Saturday, April 19, 2014

Wind Beneath My Wings


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A shot taken at the NC Zoo on Thursday.  On our way back home from Carowinds, we also made a one hour stop at the zoo in the hopes of seeing the polar bear, Patches, in the water again like we did a couple of weeks ago.  No luck  She was awake and pacing but not swimming.

This was a luck/mistake shot, and I decided I liked it enough to post.  I spend a lot of time trying to get inflight butterfly shots during the summer months, and this one happened all on it's own.  Go figure.

I also liked this shot of Madi.


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And these flower shots too.


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Friday, April 18, 2014

Joey Underwater Peace


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The kids had a good time playing in the hotel swimming pool with the under water camera.  Joey had to take a lot of shots to get this one lined up right.  Either Madi or I took it.  We were taking turns.  I like this one of Madi which I think looks angelic.


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NC Transportation Museum Spencer - The Back Shop


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The NC Transportation Museum was just a few miles off the interstate on our way home from Carowinds, so we stopped in.  We didn't take the train ride, but we did walk around all the buildings and take a ride on the turn table.

I was pleased to see that we could actually step inside The Back Shop where I took the picture I've posted as my daily.  Fascinating combination of beams and natural light not to mention some old vehicles too.

Here's a similar shot I took in 2011.


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I was very excited by the potential of this shot but disappointed about the bucket.  The floor was unstable, and it wasn't able to be moved.  I intend to play with this shot later in the week and see if I can salvage it.


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Here are a few more shots from our visit.


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Carowinds


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The kids and I went to Carowinds amusement park on Wednesday.  The last time we went was 2010, and Madi wasn't with us.  We were very pleased that she was able to go this time.  There is a great deal right now where everyone pays kids prices now through May 31 with online ticket purchase.  That saved us quite a bit.  Note that the swim area doesn't open until 5/13, though.

The park has a really nice small kid area called Planet Snoopy.  In 2010, we spent a lot of time there.  This visit, we were able to go on rides throughout the park.  Johnny is 53", and there are just a few rides that require 54", so he was able to go on all but one ride that we wanted to (Night Hawk).

I think the consensus on our favorite coaster was the Carolina Cyclone featuring two full loops and two barrel loops.  We all rode it back-to-back and then Madi and Johnny rode it 3 more times.  Wow!

Cyclone Video We also really liked the Gold Rusher which Johnny was thrilled to discover looks like a train.  We all rode it at least twice with Madi and Johnny staying on for even more rides.
Gold Rusher Video The Carolina Cobra was a pretty intense ride for us going both forwards into a loop and then backwards back through the loop.  I felt like my body didn't know how to naturally move going backwards, but I still enjoyed the ride. Another ride called the Ricochet was pretty cool too.  It looked so harmless from the ground going back and forth but up in the air it was designed to make you feel like you're going to go off the edge any minute.  Look at our faces!
SmugMug Link I think the tallest ride we went on was the Wind Seeker which is basiclly one of those swing rides, but it's more of a real seat and takes you waaaaaaaay up there.  It moves reasonably slow up, down, and around but you're up high enough to get real wind...
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We left The Intimidator, Nigh Hawk, and After Burner for next time:-)


Tuesday, April 15, 2014

Blaze Through the Years


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Yesterday was a very sad day for our family.  We had to say goodbye to our beloved dog, Blaze.  She had bone cancer in her left front leg, and we weren't able to control the pain well enough for her to be comfortble anymore.  She was 14.

Blaze came to us from the SPCA of Wake County in 2000.  She was found roaming the streets of Raleigh and was about 1 year old.  I was volunteering at the shelter then mostly fostering puppies.  Everyone loved Blaze (Aubrey was her shelter name) for her unique auburn color and calm temperament.  While the other dogs would jump on their doors and beg for visitors, Blaze would sit near the back of her kennel patiently waiting.  For a short while, she was adopted out to a family, but they brought her back.  The mom got her for her kids, but returned her saying that Blaze would only bond with her.  The foster moms took our puppies and a few older dogs to Petsmart one Saturday, and Blaze came with us.  She spent a good part of the day sitting on a captains chair looking as cute as could be.  (Does anyone have a picture of that?)  Still no interested parties.  I suggested she come home with me for the rest of the weekend to get a break from her kennel, and it was okayed.  She never went back.  Poor thing was quite timid and hand shy and definitely preferred women over men.  Of course we'll never know why she was so scared, but we hoped she would eventually come out of her shell.

For a while, I was just fostering her with the hope of getting her more comfortable so that she could go to another home, but I was in love with her and also felt that she needed a real dog family to manage her.  Soon, I adopted her.

Those who lived near us and visited us over the years can atest that she came out of her shell.  She got used to men, really enjoyed children, started to try to boss other dogs and critters around (well except when her boyfriend Jake would saunter through or my foster puppy Zoe would sneak over from her home nextdoor), and became a real friend and joy to family and friends.

She handled Kitty's arrival a couple of years ago with minimal issues, and she transitioned well when we moved last July.  As long as she was with her family and had her doggie bed, she was content.  But earlier this year, she fell one day and yelped badly.  I thought she'd sprained her leg somehow, but no bruising or swelling, and she avoided walking on it with no improvement over a week.  An x-ray at the vet showed that she had bone cancer.  Not at all what I was expecting.  So sad...

Although I've had to say goodbye to other beloved pets over the year, particularly to my Leo who died of heart cancer at 4, nothing ever really prepares you for it. Especially hard was letting the boys know that she was sick and explaining why we weren't going to let her suffer anymore.  Hard to manage my grief and their's at the same time.

I think I'll be looking for her in her spots by the fireplace hearth, near my bedroom door, and under the kitchen table for years to come...missing her.

Johnny wasn't able to read without her last night, but I hope in a few days he can find a new routine and get back to his reading.

A special thanks to Dr. Rodriguez at Fuquay Verterinary Hospital for crying along side me yesterday as we said goodbye.

Donnie took great care to prepare a place for her to rest near a dogwood tree in the front yard.  Daffodils are growing nearby, and I put a sasanqua camelia over the grave.  We'll remember her well when we look out over the front yard.



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Monday, April 14, 2014

Dogwood in the Light


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I'm short on words today.  Shot this in the yard late yesterday and tweaked it a good bit laat night as I watched TV.

Sunday, April 13, 2014

Fuquay-Varina Easter Egg Hunt Over the Years


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The town of Fuquay-Varina held it's Easter Egg Hunt yesterday.  The kids were good sports and posed with the Easter Bunny for me.  Joey was officially too old for the hunt this year at 11, but the town staff said he could hunt with his brother and sister;-) and so he had a good time.


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I was thinking back on all the times we've done this hunt.

Here's a shot of the kids at the Fuquay-Varina Easter Egg Hunt in 2010.


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This is a cut shot taken at my home in 2010.


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A shot from the Fuquay-Varina Easter Egg Hunt in 2011.


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Madi with the Easter Bunny in 2008.


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Also from 2008.  I don't know why I didn't get a shot of all of them with the bunny:-(


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There's more, but I digress:-)

M


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Obviously this is a potato masher and I cropped it.  I tried several versions with blurred outter edges but I didn't think it was working well so went the crop route.


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Sortof wish I had  better less cluttered picture of the M on the Sylvan Heights Waterfowl Park playground.


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Or that the boys had been smiing on the M at the Pullen Park playground.


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The Dodge Ram M seemed to commercial to me to use but I did take a shot of one at a stoplight.


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