My Guys

I got to spend a little time with my boys this weekend, and got to meet Bryson's girlfriend Shaylynne for the first time, too...I thought I'd share a couple of pictures of my boys, and of me & Adam...

Bryson w/his girlfriend Shaylynne - happy 7 month anniversary, guys!

My Zack, being Zack...

Me & Adam one night at dinner, taken by his son Koty...


Captain Adam on Saturday morning when we took the boat for a spin at Kerr Scott up in Wilkes. (Sorry it's so small ... I took it w/my cellphone.)

A View from the Hamptons

Okay, for those few who don't know...Adam and I are buying a place out in the country, up in Hamptonville, to have as a place to escape to on weekends. Okay, reality check...Adam's buying it, but he says it's "ours", so I say it's "ours"...and I love saying that. We were both born & raised in the country and love it, and it is so beautiful and relaxing there. Right now we're spending time trying to get the yard under control (waist-high grass takes a while to get knocked down), but I took a few minutes to snap some pictures of the views...

What's even better than having a barn & farm animals? Having neighbors who have a barn and farm animals! (Then you don't have to worry about the upkeep, feeding, etc...you can just enjoy the views!) This is part of the field that butts up to the front yard...

And here are some of the goats and sheep, and there's also a donkey...and possibly other animals that I haven't seen yet...it's a big field. You might want to click on this picture to make it bigger so you can see them better...

Daisies growing wild in the back yard...

A cool almost-irridescent mushroom in the back yard...


And here's the piece-de-resistance...the views of the sunset...

Ahhhhhh....now do you see why we love it so much????

The Ol' Fishin' Hole

Saturday night and into Sunday morning my dad and I went on our annual Father's Day Fishing Trip. This year we went out to Jean's in Mocksville - a place we used to go fishing a lot when I was a kid. I have many memories of toting carp around the pond to the scales, and when I was little it was always a thrill to get to have that important job. These days we go and let someone else carry the heavy buggers! Anyway, it was hot, but we had fun, and the weather cooled off pretty nicely once the sun went down. Only 2 carp were caught, but it was more about spending time together than how many pounds of fish were caught...though incidently, one was 12 1/2 pounds and the other was about 6 1/2. I got a few shots of the pond and the clouds, and one pretty cool one of the underside of some tree branches (don't ask me, it just looked like something cool to take a picture of!) in the dark. So where are the one's of me & Daddy? Or the fish? Ummm....all I can say is that I'm not perfect, and I missed a few good shots. I will definitely have to do better next time!

The pond by daylight w/Daddy's rods...

Cool clouds...

More clouds...

The pond at dusk...

The pond after dark...


See...I told you it was pretty cool!!

The Trio

I have spent the day at my Mom & Dad's house, and a good part of it was spent playing around with the digital camera and our dogs. (Sometimes this is a good combination, sometimes not!) Today turned out to be pretty good...we got some decent shots, along with a lot of the inevitable butt shots. During all this play-time I tried experimenting with some of the different options on the camera that I've never really tried before....different ISO speeds, different color choices, etc. I still have more playing to do before I get this thing completely figured out, but I thought some of these pics were just too cute not to share...

My girls Jazzie & Tinker, and Mom's girl Daisy,

looking like they've been interrupted in the middle of

plotting the downfall of the treat jar...

Tinker loves watching the squirrels and birds out the window,

and raising hell at the occasional person/dog/leaf/bug that happens to go by...

Poor Jazzie - I think it's time for another trim -

I promise that there are eyes under all that hair!


Who me? What? Are they laughing behind my back?

The three stooges...Tinker, Jazzie, and Daisy

...I love the old-timey feeling of this one...

The Clearing

Over the past few weeks the lumber companies in our area have sold out of lumber and nails as people began building their own arks. Okay, not really. But with all the rain we've had, it wouldn't come as a surprise that someone out there might have tried. The days have been dreary, one lead-gray sky after another. Friday night we finally started to see something other than a dull gray outside, and hmmm....who do you think was there with her trusty camera? Here's a few shots taken late in the day....

This was what first caught my eye as we came out of the store...

...quickly followed by the two scenes below, which in my opinion are even prettier...

My Azaleas

Just a few shots of the azaleas in my yard...

These two have practically grown together over the years

This particular azalea puts it's flowers out on stalks...five flowers per stalk

And this one just explodes color everywhere!

Celtic Festival - Part 1

Saturday (05-09-09) was the annual Celtic Festival at nearby Bethabara Park. Our family is Scottish on my mom's side...our ancestors were Nelsons, which are a sept of the Clan Gunn. For those who don't know, a 'sept' basically means a smaller group or family that was part of a larger clan, usually through marriage or such. Anyway, every year we go to the Celtic Festival as a big thing for Mother's Day, and we have a blast spending the day together. This time my aunt Cathy and my cousin Chris met us there, and we all had our dogs with us...over time you'll start to notice that the babies go to all sorts of things with us. Saturday started out beautiful...blue skies and plenty of sunshine, and it was h-o-t! (It stormed in the afternoon, but we'd left by then.) We got to see the pipes & drums, all sorts of booths selling everything from food & drink to clothing, weapons, jewelry, toys, and t-shirts. Personally, I'm the one in the family that is...ummm...shall we say 'outgoing' (?) in the food department. Mom and the rest settled for hotdogs and ice cream, I went for the authentic foods....Scotch Eggs and Shepherd's Pie. I think we all know what Shepherd's Pie is...it's pretty common...but Scotch Eggs are a specialty all their own...hard-boiled eggs wrapped in Irish or Scottish sausage (depending on who's making them) and fried. Yes, it's a heart-attack waiting to happen, but since I only get them once a year, I think I'll be okay. They are sooo good though! No, there was no haggis there. Yes, I would have eaten it if there had been. (If you don't know what haggis is - google it - I won't share it here to protect the weak of stomach.) They also have Sausage Rolls, Meat Pies, Bridies, and Fish & Chips. We had so much fun, and below are a few pictures from the day. Also check out the second post for more pictures...

The pipers...there is no sweeter sound than bagpipes playin' Scottish tunes...

The pipes & drums...

One of the many clothing booths and it's customers...



Some of the Irish Dancers...

Mom & Daisy

Celtic Festival - Part 2

More pictures from the Celtic Festival at Bethabara Park in Winston Salem, NC 05/09/09.

One of the many guys walking around in kilts at the Festival

The 'drums' part of the Pipes & Drums band...

Lillie makes a new friend...my cousin Chris's dog Lillie met a little lab pup while we were there.

Sheep-herding trials...

Sheep-herding trials...

Bark In The Park

Yesterday my mom and I took our pups and met up with my aunt Cathy, my cousin Chris, and their friend Carrie, and their dogs, then went to Bark in the Park in Charlotte, NC. It was a beautiful day, though very hot...but it was a lot of fun to get together, and to take the pups somewhere fun!

There were vendors galore selling everything from dog & gift items, food & drinks to seemless guttering and air conditioning systems. (I guess in this economy, you've got to go where the people are, whether it's got anything to do with your product or not.) Rescue groups for many different breeds were on hand to educate people about their breed of choice and to try to find good homes for some of their rescues. There were also agility trials and all kinds of different contests...largest dog, smallest dog, best-dressed, a dog/human look alike contest, etc. I entered Jazzie in the Smallest Dog competition, but even though she's tiny, she wasn't the tiniest...the top ribbon for that one went to a chihuahua that weighed a little over a pound.

The Mecklenburg County Animal Control department had a booth set up where they were doing microchipping, so all the girls got microchips yesterday. For anyone who doesn't know what that means, they basically insert a small microchip (smaller than a grain of rice) underneath the skin between the shoulder-blades, and if your dog is ever lost or stolen and ends up at an animal shelter, rescue group, or veterinarian, the attendants can scan the microchip and it provides information on contacting you. Sort of like a name tag that can't fall off or be removed. One of the best things is that in a case of a natural disaster, if you and your pet get separated they can find a way to get you back together again. Laid-back Miss Jazzie didn't even flinch when they did hers, and Mom's pup Daisy whined once then stuck her tongue out and wagged her tail. Tinker the Drama Queen screamed and tried to turn herself into a pretzel, and they hadn't even picked up the syringe with the microchip yet...all they had done was pet her at that point! Two seconds after they were done, you'd have never known they even touched her. She is such a silly girl...

Another fun part was that many of the vendors were handing out freebies...the girls got cool water bowls and tons of treats, and us humans got magnets, keyrings, and other such stuff. Tinker & Jazzie got a big kick out of their first doggie-ice-cream...and they didn't even make a mess!

Tinker & Jazzie riding in style in their doggie stroller...I am so glad we had this to use, because toting the two of them around for 3 hours would have been a handfull!!




My mom and her chihuahua Daisy




My aunt Cathy and her chihuahua Pokie



My cousin Chris with her German Shepherd Lillie



Cathy & Chris's friend Carrie with her chihuahua Lucy






This was one of the runners-up for the Best Dressed Dog contest...




Winner of the Best-Dressed Dog contest...Jimmy Buffet



Mom and Daisy, panting in the heat

(Daisy panting, that is, not Mom)


And this is what everyone felt like by the time we left...time for a nap!!!

My Daddy

I got some great pictures of my dad yesterday, so wanted to post them for everyone to see! My daddy served his country in VietNam and thank God was one of the lucky one's who made it home alive. He supports his country, loves his family and his dogs, and is a hell of a good man to have as a father. He's taught me a ton about life...more than I could ever put in print. He's straight-spoken and pretty much tells it like it is, and expects people to pull their own weight but is still loving and helping at the same time. He's someone I look up to, someone that I am proud to call my dad. He's also a member of the American Legion Riders M.C. and rides both for fun and in charity events. So...if you ever see him out there on his bike...know that that's my daddy, and wave....

(If you see him out riding, you'll be able to tell it's him by the vest...look for the eagle and his nickname, Buck, on the back between his shoulderblades.)

Folks, when you're out there driving, please pay attention and watch out for motorcycles! There are people on motorcycles everywhere, especially with the weather getting warmer. Their bikes are smaller than your car, truck, or SUV. If you're not watching, you might overlook someone on a bike because you're too busy watching for people in bigger vehicles. That's where awareness and paying attention come in. Every person out there riding is someone's child, someone's spouse, someone's brother/sister, someone's parent, or someone's friend. Society tends to think of people on motorcycles as either A) hell-bent madmen, or B) crazy young punks. But there are far more regular people riding than there are people who fall into those two categories. People with honor, integrity, intelligence and morals. I have a lot of family members who ride, so please, watch out for them and everyone on a motorcycle while you're driving...