Old Friends still pop up

It has been several weeks since I photographed every iguana I see. They still fascinate me, but how many iguana photos do I need...

I guess at least one more.

This guy lives in the rocks by our condo. He is there almost every day.



This is the 4th deer I have seen on the island. I was out walking and suddenly he was there... about 10 feet from me...



He even paused to strike a pose as he slowly ambled away...

OK, I promise, no more Deer or Iguana pictures for at least a month.

Top Secret Recipe - for Secret Agent Knatolee

I shall say this only once ...Secret Agent Knatolee...remember this post will self-destruct in 10 seconds...your younger self longed for secret ink so I have trawled my books and found some very old (the book is dated 1755) versions of secret ink for you.

• If you dip your pen in the juice of a lemon, or of an onion, or in your own urine, or in Spirits of Vitriol and write on clean paper whatever you intend, it shall not be discerned till you hold it to the fire, and then it will appear legible.


• And, if with any of the aforementioned you write on your skin, as on your arm and back of your hand, etc, it shall not be seen till you burn a piece of paper and with the ashes rub on the place and then it will appear very plain; and this I have experienced and try'd, and therefore can say Probatum est.


• Another way is when you write a letter that you intend it shall not be discovered, but to those you think fit first to write your thoughts on one side of your letter with black ink, as usual, (but it ought to be on thin paper) and then on the contrary side, go over the said matter that you would have secret, with a clean pen dipp'd in milk and that writing shall not be read without holding it to the fire, as mentioned above, and then it will appear legible in a bluish colour.


• Or, you may write to your friend in proper sense with common ink, and let the lines be at so commodious a distance, that what you intend to be secret may be written between them with water, wherein galls have been steeped a little time (but not long enough to tincture the water) and when dry nothing of the writing between the said lines can be seen, but when it is to be read, you must with a fine hair pencil dipp'd in Copperas Water, go between the said lines and so you make it legible.


• Note: this way will give no ground for suspicion, because the letter seemeth to carry a necessary sense in those lines that are set at such a proper distance...

So, Secret Agent Knatolee - you have no excuses now.

To work!

Aldwincle circular via Titchmarsh and Islip

Led by Mel, with me, Norma, Brenda, Gordon and Maureen. Very warm, pretty flat, two breaks. Just over 8 miles in all.

We set off from Aldwincle tea-room, turn left from the car park, then cross Main Street and turn right down Baulks Lane, which takes us down to Lowick Lane, where we turn right. Soon we go through the car park on our left for the Nature Reserve, and then along the track. Once through the gate into the reserve we turn left through the trees, and follow the main track - we have a quick look in the hide, but can see little but distant ducks and swans, so continue. Before long we turn left and cross the river. It looks clear and deep, with fish swimming in and out of the water weed. Almost tempting.

Weed and reflections in the river

We walk southeast towards the A605 - a busy road to cross before we take the road into Titchmarsh village.

Church of St Mary the Virgin, peeping modestly from a veil of trees

We haven't walked far yet, but it's hot, people would like more water, and there's a community shop.



The helpful woman behind the counter suggests we can sit outside, and then I spot that the shop sells coffee. This temptation is not to be resisted. Unfortunately we can't agree on biscuits, so we make do with the drinks.



Definitely not resisted. A great place to stop on a hot day. But we can't hang about all day - there's walking to be done. Onward.

A couple of hundred yards along the High Street, and there's the footpath, going off to our right, through a stile/gate, past a small allotment, and a few sheep, then over another stile. We follow the edges of a field, and the path soon takes us over a minor road, then further down to another crossing of the A605. When we arrive at a lake we turn left - walking south west, just north of Thrapston.



We have another break by the skateboard park, sitting on a shady stone. I could get used to these two-break walks in the sun.

It's a duck's life!

Over the bridge by the mill, and up Mill Lane on the edge of Islip.

View from the bridge

Very pretty alien invader - Himalayan Balsam.

We turn right along Ridge Road towards Aldwincle. At the start of the woods we take the path to the right, and walk as far as the river. We keep this on our right and go past Aldwincle Lake and Heronry Lake on our left. We rejoin our route from this morning just before the bird hide, and retrace our steps back to the cars.

Fire Tower and the Milky Way Galaxy

My favorite shot from this weekend :-) This photo was taken while we were watching the Perseid meteor shower. My camera had been set up doing a sequence of images for a timelapse video when I noticed the nice alignment of the Milky Way between the fire tower and these trees. I had to take a break from shooting the timelapse sequence in order to capture this photo before the Milky Way moved too far to the west. Sure was a beautiful night for photographing the Milky Way.

Below: A couple more shots from the weekend.

And then there was... um.. 3?

We have gained a new member to the party. Jez-bra has decided to come along for the ride! He flails a wild cadence and flaps some mad chops! This dude is traveling light! Just stashes all his food in that face hair! The best part is... decisions no longer will be solved with coin tosses or roshambo. We will just simply ask Jezra the answer. Like a true bro he'll stand guard while we sleep and guide our way on the back roads. Locking the bikes is no longer an issue and its real saftey in numbers now! I sure wouldn't mess with a guy with chops like those! All I got to do is share my coffee? No problem man, Thanx for coming along.

Finding Your Sweet Spot

I'm reading Max Lucado's book Cure for the Common Life-Living in your Sweet Spot. In chapter 3 he invites us to READ OUR LIFE BACKWARD. He says to think back and remember what you loved doing as a child; what entranced you.
I made a list of things I could remember. Here they are: 1. Reading 2. Writing 3. Playing the piano 4. Painting 5. Solitude 6. Photography 7. Gardening 8. Being outdoors 9. Decorating 10. Sewing
The thing that amazed me is that these are EXACTLY the same things I love to do today.
He also says, "The oak indwells the acorn. Read your life backward and check your supplies. Rerelish your moments of success and satisfaction. For in the merger of the two, you find your uniqueness."
I've spent too much time trying to be what I'm not. I'll never be a public speaker or know much about how things work, but I could take a photo of both and love it. Not that trying these things hasn't been beneficial for me. I have learned things along the way; mostly I've learned what I never want to try again!
I just don't want to spend any more time trying to do things I hate or things that other people want me to try or to be. I want to focus on culivating what I'm already good at and what makes me happy. That's my sweet spot and where God will use me to His glory and my bliss. The two merge and make me the most effective I can be for His kingdom on this earth.

It's A Long Story...

Fur some of you that asked about ma's book, I'm happy to let you know about it. In fact, I was just checking it out again today, 'cause my ma wants me to stay slim and healthy and that is what this book is partly about. If you go to this link, you can find out more.

Since I got mom to start this blog fer me, some furry favorite pups of ours have fallen prey to that nasty disease, cancer. If any of you are moved to purchase this book, my mom will give half the proceeds to The National Canine Cancer Foundation.
Unfortunately, my mom won't know about royalties of any purchases made between now and around the end of October until about mid-November, but will let you know prontissimo when she receives word of the amount. Immediately, she'll fire that check off! For those of you who asked about this in my comments, Ma says a grateful thanks - it is her first book and she's a bit shy about it.
Finally, it is actually my real birthday today, and I'm just relaxing and having a lovely day with mom, who, uncharacteristically, has the day off!
Hugs to all pups xo
Sammie

What I Did During My Summer Vacation

At least one morning of it, I took photos at our public library of people with their dogs. They'll be hung in the library for the "Dog Days of August" exhibition. After it's over, they'll be given their photos to keep. It was a fun two hours getting to meet the different dogs and their people.

Cup Fungus

A couple of pictures of a cup fungus from earlier this spring.

Gaze into the inky depths...
You are feeling sleepy, very sleepy...

I believe this is The Devil's Urn, Urnula craterium. At least according to the most entertaining key you'll ever see.
So, The Devil's Urn... the Stephen King of fungi?
There are possibly more suitable candidates for that title:
Death Cap
The Sickener
Destroying Angel
Bleeding Heart Mycena
Poison Pie
Trumpet of Death
Dead Man's Fingers
I found this link about mushroom poisoning in general and the Death Cap mushroom in particular.
The page itself is interesting, but so are the google ads. The first one fits: Morel mushroom hunting. Sure. The next one though, is Hats and Caps for Men. Hmm. Then you have Death Indemnity Coverage. Kind of drives home the whole "world's most dangerous mushroom" idea.

Savannah Scenes

Had a gallery meeting tonight in Savannah. The dolphin downspout is so cool. I parked next to the crumbling brick wall. I love the doors of the buildings in the background. And the last photo is the setting sun as I travelled home going west. It was an amazing sight even through my dirty windshield.

Monument Valley

Monument Valley is probably the most well-known spot in the southwest. Practically everyone alive today has most likely seen images and/or video from Monument Valley, whether they realize it or not. Many western movies have been filmed at this location and photos from Monument Valley are often used when it comes to promoting the southwest to tourists.

It certainly is a beautiful place and a worthy stop for any traveler, especially photographers. If you want to explore the valley beyond the scenic drive, however, you'll need to hire a Navajo guide. You can drive your own vehicle around the scenic loop which has views of the main features of the valley, but you cannot stray from the scenic loop road if you are on your own. These images were all captured from the scenic drive, as I chose not to go with a Navajo guide... although someday I would like to hire a guide to get some local insight into the area. I chose not go with a guide because of time and because of the conditions. If I was going to hire a guide I would like for it to be a nicer day, so I could enjoy it more.

It was very windy during my visit, with dust and sand blowing everywhere. I had been considering staying at the new Navajo hotel right in the valley, but with the conditions the way they were I decided to head further down the road.

(Above and below: There are some very interesting views approaching the valley from the surrounding highway.)

Festive Royal Mail

On the top deck of a bus on my way up to Morningside yesterday afternoon, as the bus inched its way along Princes Street, I fell asleep. Well, it was warm and fuggy, the bus was full, and the skies outside were darkening. When I opened my eyes the bus was at the west end of Princes Street and the world outside was completely white.
Up in Morningside I came across this Christmassy Royal Mail van, and started to take a photo. One of the postmen came hurrying up to me to ask what was wrong. He obviously feared that I was gathering evidence for some wrongdoing (and looking at it now I can see that the van is parked on double yellow lines = no parking). But when I told him that I wanted the photo because his van looked so festive, he positively beamed, and banged on the door to get his mate to wait while I fiddled with my camera. I can just imagine them, back at the depot, telling their colleagues how a crazy woman took a photo of their van.