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dansnaturepictures · 3 years

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Sixth instalment of my 10 wildlife/photography highlights blogs for 2020: My great butterfly (and moth, dragon/damselfly, beetle, flower and other insect) year Part 2

As I said in my post on Monday, due to the level of writing I have done about my butterfly and other insect/flower year for these posts this year I have, like I do with birds in this thread every year, done two posts about them this year. I had the opportunity to do this as the pandemic meant our June Anglesey holiday was postponed to next year and some day trips that would in other years get their own highlights post were amalgamated into my highlights post about my week off in June my last post when they occurred. I began writing the part 2 for butterflies etc. literally the day after that week off so it makes this week very chronological for the posts when I was well into the writing of these posts. I toyed with the idea of doing a separate post about some of the other insects and flowers I’ve seen this year for these blogs, an idea as a backup in case I got slots freed up I have every year for these posts but a lot of notable other insect/flower moments happened the same day or right after butterfly ones so it made sense to keep notable days/walks this year together. This therefore is descriptions of the best bits of what happened next in my butterfly year from late June onwards with mentions of the other insects/flowers.

The day after the week off on my Lakeside daily exercise walk it was great to see Small Skipper and Marbled White still plentiful as I said they had become at Lakeside towards the end of the last butterfly post, I even saw some away from their usual grassland on the concrete by beach lake. Ringlet, Comma, Meadow Browns still very plentiful, Common Blue Damselfly and some other interesting looking insects also stood out for sightings that day. The next day it was nice to see Ringlet and pyramidal orchid again at Lakeside looking nice in the rain, a walk where it was nice to see raindrops on flowers something I loved noticing this June and throughout the year a simple joy I found in life on the walk and at home and the area I nickname ‘Marbled White meadow’ looking a nice yellowy and red colour compared to when I saw it last before leave with certain flowers out. The next day after seeing and photographing a bee on it as mentioned in my last butterflies highlight post and seeing Large White checking out the others of the plant we have in the back garden during my week off I was happy to see one of my favourite butterflies the Red Admiral on the butterfly bush out the front. In more overcast, humid and showery conditions that lunch time with some sun poking through here and there I saw my first Gatekeeper actually at Lakeside of 2020 a key cog in the summer butterfly wheel here which was nice. That walk on a day I got so many intimate wildlife moments was one characterised by seeing nice views of lush green vegetation against grey skies and also as I had noticed in weeks before some early autumn leaves. On a completely unrelated note really but I had nowhere else to mention a notable event this year in these blogs that night I witnessed a sky phenomenon of a really nice orange and red sunset against dark, big and black clouds, some rain coming out of them therefore for the first time ever for me with a sunset a rainbow about too in my best ever year of rainbows. Through both the east and west facing windows of our house I was witnessing one of the most dramatic sky scenes I had ever seen! And even better everyone else in the house and my Dad at his noticed it and loads of people on social media posted pictures of the sky too so it was a real unifying moment and standout one for me this year. That night a key memory is walking into my room to do something and thinking “Oh why have I left the light on in here” when in fact it was the glow of the sky scene outside lighting up my room. The next day I saw loads of Ringlets with wings open at Lakeside at lunch and a Marbled White moving about looking quite freshly emerged. One of my best 24 hour periods during a working week this year for photos and wildlife I think coming nicely after the week off. The next day it was nice to see Small and Large Skipper battling each other a brilliant view of the latter which I took the first picture in this photoset of it was great to see both together and get a rare chance to compare them the Small Skippers really are much smaller, Ringlets, a landed Gatekeeper, Holly Blue, a great Brimstone view and more at Lakeside.

The weekend that followed on quite a sunny day I had a nice walk at Stockbridge Down where upon seeing Dark Green Fritillary I reflected on what a wonderful year I have had for seeing this species at local places here and Martin Down and Durlston in my week off where I might not normally get the chance to visit and see them I saw so many and so well and close up across the board I really enjoyed them this year. It was also great to see Silver Y moth here, my fairly long-awaited first Cinnabar moth caterpillars of the year on the everywhere emerging it seemed ragwort a classic little part of summer those small orange and black caterpillars I love seeing them I had seen the adults here the time we came here before that so it came full circle a great chance of a species to see adult and caterpillar each year and some nice common red solider beetles. I saw some more of the latter with one flying nicely too at Lakeside in the week that followed a great addition to my great year of beetles and starting to learn and love them more in 2020 this species helped define my summer.

In this rich, colourful and precious meadow habitat the day after National Meadow day other key butterflies I saw that day were; Peacock, Comma, Marbled White, Small Coppers, many Marbled Whites, Gatekeeper well as well as Small Heath, Meadow Brown, Ringlet, Common Blue, Adonis Blue, lots of Red Admirals and Large Skipper. On lunch time walks during that following week at Lakeside in quite grey conditions at times it was evidence of the peak butterfly season time of year July is that Ringlet and Gatekeeper were commonplace with great views too at times, alongside Marbled White, Large White, Small Skipper, Meadow Browns and Holly Blue seen well.

The Thursday of that week at Lakeside I snuck in a ‘Big Butterfly Count’ survey a week ahead of its start date as the website allowed you too submit sightings/counts then. I always do this at Lakeside quite often more than once in a year and usually after work. So it made a nice change to do one on a lunch time with working at home and it’s always one of the points in a year and summer I look forward to most, it really like the ‘Big Garden Birdwatch’ feels like I’m doing my bit for nature and finding out what species are where and how they’re doing so it felt both thrilling and satisfying to take part again. One of the reasons I love doing it is that it’s done in July into August deliberately to focus on the key species Butterfly Conservation want to monitor in particular as it’s the point of the year the greatest number of species are about. Gatekeeper’s arrival onto my regular Lakeside butterfly scene this year and longer and longer grasses set the stage for the count at Lakeside for me with the species I always see in them all about. But I had this desperation to get a count submitted ahead of time as I’d been seeing Marbled Whites and Small Skippers for over a month at this point so I wanted to get them in on a count as well as Ringlets that never seem to last long at Lakeside before it was too late. That Thursday I did count eight different species, Meadow Brown, Marbled White and Small Skipper the most numerous on sixteen, nine and eight seen respectively. The perhaps still early Gatekeeper and Large White were next on three each, this walk also presented me the chance for my first macro and open winged Gatekeeper photograph this year, then a standout one Common Blue and also one Large Skipper and one Ringlet completed my sightings. As I walked through the meadow by the woods during the 15 minutes of counting I suddenly remembered the unique charm of it as you walk through fields and just see one Meadow Brown and Gatekeeper after another in particular you distinguish between them and try to keep track of them. A great thing to be overwhelmed by in a sense its good news in this world if you are inundated. It was quite high numbers for a grey day walk which did have a sun trying to poke through but had slight rain as well. This really got me well in the mood for the survey proper. It was also great to see yet more common red soldier beetles on the flowers that day too.

I did another warm up ‘Big Butterfly count’ at Lakeside the next day and despite a bit more obvious sun other than that similar conditions I saw less butterflies but the same amount of species. Meadow Browns dominated again with six seen, I saw three Large Whites again and three Ringlets more than the day before, less Small Skippers but still some with three, two Gatekeepers and one Speckled Wood I also saw in the 15 minutes of counting. It was also great to see two Common Blues, I remarked how for a butterfly I barely saw at or associated with the grasses of Lakeside for years which I often see in Big Butterfly counts when I am perhaps really looking more deeply I have this year started to see them consistently here and it makes sense with the habitat but it’s still nice to see them close to home. I took the second picture in this photoset of a Common Blue that day. I also made it – technically – a third Big Butterfly Count running I’d seen a Brown Argus in at Lakeside that day with one seen it’s becoming my tradition to see one here one that’s quite a rare butterfly for the site I guess an urban one whilst doing this survey. The one thing I really wanted to do this year in the Big Butterfly count whilst working from home and having the time to be at Lakeside so much was do them at different bits of Lakeside and compare results. It was interesting the Thursday which I didn’t on the Friday I walked through the meadow by the woodland patch entrance in the south west of the site beside the lake. This area was teeming with butterflies and the results reflected that with more individual butterflies the day I covered it so I found this area I don’t often or ever in years visit to watch butterflies really where I’ve spent so much time at is rich in butterfly life and quite interesting as it’s a relatively small isolated patch compared to the others. That night in more consistently sunny and quite hot conditions I did another Lakeside walk as I often did on Fridays and I did an impromptu second ‘Big Butterfly Count’ of the day when a Comma kept landing on me briefly, a Red Admiral one of my favourites was about and I saw Ringlet and I got a great view of a Large White landed in the tree and path area behind the visitor centre and steam railway station. Nice bright sunny light against very green trees and a Swift gliding against a blue sky helped make this a perfect summer evening and memory this year.

I spent a section of our walk the next day at Whitefield Moor in the New Forest butterfly counting too with some of the target species seen, on an afternoon 10 years after the point I consider the moment I got interested in butterflies where I also saw my first Common Grayling of 2020 one of my favourites and such a precious butterfly for me. I wrote about this afternoon fully in my third of these posts last week about our New Forest trips this year. I celebrated this big butterfly anniversary for me a lot on social media. Beforehand that day a pretty hot and sunny one it was brilliant to see a Large White in the back garden on the buddleia and just enjoy the buddleia in the evening in really amazing summer light. The next day at Stockbridge Down I was absolutely thrilled to see my first Chalkhill Blues of 2020. We saw many of these speciality here and silky and milky butterflies one of my favourites and it was a true honour to see them again on a hot day, exactly what July is all about for me really. This special butterfly was my milestone 40th this year I was elated to reach 40 butterfly species for the third year running and at that stage it made my year list my third highest ever for butterflies. I also had a stunning moment when we realised an ambition and saw a Hummingbird hawk-moth flying around our first ever and one we’d wanted to see for ages. A headline really of a smashing list of new moths I’ve seen this year for me in a very strong year for seeing them for me where I have learnt and got a little more interested in them. I was happy to see it. The amount of butterflies around in a meadow area and on some bushes on this hot day defined the day. There were just so many species and a butterfly everywhere I looked I did not know where to look at times. It was like the seabird cliff equivalent of butterflies really something I love so much seeing dozens and dozens on birds in a short space this was vibrant meadow today teeming with life. I photographed so many butterflies that day as well as brilliant flowers I saw that I kindly had identified for me in Twitter’s “#WildFlowerHour” common restharrow and rosebay willowherb which I had seen here the Sunday before dominating the landscape too. It turned out a Large White in a key photo I took that day was on a devil’s-bit scabious a flower I would later learn, I noticed this in November when I used the photo for my #AButterflyADay one of a few daily past photo tweeting activities I did during lockdowns this year. I would go onto to contribute to and look at #WildFlowerHour a lot more in line with the PlantNet app I downloaded in my delve into flowers this year. The rosebay willowherb became one of my standout flowers this year seeing so many of them in a year I really delved into flowers. I could not resist submitting some data again to Big Butterfly Count this was some of the most butterflies I’d seen together at once this year something I found so precious and really felt a lot. The results I kept and submitted for the species they want records for was; Meadow Brown 20, Marbled White 7, Gatekeeper 6, Chalkhill Blue 5, Dark Green Fritillary 5, Large White 5, Red Admiral 3, Peacock 2, Small Copper 2, Ringlet 2, Brimstone 1, Comma 1, Brown Argus 1, Green-veined White 1, Holly Blue 1, Large Skipper 1, Small Skipper 1, Silver-washed Fritillary 1 and Small Tortoiseshell 1. That day I also saw Large White, Small Tortoiseshell and Yellow Shell moth flying over or in the garden which was great. The next day back at Lakeside it was great to see a few Black-tailed Skimmers again a brilliant dragonfly to have so close to home.

That following Thursday on the official eve of the ‘Big Butterfly count’ it was great to see so many of the species I saw a lot during those weeks again at Lakeside as well as a burnet moth flying, as well as get cracking views of Cinnabar moth caterpillar which I took the third picture in this photoset of and a Banded Demoiselle which was nice. I did another ‘Big Butterfly Count’ in the meadow area by the entrance to the woods in the south west of the site that Friday a very hot and sunny day. In the count I saw 15 Meadow Browns, 6 Gatekeepers, 6 Six-spot Burnet moths funnily enough including two mating, 4 Large Whites, 4 Small Skippers, 2 Peacocks and 1 Brown Argus, Common Blue and Marbled White in the 15 minutes. A pretty similar amount to what I counted at this location the Thursday before when you could submit results. During this time here I also saw more common red soldier beetle and cinnabar moth caterpillars on ragwort. Beforehand I submitted more count data when I saw two Large Whites from home in and around the garden again. When at Lakeside for another walk that evening I did another ‘Big Butterfly Count’ at the Marbled White meadow area a name I give the meadows of the south eastern bit of the site. Gatekeeper came out on top with 8 seen in a tight race beating Meadow Brown into second with 7, I also counted 6 Large Whites, 3 Small Whites, 1 Common Blue, 1 Green-veined White, 1 of one of my favourites the Red Admiral and 1 Speckled Wood. Again similar numbers to when I counted at this part of the site the Friday before, and a little less than the place by the woods as it was the week before too. Which proved my theory about more butterflies being at that point at Lakeside whilst there were absolutely so many at both. The two big species observations are that perhaps I was right to do some counts around the weekend before here and elsewhere early as I only saw one Marbled White that day and didn’t see any Ringlets so some species technically in this early butterfly year could have had lesser numbers during the count. The other is from doing them the week before the Gatekeepers seemed lower and could not compete with its partner as the most numerous butterflies each year really the Meadow Brown. The Gatekeepers emerge later even they emerged earlier this year though but we were a week on in their season and there’s was more about then we were still quite early in their season so it makes a difference. It at that stage meant there were only two of the Big Butterfly Count target species I was yet to observe in a 15 minutes of counting so far which felt great. More great fun had counting butterflies that day it really is so rewarding to do and makes your mind feel so focused and enriched when out on hot and sunny days. Also nice to see a Black-tailed Skimmer at Lakeside that day. I took the fourth picture in this photoset of a lovely ladybird that day. The next day I saw Large White really well in the garden and a Holly Blue flying over which I submitted to the count after seeing lots of butterflies at Fleming Park that day a very hot and sunny summer day. On the day after I saw a storm of Gatekeepers, Six-spot Burnet, Meadow Brown and Small White butterflies during some more butterfly counting at Lakeside on another lovely relaxed day, but a greyer one so this was nice. Large and Small Whites seemed to be recorded very well by me and others and have a good year in the Big Butterfly Count 2020.

I began that next week with a butterfly filled and very hot and sunny day off first going to Peartree Green, where I did another big butterfly count in which I managed to see my most butterflies of one species at that stage in the 15 minutes with 25 Gatekeepers seen. This felt amazing. It was probably when we were there at the height of a hot morning the most individual butterflies I had counted in this survey this year at that stage all together, as I also saw 12 Large White, 2 Meadow Brown, 2 Small Skipper and 1 Holly Blue, Marbled White, Peacock and Red Admiral each. We then moved onto West Wood when my Mum based on walks she had there without me on hot and sunny days this year said I would see a lot of butterflies and sure enough we did walking along the paths. As we approached a bubbling piece of buddleia or butterfly bush I did another big butterfly count. This patch of counting absolutely topped the one in the morning for amount I saw and Meadow Brown regained its crown as the butterfly I have seen most of at once with 31 seen, the Gatekeeper was less numerous but still present here as I saw 10. There were also 15 Peacocks, more Large Whites with 11 seen. A pleasing 8 Ringlets they had quietened down at that stage as well as 6 Small Skippers, 5 Red Admiral, 3 Brimstone 1 Comma, 1 Dark Green Fritillary, 1 Green-veined White 1, 1 Holly Blue, 1 Large Skipper, 1 Silver-washed Fritillary and 1 Speckled Wood completed the count. As we walked on we reached a patch of flowers and thick vegetation where my Mum had said she’d seen hundreds of butterflies together before. This was no exaggeration as on these plants it was absolutely covered in butterflies. It was sensational to see and was like a seabird colony covering a cliff for scale and magnitude. There were particularly masses of Peacocks one of my best ever moments with this species. But Brimstone, Red Admiral, Comma, Meadow Brown, Large White and Large Skipper were also present. This was absolutely a sight to behold, it was an unimaginable amount of butterflies all soaking up the sun together. And I found it a real leveller. Some there were my favourite butterflies, some quite rare, other more ordinary but together they made this scene adorable, captivating and unbelievable. I didn’t get any butterfly year ticks that day or see anything new but I can still describe it as one of my best ever days of butterfly watching which whilst it’s not always about the lists still speaks volumes I think. I had simply never seen scenes like this in ten years of butterfly watching. A wow moment in nature. I was so lucky to have this at this supreme patch of butterflies. That day I also got perhaps my best ever Scarlet tiger moth views really seeing this stunning moth one of my favourites and a quintessential part of summer with its amazing colours so close I took a standout picture in my year of this one. I also saw another amazing beetle my first ever black and yellow longhorn beetle fitting into this year well which was great. Away from insects a Roe Deer crossing the path closely to us a couple of times was very pleasant that day too. That day I took the fifth and sixth pictures in this photoset of a Large White butterfly and Brimstone and Large Skipper together a photo of the likes I’d not taken before getting two species together in focus in shot which was what the day was all about really. In hindsight that day was one of my best wildlife and photography days of my year with how much I saw so well, but when doing my end of year posts and others that involved selecting my strongest pictures of the year photos from this day of which I took around 30 I think especially the insects cropped up again and again it had so many of my favourite pictures that day.

On another very hot and sunny one the next day I did another Big Butterfly Count on a pleasant Lakeside lunch time that began as soon as I got out the door with two of fourteen Large Whites counted in the time in our garden. As I walked along the path at the north of the site a Gatekeeper stronghold in the bushy vegetation above the grass down the side came good as I saw seventeen of these, at that stage the highest of any one species I’d seen in a count at Lakeside this year. Three Meadow Brown and Common Blue and two Speckled Wood completed the count. It was also great to see Small Skipper and Brown Argus that day as well as Blue-tailed Damselflies and Emperor dragonfly at Lakeside and a dragonfly I didn’t quite get time to identify flying towards me in the estate as I got home. The Gatekeeper fest continued the next day at Lakeside another great day as I saw 26 during another big butterfly count. Large White and Meadow Brown continued to do well with 12 and 7 seen respectively, as well as 2 Small Whites and 1 Comma, Common Blue, Brown Argus, Peacock and Speckled Wood. That day I also got another brilliant view of a Roe Deer close by walking through the grasses in the south east of the site. The next day I did an impromptu big butterfly count whilst walking around the lakes at Lakeside when I spotted Brimstone which I hardly ever see there and one of two Speckled Woods I counted during the time. Also in the count I saw; six Gatekeeper and Large White, three Meadow Browns their numbers were heading down on my Lakeside counts they had been out for so long that summer there by that point with Marbled Whites not present at all really at that stage there, one Common Blue and as I walked up the path from the lakes to the entrance between the fenced off nature reserve I saw a Six-spot Burnet moth not far from the spot I saw my first burnet moth 10 years ago a Five-spot Burnet which started my love affair with burnet moths a key stage in my little interest in moths early on which we’re obviously in the anniversary year for so that was nice. I had a dragonfly bonanza of sorts that day with yet another brilliant and close up Emperor view and another Black-tailed Skimmer over the lake. I got a fitting great few views of dragonflies that week for national dragonfly week. That next day the Friday I saw more white butterflies in the garden possibly a small this time as well as whites made our garden their home, a day sunflowers in the garden had began to really come out a bit seeing these iconic flowers in our garden and photographing them was a joy. I also saw Red Admiral and another dragonfly outside the house and at Lakeside which was nice that day. I did a big butterfly count again at lunch time on my walk focusing on the bushy areas beside Lakeside Country Park to the north in which I saw; 8 Gatekeeper, 5 Large White, 3 Meadow Brown and 1 Holly Blue, Ringlet, Small White and Speckled Wood. That evening I made the most of summer and light, sunny, hot and peaceful evenings and being based at home for work by taking my by that point regular Friday evening walk to start the weekend which felt great. The next day on a walk it rained from start to finish the other side of the upper car park at Martin Down I still saw quite a few moths, and it was remarkable to see a big snail a Roman or Burgundy or (which I preferred as a name) Edible snail they’re all among various names for it a brilliant species to see very distinctive, pretty and hard to miss. I photographed this as well as a slug in the garden when home making the most of wildlife on a wet day in the summer.

The next day I had one of my most memorable afternoons of the year at a colourful looking largely cloudy but with sun coming through Stockbridge Down, one of my best days of 2020 as Man United my football team progressed into the Champions League beating Leicester City to finish third in the Premier League. At Stockbridge Down I was treated to scores and seas of Chalkhilll Blues flying over the rich meadows with many landed, both male and female. I took the seventh picture in this photoset of one. I saw perhaps more together than I ever had before that day a local speciality at the peak of their summer season. I really got to appreciate them as one of my favourite butterflies that day male and female, another experience this summer I loved seeing lots of butterflies at once. Of course impressively for how cloudy it was at times I did another big butterfly count that day, during this I saw 15 Meadow Browns, 6 Large Whites, 5 Gatekeepers, 4 Six-spot Burnet moths, 1 Brimstone, Brown Argus, Dark Green Fritillary, Peacock, Ringlet, Silver Y moth to mean the only species I was yet to see on one of these counts the species they are after sightings of was Painted Lady at that stage and also 1 Small Copper and Small Skipper. It was interesting the little local variations in my top 3 butterflies for these counts this year. Large Whites I saw a lot of everywhere. But I seemed to see Gatekeeper as the most I saw during a count more in urban locations but I saw more Meadow Browns in the rural locations. But the other did tend to do well in the counts for their not so strong area each time. That day I also loved seeing crickets flitting about and other little moths. That day it was nice to notice and photograph harebells, some fantastic and pretty purply flowers one of my favourites to learn thus year. When home I saw a bee on one of the sunflowers in the garden which was lovely.

On the Wednesday that following week I did my next big butterfly count as a hot and sunny patch which I had my lunch time walk within brought out so many in the grasses of Lakeside. I saw especially lots of Six-spot Burnet moth like the one in the eighth picture in this photoset, Common Blue and Brown Argus there which was great with three, four and six seen respectively whilst counting. I also saw; more Large Whites than anything with twelve, four Meadow Browns and Gatekeepers and one Brimstone, Holly Blue, Red Admiral and Small Skipper. I saw a dragonfly but couldn’t quite see what too on a very memorable walk that day for photos and wildlife. It felt quite fitting as this year 10 years on from seeing it the anniversary year I worked out from a photo what I thought was my first ever Six-spot Burnet at Lakeside in 2010 which I got excited about was actually a Five-spot Burnet. So I realised it was that species that made me fall in love with burnets, but I was so excited about Six-spot Burnet back then and still love them now so that and other times especially during the big butterfly count where they are a target species I have seen them has really made me celebrate and appreciate them views of them really stood out that day. I saw another decent batch of butterflies the next day on my walk at Lakeside a very hot and sunny one, submitting some more data to big butterfly count. It was interesting to see both blues booming that week with more Common Blues and a Holly Blue close to the house as well as a Small Heath my first for months on the green outside adding to the variety of butterflies I have seen immediately outside home this year. That Friday on the hottest day of the year at that stage it was nice to see a Small Tortoiseshell close beside the house. And I saw slightly less numbers possibly because of the heat so they weren’t flying to alert me to them possibly because a lot of the species seasons were getting on in a big butterfly count I found interesting to do at Lakeside in very hot conditions. This included a notable 8 Speckled Wood in the woods, 9 Large White, 4 Meadow Brown, another notable haul of Common Blues seen with 3, 2 Gatekeepers and 1 Brown Argus in the time counting. It was still a very decent amount of butterflies it was lovely to see dancing along on a very hot and sunny day for sure making me really feel at the peak of summer days as I did a lot that week as perhaps things looked to go a bit quiet with day flying moths and butterflies but then that week I saw so many and was reminded the peak peak season was still upon us. I also saw two more quick dragonflies I couldn’t quite see what that day and a Cinnabar moth caterpillar, ladybird and cricket in the grass.

Our August began at Emer Bog and Baddesley Common reserve in Hampshire where on a sun in and out and even at one point slightly rainy afternoon half of the productive first half hour of the walk was spent doing a big butterfly count with an impressive 23 Gatekeepers seen with one Meadow Brown and Common Blue and other butterflies later on in the walk. That day on one piece of booming ragwort I saw one of the Gatekeepers, of course Cinnabar moth caterpillars and common red soldier beetle once more on this flower and also another insect that seems to like ragwort my first ever Antler moth a very pretty one to see. A fifth new identified moth for me in 2020 at that stage as zooming in on nature in my walks rather continued and this being a year I really celebrated moths and noticed and enjoyed them which was great. I took a picture of this one where you could see the yellow from the plant on its antenna which was great. The delve into moths continued that day when we saw a striking caterpillar later on in the walk which turned out to be a Buff-tip moth caterpillar. A fantastic walk of insects and more headlined by these two. The next day back at the beautiful looking Magdalen Hill despite a few showers in the walk on a sunny start and sunny at times I did another big butterfly count. In this it was the first time ever for me I think that Common Blue came out on top in the 15 minutes with 13 seen, the mass second emergence of blues I’d seen at that point continued with two Small Blues the latest in the year I’ve ever seen them and it does seem they emerge a second time in late August so again the butterfly year was shown to be ahead and 1 Holly Blue. Of course my three other leaders in counts this year Gatekeeper with 1, Meadow Brown with 2 and Large White with 4 also featured as well as 3 Six-spot Burnet moths. As this walk went on it was lovely to see many more Chalkhill Blues this year. Beautiful sights, as was a few poppies in the fields there I took a standout picture of one, meaning that was four species of blue seen that day quite memorable. I did a more specific big butterfly count in the nature reserve area at Lakeside the next day seeing five Meadow Browns, two Large Whites and one Gatekeeper. I also really continued to see and photograph the many brilliant sunflowers we had in our garden over those two days I really did love seeing them this year. On that Wednesday it was a goal achieved this summer to count a Small Copper at Lakeside during a big butterfly count again as I had in my first ever count in 2016. Seeing this one very well and taking a picture in the south eastern meadow areas of the site, alongside 19 Large Whites, 7 Meadow Brown, more great blues with 3 Common and 2 Holly, 2 Small White and 1 Brimstone, Comma and just the one Gatekeeper as they went a bit quiet on those days and Meadow Browns increased a bit, was part of a real burst of butterflies I saw so many again on a hot and sunny walk. It felt fantastic. That night we were lucky and happy to see a bat flying around out the window my first of the year.

I had a great insect day at Lakeside on my walk at lunch time 6th August getting cracking Black-tailed Skimmer and Emperor views a day after seeing a Common Darter there reflecting on with those two especially how I have discovered whilst working from home just how good my local Lakeside is for dragon and damselflies. That day I also saw scores of common red soldier beetles on some nice white flowers which was great. Butterfly wise I loved seeing Brimstone and Large White really well on that walk, I photographed two Speckled Woods late on memorably along the woodland path to the west of the site. That day I didn’t do a big butterfly count I did a memorable one the day before but I reflected with it coming to an end how much I had enjoyed taking part again and again for that month or so. I thought Butterfly Conservation did a fantastic job running the count again it was so easy to do and I just loved having the chance to tell them what butterflies were about and how many in my local Lakeside and other strong butterfly locations in a national and regional context in Hampshire. I felt I was doing my bit and I especially loved the leaderboard on the website at that stage I was 40th out of the millions that took part in terms of how many butterflies I had seen in all my various counts I had counted nearly 700 butterflies in the counts which opened my eyes it was rather good this year for how many butterflies I saw in the summer I must say but to just how many butterflies I do see whilst out in summer especially. The next day was the hottest UK August day since 2003 and I had the pleasure of two Friday Lakeside walks which were very atmospheric that lunch time in the sun with many people enjoying it and relaxing and time full evening vibes it was so light, still, clear and summery. During it all I saw many butterflies; lots of Gatekeepers and Meadow Browns at Lakeside, Large White and a blue possibly in our garden beforehand, some others I didn’t see well enough to identify and a moth or two with one coming in the house that boiling night too. A bee had nearly flown in my room that day and I saw memorable flowers at home and in the wild the sunflowers, fuchsia and buddleia in the garden featuring a lot again I loved seeing them this year as I produced nearly 40 pictures that day! Something that would become common especially for Fridays as the year went on.

As the heatwave continued we went to Farlington Marshes where I had an amazing time for seeing butterflies that Saturday. We firstly finally saw my first Painted Lady of the year a very key species for me to see this year one I always aim to see. It was lovely to see this one and another and what’s more I was able to then include it in a big butterfly count a day before it closed. Meaning for the first time since I started doing this citizen science project in 2016 that every species you can submit sightings of I managed to see at least once in a count which I was proud of. That day was rather stolen though by views of well into double figures of Wall Browns flying around, great to see after getting a quick view of my first of the year flying over the car park at Portland in June. They really were so in place in this dry coastal habitat on one of the hottest days of the year, it was actually the first I had ever seen in Hampshire my home county, and it seems loads emerged in the country over the first part of that heatwave so it was brilliant to be part of it. I also saw as I often do at that time of year here a good few Small Heaths. Completing my butterfly count there were seven Gatekeepers, three Meadow Browns, two Common Blue and Large White and one Peacock and Small White. All of this really underpinned what I’ve learnt the last couple of years and our last visit here in the late spring that this nature reserve we’ve always known for birds is a fantastic location for butterflies too with so many about in the season. It does stand to reason actually as its renowned for its rare and varied grasses I was once told on an information tour round there but it’s something I never truly embraced before. I enjoyed seeing some lovely rock samphire flowers that hot day too.

The next day on the last day of the survey the big butterfly count came to the best possible end for me when among two that day at different locations the other I wrote about in my New Forest highlights post I did an epic one at the beautiful Old Winchester Hill in the South Downs National Park on one of the hottest days of the year. Old Winchester Hill is just a charming meadow adorned landscape in the downs, it simply one of Hampshire’s most beautiful spots in my eyes so it was amazing to be there on what is a now annual visit for us it’s come back into our lives majorly since 2018 thanks to butterflies it was somewhere we discovered early last decade possibly late the one before that. It was another day this year where I saw hundreds of butterflies, 40 Meadow Browns in the 15 minute count led the way as well as 6 Gatekeeper, 6 Large White, 4 Common Blue, 1 Brimstone, Red Admiral, Six-spot Burnet and Small White. That day I also saw many Small Heaths, Brown Argus, Adonis Blue and hundreds of Chalkhill Blues overall once more probably some even tried to land on me which was a sensational intimate wildlife moment for me this year and seeing them all again was just incredible. But most notably on that scorching walk at Old Winchester Hill I saw my first Silver-spotted Skipper and Clouded Yellows of the year seeing three each. It was amazing two of my best butterflies of the year simply, ones I could not guarantee I would see but this place more so for the former but with the latter in my head too gave me the hope to see them and I was so happy I did. I loved sitting on the grass photographing a Silver-spotted Skipper close up and seeing a Clouded Yellow dart past and another land put me in heaven it was more intimate moments. It was one of those utopian afternoons where everything I hoped to happen did really with top birds seen too. The Silver-spotted Skipper and Clouded Yellow sightings together with that Painted Lady at Farlington took my year list over two days from a worthy 40 to a magical 43, overtaking my 2018 total and making my 2020 butterfly year list my second highest ever behind last year. This is no less than my 2020 butterflies deserved for how amazing it’s been, with the amount of butterflies I saw and how positive it all was because from the spring emergence onwards it was to the harrowing backdrop of the huge impact on everyone’s lives the coronavirus had and the lockdown and that. Seeing butterflies were an amazing thing to keep me going during the initial bits of that time. But the restrictions easing to allow slightly further afield travel to exercise happened at the right time for me to luckily see my usual variety of butterflies in years as spring marched on. Then as we hurtled towards summer there was the most notable thing of my butterfly year being how early everything was with my first sighting of nearly every butterfly this year being either my earliest or second earliest ever sighting of one in a year. The whole season was a little ahead. Fitting that the Silver-spotted Skipper was my earliest and Clouded Yellow my third earliest ever sightings of the species in a year. Then through summer the big thing for me I think was the amount of days I saw hundreds of butterflies usually with one lead species but many species together which were exceptional moments and that day was definitely in the top four so far for that. But like the day here last year I saw the Silver-spotted Skipper happiness at this happening at the height of the heatwave was tinged with a little sadness these were my last additions to my butterfly year list this year. What a quick it seemed but sensational journey I have been on for sure. But I’d have taken 43 before the year began and would have jumped at it when lockdown which was needed I would never argue against that the health and wellbeing of everyone came first made it look like it may be difficult to see many of the usual species this year due to locations they are at. I knew there were two species geographically I would not see this year. So to miss out on very few I could have seen is phenomenal I feel and made me so happy. So I was just thrilled with how I’ve done. That day I also saw some brilliant flowers in the meadow everywhere during wildflower hour on Twitter I was told two were Perforate St. John’s-wort and Small Scabious both I had seen a lot of other places this year both were beautiful.

Small Heath and Meadow Brown were lovely pretty butterflies to see quite well as the heatwave continued that following week at Lakeside. That night a lovely big moth flew in to the living room and bounced off the walls, ceiling and light brilliant to watch. As was a reddish insect possibly a moth in the woods south of the bowl at Lakeside a nice fairly secluded little path I’d found the next day and a Meadow Brown surprisingly in this shaded area on another very scorching and sunny day. On a peaceful evening that night to the backdrop of a nice sunset sky I saw another lovely little moth as I went in my room after coming back from a socially distant visit to my Dad’s house that night. My light was off at that point and it flew and fluttered towards the window so I opened it with it on it in case it wanted to get outside. If they’re attracted to a light on inside I’ll probably leave them in for the evening but this one had probably got in either tonight or last night and wanted to get out. After I photographed it on the window it flew off outside into the summer night and there was something quite magic about that. Seeing it against some red in the sky was very interesting in the heat wave. The next day I saw a third Small Dusty Wave moth in the house this year getting very close to it, and alongside some butterflies a beautiful female Common Darter starred on a Lakeside walk that lunch time I took a picture of it so a great couple of moments. On that Friday I saw Meadow Brown and Large White at Lakeside on a lunch time walk it was brilliant to see many pond skaters on a lake and photograph one another lovely insect to enjoy seeing this year. That night belonged to moths with including the Small Dusty Wave from the day before four moths flying into our living room and settled at once. One we didn’t see landed for very long so couldn’t tell which, one was a Yellow Shell one I know well on the eve of my 10 year anniversary of seeing my first ever and the other turned out to be a Heart and Dart one that landed very nicely and I took a macro photo of which I was pleased with the ninth in this photoset one of my best moth photos this year. Another new moth for me this year and this capped off a super summer week of moths for me with so many seen and I felt so interested in and engaged by them. It’s interesting as the butterfly year showed signs of slowing down a bit with my last year ticks, moths then took centre stage as so many are about as the summer gets later. The next morning on a showery day a massive bumble bee came into my room through an open window and tried to get out the closed window. It climbed up the window repeatedly in anticipation then slumped back down when it realised it couldn’t fly out of the top. I stood on my bed beside with a glass and an envelope with something in it to attempt a rescue. I watched it and connected to it, studying its movement and picking my moment. I struck just right and interrupted its rhythm to perfection it seemed by putting the glass over it to capture it. I checked the bee was in the glass, and slid the envelope over the bottom. As I moved the glass and envelope away I just caught sight of it moving in the glass. Then I hung it out of the window with the envelope removed and it flew out. As I watched it fly back into the open air I was relieved that this glorious wild creature was back out into the wild. A rewarding moment. And talking of glass that evening when home I took another picture of the Small Dusty Wave moth in the house on the mirror in the living room which made it a very interesting and unique photo opportunity showing its reflection.

At Hayling Island’s Earnley Triangle and oyterbeds that Sunday that followed I saw some nice butterflies on a rainy turned sunny in the end day including Peacock and Comma and a nice little moth which was great. I photographed a Yellow Shell moth that stayed in the living room a bit that night. I enjoyed the Yellow Shell again the next night, a Monday at Lakeside at lunch I saw and photographed Large White butterfly and saw Meadow Brown well in a sunny patch of a changeable weather day as a whole. That hot period of time I was thrilled to see Large White and Red Admiral in the garden one of my best garden butterfly moments this year it was very precious when I got home. The next day I noted lots more Large Whites at Lakeside in patches of sun which was brilliant to see. I am not sure if it was the decrease in variety of butterfly species at Lakeside making them stand out but Large Whites seemed to be on the increase those few days at Lakeside which was nice for mid-August really. When home that day I was delighted to take a picture of an orange flower one of a patch I took loads of in the garden especially in sunny conditions this year and enjoyed with a lovely minute snail on it in the sun. The next day a very wet one alongside seeing and photographing garden birds in the rain which was enjoyable I noticed perhaps something they helped to create by scattering a seed on the balcony a lovely sunflower there I’d never seen one on the balcony before and when I went to take a photo I noticed a bee on it in a strong year for sunflowers at home I loved seeing them whilst working from home. The next day a much sunnier and hotter one I saw Meadow Brown, Comma and Large White at Lakeside as well as a great view of a lovely male Common Darter in the sun. That night I saw my first ever Box tree moth at home adding to my year and especially summer with so many about of moths well they are so beautiful a lovely black and white moth very striking. Over those next few weeks we had loads around the house and garden. A day I had amazing times on the eve of Devon as I said in my second favourite birds post taking one of the highest amounts and some of my best pictures whilst working from home that day. The next morning we left for our Devon and Cornwall weekend away which I posted about in the eighth of these posts talking about butterflies, other insects and flowers seen during it. The night we returned home we got a very interesting and pretty moth in the house a very unique looking one. I later found out it was an Orange Swift thanks to the kind help of MothIDUK on Twitter a tool I have used so much in my deeper delve into moths this year one of the best moths generally and new moths I have seen for me this year.

The night we returned from Devon I loved photographing a sunflower on the balcony again as I did a lot and we saw a further moth in the garden that Wednesday lunch time another nice one a Willow beauty, before I went on a walk where I was reminded strong butterfly experiences could still be had late on in the peak season in the grasses of Lakeside as I saw many Large Whites what a year I had for them and got really close to and photographed a female Common Blue another Lakeside star for me this unique year. Very nice moments, with one of a few lovely crickets seen this year seen nearby. That Friday I was delighted to see a common green lacewing in the kitchen on the ceiling another fantastic, beautiful and unique insect for me to see especially locally this year. I also loved seeing Great Willowherb at Lakeside flower wise that day not the first time I had seen some here I saw loads late summer this year in my deeper delve into flowers but it was the first time after I found out what it was so I enjoyed taking a picture! I was delighted to get a great Small Copper view as well as see Meadow Brown and Large White and a Southern Hawker flying and looking us in the eye as they are famous for in mid-late summer at Hook-with-Warsash the next day August bank holiday Saturday. I saw Small White and a nice moth later that day when we moved onto Farlington Marshes. In a time when seeing butterflies in a day wasn’t a given anymore with the peak season coming to an end on August bank holiday Monday it was nice to return to the beautiful Old Winchester Hill mostly for birdwatching purposes this time and see Speckled Wood, Peacock and a few Meadow Browns and Large Whites. That day I marvelled at its landscape once again we walked a different way at the top of the place mostly, and it was especially lovely seeing its meadow habitat still in full flair and supporting insects I saw another nice snail that day too and being reminded you can see down to the coast from this big beauty spot I saw the Isle of Wight and Fawley Power station that day. A very memorable day.

The next day at Lakeside it was nice to see another female Common Darter very well a great moment, as well some more St. John’s-wort flower a lovely yellow one I have seen so many this year especially at Lakeside and that night a nice dark brown moth a form of Box-tree moth came in the house which I photographed among a few others seen which was great. The day after I saw some Large White butterflies at Lakeside, another Box tree moth on the buddleia outside as we were inundated with them and some smashing red flowers growing beside the house possibly a snapdragon as I saw some of these growing outside our fence further up and photographed them and enjoyed them this year. The next day I was delighted to see a Common Darter dragonfly a star of those few weeks outside of the house around the vegetation such a lovely species to have so close to home. The next day I saw Speckled Wood and Large White at Lakeside which was nice, as other insects stole the show rather including my first ever known sighting of a really fresh, bright, colourful and lovely looking cyrphus ribesii hoverfly what a beautiful creature to see. I noticed it on the green out the front on my way to Lakeside that lunch time whilst looking at a wonderful spider I saw really well and photographed in a nice web. A generally special and packed day for wildlife and photos for me this year that Friday. I also saw some great flowers that day such as bird’s foot trefoil which I saw so much of in the grass by Lakeside this year and musk mallow which was the same story. The next day as I saw Large Whites at Pennington on a sunny afternoon I decided that day to add three species to my list of favourite butterflies, Green Hairstreak, Marbled White and Brown Argus formerly on my B list of favourite butterflies achieving a promotion after I had a strong 2020 for all and decided I loved them enough to call them favourites. I added species to both my bird and butterfly B lists that day too I like to have thinks and make additions/promotions in March and September each year now, mammals and dragonflies I have a list of favourites but not B lists and whilst I added no mammals Black-tailed Skimmer and Four-spotted Chaser joined their keeled and broad-bodies relatives on my list of favourite dragon and damselflies alongside the Emperor that day too. Alongside the whites dominating the usual species hanging on at the end of the summer on the 6th September the next day I saw I think my latest Common Grayling in a year at Ashley Walk in the New Forest a lovely faded one adding well to the ones I saw in July. I photographed hebe, rose and sedum in the garden that day beforehand which was nice.

To start the new week in early September I enjoyed seeing another spider in my room in the shower a small one and more Common Darters at Lakeside. I also had one of my best ever flower days in the year I am waking up to flowers and learning more and more of them with a greater appetite to notice and photograph them with my new macro lens and with my PlantNet app in hand to help ID them. I got stunning views of as well as nice flowers at home at Lakeside an array of wild flowers I had seen a lot of at Lakeside already this year; Great Willowherb, Purple Loosestrife, Bird’s-foot trefoil, Meadow-cranes bill and buttercup some I learned and consolidated my knowledge on what they were and this just scratched the surface of amazing flowers I saw that day. It was a brilliant botanical year for me up until that point with some of my greatest moments of my year seeing flowers but knowing what more of them were really gave my flower days substance and made it even more exciting to learn and watch them. In autumnal times these flowers in the sun here gave me a slice of summer. The next day there was more of a slice of summer with hot and sunny weather bringing out a good few more butterflies on my daily Lakeside walk notably Speckled Woods one I got very close to and took a picture of and Large Whites, I also saw Emperor and Common Darter dragonfly there that day too a day a wasp flew into my room. Speckled Wood, Large White, Common Darter and Emperor were stars the next day and the day after at Lakeside too, even if it was the peak season end signalling sign being the day I noticed most of Lakeside’s meadows had been mowed with some bits left on the margins with flowers and for insects, in something of an Indian summer for butterflies and those two species in particular in hot and quite sunny weather. I enjoyed fantastic views of an early autumnal boom of the bright and big orange Californian poppies and other flowers on the patch of flowers in the estate I always love seeing and enjoyed immensely photographing them so many times macro shots and views over or the bed in views that week.

I had a monumental moment in my late peak butterfly season when I saw a pale form of another Clouded Yellow on the green outside the house on my way back from Lakeside on 11th September. What a moment to see the something of an enigma of a charming butterfly twice in a year (a month and two days after my first 2020) sighting for the second year running and for the third September on the trot. Seeing an almost white one is not something you see every day either but seeing a butterfly of this calibre which I hope I’ll see every year but it’s never guaranteed more or less outside the house was phenomenal and I loved it joining other notable species I’d seen on this green for the first time ever in this area this year something working from home walks were so good for. I also saw Speckled Wood with Large White in the garden I’d never seen the former in our garden before when I got home and Common Darter and other dragonflies well at Lakeside. Finding some poor man’s weather-glass lovely little red flowers another standout one I’ve seen and learned this year in on the green among more great flowers that day stood out too including daisy like ones I’ve had the best year especially locally for daisies from the lovely oxeye down to the little ones. The next day at Farlington Marshes where we had seen one before in 2018 I was delighted to see a Clouded Yellow fly over in the grasses by the stream. It marked the first time I’d seen this butterfly on three occasions in one year and first time I’d seen two in two days as in a brilliant period of hot and sunny September weather it became a boom year of Clouded Yellows for me really. Exceptional to see, alongside a few of the reserve in late summer specialities I’ve noticed Small Heath, Comma, some Large Whites and a dragonfly that flew very fast and many flowers. It was a good moth night that night too with two great ones seen and I photographed at home including my first ever Garden Carpet moth another great one to see this year.

The next day we went to Martin Down I had never been in September before and whilst you could make out subtle differences to coming when I normally do in the peak butterfly season like angles of sunlight it being so sunny throughout and the high temperature out during a patch of very warm and sunny weather it felt very much like coming here in high spring and summer. Quite confusing in my mind out of context then that the meadows were still brimming with wildflowers which looked lovely but the circus of butterflies was barely there. That was only because a lot had just come to the end of their seasons and were not around anymore. But I did see a whole host of all-season and re-emerging butterflies here that day, most notably Small Copper and Small Heath with some great views of so many of both that afternoon two very nice butterflies. Large White, Peacocks and Meadow Brown were also around on another top day for lots of wildlife seen generally a memorable one. It also became a day for wildflowers largely with so many great ones seen of different colours and shapes I loved that variety of these special organisms, in my growing flower interest the ones I recognised or found out what they are were devil’s-bit scabious, small scabious, common/yellow toadflax or “butter-and-eggs”, common knapweed, rosebay willowherb, harebell one of a few in this group I had seen and photographed before elsewhere this year and enjoyed and some yellow ones possibly a type of ragwort as I love seeing hebe, sunflower and more in the garden before and after our walk that day and getting photos. The next day in a very hot and sunny one in the heatwave I had a brilliant day for butterflies, other insects and other wildlife/flowers at home and Lakeside as I enjoyed seeing Small Copper at Lakeside, Brimstone in the garden for the first ever time I think battling with Large White on the buddleia in the back garden I took the tenth and final picture in this photoset of the Brimstone, my first damselfly for a while a Blue-tailed Damselfly at Lakeside, some dragonflies flying very fast likely an Emperor included, agrimony flower at Lakeside a long yellow one I enjoyed seeing so much of at Lakeside in the meadows this year, a brilliant view of a slow worm at Lakeside, the Californian poppies and others at the flower bed in the estate looked very big which I found interesting that and by them on a really nice spider web I saw a cranefly which was interesting.

I had one of my dragonfly moments of the year the next day at Lakeside seeing another incredibly special one for me I never imagined were at Lakeside really so it showed me once more just what I can see when I open my eyes as in the midst of the heatwave that was upon us I was thrilled to see a special Migrant Hawker over the lakes. My first of the year and only third ever which was a truly brilliant moment with one of our best and mostly lovely coloured dragonflies of the brown, blue and black it was a male I had not often seen the males. This was a good moment for me to continue to learn the species quite a bit too which I liked a strong memory of this Indian summer. This added a late bit of gloss to my dragonfly and damselfly year list as it reached a figure of 14 I was happy with. That afternoon I saw a little dock bug in my room and photographed it before letting it out back into the wild, Common Darter was also a star at Lakeside that day. When I got to Lakeside on my walk on another extremely hot day the heat once more carried on a resurgence of butterflies being about in that period, both Speckled Wood and especially Small Copper are ones I saw in great numbers then alongside Large White at a few locations including here some newer ones emerging perhaps and I loved in the sun taking pictures of Speckled Wood and Small Copper with my macro lens. A great walk seeing them in the sun that day. That night like many as I sat after work the evening was set to a nice almost lazy shine of the sun creating a shaded garden and atmosphere which with the sun setting earlier and earlier as summer made it’s long exit made me nostalgic to how it was at this time of day when I first began working from home in March into April. I was enthused to check the sun setting that if I could after hearing about the dust plumes that had come from the US wildfires coming over to create dramatic sunsets a quite sombre but in a weird way beautifully natural thought showing we are all connected and this could travel and I was delighted to see another nice one that week a beautiful end to a beautiful day. The next day on the balcony I saw a wasp and a spider in its web. I believe the wasp had been ensnared and was to be fed on as I watched it desperately try to escape whilst the spider supervised. I was lucky to witness a though brutal quite fascinating piece of nature up close that day. On my Lakeside walk I enjoyed views of Red Admiral, Speckled Wood again, Small White, Migrant Hawker dragonfly again and Common Darter, a nice big brown moth and some speedwell flowers too as I saw another sunflower around the house in the front garden when home. The next day I liked seeing dragonflies again at Lakeside, another sunflower at home in the patch of flowers outside the fence a nice flower moment despite seeing the beautiful patch in the estate mowed all over which was sad like the mushrooms I mentioned that were in my next of these highlights blogs about autumn, Box Tree moth outside at Lakeside and on the green rather than at home and a Comma and a few other butterflies at Lakeside. I had some great butterfly (and other insect and flower) moments when we went away to Norfolk the following week which I post about in my ninth of these blogs.

On the Saturday we returned from Norfolk I enjoyed seeing hebe, dahlia, fuchsia and more in the garden in bright sunshine and a very nice “T-shaped moth” a plume one I believe in the kitchen. The next day at Fleet Pond in nice sunshine I enjoyed seeing Specked Wood and Migrant Hawker, as well as a growing patch of flowers comically for us situated outside of our fence including sunflower, the snapdragons I noticed frequently here and others. Highlights on my walk to and from Lakeside that lunch time on the Monday that followed included a late Comma I saw one the next day too, a broad-leaved clover I liked photographing and a crane fly and a worm I got pictures of and enjoyed seeing too. I enjoyed seeing Common Darters at Lakeside the next day too. On that Thursday at Lakeside Country Park I loved seeing two Common Darters joined together so in the middle of mating as I had done with damselflies in the spring here and a Migrant Hawker flying over in a nice bright sunny patch. Some white flowering on nettles possibly bee nettles caught my eye at Lakeside that day too as did a pink flower at home in the garden that lunch time. That Saturday as stormy weather emerged and the peak butterfly season was really quietening down I did enjoy a Speckled Wood and quick views of an unidentified dragonfly at Farlington Marshes which was nice. That next Monday I liked seeing a late Large White really on the green out the front and forget-me-nots more lovely flowers to observe over Lakeside on a strong day for flowers where I took lots of pictures of them in the garden one memorably a picture of one on the balcony in slight sunlight reflected onto the screen of the fence. That day I also took a memorable picture of a bumble bee and a hoverfly on the buddleia bush as this plant still really provided into the autumn for these which was so nice. The next day I saw a few Speckled Woods at Lakeside getting one of my best butterfly moments of the year with one seeing it up so close and getting a picture I was happy with. I got nicely close to it on a sunny patch of a day and the way it was flying and landing it was an though it was newly emerged which was interesting. This intimate and connected to nature moment made me really realise how close to the end of the peak butterfly days and days I could take photos of them we were I wasn’t seeing butterflies every day at that stage in changeable weather. I enjoyed a lot of great late butterfly moments here with Speckled Wood this season. A fantastic natural moment, and I loved seeing Migrant Hawkers again at Lakeside that day and Common Darters flying over a flooded area stuck long in the mind.

I saw a few species of butterflies at Lakeside on Wednesday 7th October in some nice sunshine, Speckled Wood and Large White then a dark and orange one I couldn’t quite make out a nice reminder of summer that day. I also enjoyed seeing and photographing a bee nicely and Common Darter dragonflies at Lakeside that day and I had magical moments with more plume moths in the house this year with two seen on the roof and one photographed and another landed on my face, hand, laptop screen and glass which I had a little bit of juice left in so this was a great intimate moment. I got a brilliant Speckled Wood moment that Thursday lunch time as well seeing two together with one flying into the closed wing landed other and regularly opening its wings they both landed on leaves well at Lakeside’s northern path area I enjoyed taking a picture of one of these too as I really enjoyed a late Speckled Wood surge at the start of October. That Friday at Lakeside in grass by a lake by the lake I saw a Common Blue butterfly which was a surprise. Then I saw two dragonflies which I am seeing a lot of over Lakeside during those weeks Common Darters and Migrant Hawkers with pairs of both looking to mate which was really interesting making it memorable for a sunny day. I also enjoyed seeing some blueweed there and taking picture of it flowers I liked seeing in early June too. That Sunday at Pennington by the coast the marshes I liked seeing Large White and some sea aster photographing the latter. I saw a lot of nice and late flowers those weeks both at home and in the wild alongside some more autumnal perhaps bramble flower that I really enjoyed a lot at Lakeside as I really noticed this year like no other how late flowers last in years as a whole. Or it being my first year of deeply observing flowers I didn’t really know but others observed that this is a notable thing of 2020 so many flowers staying out later. On Thursday 15th October on a very hot and sunny day I got another fantastic Speckled Wood view almost walking into it focusing my eyes on a bush and then all of a sudden seeing it there in front of me. I noticed nice flowers and joined-together Common Darters that day too, I saw both of these things the next really sunny day too. That following Sunday night a plume moth in the house landed on my water bottle lid right beside me making for a great photo opportunity, it stayed on my untouched in that time bottle lid for an hour or more a really intimate wild moment. I really did see so many of these plume moths in the house this year which was fantastic. I saw all sorts of insects in the house and whilst working from home really took notice of lots of lovely little insects which was a key theme of my year. The plume was still around the next evening after I walked at a still quite green looking Lakeside that Monday and all through the sunny walk I was delighted to see Common Darter dragonflies still doing well in October. That day it really was teeming with them I did see so many. The highlight of the day was seeing a male and female together, they were mating I got a nice picture of this or just starting mating as mating dragonflies are usually in a heart shape from the two of their bodies together quite beautifully. These two clearly had their reproductive organs connected but they were flying about and landed briefly so it was perhaps before the heart shape was formed to complete the copulation. I had seen the Common Darters particularly and other dragonflies do this at Lakeside a lot of times this year those few weeks being joined together in such a strong dragonfly and damselfly year I’ve had generally and at Lakeside. This moment and that day a strong part of that this year. That Thursday on a very sunny day I enjoyed seeing another spider in the house which was lovely as well as enjoy lots of flowers at home and see a another broad-leaved clover flower at Lakeside. The next day I loved seeing another Migrant Hawker there on a sunny Friday lunch time.

The following Monday I enjoyed seeing a Common Darter at Lakeside again as it became a bit of a day of flowers with broad-leaved clover and daisy seen very well by me on the way out of Lakeside and I took pictures and I took pictures of some pink and red ones in the garden which I had looked forward to doing so that day a sunny one, an interesting small moth possibly a brown house one as I had seen before was in my room that day too. I enjoyed seeing a hawker dragonfly either migrant (most likely) or southern by the Lakeside entrance that Wednesday still hanging on nearly into November by that point. I saw lots of daisies and broad-leaved clovers around those weeks flower species really hanging on. It stood out getting into the winter seeing the clovers alongside other stars of my flower year really nicely seen a great reminder of summer sea aster and common toadflax the next day at Lymington in the Lymington-Keyhaven nature reserve at the bottom of the New Forest. In my bonus eleventh highlights post this year about my November and December I also wrote about topics covered in this blog.

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the-fangirl-way · 5 years

Text

6: Snow

When my alarm clock sounded the next morning, a low grumble made its way up my throat. It was Monday, and worse, Harry was downstairs asleep on my couch.

I forced myself to get out of bed, if I had it my way I would have stayed there all day under the warm blankets pretending that none of this ever happened and that I was back to my normal life before Harry Styles entered it and caused havoc.

The hardwood was cold as ice beneath my feet, the entire apartment always stayed cooler than necessary even with the heat on. I prompted for a quick ten minute shower to warm me and waken me for the hellish day I knew was to come; although it wouldn't be until I got my first caffeine fix of the morning would I truly feel alive.

I quickly got dressed dismissing the idea of looking decent today, it was Monday after all, pulling my hair up into a tight bun on my head and pinching my pale lifeless cheeks to give myself some color, England really was turning me into a ghost with the constant overcast.

I stepped out into the hallway and instantaneously my nostrils filled with the delightful scent of coffee beans, which meant two things, there was fresh brewed coffee, and Harry was awake downstairs.

I retreated slowly down the stairs, with any luck he was already gone and had just made himself a cup before leaving. I noticed the blanket he had used the previous night before was folded neatly and the pillow placed on top on the coffee table, he had at least taken the liberty of cleaning after himself.

I entered the kitchen and unfortunately found him leaning against the countertop gripping a mug in his hand looking pensively at the ground, his face changing when he noticed me coming through the doorway.

"Avery, good morning, you look-"

"Thrown together, I know, it's Monday."

"I was going to say lovely, actually, although I do prefer your hair down if I'm being honest."

I felt a small blush creep on my cheeks but dismissed it as I brushed past him to grab a thermos out of the cabinet, one cup wasn't going to do today.

"So Harry about last night-" I started, pouring coffee into the thermos.

"Save it," he said and I turned to look at him. "It was nothing, I know, you were exhausted, no doubt still high on adrenaline from everything that happened; really no big deal."

Taken back from his cool demeanor and politeness I just nodded, happy that things weren't awkward.

"How's the uh, stitches?" I asked stirring in the cream and sugar.

"Fine, a little sore but nothing I can't bounce back from." Harry said taking his last swig of coffee before washing the cup out and sitting it in the sink.

"Thank you, by the way." He said running a hand through his tousled hair.

"For?"

"For letting me stay here last night, I know Devlin wasn't keen on it."

"Devlin is just, indifferent."

"She shot me a glare this morning before she left." He said chuckling and I frowned.

"She's normally very hospitable."

"Hey, for her to let me sleep under the same roof for the night was plenty hospitality for me."

"So, where are you going to go?" I asked taking the first sip of my coffee, the steamy liquid arousing a little bit of life within me.

"Not entirely sure yet, I figured I'd walk around for awhile until I figured it out."

There it was again, the pang of guilt that I should not be feeling for Harry but yet, there it was. He was being so nice this morning, a huge shift from his normal cocky attitude, I guess that was another reason I blurted out my next sentence.

"I'll give you a ride. I mean, is there somewhere I can drop you off at? I really would hate for you to have to walk in this freezing cold."

Harry shrugged and ran a hand through his hair again, a nervous habit I suspected.

"I guess you could maybe drop me at my fathers, as much as I'm sure he'll be thrilled to see me, there's a few things I need to discuss with him."

"Right okay, no problem where does he live?"

"In West Worth Manor, the gated community."

West Worth Manor, that was a big rich community, then again his father had to be wealthy with him being able to bond Harry out.

"Sure, not a problem." I said taking another sip of my coffee, heading towards the door.

"Just let me grab my things and we can go."

Harry followed me into the living room where I gathered my laptop, purse and jacket, checking my phone I still had an hour before I had to be at work, I liked to get there early and beat morning traffic.

I grabbed my keys off the hook beside the door allowing Harry to step out into the hallway before myself, locking the door behind me.

It was cold in the hallway, colder than usual. We boarded the elevator in silence.

When we got down to the lobby I noticed Harry smirking and I turned to see what he was looking at.

Fat white snowflakes were falling rapidly from the sky, and there was already a thick white blanket covering everything as far as the eye could see.

"Oh you have got to be kidding me." I said scrunching up my nose.

"What? It's just a little snow." Harry offered and I grumbled.

"I'm wearing heels, I'll break my neck!"

"Well why don't you go change?" He suggested and I shook my head.

"No, I don't have time, let's just go." I said and he nodded following me to the door.

Outside wind whipped around while the snowflakes peppered down fast and heavy, my nose burned with the familiar tingling sensation, it did this every time it snowed.

"Right so where are you parked?" Harry asked and I sighed.

"Normally I park in the car deck but it was full when I came home yesterday so I had to park...there." I said gesturing to my car, all the way across the parking lot, which at the moment was a frozen tundra of ice, a death trap waiting to happen.

"I can pull it around if you'd like?" Harry offered and I shook my head.

"No, no, I can do it." I insisted and he shrugged.

I hitched my bag up over my shoulder and started slowly but surely across the parking lot, if I didn't know any better I'd say I was ice skating all over again. The thin layer of ice hidden under the snow showed no mercy on me or my heels, and I almost ate the dust quite a few times, but; somehow successfully I had made it to my car.

"Okay, now I'll get in and-" I started to say when I lost my footing on a patch of particularly slicker ice.

"Avery!" I heard Harry's voice shout.

"Harry?" I said blinking up at him, the snow was falling rapidly against my face and it was bright, too bright, Harry's face looked concerned as he was peering down at me, his cheeks and nose rosy red from the chill biting at them, snow flakes peppering his hair, he looked adorable.

"Are you okay?" He asked and I nodded.

"I'm, I- ow!" I shouted suddenly, pain shooting up my elbow into my arm.

"I think, my arm-"

"You're laying on it weird, you landed on top of it, can you move it?" He asked and I very gingerly tugged at my arm beneath me and a whole new wave of pain skyrocketed through it.

"SHIT!" I yelled out and he raked a hand through his hair.

"I bet it's broken."

"Damn it, damn it, damn it."

"Here, we need to go to the hospital and get it looked at." Harry stated and I felt his arms under me again.

"I'm going to lift you, it's gonna hurt but I have to okay?" He asked and I sighed.

"Fine."

I felt him tug on my body and there was the shock of pain searing through my arm like white hot iron.

"Fuck!"

"Wow, someone's got a potty mouth." Harry joked and I shot him a glare.

"Sorry."

"Just hurry up." I whimpered and he opened the car door and with as much gentleness as he could, slid me into the passenger seat.

"Keys." He said holding out a hand and I reluctantly fished them out of my bag and handed them to him.

He stalked around to the other side and slid in smoothly, putting the key into the ignition my car roared to life.

"Nice car, what model is this?" He asked inquisitively.

"Harry." I grumbled.

"Right, sorry."

***

I broke my arm in two places, the doctor put me in a cast against my many attempts to talk him into just putting it into a brace, or a sling. He also took me out of work for a week to let it heal, all in all this Monday could have gone better.

"How do you feel?" Harry asked, the painkillers the doctor had prescribed me had started kicking in and at the moment I didn't feel any pain.

"Not bad, pretty good, kinda hungry."

He chuckled and turned on the radio, Crazy by Aerosmith was playing.

"Aerosmith huh? Classic rock fan?" He asked smirking and I nodded.

"Yeah, so? Problem?"

"No problem." He said shaking his head, it was at the end of the song and surprisingly enough he knew all the words.

The beginning chords of the next song made him turn and look at me.

"Wham? What kind of CD is this?" He asked as "Careless Whisper" began filling the car.

"A burnt CD, really old actually, Dev burnt this one for me on my eighteenth birthday, Eighteen And Life is on this one, and there's another one up there," I said gesturing to my CD case attached to my visor, "That has "Seventeen" By Winger on it, she kind of always made CD's for me for my birthday every year.

"Hmm, thoughtful, I like it. How long have you known Devlin?"

"Since we were kids. She lived down the street from me and we rode the bus together, we've always been inseparable, we've worked our entire lives around each other." I said and Harry nodded pursing his lips.

"Must be nice to have a friend like that."

"Yeah, have you never had a close friend?" I asked and he shrugged.

"Not really, I guess Doug would have been my best friend growing up.."

I felt a knot in my stomach.

"Aw Harry I'm sorry-"

"Don't, it's fine, it happens."

"It shouldn't happen though, no one should have to go that young."

"You're right." He agreed and then promptly began to sing along with the music to avoid any more sad conversation topics.

Surprisingly he had quite the singing voice, it took me by surprise but I pretended not to notice, afraid he might stop if I commented on it.

Soon enough we were pulling up at my apartment and Harry hopped out, coming over to my side where he opened the door and helped me out carefully.

"Here," he said looping my arm around his neck for support, "Don't want a repeat of that again."

I nodded and he helped me back across the parking lot, the snow still coming down in quarter sized flakes.

Once inside he shook the free snow from his hair and I took notice once again to his flushed complexion, matched with his wildly kept hair and bright colored eyes he was handsome without a doubt.

Get ahold of yourself Avery, you're gawking, it has to be the medicine.

We boarded the elevator and I leaned against the wall.

"I'm sorry your day didn't turn out quite like you'd have wanted it." Harry said and I shrugged.

"I'm honestly thankful you were there, if that had happened to me by myself, I'd of really been screwed."

He shrugged and I heard the ding of the elevator as we reached my floor, the doors opened up.

We stepped off and I immediately froze, there outside my apartment door, clad in his uniform stood Tristan.

#harrystylessmut #harrystyles #harry styles fandom #harry styles au #harry styles fanfction #harry styles smut #harry styles fanfic #harry styles

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jtoddstrangersfic-blog · 5 years

Text

Strangers (Jason Todd x Female OC): Chapter 4

Trigger warning: Mentions of sexual coercion, mentions of abuse, cussing

2,601 words

Masterlist

Rian

Rian’s peaceful weekend seemed to end as quickly as it began. By the time Sunday night came around, she had accomplished everything she needed to the past two days; she finished reading a few books, caught up on her statistics homework, started her World Literature research paper, and she even began working on her first article for the Gotham Chronicle.

She were sitting at the kitchen table typing away at her laptop, her notebook lying open next to her on the small dining room table. Her eyes kept lingering on Jason’s phone number scribbled on the top page. Rian debated texting him the entire weekend. She was unsure what she would even write to him. It didn’t seem likely one of the attractive heirs to Bruce Wayne’s fortune would take an interest in her. Especially not someone as smart and charming as Jason Todd.

She ultimately decided against it, knowing Riley would probably find out if she did. Any number he didn’t recognize in her phone was a threat, and she couldn’t risk another outburst from him. Rian still had a bruise on her cheek and ribs from the last one, and they would never heal if she kept upsetting her boyfriend.

Rian heard the front door open and Riley slumped in, kicking off his black shoes as he entered the apartment.

“Hi babe.” She greeted him warmly as he approached the table, giving her a quick kiss on her head. “How was work?”

“Too long.” He sighed, leaning over her shoulder to see what she was writing. “But it’s all worth it coming home to you.”

Rian smiled, even though Riley’s words leave a strange knot in her stomach. They sounded hollow; forced. Rehearsed.

“I made some chili, it’s in the crockpot on the stove. Ready and waiting.” Rian closed her laptop, stepping away from the table to grab him a bowl.

“What’s this?” He asked nonchalantly. She glanced over her shoulder, her mouth feeling extra dry when she saw Riley leaning over her notebook. The notebook she carelessly left open. With Jason’s phone number scribbled on the top. “It almost looks like,” He paused, the smile falling from his face. “A phone number.” He looked up at Rian, face neutral as he gauged her reaction.

“Oh, that?” She forced herself to calm down, choosing instead to focus on the chili. “It must be Chelsea’s number. From my Lit class.” It wasn’t like Riley knew Rian’s classmates, or that she and Chelsea weren’t actually friends. Rian never talked to him about her classes. “We’re working on a project together, and she wanted me to text her if I can’t make our meeting tomorrow after class.”

“You’re going to be out late tomorrow?” Riley asked, eyes narrowing slightly.

If Rian could maintain her story through these next few minutes, she would be okay.

“Not too late. Class ends at five and we just need an hour or two to work on a presentation. I’ll be home before you need to leave to make dinner.” She brought Riley his chili, handing the steaming bowl to him as innocently as she could. “Is that okay?”

“I guess. I wish you would have asked sooner.” He sat at her now vacant seat, eyes falling to the notebook once again. “So I guess you don’t need this number anymore.” It wasn’t a question, but he still looked up at her, waiting for an answer.

“I might need it just in case…” She started, but after seeing his reaction quickly changed her answer. “But no, I don’t think I need it at this point.”

“Good.” Riley forced a smile, daring Rian to challenge him.

She watched in slight horror as he tore the entire page unevenly from her notebook, crumpling it in his hand and stuffing it into his pocket. His eyes never left her face, and she forced a smile to hide her astonishment.

“I have an early day tomorrow, so I’ll see you in the morning?” Rian recovered, walking cautiously over to RIley to give him a gentle peck on the temple. Riley wrapped one arm around her waist, pulling her closer to him.

“Or you could put on that little lingerie set I bought you from Valentine’s Day last year and meet me in the bedroom in fifteen minutes.” He suggested, a half smile crossing his face as he looked up at Rian. “I had a long day and need to unwind a little. You want to help me unwind a little, don’t you baby?”

“Of course.” She forced a smile and pulled away from him toward the bedroom. He slapped her backside as she passed him, and she forced herself to keep an even pace.

Rian swallowed the sob crawling its way up her throat, fighting as hard as she could to turn her emotions off for the next hour. It was a routine she was accustomed to, and one she wished she didn’t have to endure.

Jason

It was an overcast Monday afternoon as Jason made his way across campus to the Literature building. He didn’t want to admit it to anyone, but he was slightly disappointed Rian never texted him. He had tried so hard to nonchalantly give her his number, and he couldn’t help but think he was too forceful or inserted himself where he didn’t belong. He didn’t want to make her feel uncomfortable.

He was utterly entranced by Rian, especially after learning about her article on vigilantes. She didn’t excuse their lawless behavior, but also understood its necessity. He had yet to meet anyone outside of his family and vigilante friend group who understood that. He was thoroughly impressed with her, and wanted to know more about her. No, needed to know more.

And although he would never admit it, he might have watched her for a few minutes while on patrol Saturday night. She was outside on the fire escape lining his apartment building, reading a worn copy of To Kill A Mocking Bird with a few candles placed on the steps as a source of light.

And he also would never admit it, but when she left her apartment Sunday morning to run a few errands, he might have peeked in her window via the same fire escape and noticed the pile of books and fashion magazines resting on one of the bedside tables, along with a plastic coffee cup from his favorite shop. He wasn’t proud, but he probably would have climbed in the window to learn more about her if it had been unlocked (he drew the line at breaking and entering).

He sat in his usual seat, watching a little too eagerly as students dragged themselves into the classroom. Rachel smiled when her eyes met his, and he gave her a little nod. Not the girl he was looking for, but he appreciated her friendliness.

“Do anything fun?” She asked shyly, sitting in the seat to his right. “I texted you Saturday night, but I’m not sure you got it.”

Much to his dismay, he remembered reading her message, and felt like an ass for forgetting to answer her. Truth be told, he was on patrol with Dick and was bitter it wasn’t from Rian. His heart sank when he realized she wasn’t going to message him, and he had to handle all the probing questions from his older brother. And then his younger brothers, who heard Dick’s teasing over their communication system. It was a long night of dodging questions on Jason’s part.

“I was in Bludhaven for a family thing.” Jason answered quickly, giving Rachel a friendly smile. “Next time though, I’ll definitely come out next time.”

Reassured, she turned to open her bag, chatting with Chelsea on her other side.

One minute before class started, Rian finally strutted into class. She held her head high, but something was off about her. Again. Jason could sense it. He tried to meet her gaze as she sat in her usual seat, but she wouldn’t look at him.

Shit.

He studied her carefully in his peripheral vision as Dr. Cortez started his lecture. She looked put together, like normal, but also tired. Defeated. Small. She looked exhausted, and Jason had an inkling it wasn’t related to sleep.

He tried hard to ignore the yelling and noise he heard in apartment 11F from time to time, but he was also curious. Was Rian fighting with her boyfriend, or were they just passionate? He couldn’t tell, and wasn’t sure how to approach the situation. After she neglected to message him, he wasn’t sure he would ever get his answer.

He just wanted to get to know her better. To answer all these questions he had about her. If she were in a committed relationship, that was fine. He respected those boundaries, but it didn’t diminish his fascination with her. He was drawn to Rian in a strange way, and he felt like they shared a special connection or something. It was unfounded and he had no reason to believe this, but ever since he came back from the Lazarus pit, he felt a strange hollowness inside of him that he thought would never completely leave. But when he started noticing her, that hollowness felt less invasive. She made him stronger. It was probably all a placebo, but maybe it wasn’t.

Rian managed to avoid his gaze the entire class, much to Jason’s dismay. He didn’t want to force her to look at him, but he needed some kind of closure. If she wasn’t going to talk to him, he needed a confirmation.

Class finally ended, and Jason sighed as he watched her retreating figure exit the room. She was one of the first students to leave. He missed his opportunity to talk to her, but might have gotten the confirmation he was looking for. She wasn’t interested in befriending him. That was fine. He could accept that, even if it left him with a heavy, sinking feeling.

Jason spent some time with Rachel and Chelsea at a coffee shop on campus before visiting Wayne Manor. It was easier for him to actually show up on time to family dinner than wait for Bruce to summon him for an impromptu meeting about the unknown drug lords. Tim found a few new leads over the weekend, granting the Bat team more time to stop the upcoming shipment, but they were starting to run into problems again. Whoever was leading the operation was always one step ahead of them again.

“Alfred.” Jason nodded to the butler as he entered the grandiose estate, closing the large main door behind him.

“Always a pleasure, Master Todd.” Alfred stated, ushering Jason into the dining room. “I’m afraid they started without you, although I can assure you I protested on your behalf.”

“Always a real one, Alfred.” Jason chuckled.

He took the empty seat between Dick and Bruce, although he would have preferred to sit across from Tim and not Damien.

“Finally found your way here Todd?” The youngest Wayne questioned, a fork full of broccoli suspended between his plate and dainty mouth.

“Fuck off, demon spawn.” Jason muttered, ignoring the pointed look from Dick.

“One minute in and it’s already started.” Tim muttered, mostly to himself. He shook his head in disbelief at his squabbling brothers, who never managed to get along under normal circumstances like a family dinner.

“Jay-bird, we talked about manners.” Dick teased, passing his brother the bowl of Alfred’s homemade mashed potatoes. He knew they were Jason’s favorite, and probably hoarded them by his corner of the table to prevent the others from consuming them all.

“You want some too, Dickhead?” Jason answered in a sing-song voice, giving his older brother a smirk to show he was joking. Dick rolled his eyes, choosing instead to change the topic of conversation.

“So, Jason. How’re classes going?” He asked, cutting his slab of steak into bite-sized pieces.

“Fine.” Jason answered between bites of potato. “Nothing to write home about.”

“Did you get any messages from you-know-who?” Tim joined in, cutting right to the point. “Any developments?” He pushed his glasses further up his nose as he ate, eagerly awaiting Jason’s response.

“Easy, Tim-bo. You don’t want to lose your glasses in that soup.” Jason motioned to the thick gathering of gravy on Tim’s plate.

“Come on, Jay-bird. We’re just curious.” Dick commented, nudging Jason lightly with his arm. “You seemed so upset-”

“I wasn’t fucking upset, Dickhead.” Jason cut in, narrowing his eyes at Dick.

“Not that I care, but you were.” Damien muttered from across the table. “You’re terrible at masking your emotions, Todd.”

“Sorry we can’t all be as monotonous and dead-eyed as you.” Jason mocked his youngest brother, all friendliness leaving his demeanor. He didn’t come to family dinner to be chastised, he came to talk about the case.

“Sorry your latest harlot wouldn’t answer you.” Damien muttered again, his eyes snapping to Jason when he heard his fork drop.

“I bested you last time we fought, demon spawn. Don’t make me kick your ass again.” Jason challenged, pushing his chair back to stand.

Damien followed suit, rising to stand on the opposite side of the table. It would have been comical to see the tallest and shortest Wayne boys glowering at each other from different sides of the table, but this was hardly the time.

“Alright, alright. Enough.” Bruce shook his head, finally intervening. “Sit down, Jason. You too Damien. This isn’t why we invited Jason and Dick here.”

The two standing boys narrowed their eyes at each other, but listened to Bruce. He was right; this wasn’t a battle they needed to settle tonight. But Jason was sure to come back to the Manor when the drug lords were caught to teach Damien another lesson.

The rest of the night went smoothly, with no more outbursts from any of the boys. Jason followed his brothers and Bruce into the bat cave, where Tim relayed a few more leads he found to the team. There wasn’t anything substantial, but they were better than nothing.

“We think some of the dock workers are in on this.” Tim explained, his large computer screen filled with grainy security camera footage. The footage revealed a few men in security guard uniforms grouped together at the docks. “The cameras don’t collect audio, but they’re talking about something here, and they meet like this almost every night. Same time. Same men.”

Jason and Dick are the only two who haven’t studied the footage, so they lean in closer than Bruce and Damien.

“You found a pattern, Tim-bo. Nice.” Jason clapped his younger brother on the back, nodding his head in approval. “We can work with this.”

“Do we have any names? Anything that can help us track these guys?” Dick asked, his eyes flickering around the screen. “You’re sure it’s definitely the same guys?”

“I hacked into their payroll, and it’s always the same guys on the time sheets. They’re leaving a trail.” Tim confirmed, ruffling through a pile of papers on his desk. “Aha, here it is!” He holds up a packet, handing it to Dick. “These are the schedules from the last few months. It’s always the same four men; Salazar, Osbourne, Craig, and Wilson.”

Jason scans the sheet over Dick’s shoulder, confirming Tim’s statement.

“I’ve already run background checks on them, and guess what Jason.” Tim turns to Jason, a sly smirk forming across his face. “One of them lives in your building.”

“No way.” Jason squints at the names again. “None of those look familiar, my building’s pretty big. Which one is it?”

“Riley Wilson.”

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traveltofrance · 4 years

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Travel to France

Before you go to France, use this comprehensive online France travel guide to find out all the basics about customs requirements, the culture, weather, currency and more. Also, get tips on when to go and where to go in France.

About France Travel

France is a diverse and rich nation, filled with destinations to suit every taste. The French, while often stereotyped as rude or snobbish, is actually a proud but friendly people. The key is to understand cultural differences. The food in France is among the finest in the world, and it is the largest wine-producing nation in the world.

The French value cuisine, arts, culture, and history. Each region has its own flair and uniqueness. You are about to embark on an enticing adventure, but there are certain details and rules you should know before you go.

How To Get In

All foreign visitors must have a passport. (If you don't have a current passport, start this process as early as possible. Glitches, like a missing birth certificate, can drag this out.) Americans planning to visit for 90 days or longer, or those who plan to study in France, must get a long-stay visa.

Where To Go

Think of France, and most people automatically think of Paris. But there is much more to this country, whether it be the robust stews and beer of the Alsace or the laid-back attitude and sunny beaches of the Riviera and Monaco. There are many other underrated but wonderful cities, as well as unique spa resorts and villages and lovely beaches all around the coastline from the north to the border with Italy.

France is divided into regions, and I would recommend you read up about the distinct personalities of each before deciding on a destination.

Getting There

Most major U.S. airports fly to Paris, some going non-stop, and Roissy-Charles de Gaulle in Paris is the most popular airport in France. Some airlines also fly into other major French cities, such as Lyon and Strasbourg. It takes around 7 hours to get to France from the East Coast.

Getting Around In France

There are many economical and handy ways to get around France. You need to examine where you will be going and how flexible you are.

If you plan to visit villages not accessible by train, a rental car is ideal. The French drive on the same side of the road as Americans, but there are some differences. While traffic lights are commonplace in the States, many intersections in France are traffic circles instead. These are actually much more efficient but might take getting used to. Also, it becomes far more crucial to have good maps if you will rent a car. (Try asking for directions in a foreign language. Not pretty.) Check out the advantages of long term Renault Eurodrive Buy Back Car Leasing.

If you are visiting cities with train stations, rail is convenient and can be inexpensive. The key is to determine whether you will just buy point-to-point tickets (preferable if you will be taking few trips or short trips), European rail passes (if you plan to go country to country) or a France Rail Pass (if you will travel often and long distances, all on one country).

If you plan to visit French cities that are far apart (say Strasbourg and Carcassonne), you might want to check into flying within the country. It's relatively cheap and can save you hours of train travel.

Train Travel

In addition, many cities also have their own transportation system (such as Paris' metro). Even many smaller villages have a bus system. France's transportation system is much more extensive than that of the U.S. Check with the city or region's tourism office.

Next: When to go, Cultural differences, Official holidays and French language

When To Go

Deciding when to go depends on both your temperament and that of France. Climates and the popularity of a region depend heavily on the time of year and vary dramatically from one region to the next.

The North of France is at its busiest in late spring and early summer. The weather is best, but the attractions are packed and the prices are the highest. Also, you might want to avoid the North in August, when most of the natives are on vacation in the South. If swarms of tourists aren't your thing, fall is a wonderful time to visit the north. While you are sure to have a few overcast, windy, rainy days to contend with, things are still very happening this time of year. Winter can be blustery, but there are keen benefits then as well, such as ice skating in Paris or Christmas Markets in Alsace. See Christmas In France.

The South of France is attractive almost any time of year. But remember that it is jammed in August. In May, the Cannes Film Festival packs that city and those nearby, visit city of Nice or the Monaco city-state. Even in fall, sometimes you can dip your toes in the Mediterranean. Don't be fooled, though. Provencal winters can be unexpectedly chilly. Find out more with the France Travel Monthly Calendar.

What Time/Day Is It?

France is one hour ahead of Greenwich Mean Time, and five hours ahead of New York City. The country does honor daylight savings time, so during that time, it is one more hour ahead, or six hours later than in New York. The French also celebrate several holidays, and visiting during this time can result in some good things (festivals abound and many museums and restaurants remain open) and bad things (most businesses and shops are closed). These are the holidays in 2017:

January 1 - New Year's Day

April 16/17 - Easter Sunday/Monday - Pâques

May 1 - Labor Day - Fête du Travail

May 8 - Victory in Europe Day 1945 - Fête de la Victoire 1945 (marks the end of WWII)

May 25 - Ascension

June 4/June 5 - Whit Sunday/Pentecôte

July 14 - Bastille Day - Fête Nationale

August 15 - Assumption Day - Assomption

November 1 - All Saints Day - La Toussaint

November 11 - Armistice Day (End of WWI) - Le 11 Novembre

December 25 - Christmas Day - Noël

How To Communicate

If at all possible, it is very helpful to at least learn a few basic phrases, especially ones you will use often (such as transportation and menu terms, etc.). Although the French are taught English in grade school, some do not know much English (what do YOU recall from high school Spanish, after all?). They also are more likely to reveal their ability to speak English if you at least make an attempt to speak their language first.

How To Blend In

Many times, people presume the French are being rude when it's actually just due to cultural differences. The French, for instance, always greet each other before speaking. So if you run-up to a French person looking for directions by saying, "How do you get to the Eiffel Tower?" you have just been rude by French standards. Acquaint yourself with French Culture.

Next: Euros; What to Pack; How to plug it in; Calling home and Extra Tips and information

How Much Is That?

In France, the euro is the local currency. This involves a little less math than the previous franc (although I still miss the colorful franc with interesting themes such as "La Petite Prince"). When the euro is more valuable than the dollar, just round up a little (such as, you spend 8 euros and estimate $10 in your head just to be conservative).

Even those who know a little French language may have trouble understanding shop keepers who recite prices. When you ask "Combien?" (How much?), keep a small pad handy so shop keepers can write the amount down.

What To Pack

What to pack for your French trip depends heavily on which region you will visit, where you will stay and how mobile you will need to be while visiting.

If you will be traveling all over the country, hopping the train from one destination to another, pack light. A rolling backpack is great for this, by allowing you to choose between rolling it along or popping it onto your back. If you will, say, fly into Paris and stay in one luxury hotel the entire time, you can be more flexible and pack heavier.

Don't presume you can just find it in France if you need it, however. Good English-language maps or guide books can be tough to find, and it is challenging even in a big city to get an adaptor plug designed to convert an American appliance into the French plugs. (Think about it. They have plenty that allows French appliances to be plugged in while in America because most of the shoppers IN France need that). To be sure you don't have packing regrets, check out this list of the Free France Travel Packing Checklist or these tips for packing light.

How To Plug It In

If you want to use American appliances in France, you will need an adaptor and a converter. The adaptor allows you to plug it into the wall, while a converter changes the electrical current to the French standard. For example, if you have a hairdryer that allows you to change the electrical current, you would only need the adaptor. What some visitors fail to realize is that phone plugs also need adaptors, and without them, you will not be able to connect your laptop. Be sure you also get a telephone adaptor if you plan to take a laptop.

How To Call & E-mail Home

Placing a call home from France involves certain knowledge, but once you get the hang of it, it is surprisingly affordable and relatively easy. But first, you must know the basics. For one thing, most French payphones do not take change, but instead, use "telecasts." These can be purchased at many spots, such as tobacco and convenience stores, for a few euros. You slide the card into the slot on the phone, wait for the prompt on the display, and then enter the phone number (starting with the country code, such as "1" for the U.S.). The display will show how many units you have remaining. Calling on off-hours will eat far fewer units. You can take advantage of time differences by, for instance, calling later in the night when it is late afternoon or early evening in the States.

How To Get Stuff Home

Dreaming of lugging cases of delectable French wine home with you? Think again, unless you want to pay. The U.S. government offers the following restrictions:

Most visitors are allowed to bring back $800 of French goodies without paying duty.

The duty includes up to 200 cigarettes and 100 cigars.

One liter of alcohol is also included in duty-free.

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timeoutotour · 5 years

Photo

Scattered Clouds, 28°C

Calle Calzada Monjas, 14, 22700 Jaca, Huesca, Spain

Monday 3rd June 2019

This morning we left our lakeside overnighter to travel to Huesca for provisions and services. A large Repsol filling station just outside of town had kindly provided a service point ,so whilst there I topped up our diesel as a gesture of thanks. Then onto Lidl for more vin and vittles. We had decided that our first likely stop in France was to be Oloron Saint Marie , but as that was a two hour drive we settled on another final evening in Spain and chose a paying aire in the city of Jaca , nestling in the foothills of the Spanish Pyrenees. Jaca was only a one hour drive and , what a drive! We drove along a series of motorway sections interspersed what we in the UK would probably call B roads. The motorway sections were very dramatic with long tunnels and high viaducts whilst the non motorway sections were narrow and bumpy. It seemed to me that at some point during the road building project , the money had run out and the plug had been pulled before completion? We arrived at the aire in Jaca to find the ticket machines out of service , Hurrah , another free night. Also on our arrival it appeared to be snowing, and if you look at the random photo of the van in the car park you will see the floor covered in white stuff. It was everywhere,and it comprises of the seed cases from what is known (for obvious reasons)as the cottonwood tree. There are several of these trees surrounding the car park where our aire is located and the stuff gets everywhere. Nature has provided a truly magnificent seed dispersal system for this tree. Late afternoon we took a short walk into the old city which was just a few steps climb from our aire. The cool shaded streets were quite refreshing after being in the quite muggy overcast conditions of the day. We located a local bar and sat outside for a while awaiting the shops to open after siesta ,usually 1730hrs in this region. Thereafter I remained at the bar with Annie and enjoyed a couple more beers whilst Rhian went to explore the city further. When leaving the bar , Rhian was chatted up (we think) by two old chaps , sitting outside the bar. There is a bit of a pattern emerging here, same thing happened the other day in Calatayud, great to see there is still life in the old dogs and gives us all hope ! We reunited about an hour later and returned to the van for our evening meal during which time the aire was filling up quickly and I was pleased to have secured our place earlier. This will be, with some regret our final evening in Spain on this tour. Rhian in particular has very much fallen in love with the country , which has so many different facets and she really surprised me the other day when she exclaimed that she thought she preferred Spain to France. I suppose when you are considering this question you have to take into account your whole experience of the country and that also has to include its people. I would have to say that for me the jury is still out between Spain and France. Both are amazing countries and have much to offer.

From Spain for the final time this tour

Beunas noches

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mr-mormons-adventures · 5 years

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Week 63!

Hey everyone! This week has been pretty crazy and pretty awesome! As the title suggests, winter has finally come to Missouri, and he came with a spiked baseball bat. Winter hit us hard here. How hard? Read on and see! Wednesday: Wednesday was a fun day. We had district council, and two of the other companionships brought some food for people to eat: cheesecake and a tin of cookies. The cheesecake was alright, but the cookies were way stale. So, since there were a bunch of kids running around the church, we just figured we'd leave them out for the kids/parents to have, right? Wrong. We left the tin on a chair holding the door to the room open, and when a kid came by, the parent said, "No, those probably aren't for us, ignore them." We happily called out that they were, in fact, for anyone. To which the mother replied (in a rather passive-aggressive tone) "We won't have any. We're here for a Healthy Changes Support Group, so if you could just take those away, that would be nice." Seriously? What are the odds?? And who deprives their children of beautiful, delicious sugar??😢 But oh well. After district council we did a lot of tracting (read: three hours) then we went to Mutual to help one of the young men of the ward with his Eagle Scout Project. His project was to make little felt-bottomed boxes to roll dice in, since apparently there is a large club at the local library that play frequently. Also, after helping, we were playing around with a volleyball with some of the 12-year-olds, and I may or may not have accidentally kicked the volleyball into one of the kids' faces. Oops. They all laughed it off though, so it was chill..😯 Thursday: Thursday was fun. We made little felt stockings for future dinner messages with members, then we went to the church to try to call some people to set up appointments. After, we had lunch and companionship study, which was reading a conference talk by Elder Holland. I'm trying to read/listen to/watch all of his talks since his very first one. By the way, if any of you want a good talk about fatherhood and how difficult it can be, listen to his very first talk. We should've known he was going to be a fire speaker from that talk. Anyway, we went to go finding afterwards, which was more tracting. We had dinner with the Payne family which was some good taco soup. Afterwards while we were talking, they told us that a pretty big snowstorm coming in the next day in the evening. So they told us to be careful, and we said we (probably) would be. Friday: Friday, we went to the church and did our weekly planning. When we got there, it was overcast, but not a single snowflake fell. We went to go have lunch back at the apartment, then came back to the church to finish. As we went in, a few flakes were falling, but not really anything serious. (As a joke, I texted in a GIF to our district, the one from LOTR where Theoden is like "So it begins" before the Battle of Helm's Deep. Ended up being accurate.) After we finished, we went to go send out the ward council email, and by then there were a few more flakes, and things were starting to stick. As we typed up the email and did a few things there, we watched as probably three inches accumulated within the hour. That was the only warning this storm gave, and we should've listened. We met with Brother Wade at the church still, and by the time we finished, there was at least 5". We drove back to our apartment to have dinner, then during dinner we received a message that, per mission president's request, cars were not to be driven. So we were stuck. We called a few people to check in on them, then tried to set up a few appointments. But without a car, we weren't really able to go out and do much, especially since we didn't want to make members drive us around. As I wrote in my journal Friday night around 9pm, it was still snowing, and it was nearly at 8". Saturday: You'd think that a snowstorm like that would have run out by this point, but that's what you get for thinking, because it was only starting at this point. When we got up, it was still snowing. As we did our morning studies, it was still snowing. And as we planned for what to do, it was still snowing. And accumulating. So we basically planned that we were going to shovel people's driveways all day. But we didn't have snow shovels. We knew the Church always has some we could borrow, but the cars weren't able to drive at this point, since President Bateman hadn't dropped his order yet. But then he said that if the roads were plowed, we could drive, but be careful about it. So, once we saw that the roads were clear, we cleared off the car to go get some snow shovels. Looking at the car, there was a six-inch wall of snow behind it preventing us from getting out. We had two options - clear it away with our hands/feet, or just try to drive over it and see what happens. You all know me well enough to know that I chose option #2. But it worked out well, because when I got in the car to back it up, I remembered - our car has all-wheel drive. So I backed the car out of the spot and over the wall with no trouble at all. It was like the car wasn't even trying. As we went throughout the day, the car acted like there wasn't even snow for the most part. We went and got the shovels, but to get to the church, we had to park in a nearby neighborhood and walk over there. Mind you, during all of today's adventures, it was still snowing. We tried to clear some of the sidewalks of the church, but it was still coming down, so we gave up and had lunch. After lunch we went to go check on a few members to see if they needed help to clear their snow. Most people already had it done, but they gave us some recommendations on who to go see. One of them was our Elders Quorum president who had pneumonia. We tried to park in their driveway to help, but it wasn't cleared enough, so we had to go park in their neighbor's driveway. We walked up to ask if that was alright, and we talked for a bit about why we were there, that we were only going to be 20 minutes while we cleared a spot for our car, etc.. Well, as it turned out, the neighbor owned a snowplow for his truck, and he was just about to go and clear a bunch of other places. So, he drove over and cleared it for us! It turned what was surely going to be a 2-hour project into less than 4 minutes for him. We thanked him a ton, then went to go clear more driveways. Some were in nicely plowed neighborhoods, others not so much. But our intrepid Fusion got us where we needed to go, every time! Our dinner appointment came and picked us up from our apartment, which was nice of him. As we drove back to our apartment, the storm had mostly subsided to just a light flurry. It took this storm roughly 24 hours to get out all of its big stuff, but it wasn't quite done. Sunday: Sunday morning, it was still snowing, albeit lightly. We got some texts from missionaries asking about who had canceled church and who was still having it. Our ward decided to stick it out since we were so close to the building, but a few other wards canceled. So we ended up having 3 set of missionaries in the ward for the day! After church, we went to go check on a few people that we had thought about to make sure they were okay. The snowstorm finally subsided by this point, and there was little to no precipitation coming down. We had dinner with a fun family, the Thomas'. Then after dinner, we were able to watch the Yough Adult devotional with Elder & Sister Renlund. It was super awesome, and I recommend that everyone watch it, if only for the great parable they used. Monday: Monday was our first vaguely normal day since the storm. We went out in the morning to try to see if we could get a hold of Ron, someone previous elders had taught but who we were never able to get a hold of. Well, turns out that he was home, with his mother, who is an active member. We were able to teach him the Restoration, and also put him on date for baptism! We were super excited about it, and we are really excited to keep teaching him. He has a hard time learning and understanding sometimes, but he's a sweet guy and he's really trying his best. After that, we had lunch, and I made banana bread. We dropped off a loaf at the kind stranger's house, the guy who plowed the driveway for us. We also left him with a copy of the Book of Mormon and our number, just in case. We had dinner on our own, then we tried calling people in the evening. Also, it was transfer call day. I didn't really mention it earlier, but it's all good because only one Elder in the zone is leaving, and it's not me or Elder Jones. This does make him the first companion I've had since Elder Cardiff to stay more than one transfer, so that's neat! And that's the week! It was absolutely crazy fun and awesome, and I'm so happy with all the snow we got. I love snow. And I now also love the Ford Fusion, as that car does not stop for anything. I hope you all have a wonderful week! Love, Elder Brown

[Image description: A group text with a picture of Elder Brown standing in his apartment bundled up in a trenchcoat, a beanie, and sunglasses with a scarf wrapped around his face. His gloved hands are giving two thumbs up. The caption is: “Ready for service tracting!”]

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littleredroseonthevalley · 6 years

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An Opera on Separation - Chapter 3

Prologue | Ch. 1 | Ch. 2 | CH. 3 | Ch. 4 | Ch. 5 | Ch. 6 | Ch. 7 | Ch. 8 | Ch. 9 | Ch. 10 | Ch. 11 | Ch. 12 | Ch. 13 | Ch. 14 | Ch. 15 | Ch. 16 | Ch. 17 | Ch. 18 |

Summary: Emily settles in to her new life in the city, while having a fortunate encounter with Zig at the teacher’s lounge. Queenie join the ranks of the New York drug dealers.

Rating: M - Not suitable for children or teens below the age of 16 with non-explicit suggestive adult themes, references to some violence, or coarse language.

Notes: Howdhy-ho, everyone! How’s Monday for you? How did you like the (shitty) TJ finale?

Today we have a Michael Jackson classic as theme song, so give it a listen. Also, I don’t bite (hard), so subscribe to the taglist and to my blog for all the juicest updates!

Smooth Criminal

The days passed by quickly, and soon enough it was Thursday. Emily barely noticed her first week of employment go through her, mostly because she has been so busy trying to get a footing of her new teaching career, all in the while juggling a burden in form of a parent and the set-up of an apartment.

All on her own, mind you.

She sure felt tired, but the weekend was impending, and she surely wouldn’t mind sleeping the Sunday away. It was cheap entertainment, after all.

The woman was jolted back from her thoughts by a voice coming from behind her back: “Hey, Emily.”

“Oh, hi, Zig!” She smiled at him. “I don’t see you since the meeting.”

“Yeah, I use my lunch time to have my office hours, but my students decided to give me a reprieve today.” His pearly whites flashed at her. “How are you doing, Emily? We barely had any time to talk these last few days.”

Zigmund Ortega. Only brother to four sisters. The bad boy of the Hartfeld Knights. Connecticut’s Double Threat. He was a friend from college of Emily’s, a dear one at that. They met back on her freshman year, when he worked as a barista on her favorite coffeeshop on campus.

Zig was the first recipient to the Second Chance Scholarship Program, sponsored by the now-former-NFL player and current Senator for Maine, Christopher Powell. As students, she and Chris were close friends, and when he decided to put forward Zig as a test student for the endowment.

Since Chris’ choice was due much to her own insistence, Emily felt highly-responsible about the young man. While she admits to her own hovering, it did forge a lasting relationship between them.

After Graduation, not unlike most of her relations back then, the friendship between them faded slowly, both immersed in their own lives. However, she did know that he majored in Mathematics, achieving his degree with honors and high praise amongst the New English academic community.

“I’m fine. I’m a little overwhelmed with the move and New York City, but I’m really pumped up.” Her lips turned up and her eyes shone. “It’s my first experience as a teacher. I won’t lie, it has been really hard, but I’m loving it so far!”

“Heh, that’s the feeling, alright. It’s that kind of profession you give your all, and it’s so worth it!” He smirked in response. “But, tell me, why Mrs. Sterling chose this school out of all others to teach?”

Her expression dimmed. “I’m Ms. Harper, now. Nathan and I got divorced back on Spring.”

The hazel eyes widened. The man sure wasn’t expecting that. “Jeez, Em, I’m sorry. I didn’t know!”

“Don’t worry. It’s not like it was on the papers or anything. We agreed we preferred to keep it discreet.” The redhead dismissed. “But tell me, Mr. Dean’s List, I could ask you the same question. You could teach anywhere you wanted. Why Lydia Child?”

“Well, sure I could teach at some college or at that Lanes prep school. Heck, I sure would earn a lot more cash than I do here.” He pondered. “But, those students have a whole bunch of opportunities. Here in Rosewood Creek, we’re all these kids got. I just feel I’m more needed here than anywhere else.”

“That’s… that’s very noble of you.” Emily said, surprised and admired with his reasoning. “I’m sure you’re very appreciated around here. I mean, I don’t interact much with the younger pupils, but the GED students love your classes, and the other teachers all seem to sing you praise in the halls.”

Zig let out a self-conscious laugh. “I don’t do this for being praised.”

The woman’s head nodded. “I know. That doesn’t mean you don’t deserve it.”

“I suppose it’s nice to be recognized for it.” He conceded.

Before long, the bell rings. “Well, that’s me.” The redhead said.

“I’ll see you around, then.” He responded.

She beamed at him. “You sure will.”

Queenie Rhodes was a rightful mess.

With the hair tied on a wide, straight bun on top of her head, a muddy-colored dress she borrowed from her daughter’s bland wardrobe and no make-up whatsoever, she looked just like some Human Sciences professor.

It was a necessary evil, however, as she had to blend in the crowd that attended Columbia’s library.

She strutted confidently to the reference desk and said to the librarian: “Good morning. Could you tell me where the metaphysics books are located at?”

“It’s all the way in the back, to your left.” The aide pointed. “Do you want me to accompany you?”

“There’s no need, thank you.” The older woman smiled and walked away.

Queenie walked over to the aisle, her short heels tapping on the sleek floor. The wide windows of Butler Library let in the soft sunlight from the outside, as the day was overcast.

Her sources say that particular area of the library was used for all sorts of shady deals and exchanges. It didn’t come as a surprise, as the place had little attendance, and its positioning within the building did not favor natural lightning.

She found a table and sat next to a young girl, dressed on a heavy coat and fidgeting.

“Did you bring it?” The girl anxiously asked.

Queenie takes the small vial off her book bag and hands it over to the girl. “Twenty doses of focus pills. Two hundred dollars.”

She slides two hundred-dollar bills, which Queenie shoves on the bag. The girl pops a pill and the woman slides the chair back again and stand up to leave.

It was way too easy to sell those stressed students some sleeping pills as amphetamine. Not only that particular brand of sleep medicine was much cheaper than Adderall, it also took weeks for them to realize the problem was the drugs, not the fact they were only too tired for it to work.

By then, they would have forgotten all about her, and they wouldn’t be able to complain.

As she was leaving, she stopped by the reference desk. “Hey, miss? I saw a girl passed out on the desk over at the back.”

The librarian huffed, stressed. “Not this again! Thank you, ma’am, I’ll take care of it.”

Emily unlocked the front door of her apartment and announced, a little too loud for such a small place: “Mom! I’m home!”

As she placed her bag on the kitchen counter, her mother, laid on the couch reading a fashion magazine, greeted her: “Hey, honey. How’s work today?”

“Just fine.” She commented, as she walks into the kitchen. “I had lunch with Zig today.”

“Oh, that hunky friend of yours from college, right?” The older woman asks, captiously. “Shame he ends up on such a filthy place!”

“We ended up in ‘such a filthy place’, as you so gracefully put it.” The redhaired points out, rather annoyed. “It’s not shameful. And, in any case, Zig works at Rosewood Creek by choice.”

“Work dignifies man, and all that crap, I know.” Queenie dismissed. “Why would someone in their right mind choose to work in Uptown Manhattan?”

“He’s a very talented teacher, mom. He thinks the children here would benefit more than the spoilt brats at Park Avenue.” She counters. “I don’t want to have this discussion again with you. How was your day?”

“I picked up the groceries like you asked me to.” She responded.

“And where’s the change?” Emily asks, defying.

“There was no change. The money you left me was short.” The older woman responded, closing her magazine and walking over to the kitchen.

The daughter shook her head. “Mom, there’s no way the money I gave you wasn’t enough for food.”

“Ugh, fine!” Queenie pulled a twenty-dollar bill from her bra. “Here.”

The youngest looked at the money and at the woman. “Are you absolutely sure that’s all?”

“Yes, Emily!” She demeans. “This is all.”

The ginger took the bill and placed it on the purse with a cautious look to the woman. The matriarch held the poker face, mostly because there was thirty more dollars of change she pocketed.

Instead, the woman said: “What’s for dinner?”

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An Opera on Separation - Masterlist

#an opera on separation #the junior #zigmund ortega

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jghouse-asia-pacific · 3 years

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New Post has been published on https://www.jg-house.com/2021/07/28/big-city-small-world/

Big City, Small World

On the third floor, Sylvere found himself in a wide, unexpected space similar to the one on the second floor. The difference was the collection of small circular tables surrounded by chairs and other office equipment which he now saw. Perhaps 15 people huddled together in small groups, typing on computers.

A young man stepped out of a small room, apparently a lavatory, on the eastern side of the room and told Sylvere where to find Bénédicte. When Sylvere approached the northwestern corner of the building, he saw a large circular table under a tall window. At the table sat a child-like figure hunched over a stack of files.

Inexplicably, Sylvere recognized the woman who, noticing the appearance of someone she expected to be a stranger, put down the piece of paper she held and rose from the table. As she walked toward him, extending one hand, Sylvere recalled a scene almost 40 years previously in a medical clinic atop a muddy hill on the outskirts of Beni, a city of 250,000 people in the northeastern corner of Congo 75 kilometers from Uganda.

On an overcast day in 1982 outside Beni, Sylvere had traveled with his friend, Ronald, to the medical clinic’s primitive facilities where they encountered a diminutive woman wearing the habit of a Dominican nun. She stood next to a group of Mbuti people, commonly known as pygmies. She was no taller than any of the four Mbuti men accompanying three Mbuti women and one of their children who came from the nearby Ituri rainforest so the child could receive treatment for an acute case of dysentery.

Standing in the offices of Le Carrefour and shaking the tiny hand of the woman, who no longer wore a habit but who now wore an austere black dress, Sylvere recalled that Ronald, a young medical doctor returning from Europe to Congo with plans of opening his own clinic, eventually had chosen the city of Rutshuru, 300 kilometers south of Beni, as the site of his new practice. But both Sylvere and Ronald had been impressed by the nun, who although diminutive in stature was commanding in presence.

“Ronald was a good man,” Bénédicte commented, seemingly reading Sylvere’s thoughts. “True, he didn’t fully grasp the severity of his situation caught between a desire to help innocent men, women, and children and a need to co-operate with scrupulous business and political operators seeking power and wealth.” Bénédicte directed her gaze upward into Sylvere’s face with an intensity and coldness which plunged his thoughts into a state of confusion. The gaze had a profound impact on Sylvere, simultaneously surprising and repulsing him.

Meeting her gaze, Sylvere calculated the small woman before him was at least 85 years old. He wondered what sustained her over so many years in her work. He didn’t think her efforts were born of empathy or even love for fellow human beings.

“Of course, Ronald also was a good doctor,” Bénédicte continued, leading Sylvere back to the table. Through the tall window, Sylvere saw a view of the streets in that ancient quarter of Paris he had not seen before. He wondered if the building was owned by the Catholic Church or else one of its wealthy and loyal adherents.

Bénédicte gestured toward one of the chairs at the table, directing the intensity of her gaze at Sylvere again.

“But the Lord had other plans for Ronald in Heaven,” the small woman added. “Who are we to question the designs of our Heavenly father?”

Old Woman on the Street

***

The dark clouds massing in the skies some distance north of Paris during the late morning now extended southward to the skies above the city. Still Sylvere thought he could make it back to Combs-la-Ville before the rain started falling.

Standing on the sidewalk next to the street, Rue Montmartre, on one side and on the other side the set of two tall wooden doors at the base of the building which housed the offices of Le Carrefour, he looked at the watch on his right wrist. It was almost 2:15. He wanted to return home as quickly as possible. He hoped to stop at Pinto’s house, which was just four blocks away from his own house, to report on the meeting with Bénédicte. However, Sylvere didn’t hurry down the street in the direction of the train station, Châtelet–Les Halles. Instead he looked up at the sky again, recalling the words spoken to him by Bénédicte half an hour earlier.

“We will do everything we can to help Claudette,” Bénédicte had stated. “The process likely will be a long one,” she had added before looking across the table at her assistant. “Edwina will contact you on Monday for the rest of the information we need to open an asylum case,” Bénédicte had continued. Although Bénédicte had expressed her sympathies, she had explained that her organization did not have the ability to arrange immediate admission to France for Claudette despite the threats on her life in Congo.

The meeting had dashed his hopes. He had failed.

“It’s clear now,” Sylvere said out loud in Kikongo. “I will not be able to rescue Claudette from Congo and bring her to France in time.” Abruptly, Sylvere, a different thought entering his mind, removed his mobile phone from the pocket of his red windbreaker. He made a call. “Tell Jim not to accept the job offer from the company in Switzerland until I’ve had an opportunity to talk with him,” Sylvere said in Lingala when Josephine had answered. “I’ll be home by 4:30,” he added. He hung up. This time, still grasping his phone in one hand, he pushed his body as fast it would go through the streets leading to Châtelet–Les Halles.

When Sylvere arrived at the massive transit hub in the heart of Paris and made his way to the platform designated for the train to Combs-la-Ville, he stopped 20 feet away from a rectangular concrete structure to which a long plastic bench had been attached to each of the four sides of the structure. He could see as many as 30 people sitting on the benches or standing in front of them. As Sylvere brought his small phone up to his face and started to reply to the text message he had received from Pinto during lunch, his attention was caught by someone standing directly up the platform from him. Sylvere looked at the person.

Serge was looking back at him. Sylvere opened his mouth to speak. Then he closed it again. No, it was not Serge who was looking at him. The man, who bore a resemblance to Serge, flashed a smile at Sylvere before averting his gaze to a point somewhere down the tracks. Startled by the resemblance and reminded of the events from earlier in the day, Sylvere directed his attention back to his phone. He found the phone number he wanted. He dialed the number.

“Can you think of any reason Serge would be following me?” Sylvere said in Kikongo when Pinto had answered. Both men belonged to the Kongo ethnic group which originated in southwestern Congo. They had the same mother tongue. Also like Sylvere, Pinto had socialized with Serge at many events, both large and small, in the Congolese community over the years.

“Can you think of any reason Serge would be talking with Quentin?” Pinto replied, referring to the bodyguard of Anthony Lukambo, whose coltan and cassiterite mines in eastern Congo had made him a rich and powerful man at the expense of the lives of many other people. Pinto described how his wife, Bernadette, had overheard Serge and Quentin talking in an alley behind a Congolese market in Combs-la-Ville the previous day. “Meet me at my house tonight after dinner,” Pinto added. “I’ll be in my workshop in the back.”

Young Woman on the Street

***

The first drops of rain began hitting the pavement as Sylvere hurried along Rue Gustave Hervé in the old section, built in the 1970s, of Combs-la-Ville and came in sight of his house. He could feel the raindrops soaking through the thin sleeves of his red windbreaker and spreading across his skin. Then he could feel a different sensation through the worn fabric of his jacket. It was the vibration of his phone.

“Sylvere stopped on the side of the road next to a tall mulberry tree, removed his phone from the pocket of the red windbreaker, and looked at the caller ID information. He saw a number which included three characters, +49, indicating the country code of Germany. He didn’t recognize the number. But he answered.

“Good afternoon, Mr. Sylvere,” a woman said, speaking slowly in French, “we are prepared to help you transport Ms. Claudette from Goma, Congo, to Paris, France.” Sylvere realized he had heard the woman’s voice before. It belonged to the fifth contact and sole woman referred by Pinto. The woman continued: “We would like to invite you and Mr. Pinto to Tervuren, outside Brussels, to discuss our proposition. We understand the urgency of the situation. We will send a car for you tomorrow at noon. Please stand by for further details.”

The connection was cut.

Sylvere didn’t move, standing on the side of the road in the rain next to a mulberry tree while holding his phone to his ear. A car passed. A second car passed. A third car approached, its horn honking. Sylvere felt small streams of water running down his back, his legs, his whole body. He brought the phone down from his ear and started composing a text message.

“You came through,” Sylvere wrote in Kikongo. “We’re going to Brussels tomorrow.” He sent the message. Then he walked home.

***

#Europe, #France, #LifeCulture #Africa, #Art, #Beauty, #Culture, #Paris

#Africa #art #beauty #culture #Paris

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the-pontiac-bandit · 7 years

Text

and the dish ran away with the spoon

okay. here it is. if you’ve been wondering why i’ve been posting about geese for so long, this is why. it’s The Goose AU. based on this joke prompt sent to me by the lovely @lovelycraters (who also drew ABSOLUTELY AMAZING ART for this that imma make her post asap). all the thanks to @startofamoment, who helped me world-build and egged me on from a dumb 3-sentence response to this and to @jakelovesamy for listening to me whine and googling yacht clubs in nyc and obscure latvian dishes. and to @wrenjamin who has listened to me develop a severe goose phobia over the past several weeks THOSE THINGS HAVE T E E T H YALL

For Terry, it was a falcon. A dark, oversized, absolutely majestic (at least, according to Terry) bird landed on his windowsill every day for a week, disappearing as he got dressed in the morning, until Sunday morning, when it tapped on his window gently with its beak, asking for entry. It led him to the farmers’ market, where he bumped into Sharon, also in line to buy locally-sourced honey.

For Charles, it was a dog, a mutt who ran up and started humping his leg in the middle of the grocery store. It wasn’t until he’d taken the dog home, when none of his neighbors seemed aware of its presence, that Charles realized that this particular stray was meant to lead him to his soulmate. Twelve days later, on a walk, the dog dragged him to an exotic food truck he’d been in search of for almost a year, where Genevieve was doling out Latvian frikadelu zipa.

For Gina, it was a panther, large and sleek. It twined around her legs for a day, prompting her to frequently and dramatically strut around the precinct, bragging about jeweled collars and fur as smooth and voluminous as her own perfectly-conditioned hair. The squad resisted the urge to point out that none of the rest of them could appreciate the apparent magnificence of the panther – Gina may live her life out loud, but they’d never seen her this transparently happy. That night, the panther accompanied her to watch a dark, curly mane of hair win a motorcycle race for which her love was the prize.

Given these experiences, Jake is fully prepared for a majestic, dignified lone wolf. Obviously, it would be large enough for him to ride like a horse straight to Diamond Point Yacht Club, where a gorgeous speedboat model would be lounging in the sun, her own wolf napping beside her.

These expectations are why, when a goose lands in his passenger seat on a mundane overcast Monday morning, Jake’s first emotion is annoyance.

Cursing his windows, which never close, he tries to shoo the bird away. This is far from his first unwanted avian passenger – pigeons seem to be regularly attracted to the various unhealthy delicacies that sit in his glove console – so he’s become an expert at shooing birds out the window one-handed with his eyes on the road.

Much to his deep annoyance, the goose won’t leave.

That should have tipped him off, he tells everyone later. Terry reminds him that hindsight is 20/20, Gina tells him that any true dazzledove would have known instantly, and all he can think is that he should have gotten more sleep – maybe then he would have put things together quickly enough to make a better decision.

Instead of embracing this goose, who was nuzzling affectionately at his elbow resting on the console, Jake chooses a less advisable course of action. At the stoplight ten blocks from the precinct, he grabs it and dumps it unceremoniously into the bike lane.

He hears its squawks as he drives off, and he spares a moment to be thankful that he won’t have to keep listening to it – the loud, nasal squawks were ruining his already-awful Monday morning.

It isn’t until he gets in the elevator to head up to work – only ten minutes late today – that he realizes he made a mistake. That’s when the goose reappears, standing next to him. He sees it, notices that not one other cop waiting for the elevator to come has reacted to the very large goose standing in the crowd, and starts to wonder. And then, it bites his ankle – hard, with a shockingly sharp set of teeth – and he groans aloud.

He’s not at all surprised when the goose hops into his lap before Terry starts the morning briefing. He’s doing his best to ignore this highly unfortunate development – he has no desire at all to admit to Gina that his wolf (which he’d already named Vendetta) had been replaced by an intrusive, vicious goose. Seeming to sense his thoughts, the goose hops up, beating its wings in his face so hard that he tips his chair backwards. Jake’s indignant shouts and flailing arms, swatting at something no one else can see, as well as the resulting crash when his chair tips backwards, leaving Jake lying on the floor with a goose sitting triumphantly on his chest (who knew geese were this heavy) is impossible to ignore. Charles is hovering over Jake, concerned about bruises and broken bones and bruises and brush burns – “They’re no joke, Jakey! You could scar that perfect skin!” – Jake decides to come clean.

“So, my animal may have…dropped in this morning,” he mumbles.

Charles gasps, tears springing to his eyes at the idea that his best friend will finally meet the love of his life.

Terry, from the front of the room whoops. “What is it? Come on – spill! You know Terry loves love!”

Gina, reclining with her feet in a beat cop’s lap and her nose in her phone in the back of the room, looks up. “Oh, goose!” she exclaims.

“Yup, that’s it. Did you guys know geese are the worst?” Jake mutters darkly, unceremoniously dumping the aforementioned goose on the ground as he stands up, brushing off his wrinkled flannel and showing Charles he’s still alive.

“What’s it?” Charles asks, a little confused. “Jakey, do you have a concussion? I didn’t even think to worry about a concussion!”

Charles is trying to make Jake follow his finger as he waves it wildly around Jake’s line of vision, and the chaos is all too much, and the goose is pecking at his toes through his shoes, as if testing to see if they’re edible. It’s a lot – especially for 9:21 in the morning.

He sighs. This was not how this was supposed to go. “My animal is a goose. A really mean goose,” he adds with a pointed look at his foot.

Terry smiles affectionately and starts babbling about personalities and animals and birds and the beauty of finding your match, and Charles starts to sob uncontrollably, talking about happiness and futures and the majestic nature of Vendetta the goose (Jake immediately regrets telling Charles the intended name of his wolf. Vendetta the goose sounds much less badass, much to his dismay). Gina just laughs.

Jake shuts his eyes, trying to pretend that the morning isn’t happening. Tragically, the goose, which has flown up to perch uncomfortably on top of his head, isn’t particularly interested in allowing him to forget.

It takes nearly twenty minutes to calm down Charles, with Terry holding him (a few tears leaking out of his own eyes as Charles sobs happily into his shirt, suspenders clutched in both hands). Gina live-tweets the whole thing. Jake wants someone to sink into the floor – whether he’d rather it be him or the goose, he truly isn’t sure.

Jake’s awful morning doesn’t improve as it progresses. Charles, sitting in the desk across from him, keeps staring at him for truly weird amounts of time, with a starry look in his eyes. He puts Genevieve on speakerphone, where they shout loudly about the beauty of new love over the din of angry Latvian construction workers placing their lunch orders.

Jake doesn’t make it out on any cases. His life has stalled over the appearance of the goose – he can’t concentrate on his cases, and the goose ate his X, H, and A keys while he was at lunch, so his progress on paperwork is slow and riddled with far more spelling errors than usual. Finally, mercifully, his shift ends, and he’s allowed to leave his desk, now covered in goose feathers that only he can see (there are so many feathers he’s convinced the goose must be pulling them out and putting them there on purpose, but he can’t prove it to anyone else).

Jake directs his car out of the parking lot and onto the street. Then, he pulls the goose onto his lap. “Okay. I can’t ride you, but you’re going to have to show me where this person is somehow. Try driving?”

The goose honks (Jake already hates this noise more than he hates listening to Charles talk about Genevieve’s hair) and grabs the steering wheel with its beak. Briefly, Jake is encouraged. Maybe the goose will drive and Jake can find whatever nerd he’s supposed to end up with (seriously, who ends up with a goose as their animal, he wonders sourly, pointedly ignoring the fact that he, too, has a goose as his animal). Then, exactly twenty yards into his experiment, the goose jerks the car right, doing his best to run them onto the sidewalk.

Jake slams on the brakes, coming to a screeching halt in the shoulder of the street, mere inches from a very solid-looking mailbox. He mutters a string of curses under his breath as he looks around on the street for another goose, hoping beyond hope that his goose turned right to find his match, rather than out of sheer malice. The lack of other people battling mean geese, as well as the self-satisfied expression on the face of his passenger, suggest otherwise.

Jake repeats the experiment twice more, on side streets where he’s less likely to accidentally hit a pedestrian. First, the goose tries to run him into a lamp post. Then, a giant statue of a teddy bear advertising a nearby toy store. Finally, Jake decides that geese must not be able to drive. When he releases his companion, the goose jumps, flapping his wings in Jake’s face (he gets a smelly mouthful of feathers when he protests) before heading for the passenger seat. For half a second, Jake thinks he’s headed out the still-open window, and his heart leaps. It’s only been eight hours and thirty-nine minutes, but Jake would already commit to a life of solitude where he never found a soulmate if that life lacked geese.

Unfortunately, the goose just lands on the interior door handle, lengthening his neck out the window and sticking his tongue out to catch the breeze like a very white, very feathery, very mean dog. Jake sighs and turns the car around to drive home – if he has to deal with the goose, he at least wants pizza and Die Hard to help.

Pizza and Die Hard do help, but only marginally. The goose dives in and licks a full half of the pizza before Jake can even touch it. Much to Jake’s frustration when he tries to feed the goose the spoiled pieces, geese don’t even seem to like pizza – apparently this particular goose just wanted to spite him. Then, the goose sits on the remote (Jake swears it’s on purpose) and turns off the TV thirty-eight minutes into the movie. Jake doesn’t really mind having to start it over – the first thirty-eight minutes are eternally rewatchable, but he’s still mad at the goose on principle.

Finally, mercifully, it’s time for bed. Jake manages to save his toothbrush from the goose, who has decided it would be an excellent idea to sit on Jake’s bathroom counter, carefully positioning its rear end over all of Jake’s toiletries. He also manages to save his favorite academy t-shirt from the goose, who grabs it for a game of tug-of-war. He manages to settle the goose in the hallway (an extended process that involves the sacrifice of several old t-shirts for a goose bed and a sprint for his bedroom door, which he locks, breathing hard after the sprint down the hall and hoping beyond hope that magical animals are unable to charm locks open), and he goes to bed, hoping that either his soulmate will be on his doorstep tomorrow or that the goose will be gone – he’d honestly settle for either.

But only thirty minutes after he drifts off to sleep, he wakes up to a loud squawk and a very warm weight on his chest. He groans and turns over, dumping the weight in the process. For a second, his groggy brain thinks he’s solved the problem. And then, only centimeters from his ear, he hears the loudest squawk he’s ever heard in his life. He jumps up, startled, and hits his head on a surprisingly hard goose beak. The goose reels back with the impact before nipping Jake’s arm in retaliation. He has never sympathized with the stranglers he puts away before, but he thinks he finally gets it.

While murderous thoughts flood through his brain and he begins to consider asking Charles about the various ways to cook geese, wondering whether magical invisible animal flesh is edible, the goose hops off his bed and runs to the doorframe, looking back at him expectantly.

His first instinct is to bury his head back in his pillow and hope the goose goes back to bed. But then he remembers why he has a goose squatting in his studio apartment in the first place – is it possible it’s actually trying to be useful? Could it be that his soulmate is walking by outside at this very moment?

Jake is disgusted by the sappiness of the hope running through his brain, but this doesn’t stop him from rushing for his shoes and following the goose out the bedroom and towards the front door, with a quick stop in the hall bathroom to squeeze some toothpaste into his mouth. His eyes are bloodshot and his hair is mussed, but he’s sure his soulmate won’t care – surely she’ll just be happy to get rid of the goose, too.

He sprints out the door, the goose nipping at his heels, urging him faster. He stubs his toe hard against the kitchen counter and bumps his head against the corner of his cabinets as he rounds the corner, but he makes it to the front door in eight seconds flat – a personal record. He slams through the entrance, already turning right to head for the staircase. It’s as he barrels down the hallway that he trips over the goose, wings spread wide and feathers fluffed to look as large as possible. He goes down hard, catching a large mouthful of dirty carpet, and rises to his feet, uttering a long string of curses that he’s sure will wake his neighbors, only to find that the goose is still blocking his path.

When he tries to approach, it squawks at him, all of its sharp teeth on prominent display, so Jake takes a few steps back, hands up. He tries some soothing words, muttering nothings about goose tacos and fried goose and goose sandwich in the most calming voice he knows, but as he takes his fifth step back towards his open apartment door, the goose flaps its way over his head (slapping him in the face with its legs in the process) and slams his door closed.

“Oh, God, that auto-locks,” Jake groans, his words slurred a little with sleep. He walks over and tries the handle anyway – the goose stands off to the side, watching almost as if it knows the door won’t open, no matter how many times Jake rattles it.

Five minutes of non-stop leaning on the door knob yield no results, and Jake is finally forced to admit that he’s locked out of his apartment in boxers and a t-shirt. His neighbor has a key, but he works a night shift as a hot dog vendor, and his phone is inside, so he can’t call Gina for her spare. So instead, he slides down the wall so that he’s sitting, head on one knee, against the door, hoping against hope that the goose locked him out here because his soulmate is some new girl who moved into the vacant apartment down the hall and will be walking home any minute. His last thought before his eyes fully shut is that a speedboat model better be the one waking him up.

Tragically, the next face he sees is that of Fred, his middle-aged neighbor who lives across the hall, asking him if he’s okay. He mumbles something about automatic locks and broken doors and carpet that smells like mildew, but it isn’t until he adds “…and dumb soulmate geese trying to ruin your life…” that Fred’s face lights up in understanding.

“I’ll go get my key,” he assures Jake quickly before speeding inside.

The sounds of his clumsy neighbor slamming cabinets and rifling through drawers, accented by a colorful string of angry curses, clears Jake’s mind enough for him to sit up, stretching out his cramped limbs and rubbing his eyes, dry and itchy from one of the worst sleeps he can ever remember. That’s when he sees the goose, curled up peacefully like a dog on his welcome mat. He has never hated anything more.

Fred disrupts his reveries about gruesomely bloody water fowl murders by returning with a key, slightly bent but still functional. Jake pushes himself off the ground – with a great deal of effort and several loud (arguably unnecessary) groans – while Fred unlocks the door.

“Well, Jakey, I’ll bring you some hot dogs tonight – you look like you need them. Good luck with your soulmate…did you say goose?”

Jake dives in the door before he has to explain further. Of course the goose is already sitting on the couch, and even though beaks are possibly the least expressive food-holes available, Jake knows it’s grinning at him.

Work doesn’t improve his mood – he goes out with Charles first thing in the morning to check out a crime scene, and it should be simple, but the goose starts moving around critical pieces of evidence, scaring the beat cops who see nothing but floating kitchen utensils in the trashed apartment, and Charles, with tears in his eyes threatening to soak his face, has to tell Jake he should probably wait outside.

Charles also calls the goose Vendetta almost obsessively, as though he’s trying to convince Jake that this goose is somehow better than the wolf Jake’s always dreamed of. Jake calls the goose Quackers. This elicits a fresh round of honks every time he uses it.

In the afternoon, Terry tries to take Jake out to investigate a B&E – a low-stakes call was made about a broken window a few blocks away. The goose spends the car ride using its beak to open and close the windows so much that it breaks the button for the passenger seat. Jake’s a little mad about the repair costs that now fall on him, and very mad that the goose got to be the one to break the window – something he’s wanted to try all his life.

He’s confined to the precinct after that.

The goose seems more interested in eating the Chinese takeout Jake picked up on his way home than it had been in the pizza the night before. Jake’s even hopeful that they’ve reached something of a truce – Jake feeds it the vegetables that always come in his fried rice, no matter how many times he requests carbs and meat only, and it lets Jake eat both fortune cookies.

Jake’s smart enough to know now that when the goose wakes him up - more gently this time - he shouldn’t follow. Part of him - the part that still maintains some iota of optimism - wonders if maybe tonight is the night when Quackers actually does his job, but the part of him that is maybe now convinced that his bed - lumps and all - is actually probably his soulmate lets his eyes fall all the way shut without a second thought.

He wakes up to the angry beeping of his alarm far too early, and he groans as he slams the snooze button. He could sleep for another ten days, so it’s the easiest decision of his life to slam the snooze button - just once.

Five painfully short snoozes later, the hell-goose, whom he’s forgotten is sleeping at the foot of his bed, stinking up all of his favorite shirts and peppering his blankets with feathers, decides to intervene.

With something vaguely resembling a growl, Quackers lands on his face, batting the side of his head with its wings. Jake lets out a strangled yell, muffled by the feathers that are obstructing his airways, and flails his arms wildly until they make contact with the large goose that is definitely trying to kill him.

When Quackers goes flying, Jake takes the opportunity to roll over and bury his face in his pillow, which might be suffocating him, but at least it doesn’t smell like bird. He thinks that he’s done it, that Quackers will leave him alone, and then it only takes a few seconds for him to doze off, content in the knowledge that his alarm won’t go off for another nine minutes.

But thirty seconds later, the hell-goose is back stomping ferociously on his back, so hard that the breath is being forced out of his lungs. For a split second, Jake wonders how long he can endure this, if he should just resign himself to the fact that this is the end. That he’s going to be killed by this feathered beast, half goose and half demon, in his own bed. Then the goose shifts, allowing Jake to take a tiny breath in. Jake’s a cop, so he’s had his fair share of near death experiences, had to fight for his life more than once, but he swears that it’s never been as difficult as the fight with this goose. He waves his arms around, angled back towards the goose, rolling to one side to try to throw it off of the side of the bed, feeling its short claws digging into his skin. Somehow, Jake manages to turn and wrestle the goose off of him, finally rolling off of the bed himself, more breathless than he’d care to admit.

He takes a minute to collect himself, glaring at Quackers as he pushes the blankets around the bed, making a nest for himself and perching smugly in the middle (Jake didn’t know that geese could look smug before). Once the goose is settles, Jake briefly considers just climbing back into bed and reclaiming his blankets just to spite Quackers, but then he realises that he may very well be late for work if he doesn’t get dressed right this second. Much to Jake’s dismay, the goose won this round.

Jake’s sure that this particular Wednesday is the day that he’s going to find his soulmate. He’s earned it after a goose-fight that was somehow more exhausting than taking down even Brooklyn’s most hardened criminals. The day finally seems to be going his way - the sun is out, he gets his bagel for free after he accidentally drops it while paying, and no one notices when he’s five minutes late to work, Quackers trotting in behind him. Things seemed to have changed between them since the bedroom fight. Quackers settles at Jake’s feet quite happily for much of the day, with a self-satisfied possessiveness that makes Jake wonder if the goose thinks it’s the alpha.

This school of thought is reinforced when Charles brings in a casserole dish full of vaguely-green paste and orange chunks. With a sigh of resignation, Jake goes for his desk fork and stabs the casserole, steeling his stomach against whatever concoction Charles has brought for him to try.

When the fork, dangling mysterious strings of green, hits his tongue, though, Jake loses it. He spits it all over his keyboard, eyes watering as he rubs his tongue with his hands in a wild attempt to erase the taste from his memory.

“Charles! What was that?”

Charles looks only mildly concerned. “It’s a grass-and-carrot pâté. You know - for Vendetta!”

Jake blinks twice - both to communicate his confusion and to rid his eyes of the tears that are still forming at the memory of the grassy, overly-spicy taste that reminds him of the time Gina dared him to eat a handful of dirt on a dare. “Charles. You know that the goose doesn’t deserve a name like Vendetta. It’s Quackers, and it definitely doesn’t deserve treats. And also - why would you let me try it?”

Charles shakes his head, as if he knows something Jake doesn’t. “Jakey, Jakey, Jakey. Sharing food with your animal is a beautiful and natural part of the soulmate process! When Jason and I split his dog treats, it led to an entirely new level of understanding and devotion! It was almost as meaningful as the humping! If you won’t share goose food with Vendetta--”

“Quackers--” Jake interrupts.

“--then maybe you should try sharing human food! You need to find your soulmate, Jake. We’re all waiting for her - Genevieve needs a best friend!”

Jake shakes his head at his friend, mumbling thanks and vague words about goose-friendly pizza. Charles looks appeased - even more so when Jake throws in the word Vendetta - and leaves Jake to bond with Vendet--Quackers over the “intimate joy of shared vertebrate sustenance”.

When Charles leaves on a case thirty minutes later, a very-relieved Jake dumps the entire casserole dish on the floor, leaving Quackers to spend the afternoon licking it up (with a razor-edge tongue that makes Jake withdraw a few inches at the sight of it) while Jake successfully busts two cases of identity theft. He doesn’t, however, successfully find his soulmate, meaning he is still stuck with his vicious modern dinosaur.

He actually likes Quackers marginally better when he thinks of him like this. He may or may not spend an hour training Quackers - who is surprisingly smart, when he wants to be - to stomp around the apartment, wings extended, honk-roaring loud enough to wake Fred across the hall. It only looks marginally like a T-Rex, but Jake will take it.

Quackers never stops doing the walk. When Jake wakes up to use the bathroom in the middle of the night, as his third day with the goose wears into his fourth, he trips over a goose silently marching up and down the hall. He does it across Jake and Charles’ shared table at the morning briefing (Charles tears up at the knowledge that the animal responsible for finding his best friend’s soulmate is here and wrinkling his case files), and he does it through the break room during lunch, stopping to “roar” so loudly in Jake’s ear that he falls out of his chair, much to Gina’s delight.

Quackers continues his march across the bar at Shaw’s that night, when the squad decides to take some of the edge of the week off together. Gina and about a billion of her friends are playing darts across the room, and Charles and Genevieve are sitting in the booth that Jake just vacated, slowly and painstakingly feeding each other fries to analyze the regional origin of the artificial cheese melted on top. Jake’s just looking for another beer (and to maybe collect Quackers, who just broke his fourth wine glass, which is a habit that Jake really can’t afford) when he sees Terry and Sharon sitting at the bar. With Quackers under one arm and a new beer in the other, Jake pauses to watch.

Terry’s got one arm around his wife, and she’s whispering something to him, close to his ear so that he can hear her over the comfortable hum of the regular patrons. He throws back his head, roaring in laughter, and she has to elbow him in the side to remind him to loosen his strong grip. They look so comfortable together that it makes Jake’s heart ache just a tiny bit.

And then Quackers, all but forgotten under his arm, nudges his cheek. It’s light, almost gentle, as though he’s trying to be nice. And Jake remembers, for the first time since a goose started attacking him during a morning briefing four days ago, why the goose is here. His chest fills with warmth at the thought, and there’s a tingling inside him that has nothing to do with what must be his fourth or fifth beer. This is why he’s been losing sleep to a malicious goose.

So he calls Captain McGintley (who is slurring far more than Jake is) and gets Friday off.

The next morning, he finds himself in the middle of Prospect Park, with Quackers on a leash in front of him. He gave the goose a solid breakfast (or, rather, Charles did) and sat down and tried to explain what would be happening today. It felt weird - trying to talk to a goose like an adult, and Quackers’ beady eyes were boring into his very essence, but he’s hoping that mutual respect and increased caloric intake will aid his search.

The plan, as Jake explained it, is that Quackers will be allowed to walk on his own - on a leash - and will lead Jake wherever he needs to go to find his mystery woman. Jake’s pretty sure Quackers gets it, and he’s been far more cooperative in the past twelve hours than he had been in the past four days combined. And yet, things go wrong almost immediately.

Quackers struts through the park, and at first, Jake is encouraged. He knows he must look insane to passers-by, with a leash suspended on an invisible animal, but then he sees at least three other morning walkers doing the same, and he decides he must be okay.

And then they come to a small pond, teeming with geese. Jake continues to walk, but Quackers jerks right and dives straight in. The leash is yanked out of Jake’s hand, leaving a nasty rope burn that will definitely require some hot chocolate from Charles (or maybe from the owner of the matching goose) later. In frustration, as he watches Quackers fraternize with the other normal geese, he kicks the boulder next to his leg.

And immediately lets out a shout of pain because he’s at least 99% sure he just broke all of his toes. He hops on one foot, nearly falling into the pond, and manages to steady himself. His foot is throbbing, and he lets out a string of curses so loud that a mother nearby claps her hands over her toddler’s ears. He removes his shoe - gingerly, carefully - to examine his toe - it might be bruised.

His sneaker - his favorite one (even better than its match, which has a scuff across the toe) - is sitting forgotten on the boulder while he peels off his sock when things go really, truly wrong. All of a sudden, a white blur trailing a blue leash with rainbow pawprints flies by, snatching up the laces of his sneaker in his beak before turning on a dime and flying back out over the small pond, feet skimming the water.

Jake shouts, caught off balance, and spins on the spot, trying to spot Quackers against the too-bright sun while hopping on one foot, his right foot still throbbing as he holds it up. Almost immediately, he lands face-first in the pond, scattering geese and taking several full gulps of algae before he manages to sit up, sputtering.

Quackers is sitting on the boulder Jake just vacated, the most self-satisfied Jake’s ever seen another living thing. He puts down the sneaker, honks loudly at Jake, and struts off, wings out in his best T-Rex strut.

Jake lets out a roar worthy of the best prehistoric reptiles and leaps out of the water, clothes streaming as he sprints after Quackers, who is hopping and flying in between waddles to stay just out of reach. Jake bowls over some teenagers playing hackey sack (the sack itself hits him in the face) and splatters mud on some small girls playing hopscotch as he tries to wipe the pond grime off his face. He rips around corners and through flower bushes (he emerges from one with purple flower petals stuck to the grime on his shirt) and runs headlong into a tree trunk when Quackers stops to take a break on a branch.

Eight minutes later, Jake’s run a decent chunk of the park, all just to retrieve the sneaker. His sprint has slowed to a jog, and he lost the breath to scream insults at his animal several minutes ago. He’s considering giving up on the sneaker - but something about this feels different, and he can’t quite shake the image of Terry and Sharon from last night, so he keeps going.

And then, in the distance, the blue lights of police cars. Jake mutters one final shit under his breath because for some reason, just for the sake of maximum embarrassment, he knows exactly where Quackers will take him.

Instead of seeing Charles or Terry or one of the beat cops from the Nine-Nine, like he’s expecting, though, he bowls over a beat cop from the Seven-Eight, a man he’s met a few times before on various joint stakeouts and tactical village events. Before he can stop to apologize, though, Quackers has sped up, heading right towards a white blob Jake can see in the distance.

As he draws closer, he can see that there’s another goose - this one wearing a police badge around its neck and proudly sniffing the perimeter of the crime scene. Next to it is a pantsuit-clad woman with the shiniest hair Jake has ever seen - the severe bun that contains it is blinding in the bright sunlight.

Jake’s so distracted that he doesn’t notice Quackers stop, doesn’t notice the goose standing in his way, until he’s tripped over it and skidded facefirst through the fresh, soft grass at the feet of Amy Santiago, the legendary detective from the Seven-Eight who kicked the Nine-Nine’s butts at Tactical Village two years ago.

“Are you okay?” she asks, looking more than a little concerned. Only then does Jake remember that he’s covered in mud and flower petals and missing a shoe and lying on his stomach in front of her, jaw hanging open.

“Your…Detective Santiago...goose…” is all he can manage.

“What? You mean Quackson Pollock?” She indicates her goose, but when she turns to see the direction of her pointed finger, she finds her bird not dutifully solving crime but instead nuzzling into the long neck of Quackers.

“Oh.” A blush starts at the tip of her ears and creeps onto her cheeks, darkening her bronze skin. “Oh.”

“Jake Peralta. Detective Jake Peralta. I work in the Nine-Nine.”

Reflexively, she reaches out to shake his hand. Her grip is firm, and he’s tempted to tease her about it, but there’ll be time - there’ll be years for that. So instead, he lets his hand linger, noticing the calluses that line her palm before looking up to see laughter in her eyes at his appearance. “I...I know you,” she says slowly, her eyes lighting up in recognition. “Coolest kill last year, right?”

“Yeah, sorry...Quackers took me on a bit of a wild goose chase.” He tries the pun, and is relieved to hear her small chuckle in response. He wonders what it would take to make her really laugh.

“You know geese are really smart, right? I’ve had Quackson Pollock working as a scent hound all week. Most cases I’ve ever solved.”

She sounds so seriously proud that Jake has to smile in response as he replies. “Bet you can’t beat my record.”

A competitive gleam lights up in her eyes. “Loser buys the coffee?”

“Good thing it’s gonna be you because I definitely lost my wallet in some flower bushes back on the south end of the park.”

She picks at one of the petals decorating his sleeves. “It’s a good look.” All of a sudden, she’s a little bit shy, and Jake gets it. His heart’s been threatening to jump through his throat and land at his feet at the sight of her warm, brown eyes.

“So, coffee?” she asks, breaking the silence. On Jake’s left, a white blur passes by, dropping a sneaker on top of his shoulder and affectionately batting his head with one wing before flying off.

“Coffee sounds great,” he replies, with a small pang of affection for Quackers and a great deal of nervous excitement as he watches Amy pass off the case to her secondary with more authority and poise than he could muster even in his John-McClane-daydreams.

“Time for a shower, though?” she asks, appraising his still-dripping clothes as they walk away.

“Title of your sex tape!” he shouts on impulse. And then, as he blushes, she laughs for realz and he decides immediately that this is a sound he never wants to stop hearing.

#brooklyn 99 #b99 #jake peralta #amy santiago #b99 fanfic #peraltiago #the goose au #my writing #YALL I WROTE IT #THE 5000 WORD SHITPOST #IM SO SORRY #(but also not rlly sorry bc omg wtf)

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travelingtheusa · 4 years

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NEW YORK

17 Aug 2020 (Mon) – I went to the neurologist this morning and was wired up for a 24-hour EEG. They attached 23 electrodes to my head and 3 to my chest. I have to wear a machine to register brain activity for 24 hours. All this just to reassure Paul that I am OK and can go hiking in the woods again.

When I got home, Paul went food shopping. I was NOT going out with all the wires hanging off my head. When he got back, we had lunch, then went to work on getting rid of old files and boxes. I have tons of old military books and material that has to be burned. It can’t just be thrown in the garbage. I sat in front of the fire pit for 2 hours and only got through 1 box. I have 5 more to go.

Ford called to say they replaced the fuel pump on the truck and everything seems to be alright. I took the rental car, drove Paul to Sayville Ford to drop him off, drove to Islip Airport to drop off the rental car where Paul picked me up and we drove back home.

16 Aug 2020 (Sun) – We borrowed Kenny’s truck and drove to church this morning. It rained all day. We spent most of the day inside watching TV or working on the computer.

15 Aug 2020 (Sat) – Spent the day working around the property. Kenny went to work at 4 and I went into the house to watch Caiden. He came out to the camper and had dinner with us, then we went back inside and I gave him a bath. We had a pillow fight and played with his transformers. He finally went to bed at 9 p.m. I think that is too late for a 6 year old but his parents are night owls and I guess he’s becoming one also.

14 Aug 2020 (Fri) – The tech from Sayville Ford called and said the diagnostics was telling him the truck needs a fuel pump. No amount of arguing that the last service station messed something up. We finally authorized the part. Maybe they can get to it on Monday. Ugh.

Miranda’s truck was finished at 4 p.m. Turned out to be the alternator. I was going to take the rental car since we have no vehicle but I let her take the truck to Philly given the cruddy condition of her truck. We weren’t sure it would make it there and back. It really is on its last legs.

We were supposed to ride out to Indian Island to join the Long Islanders for camping this weekend. Since we don’t have the truck to pull the camper, we will miss the campout. This was very disappointing.

13 Aug 2020 (Thu) – Miranda’s car suddenly gave up the ghost today. It was clicking, wouldn’t start, and all kind of diagnostic warnings were flashing on her dashboard. She was able to drop it off at the service station. This is really bad timing because she is preparing to go to Philly this weekend to coordinate a concert for her camp. We looked around and was able to reserve a rental car just in case the car isn’t back tomorrow.

Paul and I rode our bicycles to Best Buy this afternoon. It’s been giving me trouble and there’s some kind of program on there that we didn’t load in but keeps trying to update drivers. I had them take it off. They were very understaffed and the tech wasn’t really interested in working with me on anything else. I had wanted help in getting videos off the computer. I’ll have to wait until things get back to normal.

Paul took an Uber to the cardiologist this afternoon for a stress test. They injected him with something and then put him in an MRI machine. He said it was quick and easy.

12 Aug 2020 (Wed) – It was a quiet day all around. Paul picked up the truck. Not only was it making the humming noise, but the dashboard was lighting up like a Christmas tree! Low fuel pressure! Low engine pressure! The service station told us they couldn’t find anything wrong and the noise was gone. Boy, were they wrong. Paul called Sayville Ford and we were able to get it into the service bay today. Hope they didn’t break the engine. L

11 Aug 2020 (Tue) – I went to the radiologist today for an MRI of my right foot. We worked around the property, cleaning out old files and boxes. Sent out for pizza for dinner.

10 Aug 2020 (Mon) – Paul brought the truck back to the service station this morning. They kept the truck and dropped him off back at home. At 1 p.m. I went to the doctor for an echo cardiogram. I had to borrow Miranda’s car to get there and back.

We called the service station at 3:30 p.m. The tech told us that they had to call a friend at Ford to ask about the fuel pump. The guy told them they had to replace the entire assembly, not just the fuel pump. Paul was annoyed! I think we will have to make sure in the future that (1) only Ford does the work and, (2) that the mechanic is a certified diesel mechanic. Hopefully, we will get the truck back tomorrow. They were going to send out for the item, which will cost us over $400. This is after already being charged $170 to put the fuel pump on before they broke it.

9 Aug 2020 (Sun) – We went to church this morning. I think it was the most people we’ve seen there since we came back. Everyone is still wearing masks and there are seats roped off. Hand sanitizer stations have been set up around the building. They announce that the thrift shop will open for 2 hours on Sunday afternoon in an outdoor setting. That means folks attending the service will be asked to help bring things outside and set up, then take it back downstairs when done. I hope it works. The thrift shop is a major revenue source for the church and it has really been hurt with the closure.

After church, we went to the Clamside Bar & Grill at the East Islip Marina. The waitress was soooooo slow. Paul ordered Belgian waffles and they came out cold. My food was lukewarm. He sent his waffles back. The next service was also cool. Paul wound up not eating his meal. It was a disappointing experience and we probably won’t go back there for a while.

8 Aug 2020 (Sat) – We gathered up Caiden and drove to Sue & Bill’s for the day. The day started out overcast but the clouds soon cleared away and we had a delightful day in the pool.

7 Aug 2020 (Fri) – I went to the neurologist this morning. The first test was a Neurotrax. It was a cognitive test to see if I’ve had any brain damage from the TGA back in March. Following that, I had an EEG. A technician glues 23 nodes to your head and then has you sit in a chair with your eyes closed most of the time. He flashes a light on your closed eyes, then says “Open Your Eyes” for like 30 seconds then close them again. Weird.

Paul has been working hard in the yard, cleaning up after the storm. The oblivious neighbor did a stupid thing. A tree in his yard came down into our yard. It was straddling the fence with the root ball in the neighbor’s yard and the tree branches supporting the tree in our yard. The neighbor brought his chain saw out and cut the tree. No longer balanced between the tree branches and the root ball, the tree crushed our fence.

I went to the podiatrist today to check out the painful lump on my Achilles tendon. The doctor took an x-ray and said I have a bone spur that could be causing the problem. She also criticized my flip flops, saying I needed more support for my feet. She gave me some heel inserts to wear in a closed shoe. She also sent me to the radiologist to get an MRI. I made an appointment for Tuesday.

6 Aug 2020 (Thu) – Paul brought the truck to the service station to get it inspected. When he got back, he complained that he could hear a humming from the fuel pump. That happened to us once before. A non-qualified mechanic had tried to mount the fuel pump on the rail and broke it. Apparently, a certified diesel mechanic needs to do the job. Paul called and was told to bring the truck back in on Monday.

We brought Bonnie to the vet at 2 p.m. The ultrasound shows she has some abnormal liver issues. The vet wants to do a biopsy but Bonnie has to get a blood test first to see if she has a clotting factor. If so, then she can have the biopsy. If not, then we can’t do it.

5 Aug 2020 (Wed) – I had a check with the nurse at the cardiologist’s office today. They wanted to check and make sure there were no problems with the loop recorder. She said I had a bit of a reaction to the medical tape but everything looked OK. I should just let the tape fall off when it wants.

After the doctor, I brought some containers to Travis. He is now in contract on his house and beginning to pack things up. I brought him 9 containers. Then I drove to Sayville and met my sister, Susan, and her daughter, Shay, for lunch at Cornucopia. It is a kind of health food supermarket with a great deli counter where we all ordered lunch. We then sat outside to enjoy our meal. Following that, we took a walk along Main Street, looking in the shop windows. When we came upon an India shop, we went in. Susan & Bill follow the religion of Ashananda and the shop owner had been to one of their meetings out in the Hamptons. She spoke for a while with the clerks (the shop owner wasn’t there).

We went over Trap’s tonight to sign the contract for the sale of their house. Since we are listed as co-owners on the house, we have to sign the contract as well. While there, Trap dug out the chain saw for Paul.

4 August 2020 (Tue) – Things have been so busy and technology has been so challenging that I have not been able to keep up with the blog. I have an appointment with Best Buy on the 13th. Hopefully, that will get things back on the road.

Let’s see. I have been to the cardiologist and had an internal cardiac monitor (ICM) installed in my chest. It is a device that tracks heart activity and at night, when I am sleeping, it uploads the day’s activities to the doctor’s office. It’s been 5 days and the site still itches like crazy. Ugh.

I had to go to the lab and get a COVID test before getting the ICM installed. The nurse stuck a Cutip so far up my nose that my eyes teared. And I had an earache for the rest of the day. That dam thing was painful! I will not do that again.

We took Caiden to Sue & Bill’s last Wednesday. Their daughter, Shay, and her boyfriend, Pat, are up from South Carolina. We all swam and munched on delicious vegan foods. It was fun.

I went to the doctor’s office to see what is wrong with my heel. The PA saw me (the doctor was busy). He thinks I have a cyst on my Achilles tendon and referred me to a podiatrist.

Miranda was back in Pennsylvania this weekend so we watched Caiden a good part of the time when Kenny wasn’t working.

We got to visit with Travis & Sam yesterday. The baby is walking pretty good now. He’s always so happy. He immediately lights up when he sees you and waves his little hand hello. Trap got an offer on the house and we signed the contract with the realtor. He’s a little freaked out. They have now signed a contract to sell their house. They have to be out in a month. They want to move to South Carolina but neither of them has a job or a place to stay. In addition, they’re not going to be able to keep as much of the money from the sale of the house that they had counted on. The realtor gets $16,400 alone! Wow!

Today, Paul had an appointment with the dentist. This was a follow up to checkups we had two weeks ago where the dentist found a cavity. He went in to day to get it filled. Afterward, we went to WalMart to pick up a few items. Later in the day, Tropical Storm Isaias blew through. Another tree from the neighbor’s yard came down across our fence. Also, one of our trees came down and landed on the deck. It just missed the roof and back doors. This was dejavu! Same thing happened last year when we were here. Paul will have to dig out the chain saw. The entire neighborhood is digging out. Two trees went down on Saxon Avenue, the next block over, and the road was closed. Thousands of people were without power. We lost power on and off all day long but not for very long. Our neighbor a few doors down had a tree go down and take all his electrical lines with it. The fire department came and cut up the tree and pulled it out into the road.

25 July 2020 (Sat) – We went to Nicky’s on the Bay for lunch. The tables were spaced apart. Lots of them were out on the deck. All the wait staff was wearing face masks. Our waitress was very slow and unsure about herself. She might have been new. While we were eating, a waitress came running through the restaurant asking if there was a doctor, an EMT, or a nurse in the place. Apparently, something happened at the marine fuel site out on the deck. We couldn’t see what happened but an ambulance did roll up.

The cost of the meal was very high. It don’t know if it is because Nicky’s is a seasonal place and is trying to make its money during the summer or if they jacked the prices up because they can’t have as many people in the place. Either way, it was over $60 for a wrap and a sandwich. Ouch!

24 July 2020 (Fri) – Finally! A day with no doctors. Whew! Paul got up early and took the truck to WalMart to get an oil change. He said it looks like WalMart is going out of business. The shelves are all half stocked. If you stop to think about it, they get most of their products from China. The pandemic has affected shipments worldwide. In addition, the U.S. is angry with China for keeping the Coronavirus a secret and has instituted sanctions against them. WalMart must really be hurting.

After Paul got home, we went to Home Depot to get a container. One of our two batteries went bad and Paul bought two new ones. Now he wants a container to put them in to keep the area more organized. Home Depot didn’t have much of a selection at all. On the way out, we stopped by the tile area and picked out a tile to do a backsplash in the bathroom. We couldn’t decide, so we picked up three samples to see which we would like best.

When I was entering the costs into the budget, Paul discovered that WalMart charged him for the oil that he actually provided. So he got in the truck and drove back to WalMart to get his $12.47 refunded.

Miranda is teaching in Pennsylvania again this weekend. They took Caiden into Queens to stay with his grandmother. Kenny borrows his mother’s car so Miranda can take their car. I will miss Caiden.

23 July 2020 (Thu) – Today was my visit with the oncologist. It was so disheartening! My appointment was at 4:15 p.m. I checked in then after a brief wait, a tech brought me into an exam room and took my vitals. Thank goodness; no blood draw. Then I went upstairs and checked in with the receptionist. I waited about a half hour before the doctor’s admin assistant came and led me to the exam room. I sat there for another half hour before the nurse came in and went over my case. He spent a lot of time complaining about patients calling and asking for visits or pain medication when they should be going to their primary care physicians. Then he asked me who my PCP was. I felt like it was some kind of criticism. Was I supposed to be going to a different doctor?

The nurse left and it was another 20 minutes before the doctor came in wearing a face mask and a full face shield. He seemed detached and didn’t really hear my complaints. He said the medication sometimes causes blisters on the palms of the hands and the soles of the feet. Was I having any of those? He also said the medication can cause AFIB and that the cardiologist should check me for that. It seems like every visit to the oncologist results in him telling me something else that can happen with this chemo therapy. He seemed preoccupied and in a hurry to get out. I felt like I got the bum’s rush. I came home and started crying. Which is kind of stupid because the CT scan shows that I am responding to the medication very well. All the lymph nodes are continuing to shrink. So what’s my problem?

22 July 2020 (Wed) – I went to the Good Sam Sleep Center this morning. I had to sit in the parking lot and call the office to tell them I was waiting. They called me when the previous patient was done. When I walked into the doctor’s office after checking in, he excused himself and began to dictate the results of his visit with the previous patient. He stated the patient’s name, the issue, and his diagnosis, all in front of me. Hasn’t he been briefed on this whole patient privacy thing? I thought that I should probably step out of the room but with the whole COVID thing, they don’t want people wandering around unsupervised. When he was done, I told him that I haven’t had a good night’s sleep in 15 years. The cardiologist recommended I do a sleep study because poor sleep can affect heart function and weight. The doctor said we probably wouldn’t find anything but said he would do the study anyway. How encouraging is that???

21 July 2020 (Tue) – I went to the eye doctor today. I arrived at 9:30 a.m. When I checked in, I found my appointment was for 10:45 a.m. It looks like I made the appointment while we were in Alabama and my calendar recorded the appointment as central time, not eastern time. So the clerk sent me to sit out in my car till it was my turn or the doctor became available sooner. They called me at 9:50 to come in and brought me right to a test station where they blew air into my eye. Then she took me to an exam room where I sat for over a half hour. The doctor came in, put drops in my eyes, and said I am developing glaucoma. Come back in six months. Then he was gone. No discussion, no explanation, no anything. I complained about some eye discharge and irritation so he prescribed an ointment to put in my eye at bedtime but, again, no explanation or discussion of what the problem is. It was a very annoying visit. The doctor was very dismissive.

Paul put together a 3-minute video of upstate New York. I posted it on You Tube then contacted SMART with the link. They posted it on the website next to the description of our New York caravan.

I went in at 4 p.m. to keep an eye on Caiden while Miranda went to the store. Paul is still grousing about yesterday’s argument. I have to find a way to get him to lighten up. Ugh.

20 July 2020 (Mon) – I had a CT Scan with contrast today. I dropped off a urine sample for Sheba at the vet, then drove to Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. I checked in at the front desk and asked if my doctor or his nurse was available to see me. The receptionist said she would contact Dr. Rodriguez and see what he said. I then went into the imaging area and had the CT scan. That’s such a weird test. They inject an iodine based solution and it gives a flushed, very warm feeling in the back of the throat and in the crotch. It feels like I wet myself. The test isn’t very long and I was out of the machine within 10 minutes.

I returned to the front desk to see about the doctor. The receptionist said Dr. Rodriguez would change my telehealth appointment for Thursday to an in-person appointment or I could see someone in triage today. I said I would meet with the doctor on Thursday.

I got home to find Paul working around the RV. He was installing a switch for the water pump in the bathroom. The switch on the main panel stopped working some time ago and Paul installed a switch down in the basement. That has turned out to be somewhat inconvenient so he moved the switch up into the bathroom. That should work better for when we have to use the onboard tank for fresh water.

While we were outside, Paul and Miranda got into a nasty fight. That was very upsetting for me. Then we left and went over Travis’ house to help him with some projects. He has finally gotten an offer for his house and the inspector will be over on Thursday. He wants to clear up a few little things before the inspector arrives. Paul and Travis worked on repairing a leak in the kitchen sink and on the thermostat for his burner. I played with the boys then we all enjoyed a meal that Sam prepared. It was a pleasant evening.

19 July 2020 (Sun) – We didn’t think Caiden would be able to sit for an hour in church with a mask on so we didn’t go. At 11:30 a.m. we drove to the Bayside Clam Bar for brunch. Afterward, we walked along the boardwalk and looked at all the boats in the marina. There was a dog at one end that the owner let go down on a little spit of sand. Caiden climbed down and followed the dog around. We took his shoes off so he could step in the water. The dog was an older black lab and very friendly. Her name was Sandy.

After our meal and walk, we returned to the house and I watched Caiden while Paul worked around the house and yard. Kenny got home at 7:30 p.m.

18 July 2020 (Sat) – We got Caiden at 10:30 a.m. and then drove to Sue & Bill’s house in the Hamptons for a day of swimming in the pool and barbecuing. Despite the fact that I put sunscreen on Caiden twice, he still burned. So did I. His mother will never let me take him to the beach again. Aaarrgghh!

After we got back, I stayed with Caiden until his father came home at 10:30 p.m.

17 July 2020 (Fri) – We both went to the dentist today. The chairs in the office were taped off to ensure adequate spacing between patients. It only left 4 chairs to use. The secretary took our temperature and went through a checklist (like the tech did yesterday). Then we had our teeth cleaned and xrays taken. I got an excellent rating; Paul has a cavity and has to come back to get it filled.

We went over Trap’s to visit. We picked up dinner at Chili’s and brought it to the house. Travis was working on painting the counter top in the upstairs bathroom. They are trying everything they can think of to sell their house. They’ve had lots of lookers but no buyers. The real estate market is so hot today, I can’t figure out why the house hasn’t gone. His in-laws put their house on the market and the first visitor bought the house for $5,000 more than they were asking. The only stipulation was that they had to be out in 30 days.

Miranda’s cat was showing some kind of neurological issue today. It was walking against the side of cabinets like its left side was weak and it couldn’t stand by itself. Miranda contacted us while at Trap’s and asked about bringing her cat, Liath, to the vet. We hurried home to help but the vet said it was not life threatening and to wait until Monday to bring her in. Miranda was concerned because she is leaving tonight for Pennsylvania and will not be back until late Sunday. I promised to keep an eye on the cat.

16 July 2020 (Thu) – We both went to the cardiologist today. I was doing a follow-up to my “incident” in March. Paul went because he has hypertension and should be seen by a cardiologist.

When we arrived, we were met at the door by a tech who asked us a bunch of questions about where we’ve been and who we’ve been near. He took our temperature and then let us pass. We walked in and was processed by a clerk. Then we were brought back to the exam room. The PA came in, went over our medical histories, took our blood pressure, and did EKGs on both of us.

Then the doctor came in. I liked him instantly. He is young – in his late 20s/early 30s. He was upbeat and very friendly, touching elbows as a form of hello. He thinks I had a TIA and felt the neurologist was wrong to think I had a TGA. He recommended I get an EEG, an ambulatory EEG, and have a loop recorder inserted in my chest. He feels it is possible that I have atrial fibrillation (AFib) and the recorder will measure my heartbeat and send messages to the office. I would wear it for 3 or 4 years! I said I had to check that one with my oncologist.

Then it was Paul’s turn. The doctor referred him for a nuclear stress test. He also recommended that Paul resume taking the baby aspirin every day (he stopped a year ago because of a medical report that said baby aspirin didn’t help to prevent strokes.

15 July 2020 (Wed) – We worked around the RV until 11:30 a.m. then we took Sheba to the vet. It was over an hour in which the vet’s office displayed confusion and chaos. First, I called to say we were outside for our appointment. About 20 minutes later, one of the vets came out to gather information then went inside. Ten minutes later he came out to get Sheba. Again, the office was not able to get through to my phone and the vet came out to tell me to call them. I called and spoke with Dr. Thode. She took blood and gave Sheba shots. Dr. Thode also said the blood results were back for Bonnie. She has round worm and a low liver value. She prescribed medicine for the worms and recommended an ultrasound for the liver. After waiting 10 minutes, I called the office to see what was happening. They were just finishing up and would send Sheba out. The vet brought Sheba out, went over the highlights of her exam, and said the office would call to get payment. After another 15 or 20 minutes, I called to make the payment. The clerk took my card number three times because the machine wasn’t working properly. Then the vet tech came out with the paperwork. Paul asked about the medicine for Bonnie. They forgot it so she went back in to get it. She brought it out but stated they had forgotten to charge us for the medicine so I had to call again to give the credit card number. They brought the receipt out along with the stuff to get a urine sample from Sheba. We left but I got a phone call about 10 minutes later saying they forgot to charge us for the bloodwork they did on Sheba so I had to call back again and give the card number again. What a debacle!

Late this afternoon, Caiden came knocking on the door. He came in and played for a while then I made dinner for the three of us. He ate a small part of his meal but seemed to enjoy it. I brought the left overs into the house for Miranda and Kenny, or to keep and reheat for Caiden tomorrow.

14 July 2020 (Tue) – I had an appointment with the neurologist this morning. This was the same doctor that found the tumor in my mother’s brain 36 years ago. He has gotten very personable over the years. I liked him very much. He said the incident I experienced in March was most likely Transient Global Amnesia (TGA). Just to be careful, he recommended three different tests but stated that he doesn’t expect to find anything. Apparently, a TGA can happen at any time and never happen again. Or, it can happen again once or multiple times. If it happens many times then you would have to get checked for seizure activity in the brain. Luckily, I have not had any problems since that one time.

I played with Caiden a little tonight. We didn’t get much time together but it was still fun. He loves battle sequences.

13 July 2020 (Mon) – We took Bonnie to the vet this morning. She needed a refill on her flea and tick medicine. She got a checkup and a couple of shots. It was so weird. When we arrived, we called the office and were instructed to stay in the truck. After about 20 minutes, a vet tech came out. He took down Bonnie’s information and reason for her visit then went back inside. He came back about 10 minutes later and took her inside. We sat in the car until the doctor called. We discussed our concerns and what the doctor found and recommended. Five minutes later, the clerk called to get our credit card number for the bill. A whopping $950!!! After about another 15 minutes, Bonnie was brought back out to us. Then we waited ANOTHER 15 minutes for the clerk to bring out medicine and the bill. What a pain in the butt. And we will have to do it again with Sheba.

Kenny was off of work today, so Caiden stayed in the house nursing his sunburn and playing with his parents. Paul worked around the yard and I did paperwork.

12 July 2020 (Sun) – We went to church this morning. They just reopened after holding services digitally on You Tube and FaceBook for months. There were about 30 people in church. We had to wear our masks the entire time and still try to maintain 6’ distance from each other. They didn’t pass the collection plate. Instead, it sat in the back of the church and the minister asked everyone to drop their donation in the plate when they left.

After church, Paul and I drove to the Clamside Bar & Grill at the East Islip Marina. We both enjoyed a salad. The day was lovely – sunny, but not too hot, with a soft, balmy breeze blowing in off the water. The sun glittering on the bay was beautiful.

When we came home, I gathered up Caiden and he and I went to Heckscher State Park. I figured the beach would be closed but we could walk along the shore, throw stones in the water, build sand castles, and wiggle our toes in the water. Boy, was I surprised to find the beach open, complete with lifeguards. There were many people on the beach and in the water but they still were all keeping a decent distance between each other. The water was so warm; like a bathtub. There was lots of wave action and a delightful breeze kept the heat away. I did not have a bathing suit so I stood on the shore with my feet in the water, getting splashed well up the legs. Caiden went in and had a great time. Unfortunately, I forgot to put sunscreen on him and he got burned. His mother yelled at me.

When we left the beach, I stopped at Carvel and got Caiden some ice cream. The perfect end to a perfect day.

11 July 2020 (Sat) – Paul worked in the yard most of the day. I entertained Caiden a good part of the day. At 4:30 pm, we went over Travis’ house. We shared a salad and pizza then spent two hours playing with Noah and Hudson. The baby is on the verge of walking. He has very good balance.

10 July 2020 (Fri) – It was an overcast day with rain on and off. Tropical Storm Fay was pummeling the Jersey coast today but we didn’t get it too badly. Paul and I went shopping at PetCo for pet food and ShopRite for some groceries. Boy. Was the grocery store crowded! And we forgot to bring our own bags so the cashier charged us for 3 bags. Glad we didn’t buy a lot.

Caiden wanted to come into the trailer so badly today but the weather was lousy and I wasn’t going to put Bonnie out. Caiden came out and we stood outside in the drizzle talking for about an hour. Later, I went into the house and we played for about 2 hours.

9 July 2020 (Thu) – We packed up and left Newburgh at 10:45 am. It took almost 4 hours to drive down to Long Island. We were surprised with all the traffic on the road. We came through the boroughs and had traffic and construction that caused us to creep along through congested spots.

Caiden was so happy to see us! He ran out and gave me a hug, then ran back to the porch to watch us park the rig in the driveway. When Paul had the RV positioned well, I had Caiden help finish the set up by pushing buttons to open the slides. After we were set up, we visited for a bit and watched him swimming in his little pool. After dinner, I took Caiden to Carvel and picked up ice cream for him and Miranda (Kenny was working and Paul and I are on a diet). We brought it back home and they enjoyed the treat out on the back deck.

8 July 2020 (Wed) – Just hung around the campground most of the day. We did run out to fuel the truck and get ready for tomorrow’s move.

7 July 2020 (Tue) – We visited with the sales manager here at the campground. We had interviewed him last year and reconfirmed the amenities and costs. The nightly fee actually went down. He also promised to coordinate a bus tour into New York City for us. He offered to pick up our order for bagels and juice and even stated he could arrange a catered meal right here in the campground.

We came back and did laundry then just hung out for the day.

6 July 2020 (Mon) – We started out for West Point but would up sidetracked to the Historic Huguenot District. It was two blocks of old stone houses built in the late 1600s/early 1700s by early French settlers. The visitor’s center was closed and none of the buildings were open. We walked up and down the street, admiring the architecture from the street.

We then continued on to the West Point Military Academy. The visitor’s center was closed, as well as the tour operations office. There was no one to ask anything of. The day was a loss in that regard.

5 July 2020 (Sun) – We drove over to the Mohonk Mountain House today. Thought we’d check them out for the farewell dinner and then take a hike around the area. Unfortunately, they now have a gatehouse to control access to the place. They have us a brochure to look at and a telephone number to call but wouldn’t let us go in.

Then we drove by another restaurant but they were closed. No signs on the door. We couldn’t tell if they were just closed or if they had gone out of business. Cross them off the list.

We made a quick stop at the grocery store so Paul could pick up milk for his coffee then returned to the campground. We got to enjoy another campfire tonight. Two in a row. Wow.!

We drove into Newburgh and took a stroll on the Walkway Over the Hudson. It was an old railroad trestle over the Hudson River built back in the late 1800s. It was repurposed into a level concrete walkway that stretched for more than a mile and a third. We walked out to the middle, took a selfie, and walked back. The day was lovely. There were lots of people on the bridge – strolling, biking, walking the dog. Almost everyone obeyed the signs and wore a mask. Some people didn’t. It was very warm and my mask was wet from sweat by the time we finished our walk. It was a good time.

We drove to the FDR National Historic Site to look over the presidential library and home. The visitor’s center was closed.

4 July 2020 (Sat) – We were going to drive to the Mohonk Mountain House today but stayed in the campground instead. We had a small BBQ and sat before a delightful campfire. The campground is pretty full with lots of kids. Bonnie is barking at bicycles, skaters, and walkers. The staff came by yesterday passing out flyers about the pool. It was going to be open today from 10 to 4. They were having people sign up for a one-hour block of time. The pool is limited to 25 people but they were thinking they wouldn’t be able to do that and still have people maintain their distance. We didn’t sign up. It seemed better to leave the time slots to the kids. Normally, they would spend the whole day in the pool. This is like a tease. But I suppose it’s better than nothing.

3 July 2020 (Fri) – Things have been quiet. We have been running around trying to line up restaurants for the caravan next year. We are now at the KOA in Newburgh for a week.

30 Jun 2020 (Tue) – We pulled stakes at 9:25 am. It was a white knuckle exercise in getting out of our site. Paul had to ask the guy behind us to move then he backed up the RV to get out. Trees and other RVs and yard “stuff” in the area made it impossible to pull out from our pull-through site. Paul did it perfectly! He is so good in moving our big monster. It’s almost like it’s an extension of his physical being. Just imagine maneuvering 54’ of truck and trailer. I can’t do it!

We arrived at Shadowbrook RV Resort at a little past 11:30 am (it was a very short drive). This campground only has 18 campsites for transients. Again, we’ve been undone by the seasonal campers. After set up, we drove to four separate campgrounds and all gave the same answer – no room at the inn! The last campground we stopped at recommended the KOA up on Route 20. We’ll try them tomorrow.

We drove by the National Baseball Hall of Fame. They are on a limited opening. I left a business card and someone will call me back. I also sent emails to the tour director for the NY Capitol in Albany and the USS Slater. Communications continue with other venues as well.

29 Jun 2020 (Mon) – We drove to another campground this morning to check it out. It turned out to only have 4 available campsites for transients. The rest are filled with seasonals. Too bad. It was a really nice campground right on Saratoga Lake.

On the way back to the campground, we refueled for tomorrow’s trip and picked up chicken and water. Bonnie has diarrhea again. It just seems to be something that she’s going to go through on a regular basis no matter what we give her.

28 Jun 2020 (Sun) – We left Ticonderoga at 9:20 a.m. It rained a little in the three hours it took us to arrive at Adventure Bound RV Resorts & Campground. The campsite we got was very tight while Paul had to maneuver around a parked van, trees, and lawn decorations. This campground, although very large (over 300 campsites), would not suit our group and many campers are seasonal. The RV next to us hasn’t been moved in years.

As soon as we were set up, we headed out. First stop was at Chili’s for lunch. We both had a grilled chicken salad. Tummies full, we drove to four different campgrounds. Two wouldn’t fit the group, one had no one in the office, and the other took our phone number to give to the owner. It was not a very productive day. Hope things get better tomorrow.

On the way back to the campground, we stopped at Hannaford to pick up groceries. It was a nice supermarket. Why can’t we get any of these grocery stores on Long Island?

27 Jun 2020 (Sat) – It was a light day. We just hung out around the campground today. I made some calls and updated the files on what we’ve collected so far. The poor wifi service here is maddening! Even the cell service is poor. I’m glad we won’t be staying here as a group but I worry the other campground might be just as bad. After all, we are now in the mountains.

26 Jun 2020 (Fri) – We drove into Lake Placid today. It is a small town. The Olympics Museum was closed. We decided to have the group explore the museum then go out about the town on their own. There is a lot to see in this little tourist town.

We then drove to Whiteface Mountain. We wanted to drive up the Veterans Memorial Highway to the peak. Unfortunately, it was $25 per car to drive up. I thought that was too much money to go up there and find everything closed (not that there is that much up there to see other than the view). We turned around and left.

Right next to the entrance for Whiteface Mountain is Santa’s North Pole Workshop. We came up here twice with the kids when they were little. The workshop is still there with the post office that will send off a letter or postcard with the North Pole return address. The park was also closed.

We drove to Ausable Chasm, the Grand Canyon of the Adirondacks. It was beautiful. We spoke with the sales manager and got information on a walking tour, float trip, and lunch at the center. It will be a nice touch for the group. Up the hill right next to the chasm center is the Underground RR Museum. It is in a beautiful old stone building. It was closed but a woman stepped out of the building to speak with us. The cost to explore the museum is free and the place is very small. Guess we’ll have the group break up into smaller groups to tour the museum.

We also checked out two other campgrounds. The KOA seems like the best option at this point. It would have been nice to stay at the North Pole Hundred Acre Woods Campground but they don’t take groups of more than six rigs. Oh, pooh!

After we got back to the campground, we did the laundry.

25 Jun 2020 (Thu) – Well, we learned today why a scouting trip is so important. We left 1000 Islands CG and headed out to Ticonderoga, 170 miles away. The GPS in the truck tried to route us though Canada. It would have added 100 miles to our trip! Instead, we followed the route on my phone. The trip went through Adirondack Park. We saw mountains but the elevation never got much over 2,000’. The roads were narrow and winding and the driving was slow but we got here safe and sound. The scenery is beautiful with occasional glimpses of the lakes and rivers beside the road.

It turns out that this campground does not have enough campsites for our group – they are mostly for seasonal campers. Paul went through a list and found an alternative campground. In fact, he changed two campgrounds for one and we now have another stop on our itinerary.

After set up, we drove to Brookwood RV Resort and interviewed the owner for a possible stay there. They are a very popular campground and she suggested we get our reservations in ASAP. The only thing we don’t like is that we wouldn’t all be together. Everyone would be spread around the campground.

We drove down the road to another campground owned by the U.S. Forest Service but it was closed. We then drove into the town of Ticonderoga. The Star Trek Museum and Fort Ticonderoga were both closed due to the pandemic. We walked into a luncheonette across the street from the Star Trek Museum to see about a lunch for the group. Our group could go to the museum at 10, go to lunch at 11 (it’s a little early but that’s what they want), then take a tour of the fort. The other option is to wait on lunch until 2 pm, which is kind of late. I don’t like either option.

As we were driving around, we spotted an old stone chapel in a graveyard. We parked and went in to explore it. It reminded me of the Viking church on display in DisneyWorld.

24 Jun 2020 (Wed) – We drove over to Alexandria Bay this morning. We stopped at U.S. Boat Tours which I had emailed to ask about a tour of the Singer and Boldt Castles. We checked at the window to find out what time the shuttles and tours ran. After getting the times, we decided to have the group go to the Boldt Castle at 10 a.m., come back to town, wander the shops, and have lunch. At 2 p.m., we’ll have everyone come back and take the tour to the Singer Castle.

Afterward, we drove around the area, checking out different places. We also drove over to Wellesly Island and looked at the state parks and golf courses there. We also stopped by the ice cream shoppe in front of the campground to find out about an ice cream social. They sell 3-gallon containers of ice cream for $45. The lady suggested butter pecan as an older person’s favorite flavor.

23 Jun 2020 (Tue) – We packed up and left Stow at 9:15 a.m. The drive was easy but took almost 4 hours. When we arrived, the office was closed (we had checked in online), and a note on the door told campers to proceed to their assigned site. After set up, we left a message for the campground manager asking for a meeting.

We drove to Clayton where Main Street was under construction and closed to traffic. We had seen a delightful hotel with a restaurant years ago that boasted the original Thousand Islands dressing had been invented there. Unfortunately, the restaurant went out of business. We spoke with a manager at Bella’s. The restaurant was pleasant but she said they did not want to have a large group in to dine during their peak season. She preferred to cater a meal of assorted wraps, salads and desert and suggested we eat at the Antique Boating Museum.

We drove past both the Thousand Islands Museum and the Antique Boating Museum. They were both closed. I sent emails asking about admission and meals. This is becoming very frustrating. Many of the businesses that I have sent emails to have not answered.

When we got back to the campground, we met with the campground camp host. Whe was very chatty and gave us lots of information about the area. I have to follow up with an email so she can share it with the owner.

22 Jun 2020 (Mon) – We drove to Seneca Falls today, noting the mileage to various areas along the way. Everything we wanted to see was closed. The National Women’s Hall of Fame, although the name was displayed on the front of the building on Main Street, is no longer there. A woman in the visitor center told us it was relocated to a mill across the bridge but the coronavirus had stopped the set-up and opening of the center in its new location. We drove over and saw that it will be 3 stories high and promises to be a good stop. There is also a National Women’s Rights Museum on Main Street and a couple of houses around Seneca Falls that people could tour if they wanted.

Waterloo, birthplace of Memorial Day, is next to Seneca Falls. There is an American Civil War Museum and memorial graveyard in town. I think it would be appropriate to include it in our itinerary but Paul thinks it is too much. If so, we will certainly have to suggest it as a stop on their own.

We stopped at Ventosa Vineyards to see about a group lunch after the Seneca Falls tour. There is a lovely deck area outside overlooking the lake. The woman we spoke with suggested we send an email to the catering manager.

We then stopped at Belhurst Castle. They have a very attractive stone room with an intimate setting for lunch that also looks out at the lake. The man we spoke with gave us a menu and suggested we coordinate with the catering manager. I sent emails out to both managers.

21 Jun 2020 (Sun) – We packed up and left Bath at 9:50 a.m. It was only 95 miles to Red’s Twilight on the Erie RV Resort in Macedon, near Rochester. We arrived about noon. The office was closed. Our registration packet was sitting on a table. As we were preparing to drive to our campsite, the owner pulled up and led us to our place. She was very friendly and gladly agreed to meet with us later.

After set up, we cased the campground while walking the dog (it was too hot to let Sheba out – 90 degrees!) then went to the office and sat down with Barb. She said they would give us 10 percent off for military discount. We were all sitting around the table with our masks on and it got very hot. I was sweating like crazy. I sure was glad when the meeting was over.

We drove into Rochester to the George Eastman Museum. It was closed. We then drove to The Strong Museum of Play. That was also closed. It is a very large museum and looks like it will be fun. We then drove to a restaurant recommended by Barb. It was too far from The Strong to have people walk to it so we will have lunch in the museum then explore the museum. There is a restaurant inside.

On the way back to the campground, we stopped at Wegmans Supermarket. What a huge store! It had to be the largest supermarket we’ve ever been in. And it was neat and clean and attractive. Everyone in the store was wearing a mask and the staff was actively wiping things down and making sure everything was sanitized.

20 Jun 2020 (Sat) – We drove to the Finger Lakes Boating Museum to meet the Administration Assistant and see the wine cellar where they host catered meals. It is a lovely room and we are sure the group would like it. We would probably have the tour of the museum first (there are 3 floors in the museum) then go to the bottom floor for a lunch.

After meeting with Nancy Wightman, we drove back to the KOA to meet with the Office Manager. We sat outside at a picnic table, all in our masks, and discussed what they could offer the caravan next year. Elaine is pregnant and will be out on maternity leave for a while. This could cause a problem with coordination but we will see how it shakes out.

While driving out and about, we stopped at a nearby fish hatchery. It was closed but they had an observation pool with three kinds of trout in it – brown trout, brook trout, and rainbow trout. What is weird is that the brook trout is the only native species to the area, yet the hatchery doesn’t raise them – only the other two species.

We drove around to check out some other places. There is a VA Center and National Cemetery a couple of miles down the road. We rode around the cemetery looking at the gravestones. We also gathered information about other services in the area – RV dealers, hospital, clinic, vets, foodstore, etc.

We had a campfire tonight. There is nothing more intoxicating that the smell of a campfire.

19 Jun 2020 (Fri) – We packed up and left Chautauqua at 9:30. The weather was good and the drive was pleasant. We arrived at the Bath-Hammondsport KOA around noon. They had sent an email asking us to pre-register/check-in. I did that. When we arrived, Paul stayed in the truck while I went in. The clerk confirmed our information and gave us our map and paperwork. This is a lovely campground. We have been here before and am sure the caravan will enjoy the place.

We drove around town, trying to find a restaurant to have a welcome dinner in. The three restaurants we chose were all too small and two of them were still closed. The thirde, the Stone Timber Inn, does catering. We took the chef’s card and left. On the way back to the campground, we stopped at an American Legion post and took a look at their hall. We asked about renting the hall and the bartender gave us the rental agent’s phone number along with the commander’s number.

The campground is working hard to ensure people are having a good time, despite the spacing restriction from the coronavirus. They delivered a packet to make s’mores with. Folks were invited to make s’mores and post pictures on the facebook page. They also gave us free firewood. It made a delightful fire. They also had a cornhole contest where people who had the game in their rig wee encouraged to play and report their results.

18 Jun 2020 (Thu) – We went to the office at 9:30 a.m. to speak with the campground owner. The doors were locked. Some guy came out in to the hall, looked at us at the door then went back into his office. How rude! I then called the office and the owner answered. We sat at the table outside on the deck and interviewed the guy about the facilities and what he would do for the group. Satisfied, we told him we would send a check and wanted to leave him a book. He said he was in his office. When we told him the door was locked, he laughed and said he forgot to open it then stepped out and took the book.

We drove 20 minutes to the Grape Discovery Center to see what it looked like. It was closed. We parked and walked around, peeking in the windows. It looks like it would be a nice experience for our group next year, so we will include it in the itinerary.

We found a laundromat in a house (ah, country life). We put the clothes in the washer then drove to a Mazza’s Winery and had a flight of wines. Then we returned to the laundromat house and put the clothes in the dryer. We walked around the town of Mayville while our clothes tumbled.

After we collected the clothes, we drove to Jamestown to check out the Lucy-Desi Museum and the National Comedy Center. Unfortunately, they, too, were both closed because of the pandemic. This situation is going to make it hard to develop a budget for the caravan.

Paul located a WalMart and we did some food shopping. We are starting a diet and needed to pick up all the right kinds of foods. I just planned 4 days and the frig is chocked full. I will not be able to shop a week at a time, that’s for sure.

The check-in time for this campground is 6 p.m. (check-out is 5 p.m.). We’ve never seen such a late time for check-in. We asked if the owner would put that aside for us when our group comes next year.

17 Jun 2020 (Wed) – We left Marblehead, Ohio, at 8:20 a.m. It was a long drive today so we left early. The drive was over 4 hours and took us along the lakeshore of Lake Erie, through Pennsylvania and into New York. The campground looks like it was a KOA at one time. Our campsite is a pull through with a concrete surface. The campground is on Chautauqua Lake. The pool, the store, and all group centered places are closed due to the pandemic. You have to wear a mask in the office.

After set up, we drove into Mayville to meet with the operations manager of the Chautauqua Belle paddlewheeler. He was a young man who seemed to be coordinating a group tour for the first time. We went over is suggested schedule and agreed on an itinerary. He will draw up a contract and send it to us.

Then we drove down the road to the Chautauqua Institution. It is one of the stops on the itinerary Mike put together and we wanted to look at it. It’s not very clear why we should take a tour of the place. It seems like a private community with very lovely homes on the lake. The roads are very narrow and seem to wind aimlessly around the neighborhood. There is a beautiful old hotel where he suggested we have lunch. We wanted to get some information about the place but the visitor’s center was closed. I’ll have to send an email.

We drove to Jamestown and picked up food at Pet Smart. Then Paul drove up the other side of the lake to the center where the interstate crossed the lake. We got back to the campground at 5 p.m.

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