Archive | August, 2018

Memory Lane Road Trip~Part 7

8 Aug

A Slice of Life

Bill LItes

 

Day 7 – Monday 4/23/2018

 

I knew this was going to be another full day, so after a quick breakfast of blueberries and yogurt in my room, I grabbed a glass of orange juice from the motel breakfast room and headed north, on I-35, to visit the Texas Ranger Hall of Fame & Museum located in Waco, TX.  This museum displays artifacts and memorabilia related to the history of the Texas Rangers Law Enforcement Agency which dates as far back as 1823, when the west was wild, and the unit was originally formed by Steven F. Austin.

 

 

I continued north on I-35 again to visit the Hill County Cell Block Museum located in Hillsboro, TX. It doesn’t look much like a prison or even a cell block to me.  Built in 1893, the building housed the prison cell block, sheriff’s office and living quarters for the sheriff and his family.  The prison was in use until 1983, when it was closed and became the Cell Block Museum.  Now you tell me if that looks like a prison to you.

 

 

Just north of Hillsboro, I picked up I-35E and headed northeast to visit the Cold War Air Museum and the Dallas Squadron of the CAF located at the Lancaster Regional Airport just southeast of Lancaster, TX.  There was very little activity going on at the airport this morning, and most of the hangers were closed.  I found the CAF hanger, but it was closed.  The Cold War Air Museum is open on Saturday and Sunday only so that turned out to be a pretty much wasted stop.

 

 

I had another CAF museum in this area on my list, so I asked Greta to take me to the Dallas Commemorative Air Force Museum.  This museum is located at the Dallas Executive Airport, which is on the southwest outskirts of Dallas, Texas.  When I got to the museum, I was surprised to see their sign saying it was the CAF National Headquarters.

 

 

I had visited the CAF Headquarters in Midland, TX several years ago, on another trip, and didn’t realize they had moved their headquarters to Dallas.  Of course, their airplanes are all beautifully restored and in flying condition.  The young lady at the desk informed me, that as usual, several of their airplanes were “on the road” at airshows around the country.  I got photos of the airplanes in the hanger, and then I saw a really neat picture, on the wall.  The picture was of a CAF aircraft display showing several of their airplanes, with what I assumed was the Dallas skyline in the background.  I ask the young lady about the photo, and she informed me that it had in fact been taken, there at the Dallas Executive Airport, around 2015.  I asked if I could take a photo of it, and she said, “Help yourself.” So I did.

 

 

Now I headed into downtown Dallas to visit the Old Red Museum located across from Dealey Plaza.  Their website informs me that the building was originally built in 1892 as the Dallas County Courthouse.  At the time the courthouse was designed with 6 courtrooms and a library.  The  Courthouse served Dallas County until 1966, when it was moved to a new building.  The Old Red Courthouse building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1976, and was eventually renovated for use as a landmark museum.  The museum now consists of four floors, where four separate galleries tell the history of Dallas, from the first settlement in 1841, with artifacts and memorabilia. The museum also houses a children’s education center, four mini-theaters, an IMAX theater, and a Great Hall event center with seating for 300 guests.

 

 

 

—–Stay tuned, this day’s activities will be continued next week—–

Tags: ,

Trial to Triumph

7 Aug

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

 

I enjoy the photography of Annie Spratt at Unsplash.com When I saw this photo, I knew I wanted to create something inspiring with it and Janet’s quote seems a perfect fit.

 

Tags:

What Was That…?

5 Aug

SUNDAYMEMORIES

Judy Wills

 

Recently, Fred and I had something happen that brought back a memory from 1967.

We were both brushing our teeth in our bathroom (we have two sinks), when we heard a ku-thunk..rumble..rumble sound.  Looking at each other, we wordlessly asked each other…what was that??

We finished brushing our teeth and began searching the house for the source of the sound.  Neither of us could find anything.  Huh.

Later, I was in our second bathroom, when I noticed that the safety bar we had installed in the tub/shower, had fallen off the wall and into the tub!  So THAT was it!  I brought Fred into the bathroom with me and he re-installed it (it’s a suction grip, not installed with screws).

 

 

All that brought back the memory.  We were living in Wiesbaden, Germany in 1967, on the economy (military-speak for non-military housing), in a second-story apartment.

 

Judy in front of our upstairs apartment

 

We had only been there about four months. Karen had been born a few months earlier.  We had her crib set up in the “living room” area of the apartment, as it was closer to our bedroom than the second bedroom, and had more space for the crib.

One night, as we were sleeping, we were awakened by – and kept hearing a funny sound – almost like a tearing or ripping sound. It was recurring throughout the night, and neither of us could figure it out.  All of a sudden, there was a tremendous CRASH!  Fred was up and out of the bedroom before I could hardly lift my head off my pillow!  He raced into the living room to check on Karen.  She was happily sucking on her two fingers, as she usually did, as she slept peacefully on.

We were flummoxed!  What had caused that sound?  Not finding anything out-of-the-ordinary, we went back to bed and to sleep.

When we got up the next morning, I went into the bathroom to take my morning bath (no shower in the German house!).  What to my surprise, but did I see that about six of the wall tiles had ripped away from the wall and fallen into the tub!  So THAT was what had awakened us!  That bathroom wall was on the other side of our bedroom wall, so the sound of the “ripping” would have been quite loud in our bedroom.

We informed the landlord and they had the tile fixed quickly.

It’s a funny memory now.  It’s always amazing to me how something that happens now brings back those memories.  Sometimes it doesn’t take much to find the memory.

 

 

JUDYJudy is living in Central Florida with her retired U.S. Air Force husband of 50+ years.
Born in Dallas, Texas, she grew up in the Southwestern United States.
She met her husband at their church, where he was attending the university in her town. After college and seminary, he entered the Air Force, and their adventures began.
They lived in eight of our United States, and spent six years in Europe, where their oldest daughter was born.
Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing.
She was a stay-at-home mom for many years.
Always interested in exercise, she was an aerobic dancing instructor, as well as a piano teacher for many years, and continues to faithfully exercise at home.
After moving to Central Florida, she served as a church secretary for nearly nine years.
Her main hobby at this point in time is scanning pictures and 35mm slides into the computer.
She also enjoys scrapbooking.
She and her husband have two married daughters and four grandchildren, including grandtwins.
She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

Tags: ,

What can I do when facing impossibilities?

4 Aug

Walking by Faith, Not by Sight

Janet Perez Eckles

 

 

 

Reblogged August 4, 2018

It’s a crazy sight.

Without a second thought, I push my Mom on a wheelchair. No blind person should be pushing anything at all, much less a ninety-year-old sweet lady.

But this past week, I did just that. I held on to my Mom’s arm as we entered the store. She spotted a wheelchair close to the entrance and settled in it.

I gripped the handles in the back. We made our way down the aisles as I listened carefully to her instructions. “Go straight, stop…turn left…”

Our method worked beautifully until a salesclerk approached us. “Do you need help?”

I grinned. “Sure do. She can’t walk and I’m blind.”

A long silence followed. Then she cleared her throat. “How can you get around like this, if you’re blind? How are you pushing her?”

What she asked was the obvious. She was focused on the circumstance. She saw the barrier and analyzed the impossibility. She saw the facts in the natural. Not me.

I choose not to see things that way.

I focus on the supernatural instead. I count on God’s supernatural way to make things happen. He’s been doing that through the ages. He did when all seem odd, strange and unlikely. He did when people didn’t deserve it, when people turned their backs on Him. And he did when they became arrogant and foolish.

Know anyone like that? I’m waving my hand in the air because I’m one of them. Yet, God’s mercy, compassion and supernatural love still go into action.

And to erase doubt He can still do that. Here are three reminders of the supernatural power, and over-the-top deeds He has performed.

  1. Thousands of yesterdays ago, God parted the Red Sea. He protected the Israelites who didn’t deserve the favor. He extended mercy. He showed compassion and displayed His power.
  2. Supernaturally, God gave wisdom, strength and determination to a 14-year-old boy named David. With one small stone, he defeated a giant. God proved that, when He’s in charge, we can expect nothing humanly logical about to take place. There’s nothing normal or average., Instead, He only presents supernatural results that leave all in awe.
  3. He sees us doubting but is patient still. He observes our stubborn heart and is loving still. He knows what we deserve but extends grace in spite of it. And this reaction that flows from His unending love is not natural, normal but super ordinary.

But why do ordinary people live under the weight of problems and under the stress of the moment? Because they’re limited by the details in the natural. And ever so sadly, fail to see the possibilities that exist because of God’s supernatural power.

Let’s Pray

Father, when I face impossibilities, grant me wisdom to trust that You are at work in a supernaturally powerful way. In Jesus’ name, amen.

Will you face your situation in the natural? Or believe in God’s supernatural solution?

Janet

______________________________________

Did you know Simply Salsa contains real-life stories of God’s power at work to turn adversity to blessings? A reader writes:

“First of all, thank you! Thank you for writing this amazing book. I can’t explain the rush of emotions that I felt as I turned each page of Simply Salsa. It’s one of those books that you just can’t put down! I cried, I laughed, and I reflected. I reflected on my life and the choices that I have made. Your book truly touched my heart Janet. I felt like you were talking to me, like we were lifelong friends and you knew all my worries and concerns. Your book brought happiness and hope into my days.”

Eliana Sarria

Get your own copy of Simply Salsa HERE.

I also wrote a book filled with words of encouragement, uplifting thoughts and illustrations of real-life triumph to empower you? Its title, Trials of Today, Treasures for Tomorrow: Overcoming Adversities in Life. You can get it HERE.

ONE-MINUTE inspirational video.

 

Source: https://janetperezeckles.com/blog/what-can-i-do-when-facing-impossibilities.html

 

 

 

Janet Eckles Perez

Some say she should be the last person to be dancing. Her life is summarized in this 3-minute video: http://bit.ly/1a8wGJR

Janet Perez Eckles’ story of triumph is marked by her work as an international speaker, #1 best-selling author, radio host, personal success coach and master interpreter. Although blind since 31, her passion is to help you see the best of life.

www.janetperezeckles.com

Tags: ,

Today I Will Choose To Wait With Courage

3 Aug

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

 

Do you find waitings as tedious as I do?

 

 

Tags: ,

The Drip

2 Aug

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

 

My husband and I have been dieting for two months and the amount of food we consume at a meal has definitely decreased.  As a consequence, I find I need to prepare half recipes. A few weeks ago, I make a whole recipe of meatloaf and put half of it, uncooked, in the freezer. It would come in handy one of my “I don’t know what to cook” days. I have a lot of them!

SIDE BAR: Tell me I am not the only one who has a love/hate relationship with cooking. Some days, I enjoy hours planning a meal, relishing the mingling of ingredients and flavors. Other times, I don’t want to have anything to do with a pot or mixing bowl.

I prepared  the meatloaf for the freezer by lining my loaf pan with aluminum foil, then placed the meat in the foil wrapped pan shaping it to conform to the pan.

 

I can’t remember where or when I purchased the pan. It has a lot of scratches but I am pretty sure they are the result of the pan wars, you know when you are looking for a baking pan and have to shift the whole cabinet to find the one you want?  Anyway, this pan was not used often. I tell you this because, this pan let me down, big time. So much for “made in Italy” equating with quality.

On one of my I hate the kitchen days, I pulled the meatloaf out of the freezer, thawed it a bit in the loaf pan then popped it into my newly cleaned  oven. Instant supper!  After about 20 minutes, I began to get a whiff of a burned smell. I peeked in the oven and everything looked fine. The smell grew stronger over the next 15 minutes so I checked the meatloaf again. The meatloaf looked fine but there was a blob of black on the floor of my nice, clean oven. I took the pan out and searched it for a leak but could not find anything dripping or that looked burned.  So, I put the meatloaf back in the oven to finish cooking. When the meatloaf was done, I took it out of the oven and held it up, looking for a drip. Nothing there that would explain the big black blob. I did see one place that looked like a scratch/dent but no evidence of dripping.

My husband has breathing issues and smoke triggers coughing attacks so I opened windows and a door to try to clear out the smell before we sat down to eat. After supper, I put the loaf pan in the sink to wash and as I pushed it down into the water, two streams of water shot up. One in the bottom and one in the side. The hole looked exactly like the other blemishes.

 

 

Now I have a flower-pot made in Italy! 

 

 

 

 

I'm a winner After my retirement, I decided to re-learn the canning and preserving skills I learned from my mother but hadn’t practiced for twenty years. I titled the blog Old Things R New to chronicle my experience.  Since then I have been blessed to have six other bloggers join me, DiVoran Lites, Bill Lites,  Judy Wills, Louise Gibson, Janet Perez Eckles and Melody Hendrix

In addition to blogging, I work as the publicist/marketer/ amateur editor and general  “mom Friday” for my author daughter, Rebekah Lyn. I also manage her website, Rebekah Lyn Books  where we frequently host the best in up and coming authors.

Tags:

Memory Lane Trip~Part 6

1 Aug

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

 

Day 6 – Sunday 4/22/2018

 

After that fabulous visit with my cousins, Pat and Lee, that I mentioned last week I said my  goodbyes and went looking for the Chisholm Trail Park there in Round Rock.  There was not too much information about the park, but Wikipedia informs me that the Chisholm Trail was named for Jesse Chisholm, who laid out the trail, and made it famous in the years after the Civil War.   He was known for driving many herds of cattle from ranches in the Red River and south Texas ranches, to the rail heads in Hays and Kansas City, Kansas.

 

 

The Chisholm Trail passed through this area, marked by the large round rock in the middle of Bushy Creek. That rock located a low water crossing spot for cattle and wagons alike.  The area was known as the “Bushy Creek Crossing at the Round Rock” by cattlemen as well as westward traveling pioneers.

 

 

I headed north on I-35 to visit the Inner Space Cavern located just outside Georgetown, TX.  This natural attraction is a “karst cave” that was discovered in 1963 by the Texas Hiway Department, during the construction of I-35.  According to Wikipedia the cavern’s formation is credited to weather and climate conditions during and after the last Ice Age. Several pre-historic Ice Age animal skeletons have been found in the cavern, suggesting they fell through one of the many surface openings that have been discovered over the years.  I didn’t take the time to go through the cavern since I don’t think it could compare with the Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico, which I’ve been through twice.

While I was in Georgetown, I stopped at the Visitor Center to get a map, and saw this guy dressed in a Confederate uniform, standing out in front of the court house.  I stopped to get a photo and ask him what was going on. He said he was part of the local re-enactment group who rotated duty each month.  They dress up in their uniforms, and answer questions visitors have about Georgetown, the court house, the Civil War and any other subject the visitors ask them about.  It was pretty warm today, and I hoped he didn’t come down with heat stroke.

 

 

I headed west from Georgetown to take a short side trip to visit the Highland Lakes Squadron Museum of the Commemorative Air Force (CAF), located at the Burnet Municipal Airport in Burnet, TX.  The museum was closed, but the gate and a hanger door were both open, so I walked in to take some photos of their airplanes.

 

 

After I finished with photos of the hangered airplanes, I was taking photos of a couple of airplanes sitting outside the hanger.  While I was standing there, this beautifully restored AT-6 Texan taxied onto the ramp right in front of me.  I couldn’t believe my luck, to see one of the squadron’s planes coming in from a check ride. The two pilots were sitting in the plane doing their post-flight checks.  They didn’t seem to be upset that I was inside the fence, so I took a couple of photos of them in their airplane.  Then I gave them a little wave, and just sauntered out to my car.

 

 

Heading back east, my last stop today was to visit the Railroad Heritage Museum located in Temple, TX. The museum was closed by the time I arrived, but Wikipedia tells me that the museum is housed in the restored 1910 Santa Fe train depot.  The museum includes local historical memorabilia and artifacts related to the railroad’s influence on the Temple area over the years.  There is a restored telegraph room, observation windows overlooking the still active BNAF railway, and model railroad layouts for the kids (and us grownups too).  The museum also has several pieces of restored rolling stock displayed outside.

 

 

Now it was time for Greta to find my motel for the night there in Temple. However I spotted a Cracker Barrel Restaurant, on the way to the motel, and decided to stop in for a wonderful meal of Grilled Trout with collard greens and fried okra.  Then there is always one of their great homemade biscuits with butter and honey for dessert.

 

 

Greta did a good job of getting me to the motel.  Once I was checked in at the motel, it was time to relax and try to find something to watch on TV.  No such luck.  As usual there was nothing on TV, so I just spent a few minutes recording the day’s events before falling asleep.

 

—–To Be Continued—–

 

 

 

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 61 years in Titusville, Florida. He was born and raised in the Southwest, did a tour of duty with the U.S. Navy, attended Northrop University in Southern California and ended up working on America’s Manned Space Program for 35 years. He currently is retired and spends most of his time building and flying R/C model airplanes, traveling, writing blogs about his travels for Word Press and supporting his wife’s hobbies with framing, editing and marketing.  He also volunteers with a local church Car Care Ministry and as a tour guide at the Valiant Air Command Warbird Museum there in Titusville.  Bill has two wonderful children, two outstanding grandchildren, and a loving sister and her husband, all of whom also live in Central Florida, so he and DiVoran are rewarded by having family close to spend lots of quality time with.

 

Bill

Tags: ,

Newer Entries →