A bit of this and a bit of that

Posted on July 16, 2011July 16, 2011 by Dusty Roads

More Great White sightings off Chathem, Ma on Cape Cod. Seems like there’s a new report of sightings every day. The most recent was 150 yards off Monemoy Island. That’s about 1 1/2 foot ball fields. I so want to see one!

The Barnstable Fair is this weekend. Traffic is going to be at a stand still on the Cape. I won’t go looking for Great Whites this week!

A friend of mine just got back from vacation and immediately was out sick for a week. I spoke to him today and asked if he was feeling better. He said yes, thankfully. He had food poisoning from eating lobster! I said where did you get the bad lobster so I don’t go there, of course I was thinking it was local. His answer was not to worry because he was in New Hampshire. Oh Oh…I’m going to New Hampshire so I told him I was heading to Waterville Valley. His response was “WATERVILLE VALLEY! THAT’S WHERE I WAS!”

Well, he couldn’t remember the name of the restaurant but he gave me detailed directions to the restaurant not so I could find it but so I could avoid it and said do not eat the lobster there.

My co-worker Nick who went to Ireland has gone off on a Mediterranean cruise to Greece so I still haven’t hooked up with him to get his Ireland story for you.

I’m having dinner at Diane’s house on Tuesday. Diane told me about her trip to Mexico and let me share it with you. Maybe I can get her to tell me some more stories!

I tell everyone that I’m not interested in international travel but it did occur to me that there are certain areas that I would love to see.

Australia

Galapagos

Costa Rica

The Amazon

Alaska is domestic and I’m still working on that trip. Goal…2012 late August or early Sept.

I miss my kitties when I travel. I don’t think they miss me. They like their pet sitter a lot.

So how scary was that? A glimpse into the way my mind works. As you can see my little brain jumps all over the place. Hopefully something with a bit more substance will pop into it before Monday rolls around. Maybe I should let “Scout” or “Rocky” do that post.

Have a good weekend everyone! 🙂

New Hampshire Photo Contest

Posted on July 14, 2011July 14, 2011 by Dusty Roads

Living first in New York State and now in Massachusetts, I am very familiar with our neighboring state of New Hampshire. But I am familiar in a day trip/ drive through to somewhere else kind of way or in my younger days as the place to buy alcohol on a Sunday and illegal fireworks (legal there but not in Mass.) for the 4th of July.

I made one memorable motorcycle trip with my brother. It was in the fall and we biked the Kancamagus Highway to see the fall colors. I have two thoughts on that…COLD! but Spectacular. Nothing like seeing those views without being limited by the car window.

So this year I had some points left over on my time share to spend but I didn’t want to do anything expensive. I’d just returned from my “big” vacation in Sedona in May and was still trying to replenish the coffers. As you know if you’ve been following for any time my car has been doing it’s best to prevent me from making any progress in that regard. So I searched the time share list for some place close enough to drive so that I could avoid airfare and car rental costs. New Hampshire popped up. The time share had openings and was within the points budget. It also met the other criteria like driving distance and time off from work so I booked it.

Once I had the dates, I happened to see a TV ad for New Hampshire Dream Vacation Photo Contest. It took a little searching online to find it but the idea meshed perfectly with my plans for this vacation. I know that New Hampshire is a beautiful, scenic state so my purpose was to visit interesting places like the Lost River Gorge and look for photos ops. I want to take my time setting up the shots and really try to push my photography skills to the next level. Adding in a photo contest would just give me a little more incentive.

The rules require that the person submitting the photos be in the picture or they can use others in their party but they want people having fun. Well I am a party of 1, so I guess I’m going to learn to use either my remote release or the timer on my camera. Works for me.

You also have to have an “Official Sign” to hold in the picture so I downloaded that.

As with most photo contests I’ve seen there are 3 phases. The first is to have your picture qualify. That’s usually pretty easy. I’ve never had one disqualified.

The 2nd step is a bit harder and it’s where I usually fall down. This is the popularity contest part. The photos are online and the more people to vote for your photo the higher you rank in the standings. It’s like the popular vote on Dancing with the Stars or American Idol. I don’t usually send anyone the link so I only pick up “accidental” votes. In other words someone happens to be browsing the pictures and happens to think one of mine is good or cute or something and votes for it.

The end result is that I have had a couple make “semi-finalist” but that’s as far as it goes.

The final decision is made by a panel of judges but since I’ve never actually won a photo contest I don’t know if I’ve ever got to that level.

Well, this time I plan to do things differently. Photos were the reason for the trip so coming up with 5 photos that meet the contest criteria should be achievable. I’ll upload them per contest directions and I’ll show them here with the link to vote. Maybe with your help I can move from the pack of semi-finalists into a finalist spot. Watch for the update and photos at the end of the month!

Comments Section update…Editorial Comment

Posted on July 13, 2011July 13, 2011 by Dusty Roads

Editor in Chief

We finally recieved a response from WordPress. Apparently they had to manually reset the comments section on the Really Federal Reserve? Really? post. They do not have an explanation why all other posts have shown the leave comments section without any problem. This is their response:

Hey there,

The comment setting being off would have nothing to do with us; we have a very strong policy in favor of free speech:

http://en.wordpress.com/free-speech

I have manually reset the post settings for you. The comments should now be enabled. If you have more trouble in the future just ask.

Best,

Tiffney
Happiness Officer
Automattic | WordPress.com

The comments section is there now. I still don’t know what happened and why just on that post but I guess we’re all set for now. Thanks everyone for your patience.

Update

Posted on July 13, 2011July 13, 2011 by Dusty Roads

Yesterday I lost myself and published a “rant”. I confess it felt good but I don’t know if it was the right thing to do..you know ..airing those thoughts in a public forum like that but what’s done is done. Time to get back to the fun stuff.

It’s these vacations and mini-jaunts/day trips that keep me going and positive through the turmoil of modern everyday life and I love sharing them in these pages.

So before I start to tell you my upcoming plans here are a few updates on some of the things we’ve already talked about.

1. Lally Laggy Farm: I met the proprietors of Lally Laggy Farm on my drive to New York before I went to Sedona. I sent an email to them asking to arrange the follow-up visit but have not received any reply. The email was not returned so I assume it’s not lost somewhere in cyber space. I will send a follow-up request and continue to wait.

2. RunningBrook Vineyard and Winery: This coming Sunday, July 17, Runningbroook is hosting an event: Mid-Life Crisis Band, Samplings of Middle Eastern Foods,Chef Michele will show us how to make SANGRIA!, Bring a Picnic Lunch and Join the Fun! 1-5 pm

Also coming up at Runningbrook and several other vineyards on the Coastal Wine Trail…Shakephere in the Vineyard. See their web page for details, times and dates.

www.runningbrook.com

3. RiverQuest: You may remember Riverquest Cruises from when I went on that very cold Bald Eagle cruise back in early March. Anyway River Quest with Captain Mark has a series of summer cruises on the Connecticut River. If anyone goes on these I can guarantee it will be warmer than my trip on March 3rd! 🙂 Here’s a sampling of the things they have on the schedule so far.

Thursday, July 14th: Full Moon Cruise: 6:30pm to 9:00pm, $25pp
Saturday, July 16th: Osprey Cruise: 9:30am to 12:30pm, $35pp
Wednesday, July 20th: Cruise to Middletown: 6:00pm to 9:00pm, $30pp
Wednesday, July 27th: Parrothead Cruise: 6:00pm to 9:00pm, $30pp

I have not been asked to share this or paid to pass along their advertising. I just like to keep you up to date with the things that I hear about once I open the door by making my first visit. Many of these things conflict with my work schedule so I won’t be able to take advantage but one of my readers might be able to go and can then let me know how they enjoy themselves!

I do want to get back to the Connecticut River this summer but my July is pretty booked up so it may have to be August even though that’s filling up quickly too! 🙂

Let me know if any of you go and of course, what kind of time you have.

Editorial Comment

Posted on July 12, 2011July 12, 2011 by Dusty Roads

: Editor in Chief

Good Afternoon

I have some explaining to do. Dusty was quite upset by the news report and certainly used her right to freedom of speech.

What we can’t figure out is why the comments section says “Off”. We have checked the settings and they all read “ON”. We welcome your comments and Dusty was looking forward to seeing what you might think about the issues she has raised. We have reached out to WordPress for an explanation but have not heard back yet. We will update you as soon as we have answers.