Blackpool Rocks ... and other sweet things

South Pacific/New Zealand

2010-11-29T19:49:00.000-08:00

I have another blog covering my recent trip to the South Pacific/New Zealand in November 2010. It can be found at: www.mysouthpacific.blogspot.com
I started it on November 29 so it will take a couple of weeks to get all my photos posted so check back often.

The Beauty of Oregon

2010-09-27T23:27:00.001-07:00

I was looking over several of my photos and again was struck by the beauty that is southern Oregon ... as these photos will attest. I have a few more breathtakingly beautiful shots which I'll post shortly.

Jackie Evancho

2010-09-10T22:58:00.001-07:00

I am just amazed by this 10-year old girl ... she is such a pretty girl with a nice personality and a voice that's way beyond her years. In case you haven't listened to her, here's the link.

MY AFRICAN BLOG

2010-06-02T12:37:00.000-07:00

Please go to: www.theafricanscene.blogspot.com to see my photos and stories of my African trip. It's June 24th and I think I've finished posting my pictures .. although once I go through them again, I'm likely to find more that I should have posted ... Let me know how you enjoy my Africa blog ..

SOUTHERN AFRICA

2010-05-25T05:54:00.000-07:00

I'm in South Africa at the moment ... having been to Botswana, Zambia and a quick trip into Zimbabwe to see Victoria Falls ... I am opening another "African Scene" blog to post all my photos from this wonderful area so stay tuned.
Signing off now ...

BLIMP RIDE OVER SAN FRANCISCO

2010-05-06T23:30:00.000-07:00

Last Sunday, May 2nd we soared with Airship Ventures in their huge blimp, over San Francisco. The cabin has all window seats and the views are absolutely spectacular. We had originally booked this trip for Valentine's Day 2009 but with one thing and another - weather/work schedules we had to wait - and the wait was well worth it. We couldn't have had a better day. The photos speak for themselves - Bay Bridge, Treasure Island, Golden Gate Bridge, Alcatraz, Downtown. Click on the photos to enlarge them ... some of them are incredibly detailed. I particularly like the one with both bridges in it and the City in between ...

Who doesn't like old newspaper clippings?

2010-04-13T18:53:00.001-07:00

I came to the U.S. in May 1964 .. straight to San Francisco. Lived with my big sister until she got married. Two years after my arrival, I broke off my engagement to my first husband (Russ "The Moose" Syracuse, SF Disc Jockey) and returned home with a broken heart. The local newspaper learned of my two years in the U.S. and thought my story would make a good human-interest article. And this is what they did:

I became quite the celebrity - all my college friends and former co-workers saw it - and my parents fielded a lot of questions from customers (they owned a sweets and tobacco shop in Lytham Square).

I finally laminated the article but, as you can see, I didn't laminate it soon enough. I hope you can read it - it's quite interesting in a time-capsule sort of way.

Daphne has discovered the TV

2010-03-21T11:52:00.000-07:00

My LOL (little old lady) Daphne has finally discovered the TV .. perhaps it's because I now have a plasma screen instead of the projector big screen .. but this morning I was watching a show on wildlife in China (what's not eaten or slaughtered for aphrodisiacs!) and it was showing some rare primates who live around and in limestone rock formations. Daphne came into the room, right over to the TV and started watching them - as rapt as I was. I finally had to change channels because I was afraid she was going to jump up there. We've had several other cats and even our dogs, sit and watch TV but not Daphne - not until I had the plasma installed.

ANOTHER OLD PIC

2010-02-28T18:05:00.000-08:00

This was taken at my first job out of college .. at the Princes Hotel in St. Annes, Lancashire. It was near a golf course and was a really nice hotel. I was the Major's (the manager) secretary, part time receptionist/phone operator/bartender and whatever else needed doing. It was a lot of fun. I earned seven pounds fifteen! I was paid one of the higher salaries of anyone in my class.

TRIPS PLANNED

2010-02-18T19:54:00.001-08:00

We have two exciting trips planned ... the first will be to safari in Africa - Botswana, Zambia, South Africa with a daytrip to Zimbabwe. There are four 'girls' going together ... all limeys! Should be a blast.
Second trip will be cruising around the South Pacific, starting in Papeete and ending in Auckland - that trip is scheduled for November.
I've had my shots for Africa (Hepatitis A, Typhoid and Tetanus) so it's just a matter of sit and wait now! That's the hardest part.
Stay tuned!

I LOVE OLD PICS!

2010-02-12T20:08:00.000-08:00

From 1974 until we moved to Oregon, my husband and I went to all 49er home games (had season tickets since day one!). Mostly we tailgated with our friends Mary and George and my sister and brother-in-law. We had the most lavish spreads and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. On more than one occasion, we travelled farther afield to watch our team play. This was taken in Tijuana in the late '70s .. it shows George, my sister Paula and I trying on sombreros. We'd gone down to watch the 49ers/Rams game (when they were the Los Angeles Rams) and took a side trip across the border. Memories are great!

SUV LIMO

2010-02-12T01:14:00.000-08:00

When I was driving around the other day, I saw this loooooooong SUV pulling over to drop off some passengers. I didn't stay around to see how many it dropped off, but I'm pretty sure it can carry more than my Prius!

The Lady In Red

2010-01-27T00:05:00.000-08:00

My LOL (little old lady) has been a real joy to me ... she talks to me, she rubs her scent all over my head when I'm in bed, she licks my nose and she wakes me up when she thinks it's time to open the vertical blinds so she can chase the sunlight reflecting into the living room. It's not quite as much fun as having a husband but it's not without its perks. I bought her a little $4 oval bed from PetCo, then I saw the red nylon cubes at Target (I shop at all the best stores) and purchased two of them, now velcroed together. She loved them so much, I put the little bed in one side of a cube and that's her most favorite spot for most of the day ...
Well, I'm heading off to bed now - hope I can get to sleep before she realizes I'm there!

My brother-in-law passed away

2010-01-11T18:21:00.000-08:00

We lost my brother-in-law Sterling on January 8th after his long battle with cancer.
This is one of my favorite photos of him .. it was taken as we were flying back home from a weekend at the lake house last July. I was sitting next to the pilot and he was in back seat (his choice) and I held my little camera above my head, pointed it back and down, and took this photo.
If you're interested, his obit is on www.sfgate.com - then you'll have to search for obituaries - it'll only be on there until February 9th I believe.
He put up a valiant fight to live for many years - such a strong person! He was a really nice man and a lot of people are going to miss him.

Office Christmas Party

2009-12-11T22:11:00.001-08:00

December 10th was the office party for my sister's business. For the first time in years, it wasn't held here at the house (due to my brother-in-law's illness) but at the Pacific Athletic Club - an absolutely beautiful place with a huge banquet room. The hors d'oeuvres were a Mediterranean blend and there was an open bar along with wine, champagne and beer. The dinner offered prime rib and chicken with everything you could think of to accompany them - various salads, pasta, fruit, etc.

The service was exceptional - every time I returned to my table, my napkin was neatly folded in my place and my drinks were refilled. Dirty dishes disappeared as if by magic. I took my friend Mary and we had a great time along with the other 70 or so people. We had a gift exchange - I ended up with a portable steamer/wrinkle remover (not one that works on the face unfortunately) and Mary had a stand-up jewelry doll to hold your rings, necklace, etc., when you take them off. It was a very pleasant 4 hours.

One more of Daphne

2009-12-02T12:41:00.000-08:00

She has just found out that if she stays in the living room, she can watch the squirrels and birds outside on the deck. The birds, of course, go back and forth to the feeder and bird bath .. but the squirrels dart along the deck right in front of the sliding glass doors ... and along the railing. Such excitement!

A Love Story - Stanley and Gabriel

2009-11-03T13:42:00.000-08:00

This is absolutely priceless - if you have any experience at all with cats, Stanley is a typical little bugger (English for little devil) ...
At one point we had two German Shepherds and two cats and guess who was the boss!

Full Moon

2009-11-03T13:02:00.001-08:00

Last night was a full moon and I wanted to try something 'different' instead of the big black sky with the big white globe ... I took the 'big white globe' through some leafless trees and tinkered with the gamma settings and ended up with this. What do you think???

Last night was the very first time Daphne jumped up onto the top shelf of her condo .. she's not a youngster so I think she was waiting until her confidence caught up with her ambition. She sat for a while looking at the nightscape of the bay - the lights, reflections, etc. then she settled down and went fast asleep, as you can see here. The subsequent photos I took showed open eyes, so this is the only one showing her sleeping.

More photos of DAPHNE

2009-11-01T23:19:00.000-08:00

I managed to take a nice photo of her right before she moved ... She's sitting in the space between the two levels of my apartment .. just the right size for her. I'm getting to see more of her personality now she's settling in and she's obviously come from a good home. I don't understand how they could have surrendered her to the Pound after 11 years but I'm glad I was there to find her and bring her home .. she's definitely a 'home body' ...

She's enjoying her condo and finally mustered enough courage to jump onto the first level by herself. I have been putting her on there in the top basket and she stays for quite a while but I haven't seen her get up there herself until today.
She also jumps on my bed when I go to bed and she graciously allows me to pet her for a few minutes before she settles down. The story continues ...

MEET DAPHNE

2009-10-18T10:05:00.001-07:00

On October 16th I went to the Peninsula Humane Society with the intention of adopting one cat but when I arrived, I saw DAPHNE ... and decided to bring her home with me. She's a petite kitty with unique markings and a great personality. She's 11-years old and declawed on the front paws and I wondered who else would adopt her ... most people want kittens or younger cats. She won me over and she has a home now for the rest of her life. My longest-lived cat was 23 when she died and our last cat was 18, so 11 isn't so old!

I bought all the supplies at PetCo, including this condo which I put in front of the sliding glass doors so she has a view over the Bay. In this photo, you can see her markings. One tiny glitch - she doesn't stay still long enough for me to take a nice photo of her. I've taken about 30 so far and these two are the best .. and far from perfection! I'm sure once she settles in (she's pretty much there now) I'll be able to take a great shot.

Africa

2009-09-28T17:41:00.000-07:00

My sister just returned from an African photo safari. This one is her favorite. This male lion is about 5 years old and in his prime. She was fortunate enough to take this as he laid down on a raised area with the setting sun in the background.

In stark contrast to the beauty above, this is MY favorite photo. I have not seen such a funny face on any animal .... I wonder what happened??!! If you have an appropriate caption, I'd be pleased to hear it.

This is the photograph her husband gave her as a birthday gift .. it's titled "Polar Kiss" ... I love the look on the polar bear's face.

You can laugh at me now!

2009-09-08T12:56:00.000-07:00

I have been watching the International Space Station fly over for the last few days .. I'm really interested in 'space' things. My little Nikon Coolpix L5 is a great little camera but, try as I might, I can't get a shot of the ISS going by. This is the best I can do ... there's a tiny whitish streak in the middle of the photo ... go ahead and laugh. I'm putting a new camera on my Christmas list!

Sky Shots

2009-09-06T14:02:00.001-07:00

I have a fascination with the sky, clouds, planets, ISS, etc. so I can't resist when I see a beautiful, weird, or interesting photo-op. This one was taken from my deck and doesn't really reflect the scene which was bright orange/pink hills in the east bay, over a darker foreground.

As soon as I saw this orange moon, I ran for my camera! What a shame it wasn't a full moon too .. but it still made an awesome sight in the dark sky. Perhaps it was orange from some of the smoke from the Auburn fires to the northwest.

I was on my deck to watch the ISS go by and even took a photo of it as it flew by, but my little camera isn't good enough to take that shot. This full moon was the best I could do - taken September 5th.

JULY 4, 2009 (posted out of order)

2009-07-29T20:18:00.000-07:00

I spent July 4th home alone (by choice). I got used to it because when we had our dogs (and cats), I'd never leave them alone because they'd be afraid of the loud noises and flashes of the fireworks. I don't feel like I really missed anything because from my deck, I had a great view of one fireworks display as you can see.

July 2009 - FLY up to LAKE ALMANOR

2009-07-29T00:17:00.001-07:00

Most of the photos were taken from the plane which had tinted windows .. and because it was such a hot day, there was a lot of haze ... I've done my best to clarify the photos so don't be harsh in your criticism.

My brother-in-law is having medical treatment so he couldn't stay at the lake house all summer but they hired a small plane and he'll be flying up on Friday and back on Mondays for a couple of weekends. The first weekend, I went with him. This is a photo of the 'small plane' which is based at the little town (pop. 2,500) of Chester in Plumas County, CA. Sterling is bending down to pick up his dog and Dan, the pilot, is watching. The plane seated the pilot and three passengers.

We flew over Auburn, west of Sacramento, over Lake Oroville then over the mountains to Lake Almanor. This shows the lake in the distance and you can just make out the airport - the sandy-colored area to the left of the lake. The lake has a peninsula jutting down north to south and that's where their house is located.

Here's a photo of the peninsula itself. The house is approximately one-third of the way in from the left, on the far side of the peninsula. That side of the peninsula is about two-thirds of the lake. It's a lovely area and a quick drive takes you to Mt. Lassen with its sulfur pits, bubbling mud and awesome hiking trails.

Here's Chester Airport as we're coming in for our landing. We had to circle it because of a rather strong tailwind. There's no control tower there .. it's just too small an area .. but it was used extensively last summer when there were several wildfires around the area.

In the 25+ years my sister has owned the house, there have been ospreys nesting nearby. I took this photos through a telescope on the house deck. When they first built the nest, it was at the top of the tree and each year they fix it up again. There's a tow rope and at least one tarp in the nest itself. Ospreys live 30 years on average, in the wild, so this couple may be the original birds.

When we were flying over the Sacramento valley, it made me feel extremely insignificant .. from 9,000 feet looking down on the land below. These are some of the many rice paddies in the valley .. those with the curved lines are the older fields and those with straight lines are the ones that have been leveled by laser to improve the watering efficiency.

As we were approaching the Bay Area, we passed Beale AFB then Travis AFB and I finally saw the 'mothball fleet'. In the distance is the Golden Gate (the break in the land mass) and to the left is the Bay Bridge and Treasure Island - you need to be familiar with the area to know where to look.

Here we are coming to for a landing at San Carlos airport .. which does have a control tower because it's next to the approach for San Francisco International! On the way we were passed from Travis to Oakland Airport and were required to drop to 4,000' to clear the way for a 737 coming in for a landing. It was so much fun listening to the chatter on the plane's radio.

My final photo is of my brother-in-law who was stretched out in the back seat (his choice). Dan, the pilot, gave us both headphones with microphones so we could talk to each other easily .. and listen to the air traffic controllers at the various airports between Chester and San Carlos. I asked enough questions on the way up there - he figured I was interested in what was going on. He was right!!

SWANNERY

2009-07-06T22:16:00.001-07:00

On our last day in England, we drove to Heathrow Airport to stay overnight so we didn't have to dash like crazy people to get to the airport in time.
We drove along the south coast going from west to east and I was checking the map for interesting sights when I saw "The Swannery" ... it's been in the current location since the 1300s and the over 600 swans have a great place to call home. You can walk freely along the paths and walk really close to the nests for good photos ... I only got hissed at one time!

Here's one of the first nests we saw ... you can just see two cygnets sticking out from underneath mum ... Most of the swans were still waiting for eggs to hatch but we saw two who had little ones already.

Here we have two cobs confronting each other. It didn't get nasty .. just a lot of wings flapping and attempts to make themselves look much larger ... it was over in a matter of a couple of minutes but it was quite impressive while it lasted.

This is a good view of the main part of the swannery ... there are some 'training pens' for parents to take their young to get them used to the water, etc. You can see how close they all are to each other and they get along great apparently ... even put up with visitors walking amongst them.

OREGON

2009-07-03T21:56:00.001-07:00

I went back to Oregon for a few days(the first time since my husband died in March '07) to see old homes .. visit friends .. and get back to the beauty that is Oregon. I stayed at the Riverside Inn, Grants Pass (55mi north of the CA border on I-5) .. we lived there for 10 years. They have these fantastic blue jet boats that take you on rides along the Rogue River, over rapids - trips that include lunch, dinner or just sightseeing. They're a 'must do' when you're in town.

This is a shot of the Rogue River just past Hell Gate canyon where they've filmed a few well-known westerns - and The River Wild. I have floated down the river a few times in an inflatable (Tahiti) one-person kayak .. so much fun!!

My friend took me and her daughter to a favorite camping spot of hers. It's not usually busy because it's out-of-the-way, there are no hookups or showers and it's quite secluded ... but it's beautiful. This stream is crystal clear and deep enough to swim in certain areas ..

Here's another photo of that beautiful area and the greenery that folds over the edges of the water, like Mother Nature tenderly caressing the stream.

I drove over to Brookings on the coast . just 10 miles north of the CA border .. we lived there for ten years too ... I'd still be there if it was a little bigger town - although I love the small-town feeling. Here's a pic of the Pacific from Crissey Field beach .. a new area they've created as a visitor center.

Devon ... one of the prettiest counties!!

2009-06-24T09:40:00.000-07:00

This is my hotel - The Osborne - in Torquay ... the rental house where everyone else stayed was at the near-end of the main building. The central part is the hotel and the rest of the building is apartments and time-rentals .. it has a commanding view of the bay and was very comfortable.

This is the little village of Cockington, a few minutes away from where we stayed. The village forge is the building on the left .. it's now a gift shop but was built in the 11th century ... the employees of the Manor all lived in the houses at one time. It's a beautiful not-to-be-missed village ... all thatched roofs and in perfect shape. The thatch is usually replaced every 15 years.

Across the bay from Torquay, is the quaint fishing village of Brixham. We took the ferry across the bay, did our sightseeing, and returned by double-decker bus. (Took me back to my school days) Brixham is a typical, touristy fishing village which also houses a full-sized replica of Drake's ship The Golden Hind which you can tour.

This is Buckfast Abbey. The architecture is awesome, inside and out. Benedictine monks first colonized the site in 1018AD. The foundation was small and had a precarious existence especially in the years following the Norman Conquest. Buckfast remained for 300 years a crumbling ruin. Monastic life at Buckfast was revived in 1882 when Benedictine monks made it their home. The rebuilding of the monastery commenced in 1884 and work on the church was started in 1906 and went forward without a break until its completion in 1938.

Rollings hills and checkerboard lands are the name of the English countryside. Only a few minutes' drive outside of any city or town, and you're in the 'country' ..

More England Photos

2009-06-09T13:06:00.000-07:00

After spending a few days in Blackpool and reconnecting with the place of my birth, we headed south and stayed overnight in the Cotswolds (just south of Shakespeare country). We passed through the town of Evesham .. and I took this photo so you'd have an idea of the beautiful sights we saw. Lots of tudor buildings.

We drove on and stopped in the town of Broadway, near our B&B. The buildings in this area are made of local stone which is a mix of limestone, sand and soil ... which gives it the slightly yellowing look ... and which is really quite attractive. We saw a lot of wisteria in our travels too. The aroma was breathtaking.

The town itself was created in the 1600s, hence the narrow alleyways and 'walkovers' connecting buildings one to the other. It all adds to the extreme charm of the town. There weren't too many tourists, fortunately, because we were there before the major summer season.

This shows part of the town itself. We parked and walked, and walked, and walked. So many shops, so much character!

Lastly but not least, I had to have a photo taken with English phonebooths ... they're a little part of 'home' that I have missed.

Blackpool ... Photos from April 2009

2009-05-29T00:07:00.000-07:00

This is me and a beautiful big dray horse ... we were visiting friends and this little girl came by on top of this handsome fellow ... so friendly too (both of them).

The 'Pleasure Beach' is right on the sea front at Blackpool .. it attracts so many visitors. At one time this dipper was the highest in the world .. I think it's the second highest now ... as kids we spent a lot of time at the Pleasure Beach.

The beach has had donkey rides since before my mother was born! When I was little it cost sixpence a ride ... as we were driving away from the beach, we saw these donkeys heading there for a day's work.

There are lots of landaus in the summer up and down the promenade .. full of tourists. This fellow got a jump start because the season doesn't get going until the end of May or so.

Just about everywhere you drive in Blackpool, you can see the Tower! It's about as old as the tower in Paris and has a fantastic view from the top as well as a world-famous ballroom and circus and a slew of entertainment.

Mini LapTop

2009-04-17T09:37:00.001-07:00

I've purchased a new mini-laptop .. ASUS EeePC900 .. and I'm taking it home with me so I can use my MagicJack to call the U.S. .. and to keep up on my emails. My HP laptop is big and heavy so this little netbook will do fine for my travels.
I have some new clothes, new luggage, new shoes ... and I'm ready to go!

England ... Land of my Birth

2009-04-05T23:18:00.000-07:00

I'm so looking forward to my trip home ... I haven't been back since my dad died in 1981 ... I know it's changed so much but it's still 'home' ... I will enjoy talking to people who talk like I used to ... I sound more American now!!
We leave SFO on April 21st and arrive at Heathrow the next day ... we'll drive up to Blackpool and spend three days there, then we head to the Cotswolds and will stay overnight at a B&B in Broadway ... our final leg is on the 26th when we drive to Torquay where we stay for 10 days ... coming back to the U.S. on May 7th.
I can't wait to see the schoolyard where I learned to whistle (through my teeth) .. and the church where I took the collection on my first day there, under my sister's care, and started to walk home with the plate of money. (I was only about 5 .. and they told me to 'take' the collection.) After that my sister swore she'd never take me again!
Oh to see the thatched cottages of Cockington, the ruins of King Arthur's castle, Dartmoor, etc. etc.
Devon (the county where Torquay/Torbay is) has just about the best weather in England .. it's in the southwest and is protected from most of the northwesterly winds so the weather is quite mild and quite warm in the summer. It was called the English Riviera by the Victorian elite (because it reminded them of the French Riviera) who spent their holidays there when travel was difficult during the Napoleonic wars.
There wont be much more posting until I return from my trip home ...

HAWAII - Oceanscapes

2009-03-21T23:17:00.000-07:00

Waipio Lookout is a wondrous place to view the ocean. It has cliffs, waterfalls, luscious valley rolling into the ocean and is tourist-friendly with great viewing areas and restrooms but is pretty slim on the parking area and fat on the stairs down. All is well worth the trouble!

One of the views from our house on Maui .. it was great watching the waves break over the lava rock .. and trying to time your shot to catch the apex of the spray.

Our rented house was right on the ocean and this was part of the beach area ... some sand and some lava but it makes for a beautiful contrast.

We stopped at a view point on our drive to Hilo when we saw this unusual rock formation.

While we were out looking for a 'bird man' (see the bird pics posted earlier), we found a rather secluded area with nothing but lava beaches and formations ... again, tempting us to get our timing right for the best breaking wave shot.

HAWAII - Flora and Fauna

2009-03-10T00:09:00.000-07:00

This is the second-largest banyan tree in the world .. it was so wide, the outer branches were propped up by posts. In the little park under the tree, there was a craft market every day ... which made for comfortable browsing.

These are Chinese Ferns and we saw a lot of them on our drives around the islands. They looked like huge blankets of green covering the land ... spectacular sights.

We haven't seen Rainbow Eucalyptus trees anywhere else and they are fascinating. It's quite apparent why they are named this ... aren't they beautiful?

Being islands, there are nothing but cliffs and canyons to see as you drive around.

What's Hawaii without the adorable Bird of Paradise? We found this one on top of one of those massive cliffs (above) ...

This was in the parking lot by an outdoor market .. I'm not sure if it's a tree, shrub, succulent or some kind of dracaena .. but it had a beautiful shape and it was huge .. you can see a lady sitting under it for size comparison.

We saw trees with these orange flowers all over the islands. I have no idea what they are but they really stand out.

This is one of the 'Jurassic Park' areas we walked through .. houseplants with 3' leaves and 15' height, ferns with 10' fronds, vines 30' tall.

One of the local sea turtles basking in the warm water. They are protected because they breed and nest here ... not what you'd call very 'active' animals.

Hardly 'native' to the Islands, these Wapiti were in a field with a young buffalo ... I can only think they were cross-breeding them with the local stock to improve them.

HAWAII - Whales

2009-03-05T19:21:00.000-08:00

We went out on two whale-watching trips with Captain Steve .. the craft was an inflatable, grey with orange sides, and held about 24 passengers ... Cpt Steve is extremely knowledgeable and the inflatable allows us to really get close to the whales ... This first photo is a mother humpback who came to say hello and her baby was beneath her. She stayed alongside for a little while then went under the craft, and away. You can see her dark body and the lighter fins.

Here's one of the humpbacks breaching .. it looks like so much fun, flying up out of the water and twisting over to make an almighty splash on re-entry.

My sister took this photo but I love it because the tail looks like a huge bird, wings outstretched, skimming over the ocean.

The whales come to Hawaii from Alaska to give birth in the warmer waters and allow the calfs time to grow strong enough for the journey back. The females pick up an 'escort' in Hawaii who will mate with her and escort her back to Alaska (to keep other males from mating with her). Of course, if a larger escort comes along, he'll take over the 'escort' duties.

HAWAII: City of Refuge

2009-03-03T01:08:00.000-08:00

One of our trips was to the City of Refuge ... a native town which was divided into the Alii side and the sanctuary side ... by a 10' thick wall. People who had been sentenced to death for breaking kapu (law) fled to this section to seek refuge, often by swimming across the entire bay. Other men, women and children, those weak and ill, those defeated in battle, or those who were non-combatants in battle but on the losing side also came. Once the petitioner arrived, the kahuna pule (priest) would be obligated to offer them sanctuary and absolution, under pain of his own death should he refuse to do so. Often the petitioner would be freed within hours to resume a normal life. These people had been given a second chance for life itself. This was not a place teeming with hardened criminals. This was a sacred place on which life began anew for the ancient Hawaiians.

These are two replica huts .. the smaller is a living hut and the larger is where they built their boats, etc. With tropical weather, there's really no need for four walls.

Outside the church compound ... the shelf was where food and supplies were left by the villagers for the priests and those in sanctuary.

The indentations in this lava rock on the beach is where they prepared some of the foods. They hammered them out and built fires in the holes.

A lot of the trees in Hawaii have multiple root systems because of the lava or sandy nature of the islands. This tree in the village is a good example. Because roots can't go very deep, they multiply for stability.

This is one of the many local turtles resting in one of the village bays. I wonder if they ate turtle in the olden days?

There are two ponds within the compound .. one was to keep fish for the Alii (royalty) ... in the other pond we found these fish .. each guarding its own nest. Each circle has a fish sentry. It was fascinating watching them chase off intruders.

HAWAII - Kilauea the Volcano

2009-02-27T10:48:00.000-08:00

One of our daytrips was to see Kilauea which is the most active (consistently erupting) volcano in the world. This shows the main crater (there are a few) and the billowing white smoke (which changes to grey and pink) ... unfortunately there was no active lava eruption coming from this site when we were there. It looks rather like a moonscape, doesn't it? The crater rim drive was closed because of this dangerous sulfur-laden smoke. We bought masks to wear, but the wind was blowing the smoke/sulfur away from us so we didn't need them.

This is part of the main crater which is 2 miles in diameter ... it's breathtaking (literally and metaphorically).

There are five craters on the top of Kilauea ... this is one of the smaller ones.

HAWAII - Paula and Sterling

2009-02-27T10:17:00.001-08:00

We all got our photos taken with 'the birds' ... a very well-trained troupe of parrots. We found two businessmen hawking (pardon the pun) their birds ... the first one was selling photos that we ordered and picked up a few days later. The second man (who took this photo), set you up with his birds and used your camera to take the pictures. He'd pick up his birds by their beaks and swing them around ... was quite a sight to see.

Paula and Sterling's favorite restaurant (for views) on the big island is Jamesons and they always sit at the same table. It's right on the ocean and we can watch the surfers and the waves as we dine. The local birds visit often to pick up crumbs.

Here's English friend Eric and Paula/Sterling in front of Kilauea

HAWAII - Don't worry, be happy!!

2009-02-26T00:15:00.000-08:00

Here's the situation ... my sister rents this huge oceanfront house in a gated community just on the north edge of Kona ... being alone, I got the 'media room' ... no closet, no mirror, no bed, no bathroom AND NO CURTAINS AT THE WALL-TO-WALL WINDOW.
The master suite was next to me, up 3 or 4 stairs and they had no curtains in their bedroom or bathroom either.
I mentioned my modesty to my sister who responded with "there's no-one on the beach at night .. no-one can see you .. don't worry about it". I'd positioned my rollaway bed close to the windows and managed to undress in the dark 'just in case' some weirdo was walking along the beach.
On the 4th or 5th night there, I started to stir at about 5 a.m. and thought to myself 'don't tell me it's time to get up already' .. it was getting light. I popped open one eye and beheld the glory of NCL's Pride of America sitting outside my bedroom with every single light lit for all 3,000 people on board!!! SO MUCH FOR MY PRIVACY ... AND MODESTY!!!
I got up, grabbed my robe and took this photo of my new neighbor ...

The sun came up half an hour or so later and I took this second photo, showing my deck railing in the foreground so you can get the idea of just how close those 3,000 people were!

I'd finally got used to the idea that having no curtains on the windows was no big deal because there were no people on the beach at night ... and besides, if one person did see me in all my glory, so what!
Now I had to re-think that whole scenario ... never mind the one weird person wandering the beach at night .. now I have THREE THOUSAND strangers with binoculars looking for something interesting to see!!!

HAWAII - Waterfalls

2009-02-24T12:40:00.000-08:00

Here are a few photos of various spectacular waterfalls we visited while on Maui and Hawaii ... If you're really interested, I can identify their locations for you .. otherwise, just enjoy the beauty.

HAWAII -- Father Damien

2009-02-20T11:36:00.000-08:00

Father Damien was the Belgian missionary who looked after the lepers on Molokai. After he died, his church was moved to the big island. There's a cemetery and a monument to Father Damien. When we arrived at the church, I fore-warned everyone that thunder and lightning occur when I enter a church so they must be ready. As we pulled up in the parking lot, the thunder started .. no kidding! There were two men sitting by the walkway to the church and I asked them when the thunder started ... 'just as your car got here'. Here's Sterling indicating the way in.

It's called "The Painted Church" for a reason .. the inside looks like a typical Hawaiian landscape. It's a 'big little church' with a very Hawaiian flavor.

His monument needs some tending ... it can do with a clean and some new flowers ... but I was amazed to learn he was only 49 when he died .... of leprosy.

HAWAII - The Melting Pot ... English style

2009-02-16T00:42:00.000-08:00

We all went to The Melting Pot restaurant on Maui, thinking it would be a unique dining experience for our English friends ... and it was ... for all of us. It was one of those 'you had to be there' nights and I wouldn't be surprised if they banned us from ever entering their restaurant again. We placed our orders and they were served to us raw. We were given two pots ... one with oil and one with a broth in which we could cook our own meals with the fondue forks provided. We were given three things in which to dip our food, so we could cook it with different flavors ... then we had dips to coat the cooked food once out of the pots. Then we have five people who had no idea what they were doing! Well, when there are seven people all trying to cook their food at one time, the forks become entangled and the food becomes snagged when trying to extract the fork from the pot. One by one we fell to the curse .. but it was mostly Babs who was having the worst time trying to (1) understand what she was supposed to do and (2) trying to do it! We were absolutely roaring at the shenanigans ... all seven of us ... and all I can say is that it's a good job they put us in a corner of the restaurant. After the hilarity was starting to lessen (we were laughing at it for the next few days), my sister recorded this piece but it's only a part of the 'interview' and, as I said before, you really had to be there.

2 WEEKS IN HAWAII - February 2009

2009-02-14T15:04:00.001-08:00

Left to Right: Eric and wife Babs, Paula, Me, Sterling, Sharon (Eric/Babs' daughter) and Gary, her hubby.
We spent two lovely weeks in Hawaii with these four English friends ... Babs' father and my father were best friends in Blackpool so she's known us (Paula and I) since we were born ... the first week we were on Maui near Lahaina, then the second on the big island, in Kona. This photo was taken in Lahaina town-center where the 'parrot man' had set up shop with his very well-trained birds.
Unfortunately, when I replaced my SD card in my camera, I put the full-one in the camera case without benefit of protection and when we came through the airport checkpoints, my disk was wiped of all 588 photos .. about 120 of which were from Maui. A lesson learned!!

Of course we went to 'the best luau on Maui' .. we were given drinks of our choice while waiting in line, Charlie (in the picture) gave us our leis (along with kiss on the cheek) then he and another young man escorted us to our table. The entire luau was so well organized we really enjoyed it.
We visited the Hilton on the big island for our last dinner in Hawaii ... it is such a huge complex, they have trains and boats to take their patrons to the various buildings. This is our four ladies on one of the boats, (L to R) Babs, Paula, Sharon and me.
While we toured around Maui, we found another 'parrot man' only this one had more parrots and he took the photos with our own cameras ... he put all his parrots on me (hurry up before they poop!!) and this is the result ... plus some small piercings in my scalp!! lol

More Pics ...

2009-01-29T23:59:00.000-08:00

I took this one from our deck in Brookings, Oregon (on the southwest coast just north of California) early one morning ... in fact, I used it one year for our Christmas card ... I 'colored' it red and it really looked quite festive ..

This was taken at Lake Almanor ... the sun was setting and the clouds were turning pink .. just an awesome view ..

I love taking photos of cloud formations .. the more unusual the better. This was at Lake Almanor .. I'm not a meteorologist so I can't explain what was going on here, except that it made a spectacular sight.

Two more of my Faves

2009-01-27T00:34:00.001-08:00

On one of our trips north out of Oregon, we detoured to the south side of Mount St.Helens ... as you can see, it was perfect weather ... everyone goes to look at the 'front' where the side was blown out .. not us! We got this great shot from the 'back' ... I enlarged it and framed it in deadwood. You can see the rust colored brush on the hill to the right and look closely and you'll see a plume of steam rising from the crown. It was an incredible feeling to be that close to a volcano that did so much damage. I think this photo is one of my best ... but maybe I'm not entirely objective ...

There are so many absolutely breathtaking things to see in Oregon ... this is on the southern Oregon coast a few miles north of Brookings (where we lived for ten years).
The state built a viewing platform from which this was taken and on one ambitious day, Rich hiked down there and walked across the top of those arches. I thought that was quite brave, especially as he can't swim!

More Pics ... Saturday night

2009-01-24T19:15:00.001-08:00

This photo was taken on the southern Oregon coast ... it's Lewis Creek ... we drove down a dirt road and then had to climb over a metal gate to gain access to this beautiful creek. As you can see, I had the photo enlarged and it's hanging in my living room. This photo was published in a local calendar ... I was so proud.

On one of our Sunday drives (taken 7 days a week) we always looked out for roadside creeks and streams (what's the difference?). This is a gorgeous spot ... absolutely pristine.

Here we were driving alongside one of the coastal rivers and I spotted this unusual formation in my rear-view mirror ...

More of my Favorite Pics

2009-01-24T00:15:00.001-08:00

This was taken at Glacier Bay, Alaska ... in September 2006 ... We went via Norwegian Cruise Lines and had a blast. The one thing that put us off cruising before was the 'dressing up for dinner' etc. but Norwegian is fantastic. You can eat whenever you want, wherever you want ... there's something open 24/7. We were fortunate in that we had the best weather of the summer for our cruise ... everyone told us there had been lots of wind, drizzle, rain, etc. but for our week-long cruise, we had fair weather everywhere.

We docked at Juneau and toured the area but just before we left port, I spotted this sailboat going back and forth alongside our ship ... I caught this shot just as the sun was going down ...
We docked in Skagway .. the only way in is by ship .. and as our scheduled tour of the town was about an hour away, we stayed on board for a while and watched the busy port ... people, trains, ships. This is a sister ship coming in ... I love the shot because it shows how steep and tall those mountains are.

2009 - Here I Come!

2009-01-16T13:09:00.000-08:00

I have some great photos which I'd like to share ... they bring me joy ... I'll be posting them over the next several days ... I hope you enjoy viewing them.
One weekend, Rich and I drove up the Oregon coast and stayed in Florence .. a lovely town with lots of places to visit and views to take in. It's definitely a 'do not miss' on the Oregon coast.
We found a nice motel on the Siuslaw River (pronounced SIGH-OO'-SLAW) near a bridge, with a gorgeous view off the deck. One morning, I heard this boat's engine chugging up the river and it reminded me of the African Queen .. one of my favorite movies. I can see Bogie and Hepburn now ...

We used to go for day trips in the car, and longer trips in the RV ... we were fortunate enough to pass this gorgeous Oregon river on one of those outings. I know approximately where it is but I'm not totally sure ... it was a tranquil day and the river was like glass ...

Christmas 2008

2008-12-26T17:08:00.001-08:00

After Christmas eve dinner here at the house .. a great marinated pork roast .. we took Christmas to my nephew Paul's house, a 20 minute drive south of here. We all prepared a dish or two and 10 adults and 7 children ate a good part of two turkeys and all the trimmings.
Today we all got up early (aaargh!) and headed to the closest mall to have a family photo taken ...

Back Row L to R: Kate held by her dad/my nephew Paul, me, my niece Julie, my nephew Devan and his wife Tracy.
Front L to R: My grandniece Emma, her brother James, Liz (Paul's wife), their youngest son William, my sister Paula and my brother-in-law Sterling holding Hunter, then Tyler and Conner .. the 3 sons of Devan and Tracy.

I sent a three-tiered helium balloon up to the skies on Christmas eve day with a message for Rich ... why didn't I take a photo of it?

December 2008

2008-12-19T00:05:00.001-08:00

This photo was taken from my deck and it's the full moon at its perigee .. the closest point of it's elliptical orbit to Earth .. hence it looks quite a bit larger than usual. From my apartment, I have a great view of the rising moon over the southern half of San Carlos township. Population a little over 22,000. It's a nice town with a very welcoming Laurel Street with a slew of places to eat outdoors .. in summer and winter.

I put my little Christmas tree on top of my imitation wood stove which looks very real with flickering flames ... and it has a heater too. Gone are the days of 7' fir trees with their Christmas scent and dropping needles! I've downsized everything but this year the Christmas Spirit lives on! I string ribbons around the top of a few walls and hang my Christmas cards over them to complete my decorations. Easy up, easy down. I also have a string of small Christmas lights on my deck which can be seen from afar.
MERRY CHRISTMAS

Long-time Best Friend

2008-12-12T17:19:00.001-08:00

This is my friend Linda and her husband Ivan. Linda and I met when I was 7 years old (she's one month older than me) ... wont tell you how long ago that was! We've been in contact ever since and I haven't seen her for about 25 years. She still lives (a few houses down) on the same street she did when I met her and her sister lives in the old family home. It was funny catching up with her .. we were both envious of the other because we thought they were more attractive! Strange how kids think ... Fortunately, it didn't make any difference to our friendship. Hopefully, I'll be seeing her when I go 'home' next April.
Here's another coincidence, my best friend here in America is English and also called Linda and they had the same last name!

PRAYERS FOR CANCER

2008-11-16T23:53:00.000-08:00

Every night I pray for friends of mine who are fighting cancer .. and I pray that God will give the scientists and doctors, the ability to find the cure for this devastating disease.

If you believe in the power of prayer, please include my friends:
Mary T, Teri S, Marty M, Sterling H.

If you know someone who is battling this disease, send me their name and last name initial and I'll keep this list updated ..

If you are willing to add these people to your prayers, please let me know.

4 Weeks - November 15th

2008-11-16T00:47:00.000-08:00

It's been one month since my new hip was installed and I'm doing great. There are some precautions I must take until the scar tissue has woven its web .. 6 weeks after surgery. I'm still having a little weakness in my muscles when going upstairs, but I'm working on it. My next checkup is at 6 weeks and after that, I'm not sure how long I'll have to wait. I know there's an annual checkup for a couple of years but may have one at six months .. we'll see.

I've just about finished my Christmas card for this year .. it used to be great working on it with Rich but now I just have to go it on my own ...

I've met a lady I worked with when I worked here 35 years ago ... she has macular degeneration now so I told her I'd pick her up every so often and we'll have a trip to Starbucks for a chat. There were some awesome deer around her house when I was there .. and as soon as I have a little more time, I'll post a couple of pics here.

I've also been visiting with a long-time friend at Starbucks regularly. Our two couples (both our husbands are dead now) went to every 49er home game from about '75 to '85 ... we'd get there three and a half hours early and set up our table and chairs (and our Greek and British flags) ... and start our feast with hors d'oeuvres and bloody marys ... followed by salad and BBQd entree with wine. After the game, we'd have our dessert and liqueur or brandy and wait until most of the traffic thinned out. It was so much fun .. we even got our photo in one of the San Francisco papers. Good memories!!

I'll try to get the photos up tomorrow ... don't hold me to it though!

2-week Check-up .. Oct 30th

2008-10-31T00:49:00.000-07:00

Today I had my hip x-rayed and was examined by the surgeon's PA .. I'm well ahead of the game ... no limp, no pain meds., doing normal things except going upstairs the regular way. The muscle on the back of my thigh was disconnected for the operation, then re-connected which shouldn't really make a difference, but it has taken away some of the strength in my leg .. once I build up a bit more strength, I'll be right as rain.
Speaking of rain, what a nice surprise this afternoon and tonight .. along with some pretty gusty winds too.
Another good thing about my hip replacement ... it has totally occupied my mind so I haven't had time to be depressed ... an unexpected benefit.
If you know someone's who's thinking about hip replacement, feel free to have them contact me .. my doctor is the best! and I have proof.
Happy Halloween ...

Friday, October 24th

2008-10-24T15:24:00.000-07:00

I finally got to remove the bandage over the incision .. there are two white paper stickers over the scar and the incision itself is 3" long exactly! Doesn't it make you wonder how they can do all they have to do through a 3" opening?
The PT came this morning ... and he thinks maybe one more visit should do it. I can come downstairs now but when going up, I have to go one step at a time for another couple of weeks. Everything else as far as movement of my right hip/leg is almost back to normal.
My old friend Mary came and picked me up and we went to Starbucks .. sat outside .. felt so good to get out and about after being cooped up for 9 days. We shopped one store, stopped to pick up my mail and came home ... such a celebration!!!

HIP etc

2008-10-23T10:52:00.000-07:00

Thursday, October 23rd - I can't believe how well I'm doing .. walking without a cane. The only pain comes from an ache in my calf and discomfort at the incision site. Right leg still feels longer but not as badly. It takes two weeks for the muscles to adjust to the new 'system', at which time my legs will feel even (I hope). Otherwise I'll be walking like Chester (Gunsmoke) for the rest of my life!
I have no bruising on my leg except for where the anti-embolic stocking pinches a bit at the top of the thigh .. but have big bad bruise on back of left hand, two bruised needle sites inside the left elbow and two that look like fingerprints on upper right arm. I wonder where they came from?

Feeling more like myself today ... but I'll be glad when I don't have to wear this white stocking anymore .. that's usually 2 weeks after surgery ... they're to help prevent swelling and clots .. have done their job very well apparently.

My neighbor came for a visit yesterday and returned later with my mail .. and tomorrow another friend picks me up and we go to Starbucks!!! Been 'without my fix' for over a week now ...
Thanks for stopping by ...

HIP PT

2008-10-22T10:52:00.000-07:00

10/22/08 Wednesday

Yesterday I went to the hospital for a dopplar ultrasound on my operative leg to check for clots ... none found! It took me an hour and a half to shower/change for the trip, an hour and a quarter at the hospital and by the time I got home I was exhausted and my hip was in revolt! After a couple of hours icing, I was up again and packing my stuff to move back downstairs to my apartment. My brother-in-law has been great ... running errands, driving me around and moving my stuff for me. He knows what I'm going through, having had double knee-replacement himself.

Recovery has been pretty much unremarkable. Each day, I move my leg more and with less pain/discomfort. The PT came again today and said I do not need to use the cane except when going up and down stairs ... in fact it was more of an order than a recommendation. Dr. Dearborn likes his patients to become 'normal' as soon as safely possible. Seems like I'm way ahead on the recovery scale!

Getting in and out of bed is a breeze now .. and that was the hardest thing to do. I'm feeling a lot better psychologically as well ... I can get up out of a chair without any pain at all and I can do it without having to stop half way ... a wonderful feeling!

I see the surgeon for follow-up on the 22nd at which time I should be released for driving! But I have until November 26th to observe the three basic precautions they give us, in order to let the hip heal properly.

All in all, I'm very, very positive!

I HAVE A NEW HIP !!!

2008-10-22T10:42:00.000-07:00

10/15/08 Wednesday … I had an epidural so I was totally numbed from the waist down but was awake during most of the surgery .. just dozed here and there. (I got to wear one of those clumsy blue head caps) I heard them talking every so often and one time Dr. Dearborn said something about my bone being a 2 .. well, of course, in my semi-delirium, that wasn’t a good enough rating for me! But I was informed that 1 is best, 10 is worst, so a 2 sounded pretty darned good .. nice strong bones! (Thanks dad)
I heard the saw, then the doc asked if I wanted to see the femur head .. so I looked at the screen (which was right in front of my face( and it didn’t bother me in the slightest. The head was flat instead of a nice round ball … Then he went to work hammering in the post with the nice new shiny head on it.
Apparently I also made some comment to the PA about his ‘space-suit’ but upon further questioning, post-operatively, I was quickly assured that I hadn’t said anything to embarrass myself.
I watched the PA stitch me up .. The scar’s close to 3” long but no staples or stitches that have to be removed and can remove the covering after 2 weeks.
Recovery room was funny … the nurse kept coming over and telling me to move my toes .. well being totally numb I couldn’t feel my blasted toes .. but I gave it my all … stretching my fingers as far as they would go in an attempt to get my toes to move (does this make sense?). Finally he said ‘well done’ .. and I said ‘nothing happened’ .. he said, ‘yes it did, your toes moved.’ Naturally, I didn’t believe him so I raised my head to look for myself .. and sure enough, there they went .. couldn’t feel a thing, but they really moved!
After I was less numb and more coherent, off I went to my assigned room in the Center For Joint Replacement directly behind Washington Hospital .. appropriately enough, it used to be a psych center. I had room #10 (finally a 10, I thought) .. all rooms are private. The staff was great and very professional and caring. They got me out of bed (the hardest thing to do even days later) the afternoon of surgery and that was painful. Being ever-caring, they tried different pain meds. on me but they just made me very sick .. which screwed up my salt/ potassium/electrolyte levels … I felt pretty lousy until mid-day Thursday and even wondered what I’d got myself into …
I opted for Tylenol and pain rather than powerful pills, little pain and vomiting. We had a PT and OT class for several of us on Thursday .. some were not able to attend and a lunch buffet for patients and their families put on by the volunteers .. all of whom are joint replacement alum. Out of the 8 patients operated on, none went home the next day as hoped. Come Friday morning I was feeling quite a bit better and was discharged late morning.
There are some basic rules I have to follow for 6 weeks … it takes that long for the scar tissue to form and secure the operative site. Let’s hope I can remember them all …
The whole experience was very professional with a very caring staff .. can't recommend them highly enough. Two friends have had the same surgery recently and I believe I'm doing much better in my recovery and have less limitations and scarring.

HIP OP NERVES

2008-10-12T12:16:00.000-07:00

Well, I've been to a whole-day pre-op for lab tests and various and sundry interviews and a 1-1/4 hour orientation with the group who's getting operated on around the same time as me. Some are knees (one and two-at-a-time) and some are hips. I'm supposed to have a 'coach' who will encourage me to exercise, help in changing the dressing and remind me of the follow-up things I have to do. It's difficult for me to get used to being my own support .. I had 32 years with Rich who was my strength and foundation .. and it's hard to realize I have to go it myself and find my own strength and motivation.
I'm hoping that being free of pain will help fight my depression to a certain degree and I'm thinking of adopting a dog when I can walk better so I'll have encouragement to see the town via foot power.
I've had to stop my Ibuprofen which was the only pain relief that seemed to help .. (and that was only very little help). I think they have you stop so you feel the full extent of your hip pain, then after the surgery the pain is SO MUCH less! lol
Sleep deprivation is settling in ... the thoughts of the operation are pervasive ... but on the bright side, I should sleep well after surgery and catch up!
The day after surgery there's a celebration buffet lunch at the 'Center for Joint Replacement' (Fremont, CA) where all the patients mingle and compare notes I suppose. Then I'll be home ..

I thought if I put my feelings into words, I'd feel better .. not sure it worked!

SPUD

2008-10-05T12:19:00.000-07:00

This is my newest grand-nephew, Will ... but we may call him Spud because he feels like a large sack of potatoes in your arms .. my mother's childhood nickname was Spud for the same reason ... He's only 10 months old and 27 pounds ... believe it or not.

Finches

2008-10-02T19:12:00.000-07:00

I have a sock feeder for Niger seed which I put out for the finches .. apparently they visit this area twice a year for about a month each time. I had to double-up the sock because the squirrels seem to think it's for them what don't they think is for them)! But it makes the seed last longer because the finches have to work at it a bit harder to get the food! I managed to snap a couple of photos with scaring them off ... I so enjoy watching them. It's the same feeder, just taken with a different backdrop.

Last Visit to Lake Almanor this year

2008-10-02T18:51:00.001-07:00

I drove up to the lake on Wednesday and returned Thursday ... 'the storm' was on its way and I wanted to get home before it hit (Friday). I believe I had my last visit with the dentist for this year!
About 17 miles from the town of Chester, I drove through where several fires burned this summer .. I can still smell the 'burn' .. the CalTrans crews are still cutting dead trees and making the route safer. At one point, we were held up for about 20 minutes while the road was being worked on and when we started again, we passed about four small waterfalls .. I managed to get my camera out and take this .. probably the smallest of them all .. but isn't it amazing that after the ground was so burned and the water levels in the creeks, rivers and lakes have shrunk to ridiculous levels, these very small creeks are still flowing .. and look how the underbrush has recovered.

On the way back from the lake I drive past a lot of rice paddies which are empty now through the winter. The various birds are taking full advantage of the water/mud/slush in the fields and I can only imagine the number of bugs there are for the picking. There are billboards on I-5 advertising 'guided goose hunts' and each time I stopped for a photo op, the geese immediately took off (photo at right) ... I suppose they're used to having men shoot at them. I saw pheasant by the road and geese, seagulls, egrets and some black birds with curved bills which I haven't yet identified (bottom right in photo above left) .. they're larger than ducks and smaller than geese.

Back to the lake and the dentist!

2008-09-30T08:57:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow, Wednesday, I leave early and head back up to the lake for another dental appointment. It's a 5 1/2 hour trip with a stop in Chico for Starbucks, Subway and Valero! I fill up there because the gas is cheaper! I wont be staying more than 2 days probably .. there are no chairs outside, no umbrellas, etc. (it's been winterized) so it's hardly conducive to 'sit and relax' .. and I have to be available to pick up my sister and bro-in-law on Friday midnight as they return from their Africa trip.
I always take my camera with me so if I see anything picture-worthy, I can capture it.
Bye for now.

Coming Up: September 28th

2008-09-23T23:17:00.000-07:00

September 28th is my dear Rich's birthday .. I'll be sending him a message on a helium balloon just like I did last year, and on Valentine's Day and the anniversary of his death and at Christmas. I thought I'd post a few photos of him taken on our cruise to the Inside Passage, Alaska just six months before he died. This one is my favorite .. it's taken on our cabin deck as we entered Glacier Bay.

Because of his lung problems, we had to choose our on-shore excursions carefully but we had a great trip in a tour bus around Ketchikan. This was taken shortly after we landed .. we were walking around the harbor shops and found a bench in front of the stuffed moose and a kind passer-by took our photo.

This was taken on our trip around Skagway .. we really enjoyed our Norwegian Cruise Lines cruise. It was touch and go for us because Rich had just been prescribed oxygen on a daily basis and we didn't have enough time to arrange to have it put on board .. so we decided to go as planned because we may never have the chance again .. and as it turned out, that was the right thing to do.

Bits and Bobs

2008-09-14T23:41:00.000-07:00

Always start off with something nice to say ... so I'm saying it with a photo! This is Gypsy, our second German Shepherd ... we adopted her at 8 weeks old. The owners had two female pups so we tested them both and Gypsy was by far the livelier one. She was extremely intelligent ... easy to train ... a therapy dog who spent a lot of her time visiting 'old folks' ... and was used to walkers, wheelchairs, canes, etc. A great protector, a great friend and companion, won four ribbons at AKC shows for obedience.
One time Rich put on a halloween mask (so when we opened the door to give the treats, we would be 'in the Halloween spirit') .. and he was curious to see how Gypsy would react, so he stooped over and staggered out of the back room. Gypsy was in the living room with me and she immediately got up and charged at him, barking like crazy. He threw himself upright and whipped off the mask and yelled "whoa, Gypsy, it's ME". Then we had a good laugh about it .. but he never tried that again!!
She was an ambassador too .. we took her when we went to fairs and set up a fund-raising booth for the volunteer animal rescue group we ran. The kids loved her and I'd have her perform some tricks for them.
One time I had her in a local park and was throwing the tennis ball for her .. and a little boy came over ... maybe 3 years old, and asked if he could throw the ball. Well, he couldn't throw it very far, but she ran after it. I told him to hold his hand out and say 'give' .. and she brought the ball back and plopped it right in his hand. He was thrilled! That's the wonderful personality she had! I miss her so much.
Well, it looks like I had lots of nice things to say .. about Gypsy .. such good memories I'll cherish for the rest of my life.

Craig's List

2008-09-12T19:53:00.001-07:00

I have finally ventured into Craig's List!! How much easier than ebay ... localized sales to check ... no ads or popups ... no cost to list your items ... easy place to navigate!
I placed my ad and the first contact was from a crook! You've read about these scams ... his secretary erroneously sent a check for $3,000 more than the amount agreed on so he asked if I'd send him back the change! I'm stringing him along for a while then I'll email everything to the FTC and whoever else would be interested. What worries me, is that there are so many people out there who'd be taken in by this smoothie! But there are lots of signals if you don't overlook them.
So happy am I with Craig's list that I've placed a second ad! Let's see what champs and chumps that will bring in. If I manage to sell my items, I'll list another one!

Labor Day weekend

2008-09-01T09:31:00.000-07:00

I'm up at Lake Almanor again ... this is the front of the house .. it's 2-story at the front and 3 at the back on the lake-side ... will be going home Wednesday .. after my penultimate dental appointment .. weather's been sunny but breezy in the afternoons. Lots of company but they're leaving today ...
Driving back to the house one day, we spotted this well fed doe lying on the back patio of a house .. curled up like a dog .. so I stopped to take a photo .. naturally, she got up and gave me the once over .. I got a good pose from her.
This is Daniel .. my friend Michelle's youngest son. He was up at the lake working and funning (that's Jennifereze for having a good time) .. I thought he'd get a kick out of seeing his photo on the blog! He graduates next year from high school and his future involves college and/or ?
I have found a website that's unique ... submit a photo and it will be edited with a photo of Zorro, his cat, and he will then send a donation to WWF or SPCA on your behalf. He can't do many each month because it's costly for him but maybe some person with lots of money to spare can send him a donation for the charities and he can post more pics each month. In any event, it costs nothing to send him one of your travel photos and see what he does with it ... http://www.zorro-the-cat.com/
That's all for now ... did you find ME in the school photo below yet???

Alky Elementary

2008-08-27T19:30:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-23T18:33:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-17T00:58:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-11T16:36:00.000-07:00

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!

2008-08-08T18:40:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-06T18:14:00.000-07:00

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

2008-08-06T09:16:00.001-07:00

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.

FLT. 93, Pennsylvania

2008-07-24T13:00:00.001-07:00

A friend returning to Hawaii gave me a couple of photos taken at the Flight 93 crash site in PA. Thought I'd share them with you .. they're self-explanatory.

CAN'T BEAT THIS GUY FOR FISHING

2008-07-19T19:59:00.000-07:00

Here's one of the many resident Ospreys at Lake Almanor, returning to his nest with lunch. Watching them fish is such a thrill and seeing them succeed is AWESOME!

ANOTHER REGULAR VISITOR TO THE LAKE ...

This is my favorite niece, Julie, with Jack the Corgi .. she 'shares' him with my brother-in-law. You can see he's very, very content!

Roads Closed Again

2008-07-18T09:21:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, they closed the roads from Chester to Chico again ... I saw several smoldering areas and one extremely smoky patch when I drove through two days ago ... I was wondering what control there was in case the wind reignited the ashes ... and if their chainsaws were totally safe to use ...

I've been keeping an eye on this tree root each time I travel along Hwy 32, wondering how long it's going to be able to hang on ... the canyon area where it's situated is subject to multi-directional winds along with rain and snow in the winter ... but it looks like the root is winning the battle against erosion!

FIREFIGHTERS ARE WINNING!

2008-07-16T23:49:00.000-07:00

I returned home today from Lake Almanor and the two main southerly roads were just opened to controlled traffic! I got a good look at some of the damage done by the fires .. driving along I'd see burned out areas, then untouched patches ... burned ground down to the road on one side yet untouched on the other ... hillsides scorched down to the river, but not across it.
I took this when I was stopped at one of the control points. I had about an 8 minute wait while the pilot car brought traffic heading in the opposite direction ... the road was open in one lane for about 2 miles. I didn't see any firefighters anymore .. it was basically CalTrans crews and heavy equipment operators who were cleaning up much of the downed and damaged trees, etc.
I was pleased to see some "Thank You Firefighters" signs ... without their diligence, it could have been much, much worse. Their job is really a thankless one until disaster strikes, then all of a sudden we are grateful for them. I take a home-made specialty pie every 4 - 6 weeks to our local firehouse, just to let them know they're appreciated!
This area .. Highway 32 from Chester to Chico (NE California) is absolutely gorgeous .. the drive takes us alongside a meandering river ... steep cliffs and rugged terrain ... tall firs and dense undergrowth. Most of the trees I saw today look like they'll survive ... their trunks were black but the foliage wasn't totally burned so hopefully they'll make it.
THANK YOU FIREFIGHTERS!!

WHAT IS THIS CRITTER?

2008-07-12T21:08:00.001-07:00

Every evening I have a visit from a small, furry creature who moves so fast I can't get a good look at him. Tonight he stopped just long enough for me to take a photo but it's mostly a blurry outline. The body is about 5" long and the hairless tail is about the same length. I think he's too small for a rat and too large for a mouse. When I chased him, he jumped from the deck into a tree and took off. Can you shed some light on this little guy for me?

STUPID ... The Saga

2008-07-12T21:01:00.001-07:00

I have to change his name ... what's denser than 'Stupid'? He visited the feeder again and got frustrated that he couldn't get the food so he chewed the deck railing!!! Feeling sorry for this cute little lamebrain, I took a wooden spatula and propped up the lid for him so he could easily eat to his heart's desire ... and this is what he did ... stood on his tippy-toes and tried to get one crumb at a time through the tiny drain holes in the bottom of the feeder ... WHAT DO I HAVE TO DO .. PUT A LADDER THERE???

California's Roasting!

2008-07-09T22:50:00.001-07:00

Bad enough we have all the wildfires, but now we have a heatwave to boot! I'm back in San Carlos from the lake and I drove through Red Bluff at 113° and the temperature stayed high until I got to the east bay when it dropped to 77° ... of course, it went up again when I drove west across the San Mateo bridge ... it's been around 90° here for a couple of days ...

I was watching a large crow today, hopping around with its beak wide open for extra air and cooling ... even the squirrels are suffering. It wasn't long after I filled up the feeder, that my friends came around ... I have a pond on my deck and a bird bath ... I make sure it's kept filled ... but this little guy was just exhausted from the heat!!

Mt. Lassen

2008-07-06T22:29:00.001-07:00

Took a trip up Mt. Lassen today .. was great to get away from the smoke at the lake. First stop (as always) is at the sulfur springs .. only three going this time of year ... they dry up in the hot weather .. but the three that were going were memorable! Every time I fix deviled eggs, I think of the sulfur springs ...

Aschley, here, is a student working for a couple of months at the lake. There are two sulfur springs right by the road .. one is completely yellow sulfur ...

the other is a hot spring being forced up by magma way below and it makes the grey dirt bubble and boil near the surface .. very interesting geology and don't forget the 'hard-boiled eggs' smell ... stays with you rather like a skunk.

Some of the views from the mountain are breath-taking ... this time of year, the meadows and hillsides are covered with wild flowers .. yellow, pink, purple, white.

There are lakes and creeks on the mountain and below it ... it's a great spot to visit and if you like to hike, there are a few interesting hikes too.
Most of the views were free of the smoke and we could see for miles ... and tourists were out en masse ...

My First July 4th as a U.S. Citizen

2008-07-05T13:53:00.001-07:00

This is the Fire Camp in Chester .. near Lake Almanor .. these firefighters work in the worst conditions and come back to rest in a tent! What would we do without them?

My friend Michelle and I on the deck ... she came to the lake house for a week .. work and R&R ... fortunately, she was here on the one day the lake was 80% clear .. July 4th ... the weather was just right ... company was nice ... food was great ... We sat out on the deck and watched the Boston Pops Fireworks Spectacular ... with the local firework show on the lake in the background ... Earlier in the day, we attended the parade in the town of Chester ... a typical small-town event but quite enjoyable.

CALIFORNIA ON FIRE ...

2008-06-28T09:56:00.000-07:00

Two shots of the lower deck here at Lake Almanor ... the 'clear' one was taken in May and the 'smoky' one was taken June 28th .. it hurts your throat to be outside for any length of time ...

800 fires caused by lightning in northern California .. smoke everywhere .. on the way up to Lake Almanor, I drove maybe 5 minutes with no smoke .. visibility on I-5 was maybe a mile and a half mostly. When I got onto Hwy 32, the firefighters were there in force .. we could see fires blazing in the canyons, among the crags and cliffs .. the highway was closed for a few miles, traffic had to park and wait ... in 90° heat .. traffic was piloted through, one lane at a time ... the firefighters were burning the
underbrush, right down to the road ...
When I arrived at the lake, it was still hazy but the lake was relatively clear. The next morning, the wind had changed and I couldn't even see the far shoreline of the lake, or the mountains on the far side. It was bright with filtered sun .. and it's supposed to be very hot today but perhaps the smoke will keep some of the heat at bay. Eventually, we'll have to close up the house and put the air conditioning on so we don't cough and sneeze too much ...

THE 'AAAH' FACTOR

2008-06-23T23:14:00.001-07:00

Just because it's a cute photo, I added my four-legged nephew Jack. He's a Pembroke Welsh Corgi and is still a pup ... because of his little legs, he's not awfully fond of the pool yet but at least he's buoyant!

I NEED SOME GOOD NEWS!!

2008-06-21T11:32:00.001-07:00

* I took myself to a new orthopedic surgeon to get a second opinion on my hip/groin ever-increasing pain which has been plaguing me for five years .. Apparently, the osteoarthritis in my right hip is 'substantial' .. and the groin pain I've been experiencing is bone pain ... bone-on-bone. The variety of NSAIDs available isn't the greatest. I'm already taking prescription Ibuprofen. I can't walk more than a block without crippling pain .. so I'll have to consider hip replacement at some time. My dad had a hip replaced and my sister has similar problems to me so it's genetic .. why I couldn't inherit my mother's genes, I don't know .. but isn't that always the case.

* One of my friends from Brookings, OR died today .. Gerry Kesseler. He had moved to NC, then to MS to be close to his children. He was a character .. fought in Desert Storm .. an anglophile of sorts .. and died well before his time .. he wasn't even 60 years old!

Updates

2008-06-07T21:50:00.000-07:00

I went up to Lake Almanor again at the end of May to have the permanent caps put on my teeth ... bit of a chore but the end result was great. The weather was unusually cool, breezy and cloudy but I managed to take some interesting shots around the area. I love cloud formations!

The shot here should have had the lake covering the sandy-colored bar, leaving the trees out of the water but the lake is pretty low. The power company owns the lake and they are promising to release three feet of water into it shortly, followed by a drawdown of three feet in a month, and another three feet in another month.

On the way home from Lake Almanor, we drive through Chico and then down some back roads southwesterly to join I-5 just north of the I-505 turnoff. The trip takes us through some very small townships and through many farms and rice paddies. This photo shows several egrets ... there were about ten of them together but when I stopped the car, they flew a little farther away so I didn't get the optimal photo.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

This is my newest grand-nephew, Will, who's just short of six months of age and there's no way he looks like it! I was a roly-poly baby as well so maybe he's got a little more of my genes.

My new smile is getting plenty of workouts ... thank goodness I finally have something to smile about ...

YEAH for the MUTE button

2008-05-25T15:04:00.001-07:00

Pet Peeves:

(1) Billy Mays

As soon as I hear that "Billy Mays here ...", I grab for the remote and hit the MUTE button.
How did this overbearing, bellicose pitchman get so much air time on TV?

(2) E.D. ... I'm so fed up of hearing about men's 'PROBLEMS' ... I didn't know there were so many in need of help! Can't they put these ads on late in the evening or just put them on 'guy shows' ... they even had the nerve to air them in the middle of a Star Trek I was watching ... !!! Now that's sacrilegious!

(3) Moment of Truth? ... It never ceases to amaze me what people will admit to, for money! .... And what viewers will watch! (me included) BUT, this show has the most commercials of any show on TV. So now, I tape the show, then pick it up about 25 minutes into the airing and fast forward through the commercials and end up about the same time the show does! I don't usually do this but I'm sick of all the breaks .. Notice how they come back and replay the last minute or so of the show ... if they ran it straight through, it would probably take up about 35 minutes of air time, out of an hour!

STUPID ... the story continues!

2008-05-20T11:07:00.000-07:00

This morning while sitting in my living room, I heard the metal lid on the squirrel feeder 'clank' ... when squirrels feed, they raise the lid to get the food, then let it close .. hence the 'clank'. Today was different ... it clanked, and clanked and clanked .. incessantly. Finally I got up to see who was making all the noise .. and it was STUPID!

After all these months, he's finally realized that in order to access the food, one has to raise the lid .. but he was standing on the deck railing and nudging the lid with his nose ... as I watched, he jumped on top of the lid (as he's done so very many times before) and was then flummoxed because he could no longer raise to the lid!

Here's his mug shot ... I tried to get a sideways-on photo to see if there actually is something between his two ears but I had to settle for this one ... He must have a brain the size of one of these dots ...
At best, he's getting closer to accessing the spoils ... at worst, he's an entertaining diversion!

INTO THE MIND OF A THREE-YEAR OLD .. A Chuckle

2008-05-19T09:30:00.000-07:00

At the dentist's office, on their day off, Eric and his wife, Alanna, were working on my teeth, and their adorable 3 1/2 year old daughter (we have to mention the 1/2) Shaylee, was keeping herself busy in the front office. The phone rang a couple of times, then we heard "HELLO ... MY DADDY'S OFFICE" .... at which point Alanna dashed to the front and took the call ... amid our laughter.
After that, little Shaylee was instructed not to answer the phone if it rang again. After a few minutes, we heard it ring and Alanna called out to remind Shaylee "don't answer the phone". Then we heard "hello" ... and Alanna asked "Did you answer the phone?" ... "No, I'm just holding it."

LAKE ALMANOR - May 2008

2008-05-18T12:32:00.000-07:00

I took a trip up to Lake Almanor on May 7th for a 'getaway' and a dental appointment. 95% of the snow had melted but there were still patches of snow in areas where the sun doesn't reach .... just enough to remind us that winter once had a firm grip on this place.

Mt. Lassen is the southernmost active volcano in the Cascade Range .. part of the Cascade Volcanic Arc that stretches from northern California to southwestern British Columbia. Lassen rises 2,000 feet above the surrounding terrain and has a volume of half a cubic mile, making it one of the largest lava domes on Earth. It was created on the destroyed northeastern flank of now gone Mount Tehama. Mt. Lassen has the distinction of being the only other volcano in the Cascades, besides Mount St. Helens, to erupt during the 20th century. You can drive almost anywhere from Lake Almanor and see the snow-capped peak of Mt. Lassen looming large.

Spring is my favorite time of year .. the renewal of Mother Earth. I drove past this field which was covered in small yellow flowers ... not dandelions and not buttercups ... just not known to me!

This is a view taken from the top deck of the house. The lower deck is at the top of the stairs which take you down to the lake and to the floating docks which are there in the summer months.

I was there alone and even though I didn't think I'd like being there by myself ... I did! It was peaceful and quiet and the weather was near-perfect. My dental appointment went well and I return at the end of May to finalize Stage Two of the work.

KONA, HIAWAII trip ... 4/25 - 5/2/08

2008-05-17T22:54:00.000-07:00

Four days after our return from Kentucky, the three of us flew to Kona, HI for a week. We shared a rental house right on the ocean, with a couple of friends who flew there from their home in AZ.
The whole time we were there we barely saw the sun .. the volcano was very active and we were socked in by "VOG" ... volcanic fog. It was like a light fog or haze, and didn't keep the temperatures down or lower the humidity at all.

This was looking left off our deck. There's very little beach in Kona .. sandy beach, that is .. but lots of black lava rock which is very striking at times.

The flora and fauna there are absolutely magnificent ... here's a photo I took from the car on one of our jaunts.

Here's another view from the deck ... I bought myself an island-style muumuu so I could wear something more 'formal' for a birthday dinner for one of our friends. Everyone wears shorts and tops there .. it's a very casual place. And of course, it's in the 80°s most of the time which is way too warm for long pants and shirts.

We visited a SeaHorse breeding farm and this photo shows a cluster of them in one of the tanks. They interlink their tails and 'socialize' .. The Japanese boats, over-fish the seahorses in the ocean ... then kill, dry, and crush them and this powder is supposed to help with men's virility. (expletive) This group raises them .. some for release into the wild and some which are raised for pet stores ... to prevent people from taking the wild stock. They're very difficult to care for because they only eat a certain kind of live food ... so people buy them, put them in a tank and feed them food they will not eat, and when they die, they buy more and the process repeats itself. The ones that are raised for the pet trade are raised on dead food so they'll have a much better chance of surviving in a tank at home.

At the end of the tour, we get to 'hold' one of the seahorses. They're so light you can't really feel them but you have to spread your fingers apart and touch your hands together, to simulate coral, then the tour guide puts one of the little guys in your hands, and he hooks his tail around your fingers.

Everywhere you go in Kona, you run across little blue-eyed geckos. One evening when we were leaving the dinner restaurant, we noticed this little fellow who was warming himself inside one of the lights on the stairway.

We had regular visits from these lovely little birds on our deck. We put bread and crackers out for them every day. They are a little larger than house sparrows and are Yellow-Billed Cardinals .. native to South America but are also found only on the Kona coast of the big island of Hawaii. Their heads are scarlet, with charcoal colored back, pale grey undersides and black on the upper chest. I've never seen them before but I won't soon forget them either.

LEXINGTON, KY trip .. April 2008

2008-05-17T22:35:00.000-07:00

My sister, brother-in-law and I flew to Kentucky for a few days to look at some property and check out the area. We had an absolutely awesome time .. we all loved Lexington .. very clean, nice buildings, glorious houses .. the area surrounding the city is filled with horse farms with rolling green hills.

There are quite a few fountains in Lexington, making the city center a very attractive place.

Almost all the buildings and houses are built of red brick .. I just love them .. of course, that wouldn't fly in California .. too many tremors ..

And most have the white pillars out front .... giving them that "TARA" look ...

We went to the races at Keenland race track and sat in a box right on the finish line. I was concerned that by not having binoculars, I wouldn't be able to follow the race but there was a humongous video screen across from us so everyone could watch the race with no problem. I didn't win until the last race and I have a photo of that horse going away at the end ...

One afternoon we took a tour of some of the horse ranches in the area ... they seemed to range from 2,500 acres to well over 5,000 .. and most go for $25,000/acre.
We pulled off the road and I took this photo from the entrance way to one of the ranches. You can see the large house in the background ... but couldn't take the photo without including the flowers and the tree.

We got to meet, up close and personal, Street Sense the 2007 Kentucky Derby winner ... we also met Bernardini, a Preakness winner .. both stand for $100,000. Hard Spun was a 2nd in the Derby and Breeders Cup, and 3rd in the Preakness and Belmont .. he stands for $50,000. We met five other stallions with various pedigrees.

This is Street Sense ... isn't he magnificent?

We visited the replica of Fort Boonesborough which Daniel Boone settled .. the replica is next to where the original was built and is true to that period. This photo is the inside of a larger cabin with a loft. There are people there in costume performing tasks that would have be done in Boone's time .. making candles, soap, tanning hide, etc.
There's an introductory video explaining how Fort Boonesborough came about .. and there's only one photo of Daniel Boone (and he looked like a typical Englishman of the time)! And no, he never wore a coonskin cap .. he didn't believe in having animal hide on his skin.

Birthday 2008

2008-04-13T18:57:00.000-07:00

Last year, my dear Rich died just three weeks before my birthday. My day came and went .. my mind was a total blur .. memory completely shot. All I remember is crying at the dinner table because Rich wasn't there. This year, it came and went and it was harder for me than last year. (There's something positive to be said about having your mind in a fog!!)

I miss having friends close by who I can grab a cup of tea or coffee with or go shopping with or just sit and talk with ... Rich made every day so special for me ... now my birthday is just another day. I guess that's what happens when you have a huge void in your life. Hopefully, things will get better from here on ... I'm looking forward to that.

I think STUPID has finally figured out how to get the food out of the squirrel feeder .. can't be sure, but I haven't seen him sniffing at the bottom of the feeder and the food is disappearing at an accelerated rate! Good for you, STUPID! Guess you don't need that sign anymore.

The new thing for the furry little 4-legged critters is trying to get to the birds' suet! I moved it away from the squirrel feeder and hung it under the top deck about 5' from the bird feeder and far away from the uprights. Here comes one of the little devils ... down from the top deck, hanging on one of the uprights with two legs and stretched out as far as he can towards the suet feeder! Yesterday I heard a big THUD and knew immediately what it was ... the suet feeder was lying on the deck and there was no perp. to be seen! I'll hang it once more and if they knock it down again, I'll move it ...

If the TV ever goes out during the day, I have built-in entertainment outside!

An Aggravating Game

2008-03-29T23:19:00.000-07:00

I've had this helicopter game on 'My Favorites' for years ... it's the most aggravating 'game' ... but my record is 1,400 and something ... give it a try ... it takes practice to get the feel of how the copter reacts to your mouse but it's addictive so be warned. http://www.hurtwood.demon.co.uk/Fun/copter.swf. You'll probably have to copy and paste into your browser.

Been feeling really 'down' lately ... and I was doing so well. I am just plain lonely ... Rich was my life for 32 years and it's tough building a new one alone ... and I can't do much until these blasted doctors (1) decide if it's my spine or hip that's causing so much pain and (2) FIX IT!!! I have one friend here who I rarely see because she's so busy.

Bay Area drivers: everyone's in such a rush and the majority are so damned rude. Three quarters of the vehicles apparently don't have indicators! And my (car's) rear end seems to attract very close attention! I drive Hwy 280 at 68 mph and everyone and his uncle overtakes me .. at least I don't have a sudden panic when I see a CHP! I am hoping that my courtesy on the road will catch on but I'm not holding my breath.

Good news on 'Stupid' ... he jumped on the squirrel feeder today and pushed the lid up with his nose but still didn't figure out that if he pushed a little harder, he'd be able to jump right in. At least he's getting close! How many weeks has it been now? lol

Almanor and Dentist

2008-03-24T16:09:00.001-07:00

I went up to LAKE ALMANOR (Plumas County, CA) on March 14th (with my sister and brother-in-law) for a peaceful weekend AND a Monday appointment at the dentist's office. There was still quite a bit of snow around but the roads were cleared (except for those which are rarely used). We had a couple of flurries while there but generally it was cool and clear. This photo was the prettiest sunset we saw over the weekend.

Now .. when it comes to DENTISTS, I'm not a brave soul by any means. I usually can't sleep for a couple of nights beforehand, especially if I'm going to have something major done.
[Note aside: Doesn't it seem like the smaller your mouth, the more they want to put in there?]
I actually LIKE my dentist at Lake Almanor ... Dr. Eric Dunbar. For the first time in my entire, decades-long life, I spent three and a half hours at his office and felt no discomfort or pain during or since my visit! I had three molars extracted and some other treatments. My view of dentists (the butt of so many well-worn jokes) has changed for the better ... so if you have the time, take a drive, enjoy the views and see a good dentist!

Miscellany

2008-03-13T07:31:00.000-07:00

Let's start off the blog with a happy scene .. this is the beach in Tarragona, Spain .. it was the first holiday my sister and I took without our parents .. and it was such fun!! This pic (I'm on the left) was taken later in the day (you can tell by the shadows) and probably by one of our three Polish friends or our three English friends. One day, I'll write about some of the crazy things that happened there!)

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*.. Even though 'Stupid' hasn't figured out how to get the food out of the squirrel feeder, one of the local chickadees has! At the top of the Plexiglas enclosure, there are 'breathing' holes and one is just large enough for the little fellow to hop in, grab a shelled sunflower seed, and hop out. And I thought squirrels had larger brains than birds!

*.. We're coming up on the anniversary of dear Rich's death (March 20th) and it's not very easy for me at the moment ... good thing is, as everyone tells me, things get easier after the first year ...

*.. Upcoming happy times: trip to Kentucky, trip to Oregon, get sworn in as an American citizen (I'll have dual citizenship) ...

'STUPID'

2008-03-06T15:57:00.000-08:00

You just wont believe this cute little brainless squirrel ... he must have crushed nuts in his head! I propped up the lid of the squirrel feeder ... enough that even the chickadees can fly in, retrieve a morsel, and fly out with no problems.
Here comes STUPID ... hopping along the railing ... stops in front of the feeder ... stops again behind the feeder ... and goes on his merry way. This has transpired several times over the last three days and he still hasn't figured out how to get the food! Nothing else I can do for the poor blighter.

General Updates

2008-03-01T15:33:00.000-08:00

*...I aced my citizenship test and will be sworn in at the beginning of May in San Francisco. I will became a dual citizen of the UK and USA at that time. And I'll be able to vote .. after 44 years in the US!

*..."Stupid" has not improved at all. He still runs over to the squirrel feeder ... stands on his tippy-toes, checks out the bottom of the feeder (solid metal), looks at the food through the plexiglas windows, then trots off, totally befuddled! We have wrapped the wooden 4x8 upright in sheet metal so at least he can't chew it anymore .. now I'm watching to make sure he doesn't start chewing somewhere else!

*...Trip to Costa Rica is postponed due to poor health of a couple of friends who were going along. We're hoping to reschedule perhaps in November .. it'll be a tad bit cooler then too.

*...My grief has greatly abated .. it's been just short of a year now since dear Rich died and even though I think of him every single day, I am used to not having him around anymore. He was my strength and support for so many years. I'm not looking forward to March 20th ... and not looking forward to scattering his ashes in the Bay as was his wish ... but both will come and go and I'll still be here.

I think that's all for now ... been rather quiet lately. Thanks for visiting.

UPDATE ON SQUIRRELS

2008-02-13T00:02:00.000-08:00

Here's your sign, "Stupid", is back to his old ways ...
My new metal feeder is nice to look at, keeps the food dry, smart squirrels have learned how to get in to get the food .. but not "Stupid" .. now he's chewing the support post that the feeder is attached to (along with the top deck!!!). I suppose it's out of frustration or maybe he thinks if he chews long enough, the feeder will fall and the bounty will be his!
The only thing I could think of quickly was aluminum foil, so I wrapped the post in foil . . between the bottom of the feeder and the deck railing. This was a great deterrent for three days but now he's torn the foil and started chewing the post again. I just don't know what to do to stop him.
When I go to the store, maybe I'll buy some tabasco or cayenne and put that on the wood ... and when one of our friends returns this weekend I'll see what he can come up with .. maybe wrap the post with wire or metal of some kind. If anyone has any ideas, please share them with me!
Will post pics. later ...