Visitors

Along with the usual Canada geese we have also had some other visitors to the lake where we are currently camping. Below are some photos I took this week. The duck with the red face appears to be a variation of a Muscovy. I couldn't find anything that looks like the gray and white duck that seems to be the mate of the Muscovy. As for the small black ducks, I have not been able to find anything like them anywhere either. They are small, black with white beaks and a small white spot on their tail. There were about 30 or so of them in the lake when I took the photo.

Right Place, Right Time

There are times in our lives when we just know we were in the right place at the right time. Today was one of those moments for me. I decided to go to Hobby Lobby today to look for some Christmas decorations and on my way I came upon two adorable little white puppies. They were not quite as large as Millenni and I am pretty sure they were either Bichon Frise, Havanese or Maltese puppies. They were solid white and very fluffy. Unfortunately they were right in the middle of a busy road. Cars were whizzing by them and no one was stopping. As I approached I came to a full stop right in the road and the cars behind me had to stop too. One of the puppies ran across the road and then turned to run back across that lane as a car drove by. The other puppy decided to stop right in my lane and wouldn’t move. I blew my horn and drove around the puppy and pulled into the parking lot of the pet store there. I knew the puppies must have escaped from there as they are not the sort of puppies you would see out in the road alone. As I got out of the truck both puppies came running up to me and I ran inside the store and asked if these were their puppies. They were but the young lady working there didn’t seem to be too concerned. She said she had them in a pen outside with a fence around it and they somehow got out. She picked one up and said you can’t be out here any more now. I told her they were running all in the road and I was so afraid a car would hit them. She took them inside and I left. I knew I had saved their lives and felt so good that I had been in the right place at the right time. They were both so cute and after I saw the attitude of the girl at the pet store I was wishing I had picked them both up and brought them home with me! Of course Millenni wouldn’t stand for that but the girl didn’t seem to care much about the welfare of the puppies and I felt sorry for them. I do hope they will be OK and not get out again. Below are photos I found online of the 3 different types, they could have been any of these breeds but looked most like the photo of the Havanese here. Aren't they just adorable?

Bichon Frise

Havanese

Maltese

A Chance Meeting

David and I left Wilmington yesterday morning for our trip back home. Along the way I commented that Mom and Buddy were also traveling from their trip to Myrtle Beach, SC back to their home and for a while we would be traveling on the same interstate. I decided to call them and found out they were only 8 miles behind us. We decided to stop off at a seafood restaurant for a late lunch and they joined us there. We spent about an hour together. It was a nice stop and great to visit with them. We said our goodbyes and continued on our drive home. We arrived back at the RV park around 4:00pm to a very cold, blustery wind and drizzle. BRRRRRR.... We thoroughly enjoyed our time in Wilmington, visiting with Jordan and Elizabeth!!!

NC Holiday Flotilla

This was our first time to go see a flotilla. Wrightsville Beach is the location of the NC Holiday Flotilla and everyone goes to see the boats adorned with lights and holiday magic. We arrived at 4:00pm to get a parking spot among the throngs of people. We arrived just in time because not long after we had our spot the cars started coming one behind another and before we knew it the entire place was packed with people. The flotilla started at 6:00pm and boat after boat paraded down and made a turn at the bridge and continued on the loop for all to see. It was so cold as we stood outside to watch. It was well worth going to see once but I don't think I would do that every year. Some of the boats were decorated better than others and it was a contest with prizes given to the best. Below are photos of some of my favorites of the night. There were approximately 50 boats total and 50,000 spectators.

UPDATE: the mermaid boat was the grand prize winner!

a classy looking boat with a bell

the mermaid seemed to be the crowds favorite. Her tail fin waved as did her arm

the blue whale was another crowd favorite

I liked the gingerbread house, it looked better in person than in this photo

I believe this little guy was my favorite of all, it was the last boat in the flotilla and was just a small boat that looked like a little fish... so cute!

Festival at the Beach

We decided to go to Wrightsville Beach today to attend the Festival in the park and do some geocaching. The festival wasn't as large as I thought it would be but it was still fun. While there we looked for a geocache that was within walking distance and found it. After spending some time walking thru and seeing all the vendors at the festival and listening to the music we took a drive on down to the beach and ate lunch at the Oceanic right on the beach. We had good seats upstairs looking out on the Atlantic Ocean. Just a couple of weeks ago I was sitting in a restaurant looking out at the Pacific Ocean. The weather was beautiful today and the scenery was great. There is just something about the beach! We ate some good seafood then drove back to Wilmington to check on the dogs before coming back to Wrightsville Beach for the flotilla. I'll blog about that next.

Jordan finds the geocache

we usually eat here everytime we come to the NC coast

a pretty view of the Atlantic Ocean at Wrightsville Beach, NC

a couple of sail boats in the wind on the Atlantic Ocean

Black Friday

Black Friday, the big shopping day that starts early the day after Thanksgiving. We avoid getting out in that mess if at all possible so we had other plans for the day. We had planned to go to Airlie Gardens for the Christmas lights and festivities last night but when we got online to book our tickets we found out both entrance times had previously been sold out. Oh well... such is life. We decided to head to the historic downtown district of Wilmington so Jordan could show us where he works. The building is one of the taller buildings downtown and it is old. It was originally a bank and today you can still see the old vaults. I just love going in old buildings rich with history. I took a few photos to share with you that I have posted below. After visiting the building and a drive thru downtown we headed to historic Chandler's Wharf for a fantastic lunch at Elijah's right on the Cape Fear River. It was too chilly to eat outside but we did have a nice window seat and view of the river while we ate. We then took a stroll along the boardwalk and stopped off to look at some artwork displayed at a gallery set up outside. It was a wonderful day. We didn't have to fight the throngs of people out and about and we just had a delightful time.

Jordan points out to David where his office is located... second floor from the top, right hand side of the building

the entrance to Jordan's office

the old brass mailbox inside the building, the letters would be dropped into a mail slot on each floor and thru the clear glass chute you could actually see them dropping down each floor until they reached this mail box on the first floor

one of several bank vaults we were able to see

a cobblestone road in Chandler's Wharf, notice the rails for street cars still showing

a view of the Cape Fear River and Bridge from the Boardwalk in Chandler's Wharf

Elijah's a nice little restaurant with delicious food located along the Cape Fear River

Thanksgiving

David and I left early this morining traveling to visit our son who lives in Wilmington, NC. As we were leaving town we saw a pretty rainbow in the sky. I haven't seen many rainbows that early in the day, it was a nice start to our trip. Traffic was minimal and that was nice. We arrived early afternoon and got checked into our hotel. We left Millenni behind and went out to eat a Thanksgiving buffet. Jordan was with his girlfriend and her family for lunch and we met up with them later this afternoon and spent the evening visiting them. Elizabeth will be traveling to spend the rest of the weekend with her family but it was nice to get to spend some time with her today. Jordan looks great and his career is taking off and he is doing well. Tonight we went to Old Chicago pizza for pizza and a pint. That was the perfect ending to Thanksgiving Day. We also spoke with Joey and Jamie via the phone today and they are both doing well. It has been a great day. We have a few fun activities planned while here on the coast so I hope to have some photos and stories to share each day. Below is a photo of Jordan and Elizabeth at the restaurant tonight. Aren't they a cute couple?

Hannah and the Planetarium

We had the honor of having Hannah visit for the weekend. I picked her up after school on Friday and that night we took her on her first visit to a planetarium. I thought she would enjoy it but had no idea just how much. We saw three shows in the planetarium plus we had the opportunity to look through four telescopes. She got to see Comet Holmes, the Andromeda galaxy and the moon on the three outside telescopes that had been set up for public viewing that night. We also stood in a long line to climb the ladder and look through the very large observatory telescope to get an upclose view of the moon's craters. I have always loved astronomy and it warms my heart to know Hannah is showing an interest in it too. She can easily pick out the Big Dipper and Orion in the night sky. Hannah absolutely loved it all and on the way home exclaimed that it had been the best night of her entire life! WOW!

Last of the California Photos

we enjoyed our time in Half Moon Bay

we laughed ourselves silly when we saw the name of this fitness center located in Pacific Grove

OK, so this one caught our eye and we had to stop in for coffee

Thus ends the California trip photos. I sure had a fun time on a girls getaway.

17 Mile Drive Photos

Just beautiful! More photos from the 17 Mile Drive.

Nature Photos

Below are some more of my favorites from my California trip.

an interesting tree in Pacific Grove that caught my eye

windswept trees at Pebble Beach Golf course

a piece of wood at the gold mine in Coloma


a seagull feather on the 17 mile drive


sea kelp and stones on the beach, I love the different textures here

pampas grass reaching for the sky

Day of Arrival in California

As you are aware, on my day of arrival in California Lucy had some friends over for dinner. Below are more photos taken that day.

horses and dogs roam freely on the fenced 20 acres

This is one of Lucy's dogs, Frances. She has won a lot of ribbons for agility and gave us a little demonstration of her many talents.

Frances weaving

Lucy has a couple of whimsical gardens in her yard

the corks somehow got thrown out so we had to imporvise and make papertowel corks for the left over wine

Hotel in Monterey

We had a nice hotel right on the beach in Monterey for one night while on our road trip. Below are some photos of the view from our room.

a flock of pelicans flew over while I was taking pictures

seagulls on the beach in front of our room