Yesterday (Monday) seemed to slip past like a whirlwind! We worked in the morning, trying to get some yard work done before leaving shortly after noon to take Mark’s mom to a doctor’s appointment.
My mother-in-law has gotten to the point that she feels confident going into the doctor’s office alone. She just basically needs us to be her wheels because she feels a little unsure of herself driving in heavy traffic. I don’t blame her, as Carly often relates hair-raising experiences with Rochestarian drivers.
After dropping Mark’s mom at the doctor, Mark decided to take us on a little tour of the area. As we drove along, Michelle excitedly shouted we should look at the painter on the Ukrainian Orthodox church who was painting the little golden “orbs” on the “mushrooms”. I told Mark to turn around so I could photograph the workman, but the traffic was too busy to allow for a quick turn. Instead Mark continued on his way.
Drat! We went by again about half an hour later, and all that remained of the painter was evidence of his work and a series of ladders leading to each “roof”….
And yes, the sky was just that fabulous!
When Mark’s mom gave us a call, we went and picked her up and returned her to her house. When we left, I asked Mark if we could take a little diversion to the bay/lake region to see the swans. We haven’t seen them in ages so we were all a little excited to see them again.
We saw dozens of swans out swimming all over the bay, but as I walked around the area that I was literally swarmed by hungry swans this spring, I spotted only one within any close proximity.
Well, even though the swans were scarce, that didn’t mean the area was lacking interesting sights. What on earth is an “Angler’s Survey” anyway? Do they count fishermen?
The letters N.Y.S. D.E.C. stand for New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. It was obvious they were hired by the state.
I watched as a big boat pulled into the bay area from Lake Ontario. The man in the DEC boat called out, “Stop! Stop!”
I then heard the man question the driver of the boat, asking if anyone on the boat had been fishing. When the driver answered in the negative, the DEC man thanked him for stopping and told him to pass on. I saw him write on a pad of paper he had next to him.
I panned the area, seeing lots of swans swimming in the distance. I like the way this photo of the Bay Bridge and the sailboat came out….
Disappointed by the lakc of swans, I walked back to the truck. I caught three cute little sparrows sitting on a Monroe County sign. As I looked closely at their faces, the bird in the center was snoozing!
Right across from this boat launch area is a small amusement park called Seabreeze. As we passed by an enclosed carousel, I called out for Mark to pull into the parking lot so I could get a picture of the attractive weather vane on top of the cupola.
And a closer look against the super blue sky!
Mark, having grown up exploring the bay area, took us on a little drive along the lake. It was so awesome!
Not too far from the bay is the Durand Eastman Park. I caught a fascinating shot of some people canoeing. I love the way the bordering trees are in the shadows, while the subjects are lit up in the back.
Mark headed on still following roads along the lake. At one point, we came to a lift bridge. Below the bridge, a huge (53 foot) catamaran made its way beneath us along the water. The name on the catamaran was Wild Hearts. Carly was on the cell phone with us at this time and she told us she and her family have been on this little cruise! Very cool.
It seemed like it took forever for the bridge to finally return to the down position so we could continue on our way!
This bridge leads to the little Town of Charlotte. Located on the lake, it is a hopping little attraction in the summer months. We pulled into a parking lot so Mark could set the GPS and a couple walked over and sat down to play some music. The man played an awesome fiddle and was accompanied on guitar by the woman. We listened for quite a while, really enjoying the music!
I really like this photo of a little boy and his grandma.
The two of them sat and swapped back and forth, trading the cup of ice cream and the ice cream cone. The boys parents came over a little later, along with the grandpa. The grandpa had an awesome looking sundae, and the little boy attacked it numerous times with his spoon, removing gobs of whipped cream. The grandpa finally told the little fellow “No!” in no uncertain terms as we pulled away….
It was nearly eight o’clock and we hadn’t eaten supper, so we trekked off to a Kentucky Fried Chicken store and bought a grilled chicken meal. (Yes, I really like the grilled chicken….the pieces seem tiny, but the flavor is sooo good!)
After filling up, we stopped at a Wal Mart so Ben and Michelle could shop a few minutes, then we began our hour long trip home.
Upon arriving home, my back was sore from cutting up a stump earlier in the day with the chainsaw. I was exhausted, so I carried some stuff into the house and put things away. As I left the truck, Michelle and Ben were helping Mark get into the house and Mark promised little Murphy Michelle would be right out to get him.
After everything was all settled in for the night, I skipped upstairs where I posted to my blog, placed the laptop aside, and fell sound asleep until six this morning.
I went downstairs and Angus hopped around, growling and carrying on as he greets me every morning. Where was Murphy? I called and no Murphy.
Suddenly, I raced out to the truck where our little “aboosed” Scottie was snuggled in a little ball, looking up at me with sweet questioning eyes. I am sure he was asking what he did wrong causing us to him alone overnight in the dark truck. The temperature had gotten quite cold during the night and I felt so terrible.
Ah, if only Murphy could talk! What a misadventure he would tell!
