Kitty approved

I bought a new comforter. I'm pretty sure Luther loved it. 

Friday morning sky

September 13, 2013. Rising Sun, Maryland. 

Sunrise. September 5, 2013

Throwback Thursday

This is Jim at the top of the King and Queen seat at Rocks State Park. Rocks State park is a slice of unblemished nature in Harford County. It is worth a visit. 

Late Afternoon

Cuddles on the couch with the best kitty. 

Simple Spider

An absolutely stunning spider along Main Street in Rising Sun. This is prime real estate because the street lights attract a myriad of insects. 

Kilgore Falls

A few weeks ago my friend Katy and I travelled to the Falling Branch section of Rocks State Park to swim at Kilgore Falls. Kilgore Falls is the 2nd highest waterfall in Maryland. It was crowded but we still enjoyed the cascading water. It is such a beautiful sight and reminds me why I love Maryland so, so much. 

I remembered my password!!! A grand feat considering I don't even remember what I ate for breakfast yesterday. And I just downloaded an app so I can access this blog via my phone. Don't ya just love modern tech?!  Now I have a place to post all my pictures and videos ...er, a place other than Instagram, twitter, tumblr, and vine.  Everything except Facebook. I hate Facebook.

Oh my gosh, I seriously cannot wait to upload all the spider pictures. Ahhh, life. :) 

-kp

Ps

Apple butter on toast. Guess my memory isn't as bad as I thought ;) 

Baltimore

The USS Constellation in the Inner Harbor.


The Baltimore World Trade Center.


View from the top of the world.




Sabatino's, in Little Italy.

Ladybug, lady bug fly away home....

Aphids may wreak havoc on my plants, but they do attract good bugs that feast on them. One of my favorite beetles is the Lady bug. Here are a couple of shots of a lady beetle and larvae in my garden.




Can you believe these orange and black larvae will become the lovely Lady Bug? Amazing.

Spending time with the cousins

My cousin and her family came to Northern Virginia for a visit last week. It was great to spend time with everyone. Her children, Solana and Redford, are the most polite, cutest kids ever. I cannot believe how big they are getting. And despite the time and miles between us, whenever we get together it's as if we were never apart. We had a blast, and I cannot wait for the next visit.

Brian and Karin deep in conversation.



Solana and her pretty smile.


My beautiful cousin, Karin.


Redford is a musical genius in training.

Updates...

Wow, I have really dropped the ball when it comes to keeping this blog updated. I would love to say that I have been ultra busy with many glamorous projects, but alas, just work and stuff. But I have had a few moments of inspiration caught on film.....so in no particular order...

Went to Rock State Park with Amanda. The view from the King
and Queen Seat was amazing. I sat right on the edge. You may
not be able to tell by the picture of my shoe, but that drop is over
100 feet.


My dad told me about his fresh coconut kick. I decided to give it
a try. While the coconut milk and flesh was yummy, the process
of getting to it was arduous.



Visited Ryan's parents in lovely Snow Hill. Diane and I had a blast watching
the Preakness in our fancy hats while sipping the very delicious
Black-eyed Susan punch.

Blast from the past,,,,

I finally got to see my Aunt Jo and Uncle Bill a couple of weekends ago. All of us, plus Uncle Bruce, Aunt Patti, Aunt Nancy, and my dad went to the Bayou for lunch. It was yummy. And since we had not seen each other at Christmas I received our nifty printer/scanner from Aunt Jo. THANKS SO MUCH! We love it!

Here are some old pictures that I just got around to scanning. I am sure that there are a ton more in my archives. Enjoy a blast from the past.

I assume all I wanted for Christmas in 1984 was my FOUR front teeth. This is my sister, Kelly and I at Bohemian Beach. My sister looks like a little old man in this picture.

Kelly and I at my Dad's company picnic in 1986. Love the face paint! But I love the uneven bangs more! Did my mom allow us to cut our own hair? I hope she didn't pay for those 'do's.

I loved that little keyboard. I kinda wish I still had it. Unfortunately I still have that same goofy, toothy grin. I will never outgrow that smile.

This is Max, the very first Manx cat(cat w/out a tail) we ever had. In this picture (from 1986) he is nursing a broken leg. He got into a fight with a Raccoon. Fortunately it healed and he lived a happy life.

My mom and dad in the late 70's. I am digging my dad's haircut in this picture.

My favorite!! This is my poppop and grandmother in Ocean City in the 50's!

Oscar vs. Mantis

Turkey Point at Elk Neck State Park

Elk Neck State Park in Cecil County.

The sun shining through the canopy of trees was neat.

There were so many drops and cliffs. When it rains the water washes down towards the shore which leaves the land with some very interesting looks.

I found this hallowed out, fallen tree to be very interesting.



Back on the main path---the lighthouse is up ahead...

This is the Turkey Point Lighthouse.

Views from atop the bluff, in front the the lighthouse.

Risky business!

More great views.

What a fun day!

Late summer trip to Ocean City, Maryland

Despite calling Ocean City home for many years, returning as a tourist is an easy task. Just driving down Coastal Highway and smelling the salty, ocean air puts one in a relaxed mood. And as a tourist you appreciate things that you normally don't as a local.

I just spent a couple of days in OC with my dad and Sandy. It was wonderful to wake up to spectacular sunrises, feel the sand beneath my feet, and collect sea shells.

I had so much fun that I found myself questioning why I even moved from Ocean City in the first place. Then I remembered that when I lived at the beach it was a totally different experience than visiting there. As I sat on the beach Saturday afternoon I was flooded with memories of when I lived in Ocean City. It was an awkward time filled with great memories as well as unsettling situations. Nothing really seemed permanent when I lived there. Summer jobs, summer flings, summer friends, even the bus passes only lasted one day. And it was an awfully lonely place in the winter. It really makes me appreciate my home in Havre de Grace so much. But, trips down memory lane aside, I took some lovely pictures during out visit. Of the things I miss the most about living in Ocean City the top has to be the scenery.

It is best to enjoy these pictures with a cold beer, some island music, and warm breeze....

Dad surf fishing

Sunrise over the Atlantic Ocean

Fishing Gear

Footprints in the sand

Sailboat in the ocean

Sandy napping at the beach

KP at the beach

Dad at the beach

Feeding the seagulls

Spiny Spidey

I found this very horny spider on the mother's back deck. I scooped it up in a drinking glass in order to take a few pictures. I believe that it is a Spiny Orb-Weaver. I have seen many pictures of these spiders on the web (often the ones resembling crabs) but never have I come across one in nature. After the photo shoot I put it back into the bushes.

Michael Phelps

I defy you to find a true American who is not head-over-heels in love with Michael Phelps. What a wonderfully sweet and yummy man! Just like everyone else, I am obsessed with the summer Olympics. I love watching almost every single event. And I must admit....I tear up when the athletes are on the medal stand and the Star Spangled Banner starts playing.

But it is the swimming that I love the most. It is Phelps-mania here in central Maryland. I usually get tired of all the hoopla surrounding a popular person or event. But I find myself drawn to this story. I read all of the online articles and try to watch all of the meets. I love all of the little factoids that show up on the pre-packaged pieces that air before he races (shoe size-14, wingspan- 6 feet, 7 inches, what is on his ipod- hip hop, what is he eating- pizza and pasta). I actually cheer out loud when he is winning! Being a devoted Washington Redskins fan I know what it is like to root for a less-than-stellar team. I always wondered what it would be like to be a New England Fan or a Yankees Fan. Those fans can share their glee with the rest of the world. Not that I am ashamed of the 'Skins (this is their year, I can feel it) but it is nice to root for someone who is the best in the world, no doubts at all. It makes one very proud to be an American and a Marylander.
Tonight is the last race. Olympic/US history in the making!! I cannot wait....
GO USA!!!!




UPDATE----he did it! Awesome job!!!

Birthday, Ballgame, Beautiful

Well, I turned the big 3-0 this past weekend! I was off work for 5 glorious days and I had a blast!! We did a ton of cool stuff, but I am not at liberty to discuss that with the masses. But I can say that I had a lot of cake, various types of alcohol, and went to an O's game.
Here are some pics of the game:

The Oriole Bird getting the crowd pumped up



The game was rain delayed twice. Here is the grounds crew taking the tarp off the field after the first rain delay.


Yeah! The game is back on!!!!


Right before the second rain delay. Most of the fans already left and we were soaked. So we left right after this.


Well that is it! I will put up pics of my cakes in the next post!!!

ps
30--it feels the same as 29, but a million times better than 20!!!! Yeah adulthood!!!