Pioneer Historical Cemetery of Ehrenberg

I have been to a few old cemeteries before - but this cemetery is a bit different from any others I have seen.

It definitely has a "Wild West" feel to it.

The graves are all covered with stones...

...and the headstones are carved out of wood...if the grave is marked at all.

It is worth the short detour off of I-10 to stop by and take a stroll into the "Wild West"

A Very Special Christmas Day...

This Christmas was the first Christmas that my family has experienced without either of my parents being alive - so I decided to spend my Christmas Day doing something a bit different from all the others and now I can finally share it with you...











...and wish you all a belated Merry Christmas...
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A Special Doll...

I have mentioned in the past that my Mom and one of my grand-daughters has the same birthday.  You may also remember that my Mom went to Heaven to spend the rest of her eternity with my Dad and God...so her is another part of the story...
...rewind 3 weeks ago...My son told me that his daughter had mentioned  "Barbie" for a Christmas present...now fast forward to 2 weeks ago while I am at my Mom's home as we are taking care of some family matters...and I came across this...


My Mom was always picking up toys and gifts for everyone...but this doll has been around since 1995-96 and it has never found it's home. I spied the doll and with my sister's permission - I was allowed to take it home.
Here is that result...





Mom...You are still bringing smiles and happiness to your Great-grandchildren! (I even told her it is a special doll from you!)

Grand-Daughter Play Dates

My local grand-daughter and I may have a favorite place to spend time on our days together...


You may find us at this playground when the weather is good.


She became very brave and decided to go up on her own and take the "corkscrew slide" down. 




She was on a very similar slide on Halloween night and would not let go of the side...but she had no problems at all this time!

The Locket...

...There are times in your life when you happen upon something special.  I did just that this last Sunday. 
I chose a piece of Mom's jewelry not knowing what to expect. It was a "heart puff" that looked familiar.




I gently picked it up and found the locket latch...I teared up as I opened it and saw a picture of Dad on one side...but the other side was empty.




One of my things I was determined to do this week was to complete the inside of the locket. Today my Dad will once again have my Mom next to him...




This will  be a very special Christmas gift that my Mom has left behind for me. I love and miss you both...

December Color

It is hard to believe that there might be color in the gardens with the weather we are having - but things just seem to slowly brighten up after  just a few moments at Mom's...

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...Gusts of Wind with A Chance of Giggles..

Today was a day to brave the outdoors with the high winds blowing...


We thought we would practice moving the legs to help move the swing...


Look at the feather blowing with the  wind!


Yep...we shared a few giggles!

Thanksgiving 2011

We had a lovely Thanksgiving this year with a very small group of extended family members.

Our Princess is still as entertaining as ever....

I am thankful I have them in our lives and that I can share these photos with everyone here!

Another Part of the Day at the Park...

My "Princess" and I got a chance to check out our feathered friends while we were at the park today... she found feathers and I found birds!

A Day at The Park

...here is a preview of our day so far....

In Memory of Our Vets

...but in particular to my Dad and his squadron.

My father served with the 379th Bomb group as part of the 526th squadron. He was a Tail-Gunner  on the B-17G in the European Theater during World War II. The crew flew many missions into Germany.

I have done a search and have found many of his crew are not alive - but I want to thank them for their service anyway. May their memories live with us.

Back Row: John Lohr, Jonny Cascone,Jake Weese, Sweed Johnson, Charlie Cunningham, Ed Whiting
Front Row: Kat Katsignus, Monty Miller, Jack Nowacki, Buzz Hotchkiss.


Information & photos gathered from John Lohr's 379th Bomb Group Stories

In The Land of Make Believe....

There is a place not far away...

Where you will find all birds singing and playing together...



...and little girls.....



...who love to dress up...





...and make believe they are princesses.....





...or NOT!

Outdoor Honey-Do Project

Yes.... It seems like forever since I have updated my blog. I have many reasons for no updates so I guess I should start to share them.
Here is one of the joint "Honey-Do" projects that I have been helping with.


The "easel" that we are working with...


Here is some of the "paint" that we are using...
We have been splitting the above stone like you would see in one of those old time "jail scenes"...



This is the start of the project...


..and here are a few more of where we have gotten....

Watering Can Update...

The granddaughter enjoyed her first experience with the Tin Watering Can.  Here is a photo of her with it. 

The can is pretty big - as you can see in the picture!

The Watering Can

I have some special memories of my Mom...One of them is with a tin watering can.
There were many times when I would visit her and she would say..."ooooh...I need to water those plants."  We would go out on her patio where she would proceed to fill the watering can with water and then wander around the patio watering her potted plants.

Today...I am the proud caretaker of Mom's tin Watering Can. There will be more memories made with that can. My granddaughter and I will now water my potted plants on the patio...
I will share the story of the times I spent with her Great-Grandmother when she used that same watering can as she lovingly watered her plants. 
There is one more thing that is special....You see my Mom and my Granddaughter share the same birthday.

There will be always be a special moment that Grace and I will share on her birthday in memory of her Great-Grandmother. We love & miss you Mom...

Smiles...Giggles...Silliness

Can you guess why I enjoy my Thursdays off? I will give you a couple of hints.

1. I can count a walk with the MinPins every other Thursday morning...
2. I know I will get a little more exercise
3. ..and I can count on many "Smiles, Giggles and Silliness.

And here is the reason why........

Crater Lake 2002

I came across a photo album on the computer this weekend that had some wonderful pictures of Crater Lake, so I decided to share some information about this wonderful lake. You can find all sorts of facts about Crater Lake on the web - including the amount of snow fall!

You should definitely plan your trip including possibly taking one of the tours that is offered.  It is an amazing place to see...

These may be some old photographs - but they are still decent enough to share..Enjoy!