Alky Elementary

This is one of my classes at Alkrington Elementary School .. just north of Manchester, England. I am to this day extremely grateful for the excellent education I received from all the schools and college I attended in England. If you think you can find me in this photo, tell me where I am ... no prize is offered! lol

HINT: I'm not in the front or the back row!!

This and That

I'm glad to say I'm almost over the bronchitis that has plagued me for over a week ... no longer a pariah but now there's no-one around anyway!
Been watching the Olympics and enjoying 99.9% of the athletes. Never been one to tolerate bad sportsmanship, showboating, gloating, etc. You've seen them ... and I'm very sad to say one of them was a Brit! or at least racing for Britain.
I'll be off to the lake around Labor Day ... found out I have two more dental appointments instead of just the one.
My hip replacement is scheduled for October 15th and recovery will proceed as planned so I can fly to Kauai on December 2nd!!
That's all for now ... hope you like the baby pic.

Auntie Pariah

I have bronchitis and I'm a pariah ... no-one wants me to come near them in case I spread 'the bug' ... I'm taking antibiotics, prednisone, albuterol but it'll just take time to get better.


It was my brother-in-law's birthday and the younger members of the family came over for a swim and dinner ... the hot tub was a big hit! I fixed my world famous chicken-and-sink enchiladas! This time I added chopped mangoes. But I ate alone! aaaaah.

HIP REPLACEMENT

Well, I've got my 'date' for surgery .. October 15th. My right hip is bone-on-bone. Plans are for surgery Wednesday, walking that afternoon, overnight stay in clinic, climb stairs Thursday and home that afternoon. The surgeon (www.johntdearbornmd.com) uses minimally invasive surgery and specializes in hips and knees (H&K) ... Will fill you in later ... this is good news .. I look forward to being free of pain by November!

Feeding time!

Here's a photo of my nephew Paul's (and wife Liz's) four children at 'feeding time' ...
L to R: James 4yr, Emma 6yr, Kate 21mos., Will 8mo.
James decided that his mother's tanning makeup would be fun to try on (he wanted to be beautiful)! He was born with a severe heart defect and is scheduled for further (his 3rd) surgery on September 15th ... prayers appreciated! Emma is the leader of the pack and has just found out what extraordinary fun it can be to jump in a pool and swim. Kate is the happiest little girl around, always willing to smile and giggle ... and Will is a linebacker in the making!

Awesome Sky

The first evening I got home from the lake, we had some sprinkles pass through the area, south to north ... and we had one of those evening skies you just have to take a photo of.



It looks a bit like a tornado doesn't it? But it's just part of a rainbow ... amid the red sky ... wow!

Clouds

I just returned home from a few days at Lake Almanor .. always nice to come home again ... on the way, I saw again the fire damage on Hwy 32 and apparently there's a new (small) fire there now. I drove past large sandwich boards that said "NEW FIRE .. DO NOT REPORT" ... Had to chuckle, although I felt like crying when I saw the charred trees and brush. One of the creeks was bone dry and I haven't seen that before.

I have a penchant for clouds and rock formations and can't pass up the chance for photos.

I'd love to know exactly what happens to create clouds like this ... it's like looking at a painting ... Unfortunately, I'm not very savvy when it comes to meteorology ... all I can do is enjoy the scenery.



I have some really fascinating photos of clouds taken over the years. One of these days, I'll dig them out and post them here.