Hummingbirds!

Back in the spring, Geoffrey hung 3 hummingbird feeders. 2 in the backyard and one in the front yard. He's been very good about washing and re-filling the feeders 2-3 times each week, to make sure the hummingbirds have a good supply of juice and continue to come back. The hummingbirds have also gotten slightly used to Geoffrey. He's been sitting out there on the weekends to let them adjust and this past Friday he brought his tripod out so they would get used to that as well. I spent about an hour with him Friday evening, enjoying the birds and watching them feed and fight one another off (one of the teen birds thinks he owns the place). I've never been a big bird fan, but have to admit, hummingbirds are pretty cool!

Geoffrey spent a few hours on Saturday and Sunday camped out in the front yard waiting for some great photo ops. Thanks to a 300mm telefoto lens and his digital SLR he was able to capture the birds in flight and feeding on the nectar. Enjoy!

A "teenage" hummingbird. Male hummingbirds have red throats. This little guy's throat has not come in quite yet, but the little dots let us know he is indeed a male. He is also the one who keeps trying to chase the others away from the feeder. Typical teenage behavior I suppose :).

You have to look really carefully in the picture below to spot the hummingbird.

Cabin Weekend 2007

This past weekend we headed to Whiteford, MD for Glenn's annual cabin weekend. Every year Glenn has hosted the gang (all friends from VT's ME class of 2003) at his parents cabin. This is the first time in 4 years that all 7 of us could make it. I have a hard time using the word perfect, but I think this might be a time where that word is just what fits. The weather was great, the food plentiful, the mood mellow (despite the large quantities of beer) and time just seemed to stand still.

We arrived Friday night, with Carla and Jonathan following us in on the road. Mannix met us at the car and helped us tote all our gear down the dark path (thank goodness for flashlights) and to the cabin. Shortly after arriving Jonathan grabs Carla's left hand and says "So we have some news." I believe there was some shrieking (from Martha and myself) and lots of hugs, congrats and a few "its about time." Jonathan and Carla had gotten engaged in San Diego 2 weeks prior and kept it secret for 2 weeks so we could all be told in person. It was a really special moment and a great way to start of the weekend. We then headed out to the deck, popped open some drinks and just sat and talked into the wee hours of the morning.

Saturday morning I woke up pretty early to see the scene below. Wow. Simply stunning.

The cabin with extra large deck. The deck was built by Glenn and Glenn Sr. and its one strong deck. Not only did it hold the 11 of us, but more coolers and cans of beer than you can imagine.

As people started stirring, I got started on breakfast. Glenn was an excellent sous chef and kept careful watch of the 2 dozen eggs while I manned the griddle of never ending pancakes. We then headed outside to enjoy the sun and a yummy breakfast feast.

While most of us opted for coffee (mmm) or OJ, Mannix needed something a little more hoppy. What better match for pancakes and eggs than a chilled Natural Light.

An extra large spider was decided to join us for breakfast. The thing was HUGE! It didn't stick around too long. A few seconds of Jonathan and a broom and well, you can guess its fate.

I had to get a shot of the outhouse. Although the house did have running water (fed by the lake, and run through a purification system) public sewage was not part of the package. Glenn requested that the guys use the outhouse, to extend the life of the septic tank.

We spent the latter part of the morning and better part of the afternoon hanging out on the dock. We saw a few birds and a pretty large carp that Mannix attempted to spear with a flag pole. I don't know who was lauhging more, the gang or the carp.

After lunch the sea worthy folks headed out on a little tour. My land loving self was happy to stay back at the house :).

Around 6pm, the water was finally calm enough for water skiing. Jonathan, Randy, Shea and Glenn all took there turn on putting on a great show.

Sunday morning it was time to pack up and say goodbye. It was definitely sad to go after having such a great time, but that is what makes reunions so special. We are all definitely looking forward to being together next summer to celebrate the marriage of Carla and Jonathan.

Top: Glenn, Shea & Mannix, Patrick & Martha, Geoffrey
Bottom: Jonathan & Carla, Katharine & Randy, Heather

Full Photo Coverage of Cabin Weekend 2007

South Carolina Part II - Aiken

Thursday morning after breakfast, Geoffrey and I packed up once again and headed to Aiken, SC to visit with my parents. This is the 3rd year we've done the Hilton Head-Aiken vacation and it works out quite nicely. This trip we headed to beautiful Hitchcock Woods, which is the largest urban forest in the U.S. The woods is amazing and has all sorts of trails and different points of interest. Due to the extreme heat wave, we went out early in the morning and only did two of the walks.

The Spanish Moss Trail

I had some fun with this picture, using the monochrome option on my color correction software :).

The Chalk Cliffs were definitely my favorite site. It was amazing to just be hiking through the woods and then come across this !

So the cliffs aren't quite as big as I thought they would be, and hopefully this picture with my dad will give you an idea of the size/scale.

Geoffrey studying the map...and looking quite suspicous!

A spider web we encountered along the way. I only got one shot off, as my dad walked through it before I could check and see if the picture came out. Luckily, by shooting raw, I was able to adjust the color and lighting of the picture to make the web much more visible than it initially looked on camera.

We had a great time on both of our SC legs and are already looking forward to next year!

South Carolina Part I - Hilton Head Island

Early Saturday morning, August 4th, Geoffrey and I loaded up the Jetta and headed south for the annual Buescher family vacation. Each year Geoffrey's parents and aunts/uncles rent a fantastic house on Hilton Head Island and all the cousins (well those who can make it) join in on the fun. This year we were one family short, as Uncle Howard, Aunt Monica, Ben & Jack were in Scotland for a bag pipe competition. Everyone had a great time as usual.

A view of the living room, taken from the second floor balcony.

Repairing the net used to catch fishing bait became a family affair with Geoffrey, Peter and Jerry all joining in on helping their dad prepare the net.

For the first time in the past 2 years I actually ventured down to the beach. I am not a big beach person, nor a huge fan of the sun, but thanks to my new beach umbrella I managed to enjoy a few hours at the beach for the weather turned too hot.

Amy (far left) had the great idea for everyone to create paper hats with the leftover newspaper. Such talented folks we were on vacation with!

Wednesday morning we awoke to what appeared to be rain on the windows, but was actually condensation. The high that day with the heat index was 115. Most of us decided that the pool was a better place to spend the day than the beach.

Dr. B having a great time splashing around in the pool.

Sisterly love :)

Our last night in Hilton Head we went on a nice bike ride around the Palmetto Dunes golf course and ended with a beach walk. Amy discovered a sea star that had washed up, and let me do the honors of sending it back to sea. After posing for this picture (I was quite proud of my rescue) I threw the sea star back into the water. Hopefully the little guy will make it.

Thursday morning it was off to Aiken to visit my parents. More to come after I go through and color correct the photos. Thanks to Mom Buescher for the use of most of the photos I posted from this trip!