California – Page 2 – ToadMama.com

I realize there have been an odd variety of posts here lately. That’s because I am still playing catch-up, and I am not necessarily doing so in any particular order. When I come across something or things I meant to share, I share them. Hopefully that’s not frustrating or annoying.

Bird Interestingness

Did you know that Chimney Swifts like our town of Warrenton, Virginia? That’s because there are lots of old buildings with masonry chimneys in which they can roost. In Fall, when the birds gather in large flocks in preparation for migration, sometimes hundreds will roost in one chimney.

I happened to catch this flock settling down at day’s end while walking my dogs on October 11, 2017. I’d only seen it one other time.

Early in the video, you’ll see one or two birds dipping into the chimney if you watch closely. Then, about two-thirds of the way through, you’ll clearly see more entering the chimney.

If you’d like, you can read a bit more about Chimney Swifts here.

A Different Kind of Bike Ride

Early in 2017, Hubby bought himself a nice new bicycle to use for exercise. He rides pretty much every day, often before daylight. There’s a trail very close to our house, so he doesn’t spend much time on the street.

Late last year, he tuned-up my bicycle so I could join him on some rides. Not for exercise, but for fun.

One November day, we drove north to Leesburg to ride a portion of the Washington & Old Dominion (W&OD) Railroad trail. It’s a paved, 45-mile route along the former roadbed of the W&OD Railroad, which runs through the urban heartland and into the Virginia countryside. There’s even an adjacent 32-mile gravel horse trail. Nifty, eh?

It was a fabulous Fall day, as you’ll see in the pics below.

Cows reflected in a pond. How could I resist?

My favorite artsy capture from that day is below.

I did move the turtle off the path after I finished exploiting her or him for my own selfish amusement.

We hope to do some more bicycle riding soon. That probably won’t be until later in the year when temperatures cool back down.

Mini-LOVE in Warrenton

I was happy to get my log page of Virginia LOVEworks updated yesterday. That was LONG overdue. But I forgot to add this pic from right here in town.

That mini LOVEwork is at Ciao Bella Celebrations on Ashby Street.

Fun in San Diego

I really do have lots of fun pics from San Diego to share. Here are just a few…

That’s it for now. We’re about to embark on a motorcycle ride, before it gets hot. Temps are supposed to be around 90 today.

More later!

One thing I’ve always enjoyed about having a blog is being able to look back and see what happened, when it happened, etc. But I posted so infrequently over the past year that I can’t even do that! It’s sad, really. Not sad as in “OMG, I’m bawling my eyes out,” more like “damn, now I have to look back through old pics, e-mails, and/or calendar entries…” Gasp!

I am still unemployed. All the “spare time” I thought I might have has been nonexistent. I’ve been “working” full days looking for a job instead. I seriously want to find the perfect job for me, not just accept the first job that comes along out of desperation. I’m a big girl, I learn from past mistakes as well as previous positive experiences.

All “work” and no play makes for an unhappy ToadMama, though, so I’ll have to look for something interesting to post about.

In the meantime, here’s some visual interestingness for you.

Believe it or not, I don’t walk around looking at stuff, thinking, “OMG, I absolutely HAVE to take a picture. I have to share it with my gazillion fans. I must, I MUST! I have to get this online!” Stuff just catches my eye.

What can I say? I’m a visual person.

That’s probably why I so enjoyed my time in San Diego last year. All I had to do was work, take care of one small dog, and take care of myself. I stuck to my Eastern Standard Time schedule, so I had lots of free time most afternoons. The dog got walked a lot and I got to amble around looking at stuff, searching for SD’s best street tacos, sampling a wide variety of local craft beer, enjoying various beaches, etc. It was awesome.

Below are a few images that captured my eye. I have lots more, including a series of shots of the coolest “ART” sculpture(?) ever! That ART thing needs its own post.