this year has been intoxicating

Originally posted on 11-13-12.

25 days ago.

Yesterday. I haven’t seen an autumn last this long around here in years.

 

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Daycation

Originally posted 11-9-12. Thumbnails click out to original size.

I took my last long drive of the year out with my dad last Saturday, and it was so reminiscent of my childhood, especially the last couple of hours being uber carsick. Don’t worry, I didn’t throw up. I’m grown up now. My sister was kinda cringing over against her door… I never thought about other people suffering through my suffering as a child, bet she’s got poignant memories herself. But other than spending most of 12 hours in a vehicle, it was pretty cool and I got a few pix.

This first one nearly got my camera banned on the spot. We’d already been to McDonald’s next to the intersection in Seymour, and half the customers were Amish with their buggies parked outside and horses smartly trotting their buggies across the big highway, and I didn’t get my camera out once, it’s not polite, right. But there’s a 6 mile stretch of highway where you meet buggy after buggy coming through, so I super zoomed through the windshield from the back seat and snapped. There was a little bit of discussion over whether it would be ethical of me to post it to my blog, but I argued that the horse wouldn’t know the difference.

Accidentally got a pic of my feet. I am so in love with these shoes, ASICS® Gel – Kayano 18, not being paid to say that.

This is how I grew up, with atlases and maps in the car. Whichever kid got the front seat would be up to their eyeballs in maps ‘navigating’. Dad loves our tom-tom, cracks me up watching him hold it and accidentally bump the screen every two minutes, one time had to reboot and another had to reset the whole route. It’s like an electronic teddy bear for the car.

I let everyone else hold the map. I know we drove up C and wound up on the old Route 66.

This next part is mostly for any cousins who might happen to come through. We wound up at the Honda shop in Lebanon, #veryexciting. My dad and his brothers all had motorcycles, and Dad owned his own shop years ago with one of them. I’ve been told I was conceived on a motorcycle trip in California and have memories of being sandwiched between my parents on motorcycle trips (and mom was pregnant with my sister), and going to rallies and stuff. Anyway, what tickles me is Dad is this old Mennonite farmer and looks like he can barely get around with his bad knees, but he had to sit on several bikes around the store and yap with the owner for nearly an hour. He looks so cute. He sure wanted to take one home and relive some good old days. His favorite was the Honda Shadow. Here he is with Scott.

This one is more my speed.

I still have one of Dad’s old matchbooks. I think somewhere I’ve got the Dick & Dee Dee / Triumph Motorcycles 45 RPM, and I can still sing all the words.

 

After that we swung by Cackle Hatchery where I got my pretty girls, but they were closed, so then we jogged on up to Bennett Spring and hung out awhile.

The water in the spring was so clear that I could zoom through up to 30 feet and you couldn’t even tell. We tried to figure out how big that rock must be, at least waist high, the top is barely above water.

Random pix.

 

Last bits of autumn there. I think these would make great 1000 piece puzzles.

These click to bigger if you want to read them.

 

I was pretty worn out by then, so this is all I got going home.

 

killing time in between thunderstorms

Originally posted 10-13-12.

Killing a little time before the next crazy thunderstorm hits. The last lightning storm lasted nearly 5 hours. We’re under a tornado watch, so I’m watching the weather maps.

This is the kind of pictures I think would make good 1000 piece jigsaw puzzles.

I like how driving through the Ozarks feels like the bones of the earth are showing. Don’t drive with a camera in your hand just because I do sometimes.

This is only one set of towers within 5 miles of my house. You’d think I’d get way better broadband, but I don’t, despite having the best. We live in a weird pocket, my street is like the Bermuda Triangle.

I’m not terribly fond of driving through junky little towns, but this one feels like there is something special about it. I think it’s all the trees hiding the town…

I love the shockingly brilliant red maples standing out before all the others turn orange and yellow. In a few more days half the county will seem like it’s bright red.

I feel like I’m on the top of the world at this point because you can see so much horizon all around. That’s one thing about living in woods that I miss, I grew up with lots of horizon in a desert.

My street feels magical because of all the trees. When the leaves fall it’s like driving through a movie, and when it snows you feel like you’re way far away in a magical wood, in a different world.

I love the way the world looks from my yard.

Looking out the window in between thunderstorms.

Kinda having a little trouble trying to keep up with a half dozen eggs every day. Those girls are machines.

 

mmm, rocks

Originally posted on 9-29-12.

Here we go, finally starting to turn around here. Won’t be long till the really big spiders come out and make their insanely gigantic webs across the yard.

Hawk watch. I’m not sure bunching up and freezing into place is the right move when a big hawk drops down and soars right over (I’m pretty sure that wing span was nearly as wide as I am tall). Red-Tailed Hawk | Missouri Department of Conservation

They stayed in that tight little knot all the way up to the house, but did a very thorough bug genocide over a ten foot wide strip between their house and mine.  Chicken herding has never been easier than with this bunch.