Winter in Florida…

Posted on December 23, 2011 by TheJessicaness

…feels like Christmas in May. The nights can be chilly and the weekends threatened with rain but come noon it still feels like 80 degrees. My last trip up north was to try to find snow – I didn’t. I wasn’t able to go far enough north or west. I don’t mind the warm weather but I would appreciate it more if there was actually a cold season. I’m supposed to be bundled up in coats drinking hot chocolate. Instead I’m in my shorts in an apartment with the heat off because it’s 76 inside today. I know some day I will see snow again. Until then, I will continue to tend to my garden that still bears vegetables in December and drink Silk Nog (vegetarian version of eggnog).

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TheJessicaness’s Alphabet of Likes

Posted on December 22, 2011 by TheJessicaness

animals

art*

bath time

bridges

camping

caving

cooking

cycling

elderly*

exploring*

flowers

kayaking^

lighthouses

museums

music

nighttime

opportunities^

rainbows

risks*

shadows

sunsets*

teamwork+

thinking*

vacations*

waterfalls

All other likes apologize for their inability to be here.
* Photos by John Wise
^ Photos by Caleb
+ Photo by Google

Posted in Animals, Art, Camping, Education, Entertainment, Family, Food, People, Photography, Places, Things, Travel, Water | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Mountainous Munching

Posted on December 21, 2011 by TheJessicaness

actual weight may vary

It started out as one cheerio, one dried cranberry, or one almond. It ended up being handfuls of fruit-nut mix. One or two chips turned into crumbs at the bottom of the bag. A pizza left only Parmesan cheese crumbles to be remembered by. A bottle of water turned into a bottle of juice, Gatorade, and a coffee. Perhaps I’ll buy a piece of chocolate or I’ll just buy a few king-size bars. And then we will finish it off with some flavored nuts. We usually do good on trips to not gain weight because we are busy with other things.

We usually travel in warm weather and we need food to burn to keep our bodies warm. Caleb packed a sweater each and his coat for emergency weather; he grabbed the dogs’ jackets on the way out. I wore the coat once and used food to keep warm instead. The dogs ran to keep warm and always seem to lose weight on trips regardless. This trip would be no different for them. But the scale numbers this morning would be high for me. I do have to be grateful though that the pounds came on while enjoying the natural scenery and not someone’s day job on a screen.

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Double Doors, Double Beds, Double Deals

Posted on December 20, 2011 by TheJessicaness

Taken just before we left the room. We enjoyed hot showers and some carbs and sweets for breakfast. Today we will drive from Myrtle Beach to Charlotte; there we will have Schlotzsky’s for lunch. Then it’s a straight drive home. Caleb will pull over every couple of hours to stretch our legs and let the dogs out. This trip was not to be rushed and traffic and construction helped keep it that way. We will check on the cats we are watching on the way home. They doubled their weight in poop and were doing fine. Piggy is glad to be home in her own warm bed and Sparky talks to the squirrels while we check our email.

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Bullets, Balls, and Beers

Posted on December 19, 2011 by TheJessicaness

Beautiful weather in North Carolina calls for some battlefield viewing. We head to Guilford Courthouse where the overall opinion from visitors is that this place was once covered in bloody bodies filled with bullets; a brutal battle. Out on the trail are squirrels playing tag, monuments marking the next stop, and a cemetery marking the soldiers’ last stop. We get passed by local runners, some with dogs, and cyclists.

We are able to find a ball playing area to let Sparky run around. When one isn’t available, Caleb will run the dogs down a path, let me take some uninterrupted photos, and then come running back. The dogs get good exercise which helps them sleep more in the car and I get pictures of little blue birds and fat brown squirrels. A guy walking by lets us know our headlight is out and we’ve needed new windshield wipers for a while. A visit to a local auto parts store is now on the itinerary for the day.

Onto Moores Creek where the battle wasn’t as bloody but the land just as full of critters and color. A bridge over a swamp with wonderful reflections and another bridge that had been rebuilt. The Patriots removed planks to slow the Loyalists approach; it worked. Monuments, mushrooms, and small pine cones will line this trail that to me ended too quickly. Battlegrounds seem to pretty to fight on, some too cold and packed tight with trees, some with wide open prairies, and others with steep drops give different safety advantages and some amazing views.

We stop in Myrtle Beach for the night and let the dogs play in the sand. I try photographing the hundreds of sea gulls on the beach and surf. We would try for a cheap resort with an ocean view but none of them allow dogs. We find a warm place to sleep with dinner next door. Caleb is impressed with their beers on tap and tries a local brew. We are eating at Mellow Mushroom. We have three near where we live and love the healthy non-greasy food.

We were a bit disappointed in this one though. The pretzels looked more like dough balls. I could see the crust through the sauce on the pizza and there was only enough ingredients for a small on the large that we ordered. I thought the dessert might be different and ordered some pumpkin cheesecake. What I got had pumpkin in it but it was more of a cupcake. With bellies full it was time for bed.

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