This past weekend Rick brought home one of the new cameras that his company designs and manufactures, the Miro 2, to have some fun with. Just a $20,000 toy! After chasing bees and butterflies around and waiting for the goldfinches to land on the feeder, he was running out of interesting things to film in slow motion, so I came up with the idea of having the dogs catch food.

We used to teach this trick to our dogs that we showed because it keeps them focused and up in the show ring. Now that we don’t show any of our current dogs, the catching skills vary. I chose Cheez Doodles™,  a delicious and delectable snack we all love (sorry, folks, Wise Foods only distributes in the East—one of the perks of living here!). I throw as fast as I can and it all happens in only a second.

Here is Alex’s attempt. Watch him track the doodle with his eye! Watch for Daisy’s nose on the right tracking it as well. Where will it land?

Now it’s Hailey’s turn, and she misses. You can see the shadow of the doodle as it approaches her mouth on the deck below. She trys a frantic last grab at it.

Success for Hailey! Watch Daisy and Alex track it too!

Yesterday when I stepped outside to walk to the mailbox, I heard a funny noise—a bird noise but different. Looking around to locate the source I saw a baby robin sitting on the driveway. Oh, no was my first thought. First of all the sun was blazing hot and so was the pavement it was sitting on. I was afraid he was going to cook himself sitting there, so I gently made him hop to the cooler grass.

He obviously didn’t have enough of his feathers in to fly. His wings were too short and he had no tail to speak of.  The parents were flying from tree to tree and hopping around on the ground anxiously waiting for me to leave so they could care for their baby. This parent has a green worm in its mouth, can you see it?

At this point there wasn’t really anything I could do except leave the baby resting in the grass and let the parents do what they could. I’ve tried to raise baby birds before and it never worked. I can only hope for a happy ending for this little guy. I just love the tufts of feathers above his eyes. He’s so sweet!

. . . to buy ... well ... everything!

Ever since we lived in France and literally ate our way through the wonderful open-air markets that alternated between towns every week, we’ve been addicted to farmer’s markets. Can you honestly think of anything better than eating fresh, locally grown vegetables as they are meant to be eaten—in season—or enjoying artisan cheeses and breads?

We are lucky enough to have a great farmer’s market close by in Warwick, New York. Although not as extensive as the one in Isle-sur-la-Sorgue (Provence), it has its own merits. From May through October local produce, cheeses, breads, jams, baked goods, and meat are available on a seasonal basis. Even the cheeses change according to the grass that the cows have been eating.

It’s become a tradition for us to visit the Sunday market and buy the makings of our lunch plus a few meals for the week. What follows are some photos of the various vendors. I found the way they present their wares to be a visual feast for the eyes. I hope you think so too.

We came home with both carrots and these lovely purple beets. The carrots were tender and bursting with sweetness. We roasted the beets and tossed them with olive oil, red wine vinegar, pepper, and salt. Delicious!

The Bobolink Dairy offers artisan cheeses from their own cow herd. She also has crusty bread made from whole grains baked in a wood-fired oven. Her crusty wheat bread filled with chunks of melty garlic is wonderful!

The peas were finally out this week and we couldn’t resist a bagful for Tortellini with Cream, Ham, and Peas. We only eat it once per year when the peas are fresh, so it will be a real treat. The strawberries were just picked and the smell at their stall was overwhelming.

Another favorite vendor is BuddhaPesto. THE best pesto I believe I’ve ever tasted. All the other vendors thought I was a bit crazy for taking photos of their wares, but this vendor actually thanked me and was flattered I was taking a photo!

Finally, burgeoning with bags and sacks containing carrots, beets, lettuces, spring onions, a sirloin tip roast, bread, strawberries, parsley plants, quiche, pesto, homemade blue cheese dressing, and a few more things we finally made our way home—to eat.

Today was a pool day for certain. Clear blue skies, no threat of rain, sunny, low 80s.  I sit writing this entry poolside about mid-afternoon. A nice breeze blows by once in a while and a few minutes ago the breeze lifted the umbrella up and the table I am typing on as well. wheeeeeeeeeee…......

We went to the Farmer’s Market in Warwick this morning and had a great time. I took lots of photos and my blog post is coming, probably tomorrow. We had a lovely lunch from our purchases at the market. But more of that to come in a later post.

Anyway, the afternoon has passed by with a combination of swimming laps and lounging on the floats. I took a few funny videos and we’ll see how they turn out. I also was trying to take a photo of my swimsuit and the pool by looking down at myself because the colors matched, and realized I was taking photos of my reflection in the pool [while in the pool], so I hammed my postures up a bit. Fun. See what you think below. I think my new camera is causing me to act a bit weird. I keep thinking of new things to entertain on my blog! I’m not sure if you are entertained or not as a reader, but I certainly keep myself entertained. And, I suppose that’s all that really matters. If you think I’m strange; so be it.

On a more serious note, I had some more amphibious reflections and made Rick bring his laptop poolside so I could type while soaking in the not-quite-summer-yet temperatures.

Swimming along doing the side stroke I see and notice the following things.
Sounds:First of all I hear the water gurgling and glugging beneath my ear. Leaves rustle companionably in the strong breeze and various birds lend their song to the air.
Sights: Looking up I see our big oak trees swaying in that same strong breeze, their large limbs flung wide. Clouds, far and few between scud by quickly out of my line of vision.  And for now, dear readers, yes, I am fully clothed in bathing suit. Rule #1: no skinny-dipping in daytime hours. Period. I make no promises for night time swims, however.

Since I’ve been sitting here, a chipmunk has come to peer at me, wondering what I am doing out here, and just now a hummingbird hovered near me. Good thing I don’t have on my neon pink suit today or he would have thought I was a flower! Butterflies flit in and out of the flowers in the bed next to the pool. We seem to have an abundance of white butterflies lately. They are beautiful, but skittish. I’ve tried numerous times to capture their images, but they are too camera shy.

So, with that I’ll sign off for today. Enjoy the vid. More to follow on the market tomorrow. Right now I need a nice chilled glass of white wine ...

Grillin’ in the rain,
just grillin’ in the rain,
what a glorious feelin’
I’m happy again

Finally one of those scattered thunderstorms went right over us and we got a little much needed rain. However, it’s timing could have been a bit earlier or a bit later than it was. But, I’m not going to complain!