Spring is such a tease

Posted on March 9, 2014March 9, 2014 by Dusty Roads

Or maybe I should say Old Man Winter is a tease. Tuesday was a beautiful day. We had blue skies and no wind. I went out dressed in layers expecting to be cold but it wasn’t too bad. According to the weather folks we never broke freezing but the lack of wind and the bright sun made it seem almost like a “day at the beach”.

I made sure to grab my camera as I headed out. I had a long list of errands and then had to go to our Foxboro Office for my annual review. Yes, it was my day off but the alternative was a drive to Somerville on Friday. After that I had to head to Stoughton (20+ miles away) to meet with my Tax Guy and get my taxes filed. Even so I was optimistic that I could squeeze in some quality time with the camera. My goal, some quality shots for the 365 challenge. So far the challenge has been to get any shots, forget about quality!

I hopped in the car and put it in reverse to back out of my parking space and it felt, well, weird. It felt like the emergency brake was on but it wasn’t. I finished backing out and tentatively tried going forward…same thing. Now I thought I knew the problem..must be a flat tire.

I pulled into the next slot over and got out to look. Sure enough, flat as a pancake! I grabbed my cell and called AAA then I called my auto repair shop and made arrangements to bring the tire in. Finally I texted my boss to let him know what happened. It was only 10:30 and my review wasn’t until 1 pm but who knows how long I’d have to wait for AAA and then at the shop for the tire repair. I felt like the Geico commercial.

Sometimes things just fall into place. AAA arrived pretty quickly and changed the tire for me. We couldn’t see any reason for the flat. Valve stem looked fine, no nails or visible punctures, guess it will be up to the repair shop to get to the bottom of it.

The shop I use is about 5 miles down the road from me so even with traffic I was there before noon. Since I’m a regular they know me and took my tire right in. The tires are fairly new so I expected a repair. But noooooo. Randy, the manager, called me in and showed me where the side wall was starting to leak. He said it looked like I may have scraped it on a pot hole or curb. Well I knew I hadn’t hit a curb but there are certainly enough pot holes this year. I hadn’t hit any straight on but maybe in trying to avoid one I might have clipped it just right on the side. There was no saving the tire. 🙁

I told him to put on a new one and get me on the road. He did it right away. Turned out I was only 10 minutes late for my review but after the review it was still back to Stoughton and then all the errands I didn’t get to do in the morning. Needless to say there was no quality photography time.

I got to see several hawks hunting by the highway and a possum waddling out of the woods toward the road but no chance for pictures.

I settled for another cat photo. You may have seen it.

It’s a play on the Dr. Seuss story of Green Eggs and Ham

“Would you eat them
in a box?
Would you eat them
with a fox?”

I offered ” Do you like it in a Box?”

One of these days I’ll get to the fields and sanctuaries where I love to take pictures. Until then, Would you like it with a fox? 🙂

Don’t Forget ~ Spring Forward

Posted on March 8, 2014March 8, 2014 by Dusty Roads

Catitude

Posted on March 7, 2014March 7, 2014 by Dusty Roads

When someone is not a “cat” person it’s hard to make them believe that cats have facial expressions and experience emotions. To avoid “sibling rivalry” or jealousy I try to give each of my cats plenty of attention. Now that I work from home you’d think that would be easy. (Not!) I almost think it’s worse.

Let me give you an example. It was a peaceful morning. I was cleaning out my email inbox and the cats all seemed to be snoozing in various places. I got up to get a cup of tea and spotted Buddy on the big green cat tree. Usually he sleeps on my bed in the morning. I paused on my way into the kitchen to give him a pat and tell him it was nice to see him in the living room with the rest of us.

At that point I got the feeling of being watched. Yup, Rocky who had been snoozing under the heat lamp was glaring at me. If looks could kill I’d have been cat food.

I left Buddy and went over to offer a pat to Rocky who eagerly accepted my attention but that aroused Smokey who was sleeping on the cat tree above Rocky. His little paw snaked out to tap me on the shoulder. Ok, a few minutes of attention there…no harm, no foul.

I returned to the kitchen and picked up my tea. Back at the computer I had company. Rocky wasn’t done with his demands for attention. (What had I started?)

More petting and cuddling and Rocky hopped down. I thought he was satisfied and was going back to his sunlamp to sleep but I was wrong. He started circling the base of the big cat tree where Buddy was relaxing. He was fixated on Buddy. I knew any second now he was going to start the assault right up the side of the tree.

Time to intervene. More Petting all around. My quick run to the kitchen had disrupted my routine for 45 minutes and Rocky was still going. He’s annoyed and jealous and letting me know it. Every time I turn my back he gets into something. That’s his way of demanding attention.I guess I’ll just have to wait him out like a child having a tantrum.

So tell me again how cats don’t have emotions???

Approved!

Posted on March 6, 2014March 6, 2014 by Dusty Roads

Hurray It’s Approved! My boss approved my vacation time so it’s official, I can really count on heading to Tennessee in May.

So far I ‘ve got a at least 1 day in Dollywood with a ride on the Dollywood Express, a day exploring the trolley routes of downtown Gatlinburg and a day sampling moonshine and whiskey.

Along with the liquid treats my cousin recommended an restaurant called The Greenbrier Restaurant . http://www.greenbrierrestaurant.com/ It’s billed as a romantic, fine dining establishment.

Well since I’ll be alone we can skip the romance but I like the fine dining description and I loved the menu. Two of my very favorite things are on it. I could make a meal of just the appetizers, My favorite: Escargot Ala Bourguignon French selects served in mushroom caps and simmering garlic butter. I’ve never had them served in mushroom caps but I like mushrooms so should be yummy.

The main course is bound to be just as good : Lobster Tail

One Tail or Two ? Steamed and served with lemon wedges and drawn butter.

Who would think that someone from Massachusetts would always be on the lookout for lobster tails when I’m surrounded by Maine lobster all the time. Well, they are not the same and (I’ll probably have to hide out after this comment) I like the tails better than Maine Lobster. There I said it. My New England Yankee card will probably be revoked. I don’t dislike Maine Lobster I just prefer the Langoustines , those big , juicy tails usually served on the shell. They are a different animal and more common in the south. When I was growing up in upstate New York the frozen variety was more common than the live Maine lobsters. I imagine that’s changed now. Every high end restaurant seems to have a lobster tank.

Now I’m hungry and it isn’t even noon yet!

Anyway the same cousin that tipped me to the restaurant also gave me a link to a train ride out of Chattanooga. http://www.tvrail.com/pages/etowah-train-rides-train-excursions-in-Tennessee Known as the Hiwassee River rail Adventure it sounds perfect. The ride is described as the historic Hiwassee River Rail Adventure scenic rail excursion through the unspoiled Cherokee National Forest, along beautiful and scenic Hiwassee River, and through the secluded Hiwassee River Gorge. It leaves from Etowah. My only decision is do I do the short or long version?

I think I’m leaning toward the all day trip but I’m open to suggestions too.

Photo of the Week ~ 9

Posted on March 5, 2014March 5, 2014 by Dusty Roads

The week 9 tallies are in. The Photo of the Week with the most hits, likes, shares and/or comments is Blue Skies and Turrets with a total of 25 points.