Claire, great stories you tell!

That whale watching trip was one that could make it interesting for if we go again. We saw breaches galore right next to our ship repeatedly for 2 hours! The Captain said he recommended never going on another one after that as he never had seen anything like it. It was migration time and late in the season - September, so we were treated to a show and one half.

The collective "Awwww" from the deck with pictures snapping was non-stop for the two hours. Now what I did not say was that it was in a port which we were not supposed to go to, but bad weather kept us out of Sitka, Alaska and we went to it instead. It was the first town for the native americans in Alaska and we got to walk to the town first, then go out on the boat.

I love the story of the sakura - you were blessed to get that.
smiles to you,
carolyn

Hi ClaireM! I am glad you liked the tree. It is huge. It is actually a double flowering cherry. It is ornamental however, and we get no fruit on it. It is beautiful but very messy once it gets rained on. Joanne, I am glad to hear that miss Winston is on the mend and you are making sure she can't get into any more trouble. We do love our pets! Just before the last Xmas my kitty had surgery and was quite ill. She too is on the mend but it is a battle getting her to take her daily pills, even with the little pill pockets that I bought. Oh well, I am more crafty than her and she will not win!! LOL! Carolyn, I love the humpback whale. They are amazing creatures. Here is another picture of my yard as it is beginning to come to life. I really love hostas and this one is starting up nicely.

Carolyn, thanks for posting the picture of the whale. What an incredible experience that must have been. So exciting!

Good Morning ELFs.......

Was in emergency mode yesterday with two very sick grandchildren and a worried mom - I went with them for sanity. All is OK now, we hope.

So....y'all liked the whale? I will give you a few more since we do have some new (to us but oh so wonderful that it is just that) folks here. I hope you enjoy!

I love the Hosta, Jean....it's so beautifully shaped. Gillian, I am delighted to see you here.

Hugs from down here,
carolyn

I would love to see whales from a boat like that. Wow!

It makes me want to go to the coast today and see if I can spot the female Gray Whales coming back up the California Coast from Baja with their calves. Because of the newborns with them, they stay closer to shore. From my house (which is a barn) I can get to Bodega Head which juts way out so it is a great place to spot them.

Trivia: Can you tell me, girls and boys, why Bodega Head is an important part of our recent history? :p
Very good! It was there that the Environmental Movement was started when our local energy company, PG&E, started to build a nuclear power plant there, directly on the San Andreas fault! (Never underestimate the stupidity and hubris of the nuclear power industry, but don't get me started.)
Two local women (one a waitress in Bodega) and the landowner lady (who didn't like the way the PG&E deal was going for her) raised a ruckus and the Green Movement was launched. This was the early 60's, I think.
There is still a huge crater where they dug that we call the Hole in the Head. You can see it from Google Earth.
Well, enough expounding for today, I'd better get to work.
Bye!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bodega_Bay ... ower_Plant

Good Evening/Night ELFs......

I hope everyone had a lovely or at least good day! It seems like time is spinning on a rapid course, already May 1. My garden is profuse with flowers, probably the best time of the year as it is not too hot yet. The birds are singing gloriously. It is something else to listen to the baby cardinals in their nest on the other side of the fence in the small greenbelt (not to be explored Annie.....lots of roots and tripping obstacles). Just sitting in my study I hear the birds chirping away while my cats sit on the monitor one by one (or fall off one by one) and view. A robin stands in the front yard perusing their kingdom, the red bellied woodpecker flies up on the tree and sings its own particular song, while an owl hoots in the palm tree or over the fence. I see a hawk fly over and then an egret or heron and I hear you can see eagles flying at 5 over Lake Woodlands if you are in the right spot. That is a bit of what I see here along with prancing golden retriever and cobalt bleu sky. I love a cloudy day as it does not get hot then and this time of year the breeze can be strong.

Claire.....I loved your trivia quiz and I am glad we did so well! It's astounding what we can do so easily. I hope you go to see the Gray Whales. As I think I said, our Captain on our whale watching trip recommended that we might not want to go on another ever. That being said when I go to Nova Scotia this summer I will go, but to see some of the smaller Atlantic whales and it will be different. The sound of the humpback breaching 5 feet from our deck of the ship was unreal - like a water explosion of joy. And yes, that was 5 feet! The whales knew we were there and put on this show for 2 hours. Not many went on the trip so those who did were treated to something incredible.

Done writing for tonight.......smiles to y'all all, (fyi y'all all is not a legal Texan term, could not resist - you probably know it should be reversed).
carolyn

Anybody else have a terrible, I mean challenging in a good way, day today?
Ow. make it stop. lol.
It's almost over.... in a good way, of course. ow.

Woodlands Bleu, love it. I enjoy your writing and wow.. the wildlife. nice.
Thanks, you got me laughing. ow

Well actually Claire....mine was Monday as I sat in the doctor's office with my daughter - screaming little Miss L very sick on my knee, screaming Mr. E up on the table with a tummy ache "right there", in his PJ's with his blankie and monkey (adorable that was), both running fevers. Mother trying to remain calm; me I had taken my calm pill for emergencies years ago and it still works; I almost started laughing as the poor doctor was scratching his head trying to figure out what to do. Ended up going to stomach xray to make sure he did not have appendicit, but if he had it would have been straight to Medical Center in Houston, me keeping Miss L, still calm.

XRay was OK, crisis over. For some reason I got up early Monday and did all my housework that was necessary, then when surprised by this.....no worries.

Some days are just meant to be challenges, but they end and that is the best part! Then you tell the next day to behave itself and go on with a huge grin.

Claire, I would love to see your home/barn if you would not mind taking a picture.

hugs to you friend,
carolyn