Here's a picture I took Wednesday. I spend atleast an hour at Football practice M-F..most days I walk to it. We live about an 8 minute walk from the park.

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My #2 son is the QB in this shot, getting ready to hand off to #32. I think he ran this one in for a touchdown. They are scrimmaging against a team from the South End of our Island.

Great Gina....looking forward to your table tennis shots!

Terri that's a lovely action photo. Give us some more from your area please. I'm sure it is lovely there.

This was part of my today. I started out in the morning looking for some cake as Wolf missed having some yesterday evening (our anniversary) despite that we'd had a nice chocolate mousse for dessert with yesterday's dinner. So I went first to one small bakery window and wasn't too impressed with what they had, so after passing the pharmacy I went to a German bakery in a supermarket and bought some pieces of cherry cheesecake and chocolate gateau. They had a good selection of different cheesecakes, brownies, apple pies and petits fours. It was difficult to decide!
Outside there was a lovely flamboyant tree with its typical umbrella shape.
Later I was at my Pilates session and took a couple of pictures of some of the ladies after we'd finished.

After the session we usually go upstairs to the gym's coffee bar. One of the ladies had made and brought some jam tarts! I had to try one to go with my cafe cortado....yummy...but oh I'm going to have to run around the block after all these sweets!

So how was your day?

SharonCb

Doh! I took my camera to table tennis yesterday but forgot all about it! I'll hang it around my neck next time. I have Pilates tomorrow - maybe they'll let me take pix there.

Whew, it's hot. Let's all go for a little boat ride around Mystic & Groton Long Point & let the ocean breeze cool us down a bit...

As we quietly slip out of the cove this year's junenile osprey gives us a look over...

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Over the past several years our waters are warming...we're seeing lots of sea creatures never found here in recent memory...

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Here we are pulling into the channel behind this catamaran...no breeze yet but as soon as we round the next bend in the channel it'll be cooler...

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Ah, it's much cooler out here. This is 'Dumpling Island'. It's owned by Dean Kamen. Dean invented the Segway & lives in Bedford, NH. DH & Dean are friends. When Dean purchased 'Dumpling Island' he wanted to build a house...the town told him, "You must get approval from your neighbors." Dean said, "I don't have any neighbors!" It was a standoff. So, Dean being Dean...declared himself an Independant Nation & built his house without permits! It's a nice place...

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Looks like this guy's in a hurry to get to the fishing grounds, huh? He's headed in the direction of The Race. That's a small, narrow inlet between Fisher Island & Race Rock where all of the water from Long Island Sounds flows in/out. The waters are very turbulent. We lose a couple boats in The Race every season. The Race is also where the nuclear submarines headed to Electric Boat enter the Sound so head's up please...help me watch for submarines!

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We went in close to get a good look at this shipwreck...while we were there I snapped this picture of Groton Long Point.

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It's too hot near the shore...we're heading back out towards Montauk...gonna follow that fishing boat I pointed out back near 'Dumpling Island'. Looks like we're not the only ones...we've got lots of company. There are "Rules of the Road" that everybody's supposed to follow when traffic gets this heavy but way too many people don't know those rules so you can't take anything for granted. In theory, the sailboats (under sail) have the right-of-way & the power boats are supposed to yield. In reality, it's like a game of 'Chicken'!

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Enough pictures. I'm going into the salon, make lunch, & get out of the sun!

Hope you enjoyed being on the water with us.

/tricia

Here are some pics of my fishing trip yesterday. I only caught two speckled trout and let them go but had a good time. The last photo is of a brown pelican. They are a testament to how much cleaner the water is now. I floated within 20 ft of him, I think he was looking for a handout.

Love these! Tricia, does Dean have a windmill on that island?
Jim, did you feed that pelican? I love how they fly in "V" formation, so slowly and majestically. Once, on a walk at a shoreline cliff hiking path, a small formation came by, then circled us for a closer look - I swear!

Hi Gina!

Yes, Dean has a windmill to power his island. He's also got a watertank, fire supression, 24/7 guards, & probably the best view of The Race from either New York or Connecticut. He keeps a boat in the Mystic River for access to his island. But, normally he arrives by helicopter.

If anybody's interested in geology, The Race is a fascinating place. I was scared when we had our smaller (22') boat going through the cut. The water's surface can be completely calm but 2' down it's churning like a washing machine. Other times, the water looks like a pot of water boiling & ready for pasta. It's a tough place to anchor because the hooks get stuck in the boulders & the currents will pull small boats right under the water. There's always lots of fishing boats...you just drift along through the bubbling water that spins your boat every which way. I'm OK going through The Race to get out of the Sound but I don't like to spend a morning fishing there...even with our Nordic Tug it's unnerving. We went through once about an hour before tide change & I thought I was dead! We had our 22'er & DH had the Honda 90 at full throttle but we couldn't make headway against the swirling currents. That was a very light boat with a shallow draft so DH decided to try a different technique...he raised the engine a tad & gunned it hard. We sorta skipped along on top of the water & got out in one piece. It was shortly after that experience that we started looking for a larger boat. :0 Now, we've got a big diesel & a 48" draft so it takes a lot more to toss us around.

It's a great place to fish though not for the inexperienced angler.

/tricia

Here is a link that might be useful: The Race

Jim and Tricia ...love the pictures of the sea. Better luck with bigger fish next time Jim, but if you had a good time that's the most important. Don't think I've ever seen a live pelican. He looks pretty big!

This morning I had to go to Santa Cruz, the capital city of the western islands for renewing some documents before travelling. The main square, Plaza Espa has been renovated, had a large pond installed and unusual new tourist information bureau buildings covered on roof and sides with local plants. Interesting to see. I didn't have time to explore the other little buildings but did have a look at the beautiful large Indian rubber trees which give dense shade to the centre walkways. The shaded streets lined with cafes and parasols are so very pretty and remind me a lot of Barcelona, another old and gracious city.

As I sat on the bus I caught a photo of an upper view of the spectacular new white auditorium building, designed by Santiago Calatrava to look like a giant wave on the water's edge.

On another note, Spain is in mourning for today's terrible plane crash at Madrid airport.

SharonCb

It's Monday so it's fishing day again. I haven't played golf in two weeks because of weather and scheduling probs with my group. I think once winter gets here and all the fair weather boaters hang it up I'm going to fish 2 or three days a week. I feel like I'm back home when I'm on the water.

Can you guys believe that my Maggie is two years old! Well, almost. We had her birthday party a week early.

She got a castle with a swing set on it for her birthday. Whoo Hoo!

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After playing in the hot sun and opening up presents it was time for birthday cake.

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Mom decided that a bakery cake would just be fine...and it was.

{{gwi:1470289}} She could just hardly stand waiting for her cake.

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It was such a fun day!

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This is what it looked liked after we cleaned up and everyone went home.

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Now you can see what I do with my spare time. We are having soooo much fun.

Jim, I'm so glad to hear you're doing something you love once again. That trout is lovely. Karen, when one doesn't have children or grands like me, you have a different sense of time passing. It's always so wonderful to see my forum buddies' babies and kids growing up.

Today I took my camera with me all day. Starting mid-morning, when I took Odo for a walk down to the beach.
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Not many people yet. Mornings are always slow, even in summer. This beach is pretty remote for an L.A. county beach though.
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Some early birds.
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Hazy to the left of me...
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Hazy to my right...
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Here I am, stuck in the middle with this guy...
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Playin' hooky? Surfers were not out today. This guy's confused!
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Then back to the office for a few hours. Odo getting some shuteye - he knows he's to be quiet at the office. Notice the shoes? Clarks. The most comfortable shoes I've ever had.
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Sustenance.
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Later I left to go to Jessica's house for a canning session - you can read and catch more pix of us on the Discussions side.

My ping pong pix turned out carpy - too dark - I'll try again later.

I am enjoying everyone's pictures. Jim, the banana boat looks like it's about to sink. Very pretty fish -- you threw him back, didn't you?

Maggie is a beauty. Love those rosy cheeks.

Gina, tough life. I love that shot of the older couple sitting on the bench.

Okay here are some of mine, although kind of random.

First a field I drive by on my way home each day. Sorry the subjects are all turned away from the camera. These sheep are all pets on a "gentleman's farm".

Not all my views are so great. Here is what I see from my office window. If I get up and look out the other way there is a pretty garden. Too bad I can't see it when I'm sitting down!

Here is a picture of the beach on the other side of the continent from Gina's shots. This is Bethany Beach DE. The beaches are public but you can only get to them through private developments, so they are very empty. This was a gorgeous Sunday in August!

Here's my son catching some rays. The taller house all the way in the back is where we stayed.

Here's the ocean. That's my BIL and two of my nieces walking along the ocean -- that would be the Atlantic.

Here are my toes! Looks like I'm getting a little too much sun.

Here we are watching the Olympics. I'm not in the picture. The baby has red eye --- oops. Lots of Coronas getting sucked down, too

Okay, home again. Here's a hibiscus from my garden.

I will post more from another day when I get a chance.

This is a fun thread! I'm loving everyone's views and lives. Maggie is a doll-baby! I was going to join in when I went downtown today but I forgot my camera, darn it. Next time. Modesto has no lovely water views though I could shoot a couple of the irrigation canals. ;)

That little fishy of yours is pretty sweet, Jim.

Looks like a great day on the water, Tricia. Tell us about the ship wreck.

Sharon, your images are always enticing.

Gina, I keep fantasizing about moving to SoCal when Alice finishes HS. Cambria, if I can make a living. Lots of wineries close by so it might work. Alice would love it. And her doc said she should live there for health reasons I won't go into just now.

Terri, love the boys playing football, so earnest. Fall is around the corner.

Pam, I envy you your warmer ocean water! It's SO cold here in NorCal.

OMG, Karen, Maggie is so darned cute. And so big, how did that happen?

OK, here's some of my part of the world. This is not on my way to work, but in a neighboring town. I still like the name:

Only in Newaygo County would we have this. You'd think they could just levitate the trash up off the street, but I guess they actually pick it up, LOL:

This one IS on my way to work:

This is The Lake, of course:

Daytime Lake:

Local PowWow:

Makayla and Bud help me with Copenhagen:

Makayla rides, and Cope is so good with her, we don't even worry:

OK, so it's an eclectic mixture, but it's all part of my days here.

Annie

Hey Annie! I love the redneck bird feeder. IT goes with the {{gwi:1470216}} and the {{gwi:1470217}}, heh-heh.

Eileen, Cambria is Southern California? I wouldn't put that part of Cali in the South. It is a very nice area to move to though.

Wow, I haven't been over here in a long time, and that was so much fun! I really enjoyed all the pictures and narratives. thanks for sharing!

To me Cambria is very far South! I know it's considered Central Coast.

For now I'm cheating. These are pics I took a while back of a small town called Turlock just south of here. It's very "Mayberry" in some places. This is part of downtown Turlock.

Great thread! Its fun to see everyones "life" in pictures.
So, heres mine.
I wake up here.

Grab some coffee and go out here:

Heres my view from my back patio:
Garden:

And critters:

Note my hand in this new little ones mouth. She thinks she still needs a bottle!

These two are just tiny. Not as tall as the 5 gallon bucket:

Feed my kitties and then go to the chicken coop to let "the girls" out (only now I have a rooster too!):

Sometimes this guy visits the front yard:

Sometimes he brings a friend:

Unfortunately, I then have to leave all this and go to work. ButI get to visit gardenweb so not bad at all!

Deanna

What cute critters Deanna! Are those all milk cows? They are small aren't they? Why do they wear harnesses? - LOL just a bunch of questions from a city girl...

Hello Cooking Forum!

I haven't posted in a long time but I do keep up on the weekends and sometimes after work - I guess that could be called lurking :]

Here's our day at the beach in SoCal; we had family visiting from the East Coast and I told them to keep on eye out for the dolphins because we usually see them swimming just past the waves. This is the first time I've seen them put on a show so close to shore:

Up and out!

What Fun!

Annie, that's a beautiful sunset picture & I always love seeing pictures of Copenhagen. It's wonderful he's so gentle with the kids.

barnmom, I remember Turlock from my Selma/Fresno days. Those shots are great...are they from buildings on Route 99?

Deanna, I didn't know you lived in Oregon...or in the country. Those are adorable 'critters'! The Willamette Valley is beautiful country. I've not been there since I was a kid.

Ann, the dolphin pictures are just awesome! We have dolphins in Long Island Sound but I've only seen a couple pods. The good news is that with the Sound cleaner they seem to be visiting us more frequently, or so I'm told.

I've got some new pictures to post when I find some time to upload them.

/tricia

I haven't checked here for a few days. I'm glad I did! Eileen, it's hard to imagine CA looking like that. I've only seen the coast and Yosemite.

Deanna you make me want critters. Those little goats are precious. I will have to take shots of the ones I see on my drive.

Ann. The dolphins are AMAZING!! My son saw some when we ere at the beach but I missed them and they certainly weren't putting on a show like that. My older son lives in CA and used to sail. The dolphins would swim along with the boat like dogs chasing a car. I think those escaped from Sea World.

Keep those pictures coming!

Annie the bird feeder made me realize how much we have in common. Some folks down the road from me have a Madonna in a bathtub that's been cut in half and stuck in the yard. I'd take a pic but they always look at me funny because I've only lived here for 24 years and they still aren't sure who I am when I drive by and wave.

Ann, I was scrolling so fast I missed the point of your pictures. They remind me of a fishing trip to the barrier islands off Louisiana. Just replace the kids having fun with wade fisherman and the dolphins with sharks. Fantastic shots. I'm going to start spending more time on the California coast. I love it there.

I love the idea of "a day in the life". Great idea, Gina! I am enjoying everyone's photos. Unfortunately, my laptop is still out of commission and this computer is as old as the hills and it takes forever to download but it is worth it!

This is this morning. My son's first day of kindergarden.

Look at Grace's face. I call her old woman. I swear she is!


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I joked with dh that I would sob at the bus stop and skip on the way home but really I am sick to my stomach. LOL

Maggie, your DS looks so excited! The first day of school is such a big deal!! I think it's much harder on Mom than your DS. lol Grace is a sweetie. I don't think she looks like an old woman!

Here's what my area looks like. I actually live in what's known as 'Historic Mystic' but that's confusing because there's no such jurisdiction. Half of 'Historic Mystic' is in Groton & the other half is in Stonington. I live on the Stonington side. Exactly where 'Historic Mystic' is causes a fuss so the USPS has given us our own zipcode. That causes even more confusion. I have trouble getting packages delivered properly. I've even had Sears tell me, "Nope, we can't go THERE to service your refrigerator!" Aargh

DH's tide watch needs a new battery so I took it here...to Stonington Boro.

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Stonington Boro is a one street wonder. Here it is looking the other direction.

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I like New England architecture. Here's a few of the houses in the Boro.

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I love these windows but am glad cleaning the salt film off is not my job. It's beautiful during the holidays with wreaths & candles.

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I drove down a couple blocks to turn around at Stonington Point. There was a group of nine kayakers (sp?)...very picturesque.

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Here's where we are...if you look at the piece of land between Stonington & Mystic...I live on the 3rd little penninsula counting from the left. Stonington Point is a neat spot. You can see 3 different states (Fisher Island, New York, Stonington, CT, & Watch Hill, Rhode Island).

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Next, I went here...to the Mystic Inn to meet a marina friend for lunch. This is where Lauren Baccal & Humphrey Bogart spent their extended honeymoon after getting married in Ohio. It's known as the "Mansion" & is now a part of the Inn. The restaurant is in another building (Floodtide Restaurant) & is very good.

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There are four rooms in the "Mansion" on the second floor. Guests are free to use the first floor which includes this music room w/piano; a parlor w/huge fireplace & library; the dining room (either order from the restaurant or prepare your own meal); & the kitchen. The kitchen's wonderful. Circa 1905 & pretty much original except for new appliances. Guests can cook there if they want to but I can't imagine anybody actually fixing scrambled eggs in the morning? The Inn serves rolls/coffee/juice in the morning & tea sandwiches are available from trays between 4:00-5:00 p.m. It's a bit of a hike down the hill to the restaurant from the "Mansion" but a very beautiful place to spend a get-a-way weekend. The gardens are spectacular. I wanted to snap some photos but staff was bustling about getting ready for a wedding & I felt like an intruder. :( The Inn keeps a Rolls Royce to shuttle you around Mystic & Stonington Boro.

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Despite this rather formal Inn this is a very casual area.

I showed you the Inn because that's how we came to live here. We'd come down from NH for a weekend & stayed at the Inn. We sat on the lawn for hours looking over a marina & the Sound beyond. Little did we know then that several years later we'd end up with a house 1/4 mile from the Inn & keep our boat in the same marina we'd watched on our first visit. Serendipity.

It's a long ways from Fresno; but I like it here.

/tricia

Gina, I smile every morning when I walk past that red neck bird feeder, LOL, it's so typically......White Cloud. LOL.

Jim, I have several neighbors with bathtub Madonnas too, and one local guy strings his backhoe and tractor with Christmas lights every year. I kind of like that...

Tricia, Copenhagen is the neighborhood babysitter, he's always got a couple of kids climbing all over him. As long as they have a pocket full of jellybeans or an apple or a popsicle or a peanut butter and jelly sandwich and they're willing to share, he's good to go. He likes a cold beer now and then too. (grin)

maggie, those kids are so darned cute and your big guy looks so excited to go to school. Kiss those baby Gracie cheeks for me, will you?

Ann, I love the dolphin pictures, I don't see many of those in Lake Michigan!

Gina, I like the dog carrier, LOL.

I suppose I ought to take some pictures of some of the better sights around here. (snicker)

Annie

No posts for a few days so even though I only caught a few fish today I thought I would show you all why Condor Reef is called Condor Reef. I had to lead this one like a duck and was surprised that I got it. Taking pictures while fishing adds a new dimension and it's been fun.

Sorry for the poor spelling. Something about posting personal stuff in public still doesn't sit well with me.

I'm sorry to hear about your friend, James. May he rest in peace indeed.

Annie

I'm sorry Jim.

Maggie, that's darling - your boy going off to school with Grace at his side.

Next poster with pics, let's start a Part 2 thread so they don't get too long for posters not on high-speed please.