Shopping With Marley

Marley loves to go everywhere with me and I like taking him. He sits in the back seat looking out the window (he has his own seat belt harness, which he manages to wriggle out of when I go inside), When I come back out from shopping, he is usually sitting in the driver's seat patiently waiting for me. Sometimes I even have a treat for him if I have been dining. He likes toast a lot. So do I!

Last Friday after spending several days at home because of storm watches and warnings and the roofers blocking me in my driveway, I decided I HAD to use my 50% off coupon at Micheal's. I knew exactly what I wanted. So even after another storm watch was issued, and looking at radar and seeing nothing to worry about, I left. Jackson was left outside to chase the squirrels (he is obsessive compulsive about that). I wasn't gonna be gone long anyways. So Marley and I set off.

I even stopped for a tea at Speedway and got the mail. The sun was shining too. I left the windows cracked on my car (it was mid 80's) and I went inside Micheal's. The item I wanted was already on sale-phooey! I poked around a bit and found something else I thought I might never want-but after reading the package, I did. The Cropidile II. Half off ladies and only 20 bucks! Happy as a clam and armed with my tool and some dollar stamps (I am missing October and December), I went outside. It had started to cloud up.

Looking north toward my house 8 miles away.
Getting a bit more of the wide shot-but no rain yet.
A close up on the clouds-mind you to the south, the sun was still peaking out.

The rain starts to come down toward the south but dry where I am.
I just like these colors and am gonna try stamping landscapes or skyscapes on them.

It starts to get much darker to the south and I am thinking of leaving. I call hubby who is on I75 at the Oakland/Genesee County line and he says it's sunny yet and nothing going on, so he tells me to stay put and we will get dinner. I remind him I have the dog with me.

I keep snapping away and people walk in front of me. I am using hubby's small pocket digital as it fits in the same pocket with my Flip Video camera and we had used them both the day before and later at the art festival. It's just annoying sometimes to carry around a fully lensed-up D-SLR. So this works.

I feel rain drops finally and turn to climb back into my little Aveo ( I am parked north but photographing south) and oh shit! Look what is to the north!!

Wall cloud!
Wind!
Rotation!

I just stood there mesmerized! No sirens. No frantic movements by anyone. In fact, some stopped and watched me snap away. They said they paid no attention until they saw me photographing and then made a dash for the store. I wanted to dash too but if I left and drove north, I would have run right into this. I had Marley and surely the store would not have let us in-I had no leash for one. Marley was spazzing in the car-he hates the noises of storms just like me.

Then the rain started and I could not see out the window and certainly could not have driven with the rain intensity like this. So I waited and trembled and wondered what county or country my final resting place would be. At least I wasn't alone-my Marley was with me. It started to eventually let up but I spoke with hubby and he said wait instead of driving. No warning sirens ever went off for my location but they did in the Clio area and into Tuscola county where there was a touch down.

As the rain abated, I tried to amuse myself. I took photos of my shoes, my junk mail on the floor and Marley's hanging out tongue. Then I took the above photo. Sorta interesting but a bit cluttered. So I used the zoom which to me is just unstable at times. And I got this one below. I didn't know what I actually had until I downloaded the photo just a few minutes ago. I took only one. I just think this one is perfect. No photo shopping. Not cluttered. A lot of textures. And lonely.

This one is the keeper.

Octopus Tree

ETA-Jo thinks it's more a squid-I agree. Visit her ETSY shop here.

Thought you might want to see the photos of the weird tree I spoke of last night. I have other photos of the building in the background, which is unoccupied at this time. This is across the street to the north of the D.I.A. in downtown Detroit.

So am I off the mark thinking this looks like an octopus or not?

Iowa Flood Waters

My son and his wife live in Iowa-they are north of Cedar Falls/Waterloo areas in a tiny burg called Nashua, population about 1600. It has certainly turned into an adventure to say the least. Ben sent 4 photos tonight to give you an idea of the depth of the waters.

This was the neighbor's farm. At least the cows found some green area to graze on. I have no idea of the death toll on local animals. The water was at least 11 feet deep when this was taken before the upstream water went thru.

This is Ben's father-in-law's campground. From Memorial Day to Labor Day is the most busy time for them with camping, tubing, all sorts of exotic animals to observe. They had moved this back hoe to what they thought would be high, safe ground. Underestimation by a long shot.

Ben is at the edge of a new river. This one crossed the road between his home and his in-laws.Most of the roads into town were blocked at some point, and a few just re-opened tonight. Just as they issued another tornado watch. Nashua is just northeast of the deadly Parkersburg tornado of a few weeks ago.

This is the water lapping at the registration building for Ben's father-in- law's camp. There is a play area, a fully stocked kitchen and laundry facilities inside for the entire camp. If you would like to see a map of Nashua, click here. He also has some tornado video from yesterday he is trying to upload to You Tube. When it's there, I will update here.

There are still hundreds of thousands without power in Michigan from Saturday's storms, which rolled in before the tornadoes Sunday. Detroit is giving out free ice and water but I think anyone who has gone this long sans power better throw it all out and start over. I have been there (last summer 3 days). And I see another watch was issued for the Midwest as I type and there was a tornado that hit a Boy Scout camp and killed 4 about 8PM. Just incredible.

Biking My Fat Butt Off

I recently competed in a biking challenge at my gym. We were allotted 31 days and all the competition had to take place inside the gym unless you could show you participated in a sanctioned outdoor race. I was in the running and biking categories. I was first overall for the women (there were two age categories) and I did 156 miles more than my younger counterparts. I also ALMOST beat the guys. I had 10 miles less at 396 than the male leader. Had I known it was that close, I would have stayed another half hour on the 31st!

Here is my trophy-notice the plate is off center and my name was on the box (and no stand-it comes with a metal peg?). My cheapo gym really cut back this year as I think these come from a local dollar store! Oh well-going for a run now before it rains.

Giving Tongue

Wedding Chariot

One year ago last week, my son got married. Since they could not find a white horse to ride off into the sunset, they chose a motorized animal to carry them off into their new life together. They are still building their dream house and living over the garage-last week the basement flooded big time (someone forgot that you need to install the sump pump after you buy it). Luckily the water stopped short of the Geo-Thermal computer set up. They are predicting August for the move in date-two years after the initial start.

Happy Anniversary Johanna and Ben. Hopefully, you won't kill each other over the insanity of life. And Ben, you will be 31 one next week-my Star Wars baby.May the Force always be with you. Just let the Wookie win! There is another wedding photo here and here.

PS-maybe I should upload the "hula" picture??? Did you forget about that one?