Frog and Goat

Are you Festy Experienced?

Posted on October 12, 2015 by Frog

We obtained free tickets to Saturday’s Festy Experience. We thought, what the heck, let’s go.

It took us an hour to drive 6 miles because of construction on the interstate. This was before we even left Richmond. The rest of the drive was fine. Then we waited in a relatively short line to trade our tickets for wristbands. Then we waited in line to buy cups because our comped tickets didn’t include the cup. Luckily there was also beer for sale in the cup line. We waited for a short time to get Australian Pies.

We listened to the Larry Keel Experience and then decided we should get another drink and maybe one of those tasty looking wood fired pizzas. The better-half went in search of the pizza and I went to die in line for two beers. I waited 45 minutes for two beers. There was a minor riot about to begin when folks realized how freaking long it took to get something to drink. By the time I got back to our chairs, the pizza was half-eaten and stone cold. I was beside myself. The Festy sits on the grounds adjacent to a beer company. There were two beer tents. There is ZERO reason why it should take anyone 45 minutes to buy a freaking beer.

We listened to Love Canon and then left. So, to recap, we went to Nelson county to wait in line.

At least the mountains were pretty:

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UCI Road World Championship

Posted on September 20, 2015 by Frog

This tiny bike race* is happening this week in Richmond. It’s so small that I’m going to have to work from home for three days this week. Our neighborhood happens to be along the time trial route so we walked down to watch some of the women’s teams speed by.

The neighborhood getting ready for the first team:

One of the homeowners on the route was hosting a catered affair. I wanted to crash the party to ask for a Bloody Mary and a canape. Instead, I admired their artwork:

No doubt, these women are fast:

A fierce woman rider:

Team Wiggle:

On Monday, I walked over to the start/finish line with some co-workers. The under-23 individual men time trials were just starting:

*I’m totally kidding. This thing is huge.

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Some fine updates

Posted on September 18, 2015 by Frog

This week the magic happened.

Let me start by saying our guest bedroom closet has been a nightmare of boxes, suitcases and boxes. There were some boxes in there too. The closet had no shelving, rods, or anything in it except dust when we moved. So we filled it with boxes. Did I mention boxes?

Now it looks like this:

As it turns out most of what was in that closet, belongs in the office. The office is a tiny room that had zero storage. No closets, no cabinets, nothing. Hence all of the boxes in the other room. We now have storage:

Now that the room has been built out, I can finally put up some real window treatments and the last of the paper blinds can go the way of the dodo.

Speaking of boxes, it’s hard to see in the before picture, but there is a box on the laundry room floor that has not moved since we moved in. That box is now in the garage and soon to be in the recycle bin:

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What are the odds

Posted on September 13, 2015 by Frog

This time last year we planned on spending the afternoon smoking a chicken and hanging out in our backyard only to be thwarted by a gazillion girl scouts in the neighboring backyard. Damn, if it didn’t happen again today. The exact scenario.

I’m way too pleased that it just started to pour rain. It’s one of those summer storms that will be gone in the next few minutes, but my devil horns are tingling.

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Duck, Duck, Got Away

Posted on September 8, 2015 by Frog

We went to Duck this weekend and stretched it out for four days over the already long holiday weekend. The better-half needed a vacation and I was more than happy to help him out with that.

We’ve been talking about kayaking for years each time we go to the beach. This year we finally did it. It helped clarify that we miss being on the water since we gave up our canoe a few years ago. I think kayaks are in our near future. We tried a tandem kayak and the better-half doesn’t want a front-seat driver (me). So, I think we’ll have to get another mount for the car and get two kayaks–yeah we bought a new car this summer and bought a kayak mount for the roof rack. The kayak thing has been some time in coming. No need to move quickly around here.

We’d never been up to Corolla so we tooled around one morning and it was perfect timing since most people were going the other way to head south on Route 12.

We walked out to look at the Sound and smell the good smells–know what I’m talking about? I like that smell of the tide being out:

It was off and on cloudy for the entire trip and windy as all get out. I’m going to be fighting off chapped lips for the rest of the week.

I took a picture of the sunrise one morning just using the iPad (up early to read):

That photo doesn’t show the doe and fawn that clambered up the dunes.

I took this on our last night from the other side of the resort’s main building. Staying on the sound-side has some advantages:

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The End of August

Posted on August 29, 2015 by Frog

How did it get to be the end of August already?

Last night was super nice so we spent most of our time on the patio. I bet it’s been two months since we pulled out the cushions and slouched down in our chairs. The neighbors set up a campground in the backyard–two tents, chairs and a fire pit. The kids were super excited, but I get the sense the adults were as well. I’m pretty sure I smelled hot dogs.

This morning we went to the farmer’s market and it strikes me as funny that I went there to buy zucchini to make zucchini bread. If you’ve ever grown zucchini, that’s funny because usually you resort to the bread option because you can’t think of yet another way to use up a couple of pounds of the vegetable. And, here I am, buying zucchini for the sole purpose of making the bread. We also bought a bunch of green beans–hello dilly green beans. I’ll be pulling out the canner a bit later this weekend.

Even though I can’t believe it’s the end of August, the trees can. I’m looking out the window now and watching leaves fall. There are already leaves in the gutter. The better-half and I joked they’ll be there for the next six months or more while we wait for the city to come by to collect them.

Success:

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Oh vey

Posted on August 16, 2015 by Frog

We are in Annapolis for a very quick trip. Basically a 24 hour whirlwind of going to a concert and then heading home. We are staying in a clean but crappy hotel.

At 4:30 this morning, I heard someone open a can of something carbonated. It sounded like it was right next to me. Just a few minutes ago the ding of a microwave was just as loud. I can only assume there is an employee room nearby because we don’t have a neighboring guest room because we are on a breezeway.

The bed is a lumpy mess. I’ve turned into a hotel snob.

Edited at 6:30 am-a fire alarm went off. I hate this place.

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Aloha Maui

Posted on July 9, 2015 by Frog

We are now in Maui, but I promised a description of the trip to the top of Diamond Head. A tough walk straight up, but the view was worth it:

On the Big Island, which is really big, some of us went to the Volcano park and checked out a steaming caldera:

We also went to the place of refuge. It was both fascinating and beautiful.

Check out the attention to detail, even on the rope barriers:

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Leaving Oahu today

Posted on July 5, 2015 by Frog

Hopefully, in a few hours, I’ll be able to tell you what Waikiki looks like from Diamond Head. My sister, Niece 2 and I are meeting up in a little while to hike the crater and then we will feast on breakfast. Then it is off to the Big Island.

Yesterday we toured the zoo, aquarium and took in fireworks. A pretty full day. The day before the nieces and I went surfing. More accurately, they went surfing, popping up on their boards like they’d always known how to do it. It was pretty awesome. Me? Caught a decent wave on my knees, but I am in no shape to stand up and hang ten.

I’m still having a hard time wrapping my head around the combination of very city vibe and beach tourist scene in Waikiki. I’m ready for a slower pace.

Here are some pictures from our visit:
Fire dance at the luau

Giraffe:

Mother and child:

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SCOTUS did the right thing

Posted on June 27, 2015 by Frog

The title of this post is the email I sent the better-half yesterday. That was the entirety of it.

I never thought I’d live long enough to see marriage equality in Virginia, but that happened in October 2014. We thought at the time, if Virginia can pull it’s proverbial ass out, then how long before the rest of the nation could? As it turns out, not too long.

It makes me .

It’s been a hell of a few weeks. All people can get married. We can all get health care. An ignorant, racist twat in South Carolina tried to bring The Hate and instead we’re learning how to bring the love and respect to the table, finally. As a girl raised in Virginia and born in the late 60s, who would have thought.

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