Jim & Sue-Amber & Bandit

93 YEARS YOUNG

2008-09-10T12:12:00.003-04:00

Yesterday, Sept. 9th, 2008 was our Mother's 93rd birthday. We celebrated Mom's birthday at my sister, Maureen's home in Little Rock, AR., with a great dinner, the opening of cards and the flowers that were sent from grandchildren and nephew. She is just awsome, we kidded her saying that "here you are again, 39 years young." She just laughed and said "you need to turn that number around." Now that's pretty darn quick and witty. She is so funny. Always a smile on her face and she is just the most gracious lady that I know. So thankful for all the great care she receives from Maureen, Tom and Leslie. Mom, we love you so much and were so happy to be able to share this special day with you.

GRAZING ENDING WITH A SUNSET

2008-08-24T11:09:00.001-04:00

We enjoyed a great time with Joe and Betty's friends, there were 3 boats tied together, we all enjoyed great company, food and drink. We then waited for the sunset and stayed until the mosquitoes ran us off.

AMISH COUNTRY

2008-08-24T11:01:00.001-04:00

My first visit in Amish country, it was great, Betty and I took a day and drove to Shipshewana, IN. It is the heart of the Amish. Their stores, like the cheese factory below, their furniture stores, what artesians they are, their bakeries, so very, very good. Horse and buggies travel up and down the streets along with the car traffic. It was really amazing to see. Their prices are very reasonable and then there are their farms, so beautifully landscaped and manicured. A very gentle and relaxing way of life.

VISITING JOE AND BETTY AT DEWART LAKE IN INDIANA

2008-08-24T10:55:00.001-04:00

Joe and Betty as we start off for a ride on the lake. We had another great visit with some very special friends. Their cabin sits right on the lake with a deck to sit on to enjoy the great view. As Joe often says, "what lucky ducks we are".

THANK YOU GAYLE AND RUSS

2008-08-24T10:51:00.001-04:00

We stopped off in Silvas, IL to visit with Gayle and Russ, we met them many years ago at Fiesta Grande RV park in Casa Grande, AZ. We had a wonderful time and we thank you guys for everything.

MY COMPUTER PICKED UP A VIRUS

2008-08-14T20:55:00.001-04:00

I have been off line for several days. Somehow I had picked up a nasty and dangereous virus. I am so thankful that Gayle's daughter, Cindy, was able to fix it all, I am soooo grateful. We are up and running and I hope never to have this problem again.

HARRY AND BANDIT

2008-08-14T20:47:00.002-04:00

This is Harry, he belongs to Gayle and Russ's son, Tim. We are visiting them in Silvas, IL. More about them later. Harry is deaf and quite old, but Bandit is totally in love with him. He's a great dog.

SUNFLOWER FIELDS AND SUNSETS

2008-08-14T20:41:00.003-04:00

Somewhere along Interstate 80, there were acres and acres of these sunflowers and I was so glad that they were in bloom, really beautiful.
This was a sunset at the rv park we were staying at in Custer, SD.

THE BURROS IN CUSTER STATE PARK

2008-08-14T20:29:00.002-04:00

It took us all day but we finally found some of the burros that are in the park. They are domesticated and have been used in the past to carry visitors thru certain areas of the park, like they do in the Grand Canyon, however, this spot that they used to use them, the visitors now have to hike to it. Don't know what it's called. Anyway, so they just set them all loose and they are quite pesty once they come upon you and if you have any food they will demand it as you can see in the following pictures.
Jim had an apple that he was cutting up for them and forgot to close the window while he was dividing it up, they were almost in his lap.
This cute little guy was quite gentle and friendly.

THE LIGHTING OF MT RUSHMORE NATIONAL MEMORIAL

2008-08-07T12:47:00.004-04:00

We were delighted to join a park ranger in the park's outdoor Amphitheater for an inspirational program focusing on the presidents, patriotism and the nation's history. It started with a ranger talk, then a film Freedom: America's Lasting Legacy and then the lighting of the memorial. This all began at 9 pm. It ended with all the veteran's in the audience coming on stage to lower the flag and retire it for the evening, they received a huge round of applause and exited by each touching the flag.

BIKER WEEK IN CUSTER, SOUTH DAKOTA

2008-08-07T12:23:00.004-04:00

We have been traveling for many miles and from Yellowstone Park to our present location, which is Custer, SD, we have probably seen over 5000 bikers. Not realizing that this is "Sturgess's Bike Week." They have come from all over the country to enjoy this beautiful area and it is really fun to sit back and watch.
This has got to be our favorite, it's a hearst, can you imagine the attention that this couple received. We have also seen miniature horse trailers being pulled, just big enough to carry all their stuff. Very clever.
Custer, SD also has the "buffalo" statues scattered throughout the town. They were great, in the past we have seen what the local artists come up with, in Ocala, FL there were the "horses", in Kalispell, MT there were the "bear", we have also seen "moose" in MT.

MORE FIRES COMING INTO WYOMING

2008-08-05T11:18:00.003-04:00

Some fancy helicopter work during this fire coming into Wyoming.
These fire fighters are on the top of our list of being the bravest men and women, they are risking their lives everytime they respond to a wild fire. God bless them.
More pictures.

CODY, WYOMING BUFFALO BILL HISTORICAL CENTER

2008-08-05T10:46:00.002-04:00

We stopped and toured the Buffalo Bill Historical Center and probably spent 3 hours there, it was well worth it. The bronzes and the art work, over 2500 rifles to look at, the Plains Indian display, it was all great.
One of my favorites, it's just outside the building. Love it.
If this is the only way I can see a Moose, well, so be it.
Just one of the animal mounts displayed from the Boone and Crocket trophies.

WATERFALL

2008-08-03T15:57:00.001-04:00

This waterfall is located in an area they call, "The Grand Canyon of Yellowstone". The rocks are quite yellow but the camera does not do it justice.

DRIVING THRU A FIRE IN YELLOWSTONE

2008-08-03T15:47:00.003-04:00

This is what we witnessed as we drove thru the park, it is just above the Yellowstone Lake at towards the west entrance. The wildlife don't seem too disturbed by the smoke, they must be used to it.

This site was still smoldering when we drove thru, it must have happened several days prior.

SECOND DAY IN YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK

2008-08-03T15:34:00.002-04:00

We are putting on "miles" seeing this park. I have to say that this is not my most favorite park. Glacier still is on the top of my list. True there are more wildlife to see but as far as scenery goes, Glacier or Yosemite are favorites.
We drove the 50 miles one way to see the West entrance of the park, which is where Old Faithful is located. We got there early, thousands of people, of course, looked around the stores for awhile and then waited.
This is what we waited for the eruption of Old Faithful. Ok, we can say, "been there, done that".
This was entertaining, this ol' fella decided to create a traffic jam, and when I say jam, that's what it was. He was not going to join the hundreds of other bison that were in the grass just off the roadside. He liked the pavement.

FIRST DAY IN YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK

2008-08-02T11:30:00.002-04:00

As we entered the park from the north side we spotted a small herd of elk. This little fella was nice enough to turn for a photo op.
This buffalo was just laying above the road. Of course when people spot any kind of wildlife there is a traffic jam. He was not concerned at all about the people wanting to get his picture. As we cruised thru the park, we also saw a bear, coyote and deer. It was great, today is another day and off we go hunting for good pictures.

BIRTHDAY GIRLS-AUGUST 1ST

2008-08-02T00:15:00.003-04:00

These are our birthday girls, celebrating their special day together. Lily Kai turned 5 today and Karen, well, if Karen wants you to know how old she is she can tell you. All I can say is that she looks great!!!!!!!!!!!!! So, Happy Birthday to you both, love you with all my heart.

I also want to remember our nephew, Thomas, today is also his birthday, he was born one year to the day before Karen, so for 40 plus years they too celebrated this great day. We miss you Thomas and love you very much.

HWY 12 IDAHO GOING THRU LOLO PASS

2008-08-01T17:51:00.004-04:00

This is the area where the Clearwater River begins.

This road is a must take for anyone wanting to see the riches of east central Idaho. The Clearwater River, the Selway River and the Lochsa River run along this highway and this area was designated Wild and Scenic by President Ford in the late 1960's.
How lucky we are to have such great wonders. Our United States of America is truly a beautiful nation and we are so lucky to have the time to explore this great country.
Still on the same highway, cowboys were moving a herd of cattle.

HIAWATHA BIKE TRAIL/IDAHO MONTANA BORDER

2008-07-29T18:55:00.006-04:00

This is the rail to trails that was developed on the Id and Mt border. You can either bring your own bikes or rent them from the ski and bike shop off the hwy. We did both on this trip. There was our daughter Karen, husband, Dave, son, Ryan, friend, Orin and Jim and I. Wow, what a trip.

This is the first of 5 tunnels you rode thru. There were lights on the bikes so you could see where the heck you were riding. It is blacker than black thru this tunnel especially, it's the longest also, about a mile and a half to get thru it. Very wet, water dripping from the ceiling and the sides, Orin fell as did another lady going thru, very slippery and gravely with pot holes, oh yeah. Some of the scenery, oh how we love the mountains, this trip is over 15 miles long, you can stop anywhere along the trail, take photos or have a snack or just a good rest. It is mostly downhill, thank goodness, otherwise they would have had to call and fly us out of there.

Now this shot got tricky, I was actually riding the bike and taking this pic as we went, that's Dave, by the way. Such a cool son-in-law, we are very blessed.
Karen pausing on one of the several trellis' that we rode over. Doing a look down, my stomach did flips, when you looked at the trellis' from above we were convinced that we could not go over them, but once there, it was not too bad.

Orin on the left and grandson, Ryan on the right. Right from the get-go, Orin crashed and burned while riding thru the first tunnel. Thank goodness, no broken bones.
Waterfall in the background, while Jim and I posed for a quick pic. It was a great day and very happy to say that, "WE DID IT"!!!!!!!!
The shuttle bus comes about every 1/2 hour to load bikes and riders for, now get this, yet, another wild ride back up the mountain, this road leaves alot to be desired, very narrow and winding, we were hoping to see a moose or two but no luck coming out. We did see one though, far off in the distance on our ride to Hiawatha in the car, a mom and her baby. So that was cool.

A DAY ON THE SNAKE RIVER

2008-07-27T11:09:00.006-04:00

Ryan, Dave and Jim getting ready to board the Snake Dancer.

We started off on this trip from Clarkston, WA. The Snake Dancer Jet boat tour was worth every minute we spent on the water. The Snake River is truly beautiful, we saw deer and big horn sheep and several hawks along the way.
Some of the rapids we went through. The trip took us up the river into the canyon and over many rapids as shown above. Now it's getting very hot, the Captain stopped the boat several times and anyone who wanted to could go swimming. Some even jumped off the cliffs.
Here Ryan is trying out the waterfall called Cherry Creek, many of the rafters that use the river also use this spot to do their bathing. It's a perfect bowl that you sit in and just let the falls come down over you.
Ryan taking a dip at one of the stop overs.

A good shot of the jet boat we took.
Ryan and Grandma under an apple orchard on one of the stops. It was a visitors center which educated one on the area, the volunteers there stay a month at a time, it was awsome. There are no roads after a certain point, the mail boat goes up on Wednesdays and returns on Thursday. It is very remote, however, since the river is so busy they get lots of company.
Karen inside the visitor's center

RENDEZVOUS IN THE PARK

2008-07-22T14:10:00.003-04:00

Karen and Shawna are setting up for the morning, they will have kids come thru and make bookmarks, using stamps and inking and chalking their creations. This takes place every year at the park, Saturday morning is for the kids they go from booth to booth and make all sorts of fun things that are all set up for them, they had a great showing of kids. The evening brings on lots of bands and all sorts of music. Cool town.

A DAY AT PAPER PALS SCRAPBOOK AND STAMP STORE

2008-07-22T13:58:00.002-04:00

This was a really fun project that Karen and I did at her Moscow store, it's a shadow box that we painted and then took some great pictures of Karen's family, (the one of Jared in the corner got a little bright, but you can see him sorta) and some of her great paper that she sells for card making and scrap booking. We cut it up to fit the slots and then embellished the boxes with some really cool stuff. Butterflies, small eggs, buttons and the sorts. Then we took a clock kit and did the same thing. We used matching papers and rub on numbers, I just need to add a battery and it's set to go. I really enjoyed the day with her, she does an awsome job, her creativity is just over the top. So very proud of her.

A VERY SPECIAL FRIENDSHIP

2008-07-17T18:13:00.004-04:00

This is our friend, Kathy, we go back many, many years. Her husband John and my Jim worked together with PPL as linemen. We had so much fun when our kids were growing up, we camped and fished together and lived in Grants Pass, OR at the time. Kathy is now in Hermiston, OR and John very sadly passed away a little time back. He is missed. We keep up to date with our children and grandchildren via the internet. Thank goodness there is this easy way to communicate on a daily basis if we need to, but you know when you have friends that are so special, you just take up where you left off, no matter how long it's been since we've seen each other, to me that is "True Friendship".

MULTNOMAH FALLS, OREGON

2008-07-17T16:41:00.003-04:00

This is one of our favorite places in Oregon. It is located along the Columbia River Gorge, there is a path one can hike that goes from the base of the falls all the way up to the top, if one chose to do such a thing. Obviously, Jim and I chose not to go to the top.
Jim is at the base of the falls where the path starts up the hill to Lower Falls.I am standing on the bridge at Lower Falls, when you look over the rail there were red roses that were thrown into the water from a wedding the day before.

OUR NIECE, JULIE AND HER BEST FRIEND, ANNIE

2008-07-17T16:31:00.002-04:00

After we left Klamath Falls, OR we headed north on I5 to see our niece, Julie. She is doing so good, has a great job at the hospital in Salem, OR and works as an Echocardiographist. She graduated from OIT in Klamath Falls, OR and lived with us on and off during her time at OIT. We are all very proud of her.

TESSA AND AARON'S WEDDING, MERRILL, OR

2008-07-17T16:09:00.004-04:00

The Rodger's family, Tessa, Todd, Brad and Barb. Tessa's wedding took place at her family home in Merrill, OR. What a beautiful day and family. It was so good to see them all and be a part of Tessa's special day. Brad walking Tess down the aisle. Brad looks so good, he had a liver transplant not that very long ago and we are so happy to see him healthy again and able to walk his gorgeous daughter down the aisle.Tess and Aaron have said their vows and are now pronounced "Man and Wife". He is so darn handsome, they make a beautiful couple. Couldn't have a day like this without Dad's motorcycle as part of the photo op.

TRUE SADNESS

2008-07-12T12:55:00.003-04:00

The saying goes that "God gives you only as much as you can handle", well, I am thinking God is getting a little confused on how much one family can handle. On Wednesday my sister, Maureen and her husband Tom, lost yet another child. Our niece, Trisha, had a heart attack and with all the efforts of the EMT's they could not bring her back. The true sadness that surrounds this horrific lose is that they lost their son Tomas just this last April and their son-in-law, Trisha's husband, Philip in April 2007. What I am askng now, is that if you would, please keep this family in your prayers. God bless you all, surround your families with all your love, tell them that you love them everyday and that that love is unconditional.

THE OLD CREAMERY/DOWNTOWN KLAMATH FALLS, OR

2008-07-05T15:31:00.002-04:00

The Creamery is now call the Klamath Basin Brewery. A couple of guys from PPL, Del and Lonnie, were always into making beer in their garage. Well they decided to go public with it and put the brewery at the old Creamery downtown. There is a restuarant there and outside eating, they have music and the food was great. What a nice change for the downtown area.

RUNNING Y RANCH/HARBOR LINKS GOLF COURSE

2008-07-05T15:17:00.006-04:00

Brenda was able to invite me to a lesson at the Running Y Resort. This place is so unbelievably beautiful, you just have to experience it. A group of ladies get together every Monday for 6 weeks and have a lesson, then the 7th week they all get to golf 9 holes with one of the pros and then have dinner afterwards. What a great idea.

We are having such a good time with Pat and Brenda, they are such great hosts, they have us parked on the back of their acre lot, it's just great, their yard is so gorgeous, and their garden is huge. We were all able to golf 18 holes at Harbor Links, we used to belong to it many years ago and the course is just great. I have to do a little bragging, I will only brag on the front nine though. I shot a 44, I couldn't believe it, we had lunch there and it was a great day all 'n all.

ARE WE THERE YET!!!!!

2008-06-29T10:14:00.003-04:00

The state of Utah has some of the most beautiful scenery ever. These pictures were taken while we were just driving down the highway. We went thru Moab, the town is really cute, we stayed there several years ago on a return trip from Montana, at that time we went thru almost every national park in the area. Places like Arches, Canyonlands and Bryce National Parks, if any of you get a chance to visit this area, it's a must see. The colors will amaze you.

We arrived in Tremontan, UT after spending a night at Crystal Springs where we soaked in the natural hot springs that are famous in that area. They had several spas there with varying temperatures, not sure why I didn't have my camera with me when we were in them, but I didn't, anyway, the temps went as hot as 109 degrees, they had a huge water slide there and an Olympic size swimming pool, that was not heated by the springs, but it was very refreshing to step into that after being in the hotter pools.

Getting back to Tremontan, our dear friends, Mitch and Reva were home so we stopped by for a morning visit. We met them several years ago at Fiesta Grande RV park in Casa Grande, AZ, they were our neighbors for the season. These folks are the greatest and we were so happy to see them. It's been way too long. They now winter in Costa Rica for at least 3 months. What an adventurist couple. Love you guys and hope to see you again down the road.

MESA VERDE NATIONAL PARK - CORTEZ, CO

2008-06-25T23:44:00.004-04:00

This lovely lady we found weaving one of her rugs at the gift shop inside the park. It was her 80th birthday, she was so cute, her rugs sold for up to $800. Sure wish we could have afforded to buy one.

This is John, our ranger who gave us the tour of "The Cliffs". He is a retired science teacher and we really enjoyed his presentation.

This tour took about an hour, we got to walk up to all of the kivas and see how these people lived hundreds of years ago, Really amazing.

ALBUQUERQUE, NEW MEXICO OLD TOWN

2008-06-25T23:26:00.006-04:00

Old Town was nice, we had a good Mexican lunch and wandered thru all of the stores. The church was built back in 1700 and is a very active Catholic parish. Very pretty. The gardens outside the church were maintained beautifully so much so that even the parish cat loved getting it's "cat nap".

THE ADOBE DELI

2008-06-21T14:37:00.005-04:00

The Adobe Deli is just a really amazing restaurant, located literally in the middle of nowhere. The building that the restaurant occupies is really fun, it had so many things to look at, signs to read and a full wall that has nothing but a television screen on it. We had an awesome dinner, Jim, Joni and I feasted on ribs brought out right on the racks they were cooked on and Karl had a strip steak that was incredible. They were worried that it was not cooked exactly the way Karl would have liked it, maybe a little too well done, so they brought him out a 2nd steak, really thick and bbq'd to perfection. They packaged the first steak for him to take home and that was after he ate half of it, he then shared some of the 2nd steak with the rest of us. It was oh, so good. Where are we??? We are in Deming, NM visiting Jim's cousin, Joni and husband, Karl. The country around here is like being in the middle of the desert, lots and lots of sand , very, very hot and alot of wind. We will take off again in the morning, today we did laundry and Jim went to the hardware store and bought that insulating silver looking window stuff, not sure what it's called anyway we cut them to fit the windows to help keep the heat outside.

We are now going to head north. We will go to four corners which is NM, UT, CO and AZ. We want to visit the Aztec Ruins, Mesa Verde National Park, and maybe go to the Navajo State Park. This is all country that we have always wanted to visit but never have, so now that we have the chance to do it we are. Very exciting. More later.

JOHNSON CREEK RV RESORT - INGRAM, TX

2008-06-21T14:25:00.002-04:00

This so far has benn our second favorite rv park. They took a pecan farm and transformed it into this great park. Some people live there full-time and then there are those who come just for the winter. It's lovely. Huge pecan trees and in between each row they put in the rv sites with cement and in between there is lawn. Out back is a great river full of fish and deep swimming holes. Jim and I walked down to it and took a swim, this was after we swam in the pool above. The owners took the main house and transformed it into a game room, pool tables and the sort, a great kitchen with several tables, antiques, for guests, an exercise room, library and all the good things a good rv resort have. We enjoyed.

2008-06-17T19:53:00.004-04:00

The New Orleans RV Park was really cool. It is brand new, the owner is a retired yacht captain and he is developing this piece of property into a 5 star rv resort, he is also adding condos and a restuarnt. This is all along a waterway. Across the water is a marina that stores boats undercover and when the owners want to use their craft they just call and by the time they get there, their boat is in the water, all fueled and ready to go. On the same waterway is a yacht builder named Trinity. We watched a pair of dolphins feeding right out our front window, it was great. (It's really hard to see but they are there. It's that little blip int he water by the large boat.)

We were shuttled to the French Quarter and we had a great dinner at Landry's Seafood Restuarant, this is a pic of the front of it. We walked down Bourbon Street and heard some really great music by just walking the street.

KITE FLYING

2008-06-17T19:46:00.002-04:00

Lily and her best bud, Max, took time out of their very busy day to fly a kite. They also got rides in a canoe and spent all day Saturday at the state park beach area. They had a blast.

MORE LONG POINT CAMPING

2008-06-17T10:00:00.002-04:00

Just a couple more pics of Lily catching fish. It was really fun and great to know that there are still fish to catch.

Fishing on the Indian River

2008-06-12T12:31:00.003-04:00

I don't have any fish pictures for this post but we did have fun last night catching them. We caught a grooper, a snapper and a catfish. When Jim released the catfish, it stung him and boy did it hurt. We soaked his hand and put on all sorts of hopeful remedies, by 1 am he said it was finally feeling better.

We lit a fire lastnight and roasted some marshmellows, it's Thursday and the ne-see-'ems are still in full force. Unless the wind is blowing with a little bit of strength they lite on you and boy do they bite. Unless we are at the ocean beach where the wind always blows, there is no relief unless we are indoors. So far this is the only downer here. It would also have been great to have a boat or our kayacks. Oh well, now we know.

We were planning on driving to TN, IN and IL on our treck across country, but with all of the tornadoes and the flooding going on in the Midwestern part of our great country, we have decided to take I10 and drive towards New Mexico and then towards Oregon from there. That's the update for now.

JUST ANOTHER DAY AT THE BEACH

2008-06-10T12:08:00.001-04:00

The beach here is really beautiful. Lily played for 5 hours, running in and out of the waves. She really had fun and so did we.

LONG POINT CAMPGROUND, MELBOURNE, FL

2008-06-10T11:58:00.002-04:00

Lily is off to fish with Papa this morning. Papa went to the little store and brought back some live shrimp to fish with, after loosing several to the little swimmers, finally one was caught. Not sure what it is but it was fun to catch and we put it back in for another day.

GRADULATIONS!!!!!! FOR LILY KAI

2008-06-05T14:31:00.003-04:00

Yes that is correct, according to Lily. It's GRADULATIONS!!! Quit clever, if I say so myself. She has the combination of both words, I couldn't even come up with a fun word like that. We really enjoyed going to Lily's gradulation party at St Jerome's school in Ft Lauderdale, FL. It was held in the church and Msg. Swanger was handing out the diplomas for the children that graduated from Kindergarten. The other classes, pre-k 3 and 4 entertained with several songs that they practiced over and over to which Lily almost lost her little voice.

MOTHER'S DAY 2008

2008-05-10T17:22:00.015-04:00

Making the decision to have a child is momentous. It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body. ~Elizabeth Stone

I received these beautiful roses from Mike and Amity. Thank you so much, they are so lovely. What a wonderful surprise. I have to say our children are awsome. They are all very successful and productive adults. Mike being a motor yacht captain, Sandy a contract flight attendant for some major corporations and private and professional individuals and athelites and Karen, an owner of two beautiful scrapbooking and stamp stores. My gosh, what more could a mother want or hope for to have for their children. Blessed, you bet, Proud, absolutely, so Mothers out there we all have an absolute right to BRAG. God love them all.

Karen Sandy Michael

TREES ON OATLAND ISLAND, SAVANNAH, GA

2008-05-03T12:44:00.020-04:00

I love the different textures of bark on the various trees that we see thru out the different areas that we visit. These trees are all located at the Wildlife Center in Savanna, GA.

A DAY IN VENICE, FLORIDA

2008-04-30T14:40:00.008-04:00

CHEERS!!!!

What a great day. We had lunch with our good friends, Janet and Rudy Sparks. The four of us drove over to Venice, Fl mainly to see the sunset on the beach. This is our first stop though, we are on Venice Ave enjoying a great lunch outside this very nice eatery. Once done there, the guys drove over to an RV dealership to check out their motor/homes. While they did that Janet and I walked the Avenue, went in and out so many of the great stores there, we tried on dresses, went to an art gallery and just had a relaxing afternoon. I did buy one thing for our RV lot, picture below.

We drove down to the beach, it was really nice, there is a bar there called Sharkey's. It's the only one in town right on the gulf so you can imagine how busy it gets. We walked onto the fishing pier, watched the folks fish awhile, then the guys went up to the deck of the restaurant and Janet and I walked on the beach for a little while.

Now this is what we really came all the way over here for. It is so breathtaking, we stayed until the sun was totally over the horizon, the different colors it goes thru are just magnificent, I can't get enough pics of sunrises or sunsets. Enjoy!!!

THOMAS, YOU WILL BE MISSED

2008-03-24T19:57:00.008-04:00

On March 10, 2008, our nephew Thomas Arthur Johnson went to be with our Lord, after a very short illness. We received the phone call from my brother-in-law and I could hardly believe my ears. It was such a shock that in this day and age that anyone, especially a young man of only 42 years, could pass away from pneumonia, but he did and the reality of it hit when I got to their home in Little Rock, AR. Thomas was such a great fella, he was loved by so many people and he will be missed by his family, co-workers and the children at Holy Souls school where he worked for 2 years.

Good bye, Thomas, we miss you terribly, keep watch on us all.

A COLLAGE OF OUR JUNGLE QUEEN TRIP

2008-02-08T19:26:00.000-05:00

Can't quite figure out how to place this collage with the original post with the bus on it, so I had to create another one. Oh well. These are really cute pics of just some of the people that went on the trip.

A GIFT FOR LILY FROM LINDA

2008-02-06T21:32:00.000-05:00

Linda made this beautiful golf towel for Lily and presented it to her when we were all having breakfast at the Ding-a-Ling Deli last Saturday morning. What a thoughtful gift for our little

golfer, she and her daddy thank you very much.

Lily thought it would be fun to sit in the little basket in the back of the golf cart, she held on tight and off we were for 9 holes of golf, not good golf, mind you, just golf. It was a really fun day.

OUR ADVENTURE ON THE JUNGLE QUEEN

2008-02-06T21:11:00.001-05:00

Joe and Debbie put together a great evening for over 58 people from the Big O RV Park. Our driver was very nice and he got us to Ft Lauderdale, FL so we could all enjoy a wonderful dinner cruise on the famous JUNGLE QUEEN. The JUNGLE QUEEN has been in operation in Ft Lauderdale for 65 years. It cruises down the New River and the announcer on the boat points out the beautiful mansions that sit on the water front and gives us some history of them, like who owns them and how many millions they cost and then there are all of the mega yachts that sit in front of these homes. It's really something to see.

We left at 3:00 pm and arrived in Ft Lauderdale at 5:30, we boarded the boat and off we were exactly at 6:00 pm. Once we arrived on the island where we were to have dinner they met us at the dock and guided all of us to the area where we were to eat. It was an all you can eat ribs, chicken and shrimp dinner with a few side dishes and then dessert. Oh my gosh, did we take advantage of the "all you can eat" part. It was very, very good. After our meal we went outside to a stage where we were entertained by a comedian and a ventrilaquist. The evening was really great and I want to thank Joe and Debbie for coming up with this idea and organizing the whole event.

Happy Anniversary to Us.

2008-01-30T21:57:00.000-05:00

Well, today is our 43rd anniversary. It's hard to believe that so many years have gone by. Trying to think back on what has happened over this time is a challenge, of course the reason for that is we are in our Golden Years and memory is a little short on some things. But to sum up our life together I guess I can touch on some highlights.

We were married at Immaculate Conception Church in Chicago, IL, January 30th, 1965. This is the parish that I went to grammar school at for 8 years. I was baptized a Catholic there, received my first Communion there, Confirmed there and graduated there in 1958. It's a beautiful parish.

Jim apprenticed at Commonwealth Edison in the Chicago area for 4 years to receive his journeymans card as a lineman for the power company. When we were trying to decide where we wanted to live and raise our family we were either going to move to WI or OR. Oregon won out and we packed up our station wagon in 1968, loaded our 2 children, Karen and Sandra, our dog Hondo and headed out to the great west. What a trip, we were not even sure if we were going to be able to get a job or not, but we did. Jim's first job as a lineman out west was in Vancouver, WA for Clark County PUD. While there, our son Michael was born, premature, his birth was in Portland, OR thankfully, because there is a great children's hospital there named Doernbecker and right after his birth, weighing only 2 pounds, he was rushed to Doernbecker Children's Hospital and stayed on the neo natal floor for over 3 months, until he reached his going home weight of 5 pounds. Miracle of miracles, he is now 38 years old and is over 6 foot tall and weighs at least 210 pounds. Go figure.

We rented a great home there on Alpine St for $150 a month. Made wonderful friends with Larry and Ellie Sefton, whom we are still great friends with, we love them dearly. We lived there for a year or so and then moved to Grants Pass, Or, where Jim now is working for Pacific Power and Light also known as PacificCorp as a lineman, he worked construction for 5 years there and then an opening came up in Klamath Falls, OR for a lineman, he applied for that position and got it and so from that time on we moved there, built a home in Keno, OR, raised our 3 children and stayed there until our retirement in 1998 for Jim and 2000 for myself, where I retired from Oregon Institute of Technology. I worked there for 14 years after leaving the county school system of 5 years and all was good.

Once we retired we sold our home, bought an RV and became full time RVer's. We had a wonderful life, traveled all over the United States and parts of Mexico, spent 3 winters in Casa Grande, AZ at Fiesta Grande RV Resort and from there went to other parts of the US. We ended up for awhile in Ft Lauderdale, FL at our daughter, Sandy's house, there we got to meet many of her friends, many of whom are in the yachting industry, she though is a contract flight attendant and has flown around the world more times than I can count, our son Michael also lives there, he is a captain on motor yachts, he has a 4 year old daughter, named Lily Kai, who we just adore and there in Lauderdale we have had some very interesting p/t jobs. Have to keep busy and keep up with the ever increasing economy. We washed yachts, cleaned the interiors, did horse sitting in Wellington, FL for very pricey jumping horses, sometimes 400 of them a night, then we moved to Okeechobee, FL and bought an RV lot on the rim canal of Lake Okeechobee at the Big O RV Resort. We have been here for 3 years, like it a lot, have many friends here, it's a very active park in the winter, so many things to do, but we also have a part time job at a local deli. It's the Ding A Ling Deli here in Okeechobee, we have a great time there, our boss Bruce and his wife Linda are great folks and we love them a lot.

We miss seeing our daughter, Karen, and her family Dave and the boys, Jared and Ryan. They live in Moscow, ID will be married 21 years next month, can't believe that and Jared being 19 now and Ryan 15, it just is very hard to believe so many years have passed by so quickly. We will see them this summer, also we will get to see her 2 scrapbook and stamp stores, yes, plural, stores, named Paper Pals Inc. We are very proud of her accomplishments. Lots of sacrifices here, I can tell you that.

So, that's it in a nutshell, well, I did forget to mention our 2 Shih Tzu's, Bandit and Amber, they are great, wonderful travelers and good company.

So, Happy Anniversary to us, I think 43 years is remarkable. It's been a trip!!!!!

7 Random Facts Tag!!

2008-01-09T16:53:00.000-05:00

Ok, my daughter, Karen, her blog is Mi Vida Loca has tagged me with this survey. Below are the rules of the game.

~Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog.
~Share 7 random and/or weird facts about yourself on your blog, we all want to know them.
~Tag random people at the end of your post and include links to their blogs.
~Let each person know that they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

7 Random and/or Weird Facts about Me.

1. I love to dance, especially couples western dancing, line dancing, golf and fishing.
2. I started showing horses when I was in my 40's and received the honor of High Point rider of the Klamath Basin Horse Association in 1988. This was in Klamath Falls, Oregon.
3. I will be married to Jim for 43 years, come January 30th.
4. I retired from Oregon Institute of Technology in the year 2000.
5. I gave up our home to become a full/time RV'er in 2000.
6. I live in a 36' Winnebago motor/home in Okeechobee, FL.
7. I hate riding on the back of Jim's motor/cycle, I'd rather ride a horse. :)

I am tagging:
Mark
Margaret

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM OKEECHOBEE, FL 2008

2008-01-01T14:04:00.001-05:00

Mike and Nancy, Janet and Rudy, Toots, Jerry, Top, Gus, Jim, Betty, Joe
Nancy, Janet, Toots, Betty, Sue
Hard to see but that crazy table waving are Big O friends, also.
Top, Carl, Dottie, Linda, Bob, Betty
Zoe, Bill, Gladys, Mike

Jack and Carol

Joe and Betty

Barb and Joe

Jim and I would like to extend a Happy New Year to all of our friends and family. We wish you all a prosperous and blessed year. Here are some cute photos of our NYE party that was held at the Shiner's Club. We enjoyed a great steak dinner, our friends and a wonderful musical duo, named Cherry Pie. Man, could they belt out the sound. They were great, great variety of music to either listen to or dance to. We all had a great time.

Having fun with Lily on Christmas Eve

2007-12-27T15:46:00.000-05:00

We spent time at Sandy's house, we had the dogs there and Lily just loves playing with Amber. She was teaching her some tricks and was very proud of her accomplishments.

We spent time with Lily on Christmas Eve, she went shopping with us and we all went out to lunch and out to dinner the night before to our favorite restuarant, The Rustic Inn where you get to have a hammer to open up your crab legs. Then we gave her some early presents to open. She loves books and I love going to Barnes and Noble to look at all of the books there.

So, Papa sat down with her and read one of the books, I think it was the one about the pirates, it's a pop up so they had people walking the planks and all of that good stuff that pirates do. That evening we went over to Belinda and Kelly's, they were having a get together, it was very nice. The house was all lit up with lights and the Christmas tree was so pretty, decorated beautifully. All in all we had a very nice Christmas holiday. We thank all of the kids for making it so special.

Christmas Morning in Ft Lauderdale 2007

2007-12-27T15:21:00.001-05:00

We met Mike and Amity for breakfast on the beach in Ft Lauderdale on Christmas morning. We first went to the Deck, sat down, asked for 4 Bloody Mary's, we were enjoying the view when the waiter came back and said he could not take our order at this time. He informed us that the kitchen shuts down from 11:30 to noon and no food would be served during that time frame. Well, we said ok, got up and went to the restuarant next door, it was quite fancy and thought, how much more could it be, well, let me tell you it was the most expensive breakfast we have ever had, those darn Bloody Mary's were good and all but OMG!! we each had 2 and that alone was $88. Can you believe it! Anyway, it was fine and the meal was good the view was to die for and the company was great. So, it was all good.

You've Been Blogged

2007-12-18T16:30:00.000-05:00

A crowd of us went out to the Moose Lodge here in Okeechobee. Janet, Mike and Bill had a good time singing. Who knew???? We line-danced and had fun just doing our thing. Needless to say I could barley walk the next day but I guess that is just age catching up with me. Lots of aches and pains in the ol' hip-a-roo.

So, here we have part of the crowd, there is Zoe, Dotti, Linda, Ginny and Mike, line dancing and then there is ol' smoothy, Bill and Zoe. There really are more people there but my camera just didn't do such a good job in capturing everyone, or maybe it was the photographer. Anyway, it was a fun time.

A morning on the links.

2007-12-09T20:51:00.000-05:00

We are getting ready to head off to the first hole. My little darling gearing up for a good morning on the green. Lily had to help Papa clean up after his bunker shot. Opps!!!

This looks like serious concentration going on here. I think Daddy and Lily have this green figured out. Yep, there she goes a perfect putt. Way to go Lily, Girls Rule!!!!!!!!!

Chef Lily Kai wearing her reindeer apron and chef's hat

2007-12-01T14:44:00.000-05:00

Little Ms. Goofy posing with her new Christmas apron and Chef's hat. Lily loves working in the kitchen, making cookies, cakes, mixing stuff up. It looks like she is enjoying helping Amity with the Thanksgiving dinner preparations. They enjoyed the holiday on Tybee Is, Ga. We were very sad that we missed it, but I came down sick and could not make the trip. There will be others.

Lily and her daddy are at the Dolphins stadium, it looks like they are having a really good time. I wonder how they got to go down there on the field............

Golfing at the Okeechobee Country Club

2007-11-28T19:42:00.000-05:00

It's a beautiful sunny day in South Florida. The temperature is around 82 degrees and we are all off to enjoy a day of golf with the many friends from The Big O RV Resort. It's hard to believe that it's November 27th and it's still so warm.

Our friends from left to right are: Barb, Bob, Linda, George, Carol, Jim, Zoe, Al, Dode, Mike, Gladys, Joe and Bill down in front. It's still early in the season and as the weeks go by there will be more fellow golfers joining us, we have a great time together. Such nice people. We are truly blessed.

Birthday girl

2007-11-19T18:28:00.000-05:00

Amity and Terry are congratulating Sandy on a very fine birthday party. Cheers, Sandy, you are now able to stay as young as Jack Benny and never gain another year. :)

Daddy giving Lily a golf lesson

2007-11-19T18:13:00.000-05:00

Lily has her own golf bag it holds a 3 wood, a 7 iron and a putter. If she stays with this sport, I think she will be really good at it. She is just so much fun. Always happy and smiling.

An evening at St Jerome's Fall Festival

2007-11-19T17:48:00.000-05:00

Daddy and Lily are waiting in line so Lily could go on one of the rides. She has absolutely fearless, when it comes to going on any of the rides. She is such a funny bunny. She really liked this ride, it was a small roller coaster and she just laughed and thought wow, let's go a little faster.

This ride was the helicopter. Up and down she went, not only once but she wanted to have another go at it.

The Bear Affair was another fun ride for her, as you can see she had to be at least 36 inches tall, she just made it on the measuring stick. Thank goodnessCute, huh!!!!

A week-end with Sandy, Mike, Lily, Amity and Luke.

2007-11-19T17:35:00.000-05:00

Anthony's Pizza is located in Ft Lauderdale check out their web site http://www.pizzajoints.com/United_States/FL/Fort_Lauderdale/Anthony

We all went to eat at Anthony's Pizza in Ft Lauderdale on Friday night.. Here are Amity, Sandy, (the birthday girl), Lily and Luke waiting for a table. The food was really delicious, we really enjoyed everything.

Backyard Wildlife

2007-11-19T16:41:00.001-05:00

You have to look pretty close here, this is one of our smaller alligators, he comes up to our shoreline everyday and especially if we are cooking. Quite harmless at this size, however, I would not trust it when our dogs are out back, I watch them very closely, I always have my eye on the water if they go out back for a potty break. There is another one in the lake that is 3 times this size, not sure why they haven't pulled it out of here yet.

This is along our shoreline every day, I just love watching this bird, it's quite a fisherman. I thought I found this guy in my Sibley Guide to Birds, but then when I looked at it again, the neck was just not long enough. So, I have to keep searching and then I will upday this post.

Mike and Jim

2007-10-28T19:11:00.000-04:00

Mike and Jim are just relaxing while we are waiting for Tonya to arrive. This restuarant was Irish themed and had so much stuff hanging from the ceiling that you couldn't take it all in. We watched many yachts go by in the river, some of them being towed and getting to their spot for the boat show that was this week-end in Ft Lauderdale. Mike had to move his boat during the week into his spot. It's a really fun and hectic week, the boat show, but once you have been there more than twice you really don't want to endure it again. There are so many people walking around, the food is expensive and the weather is really hot. So, I don't feel bad missing it this year.

Picture of us in front of the restuarant

2007-10-28T18:56:00.000-04:00

Last Sunday and met up with Sandy and Mike. We had lunch at a really fun outside eatery along the New River on the Riverwalk. There we got to meet Luke for the first time and really enjoyed visiting with him. He is from South Africa and is a Motor Yacht Captain. He and Sandy are dating and they really do make a cute couple. Tonya, the one in blue is Luke's chief stewerdes. She and Sandy have been friends for a long time, we have not seen her in about 2 years and it was really great catching up. She just finished a race up in Pompano Beach, there, she ran, swam and rode a bike. She finished and said it was a great race.

NOT MUCH GOING ON.

2007-10-15T18:48:00.000-04:00

There really is very little going on right now. I wish I could post some really cool things but sorry, I can't at the moment. Jim was really sick with the flu last week, thank goodness he is feeling better now. He didn't eat for 3 whole days, I can't imagine. Anyway, the bug is out of him and he is a happy camper.

We will now go and get our flu shots, something we have not done for 3 years. So, it's about time to get it done.

You can check out Belinda and Lily's blog and Karen's blog over on the right side, they always have neat things posted.

Until later.

SANDY IN SOUTH AFRICA

2007-09-26T14:57:00.000-04:00

Sandy is in South Africa on one of her work trips. While there she got to visit a Lion park, these are some of the pictures she sent for us to enjoy. While posting this, I am watching Animal Planet on the television, it's on The Lion Park in Africa, I wonder if it's the same place. Just found out that the park is called, "Rino & Lion Nature Reserve" in Johannesburg, S Africa. Click on the site and take a look, it's really neat.

How cute is this!!!!.....I wonder how sharp those little baby teeth are.......

OUCH!!!!!!!!!!!!Getting a little too friendly for my taste. No pun intended, Sandy.

CONGRATULATIONS, JT AND RACHEL

2007-09-19T16:41:00.000-04:00

Auntie Amity and Little JT, III. Little JT, III, was born yesterday to JT, (Jeff) and Rachel Schroeder. JT, the daddy, is Amity's brother and she was so happy to be there for the birth of her first nephew. I think, if I have it right, Little JT is JT, III, because, Grandpa is JT, I, then daddy is II and now JT the third. Really cool. Congratulations, Rachel and JT, hoping to be in Tybee for Thanksgiving so we can then get a chance to do a little spoiln'.

Little JT and Daddy

OUR NEPHEW, JEFF AND SNOW WHITE

2007-09-10T18:20:00.000-04:00

Jeff is our nephew, he is an avid marathon runner. He has been all over the world running to raise money for research and a cure for AIDS. Jeff and his sister, Julie, (see her below) participated in a half marathon held at Disneyland, in California. While there, Jeff could not resist hamming it up with Snow White. Where are those seven dwarfs?.........

PEACOCK BASS

2007-09-10T18:01:00.000-04:00

These are pictures of a Peacock Bass that I caught in Horseshoe Lake. Our motor home is parked on this lake at the Big O RV Park. What a beautiful fish, it's fun to catch because it's such a great fighter. We practice "Catch and Release" in this lake. The more fish in the lake the better it is for man and fish.

OUR NIECE, JULIE AND HER DOG, ANNIE

2007-09-10T17:01:00.000-04:00

This is my beautiful niece, Julie, along with her dog, Annie and Annie's mom. It looks like they are at a play day for doggies. How fun. Annie is the lighter colored dog. Julie lives in Oregon and has a BS degree in Medical Imaging from Oregon Institute of Technology in Klamath Falls, OR. She has a great job and has bought her first home. We are so proud of her. With every new house you have to have a new dog, therefore, Annie a great looking Golden Retriever.

SON REALLY LOVING THE NEW BIKE.

2007-09-02T19:45:00.001-04:00

Mike really didn't take Lily for a ride on Jim's Yamaha V-Star Classic, they just thought they looked cool sitting on it. I haven't even been on it yet, but I am trying to get up enough nerve to do it. This bike seems much better for Jim, it's a little lighter and not so top heavy. He feels really confident on it but will remain very careful.
Mike did take Amity out for a ride but I think they just went for a ride around the park. It's fun. I will let you all know if it really is or not...............

FT. PIERCE STATE PARK BEACH

2007-09-02T19:20:00.000-04:00

What a fun day today. I just love going to the beach and I was able to talk Jim, Mike, Amity and Lily into going. I didn't have to really talk Lily or Amity into going just the 2 guys. Grrrrr........ Oh, it's too hot, ohhh, it's too sandy, ohhhh, it's too crowded. Well, believe me they had a great time, the water at the Ft Pierce Inlet State Park, was perfect, temp at 84 degrees and it was nice and sunny and not a lot people for a holiday week-end. We were very surprised. So we put up our little umbrella, spread out the blankets, opened the cooler, ate, drank and all was merry. Jim really had a relaxing afternoon, as well as all of us. When we returned back to Okeechobee, the skies opened up and we got a healthy rainfall.
My little cutie patuttie. She is such a tadpole. She has so much fun, we played in the sand and found some really nice shells, she said she would take them home and put them in her bedroom and when we come to visit I can see the shells then. That's cool.

Planting Bulrush

2007-08-27T19:28:00.000-04:00

Bulrush is a natural plant to the waterways in Florida. My good friend, Don, from the Florida Fish and Game, was kind enough to dig some of the plants up, from the shores of
Lake Okeechobee and bring them to me so I could plant them along my back patio shoreline at the Big O.
Now that they are planted our little alligator friend came along to check it out. One thing about planting things in Florida, one is that the ground is usually mostly sand, so it's easy to dig in and second, no matter what you put in the ground it grows. So it's very gratifying.

2007 Honda Shadow

2007-08-25T18:29:00.000-04:00

Ok, so we had to throw a u-turn while driving thru Lake Placid, FL. on our day trip to Sebring, FL to do a little shopping. There was a Honda dealer on the other side of the highway and Jim just wanted to look and compare. Well, if any of you know Jim at all, you know he is very impulsive and usually gets what he wants............... He just wanted to sit on it.........Pleeease..............Of course, he could not take it out for a test ride, because, well...... they wouldn't let him go out wearing Crocs, after all there is a safety concern.
So, he liked it and he put a down payment on it and will return to the dealership next week to finalize the deal. Looking good in the neighborhood..........

Giant Schnauzer

2007-08-18T10:10:00.001-04:00

This is Clyde, he is a Giant Schnauzer. Linda is dog-sitting Clyde and Micah for the week-end. Their owners are Brian and Julie, Linda and Bruce's, son and daughter-in-law. What a gentle giant this fella is, he is around 150 lbs and is so well behaved.

Micah, in comparison, is your more standard size Schnauzer. They are great pals and it was really fun to watch them play and explore.

Laying sod at the Big O

2007-08-16T18:03:00.000-04:00

OKEECHOBEE, FLORIDA...........
The heat index is 104 degrees.......... My good friend and neighbor, Nancy Adams and I are preparing the soil of our back property, getting it ready to lay the sod that was delivered that day. Once you get it, you have to plant it........Git R Done!!!!

A short break for a photo shoot.....Amber, (our dog) looking on to make sure we are doing the job correctly. She will tell us otherwise, I am sure. While working, a 3' alligator came up to the shoreline, we saw it and didn't pay much attention to it, but when it started coming ashore and taking a good look at Nancy's ankles, well, we had to do some serious tossing of rocks to discourage it from looking for a little treat. We have to remember that we live in the Everglades and these reptiles are native to Florida and you have to respect them.

With the sod now down, we have to water it morning and evening. We are on serious water restrictions, here in Florida, but when you do any new landscaping you are allowed to water it for 30 days without being worried about getting fined.

Jim is giving the sod a good drink, we are really happy that this job is done. No one said retirement was going to be easy. So much work, so little time..........

Lily Kai's 4th Birthday Party-Theme- "Pirates"

2007-08-07T17:41:00.000-04:00

Papa is showing Lily that her backyard has been turned into a "Pirate's Haven". I'm not too sure what she is thinking at this point, she was pretty quiet, but she got into the groove within seconds.Pirate flags EVERY
WHERE, Pirate balloons even a Pirate jumping house. How cool is that!!!

There were over 40 children and adults at this
celebration, many came in full costume, it was great.

Lily Kai is so lucky, she has so many people that love her.

Kelly, Lily Kai and Mommy

Lily Kai, Daddy and Amity

Dinner at the Rustic Inn Crab House, Ft Lauderdale, FL

2007-08-07T16:50:00.000-04:00

Jim and I arrived in Ft Lauderdale the eve of Lily's 4th birthday party. We met up with our son Mike, Amity, Scotty and Lily. We headed for the Rustic Inn Crab House for dinner. Here are some pics of that evening.

The Rustic Inn Crab House is located in Ft Lauderdale, FL. Their menu consists of crab, BBQ'd ribs, mussels, mahi mahi and so much more, it was very difficult to choose. We ate like kings and enjoyed our evening out with our family and friends. Lily Kai and Gramma are ready to dig in. We are eating in the outside dining area and Lily was waiting patiently to get her food so she can share it with the fish.
The Rustic Inn Crab House sits right on the water and it is really fun to throw bread into the water and watch the fish come up and swallow it down.
Papa thinks it's pretty funny while Lily is trying to open some crab legs with her hammer. She actually did a great job and opened a few of them.
We are all very full after our huge meals. Pictured are: Papa Jim, Gramma, Scotty, Amity, Lily and Mike.

Auntie Sandy and Lily Kai

2007-08-02T16:10:00.000-04:00

Lily spent the afternoon of her 4th birthday with her Auntie Sandy. She got a pedicure and a manicure..... Gee Sandy, I want to spend my next birthday with you..... What a lucky little girl our Lily is.

Lily and Max at the Rodeo

2007-08-02T15:52:00.000-04:00

This is Max, Lily Kai's best buddy. She was so happy to see him, it was a surprise that her mom had for her, bringing Max with them from Ft Lauderdale, FL to spend the day with us all in Okeechobee during the celebration of the American Cowboy.

Max and Lily Kai

Are they adorable or what!!!!!!!!!!! They are two peas in a pod. Friends forever.

OUR EARLY EVENING STORM

2007-07-31T20:03:00.000-04:00

This is a normal afternoon storm here in Florida. The picture was taken out of our side dining table window. The wind blew pretty good also but at least there were no tornado warnings, this time that is. This is another shot out the door window. The screen makes it look a little blury but it gives you an idea how strong these tropical storms can be. On the other hand, it's here one minute and gone the next. We need the rain so bad we are trying really hard not to complain.

Ding-a-Ling Deli and Jim

2007-07-31T19:34:00.000-04:00

Jim is the newest team member of the Ding-a-Ling-Deli . He is doing an awsome job. Bruce has him slicing meats and cheeses, plus doing the inevitable, the dreaded dishes. I have him bringing food to our customers and working the register.....oh yeah, and wiping down the tables. He's great and we are so happy to have him with us.

Check out the head-band, it's working really good.

Cattle drive in Okeechobee, FL

2007-07-28T19:54:00.000-04:00

We celebrated National Day of the Cowboy in Okeechobee, FL. It is the first time that it has ever been honored in a location east of the Mississippi. It started off with a hundred or so local cowboys and cowgirls from the various ranches in Okeechobee county, driving 50 head of cattle right down the middle of Hwy 70, moving east for 3 1/2 miles to the Agricultural Center. What a great facility this county has, the arena is covered, the 4H clubs and the FFA clubs had food concessions and there were other vendors offering so many different kinds of foods and drinks, it was hard to choose. There were cowboy poets entertaining the crowd, a world champion reining/working cowhorse and rider and then a rodeo featuring only the ranch hands from the various cattle ranches. It was great. This is the starting point by Flaggler Park.
One of the antique wagons, shown above. Below the ranches showing their flags.
Just one of the local 4H girls giving pony rides to the kids. Her horse is a barrel racing horse, the mare has a 4 year old filly back at the ranch and this little girl broke and trained it by herself. She uses it for barrel racing, also. Lily is loving this. She was enjoying this day so much, it was really hard getting her to agree to leave.
We got to the fairgrounds at 10:30 and stayed til 4 pm. Things were not quite over with yet but we were all getting very tired and it was sure hot. Lily's mom arrived with little Max and Kelly from Ft Lauderdale, they also enjoyed watching the different activities going on and they hope to return for the Labor Day rodeo coming up in September. It was just a great day all the way around.

The Praying Mantis and Lily with 2 of her buddies, Amber and Bandit

2007-07-27T19:13:00.001-04:00

This is a Praying Mantis. Lily and I found it sitting on a bucket that we have placed under the motor home. The bucket is there to catch water from the air conditioner, we then use that water to give all of our plants a drink. As you all probably know, Florida is in a record setting drought and we are on limited watering, we can water one day a week, so in between we use this water to give our plants a good drink. It works out really well.

This is Lily Kai along with our two dogs. Amber is the little one and Bandit is the biggest one. Lily is so gentle with them and they really love her. Amber loves to take naps with Lily or sleeps with her during the night. Bandit on the other hand really just likes to be left alone. That's not a bad thing. Anyway, these are our dogs, they are Shih Tzu's, and we love them alot and are especially proud of how good they are around Lily Kai.

Just another day at Ding-a-Ling Deli

2007-07-26T16:53:00.000-04:00

Pictured are: Linda and Bruce, they are the owners of the Ding-a-Ling Deli, and they are my bosses.

I'm not sure how I got to this point in my life but here I am and I am loving it.

Also, pictured are our morning regular's: They are Carolyn, Crystal and Don.

Yes, that is Bruce bringing, Don, his usual. I could set my clock by these guys. They are

great folks and really fun to know.

Carolyn and Don work for the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commision, while, Crystal works for the Seminole Tribe of Brighton, which is located right here in Okeechobee, FL.

Our evening ride....

2007-07-25T20:38:00.000-04:00

We went to visit a neighbor she is raising orchids and they are just beautiful. We enjoyed seeing them. She has over 40 of them in her house.

Here's Ms. Lily Kai on our evening ride/walk. She rides, I walk. She's so darn cute..... She is doing great riding her trike, she gets it going so fast, I can hardly keep up.

As you can see I am still having a rough time manipulating where things go on this part of the post. Just need more practice, if anyone can help me out don't be shy.

PAPA AND LILY ENJOYING THEIR DAY

2007-07-24T19:52:00.000-04:00

Go Diego, Go!!!! That's the word, ooopps, I mean those are the words of the day. Papa and Lily got busy building the Diego lego set, she is very good at this and very creative. Then there is Amber taking Lily for a ride on her bike. You think it's hot, you are right, they didn't go too far, but I thought it was pretty neat that Amber would do this.

JIM'S NEW LOOK !!

2007-07-22T08:34:00.000-04:00

First of all, Jim tried dying his beard and it didn't turn out too good. I never got to see it because he shaved it all off before I had a chance. So, of course, he is growing it back in but it's like a brillo pad, ouch!!! The next thing I know he is doing some serious work in the bathroom and comes out with this new look. I love it!!

PROUD GRANDMAS

2007-07-22T08:17:00.000-04:00

Good morning, America!! Trying to import pictures from yesterday's visit with Belinda and Margaret.

Oh my gosh, there it is, not bad, what do you think Margaret?

Trying to make photo a little bigger but keep running into a road block.

THIS IS OUR FIRST BLOG POSTING!!!

2007-07-21T15:14:00.000-04:00

HERE WE GO!!!!

Ok, this is now #2 at trying to do the journaling without loosing it.

Today Belinda drove up from Ft Lauderdale, Fl to drop Lily Kai off, she will be with us for a week. We got to visit with Margaret, Belinda's, mum, she's here on holiday from England.

While here, Belinda helped me set up my first BLOG. Anyone out there know what blog means? This is going to be so much fun, I hope. She showed me how to import the pictures to this site, how to edit and post. It is going to be hit and miss from here forward but I will keep working at it.

What a great way to share what is going on in your life with your family and friends and so far it seems pretty easy. Well, not that easy, still trying to figure out how to navigate going back and forth, editing and then returning to where you were last. Hmmmmmmmm!!!!

Now I am going to post pics, here we go.