Busy, busy, busy....

I have been back from my Indiana trip for a week and so much has happened.  We went to two festivals - one was the Taste of Pensacola.   Lots of fantastic seafood and craft booths.  We appreciate good crafts because we were into craft shows for approximately 10 years.  These were great booths of woodworking and art.  Mater of fact, I purchased a beautiful oak chest to use for the recyclables.   The tapestry on the top is so pretty.

The zoo has welcomed two new members!  Two beautiful white rhinos.  Now, they are not white - confusing - put they are wonderful.   I just love the zoo.



White Rhinos eating their breakfast.

Tonight we ran over to Flounders for a sandwhich.   Too much food!  But I love their 18 cents chowder.

You can't beat the price....or the taste.

After dinner we took a drive down to Fort Pickens to see the sunset.  The clouds got in the way but how fun it was to see two young musicians being recorded to put their music on YouTube.  They were great.   I was just in the right place at the right time to enjoy their music.

Two talented young ladies.  Good luck!

Tomorrow is the last day of September.  October is busy and lots of fun coming up.  Ron will be here from the 5-15,   Sandy and Tammy from the 19th - 21st,  and Betty and Kirk from the 27-31.  The time is going to fly. 

Now I understand why retired people say "How did I ever have time to work?"

Busy as a bee......

I have been have from my Indiana trip for over a week but have been so busy.  We enjoyed the Navarre sand sculpturing festival and also the Taste of Pensacola.  Good, good food and wonderful craft booths.  I purchased an oak chest at one with a beautiful tapistry of pelicans.

This is going to be used to store the cans for the recycle bin.   So pretty!

Back to Florida

Ron

I just spent a week in Indiana visiting my brothers, friends, school,  and doctors.  All was so fun!  (The doctors weren't fun but all went well.)  I stayed and my brother Ron's house and was treated like a house guest, not just like his big sister coming in to stay.   I don't know why you look red Ron.   We were having pizza - my first night there.  My favorite pizza!  The 2nd night I met Dave - my other brother - for supper and we drove out to the lake.  So pretty.

Fall is in the air back in Indiana.  Cool nights and days in the low 70's felt so good.  These always make me think of fall.  Don't we call them cat tails? 

Chicago had their cows, Pensacola has the pelicans, and Hobart has the Brickies.  This is Yohan, - the Hobart Brickie mascot.  He became the Hobart schools mascot many years ago Hobart is called the Brickies because 100 years ago, there was a brick factory in Hobart.  It is a cool name - different.  Well, as driving around town, I came across several of these Brickies.  Pretty cool!

I flew home and it was great.  Stop over in Atlanta was just the right length and Ron picked me up at Midway.  Now I know everyone has their flying stories but the return flights home were iffy at best.   They kept saying they might cancel the flights due to weather but finally we got on the flight to Atlanta but oh, so late.   So when I arrived at Atlanta, I had 5 minutes to get to my flight in another terminal.  I new that was not going to happen.  But they held the flight!!!!  So cool!!!  So I did get home to sleep in my own bed.

Now I am back to my Florida fun.  Navarre is having their sand sculpture contest this week-end.  We stopped by last night and I am going back later this afternoon so more pictures to come.  It is amazing what these talented people do.

Again, I had a wonderful time visiting friends and family.   Thanks much Sandy, Jim, Ron, Dave, Kelly, Betty, Kris, and Betty at Shears.  Closing down now and going to unpack my suitcase.  (Oh by the way, I bought so many new t-shirts and tops that I had to ship them to Florida instead of carry them on the plane.) 

Palm tree in twilight.

Back Home Again in Indiana....

Last Wednesday I flew back up to my hometown in Indiana - Hobart.   The flight was great but my gosh, how Midway in Chicago has grown since I had been there.  I am staying with my brother Ron and having the best of times.   Some time has been given to complete some medical work but mostly visiting friends and family.

As soon as Labor Day week-end is over, the field begin to turn a beautiful golden color.  The trees have not started turning yet but you can see fall is a coming!

As I write this, I am at our friend Mike's house.  This is a special house to me.  Mom grew up here, then Grandma and Grandpa sold it to Mom and Dad and I grew up here.  This hill goes down to Lake George.  We spent our winters ice skating and sledding.  Wonderful child memories.  Now, Mike has the house and loves it as much as we did.   Beautiful view, isn't it?

One of the many things I lack in Florida is my hairdresser/friend Betty.   She owns Shears in Monticello so Friday I took off for her to color (whoops - of course I don't color my hair) and then met Dave, my other silly brother for dinner.   Had a great day.

I don't have that much time and I wanted to spend as much time with my friends as brother as possible.   Yesterday was my birthday so we went out to dinner and then to the gambling boats in Michigan City.  We are NOT big gamblers so we don't last long before our money allowance is gone.  But it was fun and we can dream of the riches we could of won, right??

Also on Saturday, I went to my friend Kelly's house for Colin's first birthday.  That was quite a birthday bash.  He took it all in stride.  I loved seeing Eric and Lisa and Kelly's sister Colleen and her cutie Maddie.  Happy real Birthday on Wednesday Colin.
This has been a fun trip.  I miss my friends so much but I know I made the right decision to retire.  I enjoy having every day to do what I want.  Now understand, I loved teaching, loved it for 36 wonderful years but now I am living  in paradise!  I will always be a hoosier and a Floridian  - both!   But what football team to cheer for now?   Hmmmmm.......

Fishing Pier Visit

Yesterday afternoon we visited the Pensacola Beach fishing pier - not to fish but to walk the pier.  The pier is 1471 feet out into the Gulf of Mexico and is a beautiful spot to walk.   Sunday was again one of those picture perfect days and I just have to get out by the water as much as possible. 
  The fishing seemed great at the end of the pier.  They were pulling in fish right and left.  Soon I would like to start doing some fishing.  The fishing in the gulf/ocean is so different than fresh water lake fishing.  Again, need to learn lots.

The beach had lots of people enjoying the day by swimming, shelling, surfing, sunning - all the S's.  What a joy to have this so close to home.

This is the view when half way out on the pier.  We could see large jelly fish floating by - but not too many. We have seen many, many dolphins while out on the pier and lots of sting rays, large fish, jelly fish, and much more. 
After eating dinner last night, we took Mom to her sleep test.  I was impressed.   The room was very nice - just like a hotel room with tv, bath and shower room, and lazy boy chair.  We dropped her off at 8:00 p.m. and Dad picked her up at 5:30 a.m. 
Finally, here is a picture of part of the family room - still a work in progress.

Every day this week is going to be picture perfect according to the weather channel - but I am flying to Indiana mid-week.  Hope it will be picture perfect there also!

Fort Pickens road open again.

Last night our neighbors, several doors down, came to dinner.  They moved in two weeks before us and have the most wonderful son and daughter.  We could not pick any better friends to start out new life here.  I hope we have many other wonderful evenings together to enjoy.

This morning I read the paper and the road to Fort Pickens is open so off Mom and I went to see what it looked like after all the sand was removed from tropical storm Lee.   Today was one of those days that you remember for a long time - beautiful sunny skies and the water different shades of blue.  It even seemed more pelicans were out than usual enjoying this weather.  The road most of the way was normal but various areas had sand on the road yet.  But the areas that had the most sand blow on the road was the most interesting.  The sand would be pushed to the side of the road and was 6 to 10 feet high.  I assume eventually they will flatten that sand about so you can see the water again. The sand here in the gulf coast is a white quartz sand that was on the Appalachian Mountains thousands of years ago before it was washed down to the coast lines.

Being from northern Indiana, I am use to driving country roads in the winter and seeing snow piled up - especially in the Monticello area.  Mother Nature should did her thing!   Now, what does a kid do when he sees all this sand??

Climb it, of course!
Just a word about entering the park, if you have the senior pass, they are asking for identification now to go along with your pass.  I guess some people have been taking other's passes and using them so that they would not have to pay.  So bring your identification with you if you have the free senior pass.
Fort Pickens was busy today.  Even though it was only a few days that the roads were closed, I think people just wanted to get back down there and enjoy the beauty.   Nice to see the camp store open again.
What to do after out Fort Pickens drive - go to Peg Legs for lunch and Mom and I both ordered the shrimp salad.  Soooooo tasty.

Tomorrow night Mom is going in for a sleep test to see if she stops breathing at all while sleeping.  So we will drop her off at 8:00 p.m. and pick her up at 8:00  in the morning.  All she has to do is sleep but with wires attached all over her arms, legs, chest, and head.  Sure, now go to sleep they say.  We will have to wear her out tomorrow so she is sleepy.  No naps tomorrow Mom!

First Home Pictures

I went to the zoo this morning and did my walking and talking to the animals.  Then home to continue

more unpacking of boxes and finding places to put stuff while trying to try to make the house not look like it is stuffed with stuff.   This may be an impossible job but we are trying.  Tomorrow we have new friends coming over for a BBQ and they just moved in 2 weeks before us.   I am going to guess that they are trying to find places for their "stuff" also.  Enough of that.  I took a few pictures of some of the areas of the house.
The picture above is the hallway that turns to go towards two of the bedrooms, a bathroom, and out toward the untility room.  Dad made this mirror and the table out of oak.  He makes beautiful furniture and our house is full of pieces that Dad has built.

This is one of the bathrooms. Dad made the oak cabinet above the toilet.   I love the blue paint....ocean blue.  The shower curtain is surfboards  - it came with the bathroom and my brother loves the shower curtain so we will stay with it for a time.  The blue in the curtain matches the wall perfectly.  My brothers love to boogie board at the beach - of course, this is nothing like surfing but they can dream, can't they?

The formal dinning room has turned out just as we wished.   We purchased the table up in Hobart and had it moved down with the other furniture.   The Grandmother clock and the china cabinet were made by my father.   I told you .....he is very talented.

 This is a picture of the room I talked about yesterday - the room with so many names.  Ron's room,  the guest bedroom, the craft room, and the beach room.   I love the way this room has come out also,   Oh, at the two round bedside tables were made by Dad. 
Thank goodness a recyle bin is just down the road from us.   We drop off empty boxes every day - when those trips stop, then I guess we will know we are finally unpacked.  Oh, and Dave and Ron, don't worry, we have left lots of work for you guys.!!