The Amazing Race 19 Blog Party - 10/09/2011

The show is running about 36 minutes late here in the NYC area. If it's on time in your area, feel free to jump in on the comments! Once it starts here, I'll update this post with the major happenings. See you in comments!

They're heading to the Dutch colonized Indonesia. They have to join a bicycle guard. Oops! Ernie loses a pedal and all the other teams are passing them!

They're at the next Detour -- deliver meals to those working in fields and plant 300 rice seedlings or chores with sheep.

After climbing the steps of a temple, they run into a Roadblock examining Buddha statues. Whoa! Tommy gave Marcus and Amani (last team) the count and hand signals of the Buddha statues!

Team 1 - Laurence and Zac -- used more buckets with the sheep, have a penalty.

Team 1 - Tommy and Andy
2. Laurence and Zac
3. Jeremy and Sandy
4. Justin and Jennifer
5. Ernie and Cindy
6. Marcus and Amani
7. Bill and Cathi
8. Liz and Marie
9. Kaylani and Lisa - Philiminated

Off Topic - That Was the Week It Was - October 9, 2011

It's Sunday morning time for my weekly off television topic photo post. I don't really have any photos I've taken during the past week. Yep, you heard me. After I returned home from vacation, I kind of became a hermit. I think that I only went out Thursday evening for dinner and a Trader Joe's trip with a friend.

Most of the rest of the week I've spent with my knee elevated. I swear it took three days to get the swelling down. I guess I really did overdo things with both the knee and the lack of stamina post-surgery issues. However, I'm up to snuff once again and should be out and about more.

Since I took a gazillion photos on my vacation, I don't lack for photo fodder. I also put together three videos ... enjoy!

Fox-tailed squirrel

Unfortunately I spooked him, so it's not the best of shots. But check out that glorious tail!

Wild horses with cattle egret

The cattle egrets often sit atop the horses to eat flies and other insects. The horses seem to appreciate and accept them.

Sunrise

Sunset

Walking stick bug in the grass

I haven't seen any walking sticks since I was a child!

Looking out over the Currituck Sound

Flowers on a power pole

Pelican flying low over the ocean

Osprey nest atop a power pole

Rough surf

As a storm approaches

Neighbors heading out during high tide

Cool. I found investment property!

What can I say? It was there in Kill Devil Hills.

Sunrise with which I took editing liberties.

Damselfly

HUGE spider has a meal.

Tanning, I presume.

Reflection and its bird

Vincent wanting out of boarding!

He's a real happy kitty now. I think he purred two days straight.

Survivor South Pacific 10/05 Episode Blog Party

Survivors ready? It's almost time for the show to start here on the East Coast. As it airs, I'll be updating this post with major events. But the real fun and active discussion can be found in the blog party comments. Stop on in and share your thoughts on the show!

The duel -- Christine beat Papa Bear although it was very close.

The Immunity Challenge has three from each tribe bearing weight. Uh-oh ... two men and one woman from each. The reward is a rooster and two hens.

Savaii wins! And Dawn has really redeemed herself by holding onto 140 pounds (guys Brandon and Jim went out earlier loaded with 240) and being the last person standing.

Tribal Council time.

The tally --
Edna
Stacy
Stacy
Stacy
Stacy
Stacy

G'bye Stacy

The Amazing Race 19 Blog Party - 10/02/2011

The show is running about 24 minutes late here in the NYC area. If it's on time in your area, feel free to jump in on the comments! My updating of this entry is going to be a bit sparse tonight. I'll definitely include the two eliminations. However, while I was away on vacation, my little cable digital box doohickey on my TV near my computer decided to stop working. So I'll be watching my TV in the other room and checking in during commercials. (No, I don't own a laptop. Sigh.)

Are you ready to race?

Gah! Ethan and Jenna arrived 10th, Philiminated.
Ron and Bill last, Philiminated.

Off Topic - That Was the Week It Was - October 2, 2011

It's Sunday morning, time for my off television topic reflection on the week gone by in both words and photographs I've taken. I'm cheating a bit this week because I'm totally exhausted. So, I'm using photos I've already posted during the week on Facebook. I will be going through my photos and putting together albums rather than posting thousands of images here on Blogger.

I had a fantastic time last week in Corolla (NC) -- the Outer Banks. I did do a bit too much standing and walking and by Friday I could barely walk at all. But it was all worth it! I gave that new knee quite a work out even if I didn't try surfing, nor did I end up renting a bike. I got very little sleep and tended to stay up later than everyone else, then get up early almost every morning so I could watch (and photograph) the sunrise and take walks on the beach.

We ate very well with meals in local restaurants and fantastic meals cooked by my fellow vacation friends at the house. Marge made us all breakfast daily. (Hey! Where's my breakfast today? I'm hungry!)

When it came to the ocean, I was a bit of a wimp. I don't really trust my knee -- sometimes it gives way on dry land. Plus I have a caught in the rip tide incident in my past when I almost drowned. So I limited myself to about knee-high wades in the surf. I do love that hot tub, though! That felt like heaven!

I became mesmerized by the abundant ghost crabs in the area. I had brought a flashlight to look for them at night, but it wasn't needed. If they weren't so darned cute, I'd say the area was infested with them. I took some video of one eating a Cheez-It and another working on his hole. I have to edit them a bit, but will let you know when they're up.

The big highlight of the trip was our Jeep-ish vehicle guided tour of the northern part of Corolla where the wild Spanish mustangs live. They used to be all over Corolla, but too many were being hit by cars as the town developed. Now they're fenced away from the lower part and have a huge expanse of land only accessible by 4x4 vehicles. Yes, (sigh) there are houses up there. The horses date back 500 years when they were abandoned by Spaniards fleeing the Outer Banks. They're gorgeous.

Oh. And they pronounce it Cah-RALL-ah, not like the car.

Margarita on the front deck

We did see quite a bit of rain in the first few days, plus thunderstorms nearly every overnight. The wind blew the rain onto the back decks facing the ocean. But the front deck, at least a part of it, usually stayed dry.

Gulls on pylons in the sound

We de-crabbed our pool on a regular basis

Isn't he cute? We rescued some alive, but unfortunately we didn't get to others in time. This one was very alive. He jumped out of the net and skittered away on his little crab legs.

Keep off the dunes!

The dunes protect the homes and the Outer Banks itself from hurricane tidal waters. I couldn't get up the dunes if I wanted to. Going up and down the stairs from our crow's nest private beach access was grueling enough on the knee.

Jellyfish

Dead jellyfish were found every morning on my early walks, but I didn't see any live ones in my ocean forays.

At the local library

Surf's up!

I can't remember if I took this one in Kill Devil Hills or Nag's Head. I only saw one surfer near our house and I didn't think the waves were that great for surfing for the most part.

Early morning

THE WILD HORSES ...

Solitary sunrise

But he likes Cheez-Its!

Vincent at Best Friends

He comes home this afternoon. Yay!