NSRA Car Show Louisville, Kentucky

We left at 7:00 this morning - pulling the trailer with our car - Frank driving his car and Donnie and Gail Powell driving their car.  
Missing Leslie - everything was more fun with her - she amazed us with her ability to really enjoy life when she was so very sick.  She made everything better for us.  I know it must be extremely hard for Frank.

A good trip - rained the last hour.  We really like coming to this car show because they have sites for Motorhomes - really nice to stay there and not have to fight the traffic.

This is such a huge place with over 12,000 cars registered for the show.  Don't think we saw all of them?  Thursday we all had dinner at Joe's Crab Shack on the river - we were there last year with Leslie.  The food was not as good this year.

Friday - we spent the day at the car show - Gail and I took a bus trip to a small town for shopping - not a very interesting trip.  We drove across the river to Indiana and had dinner at Buckhead - we were disappointed in the ribs - guess that's not their specialty.  We drove around Old Town - very interesting - magnificent old houses and churches.

Saturday - I spent the day in the Motorhome - just relaxing - didn't feel so great so it was nice to have a quiet day.  We went out to dinner across the river again - nice evening.

We left at 8:00 AM.  Frank's car had a minor problem - had to make a short stop.  We were ahead of them when they called to let us know they stopped.  We lost phone reception - not unusual in the mountains - so somehow they got in front of us while we were waiting on them!  We backtracked looking for them - what a day!
But we all got home safely - just a long trip - home about 6:00.

Good to go - Good to come home.

Planning a Road Trip - Again

I do love to travel - see new things, meet new people. My traveling brother and I are planning another "Great American Road Trip". Can't talk hubby into going - he's not much of a traveler - he would rather fish or hunt or such. Thank goodness I have a traveling brother. Planning and thinking about the trip is part of the fun. You should see our list! About 9,000 miles (we think)! I can hardly wait.

A New Year

A new year always brings memories, hopes and fears.
I have a hard time believing it is 2010.

Married in 1965 (we were both 18)
Husband in Vietnam 1967-68
Son born in 1970
Daddy died in 1977
Son born in 1980
Nephew died in 1986
Mom died in 1993
Son married in 1995
Grandson born in 1996
Grandson born in 1997
Son graduated from NC State in 2003
Son married in 2005
Grandson born in 2008

The good and the bad.
The easy and the hard.

Life.

Sleeping Baby

Little J is spending the night with us. There is something so special about having a sleeping baby in the house. He's really not a baby anymore - he's a toddler. He is such a sweet little boy.

We took him to dinner at KandW - he ate fried okra, bread, fish, potatoes, cantalope, honeydew and cookies.

We came home and watched about 30 minutes of "Happy Feet". He was tires so it was pj time then off to bed.

A great way to start a new year.

Missing Domino

Our wonderful Border Collie, Domino, got run over and killed a few weeks ago. Ken and I are both so sad. Domino was the first house dog we have ever had. He really became part of our family - I didn't know I could love a dog so much. He was so smart - I really believe he knew what we were thinking. I don't think I ever want to let a dog get that close again. It is hard to believe he's gone. Dale and Tristan were upset, but not quite so much. They weren't around Domino as much as Ken and I were.

We had decided we did not want to get another dog for a while. Just needed some time to miss Domino and decide if we wanted to get another one. One week after Domino died, Ken's nephew showed up at our house with a Beagle puppy. The puppy came to his house a couple of weeks ago - collar, but no tags. Larry tried to find where he belonged, but no one seemed to know. Of course we fell in love with him - who can resist a Beagle puppy. Ken named him Bodacious - Bo. He is full of energy. Dale, Tristan and Jeremiah all love him. Becky grew up with a Beagle at here house so she sort of likes him, too. He is very different from Domino - which is probably a good thing. So we have a dog - and the guys have a "shop dog". He goes down with Ken every morning and they all pet him.

I love the change of seasons. Seems I'm always ready for the next one. Our weather has been perfect for a few days. Cool. I kept Jeremiah for a few hours today - he is 14 months old - and having so much fun - learning something new every minute. We took a long walk - didn't ride the Gator today - only because he didn't see it. He thinks it is his - he sees it - he wants to ride it.

The Way It Was

I'm thinking about how it used to be. Does that mean I'm getting old? Or just that life really was innocent and good when I grew up?

Hard work in tobacco fields.

Delicious meals cooked by Mom, no matter how busy she was.

Fresh strawberries raised close to our house.

Picking wild blackberries - eating the pies Mom made.

Playing with my cousins til dark - catching lightning bugs in jars.

Knowing without a doubt that I was loved.

Three brothers - one who loved to torture us with his temper, one who was the peacemaker, and one who was the baby of the family - more than a little spoiled.

My mom made the best yeast rolls I've ever tasted - and she made them often.

Christmas = tangerines, oranges, apples, candy as well as toys. I still remember Christmas when I smell a tangerine.

Lewis Miller's store - going there on rainy days when my dad couldn't work.

My mom on her Ford tractor.

First trip to the beach - the ocean was so big and so loud!

Things we didn't have and I didn't miss: Cell phones, Ipods, huge tv's, malls, computers (I am glad we have them now). Seems like we had more time.

Remembering Vietnam...

I never know what triggers the memories. Memories of my 20 year old husband leaving for Vietnam. Memories of him returning home wounded in his body and soul. Struggling to return to his life - our life. His nightmares. His injuries. His courage. He never complained, he just put his mind to living his life. He has never talked about Vietnam except a few times with others who were there. It is hard to believe how young we were and how hard it was. He is good and brave and strong. I think the hardest part for him was having so many friends who didn't come home. I think of them often - I can only imagine how often he thinks of them. I didn't know them, but they touched my life - they gave their lives for our freedom. I hope each of us will say "Thank you" to the next soldier we meet.

Mother's Day

A wonderful day! Jeremiah was dedicated this morning - surrounded by family and friends. We had lunch with Josh and Becky - her parents, grandparents and brother were there as well as Perry. I wish Dale and Tristan could have been there, but they were with their Mom.

Josh cooked burgers and hot dogs on the grill. Lots of good food.

Perry's birthday is today - he was born on Mother's Day. I baked a pound cake - especially for him.

Jeremiah was so cute today - and funny. We all laughed so hard. He has a toy that he can hold on to and walk. He must have made 20 laps through the house. He is so thrilled with walking.I know his legs are tired tonight.

We have had so much rain! Good for the garden and grass. Everything is green.

We have Romaine Lettuce, Iceberg Lettuce, Radishes and Spinach ready to eat - delicious.

Becky &I picked strawberries recently. I made jam and froze the rest of the berries.

Becky made this mother's day card for me.

Visit to the Amish Store in Yadkin County

Becky, Jeremiah and I took a ride in the country to Shiloh General Store in Hamptonville this afternoon. We had wonderful sandwiches for lunch. They make sandwiches to order - they were really good. It was a little too cool to eat ouside at the picnic tables so we had our picnic in the car. Jeremiah enjoyed looking at everything and smiling at all the people.

We bought homemade bread, cheese, chow chow, raspberry jam, all natural pasta, seasoning meat, navy beans and lots of other stuff. Best of all we got some dried apple fried pies! almost as good as the ones my mom used to make. Oh, and lest I forget - two kinds of fudge.

We talked to one of the young women who worked in the store. She said the Amish only go to school through the eighth grade. We passed a school on the way there - they have their own schools. There were several horses and buggies there. She said there are over thirty families in their community.

Seestah George called today - they're having a wonderful time at Settler's Crossing Bed and Breakfast in Texas. A family vacation.

A cloudy, rainy, cool day. A good day.

EASTER

Easter Sunday... brings lots of memories of childhood Easters.

Church - Easter egg hunts - new clothes - family dinners - Mom and Dad - spring.

Easter doesn't seem to be celebrated as much as it used to be - or as much as it should be.

For us as Christians, this should be our most celebrated holiday. Maybe the best celebration is simply the acknowledgement in our own heart and mind that Easter marks the resurrection or our Lord Jesus Christ.

Our Easter was quiet - Josh, Becky and Jeremiah came by for a while when they got home from Raleigh. Jeremiah looked so cute in his Easter outfit. Perry came while they were here. Dale and Tristan were with Amber. We'll see them in a few days.

Ken and I went to Lowe's to buy flowers for the yard. He bought three fruit trees and planted them this afternoon. Flowers and trees = new life - seems appropriate for Easter.

We checked the garden - watching the plants grow. I think we'll plant some more in a week or so. It's good to be home. Today was a very good day.

Home from Las Vegas

A wonderful few days in Las Vegas.
Spent time with Zac, Debra and Ember.  
Lost a little money at the casinos.
Ate the best meal ever at Fiesta Casino - I think it is in Henderson - a few miles from Vegas.
Today was a long day - got up at 3:30 AM Vegas time - flight left at 6:00 AM.  Good flight to Atlanta - flight from Atlanta to Charlotte was delayed almost an hour.  Ken picked me up about 4:00 PM Eastern Time.  
It's good to be home.  I may not want to travel for a couple of weeks.
Tomorrow is Easter - new beginnings.  Life eternal.  Spring.  Flowers.  Eggs.  Family.

Las Vegas - a new baby in the family

Las Vegas is so beautiful.  We're on the 20th floor of the Sahara - with a spectacular view of the mountains.  The sunset behind the mountains is so beautiful.

Lester and I flew from Charlotte to Dallas then on to Las Vegas yesterday.

We had lunch with Zac and Debra and met little December Siouxsie Diane Carter!!  A big name for a beautiful little girl.  She seems so little to us because our 

babies were so much bigger.  She is such a sweet baby.

Zac is always fun - he is a born entertainer!  Seems like such a short time ago that he, Zeb, Zane and Josh were little boys.  Now Zac has two little girls and Josh has a little boy.

Jeremiah has been sick for a week - not sleeping well, runny nose, coughing.  Becky took him to the doctor Monday and they gave her an inhaler to use on him.  He is breathing too fast and they're concerned about his lungs working efficiently.  He goes back to the doctor on Monday. We're praying that it is just a temporary viral thing and he'll be all well by Monday.  Looks like he's having fun playing in the basket!

Josh called tonight - Ken ate dinner with them.  I'm sure he enjoyed that.  I talked to him earlier today - all is well at home.  He assured me that he covered up our vegetable garden last night so they didn't freeze. 

Of course, I've lost some money in the casino.  I don't lose much only because I don't risk much.  I just look at it as a form of entertainment.  I like Blackjack and wish I knew enough to play Texas Hold 'Em.  Lester is actually winning!

The economy here is hurting - maybe more than most of the country.  The rate of home foreclosures is unbelievably high.  We talked to a man today who said his house was valued at over $300,000 a year ago and now he can't get $150,000 for it.  

I think that the high percentage of people in this country who have lived above their means for the past 20 to 30 years - bought houses and cars they couldn't pay for and ran up tens of thousands of dollars on credit cards - are the major cause of the economic mess we're in.  The sad part is that many people did what they were supposed to - lived within their means, paid their debts and saved money - and unfortunately they are the ones who are suffering through no fault of their own.  My sermon for the day.  I'm afraid our country has changed to the point of being unrecognizable as the America we loved.

A Beautiful Family Day

The best days are really the simplest ones.   The weather was perfect today - feels like spring might be here.  

We cooked on the grill and ate on the patio.  Little J enjoyed the swing, the hammock and all the attention he got.

Josh, Becky and Little J, Perry, Dale and Tristan and Lester were all here.  After we ate, we just sat and talked and enjoyed the day while Jeremiah took a nap.  It's fun to see Dale and Tristan with him. 

Becky and I checked our garden.  Several of the plants are up and growing.  Ken is building a wire cover to keep the critters from eating our "square foot garden".  

We even had fresh strawberry cake!  Can't get much better than that.

Monsoon Season

I'm beginning to think we're having our very own monsoon season.  Rain every day.  Our garden is beginning to look like a rice paddy!

Quilting, laundry, cooking, cleaning, knitting, reading - life is full.

Dale and Tristan spent the night with us last night. Grandsons are very special.

Little J is coming tomorrow morning to stay with me for a few hours.   Check out the little worker - he removed the handle from the recliner.  And his most exciting endeaver is "standing" - anytime anywhere.

Ken and I are really enjoying "Dancing with the Stars" and "American Idol" this year.

Lots of talent.  I think American Idol has the best talent ever.

I talked to Seestah George last night - it's rainy in Georgia, too.  I sure do miss her.  Lorraine has given our friendship (Seestah, Lorraine and Me) the very fitting title of "Sistership".  That's us.

Lorraine called yesterday to tell me that she and Jim went to the mountains this past weekend and they really love the bedroom and bath that we painted.  Jim's word was "awesome".  

We have reservations for Las Vegas - leaving Tuesday.  !!!

Knit Wits

Knitting with good friends is a great part of my life.  Several of us have been knitting together for several years.  Every Monday night.  We meet at Panera these days - great place to relax, eat, drink, knit and have fun.  

What a group we are: 

Emily who knits but is never quite sure just what she is knitting.  Her projects tend to morph from one thing to another as she knits.  

Tina who makes spreadsheets of her knitting patterns so she has exact, precise instructions for every row!  

Madame Adams who tries to keep us all going in the right direction.  Good luck!

Tracy - our newest knitter.  She considers herself a real knitter now that she oohs and ahhs over the softness of alpaca.

Pam who gets here when she can.  She's the keeper of the cats!

Lisa who is on leave from us right now - think she may be doing something important.

Sharon - one of original knitters who moved away - how could she?  She's the knitter whose stitches are so tight it hurts the needles!  We miss her.

And then there's me...the knitter with numerous projects going at the same time.  This week I knitted two balls for J and now I'm knitting "Sackboy" just because he's so cute.  

There is something really special about spending time with good friends sharing a love for knitting and just having fun.

Square Foot Gardening

After raining all week, the sun finally shone part of the day.  

Ken built another "square foot garden" box for Becky and me!

He and I went to Lowe's and bought the peat moss, compost and vermiculite.

Josh, Becky and Jeremiah came over midafternoon so Becky could help with the planting.

Jeremiah now has a swing hanging in a tree near the garden - I think he likes it!

Perry, Dale and Tristan came for a while.  Jeremiah had lots of fun with them.

I sure hope our vegetables come up!  Can't wait til time to plant okra, squash, cucumbers and tomatoes.  

It's a really good thing when I've spent the day with Ken, Perry, Dale, Tristan, Josh, Becky and Jeremiah.  Doesn't get much better than that.  A very good day.

Triple Coupons - Having fun yet?

I really do hate grocery shopping ... always have.  

But triple coupons are just too good to refuse.  Don't you love triple coupons?

There are so many other things I would rather be doing than searching the aisles of the grocery store for the bargains.  

I knitted a round ball for J last night - and a football tonight.  Domino seems to think they belong to him so I'll have to keep them out of his reach.

Rainy today and cool.  I guess the rain is good for the garden.  Not so sure about the cool!

Watched American Idol last night and tonight.  This is by far the most talented group they've ever had.  It's one of the few things on tv that I really enjoy.  I do like DVR - nice to be able to skip all those commercials.

A good day.

Vegetable Gardening with Jeremiah

Becky, Jeremiah and I planted vegetables today!

Our "square foot garden" is really cool.  If only I could talk Ken into building some more of the frames.  We planted the "square foot garden" and then some in the other garden.

We planted broccoli, lettuce, cabbage, peppers, radishes, carrots, cauliflower - those are the ones I remember.  

Jeremiah was so good.  He played on a quilt and ate a little grass and a few leaves.  He spent the lunch hour in the shop with Ken and the guys.  They said he ate a little chocolate (NOT!)  Becky took him home about 3:30 and I worked til 4:30.  I'm tired.

It is exciting to have a daughter(in-law) to work in the garden with me.  Can't wait til we get those fresh veggies.

A good day.

Too Many Things I Love to Do

I started a new baby quilt.

Started a new string quilt.

Don't even ask how many knitting projects I have going.

I knitted an ear of corn and a pumpkin for Jeremiah.

I'm making an upholstered bench seat for Josh and Becky's hearth - so J won't hurt his head!!

Stained glass project in the works.

Breakfast with Lorraine and Lester at Cracker Barrel this morning.

I bought a Wii today - in the hopes that I'll use the Wii Fit...

Weather is beautiful, so I bought some flowers to plant!

And of course, we're planning a vegetable garden...

Dale is going fishing with Ken tomorrow - getting up at 4:00 AM - glad I'm not going.

In the midst of all this, I did cook dinner - even made cornbread and blueberry muffins!

Why in the world was Obama on the Jay Leno show last night??  

Life is busy, life is good.

Day 16 - HOME

Took pictures of the only full size replica of the Parthenon in Nashville.  Hit the rode on to Knoxville, then Pigeon Forge, Gatlinburg and Cherokee.  Very quiet on a Monday in January.

Some snow on the ground coming across the Great Smokies - icicles on the mountains.  Roads were clear.  We stopped at Great Smokey Mountain Knife Works - a huge store.  They sell much more than knives.  Really nice store - beautiful waterfall inside.  Home at 6:30 PM.  

It's hard to believe that in 16 days we only had one rainy day and one foggy morning.  The weather in the western part of the country was wonderful - warm and sunny.  Coming home was cold, but no rain or snow.  

Trip of a lifetime!  6,273 miles in 12 on the road - we spent two days in San Diego and three days in Las Vegas for a total of 16 days.

Time to start thinking about our next trip!