I was lucky to be able to see the last round of the Individual Jumping competition, as well as the Jump-off for the Silver and Bronze. I had hoped that Nick Skelton would make a clear ride, so there would be a jump-off for the Gold, but his mount ticked the front, top rail of the final oxer - and Nick ended up out of the medals. The Gold was won by Steve Guerdat - the first Swiss rider to win a gold medal in 88 years; Gerco Schroder, of the Netherlands, took the Silver, after Cian O'Connor, of Ireland, took down a rail in the jump-off and was awarded the Bronze. Rich Fellers finished 8th in the Individual for the US, and Ian Millar tied for 9th for Canada. The Individual Dressage competition is underway on MSNBC this morning.
Lovey is sitting on the corner of my desk, occasionally butting my chin with her head, while Nedi is out pestering the raven family in the back yard. Rosie and Remy both slept with me last night, and I had some really strange dreams about my husband, Jeff, and I herding cattle in New York state - but it was through some steep and narrow pine-clad ravines, that seemed more like Washington state... It was just weird.
Tonight, I must admit that I won't be watching the Olympics, as I'll be watching Payton Manning quarterback the Broncos for at least one quarter against the Chicago Bears. And if I can find coverage of the Jets game tomorrow evening, I'll be watching that as well, so I can see Tim Tebow (I hope). I still think that the Broncos should have kept Tim Tebow, and allowed him to absorb the wisdom and game-reading skills of Manning - ah, what might have been!
Thursday, August 9, 2012
Wednesday, August 8, 2012
Scenes From Great Britain
Taken from Offa's Dyke Path, looking at Moel Arthur, Nannerch, Wales
Castle Stalker on the Isle of Cormorants in Oban, Scotland
The cliffs of Ceibwr Bay, Wales
Box Hill, near Dorking, in Surrey, England
"My" Critters
Lovey and Nedi have been in seventh heaven with me being at home for the past four days - they can get love and attention and treats whenever they desire, and I don't deny them anything within reason. The kits have been running in and out today since 6:10 - Nedi is outside, while Lovey is sunning in the cat tree. I leave in about an hour to stay with Rosie and Remy until Sunday night, and then I have two nights at home before moving in with Aiko and Yoshi. What has been odd is that no one has reserved the Labor Day weekend - but that changed last night, as I will be spending it with Finn and Skippy. And I have another four nights with Brandi, the deaf and blind elderly Aussie Shepherd, also booked.
This past Saturday was the coolest day we've had since June, but the temperatures are scheduled to be in the 90s for the next 7 to 10 days. Right now, the NBC news team in London is just climbing out of a Mini Cooper, which puts me in mind of driving the Snitmans' Mini this past winter - they sink and get stuck in slush...
I feel sorry for a man in Delaware. He was standing on a sandbar at Rehobeth Beach, and was run down by an inebriated man on a jet ski. On his way to the hospital, in an ambulance with all lights and sirens going, his ambulance was struck by another car. The patient, and the driver and EMTs then had to wait for more ambulances to arrive to transport all of them to the hospital. The man who was "driving" the ski jet was charged with first-degree felony assault with a vessel, five counts of second-degree reckless endangering, operating under the influence, inattentive operation of a vessel, failing to maintain a proper lookout, negligent operation of a vessel, excessive speed within 300 feet of a swimmer and excessive speed. He was released on $7,000 unsecured bond pending a future court date. The driver who ran his vehicle into the ambulance is waiting for traffic investigators to decide upon charges.
This past Saturday was the coolest day we've had since June, but the temperatures are scheduled to be in the 90s for the next 7 to 10 days. Right now, the NBC news team in London is just climbing out of a Mini Cooper, which puts me in mind of driving the Snitmans' Mini this past winter - they sink and get stuck in slush...
I feel sorry for a man in Delaware. He was standing on a sandbar at Rehobeth Beach, and was run down by an inebriated man on a jet ski. On his way to the hospital, in an ambulance with all lights and sirens going, his ambulance was struck by another car. The patient, and the driver and EMTs then had to wait for more ambulances to arrive to transport all of them to the hospital. The man who was "driving" the ski jet was charged with first-degree felony assault with a vessel, five counts of second-degree reckless endangering, operating under the influence, inattentive operation of a vessel, failing to maintain a proper lookout, negligent operation of a vessel, excessive speed within 300 feet of a swimmer and excessive speed. He was released on $7,000 unsecured bond pending a future court date. The driver who ran his vehicle into the ambulance is waiting for traffic investigators to decide upon charges.
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Photos: 2012 Equestrian Olympics
Ian Millar and Star Power, of Canada, compete in the Grand Prix Jumping competition
Jan Ebeling, riding Ann Romney's Rafalca (USET), today
Tina Konyot riding Calecto V (USET) today
Steffen Peters on Ravel (USET) today
Goodbye to a Fantastic Pianist
I can't quite grasp the fact that Marvin Hamlisch is no longer with us. His music will, I'm sure, live on for ever - but the man who created such wonderful music is gone. He died yesterday after a brief illness, according to his family. He wrote the scores of many movies, and a large number of plays - and was awarded with three Academy Awards, four Emmys, one Tony, and three Golden Globe Awards. He was 68 years old. It doesn't seem possible that this great fountain of music will create no more.
In the Equestrian Olympic Games, there was a jump-off yesterday to break the tie for first place in the Team Jumping competition; Great Britain got the gold, the Netherlands took home the silver, and Saudi Arabia took the bronze. Canada finished fifth, and the US ended in sixth place. The Individual Jumping rounds will take place tomorrow - Nick Skelton on Big Star (Great Britain), Maikel van der Vleuten on Verdi, and Marc Houtzager on Tamino, both from the Netherlands, qualified without any faults; Rich Fellers and Flexible (US) and Ian Millar on Star Power (Canada) are tied in 11th place with 8 faults each.
The Team Dressage competition has ended, with Grat Britain taking the gold, Germany the silver, and the Netherlands got the bronze. The Grand Prix Freestyle dressage rides will decide the Individual medalists on Thursday. Charlotte Dujardin on Valegro is currently in first place, with the Netherlands in second, and another English rider in third. Steffen Peters on Ravel is the only USA rider to proceed to the finals - they are currently tied in 7th place with a score of 76.254.
And, a Longmont man who crashed into nine cars after taking pain medication and smoking marijuana pleaded guilty this morning to two counts of vehicular assault causing serious bodily injury. Sean Marino, 43, entered the plea in Boulder District Court before Judge Thomas Mulvahill. In exchange for the plea, prosecutors dropped misdemeanor charges of DUI, reckless driving and 11 counts of careless driving. Marino was arrested in March after police say he was driving at a "very high rate of speed" on 19th Street and collided with a car at Cedar Avenue with three people in it. Marino then hit a parked car before slamming into four other cars stopped at a red light at Iris Avenue, police said. The impact pushed one of the cars into the intersection, causing it to collide with other cars.
Ten people were sent to the hospital as a result of the crash -- including Marino himself. Marino told police he had taken Percocet, a narcotic pain medication that contains oxycodone, for stomach pain before the accident. He also was taking anti-seizure medication and smoked marijuana before the crash, though both were prescribed, according to prosecutors. He also did not have valid insurance. He is out on bond and will be sentenced on October 5, 2012. I think that this man should never be allowed to drive any vehicle, even a lawn mower, for the rest of his life.
In the Equestrian Olympic Games, there was a jump-off yesterday to break the tie for first place in the Team Jumping competition; Great Britain got the gold, the Netherlands took home the silver, and Saudi Arabia took the bronze. Canada finished fifth, and the US ended in sixth place. The Individual Jumping rounds will take place tomorrow - Nick Skelton on Big Star (Great Britain), Maikel van der Vleuten on Verdi, and Marc Houtzager on Tamino, both from the Netherlands, qualified without any faults; Rich Fellers and Flexible (US) and Ian Millar on Star Power (Canada) are tied in 11th place with 8 faults each.
The Team Dressage competition has ended, with Grat Britain taking the gold, Germany the silver, and the Netherlands got the bronze. The Grand Prix Freestyle dressage rides will decide the Individual medalists on Thursday. Charlotte Dujardin on Valegro is currently in first place, with the Netherlands in second, and another English rider in third. Steffen Peters on Ravel is the only USA rider to proceed to the finals - they are currently tied in 7th place with a score of 76.254.
And, a Longmont man who crashed into nine cars after taking pain medication and smoking marijuana pleaded guilty this morning to two counts of vehicular assault causing serious bodily injury. Sean Marino, 43, entered the plea in Boulder District Court before Judge Thomas Mulvahill. In exchange for the plea, prosecutors dropped misdemeanor charges of DUI, reckless driving and 11 counts of careless driving. Marino was arrested in March after police say he was driving at a "very high rate of speed" on 19th Street and collided with a car at Cedar Avenue with three people in it. Marino then hit a parked car before slamming into four other cars stopped at a red light at Iris Avenue, police said. The impact pushed one of the cars into the intersection, causing it to collide with other cars.
Ten people were sent to the hospital as a result of the crash -- including Marino himself. Marino told police he had taken Percocet, a narcotic pain medication that contains oxycodone, for stomach pain before the accident. He also was taking anti-seizure medication and smoked marijuana before the crash, though both were prescribed, according to prosecutors. He also did not have valid insurance. He is out on bond and will be sentenced on October 5, 2012. I think that this man should never be allowed to drive any vehicle, even a lawn mower, for the rest of his life.
Monday, August 6, 2012
Scenes - Hawaii, Missouri, Utah
Kauai, Hawaii
Lightning outside of Nevada, Vernon County, Missouri
Tiny blossoms seem to create a carpet of color in Utah
American Wildfires
Today there are 48 uncontrolled wildfires and 10 totally contained large wildfires burning in the United States. An up-dated map of all the large wildfires may be viewed at: http://activefiremaps.fs.fed.us/lg_fire2.php# The one large wildfire in Florida, in Volusia County, is totally contained; proceeding west, the next wildfire is in Arkansas; and almost 90 new small fires have been reported in the past 24 hours. That's frightening. And, last night, while lying in bed, I thought of the roly-poly 5-inch long earthworm that I had moved from a concrete brick and back into a grassy area. Then I wondered how deep in the dirt a worm would need to be to escape being cooked by a wildfire on the surface? I mean, think about it: during one of our recent wildfires, the flames were spreading (with the help of the wind) at a speed of 40 feet per second; if you can actually see the flame, just visible red flame burns at 980 degrees Farenheit, or 525 degrees Celsius - a visible deep orange flame burns at 2,000 degrees Farenheit, or 1,100 degrees Celsius.
The damage to flora and fauna from a wildfire is immense. Unless the creature is buried deep in the earth, or lives underwater, it is going to succumb to a fast-moving wildfire. Worms, grubs, insects, flies, dragonflies, butterflies, reptiles, amphibians, and slower moving mammals cannot escape a wildfire. Birds that are nesting loose their eggs, either in trees, or on the ground. Rabbits and prairie dogs are roasted. Older, or injured, animals cannot outrun a fire - heck, if it's moving at 40 feet per second, I can't escape it.
I realize that fire from lightning strikes is inevitable - but fires caused by humans are not. Fire caused by lightning has a purpose of renewal; the Forestry Service's planned burns, to clear out brush and help older trees, are a good thing. But arsonists are extremely dangerous to our livelyhoods, our economics, our health and our happiness. I am, generally, pretty much a pacifist, but when I look at the destruction an arsonist has caused, I want to burn that arsonist to death (with an accelerant, of course, so they wouldn't suffer too long).....
The damage to flora and fauna from a wildfire is immense. Unless the creature is buried deep in the earth, or lives underwater, it is going to succumb to a fast-moving wildfire. Worms, grubs, insects, flies, dragonflies, butterflies, reptiles, amphibians, and slower moving mammals cannot escape a wildfire. Birds that are nesting loose their eggs, either in trees, or on the ground. Rabbits and prairie dogs are roasted. Older, or injured, animals cannot outrun a fire - heck, if it's moving at 40 feet per second, I can't escape it.
I realize that fire from lightning strikes is inevitable - but fires caused by humans are not. Fire caused by lightning has a purpose of renewal; the Forestry Service's planned burns, to clear out brush and help older trees, are a good thing. But arsonists are extremely dangerous to our livelyhoods, our economics, our health and our happiness. I am, generally, pretty much a pacifist, but when I look at the destruction an arsonist has caused, I want to burn that arsonist to death (with an accelerant, of course, so they wouldn't suffer too long).....
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