish

Random

Mr. Buckethead (before)

And after

This looks just like a Jersey cow to me, but to many hunters she could be a nice white-tailed buck...so we keep her in the barn yard during hunting season

Huey, Dewey and Lewie