Minah League Baseball?

I really need to figure out a way to take my camera on walks...  In fact, I should just get in the habit of taking it everywhere!
This morning Oreo and I had an eerie walk.  The park was deserted (or so it seemed) which is odd because there are always at least some children at the playground if not hordes of people out on the ball fields.  At first I thought this would be nicely peaceful but it got weird fast.
When we rounded the corner into the park I noticed there were no cars in the parking lot (usually it's full to overflowing).  I scanned the edge of the park near the garden and over to the horseshoe pits and I could see a couple of people in the picnic shelter (I always assess every situation before continuing after many years in a dangerous neighborhood... it's just habit, I suppose).  Oreo and I continued on and at the first ball field there were a bunch of crows.  Oddly, they were set up to play ball.  There were a few in the dugout, one at the plate, catcher, pitcher, all the bases were covered, they had the outfield and even a shortstop hovering between second and third.  It struck me as really funny and I stopped to watch what they would do (as if the game would begin?) but they didn't do anything.  They hardly moved at all, in fact.  (I felt like they were waiting for me to leave.)  I glanced over at the picnic shelter to see if the other people were watching this as well but they were gone.  I just wish I'd had my camera!!
We continued on our walk.  That strange sense of vulnerability in an abandoned outdoor area was creeping in on me.  I started noticing maintenance equipment scattered here and there (lawn mowers, weed whackers, garbage carts, etc.) but still no people.  It was just a little unnerving but I still wasn't completely creeped out (yet).  Oreo didn't seem to sense my unease so we just continued walking.
As we passed the playground (usually loud and full of kids) I noticed a woman and two small dogs just up ahead.  Oreo generally likes meeting other dogs his size (usually barks at the grown-ups but likes sniffing the dogs) but occasionally the other dogs are not as eager to have their butts sniffed.  So I looked at our options in case we needed to avoid them.  The woman leashed one of her dogs and picked up the other one so I figured she knew what she was doing.  I was going to take Oreo around the long way so they could continue unimpeded.  But then I saw shiny confetti on the ground (probably from a birthday party at the playground or something) and got distracted BUT ONLY FOR A SECOND.  When I looked up they were gone.  I swear they just vanished into thin air!  There was nowhere for them to have gone.  The park is wide open at that spot.  There's a gully on one edge and fields in all directions.  They were nowhere to be seen.  They just completely disappeared.  I don't know what happened to the people in the picnic shelter, either, but it hadn't struck me as odd at the time.  I did a 360 turn, looking for evidence of the lady and her dogs.  I glanced over at the crows who were still eyeing me suspiciously, waiting to begin their game.  I scanned the grounds at the abandoned maintenance equipment and got a chill.  Oreo and I beat it out of there before we were somehow sucked into the mind of Stephen King.
I believe it's a good day to stay in and take care of business at home.  Enough strange things happen anyway so we don't need to go looking for trouble!

Camping Interval

Got back last night from camping out on the Olympic Peninsula.  We had wanted to go to Kalaloch but the campground was full and the only cancellation was a site that resembled grade school recess.  I'm all for kids having fun and getting outdoors and kudos for the parents for taking them camping but we decided to head further north and camp at Bogachiel in the interest of solitude.
Bogachiel has become our fallback campsite over the past eyar or so.  We stumbled on it one day while just checking out parks.  It has always turned out fairly empty and well kept.  It is a bit close to the highway so logging trucks are likely to rumble by regularly but even at that we have found it quite peaceful.



These pictures were taken from our campsite. The trees are lovely!





We visited the beach briefly so Oreo could play.  He was very adept at jumping around on these rocks!

But now we are back and just in time for a monumental heat wave!  Personally I am really enjoying the heat this summer and I don't care how hot it gets.  Most people are just miserable since it usually doesn't get this warm around here (90s??!!!  Whew!).  It will cool off to the 70s by Sunday so all is not lost.  People will have their cool down (after I revel in the sun and heat).

DAY 5 TOTAL REMAINS AT:

$23.00

(but the week is still young... or at least only middle aged...)

Earthquake?

The animals sure are restless!  All over the neighborhood dogs are barking at odd times.  My own little barker has been extremely barky and skittish lately.  I have located the flashlights and emergency radio and am ready to rough it for at least 3 days (with Paul and animals, of course...)!  It's very unnerving since we haven't had an earthquake of any significant size since February 2001, consequently we are well overdue.  We used to have them a few times a year (not big ones but 4s and 5s; just big enough to remind you not to put that heavy vase on the edge of the shelf over the bed) but since 2001 we have only had micro-quakes (1s and 2s or even less).  It's a bit unnerving.
Anyway, while waiting for the ground to start shaking I managed to locate $23: 

$20 in loose change

$2 in an old purse

$1 lottery winner that I never cashed in but is still valid

DAY TWO TOTAL

$23.00



(So, only $977 left to find and 29 days to do it!  It's something anyway...)



An Extra $1000...

Again, I have been lax about blogging.  I actually have been writing but just not here.  I'm still working on the book idea which is lots of fun and Paul convinced me to write a few short stories to submit on their own so I am doing that as well.  I think one of my big problems is that I rearranged the furniture and now I don't have anywhere comfortable to sit and blog like I used to.  Well, I'm working on it.
So, the extra $1000?  That's today's brilliant idea.  If we can manage to find/earn/win/manufacture an extra $1000 by next month we will spend it not on practical things but on a road trip to visit Southern California again.  I'm sure we could throw caution to the wind and just spend money now but since every penny is pretty much ear-marked for use down the line we decided that we will only go on a road trip if we can manifest the extra $1000.  Now we're exploring ways to suddenly come up with money.  It's an interesting challenge. 
In reality I should just go get a job for the rest of my time in Olympia but that would make the trip a bit tricky and not as much fun as using the old imagination.  Even if I did get a job I would still want to figure out a way to make $1000 over and above salary, just for the heck of it.  Hell, it's only $250/week over 4 weeks... or $100/day for 10 days... or $50/day for 20 days... you get the idea.
Currently taking suggestions of all shapes and sizes (legal, please).
I'll update as warranted!

STARTING AT:

$00.00