Inside Out

On a Roll!!!

2010-09-12T12:11:00.000-07:00

What the heck happened to the Paris recaps??? Ummmm.....well, let's just say the spring and summer were VERY busy and I just haven't had much time to hang around in the blogosphere! And now the computer with all of the Paris pics on it has crashed! You know.....that thing that happens that makes you feel like someone cut off your arms....and it happened the DAY BEFORE we were leaving to visit with Shelby and Justin in Texas! No way could I go to Texas without a computer to keep up with work, so I headed to my friendly computer store and bought a new one.......my thoughts? I need a back up computer anyway....doesn't everyone?

So until I can ~~get off my bum~~ find the time to take my old laptop in for a cleaning, I'm going to recap our wonderful visit with Shelby and Justin.....for my birthday!!!

We had a great trip down.....with bulkhead seats the whole way!

I love, love, love Southwest Airlines.....for different reasons than Shelby does (TWO suitcases....free!). We had a layover in Tampa where we sat in a bar (NO!) and enjoyed Cosmos (me!), wings and beer (Dennis!).....hey, we were on vacation!

Then we boarded for the last leg of our flight to San Antonio........across the Gulf. We were anxious to see if we'd be able to see any of the oil spill. And it wasn't long into the flight that we did.....all I can say is that it was disturbing....everyone on the flight stretched their necks to see out the windows and the looks on everyone's face said it all. What a sad, sad sight to see...

On one side of the plane the oil spill stretched as far as our eyes could see.....and on the other side was an equally disturbing sight....the beautiful bogs and wetlands that would never be the same again....

Shelby met us at the airport.....

....and gave us a ride over to the car rental place, where we picked up the rental car that we got at a bargain basement price of $28 per day (Shelby helped us find that deal!),

....then we followed her over to her new apartment

where we visited for a bit with her, Justin and one of my adorable granddogs....Miss Lily!

We made plans to meet up later at our hotel down on the Riverwalk and to have dinner at Rita's on the River for delicious Tex-Mex food.....and their classic River Margarita's, of course! We had scoured the internet for hotels and really wanted to stay at a nice, boutique type hotel.....we were NOT disappointed with our find....the Hotel Valencia!!! Go ahead....click on that link! I took photos, but they don't compare with how beautiful this hotel is. And the smell??? When you first walk into the lobby, there's a fountain...

(source)

.and the sound of the water is so soothing....but the scent that wafts through the hotel is amazing! Everything is very natural....the staff is extremely friendly and helpful...and ambience is AWESOME!

We watched the prices on this hotel for a few days and scored our room for $139 a night....and WHAT a score! Our room was spacious and comfortable...

(source)

We kicked off our shoes......and then noticed something on the counter.....

How awesome.....a gift basket from Shelby, Justin and Lily with snacks for our stay, including water, salsa, cookies homemade by Shelby and Julios tortilla chips, which are only the best tortilla chips we've ever had...a must when in San Antonio! How sweet!!!

We decided to relax a bit before we met up with Shelby and Justin to head down to the Riverwalk! They came up to the room and were just as awed by our temporary home as we were....then we headed down to the Riverwalk....with a photo op here and there along the way....

Ummm...yea....I agree.....it was so hard to get a decent picture! Combine the heat of Texas with the humidity down on the Riverwalk.....can you say "sauna"?

Rita's is one of the most popular restaurants on the Riverwalk, although I had yet to eat there, so I was pretty excited! Not only is the food delicious, but they have a live mariachi band to entertain you while you wait for your food!

I think we ordered one of everything on the menu because we ~~couldn't decide what we wanted~~ Shelby found a 50% off coupon at Groupon....what we didn't eat, they'd take home for Justin's lunch the next day!

The food was delicious....and the margarita's were not only delicious, but they were huge!

AND we topped it off with fried ice cream....one....for all 4 of us because it's HUGE!

We were all so full that we decided to walk around the Riverwalk a little, then head "home" to get a good night's sleep. Shelby and Justin had to work the next day, so Dennis and I were going to spend the day together hanging out.

Next up....Dennis and I spend the day on the Riverwalk and the evening having dinner with the Sterne's to be!

Paris - Day Four

2010-03-06T13:32:00.000-08:00

On Day Four we were staying a little closer to our "home" and visiting the Montmartre area of Paris, just north of our area, Pigalle.....and only a 20 minute walk or so. Montmartre is the highest point in Paris and known for it's "artsy-ness"....oh, and Sacre Coeur! I was actually quite anxious for this day, feeling like I had a mission.

Only two days before I had received news of the birth of a beautiful baby boy to one of my colleagues, only to later find out later that little Jaxson was having breathing problems and was being transferred to UVA. Jaxson's mother is a very special lady to those of us who work at Bank of America Home Loans.....she is always there to help us in any/every way she can. And this made it even harder to hear this news. Jaxson and his family were on my mind as we set out that morning.

So much so that we went into the first church we saw after getting off the Metro,

said prayers for Jaxson, his family and his doctors and lit candles for each of them.

Don't ask me what happened to those pictures.....I prefer to think it's the light reaching for the heavens for Jaxson.

We headed up the hill.....and when I say, "hill", I mean HILL! Although this peak is less than 500 feet high, the streets are steep....

You can tell by the angle of the street below how steep the streets are.....

...and yes, that is a picture of a door....more on that obsession in another post! At the top of the hill....

....the Galette de la Moulin, one of two windmills remaining on the Montmartre hill.

Built in 1717, and moved to its current "home" from further down the hill in 1924, this windmill is actually open as a restaurant! It is one of two that remain on the hill....originally there were more than 30. The windmills are the icon of Montmartre and have been depicted in painting by artists such as Van Gogh, in this painting called View of Montmartre with Windmills.....

(source)

The beautiful windmills have also been depicted in the works of artists Pablo Picasso, Pierre-Auguste Renoir and Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.

As we were walking away from the windmill, we came upon this odd sculpture....

....referred to as "Man In the Wall", the sculpture is a tribute to Marcel Aymé, a French writer of children's stories, novels, and collections and he later wrote plays and screenplays.

As we continued our walk, we noticed a crowded street of comings and goings, so we followed!

And then the streets began to narrow, with shops and restaurants right at the street's edge....there was no place to walk! Amazingly, the people and the cars share the street!

Next we headed to the area referred to as "the artist's square", where artists set up their easels and paint, and display their work for sale. While not inexpensive, you can even have your portrait done!

While taking in all of the beautiful art, I noticed a gorgeous door and sent Dennis over to get a photo of it (yes, we all had a door obsession....I'll "blog" about that later) and he came running back to tell us all that we HAD to see the view! It was gorgeous and just steps from the "artist's square"....

.....so beautiful! Next we headed towards Sacre Coeur....along the way we saw some incredible doors....

....."oh look, it's a church!"....and we went in. This church, the Church of Saint Peter of Montmartre, is the lesser known of the two main churches in Montmartre, founded by Saint Denis (no, not Saint Dennis....no such thing!) and built somewhere around 1096. As soon as we walked in, we lit candles for Jaxson, his doctors and his family.

It is a beautiful church and, although very large, it was quite dark and just made you feel hushed....

My pictures do not do any justice to this beautiful church. After doing some searching on the internet, I found a 360 degree virtual tour that is amazing! You can look at the amazing ceilings, the floor....everything! CLICK HERE

Next up......Sacre Coeur, which is actually just "down and around" the corner from the Church of Saint Peter!

That's it at the end of the street! The closer we got, the more impressive IT got......and the more the excitement built.

I had no idea of the beauty and magnificence that was around that corner!

OK....I cannot wait for the "door post" to show you THIS door! It's amazing.....and it's JUST the side door....of the Sacre Coeur! Wow!

So, obviously we came upon the basilica from behind.....and this is what we saw as we approached the front....

...and as your round the corner.....

...people....lots of people! But what you can't help by notice immediately is that view! Sacre Coeur sits atop a steep hill and the view is absolutely amazing! You can't help but move as close as you can to it....

We walked down the steps, trying to get as close as we could to that view...

....and then I turned around.....

It is absolutely amazing....

As you can see, the place was packed.....what you can't see is the line to get in that wraps around itself a multitude of times. We decided to pass on that and head down the hill to get a better view of the basilica and its domes! So, since I don't have any photos of the interior, I searched the web and found a few for you:

"SacreCoeur"

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As you walk down the very steep steps, the views continuously change.....

The skyline gets closer....and Sacre Coeur gets farther away....

Closer.....

Farther....

No view is any less amazing than another and all are just breathtaking! Once at the bottom, we walked a few blocks looking for a great place to eat and we did find one. I know I took another 20 or so pictures that part of the afternoon, but they're gone....never to be seen again. I will tell you that lunch was fabulous.....I had steak frites and it was delicious...there was also more French Onion soup, which tasted different everywhere we tried it, spaghetti bolognese and a burger....yes, a hamburger...and it was good!

From there we headed to Gare du Nord, the train station. One of six in Paris, it is the busiest station in Europe moving about 180 million people per year! We had all wanted to take a day trip to London and had priced it before we left for the trip. But it was decided that we would book it in Paris, in hopes of getting a better price.

Gare du Nord is huge....so Melinda and Brad checked things out, looking for where we could buy tickets.

The trains are really neat looking.....

Then we made our way to the ticket counter. Hindsight? Book in advance....book in advance....book in advance!!! The price of the trip had more than doubled and it just didn't make sense to spend those kinds of monies for just a day trip. Instead we decided to head back to the apartment and find a rental car on the internet and take a drive out into the countryside. But not before taking a "potty break"! Yea....finding a restroom at Gare du Nord? Not as easy as one might think.....along the way we saw the first military men of the entire trip (and the last)....

Check out the restroom! It looks like a spa.......

....and it costs to use it! Hmmm...what does that say on the door?

Ummmm...yea.....I mean, "thanks, but I'm just here for the toilettes"....maybe another time!

Oh wait! I forgot to tell you! Little Jaxson is well and happy! See.....prayers are heard!

Note: It's driving me insane that I'm missing so many pictures....will check with out traveling partners to see what they have! Maybe the next post will be from them!

Paris - Day Three

2010-02-21T14:50:00.000-08:00

Bonne Annee! It was New Year's Eve in Paris.....I felt like I was dreaming! We were all quite excited about the evening's festivities, so we decided to lay a little low during the day.....that and there was smoke coming from my shoes with all of the walking we'd done the previous two days!

Dennis and I got up and went out into our own little neighborhood to further investigate beyond the 2 blocks we had seen so far. We walked a few blocks and it was so invigorating to see the excitement on the streets. The New Year is the most celebrated holiday in France.....they send New Year's cards throughout the entire month and everyone you pass shouts, "Bonne Annee"! But the preparation for the evening's festivities was evident.....and the treats in the windows of all of the shoppes were incredible....especially the pastries!

It was so much fun just watching the people go from shop to shop preparing for their own New Year's festivities......and you could tell it was "all about the food"!!!

While walking back to the apartment, Dennis made a comment that he was ready to get rid of his "no shave November" beard....he grows it from November 1st until the New Year. BUT all he had was his razor. So I suggested going to visit the salon just outside of our apartment building and having the guy who had found his cell phone shave it off for him. He bit......and then we both did!

The stylist convinced us both to let him cut our hair! Of course, showing us New York Times write ups about him and the he was a stylist at The Red Door and did Cindy Crawford's hair helped.....so Dennis went first!

and then it was my turn!

Both of us walked out feeling as though we'd been scalped.....I liked his haircut and he liked mine, but neither of us liked our own....well, not really. It turned out that mine was a blessing.....I had been afraid to plug in my curling iron since Dennis' hairdryer had sparked....and there was NO way you were getting a curling iron into this haircut. It was short....but it was easy. And Dennis was really happy to get his beard off.

We went back to the apartment and Melinda and Brad were ready to roll.....so, we decided to head out for a bite to eat. We walked and walked and walked.....and ended up back at Pigalle. We found a great cafe and the food was great! I didn't get pictures (sorry, I was hungry!), but I did get a picture of the inside of the cafe.

OK.......the above portion of this post was done a couple of weeks ago....I paused because the rest of the pictures weren't so great. I think that somehow a setting on the camera got changed and we didn't realize it, but after looking at them, I decided that they're pretty indicative of the rest of our evening. Read on.....

After we left the restaurant, we headed back to the apartment to rest up a bit before the evening's festivities. We were all so excited about spending New Year's eve at the Eiffel Tower and we had all decided we'd head out around 10 pm. Well, I guess that most of Paris decided the same thing! Once we got down into the Metro, we realized this trip wasn't going to be easy....or fun! The place was packed!

And the doors on the trains were bulging!

We finally decided to get on a train going in the opposite direction to see if it would be easier to get on. Well, that worked.....

....but once we were on the train and it stopped at the next stops, we were pushed further into the train. At one stop, two guys were trying to get on....they were obviously pretty toasted and looked like they'd been in a fight or two already. Dennis was at the door and the rest of us were on top of each other. The guy started trying to pull Dennis OFF the train, while we were all pulling him back. It was the craziest, scariest thing I've experienced, that's for sure! Two guys next to me were scared out of their wits and got off, so the two guys got on....and they were mad! It was not an enjoyable trip.

Once we arrived at Trocadero, the stop for the Eiffel, it was apparent that it wouldn't be any easier getting off the train than it was getting on.....the stop was packed with people trying to exit the Metro. We made a quick decision to go on and get off at the next stop and walk back. GOOD CALL!

We didn't walk far.....and we didn't really get close to the tower, but we got close enough to see the light show and that was good enough for me! The streets were packed with people carrying their champagne bottles, screaming and yelling "Bonne Annee"!!! It was a much better vibe than on the train!

That's the Eiffel Tower above the head of the little girl in pink.....we were quite a distance from it, but we could still see the show. Since we'd had such a bad experience getting there, we decided to head back to the safe haven of our apartment.....didn't want to hang around long enough for the party goers to get any more drunk than they were already. So, we toasted the New Year with our own bottle of champagne....

......and headed home. The ride back was interesting, but not nearly as much as the trip there! It was apparent to me that the French are really patient people......every rude, loud and obnoxious person we saw was NOT French. The French are quiet, laid back people who, in my opinion, put up quite nicely with the "tourists".....every one we met was helpful and kind. I'd go back in a heartbeat....probably not for New Years....once was enough for me. I've marked that one off of my "bucket list"!

Bonne Annee.....Happy New Year!

Getting To Know You

2010-02-21T11:28:00.000-08:00

Welcome to Getting To Know You...this fun meme is hosted by Keely.

You can head on over to her blog to play along in this fun fest.

Here are this weeks questions...

1. How often do you wash/change your sheets?

I like to change them every 3 or 4 days, but most of the time it's once a week

2. When is your birthday?

July 10, 1955

3. Have you ever met a bloggy friend in real life?

So far, all of my "bloggy friends" are friends, family and colleagues. If I have any that I haven't met, I don't know about it.

4. Brad Pitt or George Clooney?

George.....no doubt!

5. If you could change one thing about your body what would it be?

I'd like to have my "twenty-somthing" body back....

6. How often do you wash your hair?

Every other day...

7. Do you have pets?

The only "baby" left at home is Shugs....our little white Lhasa Apso. She's the love of our lives.

8. How many social networks do you belong to..if you had to give up one, what would it be?

I'm very new to social networks.....BlogHer and BlogFrog (are they social networks? I told you, I'm new!)

Snow Day Par-Tay!!!!

2010-01-30T21:33:00.000-08:00

It snowed! Really, I'm not kidding......we finally have snow! And. lots. of. it. We measured in at 6.5 inches here and it's really beautiful. Dennis made oatmeal this morning...just seemed like a snow day kind of breakfast, and it was delicious! Then we watched a movie, but we were restless and really just wanted to get out of the house and see "the town".

Shugs wasn't too sure if she wanted to go out or not....

At first, she just wanted to watch....then she decided to just go out on the porch...

Then she figured that it couldn't be all that bad if Daddy was out in it....

That lasted less than a minute.....

Later we looked out the front door and guess who we saw? The mailman!!!! So, it is true...."neither rain, nor snow, nor sleet, nor hail".....

Well, Dennis figured if the mailman could deliver the mail, we could go for a little drive....AND he wanted oysters!!! What?? There's a fridge full of food (well, everything EXCEPT oysters) and you want oysters? So, off we went.....

...to Farm Fresh! I was pretty sure I'd seen fresh oysters there the day before.

There were a few cars in the parking lot, but not so many people inside.....

We found the oysters, a lemon and beer, then decided to take them over to the "other Dennis's" house.....Dennis West.

....we called, got an okay.....grabbed our oysters and beer....

....and off we went! Once we drove up, it was pretty apparent that we weren't the only ones who had this thought!

It was quite a lively group and we really had a great time! We cooked/ate/enjoyed the oysters....

....watched basketball and some golf.....

......the guys played darts......

...while the ladies did what they do best....chat!!!....

Stevie West made a beer run!!!

There was great music by DJ Dennis.....and a bit of dancing!!!

And one of the neighbors pulled kids up and down the street behind his John Deere tractor....looked like sooo much fun!

It was just a great day spent with great people......

....and a good time was had by all!!! See you guys soon! Maybe tomorrow! Hmmmm.....how about pizza....from scratch!

UPDATE to Paris Day Two - Part Two

2010-01-28T13:20:00.000-08:00

Somehow I forgot to add a significant "happening" that occurred on the morning of Day Two. When we left the apartment that morning, Dennis had his new international cell phone on his hip.....later that morning, he realized it wasn't on his hip!!! Uh oh!

By then we were already out and about, so he spent the rest of the day's travels wondering if he had actually lost it, or he had put it down after our morning adventure through the neighborhood.

That evening when we got back to the apartment, it wasn't there. We emailed Jessica, Melinda's daughter, back in the US and asked her to call Dennis' cell phone. Since we couldn't make calls outside of Paris from the apartment phone, this was our only hope. Also, Jessica speaks fluent French, so she was our best and only hope!

We received an email not long after that saying that someone did, in fact, answer the phone and he gave her his phone number. We called him and he said he was at the same address as us! Turns out it was the owner of the hair salon in front of our building!

Dennis and Melinda went to pick up the phone and gave him a nice little reward.....nice guy!!! Anyway, I just had to add that, because it didn't stop there.....more to come on Day Three's post!

By the way, thanks again, Jess!!!

Day Two - Part Two

2010-01-26T19:53:00.000-08:00

Once we were off of the Batobus, we decided to walk down the streets and just explore a bit. Just walking the streets of Paris is an adventure!

I'm telling you, it's impossible to resist the brightly colored awnings on the streets of Paris....beneath each one is a window full of the most amazing.....

.....unbelievable......

incredible.....

TREATS!!! This particular place was also a cafe and we decided to take a little break to try their Crocque-Monsieur.

The daughter of a very dear friend, Kelly, had asked me to please try this sandwich while in Paris and to report back to her what I thought. It is basically a grilled cheese sandwich with a cheese sauce on the top.....but there isn't anything "basic" about the taste of this sandwich, so I can't leave with that description. The bread....oh my....is more dense than our sandwich bread and very buttery. Two bread slices are buttered and filled with ham and cheese, most often Gruyere, Emmental or other Swiss-type cheese. It is then grilled, then topped with a Bechamel sauce and more cheese, then browned under the broiler. It's one sandwich that you must eat with a fork! We all agreed that it was awesome!

Back out on the streets.....more brightly canopied shops!!!

Each "neighborhood" has it's own

similar row of shops....from the left, the Poissonnerie (seafood), Boucherie (meats), Volaille (poultry), Charcuterie (pork, deli meats), Fromager (cheese), Vins (wine) and, not shown, the Boulangerie (breads) and Patisserie (pastries). There is also at least one produce market, too! And don't forget the grocery stores, which are smaller than what we have here, in most cases. I just can't imagine being able to walk out my front door every day to the freshest meats, vegetables, cheese and baked goods!

And every now and then......

....there's a McDonalds!!! I think I might visit a McDonald's here if we had these neat little areas to sit with our meal, watch the world go by and enjoy a little WiFi. No, we didn't stop in here....but we did have a taste of French McDonald's food....more on that later.

After quite a bit more walking, we ended up in this great little cafe for a little dinner.....

No, I have no idea what it was called.....or exactly where it was. I guess this is what happens when you're walking the streets of Paris and you see a cute little bistro, stop in for a bit of wine (because it's cheaper than water) or hot chocolate (with brandy, of course!). But I will tell you that this was one of our best meals.

Melinda and I had the Moule, which is mussels cooked in a wine, garlic, shallots and butter sauce. That pot was FULL and they were delicious! (Note: recipe coming soon to a cooking blog near you!)

Brad had the French Onion Soup, which was one of the better ones we tasted while there (I think we tried it 3 diffrent times/3 different places).

But the best thing ordered at that table was the dish Dennis had. It was smoked herring, which I'm not fond of.....but it had this incredible potato salad in the middle....and I had a tough time keeping my fork off of his plate. It wasn't like anything I'd ever had! I will try to duplicate this recipe....and I will share.

By this time, it was dark and we headed back toward the Batobus for the rest of the tour of the Seine.....but not before stopping into this elegant vin shop for a bottle of wine for the ride. I took pics of the inside, but....hey, blame it on the wine...that we'd already had!

This is a real Christmas tree! They have them everywhere in every color....and they're flocked! They are gorgeous.....

I know.....but it's still a cool picture, don't you think!

Anyway, when we got back down to the loading point for the boat, it was pouring down rain again....and there was only ONE more boat for the night. So, we boarded....but not before getting a picture of Notre Dame at night....

....and our last stop was right back where we started....we grabbed our bottle of wine....

and got off the boat to enjoy the views of the Eiffel at night.....so gorgeous!

There are fabulous pictures of all of Paris' sights all over the internet....and I think I saw most of them before we went, but none can really give you the full spectacle unless you are standing right there.

We headed inland toward the Metro so we could get a view of the tower once the new LED light show went off....tried to get a movie of it, but....oh well....more wine, please!

Wine = creative picture? Ummm...maybe not!

Anway...here she is lit up....again, nothing compared to what it looks like in action!

After watching the show, we started back in the direction of our neighborhood via the Metro....and saw more of those little flocked trees!

Once we got to the Metro, we decided the Melinda and Brad had to see Pigalle.....so, we headed back to the spicier side of town. There is more to that area than sex shops and the like....there are lots of little bistros, cafes and sidewalk eateries.....we stopped at this one for crepes...

While munching on the crepes, we walked down some side streets....uhhh, a little scary at first. We also took a step into the Musee de Erotisme (Erotic Museum), but since it was late (sounds good, right?) we didn't go in for the full tour.......but it was different!

As we did the first night, we passed this shop....

....and Melinda starts talking to the two guys out front! It cost 20 euros (about $30+) per person to go inside. ( Conversation out front: "You want to do what? Uhhh.......what happened to that white bag with the wine in it? It's gone? Not happenin'! ") Soooo....she's trying to talk the guy into letting all four of us in for 20 euros! Thank God he didn't fall for it, although after reading the reviews (Click here) I'm really thanking him. I can just imagine how this blog would be reading right now if we had gotten in! Would I have gone? Probably....just so I could blog about it....not that I would have.

So, back to the Metro and the ride home....next stop, Metro Notre Dame de Lorette....home!

Paris - Day Two - Part One

2010-01-21T23:10:00.000-08:00

We were up and ready to go on Day Two of our trip. I was most excited to just get out into our neighborhood to see what happens in the early morning. I'd heard/read stories of how busy the streets are in the morning, especially the vendors stocking up for another day of business!

So, we headed over to see just what "our" charcoutierie (the butcher, remember?) was up to! We were just in time to see the day's delivery!

They were in such great moods and just loved that we were interested in what they were doing!

He even stopped to pose and I didn't have to ask!

I had NO idea that all of the beautiful meats in those cases were all carefully trimmed and prepped for their own cases. Our "meat cases" pale in comparison to these.....

It was somewhere about here where I started understanding that everything in Paris has an artistic flair......even the meat case. Check out these gorgeous tenderloins....oh, how I wanted to taste one of these.....

....but on that particular morning, I was happy to just look at these escargot (read: snails!) in the case. I really had no desire to try them (although we did...but that's another day).

For the moment, I just wanted to soak in how incredible it was to see so many gorgeous foods in the cases.....

But enough of that.....it was time to grab some pastries to have with our coffees/tea and then "hit the road" for another day of Parisian sights!

Oh, how I'd love to start every day off with a plate of these!

When we got back to the apartment, Melinda was up and ready to roll!!!!

Yes, that's the window in the living room in our apartment....it looks out over the courtyard. It's so PARIS!!

So, we hit the Metro and off to the Eiffel Tower we went! This was our first real view of it.....I just had to take the picture, even though I knew there were better ones to come!

Up close and personal......she's just gorgeous!

Up closer? Wow!

And closer? Oh dear!

Ready for a few stats? The Eiffel was built for the centennial celebration of the French Revolution in 1887. It was completed in 1889. It took 2.5 million rivets (yes, rivets), 18,038 pieces of iron (excluding the rivets) and 40 tons of paint to construct....by 300 iron workers....and over 2 years to construct! It is now a French icon.....and it's gorgeous!

Because the New Year holiday is the largest celebration of the year for the French, Paris was packed!!! There were unbelievable lines everywhere for every thing! We decided to forgo going up in order to be able to see other sights.....that and we just couldn't justify spending 4 hours in line in the freezing cold. THAT and it is definitely another excuse (read: reason) to come back!

We ventured over to the other side of the Eiffel, along the Seine....

The views down the river are beautiful....

Oh look....it's a boat! Oh wait, it's a restaurant....with heaters....and wine....and toilettes (at 75 cents per person). We decided to take a little break to warm up (inside and out)....

We also decided to get tickets for the Batobus, which is a boat ride down the Seine where you can get off and on as much as you like....

A little wine and bread and we were off!

The views were awesome.....

....and the bridges were....ummmm.....yep, I'm speechless! Imagine that!

Check out the boats!!! We don't have anything like these in our harbors!

And like I said....everything is Paris has a "flair".....check out the front of this boat!

Here are a few pics of our trip along the river Seine....

"Picnik Show"

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And then we rounded the corner....and we found ourselves back at the Notre Dame! Truly, you cannot get enough of her!

So, we decided to get off at this stop and hit the streets!

Next up.....street walking....and lots of delectibles!!!!

Paris - Evening One - Hitting the Streets!

2010-01-15T20:17:00.001-08:00

I have no idea where that burst of energy came from, but neither of us was ready to retire, so Dennis and I hit the streets. At first, our thoughts were to just check out the surrounding neighborhood. We headed down the street....

...alot of the streets had these lights strung above them...it was really pretty. Especially once we looked back and realized how far uphill we had gone!

All of the shops were now closed, but we did find the vin (wine) shop,

and the prices seemed to be very reasonable! Champagne was a bit expensive.....go figure!

Anyway, we kept walking and finally we came to a four lane street with a rather large median in the middle....to the right, not much. To the left.....

We were in Pigalle!!!! Pigalle is the old "red light district" of Paris...even though it is known as the "seedy" part of town, in recent years it has become a more trendy spot to visit, although it's still a bit risque' (French word? You bet!)

I remembered that the Moulin Rouge wasn't a long way from our apartment, and was in this direction, so I figured it was up ahead....and it was! BUT, there was lots more to see along the way.....

Follies Pigalle is a former cabaret, but is now a very trendy nightclub. We kept on walking....

Yep....that says what you think it says! It's a little bit of everything inside that place.....I guess you could call it a "sex mall"! Hey, they have their own Facebook page...don't bother, it's in French.

So.....we kept walking.....

Stopping for a "photo op" at this place, we were approached by a couple of men who had been standing at the front door....they offered Dennis a "deal" to go inside...even said I could come along! Ummmm.....no, thanks. We kept walking....

......it appears that word is part of a universal language! Look closer at the smaller sign!

Believe it or not, we were still not tired....so we kept walking....

Finally....there she was....

She looked just like I thought she would....the Moulin Rouge!!!

OK....now we're tired! Hey look.....there's the Metro!

Goodnight!

Oh wait...one more thing, just in case you decide to visit this area of Paris. Although we felt completely safe in this area, and there are lots of other cafes and shops, you may want to check out these reviews before checking out the interior of some of these shops. We got lucky....but more on that later......

Paris - The First Supper!

2010-01-14T20:48:00.000-08:00

At this point, we've been awake for around 30 hours....we've seen alot within the first 10 hours of arriving in France and now it's time to head back to our "home away from home" and check out the neighborhood for something to eat!

First stop......the Shopi...

This was the little grocery store that was directly across the street from our apartment. They had pretty much anything you needed, including liquor, wine, produce, meats, etc.. BUT, if you really wanted the French experience AND the freshest and bestest in produce, meats, cheese, and baked goods....you just walked THROUGH the Shopi out onto the next street....and VOILA!!!

There you found two charcouteries (butchers)

, 2 boulangeries (bakeries)

, a patisserie (pastry shop)

, a fromagerie (cheese shop)

a poissoniere (seafood shop),

and the produce shop (ohmigosh!)

If you know me at all, you know that I had to pinch myself to make sure I hadn't died and gone to heaven!!! It was everything I dreamed it would be and more.....food at it's finest....entrepreneurs (ha...French word!) that specialized in one particular aspect of the food group and ensured it was its best. When you walked into their shops, you could see the pride in their faces....they knew you were going to love what they had to offer....and they were right! Even the sight of what they had to offer was incredible!

OK....back to earth! We were hungry and it was late....we stopped first at the butcher and bought 4 chicken breasts (Melinda wanted to make her chicken cutlets)....then Dennis I went to the other butcher and found a huge oven (sorry...too excited to take a pic) full of freshly rotisseried chickens! Score! Remember....it was getting late!

We all finally agreed to the rotisserie chicken and Melin and I went off to the produce shop to get an accompaniment....salad!

We also scored some fresh brie and freshly baked baguettes to snack on while dinner was being prepared (although how long does it take to prep a rotisserie chicken!?).....heaven on earth....but only in France!

Once we'd tasted the cheese and bread, I thought there might be a possibility that we'd be eating the chicken and salad the next night. But I guess our weariness from the trip had summoned an appetite....Melinda set the table...

and we all sat down to a delicious dinner.....our first in Paris!

After dinner the guys sat down with all of the Paris "guides and maps" we had accumulated to figure out their next plan of "attack on Paris"

while Melinda and I cleaned up from dinner and prepared our dessert......from the patisserie!!!

None of us could decide exactly what we wanted from the incredible selection at the pastry shop, so we got just a few things to taste.....from the top left, coconut pie, a mini Bouche de Noel and an apple tarte tatin with raisins.

The Bouche de Noel confirmed for me that mine was just tooooo dry and I paid very close attention to the texture and taste.....next year's Bouche de Noel will definitely taste different than this year's.

The coconut pie was incredible....I've tasted several coconut pies in my lifetime, but this was so different. The French desserts aren't as sweet as the American desserts....you really tasted the custard and the coconut. It was so silky and delicious.

The apple tarte tatin was also delicious....not my favorite (the Bouche de Noel was), but it was different than an American apple pie....again, not as sweet, so you really taste the main ingredients.

I don't know what "chemical reaction" occurred after that, but the desserts affected us all quite differently....Melinda and Brad found their PJs and started to relax, but Dennis and I felt energized (no, I have NO idea where it came from) and decided to hit the streets.....

Next up....hitting the streets....the risque side of Paris!

Paris - Day One - Part Two!

2010-01-12T17:08:00.000-08:00

I left off with our visit to the Notre Dame. We didn't get to go inside....the lines were very long (about a 2 hour wait), so we decided to just do a walking tour of the area.

From Notre Dame, we left the Cite' Island, crossed the Seine to the Right Bank and headed for the Musee de Louvre, the most visited museum in the world.

Unfortunately, we wouldn't be part of that head count....turns out the Louvre is closed on Tuesdays! Such is our luck, right? Well, truthfully, there was no way we'd be able to see all of the 35,000+ objects that are on display, especially on our first day.

It truly is a sight to behold. Although it does seem a little odd at first to see the very modern Louvre Pyramid sitting square in the middle of architecture with so much history, it is truly spectacular! It was commissioned by the former French President, Francois Mitterrand. It was created due to issues with the original entrance to the museum, which could no longer accomodate the massive number of visitors each day.....it is now the main entrance to the museum. Isn't it beautiful!?

The architecture of the buildings and in the surrounding area are amazing, too!

Once you turn around and face the other direction, you see the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel....not to be confused with the larger Arc de Triomphe.

They look similar, but the Arc de Triomphe is much, much larger. The architecture is unbelievable, and it's much more accessible, since you don't have to cross multiple lanes of unbelievably fast moving cars!

Amazing, isn't it? Everywhere you look in Paris, there is amazing architecture!

From there, we moved on into the Tuilerie Gardens, which cover over 60 acres! Even though it was winter, it was still beautiful and there were lots of visitors!

The views are superb from the gardens....most of Paris is so built up, that it's usually only at heights that you can get a great view.

The gardens are filled with ponds, water fountains and lots of sculptures:

Dennis especially liked one of the ponds!

(Roundtrip tickets to Paris, $1600, Cost to use public toilettes, $1.50, Photo Op in Tuilerie Gardens....Priceless!)

Originally, the gardens were the site of the Tuilerie Palace, which was burned down in 1871. The fire lasted over 48 hours. There are efforts now to rebuild the palace in hopes of restoring the "harmony" of the gardens, from the Louvre to the Champs Elysses.

Next up....a more contemporary art display at the edge of the gardens by Louise Bourgeois.....born in France in 1911, she married and moved to New York in the 1930s and is a very well know artist. We were drawn to the "Welcoming Hands", each one displayed on top of granite stone columns. I couldn't resist taking pictures of them, but what was most irresistible was putting your own hands in theirs.

"Picnik Show"

Next up....La Grande Roue....the ferris wheel at the end of the gardens, just before the Champs Elysses. It was built for the millenium celebrations and was only supposed to be there for a year. The owner refused to remove it, so it was dismantled in 2002, but starting in 2007 it comes back for the end of the year festivities. I'm so glad we got to see it!

With tired/cold feet, we'd found ourselves at the Champs Elysses.

It is 1.25 miles long and is the most expensive strip of real estate in Europe and is one of the most famous streets in the world. It boasts high end stores such as Louis Vuitton....

...Prada, Hermes and Chanel. And right in the very center of this beautiful avenue sits the Arc de Triomphe.

Commissioned in 1806 by Napoleon to commemorate his victories, it wasn't completed until 1836 and is engraved with the names of the generals who commanded French troops during Napoleon's regime.

We decided to jump on a bus and ride around the Arc for better views.....I, for one, was not keen on the thought of trying to cross the traffic from the 12 streets that merge into the circle for a close up!

By this time, it was getting late, so we decided to head back to our apartment and check out the neighborhood for a bite to eat!

Next up.....Paris - Evening One!

Paris - Day One!

2010-01-11T21:07:00.000-08:00

So, here's the deal.....we woke up on Monday, December 28th at 6 am (12 noon Paris time), left Virginia at 3 PM (9 PM Paris time) and arrived in Paris at 6:30 AM (12:30 AM US time) on December 29th. We were finally finished with checking in at the apartment by 9 AM (3 AM US time) and decided to unpack, then hit the streets!

First stop.....breakfast! Now, keep in mind that Parisians start their day completely different than we do. It starts off with cafe' (strong coffee, cream or not), and maybe a croissant or some other form of pastry. On the other hand, WE were looking for some substance, hoping it might compensate for our lack of sleep.

Just a few doors down from our apartment was a cafe....made sense to us! Dennis, Brad and I chose a ham and cheese omelette....

Melinda went with the special, braised endive with a cheese/cream sauce and frites (french fries). Melinda picked the best meal that day....her endive was delicious!! The omelettes.....not so much!

My omelette didn't have any cheese, and Dennis' and Brad's wasn't much better. OK.....we're in Paris....surely there is fab food somewhere! We just kept on rollin'! With a little food in our bellies, along with some serious cafe' (coffee), we set off on our first tour of Paris.

First stop....the Metro! The Metro is Paris' subway system....and wow, is it intricate! We purchased a pass which gave us access to the Metro and the bus system for a full week....life saver! The entrance to the Metro was less than a block from our apartment, next to a beautiful church.

The Metro system in Paris is awesome.....you can get anywhere in minutes and the maps are very easy to read and understand. Below is our station!

Wow....we spent a ton of time on these! I have many memories of my time spent on the Metro..some that make me smile and one that makes me shiver (more to come on that later!).

The obvious choice was the obvious choice.....go where all tourists go! Central Paris......on the Seine!

Yes....it looks just like all of the travel books....really! And the Seine is just beautiful.....the water may be a bit muddy and it runs very fast through the city, but it's beautiful!

Next stop....the Cite' Island in Paris....home of the Notre Dame (Our Lady of Paris in French)....it is the cathedral of the archdiocese of Paris. Construction began on this beautiful structure in 1163....can you believe that? It was completed in 1345....dang! Now that's history!

Isn't it fabulous!!! Oh, wait until you see it at night! In the meantime, here are a few more shots...

From there we walked the streets towards the Louvre, where there were many
"street vendors" making sandwiches and CREPES!!!

Some were filled with savory fillings, such as cheese and ham, but most people ordered the Nutella with other fillings. We were still a little full from our breakfast and decided to wait for our "crepe experience".

Next we headed down the streets of central Paris toward the Louvre....

but not before taking in the activity on the Seine.

Next up? The Louvre and the rest of our Day One in Paris!!!

*Sorry.....I promise not to drag out every day into several posts, but this really was the longest day.....our first! Go figure! See you soon!

Special Birthday Wishes.....

2010-01-10T00:01:00.000-08:00

This is a special day for some very special people and I wanted to take a moment to wish them all a very happy birthday! Birthday greetings go out to Denise Sutton, a very special lady and dear friend, Debbie Moore, a new old friend and GBHS classmate, Harriet Sadler, a great lady of real estate, and Omar Higazi, my favorite of my son's friends! I hope you all have a very special day!!!!

Paris - Getting there!

2010-01-09T20:24:00.000-08:00

We were all pretty excited to begin the trip we'd been planning for almost a year. We were packed and ready to go early on the morning we left. Our flight didn't leave until almost 3 pm, but because security at airports had tightened since Christmas Day, we decided to get to the airport early.

We met Melinda and Brad at the airport just as they were getting the tickets for our flight....first to DC, then to Paris. It didn't take long, so we moved on through security and headed to the bar! Time for Bloody Mary's and a couple of post trip pics!

The trip to DC was pretty uneventful....I mean, how much can happen during a trip that lasts less than an hour!? We were a little concerned about making our connecting flight because there wasn't much time to get from the domestic terminal to the international terminal, but we were worried for nothing....piece of cake!

The trip from DC to Paris was....uhhh.....it was looooong! There were several movies to watch, but none that really interested me. We were in the "economy" section, which meant our knees were right up at the seats in front of us.

I'll go ahead and tell you now that we were lucky enough to get Economy Plus seats on the way home....5 inches more room and it was WORTH IT!!!

We arrived in Paris at 6:30 AM Paris time....Brad had no problem getting his "snooze on"....Melinda "snoozed" a little and Dennis and I "snoozed" not at all. Dennis was seated by himself four rows in front of us....had a great seat, but not so great a seat mate. But once we landed, there was plenty of adrenaline to keep us all going.

We had arranged a taxi with the company that rented us the apartment and were happy to see him when we arrived. He loaded up our luggage....

....and we headed into the city......just in time to miss the traffic rush hour!
But we were a little earlier than we were expected, so our "greeter" was about 30 minutes behind us. The taxi driver dropped us (and our luggage) off at a cafe down the street from our apartment where we tasted our first cafe au lait!!! Ummm........ div="">

It was raining and it was cold......the cafe hit the spot! But before we were finished our "greeter" came through the doors to "greet" us. He went ahead of us to make sure the heat was on in the apartment while we finished our warm drinks, then joined him.

The apartment looked just as we'd expected......it was actually a little larger than I'd thought it would be, but just as special! I was soooo excited, especially once I had a minute to go through the wonderful kitchen!

We unpacked our bags and then decided to hit the streets of Paris? Sleep? Who needs sleep????

Next up.....our first day on the streets of Paris!

Home Away from Home~~

2010-01-07T18:57:00.000-08:00

So, we're back from our trip to Paris......I can't tell you how disappointed I was that the internet connection was so weak that I was unable to "blog" at all! My goal was to post in the evenings about our daily adventures....so much for planning, huh?

I've been anticipating these posts for quite sometime, so without further ado, I'd like to introduce you to our "home away from home"!!!

This is the entrance to 7 Rue Notre Dame de Lorette, in the 9th arrondisement of Paris.....not a very touristy area, which I just loved! Soooo....come on in!

Now you know that my heart just skipped a bit when we opened the door to this:

It's just sooo Parisian! Then you take a few more steps, look to the left and THIS is what you see:

We spent quite a bit of time "chatting" in this area! And those 4 windows to the right??? They were OUR windows! And when you look up, this is what you saw:

Those are our neighbors up there! Well, actually all but one were gone for the holiday.....it's a Parisian thing. Then you walk through the door to our building's lobby (hmmm.....very small lobby), you see this:

I told you it was small.....but then you look up and this is what you see!

Isn't that beautiful! We were fortunate enough that our apartment was on the first floor, so we didn't have to climb them, but they sure were lovely to look at!

Still, it was hard not to look back at the courtyard....I would so love to see it in the spring, wouldn't you?!

Now for one of my favorite rooms......yep, the kitchen!

Although the wine opener was a little weak, the glasses were small and the coffee cups even smaller, this kitchen had everything we needed to be comfortable.

Then there was the beautiful dining room and living room:

....and the bedrooms.....

.....and the bathroom(s).....

I guess you could say there is no such thing as a "full bath" in Paris. The bathtub is is one room and the "toilette" (pronounced twahlette) is in a separate room called a water closet. I actually like it this way!

We were all very comfortable here in this lovely apartment. It was so nice to come "home" after a long day of walking the streets (and climbing the stairs) of Paris to a "home" and not a hotel room. We even had a washer and dryer, so we didn't have to bring as many clothes as we would have otherwise.

So, if you're planning a trip to Paris and want a great place to "live" while you're there, my advice is to contact parisaddress.com. They were great to work with, very accomodating and very patient with us. They even arranged our taxis to and from the airport! Thank you very much! I hope to see you again soon!

Note: Pictures of the dining room, living room and bathroom are from the parisaddress.com website. Mind didn't come out so well.

A Very Merry Christmas.....

2009-12-26T21:51:00.000-08:00

Christmas has always been my favorite time of the year.....isn't it for everyone? I grew up with strong holiday traditions....and when I started my own family we added some of our own traditions. And now one of our Christmas traditions is to enjoy someone elses tradition......Christmas eve with Melinda and Brad.

Melinda grew up in a New York Italian family and every Christmas eve her Mom made Lobster di Frivolo.....lobster, clams, mussels and shrimp in a light tomato sauce over pasta.....it is fabulous!

This year she served this spectacular dish to 30 of her favorite friends and her loving family.....we were very blessed to be part of this group. The evening starts with her antipasti....romaine lettuce with fresh tomatoes, fresh mozzarella, salami, ham, roasted red peppers, black olives and pickled vegetables.....drizzled with olive oil and fresh parmesan. I have to make myself stop so there's room for the main course!

Needless to say, it was an evening that warmed the heart and lifted your spirit. If you weren't in the Christmas mood when you got there, you were when you left......here are some photos from our evening:

It was truly a very, merry Christmas....spent with great friends and enjoying great food!

Merry Christmas everyone!!!

Look!!! Over there>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

2009-12-23T06:10:00.000-08:00

I know you probably haven't been watching it click down like I have, but we're now in the single digits! This time next week we'll be in Paris getting ready for the New Year!!!

If all works out as planned, Melinda and I will be posting here about our adventures.....stay tuned!!!

Office Party!!!!

2009-12-18T20:27:00.000-08:00

Work.....well....it's work!! But when you "work" with people like those that I work with, it does make it so much easier.....and the group I work with was full of holiday spirit today! We had a luncheon get together today and you could feel the electricity in the air in the elevator! Not only was there grub, but there was a Tacky Christmas Outfit contest! No wonder these people are so good at figuring out how to get the job done.....their creativity level is beyond none! Check out some of these outfits!

So, after the "parade" it was time for lunch....the food was delicious and it sounded like the conversation was fun. Unfortunately, I was working on a new loan for someone, so I had to eat at my desk. But I popped my head out every now and then just to take in the smiles and the laughter. Yep...this is definitely a group that is full of holiday spirit!

All I can say is that I am very lucky to be able to work with the people I work with.....not only are they full of the holiday spirit, but they are full of the spirit of life and in helping each other be the best we can be. I just love their spirit!

Party Time!!!

2009-12-12T16:09:00.000-08:00

We had a busy morning today.....Melinda had her handyman come to the cabin to figure out what the problem is with the water. He had winterized it when we were up the last time, but we were still having issues (it's become a Friday night at the cabin thing). Finally he fixed the pipes while we made breakfast, then we showered and headed to Floyd to see if we could "find some finds" at the antique shops.

We struck out there, so we headed up to Chateau Morrisette for their Holiday Open House. There was still some snow on parts of the mountains.......but we loved the ice on the side of the mountain.The party was actually very nice! There was quite a bit of food.......pork tenderloin with fig and apricot chutney, shrimp, crab dip, mozzarella skewers, pasta, lots of veggies, cheeses and dips and even wild boar sausage cooked with peppers and onions. I have to say that it wasn't half bad! There were also tasting stations throughout the winery, which was beautifully decorated for the holidays. THEN there was the dessert station with a Bouche de Noel,different truffles, pumpkin crisp, apple crisp, chocolate decadence, several different types of mousse, chocolate covered strawberries......they really know how to put on a party, that's for sure!After we were stuffed and thoroughly "wined", we went to pick up our cases of wine, which we got at 30% off! Then we found a "Redbox" and headed back to the cabin for a relaxing evening watching movies and drinking a little wine..........then we head back home in the morning! This has been a wonderful weekend....I guess we'll be remaining members of the Kennel Club!

Heaven Froze Over

2009-12-11T20:32:00.000-08:00

We're here! I know it's only been two weeks since we were up here at the cabin, but this was a weekend we were all looking forward to. Remember when we joined the "Kennel Club" up at Chateau Morrisette? Well, if you spent $150 on wine within the year, you got invited to the exclusive Christmas party! And we did....and now we're here! Tomorrow is the "bash"!

Shugs knew immediately that we were going somewhere when she saw us hustling around this morning to get packed....then we took her bed out to the car and that was it! She sat in the car until Melinda got to our house.
She was soooo excited! The trip up was uneventful.....but we did see some snow!!! And we weren't the only ones heading to the mountains!This picture was taken at 74 MPH!!!! Once we got here, the temp INSIDE the cabin was 17 degrees........we turned on the baseboard heaters (which do little to raise the temp) and stoked the woodstove to try to get the cabin warm. We even turned the double ovens up to 400 degrees and used wood trays to try to fan the heat into the rest of the cabin.Then I made my Clam Chowder for dinner, but when we went to sit down on the chairs they were soo cold that Melinda took the cast iron IRONS off of the wood stove and literally ironed the chairpads so our bums would be warm! Mensa......here she comes!

Slowly but surely the cabin warmed up....and so did our bums!!!! Melinda decorated the cabin for Christmas,
while Dennis watched old war and horror movies........and I surfed the net to make sure we wouldn't miss the December meteor showers.

The cabin is warm now.......and we're all much more relaxed (it helps not having layers of clothes on) and waiting for 2 AM for the beginning of the peak of the meteor showers. More to come! STAY TUNED!!! More tomorrow....unless we drink too much wine!

Thankful......

2009-12-04T13:32:00.000-08:00

As you already know, this year we spent Thanksgiving with Melinda and her wonderful family! Since Shelby wouldn't be home this year, we thought it might seem less like someone was missing.....besides, we love spending time at Melinda's. She is quite the hostess and she's a wonderful cook!

Since we each have "faves" that we only eat at Thanksgiving, we split some things and made duplicates of others. How many different types of dressing did you have? Well, we had three! Melinda made these fabulous stuffing cups in a muffin pan that had apples in them!! Then she made a savory stuffing with sausage. I made an herb dressing. We also had two different gravies and two different types of mashed potatoes! Brad's mashed potatoes are deliciously creamy
and I made roasted garlic mashed potatoes (recipe to follow on my cooking blog)Melinda made the turkey and I made a ham. Besides the food, another reason we love having family meals at her home is that she sets the most beautiful tables, which add so much to the holiday feeling in the air!She's been collecting pieces for years......and she even has dishes for every occasion! Brad sliced the turkey...
..the ham was already sliced....the table was set...
...everyone had arrived....(that's Evan!)...we even had our favorite wine chilled and on the table! All that was left to do was eat. It was one of the best Thanksgiving dinners I've ever had.....mostly because it was spent with people that I love and am thankful are part of my life. I hope that you had a wonderful Thanksgiving that was as filled with love and gratefulness as ours was!

On Frozen Pond.....

2009-11-30T09:32:00.000-08:00

Melinda and I had a great weekend up at the cabin this weekend. It was a "girls" weekend and we were going to work on a secret OSL Christmas project (details to be revealed after Christmas). The "girls" included me, Melinda, Shugs and Chloe! The dogs love to go to the cabin and do quite well on the 4.5 to 5 hour trip up. Chloe (nicknamed "Knee Wart"), of course, sits in Melinda's lap and Shugs lays in her bed in the back....both snooze.

We had a little bit of a problem getting the water turned on, but had an even bigger problem getting the cabin warm! The winds were whipping outside at 20 mph and the wind chill was 21 degrees. Melinda got the woodstove going quickly, but with all of the rain they'd had up in the mountains, the cabin was cold and damp....it didn't warm up until around 2 AM, when we finally fell asleep snuggled in robes that had been warmed by the heater.

The next morning, we awoke to this....
....yep, that's a frozen pond. At least it was the only thing that was frozen! Remember this trip?The "big freeze" weekend last year was actually the same weekend this year!

The dogs just love going to the cabin.....once we pull onto the dirt road up to the cabin, both of their heads are up and the noses are going full speed. The scents of the mountain are familiar ones now and neither of them can wait to take their noses out of the air and put them to the ground!

Shugs has also gotten used to her "morning walks". Dennis takes her up and down the mountain every morning and she loves it. Well, Saturday morning she gave me a little time to drink my coffee, but after that she was ready to go for her walk and she wouldn't stop nudging my leg until I put the second cup down and took her. She waited patiently while I put shoes on and put a coat over my PJs.....and then she was off!

It's a wonder she doesn't run into a tree because he head is down the entire time. She stops here and there to sniff a little deeper and sometimes gets a little ahead of me,

but always stops and turns to make sure I'm still there.

It is such a cute sight.....this little white, fluffy dog that looks like she should be sitting on a fluffy pillow with tassels just struts up and down the mountain looking for animal adventures.

Once, when Dennis was walking her, they went up a pretty steep mountain that had been recently cleared. Shugs got about 15 yards ahead of Dennis and she was obviously on the trail of something. All of a sudden a deer came up out of the brush and Shugs went up on her hind legs and toppled down the hill backwards. I think she aged a couple of years after that!

She spends most of her days sitting on our front porch waiting for a squirrel or bunny to show itself, then she moves very slowly toward it......she has no idea that she is white...and they can clearly see her, although every now and then she does get close. But the animals up at the cabin aren't little bunnies or squirrels. There aren't any lions or tigers, but the newest sign down the road from the cabin is this:

There is a black cat that hangs out on the mountain and Shugs had her cornered once.....that was fun! Melinda has seen a fox and God only knows what else is out there! In the meantime, Shugs spends most of her cabin weekends sitting on the porch.....waiting....

The Results Are In!!!

2009-11-26T20:31:00.000-08:00

First let me say, "Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours!" It was a wonderful day....some of us are snoozing with our bellies full, but I knew I had to get this post in before I could close my eyes.

As some of you may have heard, today was not only Thanksgiving.....it was also the First Annual Thanksgiving Throwdown. It was a last minute thing that Dennis and I came up with the other night after watching Bobby Flay's Pumpkin Pie Throwdown. Since we were having Thanksgiving dinner with Melinda and Brad, I called her to see what she thought of the idea....she was definitely on board!

I called some friends of ours, Kraig and LeeAnn Sullivan, to see if they would be able to be our judges....and they were on board!

All that was left to do was to pick our recipes, gather our ingredients and bake!

We didn't make it easy for Kraig and LeeAnn......there were some wonderful entries and all were delicious.

I made a classic pumpkin pie, as did Jessica and Adam......they brought his mother's recipe and it was to die for! Dennis opted to make a pumpkin pie with a graham cracker crust, a pecan struesel and a filling enriched with bourbon and molasses.....it was so rich and full of flavor! Anna made a devil's food, pumpkin cake with a pecan topping....it was WOW!!! And Melinda made a pumpkin cheesecake....the Cheesecake Factory should pay her for her recipe as it was fabulous.

After Kraig and LeeAnn arrived, we set plates in front of them with samplings of each of the sweets and they took their first bite. Kraig pronounced the winner after his first bite....hey, no fair! LeeAnn wanted to taste more! We all watched them as they sampled each entry, then left them alone to make their decision. It actually took a little longer than I thought it would, but then again, I knew they had their work cut out for them.

Soooo......who was the winner?
Congratulations, Melinda!!!! (Of course, you know she did her "happy dance"!!!

After that, we decided to have Kraig and LeeAnn's son, Bryce, do the drawing to determine next years "dish"...............he drew SOUP!

We plan to "fine tune" this a little so that judging will be a little easier. My first thought was a lobster bisque.....now HOW do you compare a lobster bisque with a chicken soup....or a butternut squash soup. We have a year to figure out the details. In them meantime, you're ALL invited to join us.....either to share in the fun or to bring your own entry! It really was fun and we're all excited about our new tradition! See you next year? We even have a trophy!!!

Day Trippin'................

2009-11-23T15:51:00.000-08:00

If you haven't had a chance to get up to Williamsburg in a while, then you may have been missing out on a great treat! I had been wanting to go to the Williamsburg Farmer's Market since I'd read about it on a cooking blog that I can no longer find and since I thought it was the last weekend (only open on Saturdays), I rushed to get out of the house and get there before it closed at 12:30 (yep, I'm a late riser...). It was a beautiful drive up, although alot of the color is gone. I quickly found a parking spot and sprinted over to Merchants Square with only an hour to spare!

It really was a wonderful time.....the vendors are all so different and all so friendly! There were plenty of baked goods,

meats, apples,
homemade soups and sandwiches,beautiful crafts,

fresh pastas

and sauces, cheeses,
homemade soaps,

herbs and vegetables.

It wasn't quite as large as my favorite market at Dupont Circle in Washington, DC, but that could be because it's late in the season. I'll let you know once I become a regular here...

I also took a little time to drive around to soak in the "Williamsburg" culture....I just love that place!

Even when I was young (a looong time ago!) I always felt a connection to Williamsburg. It's so beautiful, but I most love it in the fall and in the winter.
And right now it's decorated for Christmas, which I especially love!!!

If you haven't checked out the Williamsburg Farmers Market, there is still a chance!!! Their website says they're open on November 28th and December 12th, but one of the vendors said they'd be open on December 5th, also. I'd call ahead to make sure about the December dates before going.....maybe I'll see you there!!I can't wait to go back next spring and summer.....I can only dream of the wonderful veggies, herbs, etc., that will make their way back to my kitchen!!! ~~~~dreaming now~~~~

Oh wait....I forgot to show you what I got!

Ida Done It....But....

2009-11-20T15:36:00.000-08:00

...we had a great time anyway!!! For those of you who live right here in the Seven Cities, you know exactly who "Ida" is! She's that Nor'Easter that sat right on top of us for 3 (as in "THREE") days and dumped 8 to 10 inches of rain on our heads! We had alot of rain when Hurrican Isabel hit here back in 2003, but the tide rose much higher with this storm.

Our neighborhood was flooded and we couldn't get out, but throughout the worst of the storm we met up with neighbors and walked the street watching the tide come in and trying to guess how high it would get. Some had water in their garages and most had water up to and over their foundations. We were relatively lucky.....it did come up to the foundation, but didn't get underneath the house. It came up over the base of our shed, but because it's so well built, you could only see dampness at the seams of the flooring. It DID completely cover our dock, which was amazing! Here are a few photos from the storm....

Dennis set out early on the first day and this is what he came upon on Bells Mill Road....good thing he didn't "set out" earlier!
>
This is our next door neighbor sitting at the entrance to the neighborhood. Yep, he turned around and came back!

This is the view from our deck....on the first day! The highest the water got was up to the flowerbed you see at the bottom right part of the picture.

This is the dock...on the first day! Since the highest tide came in the evening, that picture isn't so great, but you'll get the idea...

This picture, taken from the deck, is the walkway along the back of the house...everything you see was completely under water the next night!

This picture was taken the night of the highest tide....but this was taken 1 hour before it's peak. EVERYTHING was under water...but the battery in the camera was dead! Argh! This was taken about an hour before high tide peak....it went up another 3 or 4 feet into the yard....and left quite a mess....see: The water went up beyond where it left the "mess".....which ended up in more than 20 bags! AND we used alot of it to put our gardens to "bed" for the winter.View from our deck of neighbor's yard....similar to the view in picture #3!This picture was taken the morning after the "peak" tide.....still pretty high, but not as bad as the night before.

All in all, we fared surprisingly well! We didn't lose power or satellite TV....we didn't get wet (other than a little bit our running around the neighborhood) and we didn't run out of food, water.....or cocktails!

Although my office was open EVERY day, several closings were delayed, but everyone was so nice about it! Now that was a first in a long time.....buyers understanding about delayed closings! Success!!!!

Now I guess we need to wait to see how the salty water affected the gardens.....

We Found a Home......

2009-11-05T14:37:00.000-08:00

.....and we can hardly wait to get there!!! I have been looking at apartments in Paris for days now and I think I've seen over 200!!! Either they were missing something that was important to us (like 2 bedrooms, an oven.....who would have thought?) or it was booked!

We had our hearts set on one apartment that overlooked the Arc de Triomphe AND you could see the Eiffel Tower in the distance, but at the last minute the owner decided to do a long term lease. I was so bummed! I could just see all of us watching the New Year's Eve fireworks from the warmth and comfort of our own little apartment.

Oh well.....the place we did get is fabulous! It is located in the 9th arrondissement and is only a block from the Metro.......across the street from a grocer.......around the corner from a fresh market and 10 steps from a world famous hair stylist (Should I?)

So.....this is the kitchen where we'll cook those delicious dishes we've been planning.....

And this is the lovely dining room where we'll feast on those dishes.....

And this is where we'll relax after a long day on the streets of Paris....

Isn't is beautiful!!! I can't wait to post pictures of all of us in these rooms!!!

Paris.....here we come!!!

The Collector

2009-10-29T13:23:00.000-07:00

She's "the collector"......she doesn't collect just anything. She collects things that make her feel good and things that she hopes make others feel good when they see them. She's been collecting for a very long time......when you ask about something on the shelf, or on the wall, or sitting in a corner, she doesn't reply with a noun. She replies with a story of where she got it and how. You come to understand who she is through the things she loves and the stories that make those things so special.

One of my favorite collections is her collection of needlework that she's so carefully hung on the walls throughout her cabin in the mountains. They all look like they are at home on those walls and they all make you feel good when you look at them.

The last time we were up, I took a few pictures of some of the needlework. Unfortunately, they weren't great pictures, but I hope you'll get an idea of who she is from the ones I did get. It is quite an extensive collection!

Below is a piece that has some gorgeous crewel work! Someone put alot of love in this piece....

This is the sibling of the one up above....it's so much more beautiful that it looks here....I really need to take those photography classes!

Another great example of my lack of photog skills.....but it does give you an idea of how much she loves these pieces....

Yes, she is a collector......and she loves each and every piece....and they make her feel good.....and they make me feel good. She my friend and I love her. Who? Why Melinda, of course!!!

Throughout this post I've been trying to think of something that I collect......initially I couldn't think of anything....then.......I realized that I collect cooking tools and cookbooks and Martha Stewart magazines and books! I love each and every one of them......and they make me feel good!

What do you collect?

25 Years Ago........

2009-10-13T20:52:00.000-07:00

I was three weeks past my due date and still working......I had been sending out a weekly newsletter to the Realtors I worked with called "The Stork Report".....anticipation built starting at around 38 weeks.....and then the reports kept coming. My feet were so big that I was wearing men's slippers the last two weeks (the best I could find was navy blue) and I was worn beyond belief. At the time doctors just didn't want to "induce" a first delivery unless the baby was in distress.....and she wasn't.

I had been scheduled to go to the hospital on Monday morning for a "stress test", when on Saturday afternoon, while shopping for a new TV for my maternity leave, I went into labor....or so I thought (3.5 weeks late.....duh!!!!). I was at Circuit City and my salesperson asked when I was due...."3.5 weeks ago"...and he turned white. Being Columbus Day weekend, the place was packed and he moved me to the front of the line. TV...check....pizza delivery....check.

The next morning my contractions were 2-4 minutes apart, but very irregular. We went from Sandbridge (where we lived) to Great Bridge for a visit, but the contractions didn't let up. My thoughts? "Hey, let's just go on in....maybe they'll do the stress test and I won't have to be here tomorrow morning at 7 AM!!!"

When we arrived at the hospital, for some reason, I really didn't think "this is it"....what was I thinking? This baby is 3.5 weeks late!

And then, 9 hours later I heard the shout, "it's a girl".....and I became a Mom.

Happy Birthday, Shelby!!!! I'm a very lucky Mom....I brought into this world two great kids.....and today is 25 years from the day it all began. Thank you for making me a Mom. I love you!!!!!

Sooo....what am I doing this evening???

2009-10-09T16:14:00.000-07:00

Carving pumpkins? Hmmm....no....probably a little early for that, I think.I'm making the centerpieces for one of Dennis' best friends' wedding tomorrow! She wanted fall colors....these look fall-ish, don't you think?Here's the finished product!
In the morning I'll be finishing up with two arrangements she wants for the buffet area.....wait and see!

Funny Friday #2!!!

2009-10-09T06:38:00.001-07:00

Thanks to the same BFF that inspired Funny Friday, here's the newest laugh!

This really is funny.....posted by Denise Sutton on Facebook.....re-found on YouTube.com!

Funny Friday!

2009-10-02T08:49:00.000-07:00

Common sense tells me this post should actually be a "Funny Monday" because we ALL need some humor on Mondays, right? But an old (as in how long we've known each other) friend of mine, Denise, posted this on Facebook a bit ago and so begins Funny Friday!

Check this out.....it is funny! Thanks, Denise!!!

How Does Your Garden Grow...........

2009-09-20T16:03:00.000-07:00

As with everyone, the gardens are always a "work in progress".....mine have changed as I've moved, inheriting someone elses vision, while bringing along some of my previous vision.

When I first moved to this house, I was overwhelmed with how many, and how huge, the flower beds are. When I was a little younger I wouldn't have minded that, but these days I'm just not as keen about spending my weekends with my hands in the dirt, although I still love my flowers!

Sooooo....I did what I thought I'd never do and ripped out every rose bush (yes, I did give them to someone who would love them and care for them) and began my quest to make the yard a little more "user friendly". I put forsythia where the roses were, with peonies planted in between.....peonies are my new answer to roses and I just love them! There's no blackspot....no beetle problems.....no fungus....and the flowers are absolutely to die for! Here are some of mine:

If they lasted longer, I'd have nothing but peonies! But since I love having flowers in the house throughout the seasons, I have other favorites....such as.....lillies! I adore lillies! Now they don't look so great IN the beds, but as soon as they bloom they're gone anyway....into the house....into a vase.....and throughout the house. It's one time that I don't need to burn scented candles! Here are some of my faves:

As much as I love the flowers, I also realized that I needed to bring in shrubbery that would be easy to take care of.....such as the Chinese Fringe Flower (the purple-ish shrub) and the "False Cypress" (I guess named because it's yellow-ish and not green). I also enjoy my planters of angel-winged begonias with a lime green hanging vine (uhhhh....I have NO idea what it's called, but it dies back in the winter and thrives in the summer!).

Come along and let's take a walk around the house......first up, my prized HUGE hosta called Sum and Substance. Mine is only 3 years old, so it's not as big as it will get as it "grows up".

Here's my Swamp Lily.....they seem to pop up everywhere, grow for a couple of years, then they're gone...only to find them somewhere else! I love them....just cut them back in the fall and that's about it!

Canna lillies are easy to take care of too....I love this one's leaves....Next up....the clematis that grows absolutely everywhere! It sprouts up in the strangest places! It also grows up over the deck and covers the rails and when it blooms it smells awesome. Below that are more of my hostas, some ferns and a calla lily (yep, I do love lillies!)

We used to grow a huge vegetable garden, but it just got to be too much, so now we grow tomatoes on our deck!It's all about plants that are easy to take care of, provide drama to the huge beds in this yard and plants the keep the vases throughout the house full and smelling good! I hope you enjoyed visiting my gardens.......more to come!!!

Weekend Without Labor....

2009-09-15T17:52:00.000-07:00

We'd been working 60 - 70 hour weeks just before Labor Day and really needed a break! We couldn't decide what to do when Melinda called and made our day! She had decided to spend Labor Day weekend at the cabin and WE were invited! You just don't know how my heart jumps at every invitation....it's such a relaxing and fun place to be.

So we headed up late Friday afternoon.....Melinda, Dennis, Me, Shugs and Chloe....it was a smooth trip with lots of chatting, as always. When we got there, Melinda turned on the power and we discovered that we had no internet! Either lightning had struck the line or the power surge from when she turned on the power (and everything in the cabin was on...almost) blew out the box!

Well....moving on. We broke out the wine and relaxed on the porch, just breathing in the mountain air and feeling each part of our bodies and minds start to relax.

The next morning we made a quick breakfast and packed the car with a cooler, the dog beds and some snacks and headed out for a drive.....first stop (GUESS!), Chateau Morrissette! The previously bought cases of wine were loooong gone and it was time to buy more, taking advantage of our new Kennel Club memberships! Of course, we got a chilled bottle to go and headed out!

We went to Stuart, a small town not far from the cabin, to pick up some items Melinda had previously bought on her way home and had them store until the next time she was up.....great place! Then we grabbed a killer BBQ sandwich at this gas station (once we saw the cooker sitting on the side of the road smoking!), along with these awesome onion rings!

When we got back to the cabin, Melinda's daughter, Anna, was there! She is at college at Radford, which is about an hour away and came up for a short, but sweet visit....so good to see her! She is soooo sweet! Since she wasn't able to stay for dinner, and we had eaten the BBQ at around 4, we decided to eat light.....bruschetta and French onion soup!

While Dennis watched a movie, Shugs slept on the porch, and Chloe kept vigil at Melinda's feet (hoping for droppings), Melinda and I started in preparing dinner. She chopped the tomatoes, onion, basil and garlic for the bruschetta, while I chopped the onions and starting them carmelizing.....then we added red wine (Chambourcin from Chateau Morrissette, of course!)....reduced to nothing....then added the beef stock....then added the toasts.....then added the Gruyere cheese....then toasted.....then served! Melinda had a bottle of Merlot from a winery owned by a friend of Brad's that was phenomenal.....Naked Mountain. It was "wow"! And Melinda's bruschetta was to die for!

As usual, there was some great snoozing under that tin roof that night.....the next morning, we were all up and ready to roll for our last full day at the cabin! What up on the agenda? There was a great event at Chateau Morrissette that day.....great music, great food and great wine! I really wish I'd taken the camera.....we had a rack of ribs, some delicious sliders and a fabulous cheese tray....all reasonably priced. We relaxed on the covered terrace and enjoyed the event while the rain started to roll in.... it was so cool to watch the clouds come up over the mountains.

After that, we decided to take a drive down this road that Melinda had told us about..."a teeth clencher" she said. And it was great fun....for us.....but I don't think the dogs enjoyed it very much. We stopped at this one house to see this horse that had been built out of random pieces of wood.....awesome, huh? We also saw this plant n the side of the road....anyone know what it is??

After our hair raising ride, we headed back to the cabin to prepare our dinner.....roasted garlic roasted potatoes, grilled romaine with Caesar dressing and steaks! We roasted a garlic head, pulled all of the golden cloves out, smashed them in olive oil and them tossed it with the cut potatoes (I used russets), then baked at 400 degrees until golden brown. They was delicious! You've seen in a previous post how I make the grilled romaine and the Caesar dressing recipe, so I won't bore you with that!

Brad and Melinda had been up a few weeks before and had brought up this fabulous new grill......Dennis was so excited to take it out for a ride! The steaks turned out great! While dinner was cooking, Melinda decided we needed a fire......."oh dear, Adam isn't here to make our fire".....so she decided to do it herself. It didn't take long......long as in a day or two! But she didn't give up and the next thing we knew, we had fire! Uhhhh.....and not long after that, we had rain.....relaxing raindrops on a tin roof.

We ate our dinner, watched movies and snuggled in for a cool night's rest. The next day, we'd be leaving, but I pushed that thought as far away as I could...."can't we leave tomorrow?". I have to say that we do this everytime......everytime.....and sometimes we do!

They did it....

2009-09-03T19:19:00.000-07:00

.....they took advantage of the Federal Housing tax credit and bought their first home! Congratulations, Austin and Courtney!!! You're homeowners!

I really have no idea when they got old enough to even buy a home! Don't you have to be 18? Wow, time flies! Wasn't it just yesterday they were in high school. No wait, I remember them in their caps and gowns......and I remember their going to college.....and, although I wasn't there, I've seen their wedding pictures. Well, that does it! They grew up and I WAS watching....it's real, but sometimes doesn't seem so.

Dennis and I were fortunate enough to be a part of this big step in their lives and it truly was a joy. Aside from having to patiently (?) wait for a very important document (which I the forgot to bring to the closing....the picture below is Dennis looking for it....Courtney could only chuckle!) to arrive from a ship off the coast of South Africa, it went very smoothly. They asked all of the right questions.....I knew they would be well informed homeowners and that they knew what they were doing. I was so proud of them.....they are so grown up!

So.....because Austin was out to sea, he was not at the closing.....well, kinda sorta....but not really! He emailed us after midnight to let us know he was "alive and well" and that Courtney had the "go" to proceed with closing, but somehow I wanted to include him in the "event". It's now a tradition that when and OSLer can't be present, we take a picture and bring it with us! Courtney also brought her camcorder and we made him a little video.....she read carefully over the documents........she signed.....sighed.....and grinned!

All that was left was "the move"!

Thanks again, Courtney and Austin.....for being so great to work with, but more for allowing us to be a part of such an important time in your life!

Note: OK, now listen up, OSLers.......I can lend in ALL 50 states! If you decide that you want to take advantage of the tax credit, give me a call! If nothing else, I'll make sure you're getting a good deal wherever you decide to get your financing!

A Day In Paris.........

2009-08-20T10:00:00.000-07:00

...............I intend for this to be my theme song once we're back on American soil. The only thing is, we are going to be there for more than a day. But I intend to take each day one day, one moment, one experience, one sight, one sound, one scent at a time....

You can here the song HERE.

Paris In A Day
by Ellis Paul

We were drunk fools in Paris,
stumbling on the sidewalk that runs along the Seine,
and on the Cathedral all the gargoyles watched us laughing,
"Two stupid Americans..."
We were at the mercy of this passionate waiter
who pulled the corks at the Osterasis Cafe
he kept serving us wine we hadn't ordered
then he blamed us for the weather,
it was cold and rainy -
but we raised a glass up to him anyway

We did Paris in a day,what would Marie Antionette say?
We made a vow on the Champs Elysees
that nothing would come between us
The Mona Lisa, I said, "She smiles just like she knows me"
you said, "She's a woman with nothing to lose -
She gathers a crowd around her, then she flirts with perfect strangers,
but she'll never take a lover in the Louvre -she will never take a lover in the Louvre...

" We did Paris in a Day what would Quasimodo say?
Would he stand on top of Notre Dame and throw down tourists to us?
a thousand stairs up the Pompadou we were gasping at the view
if we tried for Jim Morrison's gravesite too
we'd probably have to find a tour bus and man,
how do we find a tour bus without finding another day

We took the M across the Seine and headed for the Eiffel tower
and there the street merchants called us out by name
"Cool shades here for the Americans"
They said in their finest hipster English and then they told us,
"Every Yankee looks the same"
I said, "Is it the camera case, or our American grace?"
They said,"You all just look the same..."

We lit a candle for a ghost in the Notre Dame Cathedral
We got lost on the Left Bank looking for a place in which to stay
when we told the waiter there what we had done,
he said,"Only an American would attempt Paris in a day...
Only an American would do Paris in a day..."

We did Paris in a day what would Marcel Marceau say?
We put up our feet at the Fountain Cafe
and toasted the bond between us
We drank sherry with an Englishman
we caught up like long lost friends under the Arc
we watched the sunset end
and laughed at the miles that had passed beneath us the miles that passed beneath us
You said, "That's kilometres, baby"
but I wouldn't let it come between us
nothing will come between us
nothing will come between us...

What do you think, Melinda? Can we pull this off???

We're in the Kennel.....

2009-08-08T13:46:00.000-07:00

........Kennel Club, that is! A couple of months ago, when Dennis, Melinda and I went up to the cabin, we did a progressive wine tour. It's was awesome....we visited several wineries, a brewery, a cider house and a meadery (wine made from honey). They offered tastings of their beverages and paired them with samples of food. It was so much fun!

Well, our last stop (save the best for last!) was Chateau Morrisette, which is only minutes from the cabin. In fact, we had been up there the day before for a tasting (it's a tradition....every time) and that's where we heard of the tour. While there Dennis and I joined the Kennel Club!! Since we always go there each time we visit the cabin AND we always buy wine to drink while we hang on the porch, this was a deal! For $50 we get free tastings every visit, discounts on wine by the bottle/case and they have special events throughout the year, including a fabulous Christmas party!

So, when we went up the last time, it was for one of those type events.....hors douevres, unlimited tasting and 25% off of wine by the case! I've never found Our Dog Blue for $7.50 a bottle....even back when I first discovered it years ago! Of course, we each bought a case!

Back at the cabin, we laid out a spread of wonderful cheeses and plowed through 3 bottles of wine in no time. It was a wonderful evening....we relaxed and watched movies (uhhh....movie...over and over.....Dennis kept falling asleep and we kept have to rewind when he woke up!) Here are some pics of our visit! First up, us on the porch with the wine we brought up and the wine we picked up....and lotsa cheese!

Next up....one of the moments where Dennis and Shugs were actually awake.....that mountain air just relaxes you....good sleeping up there!

The view from Chateau Morrisette....

The view from the cabin.....The "girls" taking a nap together....this was a first! Shugs never lets any dog near her bed, not even Pepper!Yes, I am ready to go back......

Rest Peacefully.....

2009-07-26T21:11:00.000-07:00

I didn't know him well....but there is one thing I knew well about him. He loved his girls and they will always love him. Rest peacefully, Shel....we'll all meet again one day. Until then, know that they are wonderful ladies....with a very loving family and awesome friends, and we will all wrap our love around them and keep them safe and warm. Until we meet again....

The Best Mother's Day Ever!!!!

2009-07-19T10:35:00.000-07:00

I went to visit my girl!!! Dennis wasn't all that happy that I'd be leaving for six days, but I assured him that I could handle everything that needed handling from Texas, so I packed up the laptop, phone, Blackberry and some clothes and headed down!

As always, the second we land I turn on the phone and within 2 seconds it rang....Shelby wondering where I was.....we talked until I hit the top of the escalator and saw her at the bottom. As always, tears come to my eyes....she's such a beautiful sight! And she greeted me with these....

Since she had worked all day and I had been flying all day (the two hour layover made it feel that way), we decided to stay in for the evening. Of course, I was anxious to meet my GrandDog and spend some time with her!!!

We had a great time playing while Shelby cooked dinner for us.....what a nice role reversal from the olden days! AND she's quite the cook!On Friday, Shelby had to work and so did I.....which was difficult to do because playing with Lily is such a blast! We took lots of walks around the apartment complex where Shelby and Justin live....it's just beautiful. It was also hot!

Shelby took off early and we decided to head down to the Riverwalk for traditional Cactus Pear Margarita! I had my first one when Dennis and I went to San Antonio for the first time in 2001 and I have one EVERY TIME I visit......first stop, Zuni Grill!!
The bonus was the mariachi guys playing in the background!!! After that, we decided to look for a nice place to have some dinner......BUT the Riverwalk was packed and so were the restaurants. The more we walked, the less hungry we were because of the heat, so we decided to stop in at Zocca Restaurant in the Westin Hotel/Riverwalk, which is where we stayed the first time we visited San Antonio. We had some wonderful wines and some great tapas....Bruschetta with goat cheese.....yummmm......fried balls of risotto with a surprise in the middle....cheese and proscuitto. It was the perfect meal for two hot ladies...literally! Oh yea....see that cute little top I'm wearing? Shelby went shopping that day and bought it for me.....said I needed something to wear besides my signature white tops. I love it!

After that, we headed back to the hacienda to rest up and plan the next day's trip to Texas Hill Country to visit the wineries. The next day we were up bright and early, packed the cooler, then headed for the mountains.....well, Texas Mountains....

The picture is what it really did look like......it's usually quite hazy in the morning in San Antonio and actually pretty cool. Later the sun comes out and heats everything up. Anyway, we took a drive through the mountains/hills.....saw my first Longhorn (they were small, but they were horns!)
.....then we headed for the first of MANY wineries! First stop, Singing Water Vineyards....
Our favorite wine there was Sweet Lupe......we got a bottle...or two or three...for the road.

I really cannot tell you how many vineyards we visited that day, but we had a great time. One that we loved was Grape Creek Vineyards....it was almost like being in Tuscany and the tasting room was filled with several tasting stations and lots of great gifts to browse.

While we were there, we met another Mother and Daughter Combo that were so much fun. Mom was visiting daughter from California and we all decided to join up together for the rest of the afternoon.....
Next stop.....Becker Vineyards....this place was fabulous! Not only did they have lots of great wines to taste, but they had food! By this time, that was exactly what we needed. There were huge meat and cheese trays with delicious crackers and we stuffed ourselves between sips. I will definitely go back to this place next time I visit SA. I don't remember which wines we bought there, but I do remember leaving with a bag! When we got out to the car, a pony had come up to the fence in front of the car.....Shelby felt bad for him and tried to feed him her Goldfish....

We visited a couple more wineries on the outskirts of Fredericksburg, TX, then headed into town to try some of the places right on "Main Street".....it was so much fun and Fredericksburg is such a unique little town.....here's some pics::

What a neat little town....if you're ever down that way, you have to visit Fredericksburg!!!

After the winery tour, we were exhausted (and a bit buzzed!), so we turned the car around and headed back to SA, trying to decide what to have for dinner.....should we go out, stay in, go out, stay in.....indecisive Galvin Girls strike again! We stayed in and watched a great girly movie, had a little more wine and just enjoyed being together again.

On Mother's Day, Shelby made breakfast for me!!!! It was her infamous Whole Lotta Ricotta Frittata....remember this from her blog?

.....notice the Mimosas, a holiday breakfast tradition....and Miss Lily waiting patiently for breakfast time!!!

That afternoon, we went out to do a little shopping......Shelby was determined to grow basil, on her patio.....even though the sun beats down on it most of the day. So we got a LARGER pot, that WASN'T terra cotta and used some great soil that retains moisture. We even went to TJMaxx and Shelby bought me a new bathing suit (I forgot to bring mine....and I must have 10...now I have 11) so we could hang out at the pool in the afternoon.Texas summers are only bearable IF you have access to a pool, and Shelby's and Justin's apartment complex has a very nice one! It was so relaxing.....

After we got back from the pool, we repotted her basil and got the patio looking great. Then we relaxed watching TV and chatting. Our time together was starting to wind down, and with her having to go back to work on Monday, we were quietly starting to feel it. Check out this pic of Miss Lily watching the sun go down....Texas sunsets are gorgeous!

Shelby managed to get off a little early on Monday and we decided to spend some more time down at the pool. It was early afternoon, so there was hardly anyone there....we took our books and read some, took a dip, read a little more....took a dip. It was truly relaxing!

The next day was awful......six days may have seemed like a long time to Dennis, but it flew by for me. I hated to admit that I didn't want to go home....I didn't want to leave her and I didn't want to leave Lily, who I had very quickly fallen in love with!! She is soooo sweet! She is lucky to have such a great Mommy!

Shelby is truly a blessing in my life....I'm a mother who knows she is loved. She is always happy to see me and loves to share her life with me, whether it's to get approval for her new recipe idea, or to see what I think about the stresses in her life. (Dang, I didn't think writing this post would make me cry!). I miss her today, and I will miss her tomorrow.....and every day after that when I can't see her face or feel her hugs. Thank you Shelby, for the best Mother's Day I've ever had....I should have been celebrating you while you were celebrating me.

So, on our last day together we headed to Aldacos for lunch!! I took a cooking class there back in 2003 and loved their food, so Shelby and I went there last year when I visited and she loves it, too!!! Although going to Zuni Grill for the cactus pear margarita is a tradition, it is now a tradition to go to Aldacos and have one of theirs!!!! It's the best! They make a regular top shelf margarita and then pour the cactus pear syrup on top! It is to die for!

We also topped off our meal with a piece of Tres Leches Cake....ohmigosh!!!! This stuff is so good.......the only bad thing about it is when it's all gone!
After lunch, it was time to head to the airport.......I don't even want to talk about that part of the trip....only the moments between the time I arrived and the moment we headed to the airport. I can't wait to visit her again.....and I'm hoping it's soon! I love you, Shelby.....

No Excuses....

2009-07-19T10:33:00.001-07:00

....just reasons. I have posted in a long time, but I do have a reason. Dennis bought a new camera and I took over his old one, BUT when he disconnected the old one, he misplaced the cord! I looked everywhere...and the card is bigger than the slot in my laptop, so I couldn't download the pictures that way....sooo, I finally bought a new one, so here we go!

Old news.....but I gotta post them.....

Happy Independence Day to All!!!!

2009-07-04T10:31:00.000-07:00

Done!!!!!

2009-05-16T16:10:00.000-07:00

You did it! You're DONE!!! And I'm so proud of you, Dr. Melinda Barker!!! I'm sorry I couldn't be there to watch you make that walk....and I'm so glad that Jessica and her camera were! I love the pictures on her blog!!! (Thanks, Jess!)

CONGRATULATIONS!!!!!!!

I Gotta Go.....

2009-05-04T09:09:00.000-07:00

....and I can hardly wait to get there!!! Yep, I'm going to see all of my favorite girls......the one I gave birth to (Shelby!!!)....the one she adopted (Miss Lily!!!).....and my old friend from past visits to San Antonio (the Cactus Pear Margarita!!!):

I can't wait to see them all!!!

They're Home!!! Happy Birthday Caroline and Charlotte

2009-05-01T18:32:00.000-07:00

We all welcome to their world, Caroline Grace Mazzio and Charlotte Anne Mazzio.....they were born, respectively, at 5:16 PM and 5:17 PM.....Caroline weighed 5 pounds, 2 ounces and Charlotte weighed 4 pounds 3 ounces.....looks like Caroline is the vocal one! Actually, she'd just arrived from that warm, wet environment and someone stuck her with a needle! Way to tell 'e, Caroline! You go, girl!!!

Welcome Home, Caroline and Charlotte....there are alot of people who have been waiting for you....waiting to love you!

Great job, Lisa....Congratulations, Dan!!!

Arrival Right On Time!!!

2009-05-01T10:50:00.000-07:00

Yep....it's almost time!!! Charlotte and Caroline Mazzio are expected to arrive this afternoon!! It's so exciting!! Twin girls......identical twin girls....double babies....pure sweetnesses! This has just made my day!

So you're probably thinking she made it to 40 weeks, and that's why their arrival is "on time"! Nope....their due date is actually June 8th! They are on time only in my "book".

Dan and Lisa set up a pool for everyone to participate in.....and, if all goes as expected this afternoon, I'm within an hour or so of being correct! Check out their pool HERE!!

Correct or not, I'm just so excited for them.....Dan and Lisa have developed a solid foundation for the new members of their family and I'm just happy I can sit on the sidelines and watch them grow!

Congratulations, Dan, Lisa, Charlotte and Caroline....and welcome to your world!

Full Circle

2009-04-26T22:05:00.000-07:00

I intentionally stayed up until midnight so I could celebrate my "new year"....it's official....Countrywide Home Loans is now a name of the past....we are now Bank of America Home Loans!!!

One of the first things I did was check out our old website, countrywide.com....my favorite colors.....red, white and blue! A strange, but welcome sight! Then I "googled" Bank of America Home Loans and found this great press release, which was appropriately released at midnight!

So, let me tell you how I really feel........it's almost 37 years to the day that I started in the mortgage business with VNB (Virginia National Bank) Mortgage Corp. as a receptionist....that started my career in mortgage banking. Now, after all these years, I've come full circle (VNB became Sovran, then NationsBank, then Bank of America, I think). I just couldn't be happier!!!

I've always prided myself in helping people make sound financial decisions and being a responsible loan officer. This is the foundation of Bank of America Home Loans and it is the foundation of how I have always done business....a perfect match! Somehow it just seems right that I should end up where I began (not that I'm going anywhere soon!).

Bank of America has always been a name that people could trust......I'm home now...I'm home! My door is always open!

New Kid on the Block!!!

2009-04-04T19:31:00.000-07:00

Shugs's favorite place in the world to visit is the home of our neighbor two doors down, her Aunt Carol!!! From the day we got her 4 1/2 years ago, we always knew where she was if she wasn't sitting on the front porch....she was on the top of Uncle Bruce's picnic table in the backyard rubbing her head on his shoulder while he scratched her back.

Well, a year ago Uncle Bruce died from heart problems......while he was in the hospital, Uncle Bruce's and Aunt Carol's Westie, Kelly, spent quite a bit of time with us....we'd go down to visit with her all day every hour or so (she wouldn't leave her house). A few months after Bruce's death, we found out Kelly had cancer and didn't have but a few months to live. We actually noticed that Shugs's became a bit more gentle with Kelly as time progressed....and she sat sadly when we laid her to rest.

Since that time, we just assumed Shugs was getting older....well, mature and less puppy. BUT now Aunt Carol has a new baby!!!! She brought home a 2.5 pound Black Yorkie Poo that we eventually named Pepper (after about 20 other names!). The first day Shugs was curious....for about 10 seconds! Then she decided that she was just not happy about this new little "thing"! She kept going down to visit Aunt Carol, but as soon as she saw that little black blizzard, she'd turn around and head home. She was just not happy.

THEN we found out that Carol needed bypass surgery. We knew Carol was worried about Pepper and we stepped in and told her we would take care of everything.....soooo, Pepper came to live with us for a week!!!

Needless to say, Shugs was just NOT happy....for about 6 hours! She spent that time in the recliner and Pepper spent that time jumping up and down like a jumping bean trying to figure out how to get up and play with her new friend.

THEN, Shugs HAD to go......we took them both out in the yard and poor Shugs couldn't even go potty....that puppy was ALL over her. Little by little Shugs found the puppy in herself and now they are so close that they can barely stand to be apart! And now Shugs will play with her old toys, which she has rarely ever played with!

After Carol came home from the hospital and had recuperated enough to take Pepper home full time, Shugs was so depressed. We could see that she had taken over the "Mommy" role in Pepper's life, stopping her when she tried to go into the street and rounding her up when we couldn't get her to come to us. She would even let her drink from her water bowl and eat from her food bowl (unless there was some chicken in it...then BEWARE!)

She eventually got over the loss of her new "baby" and realized that she was just down the street, but now Pepper sits at her back door waiting for her Mommy to let her out so she can run down to visit Shugs and Shugs sits in Pepper's driveway waiting for her to come out.

We've come to realize that Shugs had been depressed over the loss of two of the most important people in her life.....Uncle Bruce and Kelly. She is now playing with her toys again.....and she acutally looks like she's smiling.

Thank you, Carol, for bringing Pepper into Shugs life and into our lives! And don't worry, eventually she will be potty trained.....then we'll call Stanley Steemer! ***We have other GREAT pictures, but it's a new camera and I haven't downloaded them yet.....keep an eye out for the CUTEST pictures you've ever seen....this puppy is ADORABLE!!!

Congratulations, Melinda!!!!!!!!!!!!

2009-04-02T20:37:00.000-07:00

Today was a GREAT day!!!! I had the great opportunity to watch my best friend defend her dissertation! It was so much more than I expected.....I walked away with a great understanding of her passion for her work AND I actually understood what it is she loves about it. I have to say, I was a little surprised that "I got it"!

The new Doctor Melinda Barker is a Professor at Hampton University's School of Nursing and, while contributing to the education of others, has continued her own education....and now she has earned her Doctorate Degree!!! Wow......it has been a dream of hers for a long time and I'm so very proud of her accomplishment.....but I'm even more proud to know that it wasn't the title.....and it wasn't the new deskplate that says, "Dr. Melinda Barker" (a gift from Anna)....and it wasn't the new door plate that says, "Dr. Melinda Barker" (a gift from Jessica and Adam)....and it wasn't the monogrammed stationery that says, "Dr. Melinda Barker" (a gift from Dennis and me)......it was the dedication that she has to the world of medicine and to making the world a better place for those who are ill and more, to helping to educate those who also want to follow in her footsteps.

She may have officially become a "Doctor" today, but I've always felt she was my own "doctor".....I call her when I don't feel well....and she jumps in her car and comes to my aid. I can remember countless times that just her touch made me, Shelby or Evan feel better. I've always known that I could count on her....and I know I always will...

Congratulations, Melinda......I love you!

Blog to Follow.....

2009-03-31T17:29:00.000-07:00

I guess I must be a blog stalker.....a couple of months ago I clicked on the link to a blog that was on Jessica's blog and from that point forward I looked forward to seeing new posts on his blog.

I don't know him...and he doesn't know me, but I did finally comment on one of his posts and he was nice enough to respond! According to his blog, Andrew always wanted to be a "rock star".....in my opinion, he succeeded! He's definitely a rock star and I just love his "concerts"! They add a bright spot to my day, which sometimes really needs it.

Check out Andrew at his blog! I haven't asked, but I have a feeling he wouldn't mind having a few more in his audience....he's great!

This isn't quite what I had in mind........

2009-03-27T08:02:00.000-07:00

........this online French class thing isn't exactly what I thought it would be, but I did learn one thing! I learned that I don't really want to learn how to speak French....I want to learn how to communicate in French. I know I will be traveling with two wonderful French speaking friends, but my luck is that I won't be with them and I "gotta go"!

So my new "haunt" is about.com, where you can find out absolutely anything you want to know "about" anything you want to know! I think I'll also stop by Barnes and Noble to see what they have.....might help to have some kind of tape to listen to while I'm driving!

Again, I'll keep you "posted".......

I'm "Back to School"!

2009-03-24T14:29:00.001-07:00

Well, not really.......I found a website where I can take French lessons. It's called FrenchAssistant.com and it looks like this will be fun! However, I haven't yet figured out why they think I need to learn how to say things like, "Le pingouin visite l'Antarctique" (The penguin visits the Antartic) or "Les extraterrestres font une autopsie" (The extra-terrestrials do an autopsy). What I really had in mind were things like, "Which way to the subway?", "Where's the bathroom?","Where's the closest bar?".

Oh dear....is it possible that those things are harder to say than "the penguin visits the Antartic" or "the extra-terrestrials do an autopsy"? Hmmm.....this might just be harder than I thought! I'll keep you posted!

How do you say "Auld Lang Syne" in French....Jessica? Melinda?

2009-03-23T20:51:00.000-07:00

I'm giddy at the thought that I will spend my next New Year's Eve in Paris, France! I've spent the last 5 hours looking at apartments, even taking a "Google street tour" around the neighborhoods of the ones I like. I've sent everyone the links and I'm waiting to get "the votes" back, but I've chosen the one I want. Hint: It's the one that has the kitchen in the blog below! It is sooo to die for....and it's less expensive than most of the places I've found. The neighborhood has an Italian restaurant two blocks away (Melinda) and several street cafes within a few blocks (all of us!).

Anyway, I've also been researching "things to do in Paris on New Year's Eve" and (shock me!) it's NOT spending the evening at the base of the Eiffel Tower! The hot place to be is the Champs Elyssee! Supposedly this area has the best views of all of the fireworks in Paris.....you can even see the display at the Eiffell Tower. I thought about it and figured all of the lights on the Eiffel Tower could be distracting from the fireworks. It's kind of like a more relaxed "Time Square on New Year's Eve" and I think it's a fabulous idea! AND we'll be in France.....REAL champagne on New Year's eve! Loves it!

I've watched several "New Year's in Paris" on YouTube, but I have to tell you I haven't seen the first bit of fireworks! But I understand, fireworks/firecrackers can be legally bought in Paris....I can tell you of one person who will definitely "partake"!!!

To Parisians, the New Year is highly regarded.....in fact, they send out greeting cards (which I only do if I didn't get the time to send out Christmas cards) and they wish each other "happy new year" throughout the whole month! Dang....can you imagine walking down the street saying that for a whole month!

Anyway, all I can say is that I have alot to learn before this trip......my "french pronunciation" lesson started today when I was trying to tell Melinda something. She was gracious, but I heard the chuckle that she didn't chuckle!

Dennis lived in France as a small child, but the only thing he can say in French is "pass the bread and butter, please".....and he does it with a Southern accent! I suppose you could get by if that's all you know how to say......bread and butter in France....works for me!

I Need A Place to Stay!!!!

2009-03-22T21:52:00.000-07:00

Exciting New!!!! We're going to Paris!!!! I know, I can't believe it myself! But on December 27, 2009 I will mark off my #1 thing on my bucket list.....go to Europe!

We always TRY to go somewhere between Christmas and New Years because it's the one time of the year that we can pretty much count on the real estate business being slow. The first year we went to New York City....what a blast we had! The next year we did a road trip to West Virginia....we went to Snowshoe and then drove all through the mountains finding odd things to do (in WV....no way!) and neat places to stay (in WV....no way!)!

Soooo, when Melinda suggested going to Paris this year, we jumped....with both feet! Then I called Shelby and now she and Justin are going, too!!! It doesn't get better than that!

So, the whole "crew" (at this point) consists of Melinda and Brad, Jessica and Adam, Anna and Will, me and Dennis and Shelby and Justing.....TEN people! How cool is that? Anyone else want to join us? Speak now or forever hold your peace!

I'm not a big fan of hotel rooms, so when we travel I always try to find alternative solutions to accomodations. Besides, we're going to Paris.......I want to "accomodate" myself the way the Parisians do! Soooooooo....I've spent a good portion of my weekend trying to find apartments in Paris that will accomodate TEN people. Ha Ha Ha Ha.......apartments in Paris in tall AND small.....and there are few that have 5 bedrooms! But compared to all of us getting hotel rooms, I think it's the way to go! Besides having a kitchen to cook (OHMIGOD) with some of the finest ingredients in the world, we would have a washer and dryer (hence having to take less clothes!) and we could all be together!

I'm probably not the BEST person to be searching for this abode.....while most only care that there is a pillow for their heads, I'm looking for the real Paris experience. One of my most FAVE movies is "Until September", which takes place in Paris. I think the setting was one of the things I loved the most.

So here are a few pics of what I've found.....and how I feel about them:

The picture above looks like it's straight out of "Until September".....I so want to walk through that door!

And I soooo want to cook in this kitchen!!

And I soooo want to soak in this tub after a long day visiting the Avenue des Champs-Élysées.

Anyway, after spending most of the weekend googleing "vacation apartments in Paris", or variations thereof, I finally found one that was on Craiglist. I did a further search and there are TONS of them at that site! If it hadn't been 1 AM I would have kept searching....but I couldn't keep my eyes open, so I'll have to check them out later.....I'll keep you posted!

Isn't She Adorable!!!!

2009-03-20T06:02:00.000-07:00

Here's a much better picture of my adorable GrandDog.....isn't she just the cutest thing! I think she and Shugs are just gonna love each other!!!

I think I see a little mischief in those eyes.....don't you? Or is she just wondering why her Mommy keeps putting this strange thing up to her face and making big light.......hard to say!

I can't wait to meet you, Lily!!!!

Free Money.......get it while you can!!!

2009-03-06T12:04:00.000-08:00

Yep...it's true! And all you have to do is buy a house between now and December 1, 2009!!! Well, it's not quite that simple, but almost. As with anything the government does, there is criteria that has to be met! Here's how it works.

The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 authorizes a tax credit of up to $8,000 for qualified "first-time home buyers" purchasing a principal residence on or after January 1, 2009 and before December 1, 2009. A "qualified" first time home buyer is one that has not owned a home within the last three years. In the case of a married couple, neither can have owned a home within the last three years. However, unmarried joint purchasers may allocate the credit amount to any buyer who qualifies as a first-time buyer, such as may occur if a parent jointly purchases a home with a son or daughter. Ownership of a vacation home or rental property not used as a principal residence does not disqualify a buyer as a first-time home buyer.

The tax credit is 10% of the purchase price of the home, up to a maximum credit of $8000.00.....and it's FREE money....no repayment required! The tax credit amount is reduced for buyers with a modified adjusted gross income (MAGI) of more than $75,000 for single taxpayers and $150,000 for married taxpayers filing a joint return. The tax credit amount is reduced to zero for taxpayers with MAGI of more than $95,000 (single) or $170,000 (married) and is reduced proportionally for taxpayers with MAGIs between these amounts. Partial credits of less than $8,000 are available for some taxpayers whose MAGI exceeds the phaseout limits.

More important points:

You must use the property you purchased as your primary residence for three years.
The tax credit is a dollar for dollar reduction in the amount of taxes you owe....if you owe less than $8000, the IRS will actually cut you a check in the amount over and above what you owe!
If you have already bought a home and you have already filed your taxes taking advantage of the previous tax credit guidelines, you can file an amended 2008 tax return with a 1040X form. You should consult with a tax advisor to ensure you file this return properly.
If you buy a home in 2009, you can decide whether to take advantage of the tax credit on your 2008 return or your 2009 return. I recommend consulting a tax advisor to determine which way is best.
If you decide to take the credit on your 2009 return, keep in mind that you can always reduce your tax withholding by the amount of the credit, hence taking advantage of a great take home pay. If you decide to go this route, you may want to consider using that increase in income to save up for the downpayment! Great, great idea!
If you purchased your home between April 9, 2008 and January 1, 2009 you may qualify for a different tax credit.

I know that there are alot of potential home buyers that are just afraid that the market hasn't hit bottom. Well, let me offer you some advice......first of all, it's not possible to predict where the bottom is. Secondly, you won't know we've hit "bottom" until the market is going back up and then it's too late......you'll join the millions of others scrambling to buy a home, rates will go up (it's that "supply and demand" thing)....and you may find yourself in the same situation we were in just a few years ago: bidding wars on homes!

I know there are some great buys out there right now. Mortgage lenders and servicers with foreclosure properties in their portfolios are doing everything they can to make repairs to these homes and get them in the condition required for prime financing. At the very least, you owe it to yourself to get out there and check out the mortgage financing guidelines and rates and to see what is available in the price range your price range. If you could stop paying your landlord's mortgage payment AND make money off the deal, why not!?

Finally.....we are all in this economic mess together. The only way to get out of it is if we do exactly what we're afraid to do....spend...buy....invest in our future and our country's future. And we can be thankful that this great nation is doing all it can to make it more affordable and rewarding for us to do so.

Oh wait.....I forgot.....if any of you decide to "take the leap", I am always here to help! I have over 35 years of mortgage banking experience and I can lend in ALL 50 states!!!

What a show!

2009-03-04T08:12:00.000-08:00

I feel like I've been chained to my Dell for quite some time now, so this past weekend I really wanted to get out and do something.....even a drive around the block sounded good! Of course, I wasn't too sure if I could remember how to drive!

So, when Melinda called on Saturday night to tell me about the Quilt Show she'd gone to that day in Hampton and to invite me to go on Sunday, I thought that sounded like a great idea. Now I'm not a "quilter", but Mom was and I knew it took a great deal of work and patience....I lack in the latter.

Well, I wasn't disappointed and was, in fact, quite amazed at the detail. Dennis decided to go along for the ride just to get out of the house....then Brad decided to go and the two of them would go to Bass Pro Shops across the street while Melin and I checked out the quilts.

Here are some of the quilts we saw (forgive the BAD photography...still working on that and not making much progress):

I can't believe the details in these pieces of art! And I can't imagine the time and creativity it took to produce something sooo beautiful.

The colors were just amazing and the details mind boggling......I almost felt dizzy just looking at some of them.

The quilt below is made of pieces of fabric that have been hand stamped....it's so much more beautiful than it appears here!

I fell in love with the pattern below....it's called "French Braid"...I figure that all of my years of french braiding Shelby's hair when she was little should come in handy if I ever decided to make a quilt.....no?

I have to admit that I have never even though of adding "go to a quilt show" to my bucket list, but I am so glad that I went. Thanks, Melin, for thinking of me for this adventure....I just loved it!

After the show, the guys picked us up and we went to Chili's for lunch and el Presidente margaritas! It was delicious!

And a good time was had by ALL! What a great day to spend when it's pouring down raining outside....get out in it!

Better Late Than Never.....

2009-03-02T17:46:00.001-08:00

.......and better little than none, I guess. We didn't get as much snow as was expected (hoped for), but there was a little dusting when we woke up this morning. Later this afternoon it snowed a bit more, although it was too light to add much to the "dusting". Further west got quite a bit more than we did......maybe I should move!

I'm still not giving up on getting a good snow around here......some of the best we've had came later in March. Of course, you know I'll keep you posted!

Snow.....Still Up In The Air.......

2009-03-01T07:28:00.000-08:00

...and whether it comes down or not is something none of our weathermen are willing to predict. Lucky for John Cash, he is off on the weekends, so his reputation is preserved....somewhat...he did, after all, wear his snowflake boutonniere on Friday.

I'll keep you posted.........

There's Snow Doubt...........

2009-02-27T05:06:00.001-08:00

They are trying to do it to me once again, but I'm not falling for it this time.....really, I'm not! OK....you've got me.....there is a little tingling of excitement at what I'm seeing on the weather forecast. It looks like snowflakes to me....what do you think?

And this is what it says on their website for the "short term forecast": "More rain on Sunday with a good chance of a changeover to snow Sunday night through Tuesday morning. This has the potential to be a big snowstorm if the low stays close enough to our area. The chance of accumulating snow at this point is 80%. STAY TUNED!".

The last time they promised me a good snowfall, they had it at 90% and we got zero, zip, nada.....I'm trying hard not to get my hopes up and I'm trying hard not to check the pantry for cocoa powder (hot chocolate), the cabinet for liquers (hot chocolate) and the fridge for lots of good snacks (to go with the hot chocolate). Oh wait, I need to make sure I have condensed milk (for snow cream!). Wait.....stop....it's only an 80% chance. That's "Snow Hope"....I guess I'll just do what they said to do...."STAY TUNED!"!

Oh wait.....I need to make a run to the red box for lots of good movies.....ok, I'll wait....

WARNING....I've held my tongue long enough.....

2009-02-20T13:03:00.000-08:00

You may not like what I have to say, so let me warn you now. I have sat on the sidelines of this economic MESS without saying my piece for long enough. But after watching a piece on NBC last night, I'm irritated....and those of you who know me, know that I can't shut up when I'm irritated.

This particular piece was about a small town bank in NC that was making loans to homeowners at 3.5% so they could buy newly constructed homes from the local builders....AND they are paying the closing costs! That's all fine and well, but in the piece it was stated that local banks aren't suffering in this economy and that most have only had about 1% of their loans go bad. Well let me tell you the reason why:

Those local banks are too small to make loans direct to Fannie Mae, Freddie Mac, VA and FHA....and they are too small to have enough money to make mortgages every day, that's for sure! They use the correspondent wholesale lending divisions of the BIG banks. So, of course they have none of these loans on their books! They made the loans through the big lenders, such as Countrywide, Wells Fargo, National City, etc......and, in most cases, they did the underwriting on those loans themselves! A good portion of the loans that have gone "bad" were made by those small town, local banks and they aren't suffering the consequences. Well, I understand that whole thing and accept that it's just the way it is. But what really gets my goat is the media trying to make them look like "heroes"!!!

I do believe that there needs to be some relief.....but I believe it should be on a case by case basis. If a homeowner has lost their job as a result of this economy....help them out until they can find a new job! But if they can't afford their payment because they were too ignorant to read the documentation that is required when you apply for a loan, and they took a crazy mortgage knowing the rate would go up AND they paid $10,000 MORE for the house than it was worth when they bought AND they told the lender they made $50,000 more than they really do...don't save them with America's hard earned money!!!! Let the homes go into foreclosure and allow new homebuyers the opportunity to buy these homes with good, solid mortgage financing.

I can tell you about some foreclosures that would make the hair stand up on your neck......one such property was foreclosed on in April, 2002 and the borrower wasn't evicted until November, 2008!!! Why??? Because they were smart enough to drag the lender back into court every other month for ridiculous reasons to delay the eviction. And on the day of eviction, they wanted to take the light fixtures, electrical cover plates, ceiling fans, air conditioning systems....etc., etc., etc.. I know....I was there.

Another such poor, pitiful foreclosed homeowner bought the property 2 years ago...then refinanced it into a different relative's name every 6 months, each time for $25,000 than the last time! Great way to get "bogus equity" out of the property! How, you ask????? He was a mortgage broker....and his next door neighbor was the appraiser!!!!!!!!

Which brings to mind the NEXT step our government needs to take..................require that ALL mortgage loan officers be licensed and insured....and if it's found that they committed fraud, don't just smack their hands. We're talking about fraud....and lots of money. And you and I are going to have to repay those monies....along with our children, and their children, and their children! Spend some of that stinulus money to build new jails to house these crooks!

More than 90% of homeowners are paying their mortgage payments. Of the mortgages of distressed homeowners who have "modified" their loans....over 50% of them never made another payment after that.....it was a ploy to stay in the home longer for FREE.

Want more??? OK....I remember when President Clinton pushed Congress to "deregulate" lending so more people could buy homes. I had been in the business already for quite some time, so it was difficult for me to put people into loans I knew they had no business buying. THEN you had Wall Street's magic....they are the ones who valued these crappy loans so high, so of course everyone bought into it! THEN when President Bush tried to pull the reins back on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, who was one of those who voted against it????? You guessed it......and if you didn't, do some research and find out. Don't get me wrong, I still think we'd be in this mess....it had already gone on too long! But I don't think the mess would be as bad...and I think that we'd already be on the way to a better economy again.

I feel lucky to be an American, but I'm scared....more scared than I've ever been. Ok...I admit it....I didn't vote for President Obama, but I've never in my life wanted anyone to succeed more than I do him. But there are some pieces to the puzzle that have fallen on the floor......someone needs to get under that table and pick them up!

Hollywood has gone nuts.....

2009-02-17T05:20:00.001-08:00

.......WHO in their right mind would write a movie where Richard Gere dies??? And he leaves behind Diane Lane??? Something is wrong with this picture (literally)....I was so looking forward to seeing it and now I wish I was still fantasizing about what it was about.Don't get me wrong.....the flick up to the point where he's gone is great! But Hollywood should never allow Richard Gere to die, get killed, etc.....ever! I feel like I should get into my car, drive down to Rodanthe and throw roses out to sea for him. I guess I'll just have to wait until a brilliant writer comes along and breathes life back into him. I'm waiting..........

Finally.........

2009-02-17T05:13:00.000-08:00

.......it snowed! Of course, the weathermen said it wouldn't, so it did! When we woke up yesterday morning and looked out, this is what we saw:

It was barely enough to cover the ground, so it really didn't give that "snow white" look to everything, so I'm not counting it as having fulfilled my desire for snow. What I'm looking for is one of those snowfalls that allows you to stay home, fix a big pot of rich, delicious soup, put in a movie and grab a quilt! I'll let you know when (and if) I get my fix....I'm still waiting, but I really have little or snow hope.

2009-02-14T10:41:00.000-08:00

Just thought I'd stop by to wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day! No special plans for us, except that I'll be cooking something special for dinner! We're having steak, lobster, asparagus with hollandaise sauce and roasted fingerling potatoes....after that it's chocolate mousse with a garnish of some chocolate from S. Africa that a client brought to me....yumnmmmmm!!!!

I had hoped to go to the cabin with Brad and Melinda, but we're just too busy with these foreclosures and I have to get our contractor's 1099s out by Tuesday, so I'll be sitting right here all weekend!

I hope you all have a love-ly day!! It's all about love.......

Welcome to the Family, Lily!!

2009-02-01T13:37:00.000-08:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Dirty Girl!!!

2009-01-31T12:23:00.001-08:00

Normally she sits quietly on the porch or in the flower beds watching for the FedEx guy or squirrels, but yesterday I guess she got bored....either that or the "greenie" I gave her as she went out the door just wasn't enticing at the moment and she decided to save it for future use.

When we went out to check on her, this is what we found....tail wagging (hers, not ours!):

The hole she dug was as big as she is! She had tiny root systems all tangled up in her hair and her tail. What a mess....and although she normally looks like prissy little white dog, she is anything but! She's quite the Tomboy....prefers to be outdoors rather than indoors....loves to chase birds and squirrels....runs around the yard like a bat out of hell....and sniffs everything in sight!

When we put her in the bathtub, she looked quite insulted and jumped on the side as if to say, "I don't need a bath....I look and smell just fine!". After her bath we put down a thick blanket so she can rub off the water (and I think she's trying to rub off the sweet smell!)....then she heads to the basket in the bedroom that holds the hair dryer. She sits quite nicely while you blow dry her...although it wasn't that way in the beginning.

I love being a Mom....dog or human!

I'm Going Public.....

2009-01-24T13:06:00.001-08:00

....in my quest to get my daughter back on the blog roll again. I know she's been busy, especially with her new "baby" in the house, but I really miss reading her blogs AND I really, really, really would like to see some pictures of my new grand-dog! The only one I have is below....and she's in a cage!

C'mon, Shelby.....get back on the "roll"......you're missed!!!

I'm Changing Careers!!!

2009-01-23T16:48:00.000-08:00

In light of this past weeks events, or rather non-events, I've decided to have a go at a new career. I'm going to apply for the position of Weatherman at our local TV stations! I figure I've got a great chance!

As a mortgage loan officer, I have to be very accurate in my figures when assisting homebuyers and homeowners in their financial choices, but as a weatherman you can be off as much as 90%!!!! Dang, I like those odds!

On Tuesday we had a 90% chance of getting 2-4 inches of beautiful white snow......what did we get????? Nothing, I tell you.........nothing!!!!! I had my ingredients for snow cream ready...I had cancelled all appointments (the schools and city governments were closed, too!) and had picked out several movies to watch while I looked out the windows at the snow white wonder. Didn't happen!

So, I'm going to be a weatherman.....or weatherwoman....I don't care....all I know is that it would be nice not to have to be so precise all of the time!

Wet Without Water and Cold!!!

2009-01-18T12:37:00.000-08:00

It's been a wet and cold weekend.....and there's more to come!! On Thursday night Dennis decided to turn off the water to the outside faucets so they wouldn't freeze....he turned the knob, then nothing......you could turn it 100 times each way and it wouldn't stop. The next thing we realize is that we have NO water in the house! It only took us until Saturday afternoon to realize what had happened. In the meantime, we had a huge contractor's heater set up under the house to keep it warm (my ceramic tile doesn't get that warm in the summer!) and gallon jugs of water to cook with, make coffee, wash dishes and brush our teeth.....we showered at the neighbor's house. I think I sometimes take for granted how nice it is to turn the faucet on and have something actually come out!

It's warmer today, but this is what the creek looked like late yesterday....

This is a picture of the creek on a "not so cold" night!

They're calling for the possibility of snow on Tuesday, but you know how I feel about "they"......all promises and no snow! I just love it when it snows....if it is gonna be this cold, at least make it beautiful! But what I like most is walking through the woods when it is snowing....it's so quiet and peaceful!!! I'm keeping my fingers crossed!!!

Next post will be to Aprons Required! I've been cooking today!

She'll be home tonight!!!

2009-01-16T07:49:00.000-08:00

I wish I was talking about Shelby, but I'm not. I just spoke to her briefly and Lily is coming home tonight! I know they are both so excited and it seems like they are getting a very sweet dog. She is small enough that Shelby can bring her home when she comes to visit......I can't wait to meet her! Here's an updated picture....can't wait until I have one WITHOUT the bars...I mean cage!

Breaking News!!! I'm going to be a Grandma!!!!

2009-01-15T08:20:00.000-08:00

At this very moment Shelby is standing outside of the building waiting to claim our new GrandDog!!! Her name is Lily and she's a long haired chihuahua! Here's the picture Shelby sent to me yesterday.....she looks sooooo sweet!

Howling at the Moon!

2009-01-13T14:42:00.000-08:00

I've always wanted to know more about cameras and how to take a great picture. I had hoped to sign up for a class this month, but with things as busy as they are, I just don't have the time. Instead I've been playing around with the many, many dials and buttons and taking tons of pictures to see how they come out.

Last night there was such a beautiful moon and it looked awesome seeing it through the pines. Dennis helped me get the camera onto the tripod and I took several pictures..........here's the best:

I also tried taking pictures of "things" around the house, playing with light and texture. Can you guess what this is???I hope to look back months from now and see a big difference in the pictures I take. Keep posted (pun?)!!!