After this morning's performance by the hounds, I could not expect something better. It was only their energy level that was high this morning and I knew if they were anything like me, it would not be an all day affair.
Soon after I posted this morning's blog post, I took all of the hounds outside to do whatever they needed to do before being left in the house while I drove around locally with my camera in hand. While they wandered a little in the field I cleaned my camera from the small view finder attachment to the inside of the lens hood.
The truck pictured above was one of two trucks I saw making a very slow right hand turn from the highway to the country road within view of my desk. It's pretty amazing they could fit something that long into a narrow road without cutting down a utility pole or a mailbox, yet they did make that turn without damaging anything.
Since the two trucks were blocking the roadway I could not get much closer than where I took the picture. It looks like they are rebuilding a small bridge that I found was closed last summer during one of my local drives through the country.
The older farm house above is about 1.5 miles behind my house. The picture is a little crooked but was holding the camera up pointed out the window as I drove by. I still don't feel good taking pictures of other people houses, so there will not be anymore. I passed on some real gems during my short drive today.
A lot of the roads near my house are a lot like this, although this is one of the few flat roads. It is one that I ride my bike on during the summer.
I did take pictures of those closed businesses in town. I have downloaded them but this time I am going to do some online research before I post, hopefully finding some history to each of the business I am going to talk about.
After that I took a drive across the highway for some more pictures of the old steel bridge. Not much had changed in the two years since I was there last. I'll make a post later just about the bridge itself and the updated pictures I took this morning.
Somewhat different driving the Mini Countryman All4 drive compared to the Toyota FJ I had before. This car sits about 4" lower in ground clearance but with the manual transmission I can see getting about anywhere I want to go off road. No ... I am NOT saying this is off-road. LOL
I do like how those red mirrors stand out surrounded by all of the greens. My house is setting there to the left in the middle of the woods from the way it looks. The 7 acre field behind my house seems to have disappeared.
You would think after looking at this next picture my house is in the middle of the woods with nothing but trees around it. There isn't a clue there is a field anywhere near the house.
That small field across the highway seems like a waste of time to plow, to plant and to harvest ... but really it's much larger than meets the eye. I forget that the tree line in back is not the bank to the small creek that moves under the bridge ... but just a small wooded area between the front and back of this one field.
After they turn left after that wooded area straight ahead of the tractor, it moves into a much larger field to plant. This next picture is toward the left, next to the road I took to the bridge. You can barely see my house on the right side of the picture.
The field then spreads out to the north for quite a ways. As you can see, the field that I look at every day is a very small portion of the total size of that field. It makes sense now why they spend their time farming that area.
Before taking pictures of the bridge I stopped in the landscaping business to check on buying more rip rap. I have one more spot I want to add to the bank. It's a large hole in the side of the bank where the large sycamore tree once stood until June 2008. It was as large as the sycamore tree still standing.
The straight line winds pulled that 125' tree out of the ground like a weed. It fell through the fence and was tall enough to almost cover the width of the yard. You can barely see the large hole in the bank where the tree was. It is just left of those rocks you see in the center of the picture. It needs to be filled.
That is my driveway under the tree. The rest of the tree almost reached to the other side of the front yard. My bloodhound at the time, Bertha, was checking out the damage, barely seen to left of center. Sadie did not arrive until two months after this happened.
The Directv satellite dish did not survive the tree limbs. When they came to reinstall the new system I had him move the dish up to and bolted into the front of the house. That prevents wind damage and is hidden by the Yews planted a few years later.
By the time I returned from my local drive, the hounds were ready not only to eat but take a mid-afternoon walk. It was a slower pace this time and all three hounds spent the rest of the afternoon in a solid deep sleep.
Heidi was passed out on the couch, Stella stretched out on the floor behind my desk chair and Sadie moved back and forth from "her" large leather chair in the living room to her dog bed in the corner of the bedroom. All the windows were open with a nice breeze so it was great sleeping weather.
I was pretty sure that Heidi was going to make the afternoon walk. It was above her 70° threshold, sitting at 77°. She looked motivated within her first few steps outside.
You can see how much hair has grown back in on her front leg and paw and she does look a little heavier than last fall/winter.
She then bolted to the right and took off running around the front of the house for a lap. As she returned on the back side of the it was a reminder of #9 on my to do list this summer ... install new brick edging between the river rock and yard. The same bricks as in the front. I still have a lot to do before I get to #9.
I asked her one more time if she was going on the walk and she gave me a solid no. She stood looking away and never moved. I got her answer loud and clear.
Stella let me know early in the walk, that the fast pace she did this morning was not going to be an afternoon thing for her. She was back to being slow and after looking at that picture I could swear the grass grew another 6" after this morning's walk.
There are times I wished I was paying attention in geography or geology class ... one of those non-sports classes in school. I'd love to know what these are and who makes them. The liquid mud formations fascinate me.
Sadie warmed up a little in her search ... but then again, she never slows down and is always active in her walks. A totally different energy level than Stella's.
I was about to call Stella's name ... but she started heading my way on her own. Not fast ... but in the right direction.
Both of them decided they had enough fun for one day and slowly headed down the path back home.
Another one of many farm equipment traveling south down the highway today.
Just one more thing to check out before their siesta.
Sadie was walking behind me until she saw Heidi up by the house. As always she took off sprinting, and touching noses with Heidi just to let her know she was back.
While Heidi found a way to cure her itch ... Stella walked slowly around her without stopping to even say hello.
Now ... she looked ready for a walk as she started barking at me.
Even after a couple of glasses of freshly brewed cold ice tea, by 3:30 that thought of a siesta sounded like a good idea. It didn't help much with three sleeping hounds but I was able to resist.
Those 6 days of rain forecasted out of the next 9 days have been blown off the map. No rain today and now it's only 3 of the next 9 that has a possibility of rain. Plenty of good weather for me to get back on that 'to do' list.
Do I like my Mini Cooper Countryman? --- yes
Do I miss my blue Toyoto FJ? --- yes
Would I like to have my old white 1994 Chevy pickup truck back --- yes
Do I need the seldom driven Z4? --- yes
This is why I need 4 different cars but only have 2.
I have found that a printed out 'to do' list is much better at keeping me focused on the job at hand, rather than checking a list on my computer, on my iPhone or in my head.
Those tiny things you think you feel crawling on your legs or neck are back ... ticks.
Stay tuned for a post, with pictures, about the steel bridge that is at least 70 years old and the local business that are now closed after decades of serving a lot of local people and are missed today.
It was another nice day here in 'the tropics of southern Indiana.
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