The TrUtH According to Lisa Scheuplein

Lisa and Wally go to Texas and kiss babies. . .

Blog number 3. We got back from Texas on Sunday. We left Friday morning so it was a short, but very sweet trip to see Jared and Jennifer and their spouses and all four of the beautiful grandkids. We mostly just visited. We saw some fireworks. It was nice to just chill out and to talk. Here are a few pictures:

This is little Miss Megan. I taught her about butterfly kisses and caught her cold..haha.

Happy, Happy, happy talk!

Sue and Zachary.

Happy Grandpa and Alora.

Me and my little grand daughters.

Me and all the little ones...Wally has a lot more pictures. I will save those for another day. For more pictures that I took, click here.

Dinner with friends on Maine coast. . .

Catching up on blogs is hard work. This is the second of three I am posting today. We rented a beach house two weeks ago. It was for one overnight and Jim and Sue, daughter and friend came to have dinner and sleep over. Brian and his girl friend came for dinner.

Everyone loved the beach house. It was foggy and chilly, but we had an amazing dinner. Jim and Sue brought 16 pounds of lobster. I had steaks and marinated chicken. I made potato salad, caesar salad, garlic bread...the girls made fruit salad...jim made his famous wings...gosh it was a feast to be had. I also had brought a few pies and we had then with coffee. It was a wonderful time.

Wally and I.

Jim and Sue.

Brian and friend Maria.

Dinner table with our feast.

I think this was one of the most fun dinners I have had in a long time and I think all of us want to come back in the fall and stay two or three nights. For more pictures, click here.

Wonderful friends and wonderful times. . .

I know my friends tease me sometimes about my time spent in Second Life. However, I do have friends...Recently, our breakfast club was invited over to Erik's home for a lovely Sunday morning breakfast on one of the only nice weekend days we have had around here in a long time.

Not all the gang was there, due to summer travel, but most of us were. Erik did an impressive job with organization and made the event seem totally effortless. A good time was had by all.

Here is Jim in one of his funny T-shirts. He has a nice collection.

The gang from the deck. The weather was nice so we ate outside.

The guys talking about technical stuff.

Some of the food. I brought bagels thinking I was helping Erik, but he ran out earlier and then we had like 4 doz bagels. I did buy the right fixings though. I had the lox and cream cheese and the works....below, I am relaxing and talking to Peter, Erik and his wife. For more pictures click here.

David Letterman needs the same fate as IMUS.

Okay, all you IMUS haters who got SO upset about what he called the college girls better be just as riled up about what David Letterman has said about Sarah Palin's daughter. I think it is fascinating that if you are conservative and right-wing then it is okay to bash THOSE DAUGHTERS? Sorry, does not wash. Honestly, I find any kind of politics distasteful, but when you HATE so much that you can pick on a little girl that is pretty bad.

He first gave a non-apology that reeked of dishonesty, and the latest one was better but obviously not from him, but from the mounting pressure. You would think these people would learn after what IMUS went through to pay attention to the innocent victims of jokes, but obviously Letterman is above the scrutiny. If there is such a thing as political bigotry, Sarah Palin and daughters are victims of it. You may or may not like someone's politics, but let's keep the kids out of it.

Can my grandchild be more beautiful than this? Meet Alora.

My daughter had some pictures taken of my granddaughter. This is only one, but I think it is amazing. Alora was born in November and I think she is beautiful.

Cut my hair again...ha ha...

So, after growning my hair out all winter, I got tired of that and went back to short. I am glad to be back in the hands of my favorite stylist...let me know what you think.

 

I like it...this was taken with my cell phone.

William Shatner Remains the ONE and ONLY Captain James Tiberius Kirk

Okay, so I am the last one to go see Star Trek, the new one. Honestly, I almost did not WANT to see it. Why? It has rave reviews yes, but it does not have William Shatner. In my humble opinion, William Shatner made Star Trek--the original and ONLY real Star Trek that ever was. None since has ever grabbed me the way that did in 1966.

Star Trek was on at 10:00 pm and I was always pretty early to bed at ages 11 and 12, but I stayed up for Star Trek. William Shatner is practically old enough to be my father, but he got something going on...back then he was very hot and I felt it all the way down in my little girl soul. So, when I heard he had been left out of this movie. I thought it was pretty crappy. At the close, it was Spock saying the words Kirk would have said, that is Kirk William Shatner style.

A friend of mine suggested I might like "young Kirk." Well, I watched and he did not stir me. I have the hot man detector. I have picked all the hotties over the years well before their hotness was plastered all over People Magazine...so YOUNG Kirk, good luck to ya. You do not get my perculator going, sorry.

The movie is great. I loved Scotty and Bones...even young Spock was okay. I thought making him and Ohura an item was silly. I thought having Spock show emotion was silly...however...I tought that the play with using more than logic to make decisions was fantastic. You need to be a risk taker in life and I think this movie played it well...not safe. There were a few lines that hit me and I cannot for the life of me remember them...I guess I will have to see if anyone else quoted them and report back.

But, in closing I will say it again...William Shatner rocked as Kirk, and so far, no one else even comes close.

Lowell, MA Boat Tours Open and Lisa and Wally Go Back to Portsmouth, NH

Well, the weekend is coming to a close. The sky is clear, the sun is out, and another stellar day beckons. What a fun weekend. On Saturday, we had breakfast with our friends like we normally do. Then, at 11:30, our neighbors, Linda and Peter, arranged a boat tour and invited us to ask our friends. Jim and Sue came and so did Erik and his entire family. 

This was a new tour to Wally and I, as Lowell offers several. Each is only 8 dollars and in this economy, that is a bargain for over an hour and a half of interesting history on the coolness of the water. Wally, Jim and Erik compared their lenses. You know, it was that size thing again. It was a nice photo shoot for all of us, me and my tiny Canon PowerShot. 

Oh, and Erik sweetie, don't forget to take the lens cap off dear! Mwah! 

  

This section of old burnt out buildings will be refurbish in the next few years. Today, it is a reminder of better days. For the pictures of the tour, and the lock system for the Hamilton Canal, click here.

After the tour, all of us walked over to Viet- Thai. It is a nice restaurant in downtown Lowell. It was a nice way to end a day with friends. It was getting late and Wally and I had reservations in Portsmouth, NH. We dashed off to gather our things and then dashed off to NH.

Our first evening in Portsmouth was great. Yes, dinner was at the Brewery. I had their steamed mussels and a small Caesar salad. Wally had their amazing hamburger. We drank Old Brown Dog. Their beer is amazing. We shared a berry cobbler. 

The hotel is very nice. We stay at the Hilton Garden Inn. It is elegant and has great beds and pillows. We get lost in the king size bed. It is always clean and does not feel overrun with kids. They have a new pool and spa system that uses salt water instead of chlorine, so the hot tub was  a dream. 

The next day we had breakfast and a walk. Then we were off to the outlet malls where the sales were too good to pass up. I got some nice summer things. Then we came back to the hotel and walked to Gilleys, a diner car dive around the corner from the hotel that boasts the best dogs and burgers in NH. The Razzanos recommended it...haha. Linda, I am still wondering why? haha. It was ok. Amazing how a place does just that and does so well. Nice help, decent food. Fries looked good, but we kept it light. 

We walked to the candy shop for an "evil chip." This is a chocolate, carmel, potato chip thing that this chocolate store makes. OMG, it is evil. The rain started and we begged off to our room for a bit. Then we head out for the Lilac Festival. 

Wally found this and I was so happy he did. I ADORE Lilacs. Next to Roses it is in my top two list of flowers. They are pretty and their perfume fills the air. Apparently, Lilacs came to the US through a former Governor of New Hampshire. His name was Wentworth and he imported them from England. Now I knew who to thank for lilacs and I was able to wander a bit on his historic estate. I was hoping they were selling bundles of lilacs but all I could do was pose with a few bouquets. They were lucky I did not walk away with these. OMG, so pretty.

We came back to the hotel, lost the car and wondered to downtown for more walking. Took in a few shops. The sun had come out and so we found a restaurant on the decks that had outdoor dining. It was perfect. We started with beer and whole body clams that were cooked to perfection and decided to have a nice lobster roll. It was cold and this sandwich easily had an entire lobster worth of meat on it. This was perfectly prepared. The sun, the walking, the beer...haha. We were tired...and we went back and relaxed at the hotel. Another amazing trip away from home.

Colin, this one above is for you. I think of your shrimp sandwich, with that special sauce. I think I should make this sandwich with your sauce and see what that is like. 

Today, we will have breakfast and likely head home. We have real world things to do like shopping and paying bills to name a few. This has been another lovely weekend here in Portsmouth, NH.

No whining. If you don't like the results of American Idol, then vote.

Ha ha. That includes me. One of my friends says she is done with American Idol. I asked why? I said it is not the show who controls who makes it, it is the American public. Whosoever votes. I never vote, so I can't really complain. I don't really care either. Adam will be better off NOT being American Idol. He will have more freedom for his creativity, and that is what makes him who he is.

Another friend admits Adam is the best, but God forbid a gay or atheist get the role. Enough already...I am done with judgments. We need to remove the beam out of our own eye before judging anyone. My faith is not challenged by Adam. I believe talent is God sent. Clay was better than Reuben, and his sales prove it. Both were good. This should not be a personality or moral judgment contest, but more talent...

Another friend suggested charging one dollar for each vote. They could give the money to charity. That would stop people voting hundreds of time and let the vote be more pure. I thing that is a wonderful idea.

The final vote is actually sales. Who will sell the most in the future. That will be Adam, so who cares? I got to enjoy the music. I bought Adam's single. It would be interesting to see who is selling more already. I suppose I could figure that out.

Enough said.

Caring for the flu. . .any flu.

Okay, so now we got the swine flu and from all I can see, the incidence of it does not seem huge. I have seen bigger waves of the flu infest my office and go through EVERYONE because we are not taught to stay home when we are coughing and hacking and running a fever. Some take pride in rolling into the office sick and working anyway. They touch the bathroom door knob after sneezing and coughing into their hand, they put their empty water bottles up over the water machine nozzle thinking nothing of spreading their germs--and companies think nothing of it.

Parents continue to send sick kids to school without follow the rules of keeping them home 24 hours after a fever, or vomiting. It is common sense and our society is so go-go-go we cannot stay home and just get over it.

I for one simply hate finding I am talking to someone running a fever or who has not stayed away from me when yesterday they were vomiting...ewww. Please, how can we EVER expect to contain a pandemic when we cannot even use common courtesy? And, for those of us who are healthy, be careful of the surfaces you touch and the water machines you drink from. We have to be extra cautious due to lack of courtesy of others.

Ride you bike to work month...

A few weeks ago, I was ready to hop on my bike and begin riding to work. It was not May yet, and the competition between my offices at F5 had not begun, but I was ready. Being stuck indoors during winter never affected me as much as it did this year and my body shows it. I want to get my workout in gear and I wanted that two months ago.

That morning as I packed my bike, Wally called and well, you saw the blog and Facebook accounts of his Vertigo. Thankfully, he is driving to work now. Today is supposed to be a stellar day and so I was determined to ride.

As I got ready for work, I heard Wally filling my bike tires. That was really sweet of him. Thank you Wally! He also took these pictures with my cell phone. I am wearing the "official F5 Biking shirt." We are challenged to ride a minimum of five days to work, and that should be easy for me, as I live only two miles from home. It was a beautiful sunny day.

F5 also supplies nice granola bars for bikers. We have a small team here and we log our miles. I need to figure out how to do that. I would like to ride in most days for the rest of the summer. Luckily, I do not sweat, so I am not a mess when I get to the office. I change clothes, fluff my hair and I am on my way...

I am glad I live close enough to ride. It really feels good to get my heart pumping.

A Wonderful Mother's Day with my Son Jason.

It has been 12 years since I spent a Mother's Day with my son Jason. We see each other about once a year or twice if lucky, but this is the first Mother's Day in many a year. We were supposed to fly to DC to stay with my uncle and meet Jason. Due to Wally's illness, we felt travel at this time was not a good idea.

Jason arrived yesterday. He wanted lobster so we went to Rockport, MA one of my favorite places. We met my friend Mike, who had a birthday this past week. We bought his dinner and he picked up one of the guitars and played during lunch. What a lovely place to have dinner. We think we want to bring the gang back this summer for a warm evening on the ocean. The food at Lobster Pool is very good. 

From there we went to Rockport, the town. We walked along and shopped a little. Took photos. Wally bought me a lovely necklace and earrings. I found some other earrings I loved. I found two cute little hats. One for Megan and one for Alora. I am sure they will each look adorable in them. Click here for more pix.

It was a beautiful day and we had a blast.

Today we had a slow morning. Jason made fruit salad. Wally the coffee. I made waffles and we sat and talked. Jason wanted Italian food and the North End. We took him to Boston for that. Another lovely day best illustrated through photos. Click here for more pictures.

We already have dropped him to the airport. His flight leaves soon. What a wonderful visit and lovely Mother's Day weekend. I am very lucky to have had this time. 

Thank you Jason for making my day so special.

Taking care of Wally...

I have not written in a while because last week my husband Wally fell ill suddenly. He had just left for work, he had no complaints, then he called complaining of dizziness. My first fear was a heart attack and we rushed to the local ER.

He had symtoms of dizzines, vomiting, and  sweats, and after thorough testing, it turns out he had a bad, but sudden bout of Vertigo. This I do not wish on anyone.

I took him home, and the next morning he seemed to be snapping back, but by bedtime he was moaning in pain and I almost took him to ER. I waited until morning after talking to an ER contact. Then I called his primary. They said to go to ER. Since a CAT scan indicated some spot at the first ER, the second ER did an MRI. This test did confirm a spot, but without further testing we do not know what, if anything, it is. Wally remained pretty sick and wobbly and they kept him at the hospital from Thursday through Sunday. During this time they did a lumbar puncture and that also had one abnormality.

Wally is still at home. He is improving but not 100%. It is nice to see him healing and regaining more strength and his usual personality. Tonight, he wants me to take him for his haircut, so I will do that.

So, as the vertigo heals, we have a few tests at the end of the month to get through. One is another MRI and the other is a PET scan. Both tests won't happen until the 21 and 28 so we won't know anything more until then. The follow-up with a neurosurgeon won't be until the first week of June. Please know, I will be posting things on Facebook for our family and friends and otherwise we are assuming all the best for now. Let's face it, I do the cooking and he washes up after me...haha. I miss that!

Talent has no age limit

I don't know about you but I love to watch American Idol. This year's pick for me is Adam Lambert. Usually, I think they top out at 29 age-wise, but not sure. I know that generally talent and youth go together.

My friend Tom mentioned this Susan Boyle to me the other night and I was busy doing something else and did not look. Today, at work, I got the link and took the time to listen. I watched this homely 47-year-old sparkle walk on stage and expected it to be a joke. This is the British version of American Idol I guess. Believe it or not, Simon gave her the BEST EVER THUMBS up.

So, for all my talented music friends who think time has passed you by, I say, next time Idol is in town you go make Simon rock, Susan Boyle did!!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=luRmM1J1sfg

Again, talent has no age limit...

When Corporations Tighten Their Belts. . .

These are tough times and lots of companies are tightening their belts. Some need to, sales are off, money is tight, so you see the expected: Layoffs, loss of 401k matching, no more Christmas party, no more free sodas, forced vacation. You expect that when the company is not doing well.

But, what if there is money in the bank and sales are strong? Why do these companies march in lock step and layoff the same 10% across the board and in HighTechVille, where some of us enjoy free soda do I hear about that perk being affected? Here is why I am complaining.

My son, he works for a big successful company with LOTS of money. They are doing all the cost cutting stuff and have eliminated the drinks. My son does not work 8 hour days--he works more like 12 hour days...and he never complains about the hours...but I found his response to losing the free drinks compelling. He said, "Why should I come in and work all these hours and they cannot even give me a free drink for doing it?" So for all the beancounters who go home at 5 pm, I hope as you cut costs you realize you are cutting your nose to spite your face. People who work as hard as my son give you way more than a dollar worth of soda per day of work. I hate using a bad economy as an excuse to get MORE profits on the backs of the hard working folks without the big bonuses and stock options. OH well...it will be interesting when times change and people flee to greener pasture. How you treat employees now does matter.

Historic Lowell Hamilton Canal Area Redevelopment District

No, Lowell was not bombed. These buildings are very near to where I live, but there are many beautiful structures, but these are about to be redeveloped.

   

I love the shapes of this gated doorway on the side of the Hamilton building.

This view is down the Hamilton Canal toward my apartment. If you look down the river, you see the decay on the right and behind it is my building, which is very nice. All this will be redeveloped.

  This view is looking down the canal. The damage seen above is on the left side of this building and forward of this.

Turn around around and view the river from the other end of the river.

Another view looking down to my building...but you would think I might be in some bomb zone in Europe...

  This window always catches my eye.

Where the worst decay is, this building is forward of it, toward the locks. I heard today from an older woman I passed that Bruce Willis will be doing a movie here.

This is upclose and personal.

I did not see the shadow of the wheel at first. Damn, I am good though!

These pictures are of the gears to the locks in Lowell on the Hamilton Canal.

This one was just the most beautiful form.  This is where function and form become art.

I love these things. . .

 

Then Lowell has doors worth noting like this archway...

This is a door on the Appleton Mill. I also thought it was interesting.

This is yet another very delapidated mill. I need to post some of the images Wally took last week. The images were beatiful agaist glass like water that reflected the buildings.

Even in urban decay is life. . .

AIG paid 73 employees bonuses of $1 million using our taxpayer money...

No wonder the world looks at the US as deluded. We take tax payer money, give it away to failed companies, and then they use taxpayer dollars to pay out bonuses. Sure, it was LEGAL. It was also highway robbery. You are crooks for following your policy and paying bonuses to people who should really be out of work. Why would you reward anyone for the catastrophic failures of your business? Million dollar bonuses? Get real. Most of us taxpayers will be lucky to ever see a million dollars in our lifetime. To pay out bonuses with taxpayer money is beyond my ability to comprehend.

Our congress, senate members, and our dear new president who are outraged, well pardon me, but this should have been stipulated when you agreed to do any bailouts. Let's stop the stupidity. This is not rocket science. This is supposed to be why we elect you to office--so you can help the people. Well, I am sorry...I think you are showing just how capable you are of helping the people.

As the veneer cracks open for the world to examine, I think we the people need to think about revolutionary change.

We went to Jack Kerouac's Birthday and also helped ring in St. Patricks Day...

It was a wonderful weekend with warmer weather and lots of sunshine. Saturday was full of errands. Wally found out there was a birthday party for Jack Kerouac at the local Italian coffee house and restaurant. We decided to go. Yes, I know Jack has been dead for 40 years or so, but I figured it would be a fun venue to observe people.

We live in Lowell. Jack is from here, so you can visit his many things associated with him. I have read only a few of his things. He was a bit over the top for me, but my friend Carla loves him so part of going was going in spirit for her. I wished I had known I was going sooner. I would have gotten her to pass along a passage to read aloud on her behalf, but this was last minute.

There were two people who stood out to me. One was a kid from NYC who read his own poetry from his Blackberry. Wow! Times have changed. To write poetry on Blackberry from a NYC subway...wow. Then later to read it. This kid had heard about this party and came up to Lowell to meet these people. Another fellow was from Nebraska. In high school he read something Kerouac wrote and it mentioned his tiny town once. He realized he did not have to stay there and he has been 'on the road'  for 20 years now. Next stop for him is Cambodia. Some of the people saw Kerouac as a prophet. His words are their Bible. That surprised me. It was interesting to do this at the last moment and to savor a bit of the culture. They had a nice band there too. A local band with two of their people. One played guitar and the other the banjo and it was amazing. They played a song that my friend Jeff plays. So, I knew the words. That was fun.

Last night we had dinner with our best friends at the Old Court pub in Lowell. They have amazing beer and the pub food cannot be beat for value and quality. Sunday was a St. Patrick's Day parade and the pub crawls were happening. After we got there, a bagpipe band showed, played music, and the pub crawl followed along.  Then we had little Irish dancers. It made for quite the evening.

After dinner we went back to the Italian place from the night before for coffees. It was quiet enough to talk there....and was a nice way to finish off the weekend. Lowell is a fascinating place. I hope the efforts to revive the community succeed.

Trading White Sand for Snow. . .

Who moves from Florida and goes north? I did. Well, by way of California. Sometimes, I have to wonder about the sanity of doing such things especially when I go from warm 80 degrees shorts weather to 20 something and snow...

I have to say by the time Christmas is over, so is my patience with winter. This year we booked the trip to Florida to warm up our bones.

This is my car. I had to walk through an inch of snow and it came down more. I think we got a total of about three inches.

This is my parking lot near my office. Winter white the day after my fun in the sun...just scroll down to what I left behind in Florida!

Man...it does make me wonder.

My Sunny Escape from Reality. . .

Coming to Florida in winter is a real treat. This is something Wally and I have wanted to do every year, but never did for one reason or another. This year, we found some cheap tickets and came during a beautiful sunny time. 

This morning I got to beach at low tide and went beachcombing for nearly two hours. I am looking for a special shell with like a baby foot print on the inside. Years ago my Aunt Joan showed one to me and when I mentioned it to a friend recently, she asked for some. 

So this is the pretty beach I go to. The sky is blue, the breezes are nice. This morning was warm, so I wore my bathing suit and my shorts to the beach.

I love everything about my beach. Even how the sand looks. This is looking south and it appears they are trying to grow native plants to protect the shore.

They have build condos along the beach in most places. At 3rd Street north, where I go near my house, they have dedicated it to a local world champion surfer named Slater. 

I enter my beach at the Slater walkway to the beach.

On my walk I got to see a lot of birds...

I was amazed at how tame the birds are. They let me get up really close to them to take a shot. The pelicans were hanging around fishermen. I guess they were hoping for handouts.

Crystal Blue Persuasion...look over yonder, the sun is a rising...God, the sun on the water was so beautiful, it nearly brought tears to my eyes. I used to walk this beach frequently in my youth and it truly is beautiful.

Self portrait..water behind me...toes in the water...no makeup! haha.

This picture of my toes in the water is for my friend Carla. She asked me to be sure to

get my toes in the water for her. So here they are Carla!

Here I am in my parent's backyard on a hammock. This is the life! Yes, it is that nice outside.

Fun in the sun. It does not get much better than this. It will be hard going home to the ice and snow.

How do you dress for temperatures between -1 and 77 degrees F?

We are lucky. We are leaving frigid New England and going to Florida. We will be there by dinner time. It is cold here in New England. They say the windchill puts us as -1, but the sky is clear and sunny. I can't say I will miss it, but after walking over ice and snow from the last storm, I am loving the thought of wearing shorts.

Packing my suitcase last night, I felt it was so odd to dig out my sandals, shorts, and other summer clothes. Most days here, I leave with a heavy coat, gloves, hat, and scarf. Dressing well helps in dealing with the cold.

So, how does a Floridian like me deal with winter? One day at a time. Actually, I don't think I deal as well as natives do. I think our bodies learn to deal with the sun and if we change what is affecting us, we notice. That is why I think I have issues with Vitamin D. I came from the factory not needing to worry about that too much, and now, I need to store it and I am missing that part or something.

Anyway, I am ready for FL. Going back to my childhood home is pretty darn nice. Think of me on the beach drinking pina coladas, YUM!

I used to listen to Rush Limbaugh. . .

Yeah, I admit it. I used to listen to Rush Limbaugh. He used to be good for the balance of power when Clinton was president and before. He is smart. But lately, some of the right wing commentators kind of tick me off. They sound like hate mongers and gloom and doomers.

I may be  a registered republican, but I like to believe that I can try my best to think critically. Right now, the US needs us all to work together to solve our problems. It scares me to think some might use this time for partisan politics. There is a time and a place for everything. Now is the time for unity. Not division. United we stand, and divided we fall. . .

I am also smart enough to know not many, if anyone, has been offering solutions. I say, if you are going to criticize, let's hear how you might solve our problems and why your solutions will work. Remember, the conservative administration just left, and as far as I can see, they allowed this mess. They got voted out because most of us got pretty sick by what was going on.

So, for the next four years we have Obama. Let's work together to save the US as we know it. Stop the bickering! Geesh.

Eeeeeek snow...

Well, March is ROARing in like a lion here in the northeast. Yuk. We fly to Florida on Wednesday and I am really looking forward to that now.

We had about five to six inches of fluffy white stuff this morning. As Wally and I walked to our cars in the snow, we both slipped. He kind of twisted his hip some. I noticed the ice under the snow, and it was obvious driving as well.

Not too many here at the office. I have my coffee and so all is right with the world...not sure how much more is expected, but I am definately looking forward to spring.

Is it warm in Florida? I hope so...

Why chicken and dumplings brought back memories . . .

Last night for dinner I made chicken and dumplings. I have made it over the years, but not often. Most of the time I make dishes that are less rich, so meals like this one I do less often. Wally is down with a cold, I was going to take the chicken and make soup, but he really did not want soup, so I suggested chicken and dumplings.

I got the onions, and celery and chicken going all seasoned up just right. I put a lid on it and let it cook...later I turned the chicken and after about an hour it was very tender so I dropped the dumpling dough in and a wave of nostalgia washed over me.

In my young married life, we rarely went out for dinner. Money was short and eating out was a luxury. There was a place nearby in Beaverton, OR, where we lived, that was known for chicken and dumplings. We moved away from Oregon in 1983, but I think the place was called Grandma's Kitchen. I think pot roast was another thing they were known for. Anyway, the food was cheap and good, and it was a big deal back then.

As the dumplings cooked, the meal was coming out really well. I moved the solids to a platter and I made gravy with the juices from the chicken. It had reduced perfectly and I actually made a lot less of the grave than what was being called for. I served up dinner and Wally loved it. I have to admit, it was probably the best batch of this I have ever made. It is cold outside and winter is long, it is amazing how a simple "home style" meal can feel and taste great and conjure up an old memory.  I can still see my family eating there with my ex-husband's father and wife and remember it being a big deal. Sometimes, it is the simple things in life that make things oh so nice.

Good hair....

This could seem like a silly blog, but to anyone, likely a woman, who ever had a hard time finding a really good hair stylist, this will seem relevant. It took me years to find someone really great to do my hair. Last year, she tried to leave my salon and got taken to court by my salon over her contract, which basically made a situation where she could not work in hair for almost a year. Pretty lame, but if you have a salon owner who pushes that, you are basically screwed.

Well, I am glad she left based on what she told me. I think when you work in a poisonous atmosphere it can color your entire life. While she was gone, I moved over to a different person. My hair was never as good over the last year. It was either too dark, or highlights were off, or the cut was just ugly. What made matters worse, is I was paying a lot of money. I even called a place far from where I live, where I last heard Leah was working only to find out, she had left there. It turns out, they wanted her to sign a contract and she was not planning a long term gig there so she went on to other things for a short time.

I was sad to hear that, as I was pretty done with where I have been going, but I did not know where to try...so I was happy last week to receive a phone message from Leah saying she is now at a place in Arlington, MA. I called back and booked an appointment.

When I arrived we talked. She confirmed what I thought. It was too dark, the highlights too light, the cut basically sucked...so last night she fixed it and I am sooooooo happy. I have been trying to grow my hair out. At least now, it looks decent and I am back with Leah who does amazing work, and it costs less! Yay! Here is a picture of my new hair...

  These are not the greatest pictures as they were taken by my cell phone...

Tell it to me one more time: Check your Vitamin D.

Well, I know I am annoying. You read about this already. I know I told my friend Sarahjane to get her's checked. She didn't. It was not until her doctor suggested it and guess what, she was a 6! Now mind you 20 is bad. Six, well, now is not good. She will be on a megadose for 8 weeks to correct this. If you live up north or use sun screen, pay attention. Don't just think of me as that "annoying friend on a soapbox." 

Lack of Vitamin D is associated with ALL autoimmune disorders and most cancers. All it takes to detect if you are low is a simple blood test. Get R DONE! You have nothing to lose and I want to hear from you. Tell me what you got. One of my friends was a 7 another a 6, Wally was below 20, the stats are not looking good kiddo, so if you think you drink enough milk, well, hate to tell you, it is not enough...sorry. And, so what if you are outside, the sun at these latitudes will not be your friend. 

So, ignore me, but, do it at your own risk...get it checked and report in. See if you can prove me wrong...

Cube talk...about the economy.

The guy who sits next to me is from Russia. I hear him talk to people in Russian on the phone. He is talking to my co-worker about the economy and I enjoy listening to him as he is very smart, and has an interesting viewpoint.

He is sad. He left Russia for a reason. Now, he feels America is posed to become a third-world country. He feels we are sliding into being the Russia he left. I sit here in disbelief that my America has gotten in this state. I am old enough and wise enough to know we are in dire straights  in that our leaders have no idea how to fix our economy.

This morning on Imus, Col. Jacobs made a reference to the wheelbarrow economy of Germany in post WWI. I am here today as the result of that. My mother's parent's moved here in 1929 after losing a rather large family fortune. I can not imagine, that the world I know today could repeat this same thing. The effects of greed run so deep.

I do not know our economic future. It is rather baffling. I wish the economists of the world would come up with some solution, but then, where were they PRIOR to this mess? Why were the right voices not heard? Was it money? Money and power? Only time will tell.

He talks about immigration. About how the borders in Russia were serious borders. How his sister-in-law must wait 8 years to get here and how she can contribute to our society. He does not like our soft immigration policy. He does not view our border as a human rights issue. I have to agree. I like hearing the perspective of someone who followed the law and came here by the rules...and who contributes to my country. He speaks English too. What a marvel. Why are are leaders so blind in so many ways.

Things to be thankful for. . .

Sometimes, I think it is good to step back and think about things I am thankful for. There are the obvious things like having a job, my health, my kids, my grand children.  Then there are the little things. So, I wanted to mention them.

Last night, I went to a board meeting for my ham radio club. We get together as much to hang out as anything else. Wally has classes now on Wednesday, so I go alone. Last night I was with five of our closest guy friends. As we left, I pulled out my keys and I did not know it, but my key fob for my building fell off, and when I went to open my car door, I heard the ping of steal it the ground. It was snowing. There was an inch of snow on the ground. I looked at my keys as I had stuff that went missing the day before, and I blamed Wally as the last one using my keys (sorry honey!).  My key fob was gone as was my mailbox key.

My friends are gems. First up was Richie. Richie pulled up his car, with the lights into the snow and looked. He found my mailbox key. Thank you, Richie! Mike Bernock, was smart enough to trace my steps and he found the key fob by the door of the restaurant. My other friend Peter helped as well. I did not really even ask they just were right there.

Years ago, before Wally and I were anything other than new friends, I had a flat tire when I went to leave work. I was on the ham radio and he came to change my tire. He did it out of the goodness of his heart and made a bazillion points. This morning, without me asking, he fixed my keys with permanent rings so my stuff would not fall off. He also made me coffee.

Good deeds do not go unnoticed.

I have good friends. Even in my online game Second Life, I have friends who are builders who have done big projects on my land "just because that is what friends do," is what Naiya tells me. She is from the UK. Kaja, a builder who recently fixed up my land to be more Moroccan than tiki is coming today to fix a few things that were ejected because I used too many prims.  Prims are objects and it was roughly equivalent to me using too much memory for my land and so my dance floor and a few things were ejected and, well, she will be by today to fix them at no cost to me. We are friends. Other people help in other ways.

So, I am thank for for the goodness in my life...the friends I have that make my life special for just being there. Life is good.

Wow, today is my three year anniversary to blogging!

I was bored and clicking around my blog when I saw my very first posting, which was February 6, 2006. Wow! Three years!  I had wanted to have a blog and just never got my act together. My friend Brian Lambert then had one and used Typepad for it. He encouraged me to start and well, three years later I am here and he is gone from blogging. It just amazes me that I have been blogging that long. Weird that today is the actual day! Since my writing debue, I have had over 10,000 page view. Not bad!

Here are my stats:

Summary

Lifetime page views:

10025

Average per day:

9.16

In the past 7 days:

70

Today since midnight GMT: *

2

Is octuplets mom fit to be a mother? By the way, who is paying?

I dunno about you, but this story about this octuplet's mother disturbed me. Why?

1. She is unwed.

2. She has no visible source of income or health insurance.
3. Her idea to finish school later to provide for them and be a therapist is riddled with potholes.
4. No sane person is so self effacing that he or she chooses to lose "self" over being a person with needs of their own.

Having kids is hard work. Why anyone would take this on unpartnered is beyond me. And, anyone who thinks they can do it alone is kidding themselves. What does it teach kids to know their parents did not care enough to even live together? She says she is being  judged differently because she is single. No hun, more it is because you do not pay your way.

Who is paying for this? Taxpayers? Sorry, you can have babies and as many as you like as long as YOU pay for them. Short of that, you are a burden on society and totally irresponsible. I make good money and I could not afford this litter.

As far as her planning to go to school later, good luck. The chances of her paying for school alone is out of the question. The chances of her having time to study is zero.  I think she would be better seeing a therapist rather than dreaming of being one. Plus, the first few years of that occupation has very low pay.

The level of selflessness she describes to me is riddled with mental illness. Where is child services? It is too bad some people reproduce so well. I would like to know how she afforded invetro in the first place?

This would not be my, or anyone elses business if she was paying her way, but from what I can see it looks like one big fat welfare check. Now, she is our problem.



 

I hear Wall Street is getting bonuses with taxpayer money...

Wow. I could not believe it. Wall Street nearly kills our country due to greedy practices, the government saves your ass with a loan, and you get fat cat bonuses? Well, most of America is lucky to have a job. Time you woke up to smelled the coffee. "The times, they are a changin" to borrow from from Bob Dylan song.

During the dot com bust, I was laid off, before that I got a 10% pay-cut.  My husband got laid off. We are not talking bonuses or even severance pay to speak of. We are not talking rich. We are talking real world. We are the worker bees at the bottom of the high tech food chain. We do not get insane pay or stock options. I am sorry, but it is time for government, and for fat cats to wake up and smell the coffee and realize you do not get bonuses when your salary is based on the backs of the American people. I do not even know how you sleep at night.

I laughed during the dot com bust when city employees demanded pay raises while those in my industry suffered pay cuts and job losses. I guess if it does not touch you, it is ostrich head in the sand time.

I think as Americans we have had the false reality that bad things can't happen to us. We were told after 1929 that  we had put things in place to protect us. We trusted. We gave power to evil people. Now, we get to look up and suffer another failed economy. I am happy to have my job. My husband is happy to have his. For this quarter we are safe, but we have no idea how cost cutting will affect the profits of the companies we work for. We can only hope that the angel of death will pass over our door post and let someone else suffer what hurt us so badly the last round, in 2001. As a more mature worker, it is discouraging as there are not many years left to recover from times like this. Times that could have been avoided if greed and power did not prevail. But they do.

I wish Wall Street would have the morality to, firm by firm, give back that money. I think that if a firm did that, it would be the best press they could imagine. If one company did it.  then  others would follow. I hope Wall Street firms will do that, but I am not holding my breath. I think if they had that morality in the first place we would not be in the situation we are...perhaps I am a skeptic here.

Anyway, life goes on. I don't think anyone has a cure or an answer. Sadly, I think things will be worse before they are better. I do have to say that the mood during the inauguration was refreshing. I hope that can continue. I see a lot of character in Obama and I hope he can maintain it. I hope he can also encourage it in others. Only time will tell.

Hey baby, get your Vitamin D checked!

Okay, okay, I have said it before and I will say it again. If your doctor is NOT SCREENING you for Vitamin D, ASK. Don't leave your health in the hands of a doctor alone. YOU DO HAVE A VOICE.

Today, I went to see the dermatologist for my annual skin check. I do this as my father and sister both have had melanomas. Thankfully, both caught it early. I apparently have mom's skin. Anyway, I am ALWAYS low on D. I have been since moving to the northeast. If you live in a place where you do not get vitamin D from the sun during the fall through the spring, which is a good chunkk of the country, get it checked. If you wear sunscreen, get it checked. You should have a number of 20 and above. If 20 or lower you MUST get the mega-dose to boost you up, as the over the counter stuff WILL NOT GET YOU UP ENOUGH. I have been taking 1000 IUs a day, and this doctor say up it to 2000 IUs a day. Not just any Vitamin D either, it must be D3 and Cholecalciferal. Take it with fish oils.

So you still think I am smoking crack? Hear this: There is an epidemic of Type 1 diabetes in children who wear sunscreen. They just found out, it was not from using sunscreen but was from LACK OF VITAMIN D. In addition, the cancer clinic here inBoston is treating men with prostate cancer with high dosages of vitamin D. Why? Because it is AS effective as chemo. ARE YOU LISTENING NOW? Vitamin D also helps you heal. If you have just about anything, Vitamin D is useful. Go Google it. Pay attention. It is more of a hormone than a vvitamin and you simple do not get enough of it in milk and milk is not good for you anyway, although the American Dairy Association might have an issue with me on that.

So, go get this checked. Don't wait for your next appointment. Winter is especially bad time and over 50% of the people in these northern regions are low on D. That means you have a very high chance of being low.

She also gave me a handout on the type of sunscreen to use. They are now recommending, get this, SPF 60 for Total Block and for the sheer stuff SPF 85. Wow. For more information go to: www.skincancer.org and http://www.uvadvantage.org/portals/0/pdf/NEJournalofMedicine.pdf and lastly, http://www.uvadvantage.org/.

Here is to your health!

Hands on Reiki on...

This weekend Wally and I traveled to Wilton, New Hampshire. I took Level I and Level II Reiki training, and Wally joined me at Stepping Stones B& B for a lovely night in snowy Wilton.

Wilton, NH used to be a summer home community to the rich from Boston and New York City who came to NH for a cottage experience. The homes are magnificent and my drive up was amazing. My hosts and trainers were the Barnett's. Libby was the trainer. She is a master Reiki practitioner and was trained via the woman who brought Reiki to the US from Japan. I spent two days learning about how to use Reiki first to heal myself and second to offer healing and relaxation to others.

It is hard to describe Reiki to people. It uses the same energy principles as acupuncture and chakras, so if you know a little about those things, then perhaps you can understand that our bodies have an energy field and it can be out of sync. I can use my energy to help aligned your energy. I cannot force anything on you, you have to willingly accept it.

Reiki can be hands on, or it can be done from afar. It does not make promises but offers to you to do whatever is needed for your "greater good." So, if you asked for a Reiki session on your headache and afterwords you still had your headache you might think it did not help. However later in the day, you might see its benefits else where.

Why did I do this training? Because I have been told off and on during my life that I have a gift for healing, or am spiritual, or things like that. Recently, I was told that again, so decided to pay attention and to see where it takes me. I figured Reiki was a good place to start.

On Saturday, Wally joined me up at the Stepping Stones B&B. This is a lovley home run by a very lovely woman whom we sat and talked with both in the evening and the next morning over breakfast. She was unbelieveabley well read and educated and the conversation alone was worth it. We discussed books and philosophies. The home was warm and cozy. Breakfast was delicious. It snowed overnight and made her home seem even more fairytale like.  As we ate breakfast and I stared out the window to the lovely yard. I realized how much I missed the country and the birds and things we used to see from our windows. This was a very rural setting and as it snowed, the blanket of snow was so deep that it left a kind of silence I have come to love from a snow.

Wally was amazing. He knew I only brought one pair of shoes and they were not appropriate in the snow. I had no idea it was going to snow when we left. He went outside, started my car, cleaned it off, brought me an extra pair of boots from his car, and those boots were a life savor. I would have had wet feet if not for him, so thank you Wally for doing this without being asked.

Here are some pictures of the B & B:

 

The sign leading to the house and driveway.

The cute home in the snowy woods...

 

If you enlarge this, you might see the icicles...they were amazing.

 

The room with private bathroom...Wally on the left...

 

The snowy steps to my car, then off for another day of training. The snow was so beautiful...thankfully, the house where my training was, was only a half mile down the snowy road.

By the time class ended, the roads were well plowed and the snow had stopped. It is still cold here. Only temperatures in the 20s. We had more snow last night, so it is piled up everywhere.

What will I do with the Reiki? Practice it! 

1959, It was a very good year...Happy Birthday Jim!

My ham radio club has a lot a very nice people in it and yesterday word came down that our friend Jim was turning 50 yesterday. Being that our club meeting was that night, and we usually meet up for dinner, it was a great time to surprise Jim with a cake and help him usher in his 50th year. His family party was a few nights ago, so it worked out great.

Mike, IM'd me yesterday morning and I offered to order up a cake and bring everything to dinner, which I did. What follows below are a few pictures from my cell phone. We met at Lester's BBQ in Billerica, MA. A great time was had by all.

 

The cake.

Randy, Jim and Riiiiiiiiiiichy....

You gotta sing Happy Birthday...Jim also scored a bottle of  scotch from Eric.

Blowing out the candles...that was only six...if I had put on 50, they would have called the fire department.

We hope he made a good wish...

Happy Freaking 50th Birthday Jim!

My Precious...

 Okay, okay, I am a grandma! But, I am not an annoying one. Hey, see my new picture? Do I look like a grannie? Where is my bun?  White hair? Rocking chair?  Funny I don't feel older than 29...where did the time go? I don't walk around with a wallet full of pictures...perhaps I could fill up a media stick though, hmm. . .

My kids had some wonderful pictures taken of the grandkids. I found out about them through my sister. She claims she is more favorite than grandma...haha. Seems I got mine in the mail a few days later and a big one is on its way...these were so cute, I wanted to post them here to show you how beautiful my little grandbabies are...

 

All my precious...

 

Miss Alora

Master Griffin

Miss Megan

 Zachary and Megan

 

Alora and Griffin

Sorry for the sideways pictures. Windows Photo does not have a rotate...I need to find another tool...

I have to admit, I have cute grandkids!

Merry Christmas...Happy Hannukah...Peace, Love, Hope, and Happiness...

Christmas 2008, Lowell, MA dawns as a sunny, blue sky morning. The rain that pelted in the night is gone, having washed away the icicles and the snow from the building across the canal and bringing with it temperatures in the mid-40s, but dipping back down to 15 again tonight.

It is an odd Christmas, as we are not with my parents or my children. Our Christmas cards will be delayed as the old address in my profile somehow got used. This holiday, like those that follow a late Thanksgiving, always catch me unaware, as that extra week or two is needed to help me ramp up my holiday spirit and get my shopping, baking, and shipping done. Since everyone lives away, shipping is a big deal, but I have help. A store I use keeps my shipping list on their system and I take my gifts and they pack, label and mail. I like the shop owner, we take some classes together and she actually helped me find my feng shui teacher and that opened up a entirely new path for me a little over one year ago.

Wally and I did a lot of traveling this year. He has invested in his photography, which has paid off in him being accepted into his third show.  I am very proud of him. His patience boggles my mind...and that camera of  his is big and bulky and I know that alone would make me think twice about doing what he does, but he does it anyway, with joy and even gets up at the crack of dawn to do some pictures with the morning light. I have to admit, I am very happy sleeping in on those mornings. "Sure honey, no problem, you go take pictures, yawn, bye!" ha-ha.

Me, I got a new computer. My MacBook Pro just could not handle one of my hobbies, Second Life, so it needs to be fixed. Something about the network card, which I think is attached to the graphics card and it totally wigs the system. Plus there are issues with Internet speeds...and Apple is still trying to resolve this for me, but with the holidays, I put it aside. The darn thing works fine when I use my Verizon Wireless device, but not with the internal card.

So, we bought each other a few thoughtful gifts. Our gifts mainly are supporting each other's hobbies and the random travel we do throughout the year. We don't need anything. Okay, so my Kitchen Aide mixer could be replaced, but honestly, that is about it.  Perhaps we could use a free travel pass to get from here to FL, TX, and CA where parents and kids live...sometimes I wish travel in real life was as easy as in Second Life, where I can simply teleport for one location to another using a 'landmark." In real life we could use a GPS setting, could be great...except I keep thinking of the movie, "The Fly." Okay, I digress...

My friend Mike has IM'd me saying last night's temperature went as high as 52 degrees with winds howling up to 30 to 40 miles per hour during the night. I heard nothing. I slept like a rock only to be awaken by Wally as he rose earlier than me. Mike also said that his two feet of snow melted to six inches overnight...crazy.  New England lives up to the local saying, "If you don't like the weather, wait five minutes." Who needs to watch the weather on TV, we have Mike and his weather station. Thanks Mike. Mike will be over for dinner later this afternoon.

So, it will be a relaxing day, sorta. After we clean up and after we get the dinner rolling...let's see...here is what I get to cook:

Roast turkey with traditional bread stuffing, gravy, homemade yeast rolls, homemade cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, peas and pearl onions, sauteed mushrooms, green bean casserole, pecan or pumpkin pie with whip cream. I could make more food, but geez only three of us...I have condiments too, and really good wine.

We talked about taking in a movie, but if we do, I need to get cracking...relaxing, well, maybe I am delusional. Anyway, to those who read my blog, may you and yours have an amazing holiday season. I wish you all good health and happiness.

Winter Solstice...

Winter rolled in like a lion leaving another 12 inches yesterday. On Friday, I spoke to one of our ham radio friends up in New Hampshire. He was on day eight with no power, with no power in site until the new year. I counted my blessings. We never lost power. He spoke to me from his car, using a 44o radio. I was relieved to hear he was okay.

I had been worried about Ed. He and his wife sold their house in Chelmsford and moved to a beautiful but very rural NH town. I knew he was likely in a bad spot, but I had no idea how bad until he told me all the telephone poles had been snapped off like tooth picks. Trees that blocked his view of the Monadnock Mountains had lost enough limbs to open the view. He spoke of the area looking like a war zone.

Ed is hearty. Nothing gets Ed down. I admire him. Nothing he cannot do or fix. He is someone you want with you if you are ever stranded on a desert island, you know you won't die. Ed said he and his wife took coffee to their neighbors and you would have thought they were offering gold. I thought it was amazing he thought of others when he could easily have been a whiner. The most profound thing Ed told me was the utilities are running out of parts. The parts are no longer made in the US and have to come out of Germany. A disaster this bad just cannot be dealt with in a manner that we as American have grown to expect. We except instant relief. We expect endless resources. We do not expect to suffer and often are not prepared when we have to live with out the comforts we have grown to enjoy.

I learned, if you live in more rural locations during something like this, expect to wait. You should have a good generator and access to get gasoline. You better own a chain saw as trees will block your way. If you have children, you better plan on how to entertain them on dark nights with no electronics to be their babysitters. You should have a way to cook without electricity. You need to plan on having no Internet. If you have cell phones, you need a way to power them. 

Ed does not know yet when he will be back on a power grid. His entire town is black. The downed wires are now located under more than a foot of snow. I cannot imagine dealing with what Ed is dealing with, but, I am sure if anyone is thriving under those conditions it is Ed, whom I imagine issomeone who can find adventure in just about everything.

Winter drops its icey veil. . .

Last night, as I rushed to get to a meeting, I was stopped cold by my ice encrusted car. My husband had called to warn me, and I have had ice to deal with in the past, but this time the ice on one side of my car was nearly impenetrable. I chipped away at it some, I started my engine, cranked up the heat, turned on the defroster and looked around the dimly lit lot at the few others who were slowly chipping away at their cars.

One Chinese gentleman was making little or no progress. At first I thought he was using a credit card, perhaps caught by surprise with the first storm of winter. As I approached with my long ice scraper in hand, I am still not sure what he was using, but I offered mine. "This will work a lot better for you, I am running some heat in my car to loosen my ice, would you like to use this for a while?" He gladly accepted.  Later he came back with it and I was able to finally get my ice under control. The ice was glass like, and hard. As I chipped away at one side, I thought I had cracked my window, but it was only fractured ice.

This morning, glass like shards of ice covered the back of my car. It was so beautiful. Winter is like that. In the painful reality of last week's debilitating ice storm was the beauty of the ice crystals that t enveloped everything. Beauty and danger. Funny how it can be that way.

As pretty as parts of winter can be, I long already for the warmth of summer.

Cars, companies, and jobs...

This morning  on the news was a blurb about the failed rescue package for the auto industry. I am losing no sleep about it.

Last April, I was laid off of my job. I got no severence. I have no retirement plan from a company, never did. I have no guarantees. I do not feel a company owes me anything, no matter how loyal I am be or how hard I work. I am not guaranteed I can leave my office at 5 pm. I am expected to get my job done.

A few months ago, I was talking to someone whose wife worked for the auto industry and they felt the company OWED his wife a job and retirement...I laughed.

This was not my first layoff. After 911, I was laid off the first time. I learned long ago that hard work did not promise me a company would take care of me when times get tough, I learned that I take care of me.

I think all companies and all jobs should rise or fall based on the validity of the business. The rest of us taxpayers who will be paying to rescue them have no promises. I hear the unions do not want to accept pay cuts for their employees. I have had pay cuts and pay freezes as needed by my companies...this year I did get a raise. Unions need to learn that companies need to make money before employees get paid.

Personally, I wish we had not bailed out the banks. I have no sympathy for the car companies. I just wish everyone would have to play by the same rules.

Wally's First Photo Showing

Last night, Wally had the first showing of his large format black and white photos at Gallery 7 in Mayard, MA. It was well attended with over 100 attendees.  

Many of our friends and his co-workers attended. There were other artists, but none of them as excited as Wally was to be there. 

Wally has worked very hard to be in this place. He goes to Boston often two or three times a week, lugging heavy materials to the New England School of Photography. The amount of effort it is to work with a large format camera is hard for me to explain, but from all appearances, Wally surpasses me in the patience department and he has done it with diligence and the effort has paid off with elegant photos that are well executed. 

We thank Brian Lambert for all the photos except for the two camera phone ones that Sarajane took of me.

My favorite picture, is one of the first one Wally took last winter. It is a snowy river, near where we used to live. He had to brave a very cold morning to capture this lovely photo.

I like the fact that these photos are very large. It makes the details pop. The photos are for sale and we heard someone is considering them. Wally hand develops each one of his photos, which is no small task.

Wally worked the entire show. My friend Sarajane, her husband Randy, Brian and a friend all went over for some dinner during the show. 

For a look of the show, click here .