Abandon

Here is a picture of an abandoned chimney.     It was the tallest free standing chimney at Inverkip  Power Station in Scotland.   Two explosions reduced it to an earth bound pile of 1.3 million bricks more than 20 tons of concrete.  It took two years of planning for this fantastic and dramatic event.  I'd like some bricks for the back yard so I could have a nice patio.  I wonder if they would send me some.

In Yekaterinburg, Russia this is the tallest abandoned structure.  A 720 foot television tower which was half finished.  It started in 1981 before the USSR collapsed along with the work project which leans slightly because of engineering mistakes. It was sealed shut because of suicides and now .  The company is soliciting ideas from all over the world to come up with some useful ideas.    Maybe they could blow it up and send me some bricks.

Sheila arrived yesterday.  I am laughing as this is her latest picture which she put on her Facebook page.  Yes, she is on vacation and she is enjoying every minute of it.  She is catching up on all of the exercise she has not been able to do for awhile.   She spent one day swimming, another biking and hiking.   She arrived here yesterday with an abundance of fresh garden vegetables and some truly delicious lamb chops.   We had real beets that were so delicious;  cucumbers that were crunchy and I chopped up a huge zucchini to make some breads later.   We broiled the chops and had a feast.  The corn on the cob melted in your mouth and I have jars of home canned green beans , corn and pickled beets yet to devour.     Her friends have some fifty-eight acres and trade off their fresh vegetables for meats and eggs from neighboring farms.    I'd say that is a town to move to and have neighbors who love to share.   If you haven't met Sheila you should as she can make your day a fun one.  She loved my music and could sing all of the songs and she loves to play scrabble and do jig saw puzzles so she felt right at home.    We finished the puzzle, played a game of scrabble and sang and sipped wine and laughed out loud.     See, I told you company is good for you.   Invite someone who enjoys the things you do and see what happens to your day....a bit of magic. 

There are six fires burning in the Oregon forests and the smoke is billowing and causing a lot of breathing problems for folks.    We have some wafting this way from the fire up in the Cave Junction area some fifty miles from here.    The fires are hard to control when the wind picks up .    There is suppose to be more lightening storms coming into the fire area which is not good news.    The fire fighters are out there on the line doing their best to contain the fires.   Say a prayer or two that they will stay safe and get the extra help they need to get these fires out.   

I was sent a wonderful attachment with a few words you might enjoy hearing this morning.   It was titled "Life is A Process" by Ed Jordan who is pastor of Gate City Baptist Church .  Idaho.

"Assume everything happens instantaneously from a lucky or bad break."  
"We fail to realize that long process that led up to the event."
"Our day to day decisions and actions lead to the outcome of good or bad.
what are you doing to increase the quality of your life, your marriage, your family?  what are you neglecting?


It seems to me it takes each one of us to take part in living each day, along with thinking, along with caring, along with a myriad of little things that make or break our day.   The choices seem to be ours.   If we do not have a good day today then we cannot blame anyone other than ourselves.   We have the where-with-all to be happy or sad, to share or not, to smile with our eyes.  Yep, we have power to make or break or day . . . choices . . .  make the right ones.     Hugs to all. 

And remember these guys . . . do all you can as the need is great.

 

Art Form

The above art work is not paintings but presentations of foods by Japanese women in a competition.  That is one competition I would love to visit and find out what kinds of foods were used to make such delectable and delicious looking dishes.   Sushi?

The Rogue River ran high and strong and the fish were biting.  I heard there were lots of fishermen out there trolling and some did catch a salmon .  I wish it had been Patricia.   Well, she tried.  I am thankful for the picture, a great shot of the bridge.   It is salmon season so maybe she will get out there and try again.

There is one in every parking lot.   A great reason why there are scratch marks on cars.   An egoist must own this one.

My Monday company has come and gone, a much too fast a visit to suit me.  Kathy and her husband Jack were visiting friends up around the Salem area and decided to take time to come over to the coast and  stop by to visit.    Jack had not seen the Oregon coast and he really enjoyed it.  He said he had plenty of pictures as they stopped to admire the views.   They had just been treated to a great visit in Salem and had a ride on the jet boats up to the falls.    They were enjoying the cool of the coast after the three digit heat of Nevada this summer.   We enjoyed the fish tacos at our Pancho restaurant and I got to see all of the pictures of their trip and the ones of their grandchildren.    The last time I saw the children they were tiny, not so now, they have all grown and are in school. The oldest boy is heading for high school.  I cannot believe the youngest is now in third grade;  where has all that time gone?     My friend Helen, the great grandmother, was back in Nevada babysitting the dogs, but Kathy has promised to come back in September and bring her mom with her hopefully for a few days.  Company rejuvenates the spirit, puts a spring in your step and a smile on your face so don't hesitate to invite some family and friends to stop by for a visit this summer.   
The last two days of July and we are heading for August and the last of the summer heat.   You still have time to plan a few days vacation so if you are coming this way let me know so I can put the coffee pot on.   Maybe Pat and Jock will catch a salmon and we can have grilled salmon, a really special treat for the taste buds.     If not, then we'll think of something else.    Hugs to all.  

Chatter

We can all identify with this . . . how many times have we said this recently as we listen and wonder about all the rhetoric spewing about.    

What is it?

How clever.   Someone had a very clever idea.   Think how easy it would be to have one of these for summer use . . . neat.

Some one did a paint job on their car.    Must be a 'boob' guy.  Legs wouldn't look so hot.  A sign of our times, wonder what ever happened to romance, mystery and intrigue.    I am more than a generation gap from this free love world, and as far as I  can tell, there is so much more misery in our world because of the immorality that exists today.     We all want to love and be loved for who we really are, not as a sexual object to be used and abused and it goes for both sexes.     Each of us has walked the pathway to adulthood and it has not been an easy road for anyone of us.    We all had to learn about life, love, trust, behavior, attitude, expectations and a myriad of struggles to exist in our world.    We learned about good taste, bad taste and the acceptance of what made life worth living for ourselves.     And that brings us to the mirror;  what kind of a person are you looking at each morning when you arise?    Are you proud of yourself?  If you are not, then it is time to take you in hand and do something about it.  And 'they' say a picture is worth a thousand words . . . I think I almost made it.
Think  about how you feel about YOU and make your seconds count.     Start your week with a good deed to and for yourself and see where it leads today.     Hugs to all.

 

Fire

This is a picture of a forest fire at Mono Lake was chosen for a calendar picture .   This morning our sky has a full sun that is blood red.  I tried to capture with the camera but it just wouldn't take.   It is huge and tells us there is a fire in our forest.  I haven't heard where yet, but it has to be a big one.   Yesterday we noticed the sky seemed to have smoke but then it looked more like a misty fog so we were uncertain as to whether there was a fire.   Well, there is and that is not good news.

but not soon enough!

How true.     Love, Joy and Laughter how much we need it in our lives on a daily basis.   

This is a different version for stuffed cabbage leaves.    It is one that taste the same just easier to fix, no rolling of cabbage leaves that refuse to stick together.    A tasty dish, one  my sister-in-law used to call something like olupchi, not sure of the spelling, a Russian dish that was a favorite in her household.   All I can tell you is it doesn't look as pretty as some dishes but it is very healthy and filling.    A winter dish.  No recipe came with it but I am sure you have a Betty Crocker cook book or some others handy and there will be a recipe for you to try.   'olupchi' has a nice ring to it.

Don't laugh, your day will come and when you are advised to do one hundred kegels a day, don't hesitate, start in and make those muscles strong.   If you don't you'll be sorry!!

Sunday morning, a red sky," red sky at night sailor's delight'  red sky in the morning, sailor take warning".    Wonder if that is as meaningful when it means a fire in the area.  
A Special Sunrise

Fires in our forests
many miles away
send smoke into our valley
hovering like a Fae

I walked outside
in early morning darkness
to watch the sun rise
hoping I could see
through smoke and haze

I looked to the east
to see a splendorous sight
as a brilliant orb of sun
peeked like a shining light

the mountains rills were darkened
the smoke and haze were gray
but the orbit of the sun
brought rays of brilliant shades

I stood in awe to see the colors
come to life
spectacular and beautiful
a sign things will be alright.

Sunday, hope you are safe and secure today with no fires in your area.    Along with the heat comes thunder and lightening storms and sometimes they leave a fire behind in the huge forests that surround our cities and towns.     No long ago we rode up the highway to an area that was burned.   The charred remains were sad to see, but on the other hand nature is at work and new growth will come out of the ashes.  A renewal process is on going and it takes time and patience.   We should remember this when we have times of travail and troubles.   It is horrible when you are going through it, but you are gaining strength and courage and find your way to what makes you want to live with love and laughter in your life.    Make your seconds count for you, each day, every day, as time is fleeting and goes by like the wink of an eye.     Remember it is you attitude that sets the pace for today so make sure you get out of the right side of your bed . . .or is it the left side?   Smile . . . it will start your day off in 'fine fettle' and you will stay 'full of life' and that is what it is all about.    I sometimes worry about being repetitious  but the more we repeat the good deeds and thoughts the better off we are, so be repetitious and see where it leads.    Go . . . enjoy your Sunday.  Hugs to all. 

More

Granddaughter Erin on a bridge with lions, in Budapest , Hungary.    We have golden lions on a bridge much smaller in size at Klamath.  Wonder why lions are chosen?     

An unnamed flower ready to open, wonder what it will look like.  The leaves remind me of a pine tree.  I cut back the pine in front of my house, the tiny little one that was less than a foot high is now overwhelmingly stretching into the neighbors hedges.  

Here's a shot to cool you off if you are living in those high three digit temperatures.    I just like the picture.  I like winter scenes.

A truism as we all thought we were fat when we were younger . . . it's all in the head! 

Here is the lovely beautiful Jennifer visiting Black Rock desert.    She is so photogenic and such a lovely lady.

The fog is in, the house is cold, the coffee pot is slowly getting done and I have a quiet Saturday morning ahead.   I have to get a few groceries today but not my usual shopping as I am having company this week and don't want to shop until our friend arrives so I know what she likes or doesn't like.    It is easy to fix a breakfast or even lunch but dinner is always a puzzle.     My new yard man, Rocky, was over the other day and trimmed out my unruly bushes;  cut them down to size . . . and he had his five year old daughter and his dog with him.    It was such fun to meet and keep Clarissa company while her daddy did some work.   We joined in the fun and used a small broom and dust pan as we helped pick up some of the clippings.   I invited them in for egg salad sandwiches and had to laugh as Rocky asked if I put onions in my salad and I said yes and he asked if he could have his without, seems he is allergic to them.    Clarissa doesn't like egg salad and asked for peanut butter and jelly, so you see one doesn't always know what to buy and serve as each of us has our own likes and dislikes.     I had to laugh as Clarissa smelled her sandwich before tasting it and told me she didn't like the smell of the jelly.  I had to go and get the jar and show her it was three kinds of berries in the jam and that was the reason it was different.    She smelled the jar and after two bites decided it wasn't her 'cup of tea'.   Come to think of it she did drink a small bit of white tea with lots of sugar but that didn't seem to be to her liking either.     Skinny milk had no appeal either but finally good old water fit the bill.     So today when and if you take time out to shop, keep taste buds in mind.  Everyone has them and everyone differs in their opinion as to what is delicious and what is not.   I find making a mental list of what to have for the week is the biggest chore.    It is so much easier to check a menu at a lovely restaurant and let someone else do the preparation and cooking.   Or . . . talk someone into firing up the outdoor cooker and have some good old fashioned hot dogs to go with the beans, such easy Saturday night fare;  don't forget apple pie for desert.     Take your smile along, a bag of chips, and have a good time.    Oh yeah, hugs, lots of them as they make the food go down with ease.    Happy Saturday.  Hugs to all.

More

Friday

I have been waiting all week to show this picture.    TGIF . . . how good it gets when Friday comes along.  A weekend off, it is summer, it is R&R time, it is time to gather family and friends and plot and plan how to make your seconds dazzle.   Have a little fun, a bit of cheer and a lot of laughter.

It would be nice if someone made this birthday cake so you could have a piece.   What a cute and clever idea, a fairy tale, reminds me of Christine's gnome village in her garden.

Angie had this one on her Facebook page and it made me laugh.   How many times have we had this thought?   A few!!

A wolf sanctuary for a beautiful animal.   

Now I can equate with this one.    I've done this more than once especially when I decide to hide sweets from myself and then know all the time that I know exactly where I hid them and am the first to find the hiding place and empty those goodies . . . frozen or not!

Lately there has been a lot of ads about weight control.   The Facebook has a video you can watch that promises you are to get the 'facts' and you will be able to start today on this wonderful and helpful news to control all those cravings and melt fat away.  So you tune in for this free information and ten minutes you are listening to a spiel leading up to the promised information only to find in the long run it is strictly a means of getting you to buy into a program.    Nothing is free, not even the way to have a healthy body....well, I can tell you that one Dr. Sullivan, no relation, told those of us who would listen, some seventy years ago, to stay healthy and happy you cut down on fat, sugar and salt, but you do not cut out as the bodies needs it all.   So there is the secret of success for free..  Now do as we all did, minded our manners from Monday to Thursday then spent the weekend making up for all those foods we skimped on in being good to ourselves.  After all a pound or two a year and thirty years go by and guess what your body has filled out and you are listening to video's trying to find the secret of success to a forever sixteen body that has gone by the wayside.    Don't waste your seconds.   Enjoy your meals and be thankful you have food on the table.   Use common sense and be satisfied with yourself, after all we all cannot be Ken or Barbie dolls.  What we can do is eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince and dinner like a pauper.  Drink lots of water in between and if you think you have to have a snack and  cannot live without one, take a hike, out the door, walk away that urge and take a carrot stick along as it doesn't do any harm.  As the saying goes . . .'try it you'll like it'.     And for those of you who can eat anything you want at any time....psaatt!!!  It is breakfast time, come on over, and we can eat like a King...ham, eggs, buttered toast and hot coffee!   Hugs to all.


 

Day dreams

My friend Helen called from Nevada this week and was complaining about the three digit heat up in her high desert country.    She has had a hot summer and could do without it.   Seniors and heat just do not go together.  We were wishing we had been born rich instead of beautiful and could take off for a lovely island somewhere and maybe order up a Mai tai or two.  Amazing how fast wishful thinking can cool you down.      

Here is a picture of El Dorado county in California.  A familiar sight when we lived in Sacramento many years ago and had fun in the sun on some of our adventure tours.     Gold panning country. 

There was an attachment sent to me yesterday that I thought I'd share with you this morning.   It told of Alexander the Great who had three wishes to fulfill when he died.   He wanted doctors to carry his coffin; his wealth thrown around on the ground;  his hands left loose and hanging and the reasons for all of this was to remind us that even the best doctors in the world have no power to heal.   That treasures stay behind on the ground and you come into the world with empty hands and go out the same way.  It went on to remind us that time is limited and it is our most precious treasure.  Reminding also that time is the best present we can give anyone.   It ended with a request that God grant us plenty of time so you can live, love and die in peace. 
When I was reading to Russell yesterday afternoon, who is slowly feeling his 95 years, there was a copy of a poem in his book which said pretty much the same feeling of Alexander the Great.    It was a loving reminder to enjoy one day as it comes for that is what we are given as we start our new day.
So today, Thursday, is a good day to think about time and what you will do with your precious seconds today.    Do you have fences to mend?   Do you have hugs to share? . . . well get busy and don't waste a second today.    Hugs to all.

A ride out

Pat not only gifted me but took time to plant the Shasta daisies.    We've been told the deer do not like them and so far they have been in three whole days.   I hope it is true and if so, I'll buy more and plant them in the big pot which the deer keep cleaned out.

We took a ride out to Lone Ranch beach, one of my favorite spots.   The fog bank was dark and heavy and it came in and kept us cool for the day.  

This king size weed is a russet color and has bead like berries on it.   It seems to stand out as king of the hill in a big patch of weeds along the path way.

I brought a bucket along in case the berries were ready for picking.  I have a pie in mind.   Not yet. . . the berries are small and turning but still more blossoms than berries.    I saw some folks with a big white can and thought them to be berry pickers but found out they were part of the 'trash dogs' team and were busy cleaning up the beach areas.

The driftwood is still laying around bleaching out.

We rode back through town and went down one of our favorite rides where there are open fields.  This one has hay bales all covered in white plastic.

This is an Easter Lily farm. 

Here is a field of Easter Lillies,   I haven't taken time to visit one of the fields or find out how and why the first blossoms are picked.  I think it helps the bulbs to grow bigger and stronger.    I didn't see any of the workers today but usually they are in teams and they pull the first blossoms off.   The landmark rock looks like the head of a sleeping giant.   

Hump day, all day, and our seconds fly by.    There is nothing like a ride around the outskirts of town to see the work some folks participate in every day.    The trash dogs are all volunteers and do such a marvelous job of keeping the beaches and the back roads clean and clear.    There are some folks that trash just because they are to lazy to pick up after themselves, or wont pay to have their big items taken to the dump and leave them beside the back roads.   Sometimes I think it is just laziness or a very bad attitude . . . 'hooray for me and to hell with you';   um. . . seems I've met a few of those people in my life time.    We are lucky in being brought up to appreciate the value of our properties, and know that there is a place for everything and everything in its place.  It makes life so much simpler and gives us the freedom to partake in the good things in life.   Enjoy your hump day and go around picking up after yourself so you will be free to enjoy your seconds and have a big smile of accomplishment when you look around and are complimented on how neat and tidy you are . . . it's not a sin . . . just pure pleasure.  Hugs to all.

This and That

Emma the fisherman, all posed to catch a big one.    She is such a beautiful animal with large intelligent eyes that shine when she sees you.    She has never met a stranger so a watch dog she is not.   That tail is big and bushy and waves like a proverbial windmill when anyone comes into sight.   

I wonder if I can find some of these beauties for my garden.   The picture comes from Old moss Woman's Secret Garden and the flower is a Borage known as the star flower.  It has a cucumber taste and a history as a medicinal herb.   The pink turns blue as it ages and it self seeds and shows up again and again.   Yeah, I think I'd like some in my garden.

Another idea for your garden, comes from A Thousand Welcomes . . . Ireland.  It has some merit, although  think I'd prefer the hens and chickens, if that is what is in the little pots, to be in the ground and spreading on its own.  Pat would laugh out loud if she could hear me....'It's okay but . . . "
 

The newest picture of granddaughter Erin and Donaleo.  They are in Spain right now and heading for Seville.   They found a remarkable difference in prices as they came out of Istanbul to Spain, from clusters of poverty to affluence and very high prices.    They are about to wind down their trip, although I am sure they would love to keep going, but money and time have caught up with them.    It is time to return home for a visit before getting back to the mundane existence of working in the confines of much smaller spaces.  

Speaking of experiences, if you are going out to work in the garden and it is windy, you might think about wearing some protective eye wear.    I went out to water the front bushes yesterday and the wind was not really that strong.  I picked up a few weeds and checked around only to have my eye start to burn and weep.    I had no idea what was wrong, and of course I kept rubbing the eye and finally put drops in hoping to clear it but it was not about to cooperate.    As the eye got redder and hotter and hurt,  I called the eye doctor's office to find he, or the other doctors, were not available and I had to go to the office in Crescent City.   Daughter Pat, my life saver, came and got me and off we went to wait an hour and a half before the doctor came in to check the eye.    Some emergency . . . he finally numbed the eye, checked it and found a tiny white piece of spore from a flower or a bush, not quite the size of a dime, and he took it out.  He put it on a card to show me and said I could frame it.    I bet I couldn't repeat that incident if I tried.   Who ever heard of a flower spore getting into the eye.  In all my years working out in the yard I have never had this happen and believe me I wouldn't want it to happen again.  So know that the wind can bring about some misery if you are not careful.    If you see me out in the yard with protective eye wear, you will know why. Sheesh, one more thing to add to the be careful list.  So if you decide to garden today, keep in mind that you should grab a good book, find a shady nook, and leave the breeze to itself  and garden another calm day.    It is a matter of 'don't do as I did, but do as I say' . . . have a bright and beautiful Tuesday and make your seconds memorable.    Check the attitude, check the smile and practice your hugs today until you perfect them.    Hugs to all.

 

Pay Pal

Here are a few of my geraniums which love it here by the ocean and grow huge and wild.  They come in assorted colors and the ones in the pot are a special color combination that grow by the outside door of the casino.   The colors are different so I snipped a few stems and they have taken root.    Once I thin out some of the purple shades, I can add a bit more color.  One is an unusual shade of fuchsia.

I'd welcome this butterfly in my garden anytime.  What a beautiful butterfly, very unusual.

Your laugh for the day.   It seems Pay Pal made a man a quadrillions by accidentally adding a few extra zeros to his balance.   It was fleeting as they caught it quickly,  and of course apologized for their error.  Can you imagine the shock and surprise that fellow got when he checked his balance.   He said that he would have paid down some of the National Debut and bought into the Phillies.   

Isn't it fun to fantasize what you would do with 'tons' of money to spend any way you would like.   What kind of dreams do you have?    I have always dreamed of being so rich I couldn't get rid of money fast enough and I would buy a piece of land and build a complex housing the unwanted children in our world and another complex close by housing the older members that no one wants.    Imagine the happiness and the joy the two opposite ages would have intermingling.  Think of all the love and the happiness that could and would exist when the unlikely found each other.     We have all had moments of feeling unloved, unwanted, but were lucky to have folks in our lives who cared and shared.  Some have never known what love is and that seems so wrong.   Come to think of it, school will be starting up before we know it and there are children out there who have needs that should and could be filled.   How about looking into a school nearby and donate a few dollars to the principal to take one or two of those children shopping.   We loosen the purse strings during holiday time, why not all the time.    Sharing is caring, now that is an attitude to have and think of the hugs you are giving .   I know you are smiling just thinking about it . . . Hugs to all.

Antiquity

Archaeologists discover the best example to date of the uncovered fortress of the City of King David.  The site is now called Khirbet Qeiyifa.  Decimated in 980BC during the battle with the Philistines.   Organic materials including olive seed can be carbon dated to David's era.  Fascinating as early history is discovered.     The Bible comes to life with each find.

This is the sight of the oldest calendar, 5000 years ago in Mesopotamia.  A new find in North Scotland, a dig at Warren Field in Aberdeen in 2004 gave up secrets when archaeologists revealed a series of twelve pits found there which may be the world's oldest calendar.   

and  I forgot the old adage yesterday

As incredible as it sounds, men and women took baths only twice a year (May and October).  Women kept their hair covered, while men shaved their heads (because of lice and bugs) and wore wigs.  Wealthy men could afford good wigs made of wool.  They couldn't wash the wigs, so to clean them they would carve out a loaf of bread, put the wig in the shell, and bake it for 30 minutes.  The heat would make the wig big and fluffy, hence the term 'big wig'  Today we often use the term 'here comes the big wig' because someone appears to be or is powerful and wealthy.

and one for today,

Ladies wore corsets, which would lace up in the front.  A proper and dignified woman, as in 'straight laced' wore a tightly tied lace.

So today, Sunday all day, I hope you have been beating the heat and not in a straight laced anything.  If you are smart you are running around in shorts and a t shirt and drinking lots of ice tea and water to keep cool and calm.    We are still having our coastal weather and the fog has been hovering keeping us cool.  The house is actually very cold in the early morning, around sixty , and a bit of heat wouldn't hurt but I still refuse to put the furnace back on this late in July.  There is nothing wrong with a sweater and some hot coffee to take the chill away.
What are you up to today?    I hope something wonderful.    No fishing for Jock and Pat today as the winds came up and the water low and the fish go deep and glide right by.     Pat called to say she was home and enjoyed her journey to the button fair.   She said she learned a lot, so hopefully I will pick up some button knowledge and pass it on.    Check around your abode and see if you have any buttons, who knows you might find a treasure.     I just had a thought and wonder if they would make a good bird house cover.   Bob made a beauty out of wine corks, why not colorful buttons?   If you decide to try it, send me a picture. I'm off to have my coffee and a blueberry pancake as there is some batter left over from yesterday.    If you cannot join me, then make some batter on your own and sit down , relax, and enjoy your breakfast.   Be lazy today, it's good for you.   Hugs to all.

Whaleshead

Colorful and beautiful.   These flowers are at the side of the stairs leading in the Whaleshead restaurant.  They have been doing a remodel inside and have been closed , first on Mondays, then on Mondays and Tuesdays, then Tuesdays and Wednesdays so we have not had a chance to have our bowl of clam chowder for awhile.   We took a chance yesterday and the restaurant was open so we sat by the window and looked out at the big rock shaped like a whale and watched the waves roll in sideways.  

Inside is a big aquarium and I had my camera with me. 

This little guy gave me a kiss, what a flirt.

A view from the garden patch with all of its beautiful daisies.

A better view as we walked around the board walk and could get a picture of all of the daisies.
Whaleshead is resort of small homes high on the hillside across from the huge rock shaped like a whale.  It has a wonderful beach to walk on a the river runs into the ocean here.   You can be sure it is a favorite spot for a lot of folks.    The restaurant has been undergoing a make over and I am not sure the new owners are smart as they keep choosing two days to stay closed and this is tourist season.    All of the really beautiful animal heads and birds have been removed.    I am not a fan of taxidermy but I have to admit the heads they had were awesome.  A few pictures now adorn the walls and it has lost something special.  Well, the chowder is still the same and delicious , well worth the trip up. 

Our weekend is here....Saturday, cowboy movies on the television, scrabble on the computer, a great book to read, a walk to the grocery store a bit later and a few pieces of the jig saw puzzle to find;  yep, got my day planned.   If you are nearby, stop in, there is always room at the table and the coffee is usually hot, if not, I'll make a new pot.    Daughter Pat is off for the weekend to enjoy some kind of a button show with friends.  They will be in Bandon by the Sea, a lovely little town some fifty miles up the road and one of our favorite stops.   She is going to stay over and go fishing Sunday morning so say a prayer she gets a big one.    There was something mentioned about canning a huge tuna so I've put my order in.    There is nothing more delicious than fresh tuna.   I hope you have plans for the weekend that include some rest and relaxation after your busy week.  Some of you have had to contend with heat and humidity and it is wearing, so make sure you find a spot to cool off and do a lot of nothing.    "nothing' is good for the body and mind as it gives you a chance to regroup and build up the energy to face a new 'hot' day.    I am a little leery about what August will be like as it is usually the hottest month we have.    Just be sure to take good care of yourselves as I wouldn't know what to do without you.  If you have an old fashioned ice bag, fill it full of ice cubes and set it under your feet as I have often heard cold feet makes for a warm heart . . . um, maybe I should go look for one.     Walk into a hug or two and if you come by, I'll be happy to share some with you.    Hugs to all.