I finished my last post by commenting there was a funny story involving my ride on the boat on Lake Livingston. As I said, there were Pastor Ed, Judy, Darci, Jami, and myself. The pastor does not have his own boat landing, so he shares with someone else. To get from the street level to the boat dock, we had to go down quite an embankmant to the lake. Judy and I both knew I would never make it back up such a climb, so she told Pastor Ed as soon as we got on board, that he would have to figure out some place different to let me get off. OK, no problem. I am not very sure-footed about anything any more, and to get from the dock onto a boat, which is swaying on the water, was not an easy task for me, to begin with. But I made it with a little help, and the ride was absolutely beautiful. As I think I said, we traveled at sight-seeing speed, so it was very nice. As we got away from the shore a little bit, and around a bend, the wind came up a little, and we did get a little rough water. Not bad, but enough to get sprayed good once. It was such a nice day, getting wet just added to the fun of the trip. We were on the water a little over an hour, and decided to go in. The church they go to is on the waterfront and has a small pier, so that's where Pastor Ed headed. Now comes the fun. The water level is 18-24 inches below the pier, so we had to figure out how to get me off. He nosed the boat up right against the pier, but the landing on the boat was still at least 15 inches lower than the pier, besides the boat was bouncing quite a bit. He did have a piece of rope tied to the boat, so Darci got off first, and tied the rope to a post of the pier. That still didn't hold the boat very steady. Anyway, I managed to get hold of the post and pull myself into a sitting position on the pier, with my legs dangling over the water. Now you have to realise that I have not been able for years, to put my weight on my knees to get up off the ground or floor. So, OK, I'm sitting on the pier, with my feet dangling over the water. But how do I get to my feet? Again, you have to realise I am 79 years old, and weight about 185 pounds. The last several times I have fallen, it took two people to get me back onto my feet. Pastor Ed kept telling me he could lift me, and I didn't think he could. Anyway, I finally got my legs around to where they were on the pier. I started to scoot myself along, headed got the bank and a picnic bench where I thought I could get myself up. Judy just knew I was going to get a seat full of slivers. When Pastor Ed told me (and he, himself is about 60 years old) that he handles his mother all the time without any problem, I decided that maybe he could get me up. So, he got behind me, put his arms around under my armpits, and I managed to get at least one foot flat on the pier. Then, it just seemed so easy - he just lifted and there I was, standing on my own two feet. He made sure I got to the bench, and then he and Darci took the boat back to where we had started from so Darci could get the car. It was a wonderful, fun, experience, and I would gladly do it again - all of it!!
Gonna cut this short, - the trip home, later. That's all folks!!
Sunday, May 30, 2010
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Texas. Chapter 2
Friday, May 21
I’ll try to continue my trip to Texas. But before I do, I must digress to tell you about something that happened today. I swear my printer has a mind of its own. When I moved to Lincoln, I had a rinky-dink set up for my computer. Kathy bought me a nice console (armoire), Jenny gave me a slightly larger flat screen monitor, and Judy & Steve “loaned” me a 4 function printer – printer, copier, scanner, fax – which I am just beginning to enjoy (we haven’t hooked up the fax). I have to go at these things slowly, in order to absorb how they work, and not screw everything up all at once. I had to replace the black cartridge today, and of course, I messed up. I’m not sure why it got messed but anyway I got a paper jam, so I just decided to leave it and look at it in the morning, when I was fresh. So I went about my busyness, and three or four hours later I was sitting in my chair watching TV when all of a sudden the printer started up, and spit out the piece of paper that had been jammed. I had not even been able to get the paper drawer all the way in, but now it goes in fine. I have not yet tried printing anything, but when it spit out the paper, it had printed the info I had entered. Sometimes I wonder about some of these fancy machines. They really seem to have literal minds where they can straighten out their own problems.. Anyway I think it is fixed now.
Back to my Texas trip. Crossing Western Texas, the country was wide open and mostly desert. Near towns you might see a cultivated bit of farming, but not very much. We left US 10 at Junction and headed Northeast. It was getting dark so we didn’t really get to see much of the country. But you could tell things were a lot different, much more wooded country and much more population.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010 – I put this aside, but will try to finish it now.
I had another little episode with the printer, and this time I did have to fix it myself. Working fine now, and should remain so for another six months – Ha!!
OK, now on to Texas. The drive from Esther’s to Dan’s was so different from what we had been through the last two days. It was an entirely different kind of landscape – lots of roads, lots of farms, and so much greenery. You get into what is called the “Piney Woods”. Actually, it is wooded country with lots of pine trees. They are not the kind of pine trees we are used to seeing – much shorter and rounder, and they grow so thick, it is almost impossible to go through them. I understand they are a terrific haven for deer (and I suppose other smaller animals).
Dan & Darci live in a store-front that has been made into a home. It is really very nice. Because it was once a store, there is no front yard, just a very small space between the front landing (porch) and the parking lot. There is no frontage street, and the parking lot opens right directly onto the main highway, which is a four-lane divided highway. You would think it would be very noisy, but surprisingly, it is not. The room Judy and I slept in is on the front of the building, and we really didn’t notice the noise. The front bedroom of the house we lived in on 3rd Street in Meridian was much noisier. Darci’s Mom & Dad live in a house on the lot right next door (west) and Grandma Dorothy has a shop on the next lot to the west. Darci’s Mom, Beverly, also has a business of manufacuting and distributing skin care products. It all started with body soap, and has since expanded to quite a number of products, manufactured by Bards, LLC of Livingston, TX. Their body and facial cream is sold under the TM name of “touche’ mu”. All the products are based on Emu oil. They have developed quite a business.
Anyway, Darci had planned quite a few things to entertain me, but because this was actually a business trip for Judy, we didn’t get to do some of the things she had planned. We went to their music practice on Thursday evening (Dan plays in the praise band, and Darci sings with some others. I understand she is the church music director). Sunday morning, we went to church and then a group of us went to lunch. I can’t remember the name of the place, but they were featuring boiled Craw Dads – only I think they call them Cray Fish. An order is 3 pounds, and is served in a cardboard box. Don’t worry, I didn’t order them, but the Pastor’s wife did, and she gave me my first taste. They’re very much like small lobsters, but too much work for me. My Dad used to say about artichokes that “you could starve to death eating them”, and that is just how I feel about the CrawDads. I enjoy my food too much to have to work that hard to eat.
We went out to dinner a couple of times, ordered in a few times, and actually only cooked a couple of times. We went for dinner one evening with some of the kids’ friends. They live in a home that is somewhere around 100 years old, and they are completely redoing it. I would love to go back in a year or so to see what they have accomplished. He is doing all the work himself, and is doing a beautiful job. They have had their second little girl since I was there, so I know there lives are very full.
Wes and Esther came over on Friday evening, and spent the night. It is about 200 miles from Georgetown to Livingston. Actually, they stayed at the Holiday Express Inn, where Darci’s Mom is the desk clerk. There just isn’t room for them to stay at Dan’s house. Esther cooked a lovely dinner for all of us that evening (Salmon, sweet potatoes, and veggies). Esther is a very good cook. They are following a special dietary program for a specific time, and I guess it was easier to provide the meal (buy & prepare) than to try to get someone else to cook the way she wanted. Anyway, it was very nice to have dinner all together.
Steve decided to go to Texas to finalize the business deal they were working on, and that would have been a real problem coming home, with the three of us, all our luggage, and my chair (yes, Judy even took a recliner with us for me to sleep in), so we decided I should fly home. So, that was planned for Thursday. So, Wednesday afternoon, Judy, Darci, little Jami, and I took a ride out to Livingston Dam. The town of Livingston is located on/near a rather large lake, area-wise. Actually, I believe the deepest part of the lake is about 28 feet deep, but it has a very large surface. It is a man made lake, and the dam has a beautiful overflow. The Dam is probably 75 to 100 feet wide, but it is only about 10-12 feet high. But it is beautiful. Then, Thursday morning, the Pastor, Judy, Darci, Jami and I went out on the lake in his pontoon boat. It has a passenger capacity of about 16, and it was a beautiful ride. I didn’t realize he was just traveling at little more than idling speed, but it was nice to be able to see so much of the shoreline. Another time, I would like to actually get out onto the lake more, and even go all the way around it. But this was really very nice.
There are really a couple of humorous stories about this ride, plus lots to tell about the trip home, but I think I’ll save that for next time.
For now, that’s all folks!
I’ll try to continue my trip to Texas. But before I do, I must digress to tell you about something that happened today. I swear my printer has a mind of its own. When I moved to Lincoln, I had a rinky-dink set up for my computer. Kathy bought me a nice console (armoire), Jenny gave me a slightly larger flat screen monitor, and Judy & Steve “loaned” me a 4 function printer – printer, copier, scanner, fax – which I am just beginning to enjoy (we haven’t hooked up the fax). I have to go at these things slowly, in order to absorb how they work, and not screw everything up all at once. I had to replace the black cartridge today, and of course, I messed up. I’m not sure why it got messed but anyway I got a paper jam, so I just decided to leave it and look at it in the morning, when I was fresh. So I went about my busyness, and three or four hours later I was sitting in my chair watching TV when all of a sudden the printer started up, and spit out the piece of paper that had been jammed. I had not even been able to get the paper drawer all the way in, but now it goes in fine. I have not yet tried printing anything, but when it spit out the paper, it had printed the info I had entered. Sometimes I wonder about some of these fancy machines. They really seem to have literal minds where they can straighten out their own problems.. Anyway I think it is fixed now.
Back to my Texas trip. Crossing Western Texas, the country was wide open and mostly desert. Near towns you might see a cultivated bit of farming, but not very much. We left US 10 at Junction and headed Northeast. It was getting dark so we didn’t really get to see much of the country. But you could tell things were a lot different, much more wooded country and much more population.
Tuesday, May 25, 2010 – I put this aside, but will try to finish it now.
I had another little episode with the printer, and this time I did have to fix it myself. Working fine now, and should remain so for another six months – Ha!!
OK, now on to Texas. The drive from Esther’s to Dan’s was so different from what we had been through the last two days. It was an entirely different kind of landscape – lots of roads, lots of farms, and so much greenery. You get into what is called the “Piney Woods”. Actually, it is wooded country with lots of pine trees. They are not the kind of pine trees we are used to seeing – much shorter and rounder, and they grow so thick, it is almost impossible to go through them. I understand they are a terrific haven for deer (and I suppose other smaller animals).
Dan & Darci live in a store-front that has been made into a home. It is really very nice. Because it was once a store, there is no front yard, just a very small space between the front landing (porch) and the parking lot. There is no frontage street, and the parking lot opens right directly onto the main highway, which is a four-lane divided highway. You would think it would be very noisy, but surprisingly, it is not. The room Judy and I slept in is on the front of the building, and we really didn’t notice the noise. The front bedroom of the house we lived in on 3rd Street in Meridian was much noisier. Darci’s Mom & Dad live in a house on the lot right next door (west) and Grandma Dorothy has a shop on the next lot to the west. Darci’s Mom, Beverly, also has a business of manufacuting and distributing skin care products. It all started with body soap, and has since expanded to quite a number of products, manufactured by Bards, LLC of Livingston, TX. Their body and facial cream is sold under the TM name of “touche’ mu”. All the products are based on Emu oil. They have developed quite a business.
Anyway, Darci had planned quite a few things to entertain me, but because this was actually a business trip for Judy, we didn’t get to do some of the things she had planned. We went to their music practice on Thursday evening (Dan plays in the praise band, and Darci sings with some others. I understand she is the church music director). Sunday morning, we went to church and then a group of us went to lunch. I can’t remember the name of the place, but they were featuring boiled Craw Dads – only I think they call them Cray Fish. An order is 3 pounds, and is served in a cardboard box. Don’t worry, I didn’t order them, but the Pastor’s wife did, and she gave me my first taste. They’re very much like small lobsters, but too much work for me. My Dad used to say about artichokes that “you could starve to death eating them”, and that is just how I feel about the CrawDads. I enjoy my food too much to have to work that hard to eat.
We went out to dinner a couple of times, ordered in a few times, and actually only cooked a couple of times. We went for dinner one evening with some of the kids’ friends. They live in a home that is somewhere around 100 years old, and they are completely redoing it. I would love to go back in a year or so to see what they have accomplished. He is doing all the work himself, and is doing a beautiful job. They have had their second little girl since I was there, so I know there lives are very full.
Wes and Esther came over on Friday evening, and spent the night. It is about 200 miles from Georgetown to Livingston. Actually, they stayed at the Holiday Express Inn, where Darci’s Mom is the desk clerk. There just isn’t room for them to stay at Dan’s house. Esther cooked a lovely dinner for all of us that evening (Salmon, sweet potatoes, and veggies). Esther is a very good cook. They are following a special dietary program for a specific time, and I guess it was easier to provide the meal (buy & prepare) than to try to get someone else to cook the way she wanted. Anyway, it was very nice to have dinner all together.
Steve decided to go to Texas to finalize the business deal they were working on, and that would have been a real problem coming home, with the three of us, all our luggage, and my chair (yes, Judy even took a recliner with us for me to sleep in), so we decided I should fly home. So, that was planned for Thursday. So, Wednesday afternoon, Judy, Darci, little Jami, and I took a ride out to Livingston Dam. The town of Livingston is located on/near a rather large lake, area-wise. Actually, I believe the deepest part of the lake is about 28 feet deep, but it has a very large surface. It is a man made lake, and the dam has a beautiful overflow. The Dam is probably 75 to 100 feet wide, but it is only about 10-12 feet high. But it is beautiful. Then, Thursday morning, the Pastor, Judy, Darci, Jami and I went out on the lake in his pontoon boat. It has a passenger capacity of about 16, and it was a beautiful ride. I didn’t realize he was just traveling at little more than idling speed, but it was nice to be able to see so much of the shoreline. Another time, I would like to actually get out onto the lake more, and even go all the way around it. But this was really very nice.
There are really a couple of humorous stories about this ride, plus lots to tell about the trip home, but I think I’ll save that for next time.
For now, that’s all folks!
Monday, May 17, 2010
Texas, here I come!!
Hello, again!! Did you think I had gotten lost? Well, I was all enthused about writing this blog, and then I gues, like I do with almost everything else in my life, I didn't get the response I expected, got discouraged, and kind of lost interest in writing. A few days ago, a friend kinda got after me because she hadn't read anything in my blog about my latest adventure, so I decided maybe I should write again. So come on, friend, if you read this, drop a comment so I'll know you are there.
I was just rereading all my blogs, at least the last few months, and I could not believe the typo errors. And I try so hard not to let any get thru. Oh well, I hope you know what I mean by what I do say. I did not realize it had been almost six months since I had written anything. My last blog was best wishes for a wonderful "New Year". I hope that is proving to be the case for you, at least most of you. Things are going well for me. I am still in Lincoln, with my friend. Things are not working out as I had expected, but doing OK. I am easily led to expect certain things from casual remarks and then when things don't materialize as I "expected" I can be seriously disappointed. And that has happened several times in the last few months, particularly as related to my move. But, I am living with it.
I guess the weather if always a good topic. Other than the snow in December, we have not had an exceptional winter. We have had quite a bit more rain than the last couple of years, which is a good thing. Our reservoirs are much nearer to capacity than they have been for several years. The spring has been a little on the cool, wet, side compared to recent years. We have had a few days in the 80's, but still below normal temps for this time of year. And still getting some showers and snow in the higher elevations of the mountains.
I have mentioned ArtieMae's family, Diane and Larry. I said the three of them have a number of health problems. And since I posted last, Artiemae had a small heart attack, Larry had triple by-pass surgery, Diane broke her foot, and even the dog has had minor surgery. So far, so good, for me. I am still plugging along with the same health situations I have had for several years. I go to the doctor next month for my first check up in about six months, so we whall see what he has to say then.
I have recently estblished a correspondence relationship with a lady from Spokane, WN who is connected to HRR's family. She is not a blood relation, but she is related to some of his relatives. So between us, we are trying to put together more of our family histories. I don't know how many people other then my family read this, but if there is anyone there from the Whitman county area of Washington, perhaps you would like to join us in our search for some of the histories of that area.
I mentioned my "latest adventurre". I think I have said before that I have two grandchildren living in Texas. Esther is in Georgetown (near Austin) and Dan is in Livingston (about an hour north of Houston). Well, a couple of weeks ago, I got a call about 7:30 Saturday evening from daughter Judy, asking me to go to Texas with her. When I asked when? she said "tomorrow morning". So I jumped at the chance. We left my place at 7 am on Sunday, and she drove pretty hard. We spent one night on the road, and believe it or not, I actually spent the whole night in a bed ( I usually sleep in a recliner). It seemed like we drove awfully hard, but when you consider that the speed limits are anywhere from 65 to 80 mph, of course you are going to travel hard. We only stopped for gas, getting our potty breaks and meals that way. We made it into Georgetown about 11 pm on Monday night. We had lunch with Esther & Wes on Tuesday, and I got to meet Wes' mother. Then we left Georgetown about 2 pm and got to Dan's about 10:30 Tuesday night.
Well, I think this is a pretty good place to stop. I'll continue this story in a day or two. All in all, it was a good trip and lots to tell. God Bless -
Beth
I was just rereading all my blogs, at least the last few months, and I could not believe the typo errors. And I try so hard not to let any get thru. Oh well, I hope you know what I mean by what I do say. I did not realize it had been almost six months since I had written anything. My last blog was best wishes for a wonderful "New Year". I hope that is proving to be the case for you, at least most of you. Things are going well for me. I am still in Lincoln, with my friend. Things are not working out as I had expected, but doing OK. I am easily led to expect certain things from casual remarks and then when things don't materialize as I "expected" I can be seriously disappointed. And that has happened several times in the last few months, particularly as related to my move. But, I am living with it.
I guess the weather if always a good topic. Other than the snow in December, we have not had an exceptional winter. We have had quite a bit more rain than the last couple of years, which is a good thing. Our reservoirs are much nearer to capacity than they have been for several years. The spring has been a little on the cool, wet, side compared to recent years. We have had a few days in the 80's, but still below normal temps for this time of year. And still getting some showers and snow in the higher elevations of the mountains.
I have mentioned ArtieMae's family, Diane and Larry. I said the three of them have a number of health problems. And since I posted last, Artiemae had a small heart attack, Larry had triple by-pass surgery, Diane broke her foot, and even the dog has had minor surgery. So far, so good, for me. I am still plugging along with the same health situations I have had for several years. I go to the doctor next month for my first check up in about six months, so we whall see what he has to say then.
I have recently estblished a correspondence relationship with a lady from Spokane, WN who is connected to HRR's family. She is not a blood relation, but she is related to some of his relatives. So between us, we are trying to put together more of our family histories. I don't know how many people other then my family read this, but if there is anyone there from the Whitman county area of Washington, perhaps you would like to join us in our search for some of the histories of that area.
I mentioned my "latest adventurre". I think I have said before that I have two grandchildren living in Texas. Esther is in Georgetown (near Austin) and Dan is in Livingston (about an hour north of Houston). Well, a couple of weeks ago, I got a call about 7:30 Saturday evening from daughter Judy, asking me to go to Texas with her. When I asked when? she said "tomorrow morning". So I jumped at the chance. We left my place at 7 am on Sunday, and she drove pretty hard. We spent one night on the road, and believe it or not, I actually spent the whole night in a bed ( I usually sleep in a recliner). It seemed like we drove awfully hard, but when you consider that the speed limits are anywhere from 65 to 80 mph, of course you are going to travel hard. We only stopped for gas, getting our potty breaks and meals that way. We made it into Georgetown about 11 pm on Monday night. We had lunch with Esther & Wes on Tuesday, and I got to meet Wes' mother. Then we left Georgetown about 2 pm and got to Dan's about 10:30 Tuesday night.
Well, I think this is a pretty good place to stop. I'll continue this story in a day or two. All in all, it was a good trip and lots to tell. God Bless -
Beth
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