2 November 2008

Type, knit, type, knit; what to do...............First, it IS snowing. I'm not my usual hysterical, happy self yelling snow, snow, snow. It is a bit disconcerting having our main HVAC system down and to be sitting 
inside of a motorhome, that could be called a luxury motorhome, in 2 pairs of pants, heavy extra furry UGG boots, two thermal long sleeve shirts, a lined sweatshirt, a hat that I had to take off so I 
could use my glasses, and fingertip-less wool gloves with a blanket and a cat on my lap. We are running the generator right now so I could plug in one of the electric heaters we have with us. On top 
of that, my nose is cold.

We took the ferry last night and got to Nova Scotia at 6:30 a.m. Let's see, we lost a half of an hour leaving NL and the clocks went back an hour. If we make it to the US today, I will be all messed up as the time will change again. It is now 9:00 and we are heading down the highway towards the states. We could get there today but will have to see how we hold out.
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Chet slept, fortunately, on the ferry with the help of some Gravol. I am glad he did as we had less than a pleasant ride for the first hour and a half. The ferry pitched, rolled and shuddered in every possible direction while staying in an upright position. The girl in the cafeteria said it got a "little" bumpy on the way in as she makes the round trip. It didn't dawn on me that it was what we were experiencing as we left, until the light 
went on in my head and realized she meant coming in to where we left from and not at the other end where we would land. There were a lot of sick people and I couldn't go to sleep so I just kept my eyes shut so I wouldn't see the boat rocking. Finally it calmed a bit and seeing I wasn't going to sleep I knitted. I finally slept from 4:00 until 6:00. Needless to say I am furiously fighting to keep my eyes open right now. I will try to finish this before I pass out. My nose is still very cold.

We slept last night in Cornerbrook at the visitor's center, as they have a dump and water there. I was still in bed at 11:00 a.m. when we heard a knock on the door. I was surprised as we have never been asked to leave where we park. It turned out to be our friends. Josee and Cal from the Harbourview Restaurant. They were on a trip and stopped to say hello and goodbye. We got on our way and had rain and snow flurries all the way to the ferry. We just stayed inside and did some straightening while we waited for the ferry. We decided to "rough it" but I am not sure I like Group sleeping on a very rocky ferry so we will see next year when we go back to Twillingate where we will sleep.

The ground is pretty white outside. We just put $435.00 worth of diesel in the beast so running the generator will have to do to keep us in heat until we get to the dealer on Wednesday in N. Hampshire. Now the rooftops are covered with snow and it is on the sides of the road. They must have had much more than flurries as we are in a winter wonderland. This is the most snow we have seen since going to Cynthia's in Grand Rapids, Mi. 4 years ago. The radio said the snow was going to stop today....we have been following the snow plow on his way to somewhere. Now that I know it is going to stop, I can enjoy it. We've never driven in snow like this in the motorhome. 

Typing is a bit difficult at best but I am at an angle or the computer would be on Freddie's head. He's happy and he is keeping my leg warm. The cats survived their ride in the belly of the ship and when we left them they were all lined up on the couch in beds. Upon returning, they were all lined up in different order on the couch. Twilly has taken to vomiting every time we leave on a trip, just the initial leave, and then the rest, except Moose, followed suit as the day went on.

Freddie just left so I can adjust myself properly and get finished for now.

When I woke yesterday, I mentioned to Chet that it felt like we had never been out of the motorhome. It was like Twillingate never happened. Maybe it was a dream; it sure felt like it and it was very strange. I guess living on the road for 5 years makes it seem very comfortable getting back in to it.

I have to take a nap right now! It is snowing VERY hard and we are stopping for some breakfast. So much for the breakfast...Chet made decaf and went in to the Starbuck's of Canada.....Tim Horton's, for real manly man coffee. He was going to post this but came back covered in snow and decided we had better get back on the road due to the supposed flurries.....NOT.....Nina, this is a new learning 
curve for the CFA's from the states.....real snow!!!!!!!! 

Oh, my glory....blue skies and thank you for the clear roads. That was a bit unnerving. Unreal, we just drove out of the almost whiteout snow to absolutely none and sun. Do we live in some other plane of existence!!!!!!!! All of the people stopped at Tim Hortons and around the area have no idea that the world WE live in just clicked over to no snow and it was only 10 minutes away from there. 

Sometimes it feels like "Outer Limits".

 

31 October month, 2008

Happy Halloween to All of You!!!!!

Oh, goodbye Twillingate!!!!!!!!!! Boo Hoo. We are sad to go but we must. I have to see my grand babies and my children. They are the only hole in the existence we have found in Newfoundland. I wish I could say thank you to each and everyone we met this year. You couldn't have been nicer and many of you felt like old friends or family.

I don't imagine many people feel so fondly about the people who worked for them, but we found the nicest men to do our remodel. It was really empty not to have them around when they finished. Each one of you were so much fun and so good at what you did that it made it a pleasure to pay you. We look forward to having you work with us again next year. I just have to find a Loonie tree to shake while we are in the states. Somehow, I don't think they grow there though. Not to worry, we left some in Newfoundland.

The new friends we made, and those of you who took us up on our offer to drop in, next year I hope it will be more often as we will be so much more settled, I think. At least we drained the house correctly this time so we doubt there will be any disasters. I just hated to have to let it freeze while we were gone but it was fuel or heat for our home. Fuel won out and we hit the road 5 hours and 5 minutes later than planned.

It is 8:07 and we stopped in Lewisport for a Subway sandwich as we wind our way, hopefully to Cornerbrook. It all depends how tired my hubby gets as it is dark and raining....two major "no Gaye driving criteria". It is a steep learning curve for us to winterize and to start to get the motorhome packed on time. You would think after doing this, now into our 6th year, we would have a clue. We always end up throwing everything into the bus and cleaning it all up on the road. We will have a wait at the ferry tomorrow as we are leaving at 11:45 p.m. Hmmmmmm, oh for good weather!!!!!!!!!

It was really hard to say goodbye to Marilyn and Gordon as the have become like family and there will be an empty spot in our hearts until we see them again. We left our back porch EXIT sign on so they could see the house at night time. Chet says it for people to exit the world and come into our home.

It seems like we just got settled in to our home and then out again. Packing the yarn was an experience in itself!!!!

Well, my dears and my friends, I am going to stop so we can listen to a new book on tape....

Nina and John, thanks again for the supper last night. It was pleasant and made our sendoff much easier. I don't know when I will get this posted......until then, Love.

Welcome to my muze, Janet. I hope you and Ralph are doing okay.......will all of you who read this send good thoughts.

 

23 October month, 2008

We just got back from a walk and it was gorgeous out; about 35 degrees.  It will be 29 tonight.  I was going to tell you about my day.  I was looking over the Aurora Chorus emails and read this, so here is my muze for the day......

I chose to share it with everyone I know and even ones I don't as it touched me deeply!

From: ericasings@yahoo.com

Subject: [Village] Disabilty Awareness month: Worth Reading

Date: October 22, 2008 3:18:09 AM NDT

Subject: Disabilty Awareness month: Worth Reading

Two Choices What would you do?....you make the choice. Don't look for a punch line,there isn't one. Read it anyway. My question is: Would you have made the same choice?

At a fundraising dinner for a school that serves children with learning disabilities, the father of one of the students delivered a speech that would never be forgotten by all who attended. After extolling the school and its dedicated staff, he offered a question: 'When not interfered with by outside influences, everything nature does, is done with perfection. Yet my son, Shay, cannot learn things as other children do. He cannot understand things as other children do. Where is the natural order of things in my son?'
The audience was stilled by the query.
The father continued. 'I believe that when a child like Shay, who was mentally and physically disabled comes into the world, an opportunity to realize true human nature presents itself, and it comes in the way other people treat that child.'

Then he told the following story:
Shay and I had walked past a park where some boys Shay knew were playing baseball. Shay asked, 'Do you think they'll let me play?' I knew that most of the boys would not want someone like Shay on their team, but as a father I also understood that if my son were allowed to play, it would give him a much-needed sense of belonging and some confidence to be accepted by others in spite of his handicaps.
I approached one of the boys on the field and asked (not expecting much) if Shay could play. The boy looked around for guidance and said, 'We're losing by six runs and the game is in the eighth inning. I guess he can be on our team and we'll try to put him in to bat in the ninth inning.'
Shay struggled over to the team's bench and, with a broad smile, put on a team shirt. I watched with a small tear in my eye and warmth in my heart.
The boys saw my joy at my son being accepted.
In the bottom of the eighth inning, Shay's team scored a few runs but was still behind by three.
In the top of the ninth inning, Shay put on a glove and played in the right field. Even though no hits came his way, he was obviously ecstatic just to be in the game and on the field, grinning from ear to ear as I waved to him from the stands.
In the bottom of the ninth inning, Shay's team scored again.
Now, with two outs and the bases loaded, the potential winning run was on base and Shay was scheduled to be next at bat.
At this juncture, do they let Shay bat and give away their chance to win the game? Surprisingly, Shay was given the bat. Everyone knew that a hit was all but impossible because Shay didn't even know how to hold the bat properly, much less connect with the ball.
However, as Shay stepped up to the plate, the pitcher, recognizing that the other team was putting winning aside for this moment in Shay's life, moved in a few steps to lob the ball in softly so Shay could at least make contact.
The first pitch came and Shay swung clumsily and missed.
The pitcher again took a few steps forward to toss the ball softly towards Shay.
As the pitch came in, Shay swung at the ball and hit a slow ground ball right back to the pitcher.
The game would now be over.
The pitcher picked up the soft grounder and could have easily thrown the ball to the first baseman. Shay would have been out and that would have been the end of the game..
Instead, the pitcher threw the ball right over the first baseman's head, out of reach of all team mates.
Everyone from the stands and both teams started yelling, 'Shay, run to first!
Run to first!'
Never in his life had Shay ever run that far, but he made it to first base. He scampered down the baseline, wide-eyed and startled.
Everyon e yelled, 'Run to second, run to second!'
Catching his breath, Shay awkwardly ran towards second, gleaming and struggling to make it to the base.
By the time Shay rounded towards second base, the right fielder had the ball. the smallest guy on their team who now had his first chance to be the hero for his team.
He could have thrown the ball to the second-baseman for the tag, but he understood the pitcher's intentions so he, too, intentionally threw the ball high and far over the third-baseman's head.
Shay ran toward third base deliriously as the runners ahead of him circled the bases toward home.
All were screaming, 'Shay, Shay, Shay, all the Way Shay'
Shay reached third base because the opposing shortstop ran to help him by turning him in the direction of third base, and shouted, 'Run to third! Shay, run to third!'
As Shay rounded third, the boys from both teams, and the spectators, were on their feet screaming, 'Shay, run home! Run home!'
Shay ran to home, stepped on the plate, and was cheered as the hero who hit the grand slam and won the game for his team That day, said the father softly with tears now rolling down his face, the boys from both teams helped bring a piece of true love and humanity into this world'.
Shay didn't make it to another summer. He died that winter, having never forgotten being the hero and making me so happy, and coming home and seeing his Mother tearfully  embrace her little hero of the day!
AND NOW A LITTLE FOOT- NOTE TO  THIS STORY:
We all send thousands of jokes through the e-mail without a  second thought, but when it comes to sending messages about life choices,  people hesitate.
The crude, vulgar, and often obscene pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion about decency is too often suppressed in our schools and workplaces.
If you're thinking about forwarding this message, chances are that you're probably sorting out the people in your address book who aren't the 'appropriate' ones to receive this type of message Well, the person who sent you this believes that we all can make a difference. We all have thousands of opportunities every single day to help realize the 'natural order of things.'
So many seemingly trivial interactions  between two people present us with a choice:

Do we pass along a little  spark of love and humanity or do we pass up those opportunities and leave  the world a little bit colder in the process?

A wise man once said  every society is judged by how it treats it's least fortunate amongst  them.

You now have two choices:
1. Delete
2. Forward
May your day be a Shay Day.

 

22 October month, 2008

Ohhhhhh, I am tired.....It was 3:23 a.m. the last time I looked at the clock before falling asleep.  There is something about the energy of the wind, I think, that gets inside of me and gets me all amped up.  It happened the last time it was howling outside.  I got onto a blog run by one of the news stations and passed the criteria and was able to participate.  It was a kick.  

Chet had to go out at 1:00 and take down the potted plants and shut the side gate.  I had to go out on the porch just to see what it was like.  WOW!!!!!  I can't even comprehend what winter must be like here.  I woke this morning after about 5 hours of sleep, give or take a bit, and was lying in my bed looking out at the waves in the harbour and the ones that were splashing above the road enough to see them.  How cool.....

We took our morning coffee upstairs in the turret and sat and watched the sea crashing on everything it could reach.  It is a little difficult as the glass is all the old rippled type of glass and the imperfections make it hard on the eyes.  Twilly went through everything in the room and ended up all snuggled in the middle of the yarn I have in an old wooden playpen that I found out in the shed.  Moose was hot on his trail or tail but never made it up where Twilly was.

Speaking of Twilly, when we went out on the front porch at 1:00, I heard Twilly crying.  We went upstairs and started looking in the rooms but the crying went on.  The little darling must have gotten onto the 3rd floor and the door was inadvertently shut when we left for Gander yesterday.  The poor little guy was evidently up there for 13 hours.  I think I have voted that Chet go up there today and see what he managed to get into.  He came tearing down the stairs all puffed up and ran to all of the other cats to sniff and then around the house a few times, finally settling into the potty box and to the food bowl.  We felt so bad....we didn't even miss our missing cat!!!!!!  Shame...

I went to my favorite bedroom which is the upstairs "pine room" as it is all covered in " Greg Domm special, cheap pine".  It looks good but the quality is questionable as were so many things about him.  Unfortunately he was the topic of conversation at the party I had last Saturday.  Many people were NOT fooled by his erratic behavior and the fact that there was only 1 little light on in the house as they said.  The unfortunate part of it is his association with Bernie that he made out to be something that it wasn't.  I was interested to hear what yet more of the locals said about him.  The consensus of opinion over and over is that something was just not right and guess what.....it wasn't.

Anyhow, back to the bedroom, which is my favorite one in the house; small and I discovered, this morning, when I finally laid down on it that the glass in the window is new glass and not distorted in the main pane.  That is great as it is possible to look out of it with an unobstructed view.  More discoveries all the time.  As far as I could see out to the ocean I saw waves rolling their big white caps as they rolled towards the harbour.  I even got to see my stream filled and running through the yard.  Next year we should get it all lined with cement and plastic sheeting and I should have a real stream that doesn't lose water in lots of different spots.

We were watching the local channel and there is a Jigg's supper in Herring Neck tonight so we may go to.  Other than that I will be hanging some plates and taking a nap upstairs in my little room.  I have a bad habit of getting everything to look just so in my homes and then not using my favorite places as they become a collage to me and not a usable area.  Chet has been instrumental in helping me change those habits.  I just love looking at the rooms and don't want to mess them up.  A little idiosyncratic behavior going on here. 

Lynne and Craig, have a lovely trip.....we are itching to get on the road again but still have very strong feelings about having to leave this magical little island attached to Newfoundland.

Peace to you............. 

 

21 October month, 2008

OOOOOOOWEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!  It is BLOWING outside and the ocean is magnificent...................

We took a ride in to Gander this afternoon to do some very special shopping...NOT...  I finally found all of my collection of decorator plates that I was sure were gone forever.  All I could find were two big boxes holding the empty boxes for the plates.  Chet remembered packing them in paper as it was after my fall and broken leg and ankle.  He and friends were doing the packing as I was already moved over to one of our rentals and couldn't put any weight on my leg.  It was unabashed misery.  I had been packing and labeling all of the boxes with everything that was in them.  I found the plates in boxes in the hall on the first and second floors.  They were right in front of my face and I couldn't imagine what had happened to them.  DUH, how simple things are sometimes

I needed 47 plate hangers so off to Dollarama we went.  It was raining and the seas were pretty wild.  The trees were and the grasses are all changing colors and were just a blast of yellows, greens, reds, browns and every color in between.  Boy it was pretty.  I had no idea that the grasses around the ponds changed colors.  It was about 43 degrees outside and excitement was in the air, at least for me and I'm sure for Chet.  I got things for the trick-or-treaters; candy and squishy spider, lady-bug and beetle balls, a bottle opener, a witch hat for me and a Frankenstein mask for Chet.  I picked up a little yarn too.  We had lunch, grocery shopped and later a trip to Tim Horton's to get bagels and of course donut holes and coffee.  We started back so we could see the sea before dark.

The ride home was great.  There were waves and whitecaps everywhere.  When we came to the causeway to Twillingate Island the water was crashing over the road and we got hit by some.  Mind you, we are told that this isn't a big storm.  It was so cool I asked Chet to turn around and do it again.  He didn't and we were on our way home.  We passed our house and went down to Blow-me-Down to watch the waves.  They were really big.  We are home and the wind is yet one more time coming from a new direction for us as we can hear it pounding the back of the house.  The waves are breaking over the rocks in front of the fish market.  Speaking of the fish market, we have to take pictures and get the new color on the web page.  

Winter has to be outstanding here.  There is some snow expected on the island in some areas tonight and tomorrow and even flurries here.  I guess I will have to sit up with my flashlight(8-).  You should hear the wind right now.

I know Nina and Jon are still there as we passed their house...I wonder how their new doors and windows are holding up.

OOOOOOHHHH the wind is really starting to kick up.  Too bad it is dark now.

I still am riding the waves of last Saturday evening.  We were told the party was a typical N'land party with the men at the table and the women in the other room..It was fun hearing about how the women had walked or driven by this house all of their lives and had always imagined what it was like inside.  What a gift it is to be able to share it with them and the locals that want to see it.  We just tell them it is our home and all they have to do is pop by and knock on the door and we will show them it is just a house even though down deep in my heart I know it is a sparkling jewel to me.  

Well, my darlings and friends and anyone else who has dropped in to read this.  I feel like the luckiest person in the world.....I have wonderful children, grandchildren, friends from away and new friends from here that come by and visit.  Cal and Jose were here for about 4+ hours yesterday for a visit and Marilyn, sweet Marilyn, came over just to show us the card that Carl and Jeff wrote to them thanking them for their hospitality.  There is such a genuine innocence here and I relish it................

≥8999999999999999999999it9iohu8]999tiΩ.......that was Moose running along my keyboard.  

Have a wonderful evening!

 

18 October month, 2008

It is 11:30 p.m. and my hubby is VERY happy.  Now get your mind out of the gutter.........he is watching the fights.  Oh gee, how I love it when he finds one to watch, NOT, so I thought I would write about a most lovely evening we just spent.  

Tonight was the "thank you" supper for the men who worked on our house and their wives.  Wayne Arnold, our magician, Calvin Lewis, our man that made many special things happen during our remodel, Jim Pelley, our most amazing electrician, and Matt, a new person who has been working on my stream and planting my bulbs, and their wives except for Wayne's who had to work, all showed up to fill up on spaghetti, caesar salad, garlic bread, brownies, pecan cake, and ice cream.  Nina and John were here too, as everyone has worked for her except Jim and she wanted to do something for them, too.  She made some wonderful hors d'oeuvres and brought some beer.  Also, thank you Nina, for doing so many of the dishes.  Lewis Gleason and Bobby Pelly didn't make it and were sorely missed.

We couldn't have found a nicer bunch of people if we tried.  They were a delight to have working here and brought us a lot of laughter and a beautiful remodel.  I wanted to do something for them.  I also made them all a knit scarf to warm their necks this winter.  I hope they will use them and share with their wives......

Chet was gracious enough to help me finish putting up the village for the last 2 and a half days.  He only grumbled part of the time as he had to do all of the standing on the ladder while I was futzing around with the trees and people.  We are finished and our room is so much nicer to be in.  We still have to figure out what to do with all of the stuff on the dresser but I must say what a pleasure it is to have all the junk out of the room.

I was so touched this evening that my eyes got wet.  It was like having old friends in our home that they made so perfect for us.  They and 98 per cent of the Newfoundlander's we have met are absolutely the nicest people.  It is nice to end an evening on such a high.

I couldn't find "Moose" for the first hour they were here.  For a while he was shut in the kitchen cabinet and yowling like a baby.  I let him out and was afraid he got outside.  He turned up on the bed and I was a happy person.

Boy, we are in countdown mode but I am going to try and just relax and enjoy some time here with no pressure for a little while.  I have to find some missing boxes that contain part of my plate collection and some porcelain animals.  I'm hoping they are at the SUF Hall.  After we wade through the rest of the dishes tomorrow, we will go there and check.  

The wind was howling again, but in a different direction.  It was whistling right through the cracks around the front door.  There were some great white caps in the harbour and we took a ride out to the light house to check out the waves and the ocean.  It looked wild to us but were informed it was nothing compared to what will be coming soon.

Hold your lives preciously in your hearts and savor the moments like we had tonight; yours being your own...............

 

17 October month, 2008

HELLO!  I haven't opened my computer since the last muze.  We actually had a little bit of fun by breaking the work vigil.  It is not going to get finished before we leave no matter what.  There are things I can't find and it is so exasperating.  I guess we will have to go over to the SUF Hall and look through our boxes we have stored there.  I remember only sending boxes of things we removed from here over there.  Marilyn had told us that anything left in the house would have a break or a chip out of it, as what the family didn't take, Greg would have sold off.  You know what......she was exactly right!!!!!

Keep those gas prices dropping as we will be on the road around the 1st of the month.

We took a hike the other day to the "Top of Twillingate" trail.  It said it was about a 1 to 1 and a half hour loop.  It was about 350 feet +or-a few feet to get to the observation tower where you had a 360 degree view of the area.  It was a cold clear day and absolutely magnificent.  I had to do battle with myself to go up the observation tower.  It brought body memories of a hike I went on while at camp as a child.  There was a tower there and I can remember being cajoled to go up but couldn't make it.  I was in tears so they didn't make me finish.  You might get the impression that I didn't like camp...I HATED it and it affected my life to the negative as I still react to things that I associate to camp.  UGH!!!!!  Mitchell was the only one of my son's that liked it.  Jon HATED it and poor Brett was sent for 2 summers as it was thought it would be a good learning experience for him.  I still have the pillow case he slept on.  He begged for a year not to have to go back and I stuck up for him and didn't let him go.  I still suffer pangs of guilt over sending him the second year.  Sorry Brett....   I ran away my third year and found a phone and called my parents and they finally heard me and let me come home.  Hey, I live on a camping trip now but I get to follow my own rules......some of us don't like to leave our mommies...so what!

I think I was talking about our hike.  We were cracking up as we were huffing and puffing all the way up at 300 feet.  Chet said we have been at sea level too long!  Colorado, here we come....3 hours after we started out we returned to the car.  The views at the lookout spots were amazing and I can't put into words what it was like up there.  I did make it up to the top of the tower.  I am getting so brave in my old age.  It's too bad we finally realize "it's all okay" when we are in our waning years.  We had a nice loooong soak in the tub when we got home.

The next day we walked up the road by our house that we usually 4 wheel up.  We wandered around at the top of the hill and then on up to the hospital to walk around the pond there.  It was a nice walk.

Yesterday, we just off roaded on Minty's Farm Road and let an older man pass on his ATV with a bunch of dead rabbits tied to the front of it.  I covered my eyes while Chet chatted with him.  I have to tell myself that people are gathering food.  Blah....but I still eat meat.

Today it is raining so I think we will finally get the rest of the village up on the shelves.  It is 11:45 so I think I will go have some breakfast and get to work.  I have to do some cooking and cleaning as we are having the workmen and their families over for supper tomorrow night.  I am looking forward to that and hope they all come.

Live your dreams.......I lost a friend this week and he was too young. 

 

13 October month, 2008

Happy Canadian Thanksgiving...We had a great meal yesterday instead of today.  Happy Columbus Day to you in the states.  It's fun being bi-country.  

Jon, I will spare you the details of the meal as I am still too full to even think about it.  We had a lot of fun with Tracey, Randy and Tia.  We ended our Saturday and began our Sunday with a good board game; "The Game of Life", and a lot of laughs.  We all got to bed around 2:30 a.m.  We had a little trouble getting jump started yesterday but we had to get a turkey in the oven.  Gordon and Marilyn joined us and we had some good laughs along with a fine meal, part N'land style and part American.

It was a gorgeous day and Matt almost finished planting all of my tulips, daffodils, iris, and freesias.  It should be very pretty next spring.  He is still working on the trench/stream and removed the two big sections of wood near the back fence and all that was there was a big hole that was filled with water.  He is going to clean up the area and finish digging to the culvert.  I will have that stream somehow, even if we have to put in pipes and make it a recirculating one.  

Eighteen to twenty days and counting till we hit the road again.  We are going to do some work in the motorhome today; taking things out that we won't need for our trip back to the states.  I have to leave room to bring goodies home here with me.

Just wanted to say hi and let you know we're still here......

I found a photo that a friend from the late 80's who was in art school in Pasadena shot with a stained glass window I had made and various other goodies from my collection of memorabilia and googled him.  He has turned into quite the talent; written a book, shot for some big names.  Stephan Schacher is his name and you should google him...info@shocker.ch....or....info@cutiesandcalories.com.....  He used to come to the house and use a lot of my collection of goodies for his photography class.  He told me his classmates used to wonder where he got all of the great things to shoot.  Maybe Chet can take a shot of the picture he did of my things.  He photographed my bath/hot tub room that I took 2 and a half years tiling.  Somehow we lost track of each other and he never gave me the pictures of the room which was spectacular and I really would like to see them.  It was filled with pieces of tile, rock, figurines, jewelery, Runes, broken plates and most anything I could get my hands on.  I had really counted on those pictures as I only have a few and it was a masterpiece, two and a half years was a long time......it had a hot tub, hot shower, a cold shower over the hot tub, sink and toilet.  The whole room was hot mopped under the cement I used for the floor with foot prints under the shower and in front of the toilet.  It was a fun period of my life creating it.  

Stephan, wherever you are, please contact me or answer the emails I have put out there to find you.

Have a GREAT day....................

 

10 October month, 2008 1:23 a.m.

It was a much calmer day here, today, and not as cold.  We took Freddie to the vet and his potassium registered low for the first time, even tho we are giving him pills and/or subcutaneous potassium.  He is not ready to go yet and we will keep him comfortable until he lets us know.   I don't want to lose him anyhow.  The kitten "Moose" is really cute but not at all relaxed as is Twilly.  He is hyper and doesn't like to be held.  When we start traveling he will get a lot more face time.  The bed is getting more crowded all the time, now with 4 extra bodies ranging from 20 to 15 to 12 pounds but growing, to a mini kitten.

We have a lot of straightening and house cleaning to do tomorrow as friends will be here for the weekend and Canadian Thanksgiving.

Life is a beautiful thing here and all of the trees are full of fall colors.  We may be able to follow them south when we leave.

Take care and live your moments...........

9 October month, 2008

Hello, I have to admit that our snow was only a 4 minute flurry, but I am a Miami and So. Calif. beach girl and get very excited when I see those white flakes.  I spent the whole time hollering snow, snow, it's snowing.  They weren't slowly floating down, they were going sideways.  It has been blowing all day and it was cold.  

We decided to go for a walk so after putting on wool Minus 33 under clothes, a wool sweater, sweat pants, Sorrel fuzzy lined boots, wool hat and my new jacket that I bought at Costco I was ready to brave the great outdoors.  It is like a Carhart jacket and heavy and thick.  I felt like one of the babies you see all dressed up in their snowsuits and being so bundled that they can't move their arms or legs.  Walking in the wind was a trip and hard to do.  We stopped by Nina and John's and then went home for a turkey loaf sandwich: Jon.  We then went out to the lighthouse to see the swells and watched the waves crashing on the rocks.  It was WILD out there and it was hard to walk.  It felt like the wind was going to pull my leg when I picked it up to take a step. Chet took lots of pictures of the water.  He wants to try with his photosynth program and see how it turns out.

Chet says it is supposed to be F. 32 tonight.  Maybe it will snow again.  Hee hee.

All of my muscles are sore and I am convinced it was fighting the wind.  The people here are a hearty lot.  It's not even winter.

We have to take Freddie to the Vet in the afternoon; 2 hours away.  Naturally he seems a whole lot better.  

We went to Nina and John's to watch a movie tonight.  We had a nice time and the movie was bad.  Chet just sent Nina the rating from Metacritic and it was 24 out of 100.  We had fun watching the 4 alternate endings.  It was scary and when we left, I was going down the stairs and didn't know John was going to take my arm along with Chet.  I almost jumped straight up when I felt it slip into mine.

It is very late and I am off to bed.......................nighty..........

I LOVE THE WEATHER!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

8 October month, 2008

It's
SNOWING!!!!! 

 

5th October month, 2008

HAPPY, HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY
MY DEAR JONATHAN...................................
Oh I miss you!!!!!!!

We got to wish Jon a happy birthday first as it turns midnight one and a half hours earlier here than eastern time zone so we called and sang to his machine!

We just got home from St. John's sans tv.  They haven't gotten the part yet soooooooooooooooooo we don't want to have to go to St. John's again this year.  Marilyn's son, Peter, said he would get it for us and babysit for the winter.  That will be very sweet and save us another trip in to the city.

We got to St. John's Friday evening and pulled in to Wal Mart.  Peggy came and picked up Marilyn and Carl, Jeff, Chet and I went to look for some supper.  The restaurant we wanted to go to was closed so we tried a new one called Yellowbelly's and boy were we glad that we did that.  It was the best meal and they are a micro brewery and the beer was great.  I even had a half of a glass.  We were so full we decided to walk along George Street where all of the bars are.  There is a fabulous guitarist that we keep missing.....maybe next year.  At least we found out where he plays.  

Elton John was in town so we were walking amongst all of the people who were at the concert.  It was a beautiful night.  As a matter of fact, the weather was perfect the whole time Carl and Jeff were here.  We couldn't have had better weather if we had ordered it.  

Saturday morning we got up after too little sleep and took them to the airport.  We had a coffee with them and then we went back to the motor home and went to bed.  We woke a little after 11:00.  We had great plans to go to the museum but after showering and getting going, we ended up leaving the motorhome at around 2:00.  We went to Costco for a hot dog and did a little shopping which included getting a central vacuum system for Nina and John which just happened to be on sale.  I called to let her know and lo and behold.....she called back and said YES!

After Costco we went down to the harbour to take daytime pictures of the most amazing yacht I could ever hope to see.  It certainly shrinks ones life to see what kind of money some people have.  We had seen it the night before and took pics with our phone and gaped at it for about a half hour.  We talked to the security guard and he asked where we were from.  Chet said Twillingate and he looked at us sort of funny and said "Twillingate"?  No.  (we do not sound like T'gater's and it is very obvious).  We told him our story and he said he had a girlfriend here and would be out on Thursday. He asked if we ever had stuffed salmon.  We said no and he said he would bring us a fish.  I said great and you can cook it for us, too.  We will see if it happens.........I will let you know.

The yacht was over 300 feet long as Chet walked it off.  The cabin cruiser on it must have been....wait, Chet just googled it and I will include the clip.  There was a cabin cruiser that was at least 50 feet long, a schooner, a zodiac, a chopper pad, 3 other boats we saw and that was just one side.  It was ASTOUNDING!!!!!!!!!!!!  We passed a limo when we left and I couldn't get Chet to turn around as I figured Elton John was in it.  Here is the story:

Le Grand Bleu is one of the largest private yachts in the world at 370 feet (114 metres) in length. It was built at the Vulkan yard in Germany and was launched in 2000. Design and Construction by Kusch Yachts [1]. It was previously owned by John McCaw Jr., an American businessman who sold her to Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich in 2002. Abramovich had it refitted to his own requirements by HDW in Kiel. This included an internal refit and the addition of a 16ft swim platform.

Le Grand Bleu is powered by two 3,600-hp Wärtsilä engines. Details about the interiors are scanty as Abramovich is protective of his family's privacy and highly security conscious, but they were designed by Terence Disdale.

After departing the yard, Le Grand Bleu headed for the Mediterranean and caused quite a stir wherever it went. It was in Monaco in May 2004, serving as a base for Abramovich during Chelsea F.C.'s (unsuccessful) attempts to beat AS Monaco in the UEFA Champions League. In June 2006,Abramovich gave Le Grand Bleu to friend Eugene Shvidler.

It latest drydock and refit was in Jacksonville, FL in 2008. This refit included a new "green" wastewater treatment system in addition to the current Lloyd's certified system allowing its ability to reuse the wastewater after treatment rather than discharging the wastewater overboard into the sea.

Mr. Shvidler maintains ownership of Le Grande Bleu.

Le Grand Bleu was docked in the harbor of St. John's, Newfoundland, Canada, in late September and into early October, 2008. Rumored to be for Elton John.

Dang, I could have seen Elton John.  I guess Chet was only 70 feet off in his estimation.  It has a crew of 48......I wonder if they need a grandma and a grandpa on board.

Last evening we ate supper at Peter and Peggy's and had a spectacular barbecued steak and stuffed salmon supper.  We sat and chatted at the table for about 5 and a half hours.  We had some great laughs and a very special evening.

Our ride home was fine and long.  It was howling all day yesterday and blowing pretty hard today.  It rained for the first time in a while.  Marilyn and I went shopping in Gander while Chet took a nap.  It is nice to be home after a fine time in St. John's.

Enjoy yourselves.....................the only thing that is missing in my life is my family~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~.

4th of October month, 2008

Here we are at our favorite campground in St, John's; Wal Mart by Costco.  It is howling out and we put Carl and Jeff on the plane home to Portland, Oregon, USA this a.m. after an absolutely beautiful week.  We had gorgeous weather .  We had no rain until last night.  Hopefully the plane has a tail wind and is not flying into this wind or they may miss their connecting flight in Newark.

We had SUCH a great time with them and ended it with the best restaurant meal we have had in St John's, last night.  We went  sightseeing, walking through the remaining few open stores in T'gate, relaxed, and had many wonderful meals.  We ate with Nina and John at the Harbourview, went to breakfast with Kent and Kellie at R&J's (they were the only two places left open in town besides the Chinese), and had Steven Rogers over for his first experience with a turkey burger.  We had such a lovely evening that we never moved from the table until 12:00 midnight.

I cooked my first Newfie supper but modified it a bit and I must say it was a gastronomical treat to the max.  Afterwards the guys were filled with desserts at Marilyn and Gordon's as I watched.  I made a Jigg's supper which consisted of cottage roll, which is a pickled pork roast and another piece of pork instead of the traditional salt beef.  Marilyn uses them and I dare say that I like it much better and it tastes like corned beef.  We didn't even know it was pork until I tried to buy one.  The other pork was added to make the liquour taste better, according to Marilyn.  The liqour being the juices that are left after boiling the meal in the huge pot that Mitchell bought me years ago.  I imagine corned beef brisket could be used in the states.  I added onions that were browned first, and the usual parsnips, rutabagas, potatoes, and carrots.  I left out the peas pudding and doughboys but enough carbs already...I did add broccoli.  The flavour was spectacular.

I must say, the pot has come in handy here, as I used it to boil water until they got us off of water boil restrictions and to make the Jigg's supper.  I had always joking told Mitchell it would be perfect for soaking my feet in.  I must add, that has NEVER happened!!!!  It looks tempting as I am craving my visits to get my pedicures when I get back to the states.  They will probably have to use a belt sander LOL.

We had a fun ride to St. John's as Marilyn came with us and we all finally voted and have an official name for the kitten.  Chet suggested "Moose" and we all resoundingly agreed.  He was officially christened yesterday on our ride.  I must admit, I did want to call him Daisy but it was quickly voted down.  I can whisper it in his ear on occasion as I want.

Marilyn's son Peter, his wife Peggy and two sons, Robert and Sammy live here so we thought it would be nice to bring her for a visit and she will keep us entertained on the way back.  We will go there for supper tonight.

Coming to St. John's is around a 600 mile round trip so we decided anyone who wants to come and has a place to sleep, can ride along when we bring the beast with us.

The only downer is that the tv is not fixed yet which means another trip in before leaving or else it will have to stay at the shop until we return next year.  That would probably be better for the tv as our house freezes during the winter.

We are off to do something before going to sup with the Ashbourne's tonight.  We came back from the airport and went back to bed until after 11:00 and are trying to get ourselves up to see the museum.

Poor Freddie is under the weather again so we have started the subcutaneous potassium and saline again.  Poor old boy is not a happy camper right now.  It is actually easier to give the sub-Q than his daily potassium pill.

Have a super day and I will send some of my Newfoundland contentment to you......it is hard to watch what is happening to the USA.