Saturday, November 24, 2012
Thanksgiving
We drove to Louisville for Thanksgiving.
Before eating, the children received early Christmas presents from their Great Aunt Diane and Great Uncle Bruce who live in Iowa.
Waiting patiently until each grandchild has a present.
Pretty pink hoodie, Miss K.K.!
Those are lovely purses, Ladies!
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Ellie with her Uncle Curt.
Are you reading the words, Uncle Curt?
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Ummm!
Turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, sweet potatoes, stuffing, creamed peas, corn from Iowa, cranberry sauce and,
I know, there were a couple of pieces of zucchini bread missing from the serving dish.
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The temperatures were approaching the upper 60's. The sun was warm.
We walked to a near-by playground.
Grandpa rocked Ellie on the 'sway-fun.'
Who climbed the tower?
Noah walked up the pole, using his strong swimming arms.
Miss El.
M + K
best
cousins
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As the sun began to set, we returned home.
We noticed a tree decorated with lights.
We paused to take pictures.
Dessert was waiting.
We had choices of minced meat/apple pie, apple pie and pumpkin pie.
With vanilla ice cream or 'Cool Whip.'
The apple and pumpkin pie were the favorites.
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After several frustrating games of Uno - and even with Little Miss El's help - I kept receiving the 'draw four' card or the 'draw two' card.
Oh yes, and with apologies.
We returned to the home of our grandchildren.
The children had some 'quiet' time drawing pictures on the 'framed' paper
from their great aunt and great uncle before getting ready for bed.
I got to listen to Noah read several pages from Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days.
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Since my birthday and Thanksgiving are within days of each other,
I enjoyed a breakfast celebration with scrambled eggs, sausages, Golden Wheat
reduced fat Grands - which can only be purchased in Louisville -
and an Oatmeal-Coconut cake for dessert.
We Skyped with my second cousin, his wife, daughter and grandchildren
who live in Hersbruck, Germany.
who live in Hersbruck, Germany.
The traditional birthday photo for my 'Grandma' picture frame was taken.
Then, too soon, it was time to head home. It was 'black Friday' after all.
Thank you, thank you for the nice birthday!
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Birthday Treats
A package came in the mail.
What could it be?
For my birthday?
From Christine and Bob.
A set of eight glasses each with a different colored hand painted bicycle!
Other colors include purple, green, blue, teal and dark blue.
What an unusual birthday present!
Thank you! Thank you!
I share my birthday with singer Gordon Lightfoot, actress Lauren Hutton, actor-director Danny DeVito, SNL producer Lorne Michaels, and House Speaker John Beohner (BAY-ner). Niece and the mother of four wonderful sons, Paula.
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Monday, November 19, 2012
Projects
We have had some pleasantly warm weather.
Time to complete some outdoor tasks:
removal of the shrubs along the south side of the house.
After trimming, the roots were pulled out with the John Deere.
A load of new dirt was ordered to even up the area.
The volunteer grapefruit tree was transplanted from its 'home' to be brought inside for the cooler weather.
Colorful trees in the afternoon sun.
We took a trip up to Middletown.
The original 'touch down' Jesus was struck by lightening.
The new statue, nicknamed "Hug Me Jesus," was
erected Wednesday, September 19.
Local artist Tom Tsuchiya created "Lux Mundi"
which means "Light of the World."
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Tuesday, November 06, 2012
Mexico
Minnesota Fred invited us to visit with him in Ixtapa, Guerrero, Mexico.
Bring tools, he said. There are projects to complete.
We checked our bag with the tools.
Bring tools, he said. There are projects to complete.
We checked our bag with the tools.
We arrived Sunday evening.
No tools...
No tools...
Monday morning, we headed to the Pacific Ocean and to the inter-net cafe.
Minnesota Fred outside the front door; John at the bottom of the stairs leading to the front door.
Minnesota Fred in the warm Pacific Ocean waters.
John, enjoying the shade.
It's definitely toasty in the sun!
Turtle eggs that have been 'rescued.'
After checking our e-mails at the inter-net cafe, Cafe Kaldhi, we stopped at a near-by restaurant for lunch.
Someone decided he wanted to see/taste a 'real' Mexican taco.
Looks tasty... but, not so much.
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Later in the afternoon, we drove to the airport
to collect the red/purple suitcase with the tools.
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The next morning, the 'boys' decided to start some of the easier projects.
A curtain rod, to the right of the blue tool box, needs to be re-hung in the front bathroom.
The biggest project involved removing the tree and its roots from the cistern and replacing the old cover with a new cover.
Minnesota Fred crawled into the large rectangular hole with his assorted tools to complete the removal of the roots.
He was afraid he wouldn't be able to get out!
Here, he is installing the frame for the new cover.
The smaller rectangular cover to his left, needs to be removed before replacing it with a new square cover.
Now, that looks better!
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The villa has three floors; two bedrooms with baths on the first floor;
living/dining areas on the middle floor;
one large bedroom/bath on the top floor.
The patio with the fan is where we ate our meals.
These are the steps we walked up/down, going and coming.
Relaxing in the pool.
I, of course, was swimming laps.
The first part of the week, the temperatures were in the high 80's/low 90's.
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Another beautiful day at the beach!
We walked to the southern end of the beach and noticed these cable cars.
One of the projects for Wednesday was to purchase postcards.
And to mail them... what an adventure that turned out to be!
Wednesday evening, there was a drizzle that brought cooler temperatures, but not lower humidity.
One of the projects for Wednesday was to purchase postcards.
And to mail them... what an adventure that turned out to be!
Wednesday evening, there was a drizzle that brought cooler temperatures, but not lower humidity.
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In Zihuatanejo, preparations were being made for the 'Day of the Dead' celebrations.
The designs were made with flowers and petals.
We had lunch at the Casa Elvira: two for the price of one!
Fish tacos and chips with a tasty guacamole.
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Looking toward the Pacific Ocean from the patio.
A new cover for the sewer collector box - to keep the iguanas out.
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Thursday evening we ate along the waterfront. Minnesota Fred ordered a fish stew in a sour cream sauce that was yummy.
I ordered fish with fried rice and sauted vegetables.
Tasty, but a little heavy on the soy sauce.
Look at that huge piece of fish!
Friday, we made a final trip to Zihuatanejo.
We looked at bicycles at a variety of stores.
We shopped in a grocery store with armed guards.
Yikes!
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In spite of the on and off drizzle, we headed for the beach for the last time Saturday.
Minnesota Fred and I spent our time in the water diving for small, smooth rocks.
The water wasn't as warm as it was before, but still pleasant.
The beach was crowded.
Tasty, but a little heavy on the soy sauce.
Look at that huge piece of fish!
John ordered fish covered with spicy onions.
He had beans and rice on the side.
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Earlier in the week, we had walked along the marina admiring the boats.
The evening we had dinner, there was an intermittent drizzle.
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Friday, we made a final trip to Zihuatanejo.
We looked at bicycles at a variety of stores.
We shopped in a grocery store with armed guards.
Yikes!
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In spite of the on and off drizzle, we headed for the beach for the last time Saturday.
Minnesota Fred and I spent our time in the water diving for small, smooth rocks.
The water wasn't as warm as it was before, but still pleasant.
The beach was crowded.
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Sunday, at the airport.
Thanks, Minnesota Fred, for inviting us to share a week with you!
As Mike and Frank would say, "We've broken the ice! Now it's your turn, Uncle Walter!"
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Geographically, Guerrero is mountainous and rugged with flat areas limited to small mesas and the coast line.
The coast line is important economically for the tourist destinations of Acapulco, Zihuatanejo and Ixtapa (Triangle of the Sun).
Climate is dominated by rainy tropical and rainy temperate areas.
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