Thanksgiving...more than a meal!

For these things I give thanks: a family I love, and know loves me...unconditionally. And trust me, I can have some "conditions". But not only do I love each and every one of them, they are just plain fun!
My family means laughter, and for that I give thanks.

My sister was a fabulous host..........all weekend!!!

She not only served an incredible Thanksgiving meal, but provided feasts ALL weekend, morning, noon and night. And if that wasn't enough, she modeled the latest in sleepwear! She is the best!

After dinner the women did LOTS of dishes

And put up the leftovers... while the men watched football!!

Although they did put together this awesome heater, and let us join in the games!!

That's All Folks!!
Mary Kate asked me to come take a picture of her as she was leaving ....
"I will wave good bye and say
'see you soon for Christmas' and you take my picture"

Wikipedia Dating

So, although I have been gone a LOT the last few months, I have managed to find some time to brave the dating scene with a couple guys. And, strangely enough both Bobs can be found on Wikipedia. In fact, I briefly considered adding "famous enough to be on Wikipedia" to my list of date must-haves. Of course I quickly came to my single senses and realized this would make the chance of going on any future dates pretty much nil. But sometimes that doesn't seem like such a bad option either!

Wikipedia One - Animal Rights Bob (ARB). This was a blast from my high school past. Turned out to be a nostalgic few days and paved the way for connecting with some other friends from high school. But eating VEGAN is HARD! Pasta without parmesan cheese? But ARB is a good guy and very passionate about animals, although I am happy to report he did squish a giant cockroach while at my house. My ridiculously girlie and terrified screams brought him running...."I don't care what you do with it, just get it the hell out of my house!" [On a side note, it really bothers me I am like that, but I can't help it. I simply cannot remain calm when a ginormous cockroach is in my house! They just scare me!!!]

We are good friends once more and I am glad we strolled down memory lane. And very glad he squished that cockroach!

Circa 1976...plaid was quite the rage, obviously!!
Be thankful for the poor picture quality.

More on Wikipedia Two next time.............

I went to Kiawah in May....and have not been home since.....

Guatemala with Maria on a medical mission trip.

Whitewater rafting with Tracey in Colorado. We were a little apprehensive!

Rocky Mountain High!

My new friend CJ, Fort Worth.

Visiting my favorite Texans!!!

Florence

My awesome tour of Italy travel companions.

Cinque Terre!

Mi Familia-Campobasso, Italia!!

Biking at the Grand Canyon was totally grand!!!!!

It has been a great and travel-filled few months, even for me! I do love a good trip!!!!

Smoking, is just not cool.........anymore.

Holy Redeemer Church, PCE School and former site of the playground for good school children. I made a bad decision to skip recess one day. Bless me Father for I have sinned!

Snapped this while on my tour de Portsmouth, apparently some things never change in P-town.

While an eighth grade student at Portsmouth Catholic Elementary, which by the way was a result of the merging of St. Mary's and Holy Redeemer, I decided to take up smoking. Not a good idea! Sinful in fact as I found out!

One very cold winter day, while the good school children were outside playing during recess, five of us decided we were just a little too old and a little too cool to spend our time playing kickball. So we snuck inside to the girls restroom and lit up a cigarette. In our defense, we lit just one for all five of us. And there we were, leaning against the wall in the back of the restroom, sporting our totally un-cool plaid uniforms, and passing around a Marlboro. This restroom was large, big enough for ten little Catholic school girls to potty simultaneously. And then, we heard the door open and in a very strong Minnesota accent we heard four words that haunt me to this day....seriously!!

" Girls, I smell smoke". Repeat that slowly and heavy on the accent so it sounds like this:
"Girrrrls, III ssssmell smooooke".

First we tried to hide (obviously) in the stalls, you know standing on the toilet like we weren't really in there. But we were no match for St. Monique! And next? Lots of sobbing once cool girls in the principal's office, calls to parents, more sobbing, parents arriving to pick up sobbing girls......except me. Oh no, my parental call was met with "you can walk home". Did I mention it was very cold that day!! So I walked home, freezing in my uniform and crying the entire way. Just for the record, no one else had to walk!!

The aftermath: We were suspended indefinitely, I was grounded for a very long time (unfortunately this was the start of a grounding pattern that stayed with me through high school), and my mom got her one and only speeding ticket the next day which was totally my fault somehow. I think the story is she went to pick up my sister (Perfect Pat who never even thought about smoking) from college and was in such a dither about the parents of delinquent school kids meeting that night with Monsigner to determine if the sinning smoking girls were going to be allowed back to PCE that she was speeding. Do I have to take the blame for everything?? Seriously, this was a HUGE deal and fortunately completely nipped my smoking habit in the bud.....and for that I am thankful!

Trivia: Guess what song came out that year?

I was NOT born a coal miner's daughter!!

No, but my father was in fuel too, of the nuclear variety. If I had been born a coal miner's daughter, maybe I would have become a famous country music singer. I think I can rhyme better than daughter and holler, tired and hard! But it worked for Loretta Lynn and that is why I think she is awesome.

So awesome in fact I couldn't resist visiting her birthplace, Butcher Holler. On my way home last week from Portsmouth I stopped in the famous Route 23 Country Music Highway Museum and checked things out with the other two visitors. I was told by the curator (I job I would love to have, especially there) that Butcher Holler was only 15 miles away. What?? I am that close to Butcher Holler!? Well, fifteen LONG miles, as the miles are way longer when driving in hollers! At one point, I pulled over to check the directions, thinking surely I must be there by now. A nice man (NM) in a pick-up pulled up beside little ol' me (LOM) and the conversation went something like this.

NM: Hey there, you lookin' for LO-retta Lynn's ol' house?
LOM: No sir,I am just taking my dog Ellie for a little joy ride through the Kentucky hollers during this crazy thunderstorm!
(OK, I said yes, as it seemed pretty obvious and I am not really a smart ass!!)
NM: Well just foller me up the holler (now THAT is a good rhyme!).
LOM: No way I am follerin' you up this holler. I am alone, out in the middle of no freakin' where with no weapons, like I notice you have, and just this little schnoodle for protection. Do you think I am crazy???
(OK, I didn't say that either, just follered him on up the holler.)
And now, I have been to Butcher Holler!!!

Two things I have NEVER seen on Lake Murray

The first picture is a couple guys fishing on a Huck Finn style homemade raft. Never seen one before but I was a little impressed.

That second picture is just NASTY!! I THINK it was an upside down, half-dead, toxic waste infused catfish. It looked ready to explode, spewing toxic waste, or stinky fish guts, or something really really rank!! Poor thing was paddling around my dock, seriously, what is wrong with that fish?? It looks like a product of Chernobyl, nuclear disaster/tsunami in Japan, Erin Brockovich, Three Mile Island or something. I don't know but it scared me to think I am sharing water with that "fish"!! GROSS!!

Biking in Ohio;The Three Bridge Tour

Bridge number 1, crossing the Ohio River into Kentucky- Or as the locals call it, "the new bridge"

Bridge Number 2, crossing back into Ohio.

This bridge was named after Carl D Perkins----
the guy who invented pancakes or breakfast,
I am not sure which one??

While in Ohio, I wanted to get out on my bike some. My brother Mike suggested The 3BT, or the Three Bridge Tour. According to my nephew Kevin, only my brother Mike and his friend actually call it that, but it sounded official.

The directions went something like this: ride downtown to Chillicothe Street, take the bridge on Route 23 over the Ohio River; go right on 23 until you come to another bridge that will take you into West Portsmouth. Follow that until you come to an exit for downtown Portsmouth. Take that exit over another bridge, crossing the Scioto River and you will end up downtown by the murals.

Holy crap, that sounded a little ambitious. WRONG! Whole ride from my Dad's house took less than an hour-ROUND TRIP, and that included stops, detours, pictures, etc.

OK, so that first picture is really a mural, but that could be me if I decided to do the REAL Ohio bike tour, the TOSRV. Maybe next year. [www.tosrv.org/11/info.htm ]

Gotta love bike tours in a small town!!