My Day

Celebrating

2012-01-27T20:29:00.000-07:00

Yes! I am celebrating tonight! I have been successful in selling my #206 cottage! I knew that the right people would come along and that it would happen for them and me, but it feels so awesome tonight, now that it has happened.

Jack and I went to Anthony's in the Catalinas to dine, using a Groupon that I'd gotten a few weeks ago. Fantastic dinner! We were well cared-for, with waiters for water, taking plates away, presenting new plates, and describing our choices for our next course. We will go back there.

I'm still holding at 132.5, after a day this week at 131.5. I'm still exercising like crazy, doing Wii Zumba, Wii Fitness Coach, and doing the fitness class with power bands and balls here. I'm getting development of muscles I didn't know I had, and I feel stronger. Now I need to get back on the dietary horse. I think that I'm going to completely swear off cookies and baked stuff till I'm where I want to be. The truth is that, while Jack's chocolate chip cookies are fantastic, best ever, I likely can live without them.

But, for now, back to celebrating! :)

Not Obsessing about Food

2012-01-20T16:36:00.000-07:00

Getting set to head out to dinner. Jack and I will be going to Sweet Tomatoes -- the most nutritious of the all-you-care-to-eat concept places. My plan is to start with a salad, leaving off dressing and croutons. Then I'll skip the pizza, and instead enjoy all the soup I want. For dessert, if they have something special that appeals to me, I'll have a bit. Otherwise, I'll save myself for one of Jack's chocolate chip cookies when I get home!
I had a great lunch out on my deck. It was 2 oz of leftover salmon, a slice of my wonderful multigrain bread from Beyond Bread, a carrot, a half cup of blackberries, and a cup of skim milk! I love eating this way and it thrills me that I can eat this well and lose weight. And, although the weight loss has been tediously slow (11 lbs in 3 months), I am determined to keep it down this time. I'm at 132.5 this morning, from a high of 143.5 on 10/25/11. My goal is to grow older in a body that's 125 lbs. :)

I'm finding, too, that I'm not obsessed with food, as I used to be. I mean, I do think about it, because I have to be sure that I have the right things in my house, but I'm no longer thinking "appetizer" when it gets to be 4:00, "dessert" when dinner's done, "snack" when it's mid-morning, etc..

Non-food things: Mail came finally, so if I owed you money, it's on the way now. We took Mary to her heart doc and found out that all is well there. After a trip to Albertsons, we took her back home.

The weather today is perfect. Lightly cloudy, but mostly sunny and lovely. I've been watching other people go past on the way to and from the pool. It's not quite warm enough for me to want to go to the pool. I need 80. :)

Putting it away

2012-01-16T10:10:00.000-07:00

There are too many things that it took me too long to learn. These usually come crashing over me in one of those delightful "aha" moments that leave us wanting to shout from the rooftops. So here I am, shouting from my virtual rooftop!

"A place for everything and everything in its place" ... We've all heard that one a thousand times -- so often that it loses its meaning. When we are trying to get ourselves organized --and who isn't? -- we need to first have a place for everything. That is a topic about which many books have been written, and about which I could likely write a fetching book of my own. But that's not what I'm going to write about today.

What I've learned recently though is that I'm far better off if I put things away, immediately, where they belong. Here is an example: When I arrive home from the grocery, arms full of purse, keys, and grocery bags, I set things wherever, just to free my hands and take off my coat.

In the past, I might have hung my coat on the post by the steps, dropped my purse beside it, and set my keys on the table. Then I'd begin putting away the groceries. I'd attack the cold stuff, putting freezer things into the freezer and the fridge stuff in the fridge. Then maybe the phone would ring or I'd have to go to an appointment. No big deal to leave the rest of the groceries till later, right?

So I grab my coat and my purse and head out. But wait... where are my keys? Urgh... back into the house, I retrace my steps, ultimately finding them on the table.

So what's wrong with this and why did I feel a need to change? What I'm doing now saves me time, stress, and dignity. What's different is that now I put things away.... where they belong. My coat goes into the closet, hung up. My purse goes into the cabinet in the top drawer alongside my keys. (Nothing else is in that drawer to make it hard to find these things I use all the time.)

I still put away the cold stuff first. And then I put everything else away. Not sort of away. Away. Fruit in the fruit bowl (alongside my fake fruit!) and cereal in the cereal cabinet. Someone calls, I let the voicemail get it. Putting things away is important. If I have another appointment, it can wait that 2 minutes that it'll take to put things where they belong.

And I'll save that 2 minutes when it comes time to leave anyway, because I don't have to look for my keys! My coat is hung with my other coats, so I can easily see which coat I really want to take for this other errand.

The bonus is that, when I arrive home, everything is put away. I don't have to see stuff all over my counters. I do this little thing -- put things away, where they belong, immediately, and my house will always be ready for company. :)

Simple? You bet. But it was a revelation to me.

How I've Changed

2012-01-13T22:45:00.001-07:00

We all know how good a cookie is. You eat it, and as you put it away a bite at a time, the sweetness is almost overwhelming. You just want to keep eating them. After the cookie is gone, in fact, you usually just have to grab another! It is hard to satisfy your appetite with cookies.

I've learned that it's very different with a mango. The process of readying it to be eaten is a ritual that takes a bit of time. Then, as you eat it, there is a party that takes place in your mouth. The thing is just a mosh pit of sweet deliciousness that must be experienced to be understood.

But the real magic of the mango is that the pleasure continues. The fruit is large enough and filling enough that it does it for your appetite!

And, as you're eating it, you can reflect upon the fact that you're actually eating something that is feeding your body! Mangos are rich in vitamins A & C,vitamin B6, and fiber...but they are not calorie-dense.

I had my first mango just a couple of weeks ago, and I'm so happy that I got the nerve to try one. I shared that first one with Jack. The one I had today was all mine!

Location : 7677 E Broadway Blvd, Tucson, AZ 85710,

An easy day

2012-01-11T21:33:00.000-07:00

Today I slept in till 7:30 and then lay around in bed till 8:30! That's the first time that I've done that in a while, but it's ok. I tell myself that I earned it.

I did my exercise (20 minutes of medium intensity Zumba on the Wii, and then 15 minutes of Wii Fitness Coach) and then had breakfast as I read the Arizona Daily Star. Breakfast this morning was a very special treat. I had half a chocolate muffin from Sunflower with... now get this ... very homemade blackberry spread. To make this, I took 1/2 C of blackberries and mashed them just a bit in a little Pyrex bowl. Spoon atop a bite of muffin and there you go. Repeat till there is no muffin left and the blackberries should run out at the same time, if you play it right! :) Oh, my, but that is good!

I've been enjoying the puzzles in the paper, discovering that, while I'm still not Crown Princess of crosswords, I can usually get through the easier ones. (not NY times, thank you) BUT... I AM Ja'am of Jumbles! And I'm Sultana of Sudoku, too. :D

I did a bit of work on a Photoshop project for our photo club here in the park and then Jack and I went to Oregano's for dinner with Joann and George. We had a nice time as we always do with them. I had 1/4 of a portion of chicken lasagne. The other 3/4 will serve as 3 more meals! While the restaurant was not quite as loud as it was when Jack and I last went, when we vowed never to go back, it was still loud enough that I will insist, from now on, that we sit in the front part.

After dinner, we rushed off to choir practice where we got new songs. Jack has decided after tonight that choir is just not his thing, so he's dropping out. I admire him for giving it a try, when he's thought his whole life that he could not sing. I say that the forest would be a deadly quiet place, if the only birds singing were the ones who sang the best.

New Year, new habits

2012-01-07T19:58:00.001-07:00

I'm doing well to start my year.I'm really loving my new cottage and I've been keeping very busy with all kinds of fun things. Last evening Jack and I went to dinner with friends at Cattletown. After that we played Aggravation. Although the men won, it was lots of fun.

I've been working on creating the body I want to grow older in. I've decided that sort of borderline overweight and matronly is not going to do for me. So I'm getting myself to the lean side of normal.

So I've been working out with the Wii and going for walks. I've been eating great food and way less fat, salt, and sugar. And I've been keeping track of it all on myfitnesspal.com. Since 10/25, I've moved from 143.5 to 134. And I love Zumba!

Location : 7677 E Broadway Blvd, Tucson, AZ 85710,

Happy birthday, Becky

2011-11-05T06:15:00.001-07:00

Michael's sister Becky was one of my avid blog readers and, just in case she is still reading it , I'll use this to wish her happy birthday. Though Becky passed away a year and a half ago, she'll always be one of my best friends and a real inspiration to me. Happy Birthday to you, Becky!

In other news, things are moving along here in Tucson. Jack's mom Mary got out of the hospital the day after we arrived in Tucson -- the 25th of October. Since she is on oxygen and using a walker, things are a bit more challenging for her. She has appointments with a nurse, with pt, and several doctors. So far, we've managed to get her where she needs to be and to help her to keep things tidy at her apartment. Yesterday, in fact, she went down to the salon to have her hair done. This was her first time doing that since the hospital, so it felt great to her. I just followed along, letting her do everything. She even said, "you're not even going to push the elevator button?". But she did it all, including setting up her small oxygen tank, by herself. What a woman. She could have just let other people do for her, but she's decided to get well and do for herself. :-)

Jack is having a workup done, meanwhile, and they are finding some blockages in arteries. Extent and remedies are uncertain at this point.

Me? Well, I've gotten the front "yard" dug for my retaining wall, Jack and I procured the blocks, and they are sort of tentatively set in place. We are going to need to cut a few of them to make them fit. Then will come plastic behind them and gravel and maybe soil to fill in behind.

The little cactus that we planned here is just like the one that we put on at Jack's -- the one that someone was inspired to kick over when we first returned. So we'll move mine to his house and replant his remaining broken stalks and see if he can make them grow again. He was so proud of his little cactus that it made me sob to see it all broken off.

Anyway so then my plan is to top my little plot with decorative stone and "plant" some steel cacti there. :-) I would move my steel agaves from 206, but they are so perfect there and they make me smile whenever I walk past. So I'll find more.

People are returning from the frozen north at a steady pace, and activities are going here. It's a beautiful time to be in Tucson.

Location : 7451 S 5th Ave, Tucson, AZ 85710,

Almost home

2011-10-24T13:31:00.001-07:00

Tucson is just 92 miles away! This photo shows a bit of rain that we're seeing along I-10 today.

Our trip has been fun, punctuated by visits to family and friends. We visited state capitols in IL, IA, NE, and CO. At some point soon, I will figure out a way to get all these photos online for your viewing pleasure.

I'm posting this with my new smartphone -- a Samsung Charge with much help from Verizon. I so love the little gadget. It can, I'm convinced, do anything!

Location : N Railroad Ave, Willcox, AZ 85643,

On I 80

2011-10-19T08:26:00.001-07:00

We awoke this morning to a chilly 29° in Henderson, NE. Were now headed west on I 80 300 miles east of Arvada, Colorado. All is well and enjoying a break while Jack drives.

Location : 301-399 7th St, Gothenburg, NE 69138,

Jack was the line judge

2011-10-06T18:32:00.001-07:00

I was proud!

Location : 9640 Textile Rd, Ypsilanti Township, MI 48197,

A great day

2011-10-06T18:29:00.001-07:00

Jack and I had a wonderful day today! We started by visiting the Ford Museum in Dearborn. What a neat museum, with so many different things to see! There was the actual bus in which Rosa Parks refused to relinquish her seat, Edgar Allan Poe's writing desk... planes, trains, and automobiles. This was a whole day, and we didn't see it all, by a long shot.

We drove back to Ann Arbor and to the school where Wren was to play volleyball. The funny thing is that they were short a line judge, so Jack was happy to fill in. What a fun time for all of us!

Back at Dave and Kelly's, we got the tour of their new home and yard and then dinner. Chinese food satisfied all of us so that we were fortified adequately for the short trip to Baskin Robbins! Lots of love and laughs. .. Just a great time! <3<3<3<3<3

Location : 9640 Textile Rd, Ypsilanti Township, MI 48197,

On the Road Again

2011-10-05T14:27:00.001-07:00

Ok...trying posting with the blogaway app I just got for my phone. Jack and I are in Ypsilanti this afternoon. And for those of you who are familiar with the geography of Michigan, you know that, to get here, we traveled east. We're here to visit with David, Kelly, and the children. And we're excited about this! :-)

Location : 9640 Textile Rd, Ypsilanti Township, MI 48197,

Back in Michigan

2011-08-29T05:52:00.000-07:00

I've been back in Michigan since August 17. I've mainly been occupied with my usual home-improvement pursuits. If you know me very well, you know that I've been obsessed with home improvement since childhood, when Annette and I rearranged our bedroom furniture... uh... frequently. At least I have not rearranged this house to the point where I'm sleeping under my desk! LOL!

Jack and I have not worked much on his house, I think because he just can't stand it. He says that he wants to sell it, but he can't figure out what he wants to do with his garage FULL of tools, and many other things. We're trying to work in that direction, anyway.

We went to Grand Rapids on Saturday and bought a bookcase and nightstands finally. This will give me a civilized place to put books (duh) and help to organize (or at least hide) the bedside clutter. Jack and I will go back down to pick these up later in the week. I also have been diligent about getting my appointments made -- teeth cleaning, eye exam, financial checkup, etc..

Weather here on the river has been perfection. Jack has cooked delicious food for us on the grill, and I made the best egg salad EVER just yesterday. :)

Can it get hotter than this?

2011-08-03T18:55:00.000-07:00

Jack and I arrived in Hot Springs, Arkansas yesterday, and spent today here, too. We went to Garvan Woodland Gardens this morning, and spent a good three hours wandering around over the many paths, photographing woodlands and gardens, and sweating! I believe that I would have died, without the water that I'd brought along.

We drove back into town, and then to bath house row. There, we did a tour and read all the exhibits about the heyday of the Hot Springs bathhouse industry which peaked in the 40's. Interesting and fun!

We enjoyed a delicious dinner at Central Park Fusion Restaurant, headed back to the KOA, and did laundry!

Santa Fe

2011-07-28T18:57:00.000-07:00

We actually made it out of Tucson! We had planned to leave on Tuesday, but ended up leaving at 10:30 am on Wednesday. It was oppressively hot and a little humid, as is typical for the Monsoon season. We stayed last night at the Little Vineyard Campground in Deming, NM.

Tonight finds me with Jack and Eddie the cat in the little Navion close to Santa Fe, NM. The sky is clearing, the air is amazingly cool and fresh, and we're having a fine time! The GPS is working well in conjunction with our collection of AAA maps. We are looking for a place for dinner now. So off we go!

Still in Tucson

2011-07-18T16:18:00.000-07:00

I know that I've been remiss in posting. I would vow to do better, but you wouldn't believe me anyway. ;)

We're having a good time here in Tucson. We've been working on projects and here's what we've accomplished:

My deck is done and is beautiful.
My skirting (made of faux stone) is done and is beautiful.
The inside of my cottage is lovely, furnished, and is a great place to live.
I have some beautiful new patio furniture and an outdoor heater.
Jack's ceiling is done in his cottage's bedroom, and it's splendid.
Jack's cottage is neat and clean, and is the process of becoming organized.
My 206 cottage, which I'm going to be selling, now has new flooring.
The carpet is ripped out from the bedroom in 206 and we're getting set to install new.
We moved furniture into 206, so that we can sell it furnished.
We have procured some neat decorative items to "stage" 206, and are in the process of placing these items. This included some fabulous finds and the place is going to look wonderful.

I've come to the conclusion that, for both Jack and me, home improvement is a hobby. Ever since the frequent furniture rearranging that Annette and I did as children, I've been a home improvement freak. So, consider it normal that I look around this beautiful cottage and see more things that need to be fixed up. I do. :)

So... are we going to stay here all summer? Are we going to fly back to the midwest? Are we going to take a long RV journey? Stay tuned to find out!

Having a Time

2011-06-16T18:53:00.000-07:00

Jack and I are doing well here in Tucson. We're still working on the Project of the Century here on this cottage. We have the "stone" installed around the front, as of Saturday, and it's looking great. I will post photos when I have the final touchups done. I have to do a little "carving" and touch-up painting where the miter joints were cut.

The deck is what we've been working on for the past couple of days. While the foundation for it is made of regular wood, the decking itself is Trex -- a composite product made of 95% post-consumer recycled plastic and sawdust. It is creating a really sleek and beautiful deck and the deckboards are 80% installed.

Today we also got part of the low-voltage lighting installed. As with everything, it took some trial and error to get it all to work, but I think that it's working now. We have it on a dusk to dawn sensor so that there will be light when we need it. I will have solar lights around the front, where I have plenty of sun.

The skirting is part the rock stuff and part is siding like on our cottage -- a sort of cement board. I hate the stuff more than I can really describe. It weighs a ton, is long and cumbersome, and if you lift it wrong, it breaks. To cut it, requires practically a Hazmat suit -- hearing protection, safety glasses, and a dust mask. And all of this in 100+ heat. Urf. I cannot wait till we are all done with that ucky stuff. We are done with the part of that that's on the deck, and the part that's around the north side of the cottage. We still have to do around the south side and the west side.

We've been taking good care of ourselves -- taking frequent breaks, drinking more Gatorade than I thought a person *could* drink, going out for healthy and delicious lunches, and going for a dip in our pool after the workday is done.

So how hot is it? Yesterday and today were 104. It's been over 100 during the day since Memorial Day, with a day or two with high in the upper 90's. That actually feels noticeably cooler. It's so hot that, even when metal objects are not in the sun, they still feel VERY warm. When anything is in the sun, of course, it is blazingly hot, and that includes skin.

It's also dry. The dew point has been in the negative numbers. Yesterday's was -11. What that means is that you can have a big jug of Gatorade with ice cubes in it and the outside is DRY. Towels air dry in an hour. And we do go through lots of lotion. I love it here!

Project Progress

2011-06-10T07:26:00.000-07:00

Jack and I are still progressing nicely with the deck and skirting for my new cottage in Tucson. We have the foundation of the deck built, the steps finished, the OSB boards installed around the perimeter of the cottage and the deck, some of the faux stone installed on the front of the skirting, and about half the deck Trex installed! Woo hoo! Yeah! I can actually walk out my french door and stand on something solid!

We continue to have little adjustments to make, due to things being unlevel when we assumed that they would be, learning curves for these new materials (the faux stone mostly), and things that we have to order which take longer to arrive than we think that they should. But it looks great and I'm well-satisfied with our progress. My design, Jack's engineering, my materials control, and both of our prowess with the power tools -- formidable!

The weather's been fine. While it's quite warm these days (over 100 for about the last week, with high 90's for 3 weeks now), we stay well-hydrated, take some breaks, and pace ourselves. We have stopped guessing when we'll be done, but are hopeful that we make it back to Michigan before the snow flies there!

A Dry Heat

2011-05-28T23:26:00.000-07:00

... and what a heat it is! Jack and I are still in Tucson, still working on my deck and skirting for my cottage, and, as the temperatures climb, we are experiencing a heat-related adventure! Actually, it's not all that bad. We've been very careful to stay well-hydrated, we try to work out of the sun as much as we can, and we take frequent breaks!

Here are some pics! Jack working on the steps:

Me using the framing nailer:

The deck beginning to come together:

More wood to be converted into decking:

Today, after a long day of cutting and applying siding to the deck and laying our first bits of Trex onto the steps, we dined at New York Pizza and then went to DQ! It doesn't get much better than this.

Trip to Iowa

2011-05-20T07:20:00.000-07:00

Jack and I just returned from a nearly 2-week trip to Iowa. There, we stayed with Jack's daughter and son in-law and went to grandchild events. The first was Matthew's play -- The Music Man. He's 12 and in 6th grade and I know you're thinking, "Ok.. a middle school production... how good can that be?" Well, it was great! The lines were delivered flawlessly, with feeling. The songs were sung with emotion and no off-pitches. Matthew as the high voice in the barbershop quartet was engaging, funny, and fit right in with the group of talented young singers. What fun!

We also got to go to two of his baseball games which, while not entirely successful, were still fun to watch. Oh, and we got popcorn!

Katherine was in her first-ever swim meet while we were there, too. This was an intra-squad meet, just to show them what swim meets are all about. I'd never been to a swim meet before, and found it interesting and entertaining.

We went on a short stay-cation, driving all of 20 minutes to the Grand Harbor Resort on the Mississippi River. Our room had a splendid view, looking right out at the river, the bridge, and barges that went past. While there, we took the children (Katherine, Matthew, and K's friend Lexi) to the waterpark. The following day, we went to the Mississippi River Museum, which is fantastic. This is a Smithsonian project, and is a world-class museum.

During the 12-day stay, we had some "dumb time," too. I learned how to do Ken-Ken puzzles and got pretty good at them. We watched plenty of HGTV, taking advantage of the fact that they have it and we don't!

The flights were uneventful and pleasant, actually. This was notable for me, because these were the first flights that I'd taken since fall of 2007, right after Michael died. And these were the first flights for me in a long time when I did not feel anxious at all. Yay!

Progress is happening on my cottage projects! We now have supports up for about half of the skirting. We now have most of the deck posts vertical. There are beams in place for most of the deck. Oh, and did I mention that my driveway is full of wood?

Weather is holding out for us. We enjoyed a very nice cool day yesterday, with a high of 75. Clouds attenuated the heat a bit, though skies were mostly clear and lovely.

Jack fixed us a great dinner last night -- Panko-encrusted tilapia, corn on the cob, baked beans, and mixed vegetables. I think that he's doing dishes right now. :)

Easter

2011-04-25T21:23:00.000-07:00

Easter was blessed and wonderful for us. I had really missed Easter (and Christmas) in the time that I was married to Michael, because he and his family didn't celebrate those holidays. Easter, in particular, was one that he did not like.

For us, we went to our church's sunrise service at 7 am, and then to the pancake breakfast afterwards. Next, while I was at choir practice, Jack went to get Mary and took her to her church and came back just in time for our church to start up at 10. Our choir sang and the service was good.

After church, we went to get Mary and she took us and Joe and Kay to the Sheraton's buffet dinner. We enjoyed a sumptious feast with good conversation. Mary shared many memories with Joe and Kay. She's been friends with them for over 60 years!

Today was a bit back to real life, with Jack and me working on the materials list for the deck, and going around pricing things. I'm beginning to rethink doing the entire deck in Trex, after pricing that stuff. Lowe's offers a single 20' 2x6 at $50. One board for $50. And, of course, I will need many boards. ;) I'm thinking about making just the octagon part in front and the steps out of Trex and doing the back part with plywood covered in dark carpet. Many people here do decks with plywood covered in carpet; they hold up well, and people are happy with them. That would save me a few hundred bucks, which I could use for solar lights on my deck posts! :)

Earth Day

2011-04-23T17:31:00.000-07:00

Today is not only the day before Easter, but it's the day after Earth Day! I celebrated Earth Day, along with probably 15 others from our church, helping to spruce up the grounds. My task was trimming mesquite trees, cutting off dead palm fronds, and reshaping a palm "bush." No one I know back in the midwest or the east is doing THAT today! :) I also helped Jack and some of the guys in raking and shoveling gravel. We left the grounds looking fine, if I do say so myself.

After the cleanup detail, Jack and I went to the Pima County Fair. I believe that I ate less at this fair than ever in the history of my going to fairs. We had a battered and deep-fried half zucchini (shared), a small bag of kettle corn (shared), a beef stick, and 2.5 bottles of water.

The fair was fun, as always, with its share of people trying to relieve others of their money in various ways. We escaped with buying just our parking ($5), entry fee ($16), and the food (total of $12).

I'm enjoying my new cottage very much. The loft bedroom is wonderful -- comfortable and cool at night. I know that I'll like it just as much, if not more, in the winter! I'd been a little concerned about the size of the kitchen, but it is more than adequate for li'l ol' me and the infrequent and unfancy meals that I fix here. The back room -- my hobby room -- is just perfect, too. I am truly appreciating having that bit of space in which to stretch out with my hobbies. :)

We have finally ordered the material for the skirting. We are getting Faux Panels and click that link to see what it looks like. They should be in, in about 4 weeks. By then, we'll have the backer up for them and be ready to put them on! Yay!

It's getting more and more quiet around the park now, with all the less hardy snowbirds taking off. I'm rather enjoying the peace, though. Jack and I have gotten into a fun routine of sharing lunches out and dinners either out or at home -- his place or mine.

We are enjoying time with Mary (Jack's mom), too. We've been taking her to church and on various errands. She loves to shop and so do we! She is getting along well at her retirement community, has many friends, likes the food, and even takes part in an exercise class there.

We've been seeing many bunnies around here, and I'm not sure but whether one of them may be the Easter bunny! We'll have to wait and see.

More furniture moving

2011-04-19T17:22:00.000-07:00

MORE? Yeah. Only this isn't for me. Our good friend John has decided again that he's going to move back to Colorado and sell his Tucson cottage. Well, this time he seems serious, because he sold Jack his furniture! The furniture that Jack had will then go to John's, since he wants to sell it furnished. The stuff that he had was just far too good to "toss in" with the sale of a $14K cottage.

So we spent part of the day hauling furniture out of Jack's cottage and out of John's, and then new stuff into Jack's. We will hang onto John's new stuff till after he has his carpet cleaned tomorrow. :) He'll be leaving then for good on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Other things continue apace. I've taken more things from 206 down here and have just a few things in the cottage and a few in the shed to bring over. I have organized my two sheds here so that I can easily find things. When the people all get back in the fall, I'll have a patio sale and unload more things -- nice things, mind you -- just things that *I* don't need. ;)

Goodbye, Trust Market

2011-04-13T17:11:00.000-07:00

A long time ago, in a land far, far away, AT&T won some legal wrangling against Verizon. In the end, the government ordered some groups of Verizon's customers to be taken over by AT&T. These people were termed "The Trust Market" and I was among them.

What this meant was that AT&T was to take over our service, was to replace all our phones and my MiFi with AT&T things and then they were going to be our provider. In the meantime, and this was nearly two years, I could not just go into a Verizon store and get answers about my account. No one had any access to it, because we were *The Trust Market.*

Well, this did not amuse me. I have not been a Verizon customer because they are a giant and they forced me to be with them. I've been a Verizon customer since they were a "whoozzat" company. I have stayed with them for many years, because I like their service.

So, after numerous postponements, The Day finally arrived. This was the day that AT&T's devices were to be activated. That Day .. was today.

I awoke curious, so I tried to call Jack on my Verizon phone and got a message that my phone no longer had service. So I tried the AT&T phone and was told that IT didn't have service.

So this afternoon, Jack and I went hopefully to our friendly Verizon man. He is Roy at the Pantano/Broadway Verizon store. He was helpful in listening to our situation and in getting me on the phone with a guy from Verizon who knew another guy from Verizon who might be able to help. Manuel from the WinBack Department (yes, really!) was my guy.

It took the better part of 30 minutes, I'm guessing, to get it all squared away, but the offshoot is that I am again a Verizon customer, I am no longer part of a Trust Market, I have the same plan, the same devices, and they all WORK! Thank you, Manuel! Thank you, Roy! And thank you, Verizon! Here's to another bazillion years of working together!

Photos of the New Cottage!

2011-04-12T21:11:00.000-07:00

Slowly, but steadily, we're making progress on the projects around my new cottage. Jack got some concrete blocks cemented in today, and I got another carload of stuff loaded up at 206, driven here, and offloaded. Most of it is put away now.

I got the Fit serviced this morning. Its "oil life" indicator was down to 15%, and that means that it's time to get it changed. It takes awhile for it to get that low, too. Last oil change was in Big Rapids, and so that was September or before. When I first arrived here, I took it to my dealer, and they told me that I needed to wait for that 15%.

Ok! Here we are. New photos of the new digs!

Here is the delivery guy unwrapping the front. The doors are not even on yet!

Notice .. no flooring yet, and all the building stuff everywhere. I was NOT living here yet!

Fast-forward to today. Here's Jack working on the concrete footer for the deck:

And here are some interior photos, with explanations. You have to click the pic to see the explanations. :)

Busted

2011-04-10T22:49:00.000-07:00

Yep... my sister finally busted me for not writing in this blog more. And she's right. I will repent. I will blog more. My camera is still at my old house, so I can't take pics tonight, but I'll go and get it tomorrow!

I love this cottage more every day. Change is difficult, and moving is difficult on so many levels, but this is a very nice move for me. The little loft bedroom is working out great. With the windows open, I get this amazing air blowing just right, and so, even on the nearly 100 degree days that we've had, it's nice and cool at night.

The kitchen is smaller than the one I had at 206, but I am really enjoying it. The peninsula takes the place of the island I no longer have, and it gives me plenty of counter space. While I have not yet baked a pie in this kitchen, I hold out hopes that it'll serve nicely for that.

Jack got the footers for the deck front poured on Friday, just in time for our big cooldown. On Saturday, we awoke to rain and 47 degrees -- perfect for going to the Home Show! We spent several hours there, perusing the aisles. Big show with many, many booths. It's not the Indy show, however, with its actual custom home built on the premises!

After the show, we came back to my cottage and got our feet up in the recliners, TV on... and the doorbell rang. John and Carlene, friends of ours from Big Rapids, were here with Smania's (other friends from BR who winter in our park). John and Carlene winter in Phoenix area, so this was just the 2nd time that we saw them this season. We all went out to Mimi's for a delicious dinner and some fun conversation and catching up.

Today it was a bit warmer and we got to see the snow left on the Catalinas and Rincons after this cold & rain down here. Church was good. Pastor Bruce is leaving our church to pursue a new venture in California. While I'm sure that it'll be fine for our church and that Bruce and his family will be happy there, I'm still bummed about that.

My voice lessons and practicing continue to be lots of fun. I am up to 12 different exercises now, and I get a new song every week. While sometimes it sounds like I'm hollering or shrieking, mostly I sound ok... to me! LOL! Marcia swears that she's going to make me a star.

Moved in!

2011-04-05T21:59:00.000-07:00

I've moved into my new place! Well, I should clarify that I've been sleeping here for a few nights now. I just got my dishes moved here today, but they're not put away, because the shelves they will sit on are yet to have "poly" painted on them.

The shower is done and working fine! I love it and am more convinced than ever that Jack can do anything.

The flooring has been in for a couple of weeks and it looks splendid. The awning is in and looks great. They have one little part to fix, but the shade it provides is so welcome and wonderful.

Al and Jack moved my mattress here just a few days ago. They, with just a bit of help from me, hefted the thing up OVER the railing to my loft. The loft bedroom is working great for me. It's comfortable, nice and cool with the windows open at night, airy, bright, and I get to look out my window from my bed, to watch the sun begin to light the Catalina Mountains.

Today we got our deck plan approved! That means that we'll finalize the plans, calculate materials, and get moving on that! I will likely do it using Trex -- the stuff that looks like wood but isn't.

We've been keeping busy with other activities, too. While the Far Horizons activities have mostly ended, since the weaker snowbirds have already flown back, church activities are continuing fast and furious, and we're having fun with choir, working on the meditation garden, working on soup suppers (for Lent), and just general partying.

My voice lessons have been going well and I'm learning a lot. I never knew that there was so much involved in learning to sing, and to sing well. I guess I just thought that you either could do it or you couldn't. That's what lots of people think about art, too. I think, of course, that everyone has art in them, and it just has to be brought out.

We're also spending a bit of time with Mary, and all of us enjoy that. We take her to church every Sunday after dropping me off at choir practice for our church. Then after church we pick her up, go to brunch, and then do errands with her. She and I went to a fashion show at Skyline Country Club a few weeks ago, and that was lots of fun.

Last Tuesday, Jack and I went hiking with Dick, a man we met at church, to Chiva Falls. Great hike, beautiful falls, but over 8 miles, so it was a long one for me! We were all happy to get to the cars.

It's getting hotter here, with some record highs recorded already. We have had temps up into the 90's, but it's going to get cooler again this week.

I will be getting photos posted of the new digs, as soon as I get it done. Right now, my camera is still at the other house. ;)

92

2011-03-18T22:21:00.000-07:00

... That's how many people Jack and I had at our St Patrick's Day party! It was at the new place and everything worked out great. We did have a bit too much alcohol to serve, so we had a half-empty keg to return, but next year we'll know better.

We had our friends bring finger food, and they came through with love and creativity. We had beautiful and delicious food, ranging from shrimp cocktail and pigs-in-blankets to melon wrapped in prociutto and homemade cookies! We had two 8' tables completely filled with food.

When it started to get dark, I turned on the lights -- a thousand mini lights in yellow and clear -- which adorned the patio awning. What a sight! And then, as it got just a wee bit of a nip in the air, we turned on the firepit at the back of the lot and a group of us roasted marshmallows for smores!

The party continued from 4 - 10pm, and then the remaining guests helped us to fold up the tables and chairs, recycle all the cans and bottles, and dispose of the trash. We have such great friends! That left us with just a few dishes to clean up today, tables and chairs to return, and the keg to take back to Bevmo.

Oh, and I have not mentioned in here yet (because I was told to keep it secret!) that this photo of mine won the photo contest here! Wooo hooo!

She's Back!

2011-03-10T21:10:00.000-07:00

Hi there! It's good to be back. Where was I? Well, I really wasn't gone, but my computer was! My computer contracted a virus because stupid Janee didn't have any anti-virus protection on her machine. Blue Chip Computers on Broadway was able to get her fixed up, cleaned up, and new AV installed for $100, so I'm good to go.

The new cottage is progressing. The blinds are all installed now. The tile is up in the shower, it's grouted, and all that's left is for the "haze" to be cleaned off of it. The awning -- an enormous expanse of beautiful white aluminum -- is nearly finished. They have to do downspouts and fill in a part that's at the back of the cottage, but we can see the end of that.

So now what's left besides moving in? We have to get the flooring installed, figure out what I want for my deck, order skirting, install the plywood sub-skirting, and then install the skirting. The dining room lighting fixture needs to be installed, and we need to put up the shower door and the television.

We've scheduled a party THERE for one week from today, so that should be interesting. At least we have the awning, and I can string lights from it! And I bought some patio furniture including a cute bar and a table with 4 chairs.

Singing is going well. Our FHTV choir concert is on Sunday evening and I think that we're all quite ready for that. I've really enjoyed this season's music, and having Julie as director. Church choir is very fun, too, and I'm loving my singing lessons!

I did end up making an appointment with my doc, and I'm on a new antidepressant, which costs me enough to make me depressed! Seriously it does seem to be working, though.

And I went to the dentist here, got my teeth cleaned, and got a replacement for my poor li'l broken retainer. Who'd have thought that would set me back another $750?? Zow. They did submit it to my dental insurance, so hopefully some of that will be covered.

Two Twenty-two

2011-02-22T10:34:00.000-07:00

And not much has changed with my cottage. The awning's on order. Blinds for the front 9 windows are on order. Tile for shower is on order. Kitchen faucet is on order. Floor is on hold till we get the tile in and on. Skirting is yet to be chosen and ordered. Guys are supposedly pouring the concrete footer for the skirting today.

We did get vertical blinds for the four upstairs windows and for the kitchen from Home Depot. We put them in on Saturday. They are a neat non-plain mottled browns and white and they look great.

I took some pictures yesterday, but left the camera over there. While I was taking pictures, Jack was working on installing an electrical box in my bathroom cabinet. This is something that I've enjoyed as a way to keep my appliances charged without having them out on the countertop. What was supposed to be a quick project, however, turned into a half-day ordeal. He had to remove the medicine chest, drill, router, and try all manner of combinations of wire hookups, before he got it to work without tripping the GFCI.

Today's hiking day, but I'm not going. I have not been feeling quite myself lately -- as if the air valve has been released. I'm thinking that I may have hypothyroidism, and I'm thinking that just based upon my Dr's wife experience. Low energy, weight that just will not come off, and maybe even my neck situation. Who knows? I need to make an appointment with my doc.

On Sunday, I discovered a screw embedded in my tire. And this morning my retainer broke when I was taking it out of my mouth. (Yes, it's true. I am a 54 year-young woman who still wears her retainer every night!) I will need to find an orthodontist, I expect, who can replace that for me. Cha-ching! I would say that it's done well, though. In the 25 years since I got my braces off, I've just had two retainers!

People keep asking me when I'm going to be moving into my new cottage and if I've sold this one. I'm going to wait till the new one is ready, unless this one sells before that. If this one should sell before I'm ready to move, my stuff will go into storage and I'll just sleep in the loft of my new place. :)

In other happy news, I'm taking voice lessons. I've thought for a long time that I could be a good singer if I had training, so now we'll see. I'm having fun with it so far!

My New Arrival

2011-02-08T21:43:00.001-07:00

My new cottage arrived today! Here it is rolling down the hill into our park:

Going down the road in our park:

Positioned in its temporary spot:

The guys were making final preparations on the site, as we all waited for the cottage to come:

And here it comes! As I shot this, it was going past my old cottage:

And here it is backing into its new lot:

Jack is getting ready to tell the driver that he's close enough to that cottage! The truck came within one inch of that cottage to the right:

A small crowd of onlookers gathered to watch her being positioned:

There were more people on the other side of the truck, too!

More good days

2011-02-05T21:03:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure where the time goes, but plenty of it has slipped past me this week! I had a big success on Thursday, when I gave an "awareness presentation" on Photoshop Elements for our Far Horizons Photo Club. I talked about things that Photoshop Elements can do with Layers and Adjustment Layers -- selected adjustments -- and it was well-received by all who talked to me about it, including Shirley, Jack, John and Jean! :)

Then, on Thursday evening, Jack and I hosted John, MaryAnn, and Becky here for ribs on the grill, Jack's grilled potatoes, and asparagus. We topped off the delicious meal with pies which our guests had brought. What a fun evening we had!

Yesterday, Jack and I went to the Gem Show, Tucson Electric Park venue. Amazing. That's the only word for this incredible show. It's huge, it's quality, and it's very much fun. I bought a lovely 14K and peridot bauble for my collar necklace. We walked around among the vendors and tents for several hours.

Today we began the day with omelets at the clubhouse. Then we sort of relaxed. Jack had made soup, which he shared with me at lunchtime. Then I took him out for Long John Silver's nutritious fare and DQ to end the day. We walked around the Park Square Mall a bit, where I looked at bedding for my new cottage, which is coming.... soon!

Oh.. and did I mention that it's been COLD? We had a low of 18° with a wind chill of 5°. This doesn't mean much to the rest of the country, where you are all prepared for such stuff. But here, we don't *own* winter coats. We don't have our pipes insulated adequately, and we have heat pumps and not furnaces, in many of our buildings. HERE is a story about how our town was affected by this cold snap.

California Dreaming

2011-01-30T23:22:00.000-07:00

I've been away! Jack and I took a short trip to Corona, California, last week. The main purpose of the trip was to visit my new cottage, which is under construction at a manufactured housing plant there. It's very nearly completed, with just a few finishing touches to go before it's shipped here to Tucson! I expect that it'll be here next week.

The cottage is lovely to my eyes. It's a bit of a darker color than I remembered ordering, approaching a coffee brown, but it's still beautiful. The roof seems quite high, and I love the color that I chose for the interior paint, the Corian, and the cabinets. The stainless appliances look great, the sink is under-mounted, and the loft is wonderfully spacious. I should have no trouble getting my mattress to fit up there.

So today I did some money-shifting, so that everything is in place to pay the bill when it does arrive.

We spent a couple of days in Phoenix area, paying a visit to the state Capitol, and made a trip to the Hall of Flame Museum of Firefighting. Definitely worth a trip, if you're in the area -- the Hall of Flame, that is. The capitol building is nice too, serving as a museum now, though, since all the government functions are spread out over the downtown area. We enjoyed two visits to IKEA, as well. That's one of our favorite stores.

We also stopped in Quartzsite, AZ, on the way out. This is a huge and sprawling RV mecca for 2 weeks in the wintertime. And I mean huge. There are an estimated million people who come to Quartzsite for the RV show and then for the gem and mineral show. We walked through the main tent, spending a grand total of about 4 hours there. I got the new Trailer Life Directory, Jack got some hydraulic bed lifts, and I had some ice cream. I didn't eat it all, because it wasn't fantastic. But we had a good time.

We stayed in Best Western hotels the whole way -- in Tempe, Indio, CA, Blythe, CA, and then back in Tempe. We found them to be comfortable, clean, and well-supplied. The one in Tempe was the best. :)

Stuff 'n' Such

2011-01-17T21:11:00.000-07:00

I did end up not singing the solo in church on Sunday. Marcia had all the sopranos sing that part, which was fine, and we sounded good. She told me that she wants me to be part of a group of 4 to sing a song in March, though, and I am happy and honored to do that. She says that confidence is something that I have to get, and she's right. I was particularly taken by Rita's telling me that I should do the solo because I have a good voice. :) I have some really great friends!

Today I got out on the deck and whittled a little. It was a perfect afternoon for that -- just a little too warm in the sun, so I whittled in the shade. I'm whittling on a piece of nice basswood that I got at Woodcraft and making a ball in a cage. If it turns out ok, I'll post a photo.

I'm really looking forward to getting my new cottage! It's supposed to be here near the first of February. I talked to George today to change my mind about carpeting the back room, which is going to be my hobby room. Even if it's someday my bedroom, it'll still be ok to have a hard-surface floor in there. I'm not sure why I thought that carpet would be best, but, anyway, I caught it in time, so it won't have carpet.

End of another week

2011-01-15T13:38:00.000-07:00

It's been a very busy week for me here in Tucson. The weather's been wonderful, health's been good, and the mood is, for the most part, high here in the Village.

I won't try to tell ALL the exciting things that have transpired -- just a sampling. We had a bike rodeo here in the park on Thursday. I was surprised at how many of us showed up -- probably 30 or more. The leader showed us some skill maneuvers and we got to practice them on our bikes. This included obstacle avoidance, quick right turns (like to avoid someone making a right turn in front of you), and quick stops. It was lots of fun, and it was good to practice these moves.

At church choir practice on Wednesday, I practiced my short solo for this coming Sunday and it went well. Then at Far Horizons choir on Thursday, our director told me that I wasn't "ready" for small group singing or soloing. This, along with my normal apprehension about doing something new, led to my decision that I'm not going to do that solo tomorrow. I sent our director an email begging out. I pray that she gets another soprano to do it. Maybe I'll sleep better now.

Last evening's movie here at the park was called "Flipped." It's about a childhood boy-girl friendship and I really enjoyed it.

Thursday evening, Jack and I went with Donna and Al to see "Secretariat." What a fantastic movie that was! Even though we knew how it was going to turn out, we were on the edges of our seats. We had a nice time with D&A, too. We have wonderful friends.

I bought EA Sports Active -- yet another fitness program for my Wii. I have done two workouts with it, and I like it! I'm also keeping up with Dance Dance Revolution, My Fitness Coach, Wii Fit Plus, Just Dance, and Gold's Gym Cardio. All good fun, and all different enough from each other to keep things interesting. My weight's still stuck between 140 and 143, but I suppose I could drop some, if I really were trying.

Cookies!

2011-01-11T20:19:00.000-07:00

I was feeling a little nauseous last evening, and I'm not sure why. I'd eaten some "raw" cashews, almonds, and craisins, but have difficulty believing that's what made me sick. I had a nap and regained enough strength that, when Jack appeared at my door with baked-from-scratch chocolate chip cookies, I was all over them! What a treat!

Today was hiking day and I decided to give it a try. I wore my heart rate monitor just out of curiosity. I didn't realize that the Esperero Trail in the Sabino Canyon area was SO challenging! I went about 5 miles total, and Susie and David went back with me. The rest of them, including Jack, went the whole way. My heart rate, for the 2.5 hours that I was hiking, averaged 131. And I had a high of 185.

Looking online just now, I see that my "maximum" heart rate is 226 - 54 (my age).. which gives me a maximum of 172. By looking at the chart at the bottom of this page, it seems as if, in order to increase my stamina and aerobic endurance, which seems like a good goal, I should shoot for 70-80% of this maximum rate. That gives me a range of 120 - 137. So my average, including the time I sat for lunch, is in the range. But what about that high reading? And all of the times that the thing beeped, telling me that my rate was over 168? Am I endangering my heart to do this sort of exercise? I don't even know whom to ask!

I did slow down, or even stop, when the thing started to beep, and my heart would slow right back down into a normal speed. I just don't know if I should even DO hikes anymore. I've never considered myself to be cardiovascularly strong, though I don't really know why. I guess it's that I seem to get out of breath easily when doing stuff like hiking or riding bikes. Should I start being concerned with such things? (Times like this, I really miss Michael! He would know!)

Beautiful Sunday

2011-01-09T23:00:00.000-07:00

Actually, I'll talk a bit about Saturday first. Jack and I were at the Home Show at the Convention Center in downtown Tucson when we heard the news about Gabrielle Giffords, the US Congresswoman from Arizona. She was shot and critically wounded at the Safeway store at Ina and Oracle, right here in our friendly city of Tucson. Along with her, there were 6 people killed and several badly hurt. People are blaming politics, of course, and Sarah Palin, with her goofy "gunsights" imagery is being blamed. Incidentally, I am not going to allow any comments in this blog about opinions regarding politics. Just ain't happening.

I will state for the record that I cannot abide any politician using gunsight imagery to identify candidates that she wishes to have "gone." I call that inappropriate, violence-inspiring, and just downright dangerous. I'm surprised that she's allowed to live free in this country, with that sort of attitude.

In church today, Pastor Bruce talked about how sad he was about this happening, but how hopeful he was for the world at the same time. Me too. I enjoy surrounding myself with positive people who carry positive messages. This makes my world a happy place. Maybe I'm naive. Maybe I'm not political enough. But maybe I just like living the way I live. I'm not afraid.

After a fine omelet at Village Inn, Jack and I were thwarted in our attempt to get to the Fiesta Room to practice setting up for our Fitness with the Wii presentation tomorrow, so we took off and did a little shopping. I actually was successful in finding 6- and 7-lb dumbbells. I just got the 6-pounders for now. And I got a bit more yarn for playing with knitting.

Later in the day, we did get in and set up the stuff for the presentation, and, after numerous trials and errors, we did get it all to work. The secret lay in changing something in the back room, moving the "channel" indicator to 0, and then .. bingo! There it was. I'm hopeful that tomorrow morning it works on the first try.

It was dark by the time we got back here and ready to go over to Jack's for dinner, and I didn't feel like a) driving; b) riding my bike; or c) walking, so I opted to stay here and enjoyed some of my delicious tuna salad. And now it's time for bed!

Friday

2011-01-07T23:05:00.000-07:00

Today was a Mary day. Jack and I went over to her house early to take her little poodle Jill to the groomer. Then we went on errands -- Fry's, the license branch, and Costco, before hitting Buddy's (at Swan and Grant) for lunch. The restaurant was a new one for all of us, though Mary had been there many years ago. We found it to be dark and noisy, but the food was really good.

My search continues for the delicious Bora Bora Bars which I found once at Costco, have fallen in love with, and now cannot locate. The package that I got at Costco a year ago contained several flavors. The ones that I can order online are boxes of all one flavor. So I continue to look.

Tonight Jack and I went to see The Soloist, with Robert Downey Jr and Jamie Foxx. It's a great movie, a true story, and it lets you into the mind of a schizophrenic man better than anything else I've ever seen. The voices that he hears are so much like the voices that I used to hear (from when I was about 4 till I was 17) that I found it uncomfortable to watch at times. (Thank goodness I got over it!) But it's a story about hope and friendship, about trust and love. We saw it here at Far Horizons for $1, and that includes popcorn!

Filing and Shredding

2011-01-06T22:00:00.000-07:00

Another busy day in Tucson. Choir practice for FHTV was cancelled because our fearless leader is sick, so I had a little free time. I used that time to dig around in my files, find the 2003 folders and shred the contents, take out all the 2010 stuff and tuck away the things that I'll need for my taxes and file the rest in my longer-term files. Whew. That's always a bigger job than I think it ought to be.

It was sort of fun going through the 2003 stuff. I love finding things with Michael's handwriting on them. In particular, I found a little pile of notes that he wrote detailing all the calls that he had to make on one Friday afternoon. That was his phone-calling day. I really miss having him to do all of the business stuff for me, though I'm getting onto it better these days.

Then I dug around in my photos and found some that I thought were worthy of showing to the Foto Fun club, and I put these onto a thumb drive. While I was in there, looking at all these photos that I thought were pretty good, it occurred to me that I ought to be backing this stuff up! So I got out the ol' Seagate and got started on a backup. It took hours, but now it's done!

Foto Fun started at 3:30 and it went well. Bob critiqued the photos with an eye toward what story the photos told. I maintain that images don't always have to tell a story -- that they can be just for art, they can illustrate a point, or can be used to sell something. Of course a story can go along with any of these purposes, but ... I don't think that you have to have a story.

But then some of the "stories" that he and others came up with for the shown photos were things like "symmetry," "repetition," and "textures..." I'll buy that an image has to speak on some level to its audience, but I wouldn't call it a story all the time. Maybe I'm picking nits.

After FotoFun, I went to George and Patty's with Jack. They were having a large and fun gathering involving hors d'oevres, beer, and wine. Much of all of these was consumed, and a merry time was enjoyed by all!

Then Jack and I came back here and watched a couple of episodes of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents." The ones for which we stayed awake were good!

Happy

2011-01-05T21:33:00.000-07:00

Mail came at last, containing just 2 bills for me. $20 for snow removal in Michigan and my tax bill for my house in Michigan. :) I love that house, and I'm happy to pay its bills.

It was a good day in the Old Pueblo, too. I went off in search of a knitting bag and found a very cool stand-up one at Joanne's, on sale even, for just $13. I love it so much that I did a bit of knitting this afternoon!

Tonight was church choir practice and that was, as always, fun. We have our new songs for the next several weeks, taking us up to Ash Wednesday. I'm going to get to sing a solo! It's just 4 measures, but it's my first real solo part ever, so I'm stoked.

Ok.. off to pay those bills now!

Sunny Tuesday

2011-01-04T22:45:00.000-07:00

It's starting to warm up again a bit. Today was up probably near 60. As Herb said, "You can wear shorts today, but you're going to want to be in the sun!" Jack and I went to Goodwill and to the Humane Society to drop off things to be donated. I had some clothes I was finished with, and he had some animal crates from his Mom and Dad.

We both opted out of hiking today. It was going to be another dusty and flat walk through the desert, and I didn't feel like doing that today. Rather, I did Dance Dance Revolution for about an hour, and walked for about 30 minutes. It was just 30 when I was out walking, but it was sunny, so it was tolerable.

Jack and I got some supplies and he cooked ribs, artichokes, and potatoes for us at my cottage. Then we watched "Stand and Deliver," one of my favorite teacher movies.

Lazy Monday

2011-01-03T21:10:00.000-07:00

Today I measured my new site and drew it all out on graph paper, getting an idea of what I want to have where. The site's a little larger than where I am now, and I'll have more room for things.

Did I mention in here that Jack got me a heart rate monitor for Christmas? It's a great thing -- a really thoughtful and good gift and I love it! It keeps me moving when I'm doing my morning workouts, and I can tell how well I'm doing with keeping my heart in its target zone and such. It also sets my mind at ease, knowing that my heart really is NOT going to just beat out of my chest when I'm exercising, that it's quite normal and good. Thank you, Jack!

I took down my Christmas tree and my outdoor lights today, packed them all into boxes, and took them to the shed on my new lot. I was encouraged by the warmer weather we had today!

And tonight, John stopped by with his dog Sam, while Jack was here. And all of us (except Sam -- sorry, Sam!) went out to dinner at Golden Corral! Good eats, good fun.

Sunday

2011-01-02T23:55:00.000-07:00

This was a fun day! We began with church, and it was freezing in there! It was so cold outside (below freezing this morning) that the church's heat pump was not functioning well, so we were all shivering. But the service was good and we survived.

Jack and I had a few errands to run after church, including getting me more gas for my two small gas bottles. I have one hooked up to my furnace now, because I ran out of propane in my big bottles. I had not had them filled since sometime in early 2010, so I am doing pretty well with that. I keep it fairly cool in the house, turning the thing to 56 at night.

We were off to our Pastor and his wife's house for their annual Open House and we enjoyed that very much. The most notable food was Rene's spinach dip, for which I'm going to get the recipe. It contained water chestnuts, I believe, which lent a delightful little crunch. I just love the people at our church, and it was fun to talk with them.

We got back to the park in time to pack up Jack's pot roast to go to another party with some other friends. This was a dinner with a rousing game of Aggravation, and we had a ball. We were celebrating, among other things, the arrival (finally) of Carol and Mike. They'd gotten stuck in a snowstorm in Flagstaff. Brrrr! I think that, after this few days of cold here (nearly a week now), we're all ready for warmth again!

And have I mentioned that I'm still exercising every day? I have now gone every day, without missing a day, since 11/15, and that's 48 days, I think. Yay, me!

Happy New Year!

2011-01-01T16:46:00.001-07:00

1/1/11! I rang in the New Year without a midnight kiss, but that was ok. I had a good day yesterday and a good one today, so who needs a kiss to punctuate things? (Me! LOL!)

I went to the clubhouse last evening with Jack to the potluck supper. I brought my salmon and penne casserole. There was lots of food, and, even being the last table to be served, we still got plenty.

After dinner, we opted to go to the dance over at Mary's. They had a band which played till 8:30. We danced, drank champagne, and enjoyed hors d'oevres, all compliments of Broadway Proper. At 8:30, the band played Auld Lang Syne, and everyone sang. Very fun evening.

We had started to watch the "ball drop" show on Mary's TV, but we decided to finish watching it at Jack's. But, by the time we arrived there, the show had ended and news was on. Sheesh. So I came back home and read till midnight, at which time, I fell asleep. This was a better New Year's Eve than I had expected it to be!

Of course, I can't let a New Year's Eve pass without remembering December 31, 1982, the night that Michael and I were married. Twenty-eight years ago.

It continues cold today, and I'm hopeful that it gets warmer before long. We have friends who are stuck in Flagstaff in snow!

Pitter Patter

2010-12-29T21:56:00.000-07:00

That's the sound of rain falling on my aluminum awning. It's a peaceful sound and I'm sure that I'll be sleeping well tonight. :)

Christmas was wonderful here. I went with Jack to church, first to our own, St. John on the Desert, where we were part of the play. It went swimmingly, though there were a few forgotten lines and missed cues. It was ok, though. People got the point!

Next we went to the Desert Skies Methodist Church, where Mary goes. She didn't go with us because it was too late, but we enjoyed the bell choir and all of the wonderful music, as well as seeing the people we know there.

Christmas morning, Jack came to my house and we opened presents together. Both of us got neat things! He got me pyjamas with feet, which are perfect for Tucson's cool winter nights.

Then we set about preparing for our feast, each at our own houses. I had some things to do to ready the house, since we had it here -- getting the leaf into the table, arranging furniture a bit, .. that kind of thing.

The food went in on time, we had the appetizer table all set up and all was ready when our guests arrived. Pam, Mike, Valerie, and Bruce came, and we all enjoyed a festive time.

The last few days have been full, as well, with after-holiday errands to run, as well as just some fun post-Christmas shopping. I found some cool trivets which will go on the wall at my new cottage. That's my main find. Mostly we just look around. I'm in the market for a new TV for my new cottage. I'm going to get one that's big enough to view from across the room without my glasses -- probably a 37-40".

That rain's starting to put me to sleep, so.. off I go!

Preparations Underway

2010-12-23T22:32:00.000-07:00

Today I got wonderful cards with photos from Joel & Becca and also from Katherine and Dan! I loved Katherine's photo of a sizable herd of deer outside their window in the snow in Bloomington. I sort of miss snow. Well.. not really! :)

Preparations are underway for our Christmas dinner. Today we went shopping at Fry's and a couple of other stores. We were successful in all of our missions except that I was unable to find candied cherries. I could make them, but have decided that, for this recipe, maraschinos will work fine.

Then I set about getting some things going. I have finished the Rosemary Cheese Straws and the olive spread. Tomorrow I'll be a very busy girl, getting the house ready and fixing the desserts. Then the program at church, in which Jack and I each have roles. I'm thinking that I won't have time to blog tomorrow, so that's why I'm breaking my rule of not posting about future happenings. ;)

The air was a bit chilly today. In fact, now at 10:30 pm, it's down to 50 already. Brrr! Yeah, I know, those of you in the chilly northland are not going to sympathize with 50!

Happy

2010-12-22T22:24:00.002-07:00

Today we had a bit of rain here in Tucson! The sky was roiling and gray for most of the day, and then, late this afternoon, it sprinkled a bit.

Jack and I took Mary on a few errands today, going first to Safeway, then to Sunflower Market, and finally to the mall. The mall was pretty crazy, with everyone in town off doing their shopping, it seemed, but we still had a good time. We even dined at the food court.

When we got back to Mary's place, there had been a delivery of a beautiful Christmas floral arrangement from Ken and Judy. It looks lovely on her table and she just glowed when she saw it and read the card.

And then, when we came back here, I had a package from Robert and Molly! This is the most fun time of the year. I love getting packages! :) Jack and I came back to my cottage and we watched Hitchcock's The Birds. That movie's scary everytime I see it!

And how about that song that the schoolchildren are singing, as the birds gather on the jungle gym? Michael and I used to try to figure out what they were saying. Well, thanks to Google, here we are -- the lyrics to that nonsensical song:

The butter came out a grizzle-y-grey. Ristle-tee, rostle-tee, Now, now, now!

The cheese took legs and ran away! Ristle-tee, rostle-tee, hey donny dostle-tee, knickety-knackety, retro-quo-quality, willoby-wallaby, Now, now, now!

She let the critter get away. Ristle-tee, rostle-tee, hey donny dostle-tee, knickety-knackety, retro-quo-quality, willoby-wallaby, Now, now, now!

I asked my wife to wash the floor. Ristle-tee, rostle-tee, Now, now, now!

She gave me my hat and she showed me the door! Ristle-tee, rostle-tee, hey donny dostle-tee, knickety-knackety, retro-quo-quality, Now, now, now!

I married my wife in the month of June. Ristle-tee, rostle-tee, Now, now, now!

I brought her off by the light of the moon. Ristle-tee, rostle-tee, hey donny dostle-tee, knickety-knackety, retro-quo-quality, willoby-wallaby, Now, now, now!

She combed her hair but once a year. Ristle-tee, rostle-tee, hey donny dostle-tee, knickety-knackety, retro-quo-quality, willoby-wallaby, Now, now, now!

Whew! That mystery's solved! I do hope that Michael's reading my blog. If he is, he's laughing!

Non-Hiking Day for Janee

2010-12-21T12:39:00.001-07:00

I know that even the happiest people have "down" days, and so far, at least, this is one of them. I somehow have hurt my foot. The joint where my big toe hooks onto my foot hurts as if I were standing on a thumbtack. So today I opted out of hiking, and this is supposed to be a really great hike -- one I've not been on -- to Hutch's Pool in the Catalina Mountains. I'm resting my foot today, keeping it elevated, which seems to help. I may stick it into the hot tub later.

Otherwise things are great. I've amassed a small pile of gifts under my little tree and they make me smile. The Village is all ablaze with beautiful (and some really tacky LOL) Christmas lights. In fact, the TOWN is lit up more than I remember seeing. I have my lights on a timer so that they go on and off without my having to be actually there to turn them on or off.

I'd forgotten how much I really love Christmastime! In the years that I was with Michael, 26 of them, we didn't do much for Christmas, since it wasn't exactly our holiday as a family. But now I'm grooving on the whole thing. I found an interesting article about Christmas traditions and how the early Christians hijacked the Pagan holiday of Solstice and the Roman tradition of Saturnalia. After you read the article, take the quiz!

Bleak Midwinter

2010-12-19T22:27:00.001-07:00

This was one of those evenings when I could have easily snacked a bunch. We had had lunch at Sweet Tomatoes before returning to church for play/choir practice, which went till 7:45. Since I don't eat after 7:30, I didn't get dinner. But my reflux is doing much better. I'd hoped that I'd be seeing smaller numbers on the scale by now, with this significant lifestyle change, but...not happening yet.

Our FHTV Choir concert was this morning and that went well. We did Caroling, Caroling; In the Bleak Midwinter, Christmastime is Here, and Dona Nobis Pacem. I almost laughed at the title "In the Bleak Midwinter," because it SO does not fit our weather here this year! Sunny and 70 can hardly be called "bleak," after all!

If you're following my blog...

2010-12-16T22:03:00.001-07:00

... I hope that you'll also click on Ann's Adventures, over to the right under My Friends Blogs. Ann's a friend of mine who's usually in Tucson in the winter. She's living with cancer for now, going through chemo treatments and all that brings. Her spirit is just FUN through all of this, though, and I know that she'll inspire you as she does me. Have a look.

Today I had FHTV choir rehearsal, and that was even more fun than usual. I really am enjoying the songs that we're doing and having Julie as our leader adds to the fun.

I had a few errands to run, so got that done. Then it was back home to change clothes to go out again! I'm not sure why I'm so concerned with having a nice cottage here in Tucson, since I'm so rarely IN it!

This evening, Jack and I went to dinner at Little Anthony's (we need to go there more often!) and then to the Gaslight Theater for their Christmas program. It was really good and all at our table had fun! We sat with Donna and Edna.

And today we got RAIN! It's been raining steadily now since about 4:30. This is the first rain that Jack and I have seen since... Acadia, I think! It sort of felt good to be out in it a bit. It's a little chilly today, too (55 now, in the evening) but it's going to warm up again and be nicer tomorrow. That's enough winter for me! ;)

Working on my new lot

2010-12-11T22:24:00.000-07:00

Today I did some work on my new lot, clearing stuff out of one of the sheds and bagging up 10 bags of stuff for the garbage. I also set aside a pile of stuff to take to Goodwill, too -- things that were in the sheds. I took the stuff to the garbage and hefted it into the hopper.

It seems sad that these things which Preston and Florence had been using, living with, probably once loved, probably remembered getting... is now just relegated to garbage.

I'm learning that, if there is too much stuff stored in these sheds, they become just a repository for things that will never be used or even seen again. It's like putting stuff into an attic or into the garage. If you're not putting it where you can easily get to it, you'll never use it again. You may as well give it away now.

Jack came over this afternoon and fixed chicken on my rotisserie. I made mashed potatoes and sauteed zucchini, yellow squash, and tomatoes -- some of my favorite stuff! What a fine dinner it made!

We finished just in time for him to hurry home and change clothes while I changed my clothes here, and then we hustled off together to the Tanque Verde Valley Singers Holiday Concert. It was hosted by our church, where most of the choir's members also go. Fine concert and we had a good time!

We returned here and went to the dance, but we just barely made an appearance when we decided to go. We were both tired after a big day!

Let's Sing

2010-12-09T22:30:00.000-07:00

I've been singing! Choir practice at church is on Wednesday nights and practice for the Far Horizons choir is on Thursday mornings. Fun! I love to sing and it's going well.

The new Dance Dance Revolution is working well, with no problems. I really like the new version, with its fine new songs and the "Courses" and "Workouts" are great. I'm back to doing my Fitness Coach as well, and feel like I'm getting my muscles back to where they were. I am feeling like I'm losing some weight, but it's not showing on the scale yet or in my jeans, so it's just a mental thing at this point. LOL! Maybe I'm just feeling a bit deprived, since I'm not eating all the junk in the evenings anymore. My no-food-after-7:30 rule is working well.

Today a group of us went market prowling, beginning at the 17th Street Market downtown, and then going to Roma Imports an G&L Imports. These are all interesting places, with lots of really bizarre things available to buy. I got some herbal tea (I'm going to try to like tea, because I think that I should!) and a couple of other things.

The new cottage is ordered! I'm excited about this now and am ready to see it all come to fruition. When the dollars were figured up, I compromised on a few things, deciding, for example, that I'd hire the tiling installed locally, saving $1600, that I'd get a tile backsplash instead of Corian, saving $800, and that I'd get the standard cabinets instead of the upgrades, saving myself $3150. I ended up saving altogether enough to pay the sales tax!

I'm also ready to start getting THIS cottage ready to sell. I'm thinking that I should bite the bullet and put in new flooring. This carpet is gross. It could probably be cleaned, but it's too light in color for this town and will not hold up well for a new owner. The linoleum in the kitchen is really in need of new. There are holes in it where I took out the desk that i'd put in, more holes where the island used to be nailed down, and there are big black rings where my computer used to stand.

I think that, if I were to put in some good quality laminate flooring, perhaps a tile look-alike as I'd been considering for myself, I'd be out a couple of thousand bucks, but would likely sell the place faster. I really don't want someone looking at this one and thinking, "Well, we would have to put in a new floor..." and that's what they would be thinking if they looked at this. That and a new stain on the deck and clearing my junk out and running a dustcloth over everything, and it's ready to sell.

Sunny Sunday

2010-12-05T21:17:00.000-07:00

Last night I baked brownies for the church potluck today. Church was good. We sat at tables for 7-8 and had Communion for each table. And the choir (including me!) sang. The brownies, which I baked with raspberry jam and almonds, were good, but I should have used two mixes instead of just one. Actually, I should have made them from scratch instead of using a mix at all, but... I have not done that since I sold the bakery.

After church, I took Jack home and I went home, we changed clothes, and then I picked him up again so that we could do errands. I had to return my DDR, bc the disk seemed to be bad. I was getting Wii error messages, which is not a good thing. Best Buy was quite amenable to satisfying me and the return was easy.

When we got back to the park, Jack wanted help with putting up more Christmas lights, and so we got that done. His little cottage looks so festive all lit up. I have lights, too, adorning my steel agaves on my little concrete patio out front.

I'm thinking about having my own bedroom put into my loft in my new cottage. I'll see how it feels when the cottage comes, but it makes sense to have my mattress put up there. Then I can use the "bedroom" for my Wii, my keyboard, and put in a Murphy bed or a futon for short-term guests. I'm not planning to have anyone stay for a LONG time. I can always rent another cottage for long-term guests. Or I could move Jack into my cottage for that time and have guests stay in his place. :) That is, if I have guests.

Busy Wednesday

2010-12-01T23:18:00.000-07:00

This is a yellow rose from Austin, Texas.

Today was insanely busy, but in a good way. I slept in a little later than I had wanted, spent a bit less time on the Wii than I wanted, and got no breakfast.

Then I drove down to get Jack and then to his Mom's, where we took her toy poodle Jill to get groomed. While the doggy was at the groomers, we ran a few errands with Mary, did a bit of fun shopping, and then took her to the Chinese buffet, which we all loved.

Jill did great at the groomer's much to Mary's delight. The last groomer had cut the dog and then blamed her (the dog) for it. This didn't go over well with Mary. So now she has a new groomer, and Jill seemed delighted with the whole thing.

We got back to Far Horizons in time to meet with George about the cottage. I have still not ordered it, but we did discuss some options, and so I'm closer. I have decided on a floorplan, anyway. With 400 sq feet to work within, there are not just a million choices, but the one that I've picked seems to be workable and I think will be a fun place to spend my winters. It has a loft which, while you can't stand up in it, can be used for a little TV room or an extra bedroom for my peeps back east to stay in when y'all visit!

I think that I'll go with stainless steel for the appliances, though I'm still tossing around the idea of using white or black... I just think that stainless looks so good. I'm going to have Corian, but I have not chosen the color. And I'm getting Craftsman style cabinets in ... either cherry or light maple. Tile floors, except for carpet in the bedroom. And I'll probably make it a dark-colored tile. Lightness is really not a problem down here, with all the sun we get!

I think that I'm going to have the shower plumbed, but nothing installed, and then Jack and I will put in a shower that's properly done... and tiled. There is a place where I can put in a flat-screen TV, and I'll do that, but not likely a huge one, since the room is just 12' long. ;)

I am not going to have window coverings installed in the living room, because I want to put in shades of my own choosing, probably ones just like I have in this cottage, the bottom-up, top-down kind.

I want to ask about having a French door put in, instead of the sliding door. I have to decide on exterior colors. And we still have to talk about lighting. I realize that this is nothing like all the decisions that face people who build real houses from scratch, but there are still many details to ponder. Exciting!

Swallowing the Toad

2010-11-29T21:02:00.000-07:00

Well, ok, so this is a frog, but it's close enough.
Today I decided to get done first with my least pleasant task -- business-related calls. I had to call about two retirement accounts and getting them rolled over where they belong. And I had to call my financial people to make sure that I was getting them sent to the right place.

I had to call about the AT&T acquisition of my Verizon account, something that still has me bugged, and I was not able to get good resolution on that.

And I had to call the IRS to reassure them that I am not a deadbeat, that I DID send them the check, and to ask them how to proceed. And then I called my financial place again, called my bill-paying arm of my financial place, and finally I will be getting a copy of the check to send to the IRS... whew! I do wonder if other people hate this sort of interaction as much as I do. How I would HATE having a job that meant talking to people all day about financial stuff!

Then Jack and I went to explore the cottage that I'd bought, which is going to be sold out of the park, and we went through it to see if there were anything left inside that I want to keep before it goes away. I put a few items into the shed and now, as far as I'm concerned, it's ready to go! Next I have to figure out just what sort of park-model I'm going to put in there and get it ordered.

Jack had made lentil soup and we had that for lunch. Delicious! Dinner was pizza. :)

Beautiful Saturday

2010-11-27T21:16:00.000-07:00

Here are some water lilies which were growing alongside the River Walk in San Antonio.

Another fine day in Tucson! I got up and worked out on the Wii, showered, and had breakfast. My new rule of "no eating after 7:30 pm" is working very well. I never thought I'd be rejoicing over 143 again, but... that's 3 lbs less than it was when I got my new scale just a couple of weeks ago! I have to think that the exercise is helping too.

Jack and I met up at the clubhouse, where they were having games for prizes and we each came out of it with some gift certificates. And then we had errands of various sorts. Jack had to get stuff to fix a leak in his shower. I had to get a pad to put under my DDR to keep it from sliding on this carpet. I needed Tide. Stuff like that.

Dinner was Jan's Beef Stroganoff, which she'd given to Jack. (He, being a single gentleman, gets all the sympathy food from the ladies in the park, and then he has me over to share it!) Delicious with a salad! and we had some of my mincemeat pie for dessert.

Black Friday

2010-11-26T22:55:00.000-07:00

A beautiful rose for you!

Black Friday could also be called "Doing Our Part for the Economy Day!" And that's what we did. Jack's been wanting a Wii of his very own, so we went out and found that, along with the Wii Fit Plus bundle to go with it. Now he has no excuse not to get fit along with me! Best Buy had the Wii system, and Target had the Wii Fit Plus, each at $30 off, but Target was out, so we ended up getting both purchases at Best Buy. We also got him "Wii Play" which looked fun.

That was pretty early when we went out. In fact, we were back home by 10 I think. After we got his system all set up and tried out, we determined that one of the remotes was not working, so back into the car we went and off to exchange it. We tried out the Wii Fit and it's working great. Wii Play is very fun, too.

I had lunch on my deck, sitting in the warm sun, and it felt great. And there is a little cat which seems to have taken up residence under the cover that I use over my firepit. He was watching me eat, and then decided that he should help me eat. I kept pushing him off, but he kept coming up and trying to eat off my tray. I don't know where he belongs, but I have no intentions of having another cat. Eddie would have a fit. He really dislikes other cats.

This evening, Jack and I walked over to Sunflower Market to lay in some supplies for dinner. Jack made what I'd call "glop" -- a dish that my mother used to make -- consisting of hamburger, various vegetables, and tomato sauce all mixed with macaroni. This happens to be one of my favorite foods, and Jack did it justice! I'd intended to bring my mincemeat pie over for dessert, but I forgot it.

At 7, we saw Toy Story 3 in the Fiesta Room. Cute movie, and it made perfect sense, even though I'd not seen TS 1 or 2. So a very fun day!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T21:05:00.000-07:00

A couple of examples of Nature's Bounty for you today, as we celebrate Thanksgiving here in the USA. This was a good day! I worked out on the Wii and then went to the grocery to lay in supplies to make my pie. I had bought one jar of mincemeat, but needed two. So the quest began. I found the first jar at Walmart, but today it was all put away, to make room for the Friday specials. Safeway on Tanque Verde came through for me again!

Jack helped me with the pie, peeling the apples and reconstituting the mincemeat, and that was a great help. I just had to do the crust.

And we were off! Gary drove us over to Nancy's new condo, which she was happy to tour us around. Pretty place with 2 bedrooms and a little private courtyard, nice living room/dining room and a great kitchen! Nancy's family (Harold & Kathy, and Steve) were there, along with Jan and Gary, Vicki and Earl, and Jack and me.

Dinner was served. Vicki had made delicious and moist turkey with yummy stuffing, and there were yams and carrots (my fave), and green bean casserole, salads, mashed potatoes and gravy, and good friends, good laughs, and just a very nice time. Oh, and the pies! Vicki had made pumpkin and I'd made my mincemeat, and both were scrumptious! The best part was being with such a great group of people.

Whirlwind

2010-11-24T22:04:00.000-07:00

This is a sample staircase from the Texas Statehouse in Austin, TX.

I've been a busy girl for the past few days, and I've gotten a lot done. One thing that I accomplished was that I signed a deal to move to a different cottage in this park. While I have really enjoyed this one, there are things that I don't like, like the lot that it's on, and I've been coveting a larger, more private lot. So I'll be moving to a new cottage, probably in mid-January. I'm excited!

The moving-back-in stage is coming to a close, as we've just about gotten all of that stuff done. Today I did 10 loads of laundry, including all the bedding, blankets, towels, and sheets from the RV... PLUS all our clothes. This will be the last of Jack's laundry that I'll be doing, at least for now.

We took the clean stuff over to the RV, which is now in storage, and we winterized her. This involves pumping potable antifreeze into the lines, using the water pump. It's a pretty simple procedure, costs just $4 for the pink stuff, and it'll buy me peace of mind as the temperatures drop below freezing at night here over the next couple of months.

Tonight we went over to Broadway Proper and enjoyed a nice dinner with Mary, Jack's Mom. The dinner was delicious, and we like her new apartment!

In my Winter Digs

2010-11-21T22:34:00.000-07:00

We drove on into Tucson yesterday, arriving at 11:30 am. Arriving early in the day like this allowed us time to get our work done while still keeping some sanity. We began by stopping at Jack's cottage, plugging it in, turning on the water, turning on the refrigerator and hot water heater, and then off-loading his things into his cottage.

Next, we drove the RV to my cottage, plugged it in, turned on the water, turned on the fridge and hot water heater, and then off-loaded my things.

The tanks of the RV emptied themselves into the sewer of one of the empty sites as we watched. Then we cleaned out the tanks and moved the rig into the "triangle," a place in the park where we can store it till Monday, when we'll store it for real.

Then came the real job of putting everything away, so Jack went to his house and I went to mine, and away the things went!

I'm happy to be here, in a way, because it's lovely here, I enjoy my cottage and my friends, the church here, and the action of the city. I'm looking forward to doing some more of the things that I have enjoyed in the past, and am hoping to do some new things this year. I am a little sad to be here, too, because I miss my house and my friends in Michigan, and also because I am sorry to have Jack's and my journey be over, for the time being.

We had such a great time, seeing and doing so many things. Our mileage total for the RV was 5062. We averaged just over 15 mpg in the RV towing the car. I have not tallied the miles for the Fit, but we did fill that little gas tank a few times!

Today was good -- a big day for our church, St. John on the Desert. There was a pancake breakfast to begin the morning. Then we had the service. After church was a luncheon accompanied with a presentation on exercising our minds using puzzles (fun!). THEN, we pitched in to decorate the sanctuary for Christmas.

Jack and I had some errands to run, so we got that done. Finally, I got back here and hooked up my computer! :)

And here, for your viewing pleasure, is a photo from the front of a building in Austin, Texas.

Photos from Texas

2010-11-19T21:38:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the photos I took at the Texas State Capitol, in Austin, Texas on Monday. The first one is the inside of the rotunda dome. The last one is the Texas State Seal on the floor of the Capitol building.

We drove today to Willcox, Arizona -- a short drive, but one that leaves us an even shorter drive tomorrow. I like to arrive "home" early in the day, since there is so much to do on arrival day.

When we arrived here in Willcox, we unhooked the car and drove her into town. We went for a walk, covering many of Willcox's streets, exploring the historic downtown, and scoping restaurants! We had an early dinner at the Big Tex BBQ, which is situated in an old train car! Good food and a nice time. Tonight we're chillin' in the RV, messing with photos in Photoshop, and not paying much attention to the TV, which is playing comedy shows.

We're in Las Cruces, NM!

2010-11-18T17:33:00.000-07:00

This is a door from Fort Pulaski, near Savannah, GA.

There is a saying that, for me, seems particularly apt:
The sun is riz.

The sun is set.

And here I is...

In Texas yet.

But today, after being in Texas for almost a week, we crossed over into New Mexico! The drive was long (for us) but easy. I drove about 3 hours, and Jack drove about 2. Over the past few days, we've seen the bayou land turn into Texas high-desert with its mesquite, creosote bushes, and yucca.

On Tuesday, we drove to Comfort, TX, near Fredricksburg. Right after we checked in, we drove to Fredericksburg and spent the next 4 hours visiting the World War II Pacific Museum. It was fantastic! Very well-laid-out, and much to read and learn, and some cool artifacts to peruse.

We returned to Comfort, and had a most enjoyable evening there. After a good brisk walk, we drove into town to see what it was like. By the time we got there, it was quite dark, but, even in the dark, we could tell that something was going on! People were everywhere, and parking spaces were at a premium. Hmm... We parked!

Ladies at a table along the street offered us free Mimosas. Other ladies offered us cookies. I like this! What it was, was Ladies Night Out -- a chance for Comfort's ladies to go out for snacks, shopping, and dinner. Jack was one of just a few estrogen-challenged people, but we tolerated him quite well.

Wednesday morning, we drove on to Fort Stockton, TX, where we met Val and Chas at the little cafe which is part of the campground. Nice people, and we quite enjoyed talking with them. They invited us back to their RV, and we shared a glass of wine.

The campground tonight is La Hacienda RV Resort, which is not quite as great as it used to be. This year, they informed us that they've discontinued the fabulous breakfast that they used to offer free. They've also stopped giving out USA Today newspapers. In their defense, they did cut the price $5, but that doesn't cover the amenities they've cut. We'll likely shop around next time we come through here.

San Antonio

2010-11-13T18:17:00.000-07:00

We are in San Antonio, Texas tonight. We were walking down the road, on our way to the art museum, when I didn't see a curb and fell down hard. I sort of rolled right into the road, too, and landed on my right hand. Nothing broken, except the skin on the heel of my right hand, but I'd be very surprised if I didn't have some bruising tomorrow. Boy.. did I feel like an oaf or what? ;)

The art museum was really a good one -- huge! There were some interesting exhibits -- Egyptian art, Pre-Columbian artifacts, contemporary American art, and a fine display of Mexican artwork from different eras and genres.

After the museum, we walked back down via the River Walk. We were extra-careful, knowing that, if one of us were to trip on something, we'd be in the drink!

We then began our search for something to eat. The RiverWalk is teeming with cute sidewalk cafes and bistros, and we scoured several menus before deciding to eat at the Texas Cafe. I got the breaded catfish filet, which was wonderful! Jack had enchiladas and he ate every bite!

We walked to the River Center Mall for a little look-around. It was here where we found our I ♥ San Antonio pin! Tired and noticing that the bus would be at the stop in just 15 minutes, we headed in that direction. Easy ride, and now we're back here relaxing.

One Rosebud

2010-11-11T20:27:00.000-07:00

Today we drove down to New Iberia on Avery Island, Louisiana, to visit the McIlhenny Tabasco Plant. Although the road through Lafayette was horribly rough, we made it. The factory tour was different from the one that Michael and I had taken many years ago. It was actually far better. We got to learn more about the process of making the sauce and we were behind a protective glass panel, which kept us from the really strong fumes from the crushed powder.

We got to see the bottles being filled, labeled, and boxed, and we were allowed to take photos. After the tour, we went to the Tabasco Country Store, which I didn't remember at all, if it had even been there. We got to shop and taste all the different sauces and concoctions made from the Tabasco sauce. This included, not just sauces, but salsa, chocolate, ice cream, soda, chili, and more! We even had lunch at the little Tabasco Kitchen parked outside. I had Chili Fritos, which was their delicious chili atop Fritos, served in a bowl. Jack had sausage on a stick with Tabasco on it!

I bought a dishtowel and a pin, and Jack got some Bloody Mary Mix and sauce. And we took our little free sample bottles and drove on.

Tonight we're in Lake Charles, Louisiana at the Yogi Bear's Jellystone Park. We're learning gradually that Yogi Bear parks are NOT all good. This one, for example, is not. We had to do laundry, and the laundromat is stocked with very, very old machines that are rusty and not in good repair. The room was dirty and the machines, for not working well, were $1.50 each run. Besides that, the bath house is about 1/2 mile away from all the campsites. Tomorrow will be better. I know.

Roses for you!

2010-11-10T18:29:00.000-07:00

Today we are in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. We arrived yesterday, after a short drive, hit the Bass Pro Shops (within walking distance, but we drove our car), loved our lunch there, and had a little shop around.

This was museum day. We began the day visiting the Louisiana State Capitol. This building is unique in its HEIGHT! Thirty-four stories tall, this Capitol stands alone among capitols we've visited. The decoration on the outside is capitoline, with many, many beautiful limestone carvings and statues around and on the building.

Inside? We didn't get to see much, unfortunately. Because there was a demonstration (protesting cuts to higher education funding), we didn't get to go upstairs. But we enjoyed the rotunda and the exhibit on Huey Long, Louisiana's controversial governor from 1928 - 1932. We even saw a hole made by a bullet in the gunfire which shot both Long and the man who (allegedly) assassinated him.

We next headed down the road to the Arsenal. This 4-foot-thick-walled building is where the powder kegs were kept for protection of this area of the southeast. It was constructed in 1838.

Another museum was on our must-do list. The Louisiana State Museum, right up the road from the Statehouse, is a fabulous, contemporary building. And it's packed with so many fascinating exhibits about life in Louisiana - past and present. From the role of slavery to Mardi Gras traditions, Zydeco music to Indian Mounds, it's all here. Oh, and did I mention that it was free admission? Amazing.

Jackson, Mississippi

2010-11-08T17:29:00.000-07:00

The palm trees are from near Savannah, Georgia. Jackson photos will come later.

We arrived in Jackson on Saturday. Sunday morning we went to church at Fondren Presbyterian, which we really enjoyed. While they didn't have a coffee hour -- the best way to really meet people, they did have friendly people in abundance.

We shot a few pictures of the church, and then changed clothes in the car. Off we were to lunch, which was a feast at Golden Corral. Next we drove into town, and visited the Mississippi Museum of Art. We enjoyed the exhibit of Oraien Catledge's photos of Cabbagetown, near downtown Atlanta. There was a fine collection of Mississippi artists' visions of the Mississippi River, and a great collection of nice watercolors.

The Old Statehouse Museum was open for visitors, so there we were! The Old Statehouse went out of use from 1837 till 1903, when the NEW Statehouse was completed. The building itself was beautiful, and we liked the historical exhibitions about the state and about the renovation of the old capitol building.

We've discovered in our travels that weekends are actually three days long, sometimes 4. Many places we like to visit are actually closed on Mondays. This commonly includes museums. But the Capitol in Jackson was open for business today - Monday! We shot photos outside and in, and looked into all the rooms. What a beautiful capitol building you Mississippi people have! Marble floors, beautiful tiles, wonderful Beaux-Arts architectural detailing, a tall and lovely rotunda, and stained glass windows make this a sight to see.

Lunch was interesting. We had not discovered any eateries in our preliminary wanderings, and we'd forgotten to ask anyone inside the Capitol. So we enlisted help from the GPS and found that Capitol Avenue had several restaurants with interesting names. So we left our car safely parked and walked the few blocks south to Capitol Avenue.

A local saw us appearing lost and directed us to one of his favorite eateries -- the Elite Restaurant. Upon advice from the server, we ordered the chicken fried veal cutlet which came with a salad and fries. Jack also ordered the gumbo. Wow! This was soooo good!

It was still just 2:30, and the weather was beautiful (71 and sunny) by the time we returned to the car, so we decided to find something else to do. Back to the GPS, we looked up Points of Interest > Attractions... and found the Zoo! The rest of our afternoon passed pleasantly as we looked at, read about, and photographed the many animals there! Another great day!

With Fronds Like This

2010-11-06T15:21:00.000-07:00

Here's a palm frond I shot on Cockspur Island, near Fort Pulaski, in Georgia.

We had a really good time with Ken (Jack's brother) and Judy for the past few days. Yesterday was just a lazy day, which we both needed. We ended it with a trip to The Shack, a fun restaurant at the foot of their mountain. I had the catfish, and Jack had ribs. We'll have our leftovers for supper tonight!

And tonight finds us at Byram, Mississippi, just south of Jackson. The drive was easy and we stopped just twice -- once for fuel, and another time for a short rest. We had crackers and salami for lunch as we rolled!

Trees on Cockspur Island

2010-11-03T19:04:00.000-07:00

Here are some Cockspur Island trees! The first one I shot through one of Fort Pulaski's windows.

Today we drove to Decatur, Alabama, about 3:20, and are tonight at Point Mallard Campground. We drove up the "mountain" to Ken and Judy's, enjoyed a good dinner with them, and then visited their church. It was good to see them, and we'll see them again tomorrow.

Pics from Fort Pulaski

2010-11-02T19:58:00.000-07:00

Here are a few photos from our visit to Fort Pulaski yesterday (Monday). This is the Cockspur Island Lighthouse. We took a 1.5 mile trail out to get this shot:

Here are some photos of the fort itself. Those holes in the brickwork on the outside of the fort are from cannonballs from the North, which ultimately breached the wall, bringing forth the surrender of the fort.

And here's Jack:

Today we got going at the crack of 9:40, unhooked the utilities and hooked up the car, and set out for parts west. After about 6 hours of driving, we made it as far as Waco, Georgia, where we are camped at a Yogi Bear's RV Park.

We went to the WalMart* and got a few supplies, then returned to the RV where we cooked dinner. Tonight we shared a most delicious artichoke and chicken tortellini with artichoke and spinach pesto with plenty of shredded Parmesan.

It's getting a little bit chilly here, with a brisk breeze blowing. But we're cozy inside and getting ready for sleep. Good day!

Fort Pulaski

2010-11-01T18:57:00.000-07:00

Today we did some laundry. Then we headed up the road a bit to Fort Pulaski. It's a beautiful fort and was important in the Civil War. Until the Battle of Fort Pulaski, the US defense was limited to brick forts like this one, but, after the beating that this fort took, thanks to the rifling cannons of the North, no more brick forts were built after this.

It was a perfectly lovely day! We really enjoyed the Ranger talk, our walking tour of the fort, the short movie, and the hike we took out to the lighthouse overlook. Photos will come!

This is a clump of sea oats that is growing near the Savannah River, very near our campsite:

Another Day on Tybee Island

2010-10-31T18:56:00.000-07:00

These are my sunset photos from the river right behind our campground here on Tybee Island, near Savannah, GA. Do you like these? Which do you like best? Why? Give me your ideas in a comment to this blog. Click "Comment" at the bottom. I moderate my comments (to keep spam out), so you won't see your comment right away.

We had another good day today in Savannah. We began the day with a church service at the Wilmington Island Presbyterian Church. They were nice people, and we particularly enjoyed the children's service.

Next we went home and changed clothes. Then we drove into town and parked at a public garage. It was easy to get in and out of, and, for the 4 hours we were there, it was 8 bucks.

We went to the Telfair Academy Museum, and the Jepson Center. Both had good galleries of art and they were close to each other. At the Telfair Academy, there were several rooms which were set up like the rooms of the house that the building used to be. The rest of the house, including the magnificent Ballroom, were filled with statuary and other artwork.

By this time, of course, we were starved. Tapas by Anna was where we landed and we enjoyed a most delicious Cajun-spiced chicken pizza. We hit a candy store, which featured all sorts of things, including caramel corn and pralines. We got Jack some popcorn and me some caramel corn (with pecans!) and we muched on these as we made our way down Savannah's sidewalks to our parking garage.

We returned to our RV Park, where we sat and talked a bit with Beth and Ken, a couple we had met at church. They suggested the North Beach Grill right up the road, here on Tybee Island. We found the food to be delicious! Jack had a flounder with sauteed vegetables on top, and he loved it. I had a great piece of salmon, perfectly cooked, with garlic mashed potatoes and asparagus. We understand that this restaurant is under new ownership and we agree that these folks have a good thing going.

Now we're back here in our RV, goming out and watching some tube. Ahhh :)

Savannah, Georgia

2010-10-30T19:42:00.000-07:00

Today, we bought a tour on the Old Town Trolley Tour in Savannah, Georgia. And what a nice tour it was! Our tour director for the first part was a man named Jack, and he told us much about the town. We had a get-on-get-off tour, which was a good thing. We got off at stop 13 -- the City Market. We had pizza slices at VinnieVanGoGo's, pictured just above. This was a delicious slice, with a nice crispy crust and plenty of tasty toppings.

After a bit of shop prowling, we stopped for ice cream at Leopold's, also pictured above. I randomly chose the Tutti Frutti ice cream, and, as luck would have it, this is THE store for which the song "Tutti Frutti" was written by Johnny Mercer, a Savannah favorite son. And it was great! Jack enjoyed his Rum Raisin, too.

We shot a few more photos, and then found the Owen Thomas house, which we toured. It was a neat tour, and gave us some insight into how the people lived in the early 1800's. We caught our bus back to our car and then went off in search of.. dinner!

We decided to explore Tybee Island a little, but were dismayed to discover that we couldn't find anyplace to park free to eat at a restaurant that looked good. (We have a problem with having to pay to park, in order to pay to eat!) So we ended up at a sort of dirty diner, where we dined on burgers, fries, and salads. Not bad. Hey.. we can't have ALL good food, can we? ;)

We returned to our RV, and then ran right back out to capture the sunset over the river. Look for those photos in this space in days to come!

We're in Savannah!

2010-10-29T19:12:00.000-07:00

We drove southward today, landing, after about 5 hours, on Tybee Island, south of Savannah. This seems like a beautiful part of the world, though we arrived too late to see much. Along our way, we stopped just three times: the South Carolina Welcome Station, Cracker Barrel, and BP. The drive was pretty easy, though we did come through some quite narrow streets on our way out here to this island.

I was sure that, with all this eating, I had put on a few pounds, and, having bought that new scale yesterday in Raleigh, I was able to confirm my fears this morning. 145.4 is where I am now. I'm still wearing my size 8's, but they are a bit tight. So I'm ready to see if I can bring that number down again. Gadz.. I'd really like to keep it down, too, this time.

This photo, by the way, is from Mystic Seaport. This is another one of the ship called Australia, which is being restored.

Jack's Birthday

2010-10-28T19:29:00.000-07:00

We had a good day today today in Raleigh, NC! We began with some shopping. I wanted to get a scale for the RV, so that the weight watching can continue while we travel. Makes sense to me! I found a nice one and ... you'll see the results over to the right. It's not going to be a pretty number for a few weeks!

Then we went to Best Buy so that I could upgrade my Garmin. To just get maps for my very old one would be $70, so I decided to spring for the extra $200 and get a new one. This is the 1450T which includes lifetime maps and free lifetime traffic updates. It also has junction view and lane assist. Sweetness! We started using it right away and I really like it!

We went next to the Statehouse to get some photos. The building is not in use anymore as an actual legislative building, but it's still standing, at least, and they're using it for a museum. The interesting thing was the placards on the walls, depicting and describing some of the important legal doings that have happened here. Most of it concerned the role of slavery and the secession decision for North Carolina.

We both found it interesting that, as a state, it seems that North Carolina is somewhat apologetic about their role in the secession, like they didn't *really* want to do it. At the time of the Civil War's beginning, fully 1/3 of the residents of NC were slaves. Zow.

We got a few groceries, took them back here, and then went off to get some dinner. Tonight we did Texas Steakhouse. We got the appetizer plate, Jack got a Caesar salad, and I had the chili. It was very good, but we had to beg for more water. Jack was happy with his birthday dinner, and with the free ice cream that they brought afterwards!

Near Raleigh, NC

2010-10-27T14:39:00.000-07:00

This photo is from Mystic Seaport, in Mystic, Connecticut. I love taking photos of rage and ruin!

Last evening, Jack made us a wonderful dessert! It's Betty Crocker's Reeses Dessert Bars from an easily-done no-bake (microwave) mix. And how delicious they are! You do have to cut far smaller pieces than you want, though, in order to get just the 150 calories per serving. ;)

This afternoon finds us relaxing in the RV after a relatively easy driving day. We got a late start and drove just 3 hours, punctuated by lunch at a very accessible Cracker Barrel and a fuel stop at the ideal place: a Pilot which had clearly labeled an island just for diesel RV's. Easy!

The weather has warmed considerably getting up to 89° today. So we went from jackets and heaters to shorts and A/C in just a couple of days!

This is a pleasant KOA campground located south of Raleigh about 40 minutes in a community called Smithfield. It has everything we need, and soon we'll head off in search of some food.

Near Norfolk

2010-10-26T16:38:00.001-07:00

This is a photo from the Wadsworth Athenean.

Today was another splendid day. We got started at the crack of 10:30 and drove down through Delaware, Maryland, and a little bit of Virginia before reaching the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel. What a cool feat of engineering this was! We enjoyed the pretty drive, and went to the little island in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay for lunch. I had delicious chicken salad in a hollowed out tomato with clam chowder. Jack had the Philly Cheese Steak sandwich.

Then we found the Chesapeake Campground at Chesapeake, VA. While it's a nice enough campground, it has gotten sort of run-down, and is now largely used by working folks who live in their RV's full-time. But it is the least expensive campground we've visited this trip, at $25/night.

Jack and I decided to take a little drive this evening around the Norfolk, VA area, so we unhooked the car, and off we went! We set the GPS before we left, so we'd find the campground again. Around and around we went, exploring all the nooks and crannies and finding some .. uh... interesting areas! Then, as the sun was setting, and we were set to go back, we asked the GPS to return us to the campground.

We followed its directions with no problems, till it said, "Drive 147 miles."
"What?" we both asked it in unison. What had happened is that the GPS didn't quite know yet where we WERE when we told it that this was the campground. So it still thought that we were at our LAST campground and it was directing us THERE!
Jack remembered that we'd stopped at an auto supply store just up the street from the campground to get a new headlight for the RV (finally!), I found the receipt with the address, and we put that in. Whew! So now we're tucked back into our cozy little home away from home!

Happy Birthday to Me!

2010-10-25T18:02:00.001-07:00

I had a great birthday today! :) We are in Lincoln, Delaware, where we've enjoyed a couple of days. We're close to Dover, so, yes, we DID get up to photograph the Statehouse! We also made it to Slaughter Beach and to Rehoboth Beach, where we took photos.

Food was the focus of the day. Breakfast was bacon and scrambled eggs, which Jack made. Lunch? Buffalo Wild Wings appetizer sampler, which we got in Dover.

Dinner was extra-special. We drove down to Rehoboth where we parked, walked around a bit, and then found the Rehoboth Ale House. They feature 140 beers and ales, many of which are on tap. We each had a glass and asked the barkeep for a dinner recommendation.

He sent us on to the Salt Air Restaurant. Click Food to see their menu. We started with a basket of their homemade crackers with special cheese spread and a glass of wine. Then we got the quail appetizer (with figs!) and it was delicious! Then Jack got the Ahi tuna and I had the scallops. Oh, my! We finished the meal with my brownie sundae topped with pumpkin creme fraiche, caramel, and malt chips.. and Jack's fruit crisp with apples and pears. This was a very special meal to end a very special day!

And here's my gift to you -- some photos! These were taken in Hartford and the swan was in Rhode Island:

Lincoln, Delaware

2010-10-23T18:37:00.000-07:00

What a great time we had with Aunt Dots! But today was our morning to leave. We left at the crack of 10:30 this morning, after loading up our rolls of hose and our electric cord, hooking up the car, and waving so long to Auntie Dots.

We went on 287 for most of the way, taking the Tappan Zee Bridge across the Hudson River. The trees were gorgeous in all their "peak" splendor, traffic was moderate and sane, and the miles flew by. We had lunch at Subway along the way, got fuel twice, paid lots of tolls.. hey, it was a good driving day.

We are at the Cedar Creek Landing Campground at Lincoln, Delaware, tonight. We arrived just after sundown, so, in the dark, it was hard to see the place, but we got things hooked up and leveled ok.

Here's a photo of some post-drizzle leaves on the Hartford Statehouse lawn:

Hartford, CT

2010-10-22T19:12:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Jack and I drove up to Hartford. It was an easy drive -- less than an hour from Madison. Once we were there, we were greeted with gray cool skies, and .. the Statehouse! I shot these photos there. Notice the statues in the first one particularly:

The weather cleared up while we were inside, so that's why the last photo here has a better sky. What a beautiful monument to the people of Connecticut! We loved the statuary, the gold, the paintings... the whole place is magnificent!

After we took photos inside, we walked to the Wadsworth Atheneum, a great art museum. Here, we enjoyed paintings, sculpture, and furniture created by the greats. I loved the whole museum but I think that my favorite part was the special exhibit of the Moderns.

The Old Statehouse was next on our list. It's just what you think -- the building where the state used to perform its legislative functions before the "new" statehouse was built. The old one is now a museum with displays and exhibits showing Connecticut's history. We liked it!

Today we relaxed a bit. We'd decided that it was time to retire Auntie Dots' TV, so that we did! Replacing it is now a fine new LG TV from WalMart*. We ate at neat places all day: Hidden Kitchen for breakfast, Whitfield's for lunch, and the pizza place up north on 79 for dinner. We have been very well-fed!

Madison, CT

2010-10-20T19:26:00.000-07:00

I'm writing in purple in solidarity for the GLBT kids who are bullied and need a ray of hope. It gets better, kids! I wasn't horribly bullied, but I did have a very difficult childhood/teenage life, and I can tell you that it does get better. Things do change.

We spent a third day in Providence on Monday, taking photos of the Statehouse, which was lovely. We then went to Providence Center and milled around a little before calling it a day.

Tuesday, we left Bellingham and drove all the way to Madison, CT. (I'm kidding about "all the way." It's just over 2 hours!) We're now parked in my Auntie's driveway. We had some great soup with Dots, rode around town and showed Jack the lay of the land, enjoyed some ice cream at Ashley's (YUMMY!) and then just talked and rested in the evening.

Today, all 3 of us went to the Hidden Kitchen for a delicious breakfast. Then Jack and I went to Mystic Seaport, a historic seaport town with plenty of exhibits and demonstrations. We both took plenty of photos, so expect to see some of those soon. In the meantime, here are some from Portland, Maine:

Visiting Friends

2010-10-16T20:25:00.000-07:00

We're still in Bellingham, which has proven to be a dandy starting point for adventures in surrounding areas. Yesterday, we went to Providence to see my friends Pat and Alan. Pat took us to the Botanical Gardens, where we enjoyed a walk around and shot some photos. Here are a few of them:

Next, we went to dinner at a fabulous restaurant called 1149 Restaurant, in Seekonk, MA. I ordered the swordfish, Jack got the ribeye, and Pat ordered the stuffed shrimp. What a feast we had! Such beautiful food, and so delicious!

This is Pat with her beautiful pumpkin soufflee:

And this is my beautiful and delicious chocolate concoction:

Today we went back to the area, and visited with Joanne. We began by having a delicious brunch at T's. Then we drove around and looked at some sights of Warwick. We parked and shot some photos down at the pier, then took a walk through the community, admiring old buildings and looking at the river which was hugely flooded last spring. It was great to catch up with Joanne and to visit her town. What a nice day this was!

Freedom Trail

2010-10-14T19:44:00.002-07:00

Yesterday we arrived in Bellingham, Massachusetts at the Circle CG Farm Campground after an easy 2+ hour drive from Saco. We took part of the afternoon to wash clothes, and then took it very easy the rest of the evening.

This morning, we did our usual slow start before we got into the car and headed off to Boston. Here we found a parking lot near Boston Commons and embarked upon the "Freedom Trail." This is a path that is painted red or bricked along the sidewalk, leading tourists like sheep around to some of the more famous historic spots in the city. HERE is a link to a listing of the sites we saw.

We liked the whole thing, especially the churches (Old North Church and the King's Chapel) and burial grounds. The USS Constitution was quite a sight to see, as was its museum. Oh, and the State House! This was our 6th state capitol building to photograph!

The weather was pretty perfect for us. The sky was cloudy most of the day, and it was a bit windy and cool, but the promised Nor'easter held off till about 10pm, when they had told us it would hit. It's raining now.

The walk is 2.5 miles from beginning to end, but, once you reach the end, you have to get back! We accomplished this by riding the T. Slick and cheap, it seemed like an "I Dream of Jeannie" thing. Blink! And we were back at Boston Commons.

I have not yet looked at my photos from today, but here are some more from Maine. This is the breakwater that we took to get out to Bug Light, near Portland:

Some bittersweet:

Lighthouse Tour

2010-10-12T18:02:00.005-07:00

This gingko tree was blazing a gorgeous yellow against that blue sky:

City Hall in Saco, Maine was on our historic Main Street walk:

The Parish Congregational Church where we went on Sunday:

Bug Light:

What a great couple of days we've had! Monday we did a little historical building walk in Saco, Maine. It was on Main Street, where there are many historical and beautiful buildings. The tour we took was one that Jack found on the internet HERE. The day was wonderful!

Then last evening, we went to dinner with our new friends Deb, Don, and David, at their house. Deb made a fabulous lasagna (the best we'd ever had!), a tasty salad, and a YUM banana pudding. We really enjoyed our evening with them and we KNOW that we'll be seeing them again.

Today we were cold when we awoke! It's been a bit chilly right along, with lows dropping into the 30's. We have been sleeping with no heat, so, while we're toasty under the covers, getting out from under them is challenging.

We opted for a lighthouse drive today, and what a perfect day it was! We drove up around South Portland, and saw 6 lighthouses! We were able to walk up to all but 2 of them, and there was a museum at the Bug Light. (I said "BUD Light!" LOL) I've shown you photos of one of them above. When my internet connection is better (grrrrr), I'll get more posted!

Dinner tonight was at Bufflehead's just south of Biddeford, which is just a bit south of Saco. One cool thing about this part of the country is that everything is very close! None of this driving 20 miles (or 60) to get to the next town!

Saco Rhymes with Taco

2010-10-10T19:50:00.001-07:00

We went to church this morning at the Parish Congregational Church here in Saco. We were cheerfully greeted and treated to a fine service. The message was "Bloom where you're planted," and it resonated well with both of us.

Afterward, we had cake in the Fellowship Hall. Then Deb, Don, and Lia invited us to go with them to breakfast. Why, yes! We enjoyed a fine breakfast with them at a nice diner. Then we were off to explore Saco on our own.

Cabela's is one of our favorite spots, and the Saco store is great! We loved sauntering through the aisles. I picked up some nice fuzzy slippers!

Dinner... well, I'm just a bit embarrassed to say that we ate at the Clambake Restaurant again! This time, we shared a Fisherman's Platter, ending up with half of it leftover for tomorrow. We really enjoyed this day!

Seafood in Saco

2010-10-09T17:49:00.003-07:00

Yesterday, we spent another day in Acadia. The weather was great, though cool, with just one really big blob of clouds which came in and obscured the blue of the skies for just a bit, before departing.

Our first stop was the Jordan Pond House, where we enjoyed a 3-mile walk around the pond (really a lake!). We also walked a bit along one of the carriage trails and shot a few photos on both walks.

The Jordan Pond House is a restaurant known for its tea and popovers. We didn't have tea, but we got popovers with our lunches. Jack had a roast beef sandwich and I had the chicken curry salad. Both were delicious, and the blueberry crisp which followed was delightful, too.

After lunch and a stroll through the gift shop, we drove up to the top of Cadillac Mountain. What views we saw from there! This is the highest point along the Atlantic coast, and they claim that the sun rises there first. That also means that it sets first there, but they don't mention that!

We stopped at Hannaford's and picked up provisions for supper. The menu was chicken livers with onions and tater tots! Yummy! We don't have chicken livers often, but, when we do, we both love them!

We got going today at the crack of 10, sort of our standard time. One stop at Lewiston filled our tanks and our bellies (chili) before we were on the road again. We drove just about 3 hours total, before arriving at the Saco KOA. This is a beautiful campground, with many amenities. One of their amenities is a good map of the area, and a nice campground host who recommended a good restaurant.

That good restaurant? The Clambake Seafood Restaurant at Pine Point, ME. I got the fried scallops and haddock, and Jack had lobster, shrimp, and scallops. Both came with potatoes and salads, and there was PLENTY of food. My plate would have fed 3-4 Janees. And it was great food! Very casual, as you can read on their site, but no tipping. Really fun. Great evening!

I ♥ ME!

2010-10-07T17:31:00.002-07:00

These are photos that I took yesterday at Acadia National Park. I realize that I told you that it was cloudy all day and .. it was! I used Photoshop to change the weather for my photos!

Today we awoke to a chilly wind rocking our little RV, but we were cozy inside. We decided that it wouldn't be safe to hike as we'd planned, so we chose to go shop prowling instead. I bought a new brown fuzzybear jacket, matching hand-knit merino wool fingerless mittens, a yellow hoodie sweatshirt with magenta "Maine" across the front, and a T-shirt that says

I ♥ ME

This made me laugh when I saw it, and I expect it'll make me laugh everytime I wear it!

We did get more wind this morning, and by afternoon, it was sprinkling rain, but that didn't stop us from our explorations of Bar Harbor's neat shops and galleries! We had lunch at a little place called Rupununi -- an American Grill. Jack had a lobster roll and I really enjoyed their buffalo chicken sandwich. We both had clam chowder, and I ate most of the slice of blueberry pie! (Maine is famous for their blueberries, too!)

We gave up on the shopping at 4:00 and headed back to our RV. There is a man who comes to this KOA to cook lobsters for the people every night during season, and tonight was no exception. So Jack took him up on it and I finished up the delicious chicken salad. Great Day!

Acadia National Park

2010-10-06T18:50:00.002-07:00

Here are some photos from our walk in Acadia today! The rain held out till after we were nearly back, and it just sprinkled a bit till we got into the car. The walk was from Sand Beach to Otter Cliffs and back -- about 3 miles total -- and an easy stroll. Tomorrow I'll give you more of the water and rock pix. My connection is so slow tonight that I'm just going to post 5:

So, yeah, we had a great time! After it started to rain, we decided to get back on the Park Road long enough to take the cutoff back to Bar Harbor. We had intended to do some shop prowling, but it was POURING by then, so we rethought things and opted, instead, to have an early supper before returning to our campground.

The Chart House in Bar Harbor served Jack lobster, and me the "Mixed Grill" which was a piece of swordfish, a slice of tuna (medium rare), and scallops. All was very tasty! An apple crisp with ice cream and caramel sauce will be something else for me to diet off when I get around to dieting again. ;)

It has stopped raining now, but it's very windy. This will likely usher in some even cooler temps. Today we had a high of around 60, which felt chilly.

Augusta, Maine and the Difference between "Capital" and "Capitol"

2010-10-05T18:55:00.005-07:00

We awoke to a cloudy sky, cool temperatures, and an excitement in the air. Time to hit the road again! And that's just what we did. The sky gradually cleared as we drove. We went to Augusta, the state capital first. Here we shot photos of the capitol building and then had lunch. Above are some of my Augusta photos. How about that sky?! It's real!

I knew that there was a difference in "capitol" and "capital," but I was not very clear on which was which till just now. "Capitol" refers to the building in which the government activities take place. "Capital" refers to the city in which the capitol building resides. So there we are.

After lunch, we had a visit at the Maine State Museum, across the street from the Capitol. The museum was really good. It featured exhibits on Maine life (from all eras) and Maine industries. There was also a nice area where they had dioramas of real (stuffed) animals including some moose, deer, and smaller animals.

We spent lots of time at the museum, leaving us with 2 hours of driving at 4pm. And, the further east we go, the sooner it gets dark! We hit the Shaw's for a few groceries before driving on to the KOA, and, by the time we got into the area, it was dark!

I don't like arriving late in the day in general, and I don't like arriving after dark at all! It just complicates things like finding the campground, finding the campsite, leveling, and hooking up. But we did all of the above, and here we are! Dinner was leftover chicken tortellini with pesto and Chips Ahoy with Reeses Cups. :)

2010-10-04T18:27:00.003-07:00

I shot this photo at our campground in Lansing, Michigan, just over a week ago.

Today after breakfast we drove over to Bath, Maine, just about 15 miles northeast of our Durham, Maine KOA campsite. It was a lovely drive, and we found the Bath Maritime Museum easily. It was a fine collection of maritime exhibits: ships to tour, ship photos and paintings, boats being built (and we got to walk all around the workshop where the guys were working!), ships to tour, a demonstration of a boat launching, films of maritime things, stories of people involved in the various maritime adventures... Good fun! We stayed there much of the day.

Next was lobster time for Jack. Upon a recommendation of the woman in the gift shop, we found J.R. Maxwell's downtown. Jack ordered the single huge whole lobster, steamed clams, a salad, and baked potato. I got the fried scallops and haddock, baked beans, and rice pilaf. We each enjoyed a cup of clam chowder first.

Oh my! Was this ever GOOD?! We both thought that the clam chowder was the best we'd ever had. And I also found the scallops to be the best I'd ever had -- by a mile. The haddock was wonderful, too -- really light, perfectly cooked. Super food, great service, and even good atmosphere. We loved this place!

Shopping in Freeport

2010-10-03T19:22:00.003-07:00

It was another lovely weather day, albeit cool. The KOA offered a pancake breakfast buy-in for $4 each, and we took them up on it. Delish! We drove into town to church. This was a church that had been established in the late 1700's. Several of their buildings burned, before they moved into the current one in the early 1900's. Here is a pic of the church.

We changed into our jeans in the parking lot and then hit the shops. Freeport, Maine, is famous for its flagship L.L. Bean store, and rightfully so. It's a magnificent repository of all things Bean. We found some neat things there, and left them a few dollars.

There are many other great places to shop and eat -- all befitting the tourists we are. We had lunch at Petrillo's, enjoying the Green Monster pizza. It is a delicious thin wheat crust with pesto, spinach, artichoke hearts, and plenty of cheese. I had an Orangina, too!

After we were done with our afternoon of shopping, we stopped at the Ben & Jerry's and bought a pint of New York Super Fudge Chunk. We drove back home to the RV and enjoyed the ice cream here! Oh my! How good it was!

Durham, Maine

2010-10-02T18:58:00.003-07:00

What a beautiful day we had today! The single advantage to days of pouring rain is that, when it's over, you really appreciate the sunshine!

We began the day with laundry and cleaning the rig. I lost one of my yellow socks, and, while we were getting set to go, a gentleman who'd been doing laundry with us came to our site and gave Jack my sock which he'd found! :)

After hooking the car back onto the RV, we drove across New Hampshire, stopping in Concord, the capital. We shot some outdoor photos, but were unable to go in, since it was Saturday.

We ate lunch in the RV -- salami, yummy chicken salad, and delicious summer slaw from Hannaford Supermarket. And then we were on the road again.

An hour and a half later, we arrived in Durham, Maine, just up the road from Freeport. This will be our base of operations while we explore this area. We just contented ourselves with hooking up the RV, unhooking the car, and fixing ourselves a delicious dinner of chicken tortellini with pesto. Oh.. and I finally got Photoshop installed on this computer! So now I can share some photos. Here's one that I shot on this trip before the rain started. This was in Lansing, Michigan:

Brattleboro, Vermont

2010-10-01T19:54:00.002-07:00

Last night it rained ALL night. I mean it poured most of the night! And this morning, we were all set to just dig in our heels and stay another night, since we didn't feel like driving in the rain and on possibly flooded roads. But the campground had other plans for us. It turned out that this campground was ordered to evacuate, because the river was expected to overflow its banks. It's level was supposed to exceed the level it reached one year when the whole campground was under water!

So, in the pouring rain once again, we unhooked the utilities and hooked up the car and off we went again. The rain was not horrible -- just a light rain -- and there was none of the promised wind, to our relief.

We drove to Brattleboro, Vermont, arriving at about 3:30. We're at the KOA here -- a very nice campground.

And, it's NOT raining now! Moreover, it has not rained for a few hours. We drove into town when it was still raining, parking and walking down the hill into the artsy community for the Art Gallery Prowl, an event which they hold the first Friday evening of every month. Lucky us!

The Prowl was good fun, with all the downtown stores open, lots of galleries, nice music being played at several of the venues. We enjoyed a really fine time!

On our way home, we found a grocery store and restocked our fridge. We'd had to get rid of lots of food, which had frozen. The ruined stuff included all our fruits and vegetables. :/ But now we have new food. :)

The Herkimer-Amsterdam Passage

2010-09-30T18:06:00.003-07:00

Dona, I rather like the idea of filling the fridge with ice cream, since it was freezing everything, but that's not what we did! Instead, we went down the road to Amsterdam's Camping World (Alpin Haus RV) where they diagnosed and finally fixed our problem. It was a little wire affair which cost only $130 to diagnose and install.

While they were doing this, we shopped at the CW store, laying in some supplies. Then we went to Subway for a bite of lunch. To my horror, I discovered that my credit card, the one I always use, was missing from its usual place in my pouch! We quickly retraced our financial steps, recalling that the last place I used my card was Applebee's in Herkimer. I had the receipt so I called and they HAD it! Happy!

So, after paying for the job and our stuff with another card, we hopped into the car and drove the hour on the toll road ($1.80 each leg, since it was just the car!) back to Herkimer and got the card. Could you feel the change in atmospheric pressure when I heaved that sigh of relief?

Back to Herkimer, we hooked up the car and headed on down the road. We made it to Glenville, NY. And did I mention that it's still raining? It rained this entire day! But we're keeping our spirits up and remaining optimistic that the clouds will clear, revealing that beautiful blue sky that we KNOW is hiding up there!

Herkimer, NY

2010-09-29T17:24:00.002-07:00

We awoke today in Niagara Falls, Ontario, discovering that, while the sky was gray, there seemed to be... no rain! We took advantage of this, emptying our tanks, unhooking the utilities, hooking up the car, and getting down the road! We went on the tollroad -- 90 -- stopping for lunch at an oasis Tim Horton's.

Here's something funny that happened. We ordered a sandwich to split, a cup of soup, and a bottle of water. Then, after she had rung up the sale, I decided that I wanted a chocolate chip muffin, too. So I asked her if it would be too late to add one to our order. "No problem," she said, and she just gave it to us! We took the opportunity to get fuel, too, and we were on our way.

We arrived about 4:30 at the Herkimer KOA, and it's lovely! Our site is right on the river, a fast-flowing stream which reminds me a bit of home! After a short break, we took off in the car to the town, in search of dinner. We found an Applebee's and that won. I got the cheese-filled meatballs with fettucini and Jack got a steak. His steak was tough but tasty, and mine was mushy and not tasty.

In fact, when the server asked me if I wanted a take-home box, I said, "No, it wasn't that good." The manager was there, too, wanting to know if I had liked the dish, which is a new one for the chain. He said that many people were giving them the same review, and he told me that he was taking it off our bill. Well ok, that's fair, but I would rather that they would take the bad stuff off the menu to start with!

We are averaging about 14.5 miles per gallon on this trip, towing the car behind the RV. The only problems we've had with anything are low tires on the car, which Jack aired up, and our refrigerator, which is FREEZING everything! We are going to Amsterdam's Camping World tomorrow for a 9:30 appointment to check up on that.

Another Day at Niagara Falls

2010-09-28T18:16:00.002-07:00

Actually, we just spent part of the day here. We awoke to a driving rain -- too much to drive in! So we opted to stay here another day and try to find some indoor things to do. Well, by the time we finished our leisurely breakfast, it was actually SUNNY out! So off we went to Fort Erie, to visit the fort there and get the history.

It was a short drive -- probably less than 20 miles -- and a pretty drive. It didn't rain on our way, but it did get cloudy again. We went first to the Fort Erie History Museum in downtown Fort Erie. This museum is small, and dedicated to the memory of the small battle there which started Canada into its process of becoming a country.

We had to drive a bit further to get to the actual Fort Erie. This is a quite nicely restored stone fort with lots of authentic accoutrements of the day, including some fine cannons! While it rained during some of our tour, we also enjoyed a few dry minutes where the sky was gray, heavy, and threatening.

We drove back on up to Niagara Falls and parked at the Fallsview Casino. We enjoyed a walk around in the *smokefree* casino before hitting the Grand Buffet. It was... GRAND... and we feasted on many delicious foods.

Niagara Falls

2010-09-27T19:16:00.002-07:00

We've had a fun few days, despite the weather. On Sunday, we went to church in London, Ontario. Jack did his research online, finding us a UCC church, and we ended up in a United Church of Canada! Their outlook is just like ours, though, so we found ourselves quite at home. Not only that, but the folks were very friendly.

After church, we hooked the car up and drove on up the road to Niagara Falls, Ontario. Having arrived at our campground (Holiday Trav-L-Park) at a reasonable time, we unhooked and took the car into town for a look-about. The clouds were thickening and we did get some rain as we looked at the falls. It was still magnificent, and we got enough dry moments to grab a photo or two.

We stopped at the Red Lobster, split an Admiral's Feast, and then finished off our evening at the DQ! Hey.. it was Sunday!

Today we went into town a bit earlier, parking at a $5 a day lot and then walking all over the place. We arrived at the Skylon tower in time for lunch, and it was great! We split a burger and a dish of penne Alfredo as we watched the city spin around below us. Thank goodness the weather held out and afforded us some pleasing views. Yes, it was cloudy and gray all day, but at least the rain was limited to sprinkles.

We came back home for some of Jack's soup which we'd frozen, and it was delish! Now it's pouring rain!

London, Ontario

2010-09-25T19:43:00.002-07:00

Yes, we're heading EAST, on our way west! We decided that there are people and things that need to be visited before we go to AZ for our winter.

Tonight we're in London, Ontario. We've spent the past two days exploring London, visiting the Covent Market, which we loved, and the Museum London, which was... eh... not so great. It was exhibiting some contemporary art which we neither particularly enjoyed nor understood. I personally think that, when artists write about their work, they at least should have a *real* writer proofread for them.

We came home and enjoyed a fabulous dinner of chicken a la king on asiago cheese bread, fresh corn on the cob, and delicious date bars. Great day, even though the weather has been less-than-perfect, with excessive wind, cold (50!), and some rain. We are hoping that the rain gets by us and leaves us alone for awhile! :)

We're having fun and getting along well.

Lansing

2010-09-23T19:12:00.002-07:00

Jack and I arrived in Ruby towing Fred (LOL) yesterday afternoon. We had worked till nearly 3pm getting my house and his house ready to go, getting our stuff ready to go, getting the RV cleaned out well, loading up, hooking up, and running some last-minute Big Rapids errands.

The drive was fun, with lovely scenery all the way. The trees are really showing their colors early and are quite beautiful right now here.

Today we went to the Michigan State University campus, drove around a bit, and then visited some museums. Our favorite was the Art Museum.

After a quick trip back here to the Cottonwood Campground to turn on the AC for Eddie, we headed back out, cameras in hand, this time to the State Capital. As soon as I get Photoshop installed on this new computer, I'll get started with posting my capital photos. :)

Rain in the Rapids

2010-09-21T19:25:00.003-07:00

Yeah... and we're still here! Although we both worked like maniacs today, with me getting just about all of my things into the RV, we didn't make it out of town. I'm planning to sleep in it tonight, because all of my stuff is out there! Not sure what Jack's planning.

Still getting ready

2010-09-20T19:13:00.002-07:00

Well... Tuesday's tomorrow! The goal is to leave tomorrow for our journey, but ... I'm hopeful that we are ready enough to make the break to get out of town. While Tuesday is the goal, there are no rules about how early we have to leave or how far we have to go!

I was hopeful that I'd have my computer all set up with my programs and files, but the Seagate, while it did work, has proven to be a slow way to migrate my files. I got a USB wire thing today and I'll try that, but, because this has not been done yet, I'll be dragging along BOTH computers. Sheesh. And, after a few days of the little mouse working perfectly on this new computer, this evening, it's not working at all.

The Big Rapids stuff is winding down. Today we did recycling from both our houses, and then went to Dianne's and took back the wood that didn't get used for her project. We went and got our kayaks from Harold's house and stored them. And we went to a party Harold had for the Tucson folks. Good fun!

Jack's done some nifty building projects in the past few days. He built me a knife block for my drawer, and it's neat! He made a support for the bed to make it more substantial, and he is working on a little headboard. It's just about done.

The RV and car have been serviced, the mail's been handled, the trash has been stopped at both of our houses. We've done some laundry, and have a bit more to do, including towels. We have yet to do all of the shoving of things into the RV, and that's really just about it.