Today is your birthday....

This is my birthday to you....
We're gonna have a good time....

Lucky me.
My son, mom and dad helped me celebrate my birthday in style.

My favorite comfort food, and
even a birthday cake, made by good ol' mom.

I am the most fortunate 51 year old I know.

And later,
I hear they are shooting off fireworks in China too!
(how'd they know?)

I am blessed with wonderful family,
special friends, who have been calling all day,
or delivery persons,
coming by the house with gifts and cards.

Who caould ask for anything else?
I am blessed...

I remember several decades ago,
when my dear ol dad bought me tickets to see the Monkees in concert at the old colisium.
The opening act was Jimi Hendrix, which would have been fab, except I was 10 years old, and had only an appreciation for Davy Jones at the time. (such a shame, really).
But once the Monkees came out on stage, you couldn't hear them as the crowd of girls screamed their heads off the whole concert.

My poor pop,
he is my hero.

Time Flies........

Yes......
It has a way of zooming past us with, say, the speed of light....
Tomorrow I will be 51.
And..
I am actually quite pleased, as this year has been the happiest of my life. I am very content to be in my fifties. I know who I am and what I am.....
I am not afraid to be me anymore. I am not really afraid of most people either. I like the work I do and I really like the people that I work with...
How Cool is that?
Leos, I have found, love attention, but ironically, also understand the limitations of adoration......
Real love, lasting love, means moderation, and continuity.
I am blessed to have found it all.
Cheers!

"Checking the cell structure...."

Well, not really....
That is a quote from an old Woody Allen movie, "Sleeper".
It was in the theaters when I was in High School,
and was just about as lame as a movie can get.
BUT
there was this one scene where he was trying to sneak into the laboratory of the "Man", and donned a lab coat, along with Diane Keaton, and repeatedly said that line....

Well, I guess you had to be there, and
be "mood altered" in some way.

Anyway,
I am scanning my negatives, and long and tedious process.
But I am thrilled to be able to store all the info.
David bought an external HD, and I have 1TB of storage.
That's one heck of a lot of space to fill.
But I have 14 years of professional negs, and 20 additional years of amateur negs to scan,
I may be at it for a while.

My life is good.

Closets...Paint....relief.....

I know that it seems strange.....

but I thoroughly enjoy cleaning up my closets,


once that is....I have gotten started.
Getting started is a problem....lethargy is a state of mind for me.


David and I spent the entire weekend doing those projects that everyone despises.....


Closet cleaning., painting and organizing.

And, one of the best benefits of all this activity was that I managed to create a small sewing room out of one of the downstairs closets that wasn't being utilized very efficiently. Now it is clean and painted and organized. (this is really not like me!) I even had the opportunity to finish my first project in my little sewing nook (nook-nook), a new shower curtain for the downstairs bath.

We threw away, or I should clarify, gave to Goodwill, tons of things that in previous lives, we have used regularly, but now have been sitting waiting for some activity.

Now if I can motivate myself for the next project, painting my bath. It won't be all that difficult as I am merely touching up a couple of years of smudges, and not changing the color.

Also, I would truly love to get all of my negatives, prints and jpgs transferred onto my new external HD. Anyone who is a photo freak, as myself will relate to the project ahead of me. My son, when told of this effort said "that shouldn't be too hard". Little does he know that most of what is in storage is in negative form, meaning it will have to be scanned, a long tedious process that will give me a few more grey hairs. But it must be done, I don't want all that work to be lost....

So...I will tackle the bath first and then on to the negs...

Life is good.

Well here goes...

My hope is that by posting this I will find this couple.

It all began long ago and far away....

Actually, March 2003, Rome, Italy.

St. Peter's Square, next to one of the fountains.

I was on a trip with my girlfriends.

On this particular day we went to St, Peter's for the tour and the long arduous climb to the top of the dome.

When we came down and out into the "square" which is oval, we came across a group of tourist that were holding signs, one word each, Asking for some one's hand in marriage. Then we saw the couple, she was crying and definitely had said "yes". I took a number of photos, on the fly, none too perfect, but they may be the only recording of this event. If anyone sees this and knows the couple, who I think I remember were from Wisconsin?, please have them look and confirm that this is them....

I would love to forward more photos to them.......

Happy Days......

Sunday was a fun day.....
We attended a Baptism and party for a sweet little girl that belongs to friends of ours. Beautiful food, sweet decorations, friends freshly scrubbed and on their best behavior, all of it a pleasure.
These sweet moments are what make our lives interesting......
People do not always act this way.
In fact, if the truth be known, even on the day of the event it's been told that certain attendees decided to make it "all about them".
How sad.
So much goes into the planning and execution of these events that you would hope that so called adults would let their own personal "needs" take a backseat for the day.
But no.
Even Grandmother's can be the instigators of this behavior.
Strange how we start life out so sweet and innocent and over the years we seem to develop all of these strange and awkward behaviors in an effort to be noticed.
None of us are immune to this.....
I guess that is how young people become so rebellious to these so-called adults. They see the hypocrisy, and they can hardly tolerate it. Who can blame them?
Well,
I had a grand time...
I was able to take some fabulous photos of the baby, her mom and dad, and the attendees. It was a blast with my new camera body. Loved it!
So.....
Life goes on, one event after another, and we learn...
Hopefully.

Hot....Hot....Hot.....

This wonderful wrought iron fence is in Savannah.
I love Savannah.....
It is probably the most European of American cities,
even including Charleston, SC.
When you walk the streets of Savannah, one feels as though you are walking on the oldest of avenues..
People are friendly, by n' large, and they tend to greet you with "How you?", How's your mom n' em?".....
This not meant to be rude or nosey,
this is just a greeting, no one wants the trails and tribulations of your family to be told.
Savannah is HOT!!!
I grew up in the south without the benefit of A/C in our house.
I remember when the temperature reached 102 degrees, and I also remember going to a school without A/C. But I don't remember it ever being as HOT as Savannah in July/August......
The only place that I am sure swelters more is Columbia SC....(the desert.....).
So, the best time to visit Savannah is early spring or fall....
And bring a fan!