Through the Lens

Saturday, December 7, 2013

ROUSes - Rodents of Unusual Size

Please forgive the reference from The Princess Bride. The family just watched that movie recently and I was reminded of ROUS when looking at pictures of deer. Why do I have pictures of deer? Because they are everywhere. This fella was in the neighbor's front yard for more than thirty minutes, not concerned for one second that he was out in the open in a residential area.

This fine gal was in our backyard - I could have jumped off the deck and tackled her if I wanted.

If only they would eat ALL of the grass instead of picking through the yard for the tasty stuff!

Camouflage? Who needs camo when you blend in this well?

Richmond

I don't really know why but I find myself drawn to Richmond. I'm not a fan of 'big cities' but something about the heart of Richmond speaks to me. I enjoy spending time wandering Richmond and discovering new to me history. The Civil War era bridge below has been in several of my past posts. I just like it - and some day I will actually stand upon the bridge. There is a thirty foot gap on each end between the bridge and the shore. Not wanting to risk arrest, I will someday convince the James River Park guys to grant me permission to climb the footings to the top.

Everywhere you look in downtown Richmond there is history waiting to be explored.

I just needed one more person to stand on the bridge to even out the spacing!

There are railroad tracks all over Richmond. I included this pic just because if I look at it for more than a few seconds it makes my eyes hurt!

The Virginia War Memorial. A beautiful and quiet place to reflect upon the many lives given to support our freedom and way of life.

One of my favorite parts of the War Memorial are the panes of glass etched with all of the names of Virginians that have died fighting in battle. The names are separated by each conflict, dating back to the Civil War.

I tried to be artistic and get a shot of the flag through the etched panel.

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

I hate yard work!

Stage One of the Backyard Reclamation project has begun. We used to have a nice, well-kept backyard. Then a child was born and keeping the yard in perfect condition didn't seem quite so important. The years went by and another child was born, and it was really hot, and there was no working lawn tractor, and well, the list of excuses goes on and on. Finally, the shame of being the neighborhood deadbeat wore me down. It's one thing to have a non-running vehicle sit in the driveway for years - it's a totally different thing to have grass and vegetation grow so thick and tall that it obscures the 12' tall shed in the yard.

So it was time to cut the jungle. Here are some "before" shots.

And here are the "After" shots.

I know the after photos may not take your breath away, but I'm very pleased. You see, I was able to borrow a tractor and mow for five long hours. The grass was not only tall but also very thick. If I had not had use of a tractor I would have had to walk super slowly though that mess with a push mower. All the while watching the ground for snakes. And I HATE snakes. My hate of snakes is so strong that it makes Indiana Jones look like a loving herpetologist.

As you can see from the fence on one side and the shed roof on the other, my neighbors have not set the yard maintenance bar very high. Low as the expectations are, I still need to do a lot of work to reach it!