It's back! Weekend Guessing Game #18, baybee!

It's an easy one for you this week. I found this little item but I won't say where. I won't give you clues because I really do think it's easy. So if you think you know what this item is, click on the comment button at the end of this post and guess away. You can guess multiple times, just keep clicking the comment button. If your commenting anonymously, please leave either your initials or your first name.

Oh, and the prize? Well, unfortunately, there isn't one other than the fame that winning this game will surely bring. And there's that pure sense of satisfaction you'll earn as well. Don't forget that!

GAME ON NOW, as of 6 PM (est) Friday. Winner will be posted at 6 PM Saturday.

If you see the answer, or think you see the answer, just guess anyway. It's fun. Have a great evening, everyone.

This jewelry is fun

There’s a fun jewelry store in a little town that’s just a short drive from the school where I work, and one day last week the art teacher and I decided to take a little break and head there. We told the headmaster that we were going out to run an errand and we‘d return soon. School is finished for the year and teacher meetings were over with and the errand I had to run was window-shopping. Hey, it’s an errand! Besides, I just needed to get away.

My friend, Kathy and her sister, Lori, own The Silver Buckle, a cool jewelry store in North East. It’s filled with interesting finds, and features Brighton handbags and jewelry. I hadn’t intended to buy anything, but couldn’t resist this fun pendant and for only $16, I can be the Fun Queen just like it says. Margie, our art teacher, picked it out for me and told me it fit me perfectly.

I’m still on my road trip with my friend, Karen, and I hope to have some good pictures for you when I return on Friday evening. I’m posting this through the magic of auto-post, which isn’t really magic but it’s fun to pretend. Geez, I guess I should take the necklace off now, right? On my mini-vacation, I hope to be doing what the 2nd picture is saying. Only not so much of the drinking, at all. The laughing is good, though.

Friday at 6 PM, I hope to have the Weekend Guessing Game back up, so stay tuned for that! I am still suffering through this Time Out that my internet company has me on, choking back my speed because I went over my download threshold. I think my son was downloading music while at the same time, my husband was on U-Tube looking at pictures of border collies performing cool tricks. I’m managing to post by getting up early when usage time is slow, and I miss visiting all your blogs. I heard the Pioneer Woman even had another name that photo contest and darnit, I even missed that. But I’m coping. Have a great Friday, everyone!

The mustard story

I have a friend who I met years ago at the school where I'm employed. She's the parent of one of my son's best friends. And then she and I became friends.

Every Christmas, I receive gifts from the children at school, and all the teachers do as well, and every year, my friend Kathy would send in a gift with one of her sons to give to me. And after we became friends ourselves, she added a gift of her own just for me. One year, it was a jar of mustard.

"Mustard?" I thought, as I opened the beautifully wrapped present. "Well, that's odd. And ooooo, it's gourmet." And life went on.

It wasn't until later when I saw her over the holidays and thanked her for her gift of um, mustard, that I found out why she had given it to me. And she said it was because she was so touched by the story I'd shared with her recently about my husband, and the mustard.

I scrunched up my face trying to remember what story she was talking about, and in the recesses of my brain, finally . . . it came back to me. I must have been drinking wine with her one evening, and shared something personal that normally, I would not have done. But we were becoming friends, and ever since then . . . ever since she gave me that mustard, she's been on my list as one of my favorite people. And it wasn't because of the thoughtful condiment, either. It was because she was touched by a story I had told her. And now that I'm not so shy about sharing anymore, I'm telling it here.

Besides, I'm all about the stories.

I've mentioned before that my husband and I have been together since we were both 19 years old. But, at one point, for reasons that I won't go into here, we separated when the boys were very young. I packed up my things, and the children, and got an apartment and a lawyer (although not in that order). And life was difficult, and I was very poor. We both were, actually. I had a good job as a production manager for a monthly horse publication, but it didn't leave much for things like, well, food. I remember having very little in my frig, and moving it all up to the front to make it look more full. And I used to add water to the orange juice to make it last longer. I had enough to pay the rent, and the day care for the children, and the gas for my car, but grocery shopping was sad. And the court-ordered check I received from my husband helped, but still, it wasn't enough.

My husband saw the children every other weekend, and I'm sure they don't remember much about that time. I know my youngest son was excited to be living in a real town, that had sewers as he was hoping to see the Ninja Turtles climb out of one of the manhole covers. My eldest son was in kindergarten at the time, so he probably doesn't remember that much anyway. Like I said, it was for about a year, and things began to get better and we worked things out.

One day, while grocery shopping, I was adding up the dollars and cents I was spending. I had my list and on the list was mustard. And the French's mustard was on sale for 83 cents. But I really really disliked French's mustard (still do). I wanted the Grey Poupon, but it was so much more and I didn't have the extra dollar to spend on it. But oh, how I wanted it. And I was so darn tired of being poor and having to shop this way. And as I stood there in the condiment aisle, it all came crashing down. The children weren't with me at the time, which was a good thing, because I was slowly losing it. I mean, it wasn't just about the mustard. It was about this point I was making, and the respect I deserved, and the great lengths I was going to just to get that. And as I stood there, I quietly began to cry.

Luckily, no one was around, but then I felt this hand on my shoulder and a familiar voice asking me, "what's wrong?" And I turned around, and standing there before me was my husband. And now, completely embarrassed, I mumbled something about it being nothing. There was nothing wrong. "No, it's not nothing," he said, "what's really wrong?" And I told him I wanted the nice mustard, and I hate French's. "I know you do," he said.

I wiped my eyes, and made to go, but he stopped me again and gave me twenty dollars. And he said, "Here. I want you to get your mustard. And whatever else you need." And he kissed me on the cheek and he left. And as I watched him go, I realized that this was love. And that I still loved him. And then, in a split second, I thought, "Hey, why does he have an extra twenty dollars?" No, I'm kidding.

That day in the grocery store was the turning point, and eventually we got back together. Marriage is tough, and it's tender, and sometimes it's a lot of work. But I'm glad that he's still around. Those who know our situation know exactly what I mean.

And that, my friends, is the mustard story.

I'm still on the road trip, and I had this little story tucked back in my draft files. I'm sure I'm having fun wherever I am and I'll be back soon. Take care, my friends.

Sincerely, Country Girl

Growing up

I stepped out the front door the other evening to see if it was still too hot to take George on an evening stroll, and what I saw surprised me. The little Canada Geese family was about 100 yards away at the back of the maintenance shed, and upon hearing my door open, they bolted towards the pond, all of them running as fast as they could, with their necks pointed straight out.

The babies are huge now, and I went in the house and put the zoom lens on my camera and George and I headed down to the pond. It was still pretty darn hot and humid and I had to wait quite a while until the lens stopped fogging up, but I managed to get a couple of decent shots of the little ones.

In the top photo, the momma goose is with three of her little ones. Look at how much they’ve grown in two short months! Do you see them up in the header I made? That’s the same family when the goslings were tiny.

In the second photo, three of the little ones are swimming in a line right through the center of the picture.

And finally, in the third photo, this fella had just ducked his head into the water and came out again. It’s why his head is still all wet. Can you see his downy fuzz on his back? Do you know how I can tell it’s a male? No, seriously, I’m asking you, because I don’t know and I can’t tell from here. I just think he looks like a he.

I’m on a road trip with my good friend, Karen. I left Tuesday night from my house to stay with her in NJ. We’re going swimming in Adrienne’s pool. On Wednesday morning, we plan on heading north. More on our destination will come.

George is doing fine. I just needed to tell you that. He was excited to be at the vet office, and even as they led him away, he never looked back!

He was a little groggy when I brought him home yesterday, and I left him in the care of my husband and son. I'll call home this morning to make sure he's doing fine.

Have a great Wednesday, everyone.

You won't remember a thing, Mr. Puppy

There comes a time in a young dog’s life when he might take a little visit to the vet and return with a little something missing. Well, a couple of little somethings missing. And that time for George is today.

My husband couldn’t bring himself to take the poor pup to have the deed done, let alone make the appointment, so it fell to me. Frankly, I didn’t think it was that big of a deal, but my husband says it will change him.

We’ll see. I’m just looking forward to my leg not being a love interest to him anymore, thankyouverymuch. And just tonight, during our little walk, our neighbor's dog, Natasha, the big yellow lab, was outside her fence. So George got to be with her for real and not through a fence! And what does he do? Well, he tried to well, I think you get the picture.

So, here's to George. May your surgery be trouble-free and your recovery be swift, my puppy friend.

Rainy days and Mondays

They don't always get me down, especially this week. I have off from work all this week. I have no plans, other than a road trip later on with my good friend, Karen, that I'm looking forward to. But Monday, I have some routine medical stuff to deal with, and have scheduled several appointments because I have off. And Tuesday is George's vet appointment. It's a big day for George on Tuesday.

I took these pictures the other day after it had rained. Can you see the little water droplets in the wet grass?

It's been a steambath here in Maryland all weekend and we've had the air conditioning on since Saturday morning. Today, our power went out several times and stayed off for hours, but still, our house stayed cooler than it was outside. Tonight, the power went out again as I was falling asleep. When it came back on, about an hour later, I got up thinking that hey, I could maybe get onto my site because it's not peak usage time. And lo and behold, I'm able to get on and post.

I am not going to rant about the Time Out my internet company has put me on. I am going to prevail over this ridiculous situation and I am going to post every day despite my problems.

And guess what's playing on late-night TV right now? One of my favorite little movies, The Princess Bride. I love this movie and I think it's partly due to the fact that I first saw it when we rented it years ago when the children were very young. We watched it as a family, and the boys and I really enjoyed it. It's a classic fairytale, with swordplay and giants, an evil king, a Dread Pirate, and a beautiful princess played by Robin Wright before she married Sean Penn.

I love some of the quotes in this movie.

Inigo Montoya: My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.

Like my husband, Fezzik, played by Andre the Giant, had a penchant for rhyming:

Inigo Montoya: That Vizzini, he can *fuss*.

Fezzik: (thinking) Fuss, fuss . . . I think he like to scream at *us*.

Inigo Montoya: Probably he means no *harm*.

Fezzik: He's really very short on *charm*.

Inigo Montoya: You have a great gift for rhyme.

Fezzik: Yes, yes, some of the time.

Vizzini: Enough of that.

Inigo Montoya: Fezzik, are there rocks ahead?

Fezzik: If there are, we all be dead.

Vizzini: No more rhyming now, I mean it!

Fezzik: Anybody want a peanut?

Vizzini: Aarrrrggghhhhhh!!!

And my favorite:

Vizzini: I suppose you think you're brave, don't you?

Buttercup: Only compared to some.

Enjoy your Monday, everyone.

Memories of Acadia

It's Sunday morning and I have no idea whether or not this will post. The speed is so slow, but I'm not going to get into that. I got a headache yesterday just thinking of it. So today I'm planning on only having good thoughts.

We're trying to plan a vacation to Maine for a week some time this summer. My husband needs to get away from the farm for awhile and the weather in Maine is beautiful. When we were younger, we used to go to Ocracoke Island, NC for our vacation week. I can still stand the heat of the beach, but my husband, not so much. He prefers it a little more cool and he enjoys all the hiking in Acadia National Park.

If you've never been there, you need to go at some point. Trust me. It's one of the most beautiful parks in the country. These pictures were taken with our little Sony Cybershot last August. We stayed at a rental house we found on the internet. It was about a half hour from the park, which was our destination every day. After walking all day, we'd come home to the hot tub and relax and have lobster for dinner. I loved our vacation last year and it was just what we needed.

My husband is looking for places to stay now, but it's just a little bit cumbersome with the internet speed. Oops, I forgot. I'm not complaining today.

The first shot is the view of Echo Lake from one of the trails we took. The hiking can be a bit rough, but the views are so rewarding and the feeling of accomplishment is great. Plus, I knew the hot tub, a fresh lobster dinner and a glass of wine was awaiting as another reward!

The second shot was taken from Cadillac Mountain. We'd started one of the trails up there, and the town of Bar Harbor is very small and right in the center of the picture, near the little islands you see. Bar Harbor gets pretty crowded, but it's a fun and bustling town to visit. Lots of cool shops and plenty of good restaurants. But we go for the nature because my husband is Nature Boy. You knew that, right?

I forgot to mention that I have off for the entire week to come. We always close the academic offices down after we get the report cards out. I've got a short road trip planned, among other things. And I need to tell you that George visits the vet on Tuesday for his, um, his little operation that will help him to overcome the burning need to hump my leg.

Photo Assignment #13

I love visiting Miriam Lovell Dyer’s photography site and when I’m able, I participate in her weekly photo assignments. If you are into photography, I suggest you visit her site! We’re up to #13 now and it’s the one I dread the most. And the only reason that I am posting it here is because I can’t get into my Flickr account. I’ve tried opening it up for the past hour now and I need to post my entry somewhere in order for Minna to comment on it. (Sorry, Minna). And due to my internet problems, I even got up early to do this. I have more speed early in the morning. Hey, that sounds funny! I do NOT like having my picture taken, and am not photogenic. I know a lot of you probably don’t like having yours taken either, and I can relate to your pain. If I were beautiful, then snap. Snap away! I’d even pose for you. I'd pose after drinking several glasses of wine, too, but that's another story for another day. But I am brave. Not too brave, though, as you can see. I’m not brave enough to come out of a tiny window of space and show all of me. But it’s enough to enter the assignment. And maybe some day, I will be more open. But today’s not the day. I shot this from my driver’s seat window of my car. It’s all I’m ready to show right now. So Minna, here’s my assignment, for what it’s worth.

Wild Blue Internet: Buyer beware

I’m posting this because I’m hoping it will come up in a google search that will be found by someone who’s looking into acquiring internet access through Wild Blue Internet Company. It should, with the name of the company in the title post. So, for those regular readers of this blog, I apologize for bringing all this up again. I just need to say it once more.

I’m a new WB customer, and have had the service for one month. Prior to this, I had dial-up and I think I was one of the last holdouts. Does anyone use dial-up anymore? It took about two weeks to finally get my internet running up to speed, after the installer was out here four separate times. I thought he worked for and represented Wild Blue, but he works for himself.

The dish is pointed well and we are receiving a perfect signal most of the time.

I called the company this past Monday, after the internet connection had been particularly slow for a couple of days, only to discover that I had been put on something they called “Time Out”. This is a 30-day punishment for those who go over their allotted threshold of downloads and uploads. I have the Valu Pak and wasn’t aware of a threshold, even though I read page after page of their contract. It was in a separate tab at the bottom of their main page that was so small, I didn’t even know it was there. It's under the Fair Trade Policy. The highest amount of information I can download is 7,500 mbps. The most I can upload is 2,300 mbps.

The company states that they’ll send customers an e-mail when they are getting close to their limit. I received nothing, and when I told one of the customer service reps this, they told me that “everyone says that” and they assured me they had sent it. I assured them that I had yet to receive it. Regardless, I think the consequences for going over a limit are a bit harsh, especially when I‘m a new customer who isn‘t very happy with them to begin with, and I hadn‘t been warned about the impending overage. But they have no incentive to keep their customers happy.

The Time Out gives you a connection, but it’s just so slow that, during peak hours (which is when I am home), it’s only good for checking mail and sometimes, we’re not even able to do that. The bad thing is that this lasts for 30 days. And if you go over the threshold again within that 30 day period, it begins again. On that day.

I am still being billed for the full amount, even though my service is almost non-existent. If I want out of the contract, I have to buy out, like it’s a cell phone contract. Ridiculous. I’ve heard two costs of buying out: one is $32 per month and the other is $50. This information came from two different people with whom I've spoken. Every time I’ve called, the technicians were working on some part of their computer system, or their phones were cutting off losing calls. It was something different every day. If you call, get the number of the person you’re talking to before you do anything else. And rest assured, you’ll be calling them back. This happened every single time I’ve called them.

I know that this blog doesn’t get tons of comments, but according to my stat counter, plenty of people are downloading the page on a daily basis. So I know it’s being read. And if this will warn just a few people, I’ll feel better.

I choose to live in the country and I’m not planning on moving just to have decent internet access. And Wild Blue and HughesNet are about the only game in town around here. Don’t tell me to get a phone access card through Sprint or Verizon. My Verizon cell usually works in the house, but I lose a lot of calls, too. So I’m pretty sure the internet connection would be the same way.

So what I’m saying is that if you have stumbled onto this blog because you googled Wild Blue Internet and found this, just beware. Sometimes I feel like I must have eaten a big bowl of stupid for breakfast because I didn’t research this company enough. I thought I had, but oh, well.

To all my friends in the blogging world, I'd love to visit your beautiful sites, but I can't just now. I try when I'm on breaks at work, but until I get out from under this rock, I'll see you when I can. And I will continue to take pictures and post when I am able and I will be content with all that I do have.

~ Country Girl

Having a zen moment with my green tea

When I got home today, I quickly changed and told my husband I was taking George out for a walk. So out the front door we went and headed towards the driveway, and after about a minute, I realized George wasn’t with me. And as I turned to call him, I noticed this utterly beautiful sight. And I was drawn towards the pond. And there was George waiting for me.

When I got to the crest of the hill, I stopped. And stared. And then I sat down and enjoyed the view. And took a deep breath. And I tell you, it felt so good to be sitting there. And you know what? I just didn’t feel like going for a walk. I just wanted to stay here for awhile.

I thought to myself that it would be really nice to have a drink of that iced tea I had made. So I went back into the house, got my camera, and a chair and a table and brought everything to the spot I had chosen and proceeded to sip my tea and enjoy the scenery. Then my husband called me for dinner. I love when my husband calls me for dinner! I love the fact that he cooks for me every night. I think it's his way of showing me how much he loves me. He says it's because he's hungry. I'm sticking with my original theory because it's so much more romantic.

So I went inside to collect my dinner and invited my husband and son outside to eat with me by the pond. My husband declined, saying he wanted to watch the news, but my son seemed intrigued by something different, I guess, so he and I went out and shared a meal while gazing upon this lovely view you see here. We talked, too, which is often rare with a 21 year-old.

Yes, I'm still in Time Out with the internet, but you see how I'm not letting it get to me, right? The biggest drag is that I can't visit all your beautiful blogs in the evening and I have to sneak a peak during lunchtime at school.

The tea I made is good for you. It's Bigelow's Green Tea with fresh lemon juice and grated ginger. It's really quite refreshing! Here's the recipe:

Green Tea with Lemon & Ginger

4 green tea bags (I used Bigelow original green)

1 1/2 tsp. finely grated ginger

6 Tbsp. sugar

3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

Boil 4 cups water and add tea bags and ginger. Let steep around 10 minutes. In pitcher, combine sugar and lemon juice then strain tea in through fine sieve. Add another 2 cups cold water. Serve over ice.

If you don't like ginger, reduce the amount until it suits. I used 2 tsp. and it was just too much.

After the Rain

I’m still in the Time Out that my internet service provider has imposed on me and some of the people I work with who I told the story to, laughed and told me that I was always a trouble-maker. But really, I didn’t see this coming (see post below, if you’re interested). I want to thank you all for your comments on yesterday’s post, and I’ll get it figured out. When you’re in Time Out, you get just about enough speed to check your mail, but not enough to get into anything else, like Blogger during peak hours. But it’s not going to deter me. I’m a pretty tough country girl and I’ve been through worse than this. It’s only the internet, for God's sake.

What I’m doing to get around the situation seems to be working for now, at least. I’m writing the posts in a word document in the evening and working on the pictures and getting them ready to upload. I re-size them to almost the size you see them here, and put them in a file. Then I’ll get up a half hour early the next day, get on Blogger, and since it’s not peak usage at 6:45 a.m., I’m able to pop everything into place.

After work today, I went to visit a co-worker who has a house right on the water, near the school, and although we were under a tornado warning, I wanted to meet her new Pembroke Welsh Corgi puppy. I'll have to go back with my camera. After I’d been there for a little while, the rain began to fall in torrents. We sat and watched it pour across the water and listened to the thunder. And when it had abated some, I headed home.

By the time I got here, the rain had stopped completely, and after dinner I took George for a walk down the driveway and back. I took several pictures and afterwards, played around with them in Photoshop, but none of them were anything to write home about. And while I was working in Photoshop, I looked up and out the window, saw the picture you see above. It caught my eye and will probably be terrible-looking when I upload it tomorrow, but I’ve only got a small window of time until I have to leave for work. It’s SOOC (straight out of camera), with a crop, and I’m letting it stand as is. So, for what it’s worth, here’s my offering to you today.

Have a great Thursday, everyone.

Time Out

Here’s a picture of George when he was just a puppy. It was taken last September, shortly after he came into our lives. He was born in Ellsworth, Maine and we traveled to Connecticut to meet his owners and pick him up. He was about 9 weeks old at the time I took this picture with our old Sony Cybershot.

He looks like he’s in time out, doesn’t he?

Well, I’m in Time Out right now with my internet provider. I swear to you, that’s what they told me when I called today to find out what was wrong with my service. I feel like a naughty child or something. You see, I am new to the world of satellite internet and bought the value package that Wild Blue internet offered. I found Wild Blue through my DirecTV service. I’m not very happy with my Wild Blue.

In my naiveness, I purchased the least expensive package that the company offered, thinking that the only difference between the three available packages was the speed of the uploads and downloads. I had no idea there was a cap on how much information one could upload and download within a month’s time. And in the 27 days that I’ve had the service, it’s only been working well for about a week. And in this time, I’ve gone over my allotment and am now in a probation period, not being permitted anything more than a certain download speed and upload speed. I had no warning, no e-mail, and no knowledge that this was going to happen. And the only way to get out of it is to comply by doing something that I really don’t understand, which is to only download 70% of my capacity. What the freak this means, I have no idea. I’d love to quit the contract, but there’s no doing that either. Apparently, you have to buy out of the contract. Or drop dead.

If you visit blogs, Myspace pages, Facebook pages, U-Tube downloads, this eats a lot of your monthly allotment. I’m not happy about this. My son, who is living here part-time visits 2 of these sites a lot and my husband has a penchant for U-Tube. He loves to download clips of old concerts and cute border collie tricks.

So I’m in Time Out and I’m not happy about it. Has anyone else in the blogging world had a similar experience? I should have gone with HughesNet, or maybe the grass is always greener . . .

Regardless, I’m now going to have to upgrade and spend another $30 per month to get the bigger package. It’s all such a racket, isn’t it? But this is what it’s like living in the country. It’d be nice to have a phone card thing like Sprint or Verizon offer, but my cell phone reception isn’t too great here, either. Hey, aside from all this, Country Life is great!

Remember to visit Kacey’s photo contest over at Wine On the Keyboard. I’m not asking you to vote for my entry. There’s some really cute ones in her contest this month and it’s just fun to check out the entries and vote!

Graduation

Graduation from our school was this evening, and I'm up late tonight going through the pictures I've taken. I'm the unofficial school photographer, and I took lots of pictures today, but this one really touched me. To me, this exemplifies Graduation.

I've known Caroline and her family since she was just a little girl. And I have the honor of calling her mother, Mary, my friend. Caroline is the last in her family to graduate from our school and now that it's come to an end, I think I understand how her mother must feel just by looking at this picture.

I'll miss so many of these seniors, but even more importantly, I'll miss the families they're attached to. Things change and time marches on. And this is the reason I love being behind a camera lens. I love capturing these moments and giving them as gifts to people I love.

Something new for you

A night on the water

I'm writing this at 10 o'clock in the morning on the last Saturday of May and I've just returned from a wonderful evening spent with friends on their boat, harbored in a marina that's not too far from where I live.

I'm not posting it until much later in the day because we've had a storm that came through here and I was knocked off the internet for quite some time.

What a different experience for me this was. If you're familiar with marinas, you'll know that it's sort of like a high-end trailer park on the water (my friend, Tracey's words). And this one, really high-end. Each spot (a slip) is rented out for the season and comes with the amenities you'll need for your boat, e.g. water, electricity, etc., and you can add on a storage compartment if need be, too. This particular marina's club membership includes a community pool, super clean shower houses and laundry facilities, tennis courts, and I could just go on and on. There's even a water taxi service if you'd like to run to one of the nearby restaurants on the water, or just be dropped off at one of the swimming beaches nearby. It's amazing.

And when I pulled into the marina parking lot, with Lynn following behind me, on the beautiful evening that last night turned out to be, I realized that this was the life for me. No, I didn't. Not then, at least. It wasn't until later.

It wasn't until I saw their boat . . .

Yes, I could definitely live on a boat like this, for awhile at least. It's sort of like camping, but in luxury accommodations. I liked the fact that every inch of extra space was used for storage, and I liked the compact space, the elegance and just the downright sexiness of this boat! Wow. Did I just say that out loud?

This is Captain Brian. He is a genial host and knowledgeable waterman. If I remember correctly, this is the 2nd season with this particular boat. He also makes an excellent bartender, but I have yet to try one of his bloody mary's because I had to leave early this morning. So Brian, if you're reading this, be warned that I may have to return for one of those drinks! Oh, and I'm sorry that I Photoshopped the name of your town out of this picture. Actually, I'm not sorry I did it. I just don't want to put too much personal information out there, ok?

This is Tracey. She's in charge of all the inside stuff and I felt like an honored guest. She showed me how to work the head (the toilet) and the showers. And the most important thing: turning on the coffee pot in the morning. This is very important. Whomever gets up first in the morning MUST push the coffee button. I think an electrical field in the marina may cause it to be be sucked into a vortex if the coffee button doesn't get pushed, so we MUST. PUSH. THE BUTTON. It's sorta like when we met Desmond on Lost. Sorry, guys. I'm teasing, but I'm hoping you're laughing.

Ok, On To Other Things ~ Tracey wanted to carry my camera bag when she walked me back to my car this morning. I've had this old Nikon bag for about 15 years and am in the market for another. Gosh, has it been 15 years? Not that I can afford it right away, but I like to know what's out there so I can properly lust after it. I was looking at Jessica Claire's Shootsacs, but they're really not for me. I mean, if I was a real photographer going on 'shoots' all the time, it would be excellent for the constant changing of lenses. But I need something that actually fits my camera as well. Maybe a Crumpler, but they're too expensive. Ok, I'm digressing again, I know it.

Well, my friends have both worked really hard to get here, both of them. And I think it's wonderful that they had me out to share an evening with them on their beautiful boat. Oh, and here's what Tracey has planned for today: She's practicing swimming in the river for a triathlon she's entered in later this summer. She's got a wetsuit and everything! It's making me want to take a nap. The energy she has . . . it's just amazing. She's a trainer and owns her own gym, too. Ok. I'm definitely taking a nap now. Before I go, here is a cute little dog that was checking us out while we were walking to my car this morning. He was having a little nap on his owner's boat deck and we must have woken him. Tracey, you should tell Brian that you need a little dog like this for your boat! Ha! I think he makes a nice accoutrement, don't you?

Well, hope you enjoyed the view from the Chesapeake Bay here in Maryland this morning!

Is that a banana in your pocket?

I'm saddened to report that no one has won the Weekend Guessing Game. I guess it was just too difficult this week. I should have warned you, too, that these are extreme close-up pictures. What looks big is actually small. So I'm sorry if people new to this blog didn't know that.

This is a close-up picture of a banana that's been sliced straight across. I took the picture and then I ate it.

Please come back next weekend when I'll have a new photo to guess.

It's always good to see new players! Welcome to all of you. So, until next Friday . . .

Weekend Guessing Game #17

You thought I'd forget, didn't you? Well, due to the magic of autopost, I'm able to post this while I'm away. Actually, I've known about autopost for awhile, it's just that you have to actually WRITE a post in order to have it autopost. Unfortunately, it doesn't autowrite for you. Ha!

Welcome to this week's installment of the Weekend Guessing Game. The game in which you try to guess what the heck this picture could be. To answer, click on the comment button at the bottom of this post. If you're answering anonymously, please leave your first name, or your initials. And the reward, you ask? Well, there isn't one. Just the satisfaction that you won the Weekend Guessing Game at this site. Just ask previous winners how popular they are now and they'll tell you! Yes, they'll tell you that they're not, really. But to win! How exciting, eh?

So game on now, as of 6 PM EST. Winner will be announced Saturday (that's tomorrow) at 6 PM. Have fun with it, because there are no clues this week. Another easy one for ya!

Oh, by the way, if you see the answer already posted, or it looks to you as if it's already posted, just guess anyway. You can guess the same thing, or you can guess something funny, like your aunt's porridge when it went bad that one summer when you were little (like I would have a picture of your aunt's porridge). I love reading your answers!

So, until tomorrow evening, my friends . . .

Oh, and PS -- It's not a grapefruit. I already did a grapefruit. Just in case you're wondering. In fact, it probably isn't anything remotely edible. But maybe it is. I don't even remember now.

It's a crutch for creativity, it is

I took this picture a few weeks ago while I was out for a walk with George. I had my macro lens on the camera and came home with lots of little pictures of plantlife and such. You know, really exciting stuff.

Anyway, this horse came up to me while I was walking along the fenceline and just sort of posed there. So I took her picture. I mean, I think she wanted me to. And I had no idea that I could take a big picture like this with my macro lens and well, it just surprised me when I opened it up. The fence came up in very minute detail, and after playing around with it and using Pioneer Woman's free actions on it, namely the B&W Beauty, and the Slight Edge Burn, I liked the way it came out.

Oh, and disregard the Country Girl stuff. I was toying with the idea of creating a new header at the time, and went with the geese you see at the top instead. But still, I thought it was a cool picture. Besides, I didn't take the camera with me while I was out with George on the walk today. And I'm super busy tonight working on a project at home for Graduation at our school on Sunday. So I'm resorting to stock pictures. (Sounds professional, doesn't it?)

Every year since 2002, I've made what we call the Senior Board. It's a display board that I put together that features all the seniors with lots of pictures, quotes I take from the yearbook, and just stuff I make up along the way. People have no idea how much I slave over this project, because well, they just don't think about that sort of thing. But we keep these boards for years. We're still using the ones from 2002 and on, as displays when we have Open Houses, and Upper School Nights. So I want them to look nice. And to look nice, it takes time. And love.

Oh, and wine. Remember when I said I NEVER drink during the week? Well, I never do unless it's a special occasion. And, this is a special occasion. And I don't know why, but the wine just makes me more creative. I hate to use pinot grigio as a crutch for creativity, but it's how it is.

So, come back tonight at 6 PM when I post this week's Weekend Guessing Game! And yes, I'm definitely remembering this time because (hold your breath, folks) I am autoposting it. So there.

Tomorrow evening, I plan on being with friends on a boat. Actually, it's Tracey and Lynn (if Lynn shows up). Tracey's boat is in a marina just about 20 minutes from my house and she's invited me and some other friends to come and spend some time with her. I'll let you know how it all goes. I've never seen her boat before! So this should be fun. Especially because it's Tracey. And Lynn.

A contest for amateur photographers

Kacey, over at Wine on the Keyboard is hosting another Photo of the Month Contest at her blog. If there are any amateur photographers who'd like to enter, please visit her site. You can read about the contest here . I think the entry deadline is within a couple of days.

There isn't a prize, just the fame you'll get from winning. This month's theme is Motherhood and I was thinking of using the photo above, but I entered a horse in last month's contest and don't want to be doing too much of the same thing. I used my new actions from Kevin Kubota, along with one of Pioneer Woman's, the Lovely and Ethereal.

Kacey over at the Wine on the Keyboard is a true computer wiz. I think what she should do as a a prize is to design one of those little buttons you see on people's blogs, one that would say "Winner. Best Photo of the Month" at . . . and then list her blog.

Yeah, that's what I think.

Adrienne in black & white

Readers of this blog should know my friend, Adrienne, by now. She's actually the daughter of my best friend, Karen. She comments as Acorn, when she comments. She's usually too busy with her job, her dog, and lately with travel. Today she called my cell phone. While I was at school. Here's how the conversation went, as I recall:

A: "Hey, Katy!"

CG: (in a whisper) "Um, hey Adrienne. What's up? I'm at work."

A: "Well, guess where I am?"

CG: "God only knows, Adrienne. It could be anywhere."

A: "I'm at a bar in Key West. Renee (her sister) and I are having a beer!"

CG: "Um, that sounds like fun. Wish I was there."

A: "So guess what the bartender's name is? You won't believe it! It's Katy!!! So we thought we'd better call you right away."

CG: "Well, that's good. Drink at toast to me, ok?"

A: "Yeah, we already did. And we're about to toast you again. Just wanted to say hi!!!"

We then hung up, but I told her to check the blog tonight because I was posting a nice picture of her. I took this picture back in December, shortly after my husband had given me the camera for my birthday. And I have to be honest, people. On Sunday, I did something bad.

On Sunday, I had a few glasses of a lovely pinot grigio. And by a few, I mean the whole bottle. Please don't judge me. It took a long time to drink it, and by the time I was finished, I had discovered that I'd been online at Kevin Kubota's site and I ended up purchasing a set of his actions for Photoshop that I'd been lusting after.

How this happened, I don't know.

So I've been playing around with a lot of the black & white effects. For this picture, I had first gotten it to where I'd wanted it to be, cropping it and doing other things that for the life of me, I can't recall. I originally worked on the picture back in December and I don't recall exactly what I did to fix the picture. But I opened up the retouched color picture and added a "skin cream" effect to prepare it for the black & white process. The one I chose was "Chocolate Syrup 2". Originally, I'd chosen it just because I liked the name, and then after I used it, I realized how much I really liked it.

Well, I'm vowing off the wine for now, and am truly sorry for what I've done. Well, sort of. Here's the original image below. And there's my friend, Karen, in the background. I think the finished product looks so much nicer in black & white.