How gross and disgusting is this? This is what Martha (Stewart, of course) considers to be a "good thing." This is her idea of a clever and attractive Halloween wreath. Fake snakes wrapped around a grapevine. The woman is sick, very sick. Poor Fred if he ever saw this--
Monday, September 27, 2010
leaves 022
There's peace in my home. That's Chances, pleased because she got to spread out on the couch. Tess is in the chair so C. has the place to herself. More or less.
tupper 005
Ah yes--"I understand about indecision." This tree can't decide whether to be yellow or red. Instead of being orange, the leaves look like this. Pretty. and funny. pretty funny.
tupper 001
Everyone wants to get in on the action. This looks as if the maple and fir trees are embracing. Well, sort of but not really. I just like the effect.
tupper 003
Isn't this pretty? The ferns in the bog are getting ready to look the crappy way they look in the winter. In the meantime they're really pretty. I like the way you can see them way into the forest. How lucky I am to see things like this all the time--
tupper 006
I went to Tupper lake last week to take a look at their substantial & unique local history collection. It's a great collection, and I'm going to catalog it (the unique items). This is what the lake looked like. The library isn't ON the lake, but it has a great view of the lake. It's an hour from my house, a pretty drive in the fall, lots of color. I'll be spending lots of time there, like, maybe a day a week. Unless I have fun & tell my boss that I like going there. Last time I did that she pulled the plug on the project. rats!
leaves 010
no, not a cave. Some kind of fungus/ mushroom growing on a tipped-over tree. It's really very small but it looks pretty nifty here.
leaves 012
I just think there's something really cool about tree roots growing above the ground. There are tons of these on the trail to the bluffs. Creepy crawly, easy to trip over, but soooo pretty.
leaves 015
Is this what's giving me a daily headache? And making poor Tess itch so much she falls over when she scratches? it's goldenrod, gone to seed. I don't think I've ever had a reaction to it at this point, but usually we've had a killing frost by now.
leaves 017
And Chances, always Chances (Tess doesn't like to have her picture taken: as soon as she sees the camera she moves really, really fast so it's impossible to take a picture of her). This is looking toward the bog from my driveway--it's the road I live on.
leaves 014
OK, this will be on the test. What is this called? I can't remember, though I sure knew things like this when I was involved in forestry and the lumber industry. hmmmm...
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
sept home 007
My cosmos. A fancy variety I grew this year. Very pretty. Someone commented on the name Cosmos. Like, an organized universe?
sept home 003
Ready .. set .. GO! My outdoor station for the weekend. I love sunny, warm Sept. days. There's something really nice about the texture of the air. As if it's a gift, something to really enjoy. Oh, how I do go on.
sept home 012
All I see when I look at pictures like this is the space between my front teeth.
In college I went to the dental hygiene school, where you could have your teeth cleaned for free. The students were told to take a picture of anything interesting they came across. "Oh boy!" said my hygienist wanna-be. She took a picture of my diastema. Fancy name for big space between teeth. I had them bonded a long time ago but the dentist said that, if he added enough to get rid of the space, the teeth would look like tree stumps. huh?
In college I went to the dental hygiene school, where you could have your teeth cleaned for free. The students were told to take a picture of anything interesting they came across. "Oh boy!" said my hygienist wanna-be. She took a picture of my diastema. Fancy name for big space between teeth. I had them bonded a long time ago but the dentist said that, if he added enough to get rid of the space, the teeth would look like tree stumps. huh?
sept home 011
Tess, the captive audience. She has to be cabled so she'll stay home, boring old home, instead of walking the bog with fascinating strangers--making new friends. I can't count the number of times people have brought her to the house, called to see if she made it home, etc. She has a tag with her name & address on it, but someone suggested I have a tag made that says "I'm Tess the Bog Dog and I know my way home."
One year she got a Christmas card addressed to Tess the Bog Dog. It was from some people in Texas who'd been vacationing in the Adks. They sent a picture of Tess with one of them. Interesting notion. I communicated with them for a while--they sent pictures of their cattle, a cross between long-horns and Angus. Good for meat and could withstand the heat. They said they worried about mountain lions, not things like raccoons or red squirrels, the way I do.
One year she got a Christmas card addressed to Tess the Bog Dog. It was from some people in Texas who'd been vacationing in the Adks. They sent a picture of Tess with one of them. Interesting notion. I communicated with them for a while--they sent pictures of their cattle, a cross between long-horns and Angus. Good for meat and could withstand the heat. They said they worried about mountain lions, not things like raccoons or red squirrels, the way I do.
sept home 016
Almost-frost on a tamarack. This was the other day. This morning the temp at my house was 36. I drove by a small patch of frosty pasture on my way to work. Run! Run! Run! it's coming.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
bluffs trail 09 2010 002
Cool shot, huh. This is drops of dew on a spider web in the early morning bog. If you pay attention, even just a little bit, you can see really great things along the boardwalk. The hardest part of taking a picture like this is keeping the dogs away. They're always sooooo interested in what I'm looking at, and they jiggle the grass, branch, whatever.
Today I walked a different way, a much longer walk. Through the woods (past the trail into the old girls' camp riding rings) a long, peaceful way until we hit the trail up the bluffs, then we went down the trail to the bog. Chances got pretty tired and huffed a lot. It was interesting to see how much both dogs perked up when we got to the bog. What, they don't want to try going a different way? what dorks.
Today I walked a different way, a much longer walk. Through the woods (past the trail into the old girls' camp riding rings) a long, peaceful way until we hit the trail up the bluffs, then we went down the trail to the bog. Chances got pretty tired and huffed a lot. It was interesting to see how much both dogs perked up when we got to the bog. What, they don't want to try going a different way? what dorks.
bluffs trail 09 2010 005
On of the great things about the bog is that you see so many things in so many different forms. This is just a plain old conifer, but it's covered with lichen. It looks prehistoric. Well, if you squint when you look at it
python or root?
This is just the root of a birch tree, but I thought it looked like a giant snake.
My good friend (well, do I have any bad friends?) Fred is phobic about snakes. He won't come to my house in the summer because he'll have to walk from the car to the house & there are lots of snakes in my woodpiles, grass, etc. Our friend Linda, long ago, before we knew of Fred's phobia, was renting F's camp and left a rubber snake on the path to the lake. Poor, poor Fred.
My good friend (well, do I have any bad friends?) Fred is phobic about snakes. He won't come to my house in the summer because he'll have to walk from the car to the house & there are lots of snakes in my woodpiles, grass, etc. Our friend Linda, long ago, before we knew of Fred's phobia, was renting F's camp and left a rubber snake on the path to the lake. Poor, poor Fred.
Friday, September 10, 2010
summer people? still here
As my friend Linda said this morning, "Aren't you getting tired of eating out?" Well, yes, a bit, but I always remind myself that I won't see these people until next year. Ken and I used to tell each other to visit with the summer people as much as we could because it would be a long, solitary winter. Right now that sounds just dandy. I love these people dearly, but enough is really enough. Dinner with people 3 nights this week. Quick stop at someone's house once, with an anticipated quick visit with Linda after work today. Linda will be here until mid-October, but that's coming up, isn't it.
Weather is very fall-like. Semi-warm days and in the 40's at night. My nights of staying in the boat house may be over. But then again, sometimes Sept. brings wonderful weather with sunny days and warm nights. No dock, so swimming is doubtful.
I'm taking Monday off from work (wait, I would take it off from something else?). Just needed a day to force myself to work on the house. Must dump pots of dead flowers that are on the deck, bring in the hummingbird feeder, hang the new, "squirrel-proof" bird feeder I bought for winter birds, and--this is crucial--do some work INSIDE the house. It looks as if someone lives in it but has never thought to put things away. I guess I'm home just long enough to toss stuff around but never long enough to clean it. I did tidy up a bit last weekend when someone came over to dig up horseradish and I thought she might want to come inside. I changed my mind when she arrived, and even though I knew she wanted to visit, I was a bad, bad friend and didn't invite her in. Not many people get to come inside my house--mostly I stand on the deck to visit with them. Winter presents a problem with that.
The sun is shining and it's a really nice autumn day. I guess--I can't see much from my desk, mostly the driveway and the wall of the public library next door. I'm leaving early, though--time for an oil change and rotating the tires. of the car. I think I must need new shocks by now, the bridge is out by my house and I've been driving the 4-mile stretch of pot-holed and washboarded dirt road to get around the river. Sometimes I go fast, believing I'm flying above the washboarding, mostly I go slower and listen to my car rattle. I can't guess how many bolts must need tightening.
I suppose it's time to get back to cataloging the Rugr*ts now. I have a bunch of books that are published, 2 to a volume, with one book upside down to the other one. TWICE as much cataloging for a single book. Brother--what torture will they think of next for us dorky catalogers?
Weather is very fall-like. Semi-warm days and in the 40's at night. My nights of staying in the boat house may be over. But then again, sometimes Sept. brings wonderful weather with sunny days and warm nights. No dock, so swimming is doubtful.
I'm taking Monday off from work (wait, I would take it off from something else?). Just needed a day to force myself to work on the house. Must dump pots of dead flowers that are on the deck, bring in the hummingbird feeder, hang the new, "squirrel-proof" bird feeder I bought for winter birds, and--this is crucial--do some work INSIDE the house. It looks as if someone lives in it but has never thought to put things away. I guess I'm home just long enough to toss stuff around but never long enough to clean it. I did tidy up a bit last weekend when someone came over to dig up horseradish and I thought she might want to come inside. I changed my mind when she arrived, and even though I knew she wanted to visit, I was a bad, bad friend and didn't invite her in. Not many people get to come inside my house--mostly I stand on the deck to visit with them. Winter presents a problem with that.
The sun is shining and it's a really nice autumn day. I guess--I can't see much from my desk, mostly the driveway and the wall of the public library next door. I'm leaving early, though--time for an oil change and rotating the tires. of the car. I think I must need new shocks by now, the bridge is out by my house and I've been driving the 4-mile stretch of pot-holed and washboarded dirt road to get around the river. Sometimes I go fast, believing I'm flying above the washboarding, mostly I go slower and listen to my car rattle. I can't guess how many bolts must need tightening.
I suppose it's time to get back to cataloging the Rugr*ts now. I have a bunch of books that are published, 2 to a volume, with one book upside down to the other one. TWICE as much cataloging for a single book. Brother--what torture will they think of next for us dorky catalogers?
sept 2010 017
The oh-so-often taken image of Alder Brook. I never get tired of looking at it--I don't know why, it's just a nice bunch of scenery.
The yellow flowers are Jerusalem artichokes, also called sunchokes. They grow wild all over the place and make big yellow swaths along the roadside. Very nice.
The yellow flowers are Jerusalem artichokes, also called sunchokes. They grow wild all over the place and make big yellow swaths along the roadside. Very nice.
sept 2010 016
Across the road from my driveway. It doesn't show very well, but there are a couple of sun-rays beaming down on the lake. I recently read a book in which the author said he thought these were messages from God when he was a child.
sept 2010 009
Ah, yes, the proverbial bog shot. I haven't been walking the bog as often as I'd like (and not nearly often enough to suit the dogs). I've also been able to keep Tess the Bog Dog at home, too, so she's being cheated out of her regular visits with strangers. And she hasn't been to the top of the bluffs, either. I don't go to the top of the bluffs, I'm afraid Chances, who can't see very well, will walk over the edge. Also, people tell me that Tess sometimes scares them at the top. And it's not because she's growling, either. She's a reckless little fool.
sept 2010 012
And here's proof that autumn is nearly here--the ferns in the bog are turning brown. I guess they do more than just turn brown, they sort of shrivel up as if they were dying. They don't die, though--they're back every spring.
Thursday, September 09, 2010
Grannie's house
Pardon the queer alignment, I'm having trouble changing it.
This is a picture from the early '60's, our annual visit to my grandmother's house in New Jersey. Notice:
the dolls are allowed to be at the table (my sister's is, I think, a Betsy Wetsy doll: mine, I think, is NOT). Even the cradle is allowed--on the table no less. Note my sister's shoes. How cute are they? I remember having shoes like that, mine were red. The glasses were red and were my grandmother's favorites. That is my mother on the right. She's cheerful, in spite of the look Grannie is giving my brother. Wonder what my brother has done to deserve such a look. You didn't have to do much to be looked at like that. When we were young, Grannie would take my sister and me to Lord & Taylor for lunch. Very fance, and we had to weare white gloves. I kid you not.
Tuesday, September 07, 2010
update
I know, I know, it's been a long time.
I've been filling in for my clerk, who took a vacation. This has meant I don't have time to do my own job, let alone blog. Now I have a little time at the end of the day, though.
We're waiting for the bookmobile to return--some lady smacked it and reportedly did a lot of damage. She got the ticket, but how could she not see a bookmobile?
I've been busy at home, too. Lots of people around, lots of dinners, a wedding, cocktail hours, and lots of visiting. It's starting to tone down, though--people leave after Labor Day and it will be just the few hardy souls who stay into October. Plus the locals. I don't care how many months seasonal residents live here, they're still not locals. Sorry.
I went to a wedding on Saturday. It was nice, held on the shore at a huge lodge-type building. The former main building for a girls' camp that has long since closed. The bride is a friend, or actually the daughter of a friend. I went with my friend Joe (he's married, don't get interested in this) and we knew nobody there, out of 150 people, except for 5 other locals. The couple has a really nice German short-haired pointer, who of course was in the wedding. They dressed him up in a queer PetSmart doggie tuxedo, and he was the ring bearer. He behaved well, in spite of the 500 requests that he SIT to have his picture taken. He's a nice dog.
My dogs are fine. Tess is suffering from her annual ragweed reaction. Lots of itching. Touch her anywhere and she does that air-scratch with her hind leg. She's taking Prednisone but the ragweed is really prolific this year and it hasn't cured her condition. Me? I'm taking something for allergies, too. Not cortisone, something else, which helps most of the time. A library building full of dusty books is not a good place for an allergic person to spend time. Last week I spent a lot of time in the stacks, where many of the books are dusty. So much for a thorough weeding project, huh.
I had a cocktail party on Sunday. Doesn't "cocktail party" sound sophisticated, though? Well, it was a party, and we had cocktails. I had it in the living room at camp, where I'd built a really nice fire (in the fireplace, of course). About a dozen people, all very cheerful and happy to be together. I liked it a lot. In spite of the fact that we'd had a huge Sunday dinner at noon. It was fun to have a different group of people gathered, and I do like hosting these things.
Tonight I have NO PLANS. Tomorrow is a trip to Canton for a committee meeting, dinner with friends at Linda's. Thursday is dinner with other friends. Friday I'm taking the day off. I didn't get much done yesterday, Labor Day. I didn't labor much, but did clean the bathroom. A friend was coming to pick up something so I cleaned and tidied up a little. Then I didn' invite her in. I know she wanted to visit, but I was not in the mood. Bad friend, bad, bad friend.
I stayed at the boat house a few nights last week, but those days might have ended. It's cool at night, and I usually draw the line at 60 degrees. It's only supposed to be 50 at night this week. It was 40 one morning. Besides, my cousins took the docks out on Friday so it's hard to get in the water.
One of my work goldfish died. This is big news. Someone here brought in one from home. That one has some white, with orange lips, so we figure she must be a female. Anyone know how to tell a male goldfish from a female? I can tell guppies apart, but not the goldies.
I must be running out of things to write about. There should be more, and there is of course, but I have to get some more things done before the end of the day.
I've been filling in for my clerk, who took a vacation. This has meant I don't have time to do my own job, let alone blog. Now I have a little time at the end of the day, though.
We're waiting for the bookmobile to return--some lady smacked it and reportedly did a lot of damage. She got the ticket, but how could she not see a bookmobile?
I've been busy at home, too. Lots of people around, lots of dinners, a wedding, cocktail hours, and lots of visiting. It's starting to tone down, though--people leave after Labor Day and it will be just the few hardy souls who stay into October. Plus the locals. I don't care how many months seasonal residents live here, they're still not locals. Sorry.
I went to a wedding on Saturday. It was nice, held on the shore at a huge lodge-type building. The former main building for a girls' camp that has long since closed. The bride is a friend, or actually the daughter of a friend. I went with my friend Joe (he's married, don't get interested in this) and we knew nobody there, out of 150 people, except for 5 other locals. The couple has a really nice German short-haired pointer, who of course was in the wedding. They dressed him up in a queer PetSmart doggie tuxedo, and he was the ring bearer. He behaved well, in spite of the 500 requests that he SIT to have his picture taken. He's a nice dog.
My dogs are fine. Tess is suffering from her annual ragweed reaction. Lots of itching. Touch her anywhere and she does that air-scratch with her hind leg. She's taking Prednisone but the ragweed is really prolific this year and it hasn't cured her condition. Me? I'm taking something for allergies, too. Not cortisone, something else, which helps most of the time. A library building full of dusty books is not a good place for an allergic person to spend time. Last week I spent a lot of time in the stacks, where many of the books are dusty. So much for a thorough weeding project, huh.
I had a cocktail party on Sunday. Doesn't "cocktail party" sound sophisticated, though? Well, it was a party, and we had cocktails. I had it in the living room at camp, where I'd built a really nice fire (in the fireplace, of course). About a dozen people, all very cheerful and happy to be together. I liked it a lot. In spite of the fact that we'd had a huge Sunday dinner at noon. It was fun to have a different group of people gathered, and I do like hosting these things.
Tonight I have NO PLANS. Tomorrow is a trip to Canton for a committee meeting, dinner with friends at Linda's. Thursday is dinner with other friends. Friday I'm taking the day off. I didn't get much done yesterday, Labor Day. I didn't labor much, but did clean the bathroom. A friend was coming to pick up something so I cleaned and tidied up a little. Then I didn' invite her in. I know she wanted to visit, but I was not in the mood. Bad friend, bad, bad friend.
I stayed at the boat house a few nights last week, but those days might have ended. It's cool at night, and I usually draw the line at 60 degrees. It's only supposed to be 50 at night this week. It was 40 one morning. Besides, my cousins took the docks out on Friday so it's hard to get in the water.
One of my work goldfish died. This is big news. Someone here brought in one from home. That one has some white, with orange lips, so we figure she must be a female. Anyone know how to tell a male goldfish from a female? I can tell guppies apart, but not the goldies.
I must be running out of things to write about. There should be more, and there is of course, but I have to get some more things done before the end of the day.
100901 Naples and Torca 040
This is what it looked like where my sister was recently. She got to swim in the Mediterranean.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
reunion trip
I recently went to my 40th high school class reunion. For some reason we all decided the 40th was a huge deal and there was a big fuss with lots of people there. My friends went to Rockford so that we could all be together and have good visits. There were rival high schools: Rockford East (the E-Rabs) and ours, Guilford (the Vikings). Not all of my friends went to the reunion--the East people stayed away.
I flew from Plattsburgh, which was a great change from Burlington, my usual point of departure. I flew to Boston, where I got totally lost and confused. It was like a comedy show, an old lady trying to get from point A to point B but not remembering that B comes after A. I asked for directions and information about 16 times, and everyone I asked was patient and friendly.
I finally got on my Boston to Chicago flight. There were at least 20 Asian students on the plane, all very sweet and tired. I had all 3 seats to myself, having switched with one of the students so he could sit with his classmates. It was an uneventful and peaceful flight. I tried to sleep, having gotten up at 4:30 to catch the 6:00 a.m. flight to Boston. Well of course it was an a.m. flight, why else would I get up so early? duh.
Once I got to O'Hare I faced more complications and confusion, but again everyone was helpful and guided me to the bus to Rockford. I had a strong reaction to seeing the sign saying "Rockford" in the window of the bus. Like, I'm really going there, and it really exists. I hadn't been there in a long time.
Priscilla met my bus, after some confusion on my part about which bus I'd be on.
That night (Fri.) there was a big party at Martha's mother's house. It was great, lots of people I love to be with. Our friend Joanne was there--she had a stroke and is in a wheelchair. She's a brave and cheerful person.
Sat. morning we went to a memorial service for Connie's father. It was a hot, sunny day and the background of the mourners was corn, corn everywhere.
We drove around and visited for most of the day (trips past the 2 houses I lived in as a youth). I told my mother that one of the houses looked really good. She had an unenthusiastic reply. My family has mixed memories of Rockford. Obviously we weren't completely happy there: we've all settled in places far from the Midwest.
Sat. night was the much-awaited for reunion. I had a not-so-great time. It turned out that I didn't want to mingle and introduce myself to my former classmates. I was a wallflower. But I didn't mind too much. Some of my friends mingled madly and had a great time. We stayed until the bitter end. No, it wasn't bitter, and I don't know the origin of that saying.
Sunday was great, a Swedish breakfast at one of Rockford's most popular restaurants (the Stockholm Inn. Priscilla and Pat, my tour guides, are Swedish and very proud of it. As proud as I am to be a resident of Hawkeye). Good visits with some friends, then a trip to our friend Kathy's house waaaaay out in the country. Kathy is one of the most optimistic and cheerful people I'll ever know. She and I went on a famous camping trip to Colorado when we were young. Just the 2 of us, and we drove there from Rockford in K's green Volkswagen station wagon. What a time we had.
I flew home on Monday. Much more organized this time, knew the rules and figured out how to switch terminals in Boston. I even knew the best way to go through security. On the way out I got stopped because I had a dollar bill in my pocket, in spite of our orders to "take EVERYTHING out of your pockets." What, did I think I was special? au contraire.
I flew from Plattsburgh, which was a great change from Burlington, my usual point of departure. I flew to Boston, where I got totally lost and confused. It was like a comedy show, an old lady trying to get from point A to point B but not remembering that B comes after A. I asked for directions and information about 16 times, and everyone I asked was patient and friendly.
I finally got on my Boston to Chicago flight. There were at least 20 Asian students on the plane, all very sweet and tired. I had all 3 seats to myself, having switched with one of the students so he could sit with his classmates. It was an uneventful and peaceful flight. I tried to sleep, having gotten up at 4:30 to catch the 6:00 a.m. flight to Boston. Well of course it was an a.m. flight, why else would I get up so early? duh.
Once I got to O'Hare I faced more complications and confusion, but again everyone was helpful and guided me to the bus to Rockford. I had a strong reaction to seeing the sign saying "Rockford" in the window of the bus. Like, I'm really going there, and it really exists. I hadn't been there in a long time.
Priscilla met my bus, after some confusion on my part about which bus I'd be on.
That night (Fri.) there was a big party at Martha's mother's house. It was great, lots of people I love to be with. Our friend Joanne was there--she had a stroke and is in a wheelchair. She's a brave and cheerful person.
Sat. morning we went to a memorial service for Connie's father. It was a hot, sunny day and the background of the mourners was corn, corn everywhere.
We drove around and visited for most of the day (trips past the 2 houses I lived in as a youth). I told my mother that one of the houses looked really good. She had an unenthusiastic reply. My family has mixed memories of Rockford. Obviously we weren't completely happy there: we've all settled in places far from the Midwest.
Sat. night was the much-awaited for reunion. I had a not-so-great time. It turned out that I didn't want to mingle and introduce myself to my former classmates. I was a wallflower. But I didn't mind too much. Some of my friends mingled madly and had a great time. We stayed until the bitter end. No, it wasn't bitter, and I don't know the origin of that saying.
Sunday was great, a Swedish breakfast at one of Rockford's most popular restaurants (the Stockholm Inn. Priscilla and Pat, my tour guides, are Swedish and very proud of it. As proud as I am to be a resident of Hawkeye). Good visits with some friends, then a trip to our friend Kathy's house waaaaay out in the country. Kathy is one of the most optimistic and cheerful people I'll ever know. She and I went on a famous camping trip to Colorado when we were young. Just the 2 of us, and we drove there from Rockford in K's green Volkswagen station wagon. What a time we had.
I flew home on Monday. Much more organized this time, knew the rules and figured out how to switch terminals in Boston. I even knew the best way to go through security. On the way out I got stopped because I had a dollar bill in my pocket, in spite of our orders to "take EVERYTHING out of your pockets." What, did I think I was special? au contraire.
rockford 8 2010 018
The view from the plane, leaving from Plattsburgh and flying over Lake Champlain. It's a pretty place, where I live.
rockford 8 2010 044
This is my friend Priscilla and her husband (also my friend) John. This is at the reunion. I think John is saying "No, really, staying the WHOLE night?"
I stayed with Priscilla and her mother. It was grand and we had lots of good visiting time. People from the Midwest are a special type of person.
I stayed with Priscilla and her mother. It was grand and we had lots of good visiting time. People from the Midwest are a special type of person.
rockford 8 2010 063
Kathy and Ruby (Ruby is the dog, Kathy is one of my closest and best friends, even though we rarely see each other).
On Sunday Priscilla took me on a tour of Rockford. It was wonderful, and we laughed and reminisced. Past our junior high school (a huge building, even bigger than I remembered), past the Midway Theater and the Coronade Theater, where we used to go to Sat. matinees for 35 cents, through downtown--it looks way different now, but we talked about the stores we used to go to. DJ Stewart's was too expensive for me to shop at but we used to go there, to see what we couldn't have I guess. There was a tea room in the basement of the store.
There was a jewelry/record store called Comay's. Of course there were LPs and 45's. You could go into a booth, wear earphones & listen to records to see if you wanted to buy them. Or if you just wanted to listen. Albums were $4.98 for mono, $5.98 for stereo. That was a lot of money and you didn't buy one unless you SERIOUSLY wanted it. Like all of the Beach Boys' albums, in my case.
On Sunday Priscilla took me on a tour of Rockford. It was wonderful, and we laughed and reminisced. Past our junior high school (a huge building, even bigger than I remembered), past the Midway Theater and the Coronade Theater, where we used to go to Sat. matinees for 35 cents, through downtown--it looks way different now, but we talked about the stores we used to go to. DJ Stewart's was too expensive for me to shop at but we used to go there, to see what we couldn't have I guess. There was a tea room in the basement of the store.
There was a jewelry/record store called Comay's. Of course there were LPs and 45's. You could go into a booth, wear earphones & listen to records to see if you wanted to buy them. Or if you just wanted to listen. Albums were $4.98 for mono, $5.98 for stereo. That was a lot of money and you didn't buy one unless you SERIOUSLY wanted it. Like all of the Beach Boys' albums, in my case.
rockford 8 2010 071
Martha, looking serious. She's not really this serious, she laughs a lot. She lives in California. Maybe that's why she looks so serious.
rockford 8 2010 073
Priscilla is a good sport. She has a cat and isn't really a dog person, but who can resist Ruby?
rockford 8 2010 086
This is Dave reading the book that describes the achievements of my classmates. The book was passed out at the reunion, and was interesting (to say the least). Here he's reading about someone who claimed to have been a gold assayer, retired early and traveled all over the world (a long list of places he visited). I'm convinced this was all made up, and am jealous of his creativity. All I said was that I'm a librarian. dull.
rockford 8 2010 085
The view from Kathy's house. I'd forgotten how endless the rows of corn are. I never forget how far you can see, though. Some Midwesterners feel claustrophobic when they visit mountains, but I like both geographies. I prefer mountains, obviously, but I do like the scenery here.
ferry land
I had to go to Burlington (Vt) recently. This is what it looks like when you board the ferry that crosses Lake Champlain. I had to go for my mamm-e-oh-gram. That's what someone at work calls it. She also says she's "fusstrated," and other things. Can't think of any right now.
Anyway, all is well with my mammio. I'm clean. I'm lucky.
Anyway, all is well with my mammio. I'm clean. I'm lucky.
rockford 8 2010 006
Here's what the ferry looks like. Well, OK, it's what the OTHER ferry looks like. The ferries swim past each other, but the people mostly don't wave. Except for the tourists, sometimes.
rockford 8 2010 009
Linda, getting ready to cook another feast on her campfire. She does an amazing job and is very creative.
Linda's feet
Here's the paella Linda made. It was delicious. She cooks it over the fire, which makes it even more impressive and delicious.
I don't have my pictures from my RI vacation---they're on my laptop at home & I keep forgetting to load them here. Let's just say: it was a great time. I got to visit with my sister, my niece, my mother, our other family member Mark. The dogs didn't think it was the greatest time, though they did get some morning walks. Mostly they were confined to my mother's dog's pen. Lots of things to bark at from the steps, though, according to Chances. She likes to sit with her back to the house, barking endlessly. My mother thinks this means she wants to come in, but I know better. I don't know what she's barking at, or why she's barking, but it's entertainment for her so who am I do judge?
More pictures from The Ocean State later, I'm sure--
More pictures from The Ocean State later, I'm sure--
family 2010 004
So here we are, in all our glory. What a handsome group, what a happy group. It was a wonderful visit.
Monday, August 23, 2010
| Greed: | Medium | |
| Gluttony: | Medium | |
| Wrath: | Low | |
| Sloth: | Medium | |
| Envy: | Medium | |
| Lust: | Medium | |
| Pride: | Medium |
Discover Your Sins - Click Here
geez. I look like a pretty boring (but tolerant) person.
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