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Favorite Places: Jamaica

March 20, 2012 by Pat Bean

“Getting older is no problem. You just have to live long enough..” — Groucho Marks

Cruising down the Black River 

I took a long bus ride to take a boat cruise down Jamaica's Black River. What a fantastic day it was. While I loved the colorful structures at the beginning of the trip, I also loved the more isolated stretches where egrets and herons stood watch of the river from the safety of the mangrove trees. -- Photo by Pat Bean

Versatile Blogger Award

Thank you Bella Remy http://bellaremyphotography.wordpress.com/ for giving me A Versatile Blogger’s Award, which means I am supposed to tell you seven things about myself. Huh… Let’s see…

I often start my mornings by listening to Helen Reddy’s recording of “I Am Woman Hear Me Roar.”

My mother called me Patsy Lee, unless she was mad at me. Then it was: Patricia Lee Joseph. Pat, however, is what I feel fits me.

I love bright colors and it doesn’t bother me at all if they clash.

The first time I walked into a newsroom, I knew it was where I belonged. And so it was for the next 37 years.

My early school-days nickname was Cootie Brain. I was so ashamed of it that I didn’t tell a soul until I was in my 50s. Today I feel that kids who don’t fit in are the lucky ones.

I must have both alone time and people in my life, which means my life is a constant juggling game.

And finally, I adore every single one of my followers. You’re an amazing bunch, and I’m having fun getting to know some of you better. And my thanks to all of you who have softened my recent blow from the loss of two pets with your heartfelt comments. The kind words did help.

Bean’s Pat: Chicks With Ticks http://tinyurl.com/6qpusvo Finding Walden.

 

Posted in Favorite Places, Travel | Tagged , , , , , | 3 Comments »

Weekly Photo Challenge: Unusual

March 19, 2012 by Pat Bean

“Today is a most unusual day because we have never lived it before; we will never live it again; it is the only day we have.” — William Arthur Ward

Unusual guardians of the lake are these black vultures. -- Photo by Pat Bean

 Bean’s Pat: Jack Elliot’s Santa Barbara Adventure http://tinyurl.com/7n7eope  Bald eagles 

Posted in Weekly Photo Challenge | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments »

Lightning Finds Me Twice

March 18, 2012 by Pat Bean

 “To live in this world you must be able to do three things: to love what is mortal; to hold it against your bones knowing your own life depends on it; and, when the time comes to let it go.” Mary Oliver

Princess Meghan Joined Maggie in the Clouds

This well may be the hardest blog I’ve ever written. But it’s part of my travel journey and I know I must share it for continuity in my blogging. One of these days I’ll write the whole story, but the wound is still too fresh for complete details.

 

Wisteria and tiny pink ground flowers as seen through my RV window. -- Photo by Pat Bean

After losing my long-time canine travel companion, Maggie, and adopting Princess Meghan, a tiny, energetic beagle as her replacement, I lost her also.

In a space of eight days, I stood beside two beloved pets as they were humanely euthanized. A freak accident left Meghan paralyzed and I felt I had no choice.

My body shut down for four days and only today is it beginning to revive itself. I mostly stayed alone in my RV with the shades drawn. The shades are up today, and I’m once again open to the outside world.

A plethora of bird song is humming through the air, and a nearby white wisteria is scenting the landscape. I’m extremely grateful to notice because my senses were so dimmed by my sorrow that I truly could not enjoy the roadside bluebonnets that accompanied me Friday on a journey from Lake Jackson to Harker Heights north of Austin.

I saw them, but felt no joy.

I was going to continue on Saturday toward Tucson, where a sick daughter wants her mother, but my body refused to go on. So I’m sitting here at my oldest son’s home for a few days. I suspect I’ll continue my journey Tuesday or Wednesday.

It will be a lonely trip, but I do believe this tough old broad will at least be able to enjoy the sights along the way. Hopefully there will be more roadside bluebonnets.

And hopefully, this blog will once again take on its upbeat travel theme. Dookie happens to everyone and getting on with life is always the best thing we can do.

 Camping With a Canine in Cornwall http://tinyurl.com/726he22 This reminded me of many of my own adventuress when I was a tent camper. And it cheered me up.

Posted in Journeys, Travel, Wildflowers | Tagged , , , , , , | 24 Comments »

Favorite Places: Hannibal, Missouri

March 14, 2012 by Pat Bean

“Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover. ” — Mark Twain

Tom and Huck’s Cardiff Hill

Mark Twain put Hannibal on the map, and the city is now using the places where Tom Sawyer and Huck Finn played and roamed to entice people to the tourist town. You can take a ride on a paddle boat, tour the dark corners of the cave Tom and Becky got lost in, visit his home and walk up 253 steps to get to the top of Cardiff Hill. I did them all, simply because. -- Photo by Pat Bean

I climbed the steps and then discovered the road that most others took to the top. I think I would have taken those steps even if I knew the road existed, however. That’s just who I am.

Bean’s Pat: Camping With a Canine in Cornwall http://tinyurl.com/726he22 This reminded me of many of my own adventuress when I was a tent camper. .

 

Posted in Favorite Places, Travel, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | 6 Comments »

A Week in Chicago

March 13, 2012 by Pat Bean

 “Travel and change of place impart new vigor to the mind.” ~Seneca

The Art Institute of Chicago – and Snow

While I tend to hit the backroads and boonies most frequently in my travels so as to satisfy my need for Mother Nature’s sanctuaries, I also enjoy big cities.

That good because I recently spent a week in Chicago. The purpose was to visit my youngest son, Michael, but I also got in a bit of sight-seeing in the Windy City.

My son, knowing that no visit to any big city is complete without a visit to an art museum, set aside a day for us to take in the Chicago institute of Art, which has a great Impressionist collection.

What a great day it was, from being amused by the pair of fierce lions guarding the museum entrance to getting re-acquainted with the works of Van Gogh, even though my favorites, his Starry Night series was not among them.

A snowy early morning view from my son's third-floor Chicago apartment. -- Photo by Pat Bean

It was a great visit, which included a fancy dinner at the top of the John Hancock Building, which came with a foggy night view of the city.  But  I especially enjoyed getting up one morning and looking out my son’s apartment window and seeing snow. This winter has been spent mostly on Texas’ Gulf Coast and snow has not been part of the landscape.

Change, I think, is good for the human soul. At least it feels that way for mine.

 Bean’s Pat: Cats in Paris http://tinyurl.com/7ql84jt Quite an eclectic collection, and I loved them all.

Posted in Favorite Places, Travel | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment »

Royalty Enters My Life

March 12, 2012 by Pat Bean

 
Meghan: Beagle, Dog; Houston, TX Enlarge Photo
 
Meghan: Beagle, Dog; Houston, TX Meghan: Beagle, Dog; Houston, TX Meghan: Beagle, Dog; Houston, TX

Meghan

Beagle: An adoptable dog in Houston, TX

Small • Adult • Female
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This sweet little beagle girl looks like a perpetual puppy due to her small size and her cute little mannerisms. She is only 12″ tall and weighs about 17 lbs! She was brought in to a Houston-area shelter as a stray and not claimed. The shelter guessed her age at approx. 5 – 6 years, but it seems she may be younger. She tested heartworm negative, has been updated on vaccines, has had her teeth cleaned, is now spayed, microchipped and dewormed.
 
Meghan is a little princess, and wants to be your lap-doggie. She will install herself on the lap of whomever happens to be sitting down at the time. Her dream would be to sleep in the bed with the humans. She loves humans, and believes her status to be above that of the other dogs in the household. There are no cats in the foster home, but we think she might chase cats if given the opportunity; after all, she is a beagle! Her favorite activity is taking a walk on leash, and she also likes to ride in the car.

At night she will sleep quietly (but reluctantly) in a dog crate at her foster home, ever hopeful of earning a spot on the “big” bed. During the day she is allowed to be loose in the house, as she does not chew things and she gets along with the other dogs. She WILL sometimes bark at noises outside, and makes quite a racket when the humans are either leaving or coming home — for such a little thing, she does have a very loud bark! Therefore she might not be a great fit for an apartment unless the neighbors can be informed that the occasional squeals are from a protesting dog and not a banshee! (grin)

She knows how to use a doggie door, but little princess that she is, she really prefers not to go outside unless accompanied by a human friend. The ideal home for Meghan will be a quiet one where there is not a lot of activity. She would not be comfortable with young children or super active dogs. There might have been some traumatic incidents in her past that led her to worry about her safety, so she worries about being picked up quickly or being bumped by rowdy dogs. She will be a loyal and loving companion to anyone who can give her lots of love and attention. To adopt Meghan or one of our other rescued beagles, please follow the instructions on our website and complete an application to adopt. 

  Princess Meghan

She's got melt-your-heart-chocolate-brown eyes and a regalness about her that prompted me to call her Princess Meghan. -- Photo by Pat Bean

I discovered the above notice on the Internet — and immediately  knew I had found a perfect new companion for my RV travels.

 
It took filling out a  lengthy application, a  120-mile round-trip drive through a Texas-sized rain storm the next day, a sales job to convince the beagle guardians that I would treat an adopted dog humanely, and finally writing a check for $225,   but Meghan is now mine. It was an instant bonding. She crawled up in my lap as I was driving home. 
 
I stopped at the first opportunity, stacked three pillows in the co-pilot seat and put her atop it.  She was happy and alternated between looking out the window, howling at passing semis and snoozing. 
 
She met three big canine cousins without fear, made friends with Pippin (see yesterday’s blog, proving she doesn’t chase cats),  claimed a large comfy chair to snooze in while I played a game of Settlers with my son and his wife, dragged me around for a couple of walks, howled in response to the local hound’s passage,  explored my RV and immediately claimed Maggie’s favorite spots as her own, and finally curled up beside me in my bed for the night.
 
Her actions told me she was no Maggie-Too as I had planned on naming any new dog.  She’s a Princess through and through. 
 
Princess Meghan I shall call her.  Count on hearing a lot more about her in coming days.
 
  Bean’s Pat: Bobby Harrison http://tinyurl.com/869plkp   This is a great blog for bird lovers. Bobby takes great bird photos, and I especially enjoyed these shots of a purple gallinule.

Posted in Journeys, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , | 31 Comments »

Weekly Photo Challenge: Contrast

March 12, 2012 by Pat Bean

 “In order to keep a true perspective of one’s importance, everyone should have a dog that will worship him and a cat that will ignore him.” — Dereke Bruce

Pippin atop my daughter-in-law's Escape -- Photo by Pat Bean

This week’s photo challenge to demonstrate contrast naturally had me thinking of color. So this morning when I saw golden-haired Pippin sitting on top of my daughter-in-law’s black Escape, my mind went “AHA!”

I grabbed my camera and went out to take his picture, knowing that this was a cat who would pose for me. He’s that kind of cat.

Rocky sizing up what's under the Christmas tree. -- Photo by Pat Bean

I got his picture, but in the process I stepped on a bed of ants and they retaliated. Thankfully, they weren’t fire ants, but the leg that they crawled up and the hand that brushed them away stung for about half an hour.

And the pain was all for naught. When I looked at the photos, I realized they really didn’t show the contrast I wanted. .

Then I thought of Rocky, a fat, black and white, cat that belongs to my youngest daughter, and the contrasts between the two felines. .

Pippin is an outdoor cat that gets pleasure out of tormenting the neighborhood raccoons. He simply showed up one day at my son’s place and decided it was home.

He got neutered, is fed daily, and has a warm garage in which to sleep at night. But he remains an outdoor cat. Of all the cats in my large family’s menagerie, Pippin is my favorite. While very independent, he’s always ready for human contact and loving from any human who enters his territory.

He considers himself an animal guard cat, however, and any trespassing dogs should beware..

Rocky, on the other hand, was rescued during a Guam typhoon by my daughter and is not allowed outside. He’s picky about whom he cozies up to, preferring my son-in-law’s lap to any other.

His primary playmate is a great Dane, whom he bosses around.

So, for contrast, I offer up Pippin and Rocky.

Bean’s Pat: where’s my toothbrush: Camel Riding in Jaisalmer http://tinyurl.com/7phjrsn A delightful travel blog about a camel adventure in India.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment »

Time to Move On

March 10, 2012 by Pat Bean

“If you’re going through hell, keep going” — Winston Churchill

Maggie was the first dog I owned that always took time on our walks to stop and smell the flowers. -- Photo by Pat Bean

I guess I’m going to survive the loss of my Maggie. I was looking for a quote on grief and came across the above one by good old Sir Winnie – and I laughed.

Of course I also cried when I came across these words from an unknown author: “Without tears, the soul would have no rainbows.”

This one's for you Maggie. -- Photo by Pat Bean

I’m so very thankful that I had loved ones around trying to distract me from my sorrow. I got two free lunches and learned how to use a game controller the past three days while hiding out from my blog and from working on my travel book.

 I’m also extremely thankful for my Cloud World of writing and blogging friends. While each of your heartfelt words started the tears anew, the virtual hugs that came with them helped me tremendously.

It’s the first time I’ve turned to others during a bad time in my life. My usual tactic is to run away and hide and bare my sorrow in solitude. It seemed easier that way, but I was wrong.

Even so, last night was the first time I’ve ever felt alone since I moved into my RV. So, in honor of, and meaning no disrespect to Maggie, I’ve already started looking for a new pet.

Like Maggie, it will be a dog needing rescued. My druthers are a 20-25 pound, one to two-year-old female canine that likes to be walked, wants to travel, isn’t averse to being spoiled rotten, and likes to cuddle. Chocolate brown eyes that melt your heart, as Maggie’s did mine, would be a plus.

Posted in Journeys, Travels With Maggie | Tagged , , , , | 21 Comments »

Maggie’s Gone

March 8, 2012 by Pat Bean

Half asleep but with one eye open because Ijust opened the refrigerator door. Maggie had more attitude than any dog I ever owned. And I will miss her greatly. -- Photo by Pat Bean

I can’t stop crying long enough to write. Maggie’s gone to doggie heaven and whomever’s in charge damn well better make sure they treat her well. We lost the ear-infection battle.

Posted in Travels With Maggie | Tagged , , , | 51 Comments »

Weekly Photo Challenge: Distortion

March 3, 2012 by Pat Bean

 “The most dangerous of all falsehoods is a slightly distorted truth.” — Georg Christoph Lichtenberg

 

Body Distortion: Day of the Dead, San Antonio, Texas -- Photo by Pat Bean

Bean’s Pat: Slowing Down to Save Time http://tinyurl.com/6wzf65g A lesson I would do well to take to heart.

Posted in Travel, Weekly Photo Challenge | Tagged , , , , , | 8 Comments »

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