Less than 3000 miles

Well That explains a lot.

I haven’t had an oil change since March so I stopped by my car care center today and had them check the records. I just hit 3000 miles!  Proof that I haven’t been anywhere or done anything worth writing about this summer. That’s depressing!

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I’m still having pain in my abdomen/side even though the rash is gone on my side anyway. It’s stubbornly hanging on in the middle of my back where it started.

I work for Redfin Real Estate and we are opening up in Rhode Island. Thursday night Redfin held a Launch party in Providence. The Rhode Island Team is Agent: Jeremy, Buy side coordinator : Tara and Listing coordinator: Me! Tara and I felt it was important to attend to offer support to our leader, Jeremy. Both Tara and I also have Massachusetts agents we support but that’s not a new market.

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It was a nice party but I noticed that I really couldn’t stand for that long before my back started misbehaving. It’s improving but there’s still a long way to go.

Sometimes I wonder if I’ll ever get back to 100%.

 

 

Phantom Gourmet’s Barbecue Beach Party

As I came down the steps and made a left on Congress St I spotted the first check point. It was a place to check your bags. Boston has become very paranoid since the Marathon Bombing, not than anyone can blame them, but I hadn’t thought of that when I packed the camera bag for my trek into the city.

Now as I stood in front of the kiosk collecting bags I was stumped. No way was I leaving my camera bag with the spare lens, batteries and filters. I decided to try to talk my way in.

The first spot told me no but they pointed to another person in a red shirt. (Star Trek fans all know what it means to wear a red shirt).

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He also said no but I argued that it was just a camera and he could look at it. I had nothing to hide. He sent me to his supervisor. Now I began to get somewhere. He said there was an exception for cameras.

I purchased my ticket and went back to the gate where I was once again turned away. By now my journey from Taunton with the Red line issues and all the walking  was taking it’s toll. I could feel my irritation starting to grow.  I reminded myself that you get more flies with honey, took a deep breath and tried again. This time I pointed out the person who had told me I could take the camera bag in. He must have been important because the attitude changed immediately.

I still had a security line to go through. As soon as I stepped up I was treated with much more respect. In fact the security guy checking my bags said he saw me when I first approached and was surprised when I was turned away. He saw the monopod and knew I had a camera. He apologized and said some people just let power go to their heads! He told me to go on in and enjoy myself!

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More stairs loomed ahead. I saw kiosks for Ice Cream , fried dough, soft drinks and popcorn but where was the barbecue?Boston 023 copy

Just then my way was blocked by a vision from the past. Some kind of Raptor blocked my way. The smell of roasting meat must have called him back from the past.

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Taking a deep breath I tackled these cement steps. At the top I found the barbecue!

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Wonderful smells drifted on smoke across the plaza.

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A beer garden was set up along one side where there was lots of seating whether you were drinking or not.

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I got in line for the first Barbecue I saw, Chicago Ribs. I got a small rib sampler and  bottled water. Very filling, Very good! Dry rub , sauce on the side. But there’s 5 more kinds to try, even one from Australia!

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Wedding Capital of Tennessee

One thing I haven’t said too much about is weddings. Probably because I’m not in the market for a wedding venue. But I couldn’t help noticing all the cute little chapels scattered around Gatlinburg.

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I looked  up weddings in one of Gatlinburg’s brochures and found 12 different Chapels listed along with 5 additional outdoor or cabin venues. The brochure calls Gatlinburg the Wedding Capital of the South…not just Tennessee.

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Gatlinburg Chapel is credited with introducing wedding chapels to the area and thousands of weddings have been performed here including Billy Ray Cyrus and Patti Lovelace.

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True or not, there are lots of cute, little  Chapels dotting the landscape.

 

The Very Inspiring Blogger Award.

I want to thank a talented young woman who writes the blog Its My Life http://kelseyrexroad8494.wordpress.com for nominating me for the Very Inspiring Blogger Award. bloggerIf you are a young woman who likes fashion and makeup you must check out her blog.  She will provide you with tips and reviews that are perfect for the up and coming fashionista. I was one of 4 nominees and I can’t thank her enough for her kind comments. This is what she said: This is not a beauty blog, but I love seeing the pictures that are constantly being posted, they are beautiful. I love photography, so this blog is one of my faves, I promise you won’t be disappointed.

So glad you like them! The photos are my favorite part too.  🙂

Now for the rules:

Rules

  1. Thank and link the amazing person who nominated you
  2. List the rules and display the award
  3. Share seven facts about yourself
  4.  Nominate fifteen other amazing blogs and comment on their posts to let them know they have been nominated
  5. Optional: Proudly display the award logo on your blog and follow the blogger who nominated you

Let’s see, 7 facts about myself????

  1. I’m more than a cat lover. I love all animals.
  2. I believe life is an adventure so the rough spots along the way are there to give you a challenge and make you stronger to enjoy the good times.
  3. I love to travel. Although I am trying to visit all 50 states I also want to go to Costa Rica, Galapagos, Australia, Africa and Egypt. (And that’s just for starters.)
  4. This blog started out as a travel blog but has evolved to so much more.
  5. The blogging experience has introduced me to so many wonderful people (virtually) and enriched my life. (This is a totally unexpected benefit)
  6. I am blessed with 2 brothers, a sister and my mother for family. (And more nieces, nephews, great nieces and nephews and extended family)
  7. Growing up in the Adirondacks  my family said we weren’t “hillbillies’ , we were “ridgerunners”

The hardest part of these awards are the nominations. I work full time , write this blog, manage dustyroadsphotos.com and dustyroadsphotos.zenfolio.com and dustyroadsphotos.etsy.com . So that doesn’t leave a great deal of time to explore other blogs. Many of the blogs I do follow are photography blogs. But so much for excuses. I won’t have 15 blogs but the ones I will recommend are wonderful and I promise you won’t be disappointed.

My nominees for the Most Inspiring Blogger Award are as follows:

  1. Learn More every Day written by my virtual friend Patty. Patty shares photos, travels and the highs and lows of life. She has overcome sadness and moved forward with grace and strength. She is an inspiration so this award seems a perfect fit.  http://learnmoreeveryday.wordpress.com/2014/05/27/every-city-usa
  2. One of the first blogs I followed and one of my first supporters who has stood by me through thick and thin is Homestead Ramblings. http://homesteadramblings.wordpress.com/2014/05/27/ezra-meeker-and-the-oregon-trail . Her posts are full of history, family, pictures, foster pets, biblical insights. Her stories often have a moral and are often presented with gentle humor.
  3. A Budding Photographer  who works really hard at his craft is my friend JR. He has shown up in some of my posts. He has a blog too, a photography blog. You should check out his work. http://www.jrstjeanphotography.com
  4. Another Photographer’s blog that I enjoy not just for his fabulous nature photos but also because of the witty stories he tells about each picture is http://phillanoue.com.
  5. Places Unknown is another photography blog. The owner travels often and takes wonderful travel photography. He even has a Mystery Location on Fridays. Fun! http://placesunknown.com
  6. Do you like ruins, vampires, the Emerald Isle and all things Celtic? Then you will love the ruin hunter, Ed Mooney’s photo blog http://edmooneyphoto.wordpress.com
  7. And last but not least is a blog about one of my favorite states, Maine. http://mainerchick.com has posted stories about Maine weather, restaurant reviews . poems and more. You never know what you’ll get from this versatile writer.

There are several other blogs that seem to have fallen by the wayside that I really miss but since they are inactive or gone I can’t nominate them. 🙁

I hope you enjoy my nominations and help keep the blogging community growing.

 

 

 

 

Photo of the Week ~ 21

This week’s photo of the week is Cherokee with  26 points!

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To Order prints Click Here: http://dustyroadsphotos.zenfolio.com/p161572686/h31f9c381#h31f9c381