Happy Birthday, Shirebound! May it be a wonderful and peaceful year for you and the whole Shirehousehold!!! <3 and hugs!!!



This pic is of one of the blooms on the ginormous rhododendron bush in my backyard last May. (-:

I hope you are both having a great one!




These are rhododendron blossoms in my new backyard back in May. (-:

*hugs'n'<3*

My Eclipse Trek was a short 3 day there and back again kind of trip that I started hopefully planning through google wanderings 2 months ago and really came together the end of July when Debra agreed to come with me and introduced me to her petsitter D at her party. I read an article on the upcoming eclipse, probably from the Washington Post 2 months ago and learned the term the "Path of Totality", that the eclipses I saw as a kid were only partial, and that all kinds of cool special effects I missed could be seen only if you are in the Path of Totality. So my desire to see this astronomical wonder only started then.

The closest route to the Path of Totality was straight down I-95 to South Carolina. I knew motels in the Path of Totality would have been sold out long already, so I looked at availability in Florence, SC, which also had the advantage of being on the cross roads to the closest point of totality straight down I-95 to Santee, SC, east to Charleston, SC, or west to Columbia, SC. I'd aim for Santee, but tried to do research for good viewing spots around Columbia and Charleston if clearer skies were predicted that morning in either of the latter places rather than Santee. Florence had plenty of vacancies in July, but started filling up fast in August.

I made a reservation 2 weeks before at the Thunderbird Inn , a basic economical 2 star hotel, much like most of the places my family stayed at during our family vacations. It had definitely seen better days, but was plenty comfortable, and yet seemed to put a lot of its budget into landscaping, which was a big attraction for me, because seeing palm trees out the window in the morning would be my solace if clouds spoiled the view we were traveling to see. I could take palm trees and Spanish moss as my consolation prize, as it's been more than a decade since I've seen them. Stretching my back swimming in a pool looking up at palm trees would help make the long drive more doable.



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Happy Birthday to the talented and kind shirebound!!!!


May it be filled with pretty sweet scented flowers . . .




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I'm so sorry this is a day late post, hon, but I wanted to wish a very happy birthday to my dearest friend mererid!!! I hope the birthday dinner was excellent and you're having a good Sunday. I still have many pics from my trip out there last February that I haven't posted yet, so here's a couple:


Sabino Canyon in the Catalina Mountains, northeast Tucson.



A little barrel cactus in Tucson Desert Museum Park.

*many hugs* <3

Happy Belated Birthday, hederahelix!!!! I hope it was the beginning of a great year for you of good health, fun, and way better air travel karma, my friend!!!


Here are some rose of sharon blooms to put on your cyber table. *hugs*

Happy birthday, romeny and ladysnaps!!!


Here's some ElijahBlue reflected skies in Greenbelt Lake to brighten your day.

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Happy Birthday to Bilbo, Frodo, and especially, oft forgotten, early draft Bingo!!!

I went on a very Shire-like hike on Saturday morning in the Middle Patuxent Environmental Area in Howard County, and saw some things that should accompany the Bagginess on all their hikes.


Woods full of ferns and mosses gentle on the feet.

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Moo and Tuxie planned to do a little dance for your birthday, febobe, but as you can see . . .


. . . they are very, very busy cats. It takes a lot of work and dedication to prepare to win the only feline Olympic sport and they are working very hard at their form here. They hope to bring back the gold in the synchronized team division.



Happy Birthday, dear febobe!!! May you have a gold medal birthday with fun, yummies, and love today with your folks!!! (((((You)))))

A very happy birthday to dear mews1945!!! I hope today is filled with love and all good things and that you feel a little stronger each day. Here are some pretties and fuzzies from around Greenbelt Lake, and thereabouts for you.


A sweet william in all their variety of colors that was blooming in May by the lake.


A deer in the woods behind my apartment building who was very fascinated by my talking to him in baby talk--so many critters seem to just love that.


A squirrel by the lake feasting at a lakeside house's yard where they put out bird seed.

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