Hawk-Moth

Another day, another Martello Tower. This is No. 55, on the beach east of us, and has been converted into a house. The turret on the top is now ringed by glass windows, but as you can see the building is still more or less a bunker. It would be a shame to live on the beach and not have more visibility, don't you think?

Yesterday was pretty low-key. I finished "The Frozen River," which I liked, although I get why some people found the ending over-the-top. I also took an afternoon walk down the beach. The weather was spectacular, with barely a cloud.

Olga, meanwhile, sunbathed on the deck -- this is her "Super Dog" pose -- and Dave watched Drum Corps videos on YouTube and fell asleep to episodes of "The West Wing" that he's seen a thousand times.

I finally got around to answering several days' worth of blog comments and noticed there were questions about Olga's dog bed and how we brought it with us. We simply rolled it up like a sleeping bag and tied it with twine and rubber bands, and it was compact enough to manage. Those dog bowls are hers, too. We came with four bags -- a suitcase for Dave, a backpack for me, a canvas tote containing dog stuff and some miscellaneous food and drink, and the dog bed. Not too burdensome!

The goal now is to order only enough groceries to keep us fed, so we don't have to schlep too much of it home again on Friday.

On Sunday evening, as Dave and I were sitting on the deck, we saw this little hummingbird hawk-moth visiting the lavender and valerian in the garden. It was back again yesterday evening as well. It's fascinating to watch, and I was so excited to capture it on video that I didn't even notice the painted lady butterfly on the same lavender bush. It's on the video at the very beginning. The hawk-moths are remarkable little creatures -- I only wish they were easier to keep in focus!