Month: March 2017

Tallahassee Museum with the Grandkids

My daughter and her family arrived at our home last Wednesday after driving straight through from their home in Illinois. The three grandkids slept much of the way, but their parents needed naps upon arrival. 

Poppa (Studly Doright) entertained four-year-old Harper, while Garrett (14), and McKayla (12), accompanied me on some not-so-exciting errands so the house would be quiet for the “old folks.”

After the parents awakened I suggested we take the crew to the Tallahassee Museum, which is really part zoo, part zip-lining adventure, and part historical site. I’d been before, but Studly hadn’t, and none of our guests had ever visited this gem. 

I’m always so nervous that my suggestions won’t go over well, and this one didn’t get off to a promising start. Harper balked at the entrance and had to be coaxed to continue, but after a cold lemonade and a bit of time on the playground equipment, she was all smiles. 

Harper was captivated by the dinosaur sculptures made entirely from automotive parts.

Poppa decided that he and Garrett should give the tree-to-tree adventure a try, and the two of them set off to be fitted for harnesses and given instructions on hooking on to the safety lines. Poppa came to regret this quest, but Garrett took to the trees like a duck to water. 

Poppa is saying, “You want me to do what???”
Garrett was amazingly adept at switching connections between obstacles.
The camera doesn’t capture the man’s terror.
McKayla was the primary animal spotter. She has keen eyes for the almost hidden denizens of the museum.
This guy was taking advantage of a shady spot on the warm afternoon.
Garrett visited with a friendly otter.
 

Somehow I forgot to take photos of the wolves, foxes, and birds of prey, but I remembered to have a good time. 

Peace, people!

Snapshot #129

An ahem, friend shamed me into discarding my vanity and sharing a photo of me without makeup. Please note the cute haircut after poking fun at my naked face.

I call this one, “Jennifer Aniston has Nothing to Worry About.”

Snapshot #128

Today has been a perfect spring day here at Doright Manor. As I sat outside with a wee glass of wine and a good book I began hearing a pair of owls calling to each other from across the neighborhood. I snapped this photo and dare you to find the owl. I call this one, “I Promise There’s an Owl in This Photo!”

JONNY CATAPULT – THE PLUMBER THE ROMANTIC NOVELISTS ALL TRUST

Clever way to introduce an author! Well done Mike Steeden!

mikesteeden's avatar- MIKE STEEDEN -

rake

SHEHANNE MOORE’S CENTRAL HEATING PUMP

“Well Shehanne, luv…or may I call you Shey…I can? Nice one. Thanks for the cuppa.  I must say strong tea, when combined with a generous slice of your very own homemade Dundee Cake provides a real treat for the taste buds, although inevitably the cake doesn’t dunk like what my preferred Garibaldi biscuits do. Never mind though. 

To the point. You’d be amazed at the number of issues you romantic novelists have with your central heating pumps…beats me, but there you have it!  Still all sorted now.  The problemo was none other than a jammed propeller due to foreign stuff in the central heating seeping into to your all-important pump. May I ask you a question?  Tell me, do you keep rodents?” 

“I do actually, my hamsters” 

“Well there’s your answer. Hamsters, or should I say, rodents belonging…

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Snapshot #127

I took this one at the Tallahassee Museum last week. That’s Studly Doright (Poppa) experiencing the Tree to Tree adventure. Let’s call this one, “Holy Crap! What Has He Gotten Himself Into?”

A House with no Doors

“Twenty-four!”

Drawn by the sound of non-rhythmic counting we approached a house. At least it appeared 

to be a house–four sides, a peaked roof, an old stone porch. Even so the roughly cubed structure 

was devoid of doors, and on further investigation presented no windows. 

“Twenty-five,” 

intoned a disembodied voice. What manner of edifice, we wondered, looked like a family 

dwelling, yet gave no opportunity for entry or exit? 

“Twenty-six.” 

After circling the structure three full times, I banged my fist against the place where the front door 

logically should be situated, just up the three stone steps, centered on the building’s apparent 

Anterior surface. “Puzzling,” my partner ventured, his antennae twitching, when no response 

resulted from my knocking. Suddenly, the house lifted and came crashing brutally down on him. 

“Twenty-seven!” 

I scampered away across the sand as quickly as my six legs could carry me, thinking, “What madness?!”

 Author’s note: This tale came to me at 2 a.m. I’m not sure what it means, but it insisted on being written.

Snapshot #126

Grandson Garrett had to share a photo of his giant slice of pizza from MoMo’s in Tallahassee with his cousin in Texas. I called this one, “Wish You Were Here!”

Fairy Expansion

Our daughter and her family visited from Illinois these past few days. The youngest grandchild, Harper, was entranced by our fairy house, but she also was frustrated that it had a fake door. 

“How do the fairies get in?” she asked.

“They’re magic,” I said. “They just pop in and out.”

“I don’t think that’s how it works,” she said. 


We left the fairies in a rearranged state and went for a quick overnight trip to the beach. I’d forgotten all about them, but Poppa (a.k.a. Studly Doright) began planning to build a house with a door that would open and close.

When we returned from St. George Island on Friday afternoon Harper was napping, so Poppa and the middle grandchild, McKayla, went to work on a new fairy house. 




By the time Harper awakened most of the building was completed, but she did add her opinion.


In fact, the idea to use leaves for the curtains was hers. 


Here’s the finished project.  Notice the original dwelling behind the new house. We’ve got the beginnings of a village!


And the door opens, so these fairies don’t have to rely on magic to enter and exit.


I noticed a couple of wee folk have already taken possession of the new place, 



along with a happy frog!

Poppa and McKayla, with a wee bit of help from Harper, made a big impact in the Florida fairy world.

Peace, people!

Snapshot #125

The youngest grandchild explored St. George Island on a blustery spring day. I call this one, “Harper Storms the Beach.”

On the Cusp

I’m on the cusp of nothing
Hanging on a thread,
Every day seems pregnant
With a certain kind of dread.

Headlines scream, portending
Tales of glee or maybe gloom,
Depending on one’s politics
Seen as bonus or as doom.

So here we stand in limbo
One foot toeing on the ledge,
While the other seeks purchase
Having fallen off the edge.