§ Sparkling Bay...

Spring is springing!!! Corpus Christi is nicknamed the Sparkling City by the Bay. I have to admit that the sparkling Gulf was a great attraction many years ago, before we retired and were trying to decide where to relocate to get out of the long, drug out winters of Colorado. We chose our first new location in the Sonoran Desert of the Southwest. Bud and I didn't want Phoenix [too populated and air quality left a lot to be desired]. We chose Tucson Arizona. I loved the desert and still do. But coming from Colorado where the air is dry for the most part, Arizona's Monsoon season was too much. The older we got, the less tolerant of the "dry heat" [truly a misnomer for the monsoon season where it's 120 degrees [real thermometer reading!] and the humidity is 100 per cent for months!]. On a whim, I said to Bud, "Let's move to the beach". We put our home in Tucson on the market and before the year was out, we sold it and moved to the Sparkling City by the Bay!!! Yes, it's humid here, and a bit unbearable in the summer months, but I can go to the beach!!!!!! And we do have a change of seasons more compared to the desert. Yes, there is the chance of hurricanes, but no matter where you live there is a chance of some dangerous weather pattern...blizzards, fires, tornadoes, to mention just a few. I can say property damages we have experienced in EACH state. [Colorado...high wind storms that toppled a couple of trees onto our house and it came right THRU the roof into two bedrooms!!  Imagine waking up in bed with all these huge limbs and leaves just inches above your head and ceiling plaster on your body and blankets!!  Not to forget many, many, blizzards where we were home-bound for weeks on end. Arizona...flooding and roof actually 'melting' in the heat!! And then, Hurricane Harvey here...fence damage] Weather! It's all part of life, no matter. For the most part tho, I can find a lot of 'sparkling' areas around town where the turquoise blue bay is always within my sights...

- - -

I must get out on the highways in search of some Texas Bluebonnets. [making a note to myself]. Walking along Nueces Bay the other day, I noticed the yuccas are now forming those beautiful waxy candelabras, and some wildflowers are exploding on the open areas by the sea...

....and yes, if you're curious, in High School [a job through school] I worked part time my junior and senior year, and then full-time up until Irene was born at a Chamber of Commerce as head receptionist and executive secretary to the Chamber's director..  So, write-ups [propaganda] like this selling point of the area where I live comes 'natural'.  lol

source for Sparkling City By the Bay 'brochure' is linked in text.

§ The Saga of Pepe, Luis, Bacon & Ham...with a Pinch of Desert

After reading this humorous tale of Pepe and Luis in the desert [story to follow my photo], I got to thinking of our time living in the desert. If anyone from the Chamber of Commerce in Arizona tells you, "But it's a dry heat" ...they haven't lived there in the summer during monsoon season. The actual temperature can be 80-90 degrees first thing in the morning and then, the monsoons of July-September creep up on you, with the humidity climbing by the minute as you breathe. The heat index can reach low to mid 120 degrees before the rains come....yes, humidity!!! Monsoon season in the Sonoran Desert can be lethal. But, all in all the desert and the mountains can be a beautiful, beautiful area to live. Other than the flooding rains, then it truly is a dry heat -Winter, Spring and Fall...Summer, not so much. Watch out and leave during June through September....or make sure you Air Conditioner is in prime shape both inside the house and in your vehicles. I also learned when driving in the summer, you want to slowly turn your A/C down in your car by distance intervals, before you get to your destination!!! 'Cause if you don't, and you step out of a cool/cold car, the outdoor furnace will put you into a coma!! [well that just may be an exaggeration, but heat is deadly y'know!!]

From a post of a decade ago, March 2007
a cached photo of the Saguaro Cactus in and around where we used to live...
...Tucson, Arizona
Now....the Story of Pepe and Luis...

Two Mexicans are stuck in the desert after crossing into the United States, wandering aimlessly and starving. They are about to just lie down and wait for death, when all of a sudden Luis says, “Hey Pepe, do you smell what I smell? Ees bacon, I theenk.”

“Si, Luis, eet sure smells like bacon.”

With renewed hope they struggle up the next sand dune, & there, in the distance, is a tree loaded with bacon.

There’s raw bacon, there’s fried bacon, back bacon, double smoked bacon … Every imaginable kind of cured pork.

“Pepe, Pepe, we ees saved. Ees a bacon tree.”

“Luis, maybe ees a meerage? We ees in the desert don’t forget.”

“Pepe, since when deed you ever hear of a meerage that smell like bacon…ees no meerage, ees a bacon tree.”

And with that, Luis staggers towards the tree. He gets to within 5 metres, Pepe crawling close behind, when suddenly a machine gun opens up, and Luis drops like a wet sock.

Mortally wounded, he warns Pepe with his dying breath, “Pepe… Go back man, you was right, ees not a bacon tree!”

“Luis, Luis MI amigo… What ees it? ”

“Pepe.. Ees not a bacon tree. Ees

Ees

Ees

Ees

Ees a ham bush.”

...the end...

§ A Sunday Stroll down Memory Lane...

A few days ago, while visiting with Mildred at Blackberry Lane, and one of her recent posts was titled POOCH PORCH. I read it in all its detail with great interest and got the idea to go out through the new Google Maps in beta and check out some of the areas of my history. I first went out to search for my "Nebraska Home". Altho, I didn't find the house my parents lived in when I was born, 'cause I didn't have any address other than the rural town in Nebraska.   Nor could I find my maternal grandparents' farm in an area close to another  rural community outside Lincoln.  Relatives that would know to help me with addresses are all now deceased.  And my sister wasn't home to answer the phone so I could ask her if she remembered the street. Alas. But, trust me, I could drive to the grandparents' farm and my parents' home in the adjoining small community in my sleep!!  So, I did the next best thing.  I began my journey of reminiscing, taking me to Lincoln, Nebraska. Now in Lincoln, I started Kindergarten. So sometime after my birth and the first day of school for me, mom and dad moved to the city. I found my home in Lincoln [first photo]...

Then, I took one more step and clicked back to the search bar and typed in my school. It was just blocks away from the house shown above. And I walked. Even crossing a very busy street to get there. At the ripe ol' age of 5!!! {my folks wouldn't allow me to do that in today's times if I were young again.}...

...my father's sister, my aunt Mary, also lived in Lincoln. And I had to do a search for her home too. She had three boys, my cousins, Jim, Jerry and Carl. In this house, there are some very good memories!! I used to spend a lot of time at Aunt Mary's. A lot of times, by myself with her...she always said to me that I was her 'adopted daughter' since she had no girls of her own. Mary also had twin boys that died in infancy. My uncle, Mary's husband, was a World War II veteran who was wounded over the English Channel...he was a 'belly gunner' in a B-17. The plane, shot down over the channel, was near Norwich England at the time. Eventually, he died of his wounds, but not before I got to know him well; tho he was a quiet Southern gentleman from Louisiana. I can still hear him speak with his drawl and easy way of things. When I'd stay there for days, and sleep overs, my room was in the upstairs area...the window to the left!! I can also remember what a good cook she was...and learned a lot from her in my older, teen years when we'd go back to Nebraska from Colorado, visiting with them all. Ohhhhhhhhh, what a glorious time. There was always laughter to be heard, the wonderful aromas from the kitchen, day and night, and the yard was filled with the sweet scent of roses, and in my mind's eye today,  I can still see the filled feeders for the Cardinals and Blue Jays in the back yard!!

My father's work ethics and reputation of doing better than most was noted. Even far away from Nebraska, into Colorado. A large company in Colorado contacted my father and gave him an incentive that he couldn't refuse, both financially, a temporary home available to reside before my parents could find and purchase a home of their own... and the proximity of the Colorado Rocky Mountains that by the time summer came along of my first year attending school, we packed everything we owned and played the nomads!! We relocated to Colorful Colorado!! The state, at the time, was famous in our family for the crisp cool nights...even in the summer!! Getting away from the high heat and insufferable summer humidity 'cause Lincoln is so near many tributary rivers and the large Platte River. In September of 1956, beginning grade one for me, we moved into this home seen here. Not long after living here until just after Christmas our first year in Colorado, we began our living properly, in the foothills. Lived there for decades. The house, I tried to do a Google Map Search and found only pine trees and a long driveway obscuring the view. So, gave up on that one.

Eventually, with time, I grew up, graduated, married; Bud and I had a house built for us after our two kids were born. Lived in the same town as where my parents lived since 1956, until Bud and I decided we had enough of the cold, long, snowy winters that lasted 6 months or better out of the year and retired to Arizona. The white hot skies of summer...no, year 'round!! became a bore. We both wanted a coastal community with the salt air and sea breezes that lull us into a tranquil state of mind, and a mild temperate change of seasons instead of the hot or hotter seasons of AZ. You know just what I mean, right? The sound of the surf, the salt air, the never ending beaches, and a locality that is close enough from the beach to not have the full brunt of the water surge in case of a hurricane hitting [fingers crossed]. For me, it's been a blissful time here. Not as culturally 'sound' as the state of Colorado...not much to do for seniors like Arizona [a retiree state] --- but the pluses outweigh the negatives in both Colorado and Arizona. Texas is a GRAND state to live in...they treat you right here!! As the saying goes: "I wasn't born here, but I got here as quickly as I could."




PS...now that both Bud and I have become avid bird watchers, the coastal area we live in is a haven for birding!! This area is known world-wide for its species of migrating bird paths where they tend to 'stop over' on their Spring or Winter migrations! Also take note....this week at "I'd Rather B Birdin'" [my bird photo blog] has our experience of viewing American's tallest land bird in the wild....WHOOPING CRANES. I provide a link at the top of my blog posts for each week's photo presentation...this week, the cranes!!

§ Buy me some peanuts!!

1927 Version

Nelly Kelly loved baseball games,


Knew the players, knew all their names.
You could see her there ev'ry day,
Shout "Hurray"
When they'd play.
Her boyfriend by the name of Joe
Said, "To Coney Isle, dear, we'll go",
Then Nelly started to fret and pout,
And to him, I heard her shout:

HEY!!

Take me out to the ball game,

Take me out with the crowd;

Buy me some peanuts and Cracker Jack,
I don't care if I never get back.
Let me root, root, root for the home team,

If they don't win, it's a shame.
For it's one, two, three strikes, you're out,
At the old ball game.




* * *

1908 Version

Katie Casey was baseball mad,
Had the fever and had it bad.
Just to root for the home town crew,

Ev'ry sou1
Katie blew.
On a Saturday her young beau
Called to see if she'd like to go
To see a show, but Miss Kate said "No,
I'll tell you what you can do:"
note: from wikipedia---The term "sou", now obscure, was at the time common slang for a low-denomination coin. In French the expression 'sans le sou' means penniless. Carly Simon's version, produced for Ken Burns' 1994 documentary Baseball, reads "Ev'ry cent/Katie spent".

link to lyrics
link to youtube video
Images are one's I've posted many months ago. All in reference to baseball around AZ. and TX.






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§ At the Marina...

CONNECTING TO:



- - -

HODGEPODGE


1. February 22nd is National Be Humble Day...what makes you proud? What keeps you humble? I think I can answer this quite simply...one word for both pride and humble ---FAMILY.

2. Where is the catch-all (aka dumping ground) in your house? I don't have a 'catch-all' except for a 'junk drawer'. And when I want something out of the drawer, I usually have to dump its entirety out on the counter to find it.

3. Do you make it a point to visit State/National Parks when you travel or even in your own hometown? What's your favorite? Oh I've been to a few in my lifetime, and I'm sure I'll leave some out from memory but, here goes nuttin'...for instance, Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone [loved it long ago when it was 'pristine' --now with highways and overpasses it has become too 'citified'], Grand Tetons, Pawnee Grasslands, Rocky Mountain Nat'l Park, Sand Dunes, Bent's Fort, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Mesa Verde, Mount Vernon, Casa Grande, Organ Pipe Cactus, Cabrillo, USS Arizona Memorial on Oahu, Hawaii, I climbed to the top of Diamond Head, Iolani Palace, Pali Cliffs/Pali Highway, Just about EVERYWHERE in and around Washington, D.C., Lincoln's Home in/near Springfield, Antietam, Mark Twain & Hannibal Missouri, Fort Robinson, Battleship Texas, Big Bend, Goliad State Park, San Jacinto, [Home...Mustang Island], Appomattox, Arches, Badlands, Chimney Rock, Devil's Tower, Jean Lafitte, Jazz National Park, [Home...Padre Island Nat'l Seashore], Petrified Forest, Alamo, Shenandoah National Park, Tumacacori National Historical Park...to name some. But I must be honest, of all those listed above, the most impressive area of our country is our Nation's Capital. The mall, the Tidal Basin...everything that surrounds the historical area....because of the history!!! And as far as awe inspiring beauty two come to mind that just blew me away ----my favorite: THE GRAND CANYON [your first view as you drive beyond the park's entrance gate...it'll knock your socks off; one image in your mind you'll NEVER forget!! And the view, tho you may return to the same spot over and over - over the years, is ever-changing with shadows in just a few short seconds --and/or seasons!!] and the CHIRICAHUA NATIONAL MONUMENT [The hidden, lesser known area of Arizona for its huge monoliths..."kissing rock" is one of my favorites] --the canyon in the Northern part of Arizona and the National Monument in the southern part of Arizona. There is just something about the state of Arizona...the harsh landscape that just literally bursts into bloom and color after a rain, the weather, the people, the proximity of Old Mexico, the Old West, the cities, the culture. Oh ya...I forgot...the Saguaro National Park ---there is no place on earth quite like it. I LOVE it.



Grand Canyon, Arizona - spring, summer, autumn, winter


Chiricahua National Monument
[pronounced cheer eh CAW wah]

4. How would you define honor? Reputation...self respect and, in turn, respect of others.

5. Angel's food or Devil's food-which cake do you prefer? Never cared much for Devil's Food...I'm more an Angel Food [as in cake!!!]

6. What's the most recent road trip you've taken? Where did you go and how many hours did you spend in the car? Do you like to zoom to your destination without stopping or leisurely wind your way there with stops along the way? What is your car snack of choice? Other than day trips...it would be New Orleans over the past Thanksgiving week. I drove to Houston, Erik drove from there and back to Houston and around New Orleans...then, I drove from Houston back home. Hours? I have no idea --we stopped often as we always have...and snack? Water and Dark Chocolate Covered Raisinettes!!!

7. Recent headlines told how a preschool child in NC had their packed lunch from home taken away and a school lunch substituted by a school inspector who deemed the homemade lunch unhealthy. Reportedly the parent was then billed for the school lunch (chicken nugget meal) although an update to the story says the parent was not billed. The inspector was conducting a routine inspection of the classroom-he/she was not there solely to peek in the lunchboxes. The packed lunch contained a turkey and cheese sandwich, an apple juice box, a bag of chips, and a banana. Your thoughts? I think this country is becoming too much of a socialist country. How DARE they take food away and force the school's menu!!! It's outrageous. Just the other day I was reading where the U S government stopped an Amish family and the family's farm from selling raw milk...which to my understanding, they sold a LOT over the years without any government interference. Of course, I realize that there are a lot of illnesses that go with non-pasteurized dairy...but, people should have the right to consume it..it's their choice, isn't it? Now, all of a sudden? They force this family's business to stop and cease selling of their livelihood? This is ALL KINDS OF WRONG...how dare they dictate what people buy and consume!!!! I'm mad as hell!!!

8. Insert your own random thought here. Well, with the questions today, I think I'm plumb tuckered out to have any random thoughts, so that's my random thought. That's my final answer and I'm stickin' by it 100%. Well, wait a sec here....I see that Wednesday is 2/22/12 --Just think, if it was ten years from now, my post would be published on 2/22/22 at 2:22 a.m. See?-----I tuckered I tellya!!




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photos of Grand Canyon & Chiricahua Nat'l Monument
courtesy of Google Photo Search

§ Remember going to the Circus?.....

...and being a kid, you'd see one of the personnel walking around on stilts? Making themselves taller than anyone around the grounds, including the patrons. Like giants? I remember!!! Of course, I had to have my dad make me stilts, and I worked most of the summer one year, honing the skill of being able to balance myself and walk without creating scabby elbows and knees! LOL Unlike the circus dude, mine had handles [how did they ever accomplish this without handles?!!]---I did finally get the 'hang of it all', and I think I could wager any amount that I could still walk on stilts. At least I could pick up the action once again in no time. But now, the fear of broken bones keeps me from trying. Yep, that's my final answer, and I'm sticking to it!!!


[CLICK HERE TO JOIN]


SHADOW SHOT SUNDAY


While walking along the Marina one Sunday morning, early, I saw myself in shadow and it reminded me instantly of the stilt walkers........







SUNDAY'S SUMMARY


Well, my weight loss has been at a 'stand still' the last week. I've not gained pounds I have lost, but on the other hand, I've not lost any either. That's okay, I'm not gonna fret about it...life's too short. But I thought I'd share a couple of web sites that are continually part of my life these days. The first one, this LINK, will run you through some personal info, age, exercise, height, etc.....to find your optimum calories a day that you should use as a goal for maintaining weight [or weight loss] I log in each day to the latter one [just below a bit...keep reading] to keep track of what I'm consuming, and it tells me what nutrients that I'm ingesting are too low, good or too high...it really helps me figure out that tho I'm taking in the correct amount of calories for my age, my height, and my daily exercise regime [about 30 minutes a day, excluding my walking which has come to a halt except for when we mall walk]...I'm mostly getting enough fiber, but not enough carbohydrates, etc. You have to sign up for a free membership -giving your email, making up an user name, password, etc. But, for me, with the assistance they give to help with a 'guide line' in nutrient value [i.e., food log, calorie intake, activity log, recipes, forums, ideas, grading foods, etc. etc.!!]... signing up is highly recommended if your serious about healthy habits. HERE'S THE LINK The nutrient tools to work with in counting calories and the value of food intake is also a must along with calories, and exercise. Of course y'all know that already. For movies this week, we bought RANGO when it came out last week on DVD. Much cuter at home than when I saw it at the theater. And an old classic, The Hanging Tree, with Gary Cooper. I liked him when I was a teenager, and still do. Nice looking...for an old fart!! Even tho he is now long gone...I can see why women of my mother's generation swooned over him. Then...progress on my newest crochet project for Halloween: I've only found time to do a few rows so far [I had to rip out and begin anew because of my stupidity, actually. Don't ask!! LOL] But now that the stitch count is correct and everything is flowing smoothly, it'll be a lot easier. The pattern is actually one that I'm supposed to crochet in all one color [the entire block in green], then embroider with cross stitching the scene, I've been using the graph to just crochet a certain amount in green, dropping the green, and picking up the color needed as you can see in the photo...the white so far is skeleton legs. For the making of my large entree for the week to reheat, was meatballs [I made twenty small meatballs...cooked them, then reheated just a few for each meal] in marinara sauce served on hoagie buns with melted mozzarella cheese. Again, with the marinara sauce being better reheated. Served with mustard potato salad and tossed salad. For a light dessert [and cold, icy and refreshing] I tried to replicate one of our favorite fast food hang-outs that can only be found in Tucson, Arizona - EEGEES. They serve the best tasting fruit filled icy drinks...with a different flavor each month. My favorite was for the month of February [cherry cider with huge chunks of dark cherries]. But, for us this time, I made Lime "eegees" slushie. In a blender, mix equal parts of juice, flavored sherbet, and chopped ice. Blend until ice has become creamy. Simple. Scoop up into a large glass - eat with a spoon. Delicious on a hot, sultry, summer evening. Low in calories and the sherbet I use is fat free! For two large 12 oz. servings, I use equal amounts: TWO CUPS LIME JUICE [I use MinuteMaid], TWO CUPS Fat Free LIME SHERBET, and TWO CUPS ICE. Blend at low speed, maybe needing a 'stir' now and then to redistribute the ice chunks. Chopped fruit can also be added, limes [rind and all, with seeds taken out of course] The finished slush should be thick and scoopable as seen in the last photo!! Not runny...like an Italian Ice...and the best serving glass is the insulated kind to keep from melting too quickly. This summer, for afternoon treats while we play Trivial Pursuit or Scrabble, I've made us a few variations to this --Pomegranate/Raspberry, and Orange Dream...the first made with V8 Splash Pomegranate/Cherry bottled juice drink and raspberry sherbet [with canned dark cherries or frozen red raspberries if desired]. The orange with Orange Juice and orange sherbet [and orange slices, mixed in blender]. All refreshing, and delicious. About 200 calories per serving with no fat. Not too nutritional, but oh so good when it's hot outdoors. Great for Summer. And trust me, I've even emailed the headquarters of Eegee's Restaurants in Tucson to expand their franchises to Texas. To no avail. Bummed, I am. They have told me that they'll ship their products nation-wide, but just how they can ship their Italian Ices is beyond me. On the same subject, they have the best tasting deli ham sandwiches I've ever had. Let's see....it's about 900 miles to Tucson from here. I could be there for dinner if I left here around 2 a.m.!!!! OH....another thing that I worked on this past week...struggled on is more like it, but I finally figured it all out. I learned how to make my own smartphone ringtones. I saved 'em, and went to get 'em on my cellphone and the app for G-mail, I realized, did NOT have a download option. I diligently kept working on a 'fix' and went through my browser to my email...got it up on the phone and set it as my new ringtone. I love having my 'own' ringtones instead of the limited choices that come with the phones. I now have the THEME FROM NCIS. roflmao.

§ Annie ' s Song

Click button to Join

...a meme where you match photos to song lyrics



What better way to describe, in photos, the lyrics to this song, [LINK] Annie's Song by John Denver [LINK] He sang about Colorado a lot; where I grew up and raised my own family [over 40 years]. With the first photo being a photo of the beautiful white barked trees of the state's high country...Aspen. I decided to monotone in black and white this week. All photos are as follows: An aspen grove around Bear Lake, Colorado - me on the beach, raindrops added for effect - a huge saguaro cactus on a stormy day in the deserts surrounding Tucson, Arizona - and a gull flying above the sea here on Padre Island in Texas


You fill up my senses
like a night in the forest
like the mountains in springtime,


like a walk in the rain


like a storm in the desert,


like a sleepy blue ocean

you fill up my senses,
come fill me again.










PS---I just noticed that I now have 500 followers!! I don't know how long that'll last as there are days that the number flucuates...but I'm thrilled. Kinda makes my toes curl!!!