Wander and Wonder

St Louis Transportation Museum

2011-08-23T21:40:00.000-05:00

We opted for the St Louis Museum of Transportation today. We began with a tram ride to the miniature train - a 1/3 sized replica of a train in California (It was difficult to hear the descriptions). We took two turns around the area but could have stayed on and ridden as many times as we wanted until 1 PM. I bought the ticket on Groupon which made the costs much more reasonable.

The children totally enjoyed the "Creation Station" and spent a good deal of time making unique crafts. There were lots of hands-on activities, mostly geared to much younger children but very much enjoyed by these young-at-heart kids.

We picnicked on the grounds and visited the welcomely, cool museum. I tried to explain the significance of a drive-in movie display to the children, but the concept was too far out for them. The cars were very grand and dreamy. We never made it to the locomotives or the area where kids can climb on everything. There is plenty to return for in the future.

"The Magic House"

2011-08-18T07:24:00.000-05:00

Daughter refers to it as Camp Grandma which pleases the children more than "babysitting", because, of course, they are not "babies"! Entertaining active children on their own turf can be a challenge for anyone, but grandparents have the added responsibility of making it fun and making good memories. My goal is to have my grandchildren remember me as an active, productive member of society, not just an old lady who sat in a chair watching TV.

Yesterday, we visited the "Magic House" in Saint Louis. This is the stuff childhood dreams are made of....and the adults were enjoying it as well. It seems totally safe for children and has some areas that are strictly age appropriate and inaccessible to those not qualifying. A whole area with water fun and toys for ages 1-6, an area for very young toddlers, and slides , etc., for 7 and up. One area was devoted to sleuthing, which was very appropriate for "older" children and easily bypassed by my 7 and 4 year old (although they did enjoy entering a room via the fireplace. Some activities are easily accommodated to a particular age group by the amount of thought and energy put into it. A very young child can blow giant bubbles while an older child learns about cohesion and surfactants.

The "Magic House"definitely has a magic all its own......

An Alice in Wonderland perspective

Learning about shape, color, and size from bubbles.

We learned about sprouting seeds in an outdoor classroom.

Climbing Jack's Beanstalk was a favorite activity. It was three stories high with an entry/exit on each level - challenging and fun.

We spent 6 hours at the House with a break for a picnic lunch. There were still areas we did not have time to explore. It is well worth the full price, but watch for a Saint Louis Groupon coupon to make the whole venture more affordable.

Journey to Japan - Nezu Museum

2011-02-01T21:51:00.004-06:00

The displays of pottery are great but Em and I prefer fabric related items so, after a cursory visit to the beautifully appointed Nezu Museum, we head out the door to the gardens.

Japanese gardens use all the space allotted to them. Even a small garden can be intricate and complicated in its simplicity. Each time you turn a corner or look back in the direction from whence you have just come, there is another view.

The gardens invite meditation and tranquil thoughts and do not always consist of only plants. I recall the beauty of a garden consisting of only mosses when DH, the children and I visited many years ago. I will have to find and post those photos.

A lone ginkgo leaf rests on a boulder. It is an invitation to stop, sit, and contemplate.

A bit of ancient architecture reminds us how far we have come.

An open gate, constructed of natural materials, invites us to follow the path to additional treasures.....and the emerging colors of Fall.....

Journey to Japan - Views on the Street

2010-12-02T09:37:00.011-06:00

Two of my favorite things to do when I visit another country are (1.) get on a bus and ride it to the very end and (2) just watch the people and look at the street scene. I did not get on a bus this time, but I did enjoy the street scenes and people.

This street corner on Shibuya Dori, is one of the busiest in the world. It certainly looks innocuous here before the light changes.....

......but after the light changes, people appear from everywhere...and this was a light day.

This wonderful glass building towered over us along a small expanse of sidewalk......

It housed a well-known (well, in some circles)brand of shoe that was very prominent in a book made into a movie ("The Devil Wears Prada").

I didn't see small food vendors selling from carts on the street. Perhaps they have been replaced by American giants?

This donut shop was a popular place

The sweet shops were more elegant

This seems to be the season for this inedible Fall plant used for decoration. Someone told us it might be a "parrot plant," but I don;t find it on the internet - enlighten me.

I guess you could plan a "quick getaway" in a Scootcar....

Japanese Journey - Taking a Walk

2010-11-28T13:29:00.008-06:00

The "Cloth and Clay" tour began with a meeting the night everyone had arrived. It was a small group of 16, by design, and it turned out to be a very tolerant and congenial group of women plus one husband. Most were from different states, one from Canada, and one from France. Several were repeat travellers with Susan, although this was the first time this particular trip had been offered and everyone was very careful to be on time....all the time! It was a most impressive effort. Em was the youngest of the group but blended in well. She did not complain about the food or the walking or anything. I was pleased to see how nicely everyone interacted with her.

Most of the participants were retired school teachers and they wanted to make sure Em was taking note of all the important points.

Unfortunately, not all Susan's previous tours had been so delightful for her. Some included wannabes taking notes for their own tour offerings. Legally, they were within their rights - "We paid for this tour"; ethically, it was in poor taste; realistically, there is no way the larger companies can offer what Susan offers. She has the background to teach the reasoning behind the cultural specifics, the love of the people and shared arts, and the connections that offered us views behind the bamboo curtain. We actually met two Japanese "Living Treasures!" All this is to tell you that I won't be giving a detailed account of the places we visited, names of people that we met who do not ordinarily appear in public, or showing photos of some wonderful treasures that have not yet been released to the public. I WILL share what I can because it was fascinating......

Just walking through the streets in Japan is a real treat. This was my fourth trip over several decades of my life, so for me it was seeing the changes and embracing the memories. I also enjoyed seeing everything through Em's eyes as a first time visitor, who was also on her first journey to a place where she was definitely a minority -

"I don't understand anything they are saying."

"I can't read the signs."

"Everything is different!"

Definitely a touch of culture shock.

The first day, we travel by subway across the city and walk to our destination. It is part of the plan to make us individually mobile on public transportation and thus able to get around independently. I make sure Em is up front getting directions.

I LOVE to walk! It is the best way to see the city but I am often distracted by side views and trying to capture everything with my camera. I walk at the back of the group so I don't run into anyone or block someones view or progress. I become accustomed to hurrying to catch up but everything in Japan is picturesque.....

A street vendor is busy just a block away from our upscale hotel. These vendors are more common in the suburbs, but not many are this close. We are only a couple of blocks away from the Imperial Palace and Gardens.

There are so many people in such a small space that the Japanese make everything count. Beauty is incorporated into every nook and cranny. This cement wall is ribbed to give it visual texture and small plates are added for decoration.

Em captured this particularly cute one with an owl design.

Just a contained filled with water adds visual interest, although in Texas it would be full of mosquito larva.

Even a very small area is an opportunity for peace, quiet, and beauty.

A new use for olde doors

These characters guarding the street corner are some sort of popular trend.

Did I mention that Em really likes her Fedora and wears it all the time?

Free Cooking Lessons

2010-11-26T14:32:00.004-06:00

An insertion here from another point around the globe. ....
Shelley is a down-to-earth Canadian living in Paris, France. She has a series of cooking videos that are fun and informative. This particular series is free and covers cooking and freezing. Not your typical cooking class. Have a look and sign up for free classes!

Japanese Journey - Exploring Takeshita Dori

2010-11-26T13:30:00.002-06:00

Em and I headed down Takeshita Dori ("dori" is street in Japanese) in the early evening and discovered that it was dark by 5:30. The small shops were filled with young teens stopping by on their way home from school, young couples out for a walk, and busy, busy people rushing to whoknowswhere.

I was trying to take a photo of Em when a kind gentleman offered to take one of us together. His English was excellent and he chatted about the time he had spent in California. (Did I mention she LOVED her hat and wore it everywhere?)

Almost everyone spoke at least a little English and several who offered help at various times during our stay, spoke very well. Others, like the gaggle of school girls from whom we asked directions, managed to come up with some very basic English words they had learned in school, emphasized with a lot of giggling. My Japanese was even more basic and really sent them into hysterics. They probably had a good time relating their experience in their next English class.
As we continued our exploration of Takeshita Dori, we discovered that almost anything can be purchased from a vending machine. They are found on almost every street corner and there appears to be no problem with vandalism. We found the Japanese people to be very honest and polite. We never felt unsafe on the streets, even at night....not that we were out that late, mind you.

Small shops lined the passageways, tucked in close like cinnamon rolls in a package, displaying just enough to entice the shoppers. Most specialized in one particular item.....like this shop filled with a variety of socks.

Leaving the shopping area, we wandered into an area where masses of people were gathering. Our limited communication skills and the high noise level were not conducive to the exchange of information, but the streets were roped off and a "security" person kept pointing to an area and motioning us to wait and watch - this amid a flow of shouted Japanese completely unintelligible to us. We found a likely spot and waited.

We were soon treated to a parade of costumed people, most with loud instruments of some sort to accompany their"singing". Over-sized drums on a rolling rack required so much effort, that the drummers changed places as they stepped along.

Hundreds (or more) of people lined the route for a relatively short parade. Fortunately, Em and I were a tad taller than most of the natives, so we could see some of the action. We never did discover what the parade was about, but it seemed likely it was Jidai Matsuri.

There was one huge float with mean-looking "warriors" which dominated the parade. and the various costumes indicated it might be part of "Culture Day."

We ended the evening with dinner at a restaurant we discovered on our walk - Wolfgang Puck. The name was quite recognizable, but the food was local and very tasty.

This short video will give you some idea of the parade and crowd.

Journey in Japan - A Day for Em

2010-11-25T23:28:00.011-06:00

One thing I am very clear on - I have NO sense of direction. Fortunately, I have been blessed with two strong legs so when I end up wandering around, I can think of my wanderings as an adventure. Em has a fairly good sense of direction but, even better, she was a pro right off the bat at reading the subway signs. This was impressed on me when we traveled in England, so I was able to relax and trust her to get us where we wanted to go ...... most of the time.

The children begin riding the subway at a very young age in Japan. They are confident and, apparently, safe. They are still children, however, as evidenced by these two school friends who had a fencing match with their umbrellas before they settled down to wait for the subway.

I knew that we would be on a tight schedule when the tour started so I wanted Em to have an opportunity to see something in which she was particularly interested. Like any red-blooded American girl, she wanted to go shopping. I thought I might distract her by pointing out some of the busy, little alleyways that housed small vendors, but that was not what she had in mind.

Em was interested in the big city shops. We headed for the Harajuku area - the area frequented by the Harajuku Girls, raves, and "fashion". We probably missed the real show since we were there on Monday, but there were a few mildly outrageously dressed girls. Em was very curious to know why there were all wearing "tails" - furry, tail-like appendages hanging off skirts, handbag

s, etc.

We covered 4 floors of a Shibuya Department store and Em took it all in.

The floors were accessed by chrome escalators, mirrored from above. Very jazzy!

Em spent a lot of time looking - at clothes and the girls shopping. Prices were high but it did not appear to slow the, mostly, young women. Apparently, they still live at home after they leave school and get a job, so they have a lot of disposable income.

Em had her own spending money. ABW and I had talked about how the money was to be dispersed before we left. ABW decided it was better for Em to learn about budgeting at this tender age than later, so Em was on her own. I offered a grandma's conservative suggestions, but in the end the decision to buy, or not to buy, was Em's.

Em looked...........

.....and looked.......

...but in the end, all she bought was this black fedora. She was so pleased with her purchase! She wore it everywhere!

Journey to Japan - A Day on Our Own

2010-11-06T16:02:00.010-05:00

We have intentionally arrived a day early. We want to relax a little and see some of the town on our own before the tour starts. Our first order of business is to find breakfast. Jonathan's coffee shop and grill is right across the street. Sounds friendly, though not very Japanese, but we head for it anyway. A friendly man welcomes us, shows us to our seats, and hands us a menu. He knows a few, heavily accented, English words. I have used my morning vocabulary saying "Ohio gozaimas."
We can't read the menu but it does have nice pictures. Unfortunately, some of the pictures are open to interpretation.

Before he walked away, our waiter explained everything to us (in Japanese of course) and pointed. with explanation, to the end of the table. We smiled at him. He walked away. We study the pictures on the menu.

Some 20 minutes later, we feel we have deciphered enough to order. There are two prices, one includs eshe "beverage bar." Our waiter seemed to have forgotten us, so I finally get up and peek around the corner. He sees me and hurries over. We order and he points us to the beverage bar. Sign language is to be a staple of our communication, although I begin to recall more and more of the words and phrases I used to use.

Em decides to try a green drink available at the beverage bar.

It is green Fanta. We have only seen orange in the U.S.

I start with a cup of coffee but there are several different possiblilities. Since I can't have milk, my choices are limited, but I can't tell what is what. I stand there for a while until a woman comes to fill her cup. Taking a chance she speaks some English, I ask which is the plain coffee. She shrugs and says "I don't know, I always get this one," as she fills her cup with a latte. I take a chance on a button, actually get it right, and head back to our table.

The silverware is available in a basket on the table, some condiments and tissue-paper thin napkins are at the end of the table where the waiter had indicated earlier. I do not see any sugar anywhere. I poke around at the end of the table and finally try to open a small, oval box. It doesn't seem to have a lid or any way to get into it, so I think perhaps it will pop open when I push down on the top. I push down, a bell rings, and the waiter comes running. Whoops!

Amid much laughter, we manag our meal without further incident and head out on our first full day in Tokyo, to explore the teen scene.

A Japanese Journey - The Arrival

2010-11-06T14:59:00.015-05:00

What is the first thing you do after checking in and arriving at your room?

I always check out the view. We have a nice view of part of the city with some tall trees immediately in front of us. Very tall trees, considering we are on the 12th floor.

We are not fancy people but that doesn't men we can't enjoy luxury when we are in its lap. The hotel seems to have thought of everything to make a stay memorable and they present it in a typically warm Japanese manner.

Robes and slippers in the closet

If a robe is too hot and stuffy, try a cool, comfortable yukata. Ready and waiting in a drawer.

Hotpot filled with water and ready to plug in and heat water for tea. After some maneuvering, I discovered I was supposed to just put the plug in the pot, it was already plugged into the wall.

The bath was done in a sunny yellow, a royal color, that reminded me of chrysanthemums. Forget a toiletry? I am sure it was here.

Em's favorite - "What in the world is it?" The seat is heated, as it is almost everywhere - even in public toilets.

After we get settled, the first order of business is to let ABW know we have arrived safely.

A Japanese Journey - The Beginning

2010-11-01T15:18:00.012-05:00

I know I haven't finished blogging the trip to England yet, but I will get back to it. I have dragged my computer half way around the world to see if it will make a difference in my being able to keep up with the outflow of information. So far, it has been worth it!
I have had this trip planned for a long time. I don't normally like "tours," but this one is a little different. My interest in it is twofold - the focus is "Cloth and Clay," studying the pottery and weaving related to specific areas. The fact that I lived in Okinawa when the wounds of war were still fresh, was the 2nd temptation.

The initial information arrived just a few weeks prior to our departure. Typically, they had been tied together with a length of ribbon. The Japanese observe strict modes of conduct in all their dealings. For so many people to live together peacefully in such a small country, they need to be aware of those around them.

The information was appreciated and read but, of course, I went to the computer and explored, looking for even more.

October was such a busy month, I did not feel completely ready for departure from Denver on Saturday, 30 October. I had driven to Colorado Springs to visit ABW and family and pick up Em to accompany me on this Asian trip. Fortunately, Em's (charter) school felt the travel experience would more than make up for the time she missed in class.

Friday evening, I checked over everything to make sure it was all in order. The most important things are passport, credit card, and money, almost everything else can be replaced. ABW, the three children, luggage, and I piled into the car, for the trip to Denver. Since we had a 9 AM flight, Em and I planned to spend the night in a hotel rather drive so early in the morning. Thanks to 911, we would need to be at the airport 2 hours early to get through security in a timely manner. In, larger airports and on international flights, I usually aim for 3 hours just to be on the safe side .

The hour drive was long for the children. Andrew decided to entertain us with his rendition of a deaf opera singer hitting the high notes. When he discovered that this annoyed not only his mother and grandmother, but Abs as well, only continued distraction kept the peace. We kept them somewhat mollified with the usual car games. Nevertheless, we were all relieved to arrive on the outskirts of Denver where there were restaurants. There aren't many between Colorado Springs and Denver. We chose a place that sounded healthy and not too quiet - something about a Tomato - serving a salad buffet. I reached in my backpack for my pouch / purse which held lipstick, brush, and, of course, all those vital documents I mentioned before - passport, credit card, and money. A cold chill ran down my spine as I searched frantically for the pouch! A few minutes later, I had to publicly admit that it was missing. Not the way to begin an international trip. The good news, we had not stopped anywhere else; the bad news, it was back in Colorado Springs at the house.
It only made sense to feed the masses first, then we would have to drive back. Ultimately, we found the pouch where I had placed it after checking the contents, and Em and I repeated the Denver drive leaving two very sleepy children at home with ABW.

Early arrival at the airport was a good idea. It was very busy even at that early hour. We made it through all the hoops and relaxed with a breakfast snack, ready to board. Then came the news that our flight had been delayed an hour. The delay was actually in San Francisco, but Southwest Airlines was kind enough to allow us to wait comfortably in the terminal rather than on a crowded plane. My laptop was put to good use and there were electrical outlets by the seats in the waiting area. My cell phone was still working. I had scheduled our flight out of San Francisco with some leeway built in. We had a nice delay.
The flight from San Francisco to Tokyo was like riding in a rowboat during a storm. We were tossed, buffeted, shaken, and could hear the plane groaning and rattling. The woman seated beside me had a very active startle reflex. I hope all that plane's screws, nuts, and bolts were checked and tightened before the next flight.

We did finally arrive in Tokyo, made it through immigration, and customs, then boarded the limo-bus for the hotel. Em was really tired, but put the time to good use.

Fortunately, it was almost bedtime when we arrived.

Travels with Charley - "The Sorting"

2010-09-15T11:14:00.006-05:00

If you are at all familiar with the story of Harry Potter, you remember that the first order of business on their arrival at Hogwartz School, is to be "sorted" into groups. Sara and her sister, Hannah, were in charge of the children's program and they did a great job of "Sorting" the children.

The names of groups from the book were not used, probably because there were some that were less popular than others. The names they made up were imaginative and fun for everyone. After all, who would not want to be a "Fwooper", "Puffskin,"
or "Billywig"?

In the book, the "sorting" is done by a magic talking hat. How could we expect anything less for our group? The kids were delighted and I don't think some of them quite figured out how it was done.

Most of the kids had read all the "Harry Potter" books as well as having seen the movies...several times....so the interaction was great. It was really fun to hear them keeping each other honest on all the tiniest of details. The groups had small competitions which led to prize at the end. Everyone received a prize. but they did not weaken the contest by giving each group the same thing. My favorite competition was the "Good Manners" one.

When Sara or Hannah observed a child using especially good manners , the child's team earned a point. Holding the door for others, pouring water for the person seated next to you, asking politely to be excused. and a myraid of other manners we have always tried to drill into our children's heads, became predominant behaviors.

Not only were Sara and Hannah great with the children, they had the energy to wear the kids out before the grandparents took overand announced it was absolutely bedtime so they would be able to carry on the next day.

After a cup of hot chocolate and a short time to read at night, Charlie was ready to sleep very soundly.

Travels with Charley - A Morning Walk in Oxford

2010-08-29T06:33:00.008-05:00

Our group stayed at Linton Lodge in Oxford. It was a most agreeable place and Charley and I were fortunate to have a room that overlooked an enclosed yard where the children played at every opportunity.

Our first program day in Oxford, started with an orientation tour of the neighborhood.

St. Andrews church was nearby and, like the American churches of my childhood, was open to the public during the day.

The old houses sported many chimneys from the days when heating must have been dependent on fireplaces. They reminded me of the rooftops in Mary Poppins.

Still smarting from the extreme Texas heat we had left behind, Charlie and I marveled at the English gardens flourishing with seemingly little effort on anyone's part. Several brief afternoon showers kept the flowers watered and the temperatures down.

One of the adult lectures touched on author J.R.R. Tolkien who wrote Lord of the Rings.

Tolkien lived just around the corner from Linton Lodge from 1930 - 1947.

We meandered down to the river where "punts" were available for hire. These flat boats with a broad front are propelled by a long pole. The pole is wielded by a person who stands on the flat portion of the front, much as a gondola is moved along.

Travels with Charley - The Saxon Tower, Oxford, England

2010-08-25T16:08:00.015-05:00

Road Scholar filled our days and evenings with varied literary and cultural activities but we did have a little free time. From the several church towers that offer good views of the city, we chose the Saxon Tower at the Parish Church of St. Michael at the North Gate. This tower dates from 1050, the oldest building in Oxford, and the only original portion of the church remaining. The church itself has been destroyed at various times, and has been rebuilt several times.

John Wesley preached from the 15th Century pulpit on 29 September 1726.

At least one of the stained glass windows dates from the 13th Century.

There is no charge to visit the church. There is a small fee to view the treasures in the tower and climb to the top.

Charlie could maneuver the many steps much more quickly than I.

There are six huge bells in the tower but ringing them would cause severe damage, so chimes are used instead.

For a few pence, a 19th Century clock mechanism will perform.

This is the door of the prison cell in which Archbishop Cranmer and Bishops Latimer and Ridley were held before they were burned at the stake on what is now called Broad Street. Their crime - refusing to convert to Roman Catholicism during the reign of Queen Mary in the 16th Century.

The cell was in Bocardo Prison which adjoined this church until it was demolished in 1771.

The stairs emerge on the roof of the tower for a commanding view of the city....

....and the street below.

Travels with Charlie - Inside the Museum of Natural History

2010-08-24T19:29:00.006-05:00

Arriving a day early in Oxford provided an opportunity to catch up on rest and see a few things before the program started. Knowing the children would visit the Museum of Natural History, I did not want to spend too long there, but it would be my only opportunity to see it. My first thought on entering the neo-Gothic building, was that a church had been revamped to make the museum. I still can't help but feel that way way when I look around.

Construction started on the museum about 1855 with a plan centered on a large square court topped by a glass roof. The roof is supported by cast iron pillars which serve to divide the square into three aisles.

Columns, each formed from a different stone, and "cloistered arcades" cover the outer perimeters of the first and ground floors. What I first thought to be statues of saints were actually statues of important men of science - Aristotle, Bacon, Darwin , etc.- on the ground floor of the court.

Ornamentation of the stonework (which remains incomplete) features natural elements, like leaves and branches, funded by public subscription. Irish stone carvers were hired to "create lively freehand carvings in the Gothic manner." When the money ran out, the carvers volunteered to finish anyway, but members of the University Congregation accused them of "defacing" the building. The carvers retaliated by caricaturing the congregation as parrots and owls in carvings above the entrance. Those are said to have been removed.

The museum has a host of interesting artifacts, including the head and foot of a, now extinct, Dodo bird. This may have been one of the influences in Lewis Carroll's story of "Alice in Wonderland." I also found this diorama of a hatching Allosaurus egg interesting. There were several hands-on displays amongst the eclectic items.

The museum is free (donations encouraged), open 9-5 daily and also serves as an entrance to the Pitt River Museum (fee).

Travels with Charley - A Spot of Tea

2010-08-22T05:30:00.001-05:00

Charlie and I had arrived a day early in Oxford and were pleased to have the time to rest a bit. Lunch the first day was to be pretty standard fare for our entire time there. The daily soup was pretty good. Tomato-basil and mushroom soups were the most prevalent. I wondered if they were made from the mushrooms and stewed tomatoes left from breakfast. A grouping of unrecognizable sandwiches was surprisingly tasty, but not well-liked by the munchkins. The hotel finally learned to put out plenty of peanut butter sandwiches with and without jelly. The children were delighted to show off their new vocabulary as they leaned "chips" were "crisps" and that almost no one in the world likes Vegemite unless they have eaten it from birth.

We were offered the usual coffee and tea to drink as well as a form of "soda-pop" which was a flavoring added to water.One day, I asked for iced tea, just for a change. I know they don't usually serve it, but I figured enough Americans had been through there to have some effect on the kitchen. The server was very accommodating and I watched as he made my "iced tea." He filled a white tea pot with ice, added water to an invisible line, put a tea bag in it, and put the lid on top, He handed me the "iced tea" and a glass of ice. An hour later I still had faintly colored ice water. The next day, I asked for a pot of hot tea and a glass of ice. I had my iced tea.

Travels with Charley - Breakfast British Style

2010-08-21T05:30:00.001-05:00

The breakfast buffet British style is always exciting on the first day. We have a choice of coffee, tea, hot chocolate, and juices, much like an American buffet. The similarity begins to diverge from there. Sausage is rather like the American hot dog; English bacon resembles thin American ham; the eggs are generally hard fried but can be ordered poached or scrambled. Various breads, crescent rolls, and bagels are available with accompanying butter and jelly. The bread can be toasted in a vintage looking, but very serviceable, toasting machine. About the size of a bread-box, the machine has a small conveyor belt inside that runs the bread under a broiler and spits it out, partially toasted, down below. Running it through once is not quite toasted enough, but twice is a little too much. Other enticements are offered at breakfast as well. Cooked mushrooms, beans (look like pork and beans without the pork), and stewed plum tomatoes, all ostensibly to be served over the ever present triangles of fried bread. The children were happy to have various cereals, yogurt, and fruits.

Not only were the foods different, the table settings were much more formal, even in this casual dining room. Charlie got this photo of the "rules" and how to interpret the place settings. This was project in the children's group meeting.
I am quite sure many of the "rules" were not new to our munchkins, but they were reinforced by two lovely young ladies who worked well with the kids. Pleasing their mentors, as well as "earning house points" for a prize, the kids had some interesting conversations around the dining tables. Learning some culture in England.....priceless.

Travels with Charlie - The Ghost Forest

2010-08-20T16:00:00.001-05:00

Charlie and I arrived at Heathrow about 6:30 AM and were in the heart of Oxford by 11 AM. We had a quick brunch at the Giraffe Cafe before taking a taxi to our hotel. Charlie had a hearty meal of three huge pancakes, divided by thickly sliced bananas and topped with blueberry conserve. He took a photo before devouring the lot.

You almost get a 36 hour day when you cross the International Date Line from West to East. The overwhelming desire to take a long nap on arrival is best suppressed to avoid, or at least recover more quickly, from jet lag. Charlie's energy was flagging, but I coerced him into a walk downtown to explore our surroundings.

The display of massive tree trunks and roots out side the Museum of Natural History caught our eyes right away. Entitled Ghost Forest, the display of tree roots and portions of giant trees were from a commercially logged primary rain forest in Western Africa. Artist, Angela Palmer, brought the display to Europe "as ambassadors for all rain forest trees and to highlight the alarming depletion of the world's natural resources. Today, a tropical rain forest the size of a football pitch is destroyed every 4 seconds. An area the size of Belgium is lost every year."

A nice long walk in the crisp air of Oxford, England and an early bedtime serve to prepare us for the beginning of our program on the next day.

Travels with Charlie- Austin to England

2010-08-19T05:51:00.006-05:00

Two years ago, Em and I traveled to Oxford, England, for a literary based tour with ElderHostel. In July this year, Charlie and I made the same trip. I was a bit worried I would be bored since the basis of the trip, with its focus on Harry Potter, had not changed much, but there were enough differences to make it interesting. I just knew that Charlie would love the program, and he really did!

First, the name of the company has changed to Road Scholar and age limits have been dropped. The main group was still composed of grandparents and their grandchildren, but there were a few different relationships - aunt, friend, etc. The children were 9-11 years old, but Charlie, aged 12, was not bothered by the age difference. Being a little older actually gave him some of the advantages of maturity. He was a great traveling companion and the whole experience was quite different from a boy's viewpoint.

TranAtlantic flights are never fun, but Charlie took advantage of the opportunity to have uninterrupted TV time on tiny screens embedded in the seat ahead of each passenger. I, on the other hand, lamented the fact we could not fly first-class where the seats actually made into comfortable looking bed-like modules. Of course, the front and back of the plane arrived at the same time and since there was no big corporation funding our trip, we managed quite happily.

Immigration was a nightmare with several, fully-loaded, aircraft arriving at the same time. Charlie and I enjoyed the opportunity to do some people watching, a great wait-time "sport." I was entranced by a man in a kilt, not the first I have ever seen, but certainly the most unusual. The kilt appeared to be a pair of khaki pants down to the hips, complete with belt loops, pockets, etc. Just below the pockets in back, the pleated kilt / skirt(?) began, and continued to the knees, leaving hairy legs exposed. He topped it off with an ordinary shirt, black socks and a kind of sandal. The man appeared quite comfortable in his attire.

I took Charlie out of the U.S. with no problem, but the English authorities were stricter. I had to show proof that I had his parents permission for him to travel with me. They also questioned Charlie. He can normally be heard several blocks away, but in front of this British symbol of authority who occupied a stool making him even taller than normal, Charlie was all shrugs and mumbles. We were eventually passed on with a friendly smile.

Getting to London was the simple part of our travels. Just hop a plane in Austin, change in Houston, and get off at Heathrow many hours later. Now we had to rely on my searches of the internet to make our way to Oxford. As it turned out, this was not a difficult task. We walked a short distance to the bus terminal and took a comfortale, air-conditioned bus right into the heart of Oxford. The kindly driver was soft-spoken and helpful. We bought our tickets right on the bus, luggage was loaded in the hole below, and we were off to Oxford.

Charlie and I shared a similar thought later when we were discussing a lady we had seen at the bus depot. She was older, thin, somewhat eccentric looking, and appeared to have stepped right out of "My Fair Lady." She wore a vintage. ruffled trimmed, chiffon-like dress and sported a wide, vintage, flower trimmed hat. Underneath the hat was a nightcap and peeking out from under the calf length frock, was either pajamas or colorful tights. Both Charlie and I had ached to get a photo but chose not to invade the woman's privacy.

Decisions, Decisions....

2010-06-07T07:17:00.002-05:00

Abs' brother, Junior, is learning from his big sister. I asked him what he wanted for a snack, cantaloupe or ice cream. It was a hard decision for him, but he finally asked for cantaloupe. I cut a slice into small pieces and served it up in a sundae dish. He devoured the fruit and returned a few minutes later requesting ice cream.
"You were given a choice of ice cream or cantaloupe and you chose cantaloupe," I told him.
He looked at me with thise big baby blue eyes, holding his empty sundae dish out to me expectantly, and said "I changed my mind."

Just a Day in the Life……

2010-06-06T08:35:00.002-05:00

The blog has been quiet, but life has not. ABW and three little hearts are visiting for a couple of weeks and they are going at full tilt. Em is such a young lady and she dressed with a decidedly French air Sunday. This was probably related to her study of French in Middle School. She wore my black beret to church with great flair. Next year she will be studying Spanish. Junior wants to be a part of everything that is happening. To that end, he refuses to slow down or stop until he is finally given a warm bath and put to bed.
It is Abs who carries the day…every day. She keeps us on our toes and focused. We attempt constant supervision, but she is always one-up on us. Just consider….

Abs was playing in the greenbelt behind our house, alone. I live in a very safe community, so we don’t worry about the children as long they are aware of the safety precautions for snakes and scorpions. Abs responded to our call to come home, reluctantly it seemed. She appeared covered in black splotches…splotches of tar, to be more exact. She said she had found it and wondered what her body would look like painted black. She figured she could wash it off in the bath. It did wash off in the bath, after a thorough scrubbing with oil. To her credit, she did not complain.

Abs has been busy picking all my flowers, visiting the neighbors (and delivering my flowers), checking her appearance after sampling my makeup, watching TV while eating from a gallon container of ice cream while sitting on my couch (yes, both she and the ice cream were sitting on the couch) , smearing something on the pillow case then decorating it with flowers for her sister’s dreaming pleasure, going full tilt down the inclined driveway on a flimsy, too-small, plastic kid’s trike to see how far she could make it up the street, and a host of other activities that only Abs can think of.

ABW and I were both relieved after the children had supper, a bath, stories, and were tucked in for the night, but Abs was still upset after a parental paddling, a rare occurrence in spite of everything. ABW and I were relaxing while watching an inane TV show when the phone rang once. I checked to see what kind of hang-up call it was, but the phone indicated it was “in-use.” Just the touch of a button immediately gave me information – Abs was making a call. I headed to her room and found her snuggled under the covers with the tell-tale light of the phone shining through. Abs was giving information to a woman on the phone and I could hear the keyboard clattering as it took in all the conversation. Abs managed to get her vital sentence out to the woman on the other end of the line …”My mom is going to kill me!” she whispered.

I commandeered Abs’ phone and conversed with the 911 operator. If anyone in your household has ever made a 911 call, you know they have learned to never take any call lightly. A few minutes later two policeman, in full regalia, showed up on my front doorstep. I sent Abs to the door and insisted she explain herself.
PM: “What is the problem?”
Abs: “My mom is trying to kill me.”
PM: “How is she trying to kill you?”
Abs: “She hit me.”
PM: “Where did she hit you?”
Abs patted her bottom to show where the offense took place.
PM: “It is not against the law for a parent to spank a child.”
Abs: “Well, it should be!”
The officer gave a brief lecture, stressing that “A parent is allowed to use reasonable force to ensure the good behavior and safety of a child.”

The second policeman was questioning ABW inside the house.
“When did all this start?” he asked.
“At birth!” she answered.

Everything having been resolved during the interrogation, the policemen made ready to leave. Abs who had been wandering through the front flower bed asked them to wait just a minute more. She carefully picked a couple of sprigs of artemisia and presented them to the uniformed officers while explaing they might smell like pine but they were not. They were still laughing as they walked back to their car.

I slept with four phones under my pillow that night.

True Grit

2010-05-28T08:38:00.000-05:00

I was just introduced to Dawn Patrol, a great link to the heart of American military members and their families.
"Graduation Night - Moon over Yusufiyah" by Greyhawk, via a story from Robert Stokley, is the all too real story of a real family. I stand in awe of a young woman who overcomes devastation to bring honor to her family. So many curl up and would use any one of her reasons, as an excuse to give up. This is an example of the grit that has made our country strong and free. Where are the journalists?

Here Comes Abs....

2010-05-27T09:29:00.000-05:00

Summer is almost here and the family travels are beginning. The Colorado hearts are headed down here, scheduled to arrive on Saturday, but Abs flew in last night, avoiding a 2 day car ride. For better or for worse, drama always surrounds my darling 9-year old granddaughter.
Abs had been packed for days and was chauffeured to the Denver airport by Gunner, her father, who was in uniform since he had to go to work when he returned home. The flight to Austin is a little over 2 hours, just slightly less time than it takes me to drive to the Austin airport, get a pass to pick up an unaccompanied minor, then clear security. I left home at 2:30 for Abs' 4:40 arrival, found a favourable parking slot in the airport garage, and proceeded to the terminal.

Ooops! Did I lock the car? Back to check and found it locked. Headed back to the building.

Ooops! I left my cell phone in the car. Maybe I could get along without it? It is such a short time. No, ABW will call 20 more times to be sure everything is going alright. Back to the car to pick it up, then back to the terminal building.

I was just about to enter the terminal building when my phone rang. It was ABW, Ab's mom. I was happy I would be able to assure her that I was there to pick her daughter up! The conversation went something like this:
ABW: "Where are you?"
Me: "At the airport, about to enter the building. Yes, I am on time and yes, I am ready. Did Abs get on the plane okay?"
ABW: "No, she is not on the plane."
Ooops!
Planes were delayed at least 2 hours, so I went home.

Abs and Gunner were at the Denver airport, ABW and the other children were at home watching the Thunderbirds fly over the USAF Academy graduation ceremony, and I was waiting at the airport in Austin. Thank goodness for cell phones! Gradually, I pieced the story together.
Just prior to boarding time in Denver, a tornado warning was issued and all planes were grounded. Abs and Gunner were hunkered in a sheltered area for the duration with Abs wailing - "I HAVE to get on the plane! My grandma is waiting and I don't want her to leave without me! She might go home if I don't get there in time!" There was weeping and wailing and gnashing of teeth, but she survived and finally boarded. Later news reports showed snowplows scraping the thick layers of hail off the streets. Abbie reported they had watched a funnel cloud in the distance that advanced on the airport terminal. Did I mention that she is rather dramatic and has a fanciful imagination?

I headed back to the airport. I expected Abs to be one of the last ones off since security for children traveling alone is fairly tight. They require my airline pass and an ID before they release her. Watching intently down the walkway, I hardly noticed several other passengers headed toward me until one woman stopped in front of me and tapped me on the shoulder.
"Are you Grandma? she asked.
"I am to some," I replied.
"Well, I just want you to know that we know all about you and your whole life story," she laughed and pointed to Abs. "Your granddaughter told us everything!"
I did not have time to respond as the women hurried away and Abs appeared. She wrapped herself around my legs, shouting "GRANDMA!"
The flight attendant smiled and assured me she did well in flight.

When flights are delayed, several arrive at one time, rather than spaced out as planned. Thus the luggage area was inundated. Abs contented herself by people watching.
I pulled her back as she headed over to rescue two small boys playing on the carousel "Their mother is with them," I told her, "she will take care of it."
Suddenly Abs pointed and shouted at the top of her lungs, "WOW! THAT IS THE MOST AWESOME PHONE I HAVE EVER SEEN!!"
The poor woman, trying to make a call on her white phone with big, black polka dots, smiled with embarrassment. Abs moved on to converse with the people around her, then headed to a woman nearby.
"I love the flowers you painted on your suitcase!" Abs told her. After a brief conversation, she returned to me. "They weren't flowers, they were cherries," she said.

I wonder how many people in the world have black suitcases and how many tie red ribbons around the handles.
"What color is your suitcase?" I asked Abs.
"Black," she answered, "or maybe blue, or maybe grey, or a mixture of black and blue, like a bluish, blackish, greyish....I don't know."
"Will you recognize it? Does it have a ribbon or something on it? How big is it?"
"Oh, I'll recognize it," she said, "it has a furry dog on it."
"Like a stuffed animal, or something?"
"No, it is just a picture," she said.
We watched the suitcases barreling by us on the carousel. I think they had sped them up because they had luggage from four different flights on the same carousel.
"It's that one!" she said pointing to a big, black suitcase hurdling towards us. It was big and it was heavy and it was resting on on a smaller one lower on the carousel. I managed to lift it off before it passed too far.
"No, that's not it," she decided. "It's that one!"
I lifted four heavy suitcases in rapid succession, before I realized she wouldn't be able to pick her big, black, heavy suitcase from all the others. Did I mention I am a slow learner?
"We might have to just wait and take what is left," I told her. She gave me one of THOSE looks.
We finally found her suitcase. She insisted on carrying everything herself. One very small girl with a pillow and a backpack filled with books, pulling a large, heavy, black suitcase walked with me to the car, chattering the whole way.

"What did you tell all those people on the airplane about me?" I asked her as we drove home.
"Oh, I just told them you were the BEST grandma ever and you made the VERY best grilled cheese sandwiches!" she answered.
"Well, I am happy you didn't say anything bad about me," I teased.
"Now what would I accomplish by focusing on the negative?" she asked. "Besides, the only negative I can think of is that your house is always too cold."
"I think I am ready to go on an international trip with you!" she said.
"Well, I am sure we would never meet a stranger," I answered.

One for Lunch

2010-05-14T23:49:00.003-05:00

DH and I discovered "Gia Como's Italian Cuisine" in McAlester, Oklahoma, several years ago and always made it a point to eat there when we were in the area (501 S George Nigh Expy, McAlester, OK).
I "discovered" it again today when I saw "cheap" gas and stopped to fill up while there was a break in the rain. I looked forward to a good meal and sorting through a few good memories at the same time.

DH and I had always enjoyed our stops here. It is a busy restaurant and, although the staff is a bit harried, they are amiable. A pleasant level of cheerful chatter amidst the clatter of china and utensils, lends a happy atmosphere to this traditional restaurant, well-attended by locals and travelers.

The food was very good and still plentiful enough to serve me for two meals. I ordered the Chicken Florentine served over steamed spinach. All meals come with salad, bread, an "antipasto plate" (this one consisted of 4 pickled peppers), a huge meatball, 2 huge ravioli, and a large plate of spaghetti with "special sauce." The meal was delicious and appeared to be all home made. I just wish I had carried my book in to read while I waited.

For some reason (the tables had not been cleaned after the initial lunch rush?), the staff was not able to seat me in either of the dining areas which were partially filled with amiably chattering patrons. I was escorted to another room where nine rectangular tables were lined up in two rows, with a center aisle. Each table was set for 6-8 people. I was placed at a small round table set for three and situated at the top of the room where, if it had been a meeting, I could have easily directed the proceedings in the room. The two unneeded place settings at my table were cleared. I was utterly alone in this large room.

I waited with my glass of water and a menu, finally deciding that I would leave at a predetermined period of waiting if I had not been attended. Just before the time expired, a server wandered in to gather some take out boxes and, with some surprise, asked if I had been forgotten.
"I was just wondering the same thing," I answered.
She reappeared a moment later to take my order. I was served in due time, and the bill was left on the table.

I finished my meal, helped myself to a couple of take out boxes from the stash on the shelf, and readied myself to go. I paid my bill and left. The food was good. My memories were tainted.

With the increase in single travelers, it would be nice if people dining alone were offered the opportunity to share a table with others who were dining alone and would like company. A convivial table where people could come and go and enjoy some conversation, if desired. It would also prevent one person from taking up a seating for several. Almost anything would be better than dining alone in a room prepared for 100.

An Afternoon of T-Ball

2010-05-13T20:35:00.002-05:00

He's almost five and he might be small, but he is determined!

Grandpa would be so pleased to see this lefty taking an interest in baseball.

He knocked this one way out in the field.

The 2nd time around, it was getting cold outside but he had warmed up his swing.

Hold your tongue just right and you can make it!

Somebody

2010-05-09T06:00:00.003-05:00

What a shame some people require a day set aside to "guilt" them in to honoring the mother that brought them into this world, or the person who filled the role of "mother" in their lives. The same goes for fathers. I hope you honor your mother every day and not just one day each year. This is circulated under the authorship of "Anonymous" or "Author Unknown" but it sounds like Erma Bombeck's work. I don't know who wrote it, but it bears repeating.

Somebody

Somebody said it takes about six weeks to get back to normal after you've had a baby......
somebody doesn't know that once you're a mother, 'normal' is history.

* * *
Somebody said you learn how to be a mother by instinct ...
somebody never took a three-year-old shopping or had a child stuff beans up his nose .

* * *
Somebody said being a mother is boring ....
somebody never rode in a car driven by a teenager with a driver's permit.

***
Somebody said if you're a'good' mother, your child will 'turn out good'....
somebody thinks a child comes with directions and a guarantee.

* * *
Somebody said you don't need an education to be a mother....
somebody never helped a fourth grader with math.
* * *
Somebody said you can't love the fourth child as much as you love the first ....
somebody doesn't have four children.
* * *
Somebody said the hardest part of being a mother is labor and delivery....
somebody never watched her 'baby' get on the bus for the first day of kindergarten ...
or on a plane headed for military 'boot camp.'
* * *
Somebody said a mother can stop worrying after her child gets married....
somebody doesn't know that marriage adds a new son or daughter-in-law to a mother's heartstrings.
* * *
Somebody said a mother's job is done when her last child leaves home....
somebody never had grandchildren.
* * *
Somebody said your mother knows you love her, so you don't need to tell her....
somebody isn't a mother.
*****
Sadly, in spite of everything, I miss my mother...

Happy Mother's Day to my daughters and my daughter-in-law. Thank you for all my wonderful grandchildren!

A Snake Tale

2010-05-03T07:27:00.000-05:00

Several years ago, DH related his story of the snake he found in the back yard.

"It was THIS long," he said, holding his hands about two feet apart.

Over the years, the snake in the story increased in size to the total length of his outstretched arms.

"You laugh," he complained, "but I saw it! I trapped the head with a hoe and it almost didn't get away."

His story was foremost in our thoughts when my grandsons found this skin, shed by a snake....on my back porch!

Projects on the Runway

2010-04-30T22:15:00.001-05:00

My sister and I took in a great fashion show last night!

Every year, the University of Texas (UT) hosts a free fashion show showcasing the designs of the graduating Seniors from the Division of Textiles and Apparel. It is quite an extravaganza and well-attended by students, locals, and out-of-towners, a total of 5,000 last year. Prize winners are determined by a panel of judges who are fashion industry professionals.

Designing around the "High Voltage" theme, the students presented and array of eco-friendly and tech-smart garments. Most of the fashions were highly wearable and the crowd let the designers know what they liked. We happened to be sitting in the midst of some students who were as avid about the presentations as the sports enthusiasts are about their games.

Apparently, this is one of the best undergraduate design schools in the country.....awww....I bet they say that about all the schools....
They do have some of the latest technology. The students can make their own design and have it printed onto fabric.They also design graphics using Photoshop and print the design on a Mimaki TX2 1600 digital printer. There were some awesome scarves shown which had been made by using that technique.

In the past, students had to work all year to earn enough money to put on the end-of-year show, but now the University Co-Operative Society sponsors the show. That leaves the students freer to concentrate on their work.

One of our favorite parts of the show is the exhibition. Students from several different levels and different classes, exhibit their work and stand by to give explanations. It is fun to see how much they grow with every course and how creative they can be. My favorite part of the exhibits is the vintage collection display.

We will be looking forward to next year's show...in May sometime.

A New Baby!...

2010-04-26T23:08:00.001-05:00

...Well, sort of....
A couple of years ago, I baby sat for the three little hearts while ABW & Gunner took R&R in Hawaii. As a thank you, they brought me an orchid that had my name. I have nurtured the small plant and watched it put out new pups (is that what you call the new plants that come up by the main stem?). NOW....my orchid is going to have a bloom! I can hardly wait....

I Walk in Your Midst.....

2010-04-23T14:13:00.001-05:00

Surely you have received one, or more, of those e-mails that delight in pointing out the silly mistakes of others. You know the ones I am talking about, they usually end with the phrase, " They walk among you." I try to not to pass judgement, but sometimes I can't help but laugh. maybe the person was distracted? not paying attention? had a mind on other things? I have done a few things in my life that I wish I could retrieve, especially when the person observing me looked at me with THAT look.

I sprayed the outside of the house with Spectracide to help deter creepy crawlies seeking refuge from the summer heat. I followed up by a good cleaning under the baseboards of the cupboards. Such activities are certain to bring out the survival modes of all the insect pests in existence, and there are MANY in Texas. It was no surprise when I found a "scorpion" languishing in the hallway. They tend to appear after I have cleared out any spider webs that might have restrained them. I bravely stomped on the offending critter which promptly stuck to my shoe. After hobbling to the kitchen so I would not disperse the remains, I tore off a paper towel and wiped the bottom of my shoe. Then I did what any self-respecting housekeeper would do - I checked the paper towel to examine the results. All my efforts were rewarded by the sight of a long, curled thread. ....well, it LOOKED like a scorpion when I first saw it.
I walk in your midst....

In spite of all my good intentions not to, because I am never very successful at it, I try to grow vegetables every year. I have gotten better, having gone from a full garden plot to just a few things in pots. It is amazing what you can grow in pots. This year, I successfully grew some lettuce and planted a few other things, some of which came up and a few of those produced fruit. I was surprise that my parsley, with which I have never had a whole lot of luck, appeared to be proliferating rather profusely. This was flat and I prefer the curly variety so, although I obediently chopped bits of it into various dishes, I determined to plant another kind next year.
The parsley was growing much faster than I could use it, so I examined the bottom to see how much I could cut and dry or freeze. Wow! The root was the largest I have ever seen! Since there were several plants, I decided to pull one up and see what was happening. I easily extracted it from the loose, rich soil and what to my wondering eyes should appear but..... a carrot! I had forgotten I had planted those in the other half of the pot. No wonder the "parsley" didn't taste like parsley, it was carrot tops.
I walk in your midst.....

I won't bore you with the details of the hot check I sent to the IRS. I wakened from a sound sleep at 2 a.m. the morning after mailing said check, realizing what I had done. I wish my memory were as efficient as my subconscious. The bad news was - a "good" check would be late; the good news was - I wouldn't have to go to jail.
I walk in your midst...

My Jazzercise class meets every day, but at different times . I thought I finally had the times down after showing up at the wrong time on several occasions. Thus it was with some irritation that I arrived and found no one there one day. The instructor is seldom late, but it does happen. I marched up to the desk and asked what was going on.
"This class meets at 11:45 on Fridays and there is no one here," I said feeling my irritation like a burr under a saddle.
"That may be." the person at the desk answered, "but this is Thursday."
I walk in your midst.....

Do I walk alone or have you had any similar experiences?

Landscaping the Hardscape - Outside the Fence

2010-04-23T13:02:00.000-05:00

Landscaping in progress at The Gallery at 1318...check it out....

Hardscaping the Landscape

2010-04-21T11:58:00.002-05:00

Check out the progress - The Gallery at 1318!

Oh, Cedar!

2010-04-15T10:27:00.001-05:00

Buying on the greenbelt was one of the best decisions we made when we bought this house about 10 years ago. The trees, fully clothed in summer, screen the neighbors and provide refuge for animals. We hear owls and coyotes, we see evidence of armadillo, and we are frequently visited by rabbits, various birds (hummingbirds, cardinals, flocks of doves, blue jays, mockingbirds, and others I can't name), butterflies, wild turkey,squirrels,lizards, and the inevitably hungry deer. Less often, we find snakes, scorpions, opossums, raccoons, and once we found a ring-tailed cat.
The grandchildren love the greenbelt. Although it is within calling distance, they view it as a vast wilderness and have creatively tailored it to their own imaginative views.

Here is picture of the "fort" which they built with the help of some adult muscle.

There is a path nearby, worn by children's feet, which wanders into the "woods" and diverts down the way. One direction leads to the "Indian Village" and the other to "the pioneer settlement." Dewberries, mustang grapes, and wild plums are available seasonally. Other, nonedible, nuts and berries provide "food" and a sometime creek (runs when it rains) adds to the elements of adventure.

On the edge of the greenbelt is a large cedar tree. It was a lovely, well-shaped tree when we moved here. It reminded me of Christmas every time I looked at it and I have even seen snow on it a couple of times. It became such a part of our lives that I never even took a good photo of it, although it is often viewed in the background since it made a nice backdrop.

Visiting deer often hovered near the tree, and it grew and grew. The poor tree did not age well. It provided many walking sticks, hard as stone, when branches broke off and lay aging on the ground. These were rescued by the children and used in a myriad of ways. Branches grew too heavy to be supported and limbs began to droop. During the season, we were inundated with yellow pollen. The tree strived to produce and spread.

I peered inside the spreading, drooping branches, and saw the heart of the tree. A strong straight center which would likely reach skyward when relieved of its burdening offshoots. With some trepidation, I made the first cuts.

It is not easy to cut a cedar limb with a bow saw. I spent a couple of days and manged to clear some limbs, but the challenge was increasing. My neighbor's friend took pity on me and cut a few more limbs, but we mad little headway. Not only was the wood hard to cut (they make fence posts out of limbs like these), but we were faced with the dilemma of disposing of an ever increasing mound of cedar cuttings. I snipped and snipped at the geen needles and smaller pieces so they would fit in trash bags to be hauled away, but the mound just seemed to grow. I was concerned it would take several months to dispose of everything.

I finally opted for professional help from someone with a chain saw. He worked steadily for a total of 10 hours to cut the agreed-upon limbs and haul the excess away. He also cut the limbs into lengths suitable for campfire use. I have about 1/2 cord of wood.

I was amazed how much room the tree was occupying and how much it had spread since we moved here. plants I had placed near the branches' ends some time ago, were 3 feet inside the area of occupation. I am left with a large circle to be cared for. There are a lot of rocks and weeds are sure to proliferate now that they have sun. I may indulge my dream of having a rock garden.

Anyway, the tree looks happy and healthy and its future looks bright.

A Garden by Design

2010-04-08T11:07:00.001-05:00

Work is underway on the garden at The Gallery at 1318, commonly known as 1318. Work is almost completed on the house and addition, too. This is exciting when you understand we started the renovation / rehab / addition of the property over 4 years ago. I reasoned that similar projects in the area were completed so slowly because the occupants were doing the work themselves. Since I am not that handy, it would be reasonable to hire the work done and that would also speed completion. NOT! The trials and tribulations of the project have been sporadically journaled.

NOW, we have moved our attention to the garden and I am SO excited. There again, the start was slow as I sought a landscaper to help me develop a plan and implement it. After phoning SEVEN landscaping businesses, NOT ONE returned my calls. I perceive this as a symbol of some of today's / this generation's root problem.

The eighth call was made to a young man with a business called Garden by Design. He was one of the ones I called from a "rehabber's list."
"He won't call back," my daughter told me.
"Yes, he will," I insisted.
"What makes you think he's any different from the others?" she asked.
"He is my last hope," I replied.

Stephen did call and was incredibly nice, professional, and knowledgeable.
"I won the bet," I told him.
"Why?" he queried.
"Because you returned my call!"
"Why wouldn't I?" he asked in disbelief.
What could I say?

Stephen came with ideas that lined up with ours exactly. We were on the same page! DD checked his references - Impeccable! She looked at gardens he had desgined - Awesome! He and his crew have started and we look forward to the results!!

The old 14th Street Mall just a couple of blocks away is now close to being finished. Things are looking up in Old North!

RAOK

2010-03-26T00:29:00.000-05:00

There was a lot of rain on the drive home from St Louis! Those 18-wheelers throw a lot of water when you try to pass, so it takes concentration to get past the wall of water with the car intact. In fact, the whole drive took a lot of concentration so I listened to the various stations on Sirius and relied on Nellie to navigate me through the freeways. It worked quite well.

Another activity to help keep me alert, was looking for Random Acts of Kindness (RAOK) as I traveled. You know, those little things that are not required, or expected, and that often go unappreciated because they are not really overt enough to notice unless one is making an effort. Here are a few I recall:

An 18-wheeler that made a turn on a changing light causing us to wait even longer for our turn. As he turned, he slowed more than necessary and I found myself getting irritated. Then I noticed a bicyclist turning with him, hidden by the end of the rig. The driver obviously saw the danger of leaving the cyclist exposed to aggravated drivers waiting anxiously to gun the motors of their cars, and slowed to prevent a horrible accident. I have a great deal of respect for professional "big-rig" drivers, but very little for drivers of gravel and dump trucks.
The drivers of cars in Missouri begin to carefully merge when they see the see a sign noting one lane merging into another. Therefore, there is an orchestrated flow of traffic feeding into the merger. Even had I not seen the sign, I could tell I was in Texas when the cars began speeding up to get to the front of a merging line and force their way in. Traffic tends to come to a standstill as all the cars jam the merging lanes.
A driver stopped to help another driver who was stopped by the side of the road...in the pouring rain...with his hood up. You just don't see that anymore.
A man actually held the door open for me and acknowledged my "Thank you".
A clerk spoke to me with kindness and smiled. That is getting to be more and more unusual.

It's the little things in life that make us happy. ...like, no matter how much fun you had, being home.

Beauty is in the Eye of the Beholder

2010-03-09T14:00:00.005-06:00

I found this today and wanted to share it.....

For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.
For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.

For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.

For beautiful hair, let a child run his or her fingers through it once a day.

For poise, walk with the knowledge you will never walk alone.

People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed, and redeemed; never throw out anybody.

Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you will find one at the end of your arm.

As you get older, you will discover you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.

The beauty of a woman is not in the clothes she wears, the figure she carries, or the way she combs her hair. The beauty of a woman must be seen from in her eyes, because that is the doorway to her heart, the place where love resides.

The beauty of a woman is not in a facial mole, but true beauty in a woman is reflected in her soul. It is the care she lovingly gives and the passion she shows. The beauty of a woman only grows with the passing years!

- Sam Levenson

"Suffrage Stirs Up Missionaries"

2010-03-02T08:13:00.000-06:00

"San Francisco Chronicle" 17 October 1911

Miss Harriet E. POLLARD, a missionary leaving tomorrow for Corea[sic],stated she had voted in Colorado and found nothing disagreeable in the experience. A woman is no more exposed to objectionable intrusion, she explained, while waiting to cast a vote than waiting to purchase a ticket at a railway office. She further gave assurance that Colorado did not repent of its woman suffrage privilege.

Women of the West Museum

In 1914, taking lessons from their sisters in Kansas, California and Colorado, suffragists lobbied Progressive legislators until they offered a bill to enfranchise women. They spoke into bullhorns from Model T's and organized public parades, undaunted by taunts or threats to southern womanhood. A formidable two-thirds legislative majority posed too great a barrier to passage, however, and the bill was defeated.
Female Texans joined Arkansans and Oklahomans as the first women allowed in polling places in the South, when they won "primary suffrage," the right to vote in state primaries and political conventions, in 1918.

Our foremothers fought hard for the right to vote. Have you exercised that privilege today?

Snow No More

2010-02-25T08:09:00.000-06:00

It came; we saw; it melted....

When I wakened yesterday morning, our small world was still white. The sun glistened off the blankets of snow, providing a picture perfect morning. It was cold but the sun was persistent and by afternoon we had returned to our regular matte-finish world. Oh, there are still small pockets of snow persevering in shady areas to remind us that what we experienced was real, but mostly we are left with brisk, fresh air and a very bright sun.

Walking at 6 a.m. in 25 degree weather,,,,priceless,,,,

A Day of Snow in the Hill Country

2010-02-23T23:00:00.001-06:00

It finally snowed!

It wasn't in Colorado, New Mexico, or Missouri,,,,it was in my own back yard! After some freezing weather here and snow north of us, up in Dallas / Ft Worth, we had some beautiful warm days. Sping teases us like that. Not even the bluebonnets truly herald Spring; I have learned to wait for the pecan trees to leaf out before I know I have truly seen the last of the cold weather.

Thus, our short-lived week of Spring-like weather gave way to another dose of winter. In this area where we pray for rain and a cool front all summer, we had snow. Not just a few frugal flakes, but big, sopping wet, hunks of it floating and dropping from the sky. The ground underneath still harbored the earlier warmth, but the snow "stuck" and provided a thick layer on everything. If it falls below freezing tonight, the roads will be deadly for our inexperienced drivers because the water will freeze and leave driving surfaces slick.

Nevertheless, I indulged my fantasy this morning and went for a walk in the falling snow. Layered clothing kept me warm. My camera kept me focused. I walked a couple of miles in a winter wonderland where no one else ventured. The snow covered lawns and sidewalks and I had them all to myself. Mine were the only footprints. Happiness is a 2 mile walk in falling snow.....

Let It Snow

2010-01-09T05:00:00.006-06:00

Somewhere I read that the Japanese have over 100 words for "snow." I can undersatand having more than one. I can even understand having several, but 100! That's a lot of words for that frozen stuff that falls from the sky.
I realize that my contact with the white, fluffy stuff has been minimal, but I have seen lots of photos and there are all those Christmas cards that surface every year.Snow is depicted on a lot of them. We even have snow here in Central Texas....occasionally. That is when all the schools and businesses shut down and everyone stays home to telephone their friends in the Northeast . Conversations go something like this:

"It is snowing here!"
" I don't know. What is 'sticking?'"
"Sand the roads? No., I don't think that is in the budget. We just stay home."
"We built a snowman. The carrot was too big for the nose, but I found a broken baby carrot that fits. I had to take a close-up photo so you can tell what it is."
"More snow tomorrow? I don't think so. It is supposed to be 70 degrees and sunny."

Well, you get the picture. It is said that no two snowflakes are alike. I would like to know who has seen and examined all those flakes. I can cut paper to look like snowflakes. I can examine snowflakes as they fall onto dark clothing. I can find oodles of photos of snowflakes. Lots of snow in lots of places, but none quite like what I saw in Colorado.

At Bishop's Palace, just as we were preparing to leave, I saw "snow" falling from the sky. It was a cold day, but fairly sunny, so I did not expect anything. I put my gloved hand out to catch some of the delicate flakes and just stood there in wonder. I had never seen anything like this before. Granted, I am not an expert, but it was still most unusual for me. Surely, the wind was knocking something from the trees, I thought. No, what I saw on my hand was really falling from the sky. No, it was not the fluffy, delicately patterened snowflakes I would have expected. I had cream colored, light-as-air, perfectly round little balls! They drifted down and settled, just like the snow with which I am familiar, but not the look of the snow I know.

The second occurrence was not really "snow", although I thought it was at first. In Amarillo, I walked outside fairly early in the morning. It was really cold, but the sun was beginning to peek through the clouds. I looked around in wonder as I saw brightly-colored "floaters" swirling about. You know, those glittering lights you kind of notice floating around your eyes sometimes. I felt as if I were in a giant snow globe and someone was sprinkling glitter over me. it left me with a sense of beauty and wonder.
"Frozen fog," my self-proclaimed Alaskan daughter said.
Well, it was news to me. I had never seen anything like it before.

I figure the Japanese might not be too far off the mark. Maybe there are 100 words for snow. I am anxious to see the other 95 kinds.

Bishop's Castle

2010-01-08T05:00:00.004-06:00

As we headed home from Colorado, we aimed for the back roads and sought photo ops rather than hit the freeways and get from point A to B without blinking. Off I-25 in southern Colorado, we headed down Hwy 165, a "scenic byway" unremarkable on the map, but it turned out to be a beautiful and interesting part of our drive.

We kept seeing signs referring to Bishop's Castle and wondered if it were a town, a family, an amusement park, or what. Then, as we rounded a curve, we saw it - on a mountainside, out in the middle of nowhere! Although, there is some indication it might be in a little town outside Pueblo.

Some forty years ago, Jim Bishop began building his castle - Jim built this amazing edifice alone, fighting the government every step of the way. Entry is free, but donations are welcome. Apparently, we were fortunate to find Jim Bishop on site. He does hold a regular job as an ornamental welder in town. He also has a wife. His 3-year old son was killed when a tree fell on him as Jim was felling it. Each person has her/his own therapy. I sew, Kr beads, Jim builds a castle.

"Every man should have a castle!"

"I don't need any psychiatric meds; I have adrenaline!"

We did not climb the steps. They were very narrow, it was very cold, and it started "snowing." It appears to be a popular place in the summer although

Jim has signs everywhere, attempting to get his message across. He thrives on publicity and responds gently to kind words.
"You won't find it on any of Colorado's tourist lists!"

Blessings, Jim, as you continue the task you have set for yourself.

"If you build it, they will come."

As for us, we arrived back home, tired and happy. THOJAL,The House of Joy and Love, was deemed a great place to gather. Would have been better with an inside staircase so the children could have had more convenient access. Perhaps THOJAL should have been THOJALL. An extra "L" for all the laughter.

Where in the World is Jim Bishop?

2010-01-07T05:00:00.001-06:00

Let me introduce you to Jim Bishop! I think he must be brilliant, but troubled. I got just this small bit of rhetoric, leaving out the part before and after. Who is Jim Bishop and where is he? Read tomorrow's blog for the "skinny."

By the Light of the Blue Moon

2010-01-06T06:36:00.001-06:00

It was the night of the "blue moon."
KR, ABW, Ki, and I are all "in" to photography, but still learning. We had been watching the progress of the moonlight on the nearby mountains and finally decided to try photographing the scene. Three of us headed out New Year's Eve for a nearby viewpoint and prepared to shoot. We had no idea it would be so cold! It would have been bearable had not the wind been so strong. I took three quick shots and headed back to keep the car warm. My two girls prepped and posed and shot for several minutes. We were all frozen.
This is one of the photos I got. I thought it was completely black, but lightened it in Picasa and now it is almost like a watercolor. It is in Buena Vista, Colorado.

A Day of Sledding

2010-01-05T23:21:00.004-06:00

New Year's Day
The children did a lot of sledding in the small space at THOJAL, but they were anxious to move up to something more challenging. Besides checking out Breckenridge, we checked out a park in town that had been recommended. It was pretty dark, but it appeared the slope angled off into a drop that ended in the river. Pass on that one.

Joan, the innkeeper at THOJAL, checked around for information from the locals. They would surely know where the best, and cheapest, places were. Sure enough, we were directed to a "road just beyond the stables. If you go too far, you will see a large farm." We headed out with great assurance, found a stable, turned in, ended up in someone's driveway. They weren't home. As we headed back out, we stopped a car on the way into the driveway and asked for further directions.

We ended up at the local hill near Cottonwood Springs. As the, mostly, children would sled down the hill, the adults would watch for traffic and stop cars or sledders, whichever was more endangered. It was a typical small town gathering and just right for our group. There were some uncommonly good sledders there, indicating many trips to the site.

The children had to learn to watch for rocks, stumps, etc.

Em loved the sledding more than the skiing the previous day.

D.A. tried it out several times.

Chas really took to it and enjoyed it!

Junior contemplated the scene and was enticed to ride down with his dad.

Eventually, he opted for a stick which became known as the "Sister Whacker" for obvious reasons.

We headed back to THOJAL for our traditional black-eyed peas, ham, and cornbread. Now, we are sure to have good luck all year long!

Reconnaissance for Sledding

2010-01-01T08:01:00.002-06:00

DDs - Kr and ABW and I decided to run up to Breckenridge to check out a sledding area for tomorrow's Great Adventure. In doing that, we had our own Great Adventure. It wasn't intended, but those adventures are usually the most exciting.
Gunner volunteered to watch all 5 children while we "quickly checked out the area."
We left about 4:15 PM. That was the first mistake. It gets dark here about 5 PM.
The drive up was uneventful along Highway 285, then we turned onto Hwy 9 toward Breckeridge. The road quickly became smaller, snowpacked and icy in places. Add in several hairpin turns and two backseat drivers and....well, you get the idea.

Photo by ABW

We arrived in Breckenridge at dark-thirty. It was a magical atmosphere with twinkling lights, bumper-to-bumper taffic, and wall-to-wall people. We carefully drove toward our destination which Nellie, the GPS Navigation System, had directed us. We dodged people slipping on the ice, cars anxious to be out of town but sitting in traffic instead, and snowpacked roads to arrive in a parking lot at a local school. It was hard to see what exactly was available in the dark, but we unanimously decided there must be sledding closer at hand, in an area that did not stress us out to get there.
After checking the map and ascertaining the way we had come was still the most expedient way to leave, we joined the line of cars and managed to work our way back onto Hwy 9. I was not looking forward to the drive. The girls were equally apprehensive, but we found a common thread of humor to see us through the experience. I looked at the speed limit signs as we inched down the mountain. Recommended speeds were 35-45 mph; I was doing 10-20. It looked like a long trip home. Fortunately, everyone else seemed to be driving the same way, so there was no one riding my bumper and rushing me. Well, almost no one. As we rounded one curve and came upon one fairly straight stretch, the pick-up that had been hugging my bumper, gunned his motor and sped ahead into the darkness. I could not believe my eyes!
I wrestled with my vision of the road ahead which held various terrors for us - "black ice," gusts of wind, narrow road, sheer cliffs, and the occasional cloud of gusting snowflakes that severly limited visibility. Through it all, our sense of humor prevailed! ABW attempted to notify Gunner that getting home would take a little longer than expected, but there was no cell service. It was only 5:30 p.m., but it seemed more like 10. We laughed through it all, even as we discovered we all needed a potty stop and the fuel light in my car was glowing bright yellow announcing its need for replenishing. We watched the car's temperature guage slowly drop from a balmy 24 degrees to -2 degrees in less than 5 miles. While we crept along, the girls pulled out a video camera to document our predicament.
We finally reached Highway 285 for the final part of the trip home and found it pleasantly uneventful. We will be sledding close to THOJAL on New Year's Day.

New Year's Eve Day 2009

2009-12-31T16:50:00.000-06:00

After an extended breakfast, our group, now numbering 12, headed for Nathrop, Colorado. It is only about 10 minutes down the road. I wanted to show the children and grandchilden where their great grandfather went to school. The building is privately owned now. It seems to be in greater disrepair than the last time I saw it and the big climbing tree in front has been split by weather or lightning. A relative's house across the street, still stands in silent testimony of the courage of the pioneers.
After our sightseeing visit, we lost 3 more of our group. DS, Tia, and GS-W, left, planning to take Highway 285 to Denver. They will spend the night there and take in a concert of some sort before they fly back to Houston on NYD. Our group is down to nine, all active and interested in what comes next.
We journeyed a few more miles into Salida and found some neat shops. Most were having sales and we picked up a few bargains.
Heading back to THOJAL, we stopped by City Market to replenish our supplies, did I mention how nice all the people are here? Menus and Great Adventures are now planned for the rest of our time here. I think we girls are going to check out the site for tomorrow's planned sledding.

30 December 2009 - Skiing

2009-12-31T11:54:00.002-06:00

DD-Ki, L and Ky left for St. Louis today. That is the simple version. Actually, Ki was not feeling well so she did not eat or drink so she could avoid being sick while she was traveling. Poor kid. We loaded her, her luggage, and 2 small children into my "sleigh" for the trip to the Denver Airport, leaving 5 hours before her flight time. We figured 3 hours travel time (from Buena Vista to Colorado Springs to Denver) and 2 hour hours for check-in. We made it right on time. All the security rules meant I had to leave DD at the curb, with stroller, 2 car seats, 3 large bags, and 2 small children. She is a strong, resourceful woman and, in spite of not feeling well, maintained her composure and shepherded her bunch safely home. I had tucked pastries and fruit into the children's backpacks for "just in case."
I enjoyed the drive home, it was so peaceful and the scenery was beautiful. I took Highway 285 out of Denver, all the way to Buena Vista. It was about 70 milles shorter, but curvy and slower posted speed limits. The roads were very clear, traffic not heavy, and the snow-covered mountains and trees were gorgeous.
Just DS and GS-W were waiting at THOJAL, with DS on tap to grill as soon as everyone was back.
The rest of the crew? The remaining 4 adults and 5 children went skiing. They picked up discount tickets for the lift, in town, and mistook Ski Cooper for Copper Mtn Ski area. No problem, a quick lunch, and they all headed back down the road.
Ski Cooper is billed as being "family friendly" and less trafficked than some of the more well-known areas. Our group gave glowing reviews. The clerks at the ski rental shop, still talking about the onslaught of our group, were patient and had a good sense of humor. DD-Kr waited with those children who dropped out of the ski pool early, plying them with hot chocolate and french fries. The rest spent their time on the slopes, slowly graduating from Bunny Hill to colored diamonds. Now we have definite skiers and non-skiers in the group.
Dinner was waiting for our tired skiers. After taking turns in the hot tub, they were ready to turn in. DDs-Kr, Ko, and I chatted until the wee hours.

29 December 2009 - Day Trip to Leadville, Colorado

2009-12-31T09:31:00.004-06:00

Breakfast followed by a trip to the laundromat doesn't seem like a great adventure, but try participating in those events with 14 other people and the dynamics change.
The laundromat was actually a fun outing and it was very warm inside the building. There was a play area for the children and a small TV with several children's videos available. That kept the eight children quiet, but the volume of the TV had to be constantly turned down. Well, I guess that is understandable considering that the seven adults playing "Catch Phrase" and were not very quiet. Fortunately, there was only one other person in the place and she preferred to wait outside in her car for some strange reason.
With our clothes clean and dry, we headed out on our day's Great Adventure. We have given this name to the day's activities so we can be flexible in our plans and not stir up a cauldron of disappointment. This day's plan included Leadville, Colorado. Unfortunately, mobilization of the group sometimes takes a little longer than expected, so we arrived rather late in the day. But the drive was beautiful and the roads clear, so we did not have any problems.
I recalled a Mining Museum DH and I had visited several years ago, so we headed in that general direction. Sure enough, it was still there (well, you never know). I wondered aloud if we could get a group rate as everyone headed for the gift shop to explore while I checked on tickets. The very nice lady at the ticket counter told me the museum would be closing in 15 minutes.There was a collective groan of disappoint from the members of our group. The lady looked at us and then suggested we could visit free for the next 15 minutes, but they would have to close promptly. With a flurry of activity that only our group of 15 can produce, we headed out to see all we could in 15 minutes. I led the group to an attraction that I felt certain they would all enjoy, a real mine environment created to give a realistic look at early mining procedures. This is particurlarly informative since we had family members mining in this part of Colorado in the early 1900's. The children went through that area several times before moving on. There was something of interest to everyone and we fanned out to explore more specific areas. There was particular interest in the neon glowing rocks in one of the rooms. I think they may have allotted us a little more than 15 minutes, but we certainly couldn't see it all.
It was icy cold in Leadville, the highest incorporated city in the continental US, but we decided to walk around town anyway. Well, "walk" might be a misnomer. The children were happy to be out and while we tried to maneuver the icy sidewalks and avoided going into the shops with our crew, the children kept running around. clambering up and down the stairs, and burning off energy. We stopped for a few minutes to eat cookies by the car (we never travel with out a few snacks) then re-boarded for the trip home.
Although there is a lot of snow on the ground, we are still waiting for it to snow while we are here..

A Visit to St. Elmo

2009-12-28T18:36:00.012-06:00

The resident odds right now are 7 adults and eight children. Still, it seems to take us forever to get organized and get out in the mornings. We packed a (large) picnic lunch, gathered all the warm clothes we could find, stopped at the City Market for lunch meat, then (finally) headed out for our "Adventure of the Day." We made our first stop about 5 miles down the road, when W barfed in the lead car and our convoy came to a screeching halt. The diagnosis was "too much OJ at breakfast." A quick clean-up and we were off again.

DH and I had visited St Elmo, Colorado, a couple of times, but always in the summer. This is winter and there is snow everywhere. It will be interesting to go back and compare the summer photos with these winter ones. Today, we were assured the road would be clear, and it was. I was very comfortable driving on the hard packed snow, although not as fast as the locals(?) were traveling to and fro.

St Elmo is an old mining town. It looks as if people just walked out one day and left it, intact.

There is still merchandise in the General Store and "stuff" in several other buildings.

The little schoolhouse has been refurbished.

There are several private residences in the town and, although there has been restoration, some of the buildings date from the late 1800's. The fence sets some of the residential area apart.

The undisturbed snow was quite deep and signs requested we remain on the street. Fortunately, there were not too many visitors, so the children took their sleds to the street and had quite a hilarious time.

Junior kept trying to improve on the age-old methods of sledding. Chas tried to perfect the running start.Twelve year-old Em figured she had the biggest snowball ever, even though she was not allowed to use it.
For some reason, Abs liked to be "one" with the snow - packing it around her.....

...and making snow angels.

Lacking picnic facilities, we had a tailgate party. No one wanted to take off all those snow clothes, climb back in the car, drive to some unknown possible picnic spot, get out and re-dress, for lunch, then repeat the whole procedure.
But Ky had the best seat in the house.

Afterward, we wended our way back to THOJAL, hot chocolate, and home made cookies.

Our Christmas Celebration

2009-12-28T17:42:00.006-06:00

Photo by ABW

We settled in to The House of Joy and Love (THOJAL) on our 26 December arrival. Amazing how much joyful noise 8 children can make. The last part of our journey was through a curvy mountain pass. Dark comes early here, which left us in the precarious position I had hoped to avoid. However, the roads were clear and we sailed in with no problem. Getting to the house itself was a challenge (we could see the yellow house, but the entrance was so snowy and icy that we had a hard time finding it). DS had dinner waiting. We visited a while, then all turned in for the night.

Sunday, 27 December
This is our Christmas Day Celebration. DS, W, and I, spent a couple of hours at the local grocery, City Market, in Buena Vista, Colorado. It was hard to manuever when people kept stopping us to exclaim over 1 year old W. Fortunately, there was a designated store employee standing near the front of the store to direct lost people like us to the proper aisle for our necessary purchases. Everyone we met was super nice in this little town. Hmmmmm....do you think they could tell we are from Texas?
Loaded to the gills, we headed back to THOJAL ready to prepare the long awaited feast.
The conversational level finally lagged as we tucked in to a partially traditional meal - turkey, dressing, giblet gravy, steamed brussel sprouts, fresh green beans, and pea-corn salad. I know, it was heavy on the green side, but we had the things we liked!
Dinner was followed by the sharing of presents. This involves the family tradition of handing the presents out and opening them one by one, a process that prolongs the procedure significantly. Our innkeeper kindly provided a small fiber-optic Christmas tree to enhance the celebration. As the children played with new toys, the adults started putting together a very complicated picture puzzle. When we finish it, we will leave it behind with a challenge for the next group to put it together in less than our recorded time. We have never heard whether anyone has taken the challenge.
The evening ended with several family members soaking in the hot tub. All declined the, sometimes traditional, roll in the snow.

Christmas Day 2009

2009-12-25T21:57:00.003-06:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS!
Greetings from Plainview, Texas! DD-Kr, Chas, D.A., and I left , a little later than planned, today. We loaded my "sleigh" with a bundle of toys, food, luggage, and other good things. Just looking at the mound of proposed items to be loaded, was enough to make us falter at first. However, we did manage to get everything in, except one box of craft items meant to keep the children busy in case of truly inclement weather.
We had a glorious start to the day, leaving after the children opened their presents at home. Kr is the navigator and the boys do the backseat driving. The roads were clean and dry, traffic was light, and the boys had new books. A wonderful beginning.
We began seeing snow on the ground as we passed by houses and fields on the way, but the roads were clear and dry. Right around Post, Texas, we noticed snow on the road. It was all downhill from there. We found a roadside park , dripping with melting snow. We made sandwiches and ate them, standing by cold wet benches, while huddling to shelter from a bitingly cold wind. Ham sandwiches for Christmas Day lunch tasted pretty good. We plan to have a more traditional meal and celebration when we are all together in Colorado.
We picked our way carefully along US 84, avoiding the snow berms left by the plows, and maneuvering to avoid cars and drivers who thought they were immortal. Only one really close call as a large pickup truck tried to speed past. I saw him coming and knew there was nowhere to go if he slid, so I slowed and pulled as far to the right as I safely could without hitting the snow berms on my right. As the speeding truck approached on my left, he hit the snowy, icy area, throwing up a large amount of the displaced berm onto our car, The windshield was almost occluded, but the mess triggered the automatic windshield wipers which allowed me to keep both hands on the wheel as I struggled to stay on the road. The truck slid back and forth, until its wheels finally grabbed the road and he moved on.
I managed to stay apart from most other vehicles for the remainder of the time. Almost everyone was driving very conservatively, encouraged, perhaps, by the 25 cars we saw that had slid off the road and were stuck in snow on the sides of the road. We decided to stop for the night. The threat of more black ice on the roads and drivers who refused to acknowledge their vulnerability in the face of Mother Nature's superiority, forced us to choose a safe haven in Plainview. The motel is almost full now and we are looking forward to a leisurely start tomorrow, after the roads are clearer.
Wish us luck.

The Angels of Christmas

2009-12-24T16:07:00.003-06:00

The Angels of Christmas

Have you seen the Angels of Christmas?

No, not the ones with halos and wings,

No beatific faces with eyes raised to heaven,

No ephemeral gowns flowing free.

The Angels of Christmas

May have dirt on their hands,

They might look tired and unkempt.

Their arms may be full of books or clothes

Or holding a pet or a child.

They might just be listening to a troubled soul

Or offering a helping hand.

They are with us and working all of the time,

But we look with blind eyes and don't see.

Look closely at those around you this year

You might see an Angel of Christmas,

And note with surprise

Is someone you recognize.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

May the joy of the Nativity remain in your heart all year long!

Jackie Taylor Switzer

2009

12th in a series

Remembering Pearl Harbor

2009-12-07T15:13:00.006-06:00

Karen McCann Hett has been my memoir writing mentor. We are avid about people putting their life stories on paper / blog / tape, anything to preserve the stories. See her website for more stories of people who remember Pearl Harbor. Time is growing short as many of those who lived through the attack are coming to the end of their lives. No matter how far away they were, everyone was affected.

On December 7, 1941, Japanese planes attacked the Pacific Fleet at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii Territory, killing more than 2,300 Americans. The U.S.S. Arizona was completely destroyed and the U.S.S. Oklahoma capsized. The attack sank three other ships and damaged many additional vessels. More than 180 aircraft were destroyed. The surprise attack came at sunrise. The next day, they attacked Guam and Wake Island; and the U.S., Canada, and Great Britain declared war on Japan and Germany.
Valerie Maris Taylor was in her 80's when I interviewed her in June 2004.
This is her memory of the bombing of Pearl Harbor:

At the time of the bombing of Pearl Harbor, my husband, Jack, was in the Army Air Corps stationed somewhere in the Carribean, Jamaica I think. He had been in Cuba. Pearl Harbor was bombed the day before our daughter's first birthday. War was declared on her birthday. The bombing was a great surprise to everyone. I only had a radio, but it wasn't turned off for several days. I was scared for my husband's life.
It never occurred to me that the USA was in any danger. Daughter and I were living in Baytown, Texas, in a garage apartment. We didn't have a car, so we walked to the Post Office every day to get the mail. If there were no mail in the morning, we went back in the evening. When we finally got mail from Jack, we would rest a few days. Then we would start our routine all over again. Daughter did walk the whole way; she LOVED it. She was 17 months old, when her daddy finally got to come home on leave.
Shortly after war was declared, they began rationing shoes, sugar, canned cream, etc. You couldn't buy electrical appliances. I borrowed an old electric iron from my mother-in-law, and bought an icebox. I had a card to put in the window to tell the iceman how much ice to bring.
I was only 19 years old and had been married for 22 months. I wasn't really concerned about what would happen to me. The real concern was for Jack. I was worried they would bomb the island he was on which was the oil and gas depot for the planes.
Valerie's daughter adds: My dad came home from the war safely. He never talked about his time there but he had the confidence and bravado that is won by those who leave as young men and return as seasoned veterans. He also served in the Korean War and retired from the Air Force after twenty years of service.
See you on the road.....

Holiday Home Tour

2009-12-06T16:56:00.004-06:00

Every year the Kiwanis Club hosts a homes tour, the proceeds of which go to charity, Two neighbors and I traipsed in and out of six homes decorated for Christmas and one for Hanukkah. This is always a popular activity so we were fortunate to hit the window of opportunity for fewer people in attendance.

As I understand it, local decorators come in and decorate the homes, then write up the accounts for a booklet that is handed out to advise the public of the decorating schemes. There was quite a variety in decor even though the number of homes was small. One home was done almost completely in red, black, white, and shades of gray - and that was prior to the addition of Christmas decorations. One featured clocks, one had toile fabrics in all the rooms, and another boasted a Tuscan color scheme. There was a different atmosphere apparent in each home, reflecting the tastes of the occupants. Some were quite formal, while others just begged to be enjoyed in a more familial style.

An elderly gentleman in the community does not get out much, but he supported the Kiwanis efforts by buying several tickets then giving them away. Happily, two of my neighbors and I were some of the recipients of his generosity. We thoroughly enjoyed our tour, in spite of the sales pitch at the first home we visited, and left with lots of ideas nad enthusiasm. One thing we all agreed on, was that we love our "stuff," and don't want to give it up for fancy items newly purchased to make a statement. The decorators who incorporated existing "treasures" into their decorating schemes got our votes.

Goji Berries and Tea

2009-12-05T06:00:00.000-06:00

I collect cookbooks. My children tell me it is fruitless since everyone can go on-line and find any recipe they want. Maybe so, but there are still a few of us who enjoy the feel of a book in our hands and knowing where we can find the recipe again once we have used it. I have graduated from the redundant group cookbooks which seem to recycle all the popular recipes. Now I go for ethnic and specialty books - "Island Cooking, Recipes from the Hawaiian Islands," a small paperback just on different kinds of beans, anything way off the wall.

One of my favourite things to do when I travel, whether it is another state or another country, is visit the grocery stores. While visiting in Colorado Springs, I discovered a bag of goji berries. Of course, I had to try goji berries since I had never heard of them.

The berries looked rather like a red raisin, but had a different flavor. They were chewy, had several tiny seeds inside, and tasted mildly 'blah.' I have yet to add them to something I bake, like cookies or banana bread, but I think that would be an agreeable addition. One reference suggested that this popular Himalayan fruit is often steeped in tea. I added a few to my afternoon cuppa' and found the flavor much more agreeable. The small berries plumped up and added a little different flavor to the tea. Although I don't know if the many health benefits attributed to the goji berry are substantiated, it doesn't appear to hurt anything . So I might just add a few to my tea for the antioxidants, possible cancer prevention, reduction in blood glucose, and lower cholesterol. So much easier than maintaining a healthy lifestyle, don't you think. I think banana bread might be the next trial.

So Much for the Winter Wonderland

2009-12-04T14:52:00.006-06:00

My trip home almost took me through Oklahoma City! Silly me, trusting Nellie the Navigation System to keep me on track. She is almost as directionally challenged as I am. Missed Lubbock, where there was a big snow storm, and arrived in Georgetown at 4:30 am on Tuesday. Needless to say, the rest of the week has been a wash.

The promise of snow has followed me. The whole of Central Texas has been anticipating a "snowstorm" for days. There has been a run on the grocery stores to stock up on food and supplies, and winter coats have been brought out of storage for the big event. In truth, we do have some severe winter storms that might last a week, but they are generally in January. In the case of a real snow, schools let out and businesses shut down. We are nothing if not prepared.

Sure enough, I went out about 11:30 am to run some errands and noticed there were a few, fleeting, delicate flakes falling. I went into the garage and by the time I backed the car out, it was really SNOWING! The flakes were thick and fast, blowing horizontally in the wind. Within 10 minutes it was all over and not a flake was on the ground.

Right now, it is windy, cold, and sunny. Well, the day is not over and we are supposed to have a hard freeze tonight. Fortunately, I have not heard word that we will have "Blue Norther" any time soon.

Monday, Monday.....

2009-11-30T11:05:00.002-06:00

Time to leave the cool, crisp to balmy weather of Colorado Springs and return to Texas. Not looking forward to the long drive home, but there is plenty waiting to be done when I arrive.

I have cleaned the room Em shared with me so it is "cleaner than I found it," baked the lemon pie Gunner requested ( I hope there is some left when he gets home), and cleaned up all the scraps from the curtains I embellished. Just family stuff....the stuff memories are made from.

I wonder if I will find any snow on the way home?

Sunday Morning

2009-11-29T13:45:00.006-06:00

The weatherman promised, well, almost promised, snow by 4 AM. I woke up and checked out the window but, although it was very cold, there was no snowfall in progress. I waited all morning, checking at intervals, but it has begun to warm up from the (about) 32 degrees we saw this morning.

After a gourmet breakfast of sausage and egg crepes provided by Gunner, ABW and I headed to the AF Academy Chapel for Sunday morning service. I have wanted to go for years and was not disappointed today. The cadets are not back from holiday yet, so there were not many people in attendance, mostly visitors. Nevertheless, we got the full treatment. The music with the pipe organ was superb. Sadly, Since there were so few in attendance, I felt that I was the only one singing because the sound was swallowed by the building. I do want to return and hear the music when the chapel is full and the choir is in residence. Oh, how I would love to be here to hear the cadets sing Handel's "Messiah" on Decenber 4th,

The sermon was very good, concise, and to the point; the first advent candle was lighted during the service; and the added bonus was a video as well as slides to make the salient points. I have to admit, I have been dragged kicking and screaming into adding this type technology to my hometown church. I guess it is the wave of the future in a culture where everyone has something with wires hanging on his/her ear, and every conversation is interrupted by a text message. Just call me old-fashioned.

The day is cool and crisp and Gunner is readying the outside of the house for Christmas with Abs' expert help, ABW is still working on her paper, Junior is taking it upon himself to keep all the doors and windows in the house closed, and I am attempting to help Em learn to sew using a pattern. Everyone seems to be headed for success but Andrew and me.

I don't think it is going to snow today.

Think Snow!

2009-11-28T09:08:00.004-06:00

Colorado has a reputation - beautiful, mountains, snow.....

All of it is true, just not all of Colorado is the same. I drove through flat plains headed to Colorado Springs. Fortunately, the weather was perfect, and maybe unusual for this time of year. As I neared my destination, snow-capped mountains rose on the horizon promising respite from the hot summer weather that was just beginning to dissipate when I left home.

Gunner, ABW, and family live in military housing on the grounds of the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, at the foothills of the Rocky Mountains. I packed hiking boots and sweaters, looking forward to the cold weather, snow, and winter fun. ABW had shared the excitement of weeks of snowfall beginning in late August and continuing through November 15th. I was ready!

My dreams melted like powdered snow. We have had gorgeous weather since I arrived! It is bright and sunny, yet cool. Long sleeves are sufficient for this weather and just enough for long walks. One thing I had not counted on is the thinner air. It doesn't really seem that I drove uphill, but I have been informed we are at 6500 feet. I do have to work harder to breathe with exertion in the decreased oxygen.

Even though it has not snowed in 2 weeks, and "everyone" says "it doesn't stick long here," there is an abundance of snow here in the housing area. Of course, my first thought was to make a snowman, but the snow has iced over and become frozen. So we have the best of both worlds - picturesque "snow" and lovely warm weather. There is a slight chance I will see a snowfall on Sunday.

Coming Full Circle

2009-11-27T08:45:00.006-06:00

I have almost come full circle, and there are some happy feelings along with the sad.
As a child, I loved Thanksgiving dinner when any number of relatives, unseen the rest of the year, would arrive for the feast. It was an especially good time because all the women did the cleaning up and I got to play. As a young woman, with a family of my own, I was often in charge of the family feast. My sister and I traded the hosting of the day many times, when we lived within driving distance.

Now, I am visiting one of my children and her family. Our Thanksgiving feast yesterday was well within the bounds of traditional, with a few twists that will ensure they set their own traditions as life unfolds. Gunner cooked the whole meal, asking for information along the way. I enjoyed being asked to "put my two cents worth" in, thus ensuring the continuation of our family's traditions.

We feasted on roast turkey, cornbread dressing, giblet gravy, sweet potato pudding, German potato salad, 3 different cranberry concoctions, pea-corn salad, and squash casserole ( provided by a family friend in attendance). Dessert was pumpkin pie, pecan pie, and peanut butter cookies (that sweet friend again).

Dinner was cooked and served, and the dishes were done. I really enjoyed my role as consultant. The circle continues....

The Eve of Thanksgiving Eve

2009-11-24T23:06:00.005-06:00

I have always been rather "directionally challenged". Thank goodness the roads run both ways and I can find anything, well almost anything, on my GPS. I was so busy enjoying the drive today that I missed my turn, so I opted for small country road through northern New Mexico (469 off I-40 at Logan, to Hwy 29, on up to I-25). Nice drive, no traffic, the scenery of desolate plains, and ...worst of all....speed limits ranging from 35 to 55 mph. It seemed to take forever and I just knew if I exceeded the limit there would be a policeman lying in wait. No matter that everyone else ignored the speed limit. They are the ones who never get caught,I managed to make up some time on the freeways where the speed limits were often 75 mph..

Finally, the snow-capped mountain range appeared on the horizon. With explicit directions from DD-Ko, I homed in on her residence on the grounds of the Air Force Academy. I only had to show my ID to the security guard at the gate....and let him check the contents of the car. He took one look at the load I was transporting and waved me on through. Probably thought the Beverly Hillbillies were moving in, but it was just another load that included over sized dinosaurs, various collections of rocks, plants entrusted to my care, and various clothes being exchanged by siblings whose children had out-grown them.

The residential area is in a shaded area where previous snow has not melted, but hardened over to form ice. The greetings of my grandchildren were most satisfying. I have a whole week with them before I have to return.

"On the Road Again...."

2009-11-23T21:07:00.006-06:00

I headed out this morning for Colorado. Will spend the Thanksgiving holidays with ABW, Gunner, Em, Abs, and Junior. It was a balmy 70+ degrees when I left. It was a good day to work in the garden and my neighbor was busily doing just that. I invited her to continue her labors in my direction, but she declined. "I don't want to trespass," she said with a laugh. Oh well, I will get to it later. Grandchildren come first.

From Austin to Amarillo is a pretty straight shot and the beautiful weather made driving a particular pleasure. The country has fairly sparse, native vegetation, designed to stay alive with small amounts of water. Not enough grass for cattle to graze, but goats fare nicely and I saw herds of them grazing contentedly. Many of the nannies held hope for the next generation. Note to self: check out the festival in Brady, Texas, this summer. I have fond memories of barbecued cabrito from the last visit several years ago.

I always look forward to the various rock formations, many from roadway cross-cuts. The mindless driving gives me an opportunity to speculate on the people who braved the elements to settle the area. This includes some of my ancestors who arrived in the area via covered wagon from Alabama. They tried farming, but most moved on, including my grandfather. Some stayed, turning to cattle raising, but I don't know that any kept the mineral rights. That is unfortunate since underneath the desolation of the land, there was oil.

The sight of the day for me, was the miles and miles of windmills. In this land of wind. that rivals Chicago's "Windy City" title, these huge towers hum with the business of providing "green" energy. Hundreds of them stand on small rises, rotating their three arms. There is no competition on the horizon for these sentinels of energy.
I stopped for lunch at a "Cotton Patch Cafe," intending only to have a light lunch. Instead I had the Monday special, beef tips with rice, steamed veggies, squash casserole, a roll, and iced tea - all for under $10.00. It was a big lunch!

I was having so much fun driving and looking that I forgot to monitor my gas consumption later in the day. When the little gas tank with the nozzle showed up on my viewer, I became a little frantic. The first two stations I pulled in to, did not have diesel. I could feel my anxiety rising, especially when I realized I was in an area that featured bars across all the store windows. Thank goodness for GPS, which allowed me to search for the nearest service station. I could have called to see if they had diesel since all the info was on the screen. Instead, I headed out on fumes and a prayer. My thirsty little car took 20.09 gallons. I can't complain, since I had gone 513 miles on the last tank.

I am safely ensconced in a comfortable room at the Ashmore Inn in Amarillo. I passed on the hospitality hour and opted for cheese, crackers, and an apple in the room for supper. It sounds as if the continental breakfast, which is included, will be more than a roll and coffee. It had better be since there are two boys basketball teams staying here. There are also several jeans-clad people staying, who must belong to the horse-trailers outside. All, however, is quiet on the western front.

Today's Lesson in Frustration

2009-11-16T12:17:00.004-06:00

The Frustration List has been extended. Is there no end?

I can't seem to load any photos onto Facebook.
I can't get my photos on to this blog.
I went out to the car this morning feeling very proud of myself for leaving early so I could take care of an errand. The car began beeping, if not frantically, at least insistently, the minute I opened the door. I just knew right away....dead battery.

No problem, I thought, I will take the TR since it needs an outing anyway.

I turned the key in the ignition of the TR and heard a loud THUNK, now it doesn't start.

Woe is me....I am waiting on Roadside Assistance to call and let me know when they can come out. I am not doing my part at the meeting. I just know when things go bad like this, they continue for a while. There must be a "law" for that.... "Murphy's"?

The Gathering

2009-11-13T08:30:00.001-06:00

Thirty-seven members of the family gathered to celebrate life. Others arrived later.....

Mother

2009-11-13T08:25:00.004-06:00

Mother

31 March 1922 - 5 November 2009

Veteran's Day

2009-11-11T06:00:00.001-06:00

This is Veteran's Day! We owe a debt of appreciation to all veterans, every day, because we live in a free society.

Appreciation is more than just saying "Thank you!", although that is a tangible part of it. Our appreciation should really be in how we conduct ourselves to take care of the country for which so many have fought and died. Do we litter the landscape of this beautiful land? Do we use our resources wisely or squander them? Do we vote? There are many ways we can show appreciation for the legacy of our veterans.

I come from a proud military family and honor them today.....

My Dad - a career military man who joined the Army Air Corps and stayed with the Air Force when it became a separate branch. Served in WWII and Korea.

My Uncle Bob - a U.S. Army Chaplain. Was a POW in WWII

Four of my brothers who served in the military - one in Vietnam.

Brother-in-law - U.S. Army

Son-in-law - One tour in Bosnia, 3 tours in Iraq, and scheduled for Afghanistan this summer.

A heartfelt thanks for the service of all veterans who make it possible for Americans to walk in freedom.
Thank you!

The Eleventh Hour

2009-11-05T00:23:00.003-06:00

The vigil continues as Mother defies the odds. I have heard it said that whatever you are like in your formative years, you are even more so late in life. Our Mother is a prime example of that. She can only move her left arm, but move it she does, and very effectively.

We resort to modern technology to keep our widespread family up-to-date. Calling each member of our large family every day would be physically and emotionally exhausting. Thank goodness for instant access. One of the grandchildren started a thread of memories. We are all too far flung to gather and share, so we share on the Facebook site where we can still laugh, cry, and support one another.

I remind myself constantly that the fragile shell inhabiting the hospital bed is only a remnant of the mother we knew. Of course, the people caring for her at this time in her life have never known the woman they see every day, as the adventurous, courageous, feisty woman we knew. We have placed a photo by her bed to let them see part of what she was like. It is the passport photo we had taken in preparation for our trip to Okinawa,one young woman surrounded by her seven children. The photo does its job and opens the door for stories as the staff asks questions.

Time is short and our hearts are heavy, but I have faith there is a mansion waiting.

The Vigil

2009-11-01T11:00:00.000-06:00

None of us ever envisioned this - Mother resting comfortably in a hospice hospital bed. She was always so feisty and determined that seeing her in this situation is almost unfathomable. She was felled by a clot in the brain. We must all meet our end, but this is not the end any of us would have chosen had any of us had a voice in the matter.

Hospice has been around for a long time but I had never had any personal experience with it until now. Everything I have heard about it is true. The staff is wonderful, competent , and caring. They care, not only for the patient, but they care for the family. No deed is too insignificant for them. Settling Mother in, I mentioned that she seemed to like having her left hand out from under the covers. They immediately asked if there were anything else that seemed to make her comfortable. It was a small thing to do, but it was significant in indicating the depth of their attention to detail for her comfort.
The staff understands that she has not been able to hear for years, but they talk to her anyway, to provide reassurance and tell her what they are doing. They explain everything to us as we maintain our bedside vigil, come quickly when called, and provide relief for her whenever it is needed.
We wrestled at great length with the decisions that brought us here, but we are convinced that this is the most natural way for our Mother to continue on the journey that we must all take. The pamphlet hospice gave us says includes these thoughts by Henry Van Dyke:
I am standing upon the seashore. A ship at my side spreads her white sails in the morning breeze and starts for the blue ocean. She is an object of beauty and strength. I stand and watch her until at length she hangs like a speck of white cloud just where the sea and sky come to mingle with each other.
Then someone at my side says, "There, she is gone!"
"Gone where?"
Gone from my sight. That is all. She is just as large in mast and hull and spar as she was when she left my side and she is just as able to bear the load of living freight to her destination port.
Her diminished size is in me, not in her. and just at the moment when someone at my side says, "There, she is gone!" There are other eyes, watching the coming, and other voices ready to take up the glad shout,"Here she comes!"
And that is dying.

Here I Go Again

2009-09-06T16:34:00.004-05:00

Time is fleeting....
I am getting ready for my next big trip and haven't finished writing about the others yet....priorities, priorities....

Have sent my passport to register for a visa and am waiting to receive it back. You never know with the postal service these days.

I attempted to make flight reservation on-line, but it was too involved for the time I had available, so the travel agency did it for me. It certainly saved me time, grief, and stressing out about whether or not I would make connections. The price was not a whole lot more either. I did make my own flight arrangements to the gateway city at less cost and better times. Just hope 2 hours to connect to home from an international flight will be long enough.

Oh, where am I going?
It is a bike (bicycling) and barge along the Mekong Delta in November. Meanwhile, I have to get the bike tuned up so I can get in some practice.

In the meantime, I will be filling in on the rest of my trip to Thailand & China....

From the Memory Box - "Musical Noses"

2009-08-27T05:08:00.001-05:00

"Somewhere there is a tape of [the three youngest children] playing 'Jingle Bells' with their noses."

Many families are overflowing with musical talent. When we were first married, I envisioned evenings around the piano, singing our hearts out, but no one can play well enough for that. I bought a player piano and that worked for special occasions.

I am not familiar with this tape or, perhaps, I have chosen to forget it. I can certainly believe that they played "Jingle Bells", and probably a few other things, on their noses. Maybe I can find that tape and copy it for their children.

Promises, Promises

2009-08-26T23:14:00.002-05:00

We are about to set a new record in Central Texas. We have had 65 days of temperatures in the triple digits. It is not a record I want to see set this year, or ever.

Today, the skies were dark, there was thunder, and the lights flickered. I know that was rain somewhere in the area just teasing us here. When I stepped out to gather the mail, a gentle breeze whispered around the corner. It felt like the air from an oven just cooling down after a baking session. Not much to stir hope for the Fall, but every little bit helps.

Maybe the next promise will deliver rain....a cool front....relief.....

From the Memory Box - "Books"

2009-08-26T09:00:00.000-05:00

"You have to read one good-for-you book every time you go the library."

Once a week, I would load all the children into the car and we would go to the library. I put a limit on the number of books they could check out, 10 each, and they would push the limit every time. Silence reigned as we drove home. The children were engrossed in the books they had checked out. I would already be worrying about keeping the books accounted for so we could return them promptly and not have to pay a fine. That was a lot of books to keep an eye on!

As we pulled into the drive at home, the children would complain that they had almost finished reading everything they had checked out. Suggestions that they should up their reading levels fell on deaf ears. Finally, I refused to take them to the library unless they got at least one good-for-you book. At least one had to address a subject that had some substance to it, was hard enough to read that it took longer than a 30 minute ride from the library, and presented enough challenge to keep them occupied for a while.

There were some perfunctory complaints, especially from DS who was in a reading competition at school when he was in first grade.
"All the other kids get to read books that have 1-2 words or even no words on a page. Why can't I?" he complained.
"Everyone has his own abilities and I know you can do better," I pointed out.
He redoubled his efforts and won first place, having read some 200 books in the allotted time period. When his teacher asked what he wanted for a prize, he never missed a beat...."Money," he told her.

The Memory Box - "Fur Coats"

2009-08-23T17:29:00.003-05:00

From the Memory Box

"The fur coats you got from Chinatown or somewhere that someone from gymnastics picked up for you."

I was so happy to find some other women who were always looking for a bargain. One brought her daughter in one day wearing a nice, furry jacket made of rabbit skin. It was really reasonable, she told me, so I had her get a couple for my girls. Every time the girls wore them, they left a trail of fur. Fur floated in the air and we all sneezed repeatedly. They really were cute, but I don't buy rabbit fur products anymore.

A Song From the Memory Box

2009-08-23T17:12:00.002-05:00

No, I have not forgotten about the Memory Box the children gave me some time ago. I pulled one today to write about before I return to my wanderings....

"My reindeer flies sideways, your reindeer flies upside down! A song sung to the tune of Pomp and Circumstance, so when you graduated from TWU, that is all could think of as they played that song."

Well, it is true. The children were so enamored with that silly song that it kept running through my head as the melody was played at my graduation ceremony. I was in a long line of serious minded women marching to the front of the church where the ceremony was held and all I could envision was reindeer flying around inside , rather like the silly bird that sneaks into the house through the open door then flies furiously attempting to find an exit.

It was reminiscent of my predjudice against the traditional Wedding March. My brothers had sung the silly version to that tune for ao many years, that I could not bear to have it played when I walked down the aisle.
You remember.....

Here comes the bride,
Big fat and wide
See how she wobbles from side to side.
Here comes the groom
Skinny as a broom
He'd wobble, too,
If he had any room.

So much for Tradition!

Life's Unforgettable Moments

2009-08-22T22:20:00.004-05:00

DDKr, D.A., and I went to ChaMo's play this morning at the Palace Theater in Georgetown, Texas. ChaMo was a narrator and did an awesome job. He had a multitude of lines to remember and that job was interspersed with his role as a rat. Well, it was the story of the Pied Piper of Hamlin after all. He has been in acting camp all summer and his roles varied from a talking head to Prince Charming.

Kr went to a meeting afterward and I get to keep the boys overnight. It was not too hard to entertain them. We went to SAM's to pick up some things I need for tomorrow and grazed on samples throughout the store. Funny, I think the samples always taste better than the product does when you fix it at home. Perhaps hunger makes a tiny taste seem gourmet.

We got a huge pepperoni pizza for lunch (less than $7.00) and there is a lot left for tomorrow. We cooked it at home and it was pretty good. The boys spent the afternoon playing with Legos and Connectix (or some such). It is amazing how everything turns into a sword, or a weapon of some kind. They were quite creative!

After grilling some funny-cut "ribs" for supper, we headed back to the Palace Theater for an evening show put on by the teen group. Thirty-two teens had been working for four weeks on a "junior" version of Guys and Dolls. The term "junior" just means it is a shortened version. There were only 2 boys in the group and the roles called for mostly boys, so the girls stepped right up to the plate and did what they were supposed to do - ACTED in the boys' roles. They were all awesome. I am always amazed at the talent in this small town and the talent of the staff that brings it all to fruition.

It was indeed a memorable night and for one young (12 year old) girl, a night that will be recounted for years to come. She was dressed in a knee-length bridal outfit and had just come on stage in celebratory fashion. The cast was strung across the stage getting ready to burst into song and dance, when the girl looked down and saw her skirt puddled around her ankles. Her reaction was priceless - a most surprised face. She was carrying a large bouquet with one arm and could not reach down to pick up her skirt. Thank goodness she had on a slip. Girl #2, standing next to her, picked the skirt up and attempted to fasten it somehow while girl #1 went bravely on with her speech and song. Holding her bouquet in her right arm, gathering her skirt top around her with her left hand, and traipsing around the stage to fulfill her role, girl #1 finished the remainder of the scene without missing a beat. What a triumph for her! Meeting and overcoming an unexpected challenge will have far reaching consequences, especially for the girl, but also for everyone who witnessed it.

Yep! Live theater beats movies any day.

I am reminded of a similar occasion when DDKr (15 years old at the time) was leading part of the opening ceremonies at a National GS convention in Houston, Texas. She had been through several practices and each time changes had been made. When the time came, she inadvertently asked the 20,000+ people to stand. About half those present stood, but the rest remained seated knowing the timing was off - 10,000 standing, 10,000 sitting. I sat in the convention hall wondering what DD would do and if she were panicking and what was going to happen. The program moved on and a minute later, when we were expected to stand, this amazingly calm young woman spoke clearly to the group, "NOW, will everyone please stand," and gave them a big smile. Amid the appreciative laughter, I could hear the people around me finally exhale.

Girl Scouts, theater, school - every child deserves a safe place to fall down, pick themselves up, and know they have support to continue their journey to success.

How Long are Your Telomeres?

2009-08-21T11:25:00.004-05:00

I just read the most intriguing article in my RN magazine, September 2008....I know, I know, I am running behind.

Telomeres are the little caps at the end of chromosomes, rather like aglets on a shoelace. Our DNA, but not the telomeres, constantly replicates, so the telomeres shorten each time. As we age, the shortened telomeres can no longer keep the DNA from unraveling so the DNA stops dividing and we age. Amazingly, telomeres are longer in people who are physically active. Therefore, some scientists have concluded that exercise can delay aging.

This discovery will probably annoy those who were waiting for a pill to cure aging. On the other hand, exercise can be free and is available to everyone, so there are no excuses. Will the government and health agencies stop encouraging people to exercise when agencies discover that exercise may increase longevity, thus increasing the demands on our health care system? Just think, really exercising and drinking plenty of water could be the long-sought Fountains of Youth.

I am off to Jazzercise....

Decor-ate

2009-08-16T16:48:00.005-05:00

I don't cook as much as I used to and discovered this weekend that I am getting a little rusty. We had a surprise potluck for our accompanist at church; her baby is due in September. I made egg salad sandwiches since deviled eggs are a popular dish at our church potlucks. The sandwiches were fine. Even the ones I made with the heels of the bread were eaten, in spite of the fact there were two other plates of egg salad sandwiches, and two plates of deviled eggs. It was a high cholesterol Sunday!

I also made cupcakes for dessert.My vision was to to ice the cupcakes, make a nice flower from icing, and put a little plastic baby in the center. It had been a loooong time since I had done that kind of work, and I was never a pro. The cupcakes tasted good and the icing was tasty, but I tried decorating with the newfangled "icing in a container" and it was too soft. No problem, I thought, I will just spray it with some food coloring, put a sort of spiral design on it, and plop the babies in pools of icing in the center of each cupcake. That didn't look too bad. To improve on my improvisation, I decided to make a simple flower outline around the baby sitting in the pool of icing at the center of the spiral on the iced cupcake. It still was not too bad, even though it was a far cry from my original vision. I packed everything into covered containers last night so I could leave bright and early this morning.

When I opened the containers to set the cupcakes out, I realized my mistake! The icing was too soft for the project. The icing on the cupcakes had flowed together during the night, leaving me with lavender iced cakes sporting tiny plastic babies resting in pools of yellow. I set them out anyway because they tasted good and I had nothing to put in their place. Also they were chocolate and I was afraid to keep them in my household for my sweet tooth. That might have been my second mistake. All the cupcakes were eaten and there were several babies set aside near the dish. I only heard one person admit he ate the plastic baby, thinking it was hard candy.

I plan to get back to baking and regain my expertise.

Promises, Promises

2009-08-15T09:25:00.003-05:00

I just read a comment by Uncle Dan that reminded me of a family story.
Uncle Dan said "I am always leery of anyone who promises the moon."

One day I heard one of my brothers trying to bribe his younger daughter to do something, He promised one thing after another. I did not say anything, but became increasingly annoyed. Finally I had had enough and blurted out "Well, why don't you just promise her the moon and be done with it!"

He never missed a beat. He smiled at me sweetly and confessed, "I can't do that. I have already promised it to her sister."

Random Thoughts....

2009-08-13T21:16:00.005-05:00

We have had a few drops of rain here and it has cooled off....well, "cool" is relative.
Now guess what HEB has on sale....FIREWOOD! and we aren't even allowed to have open fires.

For several years I have attempted to view the wonderful meteor showers that should be appearing every August around this time. I never have any luck. I stood out in the backyard, in my jammies, staring intently at the eastern sky for about 15 minutes. The mosquitoes found me and I gave up. I did not see one "falling star."

Thank goodness for Jazzercise! I have to psych myself up to get out and get there, but I always love it after I arrive. Still walking 2-3 miles most mornings. Need to start riding my bike to prepare for my biking trip. I'll never be a triathlete like the rest of my family.

I have some good ideas for Christmas presents for the children this year. Hope I have enough time.

ChaMo went to a vocal workshop with me Wednesday. He has such a good voice and he is growing up too quickly. I am sure these years will go quickly. He and Em will both be in 6th grade. ChaMo is taking drama and Em is taking French.

I so dislike seeing people chew gum when they are speaking to a group. Did you see the guy on "America's got Talent"? He was voted off. I wonder if others were repulsed by it as well. The next day, I sat through a meeting where the leader of the group led the whole meeting while chewing her gum. I just couldn't concentrate on what she was saying. I kept thinking she should tuck it into a hole in her tooth until the meeting was adjourned. I wonder if this means I am getting "crotchety."

Happy Birthday "W"

2009-08-11T14:42:00.001-05:00

A very happy 1st birthday!

Home Alone.....

2009-08-02T17:45:00.003-05:00

All the hearts are settled in Colorado, well....as settled as they can be.

My heart just melted when I put Abs on the plane Saturday, after all she had been my constant companion for the last six weeks. Seeing the world through her eyes gave me a new perspective. I also have a new perspective on her world and the challenges she faces. No, I don't have any answers and I am not always full of patience for her antics, but she just brings such life to this world.

I goofed when I left packing Abs' bags until the last day. I had thought she would be anxious without her accoutrements, so I waited. The good thing was that her cousins, Chas. & D.A. were over for the day and served as a distraction while I packed things up. Abs could check two items and have a bag to carry on. First, I told her that the oversize dinosaurs would each require a seat on the airplane, so they would have to stay here until they could be delivered. Then I told her to bring all her things, including those left behind by other family members, so I could pack them.
The three children made several trips to pile my bed high with all the possibilities.... sigh...it was an overwhelming task. Finally, I packed the suitcase to sitonthetopandzipitup and stuffed a large box with everything else I could fit in. The bicycle pump, petrified rocks (legally acquired), plethora of books, and sundry other treasures will have to wait. I have a sinking feeling that much of it will be waiting until they move back to Texas.

The children are like little puppies. I think they all roll in the dirt as soon as I let them out the door to play. I gave Abs a quick bath, did her hair, and she dressed for her trip. We had made a quick jacket since she was leaving the 100 degree weather of Texas and heading into the 40-50-60 degree weather of Colorado. Whatever the temperature there, she was sure to feel cold.

I had been explaining everything Abs might encounter on an airplane from air pockets to oxygen, and reminded her that the pilots were professional and she could ask the flight attendants about anything she might not understand. she was very confident, but subdued. She asked a ton of questions at the airport. She had a bad case of the "What ifs...." for a while, a trait inherited from her mother. Fortunately, she stood quietly while I signed her in. She asked questions the rest of the time....
"What is that thing moving in the back?"
"The conveyor belt for your bags," I answered. That led to a flood of inquiries on her quest for information.
"Where does it go?
"Does it make a loop?"
"How will my bags get off?"
"How will they know which airplane to put them on?"
"What if they get lost?"
"Why do we have to prove who we are?"
"Why do I have to pull my shoes off? No one could possibly hide anything in their shoes!"
"What does that machine do?"
"Will it X-ray my bones?"
On and on, right up to boarding time. Then Abs became very quiet and hugged herself to my leg as if she could never be pulled away. Only the thought of her family waiting for her in Colorado, moved her to board the plane. One small girl carrying two bags filled with dinosaur books, colors, reading material, beading materials, and her supper - peanut butter sandwich, grapes, 2 oreos, dried cherries and raisins.
"I am a little scared," she admitted at the last minute.
There were a half dozen unaccompanied minors travelling on this flight, all older and appearing more experienced. Thankfully, a mature young lady about 12 years old, stopped at the gate and took Abs under her wing. Abs never looked back. She was off an a new adventure.

The house is very quiet now. I am not yet accustomed to the fact that there is no one else here and that "quiet" does not mean someone is into something. I have not had to fish Q-tips out of the toilet. I do need to buy some eye shadow since the last lot was turned from caked into powdered, but it had been cleaned up and that shows progress. The TV does not blare cartoons when I turn it on and there is not a trail of clothes and towels leading to and / or from the bathroom. When I put something down, it will still be there when I return...in the same spot....in the same condition. I am home alone....for a while.....

When All is Quiet on the Homefront

2009-07-30T08:39:00.005-05:00

Abs and I had a wonderful trip. It is rather like childbirth, you forget the bad parts and only remember the good parts. There were plenty of good parts to remember, but Abs does not take "change" well, so there were a few difficult times too. Gunner was supposed to be in Colorado by a certain date, but he waited until we returned before he left so he could visit with Abs. ABW stayed a few extra days to run a triathlon, rested, then drove straight through to Colorado with two little hearts. Abs stayed with me. We dangled the offer of an airplane ride in front of her, like a carrot in front of Goozeberry, as temptation to stay. She will fly out Saturday.

This will be Abs' first flight since she was about 3 years old, so it will all be new. I have been filling her head with information so the ride will, hopefully, be smooth for all concerned. It is nonstop and her family will be waiting. Knowing ABW's desire to always be on time, they will be waiting at the airport long before the expected flight arrives.

My time with Abs has not been dull by any means.
"Don't blog about me!" she says, but we do.
Life with Abs deserves to be shared. So I choose a few things to share. They brighten my day, in retrospect, and I hope they brighten yours, serve as a reminder of fleeting childhood and that people are more important than things....or what someone else thinks.

With her parent's permission, I took Abs for a haircut. She had chopped a hunk off front and center and it was beginning to grow out. She is rivaling her brother's cowlick right now. She had also chopped a hunk off center back, but it doesn't show when her hair is down.

Before haircut

After haircut
"Doesn't that shirt belong to Em?" I asked Abs when I first saw her wearing it.
"She gave it to me," Abs said.
"Well, that was nice of her," I said, knowing Em is not fond of sharing her clothes with Abs.
"Yes. I touched it and she said it now had cooties, so I got to keep it," Abs told me matter-of-factly, but with a touch of sadness.

Abs has really been busy these last 3 weeks with me. She looked positively angelic serving as an acolyte Sunday morning. She has read "The Last Olympian" 6 times ( I offer new books, but she prefers to reread this one); painted plaster-of-paris dinosaurs, colored, and colored, and colored; pasted fabric on a sweatshirt for a project we are doing; strung beads, beads, and more beads; gone to 2 plays; gone to the park, played in the sprinklers ( mud and all); written letters using Egyptian hieroglyphics; built with Legos; played with cousins; etc., etc., etc. Ask her what she did and she will say "Nothing."

"This is a Drakon. It has hard scales and bright eyes, like spotlights. Most have no fire, but this one breathes fire so she can light campfires. She is several millennium older than dragons."

Abs plays quietly in the bath for as long as I will allow. That time has been getting shorter and shorter. The rules are:

Don't add water to the tub
Don't splash the water out of the tub
Don't water the plants
Leave the shampoo alone

Without strict supervision, she waters my tub-side plants to overflowing. When I asked why a giraffe planter was standing in an inch of water -
"I don't know how THAT happened!" she said with great surprise.

I shampoo her hair to conserve shampoo and water, but the tub was filled to the brim with bubbles and the shampoo bottle was empty -
"I didn't do anything," she said, "just swept my hands back and forth and all these bubbles appeared."

We are almost to the point of having water rationing here since we have had no rain for 60+ days and temperatures in the triple digits. Therefore, I request that Abs not add water to the tub. O.K., O.K., it is also because she tends to overflow it. Invariably, if I don't check on her often enough, I return to find a tub filled to the top with water, the tap "just trickling" in her eyes, "running" in my eyes, and Abs happily "surfing," and water everywhere.

Sleep? Abs lines up her 10-12 animals just so; snuggles down under 4-6 blankets, afghans, and quilts; says her prayers; then we call her mother. ABW talks to her for 1/2 hour, sings her a song; repeats the song as many times as Abs can commandeer; says goodnight and I turn out the lights.
"Turn the fan on; I'm hot!" she shouts from under her pile of blankets. Taking some of them off is not an option in her opinion.
Abs paddles in to get a drink of water....and again....and again...I am getting frustrated.....

Quiet reigns. I go back to check and find Abs reading. I take the bulb out of the lamp (I learned this from her mother). The overhead light is too high to reach easily so I make threats....
I return later to find her reading by the night light. I promise to remove it if she reads any more. Many people would be thrilled to have their children spend that much time reading. I used to read by the light of the moon

Last night I did not check again until I went to bed. All was quiet, I had left her snuggled and sleepy-eyed, and had congratulated myself on finally getting everything under control. I stayed up way too late and headed down the hall to go bed about midnight. The overhead light from Abs' room was shining brightly and I figured she had left it on after reading too long. I slipped in to turn out the light and take a last look at her angelic face in quiet repose. I discovered her sitting in her bed, fingers fairly flying as she twisted pipe cleaners into shapes "for my daddy." She had made a bunch of "large fish," a large "fish net", a small "fish net", and many small "fish (anchovies"). The "netting" was based on our visit with a Paiute elder we met on our trip, who was demonstrating the craft. It was midnight!

Abs is preparing for her trip to her new home in Colorado. I have warned ABW that, although I have washed all the clothes, and Abs has been wearing underwear all week, now she has none.
There is never a dull moment.

I will miss her, but right now it is very quiet and I need to see what new surprise she has in store for me.

Trip with Abs - Heading Home - 5 July 2009

2009-07-21T08:02:00.004-05:00

The Elderhostel program was over and we left St. George, Utah, to head home. Abs' family was preparing to move to Colorado and Gunner was waiting to give her a hug before he left.

I decided to make a couple of stops that were not out of the way and thought Abs might enjoy.

Somewhere I missed a turn and missed the weird houses I had seen previously but we did get a closer view of Glen Canyon Dam. Abs must have been a little anxious to get on the road because she declined to take a tour of the inner workings. Of course she did want to visit the attached book shop where we ended up with another book on dinosaurs.
We stopped early enough to drive through the painted desert

and visit the Petrified Forest (free with our National Parks Pass). The Ranger Station had scavenger hunt papers and Abs was all into it. She earned a pin and a patch and learned something in the process.

Abs was fascinated by the petrified wood.

She found it particularly interesting to see how dry the area was and learn how the trees had once stood straight and tall by a big lake that was frequented by dinosaurs. It really brought the entire picture into better focus.

Of course, we are never to busy to watch the rainbow and remember the promises God has made to us.

We watched the sun set as we headed back to our last night in a hotel. We would make it all the way home the next day.

Travels With Abs - 7/4/2009 - Kanab, Utah

2009-07-16T21:03:00.017-05:00

We left Ruby's Inn and headed back to St. George via Kanab, Utah.

We stopped for a brief look at Red Rock Canyon, before we left the enticing colored cliffs.

Scott Richardson joined us in Kanab to explain more about the excavation and freeing of fossils from their surroundings. He also showed us some of the latest finds. What an exciting time for paleontologists!

Abs holds the "toe bone" of a dinosaur that had teeth at least 6" long.

Scott explains the fossilized impressions of dinosaur skin.

This plaster model is the only thing left of a rare find from several years ago. The original skull was stolen and probably resides now in the museum of some private collector.

Fossils are carefully collected from sites and transported in "plaster jackets." The pieces are put together like an ancient jigsaw puzzle, often without a photo to guide.

They must be carefully pieced back together to tell the story of the animal.

Sott Richardson holds the bone of a dinosaur that had a broken leg. The leg was partially healed, but probably left the creature vulnerable. Many bones show teeth marks and other trauma. Paleontologists can piece together many of the stories the bones leave behind.

We spent a little time in the museum. They had a Junior Ranger program, but Abs was the only one interested and she did not have enough time to finish.
A visit to the local rock shop was a joy for rock-loving Abs. She shops for rocks like I shop for fabric. She did end up with a small trilobite for her Aunt Kr to make into some sort of jewelry for her.
Lunch was served at Frontier Movie Town where there are many old sets from movies, many of them filmed in Kanab and surrounding areas. The sets have been brought to this central location and are fun to wander through and take photos. No charge!

Lunch was preceded by our group's acting in "How the West Was Lost." We all put on costumes and followed the set script while a man ran around frantically taking photos. The photos were available later for $10.00 each. Fortunately, they sold out to doting grandparents before I saw them. I don't imagine I was very photogenic in my Indian garb with camera, and other items I carried for a couple of children, hanging off me, but it was fun.

We had a very nice barbecue lunch. Abs only ate rolls and drank lemonade, I limited the rolls to two and gave her an apple on the bus. I should have tucked a jar of peanut butter in my purse.

It did not seem like the Fourth of July. We were visiting the museum when Kanab had their town parade, but we were headed back to St. George and were assured our hotel was a great place to see the fireworks. That was an understatement! I think the whole town gathered in front of our place and we joined in the family atmosphere. I cringed when someone pulled a pick-uo truck in front of the building, opened the door, and turned the radio up to LOUD, but when the fireworks started, I discovered they were set to the music on the radio station and we felt like we had front row seats. It was one of the best firework displays I have ever seen. A barrage would go off at the park a few blocks away, and while it was reloading, we were treated to another display on a nearby hill. The two sites kept up a constant, heavy stream of fireworks for the entire time. no downtime to wonder if that was all there would be.
Finally, I felt like the Fourth of July had arrived.

Travels With Abs - Bryce National Park 7/3/2009

2009-07-16T07:26:00.012-05:00

We had a very comfortable stay at Ruby's Inn, just outside Bryce, for 2 nights. It was almost a small city in itself, yet without a hint of what was waiting for us at the park. We went by coach to the park, but the Bryce Shuttle also makes the trip from Ruby's Inn.

Since it is not a great distance from Zion to Bryce, I expected the parks to be very similar. What a surprise when we burst upon the glory that is Bryce. The erosion in Bryce differs from that in Zion to form very different terrain.

The rocks are similar in color to Zion, but the formations are quite different. Bryce was our introduction to hoodoos.

We began our morning with a 2 mile hike beginning at the far end of the Rim Trail, progressing to Inspiration Point. It was a wise choice since the trail seemed to be downhill hiking in our chosen direction. Those of us who live at sea level have to struggle just a little at those higher altitudes.

The hike was fairly easy and there were plenty of stops to allow us to exclaim about the view and to benefit from Darrell's learned guidance on flora and fauna.

After lunch, we headed to the corral for an hour of horseback riding. The top wrangler checked us out and decided which horses would be suitable. We walked over to the cowboys who found the horse, then helped each person mount, and gave instructions on handling. Abs rode "Goozeberry," a mule that claimed her heart immediately. The wrangler told me I was to ride "Winnie," so I duly reported my message. No one knew which horse that was and I began to wonder. Back up the chain of command, the word came down that it was "Queenie." Those Utah accents will get you every time. "Queenie' was a tall horse. I felt like a contortionist as I tried to get my foot in the stirrup that hung about waist high.
The trail began as a flat and easy stretch of path leading toward a grove of trees, then the cowboy leader brought the group to a stop.
"We will be climbing the trail. Give your horse his head and he will take you along. He has done this a whole lot more than you have, so trust him." This speech was just a little ominous.
Not only had we been placed on the best horse for us, the horses had been lined up in a particular way. I discovered the horse in front of me lagged behind a lot, so "Queenie," who kept her nose resting on the forward horse's rump, would nip him every once in a while to speed him up.
The flat trail quickly turned to a steep climb with a drop-off alternately on the right and left sides. The horses and mules stayed to the drop-off side because the trail was softer there. I trusted the animal, although I don't know how she could see where her feet were going, but I did not trust the trail not to give way and send us crashing down the hill.
Abs, who claims to be afraid of heights, just talked and looked around at the scenery.
"Weren't you frightened?" I asked her later.
"No," she said. "I just let go of the reins and let the mule have its head like they told us to do. It was FUN!"The ride was fun, and I managed to snap a few photos as I bounced along. I think the animals had been saving everything up for one particular area on the trail, near a switchback. Almost every one of them made a contribution to Horse Latrine Pool (my name for it, not theirs).
We had a nice ride and survived thunder and lightening without mishap or rain. An hour later we were dismounting back in the corral and congratulating each other on our, much improved, horseback riding skills.

We headed back to the Ruby's Inn for dinner, swimming, and an early bedtime.

Travels With Abs - Zion National Park 7/2//2009

2009-07-12T07:51:00.006-05:00

We boarded a coach, bound for Zion National Park, right after breakfast. We would be staying a couple of nights near Bryce, but we got to keep our room in St. George, so we only had to take a few things with us. Nice! It was less than 2 hours to Zion and we had videos (of dinosaurs) to watch on the way. I have been amazed there are so many dinosaur videos. I thought, the flawed, "Jurassic Park" was about the only thing out there, but National Geographic and Discovery Channel have a lot of different options.

Zion National Park is celebrating its 100th birthday this year, the oldest national park in Utah. A National Park pass gets you in for "free", and free shuttle buses will take you for a ride all the way round, where you can get off and on at will. The ride on the way in has a commentary on the park and its geologic features. We traveled to "The Riverside Walk" and hiked to the end. It follows the Virgin River along the bottom of a narrow canyon, is fairly easy, not paved, and partially shaded. Fortunately, there was good cloud cover, so we didn't suffer from the extreme heat we had been seeing in St. George. There were plenty of stops along the way to learn about the geology, plant, and wildlife of the area from Darrell and Marcia, our patient leaders.

Abs soaks up a lesson in geology.
This site was below an area that had suffered from a forest fire. When it rained, the waterfall was black, leaving traces of soot and debris on the face. Of course, we did not see a waterfall.

.
Maidenhair fern thrives in the cracks of the rocks. If we had seen a waterfall, there would surely have been a small one here at one of the hanging gardens.

The "Great White Throne," a grayish white expanse of rock that towers over Zion Canyon and is the main landmark for the park.

We left the trail and boarded a shuttle back to civilization. There was no commentary on the way back "leaving ample time to reflect on your journey and the scenery." Most were too tired to carry on conversations and the shuttle was filled, with visitors from many different countries as well as our folk. However, Abs and An, the similarly aged friend she had made on our trip, were in deep discussion. An had been given a "beetle farm" for her birthday one year and, since they had seen a lot of beetles on the trail, the girls were discussing the life cycle of the beetle. Everything went smoothly until they got to the reproductive cycle.
"How do they have babies?" Abs asked.
"One gets on top of the other and jiggles, then the female lays eggs." An replied.
There was not one snicker on this crowded, silent bus full of adults, but several people expressed their appreciation of the lesson as we departed. There was a lot of laughter after exiting.
It is against the rules to feed the wildlife, but some people feel they are above the rules. Here a cute little squirrel feasts on forbidden fruit. The squirrels were not intimidated by the human monsters who towered over them.

Could there ever be enough time to explore this beautiful park? I only know that I plan to return to camp, or rent a cabin, and attempt every trail in the park! I would like to make that every trail in every season, but that might be pushing it.

Our group moved on after a box lunch in the commons area. We were headed for Bryce where we would be staying for a couple of nights. During the trip by coach through the beautiful canyons, I took more photos out the bus window.Although this one appears to be the work of a super grader, the face of this mesa was actually scored by winds from opposing directions.

More scoring and examples of faults, uplifts, and such. DH would have loved all this.

Here is a naturally formed arch in the cliff. There were several of these.

We traveled to Bryce, but the beauty of that park was not to be revealed until the next day. After dinner, we went to the local rodeo. It consisted of locals who were breaking in new horses to the events, and practicing or learning. It was very family oriented and did not appear to push competition. There were a slew of young children who were gamely learning to ride whatever they were put on. One father led his daughter through a barrel race by holding on to the reins and running in front of the horse the whole way. Another small child was, I am convinced, not out of diapers.
Rodeoing is a tough life. My dad gave it up after my mother laid down the law early in their marriage, but I still have a lot of admiration for those who can face a bull or a bucking horse.