Pine cones are usually good for a shot.

My speech was given to the houseboaters yesterday, uploaded to my school’s site for instructor grading, and I didn’t want to clean house. It has been such a nice day today compared to yesterday. It is much cooler today with much lower humidity. Keith wanted to look at a boat over in Minnesota today. So I tagged along for something to do. As soon as I saw it, I knew we would be heading home with it. And we did. It is now sitting in the driveway waiting to be cleaned. Here’s a picture of the new addition. This one better run.

Just thought I would put more of the shots I got yesterday in another post. Paige hasn’t been feeling too well, so she didn’t start having a good time until we were on our way home. That didn’t stop the big kids from making up for it. We beached the boat and the fun began in earnest then. Yesterday I posted one of Dave on the tube. He’s so funny. We don’t go very fast on the water, so it looked liked Dave was just hanging out. I didn’t get as many single shots as I should have or was able to, but I tried to get everyone in there. The kids brought a couple “extra” kids with them. So you may see them in a couple of shots. Hope you enjoy them. And don’t forget, Cari has more on her blog today. She got better individuals than I did. Just click on her button and you will see them. Have a great Memorial Day!

These shots didn't come out as well as I would have liked, but the rays coming through the clouds today were amazing. They were taken from our houseboat on the way back to harbor. It may have been a really hot and humid day, but some things just transcend the weather.

We had some fun today. At first it didn’t seem like it would be much fun. It was miserably hot and we weren’t able to get the boat finished. Well we already had made the plans and some people had rearranged their entire day for it, so Keith got on the last minute items and got it ready. We didn’t get out of the harbor until after 4 pm, but that was okay because of the heat. We ended up about 8 miles south of La Crosse before we found a sandbar. Anyway, I’m posting a couple of pics for you. It turned out to be a fun day.

I just fell in love with these.

Well he has yet another project. I fear none of them will be done by the end of summer and that’s all they’re good for. This one shouldn’t be as big a job as the houseboat, but this one will be a better runabout than the houseboat. Just thought I’d let you all get a look at it. Yes, it is a pukey green for now. But I think we can live with it.

Took this one a couple days ago. It's a little different from what I normally take, but I like it.

There isn’t a lot to tell today. Something may hit me like a ton of bricks later today, but for now I can tell you I have plans today. The boat isn’t finished but we are planning an outing tomorrow. Today is going to be spent getting it ready and make sure no tools are out for little Paige to hurt herself on. That’s the big plan anyway. There are only a couple of chairs on there so more needs to be taken down. We have no kitchen or table, but we have a toilet! Isn’t that one of the most important things? I think so.

I’m hoping to have more to say later, so for now, have a good one!

Let me clarify that by saying, “with a cell phone”. I just love my niece because she has no problems instant messaging with her old aunt. She seems to love checking in on me every chance she gets. I’ll be going along and all of a sudden I’ll have a message from her. I absolutely love it. I get to find out about dance for her and plays for her sister. It’s great because I talk to her almost every day now. I used to go months without talking to her. Now it’s very regular and it’s great.

Here’s where the teenager, cell phones, and internet come in. One day I was engaging in the instant messaging world with my daughter when my brother got online at the same time. I was conversing with both of them, in different windows, when my brother accused me of “2 typing” him. Needless to say, I LOL. I bring this up because my niece 2 types my daughter and me all the time. We just think that’s one of the most hilarious things. She’s 13, she has internet, and she texts. That means I’m scratching my head with some of the text speak that goes on. I may be a hip granny, but I’m not that hip.

Thanks my dear niece for making me smile.

I decided to do this one. My daughter gets a kick out of it so here are my answers for this week.

1. Is there something you've always wanted to try but just can't muster up the courage to actually do yet? Driving, not just riding, a motorcycle

2. If you had $100 handed to you in cash without your significant other knowing about it, what would you spend it on? Definitely something to do with photography

3. What was your favorite piece of playground equipment as a child? Monkey bars, no doubt

4. Do you prefer a sweet or hearty breakfast? Hearty

5. Are you a Neat Freak or a Messy Bessy? I am definitely somewhere in between because I live with other people. If I lived by myself, a Neat Freak

This is so much fun! Thank you for stopping by. Hopefully you'll enjoy what you see.

Time for everyone to join in on the Friday fun! Have fun with this, enjoy other blogs, you never know when you will make a friend! Thanks for stopping by!

It has been said I don't complain enough with the Friday blog hop. This is my best attempt.

Mothers who use their children as pawns but expect you to jump when she says so.People who can't drive and don't accept that fact. And I just don't have enough room in my house for all my books. There you go!

Come with us, make new friends, and just have a good time. I know I've been having fun over the last few weeks. My daughter got me started with this and I have found some really interesting blogs. Have fun with this and comment on those blogs you find to your liking. We're looking forward to hearing from you.

Yes, it's time for Fawk You Friday! Come join us, make new friends and just have fun. You might find a blog you can't live without. It was brought to my attention I was ranting about things that bother me. So here goes.

People who don't look before they pull out in front of me. Mothers who use their kids as pawns. Not having a big enough back yard. Maybe I'll have more for next week.

My speech is due this weekend and because it’s very hard for me to get 5 people in the same place at the same time, I will be delivering it on a sandbar in the middle of the Mississippi River. Yes, we will be taking a group of people out on Sunday for a cookout and cruise on the river. They will be my captives at that point. And I’ve decided if they don’t like the speech, they will have to get their own ride home!  And that’s how you get great feedback. (Of course, I won’t tell them till we get on the sand.)

The title is the history of the St. Louis Cardinals but I think I told you all that before. It was interesting looking up the information. Some I knew, some I didn’t. It’s been fun though. After that, there isn’t much to say. Nothing else is really going on so you’ll have to be satisfied with what I have. Ta Ta!!!

I took a stroll through Riverside Park today and decided to try this shot. It isn't perfect, but it is a cool spot to sit and take in the view.

I’m not sure how I feel about the ending for Lost. Richard said they were dead. But he claimed they were in the wrong place. What does it all mean? Here’s my take on the whole show and one scene on the last episode is what I’m hanging my thoughts on.

I think the scene with Jack and Rose on the plane says it all. We see the turbulence begin and then we hear Rose, “You can let go now”. Camera is on Jack. Again, “You can let go now”. Finally Jack looks up and then we see Rose saying, “You can let go now”.

My theory is simple. They died when the plane crashed. Jack’s father told him the world Jack knew of was his and his friends’ way of coming to grips with their own deaths. There is no time frame as it is relative. It could be a nanosecond or many years. To them it did not matter. We know that a large number of them were on the plane as we have been reminded over and over again throughout the series.

The ones who were there in the final episode that we know were not on the plane, could be their loved ones from any time in their lives. There is no way to tell how long the Oceanic passengers were on the island (or the waiting room as I call it). It could have been decades. The ones who showed up in the church at the end could have been waiting for some time or for just a moment. Who knows? I don’t think we’ll ever know what the writer’s intended.

This photo was taken by me 26 years ago. It is one of my all time favorites.

This little girl is so photogenic. It's no wonder her mom takes all kinds of pictures of her. I took this one at Easter right before the egg hunt.

It's a nice, soft, color.

Cari has challenged me to find 5 of my favorite photos to post. That may be difficult to do, but I'll do my best.

And there they are! My kids! Awesome aren't they?




This is typical Amanda. Look at that face!




These are my Little Leaguers!




This one is self explanatory. It's Russ!




I love this one of Cari.



Now 5 things about me.

1. I hate humidity! Everyone who knows me knows that.
2. I love fried pork chops and mashed potatoes.
3. Laundry is the devil in my book.
4. I am a book hoarder. Censorship is evil.
5. I would LOVE to go on an Antarctic cruise.

I'm supposed to challenge other people to do this, but I really don't know anyone else but the person who challenged me. LOL!

I got my blogs mixed up today. There is another photo on cwitgotoday with another photo whose theme is white. This is a sentimental entry for me.

This theme of this challenge is "white". I chose a snow white in the hopes our temperatures will cool down by this weekend. I took this several years ago in Wyoming. It's one of my favorite places on earth.

I know I run the risk of alienating some people; I have to speak my piece. The recent decisions made by the Texas Board of Education are absolutely unconscionable. Words have been changed, history has been rewritten, and our largest growing ethnic demographic has been dismissed.

They have removed Thomas Jefferson from the list of writer’s who have influenced our nation’s intellectual origins because he was a deist and felt that separation of church and state was necessary. I believe our first amendment states we are to have a choice of religion or how to worship and not be persecuted for the choice we make. Need I remind everyone that he wrote the Declaration of Independence!?!?

Ralph Nader and Ross Perot will not be mentioned in our political teachings even though Ralph Nader is widely regarded as having changed the outcome of the Gore and Bush presidential race, giving Bush the win. In addition, they are touting General Stonewall Jackson, the confederate leader, as a role model for more effective leadership. Does anyone down there realize he lost the war?

Another offensive direction they took is dismissing the influence that Hispanics have in our society. They are the fastest growing segment of our population and have been so for many years. This does go hand in hand with their decision to only include country and western music as a cultural movement. They completely left out hip hop and Latin influenced music. Because of these decisions, they have effectively made a statement that is against the majority of their own residents. Am I the only one who thinks this smells racial?

The Texas Board of Education needs to get their heads out of the sand. Their actions show a narrow-mindedness we haven’t seen since Senator Joe McCarthy sat in his seat in our nation’s capitol.

This week's challenge is yellow. I took a few of those over the last few weeks. Have fun with it.

There isn’t much to talk about today. I worked on some homework, took a couple of quizzes, and submitted a final paper. That has pretty much kept me on the computer all day. I still have to give a speech by the end of this week. It is an informative speech so I had to choose something I found interesting. In honor of Dad, I am speaking about the history of his favorite baseball team, the Cardinals.

I found some interesting information that I hope will make the speech. For those of you who know, (Russ), I have seen Bob Gibson pitch, Joe Torre catch, and Ozzy Smith field some crazy hops at shortstop. I’ve even seen an all out brawl at home plate. All of it happened in the old Busch Stadium.
I am glad they decided to keep the new stadium in the same area. If they moved it elsewhere and made it easier to find, then parents with young children coming from eastern Illinois would not be able to get lost in St. Louis. Some dads just always seem to get lost. You know, the areas your mother says you need to keep your doors locked and the windows up even in August when you have no air conditioning in the car. (Like they couldn’t break the windows, but we were safe. Comment made with heavy sarcasm). Thanks Mom!

So there’s my day. Not much is going on.

I had fun that day taking some building shots. It isn't what I normally do, but I thought these were different.

I took Braedon to the boat yesterday. He got to climb up on top of the boat this time and he just had a blast with that. The most fascinating part for him though, is that he can fit between the rail and the wall. I don’t know how many times he ran up and down the boat like that. He’s so funny. Then he pretended he was driving the boat. He keeps asking when we can go out again.

The update on the boat is that the floor is now in. No floor covering, mind you, but you can now stand in every part of the boat. That is a major accomplishment considering it wasn’t there just a week ago. Next up are the walls. That won’t take as long, so maybe soon.

I know this is short, but I am attempting to finish a Power Point presentation that introduces me. Can you imagine having to introduce me? I can’t and that is why I’m having so many issues. Wish me luck!

I missed this one yesterday. It's an edited version of the other one I posted and I like this closer shot. Looks like fun!

The folks at sweetsavingsincolorado.blogspot.com wanted us to submit our favorite saying today. This one reminds me of Amanda. She really lived it. "When I get to the end of my life I want to know I didn't just live the length of it. I want to know I lived the width of it as well." (Diane Ackerman)

Even though it was rather cloudy today, this photo did not turn out too badly. The shadows beneath him I found intriguing.

This was my entry for a contest I was told about. Just wanted to share it with everyone.

I thought I would do something a little different with today's photo. This was taken with my phone. I have an HTC Hero with a 5mp camera. I don't take too many with it, but this one was special. It was done at Halloween last year and I call her "Freaky Doll". Apparently she's creepy to others.