Home

Yesterday was a REALLY long day!  None of us slept very good on the trip for more than 1-2 nights in a row between time change (3 hours), different beds, typical hotel sounds, etc. We were usually all up and ready to go at least 1/2 hour before the planned departure time each day. Yesterday morning I woke up at 4:15 a.m. and couldn't go back to sleep.  I didn't get anymore sleep until I was in my own bed which was 22 hours later so needless to day I'm beat today. We got to the Jacksonville, FL airport about 5 hours before the flight, turned the car in, checked our luggage,  ate lunch, did some browsing in the shops and a lot of people watching.  Actually the time went by pretty fast. The first leg of the flight was to Chicago with a stop (no plane change) in Norfolk, VA where we landed to start the trip 12 days ago.  That was rather ironic....  We had a plane change in Chicago with barely enough time to grab a bite to eat and to to the bathrooms. I am admittedly a white knuckle flyer with take offs much more traumaticfor me than landings. So the take off from Chicago into very bumpy air was not good!  It didn't help that I was so tired by this time so my concentration on relaxing wasn't good. It was a very long 3 1/4 hour flight home. Nancy's husband met us at the airport and chauffeured us all home.
Morris was glad to see me and I didn't get a lecture this time.  He met us at the door, was ready to be picked up and purred while I was holding him.  8-)  I fed him his tuna, left the suitcases by the garage door and we went to bed.  He was right behind me the whole time. I woke up several times in the night and he was laying against my legs, or on my arm, or snuggled up against my head on the pillow. He isn't letting me too far away from him this morning.
So the trip that we planned for 6 months is behind us and we get back to the mundane things that make up daily life. I took over 1,000 pictures so it will take a while to edit them and then do the vacation book.  For now, gotta go unpack, go to the grocery store and do laundry... 8-)

St. Augustine, FL

It was only about 2.5 hours from Savannah to St. Augustine so we were here before noon.  In every town, the first stop is the Visitor's Center where we load up with brochures, maps, get info from a person, etc and today I am going to be carrying home in my suitcase. We had lunch at a really neat place along the waterfront.   This picture is the view from the restaurant where we had lunch.  Notice that the drawbridge is raised.  It is opened every 1/2 hour for sailboats, etc to pass through.  After lunch  we drove over to Anastasia Island to see the local lighthouse. At dinner tonight, we were trying to decide how many lighthouses we have seen and can't decide if this was the 4th or 5th - will figure it out when we get home and I do the vacation book. Then we took a trolley tour around the town to get the "lay of the land" and decide what we wanted to go back to tomorrow and check out.  Had a great dinner at a local Italian restaurant tonight where we tried to think back on "what was our favorite town/cit? What exceeded out expectations? What was the biggest surprise of the trip, etc? It is hard to believe that tomorrow is our last full day on the trip and we head back to Tucson on Tuesday.
We expected there to be high humidity back here but it is REALLY muggy.  Part of that could be because we have always been near rain - either during the day, or at least supposed to rain whether it did or not.  The weatherman in Charleston has a Muggy Scale that he used as part of his weather forecast.  The scale is:

• Super Muggy
• Muggy
• Slightly Muggy
• Comfortable
• Nice & Dry

Unfortunately it was Super Muggy for all 4 days we were in Charleston. The muggy weather isn't so bad if it is cloudy and a breeze is blowing but if there is no breeze and you are out in the sun then it is downright miserable. This morning in Savannah, at 6 a.m., it was 70 degrees and 91% humidity. Oh well....in a couple of days we will be back in 10-15% humidity when we get to Tucson.

A Day in the South

We saw so much here in Savannah and the area today that I don't know where to start!  Our first stop was the riverfront area before the crowds got too bad and so glad we got there early. Besides there being an Oktoberfest going on, it was the Annual Wiener Dog Race which was so much fun. There were dash hound dogs everywhere and in colors I have never seen before. The dogs don't run too far but boy does the crowd get noisy. We couldn't get close to where they were actually running. After the race they had a contest for the "best dressed".

.Then it was lunch and a walk through the City Market. Next we drove down to the Historic Homes District to look at some of the old houses.  It just blows my mind to see houses that were built in the mid 1800's as this house was. We were walking along the street looking at them and while standing in front of one that had not been renovated, the owner came out and asked if we wanted to see a house before it is renovated. Of course we said yes, so went in for awhile while she showed it to us, what she has already been done and her plans for it. Her house was built in 1877 and it was amazing to see inside one of these old houses even if the renovation work hasn't been completed yet. After that we drove over to Tybee Island for a tour of Fort Pulaski that was built by the Confederates and captured by the Union Soldiers during the Civil War. Tomorrow we head on down to St. Augustine, FL which is our last stop before heading home on Tuesday.

Forsyth Park in Savannah

We made it to Savannah around noon today after a short stop at Hilton Head just to say we had been there.  After lunch,  we went to Forsyth Park in the Savannah Historic District. What a wonderful place!  It's 30 acres of shaded walkways, moss covered trees and people doing different things all over the park. And to top it all off, there was a wedding going on in front of this fountain complete with 7 bridesmaids, etc. We just sat down and enjoyed everything..

The fountain in Forsyth Park was built in 1854 and is a replica of one in Paris, France. The original 10 acre park was laid out with the fountain being the center of pathways ilaid out in the pattern of spokes in a wheel. Besides the wedding there was a mother and 3 kinds on roller blades, people walking dogs, artist painting, art students making a video and a bonce ball game going on. In 1867 the city added 21 acres to the park and used it as a military parade ground.  Today the added land is an open grassy space for concerts, etc.
Tomorrow we will be spending the day downtown in the Historic District.


Plantation and Misc Observations

The tourist had a relatively easy day today compared to the last few days here in Charleston.  First thing this morning we drove out to the Magnolia Plantation which is outside Charleston along the Ashley River. The plantation has been the ancestral home of the Drayton family since 1676. It covers around 500 acres and is the oldest plantation along the Ashley river. It is a beautiful place and we loved it. I would love to see it in the spring when all the azalia's, etc are in bloom.  While there, we took a boat ride through the marsh area and learned some history of the place including it's importance as a rice plantation. It is a really beautiful place and we loved all the hanging moss.

GENERAL OBSERVATIONS ON THE CHARLESTON AREA:
Humidity: Yep, it humid here!  We have lucked out in that it has been mostly cloudy so it didn't seem as hot as it did when the sun was out. When I went to bed last night, the sheets felt like they had been taken out of the dryer before they were completely dry. It takes towel days to dry by themself.
Manners: It really is a shame that other parts of the county don't have the manners that they do here in Charleston. We are tired of hearing "Yes Ma'am" - even from young people; drivers don't run red lights; drivers stop and let a car make a left turn in front of them, etc.
The town is clean: We have only seen 2-3 cases of graffiti while driving around the city.  Store keepers were out in front washing the sidewalk off with soap and water.  There isn't trash and litter on the sidewalks downtown. Cups, etc are thrown into the trash cans which are not running over.
They have a saying here in the south: "We start every morning slow and then taper off...."


Ft Sumter, Tea Plantation & Distillery

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Busy day today but at least we were not walking for miles and miles. However, our brain is on overload with the things we learned and did...
Nancy and I walked up to the Early Bird Diner for breakfast while Jane ate at the hotel - she isn't a big breakfast person. The Diner was on Diner's, Drive in's & Dives. Some of their specialties are fried chicken & waffles (served together) and shrimp & grits.
Then we drove downtown and caught the ferry out to Ft Sumter (right). A dolphin swam right in front of the boat for aways as we were leaving the dock. The boat did a short tour of the harbor before heading out to the fort which is totally surrounded by water.  This is where the first shot of the Civil War was fired when the Confederates attacked the Union which owned the fort. Quite interesting and now we all want to read a refresher about Ft Sumter when we get home.
On our way out into the countryside, we stopped at the Crab House for lunch.  The restaurant is right on the Atlantic Intercoastal Waterway so we could watch boats go by including a good size yacht. Jane and I had a hamburger but Nancy had seafood. 8-)

When planning the trip, I ran across a reference of the Charleston Tea Plantaion. We checked it out and added it to our schedule and what a find it was. This is the only Tea Plantation in North America. We had no idea how tea grows or is harvested. At right is a picture of the tea plants. They grow 8 different kinds of tea at the plantation and make black, green and oolong tea which is what you get in a typical chinese restaurant. It was really interestering!
Nest stop was the Firefly Distillery  which makes flavored vodka, spiced rum and some liquors. They are best knownm for their Sweet Tea Vodka and that is pretty good stuff....  Bottom pic is Jane and Nancy getting educated on vodka.  Since I was the drive, I only got a small amount of the Sweet Tea. Tomorrow we are going to Magnolia Plantation for a tour plus some other misc places before we leave here on Firday and head on down to Savannah.



History comes to life

Once again, the weather man was wrong - it didn't rain today!  However, it was hot and humid but there were a lot of clouds and a breeze off the water. We drove into town and then took a free trolley that runs around the downtown area.  We got off at a stop and then walked, walked and walked.....finally catching it again and going to another part of downtown where we walked, walked and walked some more. We saw homes that were built in the early 1700's and are absolutely beautiful.  We walked down the middle of brick streets that were completely covered with large oaks. Charleston has done a wonderful job of maintaining their historic area. 

A highlight for me was visiting the St Michaels Church (pic at left). The original church was built in 1727 but was later destroyed by fire.  The current church was opened for services in 1761 which was 15 years BEFORE the Declaration of Independence was signed. The steeple is 186 ft high. The chandelier was ordered from London in 1803. It was first lighted with candles, later with gas and now with electricity.  The pulpit inside is England after the Revolution as a prize of war, bought by a merchant and then shipped back to Charleston. We were taking pictures inside the church when the janitor stopped vacuuming, led us into pew #43, handed us a pamphlet and said to read a particular paragraph on the church history. We were setting in the "Governor's Pew" that George Washington worshiped in on Sunday afternoon, May 8, 1791. General Robert E. Lee worshiped in the same pew 70 years later. I was impressed!!!! He insisted on taking our picture setting in the pew.

Lunch was at a British Pub that a local recommended to us. The food was wonderful. Then it was on to the Charleston City Market, an open air market that was established in 1807 and covers 4 city blocks. By now, our feet are numb so we caught the trolley back to the car.  Fun day!
Tommorrow is Folly Beach and a lighthouse, Charleston Tea Plantation (yes, where they grow tea) and the Firefly Distillery where they make Sweet Tea Vodka.


More driving, more rain

We left Jacksonville, NC at 8:30 this morning in the rain heading for Charleston, SC. Fortunately for the driver, me, it quit after awhile so I didn't have to drive too long in the rain and it was just intermittent after that all day. We stopped in Surfside Beach, SC for lunch and found a little diner on the beach. The waitress there told us we HAD to go to Brookgreen Gardens before  we left the area. We had never heard of it but since we had time, decided to check it out. In 1931 a couple bought 4 deserted rice plantations and combined them into a 9,100 acre sculpture garden and wildlife preserve.  She was a sculptor and he was a poet.  Scattered throughout the gardens are her sculptures plus works by other artist.  Some of these are really large pieces!

There are hundreds of huge oak trees with hanging moss on them.  Some of the trees date back 250 years. To me, nothing says "in the south" like the hanging moss from the trees. We hung around there for an hour or so and then headed onto Charleston.  It would have been easy to spend a whole day there walking through all the gardens but time didn't permit.  I would love to see it in the spring when the flowers are all in bloom. We got to Charleston today in time to go to the Visitor's Center before going to the hotel.  Now I have a very big stack of brochures and maps to go through. There is an 80% chance of thunderstorms tomorrow so we had to make a Plan B in case it is raining and we can't do the outside stuff we had planned for the day. So far we have lucked out with it not raining where we were being a "tourist" - maybe not blue skies but at least it wasn't raining. Hopefully out luck will hole for tomorrow and then the chance of rain for the rest of the week is pretty small. Oh yes, Miss Ashley did a fine job getting us here today with not a single "recalculating". When I make a wrong turn, she very politely just gets us back on track. 8-)

 



Lighthouse, Ferry, Ft Macon & Miss Ashley

It was a long day today!  None of us slept much last night due to cold rooms, hot rooms, heavy rain, etc. Plus,  jet lag has caught up with us. Breakfast was at 7 a.m. this morning since the ferry left at 10 a.m. and we had to be in line by 9:30 plus there was few things we wanted to see in the town of Ocracoke before we left. We visited our 2nd lighthouse of the trip and it was a beautiful setting.  However, it was all white and the sky was all cloudy so the lighthouse wasn't as dramatic as it would have been if it was against a blue sky.

Our ferry from Ocracoke Island to Cedar Island (mainland) was a twin of this one which was coming into harbor from another island. Originally, we were going to skip Ocracoke but everyone who has been in the area said "you must go there". The only way to the isalnd is by ferry. We were leery of taking the ferry since I have a depth perception problem, which includes driving in tight spaces,  and Nancy is prone to motion sickness.  But we added it to the trip and are very glad we did - I didn't have any problems driving onto the ferry and Nancy didn't have any motion sickness. It was interesting last night being on a pretty small island knowing that the only way off was by ferry. The distance from the island to the mainland on was only 23 miles but it took 2 1/4 hours to cross the water. At times the water was relatively shallow and the channel very narrow so it was slow going for the ferry. The crossing was very smooth. In the below picture, Jane and I are enjoying the sun on the deck at the front of the ferry.

We stopped at the historic seaside town of Beaufort, NC which goes back to the early 1700's. There are a lot of wonderfully restored homes in the town that are so beautiful. We were surprised at how large some of the yachts were that were docked in the harbor. Then it was on to Fort Macon State Park to look at a Fort that construction began on in 1824 and was captured by the Union Soldiers during the Civil War.  Most of the original buildings remain.

And by now you may be wondering who Miss Ashley is.... After 2 days, we have named our GPS system Miss Ashley because she is disgustingly polite, never says "recalculating" like Gertrude loves to say in her condescending voice, has a slightly breathy voice in an almost southern accent.  Miss Ashley is delightful and tomorrow her job will be to get us to Charleston, SC. 

Outer Banks of North Carolina

It started raining this morning about the time we left Norfolk, VA and rained on us all the way to Kitty Hawk, NC. Then it stopped and we were able to be a "tourist" before it started raining again right after we got on the ferry. First stop was Kitty Hawk and the Wright Brothers National Memorial. In the picture at right, the big boulder is where their plane left the ground on Dec 17, 1903 and history was changed.  They completed 4 flights that day and the white markers represent the 4 flights. The first flight was 120 ft and went from the boulder to the first white marker. The 2nd flight was 175 ft, the 3rd flight was 200 ft and the last one to the marker that you can barely see in the distance was 852 ft and lasted 59 seconds. After the 4 the flight, the place was caught by a guest of wind, flipped over and damaged beyond easy repair.

On down the road is the Cape Hatteras Lighthouse.  The lighthouse is 187 ft tall and is the tallest lighthouse in the United States. The lighthouse was build in 1870. It was relocated in 1999 due to beach erosion at it's original location. When it was built, it was 1600 feet from the water but when it was moved, it was only 100 feet from the ocean. The lighthouse, including it's base, was put on steel beams and slowly moved 2,900 ft to it new location which is again 1,600 ft from the ocean.  The lighthouse keeper's house was also moved. It really is a beautiful structure and no, we did not climb the 256 narrow, winding steps to the top.
Then it was back on the road to catch the ferry from Hatteras to Orcacork Island where we are spending the night. We lucked out with the ferry since it runs every 1/2 hour and we only had to wait 15 minutes. Last weekend, the wait was about 3 hours. There is no bridge to Ocracoke Island so ferry is the only way to get there. This ferry is a 40 minute trip. The bottom picture is of a ferry like the one we were on as it passed us right after we left the dock. We were going out and it was coming into the dock. There were about 30 vehicles on the ferry and everyone in line did not get on so they had to wait for the next one. They told us that a squall line was coming in and sure enough, it started raining before we left the dock.  At times it was just a light rain and at time it just poured.  However, I was surprised that there was no wind so it was a pretty smooth crossing. The ferry we take in the morning over to the mainland is a 2.5 hour trip.

 




The trip begins

Even though we spent about 5.5 hours in the plane today between 2 flights, it all went pretty well.  We flew from Tucson to Chicago Midway, changed planes and then came on to Norfolk, VA.  Both flights were completely full but Southwest Airlines was on time all the way through. A little bumpy at times but not bad. I brought Gertrude/Matthew (Garmin) but the SUV we rented has a GPS system in it so will use it.  "She" will get a name tomorrow since we couldn't think of one today during the 4 miles between the airport and hotel. Her voice is a little breathy but want to hear her say "recalculating" before she is named. However, it is a different voice from what I have heard in other GPS systems.

Here are my 2 travel mates for the next 11 days. On the left is Jane and Nancy is on the right. We have been planning this trip for 6 months and are finally here. I'm the driver, Nancy is the co-pilot and Jane is riding shotgun in the back seat and watching the maps.

Above: Nancy and Jane standing on the balcony at the hotel we are staying in tonight.

Below: We went to the Ship's Cabin, a local restaurant for dinner. This is the view from the patio where we had dinner. By the time we
were done eating, it was dark and an approaching thunderstorm provided quite a lightening show. We dlove the

 

Lizard Score: Morris 1 Darlene 5

Morris finally got to keep one of the lizards he works so hard for today. He spends hours in the entry being the "lizard whisper" and as soon as one comes in through the slightest crack, he grabs them. I though I have every crack sealed up but apparently I missed one.  I was at the desk this morning and heard a familiar noise in the hall just outside the office which is his "holding area". I went to look just as the tail was disappearing.  I don't think he played with it very much this time.  The last time he caught one, he moved it as soon as he saw me coming with my "lizard box" so I think he has caught on. I don't know which is worse - him eating it or me having to catch it.  However, I know it isn't good for him to eat them so I suffer through and grit my teach in an effort to rescue it.  Tomorrow I will be trying to find the crack I missed and seal it up.
This picture is of us sitting in the recliner with him using my leg as a pillow. He always did this with Larry in the evenings while we were watching TV and has just recently starting doing it with me. Another phase of my training he can check off his list......

I don't get it....

All I want to do is enroll in our local community college, take some classes and eventually get my Associates degree in Accounting. But they don't make it easy...  Before I can even enroll, I must take assessment/placement tests in Reading, Writing and Math.  I must score at a certain level or I will have to take remedial classes before I can take "real classes". What is so stupid is that all 42 of my credits from the community college in Denver that I attended in 1975-76 have been accepted with a 3.44 GPA.  I only need 8 more credit hours to get my degree. But no.... all that doesn't prove that I can read, write and do math. They have accepted every one of my accounting credits even though that was back when we did accounting by hand on paper and not on the computer. So today I went out and took the assessment/placement tests. I did very good on writing and squeaked by with enough math for accounting.  Let's face it, I haven't used much algebra or mixed fractions since I took them in high school which was 50 years ago. But....I missed the reading by 4 points!  Seems that what I though the author of a paragraph was trying to say wasn't the point that HE intented to make.  Bottom line, I won't have to take "remedial reading" for the few classes that I still need.  However, I can take the reading test again and see if I can bring my score up so it won't be a mark on my record. Even though I don't need any more accounting classes, I am going to take many of them again. A lot has changed in accounting over the last 36 years including doing away with paper & pencil spread sheets. But it's nice to know I don't have to take them again if I don't want to. Human Resources is a class that I do have to take and that should be really interesting.  Many of the instructors have never been in the "real world" so only know the way it is supposed to be which is not the same thing. I'm looking forward to starting classes in January. It will give me something to do, challenge my brain and get me out of the house.

Emotional doctor's appt.

Today was an incredibly emotional day for me!  For some background.... I have to have my labs done every 6 months - partly because I'm on cholesterol medicine and partly because I only have one kidney.  I had my labs done on Aug 31st and got a phone call the next day in which the doctor said my kidney function was a little low and asked if I was seeing a nephrologist (kidney doctor) since I donated the kidney to Larry back in 2008. I told him "no" that Dr W (I won't use his full name), who was Larry's doctor always kept an eye on my labs but I wasn't officially a patient. I went back in for some more lab work and  then he said he wanted to refer me to Dr. W. for follow-up.  Well...not what I wanted to hear.  I always get copies of my labs when I have them done so I pulled them out and started looking at values.  Needless to say, I know a thing or two about what labs look like for someone who has kidney failure and my labs didn't look bad at all in my opinion. I made the appointment with Dr W. and this morning was it. I wasn't too worried that there was a problem, I was much more concerned about the emotional impact. Larry went to Dr. W for 6 1/2 years - the whole time Larry was in Tucson. I have gone with him to every appointment for the last 3 1/2 of those years. Sometimes those appointments were monthly and then tapered to quarterly. Over the years, Dr. W. became more than just a doctor - he had become a good friend who fought for me to be able to donate and then was there for us when Larry got sick last November. He came to Larry's hospital room last Thanksgiving and spent 2 hours with us - just talking and supporting us. He was there for me when I had to make the decision on hospice. Knowing me, he asked that the hospice doctor not totally cut off all drugs so Larry would not reject the kidney which he knew would be very hard for me to deal with. I've received several emails from Dr. W since Larry died just to see how I am doing.  So....to walk into his office this morning and see him for the first time since the hospital was incredibly hard and emotional. Just the sound of his voice before I was called back brought tears to my eyes.  At least I was put in a different exam room than Larry was usually in. While waiting on him to come into the room, I looked over at the empty chair beside me and it was more tears. Dr. W. said that  last night he saw my name on the appointment list for today and thought "oh no...". But it was just a precaution and he assured me that although my labs are a little out-of-whack, they are o.k. considering I only have one kidney.  That was also my conclusion.  We talked about what things I can do to "be nice to my kidney" and what 2 or 3 things to watch for.  He also added one more test to the labs I have done ever 6 months.  Then we talked about Larry, what happened, Dr. W's family, etc. He was always interested in the trips that Larry and I took so he wanted to know if I had done any traveling.  It was so good to see someone again who had become a dear friend over the years. His comment was "you really don't need to come back to me for follow up but don't hesitate to make an appt any time you want to".  He also confirmed that I still had his cell phone number if I needed anything. I used that number more than once when Larry was sick and he always called me back - sometime to just reassure me that the doctors were on the right track. So.....today has been tough and I feel like a large scab was pulled off my emotional healing and I'm raw again. But I know that by taking it One Day At A Time, I'll get back on track.

I'm bored....

Periodically Morris will get up on top of the printer, like he is here, and study the collage of my pictures on the wall.  I have three collage pictures framed and on the wall but this one seems to be his favorite. Maybe he is admiring himself....

I am so bored.... Somewhere along the way, I never learned how to just putz around, doing not much and be happy. I need to be busy, have a list, get things done and accomplished - much like working...  Larry could spend all day busy doing nothing and be perfectly content. Not me!  I can't wait until I start school in January.  In the meantime, some friends and I leave on Sept 28th for a 11 day trip to the east coast and I have a trip up to Oregon planned.  That leave lots of days with nothing to do.  So....I have increased my work with the Home Owners Association and will be taking a few 1/2 day classes on various topics. With Larry gone, my interest in genealogy isn't as strong as it was but will get back into it to finish up a lot of project and maybe that will help. It is really, really hard to "make a new life" after you loose your husband/partner/best friend. As I have said many times, the evenings don't bother me - it's the days that are so hard for me to get used to. Maybe part of it is that I worked from home for so many years and had a routine of getting up, getting ready, fixing breakfast and then going to the home office. We would go out to lunch at noon and then back to the office for the afternoon of work. That is my pattern still without Larry but there isn't enough to fill up the time in the office. I think it will be better when the weather cools down and I can get out with the camera during the day or go for walks outside.  Part of my boredom is "cabin fever" from being inside all the time due to the heat outside. Somehow, I will get it resolved and in the meantime, it's One Day At A Time.

Larry's Courtyard

Our house has a courtyard in back of the house with high walls on 2 sides and a low wall that overlooks the golf course. When we first moved in, 6 years ago, there were tall shrubs and other overgrown vegetation that completely obstructed the view of the golf course. Larry spend months of weekends (he was still working then)  cutting and digging everything out before we replanted it with desert landscaping.  He would spend hours puttering around in the courtyard, spraying for weeds that could come up between the brick and washing the bricks down with a hose. I would do the trimming of the plants and then he would cut them up so the pieces would fit in a trash bag. This picture was taken in 2007 and was repeated many times over the years - sitting out in the courtyard with the Sunday paper, a cup of coffee and golfers going by.  Since the 18th tee box was just the other side of the low wall, the golfers would stop and chat which interrupted the reading.  Morris would be inside on the top of his "tree house" (cat condo) where he could watch his buddy outside. Not just on Sunday, but during the week in the afternoons, he would take a book and go out on the patio.  It was his place....  I enjoyed it to but most of the year it was too hot for me out there. Anyway, there are 3 plants along the courtyards border that if not kept trimmed will become too big for the space and Larry always reminded me when it was time to trim them.   However, this year, the plants completely got away from me and it became an overgrown jungle. I asked the landscapers who do our front yards if they would trim the bushes back.  They came over last Thursday after their regular work and cut them back.  I was out there with them and realized that I have spent very little time out in the courtyard since Larry has been gone. I haven't gone out there to do any gardening, blow off the leaves, clean the chair cushions or anything this year. So.......this morning I was out there around 6 a.m., before it got too hot, with the leaf blower which I had never used before.  That was interesting....  Next was unrolling the hose and spraying everything down including cleaning the chair cushions.  Spraying for weeks will have to wait until tomorrow... It looks so much better!!!!! Maybe I can get back to going out there this fall and enjoying it like we did before.  "One Day At A Time".

Cookies

A baker I'm not!  My friends and I have had lots of discussions over the recipes in the cookbook I recently did for my sister-in-law.  However, I don't think any were talked about as much as the "Cookies from Cake Mix" recipe. How weird is taking a box of dry cake mix (any flavor) and mixing it with a tub of Cool Whip and 1 egg before baking it? Curiosity got the best of me and I made the cookies yesterday using Devils Food Cake mix. I also added some pecans.  Then during dinner at Culver's with some friends, we taste tested the cookies with their Vanilla Custard. The cookies are really moist and good. We all gave then an A+....  I gave most of them away so I wouldn't be tempted to eat them all but kept a few for myself.  I tried one today and it was still really, really moist. Another friend suggested that several of us get together this winter and each bring a recipe from the cookbook. The recipes have brought back a lot of childhood memories for the people who have read it of foods they mother or someone in the family used to make.

P.S.  Lizard count for the summer is now Morris 0  - Darlene 5.  This morning he knew what was up when he saw the "lizard box" and it took a looooong time for him to set it down so I could capture it. Poor Morris...he does all the work and doesn't get to enjoy it...

Happy Lizard. Mad Morris.

Morris was out in the entry this morning while I was in the kitchen watering plants.  I came out into the entry about the same time that Morris came in from the entry. I could see a tail hanging out of one side of his mouth and 2 feet hanging out of the other side of his mouth. NOT AGAIN!!!!!!  I rush back into the pantry and grab the "Lizard Box" which is a clear, plastic shoebox.  At this point there are 2 musts - keep him out of the office and keep him away from the sofa. The entry is white tile and that is a good spot for us all to be in. However, he keeps edging toward the hall to the office and I keep heading him off and herding him back to the entry.  He finally drops the small lizard and I make a move with the box but Morris is faster than I am so the lizard is back in the mouth. By now he knows what's up so gets behind a large planter in the entry where there isn't room to get the lizard box into.  I know that Morris will eventually set it down so I just have to be patient and keep him in the entry. After carrying it around awhile, he sets it down and BAM - the Lizard Box hits the tile and capture is complete. I pick up Morris and toss him in the office and shut the door because I don't need his distraction.  The next step is to carefully raise one end of the box while sliding a piece of cardboard under the box and nudging the lizard until it crawls up on the cardboard.  Then it a matter of carefully picking up the Lizard Box along with the cardboard, opening the screen door and letting it go to hopefully live another day. I let Morris out of the office and by now he is royally mad at me and is trying to find his trophy. He then proceeds to go out in the garage, lays down under the car and won't have anything to do with me for the next 6 hours. But alas, an empty food dish prompted him to forgive me...

Gertrude, Jack or Matthew

As you may remember from past posts, Gertrude, my Garmin GPS, drives me crazy with her voice. She is rude, curt, bossy, and generally unpleasant. When she says "recalculating" I hear "how stupid can you be".  It only took my friends about an hour of listening to her before they were talking back to her when we started on the trip last Sunday. Thrilled that it wasn't just me,  I changed to Jack who has an Australian accent.  He was nice but by the time we figured out what he was telling me to do, I had missed the exit or turn. So back to Gertrude who did a wonderful job of getting us around San Diego to where we wanted to go but it was not without a lot of fussing at her. Yesterday, we had had enough and tried Lee who was an American male.  Such a nice man with a slight east coast accent.....  However, his voice is not a "Lee" and after much discussion, we finally named him Matthew after Matthew McConaughey. 8-) I think I'll keep him around for awhile and see how he does on the trip to the east coast next month.  And the best thing? When he says "recalculating", the tone is slightly apologetic as it was partly his fault...

Last day in San Diego

Today is our last day here in San Diego since we head home in the morning. It has been a fun 4 days although the weather has been warmer than usual and certainly warmer than we were wishing for. Today was busy...  We started the day by going to the Mission San Diego, founded in 1769 and is the oldest of the 21 Missions in California. It is also another one of the Missions that Larry's 8th great-grandfather was involved with back when California was part of Mexico and owned by Spain.

The mission is still an active church and in fact, there was a funeral mass being held there this morning so we didn't get to stay in the church area very long. I was surprised at how plain the alter area is in the church compared to some of the other Missions I have seen.  This is the front of the church.  As has become a habit, I lit a candle for Larry while in the church.  Kinda feels like a nice thing to do considering his connection to the Missions.
After the Mission, we went up to Rancho Bernardo and spent some time at the Bernardo Winery browsing through the shops, having lunch and finishing up with some wine tasting.
Next was a visit to Balboa Park to see the Japanese Garden which was a disappointment so we didn't stay long.
In doing research for the trip, I researched the places in San Diego that have been featured on Food Network's Diners, Drive-In's and Dives. Hodad's is a hamburger joint - definitely in the "dives" category - but the burgers are incredible.