Afternoon Cruise with The "Girls"

This afternoon my sweet hubby Ron took four of us "girls" on an afternoon cruise. Tuesdays in summer are great days to traverse the lake, much preferred by Ron and me to the heavy boat traffic on weekends. So what was the occasion? Amy Thomas' friend Sue Tate was visiting from Georgia, so we loaded Amy, Sue, and my neighbor Sandy Cranston onto our boat and headed out to show Sue our fabulous lake.

Sue Tate, Sandy Cranston, me, Amy Thomas. 

Sweet Ron took the picture.

Amy's first time seeing . . .

. . . the Smith Mountain Lake dam! On the other side 
of the dam is a 200+- foot drop to Leesville Lake.

What else did we enjoy seeing on our "see" cruise? 

We saw scenic views,

a huge old osprey nest,

an osprey,

an ingenious floating dock/boat with a trolling motor,

and a family of deer.

We saw lots of lovely homes and docks, marinas, wake boarders, and other boaters taking advantage of a lovely day. And you know what else? We had a great time. But you've probably already figured that out. Hope you clicked on the pictures to enlarge; if not, you can do it now.

WHAT IS THAT? HMMM.

I received a phone call from my neighbor--a kindred soul who, like me, gets excited over things floating in the lake or flying over the lake or swimming in the lake. Actually, it doesn't take much to get our minds going anywhere anytime. Once we thought a log was a body. It wasn't, thank goodness. So when Marilee called yesterday and said, "Sally, what is that blue thing in the lake?" I grabbed my binoculars and hurried out on my deck.

I searched for a minute before I saw IT floating, and then IT changed direction and headed my way. Uh-oh. I picked up my camera and hurried down the 76 steps to the dock.

IT looked like a round blue tube, a fun water toy. But what made IT turn so abruptly? Was a fish pulling the tube? Was that a hand sticking up? My imagination took over; the theme from the movie  "Jaws" played in my head. Dun-dun, dun-dun, dun-dun.

IT came closer, passed my dock and floated close to my other neighbor's dock. Still weird, because the current appeared to be going in the opposite direction. I managed to get a good look at IT, and discovered that IT was, indeed, a blue water toy, that the hand was a handle. I watched IT float on up to the end of the cove. Part of me was disappointed there was no mysterious story connected to IT, material I could use for the novel I'm working on.

I'm glad Marilee called to tell me about IT. We had chance to let our imaginations loose, my creative side enjoyed the ride, and I had something to blog about! But there's still the question: What made IT change direction? Dun-dun, dun-dun, dun-dun.

REFLECTIONS

With a title like "Reflections," you probably think I'm blogging about the things in my life that I reflect upon, thus giving you wise advice or inspired words. Not so. This afternoon hubby and I launched our kayaks and actually got out on the lake for the first time in eons. Instantly I felt my worries and stress drain away. I relaxed, and armed with my paddle and my Canon camera, I struck out to photograph whatever came my way. Today I photographed reflections in the sky and the water.

 You'll see a splotch of red in the distance. 

 That's hubby in his kayak. 

Be sure to double-click to enlarge the pictures.

 

Looking up Witcher Creek and at Ron in the red kayak.

 Cedar Key on Witcher Creek. I love the reflection of the clouds in the lake.

 Another Cedar Key photo.

 
Contrails in the sky and the lake.

 That's our house and boathouse on left.

 On shore shooting through Winter Jasmine that my 

good friend Carol Downey gave me years ago.

 I heard a whoosh in the Winter Jasmine, and out flew 

a male cardinal. He tried to hide in a nearby tree.

I love nature: the trees, water, birds, critters. 

Here's Mr. Cardinal, who thinks I can't see him.

"BIG RED" CAME FIRST

"Big Red" came first, followed two days later by "Lady Bird." Excited--no, actually I was giddy--I grabbed my camera and rushed outside. I'd almost given up hope, afraid that the violent storms we and the rest of the country had recently experienced had altered their course, or worse, had wiped out the hummingbirds migrating north. I usually hang my feeder the first of April; a hummer almost always appears the same day or the day after. This year they were two weeks late.

  

 "Big Red"

 "Big Red" posing for the camera with his right 

wing  behind his back. Note his big red band.

"Lady Bird"

 "Lady Bird and "Big Red"

For a week or so, I re-filled the one feeder every three days. Where were the rest of my hummers? Had predators gotten them? Had the turbulent weather killed them?

"Big Red" and "Lady Bird"

 Then there were four!

Then five!

My lone feeder on the deck stayed busy, needed filling once or twice a day. What did I do? I added a second feeder.

 

 "Big Red" at the first feeder.

Thrilled about my hummers, I realized I was refilling feeders each day. What to do? I hung a third feeder, this one on the front porch. 

 "Little Red"

Meet "Little Red."  If you click on the picture to enlarge, you  will see the tiny red dot on his throat. He's a male, a young one. I've gotten to know my hummers, and they know me, will come when I call them in a high-pitched voice."Little Red" has marks on his neck other than the red dot; he's the only one I have who has these markings.

  Can you find the seven hummers?

For over three weeks, 20 or more hummingbirds have lived at my feeders. I can't get a picture of all of them; they fly and flit too fast, and my camera can't catch them. If I could put all three feeders beside each other, then maybe I could get a blurry picture of hummingbird activity.

I refill my #1 deck feeder four or five times a day. Number 2 deck feeder is refilled four times each day, and front-porch feeder two to three times.

 Tools for my hummingbird food: 8-cup measuring 

cup, large pot; small pitcher for extra, funnel,

measuring cup for pouring into feeders, and feeders.

Each night I fill three feeders with sugar water and line them up on the kitchen counter ready to hang outside by 6:00 or 6:30 a.m. (I bring all feeders in every night so racoons won't destroy them.) Each night before I go to bed I measure eight cups of water in the Pyrex measuring bowl pictured above, boil it in the large pot, pour two cups of sugar in the boiling water, stir, and let cool overnight. So far I've gone through four five-pound bags of sugar. Tonight I'll open my fifth five-pound bag. Can you tell I enjoy my hummers?

Felled Trees and Beaver

Because I had literally worn out my beloved Kodak, sweet Ron gifted me with a new camera for Christmas and I was eager to try it out. So last week when an unusually warm January day presented itself, we took off in our kayaks for a picture-taking adventure.

Hoping to capture shots of wildlife, we paddled in and out of quiet coves, saw neither a single bird nor animal. We did, however, see signs of beaver. See photos below. Click, then click again to enlarge.

 Beavers  must chew on wood often because their huge teeth are constantly growing.

 

 Here's another shot.

 Same tree snapped from a distance. It was a big tree. 

And all they did was gnaw around it.

 Another tree felled by beaver. This one toppled over before 

they finished chewing all the way around it.

A close-up of the same tree.

Many property owners around Smith Mountain Lake complain about the damage done by beavers. Some folks have lost nice trees they've planted near the shoreline. I have a friend whose weeping willow looked lovely one day. The next day it had vanished, except for the gnawed trunk. They replanted; lost another. And another.

I know beavers are considered pests, but I remember a February day several years ago when I stepped out on our deck and saw two beavers--Momma and Baby (called a kit)--climb up our bank. I hurried inside, grabbed my Olympus camera (I wore it out, too), and hurried back to the deck. The beavers shuffled around in the dry leaves and small scrub trees. I watched Momma chew off a small branch, nudge Baby, then drop back in the water; Baby followed.  I snapped a few pictures. None are very good, but they help me remember.

Note the branch in Momma's mouth, and Baby swimming behind her.

Momma and Baby

The pair was almost out of camera range before Momma stopped swimming and faced Baby. For about 30 seconds, Momma and Baby "conversed." Fascinated, I continued to watch as both beavers swam back to the edge of the bank. Momma waited in the water while Baby climbed up the bank, gnawed off a twig, and returned to the lake. I missed those pictures, and  wish I'd had time to set up a video camera for the whole event.

Baby swimming with his twig.

 Baby with his twig. Momma was behind the tree in both photos.

 I felt privileged to have witnessed this precious event, a learning experience for both Baby and me, and I'll never forget it. 

To learn more about beavers, visit the youtube sites below.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=VuMRDZbrdXc
www.youtube.com/watch?v=kZVbKwDmr-o

Friends

On Friday, June 25, my college friends Sallie Bette and her husband Tom, Honey, Harriet, and Mary Jane arrived late that afternoon for our second mini-reunion. Three of us had been roommates many years ago; the other two lived across the hall. I could hardly wait to see them. Ron likes being with them, too, and he and Tom always have a lot to talk about.

After dinner, we took a boat ride, saw the sun set over the lake. I like to show off our gorgeous Smith Mountain Lake, so I love it when the sunsets are spectacular. Our friends were impressed.

I like how the sun reflects in the boat's wake.

Saturday morning we visited Emerson Creek Pottery in Bedford County, and bought berry bowls, flower pots, mugs, liquid soap dispensers. I discovered that the lady working behind the counter was the mother of a boy my son Bill played with in elementary school. Marie is just as nice as ever, and still as pretty. I hadn't seen Marie for at least 25 years, maybe 30. Small world, isn't it?

Harriet, Honey, Mary Jane, Sallie Bette, Tom, Me

The antique boat show at Parrot's Cove Marina was our next destination. The boats were gorgeous, and I saw a friend from Lynchburg. Did I mention this is a small world?

Next we went to Bridgewater Plaza, shopped in Gifts Ahoy, one of my favorite shops at the lake, and bought some of their delicious, made-on-site fudge and a few other items. We trudged down the steps to the water and fed the carp, then bought hot dogs at the Ice Cream Cottage. While eating, in walked my son-in-law's mother, Judy, who was accompanied by another of her sons and two grandchildren. The world just keeps getting smaller.

Mary Jane, Harriet, Sallie Bette in corner, Tom, Me, Honey, Ron
at the Ice Cream Cottage

We piled back in the minivan and drove a few miles to The Cottage Gate, another shop I enjoy. They play great beach music, and I sometimes sneak behind displays and dance right by myself. Sometimes I dance in grocery stores, too. In case you hadn't guessed, I like to dance. We bought stuff there, too.

That afternoon we put on our bathing suits and dashed down to the lake. Honey even went down our grandkids' sliding board. No, you're not going to see pictures of us in our suits.

Harriet, Me, Sallie Bette, Mary Jane, Honey and Angus my 18-year old dog

I hated to see them leave on Sunday, but our cheeks hurt from laughing and needed to rest. If I have more facial wrinkles than normal, it's their fault. We know we'll stay in touch, see each other often. And we'll be there for each other. We're friends. And that's what friends do.

Speaking at Moneta/Smith Mountain Lake Library

Friends of the Moneta/Smith Mountain Lake Library invited me to speak at the library on the evening of June 17th. Friend and fellow Lake Writer Phyllis Conrad gave me a fantastic introduction, an intro that made writing Secrets at Spawning Run and Secrets at Sweetwater Cove even more worthwhile. Phyllis has promised to do the same for my third novel, now in progress.

Photo courtesy of Charlie Walker

I talked about where ideas come from, the importance of research, keeping time lines straight, publishing, and the actual writing process. This was a good audience. They laughed, asked lots of questions, gave me intriguing ideas, and encouraged me to keep writing mysteries that take

Photo courtesy of Ron Roseveare

place at Smith Mountain Lake. I chatted with old friends, made new ones. I enjoyed myself tremendously. I continue to be amazed at the folks who come to listen to me. And I so appreciate them.

A Snowy Weekend

This picture was taken December 26th. There is still a little snow from the December snowstorm left on the deck. Note my grandkids' bare feet and their shirts that say "Grandma's Favorite." Even though this picture shows 11 grands, we have 12. Jonathan is in heaven.



Now, 12 new inches of snow blanket everything. Today the roads still aren't in good shape. Our driveway is cleared, thanks to hubby's Kubota RTV and his 1953 Ferguson tractor.

Yellow Dawg and Angus love for Ron to use his tractor. Yellow usually rides along in the Kubota.

To me, the best thing about having snow is the pictures I can snap. This one is taken on the screen porch. I used the advice I got in Dan Smith's photography class at the Roanoke Regional Writers Conference in January and didn't attempt to center everything. I like this shot. Thanks, Dan.


Birds are a favorite subject of mine, and since Saturday, I've taken over 100 pictures. Don't worry--you won't be subjected to all of them! All the fowl shots were taken through closed sliding glass doors or windows.



I took the above picture of this bluebird through my office window. I've seen only one; hope it has a mate.



This female cardinal's mate flew off seconds before I snapped this shot.



Gold finches vying for a feeding station. There is another feeder full of nyger seed, but I couldn't be at all the feeders at once. They consumed most of the feed in this feeder in half a day. And yes, I filled it again.


Mist rising off the lake on Sunday morning. Get ready, because more weather is predicted for Tuesday!