This be crazy

Too, too much heat, humidity, and rain. It's been like this for weeks now. It's too hot to even consider taking Trooper or TJ out for a hike. Even Maya isn't real keen on it, but she and I have been putting in three miles or so for the last few days.

The temperature hasn't been so high, but the
humidity has been really oppressive. We walked
a slow pace and found a water spot even on a
short three mile hike.

Wednesday we did a walk on the roadways at Pleasant Grove because I didn't want to venture into the woods or the grassy trails where I would inevitably pick up more ticks. Wednesday night there were very heavy rains out around Crozet, which filled the Rivanna River with fast running muddy water today. The Rivanna is at flood stage, so Thursday late afternoon Maya and I walked down to the village to see it. The river is high, muddy, and running very fast. Maya and I joined several other sightseers on and below the bridge and then took a stroll through the village of Palmyra before heading back to our home, which thankfully is a half mile away and probably 100' higher than the river.

I don't think Maya even drank any of the water, but standing in
it helps cool her body temperature beyond what panting alone
can do.

We sat under one of the dugouts at the baseball
field on a metal bench so I wouldn't pick up ticks.

I shared this picture on Facebook Wednesday after our walk, but here it is again for
anyone who missed it or doesn't do Facebook.

Heavy rains upstream on Wednesday night had the Rivanna in
flood stage on Thursday. The water was the color of chocolate
milk but not as tasty looking. Big logs were being carried
downstream very quickly.

The muddy water in front is usually dry ground, the river is
behind the trees.

This is the parking area for the boat landing at the Palmyra
bridge. The river is actually behind the trees.

Notice the blue sky? That was the first I've seen in a week and
it didn't last long. We had another thunderstorm about an hour
after this picture was taken.

The walk down the river and around the village
made about 3.5 miles. It was enough.

This is Maggie's House in Palmyra, the headquarters for the
Fluvanna Historical Society.

The old stone jail.

Civil War park in the center of the village.
Palmyra was never really developed because it lacks sewer and
water systems. Consequently, it retained much of its original
character and structure.

The old courthouse, designed by John Hartwell Cocke, along
with the jail, and his Bremo Plantation.

A view of Main Street in Palmyra.

The new courthouse in Palmyra, where Clay and I got married.

Maya, playing the tourist, taking in the sights.

Looking for that silver lining

I had been congratulating myself on missing out on a week of rainy weather here while in Kansas where we had very good weather for the entire week. However, the humid/cloudy/rainy pattern has continued virtually nonstop since I've been back home. It seems that this part of the country is reverting back to a primordial swamp. I'm beginning to expect to see large sauropods coming through the woods instead of deer. I'm not sure what Maya will think of them.

The only good thing about this deluge of rain is that it's been good for my container garden. Even without sunshine the plants are doing very well. It may get overtaken by the rapid growth of weeds and grass that's too wet to cut, but I went around with a weed eater the other day, whacked down the weeds, and took these pictures.

Obi

Obi, short for Oberon, is about 6-7 months old, solid black, except for a tiny speck of white on his chest, purebred Great Dane. He's crate trained and partially/mostly housetrained. I've had him at a public adoption event and he was good with people, children, and other dogs. We met a dog-savvy cat and he just sat down and ignored it. If a cat runs, results may vary.

Because he's a big dog, it's easy to forget that he's still a puppy and still has a lot of learn, but he's food-motivated and very trainable. When he encounters something that confuses him or something unfamiliar, his go-to move seems to be to sit and await further instruction. That's what he did with the cat and that's what he does when he doesn't understand what you want. I don't want to oversell him as a fully trained dog, but for a 6-7 month old puppy, he's come a long way.

He likes big balls and chew toys. He has made no attempt to climb or jump the fence and when he is out, he wants to be with a person or the other dogs. Obi will be neutered and fully vetted prior to adoption. He is available through Green Dogs Unleashed.