Birthdays and Easter

This year my birthday fell the day before Easter. When I was a kid, I wanted my birthday to fall on Easter because my mother's birthday fell on Easter. I remember looking up Easter on a Perpetual Calendar and discovering 2000 was "my Easter Birthday" year. That was far too long to wait when I was 7.

Fast forward to 2000, and I had my Easter Birthday! It was exciting. I wondered if it would ever happen again. Easter 2011, is the closest with only a one day discrepancy. Easter 2014 is 3 days off. In fact, the next time Easter and my birthday coincide will be in 2079! WOW! Watch this space and I'll let you know all about it!

If you are interested, click here to see the list of dates. By the way, the earliest date for Easter is March 23 and the latest is April 25.

So, today is Easter. Yesterday was my birthday. All is good.

Around the House

Just a few views from around the “old rancho.” The hillsides are covered with greenery and it’s beautiful. It will not last very long, so we need to enjoy it while it’s still here.

There were a pair of geese on the pond this morning. I heard them “talking" to each other before I saw them...then they glided in over the fence and landed ever so gracefully on the still water. Of course I did not have the camera ready to record the landing. I wonder if they are going to stay for the rest of the spring?

I like to look at old wooden fence posts and we seem to have a number of them. You have to wonder how they stand up and how they keep the cattle out. To me, it looks like one swift “kick” and the whole fence will topple over. Somehow, that does not happen.

Every so often, I see a little surprise. This morning it was a footprint or rather a paw print in the mud. I don’t know what made it, but it was worth a picture.

Lastly, we come to the “famous wood pile.” The wind was so strong, it blew the pile over so we reinforced the framework with t-bars and the other DrC has been working on restacking the wood. I did not know there is a science to restacking wood, but apparently there is. This morning, as he was finishing up, he stepped on a piece of wood with a rusty nail in it...the nail went through the sole of his shoe and landed in his big toe. The next stop was to my file of medical records to see when he had a tetanus shot. It was 9 years ago and they are good for 10. I called our doctor and he recommended it might be a good time to get a  new one. So, the wood pile is still not as tidy as it should be, but we don’t have to worry about lockjaw! There’s always something.

The G11

I'm learning my old camera again! I have not used it in 4 months while I was trying to gain expertise with the 60D....there are lot of differences. I am missing some of them right now. The focus on the 60D is excellent. The lens has an autofocus feature that is hands down better than the lens on the G11. In addition, the viewfinder on the 60D shows 96% of the picture...and that's not the case with the G11. The difference is of course the DSLR lens. With a DSLR camera, what you see is what you get. With a point and shoot camera, what you see is some of what you get. Still, even though the quality is not the same, the size of the G11 is just so much better! Now, if someone would make a DSLR camera the size of the G11, I'd be a very happy camper!

Flowers after the storm

Most of March has been stormy and gray. It's amazing any flowers have survived the onslaught, but a few hardy individuals have persisted. The African Daisy is a surprise! I planted it last year on a whim and it made it thru the winter!

The ceanothus sounds like it is hovering over the ground as it's filled with bees. They have not had a chance to do their work with all the rain.

 The redbud has been battered by the wind yet a few blooms are clinging to the limbs. The trees only bloom 2 weeks a year, and this year, most of the blossoms were blown away.

 The firethorns are just starting. It will be awhile before their red berries appear.

 The rosemary are just starting to sprout their bluish purple buds. Soon they will "hover" like the ceanothus will their own flock of bees.

 The last flower to arrive is an iceplant. The bright golden yellow flower looks like a shining beacon in the garden.

 It's good to have the sun back! March came in like a Lion and it looks like it will go out like a Lamb. Tomorrow is April Fool's Day! I wonder what that will bring!?

Down Memory Lane

I was looking at old photo albums this morning and came across this picture of our original "freedom machine." This is our first RV, our only motorhome, and the great love of our RV life! We named her Rumblebunny, I have no idea why. I know that she sort of "rumbled" as we rolled down the road, but I don't know how the "bunny" part of the name was derived. All I know is we had Rumblebunny for 11 years, 125,000 miles and 5 valve jobs. She was not reliable...but she was a lot of fun!

So, here's Rumblebunny, copied from an old 3x3 photo with a matte finish! The picture was taken along the Natchez Trace Parkway in Tennessee, at Christmastime in 1976 (see the little Christmas tree in the window). It's fun to take a trip down memory lane every now and then.

Back to the Old

Well...after 4 months of learning how to use the Canon 60D I decided it was not the camera for me at this point in time! My nephew was looking for another camera as his "died" and now he is the proud owner of the 60D. He got a fantastic camera and I feel like a weight has been removed from my shoulders. The camera was wonderful. It took great pictures. It had one major drawback--size! The complete camera kit of lenses, cases, filters, tripod and extras was just too much to carry! Now I'm free from it.

I needed to buy the camera to see what it was all about. I now know. I also know I can use any type of camera AND I choose to use a point and shoot! All pictures from now on will be taken with my old reliable Canon G-11 or iPhone. They are perfect for me!

A few more scenes

I’m writing this on a very stormy day in northern California. The skies are a very dark gray. The wind is blowing. The rain is pelting down like there is no tomorrow and I’m looking at pictures of warm, sunny, tropical lands. I’d rather be there than here right now...but alas, that’s another story.

 These 2 pictures were taken near Hilo. What a beautiful day! In stark contrast to today...so I’ll end here.

We are on “dry land” for the next few weeks. The next big trip will be on the Adriatic! In the meantime, I’ll have to get caught up on day to day life in the slow lane.