Life in the Bristolwood

The problem with going out and getting the opportunity to get some nice photos is that once one is at home all day, there isn’t always such a great opportunity to get some new and exciting subjects! Thus, the dilemma today.

Michelle and I were outside this morning playing with Murphy.  Murphy was playing with his little “splash ball” and photographing him was akin to catching a greased pig!  Good grief….he just would not settle down.  Every time I had him in focus…..zzzzzzzzzzzooooooooooooommmmmmmmmmm!

Yup. The only halfway decent photos of the laddie were when he was STILL.

Later this morning,  I saw another butterfly…I grabbed the camera and went outside. As soon as I came anywhere near the Butterfly Bush, the thing took off!  A real day of challenges! I went and sat up on the porch until the little bugger returned.  I had to take my photos from the porch.  I tried once again to take pictures from the ground, but this little White Admiral was a jitterbug!

I did discover a really cool fact about these butterflies today!  I never realized that their closed wings are nearly as pretty as when they are open!

And that’s it!  Tomorrow, I am supposed to receive my birthday present from Mark.  He had wanted to buy me a new camera bag for over a year but I wasn’t sure what I wanted, exactly.  We looked online and I think we found a cool bag.  And speaking of bags!  As I was walking along today, the strap of my little purse broke!  Tomorrow, I am shopping for a new little purse!

For the record, we were out today, riding in the Explorer when the earthquake rumbled.  None of us felt it.

For several days, the Elusive Butterfly has evaded me and my camera.  I have seen her fluttering past, only to be discouraged that my  cameras were not nearby.

Until today!

Madame Butterfly no longer evades me!  She hung around a good long time, at the Butterfly Bush.  I am so happy!

I try so hard to keep up here but it seems like so many times when I begin to write, something else calls me away, and I get distracted!  Family keeps me hoppin’!

Yesterday, we went down to the souther tier to try out some vehicles. It was a good thing we did!  Mark and I had kind of set our sights on one vehicle.  We took the kids along just to see what they thought.  Yikes!  The vehicle we had thought might just do will not do!  The leg room in the backseat is not nearly big enough when Mark puts his seat back to drive!  We thought there was plenty of space until we actually saw the kids sitting there! Wow…buying a new vehicle takes some time, considering all the options and conveniences.  We would like something pretty basic,  but some little add ons would be great.

Ah, so much for vehicles.

Photos from today!

What???  Are you kidding?  You have got to be kidding!!!

No, it was not a quiet day, but we did have a little fun!  We had an early afternoon appointment to have some (more) work done on the Explorer.  This is not one of my favorite topics, to be sure.  But in all fairness, it is a 2002 and we have had that vehicle for alomost nine years. 

While we were getting a new part installed,  we looked at some new vehicles.  They have changed a great deal and the prices have skyrocketed! It seems something isn’t right when basic vehicles can cost a quarter of the price of a modest house!  While a house can increase in value as one makes improvements, a vehicle decreases the moment one drives it out of the showroom!

Ah well.  We drove to Victor and looked at some other vehicles as well. Sure is fun to get your fill of new car smell!!!!

Here are some photos from today…..

We left home shortly after noon and just got home at almost nine-thirty.  And tomorrow….more of the same. Doctor and dentist appointments are sure to keep us hopping again!

It seems like everyone I have talked to is saying the same thing….they cannot wait for the heat to stop!  It really is difficult trying to deal with temperatures so high, one sweats just sitting still!

This pretty Queen Anne’s Lace should cool us off!  This was taken down near the plateau where we store the camper.  There is a huge patch growing there, and it is so pretty! I happened to get it when the lighting was favorable.

Today,  I saw a different butterfly fluttering about near the Butterfly Bush.  I got close and it flew off.  First, it swooped up into the air as though being drawn up by an invisible current….then it dive-bombed me!  I followed it around and around, then gave up.  Enough of that!  I went outside a short time later and saw the little critter sitting on the bush again. 

I have figured out that the best way to capture a shot of a butterfly is to advance from behind!  I was out there trying to capture the Elusive Butterfly and the family was all sitting in the truck,  waiting to go out.  Well, I had to settle for far less than perfect.

I can’t say I am familiar with the name Milbert’s Tortoiseshell, but that is what this butterfly is called. When I looked up its name online, the information said they are shy and very hard to capture a photo of.  Hmmm…I could have told them that!

I did manage to get some photos of a hummingbird moth!  It came in and was intermingling with the pretty butterfly.

Just like a hummingbird, this moth can hover while gathering its food. Here is another photo…far less than stellar, but showing the moth’s backside.

It is late and I am tired.  I think when this heat and humidity leaves again,  I will be able to breathe a sigh of relief!  I do mean that literally….gasping and trying to catch my breath the past several days has been so frustrating!

I have been having trouble breathing the past couple of days…I am pretty sure this weather is doing it and it makes me so mad! I have never been a great fan of summer and this hot weather is really taking it to the limits. I cannot believe how brown the lawns are getting everywhere and I don’t think there is much rain in sight…

Well, I tried to make the best of it today.  Mark and I went to Canandaigua this afternoon, so I got a couple of pictures there, too.  So, I will just let the photos do the talking….it is too hot to talk!

And there you have it!  It is 11:24pm and for the first time today, I am feeling comfortable.  That is because I took a cool bath and am lying down with the fan blowing on me!  If I didn’t know better,  I would think we are living in Florida!

Keep cool!!!

We took a little ride.  We drove down into Pennsylvania.  If you have read with me for awhile, you will know that my heart is buried deep in the hills of Pennsylvania!  I love this state…I was born there and spent the first three months of my life there.  I guess if I could have chosen, I would have stayed there.

Why do I love Pennsylvania so? Perhaps it is purely because of memories of time spent there.  My maternal and paternal grandparents spent much of my life there, along with great aunts, great uncles, aunts, uncles, and cousins.  Truth be told, when my parents moved from Pennsylvania, they moved to a city in New York that is only minutes from the Pennsylvania state line. New York is an awesome state, but the hills here cannot compare with the hills of PA…or the memories!

Here are a few photos I took…we wandered around a bit until the GPS lost its mind, causing us to be lost for a short time as well!

Okay, so how lost could we have been….yes, we were looking for ATV trails that run through the National Forest.  How cool is that?

SOLD! Well, I am, anyway. We discovered the trails that run through the national forest a few years ago, but when I walked a little way on them, I was very impressed!  They are awesome. 

Hey, even nature is more friendly in Pennsylvania!  What?  You don’t believe me? 

While we were lost  As we were looking around the forest, I spotted this beautiful Swallowtail Butterfly.  Now, we have Swallowtails at our house, too, but trying to photograph one is a challenge and then some!  This lovely specimen was so happy to have me and my camera observing it! Okay, well, perhaps it has seen so few people, it doesn’t realize it is supposed to be afraid!

After our adventure to Pennsylvania, we were off to visit my parents and brother, Randy, to celebrate the Fourth.  My mother fixed the most awesome spead of picnic foods….it was so tasty! 

As I was taking some photos around the yard (oops! forgot to take people photos!) I spotted two Amishmen!

Yes, the Amish don’t necessarily celebrate the birthday of our nation, so these fellows were building a garage fro a neighbor. Now, my parents live in the city….this isn’t even really considered “suburbia”!  I was shocked when I spotted not only the Amishmen, but their horse and buggy in the yard!  They have to travel a good distance to get to this neighborhood…I would have thought they might have hired a driver!  In my next post, I will show pictures of the buggy and horse in the yard.

The photos above aren’t that great, but I didn’t want to feel like I was “spying”.  Particularly with a camera. These folks are very Old Order Amish and I am positive a camera has no  place in their lives!

We left to go home and it was hard to go….I love visiting my hometown. I miss my parents so much and although we are only four hours apart, sometimes it seems much much farther!

Thank you, Lord, for uneventful days!  Sometimes we just need a little break from hustling and bustling about!

Mark and Michelle worked once again on the Explorer.. .this time, on replacing the rear brakes.  The front brakes are done! They were doing well until a stripped bolt on one of the calipers stopped them dead in their tracks.  Drat!  Mark came in the house and got online to discover there is a specific tool made for extracting bolts, so he and Ben ran to Canandaigua this evening to buy it.  Yay! I think…

This morning, we were discussing some work that needs to be done on the Explorer.  Mark said that it is pretty complicated and involves removing a lot of parts as well as needing special tools.  We got online to see if there were any auto shops nearby that might be able to do the repairs.  As we were looking,  we came across a place not too far away. As I thought about it, I told Mark the fellow is the son of one of my customers!

Mark gave the garage a call and we were both pleasantly surprised to find this guy not only knows his stuff, but is fair about his pricing as well.  He told us he even goes to Ford School to learn the latest on Ford products.  Mark is hoping to finish the rear brakes tomorrow so we can get the Explorer to this mechanic!  What a find!

I took very few photos today, but I discovered a Dragonfly I don’t think I have seen here before!

Man, what a challenge it was trying to get this guy’s photo! The wind was blowing all day…leaves were falling from the trees and if they weren’t so green,  it would have been a perfect October day! I love brisk days like this and I fully enjoyed it!

Remember the tiny butterfly I saw in the grass yesterday?  Well if this isn’t the same butterfly,  maybe it is a sibling!

While that dragonfly was hard to photograph, this little fellow was really tricky!  The little fellow is so tiny and the leaves were bouncing up and down…up and down!  The wee little guy looked like he was surfing on the ocean!  Add to that the fact that I had mounted my telephoto lens that weighs about three pounds to capture these macro shots and I was having some fun out there!

One more…remember I mentioned all the honeybees working on the daisies at WalMart the other day? 

This afternoon, I saw so many honeybees working away on the daisies that grow wild here in the Bristolwood. 

Time to call it a day…uneventful or not,  I am tired!

Talk about potpourri! These photos make no sense at all…they look as though they are just thrown together, but I will explain!

The first two were taken in Penn Yan.

This old truck was in a parking lot with a few other old cars and trucks.  It is “so” old, the tires are mounted on wooden spoked rims!

This photo was taken near the boat launch. I loved the buildings and sky reflected on the smooth as glass surface of the water!

Remember the goat in the chair?  As we were hurrying to get Ben to Urgent Care,  guess who was “lounging”?  Yup…

Wish I would have had the Nikon with the telephoto lens and also that I wasn’t hurrying! As it was, as we pulled over to photograph the old goat,  a young man was also stopped, snapping pictures!  I hurried and as I tried to jump a small ditch, I landed with my flip flop in mud which oozed up between my toes…great way to arrive at the Urgent Care center…looking like a dirty hillbilly!

This bee was really trying my patience this morning!  I had to rescue it not once, but twice from the swimming pool! The second time,  I placed it far away from the pool and it didn’t try to go back!

Michelle and I cleaned the pool today, replaced some chlorine, and backwashed the filter.  After we finished, Michelle went out to the garage to help Mark replace the front brakes on the Explorer.  While they worked in the garage, I made Michelle a  dress.  A friend had posted on Facebook about a blog showing how to make a cute sundress out of a tank top and two yards of fabric.  I had bought the things to make it a while back, but finally found some time to sit down to work on it this morning.  The whole thing probably took about forty-five minutes to make!

Our forecast was for rain today, but it held off.  After finishing my sewing,  I went out to see what kind of subjects I might find. I was getting concerned as it seems I have hardly seen any butterflies this year.  As I looked around, though, I saw a few varieties.

I also saw this little grasshopper sitting on a Calendula plant!

This butterfly is called a Little Woods Satyr.  It was so friendly, allowing me to close in for a photo shoot!

This butterfly was TINY!  I wasn’t able to find out what it is, but you can see by comparing it to grass blades, it is very small!

Mark and I had to go to the dentist today.  I was thrilled to hear the dentist say that in one month, I will have impressions made and then the new crown will be made!  The temporary crown is fine, but it will be nice to bring closure to this (mis) adventure!

On the way home, we stopped briefly in Woodville.  We had a cloudburst that lasted maybe fifteen minutes. Although it was short, it produced some pretty hefty results…and made for some nice photos…

While in Woodville, I was able to find two different varieties of Dragonflies!

When I told Mark the lawn with the cactus plants growing in it had flowers, he pulled off the road in front of a house. Quick! Take the photos and let’s get on home!

I still find it hard to believe that cactus can grow in our cold winter climate…and these plants are right next to the road, meaning they get a hefty, healthy (UN, really!) heaping of salt every winter as the plow passes by!

Well there. That does it.

Well, today was the longest day of this year and for the first time in a few days,  I actually stayed awake the entire day!  I have been battling a bug that didn’t knock me off my feet, but was rather annoying!  It felt like I had a head cold with some sneezing, but more than that,  I was exhausted.  Thankfully, I never suffered through the blazing sore throat the kids had before…I have not had a sore throat since I was pregnant with Ben.

So…I did some laundry, washed dishes and put them away, and also grilled chicken outside today.  I made Broccoli Cheese casserole to go along with the chicken as well as some asparagus.  One of the frustrating parts about feeling sick but not appearing sick is that everyone kept forgetting I was sick! 

I was going to put some photos I took today of the kids in the pool, but it seems like someone snatched my camera and didn’t return it to me.  Hmmm… So, I will post a couple of photos I took a while back….

The day I took these, it was windy and as I looked through the pictures I took, I could see how the wind was blowing the daisy and butterfly back and forth!

Early this evening, I had a customer stop by with her daughter-in-law.  Verna has been a customer for quite some time and I found out she is now eighty-five years old.  It was good to see her, as she has not been by for a long time.  She is now legally blind, but still makes soap.  She said she must use magnifying glasses to see anything, but she is able to see when using them. What a remarkable woman she is.  Her family all lives nearby…not too far from her home, so they are able to help her out.

I had called Verna earlier to give her a total for her order, and we chatted for probably a good forty-five minutes.  I found out that when a lot of dogs died from the problem with mold in the corn in their food (I think that was correct?) a few years ago, she lost her dog, Foxy, the Fox Terrier.  I felt so bad when she told me and then we talked about dogs and she said she would ask her daughter-in-law to bring along her miniature Dachshund, Tasha.

When the ladies arrived, Verna was anxious for me to see Tasha….she was adorable!  My parents have a black and tan (why do they call it tan anyway, they are red!) long-haired Dachsy, but Tasha is short-haired!  She was so cute.  Jerry (the DIL) told Tasha to “spin and roll over” and the obedient little pup spun in a circle, then rolled right over!  What a good little girl! Verna said when her family goes away for vacations, she watches the dogs and enjoys their company.

Speaking of dogs…I shared this on Facebook, but I’ll do it here as well. 

I know my little boys love a cold treat on a hot day.  When we eat ice cream, they both look longingly at our cold treats! So, I make the Scotties their own treats!  I mix together plain yogurt and about an equal amount of pumpkin.  I had bought some pie pumpkins last year…I baked them, then scraped the insides and froze the pumpkin in the freezer.  I had measured the pumpkin in one cup increments in a sandwich bag, then dropped them into a gallon freezer bag.  Of course, canned pumpkin works too!

Place the mix into an ice cube tray…I had found some little trays that were silicone and the cubes are heart-shaped.  These are nice for the pups because they aren’t real big and hard to bite into.

As an aside, pumpkin is fantastic for the canine digestive system!

My last photo was taken when it rained…this was last week.

Not such a great quality photo, but the little hummer had come to sit on the feeder under the roof overhang, while it rained!