A Ride

So, what's The Fuzz been up to lately?

Well, just the little things of daily life of course.

With school stating back, there was a trip to the city for new glasses for that Not So Young Anymore Daughter.  And of course some other "school supplies" were included.
And then there was some work at the Old Place, trying to get things sorted out over there.  He's finally getting back in shape so that he can use the chainsaw... if he is careful.  So he cut down a couple of trees in preparation for an upcoming building project.

But, The Fuzz did finally manage to get the bike out for a ride up to the mountains.

The picnic area where he usually stops for a lunch break was still closed.

So he stopped at the overlook at Deerlick Gap once again.  
There are a couple of tables there- which one would suppose are getting a bit more use these days.
While not much of an artist, Our Fuzz likes to carry his small sketch book with him.  And he attempts to record the experience in a non-photographical manner over a beer and sandwich.
Then it was back down the mountain again.  Homeward bound in time for the Knitting Group that he has gotten involved in with His Sweetie.  Isn't retirement great!

Painting Party Continued

As promised, more pix!

 Lemurs

 Elephant

 Lion

 Giraffe 

 Tree in the corner 

 Zebras

 Snakes

 Monkeys 

Toucan 

And of course the Alligator 

Painting Party

The Family is growing.

We're still waiting to get a look at this one, but it was time to get "Ducks in a Row" as they say.

So as is often the case, it was Party Time.

In this case, a Painting Party!

So supplies were gathered and all that could make it gathered at the home of the expectant, and painted.

Each participant had chosen an animal to add to the nursery, and hopefully, gotten in a little practice-

or at least a plan.

The first step was to prepare the wall for the masterpieces.

(in this case The Fuzz's)

Then it was time for the details.

The Fuzz started with an outline.

Even the cousins got into the act.

There were lots of colors to choose from.

The expectant Dad chose the King of Beasts.

Here's a look at The Fuzz's contribution.

The work continued.

And things began to take their final form.

When the Painting was finished, it was time forTacos.

Watch for the next post to see more of the finished 

nursery.

Up There

It's up there somewhere.

Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center

After the stop in Charlottesville, we headed to northern Virginia to the home of the 2nd Son and his New Bride.

We were within a few miles of The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center- part of the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum.

The Fuzz had already been to the museum in Washington.  But that place is only so big, and there is a lot more here.

Like the Enola Gay.

This B29 has the dubious distinction of having dropped the first A-Bomb on Japan in the 2nd World War.

Both The Fuzz's Sweetie and that Not So Young Daughter enjoyed the Space exhibit.

Which included a real Space Shuttle.

It's kinda hard to imagine that this thing is now "retired" and all.

But then, so is The Fuzz.

Another "retiree" is this Blackbird (SR 71) spy plane.

As you can see, this thing is still hard to get a clear picture of!

The Next Big Adventure

A while back, in fact in his last post, The Fuzz made mention of Another Big Adventure.  And, if anyone actually was wondering what had happened to Our Fuzz, and this blog, that is exactly where he was.  Off on the next big adventure.
This involved a road trip to visit kinfolks.  
The first stop was a visit to The Fuzz's Sister.  The Fuzz, His Sweetie and that Not So Young Anymore Daughter got into the car and headed off to Virginia.  On the way they hit the IHOP for a bit of breakfast.  Then it was back on the road to Charlottesville.
There The Fuzz's Sister, and Hubby treated them to a beer and fine lunch.  Then it was into the car for a ride to the Top of the World.

The view from here is pretty impressive.  And they have ice-cream and wine tasting!
Then it was back on the road for more adventure.

Another First

Birthday!

It was another first this weekend.

This 1st Birthday for this young lady.

Here we can see the Birthday Girl having some Balloon Time with her uncle.

Then it was time for Cake!

It was a good time for the family to get together.  With both sides of the family, there was a pretty good crowd.

Then it was time to go home to the woods to prepare for the Next Big Adventure.

Chimney Series 21

International Travelers

The Fuzz was wanting to take his bike up to the mountains.  

But the weather wasn't cooperating very well.  Things were looking a little better today, so he decided to go for it.
The trip went well for the most part, although he did get a bit wet on the way home.

He was following a route that he has taken on several occasions.  This included a lunch break at the Crabtree Falls Picnic Area.  But when he got there the gate was closed!  We suspect this could have something to do with the current budget problems in Washington.  But the result was that Our Intrepid Fuzz rode on, looking for a nice picnic spot.  He finally found some tables at an overlook, and broke out his grub.

There was an un usual truck there.

And he noticed the tag.

These folks weren't from around here.

While TheFuzz ate his sandwich and beer, he attempted to draw this odd vehicle.

This was the result.

Before he left, The Fuzz did introduce himself.  It was indeed a German couple, Elke & Axel.  They brought the truck over by boat (obviously they couldn't drive it!) and started in Canada.  It was nice to meet them, but The Fuzz had to hit the road for home.  He made it most of the way without getting wet.  But he was not so lucky for the last 4 miles or so.  But hey,  it's all good, right? 

Chimney Series 20