Vertical Panoramic View, Friends and Turtle

The ''Leaf Blowers of Hardin Ridge" were out bright and early this morning blowing leaves. I am not going to post another photo of that, I think you get the idea from other pictures. I followed along in the truck with the flashers on....I felt guilty being in the warm truck while they were out in the cold. These are our friends that visited today.  Lucinda, used to be Art's sub at the Post Office until he retired, now she is the Officer in Charge (OIC), her husband John, and their friend Rick came down to see us. I think they came to see the park and we were just a bonus :)  They all rode down their motorcycles, they love the hilly, curvy roads down here in Southern IN. We took the driving tour of the park and then we had apple crisp and coffee out on the picnic table.  Cooper was eagerly awaiting plates to clean off.  Then they hopped on their bikes and rode off into the sunset......:)

Lucinda, John, Rick, and Cooper

When they were ready to leave Rick walked over to the restroom and shouted, "hey, does anyone over there like turtles?" LIKE TURTLES! Ok..I grabbed the camera and ran, well walked really fast, I'm too old to run. Oh he was soooooo cute. He was sitting over in the pine straw just resting. I picked him up and was carrying him over to the site for everyone else to see, and I said, "now don't you pee on me." You all know what I am going to say don't you? Yep, pee all down the front of my shirt. You can stop laughing now! :))) I forgave him immediately, I'm sure he was scared. So guess what you are going to see...
 

"Hey, get back here I'm not through taking pictures of you yet".  Amazing how fast he could go on the pavement, but in the woods, he moved a lot slower. Too many obstacles in his way.

Ahhh look how he is holding on to my finger. I KNOW he is pushing on it, as you can tell the other leg is moving,  "PUT ME DOWN!"

See how he blends into his surroundings. If you didn't know he was there you would miss him.

We took our friends down to the beach area and I got a picture of this butterfly. I am not sure what it is I just didn't have time to look it up this evening. I'll identify it and write it in later.  Unless someone out there knows what it is.

I liked how the blue color on the wings showed up in this shot.

This is such a neat occurrence.  With the air temperature being so cold now, you can see the lake steaming in the morning when the sun comes up. Now you know it is cold when that water is ''warmer'' than the air outside.

Ok let me explain what I am doing next. I was thinking of the panoramic pictures of the lake area and how neat that would be. Then I thought it would be neat to do the same thing with the road only top to bottom (vertical) The leaves are just so pretty I wanted to share it with you. And I wanted the hosts that have left to be able to see the leaves. Terry had asked me to take lots of pictures of them. They had to leave early, and since they live in Georgia they only get to see green she said.  I got in the truck in the back and stood up  in the bed, that way I was higher and you get to see more leaves and less trunk :)  Boy oh boy was it cold back there...brrr!  But it was worth it for the pictures I got. Here we go....

Turning left out of our campsite onto Southern Point road.

Now we are on the main road, heading up to the gate.

Still on main road, office turn off at top of photo on R.

Now past office turn off.

Standing under the gate looking back towards the park. Neat outline isn't it? Would not have been able to get this without standing in the back of the truck.

We see turkeys cross the road in this area a lot.

This is the entrance to Eads. The turkeys like to feed here in the grassy area.  I'll bet you are wondering if I know all this where are the photos? Well the times I have seen them I don't have my camera. :(  And other people tell me they see them in this area.

On main road, I think this is a very pretty part of the main road.

Drive to office on L this time.

I just loved this combination of color.

The entrance to Holland Loop is on the right. Very pretty loop.

Now we have turned back on to Southern Pine, this is my favorite picture of the trees. I put it on as my background on the computer and blown up it is gorgeous!  THIS shot was worth freezing over.

See the turn to our site on bottom left.  Not a bad view to drive is it? Simply gorgeous...no traffic, no stop lights, no houses to spoil the landscape, no ''trash'' along the side of the road, no traffic signs, no animals that have been hit, no mailboxes, no real estate signs, no businesses, I think you get the point. But the best part you can drive it on the golf cart, going 10 mph and just relax and enjoy the view. Now I know what the Amish must feel traveling so slow. :)

Back at our site.  The end.

                               So from Hardin Ridge we send hugs and best wishes.

Accident in the Park, and Sunsets

Yesterday and today were pretty normal around the park except for Saturday. We were walking into the trailer after being up at the office having homemade Butternut Squash soup.  Our radio on the golf cart was on and we heard Kevin (Asst. Manager)  calling for Al, (Manager) to come to site 136. I heard something different in his voice and told Art lets go over and see if there is anything we can help with. When we got over there an elderly couple had just arrived in a Class C motor home. The husband had a prosthetic leg and apparently his good leg, which he was driving with, slipped on the accelerator and being in reverse he ''slammed'' into a huge tree behind the site. Oh my gosh there was so much damage, their bumper was in the shape of a V, their back window was busted out and glass was everywhere.  It put a hole in the top of the coach near the roof, bent the ladder, and apparently the frame too as nothing would close properly.  To make matters worse, the husband tried to get up with only the one leg, fell in the coach, skinned up his good leg and it was bleeding. Kevin had tried to get him up but couldn't. Art and I just seemed to slip into  EMT/Paramedic mode and we were able to get the gentleman up.  He was extremely diaphoretic ( sweating) and his color was ashen gray. I asked him if he had any health problems and his wife said multiple ones. I figured he was diabetic with the prosthetic leg (with other symptoms) and he also had 2 previous heart attacks, so OK now we may have a serious medical crisis. His poor wife was so upset, and we found out later she had cancer and had just completed Chemo.  She got him some orange juice in case his blood sugar was too low, as he had not yet eaten. He never really did look good to me but they insisted on leaving and returning home. Kevin and Mickey lead them out to St Rd 37 on a back road to bypass Indiana University which was having home coming weekend with home football game. I know the traffic was horrific through Bloomington. We got the site cleaned up and another camper is in there now. Poor couple, your heart just went out to them. She said this was their last weekend they could camp, and you had to think to yourself if it was going to be their last camping trip period.  Al refunded their money and while they were at the gate their little pug dog got out and was running loose, so everyone at the gate was trying to catch him. I am sure they were glad to arrive home and have this nightmare over with.  Never know what a day is going to hold do we?

We may have an accident tonight as it is supposed to get down to 32! Can you say frozen hoses, pipes, ears, toes, noses! We were just talking if we should leave another of our hoses on with a stream of water to prevent freezing. Ooo K.....I am not quite ready for it to be this cold already! Gee where is our Fall weather? I am starting to believe that the Persimmon Seed should of had a knife too for severe cold.  We saw Denver, CO already had 6 inches.  We walked last night and then was going to come back and build a fire....too cold. We would have been sitting on top of it to keep warm, that S'More  sure wasn't worth it.  :)

This morning we worked at the gate from 9-1 then we came back and had left over soup I made for supper last night for supper. It was Italian Sausage Soup and boy is it good. The recipe came from Bob Evans Restaurant. We then curled up in our recliners turned on the football game and ''presto" we're asleep! That didn't take long. I woke up and decided I needed some more sunset photos, our time here is coming to an end and so I wanted more photos of the park. Going down to the beach, guess what I saw????  Here take a look....

Hee hee, actually this was at the end of our site so I had to see it when I pulled out. I made the wreath with some down pine bows from the rain the other night. And the nuts and pine cones come down even when we don't have rain. The ribbon, from Walmart. :)

I'm on the up and up now. Here is what I saw right before I got to the beach road. They were out eating grass by one of the picnic shelters. I just love the black outline on the ears. I am sure this was a baby from this yr. as it wasn't very big yet and was so perfect, no scars, and not under weight. Plus, another larger deer was eating nearby, mom I'm sure.

"I thought I heard you coming."

"Well, Hi." "Do you want a picture of me?"

" Mind if I munch on some grass while you snap away?"

"OH Shoot! MOM wait for me."

And poof, they're gone. So I mosied on to my sunset pictures. It is amazing to me you can sit in the same spot on any day and not get the same colors and shapes of the sunset.

I arrived...it is 7:10 pm.

I hope this makes you feel like you are right there on the beach too.  Oh and bring a coat, it's cold :)

While I was waiting for the sun to go down, here comes a Pontoon Boat. And guess who that is?  Al and Wayne. Too funny! I am sitting there and I believe they were the last boat off the lake. Catch any fish guys?  Soon they will be ice fishing :))

Almost below the trees.

And.....it's gone!  So long Sunday.

I was walking back up the small hill I was sitting on and I turned and looked back, it looked like a yellow smoke trail left in the sky where the sun used to be.  It was sure worth the wait to see this beauty.

                             So from Hardin Ridge we send hugs and best wishes.

R.I.P. Al and Buckeye Butterfly at Allen's Creek

Well here we go again, rain rain rain! But we have an added misery...Cold! The temperature dropped from 76 degrees yesterday now to a low of 37 degrees tonight! You know they say if you don't like the weather in Indiana just wait a while and it will change.

So true! But I sure don't like the change this time brrrr....and damp....miserable. I feel so sorry for those camping in tents tonight, it has been raining for hours. It is nice here in the RV, furnace, TV, warm dry bed, good food.  We used to tent camp so I know what these poor campers are going through.  

 

Must be nice to be the boss!  You get to lie down on the job anytime you want and take a nap. :)  Ok...I'll be nice.  This is Al, manager of the park, he was digging out packed leaves in the side ditches with a pitch fork and he needed a break.  Pillow; courtesy of Me, water; courtesy of Vickie.  Oh and it didn't hurt that today was his birthday!!!!  Look he left his ear protection on so the blowing noise wouldn't bother him.

Happy Birthday Al!!!!   RIP :)

 

I had so many compliments on my last picture that I took in the mirror that I decided to do it again. I realize the truck is in this one but I thought the tree reflected in the window was neat looking.  This is the main road leading to the beach, boat ramp area.

New approach to leaf blowing today. See the hill behind Mickey it is steep so they had to blow them out onto the road and blow them to the other side.  After all this rain today I can only imagine that the ditches are full again.

On our day off Wed we took the road that runs parallel to the Hardin Ridge road. It is a very rural country road with very few houses on it.  The road dead ends at Allen's Creek.  This was some of the trees on the road.

This home had a huge fence around their garden (see bottom left) to keep out the deer. 

Surprise! I didn't even warn you of turkeys. They were eating out in a pasture, and they are a pair!!

Wow! Was I excited to get this Buckeye butterfly.  Isn't it just ''beautiful!"

This is Allen's Creek. I sure wish we had a boat to get out on this water.

 

I am not having any luck getting land turtles but I am getting snapping turtles.  This little guy was sunning himself on this log sticking out of the water. It was cute he would slip down and then climb back up.  Look at his little claws and the red color on his legs.

This is road 446 leading into Bloomington.  The water is so beautiful and blue. We were going over to Fairfax Recreation Area which sits across the lake from Hardin Ridge. There is a motel over there and a beach area.

This little Killdeer was running down the beach area.  He sure was moving fast on those little legs. Their head and face remind me of a dove with stripes, just adorable.

We were on the beach area looking out over the lake towards Hardin Ridge. The trees are sure getting pretty.

On the beach area these Turkey Vultures were standing around looking for lunch. They took off flying and I decided to try and get one in flight.  Look at the end of those wings, so cool!!!

These guys were having a wonderful day on the lake. I asked them if they were catching anything and they had caught a couple of little Bass.

This is the covered boat slip at Fairfax.  The main masts from the Sail Boats look neat standing straight and tall in the photo.

These Maple Trees were so beautiful. Sorry about the glare from the window.

                             So from Hardin Ridge we send hugs and best wishes.

If This Doesn't Make You Smile, Nothing Will :)

There is nothing I can say about these photos except oh my gosh!  I cannot take credit for these, Art took them while I was shopping in at Walmart. I lost it when he showed them to me.  They are hilarious!!!

"Ok, I'll be fine, but hurry don't take too long."

"Where is she I gotta potty."

"Maybe if I take a little nap I can forget about it."

"Seriously!! All she went after was bread and milk."

"I can't stand to watch any longer.  She had better not forget my treats."

"Well that's it she waited too long....oops!"

The campers are getting into the Halloween spirit....so I thought I should too.

       I had a thought, how about decorating our golf cart. So this is what I came up with.

Notice I put the ghost on the driver's side...."Look out!"

See how neatly those leaves fell on the top of the cart :)

This is a Witchy Pumpkin

Host Karl and Vickie decorated their site too.  I guess this host was worked too hard :)

As soon as you enter the gate here, this is the view you see.

Here is my blow up pumpkin we hung on the awning.

                              So from Hardin Ridge we send hugs and best wishes.