Virginia Is For Families

We arrived at the beach yesterday and were amazed to see our building covered in green drapes!  It’s undergoing a facelift and there is scaffolding over much of it.  See the photos for a better idea of the situation.

Beth pointed out to me that you can stand in a room and look at a wall socket and see. . .

Daylight!

Nice.  And the “windows” are covered with plastic.  Fortunately it only got down to forty something last night and there wasn’t much wind up here.  But who knows what it will do tonight!  My lovely wife keeps telling me it’s an adventure.

And we did have a very nice day after the rain cleared out.  We walked the boardwalk and went out to dinner.  Then we got under the blankets and watched Carolina dismantle Michigan State in the NCAA basketball finale.   Congrats to our ACC!

I woke up at six this morning and headed for the beach to take some photos.  It was pretty cold but that didn’t prevent a couple of surfers from heading out into the surf with their wet suits and gloves.

I found a perch and took a few photos of the birds,  our denuded building and the US Corps of Engineers dredging Rudee’s Inlet.  Lots of maintenance going on as the beach folk prepare for another vacation season.

Hopefully somebody will arrive once it is all completed.

Click on the photos to enlarge

[Show as slideshow]

 

Happy Saturday evening everybody. Here is a photo from the Henricus historical site I took last month. So you see that bird over there? That is one mean little rooster. I was taking photos and watching him with one eye.

Because I didn’t want to step on him. Suddenly I felt something on my leg and when I looked down Foghorn Leghorn was karate kicking my shin with his feet. He was really getting up in the air too at around a ninety degree angle.

What was your problem bird? You can tell by the way he is looking at me that he’s getting ready to demonstrate his martial arts talents.

Beth and I went out to dinner tonight.  I should have had chicken in honor of our friend but decided instead on a tenderloin with asparagus and mashed potato.   Prior to that I had a caesar salad with fried oysters.  And for desert we shared some German chocolate cake and ice cream.  Beth had Parpadelli and Crisp Pancetta.  She enjoyed it too.

Here’s the entire menu for your dining pleasure.  Leave a hundred comments or so and next time you are in Richmond I will take you and your date here for dinner.

http://www.westwoodclub.net/index.php?mod=dining&type=menu&menu=dinner

It’s really time to start getting ready for the holidays and I’m doing my best to stay on top of things.  I hope everyone who plans to shop at Amazon.com will arrive there thru HERE .  There’s a rumor around the blogging can actually be profitable.  But I’m not convinced.

I do know however that it’s time to be thankful for life’s blessings. And thank goodness the furnace is working.  It’s really COLD outside.

02-baby-its-cold-outside

Lee Ann Womack/ Baby It’s Cold Out There

Lee Ann’s version of this song really moved the needle on my sexometer.  Have a nice Saturday night. . .

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I realize I have gone off on a tangent here with these slide shows incorporated into YouTube.  But we must follow our creative impulses where they lead.  Must we not?  And I am talking about small creative impulses.  I have the most basic software to do these things.  And I have photos of very few things compared to the wide world that is out there.

But I have a desire to merge photos and music.  Since I don’t make any music I use what I have and love.  If anyone objects to me using their music I will not do it.  This is the confusing part to me based on what I see all over the place.

Blogging is about enjoying and creating things in my mind.  And sharing them too.  Primarily associated with taking photos.  This is why I’m still here while so many lose interest.  Believe me that fact is a very big surprise to everyone who knows me.  They are amazed that I persist in this effort.   Who is this person we do not know?

It is because I find love and joy in art.  They are there for anyone who is willing to look and attempt to participate in their creation.  It  is simply a matter of finding something creative to do outside that finds these feelings inside.  And then keep going back whenever you feel yourself drifting away into the confusion that is life.

This may be my way of focusing on something more fulfilling  than economics or politics.  So be it!  I lived through the tumult of the sixties and have no desire to do it again.   Zachary will have to go in my place.  And he is ready and fired up.  Go get em big guy!

Right now I am uploading a video that excites me very much.  And I probably shouldn’t say that because now you will have too great expectations.   Or perhaps none at all based on previous efforts.  Who knows?  Nobody says a word about these things.

I would like to dedicate this effort to Robin Easton.  It is something she will appreciate I am sure based on its theme and content.   Robin is my beloved blogging buddy.  So many bloggers know and love her.

So hopefully you will enjoy this five minute present Robin.

I don’t understand a lot about SEO and this blog really isn’t too concerned about it.  As time goes on I find it more difficult to read due to the medication I take for RLS.  Restless Legs Syndrome.  And so trying to comprehend a text about SEO is difficult.

I like taking photos and enjoy editing them.  Writing doesn’t seem to be affected too much.  But if I sit down with a book I go to sleep after about three pages.  I used to love to read and I have a nice library so this is frustrating to some degree.

But it’s just the way life is. . . You go up and you go down.  You count your blessings and you deal with your problems. You take your meds and YOU will take them too when you need them.

So back to the SEO stuff.  What I DO understand is that linking to posts you find interesting is very important.  And I actually do that quite a bit.  I don’t buy the theory that you want to keep people on your blog so you don’t send them to interesting places.  I find this ludicrous and a lot like trying to collect water with a sieve.  Someone did some testing and found that you are better off showering your readers with interesting links.  Because they will come back for more!

Look at Drudge!  That’s all he does and he has made millions.

In the past we  have concentrated on the StumbleUpon stuff.  And that’s fairly temporary.  What we need to do is send links back and forth from relevant posts.

This is what will produce higher PR and in turn more search engine traffic.

Blogging is fun.  It’s even an entertaining conversation from time to time.

PR is important.  We went through a period where a lot of folks were saying it’s not.  But that was, in my opinion, a reaction to the fact that PR was being reduced on the blogs of a lot of these same folks.   PR helps us to reach out to a larger audience.

I await your comments.  And if I say that  you need  to “draw me a picture” don’t take it personally, alright?

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No physician is really good before he has killed one or two patients.  ~Hindu Proverb

Nothing is a waste of time if you use the experience wisely.  ~Auguste Rodin

More Writing About Blogging

http://davidnotes.com/2008/05/20/blogger-and-huge-photos/