Life is like a blog post...

Well, it tries to be when we go for a walk.  A good walk is a good blog post; but a bad walk is still a good walk, it just doesn't make a good blog post.  Today's walk had elements of both.

There was a cute story;  as we approached the woods, a lady and her dog, a big black one that kinda was built like Vinnie the Airedale, were moving up the side of the woods.  About 20 yards away, this dog (whose name, we learned soon later, was Baxter*) saw Scrappy.  Scrappy saw him just a bit later.  I was trying to go slow enough to give her a chance to clear us (as it looked like Baxter was giving her a bit of difficulty), but Baxter slowed to match us.  Finally, she shouted, "Come on, Baxter!"

And he sat down.  He refused to move, until she said he could come meet Scrappy.

The meeting was cordial, and after a thorough sniffing, an invitation from Baxter to roughhouse, and the near-avoidance of the inevitable tangling of leashes, we went our merry way.  Well, Scrappy and I did.  Baxter sat back down when we left and wouldn't move until he was sure Scrappy wasn't coming back.

(*- I find Baxter's name ironic because Laurie's sister has a mini poodle, white, named Baxter.  So now we know one at each end of the scale.)

A good post-walk includes lots of pictures, too.  But this one had one at the start-

- tree starting its descent to the forest floor, right at the corner of Main Trail and Loop Trail North.

And it has one picture from the end-

- the river so low that Scrappy didn't get to go down as we had about 10 yards of gooey mud flat to get to it.


However, there was one spot in the middle that made it all worthwhile.  For those of you that play along on "The Map", this is on the south side of the Swamp.  We were walking the far south end when I saw something move up against the woods...

Two foxes!

Mr. Fox had gotten up to shake himself else I'd have never seen them.

I wish they had been getting along better. Hard to get them in one shot when they sit so far apart!

The Mrs.  was content to watch us pass from a distance as she sunned herself.

While he got up and left when we got the closest (which wasn't very close), this little stinker was content to continue sunbathing until we were long gone.



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More pictures in a sec (one really cool one, IMHO), but I notice by my junk folder that it's time to play a brief round of spam e-mail instruction, a public service to make your spam more intelligent ( and intelligible.)

First, a while back a friend of mine warned us that a new blogroll engine called Feedspot was trying to take the place of the lamented Google Reader, and using some questionable tactics to draw an audience.  I have a hard time taking FS seriously when they send me stuff like this:

Your Blogspot blog "Chris' cap collection" has 23 new followers onFeedspot

Hi CWMartin,

My name is Anuj. I'm Founder of Feedspot - A Google Reader replacement with built-in Search and Sharing features.http://www.feedspot. com

We recently launched Feedspot and got reviewed by TechCrunch.

I'm writing this to let you know that your blog 'Chris' cap collection' has started getting new followers on Feedspot. You can view your blog and its followers on Feedspot from here. If you need detailed monthly/yearly analytics on how your blog is performing on Feedspot, please let me know.

As your blog is adding value to Feedspot, I'd like to give you one year Feedspot Premium subscription for free. Please use (my e-mail)_FEEDSPOT as promocode to enable your annual subscription.

Best, Anuj Well, Anuj, let me give you some tips.  My Caps blog has about 5 followers, is mainly read when I beg my regular readers to go see some new cap I found, and I doubt that 23 people in the whole world have stumbled onto it, let alone friended it on FS.  Certainly if you are a REPUTABLE BUSINESS, you can go about this a bit more honestly.  BTW, Anuj Agarwal IS the name of FS's founder.  Either he is a no-moral idiot or a spammer he's allowing to work for his company is. Either way, I believe I shall pass. Next up, Yet another 2 and a half million bucks I foolishly left in a bank in Benin. There really IS a Benin.  Just take a right at Togo... Anyway, the hook to this one, as we learn from one Barrister Miracle Joseph, (or Joseph Miracle, it's hard to tell), goes like this: Remember,the reason why your total fund was arranged on ATM CARD is because many People complain about Freud stars every day from Benin and we are trying to stop this fraudulent from Benin and am assuring you that it will stop because we are now working with the internet operation such as YAHOO MAIL, HOTMAIL,MAILLOL and also the united state FBI and Economic financial crime commission (EFCC). And many people have been scammed by bank wire transfer going around the whole African and the reason to STOP paying money to the fraud stars So the scam can be eradicated in this country and I want you to follow your fund code which follow bellow, and wish is given to you by the Federal high court of Benin and the code is (746*78F*GN) Now obviously the pertinent question is, are they "Freud Stars" or "Fraud Stars", and whichever one they are, what the heck are they?  Google it and you get a band called the Radio Stars headlined by a dude called Freud.  And by the way, MJ, the terms "ATM card" and "Yahoo Mail" don't exactly scream legitimacy to most Americans. This next one is just too full of fun not to share the whole thing.  With my comments within: -- Hello my good friend, Compliment of the season! (Which season would that be?) You may not understand why this mail come to you, (no foolin'?) But if you do not remember me, you might have receive an email from me in the past regarding a multi-million-dollar business proposal which we never concluded. I am using this opportunity to inform you that the multi-million-dollar business has been concluded with the assistance of another partner from U.K who financed the transaction to a logical conclusion. ("Logical"?  How about "successful"?) I thank you for your great efforts to our unfinished transfer of fund into your account due to one reason or the other best known to you. I want to inform you that I have successfully transferred the fund to my new partner's account in China that was capable of assisting me in this great venture. Due to your effort, sincerity, courage and trust worthiness you showed during the course of the transaction. I want to compensate you and show my gratitude to you with the sum of USD 500,000.00. (Now at this point, I have to point out yet again-I don't have amnesia, and if I don't have amnesia, this scam will never fly.  I think I'd remember a half-million buck business deal.) I have left a certified bank draft for you worth of Five Hundred Thousand United States Dollars Only. My dear friend I will like you to contact my Account Officer with heritage bank in Benin on his direct email address (tontonforkids@yahoo .fr) for the collection of your bank draft with him, his name is Mr. Tony COLEMAN,i authorized him to release the Bank Draft to you whenever you contacts him for the collection.  At the moment, I'm very busy with my partner because of the investment project which I and my new partner are having at hand. Please I will like you to accept this token with good faith as this is from the bottom of my heart, Also comply with Mr. Tony's (Mr. Tony, how cute!) directive so that your draft can reach you without delay. Note her contact again below: Name:  Mr. Tony COLEMAN   Yours sincerely, Mrs. Elise Edward. Tonton, I found out, is some international internet TV site, and it kinda looks like it features Bollywood dramas.  What it would have to do with my $500,000 business deal in China which I never made, I don't know. Finally, we have a letter from the First National Bank of Reno, Nevada.  They are taking a VERY proactive stance on scam victims: Attention:Beneficiary  I am Mr.Frank Anthony, Chief Cashier,of The First National Bank U.S.A. This is  to bring to your notice that The U.S Government received a letter from the  British Colony Government and also African Development Organization concerning  Scam Victim's, after the meeting the African Development Organization/British  Colony Government and United Nation Organization, agreed to pay each and  everyone his or her name appeared in the list as a victim with the sum of $6,  Million United State Dollar. Hey, I've been scammed!  Give me six mill!  BTW, the address sent with the e-mail was the location of a bank- a Mutual Of Omaha Bank branch.  I didn't know Marlin Perkins branched into banking, I thought he was strictly an insurance guy. Because ANYWHERE in Nevada can seem like a Wild Kingdom... ____________________________________________ And now, the other pictures I promised, from a previous walk... This guy and his mate were circling overhead, screaming their joy to the world.  I thought I missed the shot- till I enlarged it.  Ain't it cool?