Not-so-traditional Thanksgiving

K and Belle (L-R) — The Girls (L-R), K and Belle

I hope you folks in the US enjoyed your Thanksgiving. Ours was interesting.

As I mentioned the other day, we didn’t have any meal plans for turkey day. A couple of weeks ago, when I was cataloging VA LOVEworks I still needed to capture, I mentioned planning a trip in the car, since Winter is approaching. Hubby said he’d go along, so I suggested doing it on Thanksgiving.

Hubby started a diet recently, and I knew we wouldn’t be preparing a traditional meal for the two of us. So I figured a road trip would be better than sitting around the house.

Not only did Hubby go along, we took the furkids, too. That’s something we rarely do. In fact, we’ve never spent the night in a hotel with these two. K is a good car rider. Belle doesn’t like car rides. Neither of them gets carsick, thank goodness, but Belle does a lot of panting unless we’re on an interstate or other smooth, fast-moving road. I was a bit worried that they’d be a real nuisance, but they actually did good on the ride.

I’d planned on capturing seven of the large LOVEworks and one smaller one, which I knew to be indoors. I also included two roadside oddities, which I knew wouldn’t be enjoyed by all participants. But, since both were in areas we’d be passing through anyway, I included them.

Traveling in a clockwise direction, our first stop was in Lynchburg. Wait, I mean our first planned stop was in Lynchburg, we first had to stop at Wal-Mart to buy a dog leash. We’d forgotten to grab the leashes before leaving home and could only find one in the car.

My Traveling Companions at the Lynchburg LOVEwork

Mike, being a good sport, tried to get both of the girls to look at me for a pic. I took about ten shots before giving up.

Also in Lynchburg, within sight of the LOVEwork, were “the red high-heeled shoes of a giantess,” as described on RoadsideAmerica.com.

Giant Red Shoes along the Lynchburg Waterfront

Not knowing when, if ever, I’d get back to Lynchburg, I wanted to see the shoes. There were other oddities, like an enema collection, large metal water pitcher, and Easter Island head, but I didn’t want to push it.

From there, we headed south and west toward Lambsburg. The LOVEwork is actually located at the Virginia Welcome Center along the northbound side of I-77, so we dipped down into North Carolina then headed north on the interstate.

The weather was warm — mid-60s F / about 18 C — dry, and partly cloudy, which made for some interesting skies.

That’s my favorite LOVE image from the trip. The light was perfect and there was a break in the clouds.

From there, we headed west toward Abingdon, where we’d reserved a hotel room for the night. A good bit of the Lambsburg-to-Abingdon leg was along The Crooked Road Trail (a portion of US-58), which goes past Grayson Highlands State Park, a place I’d been wanting to visit. I’d read there was a pretty good view from the park. As it turns out, the Internet was right.

I’d hoped to see downtown Abingdon’s Main Street at night, but Hubby was tired after those 380 miles in the car. The girls needed some people time, too. So, we got a mediocre-to-crappy meal at Cracker Barrel, which was right next to the hotel, then hunkered down for the night. (By sheer coincidence, Abingdon was almost exactly the halfway point of our journey.)

After a yummy breakfast, we were off.

I’d stopped in Abingdon in July, but the sculpture had been damaged during a storm and removed for repair, so I missed it. I’m glad I got the chance to go back. Not capturing the Abingdon piece wouldn’t have been a huge deal, but it’s a pretty town in a very nice area.

We also stopped at Holston Mountain Artisans, a craft co-op which has an indoor LOVEwork I’d hoped to see. They have a barn quilt on the outside of their building, so I actually got a chance to see a full-size barn quilt up close for the first time. (The standard side on a big barn is 8′ by 8′ (about 2.5 x 2.5 meters) square.

Holston Mountain Artisans' Barn Quilt — Holston Mountain Artisans’ Barn Quilt

Hubby actually discovered a second, smaller barn quilt behind the building, which I’ll share later. Sadly, the shop didn’t open for another hour or so and we had a lot of ground to cover, so off we went.

Dricing northeast toward Tazewell — Driving northeast toward Tazewell

I forgot to mention earlier that it was a very pretty day for a drive.

The next planned stop was Tazewell, where we’d capture the piece I was most excited about seeing.

I couldn’t resist stopping to see the barn quilts on this not-yet-open arts center. Speaking of barn quilts… wanna know why I was so excited about seeing the Tazewell piece, which was also added very recently?

It is a barn quilt LOVEwork! I’m not doing a barn quilt scavenger hunt, I just really enjoy seeing them.

That piece is in a really, really cool location, too, which I’ll tell you about in a separate post.

Not all LOVEworks have to be standalone art works. The Blacksburg piece is a very nicely done mural.

We also revisited neighboring Christiansburg to capture a pic of the piece we’d ridden past in July because it was rush hour and too dang hot to stop.

Again, not seeing it wouldn’t have been a big deal. There are no hard and fast rules to this self-imposed scavenger hunt, but since we were in the area, we stopped.

We were supposed to see a seventh LOVEwork. Unfortunately, I’d failed to notice that the LOVEwork at the Silver Hearth Lodge, which was one of the more-recent additions to the growing list of sites, is on private property and you’re supposed to make a appointment to see the thing. We took our chances and drove up to the lodge anyway, but didn’t see the LOVEwork.

I don’t think pieces should be included on the official/master list of LOVEworks unless they are publicly accessible around the clock. I can’t be the only person to have driven to see a specific piece only to be thwarted because a piece was behind closed gates and/or doors.

The next-to-last planned stop for the day was a must-see for me. I missed it the first time I visited Roanoke.

I had planned the route, but Hubby was in charge of entering it into the GPS. His label for the next stop should tell you how unexcited he was about that one.

I was excited, but the girls were ambivalent.

I should have made the girls get out of the car, but sunset was fast approaching and I wanted Hubby to see downtown Roanoke. As it turns out, he wasn’t impressed.

Looking west from Roanoke, just before sunset.

That was the end of day two. Not counting the uneventful drive home from Roanoke. I think it was just before 8:00 p.m. when we got back to Warrenton. The girls were especially excited to be back home. We were, too.

Now, if I could just muster up an iota of Christmas spirit, I might get something done today.

April 12, 2015

Out and About

Mother Nature has been teasing us with little outbursts of Spring.

Belle is enjoying herself more than it seems.

While yesterday would have been a nice day to ride, we had some things on our to-do list than needed doing.

And today’s weather is supposed to be even better. So we decided to get the chores out of the way on Saturday, leaving Sunday wide open for FUN.

The first big thing on the to-do list was de-winterizing the WV Place. Mike had decided to shut off the heat and water for the winter, hoping to avoid another ugly, very inconvenient, and costly freezing of the pipes incident.

Notice I said “hoping to”? Apparently, enough water lingered in the shower valve that it froze, causing the shower valve to fail. So, when he turned the water back on, the shower wouldn’t turn off. Crap. Not a huge deal, just another inconvenience.

We also had to move a dresser from the VA house to the WV Place. If it hadn’t been for that, we would have taken the bikes. Alas, taking the truck meant the dogs could join us.

It was a real treat for them, they LOVE the WV Place.

Can you tell that they’re happy? K, aka The Huntress, was so obsessed with whatever critter was cowering in the woodpile that I literally had to drag her away to get her to come home. Crazy mutt.

While Spring appears to really be settling in here in VA, it’s just barely starting to make an appearance near the WV Place, which is about 100 miles northwest of here and at a somewhat higher elevation. We thought for sure some of the Redbud and Dogwood trees would be in bloom. We thought wrong.

I did see some evidence of Spring.

I can’t remember what those flowers are called. They’re only two to three inches tall, with blooms about half an inch across. They may be tiny, but at least it’s evidence that Spring is on its way, albeit very slowly.

It’s always a relief to see the WV Place surviving without out us.

I can’t remember whether or not I told y’all we had not one, but TWO signed contracts on the place last year. Signed, as in we thought it was a done deal. Buyer number one had some sort of family emergency. The second buyer had “buyer’s remorse.” We could not believe that was their actual excuse. Bastards.

So it’s still on the market. Sigh.

The dogs did seem to enjoy the brief visit. Even if K spent almost the entire time glued to the woodpile.

At least it was a pretty day for a drive. I even spotted a barn quilt along the way.

Barn Quilt in Pleasantdale, West Virginia

I know that’s a crappy picture. I thought for sure we’d spot others, since Hampshire County now has a barn quilt trail. It would have been helpful had I remembered before we left. Then I would’ve been equipped with a map. They’re not as easy to find as one would think. And cell coverage is so painfully slow in those parts, that trying to use my phone to locate them was frustrating me more than it was worth.

That was our Saturday.

Imagine my chagrin this morning when I looked at my weather app to see this crazy-weird report. There was a frost advisory, current temp was 36 degress (F), with a forecast for a high temperature of 70 degrees.

That’s Spring for you.

Now, I need to go plan a route for today’s ride. I hope you all enjoy your Sunday.

March 15, 2015March 15, 2015

Not Just Another Doggie Transport

CORRECTION: I goofed. You’l see my fix in red below. In short, Nancy is the coordinator for two Brittany rescue groups. Transports are executed without distinguishing between the two groups.

I helped out on another doggie transport yesterday. I’ve mentioned transports here before. I even described a “transport” as a time when a dog rescue group needs to get a dog or dogs from point A to point B, usually over a long distance. Along the way, folks volunteer to drive 50- to 100-mile segments. It’s like a big doggie relay.

But that makes it sound so simple. There’s a TON of work, coordination, and cooperation that goes into pulling off these “relays,” and yesterday I was thinking a big shout-out is due to the folks who make this happen consistently.

Dog rescue is interesting. Cat rescue is similar, I’m sure. Sometimes, people wonder why it seems like one has to jump through so many hoops to rescue an animal in need. Those people, who have likely never been involved with a volunteer rescue group, fail to realize the level of effort, sometimes on a huge scale and involving many volunteers, that goes into rescuing an animal in need.

First, there’s the surrender/rescue. A volunteer has to accept the animal being rescued from an owner surrendering the animal. Or a volunteer has to pull an animal from a shelter, usually at the drop of a hat, because euthanasia is imminent.

Then that animal goes to a foster home. Ideally, the foster will be close to where surrender/rescue occurred. Sometimes, if there are no local foster homes with openings, the dog has to be transported over a long distance. On occasion, there are no available foster homes, and the animal has to be placed in a boarding facility, at great cost to the rescue group.

Remember, people volunteer to foster animals. That typically means one agrees to safely house, nurture, and feed the animal at their own expense. Fosters are also responsible for arranging for veterinary care. That can sometimes mean paying the vet bills then submitting receipts for reimbursement. Some rescues and vets will handle expenses among themselves, so the foster doesn’t have to pay.

When there are medical issues, and there usually are at least minor issues, the foster may have to medicate the animal, take it back and forth to the vet many times, nurse it back to health, etc.

Whether healthy or sickly, an animal usually spends at least a couple of weeks with a foster for evaluation. It’s a foster’s job to get to know the animal’s like and dislikes, personality, etc. For dogs, that means determining whether or not it is friendly to people, food-aggressive, has separation anxiety, likes cats or likes to kill cats, walks well on a leash, is content behind a four-foot fence, requires a six-foot fence, or is determined to escape from within any height or type of enclosure.

During this time, fosters can become attached to the animal. Which is why they care and want to make absolutely sure they end up in a good, safe place, with people who will care about them, treat them well, see to their medical needs, etc.

Sorry, that explanation got a bit longer than I’d expected, but it’s important.

As for getting a dog, or a cat, from point A to point B, it is the Transport Coordinator’s job to coordinate those efforts. Once they are notified that there’s an animal to be transported — they’re usually told the start and end points — they spring into action to map out a route. Things are never as easy as they sound, trust me. That mapping doesn’t just mean planning the route, but also breaking it up into segments, known as “legs,” manageable enough for volunteers along the way.

Then, they send out a transport request, typically by e-mail, but they also use other methods like Facebook posting, Internet forums/bulletin boards, perhaps a blog, etc. When I get these requests, I review each one to see whether or not there’s a NEEDED leg I can fill.

Here’s a map of my route yesterday.

New England Brittany Rescue (NEBR) and National Brittany Rescue and Adoption Network (NBRAN) share a Rock-star coordinator. Her name is Nancy Walker. Like many of us volunteers, she helps other rescues, too. (Other Brittany rescue groups, include American Brittany Rescue (ABR) and Brittany Rescue in Texas (BRIT), to name a few.)

Nancy will probably read this and accuse me of exaggerating about her contribution. But I’m not.

Nancy did call me. But only because she felt bad that I goofed and didn’t mention that she transports dogs for NBRAN and NEBR.

Sorry, NEBR, that was my fault entirely. I completely missed this in Nancy’s e-mail signature, “Brittany Transport Team – National Brittany Rescue (NBRAN)/New England Brittany Rescue (NEBR)”

Essentially, getting dogs where they need to be is a joint effort between groups, which just means an even bigger network of volunteers is involved.

Nancy also serves on the NBRAN Board. AND, in addition to Transport Coordinator, which is a full-time job in and of itself, she’s also the State Coordinator for at least four states. Being a State Coordinator for just one state is a big job. Describing what that entails will require a separate post.

I thought sharing the text from the request for the transport I was involved in on Saturday would help you appreciate the amount of work each transport involves. Do take a look at that run sheet, okay? A document like that is required for every transport. Each one.

Oh, and I just learned from The Rock Star herself earlier today that there’s a boatload of official government paperwork required for many of the transports, too. I had no idea there were specific laws, quarantine rules, and licensing requirements in some states. Some states even require foster homes to be licensed. Jeez. I’m sure there are reasons, but it just adds a whole ‘nother level of complexity to this already mammoth task.

On Saturday, Nancy the Rock Star was responsible for six transports. And sometimes, as with my transport, multiple animals are involved.

Nancy has to update each run sheet as legs are filled. Adding info such as driver names, contact information, vehicle descriptions, designated meeting place, etc. She publishes a final sheet before the transport starts. And then, while each transport is underway, it is Nancy who monitors the progress, fielding phone calls after each hand-off and sending e-mail updates to all drivers involved.

There were at least 23 drivers involved in just my transport alone yesterday. Think of all the e-mails and phone calls associated with just that one transport.

Wanna see yesterday’s passengers?

If you were wondering why Cracker Barrel at Exit 222 off I-81 was noted on the map, it was the meeting spot in Staunton. It’s convenient to the interstate, has a potty, which folks like me appreciate, and a big parking lot with a secluded grassy area that’s perfect for doggie potty stops, too. I’ve been there on at least two occasions when other rescue groups were also doing hand-offs. Arby’s was the meeting spot in Staunton. During my last stop there, at least one other group was handing off.

Diana, the lady I handed Cyrus and Princess off to in Strasburg, drove the two dogs north to Hagerstown, Maryland, another transport hot-spot, since it’s near the intersection of I-81 and I-70. A second transport was also heading south, so Diana brought another dog back to the Strasburg area. Diana also brought a borrowed crate (long story) back from Hagerstown with her, which I picked up from her in a nearby town this morning.

At least one other Brittany transport was going through Hagerstown yesterday, too, carrying a puppy from Michigan to Culpeper, Virginia.

Transports are a huge, HUGE part of the rescue process. I’m hopeful this post will inspire others to volunteer. It was a half-day road trip for me, which I thoroughly enjoyed. If you don’t have that much time, or don’t like to drive far, you could just volunteer for transports that pass a bit closer to your house. If you live near a major interstate, chances are very good that rescue transports are passing nearby all the time.

Just think about it, okay? It takes a lot more effort to rescue these animals than you might imagine. Every single volunteer and every donation, small or large, counts.

Before I sign off, I have to report that there was a bit of a hitch in yesterday’s transport plan. The dogs are all safe, but the transport got a bit stalled due to, get this, the volcano in Costa Rica!

Here’s some of the text from Nancy’s e-mail late last night.

Christine was supposed to pick up Dash and Cyrus tomorrow and take them home to Maine. She was vacationing in Costa Rica and has gotten stuck there due to the volcano erupting. The planes are not taking off due to the ash. She will probably get on a fight out of the tomorrow morning, but we are not sure, so Dash and Cyrus need to stay with LeeAnn instead of leaving in the morning.

Princess will continue on as planned.

Nancy had to scramble into action again, to secure a place for Cyrus and Dash to rest their heads until Christine is available. Never a dull moment.

So, the next time you see a transport request, think about pitching in. Volunteering for a leg or two doesn’t require much effort, but it could be THE link in a chain that means life or death for an animal or animals.

Also, if you know Nancy, make sure you let her know how much you appreciate the fabulous job she’s doing. She’s a Rock Star, I tell you. NBRAN is very lucky to have her on their team.

February 15, 2015February 15, 2015

LOVE Captured on Valentine’s Day

While daydreaming about fun warmer weather excursions recently, I came up with an idea for my own little scavenger hunt.

Who doesn’t LOVE a scavenger hunt? Especially if it means getting out on the motorcycle (or in the car; I’m easy on my “rules”).

The tourism folks in the state of Virginia — our motto being Virginia is for Lovers — are behind a push to have LOVE artworks erected throughout the state. I’d seen a couple already, and LOVE the idea, so I thought it would be fun to try and capture pics of each one this year.

Virginia is a big state — on the map, I’m about 3/4 inch SW of Washington, DC — but I think it’s doable. I’ve actually captured three already.

LOVE_map — Click on the map to visit the VA LOVE Web site.

I helped out on a dog transport yesterday. A “transport” is when a rescue needs to get a dog or dogs from point A to point B, usually over a long distance. Along the way, folks volunteer to drive 50- to 100-mile segments. It’s like a big doggie relay.

I was responsible for picking up two dogs in Staunton, VA and taking them to Strasburg, VA. They started off in Ferrum, VA and were headed to Conesus, NY. I believe their previous owner had health issues, which is why they were surrendered.

Anyway… I decided to multi-task on the mini road trip. It was Valentine’s Day, after all, and LOVE was on my mind. Sort of. (We don’t celebrate Valentine’s Day. Only because we both think it’s sorta a contrived holiday, not because there’s any lack of love.)

LOVE_Waynesboro — LOVE in Waynesboro, VA (captured on Valentine’s Day)

I really liked the fishing theme of the Waynesboro piece.

Once I arrived at the site, I got out of the car to snag a few pics. A youngish couple got out of their car and asked me to take a picture of them. Of course, I obliged. They got one of me, too. Then, oddly, said, “Maybe we’ll run into you again.”

I must have given them an odd look, because the guy quickly explained that they were spending their weekend visiting LOVE spots throughout Virginia. That made my heart happy. What a great way to spend Valentine’s weekend, eh?

Culpeper is about a 30-minute drive SW of Warrenton (my hometown). Hubby and I went there for lunch a couple of weeks ago.

I captured the Luray LOVE sign back in January, while en route to another Staunton-to-Strasburg transport. I’ve only seen three LOVE pieces so far, but the Luray sign is my least favorite. It doesn’t exactly stand out.

I’m actually excited about seeing more, especially since there are some located near family members I don’t often get to see. And there are others in places I wouldn’t normally visit.

There are a couple more LOVE pieces I could have captured yesterday, but they’re along an awesome motorcycle road, so I decided to save them for later. Maybe Hubby can share that LOVE with me. LOL.

Speaking of awesome motorcycle roads, it was sort of torturous to be in the middle of prime motorcycle riding country AND seeing the mountains. I was excited to be out and about, though.

Did you know that Waynesboro is near where Skyline Drive ends and the Blue Ridge Parkway begins? And Strasburg is actually near Front Royal, which is where Skyline Drive begins. I had to go through Front Royal to get home, anyway, so I decided to drive the northern segment of the drive, from Front Royal to US-211 at Thornton Gap.

It was cold, but quite interesting. We had an arctic cold front push through yesterday afternoon, so the skies for most of the day were quite moody, to say the least.

I’ll save the other pics I captured yesterday for my next post.

February 9, 2015

Welcome Escape

Not only did Hubby and I get out of the house yesterday, we got to ride our motorcycles.

Imagine a big smile on my face, ‘kay?

The weather has been rather crappy round here. Lots of cold, but little snow.

I know you folks in the Northeast have probably about had it with snow, but we haven’t seen much here.

It could be my fault. I finally decided to buy snow boots for my dogs. And weather-proof coats. So, now that they’re fully equipped, we won’t get snow.

That’s just how my luck works.

Anyway… temps actually got into the 70s (F) yesterday. Can you believe that? So, even though poor Hubby now has the cold I’ve had for a couple of weeks, and he’s hacking and coughing like crazy, we decided to go for a ride.

On a day like this…

sky — Yesterday afternoon, after the ride.

We would have been crazy NOT to go.

But we didn’t go far. We rode for about 30 minutes to this taqueria I’d sampled before, but Hubby hadn’t tried.

tacos — Tacos! Clockwise from top, Cecina, Carnitas, and Barbacoa de Cabra.

It was delicious. We’ll be going back to the Taqueria Jasmine in Bealeton again for sure.

It’s gotten cold again. And rainy. I’m still hoping we get some snow soon. You know, so the girls get to use their spiffy new boots outdoors some more.

Here’s a shot of the girls in their new hi-vis, weather-resistant coats.

hi-vis-dogs — They’re not crazy about getting wet. And I’m not crazy about drying them off.

As for the boots… some folks think they’re silly. My girls don’t mind being bootless in the snow on grass, but when we’re walking on the sidewalks and streets around town, they get snowballs stuck between their toes. And then they limp, refusing to let the impacted foot touch the ground until I stop and clear the snow from their toes.

With eight feet, that gets old pretty fast. When Meg was still with us, I had twelve paws to deal with. She would’ve NEVER worn boots, though. Heck, I could never have gotten them onto her. She hated having her feet touched.

Wanna see the first tryout?

They actually got used to the boots pretty quickly. They love their nightly walks, so I knew they’d never refuse to go. And they didn’t. But they definitely need more practice.

January 1, 2015January 1, 2015

Reflecting on 2014

It’s that time again… the very first day in a brand-new year.

One of the cool things about having a blog is that it makes it REALLY easy to look back on major, and not-so-major, events.

I had to laugh when I read my pal Fuzzy’s annual re-cap and saw that she said “…it often feels like I never go anywhere and I never do anything…” She does a lot of fun stuff. I found it funny because I feel that way often, too. And I also did a lot in 2014. I didn’t ride my motorcycle nearly as much as I’d hoped to, but I got around.

As much as I appreciate being able to work from home, I think it makes me feel like I never go anywhere. On a day-to-day basis, my scenery doesn’t change much. Not that I’m complaining. I just want y’all to understand where that “I never go anywhere” feeling comes from.

For me, 2014 was an interesting year. More ups than downs, fortunately, but some of the downs were pretty low. Fuzzy and I really are kindred spirits in many ways. She said something else that rang true for me, too… “Much of 2014 was spent learning lessons about dealing with people and dealing with myself.”

Some of those lessons were harder than others, but I learned. I know I am not perfect. I try to be a good person, I do. (Of course, “good” is relative.) I can’t make everyone happy. Honesty is not always the best policy. People are complex creatures. I just need to live my life the best way I know how, for better or worse.

Anyway… here’s my look-back at 2014.

There were a few things I said I’d be doing that actually happened.

1. Hubby, Mike, and I took his Mom out to Washington State to visit Amy and her family (February).

2. Eric, our youngest kid, and his wife moved to Spain. But not until the end of September.

3. Hubby and I enjoyed another visit to Europe with our friends (September).

There were some things I’d hoped to do, but didn’t. Like get out on my bike more. Perhaps 2015 will be my year.

And there was a LOT of stuff I didn’t anticipate or plan. I hope you enjoy the re-cap.

January

We suffered a broken pipe at the WV Place. It was an oogy mess. Really.

It could have been much worse. It was sheer luck that Hubby discovered the break when he did.

The place actually cleaned up much better than we’d expected. There was only one broken pipe and it was really easy for Hubby to fix. Also, the contractor we found to do the major, labor-intensive repairs, eventually did a great job. It just took him a while to get around to doing the work (weather was the biggest factor).

February

On the whole, February was a quiet month.

The biggest event was that trip to Washington State to visit Amy and her family. You can read about it here (Part 1) and here (Part 2).

On a smaller scale, there was this cool lace-making demonstration at The Empty Nest.

March

We slid quietly into and through March.

First was the not-so-eventful trashcan redesign.

Then there was the visit with my girlfriends, Carol and Tracey. We’ve known each other for close to 40 years. The older I get, the more I appreciate these gals.

Friends are the family you choose. Good ones are worth keeping. It takes effort, though. There have been ups and downs over the years, of course, as we all lead different lives and have grown into people with very different interests. But our hearts will always be connected. We live in separate states, have widely varied responsibilities, schedules, hobbies, etc., but we make sure we stay connected.

Speaking of connected, my friend Brad came for a visit at the end of March. We’ve been friends since high school. We are both horrible at keeping in touch, but that connection runs deep and will always be there. I hope we are able to get together again soon.

April

I had a very nice surprise in April when my employer invited me down to Texas for a sales meeting. I hadn’t been back to Texas since joining the company in January of 2012. I’d never had a chance to explore much, so I stayed a few extra days and moseyed around the state a bit. It was lots of fun. It helped chase away those winter blues, too.

Post and picture links are provided below, if you’re interested:

Day 1: Friday in Austin — BLOG POST
Day 2: Saturday, Austin to Port Aransas — BLOG POST | Flickr pics
Day 3: Sunday, In and Around Port Aransas — BLOG POST | Flickr pics
Day 4: Monday, Port Aransas to Austin, then Home — BLOG POST | Flickr pics
Bonus – Sunset Captures in Port Aransas

May

The biggest event in May was Hubby’s unveiling of Grandfather’s Clock. If you haven’t seen that post yet, you should take a look. It’s all about the clock that talented Hubby of mine built completely from scratch, using black walnut harvested by his grandfather. There are lots of pics, too.

Oh, and I shared a video in a separate post., which includes even more images. It’s Mike’s finest woodworking project to date. It’s also one of the reasons we didn’t do much on weekends… he spent MONTHS making that heirloom.

I finally got some motorcycles rides in, too.

The most memorable for me was my long-anticipated yet sorta impromptu meetup with my friend, Rachael (aka FullyGalore). I wrote all about that meeting here. I’ve been following her blog for quite a few years and had been wanting to meet her in person for a long time. We really are kindred spirits. But she lives on Long Island, which isn’t exactly close or easy to get to from Virginia.

Then there was the Piedmont Loop ride with my friend, Dottie.

I compiled a neat little video using some of the footage I captured while riding with Dottie. Watch it if you dare. It made me want to get out and RIDE. Like now. But with temps in the mid-30s and no heated gear, I decided to just finish working on this blog post.

We spent the three-day Memorial Day Weekend sprucing-up the WV Place.

I even managed to squeeze a furniture painting project into the month of May.

June

The biggest event in June was Meg’s 15th birthday. We don’t usually celebrate our furkids’ birthdays. Heck, we don’t make much fuss over birthdays in general.

But we never thought Meg would make it to her 15th birthday. That’s like 105 in dog years.

Her health had slowly but surely been declining, so we felt that since she’d made it that long, it was a milestone we just HAD to celebrate. She got cake and ice cream in addition to that awesome hat.

Another notable event was my nephew Josh’s high school graduation.

Oh, and our eldest daughter Shannon got her motorcycle license!

We finished of the month in high style with a sorta last-minute trip to Texas. My company celebrated it’s 15th anniversary that month. Since we had a pretty good year, they decided to fly all of the remote employees and their spouses in for the party.

Hubby hadn’t been to Texas since before we were married. He’d spent a lot of time there early in his career since the company he was working for built the Marriott Rivercenter hotel.

Here are the links to posts from that trip:

Getting to Texas was half of the the adventure
Hill Country and Fredericksburg, Texas
Exploring a back road or two
Big-ass Texas cowboy
Texas BBQ really can be a religious experience
Roadside attractions in Texas
Exploring downtown San Antonio
San Antonio to Austin and then home

It was a nice bit of goofy fun for us.

July

It’s funny how things turn out. July started as virtually a blank slate, other than work. But cool stuff can happen unexpectedly.

I FINALLY finished another major furniture makeover. See for yourself.

I squeezed in a brief motorcycle ride AND our Canuck friend Alain stopped in for a visit. We met him back in 2010 when we did our first motorcycle tour in Europe. He was part of the group, and is one of the nicest and smiliest folks you’d ever want to meet. I hope we get to see Alain again soon.

I also enjoyed a morning ride with Dottie, which is when we discovered the Blue Ridge Country Store, which isn’t really a store, but the coolest yard decoration ever.

Finally, closing out the month, I got to ride my bike up to Pennsylvania to celebrate my Dad’s birthday with him.

August

I did a bit more riding in August, starting with this trip in early August, which is when I found that awesome frog statue.

On that same day, I was finally able to visit American Celebration on Parade. And the Yellow Barn.

Both of those places are at the Shenandoah Caverns complex in Quicksburg, Virginia.

I even did a post just about the ride part of that glorius and VERY full day.

In the middle of the month, Hubby and I did a weekend ride. There are several posts about that trip, ’cause we covered a lot of ground:

The intro post
Home to Staunton, Virginia (pronounced like Stan Ton)
The Back of the Dragon (in Virginia, not that other Dragon)
The road home

That ended up being our very last road trip together on matching motorcycles because shortly afterward, Hubby bought himself a brand new touring motorcycle.

September

In September, I bought a new point-and-shoot camera.

Then we went on a trip to Europe. It wasn’t quite two weeks long, but we packed a lot of stuff in. I still haven’t finished posting about the trip, but here’s what I have so far. The first six posts were either written while traveling or shortly after we got back to Virginia. I tried to at least keep y’all somewhat updated, but I didn’t have a ton of time what with traveling around, limited Wifi, and spending times with friends we rarely get to see.

Post #1: We Have Arrived
Post #2: Whirlwind Tour of Europe’s Most-famous Sites
Post #3: Brussels… Sneak Peek
Post #4: Quickie Update (UK and Bruges)
Post #5: Arrival in Switzerland
Post #6: Back Home

The posts that follow are more in-depth.

Post #7: A closer look at central Brussels
Post #8: Annelies and Yves’ New House
Post #9: ToadMama in Bruges (my new favorite European city!)
Post #10: Canterbury Cathedral (yes, it was amazing)
Post #11: UK Road Trip
Post #12: UK Road Trip Continued
Post #13: Our Visit to Stow-on-the-Wold
Post #14: Another AMAZING Cathedral… Gloucester
Post #15: Fine, Relaxed Dining in Switzerland: Raclette
Post #16: Our Last Day in the UK
Post #17: A close-up look at Zaffelare, Belgium (Annelies and Yves’ town)
Post #18: Road Trip to Switzerland

We were a little scared about going, due to Meg’s health, which had been declining even more rapidly since her birthday in June. But she was still hanging in there when we got back.

Then, at the end of the month, Eric, our youngest, and his wife, Kelsey, moved to Spain.

Our "Hasta Luego" Lunch at El Toro — Our “Hasta Luego” Lunch at El Toro

On September 15, I learned that my moto-blogging buddy, Bob, had passed away. It was very sad, and hit me harder than expected, which is why I didn’t do a blog post about it until early November.

That pretty much covers September.

October

The month started off nicely on Mike’s birthday weekend with a visit from our friends, Kathy and Barry. They came down from Maryland for the day. Kathy and I enjoyed a shop hop/wine tasting event while Mike and Barry went for a motorcycle ride. Sorry, I don’t have any pics to share. Did I mention that my new camera had broken and was at the shop for repairs (under warranty, thankfully).

The following weekend, we took a road trip — two-up! — on Hubby’s new motorcycle. All the way to Niagara Falls, Canada and back.

We also managed to squeeze in some local riding. Together, but on separate bikes this time.

The last weekend in October, when a previously planned trip for me had to be postponed, I did a long, solo ride on Saturday.

It was awesome.

Then, on Sunday, Dottie and I did a much shorter trip into West Virginia.

November

Things started getting sorta hectic in November.

We lost Meg on November 13. She’d fought the good fight, and was with us much longer than either of us ever expected. When her health had finally deteriorated to the point that I knew she was in pretty much constant pain, I knew it was time.

It was the right thing to do, but it was very, very hard. Even though we’d known for so long that it was coming. We both miss our crazy old girl.

I did travel to Rehoboth, Delaware with another friend from childhood, but haven’t done a post yet.

Meg’s passing, Thanksgiving, and the scattering of Meg’s cremains, among other things, sorta set me reeling.

So the month of November was a bit of a blur.

December

December started off with a bang, too.

First, we went to San Diego December 5 through 9 to visit with Shannon for her birthday.

Amy flew down from Washington to join us, so it was a mini-reunion with 66.6% of our offspring.

It was a lovely visit. I haven’t done a post about that trip yet — I was too busy getting ready for Christmas — but captured some cool pics I’d like to share. I’ll do a post one day.

December 15 was a busy day…

Eric and Kelsey came back from Spain. They hope to return in the Spring. I haven’t seen much of them — they were sick, too — but am glad having them back on the same continent.

It was the day of my annual Chickmas gathering with Carol and Tracey. This year it was at Carol’s house in Southern Maryland.

AND it was the day everything we were shipping needed to be boxed, wrapped, and delivered to the post office or UPS store.

On December 17, Shannon flew here from San Diego to join us for Christmas. She was here through December 27.

My Dad and mother-in-law were here for Christmas, too (Dec 23-27). Hubby and I both fell ill with bad colds mid-way through Christmas Day.

The holiday was hectic, but good. We had a very low-key New Years’ Eve — we both needed that! –and I’ve spent quite a few hours today compiling this annual re-cap.

It’s for me, just as much as it is for you. I find l looking back at previous year in review posts is kind of interesting, too.

Here’s my recap of 2013, if you care to take a peek.

So that was 2014. I’m sure I left some things out, and I know I am behind on posting stuff, but I’ll catch up one day.

For now, I wish you, your family, friends, and other loved ones a happy, healthy, safe, and prosperous 2015.