My Water Post will appear tomorrow.
It's Memorial Day and I bring back one of my best photos of Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia.
There is nowhere that is quite so solemn and dignified as this cemetery.
Not only our service men, but 2 President's, John Kennedy and William Howard Taft, are interred there.
Section 45 has many of the Kennedy family, including Robert, Ted, 3 of John Kennedy's children and of course, his wife Jackie Kennedy.
Most important, remember those who died for us.
If you remember, my friend from Belgium sent me presents in early May. You can see some of it HERE.
I had the main present ready and so I gathered the rest and sent it all out a week ago.
At 3AM I found out it had arrived.
With all her cats, I believed it was the perfect gift.
She seems to love it and her cats love the box. :-)
I have not been going to the Senior Center for their free lunch recently.
April was not a great month, in regard to their entreés.
When I looked for the May menu, I could not find it. So, one day while I was on an errand, I stopped by to pick one up.
I got lunch (entreé unseen) and another entreé for one of the weekend days. They were decent, so I was happy.
I have no idea what their problem is with their webpage. I am intelligent and Internet savvy. I feel so sorry for the seniors who have Internet problems, due to their advanced age.
My Son pointed out the other day that my house has increased in value over the past month.
Of course I had to see it for myself.
Redfin has the value in the mid 600 thousands, but that is not the case with Zillow.
They have my humble abode at $703 thousand.
I bought this house for just over $100 thousand, back in the 80's.
We have no plans to move away...but wow...that is outrageous.
I had to use the bathroom at 4:15AM. So I figured I would walk out of the house and see if the moon was obscured by the full eclipse.
It might have been, but we had clouds last night. Darn.
I went back to bed and tried to sleep...no luck.
I gave up after an hour and opened the blinds in the front.
There was a very bright moon shining at me! Not quite full yet, but partially obscured by the eclipse.
Of course sleep was now not in my future, so I did my morning things, the paper, feed the cat and eat.
Then I slept for 2 more hours.
The seasons pass and what happens? I have sunsets on the northwest side of my house, instead of the southwest.
I was glad I glanced out my bay window in the kitchen when I did. It was at the end of the flag sunset.
It's a big night tonight. There is a Full Moon and eclipse at 4:11AM (I think I am going to miss that.)
It is the Full Flower Super Moon.
Has anyone else noticed that we keep getting so many Super Moons now days. What's up with that?
No matter what...enjoy.
I saw a recipe on my Google page in the pocket area.
It was a recipe from Kitchn and it sounded good.
Creamy overnight oats, with 5 minutes of work. I was in!
I added a small amount of maple syrup, cinnamon and blueberries. I figured it would make it my own.
Folks, I ate it and felt like it was raw oats. They were not creamy. What's the deal with that?
Needless to say, I will not be making them again.
My Water Post For Today.
There is always so much to see at Fisherman's Wharf, in San Francisco.
This oddity I had to look up, because it has no signage on it.
"The Pier 43 Ferry Arch is an historic ferry arch at Fisherman's Wharf, San Francisco, California.
Its headhouse, a decorated hoisting tower for loading and unloading rail cars on and off ferries, was built in 1914 to serve the Belt Railroad. The wood pier was replaced in 1996. The headhouse was rehabilitated in 2002-2003 to the Secretary of the Interior's Standards after a fire in 1998."
You can see it has been redone and that makes it quite striking, as you walk around the area.
I hope you enjoy.
A few months ago, my Son sent us a video that a railfan made of the trip from Bakersfield to Barstow.
I loved the video, watched it all and never forgot it.
Today in Candorville, a comic by Darrin Bell, they mention that very trip. I have attached the entire comic for you to see.
For the YouTube video of the entire trip, check out the link up top.
The journey takes an hour and is thus definitely a rabbit hole. :-)
Well worth the time, IMHO.
Here they come!
My corn has ears of corn growing!
I heard each stalk will eventually have 2 or 3 ears of corn on it.
I find the entire process fascinating to watch.
It first lets out a little bit of silk and as it grows the cob becomes wider and taller.
The tassels are almost as high as my eye. They still have a way to go to that elephant's eye though.
The best part...I hear they are sweet corn.
I can't wait!
I am part of a PBS Zoom session on Friday nights.
About 2 months into the Pandemic I remember one of my Traffic colleagues saying that there is no way that companies will be able to just force their staff to come back into the office.
He said there is no way they will be able to "put that back in the box".
Exactly a year later, here we are and workplaces are trying to do exactly that.
They are coming up against some major push back from their employees who have not just survived the Pandemic, but are thriving in their "Work From Home" situation and find that they love it.
No commute, no getting dressed up in office attire, no having to buy expensive lunches and coffee on their way to work.
Some staff have moved out of state and have no desire to move back to high rent areas of the country.
History will tell how this whole thing plays out, moving forward. Thankfully, I have no worries for me or my Husband...just my Son.
Saugus Cafe has a long history in the Santa Clarita Valley.
Back in the late 1800's it was at the far left side of the Saugus Train Station.
They mentioned that the chimney on the left side belonged to the Cafe.
In this photo from 1910 it was surrounded by a fencing in that left side area.
The main waiting room had the center chimney and the one on the second floor was the sleeping quarters of the station master.
It eventually moved to the other side of the street, where it resides to this day.
The station itself was moved just after we arrived in Santa Clarita. It moved about 3 miles down the track, to Newhall, at Hart Park.
All part of why my Husband and I and my Son love the Cafe, to this day. It is always a part of the train history of our area.
I remember thinking that very thing when I decided to put in an application to attend SUNY Oswego and attempt to get a Graduate Certificate in Integrated Media and Social Networks. In my case I was worried that I would be 60 when I earned that Certificate.
It ended up that I was only 59 when I crossed that stage and picked up my diploma.
Fast forward 6 years later!!!!!
I am sitting around my house and basically doing nothing except waiting for the world to get a handle on a Pandemic.
In July I thought to myself, "Why not finish that degree I began in 2014".
But was I too old to do this, am I able to learn, once again?
I applied with my Husband's consent (he gets major kudos for not asking if we could afford the tuition this time around.)
I was accepted at the last minute and signed up for 2 classes.
It was hard, but I managed to pull an A out of both of them.
The next semester in January of 2021 I had a 4 credit class and I decided to wait to take the other prerequisite until later. What that will mean, is that I will be doing my final Thesis in the Fall and Spring and along with that a class on Global Media Literacy (only offered in the Spring).
Age that I will be when this is all over: 67.
God willing, I will get there and do something with this new knowledge.
There has been a Room Rater THREAD regarding Presidential swag gotten at the White House. I mentioned that I owned one that I got at the Ronald Reagan Library.
I had a few minutes today to try to find it and amazingly it was exactly where I remembered it.
It looks great, too. Especially after probably 20 years.
Jelly Bellys are Ronald Reagan's favorate snack, though I hear that Hersheys Kisses are popular now days.
M and M's are, too. I wish I could get a box from inside the White House. :-)
My Water Post For Today.
As I continue to sit here in Santa Clarita, my mind goes off to my final vacation, the Islands of Hawaii.
This is Nawiliwili, Kauai and we were slowly coming into the harbor area at sunrise.
I showed you the sunrise photo a year ago, but I thought I would show you the land on the opposite side, during the same sunrise.
It was a very beautiful port.
I follow a group of Aviation Enthusiasts on Facebook and a week ago they mentioned an app called ISS Detector.
It comes with commercials, that I delete. Just be careful if you decide to load it onto your cell phone.
It beeps 5 minutes before a fly-by is about to occur over your location. I go outside a few minutes later and can usually spot the star that moves.
I find it of interest and think about the fact that people are in that space ship and working as I watch them.
It was supposed to also let me know when Starlink was passing by, but so far it does not.
It is actually not quite "Post Pandemic", but today they allowed removal of masks for vaccinated people.
I don't think I will be removing my mask outdoors...yet, but we were out for dinner and all Covid rules were in place.
This is the tent in front of La Cocina. Nice dining and normal Mexican food. It was good to see the same staff were there, too.
My "Other" son will be flying all over the Country (First Class) for different movie shoots.
Glad he is back in business.
Roses are blooming all over the place.
My Husband says I am over watering, but I don't think it is much different from last year.
No matter what, the roses are all over and beautiful.
When the heat comes that won't be the case, but for now I enjoy it.
Wild Blue Yonder, Julia Child and Perfect Moment are in the front and Olympiad is the red one behind the others.
Along with the angel and other little trinkets, came a cat toy for Makenna.
It says it is made by Baldini and that it contains Valerian Root.
Not sure what that is, but she went wild, the few seconds I allowed her to have it.
Definitely a toy for supervised play only.
She seems to have had no bad reaction to it, so I may let her play with it again, soon.
Thanks Gina.
HRH Harry, The Duke of Sussex, was part of the Vax Live concert which was the first arena concert since the Pandemic began.
It signifies that life is beginning to get back to normal in small ways.
It also highlighted that countries that do not have vaccines, need to get them. That is what the concert is about. Raising money from businesses, to get shots over to places like India and Africa. Harry has a close relationship with Botswana, Africa so it is no surprise he was onboard with the fundraiser.
It was well done and hopefully helps the world get over this Pandemic.
Another angel has entered my life and my home.
My friend, Gina from Belgium, has waited almost 6 months for the pandemic to die down a bit.
She finally decided to send a care package and the main event...was a new angel for my collection.
The classic angel is on the top shelf of the lamp. (click on the photo to get a better look at her.)
Quite Italian looking, which is in contrast with many of the angels from the past decade.
Thank you, Gina, my friend of 20 years.
My Water Post For Today.
I was in Victoria, Canada on 5/6/19, the day of Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor's birth. Happy 2nd Birthday Archie!
In honor of that fact, I thought I would show another view of Puget Sound as we pulled away from the harbor area of Victoria.
I love all the snow on top of the mountains and how calm Puget Sound was that day.
Maybe someday, we will return.
Here it is, the final week of college for the Spring Semester.
My Applied Research Methods class is now in the books.
As you can see, I submitted the final after 7 hour of work. it was, once again, brutal.
I almost missed my Zoom session with my Brother-In-Law. Thankfully he just held on and waited.
I came up for air at 2:20PM and went, Oh S***T. Sorry about that.
Now I just wait for the final grade. So far I am in the A- area, unless something brings me back up a bit.
Happy Mother's Day to me...and all Mothers.
My Other "Son" spent a week in New York/New Jersey on a shoot in MetLife Stadium. He told us that the commercial he was shooting would not be aired on the West Coast, because Car Shield is not available here.
Wrong grasshopper...The other day my Husband saw the commercial and it was definitely shot in MetLife Stadium. We did confirm with my "Son" that it was the one he was doing audio for.
The person in the commercial is Chris Berman. You can see it HERE.
Always happy to see his work...lol
I have been having computer problems (a story for another day).
So I showered early to get to the computer store and talk about how to proceed with my problem.
After it was over, since I was all showered and dressed and in the car already, I decided to make a side trip to Lowe's.
My cucumbers are starting to grow and I wanted the plants to have something to attach to, so that the cucumbers don't fall onto the ground.
I get to Lowe's and find the same cool green cage I bought last year. It would match...great!
I can't get any of them apart. They are a mess and the person who was watering the plants totally ignored me.
I ended up buying one of galvanized steel. One does what one has to do.
In good news, my corn is really taking off. I am so proud of them!
I think the things coming out of the top are the yellow tassels (male) that will pollinate the soon to come, ears (female).
Here is what I found online:
At the top of a mature corn plant is the tassel, the male part of the plant. Along the stalk are the leaves and the ears of corn, wrapped closely in husks. Hundreds of filaments, called silk, protrude from the top of each ear.
Lots to look forward to, this summer.
For AMTRAK'S 50th Birthday this month, their Twitter account is asking for your best shot from a train.
Instead of going through all my thousands of photos, I did a search of AMTRAK on this blog and found THIS story and photo.
I have so many of this section of the river. We were chasing a sunset and a rainbow, but you could not get both into the picture at the same time.
I really love this photo though. It shows off the best of riding the rails.
Thanks AMTRAK for the memories and maybe I will be able to make some new ones, someday.
I had to go to Saugus Drug the other day and since shopping in a gift store is not usually on my agenda, I took advantage of the opportunity to look around.
I passed a display of Willow figurines and this one caught my eye.
Since the Pandemic hit just over a year ago, my Twitter feed has lit up with Zoom sessions and pineapples.
I always have one of two around my dining room table, so I am good, but this figurine made me smile.
I must admit that I never knew the power of pineapples, until I read the story of the history of the pineapple in Southern homes.
I have decided to try not to clutter my house up any more than it already is (minus the llama I bought for Valentine's Day), so it did not come to my house.
I must say, it is cute and would fit.
May the 4th be with you...
I bought a little box of Animal Cookies. Actually, they were free.
I am sitting here at the computer eating them and I see that they have sheep.
I am used to the animals that you see at the circus, so I was a bit taken aback by the sheep.
Ah well, they were free, so I guess I shouldn't care that they are not lions, tigers and bears.
Cute little things. :-)
My Water Post For Today.
Our trip on the White Pass and Yukon Route that starts in Skagway, exactly 2 years ago today.
We were coming down the pass (after our journey up) and had a much better view of the east fork of the Skagway River.
It is a beautiful train ride with unforgettable views of Alaska and Canada.
Well worth the cost of the day trip and hopefully people can once again experience it, next summer.
I hope you enjoy.
The people who live up the hill from me had a new light installed on their chimney.
I have no idea why they connected it to the chimney, but there you go.
My Husband went to take out the trash that evening and this strong light lit up.
He came in the house and told me to stand in my craft room.
I did and suddenly it was like daylight in the room.
As usual with that house, no matter who owns it, they do things that drive me crazy. This is the latest one.
I don't know why he is so paranoid. I worry a bit about things happening, but really in over a year, nothing has been going on up here. You really have to want to get to us, to climb up on the hill.
The Plant I got back in 2018 has become totally rootbound.
My Husband and I went over to Lowe's the other day and chose a pot that has a water well in the bottom. You can see it HERE.
That is where you water it and the water gets sucked up into the plant itself. I am currently letting the excess water out on my back patio. The plant will be moved inside in a while.
I have no idea if it will work as advertised, but it's something different to try.
If you notice the thermometer in the background, yes, it is in the 90's today. Welcome summer, I guess.
Wish it luck in its new environment and if you care, HERE is a photo of it from 2018 and 2021.
