On The Farm Again

Today we met up with friends at the Crowe's Nest Farm. Today was a special tour day and since I LOVE the Crowe's Nest Farm and it's only minutes from my house, we once again showed our support for all they do in providing a sanctuary for injured animals.

Farmer Dave does a wonderful job of interacting with and educating the groups about the animals.

Mr. Tom the turkey

Hershey the cow

I was also super envious of their luscious looking greens....

It was a lot more fun this time with friends.

On another note, here is a small Christmas crochet project I finished the other day....

365 Days

If you read my blog you already know I love sunsets. For awhile I've had this idea to record the sunset every evening for one whole year. I had it in my mind to begin Jan. 1, 2016, but then I thought why not start at the beginning of this month??  So on November 1, 2015 I begin my photo journey of recording every sunset for a whole year.

Just so you know I've already failed miserably. There were a couple of days where it was rainy and/ or cloudy and it slipped my mind. A photo of cloud coverage is not all that exciting. That said, the challenge is for 365 days...rain or shine.

November 1, 2015

November 2, 2015

November 3, 2015 - almost an exact replica of the evening before

November 4-6 Rain and cloud coverage

November 7, 2015

November 8, 2015

Until next week.....

Bubbling Bull

The best time to head to the creeks is after a good rain. I love listening to the rushing sound of the water and watching it spill angrily over the rocks. So clear and crisp. I could pitch a tent and camp alongside it endlessly with the animals and vegetation....

It was almost warm enough to take a dip, but the water was frigid!!

We headed along a path on the other side of the creek we have not ventured yet. There was a rock ledge trickling drops of water as we walked under it....

We walked along the trail stopping along the way to play in the water.....

We found an entrance to the Bull Creek Preserve and headed back to the car via that path...

There was a viewpoint above the creek along the way....

More rain in the forecast this week. I'm looking forward to checking out more areas after the rain that are usually dry.

Daddy Daughter Bike Ride

My teen is no ordinary teen. While most girls her age want to go to the movies, hang out at the mall shopping with friends, or some other girly type thing, my daughter wants to drive go carts, motorcycles or any other motorized vehicles, play and watch vehicle related video games and Youtubes, and has been known many times to take things apart just to see what makes them work.

A few weeks ago she found out that one of the Youtubers out of Austin she watches was organizing a local Motorcycle (Bike) Meetup.

She convinced Toby to take her on his bike and talked about how excited she was about it for weeks as I cringed every time at the mention of it. Being on the back of a motorcycle with Toby is not what concerned me, it was riding a hundred miles alongside notoriously horrible Austin drivers on the back of said motorcycle. I trust Toby, it's the other drivers I don't trust.

I thought more than a few times to put my foot down and say no, but the unselfish part of me decided that I wouldn't let MY FEAR stop her from missing out on opportunity and experience. Live and let live is my motto and that includes my family.

I'm so glad I pushed my fears aside and let her go. Toby and her both had a good time and it was definitely some serious daddy and daughter bonding time.

Here is a picture of her and one of the Youtubers. She walked right up to him and introduced herself, chatted with him a bit and asked if she could have her picture taken with him.

Toby and Skye before they left out....

I know they had a good time but I was relieved to get them both back safe and sound.


Tonight's sunset. It was a beauty.....

Here is one from the other day...

This is one I took the other morning. This is the tail end of a storm moving out...

Donkey Day

Today we met up with friends at Berry Springs Park and Preserve a.k.a the donkey park.

We first discovered this park last November. Skye fell in love with the park donkeys and was excited about seeing them again. Despite the fact that she almost lost her little finger to a donkey when she was 4 years old, I'm not sure why the affection for them.

I sneaked in a few pics while she was enthralled with her "spirit animal" as she referred to them....

They remind me of a giant Bo

With all the rain we got from Hurricane Patricia it provoked some flower blooms...

The weather was perfect for donkey day. Not too hot, not too cold. Just the way I like it.

Mellow Week

We didn't have much planned for the week, but Skye and I did go support our local Crowe's Nest Animal Life Center. for Family Fun Days.  I can't say too many nice things about this place....

Killing two birds with one stone, Toby and I took a little hike through a neighborhood greenbelt nearby an area we had to run some errands. I'd like to see our neighborhood do something like this for our greenbelt. The idea to petition for it has crossed my mind over the years, but at this point I'm not sure if I will be here long enough to strongly encourage the idea....

On other news, Bo has this new thing he has been doing the past few months. When he's ready for a walk or his dinner, he will roll over on his back and stare at me. If I don't respond he will give a throaty grunt to get my attention to let me know he needs something. I think it's kind of cute...

I also whipped up this GRINCH beanie I saw on Pinterest. I put in in my box of cancer hats I'm donating. Since I don't have much social etiquette, I hope it will be appropriate for cancer patients...

Close To You

It's interesting the way an old song can take you back in time. If the song made enough of an impact it can evoke a memory associated with the experience you were having at the time.

I have many songs associated with many different memories, but there is one song in particular that every single time I hear it I have a very vivid visual of exactly what I was doing the very first time I ever remember hearing it.

The Carpenter's "Close To You" is that song for me.

It was summer in the early 1970's. My mom and dad were taking me and my brother to Dauphin Island for the day. My brother and I were always excited about going to the beach. The beach always seemed to make Mom cheerful and relaxed and dad always played with us. We especially loved it when he would let us climb up on his shoulders and jump off into the waves.

The radio dial was on a local station as we headed down Dauphin Island Parkway to our destination. Close To You came on the radio. My brother and I were in the back standing up on the back floor board with our hands grasping around the back of the front seats where our parents sat. This was before the days of all those pesky seat belt rules. We all sang along in chorus together as the song played along.

I felt so happy we were going somewhere fun.

For the past 40 years each time I hear that song it takes me back to that day we were headed to the beach. The memory is ingrained in my brain forever.

HERE is a video my brother uploaded a few years ago on Youtube of one of our family beach days.