Wednesday, September 14, 2011

The two best photos I didn’t get

WELCOME to two new followers, Longdog 2, who retired June 2010 to travel with her three miniature dachshunds, and Ester, who doesn’t appear to have a blog.  Welcome to you both, we’re happy you are following along with us.  : )  Welcome Aboard!   

The campground has a lot of empty sites, as it did last week.  I’m sure it will fill up on Friday for the weekend, but I sure like it better empty. I have an unobstructed view of the lake through the large, beautiful trees and it’s very quiet.  Selfish, huh?

The day use part of the park is very large and has lots of places for people to gather. 

 Day Use Area, Hood Park, WA 9-12-11 
          Picnic area Hood Park WA
  Hood Park, WA – Day use area
    
Yesterday the park workers were doing the lawn edging and mowing, and when they got near The Palms, I heard a rock ping against the sidewall of The Palms.  Very hard and very loud.  I was planning to dump the tanks, fill up the fresh water tank and go to town today, but when I heard that rock, I went out and pulled the electric cord, hastily put everything away, and three minutes later I was driving down the road to the dump site.  I didn’t want to deal with dents in the walls and then be sorry I didn’t leave.

Luckily I already had my shopping list already to go, so Katie and I went to Costco for a few things including fresh fruit and their delicious ice cream bars rolled in chocolate and chopped almonds.  Then the pet store for food and treats for Katie, and Target for the rest.  I found a post office to drop off a birthday card for Lauren, my granddaughter who is going to be 4 on the 21st.  I’m afraid I won’t be back in a town to mail it on time, so Kristy will have to keep it for me until Lauren’s birthday.

On our way home around 7-7:30 there was a HUGE sunset, with beautiful clouds, the sky and the sun were the most gorgeous colors.  I was driving right into it wishing I was back at camp. There were all sorts of wires, buildings, etc. in the way while I was driving, so I couldn’t stop to get a good shot.  It wouldn’t have looked good.  When I got back, the sun had already set. I think those are the first clouds I’ve seen since I got here, and I think clouds help make the best sunset photos. So I missed that one.

It’s so nice to have empty tanks, full fresh water, full fridge and freezer, and the next four days to enjoy.

When Katie and I took our walk this afternoon I didn’t take my camera again.  I mean, really. We’ve been here over a week already, and I’ve taken enough photos of the area. It’s getting repetitious.  So we’re walking along and a big brown squirrel with a busy tail runs along the grass and climbs a huge tree right next to us.  He stops, looks around, goes out onto a really thin branch, turns around to face us, holding on precariously with all four feet. 

He had a really big nut in his mouth.  He must have been about eight feet from us, about ten feet up the tree and he just stayed there looking at us, swishing his tail.  I started talking to him and making squirrel noises, and he just looked at us with that nut in his mouth.  Very clear, nothing in the way, up close , the money shot – no camera.  And it seemed he wasn’t moving until we did; I thought maybe we were too close to wherever he hid his nuts, so we went on our way. From now on I'm bringing my camera, just in case.

I have a few sunset photos from the night before last, and these are the final-final sunset pics unless I get some clouds or something different.  It is sooo much fun, though, shooting the sunset. 

Sunset Hood Park WA 9-12-11 b

Sunset Hood Park WA 9-12-11 e
 
This is a monument in the day use area showing that this is on the Lewis and Clark Trail.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

Lewis and Clark Trail Marker

A few days ago a new camper arrived in the site across the street, he was putting up his tent with his car doors wide open and his car radio blasting country music.  I like country music, but was just settling in my chair outside for my afternoon read, enjoying the peace and quiet of this beautiful area.   I hate it when this happens. I don’t want to complain, I always hope that someone else will.  I'm thinking - my peaceful campsite is no more.

Neighbor

 So, he finally gets the tent up, gets in his car and drives away.  That was Sunday afternoon, and I haven’t seen him since.  He drives to his site late every night, and leaves before I get up.  I’ve seen his headlights once, but every morning there’s something different on his table – leftover food, a drink cup, a towel - so I know he's been there.  Everybody's lives are so different, we just can't assume anything, I guess.  But I'm sure glad I'm he's not here during the day to blast his radio. :(

He and I have been the only campers on this part of the loop for a few days, and with him gone all day, it’s been really nice and quiet. 

By the way, I noticed there is a small tab on the lower right hand corner of Blogger's design page, so I sent them two messages (they ask for only one issue per feedback).  One, the fact that I often can't access my design page, and the second one is that many of the blogs I follow aren't showing up on my sidebar list as the new posts are published. (Some of my followers said the same thing, my blog isn't showing up for them, either.)  It is not a personalized feedback with an answer coming back to me, but at least when there is a problem, I can report it.  I don't know if this is a few feature, but I just noticed it.

From Me and My Dog, have a great Wednesday, everyone! : )