Fridays are Golden

One of the best things about having two dogs is watching their interaction. Our girls are almost always together, playing or running or just lying around.

Here is Ellie, sitting on the step. What is she looking at? She's looking at Lucy.



And Lucy is sitting on the ground. What is she looking at? She's looking at Ellie.



The "stare down" will continue until one of them stands up. This is the signal for a chase. They will run all through the woods chasing each other. Ellie can maneuver better and run faster. But Lucy makes up for that by knowing how to run around a laurel thicket and change directions. She is better at anticipating what Ellie is going to do, and often leaves Ellie frustrated to find that Lucy is not at the expected end of the thicket. Then Lucy pops out from the other side and the chase continues. They are such fun to watch.

Once inside, they lie down exhausted. Lucy will almost always lie near Ellie, often in the same bed. While Ellie doesn't seem to mind, she is never the one to go lie down near Lucy.

Lucy, why is Ellie's ear so wet?

Gee whiz! I dunno. But it's not because I was chewing on her ear. Maybe she dipped it in the water dish, but I wasn't chewing on her ear again. Not after you told me not to chew on Ellie anymore. You may think I did it, but if you didn't see anything, then you can't do anything, right?

I do hope your Friday is golden, and the weekend is relaxing and refreshing. Have a good one and take some time for yourself.

A Short Drive on the Parkway

The Blue Ridge Parkway is a scenic highway running the 469 miles from Shenandoah National Park in Virginia (Helen takes you there often) to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina and Tennessee. With few exceptions in limited areas, there are no commercial vehicles and the maximum speed limit is 35 miles/hour.

Almost every week, my husband and I drive a small section of the Parkway. Our destination is the Pisgah Inn where we have a delicious breakfast and then head back down the mountains. The Inn overlooks a large gorge and we often see birds flying below us. The scenery is outstanding and no matter how often we make the trip, we find new joy in looking at the mountains. We climb several thousand feet in elevation on the way to the Inn, and we love to see the differences in the trees and flowers, especially in the Spring and Fall.

The Parkway has frequent turn outs and scenic viewing areas. However, it is perfectly acceptable to pull one's car off anywhere so long as the car is completely off the road. Here are some scenes from our most recent visit:

The mountain in the center of this picture (with the rock face) is Looking Glass Mountain, located in Pisgah National Forest.

The clouds make lovely shadows on the sides of the mountains.

The pointy mountain in the center of the photograph is Funnel Top.

The top of Cold Mountain.

What, you may ask is on the other side of the car?

Rocky banks, rhododendron, lovely wildflowers and an occasional black bear.

We are truly blessed to have this beauty around us. And doubly blessed to have the time to take advantage of it.

Birds and Berries Update

The little Red-bellied Woodpecker is getting some red coloring on the head. Mom and Dad are still feeding the little one, who is getting bigger and bigger. No trips to the feeder yet.




This little Carolina Chickadee looks a bit weary. It's been a summer filled with laying eggs, protecting the nest, feeding, and fledging. And without any relief, the process starts over again.

As for the blackberries. They are well on their way to becoming my cobbler. It won't be long now.

The summer days are simply flying by. So many birds and so much nature to watch and so little time. I do hope all of you are enjoying the summer and storing up memories to take you through the winter.

Who is this bird?

Wait a minute. Of course I know WHAT bird this is. (A Red-bellied Woodpecker.) I just don't recognize the bird. It has a break in the red, but the break is not wide or clearly defined as one might expect for a female.

Is it a female with a small break, or a male not completely filled in? It is clearly not our Rosey, who has a much wider break in the red, and much more rosy cheeks. It's not Big Red whose red is bright and unbroken. And it's not this year's baby, since the baby still has a gray head.

The bird is somewhat smaller than a full-grown adult. Is it a juvenile from last year? I'll show you the pictures and let you decide. I know some of you are far more expert than I.

I'm not sure if the Downy recognizes the various Red-bellied Woodpeckers. But he is taking no chances. He's been chased out deep into the woods by Big Red often enough. He clings closely to the tree hoping he won't be noticed.

So, the bird ate plenty of food and then took off quickly so that I couldn't see the tail feathers. It's been almost three days and I haven't seen her or him again. I wonder what Big Red might have done had he seen another Red-bellied in his territory.

And, I must admit to myself...when you wonder about unknown birds (i.e. not one of "ours") do you perhaps need to get more of a life?

Pileated Feeding

You may be getting a little tired of my woodpeckers, but I'm not. This is another attempt to catch the mother (Big Momma) feeding her not-so-little female (Hannah). No matter how often I see them, I am awe-struck each time.

They fly to this particular tree each time. Hannah is the top bird.

Big Momma (right) returns from the suet feeder with breakfast for Hannah.

No! Don't feed her behind the tree again!

There is still more food.

Yes! Finally.

Little Hannah is moving her head rapidly, getting every last bit of food.

(And making the picture blurry.)

We feel so fortunate in having these marvelous birds visit us several times a day.

Fridays are Golden

It has been warm and muggy here all week. (AND we got a little bit of rain!) The Golden Girls do not do well in the heat and humidity. So after an early morning walk, they lie around the house all day.

You already know how much Lucy loves to watch the birds. Well, she also loves to watch bugs or anything that moves on the deck, sometimes a leaf blowing in the breeze.

Well, would you look at that?

We had a repairman doing some work downstairs, so we put a gate at the top of the steps. The girls do not like gates.

I REALLY need to go down there and check on things.

Ellie also wants to see what is going on down there.

Lucy's right for a change. We do need to go down there.

Finally they decide to take a snooze. Lucy always finds something to use as a pillow, in this case the pedestal of the kitchen table.

If I'm comfortable, what difference does it make to you?

Her favorite pillow (of course) is Ellie.

Ellie is a lot softer than the table.

Whatever your plans may be, have a wonderful weekend. Can you believe July is almost half gone?

Nature's Waterslide

Sliding Rock is a cascade in Pisgah National Forest, in Transylvania County. Unlike the other waterfalls in Western NC, Sliding Rock is a fee area ($1.00/person). The fee is to pay for bath houses, restrooms, and life guards. When I went there as a child, there were no amenities.

Sliding Rock has a 60 foot slope, cascading to an 8-foot pool at the bottom. It is heavily visited during the summer months by tourists and locals alike. Where else can you have this much fun for a dollar a person?

This little guy starts his slide.

He's in the middle of the slide and still upright.

He reaches the bottom and swims to the side.

Teenage girls do everything in pairs.

Still holding hands, they slide to the bottom.

This shot was taken when the facilities were closed.

Sliding Rock is located on Davidson River and the water level is much lower than normal because of our drought. However, there is still enough water to make this natural waterslide a fun thing. The water is very cold and the plunge into the pool takes your breath away.