US Views - Bay, Prairie Fire, Woods

Dick Callfield rides his horse toward a cattle pasture, while calling on his cell phone for a truck and trailer to pick the cattle up before the wildfire (near Springview, Nebraska) catches up with the herd.

Overgrown rail road tracks in a Vermont wood

The East Hampton, a buy boat, at Crisfield, Maryland

Wildfires All Around the Country

There are two wildfires burning in western Colorado, near the Utah border - I haven't said much about them because they are not currently affecting our air quality - and it's a hot, dry summer, and summer wildfires are normal.  -  BUT.   But, there are currently 38 large wildfires burning with little or no control, and 143 new small fires were reported over the past two days.  That's kind of scary. I have had my nose and mind buried in the happenings on Chincoteague and Assateague, and on the Olympics results from Great Britain, but that isn't a good excuse.   Wildfires have positively blossomed over the last few weeks - and I have pretty much ignored them because they don't seem to affect me.  The scenes of the fires in Oklahoma are horrific, and very little coverage is given to the 6 large fires in Montana, or the 7 large fires in Idaho.  It seems incredible - and I am truly horrified from hearing that one of the fires in Oklahoma was started by someone tossing a flaming newspaper out of their truck and into the brush beside the road.  That is just unimaginable for me.  My thoughts and prayers go out to everyone who lives near, or has lost anything, to this spate of fires....
  NBC will be showing 30 minutes of the second qualifying round of Grand Prix Jumping at 11:30 MDT today - Don't read the next few lines if you want to be surprised...  In the second jumping qualifying round, Reed Kessler and Cyana did not qualify, and Beezie didn't qualify after two refusals yesterday.  Rich Fellers (on Flexible) is currently one of twelve without any faults in the jumping competition, while McLain Ward and Antares have four faults.
   I spent most of yesterday evening sorting and labeling 250 photos on Snapfish.  Color me frustrated.  I looked at the results before bed last night, and found that most of the descriptions of the photos has migrated by one, or two, frames.  I was fit to be tied!  So I took a long, cooling walk in the neighborhood, and had to laugh at the antics of the raccoon family and the young fox kits.  There is nothing like an animal to bring me back to an "even keel."
  Speaking of even keels - there was an very interesting gathering at the harbor in Crisfield, Maryland (on the Chespeake Bay) yesterday.  They had the First Annual Buy Boat Reunion and Crab Feast there, and were very happy with the large turn-out that appeared.  Residents from throughout Delmarva filed into the Somers Cove Marina Saturday to take a step back in history as they walked onto the decks of buy boats.  The boats, a dozen of which were docked at the marina for a reunion, used to purchase oysters from the harvesting boats and transport them to dock, where they could be sold to oyster processing houses in Crisfield.  Jay Tawes, organizer of the event, said he expected up to 500 people to visit the marina throughout the reunion to remember the region's maritime history and to teach it to the next generation.
  "The kids fell in love with these boats," Tawes said. "So these boats lend themselves to the charm of not only the older people that remember them, but to the younger people that see the charm in them. Three of four of these kids said 'I want to go raise money and buy one of these boats.' "  The buy boats were popular during the 1920s and 1930s when production was at a peak, however became rare in the mid-20th century when Maryland passed a law requiring watermen to bring their catches directly to shore for better accounting of harvests and taxes.  Since then, those interested in the history of buy boats have been able to preserve several of them.
   I hope this Sunday is pleasant for you, and that you enjoy the Olympic coverage - 5 channels to choose from is a blast!

Accomack County Weather & Assateague Lighthouse Medallion

A waterspout near Wallops Island wrung itself dry over the coast

A funnel cloud was spotted near Parksley

One of the Assateague Lighthouse medallions, made from 145-year-old glass from the lighthouse lantern windows...

Jumping into the Olympics & Assateague Light

The real news of  today's equestrian Olympics is that famed rider Beezie Patten Madden and her mount Via Volo did not qualify for either the Individual or Team rides.  I haven't yet sen what occurred, but Beezie and Volo had 42 faults...   The other Team USA performed as follows: McLain Ward and Antares had a clean qualifying round, as did Rich Fellars and Flexible; Reed Kessler and Cylana had a 1-fault round.  Ten-time Olympian Ian Millar and Star Power finished with 4 faults (for Canada); while Rodrigo Pessoa and Rebozo ended the qualifying round with 1 fault.  -  Again, I had a super time watching Michael Phelps and local girl Missy Franklin win gold last night.
  It seems that Accomack County in Virginia has been having a bad time with both waterspouts and funnel clouds during July.  I was, apparently, too caught up in Pony Penning to see the "real" weather news for the area...
  And, if you'd like a true piece of history from the Assateague Lighthouse, the Chincoteague Natural History Association has just the thing for you.  Beth Hanback is the executive director of the nonprofit group that is involved with the Assateague Lighthouse restoration.  The original lighthouse was built in 1833; the one we see today was built in 1867 and is 142 feet tall.  During the first phase of restoration, which cost a little over $500,000, all of the lantern room's window panes were removed and replaced with new, shatter-resistant glass.
Dozens of window panes remained intact after the removal and were preserved, but Hanback says there was about 1,200 pounds of damaged glass with cracks and brittle edges.  "My heart just ached that this glass which had seen so much over 140 years would be discarded," she said.  Shortly after deciding to transform the broken window panes into commemorative artifacts, Hanback recruited volunteers to break up the glass into pieces about the size of a silver dollar. These smaller pieces were placed in buckets and delivered by truck to the Jamestown Glasshouse, where artisans produce glass pieces using similar tools and methods as 17th century settlers.Once blown into its circular shape, the medallion was stamped with a custom-made image of the lighthouse surrounded by a text that reads, "Assateague Lighthouse 1867."  Two types of the medallion were manufactured, one with a hook that functions as a suncatcher and one without a hook. A total of 1,000 medallions were crafted in Jamestown.
In March, the CNHA began selling the medallions at the refuge visitor center's gift shop, which is operated by the friends group.  "They do seem to be very popular with refuge visitors, especially those interested in the lighthouse," Hanback said.  Each medallion costs $49.95. All of the proceeds go toward future phases of lighthouse restoration, which include removing the structure's current paint and replacing it with an epoxy-based paint guaranteed to last for 50 years.   "What we're saving is a piece of history and we're selling a piece of history to our visitors," Lou Hinds, the manager of the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, said.
Hanback mentioned that with the current economy, the federal government is unable to offer restoration funds and "do all the things it wants to do."
"These historic buildings on federal property sorely need a helping hand right now," she said.
To date, the CNHA has sold about 200 medallions at the gift shop, adding up to $10,000 that will help preserve an historical island icon.

Scenes - US, Faroe Islands, & a Foal

On the Colorado River

Sunrise at Dead Horse Point, Utah

Aurelia at 4 days old - what's this green stuff?

Gasadalur village on the Faroe Islands

Oh Me, Oh My

After the finish of the first day's Dressage Test, the American rider with the highest score was Jan Ebeling riding Anne Romney's Rafalo; today, after another 25 horses have competed, the US leading rider is Steffen Peters on Ravel in 6th place.  Tina Konyat, on Calecto V, is in 27th, and Ebeling has fallen to 30th.  Adrienne Lyle and Wizard did not qualify for the Special or Freestyle.   Great Britain is leading Germany and the Netherlands in Team competition; Denmark is fourth, and the US is fifth.  And, unfortunately, there is an alleged abuse report against Patrik Kittel, of the Swedidh team, of using rollkur on his mount, Scandic.  (Rollkur is defined as "flexion of the horse's neck achieved through aggressive force" and banned by equestrian's world governing body. Fans have alleged Kittel has continued to use the method since the ban.)
  I have had a blast watching Michael Phelps and Ryan Lochte swim, I've been cheering on Missy Franklin (a local girl), and Taylor Phinney.  I've thoroughly enjoyed the cycling, beach volleyball, and synchronized diving competitions.  So far, the high point for me was seeing Gabby Douglas (aka "the Flying Squirrel") take the Gold in All-Round Gymnastics.  That 16-year-old is a superb example to girls every where! - And so are her team-mates!
  I am home, other than walking doggies, until Wednesday.  It will be nice to settle in with Lovey and Nedi and relax with them.  I hope that all of you have a wonderful weekend!

2012 Three-Day Event Results

No one riding on the US Team, nor as a US individual, earned a medal in the Eventing tests.  Team results were: Gold - Germany, Silver - Great Britain, Bronze - New Zealand.  The Queen of England's granddaughter, Zara Phillips, helped earn the Silver Team medal for Great Britain.  Both of Zara's parents, Princess Anne and Mark Phillips, rode in the Olympics themselves. The US Team finished in seventh position.
 As individuals, Michael Jung (riding Sam) won the Gold for Germany; Sara Algotsson Osthost (mounted on Wega) won the Silver medal for Sweden; and Sandra Auffarth (working with Opgun Louvo) won the Bronze for Germany.  Zara Phillips (on High Kingdom) finished 8th as an individual, and Karen O'Connor (on Mr. Medicott) was the highest-placed US rider at 9th position. If you'd like to look at spills and falls from the Cross-Country phase, they may be viewed at:
http://www.nbcolympics.com/video/equestrian/highlights-crashes-in-cross-country-eventing.html
   Grand Prix Dressage competition begins tomorrow.

Michael Jung on Sam in the Dressage phase - German team

Sara Algotsson Osthost on Wega going Cross-Counrty - Swedish team

Sandra Auffarth on Opgun Louvo in Stadium Jumping - German team

Zara Phillips and High Kingdom going Cross-Country - Great Britain's team

Karen O'Connor and Mr. Medicott going Cross-Country - Team USA