This is the coolest clock I've ever seen.
1st Line is Sec's
2nd Line is min's
3rd line is Hrs.
4th Line is Days
5th Line is months
6th Line is Years
I'm sorry I don't know how you would change it for your time zone, if you don't live on the west coast of the U.S.A.
P.S. Jeannette in England says it's giving her the correct time for her area. That's great ! Thanks Jeannette.
Your Monday Photo Shoot From John : Get a picture of a crowd or crowded event. Conventions, weddings, parties in cramped spaces -- you know, anywhere there's lots of folks doing something.
My photo entry was taken at the annual Meeker (named for pioneer Ezra Meeker) Days in Puyallup (Pew-all-up), Washington. If the weather is good there's always a huge crowd at this event in the city park. There's the farmers market, rows of little booths with people selling all types of craft items and of course numerous food booths and fun for the kids.
Every Saturday, during the summer months, the Puyallup city park hosts their very popular Farmer's Market.
Still Soggy~~~Still Sunday Click on the picture to start the video
It got dark and started pouring, so I decided to take a short video thru the front window. My lawn is really green, I don't know why it looks so ugly in the video. The black mailbox to the left belongs to my dear neighbor who has his place for sale. he doesn't have flowers but he likes mine. It's cold out there today, too. Only about 52 degrees right now (1:17pm) on my porch thermometer.
Ok, enough messing around on the computer...I've got to get busy around here. Linda
My Sunday afternoon plans were to mow the lawn (front and back), get the spent blooms off the rhody plants and just spend the afternoon communing with nature. Well, the "best laid plans of mice and men" came to a halt when Mother Nature decided to "rain on my parade." Here's the email forecast I received from the Seattle TV station KOMO this morning. As you can see...I'll be spending the day indoors.
 Dear Linda, | ||
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Sincerely, Well lucky for me there's things in the house I can do, too. (Isn't there always ?) Tomorrow morning I'm scheduled for a routine mammogram. I always dread the procedure |
We got a call yesterday that baby Marin and her mom were released from the hospital to go home. Marin's big brother Lance (3 yrs old) saw her for the first time when daddy came to the hospital to get mom and the baby. I would have loved to witness the moment when he first saw her. I understand when they got home, he went right up to Marin's room and got one of her new blankets...he brought it to his mom and said "that's the doctor's blanket, this is Marin's blanket" So they had to re wrap her in the blanket Lance had retrieved from her room. (Actually they had her in one of her blankets but they didn't argue with Lance) That was an "ahhhhh" moment when June called and told us about that.
I hope everyone has a wonderful Sunday afternoon, until next time.......Linda in cool and damp western Washington.
I have been doing genealogy for years. I find it so fascinating. But so far I haven't found it necessary to "gloss over" certain incidents in my family history. Thanks to my daughter, Julie, who forwarded this one to me. Enjoy....Linda
An amateur genealogical researcher discovered that his great-great uncle, Remus Starr, a fellow lacking in character, was hanged for horse stealing and train robbery in Montana in 1889. The only known photograph of Remus shows him standing on the gallows. On the back of the picture is this inscription:
"Remus Starr; horse thief; sent to Montana Territorial Prison 1885, escaped 1887; robbed the Montana Flyer six times. Caught by Pinkerton detectives. Convicted and hanged 1889."
In a Family History subsequently written by the researcher, Remus’s picture is cropped so that all that's seen is a head shot. The accompanying biographical sketch is as follows:
"Remus Starr was a famous cowboy in the Montana Territory. His business empire grew to include acquisition of valuable equestrian assets and intimate dealings with the Montana railroad. Beginning in 1885, he devoted several years of his life to service at a government facility, finally taking leave to resume his dealings with the railroad. In 1887, he was a key player in a vital investigation run by the renowned Pinkerton Detective Agency. In 1889, Remus passed away during an important civic function held in his honor when the platform upon which he was standing collapsed."
My friend Barbara and I went to see the new movie "Evan Almighty" this afternoon. It's really a cute movie and suitable for children. And the popcorn was especially good today.
Our journal friend Joni had some surgery this morning. I first called her husband this evening and then called her in her hospital room. She was "feeling no pain" which is good after surgery but she was very coherent and was happy to have the call. It's hoped that she'll be discharged Saturday. So why not stop by her AOL Journal and wish her well. http://journals.aol.com/jonibooks1991/jonis-life-now/
It seems like all the excitment is over around here...first there was the graduation party, then the graduation, then the baby shower and then the baby arrived...now there's no big event to look forward to. Well, there's the 4th of July. Bob and I usually do try and go somewhere different each year for the 4th. But haven't decided on a location yet for this year. My grand daughter is going to be 15 years old on the 4th...I guess that's a big deal, especially for her. Her and I will be taking our little get away for her birthday. I think she wants to go back to Shipwreck Beads about 35 miles south of here. 8,000 square feet of beads and beading products, it's enough to blow your mind.
We have one huge community Carport/Yard Sale each summer. That's coming up August 3rd, 4th & 5th. So I will start getting ready for that in the next few weeks. It's such a lot of work, so if I don't do well this year, it will be the last year I bother with it.
And then there's the cruise coming up in August. But right now that seems like "light years" away.
I'm glad summer is officially here. It was light until after 9pm tonight. Such a welcome change for those very short days of winter.
It seems Saturday is the birthday of one of our AOL journal friends. Happy __th Birthday to Liz at http://journals.aol.com/bethjunebug/Bethjunebug (won't you stop by and give her some bithday wishes.)
Well, I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend...until next time, Linda
Bob's new grand daughter (Marin Rose) arrived this evening at about 6pm, six days earlier than her due date. She weighed 7 lbs 4oz and is 19 inches long. She has a full head of dark hair but I wasn't able to get any pictures until after they put the little cap on her.
By the time we got across town to the hospital, she was in the process of coming into the world. So we waited in the hall just outside the door, until she and her mama were fixed up and ready for company. She didn't cry like most baby's do, just fussed a little when they were doing her foot prints. After that she was handed to her daddy and then to her mama, she opened up her little eyes and looked all around, sucking on her first two fingers. We stayed for just a little while and then left, so she could have her first nursing.
June was having just slight contractions this morning, and when she went in for her normal doctors appointment, the doctor said it looked like the baby could come soon but that she need to do some walking so the contractions would be harder and longer. So her husband and her mom, took her down to the waterfront and they walked and walked and walked. Then it was back to the doctor's office for another check up and then directly across the street to the hospital. Marin was born within 2 hours after June was admitted. Now that's the way to have a baby !!!
When we got to the hospital, Bob called his daughter Hope in California to let her know that Marin was on her way, then he called her again and let her know all the details. Once I got home I emailed pictures, so the family in Pasadena can get a glimpse of this new little family member.
Welcome to the world precious little Marin Rose, may you have a long and happy life.
This one comes from my daughter, Julie.
My girlfriend called me as she was driving to an appointment. She arrived, and I could tell from her voice that she was getting frustrated. Finally she said, "I know I had my cell phone with me. And now I can't find it!"
I replied, "Aren't you talking on it!?"
There was a solid period of stunned silence as the reality of the situation sank in - followed by, "You are NOT going to tell anybody about this!"
That's a good one and I imagine it's really happened to someone out there. :) "Today I vow to clean the nasty mini-blinds in my living room." YUCK, I just despise them, but can't afford to replace them. So until next time....Linda
Thanks to my friend Judy for this one....
When Dan found out he was going to inherit a fortune, upon his sickly father's death, he decided he needed a woman to enjoy it with.
One evening he went to a singles bar, and there he spotted the most beautiful woman he had ever seen. Her natural beauty took his breath away. "I may look like just an ordinary man," he said as he walked up to her, "but in just a week or two, my father will die, and I'll inherit 20 million dollars."
Impressed, the woman went home with him that evening and...
3 days later... she became his stepmother!
(Sometimes women are so much smarter than men)
I just want to take this opportunity to say "Happy Father's Day" to all the dads, adoptive dads, step dads, foster dads and to the dads who have had to be both mother and dad to their kids. Also to all the grand dads who have had, for one reason or another to raise their grandkids after raising a family of their own.
And for those of you who have not or did not have a good relationship with your dad.....I'm sorry, I can't imagine that pain. But remember....you have a Heavenly Father who loves you, who knows everything about you, will never leave you or forsake you and is always there for you. All you have to do is reach out to Him.
Have a wonderful day, and give dad all the hugs and kisses he deserves.
Until next time........Linda
Well, I've been dreading this 14th visit, as it's the day they weigh and measure you again. They do the whole thing on your very first visit so they have a base line to go by.
I lost no weight but didn't gain any either however, I have not changed my eating habits. Still eating movie popcorn, with a soda and that strawberry-rhubard pie was certainly a dietary downfall, for sure. Oh and the cake at the baby shower and the cake the weekend before at the graduation party. Gosh, I love cake and pie !!!!
But the good news is....I lost a total 10.75 inches since my first visit May 15th. (I just wish that 10 inches would have come off a certain part of my body that sticks out too far and gives me a back ache when I am standing over the sink doing dishes.) I have really been thinking of every excuse in the book to not go this past week. I've really had to drag myself in there. Now I feel more inspired to go. And I have about 93 days until that Alaskan cruise so maybe...just maybe...I'll be a little less chunky by then.
Well, that's all, just wanted to share the news. I know there are some of you out there in the same boat...struggling with weight issues. We have to keep trying to make the changes necessary to change those issues.
Until next time........Linda
Since I finished my entries of our trip, I've sort of had writers block. I mean, my life just isn't that exciting on a day to day basis. I get up, shower, eat breakfast and then go to Curves (at least 3 times a week) and maybe the grocery store, or just stay home and work in the house or the yard, depending on the weather. There have been no good movies recently, so the last movie Barbara and I went to was a couple weeks ago and that was " The Waitress." Friday is the day the new ones are normally released so we'll see what the newspaper has to say Friday morning.
Last Sunday I went to a baby shower for Bob's youngest daughter, June. She and her husband, Mike and 3 year old son, Lance are expecting baby Marin Rose on June 27th (or earlier or later). It was a lot of fun, the first baby shower I've been to for a long time. There were a lot of lovely girl gifts and wonderful refreshments and cake from Costco (chocolate with cream cheese filling and frosting). June had registered at Target and got lots of the items she had requested. I had already bought a bunch of pink things at the J .C. Penney outlet in Sparks, Nevada, but I did go out to Target and get a crib sheet she requested. Marin's room is already decorated with white background and pink roses. From the wallpaper border, to the crib bumper pads to the diaper stacker. It is so feminine and will be suitable for her for years to come. Target carries a line called "Shabby Chik" that has a white background with little pink (and other soft colors, too) rose buds, etc. They even have regular sheets (for an adult bed) in this pattern. I loved it when I saw it and may get some for myself.
Tuesday night Bob and I drove down to the Puyallup Fair grounds to the high school graduation of his oldest grand daughter, Heather. I think this is the first graduation ceremony I've been to since my own kids graduated in 1980 and 1989. However, it was an ugly reminder that my high school graduation was 47 years ago. YIKES !! It was a very nice ceremony marred only by the rude behavior of some of those who came to witness it. I was appalled at the way some people dressed first of all, in shorts, tube tops & flip flops, jeans that were dirty and ripped, dirty, baggy t-shirts. I would think the appropriate dress would be at least business casual. Then there was the behavior of some of those in the audience. There was a whole row of adults behind us who talked non-stop about their upcoming garage sale, somebody in the family who might be unmarried and pregnant, one older woman who kept complaining about the chair she was sitting on, all of this in normal voices for all to hear. They never shut up until the person in their family who was graduating received their diploma, then they were up on their feet screaming & whistling. Then thankfully they all left. There were also a big bunch of people that wouldn't sit down. They were standing on the fringes of the audience. We were seated over on the far left side, where we could see the band (Bob's other grand daughter in that family plays in the band.) When the band played, these standing people were all crowded around the band, so those of us who were seated couldn't even see them. And finally...the crying, screaming babies and little kids. June came but she left her 3 year old home with daddy. Most little kids do not belong at those kinds of events. I'll say no more. Next year Bob will have two grandkids graduating from high school. Shannon, who lives nearby in Gig Harbor and Emil, who lives in Pasadena, CA. I hope we can attend both of those ceremonies.
So now our next big adventure will be the call to the hospital. When she went into labor with Lance, she called Bob right away and we headed for the hospital and stayed, along with other family members who showed up until he was safely delivered and the pictures were taken. We'll be ready, whether it be day or night.
Well, I'm off to Curves. This is day 14 and it's the day they weigh and measure you again. I should have held off making that strawberry-rhubarb pie until that was over. LOL
Happy Thursday...it's almost the weekend again..........Linda
Yes, here in the United States...today is Flag Day. It's the 255th birthday of our flag. I found the following information on this special but sadly overlooked day.
"On June 14, 1777, the United States Continental Congress officially declared the Stars and Stripes the US flag. Then, one hundred years later, public buildings started displaying the flag to recognize the 100th Birthday of the US Flag.
But what's cool is that it was mostly one guy, a schoolteacher in Wisconsin, who started the idea that everybody should celebrate Flag Day. In 1885, B.J. Cigrand had the kids in his school observe Flag Day, or, as he called it, Flag Birthday. The idea caught on, and soon more teachers had their students celebrate Flag Day with special activities.
It wasn't until 1916 that Flag Day was officially named as a holiday. And it wasn't until 1949 that the National Flag Day bill was signed. But teachers and kids had been celebrating it long before that! "
On my little Mary Engelbreit desk calendar for today is the following quote from George Bernard Shaw, " Liberty is the breath of life to nations."
Photo Scavenger Hunt #112 will be due on Monday, June 18, at 11:00 PM EST. From Val who's standing in for her sister Krissy.
Our subject this week will be: "my dad, fathers, Father's Day"
Please note I have given you an extra day for this Hunt so you can relax on Father's Day. Your submissions are not due until Monday night. Please interpret the subject any way you wish. Place your submissions, including full entry URL, in the comments section below. Wishing all you the father's out there in J-Land a wonderful Father's Day!!
My dad passed away on Sept 14, 1990 but his memory lives on. He was a great dad and grandfather, he was a devout Christian man, a hard worker and was a perfect example of what a husband and father should be. He worked for the Milwaukee Railroad, first at the age of 16, on a gang laying track. Both of his parents were telegraph operators on the Milwaukee, so once he trained, he too went to work as a telegrapher,too. He married my mom in 1939 and at first they lived in some very remotes places along the tracks. Their world changed on December 7, 1941 when Pearl Harbor was bombed. My mom was very pregnant (I was born just 27 days later) and after much discussion my dad joined the U.S. Army. He was promised that he would not be in combat but in a Railroad Battillion in Europe somewhere. The picture I've posted was taken at a family 4th of July picnic at my grandparent's house in Sunnyside, Washington. I was just 6 months old and two days later my dad left Seattle by train for his basic training in Camp Shelby, Mississippi. He had advanced to a train dispatcher just before joining the army so that was what he did overseas. He served in North Africa, Italy, France and Sicily. He came home in the fall of 1945 and after mom & him (and me of course) got settled back in Tacoma, WA he went back to work for the Milwaukee RR as a dispatcher until his retirement in 1976.
Like I said earlier, my dad was a hard worker. Besides his full time railroad job, he always had some other business on the side. His favorite was he refrigeration business. He took a correspondence course and soon bought a panel truck and Enterprise Refrigeration became a reality. He worked the afternoon shift on the railroad, so his morning were spent making service calls or recharging someone's air conditioning in their cars. Plus we lived on 10 acres and since spent his teen years living in the Hollywood area, he fancied himself as a gentleman farmer. So there were animals to care for. Since he worked 3pm-12 midnight, our poor milk cow, Daisy, got milked at 1pm and 1am . Unfortunately, that schedule made it difficult for very few family vacations as the neighbors weren't anxious to continue dad's milking schedule.
He had a great sense of humor and always had a smile and a kind word for everyone who crossed his path.
I thank God for the privilege of having William Henry Smith for my dad. He was truly a loving husband, father and grandfather.
We've got some fine, summery skies here these last few days, which inspired this week's Photo Shoot:
Your Monday Photo Shoot: Capture something in flight. Birds, insects, planes, bats, whatever -- if it's getting around in the skies, it's fair game for this photo shoot.
When I did my original entry this morning, I forgot about the fact that I live one and half miles from the end of the local Air Force Base runway. There are planes of all sizes flying in and out of that airfield everyday and during the night at times, right over the top of my house. After over five years of living here, at times I don't even hear them and other times they are very noticeable. Don't get me wrong.... I don't mind...they are working hard to protect our country.
I'm off to make a couple strawberry-rhubarb pies. Linda
We've got some fine, summery skies here these last few days, which inspired this week's Photo Shoot:
Your Monday Photo Shoot: Capture something in flight. Birds, insects, planes, bats, whatever -- if it's getting around in the skies, it's fair game for this photo shoot.
Here's my picture for this week's Photo Shoot. "Jonathan Livingston Seagull", flying out over the Pacific Ocean on the coast of Northern Califronia. I took this picture the end of April, as we came home from a 35 day road trip.
I was standing in my kitchen this morning at about 9am and I turned towards the front window just as a creature with a long stripped tail went walking by. I couldn't believe my eyes...it was a huge raccoon. In broad daylight, no less. By the time I grabbed my camera and got outside it had gone into my neighbors carport. I know they keep cat food out on the porch for their outdoor cat and I'm sure that was the attraction.
Meanwhile I took some pictures of my beautiful "lump" of flowers. They are just so pretty right now, They border my neighbors driveway and he keeps telling everyone that they are his flowers. He has rocks instead of grass in his front yard so you know he isn't going to be planting flowers. They have their place for sale and my flowers showed up in the pictures that the realtor took for the Multiple Listing Service. I hate the thought of them moving, they are the best neighbors in the whole wide world. Getting new neighbors can sometimes be a scary thing.
Anyway, I kept waiting for the raccoons to reappear and I was just about to give up and go back in the house when not one, but two appeared, coming out of the other neighbors carport. They were moving along so fast, I had to run down my driveway to get a picture of them. They headed for the school yard just outside the back gate of this mobile home park but then took a detour and climbed over a fence belonging to another house and disappeared in among their trees. I've seen them at night around here and early one winter morning I opened my front door to go to work and there were two of them on my front porch, trapping me in my house for about 10 minutes until they sauntered off. But to see them running down the road at 9 o'clock in the morning seems strange.
We are finally getting some rain here in the Pacific Northwest today. Unfortunately, unless it rains hard for about 3 days it won't do much good. Everything is very dry. I've set all my hanging baskets out on the patio to get watered by Mother Nature.
My friend Joni, finally posted an entry this morning. We were talking on the phone last night and she said she was going to. It's been a long time, so why not stop by her journal and say hi. She's counting down the days until she retires...it won't be long now Joni, until you are free...free from going to work!
Yesterday, Bob and I went to the travel agency and finalized our plans for the August 17th cruise to Alaska. Last year, he didn't want to go until he took me to Seattle and saw that big ship sitting there at the dock. Then with a very sad face he said "gee I wish I was going." Well, he better not back out this year. (He was asking the gal about trip cancellation insurance.) I'm starting to get excited about it now that all the details are in place. I'm also looking forward to finally meeting Lanny and his family, another AOL journaler who lives close by. They are going on the same cruise on Royal Caribbean's Vision of the Seas. I asked the travel agent if there were still cabins available and in checking she found there were. So if you think you might like to take this cruise, call your travel agent right away. It's not too late to get a cabin on this ship. August is a perfect month to go to Alaska, as it hasn't started getting cold and stormy there yet.
Well, I'm going to close and get busy. I've already been to Curves this morning and I feel energized, so I better get busy before that feeling goes away.
Until next time.........Linda
After Crescent City, California it isn't too long before you cross into Oregon. Driving thru Oregon on Highway I-5 is rather boring but when you take Highway 101 along the coast it is a wonderful, scenic drive. Oregon has some of the most beautiful bridges and light houses I have ever seen. (Of course I'm sure there are other states that have them too but I haven't seen them)
We stopped in Brookings, Oregon at an outdoor Flea Market. There we met a nice man named Ray (who actually grew up here in my home town) who made model airplanes from beer and soda cans. Bob & I each bought one from him, the one I bought is for my son for his birthday. It was made of 17 Sierra Mist cans (his favorite soft drink). The craftmanship of these planes is amazing. The propellers even turn in the breeze and they are replica's of real planes. The plane I bought is a replica of a Starduster II.
We had a hot dog lunch in the camper and continued north with our next stop at Gold Beach, Oregon. This is a great town and the home of Jot's Resort. I've been there twice (with the girls) and once with Bob. This is where you can take a jet boat ride up the Rogue River (I've always gone on Jerry's Rogue River Jet Boats.) If you've never done this...add it to your list of things to do. I've been up the river three different times (July and August are the best months) and it is a wonderful, exciting experience.
From there we went on to Humbug Mountain State Campground. We have driven thru this campground so many times but this was our first time to stay there. It's down off the highway and the path from the campground to the beach goes under another one of Oregon's beautifulbridges. We walked out there and watched the sun dip down into the ocean.
The next morning we left the campground about 10:30am after another walk out to the beach. We stopped off and on throughout the day at various spots to take pictures and just take in the views. We've traveled this road so many times but you just never get tired of the beauty of this area. That evening we stopped at the beautiful Chinook Winds Casino in Lincoln City for dinner and then we camped in the parking lot at the Lincoln City Eagles Club...our last night on the road.
Tuesday we left the Eagles parking lot about 8:30am and stopped for breakfast. From there we continued on to Tillamook, another one of our favorite stops. We stopped at the Air Museum, housed in a World War II blimp hanger and then on to the Tillamook Cheese factory. A place you must stop as you drive thru this part of Oregon. They have the most delicious ice cream and here at the factory they offer about 30 or so different flavors for your eating pleasure. They also have a great gift shop, and a store where you can buy all kinds of their cheese, including bags of curds. Gotta have the curds ! I bought two small bricks (instead of the big ones) of their Garlic Cheese and I'm so upset because so far I've not been able to find it in any of the grocery stores in town. And it makes wonderful grilled cheese sandwiches.
Later down the road we stopped at Cannon Beach. Bob took a nap and I walked on the beach. Cannon Beach is known for the Haystack Rock and their many gift shops. I decided I was all "shopped out" when it came to gift shops so stayed away from the ones there. When the tide is out, you can walk out to Haystack Rock and climb around. But, there have been people who didn't head back soon enough, the tide came in and they found themselves stranded and had to be rescued off Haystack.
Our next stop was Seaside,Oregon and their Outlet Mall. I like to shop at that one because there's no sales tax in Oregon. I only wanted to go to two stores...the Paper Factory and the Corning Outlet. Soon after leaving Seaside, the big bridge over the Columbia River at Astoria,Oregon came into view. The south end of the bridge is in Oregon andthe north end is in Washington.
We had planned to continue on Highway 101 along the Washington coast and spend another night at Westport but once we got to the little town of Raymond, Washington.... it was raining, it was getting late, we were tired so we headed across a little cow trail to Highway I-5. Once we were on I-5 we were at my house an hour and a half later. It was so wonderful to be home...to be able to sleep in my own bed and to see my little kitty.
I hope you all have enjoyed this journey. It was really a lot of fun and very interesting. And I've enjoyed sharing it with you...I wish we could have all been in a long caravan of vehicles, seeing the sights together. I have printed out about 900 pictures and have them in an album to that I can take it out at anytime and remember all that we did. Stop ny anytome and I'll be happy to drag out the album and let you see the pictures. By the way, the total price for gas for the 4,000 miles we drove was just under $1,800.
Until next time...........Linda
I was just ready to turn the TV off at 10pm tonight and much to my surprise...the 10 o'clock program came on and it was "Northern Exposure." The first episode, I believe...I was so excited, I put a bag of popcorn in the microwave and settled back to watch it. After it was over I sent an email to KOMO TV in Seattle and thanked them for showing the program and asked if this will be a regular Thursday night feature.
I think those of us who live in Washington especially liked that program because it was filmed in our own Roslyn, WA just a couple hours across Snoqualmie Pass from the Seattle area. There was even a scene in the famous Brick Tavern.
That's all for now.... Linda
After leaving San Francisco on Saturday morning (April 28th) , we continued our trek north on the beautiful Highway 101. Until you reach Eureka, CA the highway is mostly inland, away from the ocean. We drove until we reached Ukiah and then stopped for lunch and an opportunity to stretch our legs. Our next stop was Eureka, CA where we stopped and bought a few groceries. We drove that day until we reached a rest area about 50 miles south of Crescent City, CA.
The next morning, we continued on thru the Redwoods. They are truly awesome. We didn't stop a lot along here because we've been thru this area so many times. But we did stop at one gift shop (actually I wanted an ice cream bar). We noticed immediately the large carved bears at the gift shop entrance were carved by a Native American man we have seen in action at the chain saw carving contest in Westport, Washington. Sandoval is an excellent carver (and also a very nice man) and these giant bears attest to his ability.
We continued on and came to the famous elk herd near the town of Trinidad, CA. In the fall, the cows are usually herded into a large field right along the highway by one huge bull elk. But at this time of the year, they were just up the road in a large field, grazing and resting. They are such an awesome sight.
Our next stop was the Trees of Mystery sight. Here, we visited the gift shop and took a few pictures. This is the home of Paul Bunyan and Babe his big Blue Ox. We've gone thru the Trees of Mystery exhibit before, so didn't do that on this visit. My first visit ever to this area was in 1972 when I was married... my son was just 1 yr old, my daughter was 9 1/2 and we stopped here on our way home from visiting my former husband's family in Ashland,OR and Redding, CA. I think it's so great that this display has been lovingly maintained over the years for thousands of tourists to enjoy.
Our last stop in the state of California was in Crescent City at a grocery store. We crossed the state line shortly after 1pm on Sunday April 29th.
Next installment....Oregon and then home.
Consider orange. It's a fine color, but of all the colors in our cultural spectrum, it's the one that seems to get the least respect -- sure, you wear it for a safety vest, but you're not especially likely to wear it to fancy ball (especially if you're a guy). So this week's Photo Shoot is about giving up a little respect for the color:
Your Monday Photo Shoot: Picture something in orange. As a challenge, don't take pictures of actual oranges (the fruit), and picturing actual pumpkins seems a little too easy too. Other than that, go for it.
Here's my orange entires. My full size rose called "Livin Easy" and my last remaining minature rose, whose name has long ago slipped my mind. At one time I had 50 minature roses but in the last 20 years they have by one died off, one by one.
Good subject John, thanks. Linda
We had driven thru San Francisco so many times in the past. Once we even stopped at a Chinese restaurant and ate dinner but we have never spent any real time there.
Last year Bob spent 4 nights and 5 days there.....camping on the street in the truck and camper. So I was up for at least a couple nights of "camping" in San Francisco. We pulled into our first night's spot a little after 6pm. Within 2 blocks of Jefferson Street that runs along Fisherman's Warf. There was a parking meter there but after 6pm, and you don't have to feed the meters. The street just around the corner didn't have any meters at all. It is unlimited parking on a first come, first serve basis. So at about 4:45am the next morning, Bob was up and moving the truck just around the corner, where we stayed all that day and one more night.
The first evening, we walked the couple blocks to Jefferson Street, just sort of looking around. We did go to the Wax Museum as they were offering a late night special admission price. It was a good one...however, I still maintain the best one is in Victoria, B.C. I was a little concerned...there are a lot of strange people on the streets at night. But with so many tourists I decided we were probably pretty safe.
The next morning we ate our breakfast in the camper and got ready to do some heavy duty walking. Some guy parked behind us, so close..we thought we may have to step on the hood of his car in order to get out the back door. Fortunately Bob had left about 2 feet between the front of the truck and the car he parked behind, so he squeezed out the door and pulled the truck up a little. While I finished getting ready, he walked up to a place and got us each a 1 daypass for unlimited rides on the trolleys and the cable cars ($11 each for 1 day). There was a trolley stop right across from the truck, so we started there first. We rode the trolley up to the Castro District. That area was interesting...to say the least. What amazed me was the number of street people who manage to ride free on these trolleys...they sneak in the back door as people are getting off. I even saw one get on thru the front door but the place you put in your fare is behind the driver.... she took out a bent paper clip and wiggled it in the area where the money goes, which apparently made it look like she paid. Unbelievable !!
We got off the trolley as it head back down towards Fishermans's Warf in a shopping area. As we walked around I spotted the Betty Boop Diner. It was so cute..we decided to have lunch there. I have a friend that loves Betty Boop, so the waitress gave me a clean placemat and napkin to take home to her.
We tried at one place to get a cable car ride but the line was so long and out in the hot sun, we decided not to wait. So we walked on to another place just about five blocks from where we were parked. We were able to get on there after about a 30 minute wait. I made Bob stand in line while I visited a neat gift shop right there on the corner, where we were waiting.
My first cable car ride was so fun. We went up and down to Union Square. We were going to go walking around this famous shopping area but both of us had sore feet by now, so we just got back in line and took the next cable car back to the starting point near the truck.
We came back down to the truck...I wnated to lay down on my bed and read my book while I rested my poor tired feet. And Bob needed his nap. After a couple hours, we walked down to Pier 39 and looked around there. My feet were still killing me and it was hot and there were a lot of people there. Even Bob was complaining about his feet hurting and he never does that.
We took the trolley down the street and walked over to Boudin Bread and looked around...it's a very fun place. I stood in a very long line and bought a small round loaf of their famous sourdough bread. From there we walked over across the street and had some dinner at the Rain Forest Cafe. We considered Tarantino's but in the end chose the Rain Forest. We walked back to the truck one last time and turned in for the night. Our plan was to leave the next morning and continue our way towards home.
We woke early the next morning and after some breakfast in the camper headed for Coit Tower on Telegraph Hill. You can see it from all over town but Bob wanted to show me the view from up there. The tower itself didn't open for visitors until later in the morning but we stood on the wall surrounding the parking area and took pictures and took in the beautiful view from high up on the hill.
We came down from the tower and headed for the Golden Gate Bridge and Highway 101....our way out of town. We did stop at the viewing area after crossing the bridge and took in the view of that beautiful city from across the bay. There's a wonderful area there, a tribute to all the military personnel who have sailed under the Golden Gate to the different ports of call where they went to serve our country.
We didn't get to many areas of this beautiful city (including China Town) but we did a lot more than I thought we would be able to. And there's aways next time.....
From San Francisco we headed up Highway 101 aka the Redwood Highway.......getting closer to home.
The weekend weather has been great here in the Pacific Northwest.
Saturday, we ventured out to the little town of Orting for the graduation party of Bob's oldest grandchild (Heather). It was a Mexican theme, lots of wonderful Mexican food to eat and music playing in the background. As you can see by the pictures, Bob and I did what we could to go along with the Mexican theme. We had such a good time, three of Bob's four daughters were there (we always miss Hope, who's down in Pasadena, at these functions) and four of his grandchildren were there. However, his youngest and her husband are expecting another baby June 27th, so I guess there were really five grandchildren there if you count little Marin Rose. They have a little guy who turned 3 in April. Bob's son always has to work on Saturday's so we don't see him very often. We stayed until about 9pm and helped clean up. There were people coming and going all afternoon. Heather's graduation ceremony is the evening of June 12th at the Puyallup Fairgrounds. We already have our tickets for that.
I think it's kind of neat that his oldest grandchild is graduating from high school the same month a new grandchild will make her appearance (unless of course she's a few days late.)
Today, I really didn't have much to do so went out to Bob's place with him. I don't go out there very often, I have enough to do at my place. And it's a matter of either taking Gabi or leaving her home alone, if I stay out there over night. He lives about 35 miles from me across the Narrows Bridge and then some. His house sits on 5 acres and it's very peaceful there, but it's also long distance to call my friends from there, he has no cable TV (only gets 1 channel) and since I've switched to DSL, I can no longer use his computer because he still has dial-up. I tried signing on under "GUEST" again today and AOL informed me that I was no longer paying for dial up, so I couldn't sign on. So...those are all good reasons to not go out there very often, in my mind anyway. LOL
He does seem to get more done when I'm there, he started weeding his dahlia patch, cleaned off the sun deck and I spent the day cleaning up the kitchen and doing several loads of laundry. But now I'm back to civilization and loving it !
This evening it's cooling off real fast, the wind has come up and it's getting overcast. I guess rain is blowing in off the coast. Which is fine with me because I have some stuff to do in the house and this way, if it's raining, I don't feel guilty about being outside working.
Until next time....Linda
When we woke up in the rest stop, Bob decided we were going to have steak & eggs for our breakfast. He took the portable BBQ, out to a picnic table and started the grilling. I had some left over baked potatoes, which I cut up and fried, I scrambled some eggs, got out the carton of orange juice...it was better than Denney's Grand Slam breakfast! As we headed down the highway near Salinas, I spotted a Mervyn's off to the side and he went off at the next exit and we made our way back to the shopping center. Mervyn's was once of my favorite stores here in my town but last fall the "big wigs" of Mervyn's closed all the stores in Washington and Oregon. Anyway, I went on a little shopping spree...while Bob took his mid-morning nap in the camper. They had great sales going on (as always) and I really made a haul !
Our next stop was the Mission San Juan Bautista. It is a State of California Historic Park. This mission was founded in 1797 by Father Fermin Francisco de Lasuen. We've been to many missions on previous travels and this was certainly an impressive one. The chapel is still being used...has a daily Mass for those who live locally and are just passing thru.
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"This park is adjacent to one of California's 21 Franciscan missions. The location was once the largest town in central California and the hub of travel between northern and central California. The mission is owned and operated by the Catholic Church and has been in continuous use since July 1, 1812. After a walking tour of the mission and later down the road some lunch we continued on to our next destination...San Francisco. Until next time.......Linda |
