From Guggle to Zatch

We've had off-and-on thunder and off-and-on rain all day today, but nothing too substantial from either.

I went from Alpha to Omega today or maybe it was from Guggle to Zatch (from James Thurber's story, The 13 Clocks, if you remember that one). I got my monthly pedicure this morning. And at the other end, John and I both got haircuts.



But speaking of old books, do you have a favorite Thurber story? How about Dr. Seuss? We all either read them to our children, or had them read to us. They all have such wonderful values - cleverly hidden in all that wordy silliness. My favorite was always Happy Birthday to You! I think that's probably the only one of the children's books that I kept.


Well, no, I just thought of another early Dr. Seuss, The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins. Which ones do you remember?

Mexican Train

We got into the 90s today, but had a couple of sets of thundershowers, giving us lots of thunder and about an inch of rain.

Help, HELP!!! It's all Jean's fault. She's the one who told me about the on-line Mexican Train. I can't stop!!!!

First I have to do the Washington Post Crickler news and word puzzles.

And people wonder what we do on the computer all day. I really do get other things done (sometimes).

What would YOU do with old photographs?

What do you do with old photographs????

I have a box of photographic negatives, about 4.5 x 6.5". A friend bought them at a garage sale about10 years ago, and gave them to me because of my interest in photography. I would love to be able to return them to their original family.

They look like they were from a photography studio, but have no printing on them. Some of the deteriorating brown-paper sleeves have names written on them, and those are the only clues I can find. These are some of the names on the sleeves. The only dates I find are 1938 and 1941. As best as I can tell from the negatives, they are formal portraits, and surely give a delightful "picture" of the life of a family of that era - at least one that could afford to have such photographs taken.

I would dearly LOVE to have prints made from these negatives. Maybe I'll try again to find someone to do it for me.

Today's photo is of one of the negatives and sleeves.

Monday & Hamish

Monday was Monday - nothing out of the ordinary. Last week, with the wonderful cards I had, I came in second (out of 20 players). Not too bad! I did have some great cards. The cards weren't nearly that good today - probably will wind up more in the middle.

John faded early tonight - was in bed by about 8:30. "The Closer" and "Chasing Churchill" were on tonight, so I had something to stay up for. I'm also trying to finish the latest Hamish MacBeth story by M.C.Beaton - "Death of a Gentle Lady". It's due tomorrow. We have two older ones, too - just trying to get caught up with these delightful mysteries.

Up-Helly-Aa

We're still in recuperation mode today. John did go row early this morning, while I got my usual exercise getting the Sunday newspaper read. Actually, I did get the laundry done today, as usual. But that was about all.

I've been keeping track of a delightful blog, Life on a Small Island. Sian lives on Graemsay, a small island in the Orkneys off the coast of Scotland. Today she has posted about a Shetland Island festival called Up-Helly-Aa. What a hoot this is! Give it a read.

Here's a photo from the Up-Helly-Aa festival.

Childhood homes

What a treat I had this morning! Gin & Jim left about 7, Margaret about 8. John went back to bed for a quick nap, and then went to the boathouse. About 10:30 there was a knock on the door. The man there said "You don't know me, but I use to live in this house when I was a child."

I was delighted - and told him that John and I had visited childhood homes in Duluth, Pittsburg, St. Louis, and Houston. He and his family were traveling in TN, and he wanted to see if he could find this house. I insisted that they come in to look around. I told him that we knew the house had been changed a lot, and that it had always been a mystery - trying to figure out how it had been originally. So I got some direct information about the "birth" of the house!

He was excited to see all the changes that had been made and compare them to what he remembered. We exchanged cards, and he is going to e-mail me some "before" photos of the house. This was really special.

His family was the first owner of the house, and they moved in in 1962, when he was 7, and moved away in (I think) 1964. There was no basement - only a 3' crawl space. There was a deck off the kitchen/den, but his father added a staircase off the deck. We had deduced that our living room was originally the carport. And assumed that the dining room extension had been added. That was the case - there was a living room with a big picture window. And he remembers the "Charlie Chip man" coming to the kitchen door (which is now the door from the LR into the kitchen).

DAMN! I forgot to ask him if possibly they had planted the Xmas tree in the front. I know John will have some questions, too, and I'm sure I'll be e-mailing him about that and other questions as we think of them.

The house where I grew up in Houston is gone. We moved into it new in 1946, and Pink sold it in 1972. This photo is of the house that is on that lot now.

Friday goodies!

Today was delightful! We sat out on the deck nearly all day. The predicted high was 90, but with almost continuous cloud cover and intermittent soft showers all day, our high was only 77 degrees. That's amazing for the end of July! With the showers, we got a total of .3" rain.

Margaret came bearing green beans that needed to be snapped, corn that needed to be shucked, tomatoes, and blueberries. We got all the snapping and shucking done out on the porch.

John tried something new with part of the ribs - using a dry rub rather than our usual marinade. Both were delicious. The veggies were wonderful as always. And the blueberry cobbler was a great way to end the meal. Vicki and Roger had joined us and brought potato salad.

Sorry you ALL couldn't have been with us. What a lovely midsummer day this was!

After everybody leaves tomorrow, I plan to be a sloth all the rest of the weekend. With all the leftovers, I won't have to cook for 3-4 days. That's ALWAYS good, too.

Today's photo is a lovely Tennessee rhododendron.

Thursday with family

We had a gorgeous morning this morning - got to sit out on the deck until nearly 10.

Not too much going on today - just enjoying Gin & Jim. I drove Gin over to Vicki's for a bit, and then showed her around the SouthSide - with all the changes that are going on. It's such an exciting time in that area.

Lots of laughs were had when we took them to the regular Thursday lunch. What a crazy bunch of people that is! After last night's marathon talk session, Gin & I took lengthy naps in the recliners. After getting that second wind, we were able to drag outselves out to dinner at our favorite Chinese place.

Margaret's coming over tomorrow to visit, and will be bringing goodies. So we'll have a bountiful feast tomorrow night for dinner. Vicki and Roger will complete the party.

I talked to Betsy this evening. She said they had been without water for a while, and they hadn't gotten full power back yet. She said she'd never seen anything like Dolly's effects yesterday. It started at noon, as the hurricane hit. The heavy winds and the torrential rains continued unabated for over 12 hours - until about 3 a.m. this morning. Everyone there is okay, though. She had nothing but good things to say about the staff there and how well they had taken care of the residents.

I'm working on the socks for myself from this yarn that we dyed while we were at the beach. It's working up nicely.

Just a quickie tonight

Just checking in tonight. Gin & Jim are here, and we have talked WAY into the night. Politics, of course - what else!

I hope The Valley is getting lots of much needed rain from Hurricane Dolly, with no damage or injuries. Guess I'll find out about that tomorrow.

I'll try to do better tomorrow.

Thunderstorms and hurricanes

The temperature only got up to 95 this afternoon. That was before the afternoon thunderstorms started up. Lots and lots of thunder with the dark skies, and then the wind started up. When the rain finally started, it rained like a son-of-a-gun! We couldn't see very far into the back yard. Some of the areas in town were getting 3-5" of rain. We got only a little over an inch, but at least we did get SOME rain this time. No telling what tomorrow's surprises will be.



I hope "Dolly" drops some good rain on the Rio Grande Valley - without doing any damage. That would be ideal. They always need rain.

Ken wrote that he has had his last chemo treatment and that they gave him a "free day". His last radiation treatment will be on Thursday, and he'll head home as soon as that is over. He is to return for a couple of days in early September for testing to determine whether or not any additional treatment is needed. It's been a long road, but hopefully a successful one.

Heat, bridge, and Churchill

This was a long Monday - a good swim class, but lots to get at Wal-Mart. WM turned out a bit exciting. As I left the store, one of the 6-packs of Sam Adams turned over and one of the bottles fell out and shattered. Yuck! At least there was somebody there to clean it up.

Bridge was lovely. I had a great score - almost 6000 points for the afternoon. I probably will wind up in the top 5 for the day. It was fun!

The weather was majorly summer today. The high was 100 and from about 5 p.m. on, throughout the evening, there was almost continuous lightening and thunder and severe storm warnings. Reporting stations in the area had 1.5 to 3" of rain. And we got not ONE drop! Well, they always say these are "scattered", and that's obviously the case. But it is amazing to see that huge solid green area on the radar, and to be bone dry.

We watched an interesting program tonight on PBS. Part 1 of "Chasing Churchill: In Search of My Granddfather" was on tonight. It's written and narrated by Winston Churchill's granddaughter, Celia Sandys. She is following in her illustrious grandfather's footsteps. He was an formidable man and dominated much of the 20th Century. There are three parts, the other two to be on the next two Monday nights. I hope you get this program on your PBS station - it's well worth your time to watch.

Forgot to mention: Watch the weather for the next couple of days. Hurricane Dolly is headed for the Texas Coast - Houston to Brownsville, and The Valley. I do hope they have minimal or no damage, but much needed rain from this storm.

Sunday night

Obit: Jo Stafford has died. Click here for the Wikipedia article on her. What a wonderful voice this lady had. And SO talented. Does anybody else out there remember and love her recordings with husband, Paul Weston, as "Jonathan and Darlene Edwards". How MARVELLOUS these were!!! Click here for history and go to Google or Amazon.com to order or listen.



Our story about the Antiques Roadshow visit to Chattanooga wouldn't be complete without a copy of the wonderful Clay Bennett editorial cartoon from today's Chattanooga Times Free Press.

Antiques Roadshow comes to town

The Antiques Roadshow was great fun. Getting all these people with all their stuff was a huge job, and was very well organized. It only took us about 1 1/2 hours total. We didn't see much of what others brought, but it looked like every other person there had a painting, so I was really glad we didn't take my greatgrandmother's portrait.

Anyhow, the Edison Gramophone was appraised at $700-800, with the cylinders at about $10.00 each. John was disappointed that they didn't ask him to set it up to play.
The pitcher is Nippon Porcelain Moriage (mor-ee-AH-ji), ca 19teens-1920s, worth a "couple of hundred dollars".

What I had always called a "fruit set" was promptly called a "fish set". She was somewhat puzzled by the handles, then said they were probably celluloid. Value - $50-100.

The book definitely wasn't a first edition (actually 25th edition), and that seemed to be mainly what he was looking for. Said it was worth maybe $25-50.

So nothing earth-shaking, but definitely a fun experience. We won't featured on the program, but I'll still post the air dates. It'll be sometime during the 2009 season, and the dates should be posted in the fall.

Jazz and Cicadas

Today is Antiques Roadshow Eve! We're busy getting our items ready and working on our stories. News tomorrow.

We had a nice visit with Merritt and Judy. They're nice folks, and we don't get to see them very often. I'm glad we were on their way to their great-nephew's wedding. And we'll get to visit with Gin & Jim for a few days next week.

And we finished off the evening with a bang! Donnie had told us that he was going to be playing at Blue Orleans Restaurant tonight. He was playing with Blues FX - a great jazz/blues combo. John & Sylvia came over and went with us to dinner. We always love eating there, and it was good to introduce John & Sylvia to the Cajun restaurant. John had his usual crawfish etouffe. I had a cup of duck/andouille gumbo and an appetizer/entree of Oysters St. John. Such good food and good company!

Dalton and his date had come, too, to eat and listen. After we ate, we sat with them and listened for a while longer. Then we headed back home, and sat on the porch for a while to enjoy the nice weather and the backyard music of the cicadas.

This is what that back-yard noismaker looks like.

Only two more days!

Our Thursday lunch was it's usual craziness. It's such a fun thing to look forward to each week. Friends are wonderful. Friends who make you laugh are priceless!

More friends tonight at the meeting of the Photographic Society of Chattanooga. Plus some great railroad/train photos from one of our board members who presented the program.

Late this evening, we got a phone call from one of John's cousins. They're from Illinois, and on their way to a wedding in Clemson, SC. They're in Murfreesboro tonight, and wanted to know if we were going to be home in the morning, so they could stop by. What a treat! We don't get to see these folks very often, and we enjoy any chance we get.

Only two more days until The Antiques Roadshow!!! Did I ever mention? The Roadshow is going to tape material for three programs here on Saturday. I put our name in for the ticket lottery way back in the spring, and we got two tickets. Each of us can bring two items. John and I have been getting our stuff in order to take. The shows will be broadcast sometime in 2009.

The photo is the Antiques Roadshow logo from Google Images.

Miscellaneous web sites

These miscellaneous web sites run the gamut from the ridiculous to the suplime.

Expensive pet things can be found at this site. Thanks to Bev at Funny the World for the link to read about "Poop Freeze" and the other such products.
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Natural Wonders added to UN Heritage List is a National Geographic site with photos of a new set of Natural Wonders as designed by the UN.
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Life on a Small Island is a delightful blog written by a woman who is one of only 70+ inhabitants of a tiny island in the Orkneys of Scotland. She's written about a wonderful prehistoric side called Tomb of the Eagles. We loved the sites we visited in The Orkneys (Skara Brae, the Ring of Brodgar, Mae's Howe, etc.), but I guess we'll have to go back sometime to see The Tomb of the Eagles.

Today's photo is one of ours from Skara Brae. These ruins have been dated to pre-pyramids, and what's been uncovered was probably built on top of a previous village. It's mind-boggling!

VOLKSWAGEN IS COMING!!

What wonderful news we got in Chattanooga today! This are the first sentences from the Chattanooga Times Free Press on-line:

Volkswagen AG will build an automobile assembly plant in Chattanooga, officials said today .Europe’s biggest automaker said it will put a nearly $1 billion investment in Chattanooga’s Enterprise South Industrial Park. The plant is expected to create 2,000jobs. It is expected to open in 2011.

This is a huge boost to our regional economy - not only the construction of the facility and the ultimate jobs, but the ripples that will radiate through the area. Having Volkswagen choose this location speaks so well for what our community has to offer.

Surprise! Today's photo is of our newest Chattanooga product.

Just the usual

Just the usual Monday stuff today. Swimming, then Wal-Mart.

Wal-Mart has gotten to be a challenge. They're just about finished with the renovation, and all the signs aren't up and correct yet. I'm having to walk up and down all the aisles looking for things. Then it's a matter of seeing where specific items are located - and THEN the trick is to remember the location the next time. Yeah - right!

The funny thing is that all the customers are in the same boat. Folks are wandering around - looking lost. The common greeting is "Do you know where ___________ is? (fill in the blank).

Bridge was fun - as usual. I knew we'd had good cards last week - John was high, and I came in second. Playing good is always nice, but it does help to have good cards. John had better cards today than I did today.

Today's photo is the site of the mandatory town visit in Gulf Shores. Here we have Laurie and Sarah about to enter Souvenir City. (Note: The photo wouldn't upload tonight - don't know why. I'll try to add it later.)

Rain, wonderful rain!

We met Sue and Matt as they came through Chattanooga on their way back to SC. They brought us some wonderful produce from Bobby's garden - mostly green beans and tomatoes. Yum! We also got to see the treasures that Sue got at the Fostoria Glass show in Nashville (the reason for the trip). They got home safely, but unfortunately they had to drive in the rain all the way.

It rained nearly all day here today - a nice slow rain. I just went out to check the rain gauge, and we had about 0.7" of rain. The crickets and frogs were in full voice - enjoying the unaccustomed moisture. It surely is nice to get that sort of rain.

I divided up some of the green beans to take to share with the swimmers. Of course, I had a tomato for diner, plus some of the beans. Delicious!

Today's photo is of John, Sue, and Matt.

Michael E. DeBakey, M. D. (1908-2008)

Dr. Michael DeBakey has died. He was one of the pioneers of open heart and bypass surgery, and responsible for many of the early innovations in the procedures. He helped turn Baylor Medical School into a world-class institution. My father was on the faculty of Baylor when it first moved to Houston right after World War 2. DeBakey was a good friend of my parents many, MANY years ago. Click here for the Associated Press Obituary.

We did have a good, if brief, visit with Sue last night. She was stopping in on her way to Margaret's and then to Nashville. They're going to a Fostoria glass show and sale in Nashville. Sue's gotten hooked on Depression and "elegant" (1940s) glassware. Sue has called and they had a great time at the show - and even bought a few pieces.

John and Matt went rowing this morning - another time for him to get on the water, and special because Matt asked John to take him.

We watched the fouth and final episode of the Ted Koppel series on China. Absolutely fascinating! Do try to find this series on one of the Discovery channels. It's well worth the time.

Today's photo is the way I remember seeing Michael DeBakey.

Look for the reruns

There has been an excellent program on the Discovery Channel this week. There were three hours, one each on three consecutive nights - a Ted Koppel program: "China: The People's Republic of Capitalism". We've seen the first two hours and have recorded the last one. It's excellent - about the new growth of capitalism in China (obviously). I'm sure it will be rerun - watch for it.

Another program we recorded (and have watched about half of) is a PBS program from the POV (Point of View) series. It's called "Traces of the Trade", about a prominent Rhode Island family whose younger members discover that the family money and status in RI came from the slave trade. The program is an exploration of their learning this fact and their journey to find out more of the history, and how they deal with the revelations. A most interesting situation - we're looking forward to seeing the end of the program. Check your local PBS program to see if and when it'll be on there.

Sue and Matt are here this evening. We were expecting Sue, on her way to Margaret's. They're going to a show put on by Fostoria Glass in Nashville on Saturday. We didn't know Matt was coming, and that was a nice surprise. Matt wants to go rowing with John early in the morning, and that's a treat for both of them.

Today's photo is an abstract from the beach.

U.S. vs James R. Hoffa

Do you remember Jimmy Hoffa? Well, you must be at least over 40. He was a major force in organized labor after World War II. Nobody was neutral about Hoffa - you either thought he was near God, or that he was the devil incarnate. This is what Wikipedia has to say about him. And, of course, this is his photo.

This spring the Chattanooga Chapter of the Federal Trial Lawyers Association met here (I think that's the name - at least close). The Chapter underwrote the making a documentary about the federal trial of Hoffa for jury tampering. The Chattanooga Trial of U.S. vs James R. Hoffa was held in Chattanooga in 1964. It was high drama - the stuff that John Grisham should be writing about - except nobody'd believe it.

A feud between the Attorney General (the President's Brother) and the most powerful labor leader in the country. Spying, wire-tapping, informants - on both sides. A trial for racketeering, ending in a mistrial in Nashville, which led to a trial for jury tampering. Because of pre-trial publicity, the trial was moved to Chattanooga. And now there are incorruptible judges, teams of prosecution and defense attorneys, surprise witnesses. Spell-binding stuff!

The film, The Chattanooga Trial of U.S. vs James R. Hoffa, was shown at a program presented by the Chattanooga Arts and Education Council. What a great opportunity this was for those able to attend. I asked the producer if the film was going to be released where it could be seen by a wider audience, such as to PBS. He said not at this time. The film is owned by the Trial Lawyers Association and, although the local PBS station has expressed interest in showing it, it's not currently being made available to them. I hope it does appear sometime. Watch for it.

Nothing much today.

Sorry, faithful readers - just hit a wall on the writing tonight. Surely tomorrow will be better.

I will post a photo. This is from the Cherohala Skyway, a good example of why they're called the Great Smoky Mountains.

Hazy, hot, and humid!

I seem to have had a major attack of the dumbs with the socks today. I've spent a good part of my knitting time today doing "frog" knitting (You know - Rip-it! Rip-it!) And I'm probably going to have to rip some more out tomorrow. I've done most of a pair for Vicki's husband, and the two socks don't come anywhere close to matching. So I'm either going to make one longer, or one shorter - either one of which requires more ripping! I've been doing all sorts of snarling and cursing.

John rowed this morning. He was a happy camper all day long - even with the blister that came up. That always happens when he has to be away from rowing for a while - he has to build up his calluses again. It didn't matter, though - it was a perfect morning!

We brought some of the left-over gumbo home from the beach (frozen, of course). (Thanks, Anne!) I fixed some rice and we had the end of it for supper tonight. Yum!

We've started into real summer - the old Hazy, Hot, and Humid thing. The forecast for the next week predicts highs around 90, with a chance of late afternoon thunderstorms. We call it the "phone-in" forecast. We'll just keep remembering the beach.

Super Monday Miscellany

Today was a super day! Well, maybe going to Wal-Mart wasn't too great, but it just made the rest better.

Swimming is always great! Such a good start to the day.

John went to see two doctors this morning. The radiology oncologist gave him a good report, and his PSA is now down to 0.5! From there he went on to the orthopedic surgeon for a hopefully final visit. The doc released John to row!!! Oh, joy! That was probably the best news of the day. He'll be out on the water first thing in the morning.

John and I started off bridge this afternoon with terrific cards. And we were bidding and playing them well. We had a huge first round score. It was spotty after that, but with more good cards than bad. Plus we got to play with some of our favorite people as we worked our way through the progressions.

Sue wrote that Paul has another job. He'll be working at the Merry-Go-Round Playhouse in Auburn, NY for the season. They even furnish housing and a stipend. I love the idea of his being in such a different environment from that in Charleston.

And Margaret wrote news of Jesse with a new photo. He has a new haircut - shaved. It looks good. He says the weather is very hot and very dry. No rain at all - just an occasional sandstorm. But he's doing his job, and has the opportunity to check in with his folks on about a weekly basis. And what a blessing that is!

Today's photo is from Google - a sandstorm in Iraq.

The shrine

The most exciting thing that happened around here this weekend was my doing the wash today. Wow, exciting stuff! But we've got a busy week coming up.

I'm well along with Jean's second sock, and it looks like I'm going to have enough yarn to make another pair from this neat yarn. She's lucky. My feet are way too big for that to be a possibility for me.

I don't guess I've ever mentioned the shrine and icons we have at the beach. This started in early 1997. When we came home from our trip to Antarctica, there were flamingoes in our front yard. We've never identified the perpetrators, and that just makes it more fun. And they continue to migrate here to the house. But even more so to the beach. You can't begin to imagine the number and variety.

And so, today's photo is of the primary shrine at the bech house.

Is today Saturday?

Yesterday felt like Saturday all day long. And then here it is Saturday again. And we can't even blame it on having our working schedule out of whack. Amazing how that works!

I did actually get out of the house today. The 31st Exhibition of the Tennessee Watercolor Society is currently being held in Knoxville, TN. I went to pick up my show catalog and a DVD of the paintings and the juror's remarks about the winners. This exhibit isn't on the web site yet, but there are other examples of the quality of work done by members of this organization. Check it out.

I finished another book by William Kent Krueger. This police procedure mystery series is new to me, and I'm enjoying them very much. The protagonist is a sheriff in the Boundary Waters area of Minnesota. If you like this genre, give them a try.

We watched some of the Olympic swimming trials, and then pulled out another NetFlix movie. Music and Lyrics is a 2006 romantic comedy with Hugh Grant and Drew Barrymore. Grant does this type of role very well. It was just a light bit of fluff, but made for a pleasant evening's viewing.

Last night, I finished the first of Jean's socks using the yarn she dyed at the beach. When I posted the pictures of the dyed pieces, I promised a look at the socks, so here it is.

Happy Fourth of July!

We had another quiet day today. Nobody seemed to be partying in our neighborhood. And we didn't hear many fireworks this evening at all. I don't know why it was so quiet this year.

John spent the morning at the boathouse, working out on the rowing machines and getting his boat cleaned up and rigged. I finished repacking the beach boxes, and they're ready to go to the garage to be stored until next summer.

I remembered that there was going to be an NCIS marathon on the USA Network today. We turned on the first one at 3 p.m. - and it was the first episode. We'd never seen that one, nor the next one they showed. I can't believe we actually watched straight through until 11 p.m. We NEVER do anything like that. But we do enjoy the show.

In honor of the day, today's photo is, of course, our Old Glory!

Lazy Thursday

This was definitely a lazy Thursday. We both slept 'til 7:30. And that's just unheard of! I had a pedicure appointment at 9, so I had to get up and get moving. I do have happy feet today, though.

Our usual Thursday lunch was full of laughs - as usual. And we followed that up with killer naps.

I managed to convince John to take on the chore of finding the airline tickets for our trip in September. This wasn't an easy one - trying to work in three different locations. He'd been working on it for two days. We finally agreed on a plan, and bought some tickets. It's a relief to have that out of the way.

Movies this evening: We watched the last half of the 1954 Sabrina (one of my personal favorites). Then we caught the first half of the 1963 Tom Jones (didn't get to the famous eating scene, though).

We don't have any special plans for the Fourth. We'll stay cool and listen to the fireworks. Many of the big public displays of fireworks were held tonight - don't know why. Today's photo of fireworks is off the web.

Movie and socks

We watched another one of those funky British comedies - (available on Net Flix) Definitely worth the rental!
Keeping Mum (2005) Maggie Smith, Rowan Atkisson, Kristin Scott Thomas, Patrick Swayze
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Today was pretty much a regular Wednesday. I kept the totally quiet shop for Vicki while she took her mom to the dentist. We're hoping that we can start moving stuff into a back room at the new location in a few days.

Keeping Mum is a delightful movie. Give it a look - you won't be sorry.

I started Jean's socks with the yarn that she dyed while we were at the beach. Today's photo is the dyed piece before winding it into balls of yarn to knit. Sock photos will show up later.

Gallery 2 and Food (again)

Things never run smoothly. Our move to the new Studio/Gallery space has been delayed again - something to do with the building inspection, I guess. We're now hoping to be able to move into the new space by 1 August. Sighhhhh!

John & Sylvia came over tonight so we could exchange electronic gear and go out to eat. We had taken all their computer/camera stuff home from the beach, and loaned them John's cell phone so they could have it for emergencies. He's doing fine. They said the doc told him that he should just go on with his life like nothing had happened. But they were still ever so glad that they went on to the hospital and had all the tests run. It was scary.

And we were able to introduce them to the new Mexican restaurant. We all had really nice entrees. I'm so glad we found this jewel of a small eatery. For those of you in the area, it's Molcajete Sinaloense in Hixson. (Remember a couple of days ago? If we're not eating, we're talking about food!)

Today's photo is of a typical breakfast at the beach.