He loves me, he loves me not....

FRIDAY FRAGMENTS

The February issue of MY TEXAS LIFE is online. Some 'hearty' recipes this month!! View by using the sidebar link.

What a terrific book I just finished reading! [THE WINDOWS OF HEAVEN authored by Ron Rozelle] So filled with a personal view [tho fiction, but based on factual events] on the historic Texas Catastrophic Hurricane of 1900!

Still, today [2012]....This event holds the record as the United States' deadliest natural disaster.

From the beginning to the ending epilogue, it was profound, poignant, and oh so intimate...an imaginary step back in time, and what the people of 1900 Galveston Island went through on the fateful Saturday in September when a catastrophic hurricane pummeled the area with destructive winds, rain, and the ferocious Gulf Waters and floods. Families, two orphanages, houses...etc. Background stories of the citizens' efforts to stay alive, while still the author gives a 'human' perspective of their lives. From the two weathermen of that time, to the rich and very poor. Outstanding!! And the epilogue [I rarely take time to read an epilogue]...but this book, I didn't want to see it end, it was that extreme...the epilogue has a modern day NASA weatherman traveling to Galveston and just viewing in his mind what it would have been like some 100+ years ago. I rarely do continued research after reading a novel, but this book had me online several days, searching for answers and images!! Read it if you can. It's well worth finding it and adding it to your 'to read list'.



















IMAGES OF THE AFTERMATH -found online

We tried CiCi's Pizza for the very first time ever... this week; not bad. I really liked their Spinach/Romano Cheese pizza. And their salad buffet was really cold, fresh and crispy!! Oh, and need I mention the dessert bar? Whoa...Boston Cream Pizza? Yep, according to Bud I should try it..."it's super"...as he goes back for seconds in that department, lol!! I had one slice of Pepperoni, the Spinach Romano pizza -one slice. A large bowl of pasta/chicken/vegetable soup, a huge salad with three different lettuces/red cabbage/baby carrots/grape tomatoes/red onion/black olives...topped with light Italian dressing and garlic croutons. Along with the salad I grabbed and added to my plate two garlic bread sticks. I had no dessert, but Bud made up for what I didn't take. He doesn't gain an ounce and can eat anything in front of him!!

Valentine's Day is coming ever so quickly! I love red, so this is another good holiday to decorate the home with hearts and love. I didn't do much, but had to have something: valentine's ribbon, glass hearts, ladybug hi-ball glasses, mice in love, and red candles [can't see the candles but the silver candle holders], and red shredded foil [all on the fireplace mantel], the living room coffee table, and not to forget the dining room table---


...the fireplace



...on the coffee table




...the dining room centerpiece

connected to: Friday Fragments [linked button at BOTTOM of blog]

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PHOTO ART FRIDAY

I took this image of a wildflower [sunflower] that I posted on my Monday's blog for Mellow Yellow and macro Monday---Making it aged newspaper. The steps I used in PaintShop Pro were: "pastel" 2] "colored edges" 3] "aged" 4] "picture frame preset" 5] aged again 6] then, added the gold title plate with "FADED GLORY" with these results:





connecting to: PHOTO ART FRIDAY meme


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FRIDAY FAVORITES

This painting has been a favorite of mine for a long long time. As a youngster, the image was framed and hanging on the municipal's library wall....it reminded me of my grandparents, even tho my own grandparents don't even come close to physical features in this painting--I don't know why, but it just did. Then, as I grew older and had two children of my own, I saw it again, and told Erik and Irene that 'once it reminded me of grandpa and grandma but now it reminds me of my folks, YOUR grandparents'. Well, just a few years back, Erik came to visit us from Houston for the weekend, and he had in his car's trunk a surprise wrapped in brown paper. When he got it into the house he handed it over to me and I tore the papering off, only to find that he found the print and had it framed....Keeping for the theme of Valentine's as I have with hearts and flowers today, I thought this would be a perfect time to share it. Of course, it's on the fireplace wall surrounded by the silver candle holders, I mentioned above, with red candles. The painting is titled THIS IS MY LOVE and the artist is Leslie Emery. Painted in 1950 [I was one year old]. It is a gift and wonderful gesture from Erik, that I will treasure, I hope, for years to come...




connecting to:




Further Reading:

GALVESTON TEXAS 1900 HURRICANE RECOVERY

From another site GALVESTON ISLAND FACTS, it stated:

The Cold Facts of the Great Galveston Hurricane
Estimated Maximum Wind Speed: 120 mph The official anemometer blew away after recording a sustained
wind speed of 84 mph and gust of 102 mph.
Estimated Storm Surge: 15 to 20 ft Galveston's highest point stood
only 8.7 feet above sea level.
The storm surge occurred at high tide.
Estimated Saffir-Simpson Category: Category 4
Estimated Dead: 8,000 -- 6,000 in Galveston + 2,000 in surrounding area (Some place the figure as high as 12,000).
Estimated Number of Homes Destroyed: 3,600-plus in Galveston.
Estimated Total Damage: $25 to 50 million (in 1900 dollars);
$500 million to $1 billion (in 2003 dollars)

YOU TUBE VIDEO OF "after" DESTRUCTION

RELATED ORPHANAGE VIDEO