THE WEEK IN PICS

Time is flying around here, blog friends. Mike realized he had vacation days to use up ASAP and so, for the past week and a half or so, we have kept ourselves busy with a few home projects and a lot of little day trips. We lunched, shopped, pedaled, paddled, wine-tasted, de-cluttered, and weeded.
Now I am hard at work making peace with a new laptop and Windows 8. For some time now, I've had the feeling that my laptop was about to go towards the light. I wanted to replace it before it went completely belly-up. Spent a good part of today trying to get the old one to cooperate and share all its' secrets with the new one. Scruffy old Mr. Black is a bit huffy and put out about the svelte and shiny Mr. Silver, so I sat them side by side and ordered them to behave. Ha! Perhaps I should turn them around and force them to stare at each other until one of them laughs.

Got an early morning call from a neighbor on Friday, about this in his front yard.

I know. Precious. Like bunnies, mama deer don't spend much time with their young in the first few weeks, keeping them safely tucked away until they're big enough to run from predators. This one seemed to have wandered from the woods, where mama left him, but we kept a check and she appeared later to whisk him away. What a treat to see this baby, though.
Took our bikes on the Oxford-Bellevue ferry, then rode from there to St. Michaels for lunch. This sign made us laugh at one of the shops. 

Mr. C and bikes on the ferry.

Visited Layton's Chance Winery. Left the truck and biked to Vienna and back, a ten mile round trip. Far enough on a steamy hot day. Thinking of the red wine slushies waiting for us at the end kept us moving. That, and the sheep flies. Man, those things can bite!

Doesn't Layton's have an inviting front porch?

There were ladybugs along the way. Lots.

Also, this lovely spot to cool off and chat with a fisherman along the waterfront in Vienna.

Deciding it was too hot, and too snake-y (I've taken too many snake pics there in the past two weeks)  to kayak at Blackwater, we paddled the Choptank. It was lovely and breezy, with just enough chop to make it fun. Not enough to make me queasy. Yes, you can actually get seasick in a kayak. 

No pics of the actual paddling. Way too much of a klutz to risk my camera on the river. Saved the photography for Blackwater where I spotted these ducks with both my feet planted firmly on the ground.

Three amigos.

Also hard at work on another mixed-media piece, continuing my obsession with abandoned church/house windows. Hope to have it finished tomorrow. Can't wait to show you!
Later gators! XO.