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Mind Like a Sieve

I forgot to walk today. Or do any other form of exercise. Seriously. I got so carried away with work, it totally slipped my mind. That’s dedication. Commitment.

It is more like stupidity, really. How can work occupy my mind THAT much? It wasn’t just work, though. There were other distractions, too. Sherree, the wonderful lady that cleans my house, was here today. And CeCe had diarrhea. And I had to go to the pharmacy to get some prescriptions filled. I had to eat lunch, too.

So exercise slipped my mind. Jeez…

I have some pictures to share, which is why I logged on to my Blog in the first place. The first one is a neat one, un–PhotoShopped (except for cropping) that I had forgotten about. Until it popped up on Hubby’s computer screen. His screensaver is a program that cycles through photos.

It was one of those things I saw, and liked. So I took a picture. It makes a really cool photo, doesn’t it? This really is a good example of the world through my eyes. I am always looking at shapes, and lighting, and color contrasts, etc.

Here’s another picture I took. This one is PhotoShopped a bit. I cropped it. And made the sky bluer.

The SOOC version, except that I cropped it, too, is below.

The difference isn’t too dramatic, but it does make a difference. The bluer sky makes the building stand out more. The red bus adds a nice splash of color to the picture.

So which version do you like better? The one I blued-up or the SOOC shot? (Remember, SOOC = straight out of camera, i.e., unedited.)

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Why We Built a House in West Virginia

We just had one of the best weekends I can remember. We finally got to use the WV place strictly for FUN. That’s right, FUN. No work. Just relaxing, riding our motorcycles, and hanging out with our close friends Kathy and Barry Spice. They came to visit for the weekend with their dog, Max, who is not pictured here. (There’s lots of pictures from the weekend on my Web site.)

We did a short ride on Friday, stopping in Capon Bridge (about 30 minutes east of Romney) at a yummy little Mexican place called El Puente for dinner. The food is awesome. I am so sad we didn’t start going there years ago!

Saturday was our big day. We did a 200-plus-mile loop over about 8 hours through some gorgeous countryside on curvy mountain roads. Motorcycle riding doesn’t get much better.

Then Barry grilled us a dinner of steak, potatoes and broccoli and plied us with beverages (lemonade mixed with blueberry vodka…YUM).

After dinner we just spent time chatting and relaxing after our glorious day.

They left early on Sunday; Kathy had things to do. So Mike and I did a short 100-mile ride, stopping at El Puente in Capon Bridge, again, for lunch. (I told you the food was good!)

It is a good thing we’re pretty much finished working up here. This motorcycle riding can be quite addictive. As can just sitting around relaxing, hanging out with friends, exploring the town (I have been meaning to do this for years), etc.

By the way, if you didn’t click on my “exploring the town” link above, which leads to my Picasa page and features lots of pictures of Romney, you should CLICK HERE NOW. Assuming, of course, you actually want to see pictures of Romney.

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Anywhere But Here

It is early on Tuesday. I’m not feeling much like working. In fact, I’m sitting here, sipping my coffee, wishing I were anywhere but here right now.

I’d take a picture to show you my office, but it is messy. So just use your imagination. Imagine me in a 10 x 10 room (approximate), painted green. I am sitting at my fake-wood desk, blond in color, with my feet up on the file cabinet that sits to the left of my desk. CeCe, my oldest dog, is curled up under my desk. Moses, my oldest cat, is curled up across the room on a dog pillow. Muffin, the younger cat, is on the recliner, which is also green. I’m not sure where exactly Meg is, but trust me when I say she isn’t far away.

I just finished reading some OPBs (other peoples’ blogs), which is probably why I am feeling this way. I blame it all on Scary, of Scary’s West, for posting things like this. I’d love to spend some time hanging out in that cabin!

And then there’s this post, too. My world is so different (sigh).

Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty of things I love about my life. Like Hubby, for example. And my kids, of course. And grandkids. And the rest of the family (parents, pets, extended family, etc.).

I’m not crazy about living in Maryland; I yearn to go west. West Virginia is a start, I guess. I’ll be riding up there tomorrow.

It is far too crowded here. And loud. And hectic. (Imagine another big sigh.)

If you could be anywhere else right now, where would it be? The photo below was taken last year on a whirlwind tour of Zion National Park. I can see myself there, strolling along the road. A backpack full of camera equipment and water slung over my right shoulder. My tripod hitting me on the back of my legs as I amble along, scanning the scenery for just the right camera angle.

Like I said before… anywhere but here. Where would you rather be?

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Guess the State

I was looking through some pictures this morning, trying to decide what to post on my blog when I came across the photo shown here on the right. I wondered how many of my loyal readers (if I have any loyal readers) could guess where this photo was taken. Those of you who only recently discovered my blog, and who have only known me for a couple of years, probably won’t guess. It is not as obvious as you might think.

Speaking of loyal readers, I am thinking I have at least three who check here periodically. Two of those three are shown in the photo below…


This image, which is four years old, of my three kids (L-R: Shannon, Amy and Eric) was taken as they prepared to go whitewater rafting on the Gallatin River. It was taken several days before the moose photo. It was not in the same state that the moose photo was taken.

Care to guess where the moose were? If yes, leave a comment. How? At the end of this post, you’ll see a time followed by a number and the word “comments.” Click on “comments” and you’ll be directed to the page where you type in your comment. Just follow the directions on the screen. It is easy.

This is a dual test to see if, a) I have more than three loyal readers and b) any of those loyal readers can name the right state.

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Correction… Thirty-nine States!

My wonderful hubby, Mike, corrected me. He says I left out Missouri in my list of visited states map. So, I have gone to a new site (better map!) and added Missouri. Now, only 11 states left to visit.

The states I have yet to set foot in are Alabama, Arkansas, Hawaii, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Oklahome, Rhode Island, and Texas. I hope to get to Maine first as I really want to see Acadia National Park.

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Thirty-eight States

On our recent trip to Alaska, Mike and I got into a discussion with some folks about how many states we have visited. Mike has been to 49 of 50 (only Hawaii remains). I know I have been to a lot, but I have never actually counted. Today, that changed.

My Visited US States

I have visited 38 of the 50 US states. The ones I have left to visit are: Alabama, Arkansas, Hawaii, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Rhode Island and Texas.

I doubt I’ll knock any of those remaining states off of the list this year, but one never knows.