Happy Halloween

Oh just where did the month of October go???  It's been too long since my last blog.  So now... just before midnight... on the last night of October... I'm scrambling to get something, anything posted!

Since it's Halloween, I thought photos of my grandkids all dressed up for trick & treating would be a good idea.

Beginning with the youngest, Abby in her darling little witch costume...























Then Breanna as a little pirate.  Isn't she a cutie!

Kayla as a little witch.  Don't cross her, she may turn you into a toad!  LOL

Jaytyn as a scary vampire.  Look at the blood dribbling out of his mouth.


Happy Halloween everyone!

Arizona bird migration...

At the crack of dawn on another beautiful day in Tucson, I was gazing at the clouds and imagined this particular one looked alot like a bird in flight.  At first, I thought about the majestic Canadian geese that would soon be flying south for warm winter homes.  Then I realized... no... this must be a sign that the yearly migration of the snowbird is about to begin.   Those fair weather folks from up north will soon be traveling long distances just to roost in the land of sunshine and warmth and to avoid the dreary, cold winter months.  Before the last leaf falls and the arctic snow drifts, they will have settled into their cozy nests in various RV parks and established winter homes all around town.  So keep an eye out, because you'll soon be seeing them every where, as they navigate their flight patterns and flock in great numbers to enjoy their favorite feeding stations.

September storms...

Just another beautiful sunset in Tucson with one really BIG square storm cloud bringing much needed rain showers!

And...

I can't believe I got this shot of lightning in the same cluster of clouds!

It's the first game of the season

for the JV team at Empire High...




...and it rains!

Did it just have to show up tonight?


At least some people came prepared.

It wouldn't be that unusual in other parts of the country...
....but THIS IS TUCSON!

Not sure if that's a bag of trash or just a couple of kids on the bench.

Well, everything came out alright in the end.

It had been a drier than normal year in these parts and the rain was very welcome indeed!

And the fighting Ravens didn't melt like the Wicked Witch of the West just because a little H2O fell from the sky.


In fact, they won the game!!!

It was a landslide (or maybe mudslide) win against the opposition. GO RAVENS!!!

More vacation photos...

We're visiting Cabrillo National Monument in Southern California. It's a warm sunny day in June 2009.














My loving hubby, Ken...

















... niece Megan, sister Linda, niece Kaitlyn and granddaughter Mary.




















A beautiful day to check out the restored lighthouse on the hill.













There was a spiral staircase inside the lighthouse. It was a narrow, very steep set of stairs and really a tight fit.





Just think of the light house keepers ... ascending and descending ... all day long. Wouldn't need any stair-stepper machine back then!





Can you imagine what it would have been like, carrying a hot mug of coffee up those stairs to warm the master of the lighthouse during a storm?




Darn! Couldn't go to the top and look out the windows. It was sealed off with an iron grate.











The family living area was small, but cozy.

Wednesday's What Is That???

Okay, Here's the photo.

Can you guess what it is?

Leave your comment.

Then I'll tell you more about it in a couple of days....

Maybe...

Whaley House, Old Town, San Diego

More vacation photos from June. This building is said to be haunted...





The court room on the main floor. (Working from home is nothing new.)









The front parlor.










Private theatre on the second floor. (Obviously, home entertain systems are not new, either!)









Master Bedroom on the second floor.











Hydrangeas in the back garden. I do love flowers and these were HUGE!

Where did the time go?

I can't believe it's August! It's been weeks since I added anything new to this blog. Sorry about that!

What's worse, is I'm on the laptop computer, the one that doesn't have my photos downloaded onto it. I'll have to add photos later.

July went by in a blur. Vacation Bible School for a week that seemed to drag on at times, but suddenly it was all over. I always enjoy the kids, their laughter and inhibitions to having fun. Why can't adults act like a kid more often? Some don't at all. I think it's a great tragedy that we don't even realize what we lose in our eagerness to "grow up" and be an "adult". I'm over 50, but that doesn't stop me from wanting to jump from the top step of the porch or do a cartwheel on the lawn. A fear of breaking my ankle keeps me from the first and never managing to do a cartwheel in my life keeps me from the second. That and being way overweight and out of shape but that's another story...

In the meantime, I'll keep on smiling, singing as loud as possible and swaying to the music during church. Which if you know Lutherans, that's a scandal in it's self!

Vacation 2009

Starbucks after a long day at the beach. Here's my sister Sue, my granddaughter Mary, me and my sister Linda.

Sunset at South Carlsbad State Beach.

Mary painting a rock with a map of South Carolina.

San Diego is having beautiful weather today. It was sunny, warm and breezy. We are staying at South Carlsbad State Beach on a bluff over the Pacific Ocean. Great place to camp!

Odds & Ends, photo gallery

Here is a typical view of the table our Board occupied during a recent annual conference in California.  Notice the various items necessary to stimulate our minds... in other words to keep us awake during some of the not so inspiring talks.  

A close up view of the seating arrangements on a recent flight.  I generally like the window seat so I can lean onto the wall. It makes me feel like I have more room than if I was stuck in the center seat or falling off the edge of an aisle seat.  

Notice all the ample leg room in coach class seating...

Our lovely little dog, Sam.

He likes to lay under the buffet....

under end tables and especially

in his cardboard box play house, that's the one with all the holes cut into the sides!

This looked a bit odd?

A new baby palm tree growing up out of the stump of an old palm tree.

That has to be a good example of perseverance.

For Our Freedom...

Today is Memorial Day.  Some people may call it Remembrance Day.  A day to remember those who protect us, our home, the United States of America.  The men and women fighting for our freedom.  They were the soldiers that didn't make it home again from the war.  Or the ones that made it home to live out their lives, but not without the memories of wars fought and friends lost.  I'm fortunate to not have lost any close family members as a result of military action.  My husband is retired Navy Reserves.  I have 2 sons that served time in the Army.  My dad and several uncles have served in the military.  I have many memories of seeing little american flags waving on over the graves of soldiers and knowing my grandpa was one of those who placed those flags there each year.  And I have countless friends who have served or are still in service with the Navy, Army, Air Force and Marines.  So here I would like to simply say Thank You and God Bless You all for a job well done!

Spring flowers in AZ

Just a few flowers from my yard.  Barely Spring and the temps up to 100 today!