Photo Journal of Domestic Inspirations, Thanksgiving Weekend 2011

Not Carolee's sweet rolls, but pretty good for a rookie! (after adding this photo of the Turkey, I can't get it separated from the sweet rolls).

Yay for Pillsbury Crescent Rolls and a pizza cutter! (thanks to Mikey for the idea!)

back: Fern, Nolan, Mark, Mike. front: John, Travis, Bev, Marie, Edd, Kent, Troy

Practice shot on timer and tripod.

Mike made Turkey Soup. See the Music notes pasta?

Mike made German Potato Salad.

b a c o n

October 2011

October 3, 2011
Hello, October! ~ we headed for Solano Beach to hit the surf! It's such a good feeling to find a parking spot in southern California, and I don't mean on the 5 south. Troy and Mikey went in the ocean with the boards we bought at Costco the last time we were in San Diego all together, when Travis was a senior in high school, four years ago. Travis and I were in SD almost two years ago with Lacy and Jeldrik, when we visited Eileen at the time-share, and Evonne and Cruey b-b-q'd lunch for us at a park on the beach. But it has been four years since all of us had been. The water felt not-so-cold to me this weekend, but others said it was cold. The surfers all had wetsuits on. We spent a couple hours at Solano Beach, then headed towards Del Mar, looking for Elijah's Deli to have lunch. This deli has closed it doors, so we went to the village and found Board-n-Brew, which turned out to be an excellent choice! Great sandwiches ~ I had a beef dip, Mark had Board Master, Troy had roast-beef, Travis and Mikey...had a sandwich, I'm not sure what kind. The potato salad was really good, and the place was friendly. Again, we found a parking space close by, but there was a curious sign , so to avoid confusion I documented the sign.
After lunch we checked in to our hotel room, which the website said "Every room has a sofa-bed." Well, guess what? only the rooms with one king-size bed have a sofa bed. The five of us had a room with two queen sized beds. Troy and Mikey decided who would sleep on the floor. Troy says he doesn't sleep much anyways, so he took the floor with the extra pillows and a comforter the hotel sent up.
We went back to Del Mar, found a spot on the beach to watch the sunset. It was beautiful! Troy and Mikey went back in the ocean. Troy rolled up his jeans, but still got them wet. Oh, and the parking spot on 19th St. and Coast Dr. was perfect... a family in their Honda van were packing up to leave as we drove up. The packed away the stroller, the Seqway, the helmets, then started to leave. The man stopped, got out, and got the dog they tied up while they were packing things in the car. How do you have a stroller and a dog and a Segway? That's an awful lot of stuff going on!
A pit-stop at the hotel, we headed to Oggi's in Del Mar, just around the corner, off the 56 and El Camino Real. Oggi's has the best pizza, and we already knew this because there's one in Apple Valley. A pop-warner football team came in, and the players had their names on their jerseys, and the moms all had a customer Trojans shirt, a different style on each.
The next morning we checked out, packed up and went to Vons for donuts and milk. Headed back to Del Mar beach, well, really to Seagrove Park. there was a special event at Del Mar village, so traffic was bad, and parking was non-existent. We drove north a little ways, figuring we'd end up at Solano beach, but I kept poking around, and we found a parking spot about two blocks from the beach at Del Mar. The boys got back in the ocean, and Mikey stayed in longer. I have so much fun watching them have a good time. There were lots of surfers out there, and twice Mikey and a surfer almost collided, but they avoided each other, just barely.
October 15, 2011
Halfway through this month already, wow time flies! The weather has been warm enough to swim at 9 o'clock at night. Friday nights have been filled with football games, and Saturdays with band competitions. This week we had a very special visit with some very special people. Debbie Jacobson from Montana was here. Her parents and mine knew each other from 50 years ago, and although I never met her folks, I felt like I had just from hearing about them all these years. Corle May was also here, and I'm looking forward to seeing her again soon! I'm so thankful for the miracle of the living ministry which God called these two ladies into, taking the gospel story to seeking and hungry souls.

Del Mar

Del Mar

Del Mar

Del Mar

Solano Beach

This is my post for October. Happy Fall to all my friends and family. I will be posting a youtube video of Troy and Mikey's school band,.

Still Thankful

This was forwarded to me from a recently-retired Soldier in the United States Army. This week I was glad to hear the news that my cousin's son has returned safely from "over there," after his third (or was it his 4th?) tour of duty.
This is too good not to share.
Bev

True Story..... 
Luke AFB is west of Phoenix and is rapidly being surrounded by civilization that complains about the noise from the base and its planes, forgetting that it was there long before they were...  A certain lieutenant colonel at Luke AFB deserves a big pat on the back.  Apparently, an individual who lives somewhere  near Luke AFB wrote the local paper complaining about a group of  F-16s that disturbed his/her day at the mall.  When that individual read the response from a Luke AFB officer, it must have stung quite a bit.

The complaint: 'Question  of the day for Luke Air Force Base:
Whom do we thank for the morning air show?  Last  Wednesday, at precisely 9:11 A.M, a tight formation of four F-16 jets made a low pass over  Arrowhead Mall, continuing  west over Bell Road at approximately 500 feet.  Imagine  our good fortune!  Do the Tom Cruise-wannabes feel we need this wake-up call, or were they trying to impress the cashiers at  Mervyn’s early bird special?                        
Any response would be appreciated.     

The response:

Regarding  'A wake-up call from Luke's jets:"  On June 15, at  precisely 9:12  a.m., a perfectly timed four-ship fly by of F-1 6s from the 63rd Fighter Squadron at Luke Air Force Base flew over the grave of Capt. Jeremy Fresques.  Capt Fresques was an Air Force officer who was previously stationed at Luke Air Force Base and was killed in Iraq on May 30,  Memorial Day.
At 9 a. m. on June 15, his family and friends gathered at Sunland Memorial Park in Sun City to mourn the loss of a husband, son and friend.  Based on the letter writer's recount of the fly by,  and because of the jet noise, I'm sure you didn't hear the 21-gun salute, the playing of taps, or my words to the widow and parents of  Capt. Fresques as I gave them their son's flag on behalf of the President of the United States and all those veterans and servicemen and women who understand the sacrifices they have endured.                            
A four-ship fly by is a display of respect the Air Force gives to those who give their lives in defense of freedom.  We are professional aviators and take our jobs seriously, and on June 15 what the letter writer witnessed was four officers lining up to pay their ultimate respects.               
The letter writer asks, ’Whom do we thank for the morning air show'?  The 56th Fighter Wing will make the call for you, and forward your thanks to the widow and parents of Capt Fresques, and thank them for you, for it  was in their honor that my pilots flew the most honorable formation of their  lives.

Only 2 defining forces have ever offered to die for you....Jesus Christ and the American Soldier.  One died for your soul, the other for your freedom.

Lt. Col. Grant L. Rosensteel, Jr.   
USAF

Grateful!

I've just returned from a walk / run this morning. See, in just less than two months I plan to participate in my first 5K run. I started training last week, and today I ran one mile, and walked one mile. I know that doesn't seem like much, but it's a start. Previously this week and last week, I have walked to the Aqueduct trail, then ran along there, turn around, and walk back home. I don't know the distance, but time-wise it was 30 minutes each time. Today I was out for almost one hour, because on the walk back home I was side-tracked by a Garage Sale sign, but there was nothing good there. Walking around my neighborhood, I noticed approximately every-other-house is vacant ~ either abandoned or up for sale. Many occupied homes have let their grass die and the weeds are growing. These are hard economic times. Seeing this, I was just overcome with a feeling of thankfulness and gratitude. Thankful that (at least for now) we have our home, our jobs, and relatively good health. I discovered from my primary doctor that my neck pain is "mostly in your mind, you need to be on anti-depressants" and she prescribed Prozac. I told her to keep her drugs, but then soon after that, coincidently, my pain reduced. I still have pain, but I'm going to live like I don't! Obviously things are not always easy, my job is stressful (that's why it's called WORK), and money is tight but we still have room to cut-back. While I was approaching our home, walking back, I noticed how beautiful the Mimosa tree in the front yard is. Marie and Edd planted this 8 years ago, and it was just a little bitty thing. Now it shades the whole front half of the yard, and the sidewalk. I had to snap I picture of it before this Abundantly Thankful feeling passes, and while I was, my neighbor and I chatted for a while. Today is a good day! Now, I am thankful I have a house to clean, and I have laundry to do, and thankful I have food to cook for dinner. 

Today's hymn: #291
"The heart of my Savior is tender...His love and His grace will uphold me...His strong loving arms will enfold me..."

Camping 2011

Brothers... Kent and Nolan

I enjoy driving the RV!

Guess Where?

Bakersfield again

We left before sunrise to avoid the heat. The journey was pleasant, driving over the Tehachipi's. The route we take is Highway 138 / Pearblossom highway west to Highway 14 north, then Highway 58 west to 99 north. We saw this hot-air balloon over Tehachapi. This prompted a conversation about parachuting and other extreme activities. I mentioned the new sip-line tour that recently opened in Wrightwood. I would like to do that, maybe for my birthday?

Marie and Edd

We continued on, over and down the mountain, passing the exit for the famous Tehachapi Loop, where the trains make a circle on the mountain while going over the pass. Mark's nephew Justin now works for BNSF and so whenever we see a train we wonder if he's on that one. Eventually, we dropped down into East Bakersfield, passed Weedpatch Highway, and Stockdale Highway, and the cutoff for Buttonwillow. These are all landmarks I remember from my childhood, when visiting my brother. He received a scholarship to attend Cal Statue University Bakersfield. During the two years he was there, my mom or my sister drove me to Bakersfield many times. I often stayed at Denio's, where somehow I got tagged with the name "Egghead." I remember combing hair, and pillow fights, and laughter and fun, and food!
     Highway 99 north emerges soon after Bakersfield, and we head toward Fresno. The drive between Bakersfield and Fresno sped by! We changed drivers in Tulare and got gas, then up the road a ways we discovered a gas station with a Subway sandwich shop, just past Pixley. We should stop there next time.
     We left Fresno and arrived at Oakhurst where we did some last-minute grocery shopping. We bought some sourdough bread and hard-rolls for sandwiches, and I found a giant drawing tablet for the colored pencils I brought along. Change of drivers again, and I got us into camp by 12:30pm.

Mark and Bev at Willow Creek, Soquel, Sierra National Forest, not too far from the Exact Geographical Center of California.

 

 

     Nolan was in the creek within five minutes! I soon followed, even though it was very cold. John got in, Troy stuck his big toe in, and Travis put on his trunks, too. Fern was adventurous and went out into the creek to help John build a small dam. We hoped to create a small pool where the sun would warm the water for us. The first couple of days the sun shone bright, and it was even hot, with no clouds. Just a little chilly at night ~ the first night we slept with the camper door open. The rest of the week it was cloudy all day, big white fluffy clouds, but sometimes the sun would peek out and warm us up, but it was "sweater- weather." John and Kent caught some fish ~ a few natives (German Browns) and some Rainbow trout. We roasted them in foil over the coals with Italian dressing ~ delicious! We (Again) packed too much food, and didn't even make beans and cornbread! But we had steak, and chili, and hamburgers, and spaghetti and meatballs, and meatball sandwiches, and s'mores (but no chocoloate) and roasted weenies. And then Fern's breakfasts ~ Fried potatoes and sausage, biscuits and gravy, Mark made pancakes, oh! and the peppered bacon! And let's not forget Flipz, the best snack food!!
     The trip home was quite an adventure! We made it all the way to Mojave, after crossing back over the Tehachapi's, and stopped for gas, and the RV stopped altogether. Conked out, smoke and a broken belt. Frozen compressor, the whole nine yards. We finally found a tow truck available, he came from Lancaster, and towed us to Javi's RV repair in Palmdale. We grabbed our essentials from the RV and climbed in with John and Fern for the trip home. We survived!! And it was a good week in the mountains!

Photo journal of the Epic Road Trip (Music, History, Food and Family) June 21-28, 2011

Troy and me at the Dallas Airport, waiting for rental car shuttle. The week-long roadtrip is about to begin!

Our first trip through Dallas, trying to get out of town before the rain. Made it to Bossier City, LA the first night.

Dallas

Rest stop in west Texas.

The next day we left Bossier City, stopped in West Monroe, LA for sandwich makings and got gas in the van, and went to Vicksburg, MS. 

Mississippi River at Vicksburg, MS.

Fern and Bev

Travis, Nolan and Troy.

Troy, Mark, Bev and Travis.

From Vicksburg, we drove north on the Blues Highway. Stopped at Clarksdale, MS to take this picture. It has some musical significance, a guy stopped here and made a deal with the devil, wanting to make it big in music.

Some other music guy lived here.

And a bunch of music guys cut records here.

Shiloh... my favorite stop on our journey.

Nashville, TN. That white van across the street is our rental car. Parked right in front of Tootsie's!!

Mom and Dad got us two nights at this B&B in Richmond, KY. The Bennett House. Rita Smart (House of Representatives, Frnakfort, KY and her husband run this place).

Someday we will own this store. Elvis the cat currently resides here, with Hailey the dog. Main St., Richmond, KY.

At Corky's on John's birthday, Memphis, TN, on the return trip.

The back-seat monkeys scarfing down John's birthday apple-cobbler.

Downtown Dallas.

On our 26th wedding anniversary. My cousin Bonnie got married here. 

1...2...3....JUMP!!

Nolan jumped so high he jumped right out of the frame!!

4th Saturday in June ~ Richmond, Kentucky

Sweet fellowship, Kentucky style ~ Mom and Dad, Elizabeth and Jesse Barker and "Uncle" JB Meadors

My neice Christiana and her daughter Kylee came down from Northern Kentucky (2 hour drive!) to spend the day with us. Kylee is three, and very, very smart.