Kenz's Birthday

In case some of you readers may have forgotten, but we had our first grandchild born two years ago toay, after 51 years of marriage. You can just imagine our excitment. She is just beautiful, really. We don't get to see her very often as they live in another state. I've tried to get my son to add Skype to his computer so we could see how she is growing and she could become to know us. In cause you have not heard of Skype, it is a free service for video calls between users. I often can see friends in Ma. and LA. using Skype. It is really a great tool for families that are apart.
We sent our birthday girl a package for her birthday, but doubt that her mother will let us know that it was delivered. She does have many manners. Our son will call us. Since she was born we have been collecting $1.00 bills that have a K on them. I think this tell where the money was printed from. Anyway she all ready had over $1,ooo in her account.

This week has been a busy one for us. Monday we had volunteered to help with a breakfast at the club house, in the afternoon we went to a movie with friends, and at night I am chairman of cribbage nite. Tuesday didn't get much better.
In the morning we pick up a few prescriptions, went to the post office and then Bob had a doctors appointment in the afternoon. Bob has a Basal Cell Carcinoma on his check. He will have surgery on Feb. 7th. At night we had two other couples in for cards. Lets see, today is Wed. Talked to friends in Beverly, MA. this morning, they were getting buried in snow. A real nor-easter! I used to like them, no work, no school, everyone home. So Bob and I said we should have a snow day! This lasted about 5 hours and we were on the way out.
Guess that's about it for now. Hugs

Going Home

 

Traveling home to Massachusetts

 

I don't know where the time has gone but I'll try to catch you up on our ride home.. While in Bald Ridge some friends of ours stopped in and we had a nice reunion dinner with them.  In fact they have decided to come to Florida for a month in February. 

 

After leaving Georgia we went to Indiana to see our youngest son.  We also went to see some very special friends of ours,  who we wintered with or eight years in Arizona, Pearl and Gus.

 

Continuing on to Maryland where we locked the keys in the car.  Thank you Good Sam emergency service, saved the day at no charge.

 

Next into Penn, where we made a stop at the Crayola Factory and found a Dunkin Donut store, our very favorite!   Right about now, we are getting itchy feet to get home.  We usually make this last jump in two hops, stopping in the Mohegan Sun Casino the last night, but today we did the full seven and a half hours straight through.  My  friend Carol didn't know we were coming in this week.  I owed her, she has surprised us more often than not.   She cried, I got even! LOL Took us 21 days to get there.   Talk about turtles.

 

 

Tuesday June 3rd

 

Today we left Florida for  Ashborn, Georgia, just a five hour drive.   We are traveling on I-75 for a few days. It was very noticeable to us that there are less recreational vehicles on the road than usual.   I am sure it has a lot to do with the price of fuel. 

 

Our friends Marla and Don left today for a vacation trip to Pennsylvania.   We'll miss hanging out with them and  playing cards.

 

Tonight we have no internet connection as I suspected we wouldn't have.

 

 

Wednesday

 

 

We left here this morning at 8:15 for  Bald Ridge COE Park.    This has always been a favorite of ours as every site is on the lake and has access to it. It is a lovely park with paved streets, lots of greenery and large sites.  It is gated from 10pm to 7am for security and rangers are always visible.  The only draw back here is again no Wi-Fi.  I'm am using self control about now regarding this issue.  LOL

 

There is a water shortage here in Georgia and the lake is very low.   It is a sad sight to see compared to last year.   Some things in Georgia remain the same.  I'm always amazed to see the amount of Kudzo here on the sides of the highway.   If you are not familiar with this weed, let me tell you a little about it.  It is found in southern states only and was brought here from Asia as a tool to fight erosion, but it also kills trees and shrubs by shrouding them and blocking their light.  It is hard to kill, can grow a foot a day and can send roots 12 feet into the ground.  Some experimenting  is going on by bring goats into the area and they are said to eat it .   

 

Kudzu-The Vine         Check this out for more infomation

 

 

 

We stopped for diesel today, $4.60 a gallon.  Our total was $215.77 for 47 gallons and propane was a total of $56.47.    It's easy to understand why people are not traveling far from home.  

 

We will be staying here four nights.   Catch you all later.     Sorry that I have not been able to read other journals, please forgive me, I'll catch up in a week or so. 

We're off and running

 

Thanks for all the congratulations .   We have had a lovely week.  Our friends Marla and Don took us to the Steak House for dinner , and we received some awesome gifts.   Our friends Mary and Carl send is a yummy cookie bouquet.  We also received a Bulova Clock which plays chime on the hour, and a number of gift cards, one being a $300 gas card from our son.

 

Now  we are busy packing up to leave Florida for three months.  We have to be back here at the end of August as Bob has a doctors appointment.    So this year it will be a short trip for us.   Our first stop will be Georgia for a week or so and then up to Indiana to visit our son and some friends some Arizona friends, Pearl and Gus.  After that we are heading for New England.

 

I don't think I will have an Internet connection for at least 10 days, so I will not be able to visit all your wonderful sites, but I'll pop in when ever I can get connected.   So long for now.

Grow Old Together, The Best is Yet to Come

JUST THE WAY YOU ARE (Billy Joel)

Don't go changing, to try and please me
You never let me down before
Don't imagine you're too familiar
And I don't see you anymore                       
I wouldn't leave you in times of trouble
We never could have come this far
I took the good times, I'll take the bad times
I'll take you just the way you are

Don't go trying some new fashion
Don't change the color of your hair
You always have my unspoken passion
Although I might not seem to care

I don't want clever conversation
I never want to work that hard
I just want someone that I can talk to
I want you just the way you are.

I need to know that you will always be
The same old someone that I knew
What will it take 'till you believe in me
The way that I believe in you.

I said I love you, and that's forever
And this I promise from the heart
I could not love you any better
I love you just the way you are.

Drum Role Please

 

 

Tomorrow Bob and I will celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary with a blessing at a Mass in St. Joseph's church here in Florida.  We were married in Beverly Ma. at the St. Mary's Star and Sea Church, on May 25, 1958, many moons ago!

 

We meet the night before my sixteenth birthday at a local teen dance.  He asked me to go for a ride the following Sunday and I said I would only go if he bring a date for my best friend.  He did and they will celebrate their 50th in September.   The rest is history.

 

After the children left the nest, and moved out of state, it was time to plan our new adventure after retirement.  And what an adventure it has been.  We sold  or gave away almost everything we had, including our home and a camp in Maine.   Before we retired we purchased a motorhome and started gathering interesting information on things and places we would like to see.   It has been eight years and we have no regrets.  We have pretty well seen ever thing we wanted to, except Oregon and Washington state.   Maybe next summer.

 

So here we are, fifty years later.  We are lucky, we laugh every day, still kiss each other when one is going out, have  no serious medical issues  and still enjoy each others company.   We don't know why we are so blessed, but we thank the Lord for each other every day.   Life is good.

 

PS      Happy anniversary to our friends Gary and Shirley tomorrow too.

Coming soon----Big news!

 

Well here I am apologizing again for not taking care of business here in J-Land.     Hope I am forgiven.

When we retired I had imagined there would be so much time to ponder life's meaning and other heavy thoughts.  That such was a pipe dream.  There is never a single day that we don't leave the house.  Our social calendar is busier than a ever.

 

It is getting warmer here in Florida, so the games of shuffle are being played at night under the lights. There are still a lot of good-bye dinners going on, which had added a few more pounds to the derriere, which I really don't need.

 

Bob and I have always enjoyed the  small community theatres productions.    Yesterday we saw an old favorite "Nunsense", a two act play, with our friends Marla and Don.  Bob and I attended parochial schools and found this play amusing, much more than the ruler  whacking nuns we remembered.  The five gals who played the nuns were very funny, and had serious singing voices.   It was a pleasant way to spend the afternoon and later went out to dinner and home for a few hands of cards.  It was such a nice day.

 

 

All My Faves | Why Search?    Check this site out.   I'm sure you will just love it.

 

This is all I have to share today, BUT Wait,  I'll give you really really big news in a day or two. 

VATICAN SPLENDORS

 

This exhibit was advertised as a once in a life time opportunity limited engagement.   Well Bob and I and friends wanted experience this 2000 years of Vatican art and history. 

 

One of the first things we noticed was that all that glitters is not gold.  All items that we remember were gold plated over silver.   They looked good though.

 

In the advertisements it was said to display the architect's compass belonging to Michelangelo.   Under the display at the museum , it stated it might have been his or like his.

 

We felt strongly that "The Mandylion of Edessa", believed to be the earliest representation of the face of Jesus, was a replica, as it was brilliant in color, hard to believe it was original.

 

Another section  was all about the Swiss Guard who protects the have protected the Popes since 1506. On display were uniforms and decorated armor.

 

Section 9 was liturgical vestments and Pope Pius Vll's papal tiara, containing one of the  world's largest emeralds.   No guards in sight!

 

One of the exhibition's most dramatic rooms, this recreated environment takes visitors onto the scaffolding near the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, to explore how Michelangelo painted his famous frescoes.   I once read that he did not want to paint the ceiling as he considered himself a poet more than an artist.

 

Taking pictures was not allowed, but got these from the Internet.

 

All in all , we were disappointed with the exhibit, but we did have a nice day and lunch with friends.