Cute, huh?




baby porcupines



One more.. The hippo loves its tortoise dad/friend.

for more pics and the story of how Owen and Mzee came to be:




warning: site holds numerous inter-species families. Very cute.

all pics snagged from Google images.

Ahh, a day in the life of (e:theecarey) and (e:ladycroft)

The Mystery Adventure (TM) proved to be an exciting jaunt, as are all "Mica Mic and Kee Wee Mac" excursions.

hehe, those are our old nicknames. We have always been a pair of super sleuth adventurism extraordinaires. Our resume of experience and adventure goes way back.

So, Friday began with loading my iPod with select songs downloaded from LimeWire the night before and jotting down a few directions. The music was intentional. I knew we'd be laughing hysterically over it. I made sure not to listen to any of it until we were well on our way.

Music: check
Gas: check
Money: check
Nutritious lunch packed in cooler: check
Camera: check
Car ride munchies: check
Dr. Pepper for Timika: check
check..check..check

Anything else we could possibly need is in the trunk of my car. It is always prepared for adventure, or Armageddon, whichever happens first.

I was well aware of the weather a head of time. The rain was not a hindrance, and in fact (as predicted) is added to the quality of the trip. We ventured off to unknown territory (and it truly was unknown for Timika as all she knew of the day was that I was picking her up around noon and that all she needed was to wear clothes for being outside)

A delightful "wrong" turn here and there provided us an opportunity to see all sorts of fun things. Signs such as "Meat Raffle", "Humming Alpaca's" miniature McDonalds signs, "Posted" signs were everywhere; we were afraid of being shot when we jumped out and rummage through someone's garbage. Timika scored on a pair of super cool retro chairs. I am partial to their red color. We made a pact that I have visiting rights and that if she is no longer able to take care of them, then they would come live with me :)

Eventually we were on the "right" path. I place the words, 'wrong' and 'right' in quotes as I perceive getting a little lost and going off plan adds to the experience and does not take away from it. Be forewarned, if ever in the car with me, I never stop for directions. You can, but not if I am driving.

First place to explore is the Griffis Sculpture Park out in Springville (Ashford).


Once off the main road, we turned onto a street that made me gasp. Suddenly there was a steep hill ahead. That in itself isn't what made me feel in awe, it was the turning onto the street and the sudden visual of this road that just keeps going up.

Here I am trying to take a picture of the road behind us, backwards, while driving and while paying attention to the narrow winding road. Yeh, that's just a picture of my face. At least I look as amused as I felt.


Ahh, there we go: the descent of the road. Taking a picture of us going uphill didn't really look like much.


Eventually we turned onto a road that gave clear indication that we were getting close to the park. We were fascinated with the change in scenery. Giant metal sculptures intertwined with nature. My sense of awe heightened to jubilation as more and more sculptures appeared, of all shapes, sizes and locations. There were sculptures in the middle of a clear field along with ones that skirted the edge of the woods.

A small sampling of what we saw. For the rest, you will just need to take the trek out there :)








At one point, I pulled over, jumped out of the car, hopped over a ditch and gleefully bounded through the tall wet grass to find out what the enormous and shiny object was off in the distance. I began the journey early on with wet feet and jeans up to the knees. Wet jeans make it hard to keep them from sliding down the body. I was hiking them up all day.

spider with a beak? no thanks..


heh, this would be a nightmare come true. Eww..


Timika and I had the same sentiment at seeing this large pond; to float on a raft and relax (for me, daydream..). I can envision taking a paddle boat through that water, or a canoe, or an inner tube, or wood planks tied together!!


Whatever it was.. I climbed it. Anything that looked like it could and should be climbed, I did.
This one I really wanted to take home with me. I need one in my back yard. Forget clothes lines and birdbaths, I want a freaky metal thing to climb into!!



Like Mork and Mindy, "nanu nanu"


ewww!

Who knew NY has smurfs??
More smurf sightings..




Um, this is a classic picture. Totally priceless and I will tell you why. I am afraid of heights. Yet I am the first one climbing a tree and heading up into crazy metal sculptures. I try not to think about my fear that much. I don't like to be in the way of myself. If something is hindering me, I will work at overcoming whatever it is. And so, I proceed to climb stuff as usual. However, with the continual rain, it made for dangerous climbing. The metal was slippery and i could sense the level of fear increasing the further I went up. I was actually doind fine until the sculpture shook a little. Then that overwhelming tremble took over my brain and body. I couldn't move. I stood a few rungs from the top and internally freaked out. Had I known that the sculpture shook a little (I didn't think to ask LC) then I would have been able to prepare my brain for movement. So as I stood inside the sculpture, I willed myself to go up two more rungs. I figured I had three to go, so just going up two more was quite a compromise. I was proud of my tenacity despite the shaking fear. I leaned over to look out and Timika snapped a picture. Priceless. hahaha


sha! this is nothing..


Lasted more than 8 seconds. woo!


Meet my new friend.










rainy and sweaty (e:ladycroft)


(e:theecarey) and her 30lb back pack. Just the essentials: 4 16.9 oz bottles of water, camera, two sweat shirts, latex gloves, red hood, box of crackers, bag of assorted nature munchies, trashbag, roll of toilet paper, two umbrellas, first aid kit, flashlight and bug lotion.
And don't forget the GIANT walking stick. LC had one, so I had to have one too :)




Sometimes it sprinkled, or a gentle rain and even a couple of down pours. Either way, this hair wont be dry anytime soon. I stand and take pics, as I climbed another scultpture. Timika went up one more level.




hehe, I love these pics of her:
Crazy girl locked away at the top of the castle.


Or, the regal queen up in her tower looking down upon her minions.





The metal maze. Oh no! I can see you, Timika, but how do I get to you??






What is this?! A random pile of rocks? I must climb you. (whats the deal with the large white spot?)










(yeh, that was quite a few of pretty much the same pic)

Another friend..


such a dream-like and surreal quality to the excursion. Fog rolling in, the Amazons in the bathing pond and not a single person besides Timika and I during the entire time we were at the park, which happened to be 5+ hours!








Taking a break on the picnic tables to breathe in the heavy air, listen to the birds, frogs, rain, and cows. Yes. cows. And I say they go,"moo" ;) (see LC post)


(e:ladycroft) looking and feeling worn out, but in a very good way!


This sign cracked us up.


Not bad for an out house.


We sat on a rock and dined in the misty rain. LC admist the pile of food. Hmmmm egg salad, wheat pitas, fruit (mangos, strawberries, kiwis, apple), wheat pasta/red lentil combo, swiss cheese from the laughing cow- not the mad mooing cows we saw on the hillside, green tea and some chips. Dig in!



My oversized walking stick not suprisingly did not fit in my car. Sadly, it had to be left behind. On a cool note, you can see the chairs we picked up on the side of the road in the back seat, well kind of.. just need to look closely :)


And so, we wrapped up the day. Another point in the days adventure would have included a hot air balloon ride, however, all of our fun at the Sculpture park left us with little daylight and I am sure the balloon rides would have been way over by the time we got there. So we drove around the area some more, getting a little lost (yay) and enjoying the strange look of the incoming darkness, fog, zero people sightings and random cows.

hehe, our use of Timikas compass was a nice taste of Orienteering.

A few of the sculptures reminded me of the game MYST, as they are somethng I am sure I would come across in that game.

A fun day. I wouldnt have changed a thing!!

moral of todays post?

Dont wait for so called perfect weather to get out an explore. Half of the fun is just to see how things can be experienced and perceived in the light of changing weather. Good friends, provisions, curiosity and a sense of mystery makes for a great day.


PS-- leave your watch at home.

oh and bring extra socks, shoes and pants... or a trip to Super Wally World will be a pit stop on your way back. :)

Later gators!

This, that and the other

• Co workers consumed left over cookies. yay!

• A few co workers saw me graduate as they were there for people they knew. It was strange being congratulated a few times this week as I only told my immediate team of co workers. So I would hear from people that I havent really spoken to all year: "Congrats, Carey" me, "for what?" Then they proceeded to tell me that they were at the ceremony.

• Made an interesting whole wheat pasta (elbows) and red lentil concotion. I havent tried it yet; the fresh herbs and seasonings need to blend for a few hours.

• I love hearing from friends, especially when I was just thinking about them. Too bad it didn't work out that way more often...

• Working on downloading more music. Some of which I would rather not admit to at this time, haha. I could use some suggestions!

I could very well be up all night although I am tired already. I also have a couple of assignments that need to be handed in asap. What are my priorities?
Right. Music ;)

• I am definitely going for a bike ride this weekend and spending time cleaning up the yard. One must get ready for BONFIRES! This is usually the weekend I spend digging, raking, turning over dirt, planting and getting everything looking super fabulous. I love my outdoor "room" that I create. What I really want is a sense of a "secret garden". But what I have right now isn't so secret when my former middle school math teacher/neighbor is always outside chatting with me.

• If you type estrip into a search instead of (e:strip), what comes up is "estrip poker lesbian". (ok, (e:strip) comes up as well.. first as a matter of fact, then estrip poker lesbian haha)

• My Boston fern is about to die. I am a terrible indoor plant care taker. I do really well with the outdoor jungle. But inside is an entirely different matter. I was going to post a pic of the pathetic looking fern..its awful! I am hoping to resuscitate the poor thing. I should have given it to my mom when I first got it a couple of months ago. She predicited, "you are just going to kill it.. " bah!!

Well, thats about all the random tidbits I have to share at this time...

later gators

When I have more time than I know what to do with, I shall write a rhyme about lentils in the form of Dr. Seuss. Why? well, why not? :) French Indigo Lentils are wonderful; I should have purchased more as I am running out already. YUM.

I went on a Lentil shopping spree, having stocked up at the Lexington Co-Op then again at Tops, where bags of red lentils were mere pennies a bag. Red, Green and Indigo. Score!




I am looking for a book. I remember picking it up at a local rummage sale. I probably read it eight years ago. I recall that it was falling apart and that the pages were randomly shoved back into the book. It was a fiction book (propaganda) about the effects of global warming and how might the planet look and operate as global warming takes its effect. It was fascinating, scary and real.

If my memory is correct, the book was written by a SUNY Buffalo professor. The title eludes me. Although I have held on to many of my books, there are some that just havent made it through the years, or I have lent out and never seen again.

So looking for the book reminded me of the film that is opening this weekend, "An Inconvenient Truth"-- which is about global warming.


Go see the trailer at You Tube:

Official Website:

Reviews at Rotten Tomatoes:




Plot Summary from imdb.com is as follows:

Director Davis Guggenheim eloquently weaves the science of global warming with Mr. Gore's personal history and lifelong commitment to reversing the effects of global climate change. A longtime advocate for the environment, Gore presents a wide array of facts and information in a thoughtful and compelling way. "Al Gore strips his presentations of politics, laying out the facts for the audience to draw their own conclusions in a charming, funny and engaging style, and by the end has everyone on the edge of their seats, gripped by his haunting message," said Guggenheim. An Inconvenient Truth is not a story of despair but rather a rallying cry to protect the one earth we all share. "It is now clear that we face a deepening global climate crisis that requires us to act boldly, quickly, and wisely," said Gore.

List of theaters across the US where it can be seen:

Around here, so far the only theater that will be showing it is:

June 16th
Dipson Theater 3 (Amherst)

if you like to Google: (MAP TO: 3500%20MAIN%20STREET%20BUFFALO%20NY%2014226%20US%20)

Or if you are more into Yahoo!ing it, like myself and (e:ajay) then go here:



Anyone interested in going?

something to think about..

Later gators..
Carey

"Cookies"

I kinda felt like I wanted something sweet today. But I wasn't sure..

then (e:salvatore) wrote the magic word, just one word- "cookies" in the chat earlier today. And left.

Which left me to thinking about cookies. Yup, mission accomplished, friend.

I thought to myself, I must have something in the apartment that will take care of my taste for sweetness. I proceed to poke through the cupboards.. seaweed, forbidden rice, lentils, wasa crackers, rolled oats, TVP, assortment of condiments, teas and honey. Nothing in there to satisfy my needs.

ah ha! I recall that I have a baking goods section in my basement pantry. I havent baked anything since Christmas ( I am still picking cookie dough off the floor, ceiling and cat). I thought maybe I will have a stray brownie mix or some spare peanut butter chips.

I found a lone cake mix (like I make cakes, and if I do, it will be from scratch), sprinkles, powdered sugar and.. a packet of sugar cookie mix. Not sure why I would have that either, as when I last made sugar cookies (at Christmas), they were from scratch as well-- hence the insane mess I made.

Alas, I didn't think too deeply about this. Instead, I took my good fortune up to the kitchen (thank you, Cookie Fairy).

I was surprised to find an egg in my refridgerator (also from Christmas-- hehe j/k.. ??) and a stick of butter. Nothing else was necessary. The packet of mix was small- "smart size" as Betty calls it. It pretty much gaurantees that no more than 12 cookies will come out of this packet. That works for me. I figured I would eat a few then dump the rest. Well, I'm sure I would find someone to eat them..

While cookies bake, a friend calls. We chat, the cookies are done. I consume two warm sugar cookies and I am done. The sweet tooth was taken care of..

hah, but that wasnt the only effect the sugar cookies had on me. I went from cookie to kooky. I was bouncing off the walls and became quite verbose in a few emails I sent out. "Rambled on" doesn't even touch it. I havent had anything sweet in awhile-- I really have to be in the mood for snacks like that.

Thanks again, Sal, haha.

I get an intense craving once in awhile. Scrounging for something sweet is occasional. However, one thing I almost never eat, is red meat. I am not a vegetarian, but most meals are considered such (vegan, even). I am not against meat consumption-- I just don't think about it that much. If you make it, I will eat it. There a bunch of wonderful meat-free products out there that I regularly purchase. However, I enjoy chicken, fish, turkey on occasion. I would consider those a semi-regular part of my diet. Just depends if I think to buy soemthing like that.

Now, for the craving that I get once in a great while is for a slab of beef. Just a steak, nothing else. I call that my "I'm feeling Ravenous*" craving. Ravenous is the title to a movie pertaining to canniblism. I don't remember much about the movie other than a story being told about people eating other people. I watched it with a friend and have since used the term "Ravenous" to label my sudden desire for a steak. It simply humors me. So see the movie:

heh, You are who you eat :)

speaking of which..

I was telling my co workers about "HuFu"; the human flesh alternative. (WIKIPEDIA - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hufu) How and why we got on the subject of cannibalism, not sure. Probably because some of the kids we work with have tried to eat us. Oh the stories behind the scars.. (ah ha, I will bring left over cookies to the kiddos-- "eat these, not me, ok?")

But then, in class.. we were working on a team building exercise. We had to imagine that we were in a small plane that went down in the rain forest. The pilot died, we have some supplies and basically what to we do with them and how do we rank their importance and what is our game plan for survival. A sampling of items included: decorative candle, garbage bags, transistor radio, machete, loaded pistol, rum, first aid kit, insect repellent, granola bars, lighter, compass, jug, etc..

So we are thinking about logistics, rationale, and various uses for the objects. As people pondered what we should do with the Rum and Granola Bars... a solution came to mind: Marinate the pilot and sprinkle with granola bar crumbles. Feast!

I promise I will not eat any of you :) I am not a cannibal, really. I have an over active and very creative imagination. It is all part if my adventurous spirit. I also happen to find humor in an otherwise warped subject matter. (disclaimer: cultural death traditions excluded) Ever be in your car and you pull up next to someone and wonder what they are about? ever make up a story in your mind?heh, I can even create adventure at the DMV. Oh that place is replete of things to laugh at and about!!

so again, rest assured that I have never "had a friend for dinner"


if you don't believe me, well.. you can just bite me ;) har har

good night, peeps!

Carey