Hot n Hotter!

We've been combining new Town visits with  cemetery runs to grab some photo requests.  Sis had her eye on Pageland, and it was voting day so first Mom and I had to stop and cast our ballot in the special election.  We both voted for the Democratic candidate, Archie Parnell.  I am a progressive but until we have an actual party with a fighting chance, this is as close as I can come. He lost...but we tried. 
Most of my Photos were lost so I borrowed some off the web

After voting we drove about 30 miles to Pageland, SC

https://townofpageland.com/index.php/page/2/




and we had lunch in the local greasy spoon! 

I took these photos with the Amazon Fire 7.  I hope to get better at using it, just for photos such as this that I want to post directly on Facebook for the extended and out of state family to see.    The town is really small.  It's 2 blocks in the 4 directions of a down town, here is the main intersection, right outside Lynn's Cafe.  

https://www.facebook.com/lynnscafepageland/

Lynn's could def use some TLC.... it was the only place we saw to grab a bite to eat. I noticed the curtains where hung on rope...hmmm whatever works!

I liked most of these reproduction signs...but not all. 

especially this one, I love Moon Pies not exactly healthy food tho...

https://www.facebook.com/lynnscafepageland/photos/2665419323483990

We really liked this little court yard pass through..

here is the town water tower...it had been raining earlier, we got a break in the rain just long enough...

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:AlexiusHoratius

to head over to the First Baptist Church....

Find a Grave Photo

to the cemetery to look for 20 headstones photo requests...some of the older graves had trees all around, and the cemetery was on both sides of the street. 

the original bell...

Has a big crack as big as the Liberty Bell!  

We are preparing for our trip west....lots to do the weather is HOT and muggy, but the west sounds even worse from what I read on others blogs, so don't know how much of a relief from the heat we will get! I imagine my next post will either be from the road or from our destination! All depends--till then stay cool and drop me a note to let me know how you're coping with the heat!

PEACE

Eleanor Roosevelt: You must do the thing you think you can not.

Homestead Baby

This was a Gift! (thank you SIS) I'm trying to get acquainted with it. The hard part, for me, is keeping my finger on the right thing.  So a learning curve is in progress.  I don't have a smart phone, and this is not a phone, but it has a camera and so I took this photo with the Fire tablet, and uploaded it to Flickr using the fire bluetooth, and SILK, the browser of the tablet.  Of course I'm at home so I used my awesome WiFi, for which I'm so happy. I dumped Verizon it was worth the $150 dollars they charged me to get away from the horrible service I was getting from them. It will be interesting to see how many free wifi spots I can find to use the Fire with as I travel. Sis has one too. SO far I like it.  I have taken to reading your blogs on it in the morning with my coffee it's better than having the heavy laptop in my lap..but it sure makes it hard to type out any kind of comment.







Other happenings around the homestead:

 Boy we've had a lot of rain lately and rain means humidity...Whew...like 70% and sometimes more.   That means sweat and way too much of it...while doing nothing! You will sweat just thinking of being outdoors.  But one thing the heat brought to my attention is what's going on in the pasture and the martin grouds, check it out...

                                                            Great Crested Flycatcher

These birds nest here every year.  I'm always so happy to know they are being successful with their nesting...and I'm happy to provide space for them to nest.  They always like to put a snake skin in their nest, when I clean out the gourd each yr It's always fun to see what they consider a snake skin, its sometimes just some clear plastic and sometimes it really is a snake skin, We have plenty of snakes around here, and lizards too...

An anole, they change color depending on what they are sitting on...here is his shade of coppertone!  They inflate that red sack under the chin to attract mates.  

  

This northern cardinal 

This particular bird loves to perch right outside my window...he has a favorite branch.

I tried to get a decent shot of the Blue Grey Gnatcatcher, a dogwood twig got in the way then he scurried off so fast I couldn't get another shot before he disapeared in the heavy cover. These little birds are fast movers!

Some of the wild flower transplants, Rudbeckia.

Doing well so far...and the rain helps too.  

Tuesday I will be voting! So happy we have a chance to regain some seats in the Senate.  SC is one of the states having a midterm election.  I am putting my vote on Archie Parnell! The Dems threw some money his way so I hope people have seen his ads on the TV and the signs on the roadsides...I do believe it was the lack of Signs that added to the defeat of Hillary...people seem to follow the candidate whose name they have seen while moving through their lives the most.  I wish politics could be like it was in the old days when people backed candidates and not corporations.  Lately politics make my head spin about like these Moon Shells I picked up on the beach in TX.  Some people call these Shark Eyed Moon Shells.  I found a whole handfull of perfect ones, they were laying all over the place. 

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Story time: OUCH!

Although sorry seems to be the hardest word, I don't think so.  I remember from my teen years.  I only heard it once.  I was 17 so that tells  you how dang long ago this happened!! I wanted to drive Mom's car, the only car we had, to Charlotte, NC to a concert to see the group called America! The group actually formed in England where they met while being station with their fathers who were in the US Air Force.   They had that song "A Horse With No Name".  I laid out my plan,  me and my 3 girlfriends ages 16, 17, and 16, would pile into mom's car drive 160 miles to Charlotte, see the concert, stay over one night and then return the next day.  Simple as that...and she listened quietly and then she said just the one word...

"NO"

Stung like a wasp it did. She was right of course. 

PEACE

Eleanor Roosevelt: You must do the thing you think you can not.

HEY! It's Good...

...to be back home again, you know it is ...sometimes this old house feels like a long lost friend,   

Here at the homestead life is slow, sultry,  and laid back! After I was rid of that dreadful virus I slowly got back to my piddling around here.  Sis and I have been spending a lot of time in cemeteries! She has taken on a few big projects and I'm helping her.  We went to Lancaster County to a big cemetery ...

...with resident ducks and some non migratory Canada Geese. There is a pond in the middle of this cemetery.  They immediately waddled over for hand outs.  We had none. Later a policeman on his lunch break came with 3 boxes of Cheerios and fed them...one duck was attacked by a Turtle! The turtle had a hold of his foot and was trying to pull the duck under! We thought we'd have to jump in and save him he was about to go down, when finally the turtle let go...whew!

Tinker projects:  One of my porch box fans quit working...we were at the recycle center and I found this one...plugged it in and it works...so I cleaned it up, spray painted the grill and put some gloss poly on the  body and it works like a charm! You can't beat old for quality and it has a retro look.  

                                   Dennis MaGee's old fan made new again!  

                  

                                          ...it is in my "retro" styled laundry room 

                                       Annie and the slab before

The Slab Update:

Trying to spruce up the old "slab" where the shed was, brought the Found Deck chairs from last fall's beach trip off the deck. The deck is in full sun this time of year so basking is not good, prefer shade and sipping iced tea! I found some outdoor cushions cheaper than I could buy the fabric and make them, so a good deal.  You can see we planted some grass on the sides, and it came up pretty good. I think I should paint the slab.

 The space has come a long way from the old shed in the way to now a open and fun area to sit and enjoy my piece of the rock!  Got the firepit there so when it chills down I can sit by the fire. 

I am considering painting my vinyl siding? Has anyone had success with doing that?  I know when I've dripped paint on the vinyl it is STILL on there so I think it would stick. I'm tired of this washed out pale grey color. I'd like a more natural color. 

                                             the slab after

The camellia shrub/trees we did trim back and now they have started to fill in on the bare sides they were smack up against the old shed if you recall. I hope to keep them about this size. And if you compare the before photo to the after notice how much the plants in pots by the porch have grown!  I have a hummingbird feeder back here so we watch the ruby throated hummers fight and sip...and fight some more.

I've been pulling up wildflowers and grasses from the edges of plowed fields, and bringing them into the yard. I want native wildflowers in the beds if possible, so they won't need as much attention!  So far so good...

           

   

     from seed collected last yr                        transplants  this yr

The plan is to divide and reseed and multiply these and fill in bare areas, room for growth!  Native plants are being eradicated on roadsides here by the mowing and the spraying by the electric company so maybe I can save some by bringing them here. 

My van started to make a weird sound back before I left for TX...I took it in and the garage repaired both front wheel bearings...but the sound came back when I was on the road.  I figured I'd just keep going till it stopped...it didn't stop, the noise just got louder.  I took it in a couple weeks ago another BIG expensive repair, the rear wheels and differential bearings, it was a big job...so another $$chunk$$ bit the dust.  I don't think the front needed to be done at all.   So that was money spent that I didn't need to spend.  But now its smooth and quiet again... and I'm just glad it was not any more than that.  I had images of being told it can't be fixed, it is now 16 yrs old! *Knocking on good wood* It's actually worthless as far as book value, but to me it's priceless!

Looks like our trip to Colorado will happen the first week of July, we have only begun the planning so it will be quite an undertaking as we will be going  caravan style...we will be using our walkie-talkie radios again! It will be 1800 miles of travel, with all of us, (including mom) and the 4 dogs! 

PEACE

Eleanor Roosevelt: You must do the thing you think you can not.

East Bound and Down

The Wrap Up Post...

The cool thing about traveling on I-40 is it weaves it's way in and out of the Old Route 66! As much as I could get off the high speed interstate and take the 2 lane black top and enjoy the slower pace, I did! 

Wilma enjoyed it too, she never said one word about making a U-Turn. 

See only 42 miles per hr.  You can see things at that speed!!  

When I came into Tucumcari, NM there is a Rt 66 Museum, I was still in museum mode from the day before and I was ready for lunch so I stopped.  NO one was inside but me.  

... the thing about this museum is I remember using most of this stuff now it's in a museum! You do recall how this works right?

a coke for 10c 

and more cool stuff...

All these things very familiar to me! 

Man what a beauty!! '66 Thunderbird

This is also the convention center its a huge building...

entry is free...they appreciate donations

...back on the black top you pass all sorts of bygone, as the interstate highway killed the local businesses..

brought some of this mud home with me underneath the van...

a cool mural along the way...except for the Swamp Cooler..

and more disappearing  Americana...

Soon I was welcomed BACK TO Texas...

And I passed the Cadillac Ranch...all these Caddy's buried in the ground...and with some psychedelic paint jobs.. 

near Amarillo TX off rt 66

even the trash can has a cool paint job!

The leaning Britten Water tower...I think it's leaning more than the last time I saw it...

I stopped in this town to mail my Rt 66 post cards and fill up the tank, and spotted this..

Roger Miller Museum! Erick, Oklahoma.  It was just a quick stop I didn't go in.

I spend one night at a Wally World in Shawnee, OK, just off the highway, passed through Arkansas, and once I got to Memphis, TN I dropped down through the corner of Mississippi and onto I-22/ Hwy 78 and spent the night in a Wally parking lot in Hamilton, Alabama...and once I reached Birmingham, I got on 1-20 east and all I had to do was get through Georgia and I'd be home free!! So 3 long days driving and 2 nights just parking and sleeping and I was in the homestretch. 

I stopped at the Georgia Welcome center and was welcomed by one of my favorite TV characters...

Daryl Dixon!!  (the Walking Dead) Yes I like bad boys in film...go figure but in real life I'd be telling him he needs a hair cut and put that stupid cross-bow down. In your imaginary life you can be a completely different person, be anything you want or anyone you want, or if you live in NYC you can do that too.  

I picked up a brochure called: Georgia's Undead Trail of Zombies and Vampires. The town  where the Walking Dead is filmed is about 60 miles south of Atlanta, Senoia, and the Vampire Diaries is filmed in Conyers and Covington.  You can visit the towns of Woodbury, Alexandria, and Mystic Falls.  If you're a fan you know what I'm referring to. 

 Norman Reedus, who plays Daryl Dixon,  and Gregg Nicotero, who is one of the directors and creative engineers, have opened a restaurant, called Nic and Norman's in Senoia and they can be seen hanging out there! What a fun trip that would be; a set tour, and a studio tour of about an hr, and visits to the "towns" where it all takes place, and if you're lucky they will be filming.  That would be something very different for me as I normally go OFF the beaten Path not towards it but I could def get into it for a day or two...maybe get into walker costume and be a walk-on walker?? I hear they pay $100 a day for walkers. But don't forget the Georgia heat and humidity! 

Star Struck. The young fellow at the visitors center insisted on getting a photo and me and bad boy Daryl. 

Daryl was not impressed with this messy grey haired odd ball southerner who got excited over cardboard.... he keep looking the other way...Haha! 

I had such a fun trip, met some really nice people, saw some awesome scenery from the beach, to the mountains, to underground, and museums and I got a better feeling of what it's like in the tropics too!

I saw 68 new bird species in the 25 days I was traveling just over 5,525 miles!-- Life list now at 398 I am wondering what will be my 399 & 400th bird, and even more important where will I see those 2 birds??? 

I can't wait!  I'm sort of----- kind of -----maybe---- planning to spent the summer in Colorado.  We are trying to cook up a plan. Nothing is in stone as it is never in stone when one of us is 92 so we shall see! Currently mom is in the SC mountains for another week visiting her youngest daughter
(my other sis M) while E & I have been doing lots of cemetery headstone photos!

"I now continue with regular blogging of life in real time." Thank you guys for reading along and sharing your comments and ideas with me. 

PEACE

Eleanor Roosevelt: You must do the thing you think you can not.