THE DUST WILL WAIT

Almost 14-month old Smurfella running through the sprinkler. 

Our girls loved to go tubing on the Snake River when the weather was fine.  Now their children say "Grandpa, take us tubing!" (Warning! That video I took while riding in the boat might make you sick!)

The last one  --  Fern is 101.  But her best friends, her sisters, are still very close to her heart. Fun  Monday is being hosted by Mariposa today.  And, It's All About Friendship.

While six grandchildren were visiting this weekend, we had an opportunity to go for a short walk on the creek. Just turned 8-year old Goober Evalina and I were doing a little bird watching. Goober:   OH!  Grandma!  Look at those! Grandma:  Uh huh.  Two Canadian Geese. Goober (Sighs, and in a disappointed tone):  I thought they were short Ostrich. Then she walks ahead of me and I hear her add quietly, "Or Black and White Flamingos."

Traveling the 3500 miles in June, we never once thought to check the Garmin to see if it could locate rest stops.  We were always looking. The Interstate Highways provided full service stops at regular intervals until we got into Arizona.   According to the locals, the state is out of money. Most of the rest stops are barricaded. Fortunately the main gate facilities at Grand Canyon National Park (south rim) had restrooms with all the right stuff:  running water, sinks, and toilet bowls.  And, on the backs of the stall doors you could read the details of how the water got there (from the north rim) and an intricate drawing to explain how it is recycled back to your next flush.  (A few of the particulars confused me, but ..oh~ never mind.) Farther into the park, where no water is available, there are outdoor chemical latrines with huge black vent pipes.  I don’t know the physics involved, but I can tell you this:  when...

Bird watching was another entertainment I pursued on our recent road trip,   I documented and added  twenty-one new sightings to my 'Life List."  I also saw many familiar birds along the way. A Western Kingbird in Eastern Oregon.   I've seen many  Kingbirds during my bird watching excursions....but never so many at once.  We stopped at a rest stop where the trees were full of them and the yellow feathers were especially vibrant.  ♪♫♪♫♪♫  "Yellow bird, high up in banana tree..."  ♪♫♪♫♪♫ A first sighting!   Rock Wren on Antelope Island, The Great Salt Lake. I yearn to return  ---  with insect repellent.  Antelope Island is a sanctuary where, during migration, birds find plenty of flying insects to fulfill their energy requirements for the rest of their journey.  In the meantime, those pesky bugs thought I was on the menu.  Pamela Cream Pie. Another first!  Broad-tailed Hummingbird.  Fl...

When I was a kid, my Mama and my Aunt Myrtle talked about a far away land called I Dee Ho.  When I grew older I realized they were really talking about a state...the one squeezed into the shape of a big fat L,  between Washington and Montana. Over the years, I’ve crossed the border into Idaho at times to visit Lewiston or Coeur d'Alene.  I’ve also had the thrill of a jet boat tour through Hells Canyon on the Snake – the  river that cuts a huge smile from Wyoming, all across Idaho, and into Washington.  (It spills into the Columbia River about 40 minutes from my house.) In June we had the opportunity to see more of the beautiful and not so far away I Dee Ho country.  Near Twin Falls, ID, the Snake River tumbles over a rocky 212 foot Shoshone Falls and flows through the Snake River Canyon.      I was reminded of when I was very young and that crazy stuntman Evil Knievel attempted (unsuccessfully) to jump the canyon on his moto...

While traveling through Nevada, I was surprised and entertained by the fantastic cloud formations in the sky above us. There aren't many opportunities to pull off on the shoulder of Highway 95, so most of my cloud photos were taken through the dirty car windows.  Even while I was driving I would wake up WR and instruct him to aim and shoot. I'm not sure what I was trying to capture in this shot.  Maybe all those little clouds that look like UFO's. But look closely at the cloud in the upper right, while ignoring the reflection of my dash and the bug splatters on the windshield. It could be that lady lizard in the television show "V".  The one who says  "We are of Peace."  It also resembles me.   (Oh, and we weren't very far from AREA 51 . )  Spooky! ps. Gattina is once more hosting The Muffed Target at Writers Cramp s!

There is a lot of desert on the way to the Grand Canyon.  Through it, we followed the highway that put Utah in our rear view mirror and the Arizona sunshine on our hood.   We arrived in the park on the east end of the south rim where our first encounter is The Desert View. But this post isn’t about that.  In fact, I don’t know if I can describe the overwhelming smallness of my being as I glimpsed the Grand Canyon for the first time.  The deceptive altitude has already given notice to your lungs, so taking the breath away entirely requires just a short sniff.  As I waited for it to return, I thought about Auntie Ferns statement – I could have stood and looked at it all day .  Yeah. So…… while we joined other people along the viewpoint, I noticed a girl carrying a very young Rottweiler puppy.  She moved closer until she was standing right beside me.  It was apparent that her mother and father were watching closely as other park visitors we...

Canon Power Shot Worldess Wednesday can be followed here !

Gattina, Writers Cramps, has asked her regular readers to:   post pictures which are not at all like you had wanted and describe how it happened.    She is calling it The Muffed Target. Many of you have read about our "elevator" experience at Hoover Dam.  Right after we were "freed" I snapped a few photos in the diversion tunnel.  When my husband was downloading them to his laptop later that night he began to laugh.  I looked over his shoulder to see the following. I have no idea what  I was doing with my camera. From the looks of it I wasn't the only one still a bit freaked.  Forgive me dear lady, whoever you are.

I took this photo of the sky yesterday when I was leaving for an appointment. Then, this afternoon I saw that  Carmi, at Written Inc , has chosen "Dotty" as the Thematic Photograph week 104. Looks dotty to me! Anyone is welcome to participate in his meme.  Click right here !

After four years of blogging, I have invited a guest blogger to post on The Dust for the first time! Iggy writes at Intense Guy .  His posts, which I enjoy very much, are often about his travels. He also has a wonderful sense of humor which his readers especially enjoy when he dabbles in the Alien World of orange (construction) barrels and cones. His Alien World was my first thought when downloading a batch of our travel photos from Nevada.  The two I forwarded to Iggy rewarded me with a most delightful response. It's all yours, Iggy! * * * * * * * * Thank you Pamela! I really do appreciate getting pictures of "orange roadside critters" and knowing that other people are thinking about me from time to time. Your pictures were very welcomed and unique. I enjoyed reading about the area where you took them - and then writing my own version of "what is going on here?" About midway between the towns of Reno and Winnemucca Nevada, lies the Forty-Mile Desert...