Happy Wordless Wednesday!

Emphasis on the word *Happy*!

Olean, NY, Gone to the Squirrels?

Yesterday, we decided to meet my parents and brother in Olean, New York. My brother's birthday is today, so we celebrated yesterday. Happy Birthday, Randy!

We accidentally took the wrong exit off the Southern Tier Expressway, ending up having to drive through the city. As we went through, I noticed "squirrels" placed throughout the city streets. After meeting my family for lunch, I told Mark and my family about the squirrels. At first, they thought I was "nuts", but afterward, they all saw them, too!

Before we left the area, I needed to photograph these chipper little critters. In poking around on the web, I discovered these were being sponsored by area businesses, schools, and organizations to help raise money for the city's Historical and Preservation Society. They are pretty cute, and certainly add a little pizazz to the streets!


I tried to upload these pictures last night, but for some reason, the network kept kicking me off, so I present them now! Without further ado, let me introduce the "Woodland in the City" creatures! (there are supposed to be 14 of the squirrels, but these are the most prominent ones that I found.) Too bad I didn't have my computer to look up the info, as there are actually Google maps on where to find them!

*** please note: if you click on many of these pics, they will enarge to full size....IF you have any idea why ALL do not do that, PLEASE leave your thoughts in the comments!!! Greatly appreciated!"***

This little fellow is called "Sir Pennywise" an happens to be at home in front of Community Bank, NA

This brightly painted squirrel is deemed "Squirrelinksy".

Starry Night Squirrel with Benjamin!

Decoupaged squirrel "Artour O'Quick".

Care to guess this fellow's name? If you said "Ronald McSquirrel", you are 100 percent correct!

Yes, this is "Lady Justice", complete with blindfold, and scales in hand, er...paw! She also is the most highly recognizable squirrel with her.....um, "pecs"?

"Country Folk Squirrel" is a pretty fellow painted black with a faux gold overwash. He had pretty country scenery (folk style, of course) painted on his back!


"Enchanted Mountain Squirrel" sits in the front lawn of a memorial (gravestone markers) business. He is amongst the cutest of all! He has an oak tree growing on his chest, and has features such as an acorn nose and chickadee eyes!!! Very colorful and I love the oak leaves all over his body!



"Olean Patriot" sits proudly in front of a wonderful old-fashioned hardware store. He is dressed in camoflauge, has decals decoupaged on his tail, honoring the four branches of armed services (Army, Marines, Air Force, and Navy) and is complete with part of the American flag on his tail!

So, there you have it, nine of the fourteen squirrels of Olean!

Allegany Pictures

This is the Stone Tower located in the Red House area of Allegany State Park. Ben overheard someone saying this structure was built over 100 years ago as a lookout for fires in the mountains.

Inside the Stone Tower.

Steps leading to the top of the Stone Tower.

It was drizzly and wet when I took this picture from atop the tower, but one can see that on a clearer day, it is possible to see for miles and miles!

Another view from the tower with the sky brightening up a bit! Vision was still somewhat limited.

As I was entering into one of my daydreaming states, admiring the beautiful scenery, I was rudely snapped to reality by the kids.....imploring I take *just* one picture of them......

As Ninjas, fighting atop the tower....and I thought *I* was the one with the vivid imagination?

As we were readying to leave the park, Mark pulled over onto a flat parking lot to make and adjustment to the hitch of the camper. As he and Ben worked, I grabbed the camera to take just a few parting shots. The above photo is a little island located in the Red House Lake.

Michelle standing on a beautifu pier made from stone for people to fish on the lake.

And lastly, a beautiful covered bridge located on one of the many bike paths located in the park.

Good bye, Allegany State Park. I do believe we will be returning once again to visit this stunningly beautiful gem!

Ahoy, Mateys!

Well, the kids finally made it to the theatre to see the Pirates of the Caribbean movie.

Yesterday, I spent the better part of the day sewing two pirate shirts. Although I love to sew, I must say, I was getting so very tired of gathering what seemed like yards and yards of fabric! As it worked out, I was not able to finish the hem on the bottom of the shirts, nor the cuffs. As I was vexed by what to do, Michelle merely improvised, just like she always does!

Michelle said no worry about the unfinished bottom hems, as the shirts were going to be tucked inside pants. OK, so one hurdle down, one to go! Michelle sat down at the sewing machine, hemmed the bottom of the sleeves, then grabbed pieces of leftover fabric, and tied them around where the cuffs would go. How clever my girl is!!!

And here is a photo of the pirate contingency....

The kids told us after the movie that the theatre was built in 1920, and seated maybe around 50 people. We are talking small! But, the $5 tickets were a great deal, and the kids had a ball! The two tall guy pirates are actually twin brothers. While waiting for the movie to begin, the two of them sang a little pirate song, after which they drew cheers and clapping from the audience.

Although I didn't manage to get any really good pictures of the kids, it was pretty obvious they had a good time. The parents of the other pirates actually went and saw the movie, too! After it was over, we lingered in front of the theater, chatting. The manager came out a while later....he told the kids if they came back in their pirates' attire again, he would let them in for free!!! Rrr,rr,rrrrrr....now that is something to get excited about, matey!

Why Today Should Not Have Worked Out!

This day turned out to be a fun day all around....and, logistically, it should not have been!

Last evening, I was feeling tired, so I went upstairs to lie down for a bit. I was semi-fading when I heard Mark yell my name. I pulled myself out of bed, grumbling, as I made my way downstairs. Why all the commotion?

As soon as I was downstairs, Mark hollered to me that Ben had vomited! Oh gads! If there is one thing I cannot tolerate, it is the smell or sight of vomit. I was so tired and miserable....how was I going to handle this? As I stumbled into the kitchen, feeling so upset, Michelle said *she* would clean it up! As remarkable as that sounds, Michelle has probably suffered through more stomach bugs than Mark, Ben and I put together.

So, my brave girl cleaned up the bathroom floor, (Ben missed the toilet!) saying it wasn't so bad.
Well, he got sick one more time and then he was done. I went to the little store up the road and bought him some Gatorade, as Mark read on the internet that Gatorade is good for upset stomachs.

By the time I went to bed shortly after 10:30, Mark said Ben was beginning to feel somewhat better. Mark was determined he was going to sit up and watch Ben all night, as he was concerned Ben might be sick during the night. Finally, by about 1:30, Mark said Ben was laughing about things he saw on TV, so Mark finally was persuaded Ben was on the mend!

The only thing we can figure is that this might have been food poisoning.

This morning, I called Carly to cancel going to the Dachshund Parade, as I thought Ben might need some "down" time to feel better. No way. Mark and the kids thought I should go to the parade, as I had tenatively planned. I was a bit nervous about driving in the city, so Mark said he would drive. (he is from Rochester)

When we arrived at the festivities, Ben wanted to get out with me. I wasn't sure this was a wise decision, but he insisted he felt fine! I spent a little more than an hour taking pictures, then it was time to go.

Ben and Michelle had been invited to a birthday party near Elmira late in the afternoon. We talked about whether the kids should go, and Mark told them we would have to go right from the parade. The trip to Elmira from Rochester was about 2 hours.

Ben hadn't eaten since being sick, and while Mark told him he needed to take it easy, Ben insisted he was going to eat "regular food"! We bought him a Cinnamon Crunch Bagel from Panera's, and he ate it with no problems. We spent some time just chilling out, then took the kids to the party at about 4:45.

Although Michelle had been invited to spend the night, we all decided to pick Ben and Michelle up at 8. They were agreeable. Mark and I spent some time eating and just relaxing in the truck before picking the kids up.

On the way home, Ben told us he had some pizza, chicken wings, and chips at the party. He bounced on the trampoline, played badminton, and had a great time. Although he said he was tired and would sleep on the way home, he remained fully awake until we arrived home at about 10 pm.

As I said, the only thing Mark and I can figure is Ben suffered food poisoning!

A Little Weinie Fun?

YES! Today was the annual Dachshund Parade in Rochester, NY. We all know that I am partial to Scotties, but this was an event that is just too fun!

As I wandered about, viewing what seemed like endless Dachsies, I was in total awe of the sights I saw! There were longhairs, wirehairs, smoothhairs, BIG dachsies, tiny dachsies, spotted, red, black and tan, black and white, dappled, and everything imaginable Dachshunds!

Instead of trying to comment, I am going to just display some of the over 300 shots I took this morning. Let me say that each one of these wonderful little companions seemed more loved than the next! In other words, these Dachshunds are terrific pets! I found myself giggling as I walked about, looking through the camera lens, discovering all the individual mannerisms, and yet, totally amazed by one commonality.....no matter where I turned, little tails were whipping back and forth like little perpetual metronomes!!! Happy little critters, these Dachshunds!

As I said, these are just a small sampling of the Dachshunds we encountered. I saw two different little "cart dogs" whose little rear legs were paralyzed and non-functioning. These little ones were just as loved and cared for as all the other little ones! I stand amazed and in awe of those whose hearts are so big that they take in these poor littles babies and love them to pieces. My hat is certainly off to them!

What fun this event was to attend!

Wildflowers, Technology, and Having Fun!

The pretty wildflowers are making their debut here in the Bristolwood, and I love their splashes of color here and there. The little wood violets are such a gorgeous shade of purple. They are showing up all over the woods and I love their bright green heart-shaped leaves!

My favorite time to photograph flowers is in the evening as the sun is heading off into the horizon. There is something especially beautiful about the sun shining through the flowers and playing upon leaves. Here, the sunlight highlights the darker shade of lavender in this wild geranium.

Today was a hurried day, starting out with an appointment to have our little camper inspected this morning. Although Mark always likes to plan ahead to make sure things are going to run smoothly, we were unable to check the electrical system before hitching onto the truck for the appointment. Luckily, all systems were go, and we were off in good shape!

We dropped the camper at the service center and then were off to a large fabric store. Michelle and Ben are planning a rather *unique* outing! They have some other home schooled friends that they met at the teen skates they attend. These kids are planning to go to the opening night of the showing of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End. The catch is, the kids plan to make costumes and attend the movie as pirates! We spent a good deal of time looking at patterns and fabric, finally picking out some suitable for a couple of pirates! So, Michelle is anxious to get started on sewing! What a fun idea!

After the fabric store, we went to a nearby tile store to get some more ideas for our kitchen remodel. We found some gorgeous 24" square granite tiles that were simply terrific! While we were there, we got a call that the camper was ready so we rushed a little to get out of the store.

We will definitely be going back to this store, as they not only have tons of different types of tiles; they also have many displays highlighting various tiles in kitchen and bath settings. We were so excited to find this place, as the last place we visited, the guy was very negative and tried to make us feel incompetent of doing nearly any work ourselves!

Yesterday, we received delivery of our new kitchen stove! Am I excited? YES! Is it hooked up? NO! The delivery men from Sears aren't allowed to do an LP Gas changeover, so Mark and I will do it ourselves. So, we also picked up the plumbing supplies today for that job. I cannot wait to try out the new stove, as it has a convection fan in it to help cook faster and keep food more juicy, and it also is self-cleaning. My old Magic Chef left with the delivery guys yesterday, and I was as thrilled to see that stove depart as I was last week when the old refrigerator made its way out of the house!

So, after we got home this evening, Mark and the kids were hungry. What to do, what to do....I cannot cook or bake, as the new stove isn't connected yet. But wait! The camper!!! I made a quick trip out to the camper to turn on the gas....turned the furnace on (it was only about 38 degrees outside!) and turned the oven to 350 to preheat. I assembled the pizza in the kitchen, then took it to the camper and baked it! Mark was shocked....HOW can you bake in a little "camp oven"? Ah, I so love technology.

As the pizza was baking, I brought my camera out, along with my laptop. I decided to upload my pictures. As I worked, I couldn't help but feel so drawn to my cozy little camper. So much so, that I told Mark and the kids "so long", as I headed out to the camper with pillow and blankets in hand! Yes, Murphy and I are spending tonight in the camper! I so love it!

After uploading my pictures, I saw the battery was low, so I plugged in the charger and we are good to go! But, before I end, I just gotta show off my SD card for the Nikon! Mark knows I am easily dazzled by technology (I have earned the nickname "Technochick") so he bought me this

SD card, called a SanDisk Ultra II Plus. 2 Gig.

I can upload pictures in my card reader, or! the little card folds in half........

to expose its little USB reader! How cool is that? So, I can upload 2 ways with the card, as well as with a USB cable connected to the camera itself! Oh, I used the Olympus camera to take these last pictures just in case you might be wondering!

Isn't technology GRAND?

More Geese!

Today, we took the kids to one of their favorite places...Darien Lake Park and Resort. I think that is the name now. It was previously Darien Lake Six Flags. Anyway, it is an amusement park, and the kids love it so! We left the house this morning around 9:30, thinking our lightweight sweaters and jackets would suffice. Brrrr! Were we ever WRONG!

As the kids raced from ride to ride, I sat out on benches, seeking some sun to warm my body! As we came to the end of our outing, I spotted two Canada Geese with their little ones near a small pond. I had left my new camera home as I was unsure how I was going to fare with a new medication I am taking. I did grab the Olympus, so I was able to get some pictures.

Although I only captured one adult goose in my pictures, there were indeed, two. I would love to know if the adults were the parents of the little ones. I am sure the female stays with her chicks, but I wonder if the male remains with the family as well. The goose that I pictured seemed rather at ease as I came within maybe six feet of them. The other goose, however, hissed at me a couple of times. SinceI have owned geese in the past, I do know to keep a respectable distance, and also when to retreat!

Aren't those goslings the cutest little babies? I so wanted to just touch one!!!

We ended our day at the park with Ben riding the "Superman". It is a rather (unnerving for me) large roller coaster that thrills kids to no end! On the way there, we passed some lilac bushes that called out to passers-by to come and smell them. They had a rather delicate lilac scent, and the color was so beautiful....