A great weekend....

  Andre and I spent the weekend with our good friends Ron and Dottie.  We had a big breakfast at our house before we headed out for the day.  We decided to go to the Vermont Country store in both Weston Vt and Springfield Vt.  We also decided that since we were in no big hurry that we would meander along on our drive and stop to enjoy the sights along the way.  Andre and I always choose the scenic route because we want to enjoy the ride and check out our surroundings, besides it keeps the ride interesting and its less boring than a highway of the same sights of......nothing really.

  Our first stop for a couple of pictures was a small lake near a park, it was picturesque and worth a photo.  We continued along our route through a couple of small towns which are very small town New England with their town halls and churches, no photo's I'm afraid.  I will take some pictures next time.  Our next photo stop was in Vermont at a quaint covered bridge.  We took a few candid shots of each other and the river under the bridge.  The bridge was not an old one, it seems the older bridges are not as numerous as they were long ago. Unfortunately todays youth has nothing better to do; so they vandalize and burn down the bridges that stood for so long leaving us without their beauty and the history that surrounded them.  In their place is a plain bridge that is like every other bridge today and perhaps a history marker telling anyone who is curious to know about the beautiful covered bridge that once stood in that place but was lost because of the disrespect and stupidity of the juvenile delinquents of today.  Even this new bridge showed signs of vandalism, already kids have carved their names and spray painted graffiti all over the inside of it.  It is a very sad thing to see, where are todays parents?  What happened to teaching kids respect of others and property?  I guess that is a question that I will always be asking myself.  Continuing on from the covered bridge, we arrived at the Vermont Country store.  They had the outside of the store decked out for fall and I took a few pictures to share with you.  

  We did a little shopping while we were there, we ALWAYS do a little shopping.  We can never leave that place without buying something!  Dottie and I checked out the sweaters and mood rings while Andre and Ron got in touch with their inner child.  Vermont Country store  specializes in toys and products that are no longer available.  I found Ron and Andre playing with the rock'em-sock'em robots while Dottie was checking out the pull toys that where so popular when we were kids.  We had a blast reminiscing about when we were kids and even about our own kids while we were there.  I think we would have spent a lot more time there in the store if it were not so crowded.  People from all over the world make a special trip to this store just to check it out and buy things from the past.  We decided to have lunch at the Bryant house which is part of the store in Weston.  The meals are pub style which means mainly soups and sandwiches with fries or chips.  The stores close at 5:30 pm everyday so pub style meals works out great since most of the patrons are looking for a lighter fare anyway.  Ron ordered a ruben with cheddar cheese, sauerkraut, horseradish sauce, and chips.  Andre had an open faced ham and cheddar with mushrooms, onions, honey mustard, and chips.  Dottie and I ordered the maple turkey with bacon, cheddar cheese, lettuce, tomato, and fries.  Speaking for myself, my lunch was very tasty and the fries were awesome.  The cheddar cheese is Vermont Country stores own brand by the way and it was VERY tasty!  Everyone was very happy and FULL when we left.  We had our waitress take a group photo of us, (Dottie has that in her camera) and we took a few candid shots too.  Dottie has to e-mail me those photo's so I don't have any to post of those shots.  

  We got back in the car and drove to Springfield to check out the other Vermont Country store.  We stopped to take a few pictures of some horses and ponds along the way.  When we got to the other store, Andre and Ron opted to sit like a couple of old fogies in the rocking chairs on the porch while Dottie and I went to play inside the store.  We finally made our way back home and finished the day kicked back and relaxing at the house.  We had a great day and we will be doing this again very soon!

The best part of living in New England......New Hampshire actually!

Well the time is almost here for summer to herald in the coming of fall. It won't be long before people from all over the world will flock to New Hampshire to visit and photograph our spectacular fall foliage. Fall is by far my most favorite season I have to say. The colors of the leaves, the pumpkins and indian corn, the decorations people put out, I love it! I grew up in Oklahoma where there was never much color for the fall and it was not until I moved to New Hampshire that I got to enjoy a fall full of colorful splendor; I was hooked the first time I got to experience it. I enjoy all the seasons but fall is my favorite. I love to watch the subtle changes in nature as each season heralds in the next. Winter will be here soon enough and I will share all my snowy pictures and share blizzard news but before I do that I get to share the fall.

Halloween will be here soon enough and since I have moved into my new home, I get a lot more children who come to visit, I love seeing them in their costumes! The babies and the little ones are my favorite! I will have to get a few shots of my visiting ghosts and goblins to share, I just hope it is not too chilly for them. I have the night off so I will be here to hand out the treats and enjoy the event. I will be stocking up on my goodies soon, I don't like being last minute and having to give out the crappy candy! I like to give out the good stuff! I think I'm going to have to get a blow up lawn ornament with a ghost or something, I think they are cool and I have seen some really cool looking stuff. Nothing too extravagant, but at least something cute.

I am really enjoying this blogging thing, its a diary to my family and friends and I love to share with all those that I love. I hope you have enjoyed my layout for this blog, I was exploring the internet and checking out a few sites and found all of this to add. I've included a link at the very bottom of this blog so you can check out some free clip art for your own site if you like. Just click on the little blue box with the word Kaboose inside, enjoy!

Andre and I will welcome our 6th grandchild on October 7th and I am looking forward to introducing her to everyone. Yes....its a girl!! I'll let you know all the details once she gets here so stay tuned!

Andre and I will be spending time with Ron and Dottie this weekend, we are going for a drive and spending the weekend relaxing and enjoying being together. Ron is recovering from a heart attack and stent replacement so it will be a laid back visit set to an easy pace. Ron has been feeling a little down and cooped up so we are going to get him out and get some sun on his face and fresh air into his lungs! Spending time with good friends is a great way to let out your inner crazy person, and I do need to let out my inner crazy person from time to time! I'm hoping to have pictures to share of our time out so stay tuned for that.....

Sept. 11th a day of rememberance.....

 I'm sure that anyone who is reading this will remember where and what they were doing on this date in 2001.  To say that it was a dark day in this country's history is an understatement.  To all the families who lost a loved one in this tragedy, I pray that the good lord will give you comfort in your hour of need.  Your loss will never be forgotten. 

  I remember vividly the events of that day, I watched it all unfold on Good Morning America.  They had reported a small plane had hit the World Trade Center and that they would report more as they got more information.  A short time later Diane Sawyer and Charles Gibson were in shock as they began to report that it was a large passenger plane that struck the World Trade Center and not a small plane that had been first reported.  Immediately all cameras were on the World Trade Center and chaos ensued.  The reporters began the search for where the plane came from and how it ended up crashing into the World Trade Center.  Diane and Charles put the show on hold and centered on the unfolding story as the news just seemed to get worse as the minutes ticked off.  It was reported that the plane had been hijacked and that there may be another hijacked plane in the air as well but no one knew where it was.  The entire time they were reporting this information they had the cameras focused on the burning tower that had been struck.  I recall seeing the second plane fly into the 2nd tower and hearing the disbelief in Diane Sawyers voice as she tried to describe what we had all just witnessed.  I was on the phone with my daughter Sabrina at this point, I had called her when it was reported that it was a passenger plane that hit the tower.  The rest of the day and several days after was spent glued to the television trying to make sense of that days events.  I recall the eerie quiet in the skies as no planes flew for nearly a week after.  With all the uncertainty the President ordered that all of the United States was a no fly zone.      

                                Firefighters raise the flag at ground zero

                                Workers hang a flag at the pentagon

  The events of 9/11 shook us to our core, but it also made us stronger.  Never have I seen so many American flags flown with pride.  We've come together and taken a stand against those who would try to do us harm.  I am proud to be an American and I will never forget.  Let us bow our heads and say a prayer today and every day for the families and friends of those who lost so much on this day.  Let us also remember all the fighting men and women who serve our country and protect our freedom.  God Bless America!!

  

Life gets back to normal.....

  Well, I have been back to work for a week now and I am very happy to be back into my routine.  Andre has healed quite nicely and even the pain in his hip has gotten much better.  My first day back at work was spent refreshing my mind on the way of things, but it was like riding a bike.  My second day back to work I got to deal with tropical storm Hanna and the rain she brought!  We had a road wash out and lots and lots of rain!  The wind was not as much of an issue as the rain was, almost 7 inches fell.  It was a long rainy night but we got through it, Hanna was fast moving and was gone before 8 am the next day.  

  On another note, my favorite time of year is almost upon us.......fall!  The trees around here have started to show subtle changes in color and in the next few weeks they will become a spectacular sight.  Every year Andre and I take a drive to check out and enjoy the foliage of New Hampshire sometimes we take several drives.  Whether we go once or more then once, I will share my photo's with you and expound upon the sights and highlights.  Next week I will be decorating my house for the fall, I love to do that.  I usually put out some pumpkins, scarecrows and corn stalks in front of my house.  I'll post some photo's when I decorate so you can let me know what you think.  My new house has a covered entry so I am able to keep my decorations protected from the weather which is very nice for me.  

  I'm looking forward to my daughter's visit soon, she will be here on the 24th with my grandsons.  I think we are going to take a drive to Vermont and visit one of my favorite places, the Vermont country store!  I have their web site marked here on my blog page so feel free to check it out.  The store is very nice, lots to see and shop for, the web site has everything they offer in the store but the store offers you the chance to play with the toys and check out some things they do not have on the web site.  Andre loves the mixes for dips, they offer some on the web site, but they have many others in the store.  My grandsons are going to love checking out the toys I'm sure, many of them are things that I played with when I was a kid.  I will bring my camera of course and I will let you know all about our visit.    

    

     

   

Found some really cute photo's to share

  I was uploading some pictures from my daughter in law Amber and I found these really cute ones of my granddaughter Madison on her Aunt's farm.  Madison really loves animals, and as with all little girls kittens are a favorite!  The horses in the photo seem to be happy they are not on the receiving end of all that love from a 4 year old.  Madison wanted to love as many kittens as possible at once it seems.  For the record, the kittens are fine and Maddy still loves them!  I am blessed to get these kind of photos often from my children.  We live far away from our grandchildren but our children keep us informed and up to date on their lives and they share lots of photos of the moments we miss.  Right now they are all at an age where they are exploring the world around them and learning about everything.  Right now I am awaiting news on the first day of school!  I should be getting an update with pictures very soon!  

  On another note, our good friend Ron had a heart attack yesterday afternoon and he is in the ICU at the hospital.  He had a stent put in for a blockage a few years back and last year when they found another block they did another stent.  Yesterday one of his stent's collapsed and he experienced a heart attack.  They were able to fix the stent but he is now in the ICU recovering.  When we got the call from Dottie we went down to see him and offer any help that was needed. Ron was fat and sassy when we got there and the Dr said everything went well.  We don't know how long he will be in the hospital but we will be there for them should they need anything.  

  Tomorrow I will return to work and get back into my routine.  Andre has been cleared to drive and he continues to get better.  I am looking forward to getting back, I miss the day to day grind of the radios and phones.  I have organized all my closets here at home and I've run out of projects to keep me busy!  Today I will do laundry and grocery shop before settling down to write a few pages of my book.       

  

Just a relaxing weekend hanging out

  I hope everyone's Labor day weekend was as laid back as mine, we spent it just hanging out and relaxing.  Saturday our friend Scott came over and hung some sound dampening panels in our media room.  We had some echo in the room and Andre wanted to make the sound better when we watch movies or listen to music.  It took a large part of the day but we finally got it done and it sounds great.  Andre wants to order and hang a few more panels to make it even better but for now it sounds great.  We decided to go and visit our friends Ron and Dottie (Scott's parents) after we were finished and we visited them for the rest of the evening.  We did enjoy some coffee and pie at the local diner too, and it was very tasty as it was all homemade!

  On Sunday, we had our friends Lorrie and Bill over for a cook out and their daughter Lisa came with them.  We had a great visit and some great food!  I managed to get some laundry done before they arrived and I was in the middle of some guitar hero when they did arrive.  It's a good thing they arrived in time to interrupt me, I really suck at this game!  We had some awesome cheese cake for dessert and ended the evening with plans to get together again very soon.

  Today Andre went to the movies with Ron, Scott and Ron Jr.  They went to see Vin Diesel's latest movie Babylon AD.  I opted to stay home and get more organizing done.  I downloaded about 100 cd's of music into our computer and organized my pantry.  I will be working on organizing our office tomorrow, it seems it has become the catch all for everything!  I think I have done every closet in this house now and the office will be my last big hurrah!  When we moved in I just wanted to get things done and worry about the organizing later.  I have to say that I am happy that all this organizing will be coming to an end!

  I will be returning to work on Friday, and I am looking forward to it.  I miss my routine and I'm sure that my co-workers are missing me!  I'm hoping to get a little free time to write some more pages of my book I'm looking forward to just relaxing my last couple of days before returning to work.