Windy Run in Iowa..With Eagles and Hawks.

Out at the Kewash Trail

14 miles in pleasant weather

Very windy day today.   For this reason, Cheryl suggested we squeeze our long run in yesterday.  Today we traveled to Coralville and braved the usual 7 miles on the Clear Creek trail next to the Mall.

Today!   Colder...windier!

Find the Eagle.

  Nothing unusual to report, other than there were lots of Hawks and even an Eagle!   Eagles are not rare there, but are not usual.   Normally, they are way up high and impossible to capture with a camera.   But this one landed close enough for me to snap a pic of him.

Beautiful Canadian Geese making friends.

While taking his pic and trying to get closer,  the Hawks were not very happy with his presents.  It's a funny hierarchy of avian social status.   The Hawks hate the Eagles and bother them.  The Crows hate the Hawks and bother them.   The Canadian Geese hate everyone. Blue and White Herons are usually loners, but willing to tolerate most other birds.  Possibly for some ulterior reason.

This looks suspicious.

But the poor Eagle, with their stately appearance and powerful beaks and talons are harassed constantly by Gulls, Crows, and now Hawks.  About the only ones who seem to show them mutual respect are the Turkey Vultures whenever they are rarely seen together.  ( Vultures head south for the winter,   Eagles arrive in mid fall.)

Better picture...with a Hawk "friend"

Highlighted.   Smart Phone only zooms so much. 

I was so thrilled to finally have an opportunity to take this Eagles pic because I was not in a car traveling down a narrow rural road.  On our way home,  there were about 5 Eagles out in the middle of a green field on what looked like a deer carcass.   If only I had a place to pull off, it would have made a better photo.   Ah well,  I have to take what I can get when the opportunity allows.

Needle Threader Issue.

Small Medal part catching the threader

Needle nose pliers to the rescue!

In other news,  We sewed up a single stocking today;  And I finally had enough time to fix the needle threader on my embroidery Machine.   After taking it apart several times,  I finally figured out that a piece of medal was catching on the spring.   It looks like the piece is a "just fit" and must have been dirty or damaged during our busy stocking season.   I quick bend with a needle nose pliers and everything is back to new!

Cheryl is currently working on Government stuff and requires my computer....because it is faster and hopefully untraceable by the IRS.  ( Just kidding....They already have cameras and listening devices in our apartment...I just KNOW IT!)   So I better log off and figure out the red tape that is our government "easy" form.   Thanks for checking in and enjoy the windy Iowa weather.

One of THOSE days....well, Kinda...

Yesterday was just one of those days where everything seemed a little....off. Oh, It started off fine, then our car overheated. ( don't worry Andy, It's fine.) I thought it sounded a little strange....and before I know it, the arrow is in the red zone! Well, Pull over, Search the back and add coolant. No leaks, but it still freaked me out so we limped it to the gas station and filled it ultra top off and no there is no problems. BUT then....there was the wind. Another VERY windy day in Iowa. I moved the cars away from the large tree for fear that it would fall on them. Sometimes a nice breeze is refreshing, but this was one of those ' kicks up all the dust and throws it in your eyes' kind of wind. Then the little things: The water supply was poisoned, the garbage man did not come, the wind blew the garbage all over the yard! The ONLY convenience store could not make any coffee or operate it's soda fountain because of the water ban. So....Cheryl and I decided to hole up and hide out and wait for the wind to pass. We were bums and tried to take it easy. I feel we made the right decision because it was not a truly TERRIBLE day....just one of THOSE days...

Windy days in Iowa!

It's so windy here that there is an advisory on the HIGHWAY! The crosswinds apparently blow trucks over onto their sides. ( we have seen this not once...but twice!) All I know is that the winds are Strong enough to blow pieces of my car off! Now it might be true that the Subie is an old-ish car, but when the wind blows off cosmetic stuff that is hooked in a aerodynamically sealed. well lets just say that one takes notice. The task now is to find a way to put it back on and keep it on. The wind has not died down, so I have a while before I try anything. Cheryl suggests some epoxy that is slow to set up. I can't simply reattach it because all the plastic screws are broken. I'll keep you posted with updated pics when I figure it out. ( sorry....No Duct tape!)