This a test !!

I just found this app that allows blogging from the iPad and all of you are the guinea pigs. Yesterdays attempt was a disaster on the Sony and I found out that the underlined area was a hyperlink and if you click on it, you get lilacs !, a picture I had intended to delete. Have no idea how I did that. The iPad is not speedy to type on and Very easy to make typos but is just so portable and cool in every other way.
Wow, it is so easy to post a picture too. And it captures the location .
This a picture of my favorite little fish in a tank by my chair.


We are enjoying one more day here and hope the sun stays as bright and warm as advertised.

Location:Highlands Ranch, Colorado

Short synopsis..

We left for Colorado on Saturday morning and arrived on Wednesday eve.......1800+ miles and the old car ran like a top. NPR and the views kept us occupied. We unexpectedly came across the horrific tornado damage outside of Birmingham. TV could not do it justice.....it came to those who could least afford to recover. Then it was on to Memphis where the Mississippi grew to over 3 miles and the tributaries backed up to cover the rural areas for miles. Detours were necessary.

One of our goals was to stop by the Clinton Library and Museum in Little Rock. It was built in an old industrial area and the surrounding parks and trails are not finished. We found it interesting and efficient in cataloging and displaying the vast information. But I found it strange that in one ever changing section was a Dr Seuss exhibit........probably to keep the people coming back. Won't get into politics here but just let it be known that P brought a tee shirt that says "I miss Bill" .

Continuing along this theme, we stopped at the Truman library in Independence, Mo. It seemed a bit more homey and easier to review his life and presidency

This was an exhibit representing the number of planes used in the Berlin airlift. Over 200 flights daily brought in supplies.

We continued on to Abilene, Ks to visit the Eisenhower Library. It was undergoing necessary renovations and updates so it was a quick stroll around the grounds and library.

We had perfect, warm and even hot weather for most of the trip. Until we hit western Kansas. The sky darkened and the radio kept us updated on the tornado warnings. Most seemed a bit north of I 70 but we expected some heavy rain. Abruptly, we were pounded with hail and had to pull over as visibility was poor. The hail quickly piled up and the snow plows were very prompt. We started out again on the road covered with several inches of the stuff and with a 30 degree drop in temperatures. The tornado sightings were about 10 miles north of us. We opted to take a shorter route to the house, across the prairie for about 50 miles.....a well traveled scenic route but also one that climbed another thousand feet, resulting in driving thru a beautiful snow fall, quickly accumulating. It sure didn't feel like mid-May.

We woke up on Thursday to more snow falling at the house.....temperatures were in the 30's and only got to 50.......my May clothes just didn't work so had to go buy some winter duds.

But, despite our fears, graduation on Friday morning dawned bright and sunny and a bit chilly.

Nicholas graduated from the prestigious Colorado School of Mines with a BS in Mechanical Engineering. After a summer working in Tulsa, he will continue his work towards a MS in Petroleum Engineering.........of course he takes after his grandmother.............NOT!

We look forward to seeing the other 3 meet their goals in the near future.

We'll head home on Tuesday morning when the temperature is to climb into the 70's here and in the 90's at home. It's been a wonderful trip. ( I have no idea why some parts of this post are underlined and in blue.......I'm using P's computer as I can't post pictures from the iPad)

Best laid plans..................

Love and laughter all around as one of us celebrated a birthday......Gifts were abundant, the friends are wonderful and life is good. As to our plans which looked so promising just a few short days ago.....alas, they have changed. We are still heading west...................

but not in the home on wheels...........
nor in the new car finding a place in our garage..............
nor by the roads in the sky...............
Instead, we will meander along the byways in our reliable old 2000 Ford Explorer with 170,000 well used miles on it. This is not ours as it is getting a physical so I found this pic of one just like it, all shiny and new. It still looks good and runs pretty well but just keeps losing parts and functions bit by bit.....I know how it feels. We will take it to Colorado for one of the kids to use....just like we did with a '92 Explorer after 10 years.

We'll try and leave this weekend and go by some interesting places and take our time. And hope to check in and share some of the details.

Plans........

Just thought I'd throw in proof that we have a great family and have had some fun times. This one is from Paul's last flight , over 8 years ago. We all hopped on board and flew from Denver to Puerto Vallarta , spent a few sun and beach days and then came back to cold snowy Denver on Dec 31st. It was a memorable time . It's been a busy week; saying good by to Andy and Mason who filled our pool and house with happy laughter; and Paul having to say a final goodby to a friend and colleague in Ct.

And now we are gearing up for a busy month of May.....which could possibly include
getting the 'moving roadblock' all prettied up for her next trip.....and
might just include a visit with our favorite teens again
and by going to the left coast, we'll meet up with this good looking pair.

We won't make the final plans for several days but we're getting out the maps and making the lists.

Which one of these.......

Is NOT like the others ??? Does that bring back a little Sesame Street memories?My screen bugs of late have had some company...........this is the errant gecko who has taken up residence on the wrong side of the screen. He seems to enjoy the neighborhood but aside from eliminating a bug or two (no proof of that however), I find him of no value and his darting about the plants is a bit startling at times. He landed on my foot one morning when I was dousing the plants with the hose.

Jan and Curt (Paul's favorite sister and brother in law) arrived from Ky by way of Kiawah Island, SC. We can't compete with that kind of beauty but did manage to find some of the natural Florida over in Homasassa Springs where the manatees live and the native flora and fauna are in abundance. The weather was perfect for a stroll among the flamingos and the alligators and Jan's favorite turtles.
I'm enjoying the new camera altho I haven't taken snaps of anything National Geographic worthy. This is the bird of paradise leaf after a rain.
My lone hibiscus is adding a bright spot on the lanai with its constant blooming.
Andy and Mason practically wore out the pool during their stay. It's so fun to see them develop their swimming skills in such a short time. And mostly on their own, with little coaching. They put on snorkles and took to them immediately. I remember my first time well and had to fight off the panic of breathing underwater.....I can't imagine trying scuba........

No, Mason is not driving the golf cart....just a time lapse shot along side the cart path with the underglow lights visible.

14 holes in 1:35 mins

Jon and boys are at Springbreak Casa for the week so haven't had time to update the 'world famous blog ' in quite awhile. So enjoy this video that Jon made yesterday with a fun iPhone app when he and his dad enjoyed a warm round of golf. Towards the end, they play the 4th hole behind the house and the boys ran over to join them. Turn the sound on.............

Yes we have no pictures...

.....today despite the fact that I now have THREE cameras. I have a well used Sony that has served me well. Then I have the very excellent iPhone which takes exceedingly good shots and I can quickly email, text them or save to iPhoto. And now I own the Canon SX130IS. It has an amazing zoom allowing me to capture images far, far away. It has way too many pixels for me to appreciate. It has a 3 inch screen to view the immediate shot. And Sam's had it for a great price. I got all the details I was looking for and now have to learn how it works.
As I compose this (on the iPad for the first time ever) I am struggling to keep warm in Connecticut. I came up yesterday with hopes of finding Spring........but it is taking it's time. . There are still patches of snow around and daffodils barely out of the ground. Waiting for the boys at the bus stop, I found patches of pussy willows and brought some home to join the vase of tulips I bought. And I saw two robins.
Paul is basking in the sun and fun back home and waiting for favorite company .

Stay tuned for views from my lens.......

It was a dark and stormy night...........

and it continues as we speak. Central Florida is living up to it's reputation of being the lightning capital of the world and a hot spot for tornados. We had a brief respite last evening and then it all fired up again.This is a bad picture out the front door.....the tree was bending way over but with the delay on the iPhone, I only got it partially bent. The winds were very impressive and since we don't have a basement, I sought refuge in the laundry which seems to be the most protected inner room. But unlike the neighbors, I did not take the beer and peanuts with me......will need to add that to the emergency list.
This is the view of the front approaching yesterday....the view today is more widespread but not as dangerous , so far. As I write this at 9:45 am, it is totally dark outside. We've had 3.5 inches of rain in the past 18 hours.

Paul is enjoying the sun in Miami again....he's doing the flight instructor thing in the simulators for the 2nd time this month. Aside from the long drive, he seems to like the change of pace from golf and more golf.

I saw this app, CamWow, for the iPhone on Robbie's blog (www.robbiespawprints.blogspot.com) and I had to try it and have been having fun with it. It makes a picture of my desk look like a sketch. It would be pretty to use flowers , trees etc.
It is a free app but for $1.99 you can get the writing eliminated.

Think I'll go stock the laundry room/tornado shelter with diet beer and pretzels.

Update: it is now an hour later and we have had 6+ inches and it is still raining torrentially.

GRAND kids

Yes, they are grand. And the fact that they want to spend their vacation days with us is a real treat.

Some of us enjoyed a day of shopping in Orlando. We did ourselves proud with a new pink Juicy purse (her) and black silk wedgie shoes for me. And lunch at Brio.....I enjoyed a salad, which is a far cry from the risotto that I usually order.......actually, the whole time I was there, I really really wanted the risotto.......
Meanwhile, Alex was burning up the course with his grandfather. Everyone around here really enjoys watching the young ones ...... even if we can't follow the ball that far with our old eyes.

Meanwhile, back on the feminine side of life, Lizzie and I had our nails spruced up.
On Friday, we hopped over to Epcot and Disney. It is the annual Flower Show and there was color around every corner.


It was a long day but the weather was perfect, as was the company. They fly home tomorrow and we will miss their energy and joie de vivre.

The fog comes on little cat feet................(Carl Sandburg)

It was a foggy, foggy morning on the course. We tee'd off at 7:47 and could only see 50 yards ahead. (These pictures were taken after the first couple of holes so not as foggy, just pretty.) Now considering that the greens are farther than that, and MOST times I can hit the ball farther than that......this presented a bit of a problem. It seemed kind of easy to just hit the ball straight ahead but our perception was all skewed and balls flew most anywhere they wanted. Some never to be found again. In order not to get hit by the group behind us, we had to flash our cart lights at them to indicate we were leaving......or just a shout out into the abyss. It was interesting.
It gradually started burning off and by the 5th hole, the sun was shining through. I can't say that I'd like to play like that very often but it certainly added a new dimension to already abundant challenges.

And, as we headed off to breakfast, we passed through this beautiful area filled with the moss covered oaks and the stunning azaleas. Everything is beginning to bloom and it is magnificent.