Miss Beth

This is my favorite sister. --My only sister! She's a remarkable person. She keeps busy by being a taxi driver to her two sons for ice hockey tournaments, football, soccer and baseball. This is the little girl who hated sports.

Music madness

Music. I was taught that music was the universal language. I am mesmerized by music of just about any kind. Of course there are certain songs I may not like but overall I appreciate any genre. My daughter has now found the love of music in the piano and the flute. Through the music she studies at school or sees in a movie or hears on the radio we look up the hundreds of books and pieces of music I've collected through the years and realize that music has a way of recirculating. Her latest craze of the movie Across the Universe (The Beatles) and Mama Mia (Abba) has pushed her in new directions. The movies Moulin Rouge and The Sound of Music encouraged her to widen her range even further. The broadway plays CATS and Phantom of the Opera are yet another avenue to explore. Our I-tunes library is expansive from country and pop, jazz, insturmentals to rock and roll and even Gospel with a little bit of rap brought into our world through pop culture - and who can forget Elvis! Does anyone ever really tire of Billy Joel or Jimmy Buffet? With each passing year it's interesting to hear new sounds and go back and compare them to another decade. So do you think Patsy Cline or Benny Goodman's music will be on the rise in the future? Just wait and see..........!

Happy Fall

So today was the first day of Fall. My most favorite time of the year. This is when the sunsets are the most beautiful, the mountains shout out "look at me!", and I'm in awe everyday of God's beautiful Earth. These pics are from the local mountainside by Kings Gap. It's a must see in Cumberland County, Pennsylvania. Overlooking the valley below is inspiring and reminds you of just how beautiful a world we live in. The mansion at Kings Gap will be the location of my 50th Anniversary party. --(in another 25 years!!!)

Soccer

This is Cody, my smiley nephew. He's proving to be a great little soccer player. He even scored a goal! I'm proud of how he gets out there and runs like the wind. He's not afraid to give the ball a whack with his head or go for a slide to get the ball passed to another teammate. It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon with just about perfect weather. Keep up the good kicks Cody!!!

Sporty Weekend

I always wonder how time slips through my hands but if I stop and recall that hours are spent along side some kind of a game then I remember why I can't seem to get anything done. This weekend was spent at field hockey and then all Sunday afternoon at fast-pitch softball. Sam pitches in softball and has been improving. She also has a good eye while at bat. Softball was a successful weekend after the team figured out what field the game was to be at. Hockey was not quite as successful but it never lacked in a good time. It's been a blessing that both of these teams have a great group of girls who genuinely root for one another. Their coaches are also beneficial for the girls.

Camp Jeep

This is our recently acquired Jeep! A 1998 Wrangler-Laredo. We've been attending Camp Jeep for about seven years. We've been to Branson, Missouri, the Poconos in Pennsylvania and primarily in Nelson County, Virginia. (you know - where the Waltons lived!) It's a three day event with tons of family fun-filled activities. We go trail riding, arts and crafts for the ladies, even feet massages, rock wall climbing, alpine tower and other sports events, Jeep round table sessions, mountain biking, fishing, and so many more activities it's hard to recall everything through the years. The most memorable trip was out to Branson, Missouri. Seventeen hours in a Jeep Wrangler with a family of four. Whew! We stopped in St. Louis and explored the Arch and went to Springfield to the largest Bass and Pro Shop. Branson, Missour was it's own individual vacation aside from the great days at Camp Jeep. My sister's family and my parents went also and we had a really memorable time. Every year is a new adventure. The event ends each year with a headline concert (Tim McGraw, The Blues Brothers, Gavin DeGraw, Jason Mraz, Leann Rhimes to name a few) and some of the greatest fireworks any of us has ever witnessed and their even to music. Well due to the economy crunches Chrysler cancelled Camp Jeep 2008 and stated that they will now hold the event every other year; so we are all looking forward to next year - 2009!!! We purchased this old jeep and will making modifications to get it ready for some great trail riding. Hopefully my one brother will purchase a Jeep also and get to experience the adventures. Get Muddy! Have Fun Out There!!!!

Miss Alexus

This is my great-niece. She's an adorable four year old who acts more like a teenager. My niece; Cortney, her Mom is just as adorable too. We went to Funland at Rehoboth Beach and had some adventure rides. Every year it's our hope not to step foot in Funland but how can you resist seeing the fun and excitement that a child gets from these memorable childhood experiences with cousins watching and waving and even Great-Grandma hasn't been released yet after all these years from a quick whirlwind through Funland. Stay beautiful Alexus!

One Particular Harbor

This pic is probably one of my top 10 places in the world that I have come to know. There's nothing like a warm early evening sitting on the deck of a ship with a good girly drink enjoying the views without a worry on your mind. This was taken several years ago while leaving St. Maarten looking back at Great Bay and Little Bay. The beaches on this island are top notch also but being on the water is my favorite place. I'd like to steal away on one of these sailboats and forget the problems of the world. Every time I think of this place I think of the Jimmy Buffet song 'One Particular Harbor' . I can't wait to go back!

Dickies!

Flinstones~ It's the Flinstones! Have a dabba doo time a yabba dabba doo time, we
had a grand ole time!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Over the Summer it was discovered that there's such a thing as a Dickies store! My 8 and 10 year old nephews thought it was hilarious. Every time you say the word Dickies you have to laugh afterwards! On a rainy night at the beach and the shopping centers are closed we had a memorable time taking random pics and laughing all the way. As I retell the story of Dickies I then recalled having dinner with my 19 year old son and two of his college friends. They all had ordered a crawfish platter and one of the portions happened to be crawfish balls. The boys or young men went on to ask one another if they wanted one another's 'balls' or to eventually toss their 'balls' at one another. I realized then and there that if a boy/man is 8 years old or 19 years old they never really change. Now if I can just learn to accept it.

9-11-01 We Remember.....

Seven years ago our nation changed. God Bless those whose lives were lost. Take a moment to recall that horrible day and say a prayer for all those families whose lives were changed forever. I took these pics many years ago while in NYC. It was the first time I discovered that I have a small case of claustrophobia while riding the elevators up to the restaurant at the top called Windows on the World. It made me think how horrific it must have been for those survivors trying to get out of the buildings in total darkness and the air being smoke filled. I think of the great times in NYC over the years and then stop to think of the sadness inflicted on the city, the nation and those at the Pentagon and a field in Pennsylvania. God Bless the U.S.A.

Learning new things on how to blog daily. I made a new banner on display today and couldn't remove the old picture so instead I included it here. This was taken at sunset just outside my door. The colors are God's finger paints with indescribable colors not found in a box of Crayola. I finally got my playlist figured out too. Listen to a few songs that I think are just 'it'.

Welcome Home

Welcome back to all who left their homes in New Orleans and all across the Gulf coast. Many businesses and schools are reopened today after being away a week due to Hurricane Gustav. Hurricane Ike is now attempting to become the center of attention. Hopefully Ike will dwindle down and become a cool breeze. I took this picture above on a street in the French Quarter of New Orleans. It depicts the rich heritage New Orleans shares with the world. It's a one of a kind city with so much to explore that even after many years there's still many things that would be overlooked.

'The' Chicken

Artwork? Chicken work? My daughter and I took a watercolor class a couple years ago and we became master chicken watercolorers!! With this well remembered class in mind she went back for a revisit on the computer to where 'The' Chicken image was recreated in dramatic fashion. Don't you agree that we have many more years of work ahead of us in the chicken world?

Rainy Day

It's a rainy Saturday. Tropical Storm Hannah is passing through Pennsylvania. These orchids that I shot in Las Vegas has a way of cheering up a down day. It's a good day to take advantage of staying indoors and catching up on reading or a nap or wasting the day and never really getting anything accomplished.

Fall Field Hockey

Field Hockey 2008 is underway. The weather is fine, the girls on the team shine, and I lousily rhyme. The girls give it their best and are really fun to watch. What beautiful young ladies they are turning out to be. Sam is above and runs full blast during the game. I know inside her is a great runner waiting to get out. Below is Katrina. She is just a kind and pretty girl. She makes me laugh and has the most colorful hockey stick of the year. Go Katrina!!

Happy Birthday Mom

Happy Birthday to my Mom! Seventy three years ago in a house outside of Shippensburg she was born. She went on to witness many new events in her lifetime. She raised four children and is Grandma to eight grandchildren and one great-grandchild. She loves to cook and wash her kitchen floor. If you see her go by in her Mazda Miata with her UNO hat on tell her Happy Birthday and many more happy years!!!!

The Cabin

Welcome to Camp Bent Arrow -- Upper Perry County, USA
Camp Bent Arrow featuring Harold!
What in the world? Can anyone tell me what this is?
Cody, Moni, and Sam -Nothing beats a mountain pie!
Hunting cabin? or A weekend away?

We spent a lazy day at the cabin Camp Bent Arrow. Thanks to Stacy things look a little better than a hunting cabin. We all have a relaxing time and keep our eyes peeled for wildlife.