its that time of year.. in just a couple more weeks, it all begins:

Thursday at the Square!! YAY!




wow, come to think of it, I have not been in attendance in two summers. I always had a class on Thursday evenings.

Went to a camping/party this weekend. My friend has a cabin within Niagara County with a large plot of land. It sits back at least a mile off the road in the woods. As teen agers, we desperately wanted to be able to use the cabin for our own gatherings and romantic evenings with our dates du jour. However, we were not trusted to use the spot on our own- for good reason. It is funny to think back on that and to know that we now have full access to the land. We still use it for the same reason as we intended so many moons ago, more or less.

The cabin has a generator if electricity is needed for anything. it is full of antiques and other neat things. We didn't sleep inside, instead opting for tents, bonfire pit, coolers and all the other good stuff pertaining to a camp out. Although the entire weekend was nice and sunny, the nights were clear and very cold. I had on bra, t-shirt, long sleeve shirt, another t-shirt, a sweater, a thin hooded sweater and my ever present uni bomber hoody. It worked, although sleeping was a challenge.. under all of those layers and a ton of blankets.

I primarily took pics of the surroundings- I didn't get everybody who was there. To my amusement, one girl took off upon realizing my attendance. Its funny to be someones nemesis.

In short, it was a lot of fun, lots of great conversation and bonding. Bugs left me alone. I ate a ton of junk food. It was fun! I was beat by the time monday rolled around, and pretty much slept the day away. I want to re do some of the shots with my better camera.

and so, without any organization or commentary- here are some pics of this past weekend. Yeh, there's a lot..















roughing it with coordination





my little home











































tree frog! :)



crispy tree frog :(


















































offerings to the cheesy poof god

sky is rumbling and getting crazy dark. I should have spent more time outside today. But instead I was rather lazy, going between the tv and the computer several times over the course of 8 hours. I managed to heat something to eat and straighten up my bathroom; as though either activity rectifies my lazy day.

camping/party this weekend was fun- returned yesterday. Fell asleep early last night and slept in this morning- hence my day of non-function. All screwed up. And when I read (e:mrmike) 's earlier post that ended with, "happy hump day".. I panicked for a moment, thinking I slept for a full day.

well, what i saw and felt through my windows was a really warm and sunny day. *sigh*

finally around four, I got dressed and found my way to some nearby trails. I decided on the spot that the sneaks I wore are no good for anything but smooth terrain. Bummer. They got me through approximately two hours of exploration, thankfully. I need day hikers that can take a beating yet not weigh ten pounds.

well, the dark scary clouds are over my head- a few flashes and increasing rumbles are my cue to exit. and ever since being hit while in my car, I am feeling rather freaked out by the impending storm. I like them a lot when I am with someone, not so much all alone- now I shall go huddle in the corner. ;)

bunch of pics to come sooner or later- so much to catch up on.

later!

fixed the link:


site cracks me up. Nothing like a little sarcasm to bring about a good snicker.

ok, so..
Gorgeous the past few days- sunshine, warmth, cut grass, thoughts of summer. Pretty much good stuff.

but the May flies have got to go. Gross. Little blackish beasts that hang out in swarms. Cousin to the sand flies. Live a day and die. They can skip straight to the latter. Closer to the water, the thicker the patches become. gross; and there is no escaping them, well, other than staying home- venturing away from the water.

so I did.

The treadmill isn't as scenic, but it always helps to decrease my insane energy levels. To get my nature fix with out the flying beasts, I simply head into another direction. Today it wasnt so bad. I was able to cover quite a bit of ground and hills before walking into them. They can't be shooed away. They are so dainty they squish on contact- a good thing if there is one. Not so great when there are a million to replace it. all i could do is walk with my eyes shut, holding my breath and hope to not have too many nestled into my hair, ears, clothes and cleavage. gah, can't imagine what is in my hair.



bugs. It takes me awhile to get over their existence every year. Bees, various flies, spiders, carpenter ants and other wildly large creatures of unidentifiable bug origin find me. gross.

The terror eventually resides considerably- replaced with eeks and other pathetic mutterings. And my taking pictures to share with all of you, mwhahahahha!

who knew there is May Fly humor?

I forgot about a slew of pics on the camera I used for my recent Florida trip. I think they will be placed in an online photo album instead of loaded onto here. Maybe on (shhhhhh) My Space. I forget my flickr and photobucket account info. However, I do have a few below as I have NO IDEA what kind of bird this is. Other than its big. well, tall. Jeez, it stands taller than the garbage cans. I am no ornithological aficionado. I know seagulls, robins, and blue jays. Ok, ducks and a few other things with wings. Chickens. mmm grilled barbecue chicken wings. I know those. I'd like to know about a dozen of them right now. What else? Owls. Cardinals. Flamingos of the plastic pink variety. Ok, thats the extent of the bird breed awareness list. I'd recognize those. But this tall creature- nope.

Any ideas? should I know what it is? is it that obvious? please, enlighten me. Thanks in advance :)



















maybe i'll back post the remaining pics.

1. Interesting textures and colors along this little stretch of land.





2. Bridges intrigue me.





3. Swirls in the sky, reflections on the water.




4. There is always more to see than the initial view.





5. the ever ubiquitous bird




6. Single intensity before the explosion of colour





7. layers of color stretch across the visual canvas




8. settling





9. Elements of nature and industry; lights, steel, water, sky.





10. end of day, beginning of night



Bird Island Pier Buffalo New York


neat historical link:

After spending about a week in NYC, I have a lot to catch up on around these (e:strip) parts. So many posts to read! I only used my pocket pc to check email on occasion, other than that, I was immersed in roaming around Manhattan.

I head out there as often as possible- never staying in the same place twice and always enjoying myself and feeling like I am in my element. I havent claimed a favorite section as of yet. I spend time exploring wherever I feel the whim to go. A recent trip allowed me the opportunity to stay in Greenwich Village; gritty, artsy, replete with NYU college kiddos and corner pizzerias. The village is just charming. This past week I stayed on Riverside Drive, a quaint section of the upper west side. With the Hudson River across the street in one direction and the rest of the city in the other, it felt like home. I'd sleep there again and again. I simply like being in the city, and although I go when I can, it always feels like its been too long in between trips. A few months is too long. I want to go monthly. At this very moment in time, rent price is the only thing that keeps me from moving out there for a bit- for the day in and day out experience.

I was lazy with my cameras, as I tend to be when I am not in "photographer mode". I snapped a few here and there, which I will eventually share- perhaps a few stories as well. *yawn*, I am too tired to do more than peck at a few letters on the keyboard.


I returned earlier today and am quite tired, after several days of not enough sleep. My body is energetic, but my brain is not. Tonight, I veg on the couch with my kitties.

just wanted to check in :)

Off the busy street, located adjacent to restaurants and variety stores is a little nugget of entertainment called Old Town. Old Town in a quaint festive section of Kissimmee Florida that offers a clean family atmosphere amongst an assortment of attractions and live events. It was pleasant to find that it offered free parking and access. Prices for rides, games and food were affordable. Shop prices, depending on what you were looking for, varied.

The little "town" consists of a few short streets comprised of eating parlors, unique gift shops, carnival rides, games and classic cars. The area was picturesque and cozy. Going on a Easter Sunday afternoon proved to be a relaxing time to go.
















A store completely dedicated to Hello Kitty! I'm beginning to have a thing now for Chococat.







NY "sock" exchange, har har


Sky Coaster





Walking down the street, there were even plenty of pretty flowers and greenery to view.







pretty cute find, huh?

We really weren't there long enough to check everything out, as we arrived a short while before having to head out to the airport for our return trip home.

If I was giving a formal review, I would highly recommend it for families looking to enjoy an affordable means of entertainment. I would..
until I saw this "Attraction" --out on the main street of this "town" lined up against the outer store walls, like it was a pop machine.

this is an ATTRACTION???????????











As you can see, what appears to be a good imitation of a man sits in an electrocution chair- life size, the whole bit- in a large cage. What you don't see, is that he sits there, rocks back and forth and grunts, groans and occasionally swears at you- practically daring you to give the machine a dollar so you can "flip the switch".

I have never seen this before, and this is one of the few things that I DO NOT find any sort of entertainment value in- and I do have a warped sense of humor. And I *know* its fake, but...

I took a few pics because I couldn't believe that this existed where little kids played.

I walked away and went into a nearby shop.

A few minutes later, I heard agonizing screams and groans coming from where I had just been. I stepped back outside in time to see the "man" twisting and turning, followed by poofs of smoke. A few people were standing nearby getting a good chuckle. Had I wanted to immortalize the visual sequence, I could have easily of recorded it, but the stand alone picture- pre 'shake and bake', were sufficient to keep that memory alive. And yeh, i share it with you.. sorry, but it disturbed me so much to see that located THERE.

not sure if its good anywhere, but, hey, if thats your thing and its in an environment of other people digging that sort of thing- then enjoy.

but such a real image, life size..


gah

Driving on the highway close to rush hour in a rain/thunder/lightening storm did not bother me at all. I was energetically singing along to the random songs shuffling out of my iPod.

what did bother me was the sensation of my hair standing on end- I know I stopped singing for a fraction of a second before experiencing what felt like something landing on the roof of my car and pushing down on it.

followed by an eerie flash of bright horizontal light directly in front of me.


my heart jumped into my throat.

I drove in wonderment for a few minutes while allowing my heart beat to regulate again before proceeded back to my sing fest.

creepy.


makes me want to go buy a big ole jackpot ticket..

Brennan's Irish Pub in the village of Youngstown has .25 chicken wings on Wednesdays- they also have this special and a few others on Sabres game night. My step dad and I headed to the restaurant to partake in the festivities.

After several minutes of not knowing what I felt like eating, I ordered a bunch of wings.



They were impressive. I waste so much with them, just pulling a little flesh off before discarding the remainder to the bone bowl. I rarely order wings- and never before ordered them for myself out in public; not for any particular reason. They just seem like such a 'sit-on-couch-while-watching-rented movie' sort of food. random old memory: And never ever try eating them shortly after having 4 wisdom teeth yanked out of your head. You can not eat chicken wings with your front teeth alone. haha

I certainly did not need to be watching the screen to know when the Sabres scored. Just the happy shouts alone gave it away.

Go Sabres!