The Gypsy Caravan 2023

Wednesday, August 1, 2018

Postcards from the Lake: Vultures, Stamps, a Bottle, a Birthday and Art Camp

Don't you love these stamps?


And look! Scratch and sniff! (And it really works!)


Greetings from the lake again. Just another great day in Paradise. We have a new family of ducks.


There are eight of them but I couldn't fit them all in the pic. If I did, they'd just look like dots!


I worry about them those because of this.


Mr. Turk E. Vulture. This turkey vulture had a rather hefty meal on a fish that washed up on shore. I hope he's only into dead things and leaves my ducklings alone!


A quick idea if you don't have a gift bag for a bottle but do have some tissue paper and string or ribbon. Cut a long strip -- maybe two feet long, give or take -- of tissue and somewhat longer for string. Fold the tissue in half horizontally and fringe it, leaving enough space in the fold to hide the string. Then wrap it around the neck of the bottle and tie it off. Not fancy but kind of cute!


One treat of the most recent visit was seeing my cousin David and his wife Bonnie.


And we did eat well! Corn on the cob, grilled chicken, roasted potatoes, salad, peach crisp, bread from the farmer's market!


We celebrate Bonnie's belated and my premature birthdays. One of her gifts was a watercolor of her Herbie. I still want a redo on this but she seemed to like it!


My friend Kate is here and art camp has started. More on that later.


Meanwhile, we are enjoying bright days...


And lovely sunsets!


Have I mentioned, life is good?

38 comments:

  1. Wonderful photos, everyone looks so happy.

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  2. I know that you will have a great time at art camp; I look forward to the pictures.

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  3. I can assure you, Jeanie, that the Turkey Vulture is no threat to your ducklings. If one of them dies however..........

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  4. That Turkey looks quite big (and scary)!
    Beautiful sunset indeed!
    I have to say... life is a tad too good over here, the heat becomes unbearable a bit...

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  5. First of all-those stamps are so cool. Wish they had those when I went to the PO the other day. And looks like you are enjoying your summer. Beautiful days, nice company, definitely good food. :) I believe vultures are just scavengers, but sometimes you never know. Will keep my fingers crossed about those adorable little ducklings. Enjoy August. Hugs-Erika

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  6. You are making me SO homesick for the years when I spent my summers at a lake cottage. Everything is better around water, outdoor fun and beautiful sunsets.

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  7. Life is Good. Can't wait to hear more about art camp.

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  8. Love the popsicle stamps!

    :) Your friend Kate's photo looks like a stock photo-- happy woman, it could be in ads for anything from house paint to sweaters to a church. Ha ha! Great smile.

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  9. That turkey vulture looks downright scary! I'm wanting to go to a lake now. I think our family needs to go visit one of the local lakes here. We've been here almost two years and haven't done much in the way of local recreation.

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  10. You always have such great posts. I hope the turkey vulture flies to other parts of the lake.

    Your friends and family look so happy and smiling. I recognize that plate pattern your friend Kate has in front of her.

    Lovely photos, and I need to head to the PO for some of those long promised Scratch and Sniff postage stamps before they are all gone.

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  11. Hello, Those stamps are so cute. Your watercolor is adorable and I love the cute ducklings. I always thought the vultures are neat birds, glad they are around to clean up. Gorgeous sunset. Happy August, enjoy your day and week ahead!

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  12. I love those stamps! And life on the lake looks divine.

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  13. Life is good for sure . . . and you make it even more so!

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  14. Jeanie, Your cousin Dave looks like my little brother , somewhat. I am so glad you had some great fun times with family. Blessings, xoxo, Susie

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  15. The baby ducks are sooooo cute! What a great idea for stamps!

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  16. Life looks very good indeed. Soak in the sunshine, drink in the sunsets, and celebrate the times with friends and family. Summers are made for such things.

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  17. Oh you so it well, friend:)
    Life - you make it look so easy:) I adore your relationship with it:)
    Hello again from far and away - it's been at least a hundred years or more, hasn't it? So much has happened that it feels that way.

    I look forward to scrolling down and reading your Summer and seeing the view from your lens. Thanks for being here. You make the world better by doing just this:)

    -Jennifer

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  18. I hope that turkey vulture scoots away . . .
    I think the ducks are in danger.

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  19. I'm pretty sure that turkey vulture is only after things which are dead and gone. Sweet little ducks! MMmmmmm that meal looks good (love the wedge of lime). I haven't had sweet corn yet, but I've seen a couple of stands. Now I want to go get some for a meal, soon. Enjoy the rest of your time at the lake! -Jenn

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  20. I love the stamps!!--this is my first look at them. Pretty sunset and I do love that supper picture, it sure LOOKS GOOD!!! I can eat SO MANY ears of corn, ha ha LOL, I just love it.

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  21. Glad you're having such a wonderful time at the lake. Birthday celebrations and arts and crafts on top of all that time enjoying nature... What's not to love?

    YAY for ducks... Hope they don't end up on the menu for any creatures any time soon.

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  22. I have to speak sternly to the postmistress who is under firm directions to always point out cool new stamps. Scratch-n-Sniff?! No way?! Luckily, I have to go to the post office TODAY! What are the smells?! I haven't had a scratch-n-sniff card since the David Waters' movie Polyester with Divine and Tab Hunter. They gave out scratch-n-sniff cards that were called Odorama. When a number was flashed on the screen you scratched that number. I STILL remember the smells on the card (because we went about a dozen times LOL): 1. Roses, 2. Flatulence, 3. Model Airplane Glue, 4. Pizza, 5. Gasoline, 6. Skunk, 7. Natural Gas, 8. New Car Smell, 9. Dirty Shoes, and 10. Air Freshener. O.M.G. The post office is stealing ideas from David Waters! I love it.
    Your watercolor is so sweet - looks like a very happy dog. I'm looking forward to what you create in Art Camp with your friend. That sounds like such a fun - and energizing - thing to do!
    That turkey vulture is UG-LY! Looks just as mean as you would expect a vulture to look!
    Enjoy your week of creativity! Thanks for sharing (and for the heads up on the scratch-n-sniff stamps!)

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  23. What a lovely relaxing summer. Those stamps are perfect for it! We raised ducklings once, and then watched them have their own ducklings. So sweet! Great that you have friends and relatives to enjoy the water with. It is a beautiful place.

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  24. Vive l'été..! keep having fun..enjoy every moment..and those stamps.
    Have I ever told you I hate ours? Every time I buy stamps I say..:"Do you have any cute ones".Never.
    True.Once once they had a children's books illustrator's art..once.
    I don't want hockey player legends..lol or weird art.

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  25. I love those stamps!! Life surely does look good at the lake. So glad you are enjoying it all so much.

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  26. OH Jeanie, life looks wonderful at the lake! What could be better than seeing cousins, spending time at the lake shore and eating well. Enjoy it summer will soon be a memory!

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  27. I promise you, turkey vultures eat only dead things. In fact (per Google) only dead things that are plant-eaters. So your ducklings and even Lizzie Cosette are in no danger.

    We have turkey vultures by the dozens in our parking lot after college football games. They're here for the discarded fried chicken!
    I think they're magnificent.

    Your lake stories and pix are a cooling balm and treasured, truly!
    XOXO

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  28. Adorable stamps :) and what a lovely painting of Herbie.
    Hope that vulture leaves the ducklings alone.
    Enjoy your wonderful Summer.

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  29. Jeanie, lake life looks enchanting with family, friends, and good food. Peach crips sounds so good this morning. I hope your upcoming birthday will be filled with lots of love. Happy Thursday!

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  30. Glad you are having fun at the lake. Those stamps are fabulous! Great photos, too, hope Mr Vulture leaves those ducks alone. Continue to have fun with friends and family. Hugs, Valerie

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  31. Life IS good, indeed! Your friend Kate's eyes couldn't be brighter! Happy early birthday, celebrate, celebrate, celebrate!
    That Turk E. Vulture is one ugly dude. We get them on our riverbank too. Our neighbor in the next block is our state's US Senator, and it seemed apropos that I photographed several vultures on the roof of his gazebo and dock not too long ago. @@

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  32. The stamps are so lovely. For not only children but also us, it must be a great pleasure to receive cards with some of them.

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  33. So happy life is good with sunsets, water, ducklings, excluding that vulture, and scratch and sniff stamps. Plus good visits are the very best of life for sure.

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  34. Those stamps are so cute. Seriously!
    I know Bonnie loved the watercolor of Herbie. I know how much I like my watercolor of Porch Pup. Everyone notices it when they visit.
    That corn on the cob looks good enough to eat!!

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  35. Don't worry about the turkey vultures - they are our clean up crew and only feed on carrion.

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  36. WOW... those have to be some of the most fun stamps the US Postal Service had ever made! Such fun to see a bit from your summer at the lake... and a VULTURE too--yikes! LOVE your bottle decoration idea. Eco-friendly too. ;) Your summer food looks sooo good! Oh, I miss real, sweet corn! How cute your portrait of Herbie--well done, great expression! Happy Days there, Jeanie, as you soak up summer! :) ((HUGS))

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  37. I hope the vulture left those ducklings alone! Those new stamps are so fun. I will have to get some next time I go to the post office - hopefully they don't run out. I loved scratch and sniff stickers as a child so how fun to encounter them again as an adult!

    I love your annual art camp!

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