Folk Art?

Our latest endeavor was to recycle a piece of board that we had taken off the house because there was mildew in the wood around it.  This particular piece had our house numbers on it.  We added a metal butterfly, and painted some flowers.  Does this qualify as Folk Art?

Now here's a nice piece of driftwood.  Hmmmmm?  Any suggetions?  Right now I call it my walking stick.

As many of you know, my favorite color is orange----thus the orange front doors.  Country Living here we come.

San Simeon Parts I and II are reversed.....

Those of you who know me well, know that I would not be able to reverse San Simeon Part I and II.

So, why not post one more picture.........:))

Me, in Morro Bay before checking in at The Best Western Cavalier Inn, San Simeon.  As usual Morro Bay was colder than a well digger's boot........at least the sun was out.

San Simeon Part II

We loved the elephant seals (except for the smell).  They spent their time sleeping in a row next to one another, flipping sand up, and arguing.

Here's my Wildlife Photographer husband taking pictures of the hundreds of seals on this beach.

Quite a variety of shapes and colors.  This type of scene goes on for miles along the beach.

After getting our fill of seals, we visited the San Simeon pier, once used by William Randolph Hearst for delivery of the materials to build his Hearst Castle.  Since we have both seen the castle a couple of times, there was no need to do that again.

Back on home ground at the resort, you can see our room approximately above Duane's hat.  Also, a piece of driftwood that I found and used as a hiking staff.  Another item in the photo to the right and behind Duane, is a firepit, one of three that they would make fires in each night at sunset.  People would sit on the chairs and huddle around it.  We didn't see the point, especially since it was cold and windy.

Another side trip was to a town called Harmony which only had 18 residents.  They actually have a Post Office, and a couple of artisan businesses---a glass blower and a potter.  It was fun to poke around in the quaint old town which reminded us of Southern Indiana.  All in all, we had a very nice time, and hope to return to San Simeon in the future.

San Simeon Part I

This is our first view of San Simeon Beach as we entered our room.  Despite threats of rain, the weather was perfectly clear all three days we were there.  How much fun is that???

One of the motel's two pools was below us, and since it was quite chilly at night we didn't have any unwanted noise.

At several places along the small cliff overlooking the beach were these signs, "Hazardous Bluff"!  They loved signage at this resort, and we also saw "Dangerous Trail" (this was a narrow path leading to the beach from the parking lot.)  Even if you slipped off the trail, you would only fall a few feet, but as a senior citizen, I could see the reasoning behind the signs.  There was also a rickety stairway leading to the beach which I thought was more hazardous than the trail.

This old, and quite beautiful Monterey Pine was right next to the dangerous trail.  Lots of pretty trees in the area, as well as magnificent rocks, both large and small.

Here is a selection that I accumulated during my stay.  My sister loves collecting rocks and I plan to send her a few.  Which ones would you like Darlene?

One of the things we did while we were in San Simeon was to go to the Elephant Seal Conservation Area.  In this picture they looked a lot like the rocks on the beach, but as we went on, it was wall to wall seals.  The docent told us that these were all females with their pups.  The males were apparently in Alaska on a feeding frenzy.

Hippity...Hoppity...Happy Easter Day!

Any time family members get together at our house, we have a lot of fun.  This Easter was no exception.  The weather was perfect, the meal superb, and the kids provided lots of entertainment.

Before the festivities began, we took time out for a 3 generation picture.  Maddie was all excited about the upcoming egg hunt.

I always put out a lot of books for Reese, who just loves looking at them, and having you read them to him.  Check out the new hat!

Adam and Melissa did a great job, as usual, hiding the eggs.  By using a yellow egg with yellow daffodils makes finding a bit more difficult.

Reese really got the hang of it this year, and carried his Easter basket the whole time.

Even Elmo the Egg showed up, much to Reese's delight!

Maddie had to clear some obstacles to find her eggs, but enjoyed every minute of it.

After the hunt, the kids found candies and puzzle pieces in their eggs.  What a clever idea Heather had with those puzzle pieces.  The kids enjoyed putting their puzzles together, and it gave the adults a little breather.

Happy Easter to all, and to all a Good Night!

Flowers II

Frog and I just have to show more pictures of our garden.  He loves his position under one of our sego palms.  Up and a little right of him is another hanging frog which is part of a group of frogs.  I just love frogs---and turtles.

We have an Australian Tree Fern next to our back door.  We hope to arrange more of these ferns on the porch soon.

It's hard to see the vine growing in this pot because of the volunteer petunias that have come up.  I love when things just come up----so much fun.

We have several Gerbera Daisies in the yard.  This one is being watched closely by our metal bunnies.

This clump of Calla Lilies has increased in size since my last picture.  They, too, come up voluntarily all around the yard.

This picture shows many of my succulents.  The Aloe on the left has a couple of spikes that will be blooms soon.  Right now they look more like asparagus.

Couldn't end without showing you the hanging basket with a succulent and some Cobalt flowers.  It is just breathtaking!

"SISTERS"

These three sisters are very dear to me.  From left to right, my Aunt Tillie, my mother's oldest sister,  Aunt Jo, the middle sister,  and my mother about age 14.

Here I am on the left with my sister Darlene next to me, then cousins Barbara and Mary Ann, who are like sisters to me.  We all grew up together.  This picture was taken in 1987.

About 4 years later, here are Darlene and me at the house in McHenry.

My cousin "sister" Mary Ann at Heather's wedding in 2000.

Here I am with Sandy----Duane's sister at our home in Chino Hills.  One of the nice things about getting married is the extended family you acquire.

My daughter, Heather, was tickled pink to finally have a sister when Adam married Melissa.  Here they are with Melissa's Maid of Honor and best friend, Lindsey.

A happy Melissa again with another newly acquired "sister" Kim and her two daughters Amanda and Valerie----more sisters!

Spring Flowers

I love when the daffodils bloom-----Spring is my favorite time.

Old standbys, Calla Lilies, have been blooming in my yard since 1973!

Geraniums, so easy to grow, are so bright and cheery.  I love all the colors and varieties.

I never have much luck with azaleas, but I hope this one will be the exception.  The color is so lovely.

This basket happened by accident.  There were cobalt flowers in it that seemed to be dead.  I planted this succulent, (that my daughter-in-law, Melissa gave me) over the cobalt, and the cobalt came back!  Just love it!

I'm so pleased with how this arrangement turned out---a Bird of Paradise that bloomed twice, a cluster of Cymbidium Orchids and a Calla Lily.  I also like my String of Pearls in the hanging pot behind the arrangement.  On the table also are parsley and chives.  Gardening is such fun.

HEATHER

My first born, Heather, is celebrating her 38th birthday this year.  It seems like yesterday that I welcomed this little face into the world. 

A few days later, Heather's real personality came into play.  Love the positive attitude.

As she got older, she was always fun to watch.  She loved to imitate dance moves----still does today.

Here's the fun loving Heather at a birthday party given for her by Gloria, her babysitter.  She's between Gloria's two sons, Eddie and Andy.

Later birthdays always included the neighborhood kids from left to right Kristie, Heather, Kenny, Holly, Adam and Katie.  Many good times were had at the old kitchen table.

When she went to school, the group expanded to include school friends as well.

How proud I am of all she's accomplished, not the least of which are these two little darlings!