Sunday, March 22, 2026

8 March 2026 Stanford: Off to Bill and Diane's For a Lunch


First thing after breakfast I hopped over to the rental car place to pick up a car.  Daylight savings time had just taken effect and it was entertaining to see one guy not knowing if it was 10 AM or 12 Noon.  Then as Laura went to the "Hells Kitchen" show, we drove out to Bill and Diane's house where Laura, Maxine, Charlie and Abby all joined us for lunch.  Diane fed us very well with London broil, some shrimps and cheese with pepper jelly among other delicious items.  We got to see their newly renovated house, catch up with everybody and hear plans for Abby's upcoming wedding.  As a gift we brought some fine Japanese whiskey and proclaimed it "Japanese Whiskey-Fest Round Two" in commemoration of the whiskey drinking by Bill and I in Osaka.  Everyone except Leslie, Maxine and Diane had a sip or two.  Luckily it stopped at a sip or two each unlike "Japanese Whiskey-Fest Round One" where the entire bottle was consumed.  


A hooded Merganser in the lake by the car rental place


Peek a boo


Wood stork


A little blue heron


The new and improved layout


Charlie is in the house


Maxine too


The amount of light that the new layout lets in is amasing


Geeking out


The grounds


Springing to life


500 degrees of thee broil


Smelling great


Let there be whiskey


The fun begins


Kanpai!


Laura joins in


Snoot hoot!


Time to eat


Grandparents and grand daughter


The table is set


Thanks for the fun


A serious dent has been made in the bottle of hootch!




 It has been 3 years and 275 days since we began our Migration
 

Saturday, March 21, 2026

7 March 2026 Sanford: Horsing Around

 


Hayden is a horse girl.  We went to a competition where she rode in three events. Above she is running the barrels.  She had to circle three different barrels and the best time wins.  She also competed in a pole-bending run where the horse and rider gallop to the end of a series of poles and then returns weaving between the poles.  They weave through the poles back the other way and then sprint back to the start.  Great fun!


Bikers!


The town of Lake Helen is a horse town


It is very quaint


Old twisted trees


It is the Gem of Florida


St. Patty's day is coming up soon


Green is the theme


This horse seems to have shorter legs


Nice braids


We could hear cranes calling between the horse runs


Hayden herself


Off to her competition


This would be a whole lot of work


A dirt Zamboni


When a barrel is knocked over there is a time penalty


Then it has to be put back up


We brought Macy


Hayden is on the barrel righting crew


Getting ready for another round


Neigh!


The crew


Coming back from her pole bending run


Fancy spurs


From crocs to cowboy boots


Not your ordinary cowboy hat, it is reinforced 


And she is off like the wind


The sun is setting


The Cranes are returning home


the clouds are turning pink


No texting while riding


Heading out


 It has been 3 years and 274 days since we began our Migration