Irish Derby and Mother Goose Winners

Yesterday, the Irish Derby was run at the usual distance of one and one-half miles.  Jack Hobbs, who finished behind Golden Horn in the Epsom Derby, liked the turf at the Curragh better than Epsom.  Jack Hobbs won the race by 5 lengths, with Storm the Stars another 5 1/2 lengths back, and Giovanni Canaletto winning third by a half-length.
   The 1 and 1/16 mile Mother Goose Stakes at Belmont Park, yesterday, the chestnut filly named Include Betty won by a margin of 3 and 1/4 lengths.  Wonder Gal nosed out Chide for second.

   - I hate moving! -

Chincoteague Scenes

Assateague Island Photos - Maryland and Virginia

Surf Queen and her last foal by Surfer Dude

Various Photos

Squidworm

Scissor-tailed flycatcher

German alpine picnic area

Dewey, a Maryland Assateague pony

Jamaican lovebirds

White tail deer and great blue heron

Elephant encounter

Away For a Few Days

I'll be taking a short break from blogging, as I start clearing out my apartment tomorrow, Saturday, and must be completely out by midnight June 30.  I've put some easily handled things into storage already - will be working my buns off (I wish!) in moving all but four major items out of the apartment by Sunday evening.  I'll pick up a van at 3 on Monday, and have to return it by 3 on Wednesday.
   My friend Beatrice and I have been applying to several different places around Boulder - we figure that if we can both pay $750 per month for ourselves and have less than 500 square feet, then we could get a two bedroom,  one-and-a-half  (or two) bathroom together and save a little bit more money.  Four places have told us we don't make enough money to qualify, and one has said we make too much.  I'm still hoping to get into a new complex on 28th Street - at the moment, the only thing holding us back from approval is a verification of Beatrice's retirement income.  (The form was sent to her this evening.) Beatrice plans on printing it, signing it, and faxing it as soon as she gets into work tomorrow.  
   Maybe I'll know by Monday evening where I'll be moving on Wednesday morning....  If we get into our chosen place, I should be able to begin blogging again on Thursday.  Otherwise, I (and the cats) will be staying in a friends mother-in-law suite in North Boulder, until we find a different place to move.  I won't mind staying at  Len and Susan's, with Lola, Cooper, Tipsi, and Pounce, but I don't know how Lovey will react to having other cats on the other side of the French doors.  If Lovey, Nedi and I end up at Tamarack Court, I'll blog whenever I can, but it probably won't be regularly.
   Enjoy your next few days without my rambling mind intruding!

Critters

Beaver

European wild cat

Irish pine marten

Great blue herons fighting

Squirrel at Yosemite National Park

Canada geese at Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge - photo by Deb Iddings Noll

Mexican ground squirrel

Huge Storm in Denver

While there was a tremendous storm in Denver yesterday afternoon, right at the height of rush hour traffic, Boulder escaped with clouds, thunder and lightning, and a few drops of rain.  We did have threatening clouds from about 3 p.m. until well after 10, as storms passed overhead and dodged around us.  Nedi spent most of the time curled up inside his closet hidey-hole, while Lovey went back and forth between my lap and the window.  We didn't even have enough rain to dampen the grass thoroughly.
   Denver, on the other hand, had torrential rain, lots of funnel clouds, and lots of hail.  Depending on where a person was located in metropolitan Denver, they got anywhere from .25 inches of rain, to 2.25 inches of rain in less than an hour.  Most of the hail that fell was the size of quarters, while some areas saw hail the size of golf balls.  Multiple funnel clouds were spotted in various neighborhoods, and photos were taken.  Straight-line winds knocked trees down, and/or  broke them in half.  Because of the deluge of sudden rain, there was localized street flooding - and the local creeks and rivers overflowed their banks again.  The hail stripped leaves from trees, and decimated flowers and gardens.
   Yesterday was Bike to Work Day throughout Colorado.  A lot of businesses had set up refreshment tents along bike paths, in parks, and in other open bike-riding areas.  They had served folks on their way in to work in the morning, and most were still set up to offer water and refreshments for the ride back home.  Most of those tents and pavilions were destroyed by the rain, hail, and wind yesterday.  Weather forecasters were begging people to find cover and stay there until the storm was over - and also warning that it might take several hours for traffic to clear enough for people at home to drive into the downtown area to pick up the stranded bicyclists.

Tree toppled in Commerce City

 Leaves, hail and flooding at Williams St and Colorado in Denver

Colorado Blvd in Denver

View from office building near Cherry Creek in Denver yesterday

Chincoteague Island Scenes

 This Chincoteague pony gelding is named Lightning.  He swam the Assateague Channel as a foal in the 1988 Pony Penning.  He is now 27 years old, retired, and lives at the Rodeway Inn.

 The Chincoteague Fireman's Carnival will open Friday night.  The Chincoteague Pony 4-H Club has been working hard to clean up the grounds and the rides.

Island Creamery is now offering Strawberry Sundaes in waffle-cone bowls - Yum!

Chincoteague Island has a large duck population - please be sure to brake and stop for both large and small groups crossing any roads - this is Main Street.

Ponies taking a snooze on the marsh

Beautiful island sunset