2700 Miles: Arizona to Virginia

 Do you know what is interesting about driving across the country?  It's how the land changes.  We began in the Basin and Range area in Arizona.  These pictures make you  understand when I say, "I've had it with the desert.  I'm so tired of brown."  Technically, this isn't the Mojave Desert; but it's a good imitation.

Arizona heading toward New Mexico

 A true desert wouldn't have this much 'greenery'.  The red rocks mean iron.

This is petrified sand - literally sand turned to stone.

I tried for more than ten years to find the beauty in this landscape.  At one point it dawned on me that Sun City, founded in 1965, was filled with mature cacti, so I did a study.  I rode my bicycle all over the place and took pictures of different cactus, and identified each one.  One of the things I did learn to appreciate was how difficult this climate, with so little rainfall, was for plants, much less trees.  The desert will grow almost anything given enough water.  Post 1965, as Phoenix/Tucson exploded with people, they brought both plants and trees from other parts of the country increasing the humidity and making places like Sun City unique in its desert landscape.  Having lived in the heat with all the modern conveniences, I really admire the Apache for their ability to stay alive and thrive in the desert.

Agave

Organ Pipe

Barrel Cactus 

Prickly Pear

Teddy Bear Cholla

Pincushion

Senilis

Saguaro

Cacti and other native plants are actually protected under Arizona law.  You must have permission of the land owner AND a permit from the Dept. of Agriculture to remove a cactus.  There are fines up to $150K and/or five years in prison for a first offense.  If you buy a cactus from a nursery for your yard, it is suggested you file the tag/receipt in your files.  Large Saguaros are particularly protected since they are quite delicate and have very shallow roots.  With large saguaros, their Sun City owners would have them staked down, so they couldn't fall over in a strong wind or be stolen.  A ten foot saguaro is about 40 years old, and it's worth $110 a foot, including the arms.  

As usual, I got off theme.  Slowly, the landscape changed as we drove farther east.  It was very gradual, so there was no 'line' between the Basin and Ranges and the Trans Pecos.  El Paso is the entry to the Trans Pecos.  The high plains of the Texas Panhandle give way to the Great Plains.  In layperson's language, we call all of this "West Texas".  It's a land of high skies and flat land.  The first time I saw it, 1969, I was amazed town lights would appear at night 50 or more miles before you arrived at the town site.  This was the territory of the Comanche (250,000 square miles), and what the Spanish explorers called the Llano Estacado (Staked Plain).  [The Spaniards quickly realized they could become hopelessly lost since the geography didn't include handy unchangeable landmarks.  Thus, they drove a large stake in the ground, then moved on until when they could just see the last driven stake in the distance; they drove another stake.  This is how they explored these plains.]

Electric lines - poles imported - are often the only 
manmade items you see as you traverse West Texas.

Trees indicate a ranch house.  They've been
carefully planted and watered to
provide wind breaks.  Wind here
blows constantly.

Windmills provide water for cattle

High sky and highway - this is Interstate 10

Once you leave the plains by dropping off the Edwards Plateau, you arrive in the heart of Texas, the Texas Hill Country.  What's happening here reminds me of the old song which laments if you call someplace paradise pretty soon it isn't.  

The Texas Hill Country is being bought up and covered with 
housing developments

These friends have owned a 100 acre ranch in the Texas Hill Country outside of New Braunfels for a long time.  Initially, they couldn't see or hear any neighbors.  Now, the sprawling New Braunfels is just over the hill.  Frank, at age 89, is less about cattle these days and more about chickens.  He has fostered a wild turkey flock on his land.  This flock is so important the Texas Game commissioners want to know when he leaves the property, so the flock can be relocated.  Before Frank took them under his protective wing, they had been hunted almost to extinction.

Helen never meets an animal that she doesn't instantly love.  She has rescued countless dogs which have been dumped at the gates of the ranch.  She also has had horses; goats; rabbits; cats, and unfortunately rattlesnakes.  She was bitten by a tiny one while feeding animals - she stepped on it.  Turns out her Choctaw Indian heritage kept the venom from rising throughout her system.  Rattlesnake venom antidote costs $20 - 30 THOUSAND dollars per dose.  Since it's processed from rattlesnake venom, the only source is Australia.  There was a reason for the Sweetwater rattlesnake roundup.  It took her six months to totally recover from the bite.

Helen is also a talented self-

taught interior decorator.  She took the falling down original ranch house and completely

redid it.  Her pink peacock bedroom is my favorite.

Whether it's eggs or beef, local

friends and restaurant owners

from as far away as San

Antonio arrive to buy.

On a personal note, they also

have the coolest rocks since

there are underground caverns all over the hill country.

A new calf was born when we were
visiting the Ranch

Helen and I also visited the roots of the early white settlement of the New Braunfels area.  There is the most wonderful museum of 19th century cabinetry which I made a point to see (again).  I'd seen it 50 years ago when it was just a jumble of furniture.  Today, it's part of a Heritage Center for the area, and it's a real museum housed in an original settler's house and managed by a professional museum director.  There are great pictures of the couple in the house.

  When we arrived to visit, the sign said 'closed' although the website said they were open.  We went up to the office, and managed to score the Director of the Museum as our tour leader.  He took the two of us all around the furniture, and it was so great.  Here's a sample of the furniture circa 1860.

Upon leaving the Hill Country we drove up to Granbury which is in the Palo Pinto - rolling hills and small trees - perfect for Comanche ambushes.  We stayed with friends who live on the shore of Lake Granbury.  

Selfie taken by old people; not too bad.

 

Granbury, county seat of Hood County, Texas

Onto North Texas which used to be the center of agriculture, but now is one of the three concrete capitals of Texas.  The geographic features have been obliterated by the population of Dallas and Fort Worth.  

Rusk in East Texas is very much still part of the languid South with its Piney Woods and high humidity.  We love visiting another friend who lives here.  We went to see an amateur theatrical production which was impressive considering Rusk has about 5,000 people.  We met two interesting people:  John and Penny Hawkins.  The local newspaper, The Cherokeean Herald was on the verge of closing when they decided to step up, buy it and run it.  This is the oldest weekly newspaper in Texas - founded in 1850.  It comes out mid-week, and it also has an on-line edition.  

Penny & John Hawkins at the performance of
Anne of Green Gables

Our friend who taught with me at Accelerated High School, home of the 'bad kids', moved to Rusk and has immersed herself into the life of the town.  She is a prime financial supporter of this theatrical troop as well as the public library.  

Mississippi River

The East Texas Piney Woods continue to define the land through the northern part of Mississippi and Alabama.  The biggest geographical landmark in this part of the country is the Mississippi River.  It is massive and runs almost the north/south length of the country.

Mississippi River Bridge

Burrowing deep into the South, we finally ran into Spring.  Just the very beginning....

We started seeing the occasional red bud tree sprinkled in the forest at the side of the road.

The state tree of Mississippi is the magnolia, and as soon as we crossed the border between Louisiana and Mississippi, boom a forest of magnolias.  Some were of an epic size.

Magnolias

Spring suddenly found us.  The forests on the side of the interstate were studded with blooming pear trees.  When they were clumped together, they were breathtaking even speeding by at 75 mph.

My photos aren't up to par since I'm taking these as we speed by.

When we came into Georgia, I found something hilarious on the side of the road.  This speaks for itself.  No explanation.  Just reminding us that Georgia is 'the peach state'.

It has been interesting that the geography hasn't changed awhit since we entered the South.  We angled up through North Carolina.  I felt a bit nostalgic since we came very close to choosing Asheville as our landing spot.  The availability to NYC was the final decider plus the tight housing market.

Virginia advertises itself as the LOVE state.  Initially baffled about that, but they set up a dandy photo for me.  I think they just needed a word with V in the middle.  If they'd ask me I would have said MARVEL.  It turns out that the original slogan was VIRGINIA IS FOR HISTORY LOVERS.  It didn't take too long before somebody said, "That's too many letters; let's just whittle it down to LOVE.  It costs less in 3 dimensional signs.  

Of course at that point in the trip, all we wanted to see was Richmond.  We've come about 2700 miles, and visited five sets of people for varying number of days, then hoteled it into Richmond.

I almost got this one...close - remember driving past & around a curve - 50mph.

That's the tallest building in downtown Richmond

Now, we've seen pear trees all over since Alabama, but we didn't see cherry trees until we arrived in Richmond.  I've jumped out of the car to take pictures of cherry trees; there is even one two houses over in our new cul de sac.  

Another cherry tree on a public walkway.

This is a close up of the cherry blossom.

This was my first Cherry tree.  I was taken aback at the possibility of having a cherry tree in the yard.

 

Pear trees all over - this one at Home Depot

We decided to go to the Lewis Ginther Botanical Garden in Richmond.  All the early Spring flowering bulbs and trees were out in profusion.  I even learned something new.

Drake in front of the Conservatory - home of the orchids

This is the interior of the Conservatory which includes cacti!

A tulip tree?

Not a tulip tree - a deciduous magnolia

Interior of the botanical garden Conservatory which
includes cacti!

 
Spring has definitely sprung in Virginia.  You can even see wild wisteria dangling from the trees beside Interstate 95.

In addition to tulips, daffodils, and redbuds, there are newly budded spring green leaves on the non-flowering trees.  There are also new flower arrivals:  Dogwoods, azaleas, and irises.

Dogwood blossoms - from the above tree across the street 
from our airbnb in Richmond.

Azaleas in Richmond neighborhood

We've finally arrived in Fredericksburg where we bought a house within three days of our arrival in the area.  We closed on the house on a Friday and started the remodel on Monday.  In the old days, we would have been painting and doing other parts of the remodel ourselves.  These days we just supervise the workers.  However, I floored the construction crew when, on the first day, I picked up a scraper and proceeded to scrape off wallpaper for the entire day.  I will own up to be extremely tired at the end of that day.  It paid off because the 'crew' listens when I talk about what I want.

Spring has even sprung in my 'yard' - it's a flowerbed.  Drake is thrilled someone else is cutting the grass, edging, cleaning up leaves, and cleaning out the gutters in the new house.  I'm hoping to take advantage of the seasonal swimming pool and get back to swimming leisurely laps.  

.

Here's what we discovered a few days ago in our yard:

I'm sure everyone recognizes this two-toned iris.

If you are interested in the flower pictures, click on the link:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/zvWs3pspYHu2CnsA9

If you are interested in the Museum of Texas Handmade Furniture, click on the link:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/hkaH9sBZArN3sVet7

If you are interested in pictures of cacti, click on the link:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/7ye2d7zg5nTwjvB78

We are really excited about living in Virginia.  There's such a welcome and distinct contrast between Phoenix and Virginia. The green, green trees everywhere in Virginia are truly wonderful after twelve years in the desert.  It was interesting to traverse the United States - mostly on Interstate 10.  It was pretty easy to see the impact of the geography and climate on the residents of the various ecosystems.  

 We've landed in a house in Fredericksburg, Virginia for what we hope is the next 10+ years.  It's 50 miles from Washington D.C.  Our plan is to enjoy the Smithsonian and Kennedy Center.  Plus, we can take a plane, a train or a bus to get to Brooklyn to enjoy our children and grandchildren.  It's also a relief to be in the same time zone as they are.  Our new house is set up to entertain - part of the remodel.   We are also eager for company.  We have a bigger house with two guest bedrooms.  There's a zillion new things to do and see here, and I haven't done them all.....yet.
  I

2023 - Metropolitan Museum of Art - Manet and Degas

We all know when Drake and I go to New York City, one of our favorite stops is the Metropolitan Art Museum.  Well, this time in addition to the magnificent Christmas tree

there was an astounding exhibition which was a collaboration between the Orsay Museum in Paris and the Metropolitan with a few bits and bobs from other museums, like the Yale Gallery.  It was a comparison of Eduard Manet and Edgar Degas' works.  They are two famous French Impressionists whose lives were concurrent.  They were frenemies encouraging one another with each holding envy at bay. My feeling after looking over the exhibition was that Manet had the better hand rendering people, and Degas animals. 

"Olympia" by Manet

"At the Races, the Start" - Degas

I found it interesting that both Manet and Degas both studied art history, and they both produced pictures which were homages to earlier masters.

Degas:  Self Portrait in the manner of Filipino Lippi

Manet:  "The Madonna of the Rabbit" (after Titian)

This was an amazing exhibition.  There were so many famous pictures.  Surprisingly, there were no Degas sculptures including his most famous

14 Year Old Dancer, Degas (National Galley of Art)

[FYI:  this is the first sculpture to incorporate something 

non-metallic -the lace ballet skirt]

As always, I took a bunch of pictures of this exhibition.  If you're interested, click on the link:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/dGcWu4LvrhPo5vCf

Christmas Letter - 2023

 

Merry Christmas, 2023

Usually I write my Christmas letter on word processing, print out 40 of them, and include them in Christmas cards.  Well, not this year.  I'm doing the letter 'new style'.

We've finally made up our minds to move to the East Coast.  We've been waffling and waffling thinking our kiddos would come to their senses and move west of the Mississippi.  Our four month summer trip to western Virginia and pretty much all of North Carolina was to investigate other possible East Coast locations other than Richmond.  Well, we loved Asheville.  Apparently, who doesn't.  It's a great climate, and it's incredibly beautiful with green everything.  It's a two hour flight to NYC with five flights a day.  On the negative side, the housing market is not only expensive, but also the tightest market I've ever seen.  Plus, there's no train service.  

One of my jobs is finding possible houses to buy.  I've expanded my search to Fredericksburg, Virginia, a town of 28,000 that is 50 miles south of Washington D.C. and 50 miles north of Richmond.  I know all the advantages of Richmond since I lived there for a few months.  Fredericksburg is an hour from the Richmond airport; 1 1/4th hours from Dulles, and is on the Amtrak lines that run in the northeast corridor.  It's a five hour train ride to Penn Station.  It's also the home of James Monroe's presidential library.  (I have to throw in these little tidbits.  It's a knee jerk reaction.)

I've been following the Asheville, Richmond and Fredericksburg housing markets all summer and fall so I can get a feel for the various neighborhoods and understand the pricing.  One of the Fredericksburg attractions is it is an area of 55+ communities including a mature one that Del Webb (founder of Sun City) built just west of Fredericksburg.  The other center of condo communities is south of Richmond.  We'd really like a condo (called 'townhouses' in the East) because the association would be doing the outdoor maintenance.  Drake has done ALL the yardwork he ever wants to do after the Hurst house and the gigantic oak trees.

We just signed a listing agreement for the Sun City house, and it will go on the market 1/2/2024.  In October we cleaned out this house.  In November we packed up the CLUTTER.  That's what Drake called all my stuff, and I have not let him forget it for an instant.  December 1st we stored 1/3rd of the house - 50 tubs and some odds and ends of furniture.  Our purpose is to stage the house.  Now, we are doing a major clean of everything.  The carpet cleaners come 12/19, so cleaning, painting, etc. has to be done by then.  When we sell, we will store the rest of the Sun City stuff and head East.  When we buy another house (our 9th), we'll send for all our stuff including the stored CLUTTER. 

Within two weeks of our announcement we were moving, the kiddos made the announcement they were buying a house in Cobble Hill.  (Suburb of Brooklyn which is one neighborhood south of the Manhattan battery.)  We are thrilled for them.  Our son-in-law has become a transplanted New Yorker.  He loves everything about the city.  Our daughter enjoys the city, but not the tight NY apartments with their tiny square footages.  She grew up in Hurst, suburbia between Fort Worth and Dallas.  The new house is a suburban house transplanted to the Big Apple.  They say it's a 10 year house since it sits only 2 blocks from the good elementary school our grandson already attends.  The new house is 2300 square feet with a laundry room and outdoor space.  Ironically, it's in a remodeled church building.  I haven't seen the house in person yet, but I think it was taken down to the outer walls and completely rebuilt inside.  That means new plumbing, wiring, central air, and central heat as well as all new appliances.  So much better than dealing with a brownstone built in 1889.

I've written about our trip to North Carolina this past summer, so if you missed those blogs, you can just circle back.  We took time out of being busy house bees to take a Thanksgiving cruise.  Here's something funny.  We've taken three different cruises on Holland America, and we've only seen one ship - the Koningsdam.  I teased the crew their company really only has one boat.  Last Thanksgiving we left from San Diego and went south into Mexico.  This year we left from San Diego and went north up the coast of California.  Holland America arbitrarily cancelled two ports of call (Santa Barbara and Monterey) substituting a Catalina Island and Ensenada, Mexico (trashy border town).  

We loved Catalina.  We rented a golf cart and tooled around for a couple of hours, bought some t-shirts and an excellent magnet.  Catalina Island is an interesting place.  There are several plants and animals which are only found on the island.  Big controversy is the Conservation Commission wants to kill off the mule deer which were imported at the turn of the century.  They are destroying native plants and overrunning the island.  Naturally, there's a 'save Bambi' group opposed to the kill off.  Here are the pictures of the island:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/hn3wDZMmoGvrVwzo6

San Francisco is a city we know very well.  Not only have we visited several time, but we lived in Berkley (across the bay) for a summer.  However, we have never sailed under the Golden Gate Bridge.  That was thrilling, and to me, the visual highlight of the cruise.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/QGVF1nxHCg2Yw85u6

 I was disappointed because the day we were there was the day of the week most of the museums (Asian, DeYoung, Legion of Honor, etc.) are closed.  We really didn't care because we spent the day with one of our dearest young friends - we alternate between calling him our pseudo son and our Godson.  He lives in downtown San Francisco.  He rented a car and continually dropped us off at our next attraction while he parked.  Like Drake, he's concerned about my mobility.  We did go to the top of Russian Hill and to various neighborhoods tourists rarely visit.  Drake is still rocking his Texas Rangers cap.  See the pictures.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/WhBjmTSqD5NXss4M7

We did manage to go to a couple of museums - one of which was terrific.  We saw the Cable Car Museum which was FREE!  It is the actual place all the cables wind and unwind for the cable cars.  There were examples of various cable cars.  At one point there were several cable car companies especially prior to the 1906 earthquake.  There was historical flotsam and jetsam.  If you want to see the cable car pictures click the link:

https://photos.app.goo.gl/JpQ1pYkt7WYPE3Su9  

The grandkids are doing great.  Fiona will be 18 months old at Christmas and Cedric will be five.  He started kindergarten this year.  Here are a couple of recent pix:

And my favorite grandkids picture.....making that boo boo all better.

This has been the good news portion of the year.  We only had one major hiccup.  I had a pretty bad fall on Mother's Day in Brooklyn.  The short version is I tripped over a piece of sidewalk a tree root had pushed up.  I tried to catch myself, but instead that turned into a running start to the fall.  I wound up in the emergency room for several hours.  CAT scan of my head, several x-rays of my wrists and knees, and hands, morphine for my dislocated finger and seven stitches in my head.  Glasses messed up, shoes ruined.  I'm still recovering.  My hand is still re-habbing - thus why I don't want to address Christmas cards.  In October my right knee 'woke up' and I was hobbling around until I got a steroid shot.  I will spare you the pictures of my wrapped hands, black eyes and stitches.

Instead, here we are at age 73:

And, yes, that is my gray hair.  We are planning a wonderful Christmas holiday.  I hope your holiday celebrations are equally wonderful.  Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. 

World Series Champions

 

I think I will always remember the night the Texas Rangers won the World Series since Drake all but levitated at the last pitch. Most people don’t ‘get’ it. He’s been following baseball since he was 7 years old. His first team was the Cleveland, Indians. It was his Dad’s team, and he even got to go to some games. When he was a bit older, he used to call up the radio station and answer trivia questions to win tickets to an Indian’s game. That happened more than once. Of course, the Indians were never able to overtake the Yankees to win the pennant and go to the World Series.

When the family moved to Texas, he became a fan of the newly formed Houston Astros. He followed that team from 1963 until 1989. Playoffs a couple of times, but no World Series. When we moved to the DFW area in 1990, he became a Ranger fan. Then, he endured the heartbreak of 2010 and 2011 World Series losses. So, he’s waited from age 7 to age 73 for his team to win the World Series.

The other terrific thing that happened was so many of our friends called us, emailed us, and texted us with congratulations. He’s certainly looking forward to next season, and I think it’s more fun to watch a winning team. Drake doesn’t really care – baseball is baseball. Ironically, he went to a Fall League baseball game the day after the World Series finished. (Fall League is a league of the best lower A, upper A, AA and a few AAA players that the teams send to Arizona to play against one another from now until Thanksgiving.)  I guess he needed to taper off.

I'm sure you've realized I started this blog months ago, but we've been incredibly busy.  Now, the baseball world is in 'Winter Meetings' where deals are made.  The Rangers have already signed another relief pitcher....  He's a bit of a rehab.  No more deals yet.

The hot topic is:  Can the Rangers repeat?  We've got a precedent (2010/2011).  I hope Michael Young and Adrian Beltre enjoyed the World Series win, but it must have been somewhat bittersweet.  

Hurrah for the Texas Rangers (and Baseball)!

 We can't let the baseball season drift away this year without giving the Texas Rangers their due.  No one except me and Drake saw the Rangers as doing anything this year.  They lost 100 games in 2022 and they've won 90 this year.  I'm not sure the team has enough juice to get to the World Series, but it really doesn't matter.  The season has been more fun - 90 wins, duh, rather than 100 losses.

In our household it doesn't matter if you win 100 games or lose 100 games, Drake (and by default ME) watch all the games.  If the Rangers are behind by more than five runs, and it's later than the 7th inning, sometimes Drake will abandon the game.  He's a complete diehard.  

Big surprise that he's been living and dying for the Rangers during the post season.  Again, no one picked them to beat the Tampa Bay Rays or the Baltimore Orioles, but they did.  Now, though, the Astros are a mascot of a different color.  We are currently behind the eight ball.  We have to win two more games in HOUSTON to go to the World Series.  Stay tuned.

Drake has been into baseball seemingly since before he was born.  His Dad was a semi-pro left handed pitcher.  The day Drake was born, Norm was supposed to pitch.  The OB doctor sent him to the mound saying the baby wouldn't be born until long after the game ended.  In those days, fathers were not allowed into the labor/delivery area, so it didn't really matter where he was.  According to Merilyn (Drake's mom), his thoughts weren't on the game.  I don't know if he won or lost, but Merilyn was in labor 27 hours and had a 'forceps' delivery - that's where they pull the baby out with salad tongs around the head.  Norm had plenty of time to finish his game.

Drake played Little League and Babe Ruth.  He was a short, wiry, fast, and smart about the game 2nd baseman.  (He was 5' tall in the 9th grade.)  Unfortunately, his last coach was a drunk.  The coach got drunk, then upset, left the field, and drove off while his team was still on the field playing a game!  Norm could have coached the team, but he couldn't get enough time off work to do it.  Then, Drake's eyes went bad - he became nearsighted when he was 14.  Those two things were enough to end his baseball career.  I also think he figured out he just didn't have the body type to play baseball at much higher of a level.  5'11" tall with a 28" waistline when he graduated from high school, he was a geek in the making.

Basically, I've had to accept baseball season is just part of our life.  The tradeoff is the ballet and any museum or attraction I want to see is cheerfully attended by Drake - as long as it doesn't interfere with an important baseball game.  One of my fascinations from the very beginning of watching/attending baseball with Drake is his incredibly deep knowledge about the game.  He can point out stuff happening that most people don't even realize is taking place during a game.  We actually went to see the Ranger's low A and high A teams play this past summer in North Carolina: The Down East Wood Ducks and the Hickory Crawdads.  These are the most minor of minor league games.  They were fun, and I actually bought jewelry and a painting in Kinston, NC - home of the Down East Wood Ducks prior to the game in an art gallery, not the baseball field. 

The other fun part of baseball as far as I'm concerned is all the baseball sayings Drake knows.  He knows some which I'm POSITIVE he's made up.  When I google them, they are always actual sayings.  Here are some of my favs.  You can figure out what they mean:

WORM BURNER

BASEBALL ISN'T OVER UNTIL IT'S OVER (Yogi Berra)

NEVER SAVE A PITCHER FOR TOMORROW; TOMORROW IT MAY RAIN (Leo Durocher)

CAN OF CORN

THROW STRIKES, BUT DON'T GIVE HIM ANYTHING TO HIT (said by every pitching coach)

THERE'S NO CRYING IN BASEBALL

NINETY PERCENT OF THIS GAME IS HALF MENTAL (Yogi Berra)

THERE ARE TWO THEORIES TO HITTING THE KNUCKLEBALL.  UNFORTUNATELY, NEITHER ONE OF THEM WORKS.

GET SERIOUS; IT'S BASEBALL.

EVERY PITCH COUNTS

SWING LIKE NOBODY'S WATCHING

BRINGING THE THUNDER

SITTING IN THE CATBIRD SEAT

HIGH CHEESE

ELEVATE YOUR GAME

BATTER UP, BUTTERCUP

RALLY CAP

CROOKED NUMBER

RUNNING OUT OF OUTS 

BARREL IT UP

A BLOOPER, A BLEEDER, A BOMB

A FROZEN ROPE

A LONG STRIKE

MENDOZA LINE

MEATBALLS

LIVE ON THE CORNERS

AROUND THE HORN

FLASHING THE LEATHER

A FIVE TOOL PLAYER

This list can go on and on and on.  Baseball has been part of the culture since the early 1800's.  Just watch "Baseball", a film in nine innings by Ken Burns if you don't believe me.  This year the game has been revitalized or ruined depending on who you talk with.  It's faster, snappier, with more runs, hits and steals because of three things:  a pitch clock so the pitcher can't go into a Zen trance between every pitch; bigger bases; and the 'shift' being banned.  This year most games were just slightly longer than most movies - even Spring Training games.  

So root for the Rangers, the Diamondbacks, the Phillies, or the Astros (at this point in the season), but tune in because postseason baseball is really exciting.  Oh, and just to point out one last thing:  baseball players and fans are renowned for their superstitions.  My baseball guy has been wearing a Texas Ranger shirt EVERY DAY during the post season.

   

Western Mountain State Fair, North Carolina

 Our visit to North Carolina wouldn't be complete without a fair visit.  We were pleased to attend the Western Mountain Fair.  This is a subset of the State Fair, so it wasn't gigantic, but it was choice.  Every fair I've been to has something which sets it apart from any other fair - remember New Hampshire and maple cotton candy?  Well, this is apple country, so I wasn't surprised to see this booth on the midway.  

Another unusual part of this fair was the staggering number of North Carolina products which you could buy.  There was even an 'apple store' where you could buy several different types of locally grown apples.  I have to confess we bought fudge instead.  There was also an interesting exhibit about the North Carolina State Forests.  I spent some time visiting with two forest rangers.  One's specialty was trees and the other fish.  I learned that hemlocks (which take 40 years to mature) shade the trout streams which makes the trout healthy.  Appalachian Mountain trout are as finnicky as they come.  Shaded streams keep them healthy.  It was an interesting anecdote about the interconnectivity in nature. 

This is the tree forest ranger

As usual, my favorite part of any fair is the crafts.  There were some great ones at this fair, and I took pictures of about 10% of what we saw.  Here's my favorite craft:

This hummingbird as well as the morning glory flower was carved out of basswood by the 'bird man'.  This is the nickname his other carver friends have dubbed him.  Here are three more examples of his work:

Yes, that feather is carved wood

This is a lady slipper, a  type of pitcher plant

Finally, the big draw on a Tuesday was the Youth Llama Show.  It was fun.  The picture is of the 'senior' who won the competition in her division.  The animals were beautiful, and each one was so different.  There was every color, variable size, and one was even shaved like a poodle!  

I could have spent more time at this fair.  It has the best midway we've seen.  It had not only blood curdling rides, but also little people rides.  The ferris wheel was lovely.  We rode the aerial tram which went over the entire fair.  I was able to take my best picture of the Blue Mountains from the tram.

As always, if you want to see my pictures, click on the link.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/SoL5wT6k6AnA73uY7