Exercise

Temp is 29 degrees and I abhor cold weather so will not be doing any outside activity today or any time soon.  Ya have to do what ya have to do to keep from causing any damage to  yer hamstingz.

High Tide

Had to hop in my car this morning and check out the high tide. It was high, but still not as high as I've seen it. No where near high enough to cover any of the grass at Skansie Park, but high enough to just about reach the light house at the entrance of the harbor. My hubby's cousin lives in the little house on pilings over the water at the very right of the pix...I certainly hope they aren't paddling around their living room and I doubt they are. Had the wind been from the southeast instead of the southwest, it might have been another matter.
I am so happy to be feeling good enough again and have the energy to toss my grubbies on and take off in my unwashed skin for some kind of adventure.  And to think we begin a new year in just another day.  Let's hope it's a good one filled with all kinds of adventures for us all :o)

Dress

Alright already....I just read that Michelle paid $2000.00 for this dress in 2009 !!!!!  Now, what in the world makes it worth that much????  The designer's name I guess, but for anyone who sews...this  simple dress could be made easily for almost nothing. Oh boy of boy...I shoulda gone into the dress making business...coulda made a bundle :o)

Amazon to the rescue

O Amazon,
At Christmastime
indeed I pledge my gratitude

Your canny stock
and shipping speed
vastly improves my attitude

Of Almond Paste
the local shops had
a most plundered inventory

Rainbow cookies
without the stuff
would bring this cook no glory

You shipped it
(overnight no less)
and for a mere three dollars

Thus insuring
a dessert met
with gustatory hollers

O Amazon,
your service doth
set fine new precedents

True service
we do sorely need
Would you run for President?

The Anchoress wrote this poem in praise of Amazon.com. I think we all agree with her sentiment.

Cozy Bed

Since I have been without a voice and not feeling well I have stayed home....but....I am not done with my Christmas shopping. Yesterday morning I still had to buy for two, now it's just one. I spent the day digging through my fabric scraps and came up with enough to make a bed for Ingrid's doll.  Today I will venture out into the germ filled world and tackle Jacob's gift, plus buy enough groceries so I wont have to go out again until Christmas day.  
Oh...and ....Happy Winter Solstice everyone...this is my favorite day of the year...as if you didn't already know that.  Into the light we go :o)
And.....if you want to hear Salute to O'l Blue Eyes from an altogether different perspective, I see someone made a video of our music.  Here's how we sound coming from the audience  instead of from a bag under my chair in front of the brass. A much more balanced sound :o) Just for fun, here is March of the Toys :o)

Happy Chanukah

Chanukah is an eight-day Jewish observance that remembers the Jewish people's struggle for religious freedom. Happy Chanukah to all my jewish friends and to everyone throughout the world. Shalom. Hmmmm...pretty good comin from a Catholic :o) 

Crashed and burned

          

Oh..and while I am mending this worn out  body, I played on my puter and put more songs together from our concert.  Enjoy..or whatever :o)

Concert a success :o)

It is over, it was fun, and as always, it's sad to say goodbye to the music that's been such a big part of our lives for the past three months. We had a good crowd and by the sound of the applause, they enjoyed all of our music.  I put together a few of the songs that we played, but left out a couple, plus the Brandenburg Concerto No. 1.  They did a great job of it...by they, I mean the rest of the orchestra except for the flutes and some of the brass.  It was fun to close my eyes and hear the sound of the harpsichord being played which is something I'd never heard up front and close before. I truly felt that I had gone back in time, oh, say, a couple hundred years. 
Just for fun, here is a video of a few songs that we did...and remember, my digital recorder was in a bag under my chair, that the flutes sit smack dab in front of the trumpets and french horns and none of us are professionals, we play because we love makin music.  Enjoy :o)  Oh..and be sure and listen at 20:50...of course it's the flutes, but I think we make a nice sound  together :o)

Concert today

Today's the day, or I should say tonight's the night....our concert is at 7:00 pm at Peninsula High School and we hope you all come :o)
Check out our website.

St. Nick's Rectory

This picture is of my mother in law on the left and my mother on the right. It was my wedding and
for a Nov. 3rd, it was a fairly warm day. The year was 1962 and things were very different then. Father Kruft was our priest, and the rectory where he lived was to the left of the turquoise Ford with part of  the old St. Nick's church behind. We were married in the new  church and had our reception in Tacoma at the New Yorker restaurant which is now, I think, the Salvation Army.  Things certainly don't stay the same :o)  Oh..and the cute little fella on the left is my nephew who is all grown up now and makes his living doing the finish work on new homes. He does beautiful work and takes a lot of pride in his work.

Boat Parade

I took a picture of a picture of son's boat that a friend put on  facebook and it gives you an idea of how it looked the other evening in the annual Christmas boat parade. It was a perfect evening for the event as the water was calm and the air clear.  Earlier in the day it had rained and was a bit misty, but we all lucked out come parade time. Len and I watched from home and I have to say, from a distance, it was a toss up as to which boat looked the best...we decided it was this boat and a sail boat with a mast that  reached almost to the sky with streams of green lights cascading down, outlining the shape of a tree.  They were both quite stunning :o)

Waimea Canyon

Waimea Canyon is on the island of Kauai in the Hawaiin Islands.   They call it the Grand Canyon of the Pacific and it measures 10 miles long. My flute friend, Gloria, shared this with me this morning after she and her hubby visited there yesterday. She is due back in time for our concert Saturday so let's hope there are no giant tsunamis that keep her from returning :o)

Something different and sad because our government has created this mess. Isn't it time to end all this tribal business and have all who were  born in this country be equal in status:  Citizens of the United States of America?

1907 Kiblinger

I betcha never heard of a 1907 Kiblinger....I know we hadn't, but we thought it would be fun to sit in one and imagine ourselves zooming down the freeway on  the inside lane, passing everyone in sight :o)   We pushed and shoved, but couldn't get Len up and in so Miss DeeDee hopped in and we smiled together for the camera. One of our old schoolmates, Daryl Hedman, is the proud owner of this car, as he is of many others that he's restored through the years.  I had just finished a band concert at Peninsula Retirement Home and after they served us a delicous lunch,we made sure we got a picture for our memory album :o)
Then there's this...do you even remember what you were doing at age 17 ??????

RIP Barbara

One of our favorite orchestra members passed away last week and we were given the news yesterday which I know gave us all a heavy heart. Barbara Leary was an accomplished pianist and, as you can see from her picture, a wonderful timpani player, pounder, or whatever the term would be. She lived in Tacoma and at first managed to grab a ride to orchestra practice  with other members coming our way, but when there were none, she would ride the bus to the Purdy Park n Ride, walk up the long, steep hill hauling  all her equipment behind her, then leave early to get the bus home again. Her trademark was the wild and crazy glasses she wore during the concerts. She was a delight to work with and always "upbeat"...hmmm...and will be missed by all those who knew her. Something tells me that things will never be the same now that she's playing in the heavenly orchestra :o)

Holmaas Collection

The picture above is a copy of one of the Holmaas' annual Christmas cards, done by Lita Dawn Stanton. Because John and I  were classmates, I'm on his mailing list and look forward each year to seeing another of his special memories in print. The reason he chose the Veteran is because he fished on the Skansie boat when young.

The Harbor History Museum is launching its new exhibit, "Through the Artist's Eye: The Holmaas Collection of Historic Renderings", this Friday, Dec. 9. This is the private collection of historic renderings belonging to John and Carole Holmaas.
Over the past four decades, John and Carole have commissioned these works annually for their holiday cards.
"As lifetime Peninsula residents, and as early as our first years of married life we recognized we had a strong affinity both for the community and for the history of the area," said John and Carole Holmaas. "Originally we collected old photos ourselves, later relying on the Museum collection. As real estate brokers we found we had Gig Harbor clients who were talented artists. We asked them to recreate the scene in the photo through their eyes."
"In the exhibit, the historic photograph selected by John and Carole will be positioned next to the finished artwork. Visitors can compare the “original” with the historic rendering to see what the artist chose to include or exclude," wrote Harbor History Museum on its website.
The Holmaas' enjoy their collection both at work and at home, and now you will have the chance to enjoy it as well, on exhibit at the Harbor History Museum Dec. 9- Jan. 22.
Hours
Tuesday - Sunday, 10 a.m. - 5p.m. (Closed Christmas Day)
Admission
Members: Free
Adults: $6
Youth 7-17: $4
Children 6 and under: Free
Miltary/Seniors (65+): $5
Information courtesy of City of Gig Harbor.

http://gigharbor.patch.com/articles/through-the-artist-s-eye-the-holmaas-collection-of-historic-renderings

Zoo Lights

Jacob went with mommy and daddy to Zoo Lights at the Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma  last night and he loooooooved the lights, as you can see from the smile on his face :o) I've never been to see them and am not sure I  want to go out in the cold at night when I can stay home in my cozy, warm  living room :o)

Harbor Holiday 2011

Just a reminder that the Gig Harbor Peninsula Civic Orchestra concert is just around the corner. December 17th, 7:00pm at Peninsula High School.

Concert

It seem that I'm doing a lot of posting about music, but it seems that this time of year there are oodles of things musical.  Our New Horizon's Band  will be doing a concert at one of the retirement homes in Tacoma today and a week from today we'll  be playing at a retirement home here in the harbor. I love doing these concerts because I know they give a lot of folks a lot of pleasure :o) 
The picture above is of Joanne, DeeDee, Darlene and Ronnie, playing at a concert in high school.  Joanne on the left and Ronnie on the right are brother and sister....she passed away years ago and he's lived  in Alaska since graduating from high school,  leading a most interesting life.

Okay....this is something you don't want to listen to if you don't like the F bomb. I had never heard of Adam Corolla, but this is his take on the OWSers.

And...there's this...all I can say is STOP !!!!!!

And...this will cheer you up for sure.