Oh, oh, oh, more excitement on the river!

I wish this were more clear but I did not want to mess with getting out the telephoto lens.....The red dot in the middle of this shot is a Coast Guard helicopter which was just now chasing this boat down the river, hovering in this picture right in front of the boat. As though the boater thought he could get away?? Kindly note the ugly skies---maybe the boater is getting "pulled over" for boating in ugly weather!

*

Oh, and now they are going back the other way, with the red chopper circling above the boat. It does not appear to be a police or CG vessel, more like a pleasure boat. But no waterspouts in sight...yet!

The tiny chopper is right in the center of this shot, just above the trees, and behind the boat.

*

Well, things have returned to what could be considered normal, except I still hear thunder in the distance. This girl does not go into the pool if the sun is not out so I guess getting dressed for the day is next on my agenda. This a.m. I was telling Joanne about my early morning dream, where I was going to a restaurant with a mixed group of people, some from church and some family members, and it was not until I got up to move to the dining room that I realized I had no shoes on! I made the remark, "It must be summer, I have no shoes on!" and everyone laughed. My kinda dream!

*

The poor painters will have their work cut out for them in this weather, but there is much more to do than only applying paint on this building. One man had the job of pressure washing The Palace, using a pw mounted on a truck, not the type one uses around the house. Oh, how I would LOVE to commandeer that hose and go wash the area around the pool and cabana! The concrete railings and flower containers all badly need mildew removal, and many complain about how tired the area looks. Realizing that The Club does not have extra money right now for major improvements, at least they could hire a man with a pressure washer to clean up what we are paying for. Or let me do it!

*

I just remembered something: a couple weeks ago there was a workday at church for painting the classroom building. Sadly, only about 10 people came, not all of them painters. But, one man, who has numerous little children and a full-time job as a cop showed up with his pressure washer! Brad washed down the exterior of the new building to get the dirt and residue off before Mike K. came along to paint it with his sprayer. Lots of spraying going on that day! I thanked Brad for doing that, and asked if he had a chance to clean off the formerly lighted sign at the street. He had not even noticed it but promised to bring the pw back to do that. Or, let me do it!

*

That same day, a very ambitious couple had the foresight to take their trailer and pick up a half ton of ready-mixed asphalt to use for patching our earthquake-looking parking lot. A couple trenches had been dug in order to connect the electrical and plumbing to the street connections, leaving gaping, messy holes in our lot. It looked quite ghetto, if you ask me! The Building Committee, of which I am part (only three of us left!) decided to not make the repairs at this time. I was out-voted, or rather, I kept my remarks to myself. Anyway, a decision was made later to make the repairs, bucket by bucket, but Frank had the idea of getting a load of asphalt and taking care of it. They even got busy and painted lines on the parking lot so we can get more cars in, since people can actually see where they should park. I have to go now and write some "Thank You" cards, right this minute!

What a goofy day it turned out to be!

We have some steady sun shine right now but earlier it was doing a hide 'n seek thing. Being a very high maintenance girl, especially when it comes to swimming, I prefer to have sun on me when I am in the pool. The radio website shows 92 degrees right now so I think I might head down for a bit. Be right back.........

*

Here I am, back upstairs and in my nightie again. I spent some time visiting at the pool while splashing about. Expecting to be poolside for at least a couple hours, I took along some greeting cards to write out as well as my memory tablet in order to take some notes as ideas come to me. I am full of 'em, and sometimes even remember a good idea, if I write it down!

*

The sun did some more peekaboo games with me so I got out and sat at the table for a while. When the organized swim lessons began for the little ones, a man who frequents the pool daily during the summer came strolling to the adult side of the pool, saying he did not want to smoke around the kids. Great! He can smoke by me instead! Bill is incredibly thin and suns himself until he is toasted. Today he told me the sun helps heals his psoriasis. Huh, who knew? While we were out there, Kathy called after getting out of her training class and we made a plan to have lunch on Thursday, at the request of Janet. They will have to wait until I am done with water aerobics but Kathy said that was fine, as did Janet. As we tightened up the plans, I started getting splashed with cold water, but not from the pool. Rather, it had started to rain, big fat cold drops. Brrrrr! Since it was 94 or so outside, any rain would have felt chilly, even Bill said so!

*

I gathered my stuff together and came upstairs. Having no plans for venturing out tonight, I decided to put my caftan on. The joys and privileges of being retired, answering to no one! So now I am nearly ready for bed and it is only 5:00 pm....the winds are kicking up and storm warnings are in place for some areas west of here. There is presently a man dangling from a tree along the river, trimming the branches of the palm trees. This is being done in order to clear the way for the painters as well as grooming, because branches were broken in recent wind storms and can become projectiles. Windows hate projectiles!

This view is looking south and down toward the lower level, but the man is climbing up toward about third floor height. No wonder he has a couple guys below him as spotters!

As if you haven't seen enough pictures.......

These photos basically speak for themselves as the funnel grows, fades, drops water, gathers it, and reforms into a cylinder shape.....

This is really so cool, and the good news is that there was no damage other than some power outages for a bit....The neighboring building is shown in this photo.

The staff from The Club gathered on our bulkhead to watch the tornado....the bosses must have been gone for the day or they would never have gotten away with this! Notice the flag being whipped by the wind? We even had "surfing" waves on the river but only for a very brief time. The water tower at the Navy base is on the right side of the picture. Traffic on the bridge continued though many pulled over to watch/take pictures, or like my friend, Linda did, went to the base to find a better view of the whole thing!

What an exciting day we had Friday!!!

http://wokv.com/slideshow/thumbs/funnel-cloud (click on this link to see photos)

Some of these photos are taken looking south down the river toward Orange Park, in fact, in a few you can pick out the water tower at NAS Jax.

*

Early Friday morning I spent some time chatting with Joanne about a few things and then got myself ready for the day. My hair really needed the shower more than my body did because I have been in the pool daily all week, but my hair gets gunky from the product and the pool water. Sometimes it feels almost like plastic in my hair from being in the pool and out again. Recently I have simply been putting the swimsuit on right away instead of getting dressed first but Friday, I was on a mission!

*

Upon finishing the Flock Talk and getting it sent off, I headed to the Island to do some banking and other errands before going over to see Julia at Great Hang Ups. Justin had helped me get some art supplies out of the closet in his room a few weeks ago and found a couple finished pieces that he claimed needed to be framed. So I took them up to Julia for framing and since I was right next door to Koko's...................Yummy! When I arrived at the shop, our shared friend, Sonya, was there with more jewelry for consignment, and I bought a piece to give Martie for her birthday. Shhh, do not tell her!

*

After spending much time with Julia and her niece, Maggie, I came back home for a bit. Since I was going away in the evening, I decided to take a rest so I could stay up late. As I rested, I returned a phone call from Ellen, my upstairs neighbor, as we laid out timing for the evening. Originally we were meeting some other ladies at The Loop at San Marco for dinner but Ellen had made a mistake of the start time of the play. Only off by an hour...so what? While we were plotting our departure, she all of a sudden shrieked, and the phone went quiet. I figured she just got a call from someone she had not heard from in a long time.....

*

In a minute, she called back, asking me if I saw the cloud "like in 'The Wizard of Oz'", and told me to go to the window. She has a different orientation than mine, where I look at Mandarin, she looks toward downtown. I did not see anything so I said I would come up there. Sure enough!!! There was a funnel cloud, more like a tampon string, as Ellen described it. Well, okay.....It was more straight up and down, less 'funnel' shaped than a tornado would be. She had the TV on and they also had live footage of this tornado/water spout that was dancing in the river. Some were reporting penny-sized hail and branches down but it never got to us, never got beyond the Buckmann Bridge. The river had waves like at the ocean but only briefly. We were just running window to window, like the dogs were, having the presence of mind to call our neighbor whose hubby is in a wheel chair to caution her about seeking shelter. Not us! Oh, no, we are standing in her river room, surrounded on three sides by glass doors!

*

After all the commotion and drama had died down, we realized that the area where we were going was most likely underwater, as San Marco is known for its frequent street flooding. We changed our plans and agreed to meet Maggie O. and her friend at 'our' Loop on Wells Road instead, especially since we were not really ready to go yet! In a few minutes we transformed ourselves and had our dinner before heading to the play. It was called "Into the Woods", a take-off on children's nursery rhymes. Maggie O. is a retired drama and voice teacher so this was surely her element, with her friend, Pat, also a teacher. Maggie had performed and spent time in this theater for countless years, either performing or working behind the scenes. This is an untapped resources, at least by me, and Theater Jacksonville is going on its 90th year! Do I hear church field trip???

Another "manatee" on the river!!!

Here I am, kickin' back and enjoying the party on the sundeck Thursday night. Hugh took the photo and sent it to me, saying that the photographer never gets a picture of themselves! It appears I am having a great time......

A good time was had by all!

Yesterday morning was our water aerobics class. Maggie O. came this time but her friend, our friend, Ellen, was feeling too sunburned to come down to participate. She really got scorched on her first day out in the elements Tuesday. I should have watched her more closely as we sat and talked for hours and hours in the sun!

*

When the class was over, one of the ladies, Lonnie, invited me to have lunch with her friend and her at The Club. Phyllis lives in the Capri which is the building next to mine and was walking over to meet us. Of course, I said I would but cannot go into the dining room in my swimsuit. Lonnie had pulled a long dress on over her clothes so would have met dress code. She suggested to Phyllis that we dine poolside, as Ellen and I had done Tuesday, but when Phyllis came back with the menus, she said she would prefer not to eat from the foam "to-go" box. Instead, the hostess set up a table on the patio just outside the addition to The Club, complete with table cloth, flowers, the works, just for us!

*

An aside: as I look across the river at the approaching storm complete with lightning, I see the boat that looks exactly like mine dashing toward "home" before the storm comes on full force. I miss my boat, do not miss owning it, but miss riding in it! "Sittin' Pretty" was my boats' name, wonder if that is it....

*

Back to lunch: Lonnie wanted me to meet her friend, thinking we would have much in common, and I guess we did. Other than being neighbors, she is friends with one of the ladies in my building, considers herself a frustrated editor, and was just a delight. Both ladies are substantially older than I am but it really does not matter. They laughed at my menu choice however, as I played "stump the waitress" by asking for a hot dog again. She looked at me like I ordered something quite exotic instead of something so low brow. I told her I had it on Tuesday so she went to check, reporting back that indeed, I could have a grilled hot dog! The other ladies had regular menu items while I ate one of the two dogs they brought me and some of the fries. It was great fun to chat with these ladies and appreciated being made part of their little circle!

*

After lunch I came upstairs and exchanged my swim clothes for my nightie since I did not want to get re-dressed right away. It is hard to get clothes on after being in a swimsuit most of the day, what can I say??? The afternoon was spent working on the church newsletter which will be an abbreviated version of its usually longer form due to the fact that little is taking place around church during the summer months, particularly since Pastor and family are on vacation. Today it is finished and was e-mailed to the recipients forthwith!

*

This evening I am attending a play with Maggie O. and Ellen in San Marco called "Into the Woods", a take-off on children's nursery rhymes. Joanne's dad has seen it and found it quite amusing. I am looking forward to it, especially spending time with my friends!

Oh, like you don't know what I am going to talk about today....

The Cap and Trade Agreement! The Congress of the United States is set to vote on this important, life-changing, probably life-damaging policy change and hardly anyone is aware of it. Why? Because a couple more entertainers died, that's why. Nero is fiddling again and the policymakers rejoice, enjoying the accidental distraction from the business of the country. And we thought a romantic jaunt to Argentina was enough of a distraction---not so much! I used to think how "lucky" it was for Gary Condit when the terrorists attacked us on our shores in 2001, because he was under the microscope for the death of Chandra Levy. Whew! That was close! Guess it turned out that another man was arrested for the murder but at the time, man, for sure, Condit was the guy!

*

I have had the national "news" on since about 6:00 a.m. and now they are finally showing something that is real news. Not good news, but worthy of the title nonetheless. What I find amusing about the Michael Jackson story is when photos are shown of him as a young black child from Gary, IN and his "evolutionary" process into a lovely young white female at the age of 50...and no one finds this odd? Of course they do! But now, little will be said about the child molestation charges, the wildly eccentric behaviors, money flushed down the toilet, so to speak, these children he's harvested as his own....Even Geraldo Rivera was telling this a.m. about his last interview with him/her a few years ago, about Jackson's having a piece of tape across what was left of his nose after numerous surgeries had compromised its position on his face. The more an aberration a person is, the more popular they become....I must be getting old and crotchety!

*

On a "lighter" note, the sun is nicely warming my chubby arm as I write. In a few minutes I expect Justin to be here for a very important task, or two----soda delivery and a closing! A closing? Yes, here's the story: Yesterday a.m. our maintenance person, Connie, came to the door to get my keys so she could move my car away from the building. Some workers had to park their equipment in my spot so I gave her the keys, saving me from getting dressed first to do so. When she came back up, Connie told me about the screens having to come out of the front windows for the painter. I said I would ask Justin to do it, but she took a look at them, saw they were in the window backward, and pulled them off. Just like that! I had never messed with the screens or windows in those secondary rooms so the screens must have been reversed (pull tabs on the exterior vs. interior) since I moved in. In this process, however, we saw that one of these high windows was open a bit, about an inch or so. Neither of us could budge it from outside so I tried from inside the room, although I had little leverage from the angle I was at. I did what I do best in these situations and that was to contact Justin to come close it for me!

*

He was too busy yesterday pulling weeds at the office because someone was coming to look at office space, so he offered to come first thing this a.m. At first I said I would try again but he insisted I just leave it for him, since there was a computer desk and Christmas boxes to be worked around in order to access the window. We just wonder how long it has been opened like that, and who was able to reach over all the junque to open it. No one could have gotten in to rob or hurt us here, as the metal bars are in the windows but a snake or other creatures, or even cold could get in around the misshapen screen. Oh, yeah, and heat.....

*

My tummy is grumbling this a.m. probably because I did not really have supper last night. Our building had a social event called "Instead 'a Dinner" which fortunately was not rained out by a tropical storm like last year's was! Or moved upstairs, like we did when Lisa, Lynn and family was here. It was well attended, great food and company, but sadly, only our same group of people came. These events were intended to help bond people, unite, mollify, whatever, but inevitably it is the same people who attend these events, even the nightly ones, who came last night. We all donated assorted appetizers for our entree and I brought my formerly 'fresh-out-of-the-cow' cheese curds. Being such a picky eater (can't tell by looking at me!) I did not overdo it at the table. Not a big fan of humus or freeze-dried green beans or whatever the heck those things were! Hugh took the remainder of the cheese curds home with him to finish for breakfast---if they lasted that long! He loves 'em!

Here are the early arrivers at the "Instead 'a Dinner" event on the sundeck last night. Jack in the wheelchair, Mustafa walking with wine glass, Karen and Maureen along the wall, and Hugh's back toward me. The pools are in the background with people still swimming because it was such a lovely evening.

Jeff is seen here chatting with Connie, our maintenance lady, and Ellen, whose glass I lust after! She made a pan of chocolate rice krispie treats just for me but I shared with the entire group. One of the girls who came later had never had one before....imagine!!

Is that a lobster or is that your nose?

Another gorgeous day on the river! It is simply sparkling with only a few smaller boats dotting the water at present. Certainly as the day gets older we will see more activity but for now, it is 'shhhhh'.....Yesterday afternoon I caught a glimpse, and a photo, of a manatee outside my window. The manatee is just barely visible above the water, in front of the concrete barriers.

*

Soon I will be donning my swimwear and heading to the pool for water aerobics, today using the dumb bells for the workout. No comment, please....Wait, I take that back---I want comments!!! We have a smaller number in our group this season most likely due to the time of day it is being conducted, right in the middle of a working person's day! For those of us not employed, it is perfect timing.

*

Tuesday Ellen and I enjoyed poolside dining courtesy of The Club, who had waiters deliver food to us when we called in our order. Another lady used my phone to order a cold beer for herself. That's what they get for not having the cabana open week days! Last night Ellen and I went to The Club for appetizers and refreshments, and found the place swarming with people. Randy, one of the men in our aerobics class, served as our unofficial host. He kept wanting me to sing with the piano player but that was out of the question---really. After all, people were trying to eat!

*

Ellen said she would not mind having dinner there, since the appetizers were meager, so the hostess got us a table. Once seated, the waiter handed us a single piece of paper for the menu, which included nothing but lobster! The entire lobster!! Well, neither of us wanted that (thank you, Ellen!!!) so we were quite embarrassed and asked to have ourselves excused, after having only unfolded the napkins at the table. The hostess was most gracious about the whole event and we tippy toed out the side door....Randy walked with us, as his wife was at the pool doing her laps. She still works so can't come to class with us in the a.m. Ellen made us all chuckle when she said, "I've been kicked out of nicer places....", as though we were shown the door. Guess we will have to read our Club newsletter a bit more closely from now on!

..."to grieve like the rest of men, who have no hope."

"It is going to be Ephesus-hot today!" These are the words my friend, Judy R., offered me yesterday about their temperatures in eastern MN, and she made me bust out laughing! On this page, in my profile, I mention loving being hot, but stop short of saying I cannot be too hot, since our shared visit to Ephesus--- +115 degrees in 2007! That is what Judy was referencing. Whoo, that was a hot hot day, like when you open the oven door and get a blast in the face. So hot it makes your jewelry burn your neck! It is appropriate to add how after our traveling group had cooled sufficiently on the air conditioned bus, we went to buy leather jackets and coats! It was the heat that made me buy that red coat, I swear it!

*

Ellen told me yesterday that Billy loved my coat, and I told her I wore it to the funeral in his honor!

*

The north end of my building has been pressure cleaned, sealed, caulked and is now being painted. The color selected was not the one I liked but, being a big-picture girl, I really do not care all that much. If left to me, I would have had it looking somewhat "Miami Beach-ish" or something more lively but I suppose we have to sort of blend with our surroundings. Regardless of the color, the building looking and feeling fresh, plus having our openings and gaps sealed might be the answer to our leaks, at least some of them!

*

Yesterday on the way to water aerobics, Jeff, my downstairs neighbor, coaxed me into going to look at the new color and see the highlighted window sills done with the brick red accent color. He asked me how I liked it, I told him I liked it fine, and not worry, he would not get any trouble from me about this. Jeff chuckled and said he would not ever expect trouble from me!! At some point in the a.m., the elevator was having its annual check-up and was temporarily taken out of service. We got an e-mail later in the day reporting that some worker in the building had pried the doors open on the 5th floor. This is bad! The car was on the 1st level, and if someone had not looked, might have fallen down the shaft. Brother! Of course, then, an e-mail cautioning us not to pry the doors open on the elevator was necessary. As well as being warned not to hold hot coffee between our legs in the car.....and we wonder why the world is in the mess it is!?

*

When I got to the pool, I got situated on the end where we had classes last year, but then I heard my name called from the adult pool end. It seems they have class over there now, so off I waddled to that pool. Ellen was not down stairs yet so I gave her a call to see if she was coming down. She was still sleeping but she plied herself from bed and came to aerobics. Ellen only recently came back to live in the building after her husband, Billy, died in late January. Baby steps, Ellen, baby steps.

*

And we took many of those yesterday, both in class and for hours afterward! It was well after 3:00 pm before we went upstairs again, after talking for hours and hours, some weeping, some chuckling. We have plans to attend the special Wednesday night appetizer and happy hour event at The Club. Thursday is our "Instead'a Dinner" social for The Palace, and Friday night I am joining Ellen for a show in San Marco, "Out of the Woods". Great great fun coming our way!

*

Besides the great social opportunities coming our way, Ellen and I had some deep conversations about the thing I love most to discuss: joy, and the true source of it. Hence, more tears and searching my memory for the appropriate passages in the attempt to sooth her grieving spirit. One of her greatest concerns is something she heard at a grief support group in Jax Beach where she was told not to consider herself as being married any longer, and that in heaven, she was not going to be married to Billy. I told her there is a passage in the Bible that says we will not be married nor given in marriage, but assured her also that we will certainly know each other, that I long for that reunion someday. Now, I am going to cry! Of course, I reminded her that the joy of heaven is our being face to face with our Father, having eternal bliss and joy (again!) in the heavenly realm, and "He will wipe every tear from our eye..."

The Bachelor vs. The Goslins

Such news today! I am not going to be prattling on about the politics and drama in that realm. No, I am going to mention something in the not-so-real world of TV. Joanne, as I have mentioned, likes to watch the singing/dancing shows and now the dating shows, complete with suspenseful music and darkened rooms.....Others like to watch the family with the two sets of multiple births, which would be a story in itself if not being broadcast almost nightly into our homes, or 24 hours a day for every single day on the Internet. (I like to think of "The Trumann Show" movie from years back, come to life!!!) Apparently last night the Goslins announced they are divorcing, and now genuine drama will take place. I hope and pray this couple realizes that it is NOT about ratings but rather about the children, who will "pay" rather than get paid. Many months ago I "commented" about this show, which I must admit to not watching, so might discredit me, that this woman treated her husband as though he worked for her instead of as a partner in this disaster.

*

On the subject of train wrecks, there was a real one in Washington, D.C. last evening which left many people killed and many more hurt. I have ridden on that railway and found it quite lovely so to see the train cars piled up is heart wrenching. I hope no more people are found dead, or die from their injuries. I pray it was not caused by an engineer on his Blackberry or iPhone not watching the signs or lights! The "news" today seems to be more entertainment-based than actual news-based, which I consider Nero fiddling while Rome burns.....The DOW dropped dramatically yesterday and today another press conference or speech is coming our way---yikes! Nationally, the unemployment rates are dropping but still the market crumbled. Hmmm.....

*

Saturday, Justin and I came back here after the movie and moving of plants and pretties. He showed me a couple things on the computer, some shortcuts and such, and then we watched a segment of "Seinfeld". I mentioned that I was hungry for Koko's but never expected that he would want to go there. After a few minutes he asked me if I really wanted to go---sure!!!! He is becoming quite the health-nut so I expected he was not interested in that type of food any longer. Guess he can every now and again.

*

While we were there, we just talked and talked about so many things, like we always do. A family of four was seated at our table on the other end, and I could not help but notice how little they interacted. The dad kept getting up and going to the bar to watch something on TV, which I think was golf. The two teenaged sons were constantly, constantly checking their phones, text messaging, most likely not talking to each other on them. Mom just sat there, as though she was alone, while the 'men' were otherwise occupied. My assumption was this is a dysfunctional family but that might be unfair. I said that once to a friend, about a family being dysfunctional and she asked, in all seriousness, "Is there any other kind?" Regardless of their status, it seems this group of people, most likely related, seemed to have less to share with each other than they did with the faceless world. My heart hurts from that! I thank the Lord that Justin talks my ear off, even if I do not understand half of what he is telling me! RAM, downloads, gigs, 3g's, 4g's--whatever, I can still listen, smile and nod and be thankful my son is actually talking to me -- live!

At the end of the day.......

.........we have a dramatic electrical storm! And yes, I am on my computer during the best of it! The storm came as quickly as it is leaving, at least, it appears to be moving south quite rapidly. The waves are white, crashing against the breakwater, and a lone osprey is soaring, riding the wind, as it were. Impressive! Lightning is striking on the opposite side of the river, and since it is not night time yet, looks creepier than if it were.

*

Joanne got home only moments before the storm, which thus far has not brought rain, because on Monday nights she watches The Bachelor on TV. I vacated the family room so she can enjoy her program. I know of some others who also watch this show plus various programs of the same ilk, and then they wonder "Why?"...She reported that the north end of the building has already been painted, which I never would have known unless I walked down there. I saw some white on the face of the one portion but assumed it was primer/sealant. I wish we could have gone somewhat more daring with the color choice, but as Donna, one of my neighbors, told me, "Kim, you are our accessory!" I was wearing a particularly outspoken shirt that day with many of the colors I would have preferred instead of the blah yellow that was chosen. It really does not matter, in the big picture, because the mildew will be gone with the building looking fresh again when they are done.

*

This afternoon I spent some time poolside, enjoying the lovely hot weather. I was not alone, others were there for the same reason. While I was sitting at the table, I gave Mom a call just to chat, and in the course of the conversation, she observed her parking lot full of police cars. Four of them, this time! Enough!!!! Mom said she made some phone calls this morning to get prices on apartments, including the nice place we toured with Clara Petska. Yesterday she heard someone pounding on the neighbors' door, begging to be let in because he had just gotten out of jail.........Okay, so when can we start packing the boxes????

*

My late morning/early afternoon was spent at the funeral, and what an interesting service it was! Steve was buried from his church, which I am sure was a blessing for his parents and family, and had planned his service months ago with his son. The hymns he chose were all CHRISTmas ones, even "Silent Night", because, according to the service folder, Steve felt that this day was when all people feel "peace". It was nice to see his former spouse, Margo, again and their daughter, whom I had not seen since she was an infant. Margo is not working right now, having been laid off from her brokerage job. I felt so terrible for her, having to deal with all this right now, but she was holding up.

*

When Timmy died, my sister, Lori, remarked that she had never before seen so many grown men openly crying. One of those men was serving as an usher today and I reintroduced myself to him as Timmy Day's mom. Immediately his arms were around me, as yes, he did certainly remember me. When I answered that I am doing just fine, he was so glad to hear it. He knew Timmy well because his son was in the same classroom. This man's wife did not remember who Timmy was, and I can safely say here in this venue that she not as "hands on" as the dad was with the kids. Sort of a role reversal. We had been at their home for Steve's parents' 50th wedding anniversary party years ago, but I cannot remember exactly when that was....

*

My neighbor, Pat, was also at the funeral so we sat together. She was familiar with the order of service plus knew many more people than I did, because she is also a Realtor. Isabel was holding up quite well, but Steve's dad was not.There were many photos and momentos on the table in the narthex, including his wedding photos and pictures of his youngest daughter, Rebecca. His older son is married and has a child of his own, and his older daughter appears to be in her late 20's, at least. Steve's family who remembered me asked about Justin, which pleased me greatly. After all these years and all these events, they still remembered Justin!

Waiting for the washer

I have a load of laundry to throw in the machine at the start of this day, but, behold, Joanne had a couple pieces, formerly wet, now stinky, in the washer for the past couple days. I set the dial to rinse and spin to see if that takes care of it. She had forgotten it was in there when she ran out to work on Saturday but now, it should be okay after being splashed about in clean water. I will make sure to add a dryer sheet to help it smell nice and fresh. That is what she gets for sorting!

*

My day today includes a funeral service at the church nearby, Grace Episcopal. Only last Tuesday when Kathy and I were swimming in my pool did I mention this man's name, laughing about the snow storm that took place here in 1989. Steve was our Realtor, our first solid contact in business when we moved down here in 1988-----I often claim, "He taught us the language" since we did not speak "Southern". Oh, he did, that is for sure. He dripped with it. Steve would refer to us (my former spouse, our partner, Curt, and me) as being "Yankees" but I would quickly correct him, reminding that we were from the upper Midwest, far from being Yankees! His reply would be, "Anyone who comes from where it snows is a Yankee!" Well, at Christmas in 1989, Steve and all other North Floridians quickly became Yankees!! And now, he is gone. At the age of 51, Steve has died after his life and its style had taken some rather dramatic swings and turns, shall we say, and I will not say more out of respect for his family, his former wife and young daughter.

*

The last time I saw Steve and his wife together, I think, was at Timmy's funeral service in January, 2001. His mom, Isabel, was quite attentive to us at this time, she came more than once to my home bearing fruit for our guests to enjoy. About three months ago, I saw Steve's brother and sister-in-law at Cracker Barrel and I think Isabel, but do not remember talking with her. Clare loved my hair and was just so excited to see me again after all these years, which seems odd in a such a "small" town. Our paths just quit crossing, I guess, after the famous Christmas parties, usually the first one of the season, were no longer being held at their real estate company.

*

Sunday, Justin spent time with his father, I think, and I spent the day at church and then at the beach with Judy J. and her house guest, Louie. Well, at least part of the day! We ended up eating outside at Joe's because we would have had a 35 minute wait to eat inside. Judy and I left it up to Louie because he was the father being feted, and he decided he did not want to wait that long for a table. That poor guy had sweat dripping from his goatee and was forced to endure three frothy drinks to hold heat prostration a bay! Louie ate crab legs and really had to work hard to eat them. I had chicken fingers and onion strings, of course! And only one adult beverage, thank you very much!

*

At first we toyed with coming back here to splash around in the pool but Judy was so tired at the end of our long drive, most likely from the heat, so opted to go home. I thought about going down to the pool, but it did feel good to be home and settled in for the rest of the late afternoon/evening. My neighbors were not on the sundeck in the evening so I just decided to stay put. Joanne came in later and made some pasta for supper, which I shared with her. Not often do I ever eat what she cooks but the pasta was "normal", not made with veggies or tofu or anything like that. We both mentioned being tired and figured it was because of the heat. I finally surrendered to my bed about 10:00 pm and had a good night's sleep. The temps are supposed to be coming down this week, 'only' in the mid-90's for the highs. Even Manty had decent temps this past weekend, which just figures!

The sky was pink!

Here it is, just before the dark, and the sky is soooo pink! It is absolutely gorgeous!! Wow!

*

Today Justin came over to take care of my plants and wall hanging stuff, as we must prepare for the pressure washing of the building. I washed the ceramic items and must find a place to store them, as it is doubtful that the BOD will allow them to go back up again after the building is sealed and painted. I get that, but now must figure out another place to display them. Justin moved the plants away from the building and against the railing, removing one empty one to the dumpster. Connie, the maintenance lady, happened to be emptying the garbage bin into the big dumpster and asked me if she could have the recently disposed of planter. She is going to find a new home for it, perhaps even leaving it here some where. Connie does not normally work weekends so it was just perfect that she was here to rescue the plastic planter.

*

Here is a photo of my entryway, showing my ceramics and planters. It won't look the same without my pretties, but I will have to get used to it being bare naked!

*

Off we went to the movies after that, and had little trouble finding a parking place. Normally it is three times around the parking lot before getting a space but today, in no time at all, we parked. He bought the tickets and me the treats, and we found our seats in time for the previews. What a great movie it was! My tears were flowing almost immediately because the opening scene is in Athens, looking over the ancient ruins from the balcony. It was a great movie, in spite of some of the content, because of the lovely scenery. I recommend "My Life in Ruins" to anyone who wants to see the mainland of Greece!

Ugh, the news today!

Okay, never mind....I had an entire diatribe going on here about the gov't. programs in place already and those coming up the pike, but deleted the whole thing. I can only pray, "Come, Lord Jesus, Come"!!

*

This is the first weekend after Jamie's wedding and I cannot comprehend where the time went! I am looking back in my mind over who I missed seeing or contacting, at least, and did fairly well. All the time I was up in WI and still ran short of time, or did not make good use of it.

*

We had such cool temperatures and some rainy weather in WI but here, today, we are expected to top 100 degrees. Good day to go to the movies! I have two dates this weekend with different men-----today with Justin and tomorrow with Louie and Judy J.! First, today Justin is taking me to see "My Life in Ruins" which I blogged about many months ago when seeing the trailers in the theater. Nia Vardalas, from "My Big Fat Greek Wedding", is now in this movie about being a tour guide in Greece, so we are burning rubber to get to the theater. He wanted to go last week Thursday, the night he arrived in Manty, but JR did not think it was in their theaters yet, not getting the first run movies on the day they come out. There was no time for that anyway, and I told him we could wait. We might appreciate the freezing theater today, being so warm outside!

*

Judy J. called and asked if I had plans for Sunday after church. She had wanted to do something nice for her daughter-in-law's brother, Louie, who is staying with Judy while working at the Navy base. He said it was not necessary but since he is away from his wife and kids on Father's Day, she wanted to show him some fun. He asked her, "Is Kim back in town yet?" and when she said I was, he suggested we go out to Joe's Crab Shack Sunday. A great idea!!!!!! I like that he wanted me to tag along, since Justin and I ran into Louie and his nephew (Judy's grandson) out there last summer! It is supposed to reach over 100 tomorrow so being at the beach will be peach-y!

*

Today is a painting work day at church and I pray that many painters showed up to finish the job. Painting, that type of painting anyway, is outside my realm these days with my poor, tired back. Only a moment ago Justin let me know when our movie was, although yesterday he told me to be ready by 11:00. I guess I could have gone over there to at least supervise the painting if I wanted to, right? Tuesday I went to the carpet place and made the selection, hopefully the last time, for the classrooms. The carpet can go in after the painting is done and then we can have our final inspection. "Final" being the working word here! I do have to finish my class prep for Sunday School in the a.m. yet today before I recreate. Last evening I finished the VBS postcards except for the stamps. Busy busy busy!

*

Justin was going to be housesitting, rather dog sitting, at his father's house this weekend but there was a change in plans. I suppose later Justin and I will go shopping today as it is Father's Day tomorrow and he should have a present for his father. On the Forbe's TV show, they are suggesting buying Dad some stocks, so perhaps I can steer Justin that direction!

*

Joanne and I spent the day together yesterday, rather by default at first, because she was having some stomach problems. The day before she had been on the SAM Tram and said she ate so much food, much of it fruit, and then went for Japanese for dinner, and it did not all agree with each other. So, take a day off! I told her I was going out to the pool so she got her suit on and away we went. Not feeling like carrying the cooler downstairs, I simply put soda into a zip-lock bag with ice and Joanne took water with her. My ice did not last, and in fact, nearly came to a boil in the hot sun! Guess I need the lunch box sized cooler for when the cabana is not open----HEY!!!! It is open now! Gotta go!

The actual wedding now....

Justin, Alayna, and Dustin pose with their Grandma K after the wedding ceremony. Dustin only recently had his braces removed and he is learning to smile without them.

Gabe is patiently waiting for the events to get underway.....might as well take a nap in the meantime.....

Manny is also patiently waiting, but felt no need to lie down.

The wedding party is posing for pictures but they had a dilly of a time trying to get the kids to do their thing. Justin is in this picture, but you just cannot see him standing behind the groomsmen. Hunter is Jamie's step-son and the little girl is a family friend, born within days of Hunter. I had troubles shooting against the bright windows, and for this, I apologize.

Alayna, Justin, and Dustin are standing together, waiting for their turn to pose for the professional pictures. My mom is so fortunately have great looking grandkids!

Mom specifically requested a photo of the grandchildren, so here they are! Alayna is Kerry's daughter; Jamie, the groom, is Jill's son; Lisa is Lynn's daughter; Danny is Jill's son and served as best man for his brother; Justin is my son and served as an usher; and Dustin is Lori's son, who also ushered for the wedding. Lisa was the only grandchild in our family for 12 years, and was incredibly spoiled, as you might imagine. She stomped her foot and insisted on having cousins, and her wish was granted!

Hannah, the bride, was escorted down the aisle by her brother. This is her second marriage and her dress, while still being white, was highlighted with a lovely blue bodice and train. Just gorgeous and quite tasteful.

The bride's mom is trying to round up the children, two of which are Hannah's, in the first row after the bridal party had all entered. One of the bridesmaids is trying to arrange Hannah's train behind her so no one steps on it.

"May I introduce Mr. and Mrs. Jamie Schrimpf!" Mom and Jill were seated in the front pew, along with Lynn, who is Jamies' Godmother.

Jamie and Hannah share their first kiss as a married couple.....

Here is Justin and his mom (me!) posing in front of the fireplace in the church parlor. He can deny being my son all he wants but his face gives him away!

More pictures....reception yet

After the church events, we all headed toward the reception hall. Before dinner, the boys had a chance to color at a party bar upstairs and enjoy some nice orange soda. Lori is in the background in the blue dress.

Kerry is sitting up so nice behaving herself while Lisa makes faces at the camera. Gabe looks askance at his mom's antics. Behind them the bridal couple are getting situated for dinner.

One of the groomsman, a friend since early childhood, Troy, gives the toast for the bridal couple since Danny, the best man for his brother, was a bit shy about doing so. Lisa and Gabe are listening to stories about Jamie's behavior in school as shared by Troy.

Jamie and his mom share a dance but obviously they are not alone on the floor. By the look on Jamie's face, one or both of his children might be up to something. The DJ was excellent, playing a nice variety of tunes, getting folks up on their feet with some of them!

Kerry and Justin have a nice visit at the table. Kerry is nuts about him!

The boys had a great time playing with the balloon decorations as the evening wore on, and even Uncle Dave got in on the act. Sadly, I have no blackmail photos to post of him!

Flamenco? Looks like it! Lori and David seem to be dancing circles around the others.

Lisa found a couple cute guys to cut a rug with, both of them wishing to lead, of course! They were so well behaved the whole weekend, I am proud of them! Don't you love all the color in this picture?