Here are some pictures that I would like to share. The first is called "Sunset at the North Pole" and the second speaks for itself.
This is Charlene and her family.
Tuesday, January 30, 2007
Camping Time
It’s already well into 2007. Where did the time go??? This year, I will be posting more pictures and less words.
These pictures are from a camping trip with Charlene, Jerome, and Charles. We went to Long Point recreation area and had a really nice site with lots of grass and a private boat slip. I didn’t take the kayaks and am glad I didn’t – it was really windy! We had a nice fire and cooked burgers on the grill. They guys went exploring but the girls just hung out. Very relaxing.
Sunday, October 29, 2006
It's Halloween Already??? Where Did The Time Go?
We knew it was going to be a great party. The invitation was casual and sent via e-mail:
“Be In The Spirit.....No RSVP required...Just get your butt here and lets have some fun....I’ll have finger foods and plenty to drink”
I had never met the host in person, just some “conversations” via the internet. He seemed like a good person and I was looking forward to meeting him. However, I had no idea what to expect. The reference to “finger foods” led me to believe that it wouldn’t be chips and dip. And I also didn’t know if the “plenty to drink” referred to fruit punch or alcoholic beverages. Oh well, always the adventurer. I wore skin tight snakeskin leggings and my leather thigh high boots. I didn’t want to come on as sexy right in the beginning but I just couldn’t help myself…
YUP - that's me!!! Wet T-Shirt Contest Winner.
My date (a/k/a my sister) went as one of the Cirque du Soleil clowns and her name was Santanya.
I’ll post more pics at the bottom, so just scroll down if you don’t feel like reading.
We passed the house up the first time because it looked like a hotel with a tennis court out front. I knew that Jack had a tennis court but what I wasn’t prepared for was the size of his home. It was HUGE!!! We were met by a uniformed attendant and shown where to park. Some of the guests had arrived by limo, as there was a white one out front. In the invitation, he had mentioned that he was going to have someone taking pictures. What he neglected to mention was that it was professional studio photographers with a set and everything. When you first walk in the door, you have to pose for a picture.
Now I have been in some beautiful homes but never have I been in a home that was designed for parties like this one. We walked into this huge room with an indoor pool and spa with fiber optic lighting. It was clearly the focal point of the home. To the left was a room that looked like a cocktail lounge in a hotel. To the right was a room as huge as my whole house. Everything was so inviting and just downright comfortable. The wood was very dark and the main colors were maroon and gold. The bar, which was built in, sat about 15 people easily and had a granite top, could have been slate – not sure. The screened lanai had enough tables and comfy chairs for about 60 people. This house was obviously designed for fun.
He had opened his garage which housed his Hummer and two mint condition red Thunderbirds. I think one was a ’55 and the other a ’56. Not sure. It was more of a showroom than a garage – the floor was spotless. I’ve never been in a cleaner garage in my life.
Expectedly, there were plenty of young women in sexy costumes. I found out later that his kids were in attendance, so perhaps they were their friends. Almost everyone was in costume. Of course, I didn’t know a soul. I especially didn’t even know what the host looked like. He had sent me a picture but it wasn’t a good one. After we wandered through the house (probably with our mouths hanging open), we headed for the bar. While waiting for our drinks, a beautiful young thing presented us with a tray of canapés to choose from. I had my choice of every premium vodka you can imagine. I asked for the usual Absolut martini – very dry and up. Dumb blonde! The cups were plastic. Oh well. There were display cases with the most beautiful crystal glasses and stemware. I think I spotted a Baccarat or two – maybe Lalique, too. There were gorgeous candles everywhere – even in the powder room. The most gorgeous one was in the main room that housed the pool and spa. It looked like a collection of about 100 votives in one huge “bowl”. Straight out of “Phantom of the Opera”. We had lots of fun – me introducing myself as “Tiffany from Tittusville” pronounced “tit-us-ville” (it’s ty-tus-ville) and Corrie as “the mysterious Satanya”. My costume was a big hit – everyone wanted to have their picture taken with me. I had my camera in my purse and did not take ONE picture. Shame on me! The buffet had so much stuff on it, I can’t even remember. My favorite was skewers of shrimp. There were little chicken cutlets, potstickers, every kind of cheese you can imagine, sausage. I still managed to eat fairly low carb. Everything was really yummy and different. On the lanai, there was a huge cooler with bottles of beer from around the world. Out back were tiki huts that were tables with chairs. I didn’t go out back but I’m sure he has a boat.
After we had been there for about two hours, I thought it might be appropriate to introduce myself to Jack, but I didn’t know who he was. I was forced to ask someone who he was. As it turned out, he was the priest. I asked him if he knew who I was and he said, honestly, “no”. I introduced myself and told him what a great party it was. He was extremely pleasant and I could tell he was very proud of his home and possessions, as he should be. He asked me how I was enjoying living in Florida. I mentioned that I had bought a kayak and he told me “I’ve got two out back that you are free to use”. His house is right on the river, so I guess it shouldn’t have surprised me that he would have kayaks.
He even provided entertainment was fabulous – a fire eater, and a belly dancer who was really good. I’ll bet the party lasted until the sun came up – maybe later. We had a pretty good drive – about 40 minutes, so we said our goodbyes and left around 2 am.
It would be nice if he and I could hit it off as friends. That’s all either of us are looking for. He’s got a Cessna 180 and a helicopter so we could have some fun for sure. I didn’t see the motorcycle. Maybe he got rid of it, which would be fine with me. The last thing I care to do is ride on a death trap. It appears that he is very much into material things and he sure doesn’t appear to need any more friends. But we’ll see. It would be nice to have someone to "hang" with.
Here are the promised pics:
This is all the pictures you get. I can't upload any more and don't know why. (And I'm freakin' tired of dealing with it!) The picture on the right makes me look fat, but I assure you those are size 12 pants! Corrie looked fabulous!!!
YUP - that's me!!! Wet T-Shirt Contest Winner.
My date (a/k/a my sister) went as one of the Cirque du Soleil clowns and her name was Santanya.
I’ll post more pics at the bottom, so just scroll down if you don’t feel like reading.
We passed the house up the first time because it looked like a hotel with a tennis court out front. I knew that Jack had a tennis court but what I wasn’t prepared for was the size of his home. It was HUGE!!! We were met by a uniformed attendant and shown where to park. Some of the guests had arrived by limo, as there was a white one out front. In the invitation, he had mentioned that he was going to have someone taking pictures. What he neglected to mention was that it was professional studio photographers with a set and everything. When you first walk in the door, you have to pose for a picture.
Now I have been in some beautiful homes but never have I been in a home that was designed for parties like this one. We walked into this huge room with an indoor pool and spa with fiber optic lighting. It was clearly the focal point of the home. To the left was a room that looked like a cocktail lounge in a hotel. To the right was a room as huge as my whole house. Everything was so inviting and just downright comfortable. The wood was very dark and the main colors were maroon and gold. The bar, which was built in, sat about 15 people easily and had a granite top, could have been slate – not sure. The screened lanai had enough tables and comfy chairs for about 60 people. This house was obviously designed for fun.
He had opened his garage which housed his Hummer and two mint condition red Thunderbirds. I think one was a ’55 and the other a ’56. Not sure. It was more of a showroom than a garage – the floor was spotless. I’ve never been in a cleaner garage in my life.
Expectedly, there were plenty of young women in sexy costumes. I found out later that his kids were in attendance, so perhaps they were their friends. Almost everyone was in costume. Of course, I didn’t know a soul. I especially didn’t even know what the host looked like. He had sent me a picture but it wasn’t a good one. After we wandered through the house (probably with our mouths hanging open), we headed for the bar. While waiting for our drinks, a beautiful young thing presented us with a tray of canapés to choose from. I had my choice of every premium vodka you can imagine. I asked for the usual Absolut martini – very dry and up. Dumb blonde! The cups were plastic. Oh well. There were display cases with the most beautiful crystal glasses and stemware. I think I spotted a Baccarat or two – maybe Lalique, too. There were gorgeous candles everywhere – even in the powder room. The most gorgeous one was in the main room that housed the pool and spa. It looked like a collection of about 100 votives in one huge “bowl”. Straight out of “Phantom of the Opera”. We had lots of fun – me introducing myself as “Tiffany from Tittusville” pronounced “tit-us-ville” (it’s ty-tus-ville) and Corrie as “the mysterious Satanya”. My costume was a big hit – everyone wanted to have their picture taken with me. I had my camera in my purse and did not take ONE picture. Shame on me! The buffet had so much stuff on it, I can’t even remember. My favorite was skewers of shrimp. There were little chicken cutlets, potstickers, every kind of cheese you can imagine, sausage. I still managed to eat fairly low carb. Everything was really yummy and different. On the lanai, there was a huge cooler with bottles of beer from around the world. Out back were tiki huts that were tables with chairs. I didn’t go out back but I’m sure he has a boat.
After we had been there for about two hours, I thought it might be appropriate to introduce myself to Jack, but I didn’t know who he was. I was forced to ask someone who he was. As it turned out, he was the priest. I asked him if he knew who I was and he said, honestly, “no”. I introduced myself and told him what a great party it was. He was extremely pleasant and I could tell he was very proud of his home and possessions, as he should be. He asked me how I was enjoying living in Florida. I mentioned that I had bought a kayak and he told me “I’ve got two out back that you are free to use”. His house is right on the river, so I guess it shouldn’t have surprised me that he would have kayaks.
He even provided entertainment was fabulous – a fire eater, and a belly dancer who was really good. I’ll bet the party lasted until the sun came up – maybe later. We had a pretty good drive – about 40 minutes, so we said our goodbyes and left around 2 am.
It would be nice if he and I could hit it off as friends. That’s all either of us are looking for. He’s got a Cessna 180 and a helicopter so we could have some fun for sure. I didn’t see the motorcycle. Maybe he got rid of it, which would be fine with me. The last thing I care to do is ride on a death trap. It appears that he is very much into material things and he sure doesn’t appear to need any more friends. But we’ll see. It would be nice to have someone to "hang" with.
Here are the promised pics:
This is all the pictures you get. I can't upload any more and don't know why. (And I'm freakin' tired of dealing with it!) The picture on the right makes me look fat, but I assure you those are size 12 pants! Corrie looked fabulous!!!
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
A Quick Trip to the Mountains
A BIT OF A SAD NOTE TO THIS POST:
The picture you see here was taken on our little "getaway" the first week-end in June. Sometime during the second week of June, there was a forest fire that consumed thousands of acres. It was called the "Oak Creek Fire". What you see here is now nothing but blackened stumps. The fire lasted almost two weeks and burned everything in its way - homes, businesses, campgrounds. The sad part is that it was started by a human - an unattended campfire. The impact that man has on our envirenment is sometimes so confounding, confusing and downright sad. Read on to see what happens when two old ladies get a "wild hare".
It’s Wednesday night, May 31st. The girls get a wild hare and decide to take a quick camping trip to the mountains. Needing their beauty sleep they, of course, didn’t get up until 9 am on Thursday. Then if was off to the trailer yard to pick up the trailer, stop at a hardware store to have a cute guy check the connections, wash the trailer, (no WE didn’t wash the trailer, we paid some Mexicans to do it), pick up the dogs, along with some last minute things at the apartment and we’re on our way. (almost)
A “quick” stop at Discount tire to have the tires checked turned into a bit of an ordeal. Long story short, the trailer and the truck both need tires. I asked the cute guy that was helping me “if your mother were driving on these tires, would you let her go to Flagstaff?” His reply – “since it’s cooler up there, I’d let her”. OK so we’re on our way. (almost) A stop at Sonic to pick up our lunch and we’re finally on our way. We got as far as Payson before we needed gas. That’s about 185 miles on one full tank of gas. There was a Walmart close to the gas station, so we decided to get our groceries there, instead of waiting until we got to Flagstaff. Good thing – we didn’t get to Flagstaff until 6:00 pm. They were in the middle of remodeling and there was no rhyme or reason to where anything was.
The drive from Payson to Flagstaff (the “back” or scenic route”) is just a gorgeous drive. Huge Pondersa pines, clumps of Aspen, oak trees – just so green and lush. We finished setting up at 7, climbed into the front bed and watched a DVD. Needless to say – we were exhausted.
A breakfast at the Galaxy Diner on Route 66 started our day! Then we headed to red rock country – Sedona. Psychic capital of the world. The drive down is precarious to say the least. It’s a two lane, windy road with sheer drops and no shoulder in many places. The elevation was about 8,000 feet and you could look straight down. Twas terribly frightening - a two valium drive. With no valium!!! It really made us nervous when we came on a rollover accident, blocking one lane. I offered my services as an EMT but the fire department had just gotten there. You could tell that the guy was speeding, hit the shoulder and overcompensated.
In Sedona, our first stop was my favorite place – the Crystal Palace. They sell crystals, bath stuff, candles – it’s a “metaphysical” kinda pace. Smells good and is very relaxing. I got both of us a chair massage so we’d be “fresh” for sightseeing and window shopping. The prices are just horrible but you see things that you just wouldn’t see in a metropolitan area. Really different stuff. Really expensive stuff.
Here are some pictures we took in Sedona.
On Saturday, we investigated downtown Flagstaff. It’s such a cute town. Just what you would imagine for a town near a ski resort. Of course everything was horribly expensive. So – I proceeded to look for (and found) a Ross. The skirt that was $79 in a cute little shop was $9.00 at Ross. Look how much I saved!!!
The trip back to Phoenix only took about 3 hours. We were heading down from the mountains instead of going up. At one point, some guys got our attention and told us that there was a bar hanging down from the truck. It was the sway bar that had already fallen town twice. Here we were dragging it at 65 miles an hour. I’m surprised the trailer didn’t catch fire from the sparks. I almost wish it had – I’ve got full replacement value insurance.
It was 105 in the valley when we returned. Laying on the gravel, putting the tire covers in that heat was one of the reasons I don't take the trailer out more often.
I hope you enjoyed hearing about our adventure. More later.
Carroll
The picture you see here was taken on our little "getaway" the first week-end in June. Sometime during the second week of June, there was a forest fire that consumed thousands of acres. It was called the "Oak Creek Fire". What you see here is now nothing but blackened stumps. The fire lasted almost two weeks and burned everything in its way - homes, businesses, campgrounds. The sad part is that it was started by a human - an unattended campfire. The impact that man has on our envirenment is sometimes so confounding, confusing and downright sad. Read on to see what happens when two old ladies get a "wild hare".
It’s Wednesday night, May 31st. The girls get a wild hare and decide to take a quick camping trip to the mountains. Needing their beauty sleep they, of course, didn’t get up until 9 am on Thursday. Then if was off to the trailer yard to pick up the trailer, stop at a hardware store to have a cute guy check the connections, wash the trailer, (no WE didn’t wash the trailer, we paid some Mexicans to do it), pick up the dogs, along with some last minute things at the apartment and we’re on our way. (almost)
A “quick” stop at Discount tire to have the tires checked turned into a bit of an ordeal. Long story short, the trailer and the truck both need tires. I asked the cute guy that was helping me “if your mother were driving on these tires, would you let her go to Flagstaff?” His reply – “since it’s cooler up there, I’d let her”. OK so we’re on our way. (almost) A stop at Sonic to pick up our lunch and we’re finally on our way. We got as far as Payson before we needed gas. That’s about 185 miles on one full tank of gas. There was a Walmart close to the gas station, so we decided to get our groceries there, instead of waiting until we got to Flagstaff. Good thing – we didn’t get to Flagstaff until 6:00 pm. They were in the middle of remodeling and there was no rhyme or reason to where anything was.
The drive from Payson to Flagstaff (the “back” or scenic route”) is just a gorgeous drive. Huge Pondersa pines, clumps of Aspen, oak trees – just so green and lush. We finished setting up at 7, climbed into the front bed and watched a DVD. Needless to say – we were exhausted.
A breakfast at the Galaxy Diner on Route 66 started our day! Then we headed to red rock country – Sedona. Psychic capital of the world. The drive down is precarious to say the least. It’s a two lane, windy road with sheer drops and no shoulder in many places. The elevation was about 8,000 feet and you could look straight down. Twas terribly frightening - a two valium drive. With no valium!!! It really made us nervous when we came on a rollover accident, blocking one lane. I offered my services as an EMT but the fire department had just gotten there. You could tell that the guy was speeding, hit the shoulder and overcompensated.
In Sedona, our first stop was my favorite place – the Crystal Palace. They sell crystals, bath stuff, candles – it’s a “metaphysical” kinda pace. Smells good and is very relaxing. I got both of us a chair massage so we’d be “fresh” for sightseeing and window shopping. The prices are just horrible but you see things that you just wouldn’t see in a metropolitan area. Really different stuff. Really expensive stuff.
Here are some pictures we took in Sedona.
On Saturday, we investigated downtown Flagstaff. It’s such a cute town. Just what you would imagine for a town near a ski resort. Of course everything was horribly expensive. So – I proceeded to look for (and found) a Ross. The skirt that was $79 in a cute little shop was $9.00 at Ross. Look how much I saved!!!
The trip back to Phoenix only took about 3 hours. We were heading down from the mountains instead of going up. At one point, some guys got our attention and told us that there was a bar hanging down from the truck. It was the sway bar that had already fallen town twice. Here we were dragging it at 65 miles an hour. I’m surprised the trailer didn’t catch fire from the sparks. I almost wish it had – I’ve got full replacement value insurance.
It was 105 in the valley when we returned. Laying on the gravel, putting the tire covers in that heat was one of the reasons I don't take the trailer out more often.
I hope you enjoyed hearing about our adventure. More later.
Carroll
Monday, May 29, 2006
A Day at the Zoo
ALL THE LAKES WERE CROWDED SO WE HIT THE ZOO
What a great day we had! Spent about four hours at the zoo. I won't bore you with the details, but we managed to stay ahead of or behind the many "stroller brigades". The highlight of the visit was watching a grandmother, daughter and 4 month old baby orangutan eat, play and nap. The baby was just adorable and fought taking a nap like any other toddler. We never got a picture of the baby but here are some pictures you might enjoy.
We especially enjoyed the prairie dog colony - they are so cute!!!!!
What a great day we had! Spent about four hours at the zoo. I won't bore you with the details, but we managed to stay ahead of or behind the many "stroller brigades". The highlight of the visit was watching a grandmother, daughter and 4 month old baby orangutan eat, play and nap. The baby was just adorable and fought taking a nap like any other toddler. We never got a picture of the baby but here are some pictures you might enjoy.
We especially enjoyed the prairie dog colony - they are so cute!!!!!
Yes, flamingos in Arizona! Can you believe that???
After the zoo, we visited Tuesday Morning, an outlet/closeout store. I had been looking for square melamine dinnerware for the trailer. (All the cupboards are square - why not the dishes?) Would you believe I found them? And in HOT PINK!!! My new decor is going to be navy blue and pink. (in the trailer) Now if I could only find square paper plates. Got any ideas???
Afterwards, we found an outdoor restaurant in Scottsdale and had dinner on the patio. Thank goodness for the Entertainment book - it sure has paid for itself.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
