Happy Father’s Day to my Dad and to all the other Dads out there; this is your day to be celebrated and thanked for all that you do for your children!

For daughters, I think that Dads can be very special people in our lives, and I certainly know that my Dad has shaped who I am today and given me the grounding by which I live my life.

In some strange way, or because of my relationship to my Dad, I have very many of his same passions: I am a very keen gardener although I could never hold a candle to his skill.

Growing up, all five of us in the family enjoyed a different apple so Dad grafted each of our favourites onto one apple tree in the back garden. Every member of the family had their own branch with their own brand of apple –  just how clever is that!

I still consider myself in my elementary gardening phase and follow the premise that unless you have killed the same plant seven different ways, then you cannot consider yourself a true horticulturist!

Just like Dad, I would put photography as one of my favourite hobbies. Dad was singularly passionate about it too and the family and the generations to come will be forever grateful. He took thousands of pictures – of the three of us growing up, family holidays, gardening shows……….and we will have these forever as a family record.

But, most of all I have inherited my Dad’s sense of humor which, first and foremost, finds hilarity in the sense of the ludicrous.

One of Dad’s favourite stories is that he and Mum were members of Chigwell Library when they lived in Essex, a county in the UK. Visiting the library, Dad asked the Librarian if she had any big books which contained lots of coloured photographs. The Librarian looked quizzically over her glasses at Dad and raised an eyebrow hinting that she wanted an explanation before the request was granted. Without batting an eyelid, Dad explained that he liked to cut-out the pictures and paste them into his scrapbook. The Librarian did not smile, and deigned not to respond and my Dad has lived off that story for years, and years!

There are very few photos of me and Dad together as usually one of us is behind the lens! I think this pic was taken in 1992 in the dining room of the Chigwell home where I grew up.

Starting in early May and heading into June, High Meadow Ranch is brimming with newly born fawns.

They are everywhere, and I have to be very careful when walking Miss Poppy-dog each morning as the new-borns are very often curled up asleep in people’s front gardens!

Exactly like Bambi, the fawns are cuter than cute, sporting their baby-white spots and balancing on legs which they have yet to grow into. As is deer custom, once born, the doe will leave her fawn in a place she feels is safe while she goes off foraging for food. She returns to feed her fawn and walk slowly onto the next grazing spot but she will not take her offspring with her until it can run at the same speed as its mother ensuring its safety and well-being.

A few years back we bought the lot next door to our home giving us an extra 1.5 acres. We have since cleared the lot of the scrub and tidied it up and I have a small trough where each day I put corn to feed the deer herds that come through. It is a daily joy to watch them feed and then settle down for a rest and of course, I get to see some of the fawns. This year one clever doe has had twins which are simply adorable.

Sorry for the poor quality of the pictures but I don’t like to get too close to scare either the adults or the fawns!

 

The twins and their Mum in our lot!

Another fawn in the sub-division keeping cool in the shade!

Happy Flag Day!

On June 14, 1777, the Continental Congress formally adopted the Stars and Stripes as the official flag of the US.

Back then, the first flag had 13 stripes alternating between red and white and the same number of white stars on a blue background. Each star and stripe represented a Colony, united nearly one year earlier by the Declaration of Independence.

From 1790 to 1959 there were a further 26 changes made to the flag as more colonies were added with the last being Hawaii. The 50-star flag was flown for the first time on July 4, 1960.

The colour white is used on the flag to signify purity; the red is for valor; and, the blue is to signify justice. Some of the nicknames for the American flag are “old glory,” “star-spangled banner,” “red, white and blue” and “stars and stripes.”

There are six American flags on the moon, five of which are still standing and the flag is always flying at the White House, Fort McHenry in Baltimore and the Iwo Jima Memorials in Arlington, Virginia.

The Pledge of Allegiance was penned in 1892, and it reads, “I pledge allegiance to my flag and the republic for which it stands, one nation, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all.”

One of the many flags being flown in High Meadow Ranch today!

 

We are back home after traveling a little over 3,000 miles on our maiden voyage!

It’s hard to believe that we covered so much ground on the first real trip we have taken, but it has been a very good learning experience and more importantly, we enjoyed every minute of it!

It was en route home that I drove the motor home for the first time without an instructor! We left Marksville, Louisiana on Sunday, May 28, the day before a public holiday for Memorial Day. We were on a two-lane highway and it was lovely and empty. So, taking everyone’s life in my hands, I took my seat behind the wheel and off we went.

In describing what it feels like to drive a 40-foot truck-sized monster towing a jeep behind it, I ask folks to recall their first-ever driving lesson! Remember sitting in the driver’s seat of a car for the first time in your life and there is just so much to remember: checking the mirrors every few seconds, learning how to depress the brake pedal without kangarooing or stopping so suddenly that the instructor almost hits his head on the dashboard or is garrotted by his seatbelt, entering a roundabout, changing gears and dealing with those impatient folks behind you who, of course, were never learner drivers!

On day one, for the first hour, I gripped the steering wheel like my life depended upon it! When my knuckles really started to complain because they had no blood reaching them, I relaxed a little and started to enjoy the experience. I did panic somewhat when it came time to make a right turn as you have to move so far forward, almost into the oncoming traffic to ensure the back wheels (and the jeep) make it around the corner without running over whatever or whomever is on the corner at the time!

One really good thing is that the motor home is equipped with three outside cameras that really are an aid to driving. Situated on the dashboard next to the GPS screen, is a second screen where the outside cameras show what’s going on to the right, to the left and behind. As you will see on the picture below, this is the view showing the jeep being towed behind. When you indicate right or left, the view changes to show you what’s coming up on the side which is really useful as so many motorists want to try to sneak past you before you move into another lane or make a turn! Bless them is all I can say!

White knuckle ride!

Always good to see that the Jeep is still attached!