GOOD NEWS AND KAYAKING

A great big thank you to everyone who voted for Nigel in the Hair O' The Dog Wine and Spirits doggie costume contest. He WON!! Now his mama gets a fifty dollar gift card. Drinks all around! Here's "the Nige" in his Bark In The Park tee shirt.

I am relishing these glorious fall days. On Sunday, we went for what will probably be the last paddle of the season. It was very windy, so we picked a little river that winds through trees... lovely with leaves falling all around us.

Transquaking River

I didn't know that water beads up on lily pads this way.

The roots of some of the larger up-ended trees have a definite Sasquatch-y vibe. Or is that just me?

Can you see it?

There was a beautiful moon last night.

Don't think I'll ever be too old to not be just a little excited about Halloween. Scout and Nigel, too.

Happy last week of October, and thanks again to those who voted! XO.

EASTER WEEKEND UPDATE

The weekend started off slowly, with two of us still feeling a bit under the weather . Saturday was sunny and warm-ish, so the four-legged BarnBugs did a lot of lounging about.

Scout snoozing at the gate.

 

Kitty enjoying the sunshine.

Mr. Nigel

Mr. C. and our girl set off to do a little kayak shopping and came home with this...

While she was most anxious to try it out, we decided to hang out here and go for a quick paddle on Sunday before Easter dinner at my brother-in-law's. 

Then I logged on to Facebook and realized that this was the night  Sara Watkins was playing at the Avalon. We had tickets but thought it was next week. With a lingering cough from last week's cold, I was so tempted just to let it go. Went anyway and we're so glad we did! We first saw Sara Watkins in Charlottesville, Virginia a couple of years ago when she was touring with Prairie Home Companion. Fell in love and she's been singing in my ear ever since.Walking up to the theatre, we met one of Mr. C.'s old college friends hosting a tailgate party on the sidewalk. We were offered oysters. No thanks. And a chance to meet Sara herself!! Yes, please. Two lessons learned here. Sometimes, when you're tired and unmotivated, it pays to get up off the couch, put a little lipstick on and go anyway. Also, red wine sipped very slowly can work a miracle on a tickly little, end-of-cold, cough. Sara was amazing.
Sunday was cooler with rain threatening, but we had promised a test run of our girl's new kayak, so we loaded up. Thought we'd go someplace close-by, but ended up at the Transquaking Bridge in Dorchester. It's a long story. By the time we got there, conditions were less than favorable...

This picture doesn't really do justice to the amount of chop and current.

 We went anyway.

No more pics after we set out. I didn't dare take my camera, even though we have waterproof bags. There was so much current that we had to work constantly to keep moving in the right direction. We found a quiet little creek where paddling was easier but it was low tide and I got stuck in the mud twice. If you're stuck on sand you can push off with your paddle. When you're stuck in marsh mud, you have to paddle through the mud. Quite a workout for the upper arms but I was motivated. Didn't really fancy getting stranded in the precise bit of marsh where "Big Liz" the ghost of a headless slave woman hangs out. Reportedly.
We saw very little wildlife while we paddled, but as we were loading up, I saw this...

Snapping turtle. Dinosaurs really do still walk the earth.

And this pair of ducks...

After all that paddling, I felt justified in having a piece of this...

Carrot Poke Cake. Here, I saved you a piece.

Friend and fellow blogger Stacy of Life at Cobble Hill Farm shared a link to this awesome recipe last week. Find it here. My MIL declared it the "best thing I ever put in my mouth." Visit Stacy for lots more mouth-watering recipes!
So that about wraps it up. A little sunshine, a little rain, music, kayaking, food, family. Speaking of family, check out my brother and sister-in-law's newest addition. Adorable, right? Visit their website here, to read more about Sussex Spaniels.

Hope your Easter weekend was stuffed full of good things! XO.

BRIDGE QUEST

Twelve days until Christmas. I should be doing Christmas-y things. All day. Until I'm done. But the sun (finally), and my girl, and our cameras beckoned. We'll just ride down to Dorchester County for a little while we said. Ha! We had in mind finding the rickety old bridge that Mr. C. and I happened across earlier this fall. Couldn't remember exactly where it was but I was confident I could find it. And we did, but only after going all the way to the end of Hooper's Island, which also happens to be the end of the earth, for those of you not familiar.
Found some treasures along the way. We were delighted by this little chocolate box of a church...

Unfortunately, the hurricane took down a couple of very large trees. The cemetery was damaged but the church was spared.

Saw this pair of old sea dogs cats sitting on a boat. Love their expressions. The one on the right looks as though he's been in a scrap or two. In a couple of the pics, he was squinting his right eye which made him look for all the world like Popeye. 

Saw plenty of geese, of course, lots of intriguing dilapidated buildings, and endless marsh.

A little paint? A few throw pillows?

And finally, just as my girl was concluding the bridge in question was, in fact, a figment of her mother's imagination...The Bestpitch Ferry Road Bridge over the Transquaking River.

If you're a paddler, this has been named one of the ten best paddling rivers within a day's drive of Baltimore. Also, a bird lover's paradise. Also, to my eyes very rickety, and once we had driven across in my trusty Black Pearl, and I had walked back across to take pictures, I wasn't feeling very happy about it's ability to support us. All's well that ends well, however, and we are home safe and sound.
I promised in my last post to focus on joy this Christmas. Today's joys: My beautiful girl. Home for the Holidays, and ready for marshy adventures with her Mama. Plenty of tasty leftovers for tonight's dinner, so no cooking.  A glass of wine, after an afternoon in the chilly December air.
As always, wishing you JOY. XO.