Endless Summer

Whoops, looks like I have ignored you all for quite some time.

For years 

I measured my Summer by the days between the end of the school year and my first day back.  This year, that has ended.  I am now on "Endless Summer" no matter what the weather may be up to.

 Adventure and days I can sleep in are endless, until God has other plans.

So I promise to share about two trips to California, one to Cape Cod and Mt Pleasant, two trips so far to Ohio, one triathlon, so far... just since my Endless Summer began.

Twelve Thousand Days!!!

I have a widget on my desktop.  

I love this photo of Country Club Plaza, KC, at Christmastime

It's called Saint-Valentin from Yahoo widgets. 

I chose to show how many days

Sweet Hubby and I have been married. 

And today,

it's TWELVE THOUSAND days!!! 

I don't know, I think it sound pretty impressive!!! 

This August will be our 33rd wedding anniversary and recently the only thing my hubby said he would change is 

he would have married me sooner. 

Isn't that sweet? 

Here's to another Twelve Thousand days! 

I love you honey!

Pink Saturday, sort of

I didn't get around to participating in 

Beverly's Pink Saturday. 

But these photos didn't happen until today anyhow.  

Here are my girlees, mostly in pink!

Happy to find a pink reel at Bass Pro:

Mommy and Girlee:

Sweet girlee in her great grands' Native Ozark garden:

And all the way across the Country in Upstate NY, 

a gorgeous Spring Day 

was spent at the golf course.  

For some reason, this cart chauffeur 

doesn't look too thrilled! 

Ohhh I love these girls.

(didn't get her mommy in the pic, b/c she was behind the camera... but there's the Doc!)

And my other girlee is far away in Santiago, Chile.  

No photos yet!

And please have a Blessed Easter, 

remembering the day that Heaven 

triumphed over death!!  

Hallelujah!

Gettin' Goosed!

The Canada Geese are back. Why so early?

It's just now getting really cold! 

They are noisy and pesky. 

They eat away at the grass and the lake bank. 

They have already destroyed the little island in the lake.

It used to be big enough to swim to and sit next to the little tree/bush. 

Now there is only the bush sticking out of the water. 

Sad.

So when I was leaning over the deck railing 

griping about the geese, 

Sweet Hubby commented, 
"So what am I supposed to do about it?" 

I answered, "Shoo them away!" 

So he did. 

At first he just walked down the hill and some moved off. 

Then as he got close to the bank 

he threw a chunk of ice he'd picked up 

(not AT any of them) 

and BOY did they start to squawking! 

They sure told him how unhappy they were with moving.

BTW, they're back.

Happy 100th Birthday Santa Monica Pier!

 Last weekend we went to Bass Pro in Springfield. 

Sweet Hubby thought there would be a big blowout event for the Holiday weekend, 

but no. Nothing really very special.  

But while there I wandered down to a newly remodeled area, the fishing and boating area. 

It looks really nice, but there was something oddly familiar when I saw the sign hanging above the 

GPS counter. 

This sign:

 And why was it familiar?

 Well it looks like a knock-off 

of...

The Santa Monica Pier sign!

 

The fabled end of Route 66 and in my hometown of Santa Monica.  

My parents moved to Santa Monica before I was born. 

I grew up there and went to Samohi.

The Santa Monica Pier is very familiar to me.

Isn't it pretty at night?

So pretty:

It's still a wooden pier.  

You can drive your car part way down and park on the pier.  

The wooden planks make a clackity slap sound as you go.

Did you know it's illegal to jump off the pier?

It is and I did once.

Right there off that lower platform:

But I didn't get in trouble, quite the contrary.

See that part that juts out on the left?

My dad used to launch his boat off the Santa Monica Pier.

He would tow the boat with his big ol' yellow Buick down to the end, 

and then the operator would lift the boat up and over the side with a big boom launch 

and down down down to the water below.

Uh, that's not there anymore.  

But I remember!

I saw on the news this week that the Santa Monica Pier is 100 years old this week!

As she looked back in 1909 on opening day:

 

The Hippodrome wasn't on the Pier yet:

That wasn't until 1916:

Do you recognize the carousel from the movie, "The Sting"?

 

 And this is the Municipal Pool at Santa Monica City College 

(they've since dropped the City part).

I took swim lessons here when I was 5. 

I remember screaming bloody murder. 

I probably thought that everyone was trying to drown me.

I spent many summer afternoons swimming there. 

Many summer afternoons!!!

 

I was a member of the Mermaids, a type of swim club for girls. 

Which is how I got to jump off the Pier!  

In one of the swimming/lifesaving classes I took as a Mermaid.

I think the name Mermaids for the club was taken from the Santa Monica City Seal:

I remember other extra privileges that came along with being a member of Mermaids. 

We had unlimited passes to swim at either of the city pools whenever they were open to the public.

We got to go down below the pool deck and watch both pools through the underwater windows.

  I learned life saving and different strokes. 

One year I took diving lessons in this pool and even dove off the High Dive... once. 

I didn't do heights very well back then either.

Hey!!! That's not the pool I swam in... 

 THIS is:

The old facility, considered "hidden" on the Santa Monica College Campus, consisted of an outdated pool and diving well.  It was demolished in December 2000. "The old facility which had been there for 40 years was a much-loved and used facility that had completed its life." Santa Monica Mirror   

I digress.  

Any how, Happy 100th Birthday Santa Monica Pier!  

We've had some good times!

First Day in the Second Grade

Today is Nicolee's first day in the second grade.  

Oh my how she is growing up right before our eyes!

Love you Nicolee!  

Love you Tiffany!!!

President's Speech to Students

I usually don't use this space to espouse any political views. 

I would rather that this be a safe place to play.  

But I'm a little concerned by the current uproar created by good people afraid of the country turning Socialist if school students watch the President's speech tomorrow.

The White House has released 

the transcript of the intended speech 

and I've read through it.

I usually take issue with what he has to say (there ya have it).

But I want to applaud our President's determination 

to encourage kids to do their best so they can 

be their best, 

be their family's best, 

be their community's best, 

be America's best, 

be the World's best!

Read it for yourself. Watch it for yourself.  

The ONLY part of the speech I take issue with 

is that he says he has talked about 

parents' responsibility 

in the educational process.

 I am not aware of any past remarks in that regard, 

but then I usually don't stop all I am doing when he talks.  

So maybe he has already addressed the parents' part, 

but therein is where I believe the problem lies in 

American education. Parents.

Just my opinion, 

one mother, 

one Nana, 

one teacher, 

one American.

Check out the wordle I made of the words in his speech.

Mr Wonderful!

Here's my Sweetie. I refer to him as my Sweet Hubby. How do you like him in his new Panama Hat hand carried from Ecuador?

Did you know that Panama Hats are ALL made in Ecuador? The reference to Panama came about back when Eisenhower was given such a chapeau while visiting the Panama Canal region and he referred to it as a Panama Hat. LJ just returned from a week in Ecuador, working at a leprosy clinic and brought this back to her dad.

So on to the Mr Wonderful part? After a long day at school I was weary and sleepy and my feet hurt. So my Sweet Hubby found some foot butter while I was laying down and proceeded to massage and lube up my feet. Oh, my it was wonderful! To the point that when we went out to run an errand, my feet were slip 'n' slide on my sandals! ha!

So now I refer to him as Mr. Wonderful!

BTW, those aren't my feet, they are my eldest's. Mine are dry and sore and ratty again.

THIRTY-TWO!!!

Thursday was our anniversary.
Sweet Hubby and I have been married 32 years!!!
We went out to dinner and will go away next weekend.
He had (via LJ) these flowers sent to my classroom. Aren't they gorgeous? And they smell SO yummmmy!

I brought them home yesterday so I could enjoy them over the weekend.
Note the sweet little Willow Tree guy hanging on the vase.

And the colorful table runner that LJ brought me back from Guatemala.

I love my fam!

Wedding Girls

Three of my girls were in a family wedding today.
Thought I'd share pics.
The littlest one was supposed to be a flower girl.
She slept through the whole thing.
Her momma said better sleeping than cranky.

I made the little one's dress last year when the bigger girl was a flower girl (same dress).
We wanted little Sissy to match even tho' she was sitting on Nana's lap.

And the pretty Momma
(my daughter-in-love):

We have been gallivanting around and I have more photos of places and friends and family we've visited.
Please be patient, but stay tuned.

Ocean Zen and Sweet Hubby

LJ went home to KC, getting ready to fly to Cali today. Jay and Christy and the girls went to her parents' house. The girlees haven't seen Ama and Paw Paw in "forever"! So Sweet Hubby and I headed to Springfield. I promised to buy him a trolling motor for his birthday (Sunday) . After getting his motor at Bass Pro's annual tent sale, we headed to lunch.

Hmmm, where to go.
There was Hemingway's inside Bass Pro, but nahh, not this time.
Mexican Villa? HA!
Ziggie's Cafe?
We thought about Springfield Brewing Company,
as we were dropping off the bucket from the root beer keg,
but we hadn't been pleased with the food or service of our last visit. Good thing, because they were closed yesterday!
Incredible Pizza? As if.

So we hit the streets and wondered back and forth where to go.
After several suggestions, I piped up with Ocean Zen.
I explained how it was a local award winner and the Culinary/ProStart teachers had had a "meeting" there last July during Summer Conference.
Sweet Hubby was game.
So we drove on over.

It was delightful!
In the reception area is a floor to ceiling glassed-in wine locker.
Everything is modern and streamlined.
Lots of brushed stainless steel.

Everyone was extremely friendly and helpful.
Mike was our waiter. Looked like most of the waitstaff was male.

The Menu is fun.
We had the Crispy Jumbo Saltwater Prawn Tempura appetizer.
It came in a martini glass with a wonderful salsa.
Mike was kind enough to request the avocado on the side
(I love avocados, but they don't love me)
I chose Asiago Dusted Crispy Panko Chicken with Garlic and Herb Grusted Shrimp, Garlic Mashed Ootatoes and Garlic Cream Sauce.
Sweet Hubby chose the Hibatchi Grilled Teryaki Glazed Atlantic Salmon with Jasmine Rice, Asian Vegetables and Sweet Soy Butter Sauce.
Well, he won hands down.
His was awesome, mine was good, but his was better.
On the very top of his was a crisped won ton, similar to the ones underneath in the appetizer photos above.
Sorry the photos don't match the food, but ya see...

... I guess I was out of it yesterday,
totally forgetting to take my own photos.

If you are a fan of Asian Fusion,
try Ocean Zen.
If you are tired of same old, same old,
try Ocean Zen.
If you like to try new things,
try Ocean Zen.
Even if you don't like seafood,
there are chicken and steak (even ribs) choices, so go for it!
Try Ocean Zen.

In trying to find photos for this post, I read several reviews of the restaurant and of Springfield.
Check out 417 Magazine.
Some call Springfield a city of restaurants.
I know that I found a lot of new names that I will try!
The one negative review I found of Ocean Zen was from a blogger that wanted chicken fried midwestern heavy fare.
Oh well, this is place not for everyone.
But the aforementioned recommendation by the state Culinary/ProStart Teachers can't be ignored!

Photos courtesy of 417 magazine, lucky dog blog, ozarksmetromix, flickr