Two horses and a mule grazing an impossibly green pasture with towering trees between them and the majestic, snow-capped mountains in the distance.

A trio of traveling burros near Rhyolite, Nevada. They were quite friendly.

A mama and four baby bighorn sheep in the Badlands.

Roadtrip stickers on our car window. Included are stickers from Pistachioland UFO, Crow Fair, Goodsprings, NV, South Dakota, and Montana.

From #DelMarVa to #Louisiana, New Mexico to #Glacier,#Badlands to back home, it was the #roadtrip of a lifetime. Not sure I'd dare take that trip now, what with my health and the state of the nation. But I DID take it, and it sustains me. #Montana #Flathead #mountains #photography #nature #horses

Omg, not 50. 500. Lol!

BFF 💓

Exciting stay at our favorite #hotel, which included finding a fancily etched flip knife, a used bandaid, and popcorn kernels on the floor.

The puppy is a great road-tripper. Jax still doesn't much like him.

#puppy #cairn #Toto #photo #drury #travel #pets #friend #mirror #dog

Beautiful cairn puppy, ears up.

Billy, the cairn terrier.

#Puppy making his second road trip (the first was 50 miles to get him home). He's being surprisingly good, calm, naps sometimes. OTHER times, more bitey. Love him, regardless.

Small brindle cairn terrier puppy ravaging a stuffed sheep.

Small brindle cairn terrier chewing my phone lanyard while ignoring the smallish purple rhino toy next to him.

After losing Chuckles the #cairn #terrier, we lucked into this beautiful #puppy. He's Billy, Mungo, Chilly Willie, Sweet William, Captain Billy, Cappy, Fierce Creature, Beast, Poppy, Purple, and O, Captain! My Captain! Among others.

Today, he slept on my bare belly, I could feel his every dream.

Pencil sketch of a Cairn Terrier, head only, scrawled on the back of an envelope.

Pencil sketch of a Cairn Terrier lying on his belly, face and the hint of paws only.

Hoping to fashion something Chuckles-y for our son. Charles was the "defining dog" for Sean, I think. For my husband, too.

He was a lawful good Charlo who, at times, would even tell on himself.

#drawing animals was never my thing, though I always wanted it to be #sketching #art #grief #pets #bye

Thank you. He was the night 🌙

Charles aka Defendog, our lovely grey and black Cairn Terrier, looking dapper on the wooden deck, tail up and ears high.

Charles, aglow in the light of an off camera campfire, standing guard. "For the night is dark and full of terriers. " Goodbye, my beauty dog.

My Chuckles died . . . Tuesday? I think maybe, the days have run together. We were in #Atlanta, arrived to find my just-died dad's house tossed, torn apart, all the copper stolen.

And then Charlie died. 14 yrs.

Miercoles. Charlo. Tootsie Dog.

What my #doggy.

And now his watch is ended. #photo

Hundreds of numbers in a possible sequence I don't understand

Hundreds of numbers scrawled on a dirty bathroom wall, small mirror hanging in the middle.

More numbers

Same

#MYSTERY Before #dad #died, when in hospital, I asked what these numbers meant. He didn't seem to understand what I was asking, and when finally answering my repeated "why did you scrawl numbers on the bathroom wall?" #query, he said, "to drive you crazy." #photos

#Shortwave ? #psychosis? #help

Early fall colors arching over a dirt road, greens into golds and oranges. Appalachia.

Tall trees towering over a dirt road, blue sky behind changing leaves, greens to reds.

Dirt road curving away through the autumn forest.

Find myself wondering--if I declare this the really real worst year of my life so far, will fate hand off her beer & rub her grimy little hands together?

#Dad is dead. #Dog is not. Hang in, Chuckles. You've given me more in 14 than some do in 60.

Please let the Welsh be wrong #nature #photo #faĺl

Our beautiful, funny, smart, loving, brave, tattletale Chuckles, a grey Cairn Terrier with all the stones of an Irish wolfhound crammed into a strong little boy body. I like you, Miercoles. Two times, at least.

Charlie--Chuckles--is dying. 14 years old in a couple weeks, congestive #heart failure. Bad. Unbailably. They wanted to end him at the #emergency vet, they wanted the same next day at his regular vet. But we're going to give him a good time before the mobile vet does the deed at home #love #pets

Non-native Joro spider in her web, webbed up meal to the left, tiny potential mate to the right.

Same joro spider and pals from a distance.

Same joro grouping, silhouetted.

1st #joro #spider I've encountered. Thanks to my son for spotting the web before I walked into it and died #screaming. I know they're not medically significant. I also know that knowledge flies out the window upon getting tangled in a web with a spider nearly as big as my face #nature #photography

Yellow garden spider, perched upon the zig zag (stabilimentum) at the center of her big, beautiful web.

Yellow garden spider, perched upon the zig zag (stabilimentum) at the center of her big, beautiful web.

#Beautiful girl, yellow #garden #spider- Argiope aurantia, I think. She's SO much bigger than orb weavers we get back home--my first thought was #Joro. She was maybe a little more than an inch long, just body.

Didn't have the guts to get in close, even though she's not dangerous. #nature #wildlife

The New River, broad, blue, lush green banks.

This barn has borne the stain of this trumppence sign since we first drove down in 2020. It was still there in early August of this year.

And now the sign is gone.

Farm in southern Virginia-- barn, outbuildings, silo in a yellow grain field.

On the road yet again, right back where we just were. 700 miles each way, sixth time since mid- June.

But this time, no #dad.

Never thought I'd have fave eateries in Knoxville, #Tennessee. But I do. Hoping this will be the 2nd to last trip through Knoxville. Ever.

No slight intended. #Photography

#Ryan the Gosling has gone. Now WeeHoo and Hairriet will have no fierce defender, and I am now bereft of a beautiful and beastly backyard biter.

#Farewell, Ryan. Fly high.

#death #dead #pets #loss #goose #birds

A male cardinal on weathered boards

Hitting the road, taking care of dad's disaster. Picking up his aquamated remains. Getting started on the next stage while cleaning up the last.

#death #loss #dad #nature #aquamation #cardinal #birds #photography

My dad as a little, white gown, hands waving, big smile, big eyes, short, curly dark hair. Black and white photo from late 1930s.

My dad, maybe ten years old, sitting with a cat next to a hedge. Dark hair, dark eyes, squinting into the camera.

Dad in Vietnam, in uniform (not dress), leaning against a large army fuel tanker.

Watch the corner, Dad.

The last words I said to him before leaving for the long drive home. He was #dead by morning.

It's #strange, #unbelievable. He's gone? How, when he loomed so large over us, left marks.

Scars.

He went easy, it was redemptive. Glad I was #kind. Your milage may vary. #goodbye

Thank you. I think I've got it, in as much as I can. If he dies before I see him again, I can live with the way things were left.

My Dad, Drexel graduation portrait.

The Tennessee River at dusk, lights and the graceful arches of a bridge reflected in the water.

My dad's in #hospice, on his way out. It's complicated. My dad & me.

4th drive down since late June, 700 miles each way. Takes us through #Knoxville.

Wish him a gentle slide, please. He so very nearly, in a lucid moment, expressed remorse today. It fixed nothing but somehow helped all the same.

Big transport-type plane escorted by small planes against a blue sky

Big transport-type plane escorted by small planes against a cloudy sky.

Is that a #C-130? Escorted by two #Osprey? Because that looks like a #badass ride home, and omg, I want to go #home.

#airplanes #flying #skymagic

The Shenandoah River, trees and sky reflected on the water in the evening light.

Crossing the #Shenandoah.

#nature #beauty #sunset #river #photography

Hoverfly loving on my phone case.

Hoverfly close-up, with the blue in her stripes and rusty red of her eyes vivid. A little iridescence in her wings, too.

monarch butterfly on a butterfly bush variety bred to not spread.

Monarch butterfly a blur leaving the pink/ magenta butterfly bush blossom.

My morning, in #bugs. The little #hoverfly (her colors!) took a shine to my phone case, spent a 1/2 hour exploring. Wrestled phone from case to snap a couple shots.

1st #monarch, possibly since we've been here. The bush is a non-native bred for a low germination rate.

#photography #nature #insects

A male European house sparrow on a weathered wood beam.

Female European house sparrow on a wooden beam.

Male and female non-native European house sparrows.

Sadness. These #birds are non- native, #invasive, & they're known to attack/destroy the nests/babies of #native #songbirds. We didn't used to see them outside of town, but this year, we're seeing a bunch of them.

Even though we've no feeders up this year because of disease.

#nature #photography

The rolls!

Closeup of an oak tree hollow, green leaves and immature acorns wreathing.

Come into my parlor . . . .

Dunno who's in there, but I could almost make him out.

Look at the baby #acorns. A few years back, T and I gathered bunches to make acorn flour. Mixed with whole wheat, oats, and #homegrown amaranth for the most amazing #holiday rolls ever.

#baking #photography #nature

Have a happy #bee or three.

#flowers #buzz #nature #garden #plants #pollinators #photography

A beautiful snail, i know not what variety. Shell flat spiral, deep notching, shell tan with darker spots, body tan with darker antennae. Shape reminiscent of a white garden snail.

Rose of Sharon.

Dead adult spotted lantern fly. They're better that way.

Queen Anne's Lace with an old wooden wagon in back.

I love my mornings, especially when it's cool outside. It's peaceful, and these days, I need #peace.

#nature #outdoors #photography #snail #insects #plants

Bright yellow-orange-petaled/black-eyed wildflowers and bright green weeds and blades of tall grass.

Native fern fronds, water droplets catching the sun.

Boston fern fronds in sun-lit spray.

Male cardinal hiding in the greenery.

Been awol recently. My dad is #dying, and I've been on the road a lot. Was easier when it was Ma. Less complicated because my feelings for her were simple.

She was my daisy.

Give a thought to the Major. He's going out hard, and his surprise and confusion are heart-wrenching.

#death #goodbye

Lovely roach on the cool morning concrete.

First rays in the trees

Front yard, huge maple towering, sunlight kissing the boughs up high.

Closeup of the maple boughs up high

Getting the #garden #plants watered in preparation for another ten hour #drive.

This is brutal. May put me off #roadtrips forever.

But here's my early #morning. That's gotta count for something.

#sunrise #trees #bug #insect #photography

Two small, still spotted fawns standing side-by-side in the green.

Single spotted fawn, posing rather majestically in the green.

Single spotted fawn, head turned to look at the camera.

Fawns walking away in deep grass.

Wish they'd been a bit more frightened of us. They were quite close, only startled when the car started, and even then didn't run. This is right in front of our #home. No sign of mom, but she's likely about and they're in a good spot.

#deer #wildlife #nature #photography #beauty #babyanimals #fawn