A Few Thoughts On Photos…

…And speaking of photos, I would like to give you some news about my previous header photo of The Turtle Cottage, in case you didn’t see her….If you look closely, you will see why it was called that.  There in the middle of the picture , close up by the porch, just in the grass under the middle pumpkin on the porch, you can barely see a HUGE tortoise…Yep, that’s right….She lives there and her name is Rhonda..

 

…and she has her own little house (see what looks like a dog house on the left in the following photo???)

  Sometimes you really gotta study a photo to take it all in..That darn tortoise scared the bejesus out of me when she began slooooooowly moving across the lawn…Bet they don’t get many Trick or Treaters

OK, Before I forget, (and you know I might!),  I now need to again thank a few more willing souls for signing on to keeping track of the Cave Dwellers…Lord knows SOMEBODY needs to !!  A big “jump into the GMC” to Merikay  their new Alpha (and her toy RV), Gene and Judy  and their passion for the great outdoors (shared my many of us).  Also, a “get in the truck” to Jessica and Harry, who live in upstate NY and are getting ready to sell their sticks and bricks and hit the road soon.   (Gotta find out WHERE they live in upstate NY. Dennis was stationed at Sarratoga Springs in the Air Force a gazillion years ago. ) Gypsy Boho has also been brave enough to travel with us, and a big “welcome to the Cave” to Rick and Elaine NB…Phew!…We gotta get U-Haul!

  As I was adding yet MORE photos to the computer, I had a few thoughts on this digital computer photo stuff.  Lately, I have been going through old photos,  trying to get them in some semblance of order..It suddenly occurred to me that we make very few pictures we take into “prints” anymore..You know, matte them and frame them , or put them in you wallet to brag about, or send them in Xmas cards (which is also a dying tradition)…It actually made me sad to suddenly realize that we rely soooo much on our techy stuff to hang on to our memories for us…

 

Left, Den, me, Dave and Sue, on our way to Florida…Our precious Gypsy….and my sailor son, Kelly.

Now, don’t get me wrong…I am the first to admit I am TOTALLY into putting these photos on disc for posterity…Really, I get that…But…there is just something about holding that old, worn, maybe torn, photo in your hand and putting a finger on a familiar face as if to bring them closer to you..

 

My Grandma Ross’s graduation class 1898,..My Uncle Walt and Aunt Edie on the Alcan Highway, 1948…and Den’s family gathering at Xmas, late 50’s.

Luckily, both our families were big picture takers…with the old Brownie box camera, then the fancy 35 mm..We were in photography heaven with that one!! Den’s Mom was also FABULOUS at documenting ‘who’ was ‘who’ in almost all of her old photos…

 

 

Den’s Grandpa Cave….Den’s Mom and Dad on their wedding day…Den’s Great Aunt Clara Elliott…Oh, boy…there are some stories out there about her…She was quite the politician in her day, so I hear!!…

 

Uncle Jr. (you’ve met him)  ….Aunt Jeanette and Uncle Jr , and…my Dad.  My Grandma Ross made him take violin lessons when he was little…He hated it…But a big thanks to her ….I loved listening to him play, and he didn’t do if often because it embarrassed him..

  So now you see what diggin’ through old photos does to me…makes me wax nostalgic…And yes, it is nice to have them preserved on the computer..but it’s oooh so nice to hold them in my hand…

I don’t need to tell you who this All American family is…taken on our front porch,  1975…

And, yes, ….I still have that newspaper clipping……to touch.

"Faded, ragged, torn or dusty pictures means someone cared enough to hold onto them......"

Author: Kirbyquotes

ADVENTURES IN BLOGLAND…

 

  The weather certainly warmed up here this weekend..I even heard a stunt plane zooming around overhead, enjoying his barrel rolls and stalls…No thanks..not for me….I would be needing a garbage- size barf bag for that…

  Seems like a few of the “snow birds” are beginning to stir.  Rick and Paulette are loading up their new rig.. I know Rick is keeping an close eye on how much quilting stuff Paulette stashes .   The Bayfield Bunch are also rustling the Ontario leaves, getting everything on their motorhome “ready to roll”.   Dennis and I are hoping for a Nov. 14-15th lift off out of the Midwest and into the South.   I see that Jerry and Suzy got “Grandma” home in “TIME” for an Arizona winter.  Randy and Pam are now in the Virginia Beach area for dental work after helping build homes all over the USA!…And talk about great spots, Chris and Melissa are in the Florida Keys and  Kathy and Robert, last I knew, were in Gulf Shores, Alabama at the Shrimp Festival!..AND, exactly what are Nellie and Jonathan up to these days????

There are a whole lot of full-timers out there that we follow, wishing we had that life of NO real estate taxes, no lawn to mow, no big electric bills….Ah, yes…All of you are truly living that dream…However,  just as in any house, things can go askew…Take  Judy and Emma   for instance.  If it weren’t for bad luck, Judy would have NO luck at all!! Brakes, and now the fridge, plus walking the highway to find her “thingamajig” for her break-away brakes …She is a real trooper.  John, Bridget and Fred have just come East from a trip through Montana and Wyoming.  They will have to land for a spell soon, they’re gonna be new grandparents shortly!!  Stu and Donna had some rotten luck with a blow out on their fiver…plus some damage to the rig.  Good thing Stu is a “McGuyer”.. Dawn and Denise  have been waltzing about Texas, being with family, and trying to figure out where to spend the winter…No campfires in Texas this year, which really is a deterrent for Den and I.

  Odel and Laurie are hanging out around Sacramento, CA, visiting family and friends till after Thanksgiving.   And..have ya checked out our blogger friend, Teri  , and her blog?? She is all aflutter with just a few more days till she “pulls the trigger” and goes FULL TIME!!!  YEAH, TERI…YOU GO GIRL!! (I suggest you keep close tabs on Judy and her blog..She is becoming quite the “woman on the go” and a PRO full-timer!!) We are WOMEN, hear us ROAR!

  Of course, there are  still some peeps hanging out, enjoying their RV/camper whenever they get a chance.  That would be those who are still working and waiting with baited breathe for the dream to come true…To Sue, Doug, and Tucker,  you keep up that dream…don’t give up!…Sam and Donna (and Riggins), you just hang in there and take care of yourselves.  It won’t be  long and  you will be “on the road” too! Kenny and Angela, you were some of our first followers.  You rode with us when no one else would!!..and your Wednesday funnies are killin’ me!!! Mike and Gerri  have been spending some beautiful Fall days at their home in Georgia, and posting some great photos!  Sue and Mo are about to finish up an East Coast cruise…that flight out to La Guardia made me nauseous!..And Bob and Vicky are splitting their time between Mission, TX and Minnesota…whoa! Now that’s 2 very different climates!! The assured us that Progresso felt very safe to cross into Mexico…that’s good to know.

So…to all of  you bloggers out there who I didn’t mention, I apologize…My fingers are cracked and getting sore…(Yep, that sounds like a cop out to me too.) To those who I did mention, I apologize for any thing I missed or got wrong..They don’t call me Dementia Donna for nothing, and I can only multi-task when under EXTREME pressure.

I cannot tell you all how much we enjoy following and being followed by such a wonderful group of friends..and yes, even though we haven’t met most of you, we feel we know you…(You might know more about us than you really want to!!!!

I also need to thank a couple brave new souls who are now waiting in our GMC for us to hook up the Hiker and head South…. A shout out to Russ and Donna and  Howard and Lynda…You are now following 2 elderly dweebs who have no idea where they are heading…Oh, don’t worry…we won’t leave you in a gas station bathroom along the way…We haven’t gotten that bad yet…oh, …and WELCOME ABOARD!

..Since the frost has gone away, I decided to do some indoor “frosting”…For those who know how I am, you know that when I get bored I either cut all my hair off…or I frost it…Today was a frosty day…

Chances are…..I might “frost”….               …….but the “glow” just ain’t happenin’

OK….I am done embarrassing myself now….Thanks to all for taking time out to read my drivel….

Cocktail hour awaits…

“Beauty fades . . . dumb is forever.”
- Judge Judy -

Expecting a Killing Frost….

  Well, after sitting around the house yesterday due to the rain, McGuyver got the call to get back to the cornfields and take his throne in the combine.  I think he was glad, as we want to get this “show” on the road in about 3 1/2 weeks…We are planning an early family Thanksgiving here on Nov. 12th, and hope to get on the road South the following Monday or Tuesday…

  Today I heard we are suppose to get a frost out here in the Western Suburbs/Boonies.  I thought I should go out and warn my stubborn friend, Iris, who might not have listened to the weather…

….Iris insists on peeking out for one last look at Fall…I think the blue one on the left may just as well stay buttoned up and call it a day….

 

 

The same might be said for Rose…She appears to be pouting and not sure about making a grand entrance..I think she may get her “pursed lips” nipped in the bud tonight, so to speak….

 

 

 

 

 

 

Miss Clematis is also in for a rude awakening tomorrow morning.  I think someone (a hungry bug) has been getting a last snack from her petals…she’s really a mess.  Time to tuck it in, sweetheart…See ya next Spring.

 

 

 

 

 

Even though we are losing some of our “hangers on” with this frost, we have a few old friends gracing our yard who might be able to ward off Jack Frost a few more days…

The Mums should be OK a few more days, and that English Lavender, upper right, is close to our house….Of course, the  Firebush is just beginning to don her beautiful rose colored dress on her dripping leaves….

I got ambitious and picked a few last tomatoes from our garden….What a crazy year with this garden…We didn’t have lots of tomatoes, almost NO green peppers, and about 2 Jalapenos…until mid October….Now we are being over run with these veggies..I went out and picked as much as I could find…

 

This is just a portion of what we have….I do believe we will have ground turkey tacos for dinner tonight..mucho bueno!

 

 

 

This photo does no justice to my 3 bags of caramel corn I labored over today…It’s the best thing since Cracker Jacks…and much , much better!!!!( If I do say so myself)…It just seems that Fall cries out for taffy apples, caramel corn and acorn squash…

 

 

 

I do love the Fall, but it seems way too short…..I think I love it even more now because it means we are closer to getting into the Hiker and heading outa this Illinois winter….and they are calling for a dandy this year….Get in the truck and get it warmed up for us…We will be there shortly…

October gave a party;
The leaves by hundreds came -
The Chestnuts, Oaks, and Maples,
And leaves of every name.
The Sunshine spread a carpet,
And everything was grand,
Miss Weather led the dancing,
Professor Wind the band.
~George Cooper, "October's Party"

 

MIMI DOES ZIONSVILLE…AND SURVIVES TO TELL IT.!

  After a very precarious start, my road trip to Zionsville, IN got underway last Thursday… When I left our house at 5:45AM, it was still VERY dark, and raining hard…WARNING..This is not good news when you are 63, not of good vision, and driving back roads in the rain to get to the highway…Let me just say, I am now positive I should not be driving strange roads after dark.  Anyway, I managed to make it in 4 hours, white knuckled for the first hour… and the trip was really fun after the long drive.   I wonder why there are speed limits on our interstates??….No one obeys them anyway.  I found that out by almost getting my GMC ass run over.

Our daughter and hubby just remodeled their new home, and we hadn’t seen their new kitchen….After cooking in it, I can say it is “Food Network” worthy…

 

 

…Above photos show where I pretty much hung out…their climate controlled wine bar…Oooooh yeah, that’s what I’m talkin’ about!

They totally gutted this home and remodeled it…The big stone fireplace was already there and is the focal point of the open concept great room..They took out about 3 walls to open this up…

 

….Above photo??  Why, it’s a microwave in a drawer, no less!   I know, I know….I couldn’t believe it either.…And that button on the counter top, right?? Push that to turn on the garbage disposal… I had no clue.  I babysat Maddox Friday while Chris went to work and had to call and ask her what that button was for. I was afraid to push it..Hey, it could have made that island disappear into their basement, for all I knew!!  Suffice to say, after cooking in Chris and John’s new kitchen I wanted to come home and torch mine.

This “subdivision”they live in is called Raintree..It was established in the 1970’s and there isn’t one home that looks like another…The inside of Chris and John’s home was vintage 70’s, dark cabinets with a separate kitchen,  lots of walls…Come to think of it,  their old kitchen was very much like OUR  kitchen is right NOW!!   We bought our home in 1975, and remodeled our kitchen back then…and it still looks the same today…HMMMM ..Me thinks McGuyver and I need to have a talk….

 

 

This is the  home across the street from Chris and John…Just look at all of those big established trees..That is one of the perks you get in an older neighborhood…John’s Dad and Stepmom live just down the street in this same neighborhood and have for 25 years…..Notice there are NO sidewalks…anywhere….I found that interesting as I took Maddox for a walk….

 

 

Well, the “bouncer house” birthday party was a huge success….”Classico” and I made spaghetti sauce,  and boiled a ton of whole grain pasta,.. plus some artichoke spinach dip,  and garlic bread.. We all ate like starving people…Of course there was birthday cake and ice cream….and wine for the grown ups.  I guess I was considered a “grown up”, although I never will.

OK, I know you are wondering..Did I go into the bounce house and go down the slide?…YES I DID (photo bottom 2nd from left)… Aiden had to help me. Let me just say that being inside a bouncy house with 10 little kids after a glass of wine is similar to having a bad hangover in rough seas…or having your toenails ripped out with pliers….

As you can see in  the above photos, I managed to sneak  into my outfit after the party… That happened  just as soon as…….no,…..BEFORE the last guest left.  Those boys take after Mimi and got into their “outfits”, too…I think I have influenced their affinity for stripes and good taste in evening apparel …(Hey!!!, I need some jammies with feet in them,…no… REALLY!!!!)

I already miss those boys…but will be going back in 3 weeks to be there when Chris and John both run in the Indy Marathon…Thanks for again allowing parts of our family to enter into your homes .   Please excuse the wrapping paper all over the place, the frosting stuck to your floors and the ice cream drying behind your couch….Your patience with my photos and this too long account of my trip are greatly appreciated….

 

“On the seventh day God rested. His grandchildren must have been out of town.” ~Gene Perret