Category: Life

It was the most amazing day. Not only was I packing our things, (and making great progress!) but after finishing my lunch I looked out the back door and saw that two young deer had wandered into our yard and were sampling the fallen apple tree leaves.

Oh so quietly I told Hubby about this and then put the dogs in our bedroom, and got the camera to take some pictures. It was an impossibly dark day with a lot of rain, but I managed to get a couple of pictures of our young deer.

I love deer, but seeing these youngsters made me think that if they are coming into a densely populated area, then the herd is getting too large and the food sources are dwindling. Hunting season begins in a few days and this will help to thin the herd and make it possible for the strong ones to survive the winter.

These deer and the wild turkey’s that came through the other day, remind me of why I love living where I live. The wildlife always thrill me, always make me feel a part of something that is larger than me.

After an 11 hour drive we arrived home. We were greeted by four very happy dogs, who danced around the house and the yard!

The drive was actually quite nice and we only got caught once in traffic, just outside Philadelphia. Not an unusual event.

Once we got home I made a spaghetti dinner and Hubby and I were joined by our house sitter for the meal.

But….we are only home briefly as we are taking Arnie to the German Dog Show (Zuchtschau) in western Pennsylvania!!!

So forgive me if I am not able to write much, I will try to blog and send pictures of our boy. Anneliese is staying home with Greta and Fritz as she has gone into heat.

Usually I blog so regularly, but right now with all of the traveling, it sure has been difficult. I will be glad when this show is over and I can be home for a while.

You all have heard that I am a country girl. I like grass under my feet, wide open spaces and trees all around me. Oh yes, and little doggies playing at my feet. However the last few days I have driven down the east coast of the US from New Hampshire, to Washington, DC. We have seen a lot of lovely places in the states in between, but we have also gotten stuck in traffic jams and on swaying buses that have left me feeling less than my normal perky self. The places we have been, the things we have seen, make the 10 ½ hour journey here, all worth it.

We arrived at our truly glitzy hotel, complete with a sumptuous suite, only to find that they nickel and dime you for every little thing. The reason, dear reader, that you have not heard from me is that I am simply too cheap to pay $12.00 a day for Internet service for my laptop. I will, however, bite the bullet tomorrow and pay for a connection so I can access my Flickr account and put this on my blog.

We have been site seeing in DC. Having been here before we have skipped some of the usual spots, like the Washington Monument, the Lincoln Monument (my favorite) and the Washington Mall (A large grassy area around all the Federal Buildings and Monuments.

Instead we did something I have not done since I was six years old. We went on a White House tour. Although the White House is beautiful, and I was truly impressed with the artistic masterpieces, I felt badly that there is not longer a Park Service Guide to show you around, and when I asked for a child’s Guide to the White House, they refused my request! We did see Marine One take off with the President. Obviously he had heard I had come to see his place!

No sooner had we returned from that tour then we headed out to the Dulles National Air and Space Museum. All I can say about that is WOW!!!!! We toured with a Docent for three hours and saw every sort of air plane imaginable, including a Pan Am Boeing Strato Cruiser, and a Concorde! Of course we also saw early airplanes and the ones used during the first and second world wars.

Dinner was wonderful. We went to a restaurant at the top of the hotel where we feasted. Hubby had Steak that was mouth wateringly delicious, and I had Lump Crab Cakes! The view of Washington at night, as the planes flew into and out of Ronald Reagan National Airport, was really something.

Washington is a beautiful city, and the government makes sure that it is kept tidy and clean. The grass is green and mowed and there are still flowers in bloom. Thanks to all who work here, to keep our Nations Capital beautiful.

You can see I paid the fee so I could drop in and say hello. Miss you all and will write more later!!!

Early on Monday morning (Labor Day) Hubby and I joined our neighbors, Jim and Laura and we drove to a nearby restaurant where Mitt and Ann Romney were meeting people. The restaurant also has a wonderful breakfast menu, so we arrived early enough to have omelets and home fries and toast before the guests of honor arrived.

One of the really great things about living in New Hampshire is that we can go and meet the candidates. We have the first Primary in the country and so the candidates really make an effort to come here and meet people.

We were not disappointed. Mitt and his lovely wife Ann arrived just as we finished the last bites of our breakfast and suddenly the room was alive. People stood and applauded and they moved through the crowd speaking to each person and shaking their hand.

Mitt and Ann. Photo by Hubby.

They got to us and Laura snapped this picture. Hubby was telling Mitt about how he had met Henry Cabot Lodge when he was running for President back in the 1960’s and that he hoped Mitt did better than Henry had. Mitt smiled and said that he hoped so too! I was telling Ann that I had heard her speak recently about family values and that I greatly admired her.

Hubby, me (bad picture) our friend Jim, Mitt and Ann.

They are such a devoted couple, which is nice to see. As I watched them, their care for each other was evident, but never forced. I came away feeling as if I had met some truly nice people.

I have never said anything political on Dackel Princess and I won’t now, except to tell you that I am a registered Independent voter. I am hoping that at this next Presidential election people will look at the moral character of the people running for this office, as well as their ability to handle our country in this complex world.

Tonight was an interesting night. I made dinner a little late, but oh my, it was good. I made sauteed scallops, with fresh asparagus and potato salad. Just about the time that we finished eating I noticed the sky getting very dark. After a 92 degree day, it was no surprise that a thunderstorm was on its way.

I turned on the weather channel and saw we were under a severe thunder storm warning, so I went around and shut down all the high tech stuff. Computers, satellite dish, and printer.

Then as the storm grew closer, we shut off the TV and went out onto our screened in/glassed in porch where we could sit and watch the storm go by in safety and of course, completely dry.

All four dogs joined us and the puppies played while the thunder rumbled. Fritz, big, lovable sweetie that he is lay across Hubby’s foot and Greta paced around until she realized that now was her chance to get all the bones, so she returned to the family room and collected them all in my chair.

The rain fell in a heavy sheet, that lasted for some time. Our parched lawn finally being fed some delicious water from the sky! No matter how hard you try to keep it watered, in 92 degree heat, it just cooks the grass.

The storms passed and now we are in and winding down from the day. But it was a good day and it has ended in such a nice way, with a shower and cooler weather forecast for the holiday weekend.