Just Don't Smoke

I have a fellow classmate from high school who has been diagnosed with lung cancer. She has been very candid on Facebook about her condition and her treatments. Today I read her blog, "Just Don't Smoke". You can read it too by clicking on the title. Molly will tell you all that she has gone through in the past 9 months since learning that she had lung cancer. It will break your heart and it will educate you. She will tell you what it is like to not want to eat, to be sick for weeks on end and to depend on others for everything. Today she is a survivor. Listen to what Molly has to say.

Summer Vacation

I love road trips. Well, I did until yesterday when we returned from a long trip to Texas. It was a great trip....I just got tired of the riding. Can't really complain about the driving as Kirby did most of it. But, it really was a fantastic trip to visit friends and family. We left about 5 AM on Thursday and returned 8 days later. The majority of our time was spent in San Antonio with Ray and Lucy, our long time friends from boating days.

We really enjoyed downtown San Antonio with the river walk and all the Mexican markets and we especially loved all the great Mexican food that we had. We just can't get it like that here in Charleston and really miss it. I know - it is bad for us but we don't do it often!!

Our first day downtown we went to the Farmer's Market and then toured the new area of the river which our friend Cullen had designed - so we had a great tour since he was narrating for us! And then we returned on our last day and did the old town section of the river. Both are fantastic!

We also visited the cute little town of Gruene (prononced "Green"). I thoroughly enjoyed watching the river rafters coming down the Gruene River. And we had dinner at the Gristmill River Restaurant in New Braunfels.


We enjoyed visiting with Mac and Consuelo who now live in New Braunfels and also Marjorie and Luigi in their new home in San Antonio. We were so fortunate to be able to spend time with people who have meant so much to us.

From San Antonio we drove east to Houston to visit with Virginia - also a former cruiser that we had met in Mexico years ago. She and Jay were in Mazatlan on their 53' sailboat when we met them. Later we all spent a lot of time together when they built a home just south of San Diego on the beach and we were living in San Diego. Virginia has recently moved to the Houston area to be near her family. (She is family to us!!)
The next day we drove on east to Pensacola to visit my Aunt Lee and her family. My cousins Mike and Lori were there and I hadn't seen them in years and years so it was a wonderful reunion!

4th of July in the Hood

We had a really good time at the 4th of July celebration here in the "Hood". This little guy was celebrating and volunteered to be "sent to the moon"! On the second mail box blow up he finally made it! What we did was remove the real mailbox, replace it with a cheapie one and then blow it up. Then I was unsatisfied so they reconstructed it and put Mr. Frog onboard and did it again. It was great fun and I know...we are sick but did I ever say we weren't??

Senor Froggie

Ready for Blast-Off!

I think Senor Froggie had too much fun!

Some of the kids had their own party!

Christie (daughter)

"The Group!"

Kirby (husband)

Jake was very traumatized as were all the dogs.

Casey (grandson)

Brendan (grandson)

Yea!! We had sparklers!

We had so much food as I am sure everyone did! And the fireworks provided were just the best....always are! Phil and Michael came through with the best and the kids did a great job of orchestrating the whole thing! Thanks everyone for a great time!

Sculling

Kirby and I went to the local park yesterday for breakfast. If you have never enjoyed a breakfast picnic, you must try it. The day is fresh and cool and the colors wonderful. We had a little corner to ourselves and then took a walk over to the dock to see what was going on. We arrived just in time to watch the launching of a scull. I asked if I could take pictures (of course I had my camera!) and he didn't mind so what you are going to see here is his launch and then the beauty of sculling on one of our beautiful back creeks. Remember, you can click on the pictures to see the larger version.




He said is name was either Randall or Rando. I hope he finds this website so he can see the pictures I took.

Plantations!

In case you can't tell, I have become very involved in my 365 Project which you can see on the right at the top of this page. It consumes me and I have less and less time for my blog. I feel badly but I love photography so much that I have become addicted to this project.

Dave and Marcia came to visit last week from Seattle. Kirby met them about a hundred years ago and they have stayed in touch. We have been able to get together just a couple times over the past 10 years. We enjoyed their visit to Charleston so much and hope they will come back for more real soon!This beautiful Peacock was hiding in the bushes and DID NOT want to move, he was so hot. I got really close and he just sat there suffering in the heat!

Remember that you can click on any picture to enlarge it!

We had so much fun taking picture of the egret.
Discussion on which trail to take next!
Love, love love this picture of Kirby!

Marcia with the hydrangea!
Dave and Kirby taking a break.

Our Whirlwind Weekend

Ryan traveled from San Diego and we didn't stop from the moment he arrived until he departed. Thursday morning he, Christie and I headed off to the beach with my two yellow granddogs.

Click on pictures to enlarge

After lunch we took Ryan to Daniel Island to show him Christie and Michael "new house". Constructions is about to begin!! We got a little carried away exploring on Daniel Island and showing him around - so we didn't have a whole lot of time to prepare for Thursday night's graduation. We had dinner at a South Carolina Mexican restaurant. It wasn't too bad considering where we are! Then it was off to the coliseum to watch grandson Casey and over 700 young people graduate high school! In this picture - Casey and his girlfriend, Callie - both graduates now!
We were up way too late that night - it was back to the house for desert and "Presents"! Always the best part of graduating, right? Friday morning we headed out to Magnolia Plantation and Gardens - this time to tour just the Swamp Garden.

The most exciting part of the day was the VERY large alligator that was about to cross our paths but fortunately we noticed that the log looked a lot like an alligator. After much talk, yelling and excitement, the boys threw some pebbles at him which encouraged him to go back in the water! Thankfully none of the dogs wanted to play with him!
Kirby was the good guy and carried water for the dogs.
Friday night we had a barbecue and then played "Apples to Apples". Miss Photographer forgot to take pictures!

Saturday morning we were up and out early to Cypress Gardens. Wow, what a bargain! We toured the gardens, had a picnic, went out into the swamp in canoe like boats, visited the butterfly house and then watched a very large alligator have a rabbit for dinner. Ryan, Brendan, Michael, Casey and Kirby

The boys tried to upset some bats but nothing happened. Darn!


And a good picture of my favorite man!!

Ryan's Here

Click on pictures to enlarge.

Graduation for grandson number two is tonight and "Uncle" Ryan flew in last night. Christie, Brendan and I met him at the airport and went directly to Wild Wings where Kirby, Michael, Casey and Callie met us for dinner.

This is Casey and his girlfriend, Callie. I didn't get good pictures of anyone else. Later. Off to a beach walk now.

Piccolo Spoleto Festival - Charleston

Yesterday we were downtown when the Piccolo Spoleto Arts and Crafts Fair opened. We love going but a main attraction this year was a friend's booth in the Crafts Fair. Phil had been working evenings and weekends making wonderful wooden boxes. He uses woods from all over the world to make his little boxes. One particular box had at least 7 different woods in it!
There are so many wonderful objects d' art that one can go crazy IF one has money to spend! Alas - we didn't have that problem! So I just took pictures so that we can keep the memory of all the wonderful things we didn't buy!

The hand blown glass bowls were over $1,000 each but so beautiful!

On my 365 project the theme this week is Shadows. I thought these shadows were wonderful and all together make a great picture.

We decided to "buy" this one! It would look very nice in our living room!

We had seen things similar to this in Mexico but never up this close. They were amazing. Just look at the detail in all these dead people! Each of these figures is only about one inch high. I don't know how this is done but I love it. They were made by Indians in the Andes.
We really wanted this picture also. It is just so southern - so lowcountry. White Roe Shrimp season begins tomorrow in South Carolina!! Yea! I have missed my shrimp!
And these are Didgeridoos!! They are a wind instrument developed by Indigenous Australian about 1500 years ago. That is one old instrument. It makes sort of an eeire sound but we liked it! I wanted one of those too but I know myself....I wouldn't learn to play it!

And in honor of all our beer drinking friends - I took this picture for you but it was VERY expensive so I didn't buy it for you!