Fleece - The Magnetic Fabric

What sound does a fleece blanket make? When you wrap up in a warm, soft piece of fabric on a cold evening, is there a silent message that goes out? My cats seem to think so. I can be sitting on the couch, no cats in sight, and I put a fleece blanket on my lap. Suddenly, as if drawn by a siren's song, my cats are there. Neo wants under the blanket, Ixie merely wants to lie on top, or knead me and the blanket. Murphy enjoys long naps on our bed with a choice of not one, but two fleece blankets. With all the fleece choices, it's a tough life for these cats!

Ixie enjoys being under the blanket now and then

I'm not sure when this magnetic attraction starts in a cat's life, or if all cats are drawn to fleece. Maybe it's like catnip...only some felines are affected. One thing I do notice is cats have a built-in knack for seeking comfort.

Ixie showing how to be properly comfortable

When we had a leather couch a few years ago, the cats flat out refused to sit on it until I put their fleece blankets down. Then they snuggled in and went right to napping. On our fabric couches, they don't mind sleeping on <gasp> bare fabric, but they usually cuddle on a fleece blanket if one is made available. On our bed, they will sleep on the sheets, but usually prefer to be near or on the fleece.

Murphy has mad fleece skillz: he spans two fleece blankets and a pair of pants!

I couldn't tell you where or why the fleece attraction began with cats, but I have seen first hand with all three of my kitties just how strong the fleece magnetism is. Want a cat in your lap quicker than you can say "tuna surprise"? Toss a fleece blanket on. They'll come runnin' (or, at least a brisk trot). Warm, cozy, cat-approved fleece....it's hard to beat on a cold winter's day.

Murphy resting peacefully on the popular green fleece

Neo demonstrating the "Olympic Diver" tuck during an intense napping session....on fleece

Neo showing the same napping form on the previously mentioned green fleece

New England Autumn Fun Part II

This weekend my husband and I took a trip to the White Mountains in New Hampshire. Even though we had to deal with a flat tire on our second day, we had a good time (thank you Toyota for the full size spare under our 4x4 truck so we could drive home). We saw some of the most saturated, eye-popping fall color that a human being can absorb in one trip. We also saw tourists from around the world. Plenty of tourists. I knew people came here in the fall to look at leaf color, but I now have a greater appreciation for how popular New England is this time of year. We booked our hotel room three weeks prior to our trip, and we were lucky to get it. Most places were booked solid.

It only took three hours to drive from our home to Littleton, NH (where we stayed the night). It was a pleasant trip with no real traffic trouble. Along the way, we stopped at some scenic places. Upon arriving in Littleton, we spotted our hotel, topped off our gas tank, and found lunch at a great little pub in downtown. After lunch we took off in a random direction (well, a direction that my husband thought would be good; he is the one with awesome directional sense. I'm just the photographer!). This little trip yielded some great photos. We stumbled across a covered bridge among other things. I took a ton of pics. 

Covered bridge near Lunenburg, VT

The saturation and variety of colors were absolutely spectacular. Sometimes the best pictures are ones of the foliage up close. I took a number of wide, scenic views, but the best way to show the colors was getting "up close and personal" to the trees. Some of the colors are hard to describe. It's like a red-orange-yellow-gold-green explosion of beauty. 

Delicious maple colors

Autumn rainbow

There are also plenty of bodies of water (creeks, rivers, lakes) in NH that provide endless photo opportunities. We got off the beaten path a few times so I could shoot these creeks and lakes. We stopped by one pond that was so still, it was hard to determine what was real and what was a reflection.

Calm, cool reflection

Scenic creek with colorful mountains in the background

Another beautiful creek along the journey

You might wonder if I saw "The Old Man in the Mountain" that NH is known for. Well, no one sees the old man anymore because he fell off many, many years ago. However, I saw where he used to live:

Follow the arrow to where the face used to be

Sadly, now the iconic mountain face is just another mountain among many mountains in New Hampshire. However, I could still appreciate how lovely the mountain was, with or without the famous face. 

We had a fun trip despite the tire trouble and heavy traffic coming home. We found the neat places off the beaten tourist areas. I took some close up pictures that really captured the essence of the season. If you don't live near New England, take a trip one year to see the fall color. The timing can be tricky (this year's colors were a bit later than normal), but it is well worth the trip. Just make sure you book your hotel well in advance and bring plenty of memory cards!

Happy Autumn!

New England Autumn Fun

New England is a great place for people who love seasons. We get hot weather in summer with plenty of thunder storms. Winters can be downright blizzardtastic. Spring is full of beautiful blooms and great sunshine. And fall....well that is like a red-orange-yellow-yougottabekiddingme color explosion. A few days ago we had some rather stiff winds off the coast of Massachusetts that whipped up the ocean. My husband took me to Gloucester, Rockport, and the Nahant area to look at the stormy seas.

I love photographing waves; I do it every chance I can when I'm at the beach or on the coast. It's a matter of getting the timing just right to catch the power and beauty contained in the water. It is addictive for me, and I lose track of anything but those beautiful, rhythmic waves. Thankfully my husband is excellent at preventing me from stepping off into oblivion while I blissfully snap picture after picture.

Waves crashing over rocks near the shore of Gloucester

The effect of high winds making the waves even fuller and more dramatic

After taking pictures near the Gloucester coast, my husband took me to an area near Nahant. There is a beautiful walkway that curves along the waterfront. The area is safe, as long as you remember that waves don't have much respect for staying behind walls, especially at high tide during a wind storm. I took several pictures, and we stopped for a bit to admire the crashing waves. All of a sudden, one of those waves came right up, over the wall, and all over us. We turned at the last minute and my cameras were protected, but we were soaked to the bone. All we could do was laugh at our dilemma. It really was pretty funny.

Rough waves near Nahant that go over the wall at high tide

This is what you see before you get soaking wet if you stand too close to the edge

There are other fun autumn things to do (aside from meeting the ocean) in New England, like gazing upon the beauty of deciduous trees during their color show. We drove west on highway 2 this past weekend to see what we could find. We stopped at some lovely towns along the way and did see the beginnings of fall color. Most places in Massachusetts have been warm and dry which has delayed the usual timing of the leaf color. But we found some beautiful places to visit and photograph. We also had lunch at a quaint little restaurant and grabbed fresh produce at a real farm stand. It was a beautiful day!

Bridge near Turners Falls, MA just off Highway 2

Old building in Turners Falls

Pedestrian bridge in Turners Falls with an old power house in the distance

Looking downriver from the pedestrian bridge

Fall color in the Colrain area

More beautiful colors

This gives a good sense of the progression of color so far

The leaves may not be changing according to the usual timeline, but there are so many beautiful towns and countryside in New England that beg to be explored. Happy Autumn!

Changing of the Seasons

Autumn has arrived once again. For a brief spell, our days and nights will be equal, then the darkness outweighs the light. In spite of the shorter days, I enjoy this time of year. College football arrives, the hockey season starts, and the baseball playoffs take shape. I also love the cooler weather and the "brisk" feeling that arrives with fall (I relished it as a kid because it gave us a break from the hot Southern summers). And for leaf color, there are few places on Earth more beautiful than New England. I had the opportunity to live in Connecticut for a year, and the color did not disappoint. This year remains to be seen since the Boston area has been in a dry spell for most of the summer and all of September. Maybe I should run out and water all my trees heavily.

Holidays also start to show up with the arrival of fall. The first is Halloween, then  Thanksgiving. I don't do much for Thanksgiving these days since most of my family has passed on or are scattered far apart; it was much more fun when I was a youngster (never mind that traveling was WAY easier). My Mom, Stepdad, sister, and I would drive to my Aunt Tootie's house, and she would cook a feast. I could see all my other aunts and uncles, cousins, and family friends. And the food....oh my, the food. I sure do miss those gatherings. These days, my husband and I usually do something simple for Thanksgiving. We sure as heck don't drive or fly anywhere. One year we spent it at the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum in Dulles, VA. Other years we cook a turkey breast (perfect for two people), or we dine on something totally unrelated to the holiday. 

Halloween is a different story. I love Halloween. I get to buy all that terrible candy I'd love to eat year round but try to avoid for fear of accelerated tooth decay. I always buy stuff I would like to eat in case no children show up. Then I'm not stuck with a bunch of Honey-Crack or Chocolate-Covered-Coconut-Bliss. The past several years, I've lived in places where trick-or-treaters are fairly abundant, so I haven't had to deal with much in the leftover candy department. I also try to make sure I have chocolate and non-chocolate type of candy available. I get a big kick out of planning my pumpkins. I try to do at least one, but most years I can do two. I even bought a brand new fancy carving kit. Maybe this year I'll go for 3 or 4 pumpkins. Last year I had to do "simple" carvings because I tripped over my black cat, Neo two weeks before Halloween. Ironic, yes. I also have a skeleton I can dress up and a cat skeleton to compliment the human bones. This year we also have an additional black cat, Murphy. One can never have enough "Halloween" cats. However, I will keep Murphy, Neo, and Ixie safe inside on Halloween.

I'd love to write more, but it is time for me to get busy choosing pumpkins, preparing my carving ideas, dressing up the front of the house (and the skeletons), and buying some candy. Hopefully this year will be as fun and successful as previous years. 

Once In A Long While Opportunity

Last night, those who did not have cloudy skies were treated to a rare sight. You've probably heard of a harvest or super moon. Those occur when the moon's orbit is closer to the Earth, making the moon appear slightly larger. And you've probably heard of or seen a lunar eclipse. On September 27th, about 21:00 (Eastern Time), we had a rare occurrence of a Harvest moon and a lunar eclipse. The last time these two events lined up was 1982. The next one will be in 2033. So it isn't exactly a once in a lifetime opportunity, but certainly a once in a long while event.

I was ready with my camera and tripod last night. I "glued" a series of the shots into a progression:

Progression from no eclipse to about 90% eclipse

 It was fun to sit in the dark and watch a rare celestial phenomenon. Heck, I would have been happy with just a lunar eclipse, but to get both at the same time was even better. And I think my cats were happy that I was pointing the camera at something else besides them.

In olden times, this sort of thing caused chaos and panic among people who were wary of deviation from normal moon phases. What does it mean? Will the harvest be poor? Will we be plagued with locusts? Will our wells dry up? These days we are less superstitious and more in awe of such an event. As a writer, this sort of event fuels my well of inspiration and gives me ideas for enriching my stories. 

The next time the news media makes a hype about something in the night sky that happens once in a great while, go take a peek if you can. You might discover the wonders of stargazing.

Savannah 20 Year Time Warp

Savannah is a city unlike any other in Georgia. It sits on a significant river, and is only a short drive from Georgia beaches. It enjoys fantastic weather year round. It tends to see far less hurricanes than other eastern seaboard cities due to the shape of Georgia’s coastal geography. It is rich in culture and steeped in history. It has fantastic culinary offerings. It has both palm trees and old oak trees draped with Spanish Moss. It has horse drawn carriages and stately mansions. It has been the backdrop for movies and books. It makes for a great vacation destination since you can stroll the river-front in Savannah or drive to the beaches. You can take a tour of Tybee Island or visit Fort Pulaski. There are plenty of accommodations around the city that are affordable. There are also upscale, trendy hotels inside the city of Savannah. There is plenty of very fresh seafood to be had, but if critters from the ocean aren’t your thing, there are alternative culinary delights. It has unmistakable old-world charm plus Southern hospitality.

I grew up in metro-Atlanta, so vacationing in Savannah was part of my childhood and teenage years. In March of 2014, I had the opportunity to go back to Savannah for the first time in over 20 years. I ate at restaurants I discovered while walking around. I nosed around in cute little boutiques. I even took a look through an art gallery. While there, I purchased an awesome print because it reminded me of my black cat (I couldn’t afford the several thousand dollar price tag of the original painting, but shelling out less than $100 for a reproduction print was certainly doable). The gallery folks were kind enough to ship it home for me since getting it on an itty-bitty commuter jet wasn’t happening.

Neo admires "his" painting that momma purchased in a Savannah art gallery

When I was younger, my family stayed on the outskirts of the city, in the more “suburban” hotels that were affordable. In 2014 I stayed at the Andaz inside the city of Savannah. The Andaz is a nice place….a very nice place indeed. Sadly it wasn’t my flavor. However, I was not about to utter one peep of complaint. My husband was attending a conference and the company hosting the conference was paying for the hotel. And besides, they had some cute vodka:

What cat lover wouldn't appreciate some CatHead Vodka?

Staying at the Andaz also afforded me the opportunity to take pictures of the horse drawn carriages:

Horse drawn carriages are a frequent sight along the avenues in Savannah

This working horse admires his reflection in the window

I am an enormous horse fanatic. Well, I’m not enormous, but my enthusiasm for anything equine is big. When I was a teenager, I took a single picture of a horse drawn carriage. During the 2014 visit, I took lots of horse and carriage pictures (thank you digital photography!). In fact, I took a lot of the same pictures almost 25 years apart. It was almost eerie to compare the photos. Since film was not a worry, I took far more pics in 2014 than I did on my little 110 film camera in 1990. There were several images that bore striking resemblances even though the photos were decades apart. I felt like I’d stumbled back in time which is pretty darn cool. I really wanted my stepdad to see this comparison, but he passed away before I had the chance to share. So I figured what better way to remember him than to share my Savannah time warp photos with the Interwebz. Enjoy!

The bridges over Savannah River in 1990. A new bridge was in under construction.

The bridge over the Savannah River in 2014. The old bridge piers are in the background.

Savannah River front buildings in 1990.

That same building 24 years later with less ivy but more trees in front.

Savannah Government building in 1990

The same building 24 years later

Horse, carriage, and the driver, 1990

A pair of carriage horses in 2014

Riverboat waiting for passengers in 1990

Riverboats waiting patiently by the river walk in 2014

Cancer Is A Thief

My stepdad passed away just the other day. I was shocked and surprised when I heard the news. I’d talked to him a week ago, and he sounded good. But I was also relieved. Relieved? Yes. He was diagnosed with cancer last year and went through some rough treatments. He lost too much weight. His blood pressure was amazingly low. Eating was a miserable experience. After the treatments stopped last fall, he was feeling better and eating better. As is the case too often, the cancer came back this April. I didn’t realize the cancer was stage 4, so he only had a short time left. The doctors told him there was no treatment, and he should get his affairs in order. I sadly assumed I had at least three or four months (maybe more) to get down to visit him. I wasn’t looking forward to the suffering he would endure toward the end. Instead, he lied down for a nap one afternoon and never woke up. This was a blessing. I watched my Mom suffer with cancer twice. I’ve seen two uncles and an aunt suffer. My stepdad didn’t linger in pain for months on end, and when he passed, family members were nearby. This gave me peace of mind twice over.

I only have one regret: I wasn’t able to visit with him one more time, and share some recent photographs of Savannah. I didn't even take the time to send the photographs to him ahead of my visit. Heck, I didn't even think to mention the photos during my last phone call with him (which I never would have known was my last call). I did have an excellent reason for not visiting my stepdad sooner: my husband was recovering from cardiac surgery and a string of cardiac difficulties from the previous two months. Leaving town was never an option until I knew my husband was on the road to improvement. Thankfully, he is doing much better.

Back to the pictures..... As a kid, my family traveled to Savannah and the beaches of Georgia for vacations. Coastal Georgia and Savannah have a magic all their own. During a trip with my stepdad as a teenager, I took several pictures of the Savannah river-front and surrounding areas. Last year, I had an opportunity to go back for the first time in over 20 years. I took lots of pictures without thinking much about it (isn't digital photography great?!). When I got home, I remembered the pictures I’d taken as a teenager. I compared the 1990s pictures with the 2014 pictures and was stunned. I’d taken some of the exact (or nearly exact) same photos. One of my favorites was a bridge. It spanned the Savannah River, and I took nearly identical pictures in 1990 and in 2014. In 1990, the new bridge was only 1/2 completed and the old bridge was still standing. In 2014, the “new” bridge was now the only bridge spanning the river. It was amazing to see how much had changed, and how many things looked much the same. But it also makes me sad that I cannot share this with my stepdad. I kick myself for not sending him the pictures sooner. Why did I wait? Because I thought I had more time.

Bridges over Savannah River (1990). The new bridge isn't finished, and the old bridge stands in its shadow.

 The "new" bridge (photo taken in 2014). Notice the ghosts of the old bridge on the river banks.

You never know how long someone has left when cancer comes to town. Sometimes the patient goes through treatment, the cancer goes into remission, and they live for years. Other times the span between diagnosis and death is mere months or even weeks. It is one disease that seems to have no real cure, and a treatment program that can be more brutal than the disease itself. If someone you love is diagnosed with cancer, try to visit them early and often. You never know when the thief will steal their last moments from you.