Jannie's PhotoBlog

Virginia City Mercantile

2009-10-29T22:17:44Z

On the same weekend that we visited our dear friends in Sparks, Nevada and went to the Great Reno Balloon Race (my previous post) we also went to nearby Virginia City. Quite the action packed day, but what fun! Virginia City Mercantile was worthy of it's very own post. I'll post a subsequent Virginia City post later, including historic gold rush saloons, and the Camel Races. Seriously! You can spend hours in this shop exploring the vintage signs and collections and memorabilia, not to mention the overflowing bins of candy. If you ever go to Virginia City Nevada you have to go check this place out!!

Balloon Races in Reno Nevada

2009-09-25T22:18:05Z

We experienced our very first balloon races 2 weeks ago in Reno Nevada. The getting up at 4am kinda sucked, but once we got where we were going it was pretty cool. It starts in the pitch dark with what they call "glow", and then progresses to what Catdad called "a hatch". It truly looked like a hatch of insects at one point. The balloons just started to emerge every minute or so until there were at least 60 by our count. "Race" was rather a misnomer. But it was definitely a balloon convention. Awesome experience with some awesome friends.

Yes I am a Angry Mobster ~ Tea Party in Sacramento CA

2009-08-30T20:01:09Z

I'm mad as hell. And I'm not alone. I have very recently discovered my inner Patriot. I have awakened. Awakened to a horrible reality that our very way of life is being threatened. And the enemy is not from without, but from within. It is as frightening as it is insidious. Our Constitution of the United States of America, which has withstood as the rule of law for 233 years, is now seriously under attack. The attack is from our president, and the radically far left career politicians that are attempting to carry out his agenda. Obama has instigated and approved spending that has exceeded the combined total of 233 years of presidents, from George Washington to George W Bush. It has far exceeded the cost of all wars combined including WWI, WW2, Korea, Viet Nam, Desert Storm, Afganistan & Iraq. Holy crap, What the hell are we allowing? Unsustainable debt of unimaginable proportions. Well I have had it. And I can no longer sit silently observing. No, No & HELL NO Mr President!!! You have awakened the sleeping giant & that sleeping giant is me. And many others like me. I attended the Tea Party at the California State Capitol in Sacramento California on Friday 8/28/2009. This was a send-off for the Tea Party Express They are traveling by bus & by caravan from Sacramento, trekking through and across many states, ending up in Washington DC for the National Rally Against Obamacare on Sept 12, 2009. Tea Party Patriots are truly a grassroots movement in this country. You can tell by all the obviously homemade signs. We are hard working people, busy with our jobs and our families and friends. But we are also making the time to speak out. To defend our liberty, to defend our freedom, to not lay down & let socialism permeate our country and destroy us. HELL NO, not on my watch! They accuse us of being an angry mob. Well duh. Yes I am a angry mobster.

Happy Caturday ~ Loki & Spook

2009-08-22T15:52:06Z

I just love kittys. Loki & Spook are pretty special, not that I am biased or anything. They have such different personalities, yet they seem to get along great. And they bring such joy to our lives. Here are some of my favorite shots. Happy Caturday!!

Dahlia & Butterfly

2009-08-10T14:30:18Z

This is a swallowtail butterfly. She was enamoured with this red dahlia. She kept sampling several other flowers in the garden & kept coming back to this one. So I took about 20 shots & this one is my favorite.

Happy Independence Day America!

2009-07-03T18:17:10Z

The 4th of July is a truly American holiday. It is a time for celebrating summer with family & friends, usually accompanied by barbeques, potato salad, watermelon and beer. But most importantly for me it is a time to be thankful for the freedom that we enjoy living in this great country. And to never take it for granted. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. Happy Birthday America!

Summer Solstice ~ The Garden

2009-06-20T22:11:45Z

My flower gardens are starting to take off. I spent the day watering, planting basil & nasturtium, and taking photos. Then to make a great day perfect I had dinner with my BFF Patty. The weather has been incredibly mild. I'm in heaven! I love summer but I hate the heat. So far this is my year. Enjoy! I hope to catch up with everyone very soon. The bulk of the hard work is done, and I will hopefully have a little time here & there to photoblog.

Annie's Annuals ..... or why I've been gone so long from Photoblog lately. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ It's Time to Plant!!!!!

2009-05-31T23:34:27Z

It's garden season!!!! I've been busting my butt for the last several weekends weeding, planting, pruning, transplanting, garden designing..... you get the idea. It's a busy time of year. And I love it. My best friend Linda & I do our annual Spring nursery weekend in April. And one of our favorite nurseries is Annies Annuals. Annie started out selling plants out of her home. Then she expanded into a wholesale nursery, opening to the public only 3-4 times a year. Now she is open all year round. She mostly has 4 inch pots for about $3 - $4 dollars each. And her selection is incredible. Annuals & perennials. Stuff you don't find anywhere else. So needless to say, I stocked up. And it's taken me several weekends to get it all planted. So now that I've got most of it in the ground I will hopefully have some time to catch up with everyone. And I will be posting garden posts throughout the summer to show you how my flower gardens are progressing. Whew, time for a siesta!!!!

Volcano Country

2009-04-29T22:08:38Z

Easter vacation, after our Pyramid Lake weekend (previous post) catdad & I headed farther north and west to Fall River California to visit friends & to check on our property. We drove through Lassen National Park, home of Mt Lassen, a still active volcano. Across the valley is Mt Shasta, another active volcano. Gorgeous country. It took us an extra hour or two to get there because we kept stopping to take pictures. Enjoy!

Pyramid Lake, Nevada

2009-04-18T00:10:15Z

Catdad & I finally took a mini vacation. We spent last Easter weekend with our cherished friends Nancy & Bob who live in Sparks NV, right next door to Reno. It's about a 2 hour drive from where we live. We drove north along the Pyramid Highway to check out Pyramid Lake. Really a surreal landscape. This is Indian country, Paiute to be exact. And it is high desert. It's usually a wind tunnel, but we got a really calm day. We hung out and had lunch at a local dive called Crosby's.. decent burgers & fries, and a lot of local color. Catdad has some better shots than I do, soon to follow.