Son and Friends are Safe

They lost a tree in the front yard and I think he said the fence in the back. But, nothing hit the house. They will go over to 'their' house later today to check for damage. With no electricity and no way to recharge the cell phone battery, I'm trying very hard not to call him too often!

Scuppernong Jelly

My "baby" brother, Joey, gave me a batch of scuppernong grapes. This is the result. BTW, here in Texas we say "scuppanog." This stuff is so delicious. We've had buttered toast (homemade bread) the last two mornings for breakfast just so that we can give it a good thick smear of jelly.

I tried to show how clear this jelly is, but my photographic skills are just not at that level.

In case you don't know what a scuppernong grape is, here's a website:

http://southernfood.about.com/library/weekly/aa091998.htm

Joey in 1964:

Ike Update

The little girls left with James' parents and headed north. The grown "kids" are going to hunker down in the parents' home. I will be on pins and needles until it is all over!

Blessed

One of the songs I have on this blog is Martina McBride's Blessed. http://www.martina-mcbride.com/lyrics/blessed.shtml

Jonathan, my 24-year old son, called while I was cooking supper. He shared his enthusiasm for my bike with me (confessed that my gravel driveway was squirrelly for a motorcycle rider). He also shared his hurricane Ike plans...as long as it continues on its current path and intensity, he and his friends will hunker down with James' parents. That ought to be an exciting adventure! James and Sarah with their three little girls, Jonathan, two birds, and I don't know how many dogs! It could turn out to be quite a circus!

Then, after the supper dishes have been cleared away, I sat down here and listened to Blessed. And, I am.

I Have a New Toy!

Look at the bike, not the person with helmet hair and no makeup!! (Don't worry, I ride with long sleeves.) That's Sam's bike in the background. Don't they look good together?

Saturday, Sam and I went to American Eagle Harley in Corinth Texas (great deal!) for my new bike. I've been looking at second hand...somewhat smaller bikes, but this is what he picked. Took it out for the first time this morning and rode over 30 something miles...had to wait to get insurance on it.

Our driveway is steep (to me on the bike anyway) and gravel. Once I conquer the sheer fear of maneuvering down it...I'll be alright. And, I have to be mindful of the heel shifter. I put my heel down on it right to start and started off down the driveway in 2nd gear...well...not really down the driveway. I took a detour into the yard first. Stopped. Got off. Sam got off his bike, walked over and turned mine around...put it back where I started. I got on it...and did it right that time. Coming home from the 'other' direction. I overshot the driveway! LOL Stopped. Put it in neutral and duck-walked it backwards...oh, Sam got off his to help me keep mine upright. He asked, "Want me to take it up for you?" Anyway, that's what I heard. I said, "Sure." Well, he turned it into the driveway...just where it starts. Got off. Damn! (Oops...darn...well, never mind. I'm a Harley chick, and I can cuss now.) I got on it and rode it up the drive. Eventually (LOL) stopped it where he wanted it to be so that he could get them both in the garage. Mine goes sideways in front of my car (Sam made a gadget that can be moved and placed on the garage floor beside the bike...when I pull my car into the garage very very slowly and lightly bump it - the gadget not the bike - I apply the brakes and stop...so far so good). Sam's bike goes between the car and the pickup.

He'll be out of town tomorrow, so no riding...then I sub at the high school Wednesday. I really need to ride every day to keep my courage up! The last big bike I rode was over 25 years ago...Ron's (first husband's) Honda 750...and I never rode it very far - just from our home to my parents' or the other way around...five or so miles.

You know, remembering, foot brake-clutch-shifter to first or neutral-handbreak- left foot down when stopping is rather taxing on one's brain! Are you praying for me?! If not, would you please?!

Coxcomb and Sunset

I took these about dusky dark last night before we started getting rain from the most recent hurricane to hit Louisiana. We were predicted to get a great amount of rain, but Gustav did not come through northeast Texas. We have have had a good gentle rain all day. Thank God! Gustav lost strength before it hit shore and wasn't a repeat of Katrina.



On with the show. Aunt Cora Adams (who really wasn't an aunt at all but my grandfather's cousin's wife...however, my grandfather's parents died when he was an infant and an aunt raised him therefore making his cousins more like siblings...which would be more like aunts/uncles to my dad...confused? Sorry...) Anywho...Aunt Cora had an old-timey yard. She had flowers throughout her front yard and not one blade of grass showing. I remember a riot of colors, but most of all I remember the velvety softness of her coxcombs. These are some of mine:

The evening sky as Hurricane Gustav started to affect northeast Texas:

Am I Ever Sore!

After two grueling days I am back home to a soft bed and an air conditioner! I spent two days in Hell taking a rider's safety course this past weekend. I have had the motorcycle endorsement on my driver's license since the mid-70s when my first husband and I rode bikes. My motorcycle days ended with my pregnancy in 1983. In 2006, my current husband acquired a Harley-Davidson (photos of hubby and bike are in earlier posts). I'm tired of riding "2-up" so decided to take a "refresher" course before getting my own bike.

In the ten years that I rode, I never dropped my bike, skidded my bike, laid my bike down, etc. Not one scratch on its beautiful paint job. This weekend, I dropped the class bike on Saturday and high-sided it on Sunday. We had a bit of classwork then got on the bikes before lunch on Saturday. We were back at it again at 7 a.m. Sunday. We were out on a parking lot in 90+ degree sunshine. After all of the "modules" we then did some honing of our skills before testing. I realized how extremely tired I was. That's when I decided I'd had enough. I had reached the level past concentration and my responses were slow. My riding was getting sloppy. Time to quit before I got really hurt. For me to get back on the bike at that point of exhaustion was dangerous. A wise person (LOL now I'm wise?!) knows when to stop pushing and to quit.

IF you ever decide to take a motorcycle rider's safety course...do not take it in the heat of summer. Try to find classes that are taught half-days for four or five days. Pace yourself.

This has not dimmed my desire for a bike. We will be traveling to American Eagle Harley in Corinth Texas to pick up my new bike within the week. I see some nice slow riding on the back roads in my neck of the woods while I get accustomed to my new bike. Photos will follow!

Last of the Alaskan Vacation Photos

We have been to Victoria, BC, Canada before so this time we just went to Chinatown.

Beautiful hostas.
Double rainbow.

Back in Seattle.

Ready to go again? YES!

To Continue...

First, Happy Birthday to me! Can you guess how old I became on August 15?

(For Installment One of our Alaskan cruise, see the post on August 14.)

Now for photos I took during our small plane flight over the glaciers out of Skagway. The airplane, a Canadian-made Bush Hawk. One of many glaciers... An actively calving glacier. The sloughed off ice looked like a mosaic tile floor to me.

The Bahamas? Nope...
Above the clouds.



This was my second flight ever! I would do it every day if I had the chance...


Paul, owner of the airplane and our pilot...

We did see a bear...squint at the little black dot left of center.
...some mountain goats...
...and back in town more wildlife...
...and some gorgeous flowers...




Next post: Victoria.

Home Again

What a wonderful vacation! I want to go again!! We flew from DFW on my first airplane - jet - ever, a MD80 with American Airlines Sunday, August 3. We arrived in Seattle and boarded the Star Princess around noon. By that time, I was starved because their noon is my 2 p.m.


I'll let the photos speak for themselves. Sam and I took a combined 467 shots!

Somewhere over Texas

Snake River

Mt. Rainier

Seattle

Ketichikan

Tracy Arm

North Taylor Glacier

South Taylor Glacier

Leaving Tracy Arm Juneau

Skagway

I'll post more later...