Thom and I went on vacation for two weeks the last week of May through the first week of June.  We had a most awesome time.  Truly one of our best vacations ever.  Everything just went so smoothly, it was almost unreal.

On our way up to Oregon, we stopped in Morro Bay, CA, for two nights.  On a whim, and because it was a good price, we decided to go whale watching.  Our whale watching “ship” was a good sized pontoon boat.  I was pretty pleased with myself for not getting seasick on our way out to sea.  We were watching the horizon intently for any sign of whales spouting.  We saw lots of birds (seagulls, pelicans, etc.) along the way and lots of sea lions.  After going out to sea about six miles, other people on the boat started shouting “spout!”.  Me  - I saw nothing but endless ocean.

Finally, after being told the “spout” actually looks like sea spray, just higher in the air, I was able to spot a couple.  Then, wonderously, all aboard the boat, saw a mamma and baby humpback whale surface and dive back down.  The boat captain followed this pair for about 45 minutes, and I tried my darnedest to get photos.  I must tell you that taking a photo standing up in a boat, grasping the railing in hopes of not going overboard, and bouncing up and down over crests of waves is not real conducive to taking photos.  But, I kept on clicking in hopes of getting at least one.  You can see my photos of Morro Bay and my attempts at whale photography by clicking here.  I have to confess that I was getting very seasick and feeling very green on our return trip to port; and was ever so happy to stand on solid ground.

We continued on our way and stayed in Roseburg, OR for two nights.  We spent an entire day taking hiking trails in to see a variety of waterfalls.  Hiking was a beautiful experience as the trails wound through thick forests with beautiful wild orchids, huge ferns, greenery everywhere,  and a canopy of huge pine trees providing shade.  The waterfalls were all pretty much at full force and were just awesome.  If only a picture could capture the sound of the waterfalls . . . the sight and sound together are so powerful.  Click here to see photos of the waterfalls. 

The best part of our trip, of course, was seeing Jim, Becka, and the grandkids.  We had a terrific time.  Sophie Grace is a beautiful baby and sooooooooo mellow.  She melted my heart.  All the kids greeted us at the door when we arrived, giving us hugs and kisses and cries of “You’re finally here!”  My heart fills up and runs over with love just thinking of those kids.  We played games, went to the Saturday Market in Portland, and just spent a lot of quality time together.  It broke my heart to leave when the time came.  I will never get enough of being near them . . . surrounded by so much unconditional love and just sharing our joy at being together.  I am so looking forward to retiring and moving up to Oregon so that we can celebrate birthday’s and other special events.  Just babysitting is heaven to me.  Click here to see some pics of my wonderful grandchildren, son, and daughter-in-law.

We left Oregon and headed back home, staying in Winchester Bay one night.  This was a very small port town with campgrounds, lots of boats in its small port, and a smattering of  touristy shops which were all closed.  The high point of staying there is that it rained all night; and you all know how I love clouds and rain.  I thoroughly enjoyed it.

We then went on to Crescent City, CA, where we stayed in a great place right on Crescent Beach.  We walked the beach for quite awhile in the evening and I found two whole (unbroken) sand dollars.  We only stayed there one night, but next time, we’ll be sure to stay longer.  It was just so beautiful, quiet, and peaceful. 

Now we are back home, and I’m back to work.  As always, I’m missing my grandkids and dreaming of the day I can be closer to them.

The beautiful lady in the photo is Betty Jean Hopkins, my sweet mother-in-law.  She passed away from Alzheimers on June 4, 2009.   I cannot begin to tell you how much I will miss her.  Even as the Alzheimers progressed and took away her ability to talk and walk; more often than not,  I could walk in to see her, say hello, give her a hug and a kiss on the cheek, and her smile would light up the room.

Betty was a little woman - very short and petite.  I always felt protective of her from the first time we met.  She was such a sweet soul too; but with a determined spirit and a good ability to express herself.  She adored her husband, Les; and her children were her pride and joy.  She was also a very proud grandma and great grandma.

Betty is now at rest - safe and happy in God’s arms.  That gives me comfort.  Those of us left behind miss her greatly, will always hold her close in our memories and our hearts, and will see her again when God takes us home.  Until then, Betty, I know you are soaring with the angels, watching over us, and looking down on us with your great big, beautiful smile.  I love you.

Me and Thom Waiting to Board the Jet Boat

We took a jet boat ride from Laughlin, NV, to Lake Havasu, AZ.  It was a two-hour boat ride down to Lake Havasu, two-hours to visit/tour, then two hours back to Laughlin.  It was a cold, windy day but the boat had its removable top and windows in place so the wind and water stayed mostly outside the boat.

I was amazed at the beautiful and expensive homes along the river between Laughlin and Lake Havasu.  The biggest homes were on the shores in Needles.  If you have ever been to Needles, you would understand my surprise at seeing such opulent homes there.  Many of these homes had personal beaches complete with permanent barbecues, umbrellas, sand, and lapping waves.   Wonderful to live at in the winter months I’m sure, but when it’s 110 in the summer . . . maybe not so wonderful.

Jet Boat Just Like the One We Rode In.

We arrived in Lake Havasu and were set free to wander about for a couple of hours.  Thom and I walked across the London Bridge and back, then had lunch in a restaurant that offered a view of the Colorado River and the Bridge.  The food was delicious!

London Bridge - Lake Havasu, AZ

As this was Spring break time for some students, the port at Lake Havasu was packed full of boats of all sizes, shapes, and colors.  Those boats were chock full of scantily clad college students.  It was a people watching bonanza.

On our return trip to Laughlin, we saw three 20-something males along the river bank.  They waved at us, turned around, dropped their shorts and mooned us, then pulled up their shorts, turned back to face us with huge grins on their faces and waved again.  Our boat full of 40 people laughed like crazy and waved back.  Fortunately, no one aboard the boat was brazen enough to moon them back!

The boat pilot pointed out some cool petroglyphs on the hills alongside the river as we were returning to Laughlin.  You can see photos we took of the petroglyphs, the Colorado River, and Lake Havasu by clicking here.

The jet boat ride was a great experience, and I highly recommend it.

Thom and I went to see a Moody Blues concert recently.  I have to admit that I was a bit leery.  Having seen a photo of them, they looked more like the moody greys, and can you really rock out like you used to at age 18 when you are well over 50?  The response to that question is a resounding “Yes!”

The original lead singer, lead guitar player, and drummer are still in the group.  They now have a very talented female band member who plated flute, harmonica, and tambourine; and sang backup.  There was another female backup singer and a second drummer.

I was fascinated with the talent of the second drummer.  This guy had the energy of a whirling dervish!  He stood in the center of a large circle of  drums, cymbals, and chimes.  On one song in particular he got to sh0w off and man!!!!  He was incredible!  That’s the only way to describe it.

If you get a chance to see the Moody Blues perform, go for it!  You’ll be glad you did. They sang all of their top hits and they had a lot of them.  They also sang some new tunes off a recently released album.  Grey haired or not, the Moody Blues are just as good as ever.  They put on a wonderful concert.

Thom and I did some yard work today.  An absolutely beautiful day to be outside . . . about 70 degrees and sunny, with a gentle breeze.  I just wanted to share some of the beautiful poppies in our front yard, the blooms on our fruitless plum tree, and even a little daffodil.  Happy Spring!

After oh so many years of carrying a work load which entailed working many evenings and far too many weekends, I have been allotted a full-time person to assist me.  This person amazes me with her competency, good nature, sense of humor, and true willingness to take on tasks.

Not only is she willing to work hard, she learns quickly and has taught me some things that have been very helpful.  I cannot accurately describe the weight that has lifted from my shoulders by knowing I have her to help me and share the load. I can now come to work and be certain that , most of the time, I will be able to go home at a decent hour and look forward to full weekends off. 

Soooooooooo, everything’s coming up Rosie for me and I am oh so happy about that!!!

My granddaughter, Miriam, made me a word necklace this past Christmas.  I put it on a lamp in my office and I read it every day.  She took a good amount of time to pick through many options of words that she could put together into a sentence.  She ended up with “I wish you a gentle special time.” 

I can’t explain why exactly, but those words touch my heart and give me comfort every time I read them.  I can picture Miriam lacing the words onto the string and see the happiness in her eyes when she handed me the completed necklace.

I read the words and “gentle special” visions dance in my head . . . my grandchildren playing, the softness of their skin and hair, their smiles that light up the world and my heart,   and the love they give so freely.  I also see soft furry bunnies, kittens cuddled up with their mommy, flowers blooming in an open meadow, a beautiful stream quietly flowing through a green and quiet forest.  Ahhhhhhhhh . . .

This necklace will always be special to me.  Not just because of the time, love, and thought put into it; and not just because Miriam made it especially for me.  It will ever be special because each time I look at it I will be reminded to  ”see” all the gentle special times in my life and be filled with warmth, calm, and peace.

To all the special people in my life, I wish you a multitude of gentle special times.

I watched “The Spiderwick Chronicles” the other night and found it to be surprisingly good.  My husband even liked it and he usually isn’t that enthusiastic about fantasy movies.  I wish there had been more interaction with the flower beings though - they were very cool but had such a small part in the movie that one couldn’t get to “know” them well.  I used to dream of fairies, elves, and other “fantastical” creatures when I was a kid.  This movie brought some of those creatures to life.  Perhaps a bit too violent in parts for very little children, but I think most kids (and their parents) would like it a lot.

While celebrating our anniversary in San Diego last weekend, Thom and I went to see “Gran Torino”.  It is a great movie and one I am going to add to my DVD collection as soon as it is released.  Clint Eastwood is just awesome as a director and an actor.  Definitely not a movie for children to see; but I highly recommend it for adults.

Last night, we watched “Perfect Stranger” with Halle Berry and Bruce Willis.  We both liked it.  A good thriller/suspense with an ending that I couldn’t have predicted.  I can say no more without spoiling it.  If you like thrillers, you’ll probably like this movie. 

My son and daughter-in-law gave us a gift subscription to Netflix for Christmas, and I guess you can tell we are enjoying it immensely.  With the exception of Gran Torino which we saw in the theater, we watch most of our movies at home.  Netflix is a gift that just keeps on giving!

That’s it for my movie reviews.  Three thumbs up this time around.

Look at that happy smile and I helped put it there.  My father-in-law recently decided he was going to give up driving and was going to get rid of his car.  I had told him many months ago, when he mentioned he was thinking of giving up driving, that I was interested in purchasing his car for my sister if he ever decided to sell it.

Here we were months later and he didn’t just let me know I could buy his car, he wanted to give me the car as a gift!  I was touched and excited and oh so happy!  I’d wanted for so long to get my sister in a safe dependable vehicle; and now I was going to be able to.

Not wanting my father-in-law to be without any transportation, my husband had the brilliant idea of purchasing a scooter for him.  So, Thom went to Palm Springs one day, took his father scooter shopping, and we bought him a brand new candy apple red scooter with a very comfortable seat, a basket to hold items when shopping, and the option of going from turtle to rabbit speed (literally there is a dial that rotates from a turtle icon to a rabbit icon depending on how fast you want to go).

This scooter is pretty cool.  It runs on battery only and will go 13 miles before needing recharging.  To recharge it, one just plugs it in to a wall outlet.  As my father-in-law lives in a location that is close to shopping, fast food, library, senior center, and pharmacy (all via sidewalk and signalled crosswalks) - it will work perfectly for him.  He was tickled to get this scooter and be able to travel about without the worry or expense of a car.

Last Thursday evening, Thom and I drove to Palm Springs to pick up the car and get the pink slip.  The car is a 2002 Ford Taurus with only 20,000 miles on it.  We stayed the night in Palm Springs and left early Friday morning to deliver the car to my sister in Cornville, AZ - a seven hour drive.  Thom drove his car and I drove the Taurus.  I gotta say - that car drives like a dream.  I called Lisa (my sister) enroute to let her know about the electric seat adjustment, inside mirror adjustment, awesome CD player, etc.  Needless to say she was quite excited.

We arrived in Cornville late Friday afternoon without incident and Lisa met us in the driveway.  I was happy to see her and even happier to be bringing her such a cool gift!  She was thrilled all the way around!  We spent a couple hours vacuuming the car out, applying Armor All to the dash, washing the windows, etc.  Lisa and I did most of the manual labor, with Thom overseeing us while he sipped on a well-deserved glass of wine.  Then the three of us headed out for the car wash!

 On Saturday morning, Lisa  loaded us in her new car and drove us to a hiking trail at Wet Beaver Creek where we three went on an eight mile hike.  It was absolutely beautiful!   Sunday morning, we all went in to Sedona for breakfast and then Thom and I had to head back home.  The visit was too short, but oh so happy!

Many thanks to my dear, dear father-in-law for his generosity and thoughtfulness.  Thanks to Thom for his support, encouragement, and help in getting and delivering the car.  Finally, thanks to my dear sister, Lisa, for being who she is . . . my friend, my sister, my confidant - I’m ever so happy to see you in your new car!

It’s been awhile since I’ve found time to visit my blog.  Jim was nice enough to update me to the new version of Word Press, so I’m learning the revised layout of the program.  The look is quite a bit different.

So far, I’m doing okay finding things.  The old things are all there, just in different spots.  It seems to take much longer to upload photos than the old version, but maybe it’s just that my computer’s a bit old and not fast enough for the new program.  I was able to upload a couple of pictures to my last two posts which I’m pleased about. 

Soooooooooooo, nothing new to report, no recent photos to put up, no brilliant ideas to pass along.  I’m just practicing . . .