Pictures from Mom's visit

The boathouse at the Biltmore.
Originally uploaded by Monkey loves Kitten.

These are pictures from our drive west to Black Mountain, near Asheville. It had recently begun to get cold, later than usual, so the fall colors weren't in full array. It was still quite beautiful and we crammed in a lot of activities. After our drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway, we toured the Biltmore estate in Asheville. It was built for George Vanderbilt at the end of the 19th century. It is ridiculously huge. But pretty cool to walk through, it's true.

Letter to my husband

Happy birthday, Kitten! I hope that this day is good for you. As good as it can be, that is. Have an extra near beer on me.

A year ago, at your birthday party, you proposed to me on bended knee. It was a a wonderful moment and a terrific day. Even though we both knew it was coming, you were so nervous and I was so surprised. Some of our closest friends were there and everything was wonderful except the cheesecake I over-baked. The year since then has brought more changes than I could have known. By virtue of marrying you, I became a homeowner, an unemployed one to boot! I now live in the south and eat grits. I drove across country and saw many new places. I was lucky enough to spend a few hours in New Orleans. (I'm drinking coffee out of your Cafe du Monde mug right now.) I gained an incredible family and supportive friends. If a man can be judged by his family and friends, you are at the top.

The day you deployed was one of the hardest for me. I can't say it was the worst, though. You were in it. Your sister, Kim, thanked me for loving you the way I do. I thought a lot about that and realized I don't have a choice. If I did, this separation might be a little easier. But no, that's not the way it goes. I met you and I was a goner. Sure, you have your moments, but they are few and far between and currently nonexistent. And I know I've tested your patience once or twice. In the whole, you make me want to be better. Meeting you has taken me in a direction I never could have imagined and elicited traits and feelings in me that I didn't know possible. I feel like one of those sappy Blue Mountain greeting cards when I think about what this marriage means to me. A little embarrassing but not enough to stop me from telling you all this here. Because that's how much I love you! Sheesh. I just can't stop.

By my calculations, 38% of your tour has passed. I've tried not to think of how much time has elapsed and how much time is left. I'm buoyed a bit that more than a third is behind us. Hopefully the next time I figure it we'll be past the halfway mark.

I miss you terribly and I love you more than you know.

-Your Wife

Happy Birthday dear husband!

It's your Baskin-Robbins birthday, 31 flavors years. This is my attempt to show the 31 faces of Brandon. Don't worry, there aren't actually 31 pics, but our kind readers may just get the drift...
Wine tasting in Santa Ynez.Mr. CornEarsComparing baldnesses with Elizabeth.Cracking up Sammy, or being cracked up by Sammy.Gritty McGritterton.Getting an earful in Mexico.Kissing Georgia Foreman right on the lips.Enjoying tots in Texas.Nestling in.

Here's a taste

This is my favorite picture from Sunday's drive on part of the Blue Ridge Parkway. We wound up to Mt. Mitchell, the highest point east of the Mississippi. It was cold so cold up there, but not as cold as it is today. I heard this morning the Parkway was closed due to snow! Here's a live shot.

Gap

Sorry for the long pause between posts. Mom and I have been on many adventures - on one right now - and I'll tell you all about it when I get some time. We're in the town of Black Mountain, near Asheville. We drove up (altitude) here yesterday after checking the dogs into a new jail. Last night we walked around the tiny downtown then had a very nice dinner. And, ya know what? It was cold outside. I haven't been cold in months. I loved it. Mom not so much. So, we came out here for Fall color, which is late this year. We're not getting a full dose, but we don't really know any better.

More later including photgraphs. Commence oohing and aahing.

Hmmm

I just went to my "Now Playing" list in TiVo. I selected Saturday Night Live. I had to fast forward to 1:15 am before the show started. This was after the 11 o'clock news, which had started at 12:45. The news hadn't started until 12:45 because it was pushed back by NASCAR. That's right, NASCAR. Does this happen other places?

No one to blame but m'self

My mom got in last Thursday night. Friday we were out and about for a good deal of the day. We came home, fed the dogs, then went out to eat ourselves. Since I hadn't been gone in the evening for months, I felt kinda bad about leaving the dogs. I told them that if they were mad about being deserted, they could destroy something. I added the caveat that it should be something of theirs. Well, maybe I didn't say that part loudly enough. We came home to this.

It being my suggestion was only one of the reasons it was funny and Shane didn't get in trouble. Contributing to this were that it was a $1.99 pair of Old Navy flops and it was the first destructive act performed by Shane. Yes, I know it was her, and if I didn't that night, forensic evidence the next day confirmed it. Mmmm, rubber.

Photos from abroad

"SOOOOOPER tiny" lizard
Originally uploaded by Monkey loves Kitten.

Brandon sent this photo he took of a desert critter. Click on him for a few more shots.

Rain

Well, my mom arrived last Thursday evening, about an hour after the rain. It's Monday morning and they're both still here. That my mom is still here is not a surprise, I received a copy of her itinerary in advance. The rain was not so thoughtful. We received six inches Saturday, effectively putting New Bern's 25th Annual MumFest out of business. From what we could tell, we missed out on a craft fair, or as I like to call them - crap fair. Probably quite similar to Ventura's twice yearly downtown festival. In other words, a crowded street with overpriced food and yard decor we can certainly live without. Still, we were sorry to have the option taken away. I was looking forward to the excitement. Instead, I had the excitement of a leak in the roof causing damage to my bathroom ceiling. I am now very familiar with the attic and have become quite deft at climbing through the rafters and not falling through the ceiling. Of course the location of the leak is the total opposite side of the house from the attic access, so I kinda had to learn quickly. Long story short, the leak has been repaired. I'll need to get the ceiling fixed, but that's not urgent. Since we technically live in a townhome, the homeowners' association owns the outside so the repairs were on them. The kicker is the cause of the leak was a $5 piece of plastic. Good stuff.


All the rain caused some flooding in the area and added many water traps to the golf course. We saw a group of boys taking full advantage of a brand new watering hole on the green, splashing about and pulling out their skim boards. The next day it was gone, glad to see they seized the day.

Gas

You'll all be glad to know that the Fuel Market replaced it's canopy. Kind of makes me better about having the third most expensive gas in the nation. The average price here is $3.08 per gallon, only bested by Hawaii and D.C. Don't be jealous.

Once again, I did not get a picture

You know how there's this nationwide campaign to get people to buckle up? Around here, there are signs that have the seatbelt usage percentage for the current month, plus the highest percentage to date. I've seen some below 90%. Well, I was driving down the highway this afternoon, when I noticed a car pulling a flatbed trailer with a motorcycle in it. It was moving slowly so I changed lanes to pass. That's when I noticed that the bike was being held in place by a man. Probably something else also, but definitely a man sitting on the trailer holding the rear of the bike. I'm pretty sure he was actively reducing the percentage of seatbelt usage. As I passed, I saw that the '70s station wagon pulling the trailer was driven by a tiny old man on oxygen. I failed to note whether his seatbelt was fastened.

Skip the treeman

It's not a directive, it's a person. A person who is as big around as he is tall. The dogs and I met him and his Jack Russell Terrier last week while walking. We were walking, they were riding. His tree company was removing downed trees and limbs (I've been calling them branches - incorrectly. It's like that time I learned from the lamp salesman that they're not called light bulbs, they're called lamps.). According to the truck, they specialize in problem trees and stump grinding. Got an oak testing its limits? An impertinant pine? Call Skip. Well, Skip thought it was pretty funny to roll the window down so his JRT could bark at my dogs as Skip rolled slowly past us, three times. Finally, we came upon them after they'd stopped so we got to spend some time with Skip and his dog. She was a very friendly girl and promptly came over to the dogs to receive her due adoration. Skip was very interested in Quentin, thought he looked like a good squirrel dog. Told me he had twenty-five head of dog himself. Skip's buddy agreed about Quentin, thought he could get good money for him. There's good money in squirrel dogs they agreed. And that's when Skip took a long look at both my dogs and laughed and said, "Looks like they git plenty ta eat." So do you, Skip, so do you.

Still Life: Canine with Fungus 1

Still Life: Canine with Fungus 2