Red Rooster no more

I was sorry to hear that owner of the Red Rooster has had her lease revoked. I have to say, I am not surprised that she wasn't able to keep it going. The location on the water is a fun place, but unless you know the restaurant is there, you probably wont know it's there.  I wonder if the final blow was the morning of the "perfect storm", when the tide rose right in the door and onto the floor. Let's hope someone can make a go of the place with just the right business plan for that location and that it still involves food and drink as there is nothing nicer  than sitting over the water on a sunny day, surrounded by all kinds of nautical activity, sipping a glass of wine.

Snow penguin

Jacob got a new snowboogie for Christmas and has already put it to good use. I remember the days when we used to ski and slide and never think about protecting our head. Hmmmm

USB

If I can remember, I am going to pick up one of these outlets with the USB port next time I go shopping. I rarely shop anywhere other than the grocery store these days. But, I did go to JCPenny at the Tacoma Mall yesterday. I used to be an incredible shopper....could look for hours. Not so much any more. I made it through the clothing, shoes and jewelry and ran out of steam.  I did manage to find a cute royal blue coat for only $40.00. It fit "around" nicely, but as usual, the sleeves were down to my knees. I checked it over carefully and decided the sleeves could be shortened. They had plackets and buttons so were a little tricky..maybe that is why is was still there...no one wanted to tackle them. By nightfall I had them apart and well on their way to being finished.  Now to decide if I want the three buttons on each sleeve or to leave them plain.  lalalalalalala

Merry Christmas

Well...all the work was worth it. I enjoyed making the clothes so much that I will probably make more :o) There are birthdays coming up in Jan. and March so maybe a few summer things will be next, or possibly things to match for big and little.

Cookies

A friend sent this picture and we thought it might be a nice idea for the refreshment table at our next concert. What you do is use a dog bone cookie cutter, cut them in half and decorate. How easy is that :O)

Bring Him Home

Happy Winter Solstice :o) I feel like this day is the beginning of the new year and as we head toward the light, a ride on the Polar Express is a good way to make that journey, with a little prayer added to the mix. Aw...maybe a couple of prayers.

2013 Calendar

If you haven't yet purchased a 2013 calendar, I've found just the one for you. A local realtor, Matt Thompson, gathers picture from local camera buffs and puts them together each year in a beautiful calendar. I stopped by his office yesterday and bought two. One for me...and one for a friend who used to live here in the harbor, but now calls Ohio home. I don't know about you, but I have quite a collection of old calendars because I just can't seem to part with them when their usefulness has come to an end. ....and that goes for those from a friend who lives in Michigan and takes incredible pictures of her area...mostly ships I might add...you know...the ships that ply the great lakes through rain, sleet and snow, that she shares in her calendars.
Again..if you are interested in ordering one from Matt, here is how you do it.

And...you may have seen pictures of the huge tide we had a couple days ago. Well, here is a video of the Red Rooster restaurant when the tide was the highest.  I hope they are able to get things cleaned up and be back in business without too much damage, soon.

And  one more thing, if the cold and rain are starting to get to you, how bout a trip to Cabo. I love this shot, especially in the morning as it's beginning to get light.

No net work today

Today we're having the "perfect storm". The tide is high and so is  the wind, and the two combined make it rather unpleasant for those who live or work too close to the shore. As I type, the tide is high in the parking lot at the Purdy shopping center so you'd best wait to shop until the tide goes out unless you have a pair of dandy wading boots. In the picture, the Schulich dock..or it used to belong to them, is under water, so for sure, there will be no net work any time soon. There is one good thing coming from all this wind....the air is soooo  fresh :o)
For more water world pictures, check out this site.

The blues

I have two shoe boxes filled with doll clothes....the pattern says it's for American Girl dolls.. let's hope so  cause I sure would be sad if nothing fit. I'm thinkin I'd love to have a blue outfit like the one in the picture with it as cold and damp as it is outside. Only 4 more days :o)
Our concert went great last night, though I sensed a definate somberness in the orchestra and audience...and I am thinking it's because of the tragedy that took place this week in Connecticut. It's been like a punch in the stomach to the whole country and even the " experts" know that there is no way of preventing a person with mental problems from hurting others if he is that determined.  Having lived for years near a person with mental problems, who we all know should be "confined" in a safe environment, and know the only way he can be "locked up" is he has to hurt someone first makes me tired of hearing and reading all the crap about gun control etc..  There are no easy answers or sure ways to deal with people with mental problems. My heart goes out to all who have lost loved ones and to the family of boy who changed so many lives forever.

Morning lights

Only a week to go until the shortest day of the year. I must say, I do love getting up in the early morning when it's dark outside and there are only the tree lights to light my way....Just for fun, I got out my fancy camera this morning.... set it on the kitchen counter to keep from moving and took this picture.. I am so used to hearing a quick click that I instantly wonder,,what did I forget to do when I hear the first click and the long pause....and finally the last click.  It's amazing how our brains think it through before the last click is heard.  For those who don't believe in  a creator...maybe they've never used a fancy camera :o)

Artesian

When I was very young, I spent quite a bit of time at my grandparents home and one of the memories that stands out like none other is the day the well driller hit water!! It was an artesian source and I can still picture the geyser spraying higher than the roof top...with bits of clay and water flying everywhere. Grandpa, standing on the right in the picture,  was very generous and through the years, at least 9 homes used water from the well. Hopefully there will always be enough sweet, pure water for those who need it and I must say, it's a treat to have an occasional drink from it after being on the Gig Harbor water system for so many years :o) I am not sure where we got our water before the well was drilled, but I do know we lived next to a creek with a culvert that ran under the road  resulting in  a small "water fall", plus there was a ram in the creek,  so maybe we got water right from the creek.

Knits

I love sewing with knits...I bought this fabric sooooo  many years ago, and finally  found a use for it. Now to make something to go with it...maybe a pair of warm winter pants...I know there must be just the right piece of  fabric hiding in my pile of stash.

Christmas jacket

Made this today and am still working on a skirt to go with it...not sure if it will be long or short...hmmm...
Had to take time out from sewing for lunch at the Inn of Gig Harbor. It was the  Welcome Neighbor Club luncheon and I decided to join since I have been to a few nice functions of theirs and the people are very nice. My friend Arlene and her group, the Soundsations, sang for us and this was my favorite song.
When I got home, the neighbor kid needed albuterol and knew I use it. He didn't want to go to the Dr. to get it so I gave him one of mine and in  return, he climbed up on my roof and put on moss killer. He had just finished cleaning his roof so I sent him home with the moss killer and said "use it" :o)
We have our own good neighbor club here :o)

Only 17 more days

Only 17 more days until winter solstice.. and only 11 days until our concert. Just for fun..here we were, practicing our hearts out the other evening.  We flutes have fun with Under the Double Eagle and there is ususally a piccolo with this song too, but our faithful tooting buddy is undergoing chemo for a newly discovered breast cancer , so we made do without her, but will have her back for the concert if we have to carry her in "o) . If you look at our program, you'll see songs with "eagle", "panther", "sea hawk" and  "cowboy"....kind of a football Christmas concert.  We've had  a "rhapsody" concert, a "waltz" concert,  "march" concert in March, and now a football concert because...well...I guess because it's football season.....and of course because it is the Christmas season, we do have two interesting pieces, one of which is this.
Again...my favorite is Haydn's 82nd symphony.  lalalalalalallal

Enough I think

Ingy helped me empty all these from the little chest thingy that I store them in so we could move it and make room for the Christmas tree.  She then helped put them all back...and nary a  one got broken...phew. After taking a good look at how many there are...I must refrain from buying any more. They come in all sizes, even little ones for the girls.  Jeanne, this whole addiction started with you bringing me the two from your travels down the coast a few years ago...so...own it :o)