Fenton Lake

Happy 100th Anniversary Split Rock!

To celebrate the 100th Anniversary of Split Rock Lighthouse, the light was lit and fireworks were launched over the lighthouse on the evening of July 31st, . Several hundred people were in attendance, including a LOT of photographers! It was a special evening, and a rare treat indeed to see fireworks launched over the light.

Beachcombing #4

Padre Island National Seashore
Corpus Christi, Texas
February 17, ..

Pictures from the Visit at Mom's

Cactus

Here is another photo of the cholla cactus. This shows the cactus itself better as well as the flowers.

for Ruth and Lorene...

Springfield, Missouri ~ November 4, ..
A visit to a cemetery, the name of which I know not, to view the fall foliage. Most of the trees were way past their prime. Except for this one marvelous specimen. A beautiful day!

Water snake

I finally got a snake to pose for me!



Northern water snake (Nerodia sipedon). Click for a larger picture.

This rocky little beach was the perfect camoflage for him.



I didn't even seen him at first. Then I briefly thought that he was a Copperhead.

I tried going down to the beach to take a closer picture, but he didn't think too much of that idea.



There are four subspecies:
Nerodia sipedon sipedon, Northern water snake
Nerodia sipedon pleuralis, Midland water snake
Nerodia sipedon insularum, Lake Erie water snake
Nerodia sipedon williamengelsi, Carolina water snake

My ancient Audubon reptile book shows only the common sipedon subspecies in this part of Alabama, although some websites suggest there should only be the Midland version here. The pleuralis is supposed to have "dark back markings narrower than spaces between them," which this one does not.

They don't lay eggs, but have live babies instead.

His Pashley Roadster Arrives!

[edited to add: There is now a review of this bicycle here.]



The end result of our frenzied search, was that both my darling Co-Habitant and I decided to buy Pashleys: he the Roadster Sovereign (which comes only in black), and I the Princess Sovereign in green. My Princess is getting some custom work done at Harris Cyclery (a coaster brake installed) and will be waiting for me when I return from Vienna. The Co-Habitant's Sovereign arrived last week and he has been enjoying it ever since. Lucky, lucky him!





My dandified Co-Habitant added Brooks leather grips and bags to the bike, but everything else pictured here came standard. This is an enormous bicycle and he absolutely towers over the traffic as he rides to work. I can't wait to see him ride it in person, and to pick up my Princess!





The saddle that comes with the Roadster is the Brooks B33 in black. The bags are the Millbrook and Glenbrook. The leather grips in black are pictured here. All of these are available at Harris Cyclery in West Newton, Mass.

Dutch town: Wijchen in Gelderland

Wijchen is located in the eastern part of the Netherlands in the Gelderland province, just beside the city of Nijmegen and very close to the German border.



Wijchen Castle











‘Wijchen Castle’ circa 1392. The castle underwent major developments and annexation which led to the now castle in renaissance gothic architecture style. Kasteel van Wijchen (in Dutch) is now a museum and is partly being used by the city hall (i.e., renting out the castle rooms for events, parties, etcetera).



Wijchen Centrum









A quick peek into the town’s centre... a bit quiet for a late afternoon.



De Oude Molen (Windmill)







Windmill ‘De Oude Molen’ circa 1799. Like the castle, she also underwent several restorations.



Visit Period: March

Destination: Wijchen (Gelderland), The Netherlands

Tractor Work

My son has been here for the past week. It was really good to see him. He brought his big tractor and did a lot of work around our property. He took dirt from one place where it was to deep and put it in other places where it wasn't deep enough. Nothing like living on a moving sand dune.