BEGINNINGS and ENDINGS..................................
The last 48 hours has epitomised the phrase "Beginnings and Endings", or should it be "Endings and Beginnings"?
The ending - of a way of life, of towns and villages, and, yes, of life. The horrible storms we have been experiencing, but this latest that pounded Alabama, and adjoining states, was the daddy of all storms.
I heard on the national news last night that this was the very worst series of storms since the depression years. Do you realize how long ago that was? The depression was in the 1930's.
They showed a satellite view of the area of destruction - looking at that I still could not comprehend the magnitude of that last storm. It went, literally, for miles, wiping out everything in its path.
Yesterday the picking up of the pieces began, the massive clean up, and trying to put everything back together again. This will be years in the making.
And yesterday a new beginning - The Royal Wedding of Kate and William - the beginning of their life together. The TV coverage was awesome, even though I did not get up at 4 a.m. as my daughter and granddaughter did, but I saw the coverage yesterday, every time I turned on the TV. The evening recap was wonderful.
How beautiful a ceremony, location, the pomp and circumstance, the bride and groom, the cathedral, the horse-drawn carriage, everything about it was beautiful.
48 hours of tragedy, sorrow, desolation, destruction, and loss. And 48 hours of beauty, vows, smiles, and love.
They, as we, have no way of knowing what tomorrow holds, we just do our everyday living, doing the best we know how, and pray that we are spared the tragedy, and allowed to enjoy the beauty and love.
I have heard amazing stories of people helping people during this tragedy, and of people standing in the streets of London to see first hand the joy of a Royal Wedding.
And I can't help but wonder, if such a tragedy were to strike close to me, how would I handle it? I would like to think, if I were a survivor, that I would step in and help those who needed the help.
By the same token, you can't help but shed a tear or two, as you watch the faces of the royal bride and groom, as they emerge from the cathedral, united now in marriage.
Pray for the stricken, and pray for the happy, we need all the prayers we can get. Live your life to the fullest, tomorrow may not come. Be happy as long as you can and God Bless.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Friday, April 29, 2011
THE TURKEY TROT -- A NEW TYPE OF DANCE!
I know everyone is familiar with the "fox trot", a type of dance for you non-dancers. But have you ever seen the "turkey trot", or "turkey dance" as some would call it?
Let me give you some history.
As you know we live on a farm. We have lots of wild turkeys. Lots and lots of them. They are not particularly pretty birds, big, lumbersom, they stumble and bumble along as if they do not have a clue as to what they are doing. They very rarely fly. When they do they just barely clear the ground. Their biggest challenge is in the evening, when they fly up into the trees to roost.
It is in the trees where they spend their nights.
We see turkeys frequently (like every day) somewhere on the farm.
However, in the spring the turkeys do a transformation. The gobblers (males) begin to strut their stuff, tail feathers fanned, chests puffed out, just showing the hens (females) how handsome they are.
This particular day a week or so ago, Jerry and I were in the dining room (one wall of our dining room is all glass - what a view!) when we some some turkeys just coming over the top of the hill into what was, last year, a corn field. As we watched they just kept coming and coming. The gobblers were puffing, the hens were ignoring.
As we watched, they stumbled and bumbled down across the corn field into our back yard. There were 3 gobblers, half a dozen jakes (young gobblers) and about two dozen - yes you read this right - hens. And the turkey trot began.
The 3 gobblers began their dance, trying to entice the hens to notice them, to accept them. We have seen one, sometimes two, gobblers at the same time dancing, but this was the first time we had three all together, all dancing to the same tune. We watched and watched.
In the above picture you can see the three gobblers, and one hen laying in front of them, obviously trying to decide which of the three she would choose. Considering their limited intelligence, I imagine the choice will be pretty hard. You can just tell each of the gobblers is saying "take me, take me". And the dance continues.
Again, two of the gobblers and one hen, sort of ignoring them. You can just see the bottom of the cornfield in the top of the picture. And still they dance.
You can just imagine these gobblers thinking "Where'd they go? They were here just a minute ago".
In a few weeks now, as the turkeys stumble into view, you will see chicks running along with them, learning what bugs, seeds, worms, etc., to eat. A brand new life cycle is beginning for the turkeys, and, who knows, one of these days it may be one of those chicks who is strutting his stuff, tail feathers fanned, chest puffed, trying to show the "girls" that he is the best dancer of all.
I hope you have enjoyed the "turkey dance" as Jerry and I call it. I know we did. Again, to all things there is a season, and this is the season for the turkeys to dance. Enjoy each and God Bless.
I know everyone is familiar with the "fox trot", a type of dance for you non-dancers. But have you ever seen the "turkey trot", or "turkey dance" as some would call it?
Let me give you some history.
As you know we live on a farm. We have lots of wild turkeys. Lots and lots of them. They are not particularly pretty birds, big, lumbersom, they stumble and bumble along as if they do not have a clue as to what they are doing. They very rarely fly. When they do they just barely clear the ground. Their biggest challenge is in the evening, when they fly up into the trees to roost.
It is in the trees where they spend their nights.
We see turkeys frequently (like every day) somewhere on the farm.
However, in the spring the turkeys do a transformation. The gobblers (males) begin to strut their stuff, tail feathers fanned, chests puffed out, just showing the hens (females) how handsome they are.
This particular day a week or so ago, Jerry and I were in the dining room (one wall of our dining room is all glass - what a view!) when we some some turkeys just coming over the top of the hill into what was, last year, a corn field. As we watched they just kept coming and coming. The gobblers were puffing, the hens were ignoring.
As we watched, they stumbled and bumbled down across the corn field into our back yard. There were 3 gobblers, half a dozen jakes (young gobblers) and about two dozen - yes you read this right - hens. And the turkey trot began.
In a few weeks now, as the turkeys stumble into view, you will see chicks running along with them, learning what bugs, seeds, worms, etc., to eat. A brand new life cycle is beginning for the turkeys, and, who knows, one of these days it may be one of those chicks who is strutting his stuff, tail feathers fanned, chest puffed, trying to show the "girls" that he is the best dancer of all.
I hope you have enjoyed the "turkey dance" as Jerry and I call it. I know we did. Again, to all things there is a season, and this is the season for the turkeys to dance. Enjoy each and God Bless.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
TREES ARE BLOOMING EVERYWHERE!!!
Everywhere I look from the top of my hill I see bloom - trees are covered with blossoms - white, pink, red, it is a kaleidoscope of color. The dogwoods, white, pink, red. Fruit trees, white, pink, ivory. The ornamental trees red, white, and also ivory, with green, all shades of green, everywhere.
In the spring I always feel that it could not be more beautiful than it is now, at this time of year. Then summer comes, same thought. Then fall, then winter, always the most beautiful time of the year.
But now it is spring. The violets are blooming everywhere, also the daffodils, and, of course, the dandelions. The hill tops surrounding me are a blanket of green and gold.
This is a bouquet of our white dogwood tree, in an old pottery jar.
I took this picture as one of my impressionistic floral series.
This technique makes the picture appear as an old fashioned oil painting rather than a photograph. Sure is fun to play around with this stuff.
This is a red bud tree in full bloom. They smell really good when blooming, and the honey bees just love the redbud.
The birds also love sitting among the blooms and serenading the surrounding countryside. Spring is awesome.
Do you know what this flower is?
Most folks guess it is a chrysanthemum. Wrong.
This is a close up of a dandelion. I had to get this shot laying on the ground on my stomach, zooming in on the flower to get this close-up.
How can you say dandelions are ugly.
So spring has sprung, the grass is rizz, I wonder where the birdies izz. What I do know is that the mowing has begun, that will be once a week now until fall.
We have approximately a 2 acre plus yard. If you do it all in one day it takes anywhere from 5 - 6 hours. When I mow I divide it up into two days, the front yard one day, the back the next. It still takes a total of 5 - 6 hours, but by breaking it up, it seems a lot shorter.
When Jerry mows, he does it all at once. I try to do as much as I can as he works in Pittsburgh, had a long commute each day, and by me mowing it leaves him free to - do all the other stuff it takes to keep a place looking inviting.
And we must look inviting and homey, as all the holiday dinners, summer and winter, fall and spring, happen at our house. Just finished Easter Dinner, am now planning on Memorial Day. etc. etc. etc.
Jerry and I both love the fact that family and friends love coming here. We have ample parking, no next door neighbors to disturb with our fun and games, we laugh all the time. We have our privacy, our "mansion" on the hill, our BIG yard, deck, patio, and flowers.
I don't think anyone else out there has been as blessed as I have.
Enjoy spring, in a blink of an eye it will be summer, and God Bless.
Everywhere I look from the top of my hill I see bloom - trees are covered with blossoms - white, pink, red, it is a kaleidoscope of color. The dogwoods, white, pink, red. Fruit trees, white, pink, ivory. The ornamental trees red, white, and also ivory, with green, all shades of green, everywhere.
In the spring I always feel that it could not be more beautiful than it is now, at this time of year. Then summer comes, same thought. Then fall, then winter, always the most beautiful time of the year.
But now it is spring. The violets are blooming everywhere, also the daffodils, and, of course, the dandelions. The hill tops surrounding me are a blanket of green and gold.
I took this picture as one of my impressionistic floral series.
This technique makes the picture appear as an old fashioned oil painting rather than a photograph. Sure is fun to play around with this stuff.
The birds also love sitting among the blooms and serenading the surrounding countryside. Spring is awesome.
Most folks guess it is a chrysanthemum. Wrong.
This is a close up of a dandelion. I had to get this shot laying on the ground on my stomach, zooming in on the flower to get this close-up.
How can you say dandelions are ugly.
So spring has sprung, the grass is rizz, I wonder where the birdies izz. What I do know is that the mowing has begun, that will be once a week now until fall.
We have approximately a 2 acre plus yard. If you do it all in one day it takes anywhere from 5 - 6 hours. When I mow I divide it up into two days, the front yard one day, the back the next. It still takes a total of 5 - 6 hours, but by breaking it up, it seems a lot shorter.
When Jerry mows, he does it all at once. I try to do as much as I can as he works in Pittsburgh, had a long commute each day, and by me mowing it leaves him free to - do all the other stuff it takes to keep a place looking inviting.
And we must look inviting and homey, as all the holiday dinners, summer and winter, fall and spring, happen at our house. Just finished Easter Dinner, am now planning on Memorial Day. etc. etc. etc.
Jerry and I both love the fact that family and friends love coming here. We have ample parking, no next door neighbors to disturb with our fun and games, we laugh all the time. We have our privacy, our "mansion" on the hill, our BIG yard, deck, patio, and flowers.
I don't think anyone else out there has been as blessed as I have.
Enjoy spring, in a blink of an eye it will be summer, and God Bless.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
APRIL SHOWERS -- HOW DO YOU TURN THEM OFF???
April showers bring May flowers. But this April has been a little too much.
The weather man hasn't figured out how to turn off the showers. Our friend Tim, who raises black angus cows, sows crops on both his farm and our farm. Our farm is actually a "working" farm, Tim does the work. Jerry and I try to keep up with all the other stuff.
By this time I normally have my flower beds (at last count - 9) fairly well cleaned off, getting ready to plant spring seedlings, then ordering the mulch (I use anywhere from 5 - 7 yards of black mulch, delivered to my house on top of the hill, dumped on very very large tarps that are spread in the yard).
It takes me about 2-3 days to shovel the mulch into my garden cart and spread on the flower beds, but they do look nice when I am done.
Not this year. So far I have had enough nice weather to get ONE bed ready.
Only 8 more to go. The clean-up isn't hard, just takes time. What I don't have is time without rain, or wind, or thunder, or lightning, or anything else the weather man feels like throwing at me.
When the yard is mowed and the flowers growed this is what it looks like.
Once the spring clean-up is finished, and the mulch layed, there is very little up-keep involved.
This 3 tiered bed was built in 2007 by son Jerry and daughter Linda, who just happened to be home from Arizona on "vacation" . Upon completion they both swore there would never never never be another one of these built.
It is beautiful, one of the first things you see as you come to the top of our driveway.
But the amount of work is unbelievable, especially a 3 tier one, with the first tier being 4 feet off the ground, as our yard has a steep slope.
The folks we bought the place from had horses, hence the hitching rail. Jerry wanted to remove the rail, I was able to convince him to leave it.
This is how the hitching rail looks now in the spring when the Irisis bloom. Do you see the bluebird on top of the thingy that shows the direction of the wind. And we do get wind.
So, one bed down, 8 more to go. I would like to be finished before I leave for Boston on May 11. Have a grandson graduating from college in Paxton Mass. on Saturay May 14. So hopefully the weather man will cooperate with me the next few days.
I grew up with parents who had flowers everywhere, and I guess It rubbed off. You don't realize how much does rub off until you are older and can see where you got your ideas. You can't always take credit for whatever.
So enjoy the rain, the sun when it shines, and the flowers it brings. To all things there is a season. This is the season of renewing, so enjoy and God Bless.
April showers bring May flowers. But this April has been a little too much.
The weather man hasn't figured out how to turn off the showers. Our friend Tim, who raises black angus cows, sows crops on both his farm and our farm. Our farm is actually a "working" farm, Tim does the work. Jerry and I try to keep up with all the other stuff.
By this time I normally have my flower beds (at last count - 9) fairly well cleaned off, getting ready to plant spring seedlings, then ordering the mulch (I use anywhere from 5 - 7 yards of black mulch, delivered to my house on top of the hill, dumped on very very large tarps that are spread in the yard).
It takes me about 2-3 days to shovel the mulch into my garden cart and spread on the flower beds, but they do look nice when I am done.
Not this year. So far I have had enough nice weather to get ONE bed ready.
When the yard is mowed and the flowers growed this is what it looks like.
Once the spring clean-up is finished, and the mulch layed, there is very little up-keep involved.
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| A 3 tier bed outside by our patio |
This 3 tiered bed was built in 2007 by son Jerry and daughter Linda, who just happened to be home from Arizona on "vacation" . Upon completion they both swore there would never never never be another one of these built.
But the amount of work is unbelievable, especially a 3 tier one, with the first tier being 4 feet off the ground, as our yard has a steep slope.
This is how the hitching rail looks now in the spring when the Irisis bloom. Do you see the bluebird on top of the thingy that shows the direction of the wind. And we do get wind.
So, one bed down, 8 more to go. I would like to be finished before I leave for Boston on May 11. Have a grandson graduating from college in Paxton Mass. on Saturay May 14. So hopefully the weather man will cooperate with me the next few days.
I grew up with parents who had flowers everywhere, and I guess It rubbed off. You don't realize how much does rub off until you are older and can see where you got your ideas. You can't always take credit for whatever.
So enjoy the rain, the sun when it shines, and the flowers it brings. To all things there is a season. This is the season of renewing, so enjoy and God Bless.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
CACTUS and CANYONS.............................
I think I have the problem figured out, but don't ask me what. I have a dental appointment at 11 a.m. so can't really do anything around here until later, so am trying to finish my today's blog. Hopefully I will be successful.
I think I have the problem figured out, but don't ask me what. I have a dental appointment at 11 a.m. so can't really do anything around here until later, so am trying to finish my today's blog. Hopefully I will be successful.
CACTUS
I did not realize, when planning my week, that I would be there when the cactus started blooming. I had never been there at that time of year before, so we spent one day at the Phoenix Botanical Gardens. It is hard to believe how colorful the desert is when the cactus blooms.
OAK CREEK CANYON
One day we traveled to Montezuma Castle and Well. This five-story 20 room dwelling was bui9lt in the 1100's in a cliff recess 100 feet above the valley floor.
Early settlers thought it was Aztec in origin, and named it Montezuma Castle.
The ancient Sinagua was a prehistoric culture at one time flourishing in the Verde Valley. Descendants of the Sinagua settled in this area and sometime in the 1400's the area was abandoned. It is unknown why or where they went. There are many cliff dwelling communities throughout the Southwest, the purpose being that it would be easier to defend their cliff dwellings against marauders. They fashioned ladders to reach their homes, pulling the ladders up at night so no one could invade while they slept.
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| A view in Oak Creek Canyon |
The cliffs in Oak Creek Canyon are mostly white limestone. The contrast with the green of the trees and the blue of the sky was amazing. A truly beautiful place.
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| As they think the inside was from studying the remains |
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| Montezuma Well |
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| Montezuma Castle |
We learned that no fish lived in the waters of the well, and the water contained a large amount of carbon dioxide, which removed the oxygen from the water. But the water is never stagnant as they is underground water constantly flowing into the well, and exiting through a small crevice, creating a stream downhill from the well.
The dwelling was fashioned from mud, which hardened in the heat, and many of these uninhabited communities survive today because
they were protected from the elements by being built into the cliffs.
CANYON de CHELLY
Canyon de Chelly (pronounced Canyon d'Shay) is believed to have been settled as early as 2500 - 200 BC living in rock shelters. This is known as the Archaic era. From 200 BC until 750 the Basket makers lived in the canyon.
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| The river bed, we drove in the river part of the time. |
from 750 until. 1300 the canyon was occupied by the Pueblo Indians, from 1300 - 1600 the Hopi Indians, and from 1700 until the present the Navajo Indians.
Canyon de Chelly is on the Navajo reservation, some of the Navajos still own land and live in the canyon.
The canyon itself can only be
traveled with a Navajo tour guide. We had a 3 hour jeep ride, with a wonderful Navajo driver/guide. He stopped any time for me to take pictures
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| Inside the Canyon |
and told us so much of the history of the canyon. It was a picture perfect day, temp wise and weather wise.
Our guide and his family still own property inside the canyon, raising crops, caring for the land. He showed us his home as we traveled through the canyon. we saw the hieroglyphics carved and painted on the canyon walls telling the history of the land. It is amazing that all these hundred years later, they are still as visible as they are. I got some amazing pictures of them. One evening we spent driving the South rim, and I got some pictures looking down into the canyon.
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| Me and our guide |
I think you have had enough history for one day. I will complete this blog with the remaining pictures I would like to share with you. I hope you enjoy seeing them.
I could probably talk all day about the canyon and it's history.
But, time to leave for dental appointment. I hope you have enjoyed this journey, and perhaps down the road I will have another journey to share with you. In the meantime relax, have fun, and God Bless.
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| Canyon mustang |
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| one of the canyon views |
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| From the rim - ice cream cones |
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| This rock formation called the "Dog" |
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| From the Rim |
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| From the Rim |
QUILTS, CACTUS, and CANYONS………………
Three of the highlights of my trip to Arizona were the above. None of them had been “planned”, they just happened. We thoroughly enjoyed all three.
Linda took them home to Arizona with her, and joined a quilting bee held weekly at one of the local museums . She learned, and fell in love with, quilting. She now has a room set up in her house where she can work on the patchwork in her spare time.
It so happened that the week I was there they were having a quilt display. We spent one morning, they were beautiful, and I did a lot of close-ups of some of the quilting designs. I would like to share some of them with you here.
Three of the highlights of my trip to Arizona were the above. None of them had been “planned”, they just happened. We thoroughly enjoyed all three.
I guess this will be it for today. At least for now. For some reason my 'uploading pictures" has quit working, I have the pictures in my picture file, but this blogging program is telling me there are no pictures there. So when I figure out what is going on, hopefully, I will continue with the Cactus and Canyons section of my trip.
Why is it nothing seems to go smoothly? Perhaps you don't want Cactus 101 and Canyons 101 today. Perhaps the computer doesn't want this today. Perhaps I am just going a little nuts. But as you can see, my "plan" for today was only partially completed. Wonder when the rest will be put into place.
Oh well, this is a start. If I am lucky, I will be able to finish this series WITH pictures. So, in the meantime, enjoy the quilt pictures, and God Bless.
QUILTS
When Linda’s Grandmother passed away (my Mother-in-Law), we found boxes of material pieces, some cut ready to be sewn together, some completed except for the batting, backing, and quilting.Linda took them home to Arizona with her, and joined a quilting bee held weekly at one of the local museums . She learned, and fell in love with, quilting. She now has a room set up in her house where she can work on the patchwork in her spare time.
It so happened that the week I was there they were having a quilt display. We spent one morning, they were beautiful, and I did a lot of close-ups of some of the quilting designs. I would like to share some of them with you here.
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| How about a Soda? |
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| This one made me dizzy |
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| One of my favorites |
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| Loved the handkerchifs |
Monday, April 25, 2011
SCRATCH PLANS A - B - C - D - etc................
I had "planned" on starting my series today on my Arizona trip, and how all our plans changed, every day, we did nothing that had been "planned", but what we did was so much fun and rewarding, and we laughed so much.
Then boom!!!! Today I did my normal daily routine - check e-mails, check banking, check facebook, read Rebecca's Slushpile Blog, read another friend's blog, then end up with my blog, all ready to write today's story.
The boom was my friend's blog (Sunny Serafino, a wonderful lady and author that I had the privilege of meeting in Florida at the Writers Conference two years ago). I am quoting one paragraph of her blog here.
Well, that hit the nail on the head because I am a compulsive, obsessive PLANNER! In fact, here it is not even May and I'm planning for an October conference. There are some serious things to consider with regard to this event, but already I'm planning what might or might not occur. My plans usually are fraught with what I call my 'what if' syndrome. And, all this time I was wasting brain time. Oh, it's not that I haven't prayed about what I'm planning and I'm pretty sure that's okay but just taking over is not what He wants.
As I said. BOOM! That paragraph fit me to a "T". I seem to be the planner in my family, always looking forward, planning this and planning that. I seem to have a plan for every day, every week, every month, every year, sometimes a year in advance.
I believe that we are supposed to plan, to look ahead, not looking back and wondering why. If we don't have some kind of plan, what is there to look forward to? But what we plan and what we are actually going to do can sometimes be entirely opposites. My week in Arizona was a classic example of plans going awry. It all began with my planned "landing" in Arizona through my takeoff for home.
The funny thing is, even though not a single plan worked out, the "substitute" plans that were handed to us were some of the best, most fun, days in a long time. It just goes to show, as Sunny so aptly indicated in her blog, that we ARE NOT IN CONTROL, WE JUST THINK WE ARE.
Planning is a normal human trait. We need a plan to have some sort of order in our lives. But every so often it takes a knock alongside the head to remind us that we are not the ones in control, even though we think we are.
I really don't think my family in Arizona and I would have had the side-splitting, stomach hurting, breath-taking laughter that we shared for an entire week if OUR plans had come to be.
If you are a planner, keep planning, but just remember, just because YOU plan it, it does not mean YOU will do it. Perhaps, just perhaps, there is really something better just waiting for you, and it takes the knock alongside the head to show us the right direction to take.
My plan right now is to start my Arizona series tomorrow. I wonder what I will really be writing about? Take care and God Bless.
I had "planned" on starting my series today on my Arizona trip, and how all our plans changed, every day, we did nothing that had been "planned", but what we did was so much fun and rewarding, and we laughed so much.
Then boom!!!! Today I did my normal daily routine - check e-mails, check banking, check facebook, read Rebecca's Slushpile Blog, read another friend's blog, then end up with my blog, all ready to write today's story.
The boom was my friend's blog (Sunny Serafino, a wonderful lady and author that I had the privilege of meeting in Florida at the Writers Conference two years ago). I am quoting one paragraph of her blog here.
Well, that hit the nail on the head because I am a compulsive, obsessive PLANNER! In fact, here it is not even May and I'm planning for an October conference. There are some serious things to consider with regard to this event, but already I'm planning what might or might not occur. My plans usually are fraught with what I call my 'what if' syndrome. And, all this time I was wasting brain time. Oh, it's not that I haven't prayed about what I'm planning and I'm pretty sure that's okay but just taking over is not what He wants.
As I said. BOOM! That paragraph fit me to a "T". I seem to be the planner in my family, always looking forward, planning this and planning that. I seem to have a plan for every day, every week, every month, every year, sometimes a year in advance.
I believe that we are supposed to plan, to look ahead, not looking back and wondering why. If we don't have some kind of plan, what is there to look forward to? But what we plan and what we are actually going to do can sometimes be entirely opposites. My week in Arizona was a classic example of plans going awry. It all began with my planned "landing" in Arizona through my takeoff for home.
The funny thing is, even though not a single plan worked out, the "substitute" plans that were handed to us were some of the best, most fun, days in a long time. It just goes to show, as Sunny so aptly indicated in her blog, that we ARE NOT IN CONTROL, WE JUST THINK WE ARE.
Planning is a normal human trait. We need a plan to have some sort of order in our lives. But every so often it takes a knock alongside the head to remind us that we are not the ones in control, even though we think we are.
I really don't think my family in Arizona and I would have had the side-splitting, stomach hurting, breath-taking laughter that we shared for an entire week if OUR plans had come to be.
If you are a planner, keep planning, but just remember, just because YOU plan it, it does not mean YOU will do it. Perhaps, just perhaps, there is really something better just waiting for you, and it takes the knock alongside the head to show us the right direction to take.
My plan right now is to start my Arizona series tomorrow. I wonder what I will really be writing about? Take care and God Bless.
Sunday, April 24, 2011
WHY YOU NEED PLAN A - B - C - D - E - ETC…….
Been planning my trip to Arizona since January. Plane ticket bought, telephone conversations re what we were going to do. We had it all covered, or so we thought.
DAY 1 - WEDNESDAY - Plan A - was my day of arrival. Then off to visit Ginger and her new baby, then all the kids and grandkids, etc., would come to the house for supper and getting together with me. Supposed to land at 9 a.m. Arizona time. Scratch Plan A.
Landed on time, 9 a.m., no gate ready, sat on runway 45 minutes before moving to a jet way, which they were having trouble with, so another 15 minutes on plane before able to get off. Now running 1 hour late. Linda and Dave in baggage claim, we have each other’s home phones on our cell phones, but not each other’s cell numbers.
Monitor said plane landed 9 a.m., baggage monitor says nothing. Where was I and the baggage? I finally arrived at baggage claim, 10:30 a.m., just as the baggage began tumbling onto the turntable
Not only was I running late, Ginger was in hospital, but no baby yet. Ended up visiting with her and David, then off to home. The other kids all arrived, had a wonderful evening getting caught up. End of DAY 1.
DAY 2-3-4 - Plan A - supposed to leave early morning for Bryce Canyon, Utah, a 3 day trip, something we were all looking forward to. Scratch Plan A.
DAY 2 - THURSDAY - Still waiting for baby. Went to local museum for quilt show. Linda is into quilding, has made several beautiful quilts, really enjoyed the show. Went to Olive Mill for lunch, meeting up with a friend from northern Arizona who was in the area, so there were 6 of us - Linda, Diane, Me, Tiffany and her children Ashlynne and McKynzie. Talk about a zoo, Ashlynne going on 5, McKynzie going on 1 year.
After lunch took the girls to buy their Easter dresses. Another zoo. Non-stop chatter. Arrived home, rest of the crew arrived for supper. David called - C-section planned for Friday morning. Exhausted and crash-landed in bed.
DAY 3 - FRIDAY - Baby is here!!! All went well. No visitors until tomorrow. Cactus was beginning to bloom, so spent the morning at the Phoenix Botanical Gardens, admiring the cactus. It was beautiful.
DAY 4 - SATURDAY - Went to Montezuma’s Castle and Well in the morning
This is one of the West’s Indian ruins built in the cliffs. Was fantastic to see, got lots of pictures. In the afternoon went to hospital and got to see new baby, Madison Everly, a beautiful little girl.
In the evening Linda, Dave and I kept the girls so Dustin and Tiffany could go to hospital. Another very busy day.
DAY 5 - SUNDAY - Plan A - ride the domed railroad car into the mountains from Globe. Called. Sold out. Scratch Plan A. Went to Palm Sunday services in the morning, then visited Rachel and Mark, (they have bought a house since last time I was there), and then Dustin and Tiffany (they have bought a bigger house since last time). Both their homes lovely, enjoyed the visit. Spent evening at home
DAY 6 - 7 - MONDAY - TUESDAY - Plan A - We discussed going to Canyon de Chelly, would be a 2 day trip. Dave called early Monday were able to schedule a Tuesday morning jeep trip through the canyon, we were able to get hotel reservations for Monday night 5 minutes from the visitor’s center. We just looked at each other. Were we really going to have a Plan A?
The trip was great, good hotel, arrived early enough in the afternoon that we drove the south rim of the canyon stopping at all the look-outs and looking down in to the canyon. There are a lot of Indian ruins throughout the canyon. The canyon is on one of the Navajo reservations, quite an experience.
The jeep ride was awesome, had a Navajo driver/tour guide. There are Navajo families living inside the canyon, including our driver. He was raised there and still has his home there. The ride was an experience. We drove through the river, then onto dry land, then back into the river. When the water is high there are no tours available. You can only enter the canyon with a certified tour.
Weather was perfect. Had a great time. Got home early enough Tuesday that we got to visit with David and Ginger (she got home Saturday), and the baby, then went home where the rest of the gang was waiting so they could say good-by. My plane was leaving early Wednesday morning.
So here I am home. We have already decided that next year for each day we will have a PLAN A - PLAN B - PLAN C - and PLAN D in place. I don’t remember when we have laughed so much, seemed every time we decided on something, hit a stone wall. No sense moaning and groaning, we laughed and kept on trying. Ended up being a great week,. Stone walls and all
This is just a thumbnail. I will go into more depth in the following days with pictures to share. Until then ----
If you can laugh, you can do anything. Remember that.
Have a wonderful Easter. Will have a houseful for dinner today, been prepping for the last two days. If everyone out there could be as blessed as I have been, what a world it would be. Enjoy the day and God bless.
Been planning my trip to Arizona since January. Plane ticket bought, telephone conversations re what we were going to do. We had it all covered, or so we thought.
DAY 1 - WEDNESDAY - Plan A - was my day of arrival. Then off to visit Ginger and her new baby, then all the kids and grandkids, etc., would come to the house for supper and getting together with me. Supposed to land at 9 a.m. Arizona time. Scratch Plan A.
Landed on time, 9 a.m., no gate ready, sat on runway 45 minutes before moving to a jet way, which they were having trouble with, so another 15 minutes on plane before able to get off. Now running 1 hour late. Linda and Dave in baggage claim, we have each other’s home phones on our cell phones, but not each other’s cell numbers.
Monitor said plane landed 9 a.m., baggage monitor says nothing. Where was I and the baggage? I finally arrived at baggage claim, 10:30 a.m., just as the baggage began tumbling onto the turntable
Not only was I running late, Ginger was in hospital, but no baby yet. Ended up visiting with her and David, then off to home. The other kids all arrived, had a wonderful evening getting caught up. End of DAY 1.
DAY 2-3-4 - Plan A - supposed to leave early morning for Bryce Canyon, Utah, a 3 day trip, something we were all looking forward to. Scratch Plan A.
DAY 2 - THURSDAY - Still waiting for baby. Went to local museum for quilt show. Linda is into quilding, has made several beautiful quilts, really enjoyed the show. Went to Olive Mill for lunch, meeting up with a friend from northern Arizona who was in the area, so there were 6 of us - Linda, Diane, Me, Tiffany and her children Ashlynne and McKynzie. Talk about a zoo, Ashlynne going on 5, McKynzie going on 1 year.
After lunch took the girls to buy their Easter dresses. Another zoo. Non-stop chatter. Arrived home, rest of the crew arrived for supper. David called - C-section planned for Friday morning. Exhausted and crash-landed in bed.
DAY 3 - FRIDAY - Baby is here!!! All went well. No visitors until tomorrow. Cactus was beginning to bloom, so spent the morning at the Phoenix Botanical Gardens, admiring the cactus. It was beautiful.
DAY 4 - SATURDAY - Went to Montezuma’s Castle and Well in the morning
This is one of the West’s Indian ruins built in the cliffs. Was fantastic to see, got lots of pictures. In the afternoon went to hospital and got to see new baby, Madison Everly, a beautiful little girl.
In the evening Linda, Dave and I kept the girls so Dustin and Tiffany could go to hospital. Another very busy day.
DAY 5 - SUNDAY - Plan A - ride the domed railroad car into the mountains from Globe. Called. Sold out. Scratch Plan A. Went to Palm Sunday services in the morning, then visited Rachel and Mark, (they have bought a house since last time I was there), and then Dustin and Tiffany (they have bought a bigger house since last time). Both their homes lovely, enjoyed the visit. Spent evening at home
DAY 6 - 7 - MONDAY - TUESDAY - Plan A - We discussed going to Canyon de Chelly, would be a 2 day trip. Dave called early Monday were able to schedule a Tuesday morning jeep trip through the canyon, we were able to get hotel reservations for Monday night 5 minutes from the visitor’s center. We just looked at each other. Were we really going to have a Plan A?
The trip was great, good hotel, arrived early enough in the afternoon that we drove the south rim of the canyon stopping at all the look-outs and looking down in to the canyon. There are a lot of Indian ruins throughout the canyon. The canyon is on one of the Navajo reservations, quite an experience.
The jeep ride was awesome, had a Navajo driver/tour guide. There are Navajo families living inside the canyon, including our driver. He was raised there and still has his home there. The ride was an experience. We drove through the river, then onto dry land, then back into the river. When the water is high there are no tours available. You can only enter the canyon with a certified tour.
Weather was perfect. Had a great time. Got home early enough Tuesday that we got to visit with David and Ginger (she got home Saturday), and the baby, then went home where the rest of the gang was waiting so they could say good-by. My plane was leaving early Wednesday morning.
So here I am home. We have already decided that next year for each day we will have a PLAN A - PLAN B - PLAN C - and PLAN D in place. I don’t remember when we have laughed so much, seemed every time we decided on something, hit a stone wall. No sense moaning and groaning, we laughed and kept on trying. Ended up being a great week,. Stone walls and all
This is just a thumbnail. I will go into more depth in the following days with pictures to share. Until then ----
If you can laugh, you can do anything. Remember that.
Have a wonderful Easter. Will have a houseful for dinner today, been prepping for the last two days. If everyone out there could be as blessed as I have been, what a world it would be. Enjoy the day and God bless.
Friday, April 22, 2011
I'M HOME!!!....................................................
Got back home late Wednesday afternoon, felt really cold here after a week of 80 degree weather, blue sky, white clouds, no humidity. Talk about a shock to the system.
Had a great week with the kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids, but exhausting.
Am in the middle of preparing for Easter, all the family and friends are planning on being here for Easter dinner, so really busy now.
Did get my pictures downloaded from the trip, and later will share the highlights of the trip with you, along with the pictures.
Also the trip was a comedy of errors. We spent more time shaking our heads and laughing - hit a brick wall everywhere we turned. But it was a wonderful week, ended up with about 700 pictures, which will be edited down to a reasonable number.
So off now to start on pre-easter dinner preparations, getting the house dusted and the dirt swept under the rugs, running last minute errands, and just doing what needs to be done.
I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter. I will start my vacation blogs the first of next week. By then I should have the pictures ready to add. I may not get anything written until at least Monday. But if my ship comes in, I hit the lottery, the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow is in my yard, or an oil gusher appears on the property I will write sooner. So if you don't hear from me until next week, you will know none of the above occurred.
Keep warm, dry, well-fed and God Bless.
Got back home late Wednesday afternoon, felt really cold here after a week of 80 degree weather, blue sky, white clouds, no humidity. Talk about a shock to the system.
Had a great week with the kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids, but exhausting.
Am in the middle of preparing for Easter, all the family and friends are planning on being here for Easter dinner, so really busy now.
Did get my pictures downloaded from the trip, and later will share the highlights of the trip with you, along with the pictures.
Also the trip was a comedy of errors. We spent more time shaking our heads and laughing - hit a brick wall everywhere we turned. But it was a wonderful week, ended up with about 700 pictures, which will be edited down to a reasonable number.
So off now to start on pre-easter dinner preparations, getting the house dusted and the dirt swept under the rugs, running last minute errands, and just doing what needs to be done.
I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter. I will start my vacation blogs the first of next week. By then I should have the pictures ready to add. I may not get anything written until at least Monday. But if my ship comes in, I hit the lottery, the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow is in my yard, or an oil gusher appears on the property I will write sooner. So if you don't hear from me until next week, you will know none of the above occurred.
Keep warm, dry, well-fed and God Bless.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
SUNDAY IN ARIZONA .......................................
A quick post today. Went to Montezuma's Castle yesterday, an Indian ruins built into the side of one of the mountains. Then on to Montezuma's Well, then home. Another day of hiking, no long distances, just enough. Got more pictures.
Today went to Church then out to lunch with Rachel and Mark. Later today visiting Dustin, Tiffany, and their two girls Ashlynne and McKynzie. After that I will crash.
Trying to decide on tomorrow's adventure. Will not know until later today. These are just brief thumb-nail sketches. Will go into more depth upon my return. Nothing is normal for me.
Called home this a.m., cold, rain with more rain predicted for the next 10 days and cold. High 80's and bright sunshine here.
I guess all I can say is "Try to stay warm and dry". Until later, God Bless.
A quick post today. Went to Montezuma's Castle yesterday, an Indian ruins built into the side of one of the mountains. Then on to Montezuma's Well, then home. Another day of hiking, no long distances, just enough. Got more pictures.
Today went to Church then out to lunch with Rachel and Mark. Later today visiting Dustin, Tiffany, and their two girls Ashlynne and McKynzie. After that I will crash.
Trying to decide on tomorrow's adventure. Will not know until later today. These are just brief thumb-nail sketches. Will go into more depth upon my return. Nothing is normal for me.
Called home this a.m., cold, rain with more rain predicted for the next 10 days and cold. High 80's and bright sunshine here.
I guess all I can say is "Try to stay warm and dry". Until later, God Bless.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
IT'S SATURDAY IN ARIZONA.......................
My trip to Arizona half over already. Where does the time go. Yesterday got to meet my brand new great granddaughter, Madison Everly Marsh, she makes g.g. number 3 in Arizona. Of course she was beautiful, even opened her eyes and smiles. Made my day.
When planning my trip, didn't realize it was the time of year for the cactus to be blooming. We visited the Phoenix Botanical Gardens yesterday also, and I was able to photograph the cactus in bloom. An unexpected bonus.
Been getting to see a lot of the three grandchildren, which makes it really nice. As Rachel says - I like it when you come out because Mark (her husband) and I keep coming to Mom's to eat.
I don't know what adventures today holds, but I know it will be fun. Hope your weekend is good and God Bless.
My trip to Arizona half over already. Where does the time go. Yesterday got to meet my brand new great granddaughter, Madison Everly Marsh, she makes g.g. number 3 in Arizona. Of course she was beautiful, even opened her eyes and smiles. Made my day.
When planning my trip, didn't realize it was the time of year for the cactus to be blooming. We visited the Phoenix Botanical Gardens yesterday also, and I was able to photograph the cactus in bloom. An unexpected bonus.
Been getting to see a lot of the three grandchildren, which makes it really nice. As Rachel says - I like it when you come out because Mark (her husband) and I keep coming to Mom's to eat.
I don't know what adventures today holds, but I know it will be fun. Hope your weekend is good and God Bless.
Friday, April 15, 2011
HI FROM ARIZONA...........................................
My son-in-law has graciously let me use his computer, so here I am.........
Arrived at Pittsburgh International airport in plenty of time, got through security with no problem, grabbed a quick bite for breakfast, arrived at my gate, boarding began 15 minutes. On the plane. Time to go.
Flight was off right on time. A little over 4 hours is a long time, but I had my trusty book with me, plus two others in the carry on, so I was prepared. Had juice, coca cola and water for my "meals" on the plane.
Arrived in Arizona at the Phoenix airport right on time. Landed. Started taxiing to the gate. Stopped. Announcement made the gate was not ready for us, it would be a few minutes. Twenty minutes later announcement said it would be just a few more minutes. We landed at 9 a.m., right on the nose. At 9:45 am we were finally permitted to go to the gate. It was then 10 minutes later before the door of the plane opened.
Daughter Linda and son-in-law Dave were waiting at baggage claim. They were getting worried, monitor said plane arrived 9 a.m., no message ever came up luggage being unloaded, no me appearing, and, of course I did not have their cell number on my phone, only home number. Same with them. Finally we made connection, got luggage, and headed here to the house. I wonder what the remainder of the trip will be like.
I will be sure to let you know. Hope your weather is like this, in the 70's and bright sunshine. Sure beats the rain I left in.
Will try to keep you posted as the week moves along. I will not be able to post any pictures until I arrive home, but will try to stay in touch. In the meantime, enjoy your day and God bless.
My son-in-law has graciously let me use his computer, so here I am.........
Arrived at Pittsburgh International airport in plenty of time, got through security with no problem, grabbed a quick bite for breakfast, arrived at my gate, boarding began 15 minutes. On the plane. Time to go.
Flight was off right on time. A little over 4 hours is a long time, but I had my trusty book with me, plus two others in the carry on, so I was prepared. Had juice, coca cola and water for my "meals" on the plane.
Arrived in Arizona at the Phoenix airport right on time. Landed. Started taxiing to the gate. Stopped. Announcement made the gate was not ready for us, it would be a few minutes. Twenty minutes later announcement said it would be just a few more minutes. We landed at 9 a.m., right on the nose. At 9:45 am we were finally permitted to go to the gate. It was then 10 minutes later before the door of the plane opened.
Daughter Linda and son-in-law Dave were waiting at baggage claim. They were getting worried, monitor said plane arrived 9 a.m., no message ever came up luggage being unloaded, no me appearing, and, of course I did not have their cell number on my phone, only home number. Same with them. Finally we made connection, got luggage, and headed here to the house. I wonder what the remainder of the trip will be like.
I will be sure to let you know. Hope your weather is like this, in the 70's and bright sunshine. Sure beats the rain I left in.
Will try to keep you posted as the week moves along. I will not be able to post any pictures until I arrive home, but will try to stay in touch. In the meantime, enjoy your day and God bless.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
THE MANICURE CAPER..................................
We have two Beagles - Samantha, a dainty little lady (haha) weighs about 30#, just a nice size little gal.
Coco is on the left. Samantha on the right.
Down below is Jerry, it is thundering, Coco landed on Jerry first, and even tho Sam isn't as afraid of thunder as Coco is, she didn't want to be left out. So much for snoozing.
Then there is Coco - big big Coco, almost 50#, who is also a registered Beagle. They told me at the vet's office today that he is classified as a "chocolate beagle" because of his reddish brown and white coloring.
Why was he at the vet's office today? Because it's the only way........
Between son Jerry and me, we have been able, through the years, to bathe and trim toenails on all our dogs. Until now.
Sam is fine, she doesn't really like the manicure and bath, but puts up with it. Of course she is smaller and we can, kind of, overpower her.
Then there is Coco. While he was smaller we could handle him for the manicure and bath. But then he grew up, grew and grew. The bigger he got the harder it was for us to restrain him to cut his nails without making him bleed, or some such thing.
He seems to think when it is manicure time, that means leg amputation. I am sure it has felt like that when we have cut too close. No wonder he starts shaking at the first sign of the toenail clippers.
So to the vet's office. As soon as he realizes where I am taking him he starts to shake, and fuss, and pace in the van. Upon leaving the van I literally have to drag him into the vet's office. Sometimes I miss the door and have to try again, he is really strong.
Some days it takes three (3) people to cut his nails - two to hold him one to cut. He's shaking like a leaf, and this is so out of character for him.
Though he is big, he is like a great big teddy bear, soft, compliant, beautiful personality, quiet, super friendly, loves all people, just a gem. But toenail day he turns into a monster.
Another thing, though, this friendly giant becomes a basket case whenever there is a loud noise. If something falls, and makes a loud noise, whenever it thunders, or even if someone happens to yell about something, he is terrified. He will jump into your lap if you are sitting down, try to climb you if you are standing up. Not fun!!!
The really amazing thing, though, he is one of the best rabbit dogs Jerry has ever had, and we have had many over the years. He loves rabbit season. He can run all the other dogs ragged, and the hunters ragged, but he wants to keep on going, just like the energizer bunny.
For some very strange reason, gunfire doesn't bother him at all. We think he is so busy concentrating on the chase that he doesn't hear anything else. And his bark - or should I say bellow - can be heard all over the farm, and we have 160 acres.
Jerry has seen the time he has out-run the rabbit and had to circle back to pick up the scent again. One of Jerry's hunting buddies has a smaller beagle named Mollie, and poor Mollie is so far behind Sam and Coco, that everyone usually has to sit down and wait for her to arrive, barking her little head off, just so glad to be part of the game, even if she is so far behind.
The day of hunting is over. The guys and dogs come wandering in, dog heads drooping, tails drooping, plodding along one step at a time. The next three days they are usually exhausted doggies, sometimes even too tired to eat, just want to sleep. You know Sam is really tired if she passes up the food bowl. She eats all the time. We keep dry dog food out for them all the time, they get some canned food for breakfast and supper.
It is funny to be sitting somewhere in the house, or doing something, puttering around, whatever, and you hear this crunching sound. It is Sam eating the dry dog food. She nibbles all day long. Sometimes she will even get a mouth full of food, then track you down where you are puttering, or whatever, drop the mouth full of food on the floor and proceed to eat it there. Guess she wants company.
Rabbit season comes in twice a year. We have lots and lots of rabbits on the farm. Jerry and his friends take the dogs out as often as they can during the season. They get so excited if you don't get out of their way they will knock you down trying to be first out the door. They know what is coming.
We bathe the dogs several times a year, but always always always after rabbit season. They really need their baths then. Again, Sam doesn't like it but will put up with it. Coco seems to think we are trying to drown him, even though he isn't really standing in any water, we have a hand-held shower, he stands in the tub and we spray and shampoo him, rinse him, but he just knows he is going to drown. It is all Jerry can do to get Coco into the tub, then he has to hold him down, spray, shampoo, spray, rinse, spray, and the entire time Coco is trying to figure out how to get out of the tub.
I can tell you one thing for sure. Life NEVER NEVER NEVER gets boring on top of our hill on Bushko Lane. I wanted to get this posted this morning, as I am leaving for the airport in just a few minutes to fly to Phoenix. Looking forward to whatever we get into while I am visiting.
I hope none of your lives are boring, that there is always something new, interesting, fun, educational, etc. happening for you as it is happening for me. Have a great day and God Bless.
We have two Beagles - Samantha, a dainty little lady (haha) weighs about 30#, just a nice size little gal.
Down below is Jerry, it is thundering, Coco landed on Jerry first, and even tho Sam isn't as afraid of thunder as Coco is, she didn't want to be left out. So much for snoozing.
Why was he at the vet's office today? Because it's the only way........
Between son Jerry and me, we have been able, through the years, to bathe and trim toenails on all our dogs. Until now.
Sam is fine, she doesn't really like the manicure and bath, but puts up with it. Of course she is smaller and we can, kind of, overpower her.
Then there is Coco. While he was smaller we could handle him for the manicure and bath. But then he grew up, grew and grew. The bigger he got the harder it was for us to restrain him to cut his nails without making him bleed, or some such thing.
He seems to think when it is manicure time, that means leg amputation. I am sure it has felt like that when we have cut too close. No wonder he starts shaking at the first sign of the toenail clippers.
So to the vet's office. As soon as he realizes where I am taking him he starts to shake, and fuss, and pace in the van. Upon leaving the van I literally have to drag him into the vet's office. Sometimes I miss the door and have to try again, he is really strong.
Some days it takes three (3) people to cut his nails - two to hold him one to cut. He's shaking like a leaf, and this is so out of character for him.
Though he is big, he is like a great big teddy bear, soft, compliant, beautiful personality, quiet, super friendly, loves all people, just a gem. But toenail day he turns into a monster.
Another thing, though, this friendly giant becomes a basket case whenever there is a loud noise. If something falls, and makes a loud noise, whenever it thunders, or even if someone happens to yell about something, he is terrified. He will jump into your lap if you are sitting down, try to climb you if you are standing up. Not fun!!!
The really amazing thing, though, he is one of the best rabbit dogs Jerry has ever had, and we have had many over the years. He loves rabbit season. He can run all the other dogs ragged, and the hunters ragged, but he wants to keep on going, just like the energizer bunny.
For some very strange reason, gunfire doesn't bother him at all. We think he is so busy concentrating on the chase that he doesn't hear anything else. And his bark - or should I say bellow - can be heard all over the farm, and we have 160 acres.
Jerry has seen the time he has out-run the rabbit and had to circle back to pick up the scent again. One of Jerry's hunting buddies has a smaller beagle named Mollie, and poor Mollie is so far behind Sam and Coco, that everyone usually has to sit down and wait for her to arrive, barking her little head off, just so glad to be part of the game, even if she is so far behind.
The day of hunting is over. The guys and dogs come wandering in, dog heads drooping, tails drooping, plodding along one step at a time. The next three days they are usually exhausted doggies, sometimes even too tired to eat, just want to sleep. You know Sam is really tired if she passes up the food bowl. She eats all the time. We keep dry dog food out for them all the time, they get some canned food for breakfast and supper.
It is funny to be sitting somewhere in the house, or doing something, puttering around, whatever, and you hear this crunching sound. It is Sam eating the dry dog food. She nibbles all day long. Sometimes she will even get a mouth full of food, then track you down where you are puttering, or whatever, drop the mouth full of food on the floor and proceed to eat it there. Guess she wants company.
Rabbit season comes in twice a year. We have lots and lots of rabbits on the farm. Jerry and his friends take the dogs out as often as they can during the season. They get so excited if you don't get out of their way they will knock you down trying to be first out the door. They know what is coming.
We bathe the dogs several times a year, but always always always after rabbit season. They really need their baths then. Again, Sam doesn't like it but will put up with it. Coco seems to think we are trying to drown him, even though he isn't really standing in any water, we have a hand-held shower, he stands in the tub and we spray and shampoo him, rinse him, but he just knows he is going to drown. It is all Jerry can do to get Coco into the tub, then he has to hold him down, spray, shampoo, spray, rinse, spray, and the entire time Coco is trying to figure out how to get out of the tub.
I can tell you one thing for sure. Life NEVER NEVER NEVER gets boring on top of our hill on Bushko Lane. I wanted to get this posted this morning, as I am leaving for the airport in just a few minutes to fly to Phoenix. Looking forward to whatever we get into while I am visiting.
I hope none of your lives are boring, that there is always something new, interesting, fun, educational, etc. happening for you as it is happening for me. Have a great day and God Bless.
Tuesday, April 12, 2011
HAWAII - PART 7 - THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE?
We started home Wednesday night, were at sea Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday. We would fly home Monday. Thursday night we had a short stop at Ensenada, Mexico, saw some very unique dancing - a wonderful performance.
This series of pictures were of the building where the performance was held and inside. Following the performance we had a short time to browse the gift shop at the dock before re-boarding our home away from home for the final journey of our trip. Little did we know.....
We were wakened in the morning by a message from the Captain over the loud speaker system. Upon opening our stateroom door to hear the message we learned that an 8.8 magnitude earthquake had hit Chili.
Tsunami warnings were up. Hawaii was evacuating the seashore homes, to be safe. We were advised that the Tsunami would pass under the ship, traveling along the ocean bed, to be prepared for some rough seas.
The crew was already preparing for rough water, draining the swimming pools. No dunking today, hopefully!!!
All the lounge chairs, tables and chairs on the deck were being stacked and tied down. Everything inside was being checked, just in case it got really rough.
We had a native Hawaiian on board who spent the days with us, having a story telling period each day about Hawaii, its history, all that good stuff.
Of course we had no cell phone service in the middle of the ocean, and the ship's communication system was for emergencies only.
Our Hawaiian entertainer was able to contact Hawaii, his family had been safely evacuated. He didn't know yet how hard the area had been hit.
Later he was advised that Hawaii had sustained some very high water, but no major damage occurred. Everyone was safe.
But we on the ship had quite a roller coaster ride for about 2 days, as the Tsunami passed by us. We rolled from side to side, up and down. Walking down the hallway to our stateroom we had to hold on to the railing along the wall, first to pull ourselves up, like climbing a steep hill, then hanging on to keep from rolling down.
Many of the passengers were violently ill.
I have never heard as much noise as the constant crashing of dishes falling and breaking, pots and pans falling, constant noise. I think they probably would have to replace all their dishes for the next cruise. Our chairs when we were eating kept moving around, the food sliding across the table. I never did get sick,which was rare for me as I am the one with really bad motion sickness. It was a quite an experience. I never felt frightened, guess I was too busy trying to stay upright. It was just all too interesting. The last day out, though was again
calm, we were able to pack and get ready to
dis-embark when we arrived in San Diego.
First thing we all did upon landing was to call home letting everyone know that we were safe, just had another adventure. My daughter Rebecca said all she could think of was the movie THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE, not knowing where we were, no communication,
completely cut off. We had a good laugh over that.
We spent the final night of our vacation in S.D., arrived at the airport early Monday morning and made the flight home without incident. I'll bet there were a lot of folks really disillusioned about cruising, but this was my 4th cruise, and I would not hesitate to take another one.
I want to share a few facts with you about this trip:
We traveled a total of 5015 nautical miles, averaging 18.5 knots per hour.
The ship consumed 85 gallons of diesel fuel per mile. That is 85 gallons, NOT 8.5 gallons. Sure glad I am not paying their fuel bill.
The ship produced 370,000 gallons of fresh water per day, using 174,000 gallons per day.
There were 1344 passengers and 596 crew members on board.
Upon arriving home I downloaded 2493
pictures onto my computer. After days of editing, I saved a total of 693 pictures.
My oldest camera had to be replaced.
And so, this completes our Hawaiian saga, from start to finish. We came home to snow, snow, more snow, and bitter cold. Quite a shock to the system after the Hawaiian and San Diego weather. No wonder people like living there.
I hope you have enjoyed our three week adventure. This is the longest trip I have ever taken, probably will never take another that long. Probably a good thing.
I will be off line for a week now. My flight to Phoenix leaves very early tomorrow morning. I don't know what adventures I will have in the coming week. When I get back from Arizona, I hope to be back blogging. At least I don't have to worry about a Tsunami. If I do, the rest of you guys are in big trouble.
One sad note before leaving for my trip tomorrow - remember my April 7th post THE ROAD CALLED LIFE? I received news today that my friend Judy has started her second journey around 7 a.m. this morning. I wish her God speed and a smooth journey.
Take a break from my and my stuff, sit back and relax and God Bless.
This series of pictures were of the building where the performance was held and inside. Following the performance we had a short time to browse the gift shop at the dock before re-boarding our home away from home for the final journey of our trip. Little did we know.....
Tsunami warnings were up. Hawaii was evacuating the seashore homes, to be safe. We were advised that the Tsunami would pass under the ship, traveling along the ocean bed, to be prepared for some rough seas.
The crew was already preparing for rough water, draining the swimming pools. No dunking today, hopefully!!!
All the lounge chairs, tables and chairs on the deck were being stacked and tied down. Everything inside was being checked, just in case it got really rough.
We had a native Hawaiian on board who spent the days with us, having a story telling period each day about Hawaii, its history, all that good stuff.
Of course we had no cell phone service in the middle of the ocean, and the ship's communication system was for emergencies only.
Our Hawaiian entertainer was able to contact Hawaii, his family had been safely evacuated. He didn't know yet how hard the area had been hit.
Later he was advised that Hawaii had sustained some very high water, but no major damage occurred. Everyone was safe.
Many of the passengers were violently ill.
I have never heard as much noise as the constant crashing of dishes falling and breaking, pots and pans falling, constant noise. I think they probably would have to replace all their dishes for the next cruise. Our chairs when we were eating kept moving around, the food sliding across the table. I never did get sick,which was rare for me as I am the one with really bad motion sickness. It was a quite an experience. I never felt frightened, guess I was too busy trying to stay upright. It was just all too interesting. The last day out, though was again
calm, we were able to pack and get ready to
First thing we all did upon landing was to call home letting everyone know that we were safe, just had another adventure. My daughter Rebecca said all she could think of was the movie THE POSEIDON ADVENTURE, not knowing where we were, no communication,
completely cut off. We had a good laugh over that.
We spent the final night of our vacation in S.D., arrived at the airport early Monday morning and made the flight home without incident. I'll bet there were a lot of folks really disillusioned about cruising, but this was my 4th cruise, and I would not hesitate to take another one.
We traveled a total of 5015 nautical miles, averaging 18.5 knots per hour.
The ship consumed 85 gallons of diesel fuel per mile. That is 85 gallons, NOT 8.5 gallons. Sure glad I am not paying their fuel bill.
The ship produced 370,000 gallons of fresh water per day, using 174,000 gallons per day.
There were 1344 passengers and 596 crew members on board.
Upon arriving home I downloaded 2493
My oldest camera had to be replaced.
And so, this completes our Hawaiian saga, from start to finish. We came home to snow, snow, more snow, and bitter cold. Quite a shock to the system after the Hawaiian and San Diego weather. No wonder people like living there.
I hope you have enjoyed our three week adventure. This is the longest trip I have ever taken, probably will never take another that long. Probably a good thing.
I will be off line for a week now. My flight to Phoenix leaves very early tomorrow morning. I don't know what adventures I will have in the coming week. When I get back from Arizona, I hope to be back blogging. At least I don't have to worry about a Tsunami. If I do, the rest of you guys are in big trouble.
One sad note before leaving for my trip tomorrow - remember my April 7th post THE ROAD CALLED LIFE? I received news today that my friend Judy has started her second journey around 7 a.m. this morning. I wish her God speed and a smooth journey.
Take a break from my and my stuff, sit back and relax and God Bless.
Monday, April 11, 2011
HAWAII - PART 6 - BACK TO THE BIG ISLAND........
We returned to the Big Island - Hawaii- this morning, and I did the Kona Highlights tour. I saw the Painted Church, Pu'uhonua o Hinoassunau (The place of Refuge) Royal Kona Coffee Store and much more beautiful scenery. That night as we set sail, starting our trek back to San Diego, we passed one of the active volcanoes, seeing the red lava flowing into the water.
I am attaching a few pictures, and will caption and tell about them for you.
The church was in Europe, and was dismantled, piece by piece, and shipped, along with a missionary, to Hawaii. Upon arriving, the missionary reconstructed the church, piece by piece, then proceeded to paint the murals, taking many years to complete his task. Today it stands, as beautiful as ever, sharing its history with us.
The Place of Refuge was just that. If a member of the village committed a crime, and was seen by another villager, he was to be chased down, and killed. However, if he could run fast enough and gain entrance to the Place of Refuge, he was safe. Depending on the type of crime he was required to do community service. It was also required that if employed, his job would be waiting for him, and if he had a family, they would also be waiting for him. Upon release he would go back to a normal life, and all would be forgiven.
The place of refuge was surrounded by water, and/or wooden fences.
Our last stop - the Royal Kona Coffee Store - we learned about Kona coffee.
Like everything else on the islands, coffee plants had to be imported. However the fact they are growing in lava instead of soil, the flavor of the coffee was changed forever. The only place in the world growing Kona coffee is Hawaii, the taste is unique, and the coffee, bean or ground, is very expensive.
So much history, so many stories, so much beauty, so much of everything. What a wonderful trip and wonderful memories.
This is what I like about tours, you are given the opportunity to learn about the history and culture of where you are, things you would not know if you were traveling on your own. So back to the ship. We sail shortly, then 4 days at sea until we return to San Diego.
The last things we saw as we sailed away was the glowing, red hot lava, slowly flowing down the side of the mountain into the water. It was late, the pictures I took were not good, but give you an idea. The second picture is courtesy of Hawaii. Wish it were mine.
I also want to share with you today the Whitehall Art Show held at the South Hills Country Club in Pittsburgh. This was my fourth year there .. even though it is a one day affair, it is worth the work involved. I leave home at 7:30 a.m., upon arriving it was unload the van (I had loaded it Saturday night) dolly everything inside, set up display, takes about 3 hours. Had time to relax for a bit before customer began arriving. After closing it takes another hour and a half to tear down, dolly out and re-load the van, then drive home. Got back about 7:30 p.m. Did stop on the way home for supper, no way was I coming home and then having to scrounge up something to eat!
Attendance was down considerably this year compared to past years, but the folks that did come came to buy. Vicki, Russ and I all did quite well considering. I know the weather was against us, it was the FIRST really nice day we have had so far this spring, and I imagine everyone was trying to catch up on the outside work. Sales were from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m. - a three hour window to try to earn some money. I can't complain, had a good time getting together with other friends, ones that I only see maybe 2-3 times a year. It is good. My real season doesn't start now until June, then it will be non-stop until November.
In the meantime you can wonder what tales I will have to tell, and what pictures I may have to share. Keep safe and God Bless.
We returned to the Big Island - Hawaii- this morning, and I did the Kona Highlights tour. I saw the Painted Church, Pu'uhonua o Hinoassunau (The place of Refuge) Royal Kona Coffee Store and much more beautiful scenery. That night as we set sail, starting our trek back to San Diego, we passed one of the active volcanoes, seeing the red lava flowing into the water.
I am attaching a few pictures, and will caption and tell about them for you.
 |
| The Painted Church |
 |
| Hand Painted Murals |
 |
| Inside the Church |
 |
| Also Inside the Church |
 |
| Inside the Church |
 |
| Near the Church |
 |
| The Place of Refuge |
 |
| Place of Refuge |
 |
| Place of Refuge, display of how things were done |
The place of refuge was surrounded by water, and/or wooden fences.
Our last stop - the Royal Kona Coffee Store - we learned about Kona coffee.
Like everything else on the islands, coffee plants had to be imported. However the fact they are growing in lava instead of soil, the flavor of the coffee was changed forever. The only place in the world growing Kona coffee is Hawaii, the taste is unique, and the coffee, bean or ground, is very expensive.
 |
| Place of Refuge |
This is what I like about tours, you are given the opportunity to learn about the history and culture of where you are, things you would not know if you were traveling on your own. So back to the ship. We sail shortly, then 4 days at sea until we return to San Diego.
 |
| Lava - my late night picture |
 |
| Courtesy of Hawaii |
I also want to share with you today the Whitehall Art Show held at the South Hills Country Club in Pittsburgh. This was my fourth year there .. even though it is a one day affair, it is worth the work involved. I leave home at 7:30 a.m., upon arriving it was unload the van (I had loaded it Saturday night) dolly everything inside, set up display, takes about 3 hours. Had time to relax for a bit before customer began arriving. After closing it takes another hour and a half to tear down, dolly out and re-load the van, then drive home. Got back about 7:30 p.m. Did stop on the way home for supper, no way was I coming home and then having to scrounge up something to eat!
Attendance was down considerably this year compared to past years, but the folks that did come came to buy. Vicki, Russ and I all did quite well considering. I know the weather was against us, it was the FIRST really nice day we have had so far this spring, and I imagine everyone was trying to catch up on the outside work. Sales were from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m. - a three hour window to try to earn some money. I can't complain, had a good time getting together with other friends, ones that I only see maybe 2-3 times a year. It is good. My real season doesn't start now until June, then it will be non-stop until November.
In the meantime you can wonder what tales I will have to tell, and what pictures I may have to share. Keep safe and God Bless.
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