Odds and ends

Happy Summer Solstice!   Lots of hours of sun today for those of us who need that bright star in the sky to keep than energized.   I sure do.  I think I could get used to the long hours of sun in Alaska this time of the year but not the days of dark.

Peach season has started here in SC.   I heard SC produces more peaches than the Peach State Georgia.  I have already bought them twice.  YUM YUM.   We were in FL last year for peach season so missed it here.  I am really looking forward to all the different kinds of peaches that are available most of the summer.  Got my first tomatoes off my heirloom tomato plant this weekend and was really disappointed.   Didn’t taste like much at all.   Will try leaving them on the vine longer and see if that makes a difference.  My 12 oriental lilies on the side of the house are as tall as I am.  I have never seen them bloom and am really excited.   Looks like it will still be 1-2 weeks yet before they bloom.  They have buds.

We did have on catastrophe while we were on vacation.  After about the first week our freezer, full to the brim with meat and seafood, went out.  What a stinking mess.  Bless Bob, he did the worst of the clean up.  I couldn’t stand the smell.  This last week I have been trying to deoderize the freezer.  First washed with soda water, then sprayed with bleach water, then sprayed with soda water.  Shut door.   Not deoderized.  Filled freezer with damp crushed newspaper and pans of soda and left for a few days.  A little better.   Left open for a day, a little better.   Today I put in pans of  activated charcoal and turned it on.  Cross your fingers for me that it is ok when I go down to check it out.

After 8 weeks of class to build a workbench and another 3 weeks of fiddling with the workbench diagram and watching various videos on how to use tools, Bob went today to really build his workbench down at the Woodworkers Guild.  He is really nervous about doing it, especially the mortice and tendon connections on the legs.  It will have a real butcher block type top so he has to make that from individual pieces of wood.   Hope all goes well.

Alaska Part One

After several years of discussing and researching this trip and trying to decide if we wanted a cruise and land trip or land trip only, we finally made the decision for  9 day land trip organized by Furman University.  Furman and Greg Cornwell our escort and naturalist took care of everything.  All we did was show up when we were supposed to.  No hassel checking in and out of hotels, no  standing in line to get tickets, no moving luggage, no being lost, no driving for Bob – it was painless and while still the most expensive vacation ever, we thought a good value.  It was also a VERY busy schedule.  More than Bob or I would ever have done on our own but that’s ok.  If we are going 4500 miles each way  we should see the sights. 

Link to photos is at the end of this post.  We also took movies but haven’t had a chance to look at those yet.    Hope they have more wild life pictures.

We traveled with 20 other people, mostly our age and a very nice group they were.   No jerks, loudmouths or latecomers.   We had good weather, around 65, and good food which surprised me.  Of course beautiful mountains and wildlife.  The down side was everything was expensive.  Gas was $1 more a gallon than SC.  I just kept telling myself they pay more for gas, ship lots of stuff in and have only about 100 day tourist season to make all their income for the year.  Fay, get over $50 for a couple glasses of wine and a snack.  It’s only money!

On Saturday June 5 we left from Charlotte NC airport (1 1/2 hours from our house) and flew to Philadelphia and then 8 hours to Anchorage arriving at 9 p.m. Alaska time or 1 a.m. SC time .  Two movies on the plane helped the time pass quicker than I expected.  The four hour time change was something we never completely adjusted too.   The first few days were really hard plus 22 hours of sunlight.   I could get to like that.  Had a glass of wine and deep fried halibut appetizer (YUM YUM) and tried to get a good nights sleep.  Hiltons have the BEST beds and pillows.

On Sunday we boarded a domed top  train to go to Denali National Park, about 6 hours on the train.   We were fortunate enough to be part of the 20% of people who see Mt. McKinley or Denali.  Hard to believe 20, 232 ft. of mountain can hide but it does most of the time.  It’s 100 sq mile foot print and height let it create it’s own weather which is usually lots of clouds. For breakfast I had eggs with a side of reindeer sausage and for lunch a very good seafood chowder.  Seats were  comfortable, view beautiful.

Getting comfortable on the train.

Mt. McKinley or Denali from the train

We learned much about climbing the mountain.   There are about 1200 climbers a year in the summer and about half make it to the top.   It takes 2-3 weeks.  They have to camp and acclimate to the climate with about half  the oxygen and also may have snow storms that stop them for days.  In Telketeena where the climbers prepare it was 65 degrees and by the time you get 17,000 ft. up at night it is -5 degrees at this time of the year and that’s still 3000 ft. from the top.  A climber died while we were there so a very dangerous sport.  A guide gets about $6000 to take you up plus all your other costs and gear and time off work.   This will not be my next adventure.

Another beautiful view from the train

One thing that was surprising was that I thought the runoff water from the glacier would be sparkling clear but it is really filled with silt and very muddy and fish can’t live in it.   You can sort of see this in the photo below.

After 7 hours on the train we were ready to spend a couple nights at McKinley Chalet Resort. Some of the group went for a hike but we were tired.  Took a nap and had a glass of wine and another bowl of seafood chowder for dinner and then tried to sleep.   Remember, it is 11 p.m. and still full sun and this room didn’t have such good black out shades.  Tomorrow a 12 hour trip into Denali National Park.  Looking forward to wild life.

Here is a link to a photo album and later posts will give you more details.

Shoeless Joe Jackson and new friends

Friday Bob and I went with a Greenville Newcomers group to visit the Shoeless Joe Jackson Museum here in Greenville.   Joe was from here.   He started working in the textile mills at age six so had no education and never learned to read and write.   His wife taught him how to paint his signature.   He was big for his age and as a teenager he joined the men’s mill baseball team and the rest is history.  In 1921, Shoeless Joe Jackson was banned from baseball due to his alleged involvement in the Black Sox scandal of 1919. But for nearly 85 years, fans have argued as to whether or not the White Sox legend truly deserves such a stiff penalty, especially when he was acquitted by a judge of any wrong doing.  Here is the official website.

http://www.shoelessjoejackson.com/

The museum is the house he and his wife lived in, not large, but if you are a baseball fan you will find plenty to keep you interested.   What Bob found interesting is that one of Joe’s baseball bats was sold for over $500,000.  That’s not a typo.  Unbelievable.  After the tour we went to the Mellow Mushroom Pizza Restaurant for lunch.  A large fun, funky place with cool murals on the walls.

Last night, Saturday, we were invited over for a picnic dinner to Al and G. Ann’s house, a couple who live very nearby and we met through Greenville Newcomers.   They are from Washington State. G. Ann and I are on the Newcomers board.  We had a wonderful dinner and great conversation.

Weather is very hot here, well over 90 every day with low around 70 at night and also quite humid.  Bob and I are having some trouble getting adjusted to that.   He mows the lawn over two days, it’s just to hot to do it all at once.  Hope we get a break pretty soon.

Happy Fathers Day

Happy Fathers Day to all the dads, step dads, grandfathers, significant others who are playing such an important role in raising our next generation.  As I grow older I continue to realize all the values my own dad taught me.  I sure do miss him.

Here is a photo I took this morning of our two little ones up to no good. Seems Bob’s dirty socks were a good plaything for Sabrina while Smoky hid out in the waste basket.

I have been sleeping in the guest room the last couple nigfgts because my cold is giving me coughing fits and wakes Bob up.  That’s why no photos from the Alaska trip.   All I want to do is sleep.  Anyway, Smoky had other ideas this morning.   I was sound asleep and at 6 a.m. I feel this cold nose butting my head.   He really had a case of the cuddles.   He couldn’t get enough attention.  It’s so cute I couldn’t be mad at him.   Sabrina has been more quiet at night since we got home so we have had them upstairs all  night.  Don’t know if that will last or not.

I have never seen two cats so affectionate with each other.   Where ever Smoky is sleeping Sabrina needs to find him and cuddle up.   Yesterday I saw them sleeping laying face to face on the bed with their little paws around each others neck.

They continue to love to hang out in the computer room on the desk with Bob and I.   Let me tell you, two cats, two humans and two laptops plus lots of little things to knock over on the desk keep us on our toes.  Right now Sabrina is playing on the floor with the pill bottle she knocked off the desk.  Everything is a plaything!

North to Alaska

As you read this I am just returning from 9 days in Alaska.  What a fantastic trip.   Mountains, wild life (moose, bear, sheep, fox, eagles), marine life, plants, history, native American culture, glaciers, Mt. McKInley and lots of time on busses and domed trains.  The four hour time change was really tough to get used to.  The 20 hourse of sunshine not so hard.  We had pretty good weather and a great bunch of people to travel with.   Our guide Greg was great and took such good care of us.   Food, while expensive, was VERY good.   We ate something with reindeer or seafood almost every meal.  In the days ahead I will have lots of pictures and stories for you.  Until then here is 20,330 ft. Mt. McKinley.  We were among the 20% who did see the whole mountain.   It is so big it creates it’s own weather and most of the time is hidden by clouds.   It was awesome.

A pile of cats or my yinyang photo

I’ve mentioned before that Sabrina and Smoky really love each other.  Here is a picture of them curled up together on the chair.  It reminded me of the yinyang symbol.

I’m still here and doing great

I know it’s been awhile since my last post.   Just wanted you to know we are well but very busy having fun.   We had company for two weekends and then our usual list of fun events.  I think this photo says much about what it is like when you come to visit.  We just put our chairs by the side of the road and had a picnic lunch along with a bottle of wine.  What a view!   I think both couples that visited were pretty impressed with all there is to do.

Bob and I took an all day wood turning class and so are pretty pumped about getting busy with turning again.  New web site will be up in a couple weeks and you will see a couple new items we have added.

With our company new places we visited were two plantation homes near here, the visitor center at the Blue Ridge Parkway and for Bob the NC arboretum was a new visit.  One of our visitors really likes boiled peanuts!  With local friends we went to a presentation on personal safety and an outdoor concert at Furman Univ.

Kitties are as playful and loving as always.  Smoky has his stuffy nose back so another round of antibiotics.   Seems better.   We tried a shot this time which while more expensive is sure easier than two treatments of meds a day and the level stays more even in his system.  He walked across keys sitting on the desk and unknown to us pushed the button on the car key chain that set the house alarm system so a little later when Bob opened a door the alarm went out.   Took us awhile to figure out how it got set.   Here is a photo of him helping me sort my greeting cards.  How could you not love this little guy?

Sabrina continues to wake us up at 4:30 a.m. so the two kitties sleep in the lower level hobby room.  A very comfortable large space with kitty beds, another litter box and of course FOOD   for them and a good nights sleep for us.  They are both lap cats and “hold me” cats.  Smoky especially will crawl up in my arms to be cuddled.

Weather is in the high 80′s so moving slow when outside.  Don’t know if that is normal for this time of year or not.  More company coming the end of July, concerts, wood turning, outdoor concerts and chataqua events coming up as well as great farmers market and lots of local festivals. Still find time for a nap most afternoons.