Photos from Bluffton

This is The Church of the Cross located in Bluffton, SC, on the banks of the May River. It was built in the late 1830's I believe but with renovations and enlargements.




























This is a photo I took of one of the more stately homes located in Bluffton. It is currently being renovated.

The Store

This is The Store located at Bluffton. There are some antiques and other items for sale. If you go inside, be sure to check out the corks stuck on the ceiling. We were told that the carpenters drove nails through the roof and they stuck out the bottom side; corks were used to cover them. The ceiling is very high so there was no danger of hitting your head on them; that is, unless you are one who sometimes climbs the walls.

Sightseeing in the S.C. Low Country

We enjoyed our visit to the small town of Bluffton. There were many little streets lined with magnolias and other beautiful forage, many of which led straight to the water/marshes. The homes were not as magnificent or stately as they were in Beaufort, however. Much of the shoreline looked like little summer cottages, many of which needed repairs/renovations. We did go into a couple of little shops, one of which was called "The Store". We ate lunch at a local cafe called "Squat and Gobble"; it was highly recommended by the locals if a sandwich was your desire. A restaurant called "Myrtle's" was supposed to be the top of the line there. There is an old Episcopal church near the wharf called the Church of the Cross, built established in 1767, which they claim is rooted in the past, sheltered in the present, reaching out to the future, and empowered by the God of the Ages. This is a side-trip worth taking should you visit this part of the Low Country.

Off to Blufton

After reading 200 pages of Pat Conroy's book, "The Water is Wide", we found out that he actually traveled from Blufton to the island of Yamacraw, where he taught school. I really enjoyed his books and want to get into more vicarious experiences. To get over to the island, one has to take a ferry so I don't know that we will do that today. We will check it out though. Blufton is where he brought the African American children to begin their Trick or Treating experience, then on to Beaufort where we visited yesterday. I had hoped to see Mr. Conroy but he seldom comes into the town anymore; says it's too crowded now. Will blog more after our return (which will be before the "spooks" get out for the evening).

More Sightseeing Today

Savannah was fine yesterday. We spent several hours at the US 8th Army Air Force Museum. If you haven't seen that, you should go when in the area. It was really quite interesting and very educational. I learned that the US Postal Service will putting out a stamp commemorating Jimmy Stewart, a hero during WWII and also a famous movie star. Don also learned some additional information about General Hap Arnold, in whose funeral he marched when stationed in Washington, DC. (He was quite a hero).

Today, we spent several hours in Beaufort, a beautiful little town just North of Hilton Head, also a place worth the visit. It sits on the river where many yachts anchor down. Many old homes overlook the Savannah River. I bought at book, authored and autographed by Pat Conroy. I purchased "The Water is Wide", on which the movie, "Conrack" is based. This movie is a must-see. Conroy is also author of "The Prince of Tides" among others.

Tomorrow, we will probably stay close in. We don't know what Halloween at Hilton Head is like, but I do hope that yours will be a safe and fun one.

Off to Savannah

Today is supposed to be one of the coolest days we have seen this Fall: an amazing high of 69! Now, to me that is not very cool; in fact, it's quite pleasant so long as the winds are not blowing too hard. I don't believe yesterday was any warmer, at least not on the waterfront.

We are getting ready to drive to Savannah, GA, for the day. I think it only about a 30 minute drive. We have been there several times before, but it is a city that I enjoy a lot. I was there one St. Patrick's Day and everything was green. I was told that they celebrate that day more than most cities. There are many squares with fountains in the city and everyone of them was sporting the green. Stores on the riverfront were closed but they had their doorways open and were selling green beer. Finding a place to stay was impossible also. Now, we will see what it's like on a day during Halloween week.

Another Day at Hilton Head

It's been a windy day but very nice one; of course, some rain would have been fine too. It does look like there may be some rain in the forecast in the next several days if the tropical storm decides to turn toward the Carolinas.

We went down Sea Pines and enjoyed that sightseeing. In 1974, we bought some stock in Sea Pines but, when it started going under we sold: Bad decision even if we did make quite a bit of money on it. Today, however, it should be worth a lot more. I would say there is nothing in the area worth less than $1 million or more, plus there is no more land to develop there, I don't think. Mr. Frazier really knew what he was doing when he developed these islands.

I have been unable to receive cell phone service on the property; however, as soon as we leave this area, I do have a very strong signal. Internet is also very sporadic to say the least. I have spent much of today arguing with a little boy who was manning the support line. He just couldn't help me at all. Just now, however, I did talk to a lady who knew a lot and was able to help me get back on line. I hope that I will be able to keep it up from now until Friday when we will be leaving the island.

Don's brother was supposed to have surgery Friday but for some reason, they postponed it until tomorrow. He has an aneurism behind both knees. We pray he will be okay.

Will try to blog more tomorrow.

Why is Everything Hidden?

I have been lost almost all day; well, at least since arriving at Hilton Head Island. This place is something else. If you have never been, you will be surprised when you do. As you drive in, you see nothing but many cars traveling on Highway 278. You would think there are no stores, no buildings, nothing much. You will begin noticing very small, insignificantly-placed signs for such things as banks, Target, Grocery stores, Sam's Club, Barnes and Noble, etc; however, you will see no buildings even then. They are all fairly well-hidden behind trees. You can't even see the signs until you are upon them; then it may be too late to turn into that area. We rode down one looking for a Harris-Teeter and ended up at the local hospital, also well hidden. I will have to get used to this layout. I am used to seeing every place I plan to go. I'm sure this place was designed specifically for this look. Perhaps by tomorrow evening, I will have a better handle on things.

Our condo is located right on the ocean so we have a very beautiful view. We were instructed to close our drapes and/or turn off all lights facing the oceanfront by 10:00 PM. It seems that the lights blind and/or misdirect the sea turtle hatchlings causing them to wander toward our lights and die before they can find their way back to the ocean. It also causes the females to refuse to lay eggs. Our doors and windows have double coverage with blinds or 2 sets of drapes. They take this city requirment very seriously.

On the way down, we met, quite by accident, our friends from Pennsylvania. They were headed home early due to their granddaughter's serious condition of which they were just notified. I ask that you keep this 18-year-old girl in your prayers for her illness is very rare and very serious.

I have to try to acclimate myself to a different environment now. It's always strange to sleep in a different bed. (this is why I love our motor coach!)

Cute Little Mouse!

Last night, I went by the local grocery store to pick up a few things for our Sunday School cookout. When I was walking down the bread aisle, some lady runs up to me and asks, "Have you seen a cute little white mouse?" (A "cute" little white mouse? NEVER!) I responded, "No. Why? Have you?" She nervously responded, "Yes. My friend dropped hers and now we can't find him! She is looking everywhere for him!" I suggested that she keep looking everywhere because I didn't want to step on him (eek!!). Another person heard the conversation and I thought he would bend over laughing. His wife wouldn't think it so funny if he came home with a "cute little white mouse" in his grocery bag! My question is, why would anyone take a mouse into a grocery store? That would be a wonderful home for him but not so good for the customers! (I wish I had never heard that story; now, I won't want to go into that store thinking there may be a family of mice present!

Leaving for Hilton Head shortly so will be closing shop now. I am taking the computer with me but not sure if I will have access to the internet; if so, I'll be in touch. If not, I'll be back on in a 10 days.

A Piercing Scream

They are still laughing at my "piercing scream"! Is that nice? I told my friend, Doris, about my ear piercing experience and she laughed at my nervousness. Last night my sister called and said she met Doris and friends at one of the town's restaurant and they were all laughing at me...again! Now, they want me to get a third piercing so they can all go with me and watch the show! Again, I ask, is that nice? Don doesn't really like what I've done. He says he doesn't believe in mutilating the human body. Well, neither do I and I doubt it will ever happen again, you friends of mine who want to laugh at my expense. I wonder if Don really doesn't like it or if he doesn't like the idea of my spending $$ for diamond studs. Or, he may be remembering the first time I had them pierced: I was too chicken to even change them for weeks after I could take them out. He actually changed them for me for the first 6 months I would say (of course, we were newlyweds then and he was pleased to help me; I doubt after 40 years he would find it to be a pleasant experience, though). It's been fun anyway.

What a beautiful day this is: RAIN!!! I don't know how much we have gotten but it sounds so wonderful and everything looks nourished again. As I have stated before, I love a rainy day anyway, especially if I don't have to get out in it; however, I do have to get out later on to pick up my grandchildren from pre-K. I also have to pick up a few things for our Sunday School class cookout tonight.

I will try to blog once more before closing down for our week-long trip.

Stuffing the Suitcases

Today has been another beautiful one: a rainy one! Finally, we have been getting some much needed precipitation; yet, we are still much below our average and are still classified as being in a drought. The forecast is that the rains should continue through most of Saturday.

I had forgotten how difficult it is to pack a suitcase until today. I am so used to keeping everything I could possibly need in the motor coach that trying to put a few things in a suitcase is quite frustrating. How do people stand to do that all the time? I can't decide what kind of clothes to carry: winter or summer (the temp has been much higher than usual and Don says to remember that we will be much farther south than we are right now). Do I carry dress clothes; what kind of shoes and how many pairs; slacks or shorts; jeans? I don't like these decisions. Plus, I must remember to pack a book, medicines, CD's, etc. When traveling in the RV, we have CDs, DVDs, books, games, food, etc. I highly recommend RVing for everyone. It is so much more convenient, more economical (that is, if you discount the cost of the RV itself), and I get to sleep in my same bed every night no matter where we are in the United States! That is a real plus! We will be leaving Saturday morning and I will return a week from Sunday. I don't know if there is WiFi available there or not. I will pack the computer just in case.

Tomorrow, I get to keep the grandchildren for a couple of hours so I am preparing for a real treat. We will be gone over Halloween so I have fixed each of them a goody bag which their mom will pick up for them that day. I hate to miss them and was not thinking straight when we made reservations for this trip. I'm sure that Keni will post Halloween photos on her site. Be sure to check it out.

The Piercing Experience

I just heard from my daughter-in-law in California. She says they are getting smoke and ash from the fires but so far, no flames. She also said that a couple of her friends have been told to evacuate their homes. One of my grandson's school has been closed for the past 2 days. I do worry about my family there as well as everyone else and pray they will stay out of harm's way.

Today, my sister and I ventured to Wally World and while there, Sis said, "Let's get our ears pierced again." And, I said, "Let's don't". Guess what: we had our ears pierced a second time. I told the lady that I knew it hurt though she said it didn't. I had mine pierced back in the '60's and it hurt like crazy then (Of course, I must tell you that my sister-in-law did it then: with a needle and ice cubes!!!). Today, they have these little guns they use to shoot the earring into the lobe. I finally agreed to let them do it on one condition: if two people would do it simultaneously. The clerk said yes, there was another lady there who also did the piercings. So, Miss Braveheart said okay, let's do it, but "do it together or I will be out of this seat". They laughed and agreed to my terms... RIGHT! The clerks said, "Okay, let's do it on the count of 3." That went something like this: "One...Two (Click)...Three (Click)!" Does that sound like a simultaneous experience to you? I said, whoa, not together but, of course, it was too late. They both grinned and one said, "we agreed to do it on 2" but I said no, you said 3. They laughed at me and knew exactly what they were doing! They were playing with my mind! Man, did I step into that one today!

Too Close for Comfort

Aren't the fires in California awful! I am praying for all those folks out there, especially my son and his wife and family. I don't think they are in the midst of the fires but I may have a grandson who is too close for me to feel comfortable about it. My daughter-in-law is celebrating another birthday and I hope these conditions don't deprive her of a happy day. She is a very special daughter-in-law, one for whom I care deeply and I wish for her happiness today and always. (Happy Birthday, Judy. Gift is on the way.)

Tonight, I attended our Baptist Association's Fall meeting. The director noted that he had asked all the churches' pastors to pray for rain on Nov. 4. I think that is a good idea, but my friend who went with me agreed that we should do this on Sunday; why wait another week? It would be wonderful if California would also receive rains that would assist in dousing those blazing fires.

Fires in the West, droughts in the East, severe storms in the middle of our country. Makes one wonder, doesn't it.

Working on Overload

I cannot believe how addled I have become lately! It seems that I can remember so little of the important things. For example, last Sunday, I went to Sunday School thinking that I had to teach on the fourth Sunday of each month... wrong! I was told that I am to teach the second Sunday of each month! How did I mess up on that? Who knows! I muddled my way through it and didn't feel good about that experience at all! (I certainly hope that I do a better job next time). Yesterday, when I arrived for Sunday School, my good friend met me immediately and said, "Did you remember that we had Children's Church during the worship service?" Once again, I was in for a shock! No, I didn't remember than either! My daughter was there and we looked at the bulletin and noted that she and her husband had the nursery during the worship service. He was absent from church and I couldn't help her and do the children! What a mess! (Actually there were no children present for the Nursery, so she didn't need the assistance after all). My friend, who was to be with me, had to play the piano because our choir director is out recovering from surgery, so she left me with the children. That was fine though since we only have a very few and they were wonderful children. The time went by quickly and we enjoyed the time together.

I noticed in the bulletin that I have flowers at church on the 11th of November. I hope that I will remember that! I need to come up with a new system of remembering things; I just have so much going on sometimes that I hardly know what I am doing. That's called working on overload for me!

Motor coach: the way to go!

I was very happy to see a couple of our friends from New York today. We always camp with them in Florida and they are passing through on their way back to Florida for 6 months. Actually, they are doing more than passing through. They decided to have some renovations done on their motor coach and that will take about a week so they plan to stick around here until next Friday. They are parked at my brother's home because he has a nice pad with 50 amp service, water, and even sewage. We don't have that set-up here though I would like to fix one so friends could stop by and spend a few days. We like this idea when we visit because you can stay in your own rig, do your own thing, and not put your host/hostess out. There are so many advantages to having motor coaches but this is one of the best. We always did this when we visited our friends in Indiana. We also did this when we visited our son and his family. It just makes it easier on everyone, us included: no packing of clothes; no making sure you have all your toiletries; no messing up someone else's bed and bath; no special meals to prepare; etc. etc. etc.

One of our friends is looking at new motor coaches. That's a bad sign because, too often, when one breaks down and buys a new rig, others seem to follow along. In other words, that can get to be rather expensive. We have looked at many new ones but so far, we have kept our heads and held on tightly to the pocketbooks! The new ones are absolutely gorgeous though. My brother had beautiful tile laid in his rig; that may keep him from buying a new rig this year. But, we don't even want to go that far right now.

Brain Tired!

After yesterday's third degree, my brain was a bit tired. One doesn't know what they are asking of a person over 65 when they request that they remember so much of their past. Actually, they say it's easier for an older person to remember what happened years ago; just don't ask them to remember yesterday. I guess, in some ways, I am getting to that point because I could remember a lot. (I do have some trouble remembering all I did in the past week; don't ask me what day of did what! That's part of being retired and not following a given schedule). Cherie did ask me how old I was at my first memory of the past. Now, that was difficult. I think around 3 but some of that may be jolted by pictures that Mother took when I was a wee child (she was excellent at taking pictures and I do appreciate that. I hope that you will take the time to take lots of photos of your children; it means so much to me to have those memories visually saved).

I received a call from my good friend yesterday and she says she has pneumonia. She was supposed to work at the State Fair on Saturday but will be unable to fulfill that promise. So, she has asked me to fill in for her. So far as I know, I will be doing that for her. At least I won't have to drive in all that heavy traffic since someone else will be driving us. Will blog about that later I'm sure.

The Third Degree

I just must slow down a bit. Today, I went to Wally World, came home to meet the gas man (he had to change our gas meter). The guy said, "Your meter is no longer working; that's why you haven't had a gas bill to pay for the past 2 months." I told him that I remembered writing 2 checks, even though they were only for $10 each. I guess they will hit us big time next month. He spent the afternoon here talking to Don about RVing. It seems that he owns a travel trailer and was so excited to find someone to talk with about the hobby. Finally, after he had been here about 2 hours, his company called to see why the call was taking so long. (I don't know what he told him but he really did need a break after crawling around under our house).

Tonight, we had a Women on Missions meeting and I had the program. Discerning our personal and group missions was the theme. That's something I really need to concentrate on. One thing noted was that we don't have to do it all; perhaps God has someone else in mind to do something (Don would love to hear that since he thinks I take on too much. Actually, I am happiest when I am involved in a variety of things. I would probably be hurt if I were not included in many of the church and other projects). Our ladies' group is a very caring group; the members are always eager to be involved.

Tomorrow, I will spend the day being interviewed by my son's girlfriend. She has a college degree already but now is pursuing a bachelor's in nursing. (She says she will probably go for something else after that). I don't know what she will ask but my son says they are "life-long" questions (Now, that may take awhile!). I will treat my son to a birthday lunch afterwards but will try to blog later (if my brain is still functioning after 2 hours of questioning/drilling/the third degree!)

A Child at Heart

I have had a great day today entertaining and being entertained by the two grandchildren. They were having a grand time outside on their little bikes but even more fun riding on the golf cart with PaPa and looking for fire ants. They have put little red flags everywhere indicating their ant hills. Then Don goes back and treats them; he's gotten rid of most of them now. If only everyone else around would do the same perhaps we could overcome this problem. I recently learned that one sting could be fatal! That's powerful!

My sister and her husband are celebrating their 40th wedding anniversary tonight. I tease them and say the only way I can keep up with my own is by asking them how many years they have been married. (We were married just 2 months after they were). They went to one of my favorite steak houses to celebrate tonight. Perhaps Don will consider a similar celebration. 40 years, wow! That seems like a long time, at least I used to think so. Now, it seems like a very short time. I cannot believe that we have actually been married that long come December. Our daughter will be celebrating her 13th wedding anniversary the same day. Now, that definitely doesn't seem right. It's hard to find the time to enjoy all the wonderful things in life; God just blesses us with so many great things that I often feel like a little child running from one fun thing to another. I'm still just a child at heart anyway.

Getting Caught Up in Too Much

Since the day we arrived home, there has been one thing after another to do. Our youngest son had a birthday and we hadn't even had the chance to celebrate with him until yesterday; that was short-lived due to a longer church service. I hated that I was only able to be with him for less than 2 hours. Sometimes, we just get caught up in too many things and don't have time for the most important things in life. I got my Sundays mixed up, too, and forgot that I had to teach yesterday. I was totally embarrassed over that because I had to ad lib through the entire lesson. Our class is such a great one, however, that we all pitched in and discussed the main points of the lesson. Fortunately, it was a lesson that hit all of us: Patience! None of us thought we had enough of that but were all afraid to ask for more. We just pray that God will give us the strength to wait on His will in our lives.

One of my classmates passed away and that wake was last night; I had to go from church to the funeral home for that. George had a difficult time during the last 2 weeks of his life. He had hip surgery and developed a blood clot that went to his brain; a sad occasion for his wife and other family members.

Today, I am keeping the two grandchildren while Keni has parent-teacher conferences (no school today). Right now, Clay is napping so nicely and Livvy is peeking around the door wondering if it is time that she can get up. She is a 36-pound bundle of energy! They have been outside part of the morning helping PaPa rake up pine needles and pick up pine cones. When they came in for lunch, Livvy said, "We make a good team, don't we PaPa?" She is never at a loss for words, thoughts, or actions!

My next jobs are to prepare the program for our Baptist Women's meeting tomorrow night. After that, I will be spending a good bit of time on preparing our Christmas program/cantata. Always something, right?

Gotta Have a Chat

Update: I went for my quarterly checkup with my cardiologist today and everything turned out fine. He did change one of my medications though but to a milder one. I'm happy for that.

This afternoon, I was driving down the street when, all of a sudden, things became very, very blurred. I wondered what was wrong; that is, until my glasses fell into my lap. They were in 2 pieces! I thought, oh no! Then I realized that I was almost directly across the street from my eye doctor! I carefully parked, staggered inside, and the girls all shouted,"Hello! How are you?" I laughed and told them I needed help seeing today, not hearingcould hear them. They were so sweet and had my glasses fixed good as new within 5 minutes! We enjoyed chatting during the brief wait. Wow! It is so nice to have friendly folks around town who can call you by name, help you, and just be great guys! Unfortunately, our small town is changing more and more each day. I can go to town and not see a soul that I know and that is heartbreaking! And, it's not all because folks are dying out or moving away; it's all these new folks moving in! I did go to the grocery store and was pleased to be able to chat a few minutes with 2 natives of our town. When you are a socialite as I'm often called, you just gotta have a minute with a buddy!

Shutting down now

We're closing up everything on the motor coach now and will be unplugging the unit from its external power source; not that I couldn't use my battery but I need to get busy helping Don. We have to check out in 50 minutes so time is limited. (And if Don catches me blogging now when I'm supposed to be busy, he will not be too happy).

We just said goodby to our good friends from PA after enjoying a breakfast together. They are a very nice couple and I look forward to seeing them again in Florida in January.

I guess it's safe to leave the "3 of a Kind" now. They are all at their respective campers eating, reading the paper, etc., so all is well on their homefronts. I hope it stays that way because I won't be here to referee (from my campsite).

Will check in again after getting home tonight or tomorrow.

Ready to Ride

I decided to blog tonight before I start packing things away; I may not have time in the morning to blog before leaving. Our PA friends are going out to breakfast with us again in the morning and then we have to return soon to get everything packed. We have to be out by 11:00 AM and it does take awhile, usually about an hour, to get everything ready for the ride home. Don takes care of the outside while I pack up the few things that need putting away inside. We have it pretty well down to a science now so it goes well (we are not as fast as we used to be though but we get it done in plenty of time). We'll try to get some things done before we leave for the restaurant (I may even get up and see the sunrise since everyone is raving about its beauty today).

This afternoon has been a quiet one; I sat outside and read while enjoying the gentle breeze-it was very comfortable. Don is enjoying his new calculator amd working correlation regressions, linear regression, etc. (and no, I don't really understand those things but he has really enjoyed sitting around and working out these problems).

Our friends came over after dinner for awhile then we went over to tour their beautiful new motor coach. I am having to be very careful now not to sin because it is beautiful ( I really don't covet their good fortune). It has been great to spend time with them this week. I think it is so wonderful to have friends to enjoy and to have friends from many places makes our vacations especially exciting as we wonder if we will see some of them. When we do, it just makes our vacation just a little more special. I do love my friends (in fact, Don calls me his little socialite because I love to be with people most of the time; however, I do enjoy having some time just for me alone). It is nice to know that I have friends that I can spend time with though. I hope all of you have many, many friends.

Sunrise on the Surf

Here we are having another b-eau-tiful day! The sunrise on the surf this morning was gorgeous (according to Don who walked out on the beach to enjoy it. I, on the other hand, was still involved in getting my "beauty" rest). He says the beach was full of other campers who also wanted to bring in the new day with thankfulness for another glorious day.

This morning we went out to breakfast with our PA friends. I have spent about 3 hours with a friend that is here from Winston-Salem. It was great seeing her after several years. I learned from her some updates on other friends. I'm having so much fun relaxing and visiting old friends that staying here another couple of weeks would be great; however, I have a cardiologist appointment at week's end and Don has a dental appointment (which he must keep after breaking a tooth). I learned yesterday that 6 of our Florida friends will be arriving on Monday but, sadly, we will miss seeing them. We will just have to wait until our Florida trip to see them again.

The 3-of-a-kind neighbors seem to be agreeable today so far as I can tell. I did find out where the third awning shade came from. A guy in the park is selling them so #2 evidently decided to make peace by bringing #1 another one. There must be at least 8 of them because that's how many bikes I have counted. (I'm not really that concerned about them. It's just that they are parked almost on top of us and they are not what you call discreet about anything. I think they say too much "booze" will cause those behaviors. It's been entertaining to say the least).

Three of a Kind

My legs feel like rubber tonight after riding my bike for half an hour! Don and I decided that we should do that every day, if only we had a good place to do so. We have a long hill leading from our house to the road and we would probably lose control trying to go down that one. The exercise getting back up would be great however!

Today, someone knocked on the door of our RV and there stood a couple we know from Florida. Actually, they are from PA. Now, we knew they were supposed to be here sometime in October but they have a beautiful new motor coach and we didn't spot them easily. We were going to play Bingo together but ended up sitting outside enjoying the evening air and the conversation and decided to just stay put. Tomorrow, we plan to go out to breakfast together. It's been fun seeing them again and getting to know them better.

I sat outside this morning and watched the 3 neighbors across the street as they had some kind of disagreement. They all have matching fifth wheel campers and everything else is also just alike; well, all but one thing. 2 of them had matching shades for their awnings and they brought one of them over to neighbor # 1. He put it up and had it looking really nice. About 30 min. later, neighbor #2 came, made a few comments, and left. #1 then took down the shade, took it to the home of Neighbor #3, half way folded it and threw it down. #3 now had a shade that he then put up on his awning. Time passed until # 2 and 3 rode over to #1, made comments then left. More time lapsed and #2 returned to #1's and went inside with a beer. Several minutes later, # 2 came out, went to #3's, and returned to #1's with the shade in hand. He said nothing but went straight to work putting up the shade. Finally #1 came out and they smiled at each other. #2 and 3 then rode off in the golf cart and #1 was smiling and looking happy. He then started cooking dinner for the crowd. Does this sound like a episode in the life of 3 little teenage girls perhaps? There was some pouting going on! Funny thing is that all 3 now have matching shades hanging on their awnings (Where did the third shade come from? They never left long enough to go to the store.)

What will tomorrow bring?

Yea for a Great Day!

What a beautiful day at the beach this is! Just seeing the wondrous creation that God so lovingly made for us to enjoy gives me joy! The ocean is so soothing as the waves lap upon the sandy shore; however, Don and I are not enjoying the little bird feet running across the top of our motor coach! (Pretty to look at but not enjoyable to hear). Don knows what is awaiting him when we get home: a roof clean-up!

I stayed on the internet until 1:00AM trying to get some problems worked out with my email, ability to trash trash, etc. Now, until another dilemma arises, I am ready to write. Oh, but I have another project that our choir director has asked me to tackle. I hope that I can meet her expectation on this new endeavor.

It's just too pretty to stay inside now so I will get off the air on hop on my bike now. Out of my way, you young biking "show-offs"!

A Beautiful Wedding

Yes, the wedding turned out to be beautiful and, because the rains held off during the ceremony, everything was wonderful! The rains came on Thursday night and Friday morning; however, when we left the motorcoach, there was a little drizzle but none at the beach house! It was very cloudy and dark making us believe that it would begin pouring rain at any minute! Actually, we went through the rehearsal with no rain; the tide was supposed to be going steadily out but was staying near the area much longer than expected. When we left for the rehearsal dinner, the weather again was very nice and we thought everything was fine. About 1:00AM, the rains began again; however, most of us were in the bed then and enjoying the sounds of the heavy drops on the rooftops.

On Saturday morning, everything was very wet but it was not raining. At the wedding which took place at 3:30PM, it was actually sunny! A beautiful day! The reception was begun and a sit-down dinner was enjoyed by all the guests. We understand the party continued until midnight but, again, many of us were already snuggled in for a good night's rest after such a long day. Rains came again during the early morning. We were told that it really did rain at all the surrounding beaches but we had none! Now, there is no question that we were really blessed!

Tonight, we went out to eat with out daughter and her family. We knew she needed a break because she was really "beat"! The grandchildren and our daughter and husband left for home this morning. They were so very good! I'm sure that Kendra will place their pictures on her site. You will need to check it out. They were so cute!! I was so proud of them!

We are staying at the beach for another 3 days but I will be blogging since I have WiFi at this RV park.

Barefootin' on the Beach

I guess you readers were beginning to think I had "flown the coop". Actually, I have had very little time of my own since returning. I have been busy preparing for our next trip which is coming up in just 2 short days. I will carry my computer and hope that I may find a WiFi. Trying to decide what to wear to my granddaughter's wedding is a huge decision. I have purchased 3 outfits and have doubts about any of them being appropriate for one reason or another. First, the weather may be too warm to wear them; second, the Fall colors may be too much if the temperature is in the upper 80's as is predicted; third, they may be a little too dressy for a beach wedding (I have never been to a beach wedding and have no clue about attire; all I know is that I am supposed to go barefootin'!); and last, should I wear slacks, long dress/skirt, or regular length.
About barefootin' on the beach: I'm not sure that I can do that either. I am not proud of the looks of my feet; after all, they have been around for almost 69 years and they spent at least 25 of those years on the dance floors! In other words, they have been enjoyed by me (and some not-so-talented dance partners) for many years and it's time for me to love and nurture them, not expose them to sand fleas or sand spurs or any other unfriendly objects or beings (I could also tell you that my feet are not my best feature, but then, they won't be the center of attention anyway...I hope!). Maybe I will wear my cute little Mary Jane Skechers (I have a gold pair that may be appropriate; after all, I read on the internet by one bride who said that's what she wore at her beach wedding). All the wedding party will be shoeless and the guests are told they can and are encouraged to do the same. I'll just have to let you know what I finally decide. What do you think?