A Day With The Ponies

So today we took my mom and dad to a Polo match.  Most people think Polo and they think snobs.  It's not though!  It's really quite fun.  It was a nice sunny day with a nice breeze.  This is a picture of my parents.  They've been kind enough to let me photo them for my class assignments.  The Polo match this time was regional teams.  It was Pearls vs. Newport team.  It was a charity game for the fight against breast cancer.  We got great seats.  Right next to the scoreboard and were able to back our car up the the site.  Hooray!

There were tons of children out, most of whom were not being corralled by their parents, and dogs.  This dog came from across the polo field in search of a ball to play with.  He found it in some kids who were playing catch.  Jim took this photo.  Good job!  The owners were no where to be seen, which worried me for quite some time.  And when they did finally show up I wanted to smack them because they were like 'oh you shouldn't do that'.

The light colored horse was one of my mom's favorites.  This was the best shot that I got of it.  Action shots can be a bit tricky.  The pink shirts are the Pearls and the red shirts are Newport.  The Pearls eked out a win at the very end.  They won by one and we think that the Newport team let them.  

And of course I can't complete this post without at least one photo of my sweet baboo.  At least I chose the clean one.

-Michelle

24

That's roughly how long we traveled this past weekend to get to Virginia.  And that's round trip.  Normally it takes about 20.  New York City really gobbled up our travel this time with construction and congestion.  Ugh!  And that doesn't include all the back and forth driving we did.

Our friend, Floyd, told us about a different way to go that might be a little less congested.  So we'll try that next time.  Hopefully it'll keep Jim's blood pressure from rising.  Thanks Floyd!

We went down for our home inspection which we scheduled to coincide with Ingleside's Wine Maker's Library.  Ingleside was our original reason for going and we almost didn't make it.  Insert me fuming here.

Our home inspection took 4 hours.  No there was nothing wrong with the house.  I know this was on your mind because it's the first question everyone asks when they hear this.  Our inspector just liked to talk.  A LOT!  And didn't seem to catch the hint that he needed to stop joking and telling so many stories.  Ugh!  And I had scheduled it earlier in the day so that we would be able to make the Ingleside event.

This is a partial view of the entryway to the tasting room.  It's changed a bit since I've worked there.  That's the way of the world though.  I think it looks nice.  We got to the event 45 minutes before the end.  To say I was peeved would be an understatement.  But we got to see our friends and drink wine, so all was good.  We were able to try the 2007 Chardonnay and Rosato before they were released.  I must say that the Rosato is my favorite.  It rocks!  We were also able to try 3 vintages of Petit Verdot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.  Yum!  And of course there were tasty goodies there too.  It was an excellent way to end a very tedious day.  Good food, good wine and good friends.  We got to see nearly all of our friends while we were there.  It felt as if we had never left.

I was also able to get some of my homework done for my photography class.  This assignment was letters.  And you couldn't get them from a sign.  They had to be shapes you found in every day things.  Hopefully you can figure out the letters below.

     
Our professor said it would be really easy and that once you started looking you would find tons of letters.  I guess I'm bad at hide and seek, because I didn't find as many as some of my classmates.  Of course I wasn't going to take pictures while I was driving either.  Safety first!

Finally this is a picture of our buddies Neil and Linda.  That's right Linda, if you email me asking why I haven't posted you get your picture posted.  I have lots more pictures of Ingleside friends, but I wanted to get this posted before I get another gentle nudge from Linda.  =)  Look Linda!  Now you're famous! -Michelle

What Does Michelle Do With Her Monday and Wednesday Afternoons?

I know this is a question that has been on most people's minds.  I mean who wouldn't want to know?  I'm interesting.  Right?  Okay stop laughing now!

So let me put you all out of your misery.  I've been taking a Digital Photography class.  Yes I'm in school again.
So instead of writing anything of substance I'll bore you with my photos.  I've already babbled about it in the other blog, but there are so many pictures to share.  So I decided to spread it out.

So a few of these are 'action' photos while the rest are still life photos.  I'm enjoying the course and hope you'll enjoy the photos.  I have to chose 10 for my final project.

Just A Small Gathering

So yesterday we had a "few" friends over for what started as a black and tan party.  Have you ever noticed how a few can all be a totally different number to you than to someone else?  =)  More on that in a bit.  

This all started about a month or so ago when we went along with Karen to take Jake to the airport.  Hope I didn't lose anyone there.  We stopped at Dave & Busters for lunch and fun.  While eating we started discussing black and tans.  Much to our shame we can not pour these things to save our lives.  Jake informed us that he could teach us and promised to once he got back.  We promised we'd wait as Karen knew how to do it too.

Okay back to the present.  So we decided Friday, spur of the moment, that we should get together and do that black and tan party.  Yes I know time has gone by a bit, but hey life is hectic!  Originally it was going to be maybe 5 people.  We said what the heck let's do this in the afternoon and barbecue.  The weather will be great.  Good excuse to eat charred meat and drink beer.

I'm not exactly sure how it happened, but by the end of the day we'd had a total of something like 10 people.  When we realized how many people were coming Jim and I had to laugh.  How did the small black and tan party suddenly explode?  Not that we minded, but we were just curious.  

We had lots of fun though.  Have learned how to pour black and tans.  Thanks Jake!  We also learned that the house can accommodate 10 people comfortably.  Or should I say 10 and 1/2?  Theo was there too.  What's a party without my favorite brewer?  Kaiser warmed up to everyone by the end of the gathering and was in heaven with all the pets he was getting.  He even got a burger.  Lucky dog!  And was good with Theo, who by the way is walking now.  Odie showed up as Theo was making his departure.  Sorry Theo.  And loved all the pets he got.  Even the birds enjoyed it, as Jake likes birds and gave them lots of attention.

All in all a good time was had.  What I really have to say is...

You like us!  You really, really like us!

I'll ignore the fact that we were offering beer and food to bribe you to come over.  =)

-Michelle

The Dangers of the Fire Swamp

As we returned to our adopted home town of Norfolk, Virginia this morning we couldn't help but note the smell of smoke thick in the air. For those of you not paying attention to the news in Southeastern VA and Northeastern NC, the Great Dismal Swamp is on fire.

That's right, a swamp is on FIRE!

Well, not the swamp really, it's the peat underground. It's burning much like a coal mine fire. The fire is underground. Often times the first sign the firefighters have that there is fire near by is when a tree falls on or near them. 

We're told the last time the Great Dismal Swamp was on fire, in the 1920s, it took three years to extinguish.

What is needed is a "rain event." Something that can soak the ground quickly with 12 inches or more of rain in a short time.  Meteorologists  call such events by two names: hurricanes and tropical storms.

The good news is that about every five years the Tidewater area gets a hurricane or tropical storm. The last hurricane/tropical storm that hit this area was Hurricane Isabel in September 2003, which I wisely weathered on the beach in Key West. Anyway, the good news is that the area is due for a hurricane/tropical storm.

The bad news is that the area is due for a hurricane/tropical storm.

-Jim

I thought winning was supposed to feel good

As noted in the "Dented Cans" update on the upper right of this blog, a player broke his arm at the softball game last night.  I was on base at the time, so I only saw the ball and the players' reaction to it briefly. 

It is my understanding that the left fielder attempted a feet first sliding catch when his left arm got caught on the ground. His body continued forward and his arm stayed in one place, the result of which was a broken arm and some torn ligaments. Serious enough to warrant surgery today.

Our thoughts and prayers are with him. We hope he heals quickly and fully, able to play again next summer.