HA! Yeah, that's my aunt and uncle's house, Casey. How weird/neat that you have a picture of it! It's on the other side of that cliff they've built stairs going all the way down to the deck on the beach. It's such a beautiful spot. And yes, it's Northern Bay Sands. We went there for the day with Pam and Cara on my birthday. The weather was absolutely perfect. We had a picnic, explored the beach and flew a kite. We even went in the water. The kids just to their knees - my sister and I were in up past our waists. SO cold!! And we did across the suspension bridge. Sophie and Benjamin loved it and wanted to keep going back and forth. We watched jellyfish and an otter (or something like) for a long time from the bridge.

New Home Builder, I love your decor palette and it's one of my favorites here! We still have some things in progress inside; but when I figure out how to post pictures, I'll show you some of the outside. I love our home and while I miss the mountains, but they aren't far. We are now halfway between my family at the beach, and my husband's family near Birmingham. It's fun having to decide between trips for your birthday. Either one you choose will be terrific! Thanks for welcoming me. Patricia, I drive through Laurens once a month on my way to a consulting client, so will check out the Rosewood Cottage of which you spoke. When my husband and I were looking for an older home, we saw one listed in MLS in Laurens. It was a little too far, but recently I saw the exterior of the home, and it's so grand! Our home is one level since it's our retirement home, and we won't have to climb the stairs when we're 90. :-) I'm really sorry that so many fine Southern cities are tearing down their buildings. Hearing about Richmond breaks my heart! One reason I enjoy Europe so much is their historical architecture and the care to preserve their history. Hello, Julie! I'm on the other side of Greenville from you, and nice to "meet" you. I'm sorry for hijacking the thread. Thanks again for the photos of beautiful Charleston! Susan

I have spent several vacations on the Winipeg flowage out of Minaki, Ontario. My parents-in-law had a cabin on an island 5 miles from town. The only way in was by boat or swim. The terrain is similar - no sandy beaches. Just a rocky shoreline to bang the bow of the canoe. Landing can be tricky in wind and waves. That country is a stunning place to visit. Once you are out on the water, it hits you. This place could be dangerous. There are lots of ways to mess up, so one takes care not to do those things and then along comes a situation you did not think about. It keeps you alert. Mosquitos can be bad or not so bad, but are ever present. During the day, if there is a breeze that is faster than the flying speed (5 mph) of the buggers, they tend to stay parked on the underside of leaves. When the wind calms at nightfall and the relative humidity rises, they come out. To survive and sleep, you must have good mosquito netting on your tent and you should have a repair kit. However, we noted an interesting phenomonem. If you get in a canoe or boat and move away from shore, you will find a distance beyond which they will not venture. Its in the neighborhood of 30 ft. Those waters are populated with muskies and pike. When these fish are about, you do not sit on a dock and dangle your toes in the water. These fish have a teeth and a ferocious strike. A story circulated one year about a boy who dangled his toes, a muskie struck and stripped most of the flesh off his great toe - unpleasant! The guys made sure they did not go skinny dipping for obvious reasons. They wore suits and had no problems. And now it is story time. There were two young fellows who worked for the "Lands and Forest" during the summer. They had the job of moose survey and tagging. How do you place an ear tag in a wild moose?? It was their practice to go out in a small helicopter to spot the moose. When they found a moose swimming in water, they could swoop down, look for the ear tag and if none were present, tag the moose without much fuss. The moose was terrified however. The guy doing the tagging would climb out on the runners - regular modern cow - no - mooseboys. On this fateful day, they are 30 miles away from the station when they spy a moose in water. The water is almost over the shoulders. Now, there is one predictable thing about moose and that is they are unpredictable. This happless pair swoops down over the moose with a man riding the runner. The moose did not move. Just as soon as the tagger reached out to tag, the moose stood up! It was laying in a couple ft of water. The moose in getting up tips the helicopter over and it wrecks. The rotor hit the water. One person got a broken bone and the other one was knocked around a bit. There they were sitting in water with wrecked machine, one person significantly injured, and the radio shot. The storyteller stopped and never revealed how they got out. Needless to say, the accident was written up and the provedures revised.

Thanks to you all, our boys do rule the roost! What Nita isn't telling you is that we have a colony on the patio as well. A few years ago a stray showed up, a gray tabby who has had a hard life. Someone was very mean to her, she fears hands, hoses and anything attached to a stick. We've been working on her and can only hope that we can capture her to have her spayed, so far she has avoided the live trap. She has had 3 litters, 3 of the now adults live on the porch (we had 2 neutered)one of which sometimes comes in, Baby Girl in the photo was born in April, and now 3 that were born in June (yep, she carried two litters). Baby is at the vet, we pick her up this afternoon, she was spayed. The boys are Maine Coons, Bob and Moose are 5 years old, biological brothers from Maine Coon Cattery outside Cleveland, Dude is 7 and hails from McKittycreek in Erie, PA. He was a great match for us because Sue also has exotic birds, but was an only child so he feels he is above all the other cats. I love Maine Coon cats...or any cat!! LOL!!!