It matters

It does matter what kind of person the President of the United States is. Only one of the candidates is a decent person.

Childless cat lady

A few years ago, JD Vance, Trump's running mate, called leading Democrats a "bunch of childless cat ladies."  He went on to say that they were miserable with their life choices. He claims it was a sarcastic remark, but if you dig deeper, you can find out what he thinks about women, especially women who haven't birthed children. His remarks were (are) even disparaging to step Moms and women who have difficulty having babies. Menopausal women, too.

Vance once proposed that people with children get more voting power. He thinks we should pay people to have children, more children. He wants to throw all sorts of money at people who have children. He wants to penalize the rest of us. He's concerned about falling birth rates. Yet he's against immigration. Sound racist and xenophobic to you?

I am a childless cat lady and just fine with my life choices. I taught and mentored children my entire career (life). I am deeply offended by Vance's remarks. I detest his ideas. So do my cats. I am definitely voting against Trump/Vance. They are anything but pro-family or pro-child, and they are definitely anti-women -- and anti-cats!!!!

Taylor Swift is the most famous childless cat lady. Not to mention filthy rich. While I don't usually care what celebrities think and who they support in an election, her endorsement could sway the vote and would be welcomed by this childless cat lady. Meow.

Raystown Lake

Raystown Lake is a reservoir in Pennsylvania. It is the largest lake in the state. It is a large and twisting lake. It's about a two hour drive to get there. The drive is scenic. Mom and I have visited several times. Raystown Lake is a popular recreational site. Trough Creek State Park is nearby. Raystown Lake has a nice visitor's center with a gift shop and museum. The view from the visitor's center is very scenic. There is lots of natural vegetation surrounding the visitor's center. I prefer natural vegetation to mowing and landscaping.

View from the visitor's center

Natural vegetation

Lots of boats

Raystown Lake was originally built as a hydroelectricity project. The current 8,300 acre lake was completed by the Army Corps of Engineers in 1973.The deepest part of the lake is 200 feet near the dam. It also has a role in flood control. There is a nice pavilion near the dam. We visited, found it by accident. 

Raystown Dam

It was rainy the day we visited the dam.

Mom and I go to Raystown Lake mostly for the drives. Mom likes scenic drives. There are many scenic areas around Raystown Lake. 

World of James Herriot

The Yorkshire Dales came alive to me when I read James Herriot's books.  I read them all when I was a kid and have re-read (as an adult) many of the stories as they've been published in new collections. Ever since I read the books I had wanted to visit the Yorkshire Dales and meet James Herriot. I never met James Herriot, but I have visited the Yorkshire Dales twice: in 2019 and 2024 and the World of James Herriot.  

A l l  t h i n g s   b r i g h t   a n d   b e a u t i f u l
A l l   c r e a t u r e s   g r e a t   a n d   s m a l l

A l l   t h i n g s   w i l d   a n d   w o n d e r f u l
T h e   L o r d   G o d   m a d e   t h e m   a l l

The sign outside the surgery in Thirsk.

Statue of James Herriot

James Alfred Wight, better known by his pen name James Herriot was a veterinary surgeon and author.  He practiced veterinary medicine in the Yorkshire Dales for almost 50 years. He is best known for writing a series of eight books set in the 1930-1950s. There have been several TV and film adaptions of his books.  

Candid shots of "Alfie"

Medicine cabinet and veterinary books

Can you imagine James, Siegfried, and Tristan sitting around the table?

Where James wrote his books.

I'm a big fan of the current All Creatures Great and Small series. It airs on PBS. So far, there have been four seasons. The last season ended with the birth of James' first child. He went "AWOL" to be present for the birth. Helen has a bigger role in the show than she did the books. I never watched the original series.

Pictures from the current TV show

Posing with the statue of James Herriot

The museum had lots of interactive stuff.

Great sheep

July 2019 -- I visited the Great Yorkshire Show for the first time in 2019. I had never seen a show like it before. There were so many animals. So many shows. So many exhibits. When I visited again (for two days) in 2024, I knew what to expect, so the awe was lessened, but I still enjoyed it immensely. 

Overall Best in Show:  Dutch Spotted (happy winner!)

Texel champs

Now, let's flip them around

Judges

Champion carcass

Clun Forests

Teeswater

I had a better picture-taking opportunity in 2019. My digital SLR camera failed me in 2024. Almost all of my 2024 pictures are cell phone pictures. While cell phones take pretty good pictures nowadays, they're almost never as good as those taken with a real camera. Most of these are from my real camera.

Smile young man:  it's a sheep show!

Love this breed: North Country Cheviot

The Brits take picture-taking seriously.

Front and rear

Bleu du Maine

We only spent one day at the show in 2019. We got there in time for selection of Best in Show. The young handlers competition took place on the day we visited. For obvious reasons that offered a great opportunity for picture taking. There was also a costume contest. That brought back memories of when I entered my sheep in the "Pretty Animal Contest" at the Howard County Fair.

A PARADE OF BREEDS

Not sure of the breed

Another Teeswater

Ryeland: one of England's oldest breeds

Portland: a contributor to the Dorset breed

Greyface Dartmoor: a rare breed

North Country Cheviot

Kerry Hill

Texel:  #1 terminal sire breed

YOUNG HANDLERS COMPETITION

COSTUME CONTEST