Visiting my Brother - Florida Vacation Part 3

Yesterday's photo of the kitten Wow, Wow, Wubbs was taken while we were staying with my brother. Wubbs is named after Wow! Wow! Wubbzy on Nickelodeon. The last time we visited it was my daughters favorite show and her aunt remembered. My daughter loves her Aunt and Uncle, but what makes the visit even better is their five cats. She can spend all day playing just with them. Here are a few more:




While in Florida we spent about a third of our time with them. They live in New Port Richey, which is not a beach town, so we spent the time going to the city pool which is huge and a lot of fun, shopping with my sister in law, and playing Monster Mini Golf.


I think Monster Mini Golf may have been a little much for her. It was the her first time playing and she tried really hard. She actually did really well until all the black light lite monsters started to move and make noise around her. We did about half the course before she wanted to go. Wanted to go until we found the Duck Dance and Stomp machine. Of this she just couldn't get enough, but it was worth the quarters.


In the end we ended up with so many tickets that she got two handfuls of small plastic toys. It ended up being a great thing to do on a rainy day. And when we got back to my brothers place she started to play with the cats again.

A Day at the Beaches - Florida Vacation Part 2

Yes. I said Beaches, with an s. Well what else do you do when your on Vacation on the coast in Florida? A day at the beach of course. Or if you me, you make sure to get to two beaches in one day.
I had actually hoped to spend as much time on the beach as I could, so the second day of my visit we headed for Dunedin's Honeymoon Island State Park. The girls seemed to love it, at first. They didn't enjoy the sand on their fruit. My daughter really didn't like the seaweed that lined the edge of the water or the rocks that you had to walk past to get out to the sandy, shallow sand bars. It was also her first experience, at four, of waves. I said waves, but they were so small that I didn't even think of warning her about them. So small, in fact, they barely "crashed" as they rolled onto the shore, but when you are only three feet tall and trying to catch small fish in a net out on the sand bar, they can seem quit large as the water around you seems to push your little body around. Especially when your not expecting them. Opps.


Eventually the girls decided that the shore was a large sandbox and that building, mixing, and digging was exactly what they wanted to do. Ah, what a lovely day at the beach. It really was great till we decided to leave and we had sandy, tired, winy, and wet toddlers. "How quick can we get back to your home?" I asked my friend.

After a late afternoon nap and dinner we headed for Sunset Beach for Tarpon Spring's Music on the Beach. The night we attended the Bayou Boys played a mix of Country, American, and Rockabilly covers. Oh so, so Florida.

It was about a mile walk with the little ones in strollers and the strollers loaded down with chairs, snacks, beach toys, and the all important wine. The evening was fun, full of watching the girls play in the sand as the sunset with a background of live music and getting to know my friends neighbors. A relaxing and fun evening.

This was my last big day at the beach during my vacation because after this my daughter decided that the beach just wasn't for her. I can't say I was a big beach person while I was living in Florida, but when you only have a week or two to visit it a year, you want to make the most of it, and go as much as possible. Granted, I've ever been big on sand, partly because it can get in places it shouldn't and irritate, but I was disappointed that my daughter was more interested in spending time at a pool then the beach. But that is a story for another day.

Tell me Thursday - A Ride to the Glacier and Ice Field

When my hubby told me we were going on an Alaskan cruise for Mother's Day (our anniversary, and my birthday) I was super excited. We hadn't been on a cruise since our daughter was born and they were all quick weekend ones. I was looking forward to not cooking, not cleaning, and letting the boat rock me to sleep (really they don't rock all that much, but it sounds nice.) So when he told me he booked an excursion (we normally skip them) that would take us in a helicopter up to an glacier and that we would get to dog sled I was truly blown away.
So my Wordless Wed. photo was taken in the helicopter as we flew above a glacier. You can see the helicopter's shadow at the bottom and its propeller(?) at the top.
And it was amazing!!!! The photos don't even compare and I have a ton more to share. (even some of the dogs, which were so nice.) I will slowly be putting them up on my ljdesignphoto Flickr pages as I go though them. But for those who can't wait here are some taken in the helicopter and once we landed the first time. Enjoy!





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Route 66 in the Mojave - tell me Thursday

Last Spring our family took a trip west to see the desert in bloom. We also took the time to revisit some Route 66 sites on the way. It was a great trip and I took lots of photos. Last year I wrote a post about the beautiful desert wild flowers that were everywhere.
Yesterday's Wordless Wednesday photo was taken on Route 66 just outside of the Mojave Desert Preserve in a town called Goffs. This small town is kept alive by the Mojave Desert Heritage & Cultural Association and historian Dennis G. Casebier. A visit to the School House during one of their open houses is something I have yet to do, but is on my list of must. The group has not only helped this small railroad town, but many of the towns that Route 66 flows though along with other historical sites throughout the desert.
My photo is of the mailboxes along the road. In the background you can see the train as it comes though. I like the image in black and white too.

Here I'm also including a photo of the now closed Goffs Store building. Enjoy

Tell me Thursday - Spring Snow Day, Yea!

These photos are actually from Friday. We woke up to spring snow storm that left about 4-5 inches of snow. Just when we thought spring had arrived our world went white again.

It was beautiful and spring was still shining though. It only took two days to melt, but the weather has been cold ever since. Luckily, while my husband is stuck at home working over my daughter's spring brake, I have escaped west to visit family and friends in Kingman AZ.

Yesterday I posted my favorite photo from that day. I thought that buds of the cherry tree flowers were a beautiful expression of how spring was almost here, but the snow (just slightly melting) expressed the last of winter's cold. March this year did not go out like a lamb, but rather went out like a lion. But in the west all spring the wind blows fierce, no matter the temperature. So much for those childhood rhymes.
Here are more lovely photos of our Spring Snow Day, Yea!!

Tell me Thursday - Project Kitty, Rescued

If you have reading my blog lately you know my daughter loves to craft, paint, color, and more. I'm a little bit to blame for it because I would rather create then clean or exercise or make dinner. She seems to be falling into that pattern. So when we head off to the craft store together I find it difficult to tell her she can't get anything. On Tuesday I said yes to this Kitty paint and grow kit that she found on clearance. Why was it on clearance? Well the cat was broken into four pieces and the paint was dried out. My daughter didn't care, she just saw the potential. And for $2.00, could I say no?

Can you see the cracks? The big one in the front goes right down though the right eye and into the whiskers. With the paint on you can hardly tell. We just had to include a new first step of gluing the Kitty back together. She insisted that the eyes be pink (her most favorite color) and we only had a washable brown paint to replace the black, so it looks a little muddy. But for the work of a 3 1/2 year old I thought it turned out great.

The second part of the project was to plant the grass seeds in the plastic container provided. This was actually the much less of a mess part. Once we got it all together we put the bag on top and put it in a sunny window still. The seeds are only two days old and have a few more days before they sprout but I included a photo anyway. So in the end the little container goes right inside the Kitty and she as a cute decoration for her room.

So if you see a project like this on clearance, go ahead and rescue it. My daughter just thought it was a puzzle we had to put back together and we saved a good $4 over the regular price.

Tell me Thursday - Spring Emerging

Yesterday was the warmest day of the this year and every plant and tree seemed to be taking advantage of the warmth and sun. The buds on our cherry tree are half out and I can't wait till it is full bloom. It is wonderful that spring is in the air and all the great things that come with it. One of my favorites this year is the park, now that my daughter is almost 4 and can really take advantage of it. Spring is one of the best times to go to our local park, not too hot or too cold. Wonderful.

So, Yesterday I just wanted to be outside and while I was out in the yard I noticed the way the sun was shining on the birch tree buds. The buds are just coming out and look a bit like pussy willows. I took a few pictures of other plants, but these were my favorites. I only posted one of the birch tree, but I had two outtakes I like too. So today I'm posting those today.

I hope you have enjoyed my photos and are enjoying the start of spring.