May Hail Again

Last year I was amazed and perturbed by the hail we received one day in May. It's happening again right now. No longer amazed but still perturbed.

Swinsty Walk

Weather forecasters on the telly and the internet all agreed: today would be the only sunny day of the bank holiday weekend. The sun was shining as I gathered my things together for a little hike. I'd downloaded the routes of two hikes from Swinsty Reservoir from the Yorkshire Water website. One of them would take me around John O'Gaunt's Reservoir, near the ruins of John O'Gaunt's castle (actually a medieval hunting lodge). I've always wanted to see those ruins; they could be just a pile of rocks on the ground or it could be the shell of the medieval building. I wouldn't know unless I went there.

It's a short drive to Swinsty Reservoir and as I pulled into the car park and began to put my hiking boots on a massive gray cloud parked itself over the entire area. The wind picked up and it felt rather chilly. Oh well, that's Yorkshire for you. I began to follow the instructions for the walk to John O'Gaunt's Reservoir but got stymied only a short way down the path. I was supposed to follow a stone wall, "then go through the wall, over a small stream to a stile into a field." I never did find a suitable place where I could go through the wall, nor an easy passage across the stream, nor a field with a stile. Perhaps if I'd had an Ordnance Survey map I'd have been able to figure it out but I wasn't about to go it alone. So I turned 'round and did the easier route around Swinsty Reservoir. I've hiked there many times with my hiking group and it's almost impossible to lose your way.

I had brought my binoculars but did not get many reasons to peer through them. I occasionally heard birds in the wood but, now that the trees are in leaf, they are nearly impossible to spot. There were hardly any wild fowl on the water. With one heartbreaking exception. There was a spot near Swinsty Dam where I could see two ducklings were trapped. They were in a pool of water next to the dam. The only way out was up several man-made steps over which water gushed like mini waterfalls. The mother duck was above in the reservoir patiently waiting for her ducklings to follow her. But they must have been too young to fly and were certainly not strong enough to manage the waterfall. They kept trying and trying and only managed to get up one step before being washed down into the pool again. I watched the sad scene for a while then had to leave with a heavy heart, not knowing how the episode ended.

I stopped at the other Swinsty car park and ate a sandwich at a picnic bench. There was Yorkshire Dales ice cream van there and I just couldn't pass up the opportunity of having an ice cream cone with a chocolate flake. As I ate my ice cream I began the walk back to my starting point. The cloud cover got even thicker and I had to pull my windbreaker out of my backpack to break the chill. It was nearly 3 p.m. when I made it back to the car. I'd been walking for about 2.5 hours and had covered about 4 miles.

I'm back home now and have just had my afternoon mug of tea. As I sit here typing this the sun has come out and is shining bright and warm. Leave it to me to be outside only during the cold gray windy part of the day.

A Case of the Sneezles

I did not sleep well last night. I tossed and turned nearly all night. At one point Ginger climbed on the bed and nuzzled up next to me which felt warm and comforting and almost always helps me fall asleep. Then I heard Ginger sneezing off and on throughout the night. He's been sneezing since I got back from Texas. At first only once or twice a day. But starting last night, with much more frequency. I got up thinking I should run him into the vet, but it's Sunday and the vet will only see urgent cases. Though I'm really concerned, I don't think Ginger's case is urgent yet. Unfortunately, tomorrow is a bank holiday, so the urgent case policy will still be in effect. I'll keep an eye on our dear purr boy and decide tomorrow whether I should take him to the vet or not.

Catting About

Yesterday I went touring some catteries in the area. I've got to find a place for Ginger to stay while we are packing out and before he flies home. His usual home away from home, Cosy Cattery, can only accommodate him from 2-8 July. We don't fly home until 25 July. I'd been hoping Ginger could fly with us but for various complicated reasons we've decided to send him home ahead of us. My sister JoAnn will be able to pick him up at BWI airport, but not on the weekend of 8 July. So it looks like we will try to put Ginger on a plane around 11 or 12 July. Hence, the reason for the cattery search. I thought it would be better to find a cattery that could accommodate him until at least 12 July. I got a few leads on catteries from friends, and found some more prospects through internet and phone book searches. I narrowed it down to three catteries for my touring.

I decided to revisit Petties Paws, a cattery on a farm just outside of Harrogate. Ginger had stayed there once before but I wasn't completely satisfied with it. It was a little dirty and the construction of the cat pens was a bit chintzy. At that time aboout two and a half years ago the owners stated they had plans to move the cats to another area in a purpose built cattery building. I arrived yesterday morning to find the new purpose-built cattery is still in the planning stages. In fact the owner gave me just about the same speech he'd given me two and half years earlier. The cat pens were really stinky and I could see many of the litter pans needed tending to. so I struck that one off my list.

Next stop was North Oaks Farm Cattery. I found this one in the phone book. I liked the idea that it was a facility exclusively for cats, on a farm and in a fairly easy-to-reach location. It was off the road to Brimham Rocks just outside of Pateley Bridge. When I pulled up I was pleased to see a nice farm house with neatly tended flower gardens. I met the owner who took me in to see the cat cabins. Everything looked great. All the cats were in private enclosures, it was neat and clean. Then I mentioned that Ginger needs to be given pills on a regular basis. The owner said she could give Ginger the pills only if they could be given with his food. With Ginger that's not possible, but he takes his pills very well. At that point the owner set off on a rant about why she couldn't accept cats that need pills. She went on and on quite frantically about how she'd had a bad experience with a cat that went berserk when she tried to pill it and how would I like to give that cat (she pointed to a particularly vocal feline) a pill and you just never know how they will act and my cat might be on edge depending upon what other cats are there at the time and if I come across anyone who agrees readily to give a cat a pill just don't trust them because they will just say that and not give the cat a pill. I just stood there and looked at her not believing what I was hearing. How can she run a business in which she cares for cats yet not be able to give a cat a pill?! Oh well, strike that one off the list.

Final stop of the day was The Secret Garden Cattery in Winksley. I liked the name of this one but it was in a more remote location. I'd gotten confused by the directions given to me and anyhow I was approaching Winksley from a different direction that I'd been given the directions for anyhow. I thought I'd be able to figure it out from a map but I took a wrong turn and felt hopelessly lost. I stopped once to get directions to Winksley and made it to the village, no really it was a hamlet, but damn if I couldn't find the cattery. I decided I must've gone too far and looked for a place where I could turn around. I saw a driveway up ahead and thought that was as good a place as any. As I pulled in I saw the sign: "Secret Garden Cattery". What luck I thought, this must be a good sign. The owner is a very nice (sane) woman, her cattery is neat, clean and climate-controlled with private enclosures and outside areas for the cats. Plus she had vacancies for the entire month of July. Yes!! Success. I made a provisional booking for 2-12 July. I'm under no obligation if I have to cancel.

I was feeling really good about my find but on the drive home it dawned on me that I will need to take Ginger out of the cattery shortly before his trip to visit the vet for a health certificate. It can only be done 10 days or less before he flies out. I realized I could board Ginger in Cosy Cattery from 2-8 July, take him out on the 8th, visit the vet, and then take him to another cattery, Padside, close by. We've used Padside before; it's an excellent facility and is run by a veterinary nurse. Hmmm... if Winksley weren't so out of the way and if Ginger had stayed there before I might think of going with that plan but now I was beginning to like option two much better.

Oh well, the day's outing was not really a loss. I'd enjoyed driving around in Nidderdale a lot. Winksley was in an area near where I'd gone hiking before and I remember how much the narrow roads had scared me before. This time around I wasn't intimidated by the roads. That was such a liberating feeling. It only took me nearly three years to get there.

Freelance Fizzle

I reported to the print shop this morning only to be disappointed. The project I was to work on has been "sorted out". The director of the print shop will be on holiday for two weeks starting Friday. His client, knowing he would be away, sent him the project early so he will finish it before he leaves instead of having me work on it while he is away. There is still a chance that some design work may come through while he's away. If so, his business partner, who is not a designer, will contact me. The plan is to let me do the work on my own computer and provide them with a pdf. Fingers crossed, I'll get an assignment or two in the next coupla weeks.

Arrival in Harrogate

I think I actually managed to get a bit of sleep on the flight home. At least the in-flight time seem to go by more quickly than I expected so I suspect that I conked out a few times. My flight arrived at Manchester airport around 8:30 a.m. For the first time I took the train home from the airport. I didn't have too much luggage so it seemed a manageable option and it was. About a fifteen-minute walk brought me to the train station in the airport. I purchased my ticket (£20) and only had to wait about 10 minutes for the train. I believe they run trains to Leeds every half hour. I caught the 9:34 train and arrived in Leeds at 11:56 -- too late to transfer to the 11:59 to Harrogate but I only had to wait a half hour for the next train. I arrived in Harrogate to blue skies and refreshingly cool temperatures and walked home from the train station. After sending emails to let people know I'd arrived home, I made phone calls to check up on my freelance jobs. The job at the ad agency in Harrogate is still up in the air. It seems they are considering hiring someone full-time for the position which would definitely put me out of the picture. A decision has not been made on this yet but it does not sound too promising. The print shop wants me to report sometime tomorrow morning to go over the specifics of the project they'd like me to work on.

I tried to stay up but had to take an hour nap in the afternoon. Wanted to make sure I was alert for the drive out to the cattery to pick up Ginger. I gave the cattery a heads up about us moving and inquired about vacancies in the cattery in July. I thought I was ahead of the game but as it turns out that is one of their busiest months due to school holidays.

It is so good to be back home with my Ginger boy. He is a bit whiny tonight but also very cuddly.

The Journey Home

JoAnn got up at 6 a.m. to get ready to head back to the airport. I'd've liked to've slept in a bit later, but she was the driver. Our plan was to head back to the airport and find someplace there for breakfast. We got to the airport by 8 a.m. JoAnn already had her boarding pass which she'd printed off of Bing's computer the day before. I checked my luggage in and got my boarding pass at the airport. We made our way over to JoAnn's gate; her flight was due to take off around noon. Mine was scheduled for a 2:30 p.m. take-off. We had egg-and-cheese bagels at Au Bon Pain. JoAnn tried to get on stand-by on an earlier flight, but that flight ended up being delayed. As it turned out her scheduled flight was also delayed. I hung around with her until around 11:30 and then moseyed my way over to my gate in a different terminal. I found a wine shop where I was able to purchase a wine box to carry my bottle of wine home in. It was a box designed for two bottles, so I just stuffed the baseball cap and visor in the box with the bottle of wine and everything fit perfectly. The bottle was wedged into place and the brims of the caps did not get crushed. I grabbed a bite to eat at a restaurant near my gate. My flight left about a half hour late. This time I changed planes out of Boston. Ugghh. I really hate Logan Airport. It is the most dreary dismal airport I've ever been in. I was in Terminal B and two wings of the terminal were closed off unless you were exiting the airport. There were only a handful of shops and eateries available. I wanted to find a light snack but all I could find were some muffins that had been sitting out god knows how long at the Au Bon Pain counter. At Hudson News the only snacks that were available were candy bars and huge bags of nuts or trail mix. Why can't you find decent normal-sized snacks at airports? One of my pet peeves. I chose a Cheerios cereal bar. Yuck. It was sickeningly sweet. I made my way to the gate. The flight number and destination were never posted and I had to inquire to make sure I was at the right gate. The intercom did not work properly and the voices sounded scratchy and distant. Every once in a while an employee would open a door that set off an ear-splitting alarm. I was definitely ready to go home.

Sad News and Many Farewells

Today was the day that most people were heading back home. Vince and Jody and Domenica and Brenda all left early to head back to the airport. JoAnn and I planned to explore some of the property around the cabin before heading over to the ranch. Before we had left the cabin, JoAnn received a call from her cat sitter. Abbey was very sick. JoAnn instructed her cat sitter to take Abbey to the vet. We found out later that Abbey died in the car on the way to the vet. It was devastating news and I really felt for JoAnn who was understandably distraught.

After a while, and to help get her mind off things, JoAnn and I did take a drive to visit some other sights we'd heard about. JoAnn had to drive on some rather rough roads, some gravel, some sand and it was a bit scary but she handled it like a pro. We saw a big crater where it is believed a meteorite had landed eons ago. The crater was all overgrown with vegetation so it was really hard to actually view it as a crater. From there we found our way to Dream Lake, a pretty setting with some horse stables nearby and old-timey wagons on display. There were a couple of people fishing on the lake. We went out on the fishing pier where there was bird food available for feeding the wild fowl. It was comical to see how the ducks and geese from across the lake scampered over to receive some snacks.

We then made our way back to the ranch. The Graffunder family was in the middle of a Christmas card photo shoot. They all looked handsome in white shirts and blue jeans. Later Mary Lou and Ed took us for a tour of the rest of the ranch. This was a driving tour, not a walking tour. We saw lots of outbuildings, a barn with bulls in it, the original ranch house, and a couple other ponds. According to Bing, there are no natural lakes in Texas. All the lakes are man made. Amazing. I keep wondering where they got all the water to fill the lakes! I saw a few more birds during our tour. The most amazing and distintive bird was the scissortailed flycatcher. Others I can add to my list are: Carolina chickadee, tufted titmouse, gray catbird, cardinal, red-winged blackbird, boat-tailed grackle, barn swallow, purple martin. I got a really good look at another bird near the cabiin and I haven't been able to positively identify it but I think it might have been a cedar waxwing.

After a lunch of barbecued burgers and hot dogs JoAnn and I said our farewells. We'd decided to stay the night in Dallas so we would have a short ride to the airport the next morning. Bing found us a great place to stay and helped us print out directions off his computer. JoAnn and I were both a bit nervous about driving into downtown Dallas but the directions were spot on and the traffic wasn't too bad. We'd passed a shopping gallery on the way to the room and wandered back there on foot in search of dinner. The shopping center was centered on some stores named Stanley Korschak. We had a bite to eat at a bar/restaurant called Palomino's. We split two bar snacks: grilled tiger prawns and a wild mushroom salad. They were delicious and generous enough to be dinner for the both us. JoAnn had a coke but I opted for a Scratch Margarita (delicious!). Plus, eveything was half-price for happy hour. JoAnn was worn out and just wanted to hang out at the room. I decided to take a walk in the neighborhood to see if I could find a place for breakfast the next day. I was unsuccessful in my search for a breakfast joint and nearly got run over for my troubles. It was still rather hot out and after having had that margarita I was feeling worn out myself so I headed back to the room. We watched TV for awhile and I read a bit before going to bed.

Pleasant Morning, Tex-Mex Evening

I was eager to take a hike on one of the trails surrounding our cabin, so after everyone was showere and dressed and had scrounged up some breakfast we hit the trail around 9 a.m. Brenda had left earlier to go fishing with Bing at the ranch. JoAnn had been warned about chiggers -- nasty little buggers that cause a fiercesome rash, so I decided to wear long pants, socks and shoes even though it was hot and sunny. Again. It was pretty quiet along the trail but we did manage to catch sight of and hear some interesting birds. We also saw a large turtle, some tiny lizards and an itty bitty frog. My hope of seeing an armadillo went unfulfilled. As was my fear of running across some snakes.

After our hike we decided to head over to Mt. Pleasant, said by Bing to be larger and more interesting than Mt. Vernon. There were six of us in two cars and, once again, JoAnn lead the way. It wasn't too terribly difficult to get there. All the roads are dead straight unlike the twisty turny roads in Yorkshire. We arrived in Mt. Pleasant around noonish and easily found a free parking space (another novelty for me). Mt. Pleasant was bigger than Mt. Vernon, but not by much. We'd arrived in time for the 4th Annual Moonlight Jubilee and the center of town was roped off for the festivities. In one area there were carnival rides and there were a few booths set up selling food. Along one block there was an antique car display. A sign proclaimed some of the highlights of the day, to include an outhouse race and a seed-spitting contest.

We were all hungry and started to look for a place to eat. Domenica proclaimed she would ask someone on the street for info. We spotted an information table at the fair and suggested she go there for info. The man behind the table seemed shocked to find someone asking a non-festival related question but once he got warmed up there was no stopping him. We all quietly peeled away and left Domenica there to hear his monotonous pitch about Mt. Pleasant. At any rate, we'd been directed to what appeared to be the only restaurant within walking distance, Laura's Cheesecake Factory. As with the Sweet Shop the establishment was a gift shop up front and a cafe in the rear. They usually have a full lunch menu but because of the fair were only offering refrigerated box lunches featuring sandwiches on croissants. Must be a regional specialty. I noticed there was tortilla soup so got that instead of a sandwich. The soup was pretty good, tomato-based with chili-style spices, bits of tortilla floating in it and topped with cheese. After lunch Vince and I headed for the library where we checked our email. The others wandered through the fair and had some homemade root beer. We stopped into a couple of gift shops, each one nearly a clone of the previous. As Vince said, "The competition for knick knacks is pretty fierce in Mt. Pleasant."

We headed back to the cabin to rest up a bit before going back to the ranch. Domenica, JoAnn and Vince took naps. I tried to nap but was restless, got up to read and then heard birds and pulled out my binocs to try to catch sight of some of them. Later I helped Jody work on the jigsaw puzzle. We headed over to the ranch around 5 p.m.

We spent time wandering through the ranch house, hanging out at the pool and walked over to the pond near the house to look at the Longhorns and spotted a huge bullfrog in the pond. Brenda took us over to the stables to see the horses and their newly born foals. It was the cleanest stable I have ever seen. It didn't even smell like horses were there. The horses were gorgeous, immaculately groomed, and the foals were incredibly cute.

Bing had suggested we assemble for a garage door photo, a Bagnato family tradition. The photos were taken by Bing's son-in-law Matt, a professional photographer. He took other assorted photos including one of everyone gathered on an outdoor staircase.

Tonight was Tex-Mex night. Beef and chicken fajitas, sour cream, guacamole and chips and salsa were on the menu and Bing had arranged for a band. Dinner began around seven and soon Bing began to explain that the band was a no show. Oh well, we were having a great time anyhow and the food was delish. We were all just beginning to think about dessert when the band showed up after all! They'd gotten lost. As I'd suspected the band was actually two mariachi guitarists. They wandered from table to table serenading us with an assortment of Mexican and popular songs, taking requests at each table. Perhaps it was better that they showed up after dinner was over...we had more time to pay attention to the music.

Bing and Jan presented everyone with a bottle of Lone Star Ranch label wine, red or white. The men received Lone Star ball caps and the women Lone Star visors. We were all bowled over by the generosity and hospitality of our hosts. The various branches of the family gathered on the patio steps in front of the pool to express our thanks to Bing and Jan.

We headed back to the cabin around 10 p.m. Domenica and Brenda hit the sack but Jody Vince, JoAnn and I were determined to finish the jigsaw puzzle. Everyone but JoAnn and I was leaving on Sunday and we didn't want to leave the puzzle unfinished. Shortly before midnight there were only four pieces left. We each chose one and fitted it into place.

A Small Town and a Large Ranch

JoAnn and I got up early, far too early, my body and brain groaned, but we were in Texas and wanted to make the most of our time there. Dawn and Mitchell had invited us to come to their cabin for coffee. Joe and Phyllis were to supply the breakfast food. Mitchell said he'd be up by 5 a.m. and said we could drop in whenever we liked. Well, we weren't up that early but early enough to have some coffee from the first pot of the day. Mitchell makes a mean pot of coffee, nice and strong, just like I like it. Emma was awake and we got to cuddle and coo at her. Such a sweet baby with a smile that lights up the room. It was a sunny morning but our cabin decks were in the shade and there was a nice breeze coming across the lake. We sipped our coffee and chatted, enjooyed the view and waited for Joe and Phyllis to arrive with the breakfast grub. And waited. And waited. Finally we decided we'd run out to the convenience store ourselves. We left Dawn with the baby and Mitchell, JoAnn and I took the short ride to the store. While we were browsing the aisles who should walk in but Joe and Phyllis. They'd wanted to call us but couldn't get a signal on their cell phone. Pickin's were slim at the store and oddly enough we couldn't find small versions of anything we were interested in. You couldn't buy sugar packets but had to purchase a 2-lb. bag. You couldn't buy a small loaf of bread but had to purchase the giant 1 lb. package. No small jars of jam. And a pound of butter cost $5. We bought the large versions of everything and split up what we could among us. We also picked up an assortment of sweet buns and Phyllis chose a chocolate muffin. So that was our breakfast...toast and cinnamon buns and nice strong coffee. The package of Bimbo buns did not go over well. They were said to taste like a dinner roll with raisins in it. I had half of Phyllis' choc. muffin, half of a butter bun (almost pure sugar) and a couple of slices of toast. And some nice strong coffee.

After that hearty and healthy breakfast we took the paddle boats out onto the lake. JoAnn went out first with Mitchell and then Dawn and I went out. It is a peaceful setting there on Deer Lake. I'd brought my binoculars and hoped to see lots of birds. I hadn't brought a camera. I knew everyone else would have a digital camera and figured I'd get to see plenty of pics of our long weekend in Texas.

After spending time at the lake, JoAnn and I decided to go to Mt. Vernon, a small historic town nearby. We met the lady who manages the cabins and she gave us directions and a recommendation on a place to go to lunch. I had some reservations about the place on the edge of Mt. Vernon, as it was called The Sweet Shop. I was still buzzing from the sugar high I'd received at breakfast. But the lady was right, they serve up some mighty tasty sandwiches there. JoAnn and I each got a chicken salad on a croissant. In front of the cafe is a gift shop full of kitschy little knick knacks, many of them religious-themed. We chatted with some other patrons, all of them quite friendly and chatty. One fellow even reminisced about the time he'd flown into Friendship Airport. Guess it's been awhile since he was in Maryland; the airport was renamed Baltimore Washington International Airport in 1974.

From the Sweet Shop we made our way to Main Street, Mt. Vernon. By now it was getting quite hot with unrelenting sunshine. The lady at the cabins warned us we might be disappointed in Mt. Vernon; it is a small town with not much to it. She did not exaggerate. The hub of the town is Mt. Vernon Square, a patch of green topped with a wrought iron gazebo. Unassuming flat fronted one- and two-story buildings lined the square. There were a handful of "antique" stores, a hair salon, library, bank and courthouse. Parking was ample and free at the square. There were not many pedestrians about...in fact it felt as if we were in the middle of a ghost town. We wandered into a couple of "antique" stores. I put the word antique in quotes because most of the merchandise was new kitsch with a smattering of genuine antiques about. The most promising looking antique store with interesting architecture and a magnificent tin ceiling was closed. As were the restaurant on the square and the few museums we tried to visit. We went into the libary, which was thankfully open and cool. We were able to hop right onto some computers to check our email. The library lady informed us that the library was in the former bank and pointed out some of the architectural features which had been preserved. It seems there is a bit of history to Mt. Vernon -- it is the county seat of Franklin county, site of many historical houses and home to the Franklin County Genealogical Association. None of this grand history was apparent to us during our brief visit.

Before heading back to Bing's ranch we stopped off at Brookshire's, a real grocery store with a marginally better selection than the convenience store at the cabin. We picked up a package of English muffins, coffee and milk and I got a couple of apples. We dropped our groceries off at the cabin before heading over to Lone Star Ranch.

I'd only gotten a glimpse of part of the house through bleary eyes the night before. This time Mary Lou gave us the grand tour. The house is huge and sits atop a hill overlooking Lake Bob Sandlin. The ranch itself occupies 600 acres and Bing owns horses as well as substantial numbers of Longhorn and Black Angus cattle. The ground floor rooms are large and seem even larger because of the incredibly tall ceiling. The upstairs rooms run along the perimeter of the building and one side of the hallway connecting the rooms is a balcony overlooking the downstairs rooms. The dominant features are mellow caramel-colored wood and bronze metal and the decor has a strong American Western theme to it. You will find a nice selection of cowboy boots, lasso ropes and Western-themed paintings and prints. I was delighted to see three more of Aunt Domenica's paintings which Bing had had framed and hung among his other prints.

The one room that attracts the most attention, I believe, is the "trophy" room. Bing is an avid hunter in exotic places and has filled the room with the taxidermied animals he's hunted. There were three standing bears as well as a bear-skin rug, a couple of mountain goats, a zebra, countless antelope and gazelles, wildfowl...even more than I can mention here. I, personally, did not like to spend much time in this room. The rest of the house, however, is warm and welcoming with plenty of nifty modern gadgets hidden behind the rustic exterior. Outside the back is a huge patio with a swimming pool filled with salt-treated water (no chlorine!). There were so many young slender folks lining the pool that I never could find the nerve to put my bathing suit on. Aside from Emma, Ella and Ian there were three other charming youngsters in our family circle: Stephanie, the oldest of the young set, skinny and swimming like a fish most of the time, Bella, four-and-half years old and every inch of her precocious curiosity and little Dylan, our shy little cowboy. All the kids were well behaved and a delight to be around. Wish I could say the same about the adults. (KIDDING!!) Oh, and I shouldn't forget to mention Jazzie the dog and two very fat cats.

Vince and Jody and Domenica and Brenda had arrived that afternoon and everyone kept joking about the Texas-sized miles on Bing's directions. But we all made it there anyhow. For dinner that night we had a catered barbecue with beef brisket, baked beans, smoked sausages and cole slaw. All very tasty. After dinner, JoAnn, Mary Lou and Domenica presented a surprise for everyone. They'd arranged to have a wreath made in memory of all our family members who have passed away. Each loved one's name was printed on a strip of paper that was intertwined in the wreath. They laid the wreath on the ground and surrounded it with luminaries (candles inside of white paper bags) -- one for each person commemorated. It was a beautiful and touching tribute.

Later that evening we all headed back to the cabin caravan style with JoAnn and I leading the way. JoAnn, Domenica and Brenda hit the sack early but Vince, Jody and I had trouble getting to sleep. We raided the games closet in the cabin and started working on a jigsaw puzzle. The image was of two parrots on a branch of a leafy jungle tree with a lake in the background. For some ill-conceived reason we began the puzzle on a tablecloth with a leaf pattern making our difficult task even more challenging. We'd made some little progress on the puzzle by midnight when I toddled off to bed.

Texas Bound

I arose at the crack of dawn (before 5 a.m.) to get ready for my journey to Dallas. My flight was scheduled to leave at 10:45 a.m., so in order to get to Manchester airport by 8:45 a.m. the taxi company said they needed to pick me up at 6:30 a.m. And then he shows up knocking on my door at 6:20 a.m. Gack! It was smooth sailing to the airport. I was hoping we'd go the back way but the driver said at that time of the morning it was best to go through Leeds. I've had the same guy take me home from the airport before and he is a real talker...he will talk about anything but seems to especially love politics. Usually I'm too tired to hold up my end of the conversation and this morning I had trouble staying awake during the ride. We made very good time to the airport, arriving at 8 a.m. The driver is very knowledgeable about flights and airlines at Manchester airport. Based on the airline I was flying he knew what the flight number was and was able to tell me exactly how to get to the ticket counter.

Everything went smoothly from Manchester to Chicago where I had to change planes. I thought I'd grab a bite to eat at O'hare and was appalled at the prices of take away food. I hate the way airports gouge you for every little thing you might want to buy. I ended up eating the power bar I had brought with me and got a banana and an iced chai latte from a cafe. The latte was supposed to be lightly sweetened but was sweeter than a bottle of pop.

It was a short hop from Chicago to Dallas where it was sunny and hot (91F at 6 p.m.). Once at DFW airport I caught the shuttle bus to the rental car center. That is where JoAnn and I decided to meet up. She flew in from Baltimore that afternoon. I was at the rental car center no more than a few minutes when JoAnn walked in. Perfect timing!

JoAnn got behind the wheel of our Nissan Accent and we were on our way to Lone Star Ranch, Bing's ranch near Mt. Vernon, Texas. JoAnn said the ranch was supposed to be about a two-hour drive from the airport. I scanned the directions and thought no way! We were to be on I-635 for about 27 miles and then 10.7 miles on I-30. Turns out it was more like 107 miles on I-30. Guess they were Texas miles. It wasn't too bad getting from the airport to Bing's place but that drive to the ranch house seemed to take forever...it was the longest leg of the journey for me...but we finally pulled up in the drive sometime between 8 and 9 p.m.

We were surprised to see how many folks were already there! Aunt Domenica, Mary Lou, Ed, Hans, Jessica, Ella, Ian, Dawn, Mitchell, Emma, JL, Sally, Joe, Phyllis and several members of Jan's family were all sitting around circular tables set out on the patio. They'd just finished eating but Bing said the steaks were still warm and he fixed me up a plate of steak, baked potato and salad. Delicious!! I was delighted to finally get to meet my grandniece Emma who was sound asleep when we got there. It was also wonderful to see Ella and Ian again, each a bit taller and, incredibly, cuter than the last time I'd seen them at the reunion in Baltimore. We hung around for a little while then followed Mitchell to Deer Lake cabins where the Genovese clan would be staying. It was a short drive in pitch darkness now. There were a couple of scary looking beetles and lots of little flying insects hanging out in front of the door to the cabin.

We were staying at Allen House a cabin with three bedrooms as well as kitchen, dining room, living room, sunroom and deck. Dawn and Mitchell were staying at another cabin nearby and Joe and Phyllis and JL and Sally were in another area. JoAnn and I picked out the room we were going to stay in -- we chose the room with twin beds -- and sacked out. By then I'd been up for more than 24 hours, not having managed to sleep on the plane at all, so I was certainly ready for the blanket show.

Ginger Goes For A Ride

This afternoon I dropped Ginger off at Cosy Cattery. He always puts up a fuss when I gather him up and put him in his crate for the drive out there, but once he's at the cattery he is perfectly relaxed and quite at home. He really does have comfy quarters there and a lovely view of a garden. The house seems so empty and quiet now without both of my boys to keep me company.

Set to Fly Home

Today I made the arrangements for our flight home to Maryland. We will be flying out on Tuesday, July 25 on Continental Airlines. We'll leave out of Manchester airport and fly into BWI via Newark. I didn't have much choice in airline or route. Had to accept the cheapest fare available on a US carrier. I will certainly be sad to leave England but I won't think about that now...

Somebody Gimme A Cheeseburger!

Again, more than a week since my last post...

I guess you could say a lot is going on. I'm setting up the dates for our pack out and flight from the UK. We'll be moving back to Maryland in just a couple of months and it hardly seems real. Been living overseas for the past six years and loving being an expat. Will feel strange livin' in the USA (again)...as I typed those last few words I could hear Steve Miller singing them.

Anyhow, pack out of our household goods is July 3, 4 and 5. Hold baggage goes on July 6. We've decided to send the kitty back unaccompanied (sob, gasp) sometime near the pack-out dates. Actually, it will probably be much better for him this way. And we hope to catch a flight out on July 25. Ours and the kitty's flights still need to be arranged.

Oddly enough, I will be leaving on Thursday for the USA, and Texas, no less. My cousin Bing, who owns a ranch in Texas, will be hosting our family reunion. Sounds like he and his wife Jan are pulling out all the stops for the weekend and I think I heard something about grilled hamburgers and hot dogs available non-stop.

Crossing My Fingers

I received a phone call this afternoon from one of the employment agencies in Leeds. Seems they'd been trying to reach me all day but I'd been out hiking in a glorious bluebell wood on a rare sunny day. A small design firm in Harrogate (next-door to Bettys) has just won an account with Tesco and needs an artworker for two months. They need someone proficient in Quark and good with typography and languages. That's me all right. But the timing couldn't be more inconvenient. They want someone to start on May 22 and work until the end of July. I will be in Texas on May 22 (be back on the 23rd). and am leaving the UK in July. I said I'd be able to start on May 24 and can only work until the end of June. Emma at the employment agency is going to talk to the client to see what we can work out. They may decide to hire two people for one month. I dunno. We'll see how it goes. I'm supposed to hear back on Tuesday.

Well, Well, Well...Oh Well

As I finished eating my breakfast my eyelids got heavier and heavier and I was overcome by fatigue. I knew it was bad to take a nap right after eating but I was thoroughly exhausted. I hadn't slept well last night, got up at the crack of dawn and had had a vigorous 2-hour hike. So I did take a nap with Ginger cuddled up under the covers with me. I had to drag myself out of bed for the second time this morning. This time it was because I wanted to attend a celebration on the Stray. Today there was a Well-to-Well walk along the Stray to celebrate Harrogate's spa heritage and various other aspects of the town's history. This is the first year the town has had such a celebration and it showed in the lack of preparation and publicity for the event.

The celebration was to begin at Tewit Well, Harrogate's and England's first spa. When I arrived at Tewit Well there was a band playing under the well canopy (designed by Chippendale, btw). The music was quite good...performed by the Tewit Youth Band. There were folks ambling about in period costumes. I wasn't quite sure what that was all about but eventually figured out that they represented famous visitors to Harrogate. For example, there was a man, woman and young girl dressed as Nicholas, Alexandra and Anastasia, who had come to Harrogate from treatment of sciatica. At 2 p.m. the Mayor of Harrogate officially opened the ceremony, a priest (or vicar?) read out a blessing at the well, the band played Onward Christian Soldiers and everyone was encouraged to sing along. I personally felt a bit strange singing the lyrics to that hymn considering the political climate of the day.

I had read that there would be a well dressing of Tewit Well that would consist of all natural materials. Well...Tewit Well was bare -- no decoration that I could see! Then I ran into some friends and commented on the well dressing. My friend Nancy pointed out a small framed picture of the well propped up near where the band was playing. She said that was the well dressing. I was astounded. That little thing! I got closer to the picture and sure enough it was made of natural materials -- leaves and sticks and flower petals and sprigs of evergreen. But it was just so...underwhelming! Nancy said that in Derbyshire, where well dressing is very popular and a deep rooted tradition, the designs are much larger, up to eight feet tall. Harrogate has a long way to go in their well dressing attempts.

From Tewit Well a procession of selected groups (there was never any explanation why only certain groups were in the procession) walked over to West Park where Samson Fox's Ox Roast of 1887 would be re-enacted. The re-enactment consisted of a marquee set up on the Stray opposite Weeton's gourmet grocery. Weeton's were selling roast beef sandwiches at £2 a pop (proceeds going to charity). The sandwich consisted of one slice of thickly cut roast beef on your choice of a white or brown roll. The only condiment available was horseradish sauce. I don't care for horseradish and the beef was tough in parts. (yuck, in other words!) The advance publicity for this event had said there would be sheep grazing on the Stray again. Well, there were sheep alright. Four of them huddled into a tiny pen with barely enough room to turn around in. The sheep looked miserable and the whole thing was a bit pathetic.

Next stop was a cabmen's shelter on the Stray that had just been restored. It had been painted a bright lime green and we wondered if that was what the original color would have been. It was festooned with a couple of limp balloons and there was a sheet posted there stating the shelter was used by tradesmen plying their wares on the Stray.

From West Park the celebration moved on to the Royal Pump Room which was also to be "dressed." I never did see the Pump Room well dressing as I stopped to watch some performers in front of the entrance to Valley Gardens. It was a troupe of sword dancers. From their outfits and the music they looked to be Bavarian or Austrian but turned out to be Yorkshire Sword Dancers. Each member held a sword and while dancing a kind of square dance they clanged each other's swords and danced over and under them. At the end of each number they arranged their swords by interlocking them into various shapes.

The celebration culminated at the Sun Pavilion in Valley Gardens where the band was now playing some nice 30s jazz music. Inside there was a water tasting competition. Don't ask, I really don't know what that was all about but there was some sort of tie-in to when people used to "take the waters" at the spas of Harrogate.

It was after 3 p.m. by the time we got to the Sun Pavilion. My fatigue was returning and I needed to stop by the Waitrose supermarket before they closed at 4 p.m. so I left the festivities which were winding down anyway.

I picked up a Sunday paper and a ready meal (Chicken Saag Masala) for dinner tonight. I've just finished chatting with Brad and will relax for now...

Dawn Chorus

Oh dear, where has the time gone? It's been two weeks since I made an entry in my blog. Rather than try to back track and make post dated entries I will just pick up here and run with it.

My alarm went off at 4 a.m. this morning. I dragged myself out of bed around 4:20 looked out the window and saw that it was wet but no longer raining. I popped in the shower and got dressed. Why so early? This morning the Harrogate RSPB local group has scheduled a bird outing. It's called Dawn Chorus and will be led by a local bird expert, Mike Brown from the British Ornithological Trust. Last night I saw that rain was predicted for today so I told myself I would get up early and if it was not raining I'd go. Well, by the time I had gotten ready and was heading out the door it had begun to rain again. I thought, "ah hell, I've gotten this far, I might as well go and see who else is crazy enough to show up for this walk."

As I approached the parking area on Harlow Moor Road I was surprised to see quite a few cars parked there. As it turns out only five of the dozen or so cars belonged to birders. The other folk, we speculated, were out hiking in the rain. At least we had a purpose! Mike admitted he'd not expected anyone to show up for the walk and was pleased to guide us die-hards through Birk Woods and on up to Birk Crag. The light rain turned to heavier rain as we made our way through the woods. As we walked along Mike would tell us which birds were making which calls. He even predicted with great accuracy what birds we would here in certain areas of the wood. I had my hood over my head to shelter from the rain but this made it difficult to hear both Mike and the birds as the hood covered my ears, plus there was the noise of the rain pounding on my hood. I have great difficulty distinguishing different bird calls and struggled to hear the difference between a great tit and a chiffchaff, between a song thrush and a blackbird, but after a while I did begin to notice slight subtleties in the birds' phrasings. We heard but did not see a black cap and garden warbler. Their songs are very similar but the black cap uses short phrases and has a clearer sound. The garden warbler trills on and on and is fainter sounding, maybe because it likes dense cover high up while the black cap stays down low and is more exposed. In one area of the wood we heard a wood warbler. The others finally found him with their binocs but I was unsuccessful for the longest time. It wasn't until we returned to the same spot on our way out of the wood that I caught sight of the wood warbler. It is a delicate little thing with subtle markings and a sweet song. Mike said he is rather a rare sight in these parts and seeing him made traipsing around in the rain all worth it. As we made our way up to Birk Crag we heard a willow warbler, but i never caught sight of him. I heard some jays and only caught fleeting glimpses of them. There was not much of a view from Birk Crag it was so misty. You can get glorious views from that vantage point but not today, though I thought the mist incredibly beautiful. We descended Birk Crag and walked along the river hoping to see some dippers but they remained elusive or just weren't there at all today. We got back to our cars a little after 8 a.m. -- too early even to go to Bettys for breakfast. I drove back home and fixed myself a hearty breakfast of eggs, mushrooms and toast. I felt I deserved it.