What's happening now!?!

As you can tell I haven't written lately. Between doctors' visits and going to the pharmacy, I've become a volunteer at Saint Agnes Medical Center (SAMC). I go twice a month for 2 hrs; my jobs are Patient Escort and Volunteer Chaplain. I really enjoy SAMC and getting to work with people in a new and REWARDING way.

My camera crashed and just today I ordered another with Scott and Sam's helpful advise. I ordered a Nikon that has more features than my old Olympus. I hope to have to pictures to share next time.

My greatest joy was having Sam, Cody, Heather, Sammy, Sarah, Lauren, Lindsey and Scott come and spend the night. They came to see Mom and let her have her first experience with Sammy. She was overjoyed! Talked about it for days. Larry, Donna, Carolina and Emily came over after everyone visited Mom. We shared food, conversation and laughter as we opened gifts and exchanges newsy gossip.

Mary Lou is much improved and unfortunately is facing another surgery; this time her left shoulder. The good news is that it's a same day experience with hopefully a quick recovery. She's looking forward to going to several operas vis simulcast from the Metropolitian in our local theater. She's wondering if she can endure Tristan and Isolde which is 5+ hours.

Latest Adventures

The last few months have been occupied with helping Mary Lou recover from her recent knee replacement surgery. She soon will be a bionic woman with 2 knees and 2 elbows worked on.

On the lighter side, my friend & former collegue, Dori DeJoseph, went with me to North Carolina to visit. We both have relatives there we went to visit. Our first stop was the Biltmore Estate in Asheville. This majestic manor is to the east coast what Hearst Castle is to the west coast. The estate overwhelming both in size and detail.

Next up was a drive down the Blue Ridge Parkway; we say wild turkeys. We went thru Blowing Rock where author, Jan Karon, lives. We visited Lee-McCray College where Dori's mother went in 1930; it was homecoming week there and we felt it. The highlight of our trip was little, Sammy's baptism. All the grandparents were present as well as aunts and uncles.
Just before returning, we visited Old Salem, Furnitureland South and the Billy Graham library. The visit to Furnitureland was unbelievable considering it's a million square foot show room. This photo shows the 4 story high chest which marks the entry. We lost each other only to reunite at the car. Old Salem featured artisans in period dress making all sorts of things by hand in the various shops. The Billy Graham library visit was truly serendipitous but very well done. It's a multimedia presentation of his life and work with a strong emphasis on the message instead of the man.





































We both came home feeling recharged and enriched from visiting family and reconnecting.

Tag I'm it...

The Rules:1. I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.2. Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.3. People who are tagged need to write their own blog (about their eight things) and post these rules.4. At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.5. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

Here goes: 1. I'm happy I was included in this. 2. ML is having her knee replaced on the 29th & I can't wait. 3. I'm reminded Heather of my great grandmother who had 5 husbands and out lived them all; she lived from about 1850 to 1920. She raised all her kids while cooking in the fireplace. 4. I've volunteered at Saint Agnes Hospital to give patients support, etc. 5. I've joined a book club and discussion group. 6. I'm helping plan a reunion for our prayer group which started 33 years ago. 7. I'm excited about classical music and opera having attended a workshop for 2 weeks last month. It's all new to me but I'm learning to understand it which enhances my enjoyment. 8. I'm planning to go to San Francisco to see an art and sculpture exhibit by Matisse.

Sorry re. adding others I don't know anyone else that blogs.

Bishop trip part 2

I'm still not real sharp on this posting process since it cut me off saying I'd used too much space. To continue our saga, we explored the Mammoth area; here's some pictures.

Mammoth ski area
Devils Post Pile
Silver Lake

The night before we left Bishop the ducks in the park; hatched 8 duckings - 5 yellow & 3 black ones.

Bishop Trip

Wow what a start to our trip! A hose to the turbo charger blew off and nearly scared me to death. After a hot windy 3 hour wait, the tow truck showed but and the man fixed it for us. It blew off 3 more times before we reached the summit out of Bakersfield. We made it to Red Rock State Park for the night.

We made it to Bishop the next day and stayed there for 2 weeks; exploring the area and going to Mule Days. Mule Days was a blast and an education for us non-mule people. There was a parade, art show, all kinds of events and live bands daily. Here's a few pictures.

Here are some of the races during the competitions.











Since I have nearly 170 pictures, I like these the best of the nearby areas.




South Lake






Rock Creek Lake

Twin Lakes





I've run out of space on this post; more later.

In preparation for our trip to Mule Days in Bishop, I went to the Clovis Rodeo for the first time in ages. It was 98 degrees Friday but the sun soon went down. I've been working on my photography with the help of my friend, Duane, in Bakersfield. Here's my best shot of the action. I'm trying to learn Photoshop but there's so many things it can do; I'm a bit overwhelmed.

These little cowboys were so cute I couldn't resist taking their picture. They all rode later in the Mutton Busting contest and were in the best dressed cowboy & cowgirl competition. The one in the white hat won the mutton busting run.

Since it was so hot MaryLou opted to stay home in the shade. This is a friend of mine, Dori, who wasn't prepared to have her picture taken. We used to work together at county mental health; she's still there struggling with all the changes. She's never been to a rodeo before and said she enjoyed it.

Mule Days will be like a rodeo but more toward an auction and chuck wagon races. There will be a western art show, crafts and of course, lots of food vendors.

Spring events

Our most recent trip took us to San Luis Creek campground behind the San Luis fore bay. Is was where our dogs discovered cottontail rabbits & enjoyed chasing them. I rode my bike over to the San Joaquin Valley National Cemetery & was shocked to discover over 30,000 people were buried there. It was a very dramatic place with the Korean War memorial there, too. We went to one of our favorite beached at Moss Landing where the dogs ran on the beach & we had a great fish dinner.

Closer to home, Mom celebrated her 91st birthday by coming over to my house & having strawberries & ice cream with Larry, Donna & Carolyn joining us. We sat outside enjoying a soft breeze. Our flowers are beginning to bloom and our peach tree has tiny peaches already.

Last week our black standard poodle was bitten at the dog park and had to have 6 staples to close the wound...traumatic. He has to wear a tee shirt to keep him from licking it.

Happy Easter with all my love to you all!

February events

Our trip to San Simeon state park was great except for the hard rain one night. We saw a great blue heron, quail, hawks, rabbits, elephant seals and unfortunately for the dogs lots of ticks.

We went to see the second Tour of California bike race. Last year they zoomed by in 8 seconds; this year was no different. I could only get 2 pictures of the riders. We visited the official finish line but didn't stay for the finish due to the huge crowd & impeding rain.

The other big event around here this month was that Mom got her new leg. She's already walked forward & backward with it and is gaining strength. Here's two pictures.

She'll be 91 March 26 & we're hoping she'll be strong enough to be able to get into one of our cars & go out for a party.

RV trip

My first trip this year was to Bullhead City, Az to check out the Colorado river area. We used BHC as a base and explored the area as far south as Lake Havasu City with London Bridge; east to Oatman for an old west shoot out; north to Lake Mojave and west to Laughlin with it's classic car collection. We were looking for sun but found cold and wind; it even snowed in Needles the day we left.