My 2019 Great Lakes Road Trip Part 12A

1 Jan

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Day 12 – Saturday August 3

My first museum this morning was the John Deere Tractor & Engine Museum there in Waterloo, IA.  This is a large museum filled with tractors, all kinds of farm equipment, and engines of all types and sizes dating from the mid-1800s.  Starting with his first steel farm plow design in 1837, John Deere improved his plow and farm equipment designs, and expanded his company, to include farm tractors beginning in 1907.  The company has continued to grow and expand its product line, over the years, to include all types of farming and harvesting equipment.  In 2019 the company was listed as being ranked the 87th American company in the Fortune 500 list.

Before leaving Waterloo, I swung by the Grout Museum to see what it was all about.  This small museum honors the military service and sacrifice of all Iowa veterans from the Civil War to the present.  The museum has an impressive display honoring the five Sullivan brothers, who hailed from Waterloo, and who were all sailors on the USS Juneau (CL-52) during WWII.  Unfortunately their ship was sunk during the Battle of Guadalcanal in November of 1942 with the loss of 687 crew members, including all five Sullivan brothers.

The story goes that at the time, a standing naval policy was in effect restricting siblings from serving in the same unit.  However, the Sullivan brothers had refused to serve (I don’t know how they got away with that) unless they were all assigned to the same ship, and the policy was overlooked by their commanders.  Following this family tragedy, the U.S. Navy was mandated to strictly inforce the policy for all siblings.  

Now I headed southwest on U.S. 63/30/65 to visit the State of Iowa Historical Museum located in Des Moines, IA.  This museum’s Historical Collection of over 80,000 items includes artifacts, memorabilia, and displays, related to the state of Iowa dating from the early 1900s.  These items are housed in the large State of Iowa Historical Building, along with the State Historical Library Collection and the State Historical Archives Collection.  Way too much for me to see in one visit.

As I was passing thru Des Moines, on my way to the next museum, I drove by the Iowa State Capital Building and decided to stop for a photo of this beautiful edifice.  I’ve learned that the building’s location in Des Moines was the third location considered for the Iowa State Capital after Iowa City and Monroe City.   The building was constructed between 1871 & 1886, and is the only 5-domed capital building in the U.S.  The building houses offices for Iowa’s Governor, Secretary of State, Attorney General, Treasurer, and Auditor, as well as the State Senate and State House of Representatives.

—–(This day’s activities will be continued next week)—–

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  

One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is:  John 10:10

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A Florida Christmas

30 Dec

My Take

DiVoran Lites

According to legend the explorer Ponce de Leon discovered the Fountain of Youth as a spring near what is now DeLand, Florida. Each day a million gallons of water surge from deep caverns, fill the pool and make a wide stream that runs into the St. Johns River. DeLeon believed that if you swam in the spring you would live forever. It may be true, although DeLeon only lived to age 45, Bill and I are still kickin’ and my mother, who swam in it when she was eighty lived to be ninety. She took great joy in believing, even though she didn’t particularly want to live forever, which is probably wise. 

I’m so fond of that place that I decided to use it for the setting of my first novel, “Sacred Spring.” It is a place which is full of history.

This year we decided to go to the Old Mill Pancake house for our special Christmas. We customers sit at long tables. Each table has a griddle in the middle upon which to cook pancakes and eggs. The waitress brings crisp bacon and savory sausage. It’s hard to choose from the half dozen syrups. Everything tastes as delicious as ever. 

We have six members of the immediate family and sorely miss the other two of our immediate family of eight. We talk and laugh about things that had happened over the decades and told family stories that our 27-year-old grandson has never heard. He and his uncle had a brief discussion about computers since both are involved in them at work. Too soon we feel we should give up our table for the many people who are crowding in at the door. 

What should we do now? Our son’s choice is a four-mile hike. That will be puny for him and overwhelming for me. Fortunately, it is still cold and a light rain falls.  Outside, we stand under an eave and talk about trying to find a place where we can sit and talk…maybe a mall with tables somewhere. We couldn’t come up with anything so we get in our cars and head south. We are an hour and fifteen minutes away from our home and a bit more for our daughter and her husband. Our son’s house is half an hour from where we were. As we tootle along I have a serendipitous thought. Why not go there? I call him and he says, “Yes, do come to my house.” I call the car behind us, and our daughter said they could come too. 

When we walk in it is sad to realize once again that those two are not with us as they have been for so many years. Somebody wants coffee and the coffee choices appear. Some want hot chocolate which is hard to find ingredients for. Finally, they appear tiny-mini chocolate chips, milk, cardamom and cinnamon and leftover syrup from Cracker-Barrel. I tend the increasingly chocolate milk spoon a sample and sigh. Just right! 

Our host asks if we’d like to have a fire in the fire-place…lovely thing for a sharp-aired, rainy day. The flicker of the fire and the smell of the burning wood remind us of camping trips of old. The ancient red dog of our grandchildren’s childhood follows us wherever we go. No-one turns on a TV or sits down to hide behind their phones. The daughter fiddles with getting the best picture with the finest background possible.

And now it is time to call the away ones…our grand-daughter and her mother who complete our circle. Both work currently in what to us are far away places. Son made the conference call and all eight of us had time together as we have for so many years. It was wonderful to talk with them. Finally, it was time to get in our cars and head on down south.

Author, Poet and Artist

DiVoran has been writing for most of her life. Her first attempt at a story was when she was seven years old and her mother got a new typewriter. DiVoran got to use it and when her dad saw her writing he asked what she was writing about. DiVoran answered that she was writing the story of her life. Her dad’s only comment was, “Well, it’s going to be a very short story.” After most of a lifetime of writing and helping other writers, DiVoran finally launched her own dream which was to write a novel of her own. She now has her Florida Springs trilogy and her novel, a Christian Western Romance, Go West available on Amazon. When speaking about her road to publication, she gives thanks to the Lord for all the people who helped her grow and learn.  She says, “I could never have done it by myself, but when I got going everything fell beautifully into place, and I was glad I had started on my dream.”

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DEAR ANN LANDERS:

29 Dec

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

As I mentioned before, I recently went through some of my stuff – papers, mostly – and I found some interesting things that sparked my interest.  Since Ann Landers has been dead for quite a while, this is a VERY old clipping.  However, what it represents is something that we all could relate to.  Hope you enjoy it:

Number three is something that this new generation needs to really work on.  I haven’t seen much “self-discipline” going on.  It is truly a “me” generation, and it hurts my heart to see it.

And Number four is an amazing thing to think about.  Not just for self-discipline, but as an act of love toward your spouse.  I think most of us are far too self-absorbed to do that too often.  But I can assure you that it is one of the most wonderful things anyone can do for their marriage.  But that is also a Biblical teaching – think of others before yourself.   Of course, the Biblical teaching is to focus on God first, and all things just fall into place.  Amazing how that works…

When our girls were old enough to date, we never let them leave the house without telling them that we loved them – and gave them a hug and kiss to go with it.  Janet’s boyfriend at the time, couldn’t understand that, and asked why we did it.  Every.  Single.  Time.  She explained that we loved her and wanted safety for her and for her to know how much we loved her.  He eventually stated that he wanted HIS children to have that, as well. WOW!  Who would have thought just a hug and kiss and a “I love you” would touch his heart like that?

And just remember number 12 in an argument:  if YOU are doing most of the talking – you are probably in the wrong!  Ouch!  Time to shut up and let the other one state their case, hmm?

Judy 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. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

  Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. 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 as well as a great-grandson. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

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…And Nature Sing

26 Dec

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

Christmas day the weather was perfect. It was the kind of day that people like me who flee the summer heat say “if only Florida could be like this all year.” After exchanging gifts and enjoying our traditional Christmas breakfast of country ham, biscuits and eggs (no grits now that we are low carb-ers) we decided to drive out to the beach.

Christmas afternoon at the beach became a family tradition while we were raising a family. I worked in healthcare on second shift and chose to be off Christmas Eve rather than Christmas Day. That way I could spend most of the holiday with the family. Most years my husband, children and my parents would load up the van with surf rods and off they would go fishing and I would go to work.

We are blessed to live near the Canaveral National Seashore and pristine Playalinda beach.

It was good to see families outdoors and enjoying the beautiful day and we enjoyed watching them.

  • Dad often used multiple poles.
  • Pretty sure they are tourist. .

My dad fished the beach several times during the week, finding the best spots. Since the water is constantly moving, the sands shift the deep troughs where the fish run. He would stand on the dunes and read the waves, He was a fish whisperer. We miss him.

The “beach road” has 13 crossovers to the dunes. It had been a long time since we drove the length of the road so we decided to explore. We found this sign to be humorous.

I have to tell you the parking lot for this crossover was the most crowded! I hope they has sunscreen.

One day when my dad was fishing near the nude section a man came walking up the beach toward him, clad only in a Palmetto branch front and back. Someone had taken the man’s clothes! I hope he had some extra in his car.

The Canaveral National Seashore adjoins the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge. There are multiple dirt runs running through the area giving one an up close experience with nature without bugs or snakes! We usually come across gators sunning but I guess they were celebrating Christmas with their families : ). My daughter and I snapped pictures of birds as my husband slowly drove through the swampy terrain.

We decided to drive on to Haulover Canal to check out the Manatee viewing platform. When we arrived there was only one other person there. By the time we left the parking lot was filling up. We didn’t see any Manatees, hope they had better luck.

The canal got its name because it literally was a spot where first indians and then settlers would haul their canoes and boats from the ocean into Mosquito Lagoon. I bet you can’t guess where the lagoon got its name!

We drove alongside the Australian Pine tree lined canal where families parked to fish and barbecue. I only snapped one photo as I didn’t want to block the narrow road.

Our drive was accompanied by Christmas music playing softly on the car radio. It was a glorious day and I seemed to feel nature sing.

Some random photos.

  • Fishing platform at Eddy Creek. Notice the PVC rod holders.
  • By mountain standards this is a big creek!

PS This is the setting for my daughter’s novel, Undaunted, formerly titled Jessie.

I'm a winnerAfter 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.

My 2019 goal is to use my love of photographs and words to be an encourager on social media. You can visit Real Life Books and Media You Tube Channel if you would like to view some of the mini-videos I have created for our church, Gateway Community in Titusville, Fl.

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My 2019 Great Lakes Road Trip Part 11

25 Dec

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Day 11 – Friday August 2

This morning after breakfast, I started the southern portion of this road trip, by heading southeast on I-35E, about 30 miles, to visit the Holz Farm Park located in Eagan, MN.  This picturesque 80-acre farm was originally settled in the 1870s, and farmed by the Holz family until 1993.  The city of Eagan purchased the property in 1995 and converted it into a living farm park. The farm offers a unique opportunity for visitors to experience rural life as it was in this part of Minnesota in the late 1800s thru the mid-1900s, with hands on participation and special events.

Next I continued south on I-35 about 60 miles to visit the Steele County History Center & Village of Yesteryear, located in Owatonna, MN.  The museum displays rare photos, artifacts, and memorabilia that follow the history of Steele County, MN.  The Village of Yesteryear is a collection of 19 restored structures, relocated from various locations in Steele County, to preserve the history of the way of life of the mid-1800 pioneers who first settled in the Owatonna area of Minnesota.  I passed up the opportunity to take the tour of the “Village” since the next tour wasn’t scheduled until later in the day.

Another 30 miles south on US-278, I visited the SPAM Museum located in Austin, MN.  This is a very interesting museum that tells the history of SPAM (originally called Spiced Ham by its inventors) over the years.  SPAM was created by the Hormel Foods Corporation in 1937, to meet the need housewives had for cheap, quick meals requiring minimal preparation.

Then the military got in the act, and during WWII Hormel supplied hundreds of millions of cans of SPAM to U.S. and allied troops all over the world.  That may be one reason why so many U.S. veterans turn up their noses at the word SPAM.  It’s been rumored that some G.I.s believe SPAM is an acronym for what they call “Scientifically Processed Animal Matter.”

That doesn’t seem to matter to people all over the world, as witnessed by the creation of original SPAM recipes from over 44 different nations.  I was surprised to find out that SPAM is now available in 17 different flavors.  The samples I was offered at the museum were “Hickory Smoke” and “Roast Turkey.”  I thought they were both quite good.

As a side note; it looks like I measure about 22½ SPAM cans high.  How about that for an unusual method of measurement?

Now I headed west on I-90 about 25 miles to visit the Freeborn County Historical Museum located in Albert Lea, MN.  This museum displays some 40 exhibits, as well as artifacts and memorabilia, tracing the history of the city of Albert Lea and Freeborn County.  An unusual exhibit is the museum’s collection of rare vintage WWI and WWII posters.  The museum also maintains a late 1800s “Village” consisting  of 18 restored buildings, including a one-room schoolhouse, church, general store, and train depot, that will help visitors to this museum see how early settlers to this area lived and worked.  

As I headed south on I-35, I crossed the border into Iowa, on my way to visit the John Deere Tractor Museum.  Greta (my Garmin) took me off I-35 and onto some small backroads, where I happened to see “The Little Brown Church in the Vale,” and had to stop for a photo.  I am always looking for unusual houses, churches, or buildings on my trips.  I love to see how creative people can be.  In this case, it was the name of the church that got my attention, not necessarily the small quaint 1860 church building.

By the time I got to Waterloo, IA it was too late to visit the John Deere Tractor Museum, and besides that my stomach was still acting up.  So before heading for the motel, Greta helped me find the Chick-fil-A there in Waterloo, where I enjoyed an order of their Grilled Chicken Nuggets and another bowl of their extra special and healthy Chicken Soup for my evening meal.

Then it was off to find the motel, there in Waterloo, get checked in, and record today’s events.  As usual, there was nothing worth watching on TV, so I just called it a day and hit the hey.

—–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

 

One of Bill’s favorite Scriptures is:  John 10:10

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We Wish You Joy

24 Dec

Wherever you live and however you celebrate Christmas, we wish you joy as you celebrate the birth of the Savior with those you love.

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A Little Christmas Story

23 Dec

Guest Post

Patricia Franklin

 We have not had any birds in our yard since about July when that old chicken hawk took residence in our neighborhood.  We have had suet in our feeder all these months and no one came.  We even had snow a couple of times and no one came.  We had 4 inches of snow the other day, so my husband put out some bird seed in our other feeder.  Still they did not come…. finally I saw one or two of the little snow birds with their black hoodies and galoshes on their feet.  They came and went so quickly, I thought I was dreaming.  Then yesterday I saw one of the little black and white woodpeckers at the suet feeder.  He and his mate used to live here all the time.  I was so happy to see him.    

Image result for Pixabay small birds

 This morning while I was sitting at the table with a cup of coffee, I opened the curtains and there was a party going on out there…. the sparrows, the little red headed finches and the snow birds, along with a couple of doves are at the birdseed and are squabbling over it like they normally do.  Three little squirrels are gathering up the remaining seeds from the ground.   Christmas is finally here! 

  Merry Christmas to you and yours! 

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Tips For Christmas

22 Dec

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

(1st Corinthians 13 A Christmas Version)

PREFACE:  I posted this in December, 2017.  As I re-read it, I thought how fitting it is for the season, and thought I would re-post it again.  It is quite timely, and I thought it might be something we all need to remember about Christmas and all the preparations we make for the holiday..  Enjoy!

I must admit – I enjoy spending time on FaceBook.  Okay…I spend too MUCH time on fb!  But I have found some good recipes along the way, as well as some profound thoughts and ideas.  

I know that Christmas for 2017 is passed [it was when I posted this the first time], but this “newspaper” clipping was presented on fb recently, and I thought it might be something you – and I – might like to cut out, paste on the refrigerator door, and apply to Christmas 2018 [or 2019 in this case].

See what you think:

From our house to yours…MERRY CHRISTMAS

Judy 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. She was a stay-at-home mom for many years .

  Judy has always been involved with music, both playing the piano and singing. 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 as well as a great-grandson. She and her husband enjoy the Disney parks as often as possible.

Avoid these three traps when facing impossibilities.

21 Dec

Walking by Faith, Not by Sight

Janet Perez Eckles

Reblogged December 20, 2019

Whoever said life is not easy was wrong, totally wrong. Life is sometimes extremely hard, painful, and impossible to endure.

And we mistakenly look for this time of year to change that. Christmas was meant to be the most wonderful time of the year. If that’s so, why is the suicide rate at its highest during this season?

Maybe the reason is because while most are singing, shopping and decorating, others are in a different place. They’re sinking in heartache. The season’s festivities intensify their grief, while believing they’re the only ones suffering, lonely or lost.

And those sentiments, like a brick wall, build up, creating a barrier impossible to overcome.

Have you been there?

We all have. When adversity of any kind barges in, our focus goes to the circumstance, the challenge, and the obstacle.

And when this happens, we throw on our let-me-solve-this cape. Then with flawed determination, we charge to fix what is in the way. But rather than success, we often come crushing down in defeat.

The reason is because this is not God’s way. His way might be to allow things to fall apart in such a way that we have no option but to trust in him. To come to him for help. And to seek his answers.

It was impossible, or was it?

That’s why God chose an impossible situation to tell us, no, change that, to show us that with him, impossibilities are no barriers at all. For example, an older woman, barren for many years is now pregnant? Impossible. And a girl, pure and a virgin, pregnant? Impossible.

“How will this be,” Mary asked the angel, “since I am a virgin?”

The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So, the holy one to be born will be called the Son of God. Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be barren is in her sixth month. For nothing is impossible with God” (Luke 1:34-37).

That “nothing is impossible” includes your own situation, your struggle and your pain. And like Mary, you see that scenario as impossible. Mary couldn’t see the logic. We don’t either. Mary saw the circumstance instead. We see our own, too. Mary questioned how it could be. And so, do we.

But then Christmas happened. God Himself came to earth in the flesh so we would not have a doubt that He’s here for our impossibilities. He’s here for those moments of anguish when life is too much. He’s here, alive to shield us from our destructive anxiety.

But to allow him to work that into our circumstance, we must avoid these three traps:

Image by Willi Heidelbach from Pixabay
  1. Toss out all poor me We have the King of Kings, the creator of the universe to lift us to the mountain of victory. How will he manage that? We don’t need to know the how, only need to declare that He will.
  2. Don’t look at the circumstance. Instead, focus on the certainty of His promise. His Word that says that with him all will turn around and miracles will happen.
  3. Don’t give up. Perseverance is the secret to reaching the finish line, to win the prize and to receive the medal of triumph.

Let’s pray.

Father, I confess my failure to believe in the miracles you promise. Thank you for your patience with me as I wait to see my impossible situation turn to an immense miracle. In Jesus’ name.

What impossibility will God make possible for you today?

Janet

______________________________________

Did you know I 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.

CLICK HERE for a one-minute inspirational video.

Looking for a speaker for your upcoming event? A great speaker makes the difference between a so-so event and one that shines with impact. I invite you to view one of my two-minute videos HERE.

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

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Savor the Season

20 Dec

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

Wow, we have been in Florida for one week and I am feeling a bit exhausted. The 11 hour drive from the NC mountains last Wednesday left my husband and I with “road trip lag.” Thursday started off early with a much needed hair trim. It seems to take a couple of days for me to settle into my Florida groove buying groceries and putting away my must haves that I brought from NC.

Saturday we visited EPCOT at Walt Disney World to experience Candlelight with Gary Sinise narrating. The show is free but getting a seat involves standing in line for a couple of hours on the chance of getting in. We are too old for that these days! Earlier in the year we purchased a dinner package that would give us priority seating . It is expensive, but it’s our Christmas thing. We chose to dine in Morocco’s Marrakesh restaurant. We ate there once before and were pleasantly surprised with the flavorful food. The restaurant itself is beautiful with mosaic tile throughout.

I am uncomfortable taking pictures in a restaurant and invading diners privacy. I shot this one over the head of the couple next to us. In the center section a dancer performed to beautiful music played on a keyboard.

After our meal we visited a favorite store in the UK, Twining’s tea. We stocked up on the flavors we can’t find in our local grocery stores. To my surprise, the park was quite crowded, but it was a Saturday. After exploring shops in Japan and France we made our way to The American Adventure and were fortunate to find an empty picnic table to rest while we waited for our time to enter the amphitheater. I loved the Christmas tree and people were lined up to have pictures taken with Mr. and Mrs. Claus.

The music was magnificent, Gary Sinise as narrator superb. As the sun went down, the evening turned brisk. An absolutely perfect evening… but boy were we tired. Thankfully our daughter volunteered to drive home.

Do you ever have weeks where you know you were busy, but it’s all a blur? That is how this week has been. I haven’t wrapped a single Christmas gift or planned our Christmas meal. On the plus side, I have made muffins and strawberry ice cream!

My friends, as we prepare to celebrate this joyful holiday let’s remember to savor the season…time spent with family, cherishing memories and most of all celebrating the birth of the Savior.

I'm a winnerAfter 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. My 2019 goal is to use my love of photographs and words to be an encourager on social media. You can visit Real Life Books and Media You Tube Channel if you would like to view some of the mini-videos I have created for our church, Gateway Community in Titusville, Fl.

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