Wednesday, March 13, 2024

MEMORIES TO LAST A LIFETIME

 Last night was a wonderful time for us.

Our Small Group/Bible Study "Family" had such a fantastic time together.

We have been gathering at our house for the last 10 years.

Deep and loving friendships have been bound together .

Last night was no exception.  We hadn't met since December 5th so there was a whole lot of catching up to be done...

Lots of laughter, some heartache, some trauma, some silliness and great food.

Love Overflowing.

These photos are mostly for me but CANDID SHOTS are never really flattering.

We celebrated 3 birthdays with a yummy chocolate strawberry shortcake.  It was delish.

Potlucks are the best.












Dave and I were sitting at the end of the table so we could get 11 around it together.

So unfortunately our faces aren't shown but that's ok.  

Feeling Blessed...



Monday, March 11, 2024

TWO MORE SKETCHES FOR MY MEMORIES

 Ok, here are 2 more of my sketches from so very long ago.

These two were done in my senior year of High School art class.

I'm posting them here mostly for me and my annual journal.

Both of these were done in 1961.

Sure makes me feel old when I see the dates in print.



Hmm..I don't know why this came out so dark.  Guess I will have to go back in a fix it.   To be continued...


ok not happy.. will redo these to photos.

Well, lets see if this worked..




well this is somewhat better, except I can't enlarge ABE..
so it is what it is.
Well I finally was able to enlarge the photo.  sometimes my computer has a mind of its own.



Thanks for looking.
Have a wonderful week.



Friday, March 08, 2024

DIVING BACK INTO HISTORY

   Dave and I have been cleaning out some closets and drawers...long overdue.

We found an old Art Pad of mine.  I knew it was somewhere in the depths of our "treasures".

I remember when "Hootin' Annie" would post some of her sketches and paintings.

It got me thinking about several things I did as a young girl.

My Aunt was an artist and when she came to visit in 1955, she brought me some artist pastels chalk and paper.

She decided to give me at 11 years old a lesson.  She made a still life and proceeded to put what she saw to paper.

I wasn't used to looking and putting it down on paper, but I am a pretty good copier.

The first photo is what my Aunt Phoebe drew.  Pretty much a quick sketch.





Here's mine...
Not too bad for a 11 year old girl.
Round things are more difficult to do and my bowl is level.  Line of sight is important so things don't go sliding off the page.. (:0)
I have to say I'm glad I kept it.



Almost makes me want to get out the pastels again..Almost...



Monday, March 04, 2024

STAY STRONG

 Several of my friends have been going through some difficult times.

Those times are both emotional and physical.

I've been praying for them especially.

That made me think about some photos in my archives that seem to tell the story better than my words are able to say.

 
Life sometimes seems to just be like a wheel that's going no where fast.


This rugged broken tree stump seems to be a fist that says "STAY STRONG"


That's all I have for today.


Wednesday, February 28, 2024

A CONVERSATION WITH A STARLING

 Yesterday I was browsing some wonderful blogs and came across Sandy's blog Big Little World.

She was talking about some birds and their colors and very vocal chattering.

It made me think about an incident last month.

The family and I were having our lunch on the San Francisco Presidio grounds.

The Bold critters wanted our sandwiches too.

One came to our table and Dave and he had quite a conversation.

My Hubby would say something to it and it would answer back in a vast variety of songs, chips, and twitters.

Finally we had to shoo him away along with other curious birds.  

Too much competition for our sandwiches.





This guys feathers are almost iridescent in the right light...

Unfortunately the gray and slightly drippy day didn't do the Starling justice.

A fun memory.


Monday, February 26, 2024

FEELING MUCH BETTER TODAY

 Many thanks for all the concerns and prayers.

I am feeling more like my OLD self today.  Its amazing what a decent night's sleep will do!

This was me yesterday....


This is me today...

EMERGING


It seems I have gotten my sense of humor back  👀😏

Be sure to enlarge the photos to see the detail.

I'm so glad I have a ton of photos in my archives from so many years ago.

They sure come in handy when I'm Sittin' on the Inside...Lookin' at the Outside..

😊




Sunday, February 25, 2024

FEELING A LITTLE UNDER THE WEATHER

 Boy sometimes sleep is elusive and the tummy is upset.

That's me today.  We stayed home from church and I feel like I am going in slow motion.

So this is all I've got...

This picture is of a menu we are trying to sell.

It is from the Princess Cruise Lines and dated 1973.

I love the pose of the Virgin Islands boy looking out to sea.



Thanks for looking.


Wednesday, February 21, 2024

CANDID PHOTO OF A LITTLE "WAIF"

 When we were in San Francisco last month, I spied this little girl.

It was cold and had been raining off and on that day.

The way she was dressed and her slightly messy face made me think of the word

Waif...

I snapped the shot without any preparation but thought it turned out pretty good.

She was bouncing around and having fun with her Daddy.

It was a satisfying candid photo to capture.

Which do you like better ... the one in color ...


Or this one in subtle black and white?


To me the black and white is a "story".... tell me yours...


Monday, February 19, 2024

YEAR OF THE DRAGON LUNAR NEW YEAR

 I was just looking at Diane B.'s blog at Adventure Before Dementia ...about her celebration of the Lunar New Year and the Year of the Dragon.

Got me thinking of a trip to San Francisco a few years ago.

We visited Chinatown and experienced a parade and several Dragons.

They were so colorful and it was rather noisy...

Thought you would enjoy seeing them.






This is the Dragon costume sans human... you can see his feet off to the side.
That thing is so heavy .  I'm sure he was welcoming a rest before dancing around again.


HAPPY LUNAR NEW YEAR !


Saturday, February 17, 2024

WHAT A DIFFERENCE A DAY MAKES

 Yesterday afternoon gave us some beautiful skies.

Today  ..  just plain gray and the threat of rain is very real.

So

I thought I would show you yesterdays skies...much prettier than today.

The late afternoon sun made long shadows.  I love the contrast of the dark trees and our almond tree blossoms.



That was a huge cloud bank billowing over the neighbors roof top off to the west.




I loved the little "flitter" birds in our winter trees.
The Finches were enjoying the calm before the "storm"


Hope everyone has a great weekend.

Now on to paying some bills and working on eBay.


Thursday, February 15, 2024

OUR JUNGLE

 Dave and I have been working in our backyard jungle the past few days.

Everything has gotten so out of hand.  All our hard work from last season is now glorious weeds.  It's just not fair!!!

I worked really hard pulling those monsters but it does not look like I have done anything.  Guess I will have to go out and take an after photo.  We have tried to work between rain spurts.. to be continued...

Here are the before shots.

Time out while working around our pruned grape stubs.



My aim is to clear the really big stuff before it goes to seed.



As you can see the weeds just love to creep and take over everything.


My sweet husband cut our lawn before it gets too long.
The lawn area is 3800 square feet.
Its a huge job...
You can see on the left that our almond tree is just about in full bloom.
Next will be the plum doing it's thing.


I have to say that my leg and backside muscles are really sore.  All that bending over is painful for me.

But

Thankful I have been doing some exercise so I can keep doing it.

If I get out there today I will take a progress photo.

I believe the next "storm" comes in Sat. or Sunday...

Enjoy your day.


Tuesday, February 13, 2024

BEING A GOOD NEIGHBOR

 Remember a few weeks ago my post about our neighbor bringing us a roasted chicken...just because?

Well yesterday we were able to reciprocate that gesture.

Hye called us yesterday morning and said she needed some help.  She didn't sound good.  She said she was trying to get her Green Waste can out to the curb for Garbage day.  The landscape guy had filled her can to overflowing with very wet leaves, branches and small rocks.  Instead of it going forward it became off balanced and fell completely on her.  It banged her face, wrists and body.  She was in pain and just couldn't pick the can up again.

I am so glad she called for help and Dave went over there.  He said the can was so heavy that he had to remove half of the stuff to just get it upright again.

Hye's calling for help really showed how impossible it was for her to do things herself.  Hye is a very proud, do it myself, single for at least 25 years, Korean woman.  She's a bit like me in not wanting to ask for help.  Always giving, never taking.

Everything got done and taken by the garbage men.  So far she hasn't needed to go to the doctor but we are available.

We are in a blessed neighborhood and really do take care of each other.

Our almond tree is blooming it's head off this week.  Its so lovely and says Spring is on the way.


Have a great day.



Monday, February 12, 2024

NO REASON..... JUST BECAUSE

 Wasted over an hour on my computer this morning just trying to get in.

Finally passwords are reset and I think all is well.

So I am diving back into my archives for a few photos .

How about a Flower Bed for your viewing pleasure?



Or a New York City Fire Escape?

The fire escapes in NYC are fascinating.

Every one is so different.  

It makes me wonder what the story is behind each one.


Its Monday and I'm wishing all of you a great week ahead.




Thursday, February 08, 2024

PROUD OF OUR NEPHEW

 We just learned recently that our nephew Mike Batz got a wonderful reward.

Mike is a Deputy Sheriff of Butte County, CA.

He was awarded the honor of being the Deputy of the Year for the county.

He was commended for his service, compassion and ability to keep his county safe by going above and beyond the Call.  Many captures and deescalating of situations were part of his make-up.  He was also the pastor of a very small community church for many years.  Mike still does some preaching on occasion.

We are so proud of this fine man.  His integrity speaks volumes to all he comes in contact with.

Sheriff Mike Batz is the one on the left holding his badge of honor.



We need more Good Men like these in this photo.


Tuesday, February 06, 2024

UPDATE TO THE UPDATE

 Dave and I were able to get to his DR. appointment on time and he passed with flying colors on everything.

What a relief to get that done.  Had lunch/supper out since we were right by Mel's restaurant.

Its a good thing we did because our power went out again at 6:15 last night.  We were going to have a snack and get on our Zoom call for our photo club.  Well that didn't happen.  Our phones had been in use all day so they were only at half charge.

So there we sat, in the dark, not wanting to use our phones too much so we would have them for emergency.  Candles lit, trying to figure out an emergency charger we have...but of course it wasn't charged enough.  Hadn't been used in years and I don't think our mini iPhone plug thing even fits in it...

So we finally go to bed around 10pm.  Dozed off and the power came back on at 11:30pm.  Dave jumped out of bed, put on his shoes and opened the garage door and got the car out.  What a relief to know we could use the car if needed.  The door is just too heavy for us to lift up.  Neighbors would help but we didn't want to ask at that hour of the night.

No rain, no wind all night...so thankful we are back to "normal" life again..haha... what ever that means!


This was to be my submission for our photography club challenge.

Complimentary Colors.

On the color wheel they are directly opposite each other on the wheel...for example red and green or blue-green and orange-red.

I think I fulfilled the challenge.

Here's hoping today will be uneventful and we can get a new emergency charger.


Monday, February 05, 2024

UPDATE ON "SUNNY CALIFORNIA"

 Well our power just came back on.

It was out for 17 hours !!

Long time to be listening to the wind howling and the rain beating against the windows.

All is well... the yard is sloppy and flooded.  Couldn't run the pumps , no electricity...

BUT

We are fine and now that the power is back on we can get out of our garage and head to Dave's annual checkup.

Will share more later.


Thursday, February 01, 2024

NEW NEIGHBORS AND WEEDS GALORE

 Several days ago I ventured out to pull a few weeds in our backyard.

Many of you will remember how hard Dave and I worked to get rid of those pesky weeds.

A tiny bit of rain has produced a bumper crop of green all over the place.

SIGH

We are suppose to have an "Atmospheric River" bringing a deluge this coming Sunday and Monday...according to those Weather Guys.

By the time we can get to the weeds someone will have to send a search party out for us or we can't find our way back to the house. 😁


See that new fence back there?

We have some new neighbors now.  Their property butts up to our back corner.

While they were working on the fence we finally got a chance to meet them.  What lovely people.  Stacy and Rob said they noticed there was a gate in the old section of fence.  This gate was from over 25 years ago when these homes were pasture land and someone had stabled their horses here.

Rob wanted to know if he could build a new gate for safety and emergency accessibility.  We said yes that's a great idea and he's building it for free.  Found out he is a carpenter and loves remodeling.


They are half our age and just delightful.

I love our neighborhood.

AND 

Now the sky just opened up and its pouring, hailing and now we've got thunder...

I guess the clouds must have heard me talking about rain..


Wednesday, January 31, 2024

OFFICIALLY OUR ANNIVERSARY #60

 We have been celebrating our anniversary for the last few weeks.

Today it is officially 60 years of marriage.

Time has flown by so quickly but I wouldn't trade the entire time...

Both the hard and good times.  The difficult times only made us stronger.

Love this guy with all my heart and pray for many more years together.

These first photos are from our wedding at First Baptist Church, San Bruno, CA.



And

Us this past month:


Lots of travels, lots of laughs, lots of adventures together.


Sunday, January 28, 2024

GOOD NEIGHBORS

 Well it happened again.

Our door bell rang the other day and our sweet neighbor Hye was standing there.

In her hands was a golden roasted chicken from Costco.

She said Happy New Year.  She is Korean and celebrates the Lunar New Year.

Hye said she thought of us and wanted to gift us with dinner.


How did she know that we needed dinner hot from the oven?  We had been shopping and were tired and trying to figure out what we were going to fix for ourselves.

As I always say...We have the Best Neighbors around.

We are so thankful, and today we are having the last of the chicken.  Yumm, that and mashed potatoes will be just right for Sunday Dinner.


Wednesday, January 24, 2024

A JAM PACKED DAY OF CELEBRATION

 Saturday was our final full day of celebrating our 60th wedding anniversary with our kids.

What a day!  Totally jam packed with lots of fun memory makers.  Everything we did had a special significance for Dave and I.

Its a 2 hour ride into "The City " ... San Francisco, CA.  It pretty much rained the entire way in, but we were dressed for it so it wasn't really a problem.

First stop was the Restoration Hardware Designer Center.  I have shown these photos of this amazing place before.





After that we went to our favorite haunt.  Freddie's Sandwich Shop.  Its been in business since 1923.  They make the best  Old style Italian sandwiches around.  Dave has been going there since he was about 10 years old.
We went and ate our lunch at the San Francisco Presidio.  It drizzled and the seats were damp but it didn't dampen our spirits.


Phooey, when transferring these photos they all turned out blurry..
You can see the Golden Gate Bridge in the background.


Older son Steve and his lovely wife Sigrid.



Younger son Mark and his lovely wife Kellie.

  
The brothers doing their "traditional" pose



Funny granddaughter Amanda and her husband Billy making faces too.



View of the Golden Gate Bridge in the rain.


We went by the George Lucus studios located on the Presidio grounds and stopped to photo Yoda from Star Wars fame.


We walked our legs off sightseeing but it was worth it.

Mark, Kellie and Maddie.
We are forever grateful that they took time off from work and school to fly from Oregon to celebrate.



I think this photo is one of my favorites.
Mark and Kellie were married 6 years ago and we got a new granddaughter in the process.
Maddie loves her "new" Grandpa.


Maddie was happy to walk with her "Grandpa".

The Golden Gate National Cemetery
Dave's Dad retired as a Major in the Army.  Dad and Mom are both buried there.



The brothers visited their Grandpa and Grandma's graves located at the Presidio Cemetery.

That evening we had reservations for a night time tour of Fort Point under the Golden Gate Bridge.
This is a very different tour to do it by candle light lanterns,
The fort was built between 1853 and 1861 by the U.S. Army Engineers as part of a defense system of forts planned for the protection of San Francisco Bay.  It is now  National Historic Site (U.S. National Park System)  You can Google all about the Fort and see historic Fort Point Images.  Dave's Dad was instrumental in getting the Fort to become a part of the National Park system.

Sorry these are all so blurry..they didn't transfer as sharp as they originally were..



Inside the fort looking up at the bridge.


The only lights were the candle lanterns as you can see to the right of the photo below.

The gang on the very top of the Fort


Love this last one of my silly granddaughter and daughter in law..


What a fun filled adventure we had.

What a family we have!!

God is Good !

We are blessed !!