Whacky October Weather

Crabapple blooming!.....

 Lantana before....

 After, today....

 A single late blooming coneflower....

 Trick or Treat??...

Post for Lolly! NCTC Lunch

Please excuse the quality of this! The helper kept turning the camera off and on!  DUH  This was the longest clip.....

Momsters NCTC Luncheon with JudyE 10-24-11

 If you're not sure of all these people, let me know and I'll add nametags!...

 JudyE, guest of honor (the tallest), with Margy, DanaMo, and Lori...

 View out the dining hall window...

 I DID see an eagle!!!!.....

Talon and Friends Open the American Indian Festival

Talon has introduced many events for Park and Planning. He is our educational bird and stays at Clearwater Nature Center in Clinton, MD. The naturalist announcing explains that perched eagles sometimes want to take flight from a wind gust or sudden fearful sounds..... 

 Talon is with Paula, a naturalist for about 20 years who specializes in raptors....

 A red-tailed hawk was on display also. He was very difficult to get  backed into his carry case!....

 Talon with my buddy, Paula, back by the barn.....

American Indian Festival, Oct. 22, 2011

 This gentleman played a bowl shaped drum. It had a soothing, mellow, steel drum sound. Wish we bought his audio tape!....

Some dancers started to get ready to perfom....

Love the sound on this dance demonstration.....

American Indian Festival Part II

 This equestrian was a true "horse whisperer"! He explained how to train horses creating mutual trust. He could now do anything such as lay on ground under the horse, and it would not move a hoof!....

 This awesome performance had the dancer weaving the hoops around his body....

 The Finale! He stepped out of all the hoops and they were formed into an interwoven cube!!!....

 Days end. Heading to the trailer.......

Waterfront Dining!

The Great Outdoors

In the afternoon at Chelsea on Friday, 10-14, the sun finally popped between the clouds and brightened the background at the stable, but office stayed in the dark.....

Ms. Hoppy was back!!!! Haven't seen her for months.....

Close view of MT PRPark eagle nest....

Home Plants

Last good blooms of summer--these impatiens almost died during the drought, but liked the hurricane...

Group lantana portrait! You may have to enlarge to see better color. They're a little paler than in summer....

A bumbly is there almost every AM and not moving until there's some warmth. We think he's been spending the night....

The strawberry bush has fruit and leaves are losing color.This came from the woods many years ago....

 

Close up of seeds--remind us of upside-down baskets!.....

Animal Antics

Binky (5 yrs. old) with Myki, the Mykonos donkey from Greece. She likes to shred some of her pets and then bring them to the food dish in the dead of night. We thought she was bringing her "babies" for food, but a friend who saw Myki thought she was a dog & brings them in the kitchen to BE dinner! She does have a Jekyll/Hyde disposition....

 Newer pal is a wild boar from Florence, Italy....

 To our HORROR this morning, the NCTC eagle gift joined the Halloween Spidey! The eagle stays on the mantle and is not her toy!....!

 Another recent guest has been the armadillo. Texas folks should be happy.....

 

We could not understand this morning why all the dishes were askew. Then we saw a small blue-tailed skink that the great striped hunter, Scooter, was stalking. It was rescued and returned to the outdoors...