Getaway, Part 2

Friday I told you that my husband and I were going away to a mountain cabin for the weekend. I was really looking forward to it and had romanticized what it was going to be like while at the same time was worried that it might be like another National Lampoon vacation movie.

Well, as with most things, it was somewhere in the middle. Yes, we actually did forget our box of food, but remembered it when we were within a couple of miles of our house. And yes, it did snow, but not as much as anticipated and we were not trapped in our cabin. But all the same, we had a good time on a much needed getaway.

Here are some snapshots from our weekend.

On the way there we did a little sight seeing. The first stop was a religious shrine. It had many outdoor statues and mosaics to see. And as with most religious works of art, they were beautiful.

Next, we took a short hike to some waterfalls. Although the fast moving stream below them was not frozen, the falls were.

Our goal was to arrive before dark and we did.

It snowed that night and the next morning we took a walk to check on the roads. We found them in pretty good shape.

 

The temperatures had warmed by afternoon, so we went out to find three covered bridges in the area. We found all three and had fun exploring while we were looking for them.

As the sun went down, we headed back to the cabin...

to eat, drink, be merry, and work puzzles.

This afternoon, we're back home to find the cats taking turns sleeping on my coat that I left behind. I'm going to have to snatch it away before the next snow comes tonight. They aren't going to be happy.

Getaway

Excitement is in the air. Ward and I are off today to spend the weekend in a mountain cabin to celebrate our anniversary. And a snow storm is coming. It's exciting to get away, but even more exciting to think we might be snowed in in our hideaway. We've got boardgames, a flashlight, and snow shovel all packed and ready to go. I can't wait.

But first back to reality. We have to work part of a day, go to a doctor's appointment, and pay some bills before we can leave. However I am imagining that soon we'll be in our romantic hide away surrounded by beautiful falling snow and gazing into the dancing flames in a fireplace. (I'm getting a bit goofy with anticipation.)

It sounds like a scene from a movie, doesn't it? I hope we don't experience a scene from another movie. Like being stuck in the mud and freezing rain trying to get to there and fretting that we forgot our box of food and then look up to see a tree has fallen on the cabin. National Lampoons Vacation in the Woods, anyone? I'll let you know when we get back what really happens. :)

A Second Look--January 21, 2015

When Aunt Martha was in college, she was studying to be a naturalist. One day I overheard her talking to a classmate about identifying trees in the winter and using the feel and look of their bark to help with that. My ears perked up because that was a new concept for me. I thought that all bark looked basically the same--gray/brown and rough. At least it did until I took a Second Look. And by golly, there were a lot of differences. However over the years, I still haven't paid much any attention to trees and their bark.  So decades later during these gray days, I thought it was time to take a Second Look at some of the trees in my yard.

Here are some trees and their bark that 

I saw this week  during a Second Look.

Dogwood

Holly

Oak

Juniper

Silver Maple

Pine

Theodore did the bark investigation with me and took some of the pictures.

Thankful Sunday--January 18, 2015

I am thankful for time with my husband.

Food critics, celebrities, as well as we normal folk, enjoy the BBQ here.

Ward has been working a lot of long hours recently and most of the time we have been like two ships passing in the night. However yesterday, he took the day off and we spent it together. We resisted the urge to do our list of chores and enjoyed ourselves on a long drive. Since Ward, Mr. Carnivore, was driving we just happened to end up at an out-of-the-way, famous barbeque place. For this and the rest of the day we spent together, I am thankful.

A Second Look--January 14, 2015

Yesterday when I did a walk around the yard, the ground was frozen and my feet were crunching with every step. That was almost as fun as the crunching of dried leaves in the fall. Another reason to get outside on these cold days and do a Second Look. :)

Here are a few things I saw this week 

during a Second Look.

The squirrels have been cleaning up under the bird feeder.

But they also have been enjoying walnuts.

Out of all of the woodpeckers that frequent our feeders, this is the first time I have noticed one with its beak open.

We saw four bluebirds go in and out of this box one afternoon. If I didn't know better, I would have thought they were building a nest.

And speaking of nests, look at the difference between these goldfinches. The brightly colored one is from last August during nesting season and the dull one is from this January during survival season.

It was also the end of another season. It was finally warm enough last Sunday that we took down our Christmas lights.