where the deer play

over the weekend, i spent time with my friends Judy and Rena

at rena's cabin in the woods in Mountain Home, Arkansas.

the weather was perfect for an early fall day in the foothills of

the Ozarks.  in the evening we were treated to 7 deer searching for

the "deer corn" that Rena puts out for them.

i tried to be very still and lengthen my lens to capture their beauty.

they were very wary of any movement or noise, and i got many poor

quality images.  these were some i tried to salvage....

in the background you can see the magical charm of the cabin

and it's surroundings....Norfolk Lake stretches below for as far as

you can see.

still waiting

i know you are all still waiting for the final kitchen photos.
unfortunately we are delayed waiting for the floor goods to arrive.
until the floor is laid, we cannot put the stove, refrigerator, trim including
baseboards and door trim, and a few other odds and ends.

everything has been placed in the cupboards, (and we still have an empty one!!)
and we are as anxious as you for this project to be completed.

next week for sure!!  (we think positive thoughts)
and you will be impressed with the quick work!

until then, i am heading for the Ozarks on the first day of Fall.

it's beginning to look a lot like....

a kitchen!
cabinets delivered today and installation began!

it's beginning to look like a kitchen!!

sticks and stones

barcelona, NY.

a great stretch of beach where i walked (and walked) looking for beach glass.

then i got distracted.  i saw some cairns that had been built in layers with round rocks in between.

i began finding "egg rocks" and collecting pieces of driftwood.  i don't yet know what they will become.

at the end of my hunting and gathering, I ate at Jack's
and spotted the most beautiful bottle tree.

kitchen update

it has been slow the past few days after the beginning flurry of activity.
the taping and mudding, sanding and remudding, sanding and painting is now complete.

tomorrow the subfloor goes down and i believe the new woodwork around the windows and doors.

then Friday!  the cabinets arrive and will be set in place with countertops.

electrician and plumber will do their work.....so check in on Monday (if not before) for another update.
thanks for tuning in!!

the kingsville motel

for the past couple of summers,
i have been working on a project
that includes those roadside motels
that were popular in the mid-century.

like drive in movie theaters,
these family havens are slowly disappearing.
there are many of them left along lake erie,
from port clinton, ohio, to buffalo, new york.

at the midway point, is conneaut and kingsville.

this evening it looked like the sun would be
in a good position, and there was a dark sky
to the east.  so i hopped into the car and drove
12 miles to the motel.

unfortunately in those 15 minutes,
the clouds had moved in.
it was not the shot i wanted.

 last night, i went back and the light was better.
i look forward to shooting it after dark ....the lights might be fantastic.

garden mart

at the garden mart today,
i saw two very unusual plants...
both were called "egg plants"
but not the kind of eggplant that
i am familiar with.
one of them bore fruit that
actually looked like an egg....
the other looked like miniature
pumpkins (the generic name for the
plant was "pumpkin on a stick")

building walls

the sheetrock arrived early this morning....
and by noon, the kitchen looked a bit more like a room.
unfortunately the guy who was supposed to tape failed to show up.
we may be a day behind.

hard to believe that this all started 3 days ago!!

kitchen demolition

that's demolition day.....
the dumpster is parked in the driveway,
water and electric are off......

we have waited in anticipation for the past 5 months,
and now the day is here....
goodbye to my grandmother's kitchen.

 how many meals were cooked on this surface over the past 50+ years?

and 3 hours later, the kitchen demo is finished!  so far, only good surprises!!
(like a dropped ceiling, insulation)
drywall starts on friday!

beach illumination

on labor day weekend there are usually not fireworks over the beach at township park.
this year, however, the 4th of july fireworks were cancelled due to high winds, and the decision was made to set them off during labor day weekend, when people were enjoying the beaches for the end of the summer season.

i was excited that i would get to see them....i had not been here on the 4th.  so mom and i drove down to the park, expecting it to be so crowded that we wouldn't be able to find a parking spot, let alone find a seat on the edge of the bluffs over lake erie.  i was headed to my brother's (who lives on the lake up the road from the park) when i decided to just see if i could find a spot.....

we parked in an almost empty lot, and found an empty bench overlooking the beach just waiting for us.
what we didn't realize was that we were an hour and a half early!
but we sat and watched the sun set, listened as the crowds gathered with rowdy children running up and down the sidewalk, swatted a few mosquitos, and counted the minutes until the grand illumination.

the "blue moon" rose above us, vendors hawked light sabers and children danced with delight as their lit sparklers made marks in the darkening skies.

  

and finally, the show began! with the first "boom, boom, boom", the crowd hushed.  then the oohs, and ahhhs, followed by claps of approval.

20 minutes later, it was over.  the end of summer.....
it exited with a grand illumination!