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.

SPRING WEEKEND

Today is such a gloomy, rainy, Monday. Glad we had a brilliant sunny weekend to remember. All sorts of springtime fun was afoot on Saturday. Took Scout and Nigel to Oxford Day. Mike likes to call Oxford, "Mayberry for millionaires." It is charming and if you long for sailboats and picket fences, it's just the thing.

The dogs enjoyed the parade except for the drums. Poor Scout does not like drums. At all.

The way we should all feel on a sunny Saturday in spring.

Poor doggers were exhausted, and asleep before we left the parking lot.

Dropped the pooped dogs at home. Ate the first Trappe Lions barbecued chicken of the season, and popped down to St. Michaels for Wine Fest.

Glorious bloomers everywhere.

My guy at the St. Michaels Brewery.

Guess who rode 22 miles on her bike on Sunday? This girl. Took the bikes down to Dorchester County, parked at a public boat ramp and pedaled the 11 miles to Hooper's Island and back. Oh the sights you see, when you're on two wheels instead of four!

Thought this looked like a sad sea serpent, washed ashore. I did want to bring it home, but it was about 8 feet long, and it was all I could do to haul my own washed up carcass that distance.

Mike loved this house we spied from the top of the Hooper's Island bridge. It looked as if it was crouching there, bracing for the next hurricane.

Watched Papa Osprey scoop up a fish and deliver it to this chimney nest.

Hope you had sunny weather and a chance to get outside and enjoy! XO.