I Blog Therefore I Am~

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Holler Red Tail Hawk WM1 El Calafate Patagonia (Please click to enlarge photos) dsc04159

Barbary Ape Gibraltar DSC03891

Antarctica

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Banff Alberta

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Cinque Terre

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Holler Hummingbird DSC01489

Holler Rose

My closest neighbors are coyotes (packs and packs of them and they are HUNGRY), rattlers (lots and lots of them and they are MEAN), and free range cows/bulls (the bulls aren’t too friendly either).
Forget cell phones. They don’t work out here. Forget GPS, it misdirects.
It’s best not to wander too much out here, the people (and their dogs) are kinda twitchy.

To reach The Holler turn right at the reeking chicken farm, proceed down a bunch of pot-holed semi-streets/dirt roads, past the abandoned refrigerators and occupied old RV’s and then things get kinda dicey.
My friends usual reaction to the trip to The Holler is, “You’ve got to be kidding!” Or, “Next time let’s meet half way.”

This is our little bit of heavenly Appalachia right here in rural California.
I like to write and if something strikes my fancy, usually something odd or unusual, you will learn about it here. And thankfully, at The Holler, almost everyday is odd and unusual. So “Holler Happenings” including photos of flowers, birds, and wild animal interactions, are included.

I travel three-four months a year so you will find my photos of locales from all over the world. The good, bad, and the better.
So put your feet up and let’s devote our attention to the best things in life,  the things we want to do.
To start here are some links:

Pinterest page:

Goodreads page,
http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5908500-cindy-knoke

And “about me” before I retired and commenced this life of leisure:

http://www.xing.com/profile/Cindy_BartonLCSW

http://www.linkedin.com/pub/cindy-knoke-lcsw/4a/51b/b12

Cheers & Welcome!
Cindy Knoke
(AKA-Cindy Barton LCSW)

Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.  You are welcome to use photos, but please site the source. Thank you!

1,011 thoughts on “I Blog Therefore I Am~”

  3. Hi Cindy, i don’t know what has happened but when you did a like on my post I realised I hadn’t heard from you for ages. I came for a look see and can see you have posted heaps. I think the ‘follow’ has done a runner, so I will un-follow and re-follow again and see what happens. I seem to have missed a lot 😀

    Reply

    1. I have noticed a lot of similar WP hiccups. They issued the same annual report for me two years in a row. People I follow posts don’t show up in my reader. Frustrating I know. Wonderful to have you back though!

      Reply

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  7. Bienvenue.
    Thanks for stopping by and joining my blog. Welcome onboard.
    Your photographs are magnificent, I look forward to exploring.

    Reply

  8. I love the sound of The Holler. My kind of place, a true retreat. I guess there must be internet though! 😀 Beautiful photographs and I look forward to exploring your blog further.

    Reply

    1. Welcome! The Holler does have internet, very bad internet. I am always amazed when I go to Africa, or deep into the mountains somewhere and find internet speeds far better than The Holler. We have incredibly slow up-load and download speeds which is quite an annoyance. You are the first person that ever mentioned this! Quite perceptive of you. 🙂

      Reply

      1. Lovely to meet you, Cindy! Regarding the internet I speak from years of experience of terrible Internet. Anywhere outside a big city in the UK has rubbish connection – a great way to learn patience though. My son used to read novels whilst waiting for YouTube videos to uploads. Slightly better nowadays since part of the route is fibre optic. We go to holdiday in Sweden in the middle of nowhere, no wifi, mobile signal, telephone, TV or computer. Pure bliss! I was wondering did you take the photos – the one of the hummingbird is stunning.

        Reply

      2. I was in Tallinn Estonia on a day visit, and was downloading some photos outside from my camera to my laptop, when the laptop binged alerting me I was connected to Tallinn’s city wide available for free wifi. I tested it. It was the fastest connection I have ever seen. I got distracted, just for minute (or 3 or 5) from Tallinn’s amazing medieval beauty, by their incredibly fast, free for everyone, everywhere available wifi. I googled it there outside in Tallinn and found out it was rated one of the top 10 digital cities in the world.
        Just goes to show, smartness often resides in unexpected places.
        I am glad you like my hummingbird photos, I want everyone to love hummingbirds as much as I do because then they will protect them.
        Cheers to you~

        Reply

  9. Hi Cindy. Lovely to meet you. Thank you so much for visiting my blog, Lynne’s Recipe Trails, and for following me. I look forward to visiting your blog. I must say, it really does look amazing and interesting. Have a lovely day and take care. x

    Reply

  10. Hi Cindy, I found your blog through Charles French’ reblog on photos of the bald eagle. I’m so glad I stopped by and I look forward to learning more about you and seeing your remarkable photos. Have a nice weekend!! Steph

    Reply

  11. I think I would like your “holler”. I grew up and lived a good portion of my life in the county–Ozark Mountains area–but have lived in a city for about 15 years now. I still miss the isolation.

    Reply

    1. Yes. We call any interaction with city life, “going to civilization,” and it is not meant in a particularly endearing way. I love the space and solitude. I bet you have wonderful memories of the Ozarks. Cheers to you and thank you for stopping by~

      Reply

    1. I used to be just this way, but nothing like living with them to get over it! 😉 My son and I just spent about an hour trying to free a corn snake that got caught in the garage door mechanism. He was a beautiful coral colored beneficial snake, but sadly we were unable to save him. Considering I used to feel exactly like you do about snakes, this is a considerable change for me. Thanks for stopping by & cheers too~

      Reply

  13. Hello from Ukraine!
    Your blog is TOTALLY AWESOME!!!
    I think its the only true way of living – among wild nature. Photos you’ve made are choking by its frankness.
    Best regards, Denis.

    Reply

  16. Thank you for following me and the storyhounds. Your photos are stunning!
    We live in a ‘what, are you kidding?’ sort of neighbourhood as well, at the end of a long, twisty dirt track full of potholes, but it’s so beautiful I wouldn’t change it for the world. Unlike you, I can’t do justice to it with my photos!

    Reply

  21. I just read this and learned so much about you from doing so. I didn’t know, or didn’t remember that you were also a psychotherapist.

    Thanks for introducing me to The Holler.

    Reply

  22. Just stopping by to say hey, and thanks for visiting my place! You have definitely caught my interest with your wonderful photos, and the description of the Holler! Happy to meet you, Cindy, Hope you are having a wonderful week! 🙂

    Reply

  23. Hi, Cindy! I got a notice that you are now following my blog. For some reason I thought you already were. Anyway, thanks so much, and feel welcome to stop by any time!

    Reply

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  28. Hi Cindy, I just saw that you are “award free” and I had included you for a nomination for the Versatile Blogger Award. Just ignore doing anything about it and I will remove your name. Just know in my heart you deserve it!🙂 I apologize I don’t know how I missed it the first time.
    Lydia!

    Reply

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  34. Hi Cindy,

    So glad to have made your acquaintance here on WP. Your photographs are absolutely stunning, and those landscapes of Utah make me yearn to climb there someday!

    Cheers!
    Trin

    Reply

  35. I “happened” upon your site via someone else due to your sandpiper pics as I was just watching them on another coastline (Panama City Beach). I love taking photos, as well. I noted you were a Californian…my dad moved us from the OC to Indiana in ’74. I write about my “holler” here, too. Love your pics and look forward to your blog!

    Reply

  37. I love how one blog leads to another, and then the morning is gone! I found your blog from Eliza Waters on Judy@Newengland… who came from Catherine’s Leaf and Twig. I am deeply flattered that you would follow my New Hampshire Journal. Now we are settling afresh and Long Islanders is starting to reflect my feelings about being “home again.” Blessings, Peter.

    Reply

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  41. Without grandkiddies most of this past school year I was able to travel a bit in the states with my hubby while he worked. We did go out of the country for just a few days to Aruba. They have a butterfly farm. If and when I’ve gotten caught up on other blog things I’ll try email you some photos…if I remember – of the butterflies.

    Thank you for your visits and I hope you have made some wonderful memories with all of your travels. Hugs, Jules

    Reply

  44. Hi Cindy! I love your blog and the way you share your experiences in such a friendly, casual way just like you’re talking. As I get time I know I’m going to enjoy exploring more of your blogposts. Thanks for visiting my blog too, for reading and liking a lot of my posts and I feel honoured that you’ve even chosen to follow! Thanks, you’ve made my day!

    Reply

  49. Hello Cindy, You found the blog where I write about Photography. Thats it, only photography.
    Now that I know about you I plan on wandering your blog to view the images you post and read what you have today about them.
    Nice to be in contact.

    Reply

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