Happy Halloween

Zombie Nasturtium

Tortured Trunk

Mari-Ghouls

Ghost of Four O'Clock Past

Headless Sunflowers

Hosta-Ghosta

Just in case we're sitting in the dark soon..... have a great and safe Halloween!

The Fog

 It's been this foggy since Friday night.  All day long.  Eerily quiet outdoors except for the steady dripping of occasional rain. I'm starting to get creeped out....

Frankenstorm?

   I refuse to listen to any news stations, except those on FSTV and Link TV.  However, even the weather channel is worrying me now about the hurricane. The past couple days have been gorgeous.  I guess all we can do now is fill up extra jugs of water, and get  the candles ready.  We've never lost power since moving here, but I don't know what kind of winds we'll get. We spent most of today raking leaves  from the ditch that runs the length of the driveway. Most of the leaves have fallen. The ones left will surely be gone with the storm.

Global Worming

 I've forgotten the actual numbers of my Wooly Bear Tally, but I'm definitely seeing more brown than black.  Take a look at this little guy. Maybe it'll be another mild winter.

WARNING: Nudity Below

It says "Wolf Tits".

 We first saw this a couple years ago.  It's on an underpass as you leave Elmira for Corning.  We've tried to get a good picture several times, but if the leaves aren't blocking the view, then the driver is going too quickly, or someone forgot the camera, etc.  This is the best one so far. I wish I knew the history behind it.

Not Invited

Rusty has gotten used to riding in the car with us--to the park, the post office,  etc. So he really had his feelings hurt just now when the guys left to go play pool at the Hotdog Palace without him. Don't they know he loves wieners?  Yesterday we took him with us to pick up his boy at the animal shelter.  Unfortunately, W was walking one of the dogs down the road as we drove by, and Rusty saw them. When W got in the car later, Rusty initially ignored him, even to the point of turning his back to him.

Water always tastes better when it's on the deck, in a mud puddle, or from a ditch.

I know how to cheer him up-- maybe a couple of "bacon" snacks and a trip outside to lick the rainwater off the deck, like this.

Just Another Manic Monday

Wind mills on the back road to Elmira

Yes, it's really that blue!

I think this is supposed to bloom only in early spring

...not really, I just like that old song. I've been trying to finish the Common App, but Verizon is being overly annoying this afternoon. W's volunteering at the animal shelter today, but I have not done anything productive. We went to Elmira yesterday for winter boots and coats; the Burlington Coat Factory there is pitiful compared to the one in Katy, TX. We finally found stuff at Kohl's.

More Letchworth Pics

We always see a couple of risk-takers at the parks

Used for grinding nuts

Found in the nearby area

I love this papoose

Apparently, Mr. Letchworth was quite the 'gentleman archeologist'  back in the mid to late 1800's.
The small museum had many examples of arrowheads and artifacts of local Native Americans, as well as those throughout the country. The guys had a good time comparing them with our own collection. Isn't that papoose interesting? I think Red Cloud was a Lokata. It looks like President Lincoln is on it, too. Their papooses had little bells hanging above so the babies could be entertained.

Letchworth State Park

  We spent most of the day hiking through the park. It's absolutely beautiful. After walking up and down the river trail, someone got the bright idea to hike to "the trout pond", without mentioning it meant walking another 5 miles or so.  We passed by some of the biggest piles of bear poo I've ever seen(right next to shredded hornets' nests). One of us got a bit grumpy and tired, and a bit worried we would be lost forever. Never fear, I am married to Marco Polo/ Daniel Boone, who reassured me that if we really were lost, he would not to eat me, no matter how starved he was.

Hiking to the elusive Trout Pond

Five + miles for this?

Inspiration Point

Rusty was the most well behaved dog there

Mary Jemison

The Native Americans were the ones devastating the frontier?

Jemison cabin and Seneca Council cabin

Mary Jemison was born in 1743.  Her family "squatted" on territory of the Iroquois Confederacy. When she was a teen, her family was killed and she was kidnapped by Shawnees, then given to the Senecas. She married a Delaware and had a son. After he died, she married a Seneca and had six more children. By 1823, the Seneca tribe had sold most of their land, except for a couple acres (here at the park) reserved for the "White Woman of the Genesee". She  later decided to move to the Buffalo Creek reservation, where she lived the rest of her life.  Her remains were later moved to the park.
  One of my favorite stories as a kid was Indian Captive-the Story of Mary Jemison, by Lois Lenski.
If you google her name, you can even read Jemison's own narrative (told when she was 80) of her life. It's fascinating.

On our way home, an old man fell asleep while driving, crossed into our lane, then swerved back toward us and rolled his car.  Ken stayed so cool, while we were freaking out, and managed to move out of his way as he rolled right by my window. I called 911; we were so worried he'd be dead in the car, or ejected out of it. Miraculously, he got out as Ken got to him, and he seemed unhurt.

The Big Event

 S and C's wedding was why we went to Texas. We had a great time. The wedding was supposed to be outdoors, but a steady drizzle drove it inside. The bride was beautiful, the groom was handsome, the food was beyond delicious, and we had fun watching all the dancing. I was pleasantly surprised to get a  long, hand written thank you card in the mail just a couple days after returning home. It's nice to see that some still know the proper etiquette , instead of waiting months until the mood strikes them.

S and C

I like those shoes!

S sure looks grown up

First look at the baby

Children

Baby L

Don't they look happy?

His hair's a bit darker in the center because he swiped his mom's tanning lotion

Boy, I thought I'd never get them to sleep

This really brought back the memories

In the blink of an eye...

Not New York

Passion Vine

I See You

Where's Debbie?

Triple Tree-Frogs

No Explanation Needed

He Battles His Reflection Daily