Friends: When virtual becomes reality, take a picture!

Jolynn and I, posing for a not-so-candid shot. The best part about Jolynn? She calls cookies “biscuits”– which means you can eat them for breakfast! (Photo: AdaMaeCompton)

I bet a lot of dogs have Facebook accounts with which they make new friends, but probably not every dog is as fortunate as I am to bridge the gap between virtuality and reality in order to meet those new friends in real life. This week, I was visited by a pair of friends who happened to be driving by our town while on a road trip together… one is from Upstate New York, and the other is from an entirely different hemisphere. Pretty cool, huh?

So, what did we do? We took pictures, of course! Below is a short photo essay from their visit. If you have a Facebook account, then perhaps it is time for you to meet some of the friends you’ve only met online. I’m sure you will have a grand time, just like we did!

This is a close-up of an oak tree at the Pine Creek Gorge (AKA the “PA Grand Canyon”). This was where we went the first night that Jolynn and Hilary stopped over. They were touring fracking sites in PA, but we did not go with them because we neither talk much about fracking these days nor do we care to see any more fracking sites! (Photo: Jolynn Minnaar)

A rare photo of my master. He’s walking along the edge of the Pine Creek Gorge just as the sun is headed over the western rim of the canyon. (Photo: Jolynn Minnaar)

This is a shot from the eastern rim of the canyon, looking out toward the west. Can you see why they call northcentral PA the “Endless Mountains” region? (Photo: AdaMaeCompton)

This shot is also from the eastern rim of the Pine Creek Gorge, looking toward the south. The mist was moving in and out of the valleys that lead into the canyon, and it was a magnificent sight. No one else was at the canyon that evening, but there was a lot of whispering nevertheless. (Photo: AdaMaeCompton)

A pine tree was silhouetted against the setting sun as it went down over the western rim of the canyon. Can you see the mist far below? I am so glad that my master decided to show Jolynn and Hilary some of our favorite local hangouts. These are much prettier places than you might think you would be able to find in the middle of Nowhere, PA. If you ever come to Wellsboro, do take the time to go to the canyon! (Photo: AdaMaeCompton)

Jolynn eyes a red-spotted newt. Newts live the first portion of their lives underwater as a drab olive salamander with a yellow body. Then, they crawl out and turn into bright orange creatures that live in the forest. Jolynn is from South Africa, so she had never seen one of these before… It took a bit of convincing in order to get her to pick it up! (Photo: AdaMaeCompton)

This is a beautiful canopy of maples in Farmington Township, PA. Click on the photo to view it in full screen. It’s mesmerizing! (Photo: Jolynn Minnaar)

I ride inside, of course, not strapped to the roof like Mean Mitt Romney’s dog Seamus. We’re on our way to the swamp!!! (Photo: Jolynn Minnaar)

After our ride, we went to the swamp. Isn’t it a mess?! Now that’s my kind of beauty right there!!! (Photo: AdaMaeCompton)

If anyone knows what kind of caterpillar this is, then please let me know! We found him eating grass near a swamp in northcentral PA. I know he is not a woollybear, not a monarch, not a robin moth, not a luna moth, not a swallowtail– but I don’t know what he isn’t not. (Photo: Jolynn Minnaar)

One of the last photos of the visit… What happens in a meadow at dusk? You get a wonderful silhouette photo of Hilary, of course! BTW, She gives the best belly-rubs of any human I know. (Don’t tell my master I said that!) (Photo: AdaMaeCompton)