Crazy weather this winter left the wildlife a little shell shocked.
Snow, rain, ice, warm temperatures, then more snow and ice. They didn’t know what the hell was going on.
We had skunks in January and fox in February.
And deer?
Yes dear, we had deer.
Veritable herds of deer.
Who we love to watch.
I mean really….
How can you not?
Such beautiful creatures.
They almost make the slow internet speed we have to suffer in the country worthwhile.
There’s only one thing better than half priced Valentine’s Day candy…..
Okay, maybe not every kind of candy.
Uh… no!
But…
Half priced winter booze is pretty sweet as well.
I see gingerbread spiced mules in my future…..
I live in Maine.
We have terrible roads due to the high water content underneath and a never ending cycle of freezing and melting.
Frost heave is a separate season here….
And the potholes can be large enough to swallow your car.
So this made me chuckle the other day….
Mainers.
We’re an odd bunch.
With funny license plates.
I also ran across a strange product:
Are slipping nerd glasses really that much of a problem?
Apparently it is.
Oh, we weren’t talking about ice? Well, I am now.
We had ice this year.
Lots and lots of ice.
The shovel the snow off the driveway, watch your feet slide out from under you and land smack on your ass kind of ice.
Everything was covered in sheets of ice for weeks on end.
Of course this made for some pretty fabulous icicles.
On the garage, they started out small.
But then they grew.
Which made getting in and out of the garage rather perilous.
Did I mention this was the section of the garage I was nagging the husband to put a new gutter on all last summer and fall?
Maybe now he knows why.
Even with the milder winters we’re having, we still see our fair share of snow, ice, and sleet. But temperatures are warming and we’re not seeing those epic dumps of the white stuff like we used to.
This used to be a normal February.
Tunneling was a way of life.
Now? We get a few inches and it melts.
Then it freezes.
I am so done with ice.
Yes, it’s pretty.
But when walking to the mailbox means you might slip, fall and crack a rib?
You can have it.
Give me a foot of snow over pretty shining crystals any day.
And with all that snow, melting and ice?
This –
A leak in the roof.
And what looks like an expensive repair to the ceiling.
It’s the worst possible time of year for it.
So from now until spring, when we can get it fixed, I’m going to cringe every time it rains.
Good times.
It was finally dark enough to check out the lights we’d paid a small fortune to see at Busch Gardens.
Have you ever stood in a freezing cold circle of strangers and stared at a tree?
We did.
And I felt like a Who.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Christmas as much as the next person.
But Christmas in Busch Gardens? Loud and crowded, filled with screaming, unruly, sugared up children as well as their rude, cell phone addicted parents…. and utterly devoid of the old world charm they were attempting to replicate?
No.
But we smiled… and enjoyed the company of those we love.
If not the techno extravaganza.
I read there were 10 million lights in Christmas Town…. and I believe it.
If it stood still? They lit it.
Admittedly there were some pretty spots.
But the crowds pushed you along at a pace not conducive to enjoying them.
There were numerous theaters you could enter and view a show…. for a large price.
But we did stumble on this extremely blue one for free.
Naturally there was no place left to sit…
So we stood off to the side and listened for a while.
Until our teeth were chattering again.
Thank God for the warm up stations.
At least they got that right.
This was an impressive section of lights.
Although I was constantly getting bumped into when I stopped and attempted to focus a shot.
That tree at the end?
Shone like the sun.
It was so damn bright….. I think my retinas actually screamed.
In case I forgot to mention it….. trying to stay together and find your way around this place in the dark amidst the crowds of screaming children and oblivious parents? A total nightmare. We had no idea where we were half the time and by the time we decided to head back to the parking lot?
We couldn’t find a map, no less the exit. And I think they plan it that way. We even went into the stores and asked the staff how to get out …. but they looked at us like the proverbial deer in headlights.
Maybe they never get out…
I don’t know.
Asking the plastic polar bears seemed like a waste of time.
So we kept walking.
Took a right past the ice castle…. then a left…. then a right… and another left…. and backed up… and crossed a bridge…. and turned around….. and found ourselves back at the damned ice castle.
We walked and walked.
And shivered and chattered and froze.
We also blessed the day man discovered fire.
But then we finally saw something familiar.
And I was never so happy to see a fake European village square in my life.
Joy to the World my *ss.
I was only joyful when we found the exit, waited on yet another long line for the shuttle, rode the sardine can to the parking lot with 50 tired, cranky children and worn out adults and got into our car.
Christmas Town at Busch Gardens Williamsburg?
Bah humbug.
Overpriced and over rated.
After our long day at Historic Jamestown, it was time for some refreshment. Liquid and otherwise.
So we headed to Yorktown…
And their popular Riverwalk Landing.
I had planned to leisurely stroll around, check out the cute little shops…..
And walk the waterfront.
Until a stiff wind blew in and made it feel like -10 degrees.
New plan?
Drinks and dinner.
This place looked promising from the outside….
From the inside? Not so much.
And while the cocktail list was interesting…..
And the Mulberry Muddler quite tasty, it was basically a loud sports pub with a menu that didn’t satisfy the husband’s cravings.
So one extremely large soft pretzel later, we left…. and went next door.
And were very glad we did.
Ah, much better.
It was a lovely place, and practically deserted off season.
Cocktail?
Well, if you insist.
While I’m generally not a wine drinker, I do occasionally like Sangria…. and this one had apple brandy. Scrumptious.
We relaxed. We watched the sun set. We drank….
And yes, food picture screamers… we ate.
The menu was intriguing….
The food marvelous and artfully prepared.
Husband had the catch of the day…..
While I opted for the lamp chops.
Were they good?
I picked them up and gnawed the bones…. so in a word, yes.
Full, but never too full for dessert… we split this, which almost put me in a chocolate coma.
Day 7, done.
Only 8 more days to go!
If that helps?
Sure, be my guest.
Continuing farther down the coast of the Outer Banks, I wanted to stop and walk out on a pier.
(Have I mentioned that I have a knack for picking the coldest, windiest, most frigid days to do this? Seriously… it’s a gift. If there’s one bitter cold day on an otherwise delightfully warm 2 week vacation? That’s the one I’ll choose to walk out on a pier.)
There’s the husband, bracing himself against the wind and giving me (and my phone) the evil eye.
And there’s the entrance to Jennette’s Pier, the biggest and best in Nags Head.
Gladly.
This type… and the other. It was too damn cold for either of them.
Approaching the entrance…. you don’t follow a yellow brick road.
But a line of memorial blue fish.
I love this idea!
A quick peek at the beach…
The map…
And me mumbling ‘Holy Crap it’s freezing! Can you read the pier history a little faster please?’
A quick peek at the beach on the other side.
Through the gate…
Past the turtle.
And finally, the door…
Where the husband had to hold on to his hat so it didn’t fly off.
It was that windy.
A brief warm respite inside to pay the $2 ticket price and out we went.
As piers go?
It rocked.
Even the birds agreed.
These guys were everywhere.
Fighting the wind just like us.
Hairdo?
Not so much.
So we walked….
Shivering in the arctic blast…. with the husband cursing me under his breath.
Good times.
Every now and then there would be a wind break where we’d huddle to catch our breath.
And then finally, we reached the end.
Where the husband realized we had to walk back, into the wind…. and started cursing me under his breath all over again.
With apologies to Kevin Costner….
I’m talking about the deer.
When snow covers the ground and grass is hard to find?
Shoveling a path is a sure way to attract a crowd.
Or a herd, as the case may be.
We were really glad to see our resident 12 point buck survived hunting season.
And visits daily with his harem.
Of course he also chases them away when the treats run low.
Cheeky bugger.
Here’s a little clip in between snow storms.
Sunset from our front porch…
It never gets old.
If you haven’t read the sequel to The Handmaid’s Tale….
It does answer a lot of questions, though I can’t say I was in love with the ending.
If anyone can explain this exhaust system?
Please do… because I’m a bit baffled.
Yay for fall and all it’s ( don’t push winter it will be here soon enough) vodka flavors.
I see Mules in my future.
No, not that kind.
Although mine will probably have a kick as well.
River's world..... 