Let's Play!
If I stand here very still, do you think she'll see me?
Happenings from the Chicken Dance Ranch
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Chipmunks
Yes, warm weather has finally arrived at the CDR. The chipmunks are back in action. Jelly is very happy about it.
Friday, April 29, 2011
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Balancing Act
Karl took me to a really neat site not too far from the CDR this past weekend. It was fenced, likely to keep the cattle out so they don't try to rub against it.
We also picked up our first ticks of the season hiking up there. Or down. Either way...ICK!
Looking Up
Wow!
We also picked up our first ticks of the season hiking up there. Or down. Either way...ICK!
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Ski Tracks
There is still a lot of snow up on Stevens Pass. Although the chairlifts weren't running on last Friday morning, someone enjoyed an early trip down the mountain.
Stevens Pass Ski Area
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
World Bird Wednesday - Mountain Bluebird
This guy was hanging out at the Chicken Dance Ranch this weekend. I couldn't get a picture of Momma Bluebird, but Dad sure was cooperative.
Springman at the Pine River Review is the host of World Bird Wednesday. Click on the logo above to start your virtual birdwatching tour.
Male Mountain Bluebird
Springman at the Pine River Review is the host of World Bird Wednesday. Click on the logo above to start your virtual birdwatching tour.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Barn Charm - Ohhh!
The side of this barn looks like a face saying "Ohhh!"
Tricia at Bluff Area Daily hosts Barn Charm each week. Even though I am not linking up to this fun meme, please go visit. If you love barns, you see some real charmers each week.
" Ohhh!"
Tricia at Bluff Area Daily hosts Barn Charm each week. Even though I am not linking up to this fun meme, please go visit. If you love barns, you see some real charmers each week.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
InSPIREd Sunday - Asbury United Methodist
Asbury United Methodist Church - Knoxville, Tennessee
Built in 1898 and added to the National Register in 1997
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Friday, April 22, 2011
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
The Dogwalkers
This past weekend, we went camping with several members of the truck camper club I belong to. Many of our members are more of the "grandparent" age or empty nesters. Dogs easily outnumber kids at most campouts. This time we had three youngsters in attendance and although they were a small group, they provided me and Karl with great happiness.
On Saturday, the two older girls wanted to walk a pair of golden retrievers that belonged to another couple. "Sure," they were told. The only problem was the younger brother. Three children, two dogs. "A" was the odd man out. He walked dejectedly back towards his camper with a big frowny face.
Hmmmm, we've got two dogs and they love to go on walks. So we volunteered Jelly for a walk. Karl went to get the young man and I retrieved Jelly's leash from the camper. The smile on A's face was gigantic when he found out he would have a dog to walk, too.
Those kids just made our weekend all that much better.
On Saturday, the two older girls wanted to walk a pair of golden retrievers that belonged to another couple. "Sure," they were told. The only problem was the younger brother. Three children, two dogs. "A" was the odd man out. He walked dejectedly back towards his camper with a big frowny face.
Hmmmm, we've got two dogs and they love to go on walks. So we volunteered Jelly for a walk. Karl went to get the young man and I retrieved Jelly's leash from the camper. The smile on A's face was gigantic when he found out he would have a dog to walk, too.
One Happy Camper!
The Dogwalkers
Those kids just made our weekend all that much better.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
World Bird Wednesday - The Rooftop Roost
The Granary in Stanwood
Springman at the Pine River Review is the host each week for World Bird Wednesday. Start your day's bird watching by clicking on the logo above.
Monday, April 18, 2011
Barn Charm - Blue Mountain Grill
I found so many barns this past weekend and you'll get see them over the next several Mondays. Hope you had a great weekend!
Tricia at Bluff Area Daily is the host of Barn Charm each Monday. Click on the logo above to see some other fabulous barn finds.
Barnside Advertisement for the Blue Mountain Grill in Acme, Washington
Tricia at Bluff Area Daily is the host of Barn Charm each Monday. Click on the logo above to see some other fabulous barn finds.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Friday, April 15, 2011
Weekend Reflections - And the Award Goes To...
Awards Case
In a reflective mood? Click on the logo above and keep the mood going. Thanks to James at Newtown Area Photo for hosting this fun meme each week.
I will limited or late on visits this week so thanks in advance for stopping by! Enjoy your weekend.
Thursday, April 14, 2011
Skywatch Friday - Three Stacks
Outside of Hendersonville, North Carolina
Look up! It's a bird! It's a plane! It's the sky!! Come skywatching with us by clicking on the banner above. Thanks to the Skywatch Team for hosting this meme each week.
I may be limited or late on visiting again this week, so thanks for stopping by!
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
I'm Gonna Goose Ya!
The place that I was working at in Knoxville, Tennessee last week on was on the French Broad River. After lunch, my co-worker and I walked out onto the back deck that overlooks the river. We went to check the rising level of the water.
Well, its nesting season and two of the resident Canada geese took exception to our viewpoint. From about a hundred feet away, the male took flight in our direction, putting up a fuss the whole time. We thought for a minute he was coming up under the covered deck to goose us. Instead he landed just below the deck railing. Hiss! Honk! Hiss! Honk! What a racket he put up! Meanwhile, momma goose took her time waddling up to the deck to check out the situation. We figured the pair must be nesting somewhere close, possibly under the deck, so we retreated inside to leave them in peace.
Springman at Pine River Review is the host each week of World Bird Wednesday. Come bird watching with us by clicking on the logo above.
Well, its nesting season and two of the resident Canada geese took exception to our viewpoint. From about a hundred feet away, the male took flight in our direction, putting up a fuss the whole time. We thought for a minute he was coming up under the covered deck to goose us. Instead he landed just below the deck railing. Hiss! Honk! Hiss! Honk! What a racket he put up! Meanwhile, momma goose took her time waddling up to the deck to check out the situation. We figured the pair must be nesting somewhere close, possibly under the deck, so we retreated inside to leave them in peace.
Springman at Pine River Review is the host each week of World Bird Wednesday. Come bird watching with us by clicking on the logo above.
Sunday, April 10, 2011
Planes, Trains & Automobiles - Knoxville Style
What an interesting 24 hours or so it was for me starting last Monday afternoon. What was supposed to be a simple couple of flights from Orlando, Florida to Knoxville, Tennessee turned into my own personal version of the Steve Martin and John Candy classic film, "Planes, Trains & Automobiles". Luckily my traveling companion was more the Steve Martin funny guy rather than the obnoxious John Candy character.
Our VP of Sales, Pat, and I began our journey in Orlando. We already knew there was bad weather in Tennessee including tornado watches. We crossed our fingers that we'd be able to reach Knoxville that night.
After pulling back from the gate, we sat on a taxi way for about twenty minutes. There apparently was windy weather earlier in Atlanta that impacted flight schedules. Once we were in the air, the flight was fairly uneventful. I did see some large thunderhead-looking clouds, but the ride wasn't very bumpy.
Our layover in Atlanta now shortened, we quickly got to our gate via the underground Plane Train that connects the many concourses only to find our flight had a short delay. No problem, we thought, although we were keeping a close eye on the television screen showing the storms moving across the southeast region.
Boarding time came and went and a thirty minute flight delay was announced. I wasn't really hungry at the time so I opted not to go find something to eat. I figured I could eat once we landed in Knoxville. Pat and I sat through a couple more thirty minute delays before being allowed to board around 10 p.m. The cabin door was closed and then we sat. Finally the captain announced that we will have to take on additional fuel to allow for another routing to Knoxville. Did you know that FAA regulations required the cabin door to be open when fueling? And that once the door closed again, the flight attendant had to repeat the pre-flight instructions? Yep, its true.
Wheels up around 10:40 p.m. and Knoxville here we come. It was supposed to be a forty minute flight from Atlanta. An hour later, the captain came on the PA system to tell us passengers that he was unable to find a hole in the storm to get us down into Knoxville, and instead we are diverting to Greenville/Spartanburg Airport in South Carolina.
A couple of young punks in the rear of the airplane started cussing loudly when this was announced. What is wrong with some people? The captain and crew have put our safety above trying to get us to our intended destination. You just have to go with the flow and suck it up.
When we landed in Greenville, the cabin door was opened so the crew could work with ground crew on determining what the next steps were. We were asked to stay on the plane while the details were worked out. The two punks in the plane came forward and next thing I know, they have been allowed to leave. Good thing.
After about twenty minutes, we were notified that a bus would take us to Knoxville. Pat said there was no way we were getting on a bus and crossing the mountains during a storm at night with tornado watches. It would be about a three to four hour trip (although the airline said it was a two hour trip - not!). It was also not known how long it would take the bus to arrive at the airport. If passengers elected not to take the bus, they would be responsible for their own accommodations overnight and Delta would then fly them back to Atlanta in the morning and then on to Knoxville.
Pat decided we would rent a car, find a hotel, and drive to Knoxville in the morning. After disembarking, we retrieved our luggage from baggage claim and then proceeded to the rental car area. Surprisingly, they were still open at midnight because all of the scheduled inbound flights had not arrived. Pat started at the Avis counter where he was told there weren't any one-way rental cars available. So then he tried the other agencies and struck out there, too. Back to Avis and still the answer was no. Since the problem was the one-way rental issue, he asked about car availability for returning the car back to Greenville. Still nothing available.
At this point we figured we would have to find transportation to a hotel and off he went. I decided I would try the Avis counter one more time. In my nicest voice, I asked again about availability if we returned the car by 5 p.m. the next day. The agent started punching info into her computer and then said she thought she might have a one-way rental for us. The flight had already arrived but the gentleman never claimed his car. It was ours! Score!!! I motioned Pat over to the counter and after completing the paperwork, off we went to procure lodging for the night. On a side note, the punks from earlier were still at another agency's counter, trying to rent a car. I hope karma kept them from getting a car and that they had to ride the bus.
When we landed at Greenville, it was not raining yet. On approach, you could see lots of lightning in the clouds, but no rain. However, by the time we left the parking garage, it was storming furiously. We turned on the radio and the first thing we heard was the emergency broadcast system tones. Great. Here we are somewhere in Greenville and if they are saying there is a tornado, we haven't a clue where it might be.
It was three miles from the airport to the exit where several hotels were located. Three long miles. It was raining, hailing and extremely windy. Visibility was limited and was made even worse when a semi truck passed us and threw up a wall of water. We almost had to stop on the interstate before we could see out of the windshield. We came to an underpass and stopped for a few minutes. I think our nerves were rattled by the storm and lack of visibility. We then drove to a hotel where we got our rooms. I just prayed that a tornado would not come roaring through since nobody would know where I was.
Pat and I met in the lobby the next morning at 8 a.m. to begin our drive to Knoxville. The clerk at the counter told Pat to turn left leaving the parking lot and we'd get to I-26 easily. Ummm, about that. Luckily for us, I bought a new smart phone before leaving on my trip. I fired up the built in nav system and got directions to the interstate. I don't know what the hotel clerk was thinking, but there was no way we'd have gotten to I-26 if it wasn't for the nav system. We were on back country roads including the Cherokee Foothills Parkway and Route 25 before reaching I-26 heading north.
We found a McDonalds at the interchange and an Egg McMuffin never tasted so good. We hadn't eaten since lunch the day before with the exception of a couple of tiny bags of peanuts on the airplane. I was starved!
The trip to Knoxville was a very scenic route crossing the Great Smoky Mountains. We had snow showers in the mountains west of Asheville, North Carolina, so that just added to the types of weather we had experienced. We saw lots of waterfalls coming off the steep hills due to the storm during the night. I wish I would have gotten some decent pictures of them.
We pulled into the Knoxville airport around 11:30 a.m. to return the car and I could pick up my rental for my days there. I'm not sure if the Avis people felt sorry for us or what, but I got to be Mustang Sally. Literally! My rental was a brand spanking new Ford Mustang with less than five miles on the odometer. I've never been the first rental customer in any car, much less a sporty machine. While the blue was bit on the bright side, I wasn't complaining.
The remake of Planes, Trains & Automobiles was a wrap!
Our VP of Sales, Pat, and I began our journey in Orlando. We already knew there was bad weather in Tennessee including tornado watches. We crossed our fingers that we'd be able to reach Knoxville that night.
Our Aircraft Approaching the Gate
Clouds Enroute to Atlanta
Boarding time came and went and a thirty minute flight delay was announced. I wasn't really hungry at the time so I opted not to go find something to eat. I figured I could eat once we landed in Knoxville. Pat and I sat through a couple more thirty minute delays before being allowed to board around 10 p.m. The cabin door was closed and then we sat. Finally the captain announced that we will have to take on additional fuel to allow for another routing to Knoxville. Did you know that FAA regulations required the cabin door to be open when fueling? And that once the door closed again, the flight attendant had to repeat the pre-flight instructions? Yep, its true.
Wheels up around 10:40 p.m. and Knoxville here we come. It was supposed to be a forty minute flight from Atlanta. An hour later, the captain came on the PA system to tell us passengers that he was unable to find a hole in the storm to get us down into Knoxville, and instead we are diverting to Greenville/Spartanburg Airport in South Carolina.
A couple of young punks in the rear of the airplane started cussing loudly when this was announced. What is wrong with some people? The captain and crew have put our safety above trying to get us to our intended destination. You just have to go with the flow and suck it up.
When we landed in Greenville, the cabin door was opened so the crew could work with ground crew on determining what the next steps were. We were asked to stay on the plane while the details were worked out. The two punks in the plane came forward and next thing I know, they have been allowed to leave. Good thing.
After about twenty minutes, we were notified that a bus would take us to Knoxville. Pat said there was no way we were getting on a bus and crossing the mountains during a storm at night with tornado watches. It would be about a three to four hour trip (although the airline said it was a two hour trip - not!). It was also not known how long it would take the bus to arrive at the airport. If passengers elected not to take the bus, they would be responsible for their own accommodations overnight and Delta would then fly them back to Atlanta in the morning and then on to Knoxville.
Pat decided we would rent a car, find a hotel, and drive to Knoxville in the morning. After disembarking, we retrieved our luggage from baggage claim and then proceeded to the rental car area. Surprisingly, they were still open at midnight because all of the scheduled inbound flights had not arrived. Pat started at the Avis counter where he was told there weren't any one-way rental cars available. So then he tried the other agencies and struck out there, too. Back to Avis and still the answer was no. Since the problem was the one-way rental issue, he asked about car availability for returning the car back to Greenville. Still nothing available.
At this point we figured we would have to find transportation to a hotel and off he went. I decided I would try the Avis counter one more time. In my nicest voice, I asked again about availability if we returned the car by 5 p.m. the next day. The agent started punching info into her computer and then said she thought she might have a one-way rental for us. The flight had already arrived but the gentleman never claimed his car. It was ours! Score!!! I motioned Pat over to the counter and after completing the paperwork, off we went to procure lodging for the night. On a side note, the punks from earlier were still at another agency's counter, trying to rent a car. I hope karma kept them from getting a car and that they had to ride the bus.
When we landed at Greenville, it was not raining yet. On approach, you could see lots of lightning in the clouds, but no rain. However, by the time we left the parking garage, it was storming furiously. We turned on the radio and the first thing we heard was the emergency broadcast system tones. Great. Here we are somewhere in Greenville and if they are saying there is a tornado, we haven't a clue where it might be.
It was three miles from the airport to the exit where several hotels were located. Three long miles. It was raining, hailing and extremely windy. Visibility was limited and was made even worse when a semi truck passed us and threw up a wall of water. We almost had to stop on the interstate before we could see out of the windshield. We came to an underpass and stopped for a few minutes. I think our nerves were rattled by the storm and lack of visibility. We then drove to a hotel where we got our rooms. I just prayed that a tornado would not come roaring through since nobody would know where I was.
Morning After the Storm - View from Hotel Room
We found a McDonalds at the interchange and an Egg McMuffin never tasted so good. We hadn't eaten since lunch the day before with the exception of a couple of tiny bags of peanuts on the airplane. I was starved!
The trip to Knoxville was a very scenic route crossing the Great Smoky Mountains. We had snow showers in the mountains west of Asheville, North Carolina, so that just added to the types of weather we had experienced. We saw lots of waterfalls coming off the steep hills due to the storm during the night. I wish I would have gotten some decent pictures of them.
We pulled into the Knoxville airport around 11:30 a.m. to return the car and I could pick up my rental for my days there. I'm not sure if the Avis people felt sorry for us or what, but I got to be Mustang Sally. Literally! My rental was a brand spanking new Ford Mustang with less than five miles on the odometer. I've never been the first rental customer in any car, much less a sporty machine. While the blue was bit on the bright side, I wasn't complaining.
The Odometer Reading
Just call me Mustang Sally!
Monday, April 4, 2011
Barn Charm - Flower Power
Nestled in the tulips fields of Skagit County.
Tricia at Bluff Area Daily is the host each week for Barn Charm. Click on the logo above and come visiting with us!
Flower Power in Skagit Valley
Tricia at Bluff Area Daily is the host each week for Barn Charm. Click on the logo above and come visiting with us!
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Saturday, April 2, 2011
CDR Status Update
Last weekend we returned to the CDR after some of the snow melted. No getting stuck in the driveway this time, although now we've got mud.
The focus of the weekend was to continue the flooring installation. It was a good feeling when we left on Sunday to have the dining room completed. All that is left is part of the kitchen floor and to install the transition strips.
Next up, installation of the interior doors and finally the baseboard and door trim. Then we can call the house complete!
The focus of the weekend was to continue the flooring installation. It was a good feeling when we left on Sunday to have the dining room completed. All that is left is part of the kitchen floor and to install the transition strips.
Dining Room Flooring
Next up, installation of the interior doors and finally the baseboard and door trim. Then we can call the house complete!
Friday, April 1, 2011
"Easter" Ball Hunt at the CDR
The Chicken Dance Ranch has its own driving range. The front yard. The one main drawback is that you have to go find the balls yourself if you want to hit more when the bucket is empty. We have discovered a perfect time to hunt for missing golf balls - after the snow melts and before the grasses grow. Because we had so much snow this winter, the grass was matted down and made spotting the missing orbs easier.
Total for the weekend - 40! It sure would be easier if we could chip the balls and then have some kind of gadget to help locate them.
Very Visible
Some are close...
Some are far...
Darn! Another snow patch faked me out!
Saturday's Haul
Total for the weekend - 40! It sure would be easier if we could chip the balls and then have some kind of gadget to help locate them.
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