Fishing with Ivan Part 4 C

31 Mar

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

The next day we crossed the Mohave Desert on our way to visit DiVoran’s brother, David, & his family in Bonita, CA.  David’s house was less than 10 miles from the Mexican border, and he regaled us with stories of illegals coming thru his property at night, on their way north.  We learned that David’s house keeper, Angelica, was the only daughter of a Mexican lawyer and could speak very little English.  She had come from Mexico City with her boyfriend, and was later abandon by him. She didn’t know very much about housekeeping, but boy could she cook!  I remember she cooked up the most delicious authentic Mexican style Chili Rellenos dinner for us that I have ever had.

Photo by Bill Lites

When we said goodbyes to David and his family, we headed north to visit our good friends Terry & Mary in Diamond Bar, CA.  I had worked with Terry on the Apollo Moon Landing program at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida, before they had moved back to California for his work.  Terry and Mary were also in our Bible Study group, there in Titusville, for many years.  I remember when they took us to one of their favorite restaurants, Pinnacle Peak Stakehouse, for dinner that Terry warned me that the restaurant had a ‘No-Tie Policy’ and the servers would cut the necktie off any first-time customer, without any notice.  When we walked into the restaurant, I was stunned to see the ceiling was absolutely covered with neckties.  The service was great and the steaks were wonderful!

Photo Credit Yelp

After a great visit with Terry and Mary, we continued north, up the California coast on U.S. 101 & CA-1, to visit Hearst Castle (La Cuesta Encantada) located near San Simeon, CA.   William Randolph Hearst built the 42 bedroom, 61 bathroom, 19 sitting room castle (1919-1947) which is surrounded by 125 acres of gardens.  There are indoor and outdoor swimming pools, tennis courts, a movie theater, a zoo and a private airfield.  Hearst lived in the castle during most of the years of its construction, and until his death in 1951.  ‘The Big House’ was opened to the public in 1958, as a museum, operated by the California State Park System.  That was an amazing tour!  The tour lasted over an hour and a half, and even then we only saw a small portion of that huge edifice (68,500 sq. ft.).  We learned that much of the castle’s beautiful artwork and building materials were obtained from, as far away as, England and Spain and shipped all the way to the west coast of California. 

Photo: https://www.travelawaits.com/2477527/touring-hearst-castle

Continuing north on CA-1, along the picturesque California coast, we next stopped to check out the Monterey Bay Aquarium located in Monterey, CA.  This is a very unusual and spectacular attraction!  In addition to the amazing indoor tank (320,000 gallons), the aquarium also has a unique ‘Open Sea’ outdoor pool (1 million gallons), both of which have large viewing windows and are fed by filtered sea water from Monterey Bay.  From the observation deck, surrounding the Open Sea pool, we had a wonderful view of the Sea Otters eating and playing in the pool.

Photo Credit https://www.209magazine.com/departments/navigator/experience-life-under-the-sea-at-monterey-bay-aquarium

We stayed long enough to watch a diver, thru the glass wall of the large indoor pool, feed the fish.  I was surprise to see that the fish didn’t swarm around him all at once.  They came up to him, a few at a time, to grab a piece of food, and then they would casually swim back into the dark swaying kelp forest.  They must keep them well fed, as none of the different types of fish, jelly fish, or sharks seemed to be in a hurry to eat.  It all seemed quite casual, more like a dance routine. (I’m sure they had fed the sharks first).

—–To Be Continued—–

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 63 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.

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

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The Hometown Museum

30 Mar

The Storyteller Almanac

Reblogged

Greetings All,

This weeks episode in my podcast series, “The Storyteller Almanac” is a little special and different. It’s a conversation with a wonderful lady named Kaye Malins. Kay resides in Marceline, MO. – the boyhood home of Walt Disney. But the story surely doesn’t stop there. Kaye knew both Walt and Roy Disney. In fact she lives in the house where the Disney family lived while in Marceline, MO. What’s more, when Kaye was about 18, she was sought out and hired by Walt and Roy Disney to come to work at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, CA. 

You may have read or heard stories about Walt Disney. But Kaye offers a very unique perspective with her stories about the man having known a side of Walt that was much more than his professional or public persona. Well worth the listen especially if you’re a Disney fan or a Disney Cast Member.

Click HERE to listen to the podcast.

You can find the episode at www.StorytellerAlmanac.com or on any of the major podcast platforms such as Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and more. And if you feel so inclined, please feel free to subscribe to the podcast on those aforementioned podcast platforms so you won’t miss any future episodes. No obligation. No commitment. No charge and of course no salesperson will call .

Thanks for droppin’ by, neighbor! “Mike The Storyteller” 

I’ve been ‘clickin’ the shutter since I was about 16. I morphed into video production when I went to work for The Walt Disney Company many years ago. Currently, I still work for Disney. But my real passion and path is utilizing my photography and multimedia skill sets for the greater good. Translated, anything or anybody that deserves recognition, appreciation or documenting for future history, I’m all over it. Too many important things just slip away in a fast moving, fast paced world / society. ‘If ya’ wanna know where you’re going, ya’ gotta know where ya’ come from’ (Sir Lawrence Olivier – The Jazz Singer 1980). 

If you feel so inclined, I’d sure appreciate you subscribing to Storyteller Almanac on any of the major podcast platforms like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts and more. Really helps me grow the po

To contact me for any reason, please click or copy & paste: 

MikeThomasImagery@gmail.com

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Living Waters

29 Mar

Scribe: DiVoran

Photo Credit Pixabay

Beloved Child,

I bless you. I pour my Spirit out upon you. Do not fear. I will always be here for you. All rejection is a tool to bounce you away from what people think and into my arms. 

Do not any longer blame yourself or try to fix anything on your own. All the apology in the world will not change the basic attitudes of those who want to own you. 

Photo Credit Pixabay

No one can own you. You are mine. I will never leave you or forsake you. Stand still and watch how I deal with your troubles.

Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit you have been saved. Springs of Living water refresh and renew you. 

Photo Credit Pixabay

Be still and know that I am God. 

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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Music and Me Part 2

28 Mar

Sunday Memories

Judy Wills

Still considering my piano playing,  I guess one of my favorite pieces to play was “Clair de Lune” by Claude Debussy.  A magnificent piece.  I really loved that music.  Unfortunately, so many of the Miss America contestants during those years played it for their talent, it sort of became “rote.”  There was another piece by Debussy, “The Sunken Cathedral” that I attempted to learn to play, but it just seemed to be out of my range of capability.  It’s quite complicated, but in the right hands, it, too is magnificent.  Mrs. Larsen played it for me one time, and I was mesmerized.

! have mentioned in a previous posting, that after we joined our church here in Orlando, that our Minister of Music gathered six of us that played the piano and we had a concert for the church.  We each played on a Clavinova (electronic pianos), which also meant they were all “tuned” together.  In my post of September 30, 2012, I mentioned this concert.  I mentioned that we practiced at the piano store, then they brought the instruments to the church and they were placed on the stage.  I stated:  We played two or three pieces all together – different parts of the song, like an orchestra.  Then we each played a duet with one of the other pianists, then a solo.  It was a great deal of fun, and we got to praise our Lord with the talent He gave each of us.

Photo credit Church Art

I never really thought I would be a piano teacher.  I mean, I played the instrument, but that is quite a bit different than teaching someone else to play it.  At different times, I have had several people ask me if I would teach their children, but I always declined.  However, when we were in Heidelberg (1980-1983), I was given the opportunity to teach.  I wasn’t too thrilled with the prospect, but the circumstances were different.

Photo credit Pixabay

You see, there was a Canadian family in our church.  They approached me about teaching their boys.  I was quite interested to learn that Canada has a “conservatory” system of teaching piano.  In other words, if you lived in one of the Eastern provinces and began taking piano lessons, but then had to move, perhaps to one of the Middle or  Western provinces, you could find a teacher and pick up right where you left off!  Neat!  And these boys had been taking lessons for a number of years, and just needed someone to keep them up-to-date while they were in Germany.  It was quite a program, and I thoroughly enjoyed the time we had together.  One of the boys was in high school, and the other boy was in middle school, therefore – different levels.  

Because of my time studying music at the Community College in Florida, I had learned a lot of theory that had just never occurred to me before.  I was able to pass all that along to those boys I was teaching.

Another time that I taught piano, was still during the time we were in Heidelberg.  We had a military doctor and his family living downstairs from us, and they had three little girls.  The oldest was about eight years old, and eager to learn.  And so they talked me into teaching her.  She had some piano lessons behind her, so that helped.  Well, as I’ve mentioned before, I was/am NOT a prodigy.  But this little girl WAS a prodigy.  I hardly had to teach her anything, and she was off and running with it.  For instance:  I have always had trouble doing transposition.  When I mentioned it to her, she said, “oh you mean like this?” and proceeded to transpose the song she was playing from one key to the next – all the way through the octave!  I’m sure my mouth was hanging open by that!  She was amazing!!

Photo credit Pixabay

To be Continued

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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What to do When We’re Stuck in Fear

27 Mar

Walking by Faith, Not by Sight

Janet Perez Eckles

Reblogged March 26, 2021

March 26, 2021

“C’mon, girlfriend, we’re going to the mall,” my friend said.

“Yahoo!” I hung up the phone with a huge smile. Any chance to hit stores and come home with bargains stirred girlish excitement. Since I lost my eyesight, these trips gave me a chance to get out, catch up, laugh, and come home with crazy stories.

I grabbed my friend’s arm and we strolled through crowded store aisles as we headed to the petite department.

“I see a perfect outfit for you,” she said. “And I think it’s on sale!” Our steps quickened.

Once in the dressing room, she handed me the fitted top. I slip my arms through. “Hmm… a little tight.” I tried to poke my head through, but got stuck midway. “I think I need a bigger size,” I said.

“No way. It’s your size,” she said. She tugged first one side then the other.

The top wouldn’t budge, on or off. My arms up in the air pressed against my ears.

My words of panic muffled by the blouse that smashed my face.

“No pain, no gain,” she said as she yanked with all her might.

My head poked through, jack-in-the-box style. While catching my breath, I stared in space. My arms limp to the sides as I imagined this garment would never come off again.

Moments later, my friend gasped as she ran her fingers to the side. “Oh, I can’t believe it…” she said.

“What?”

“It has a zipper.”

A zipper? She’s got to be kidding.

“Sorry. I just didn’t see it.”

Another crazy story.

But this one mirrors the difficult dilemma for many today. COVID, fear, anxiety, masks and all that junk we face puts us in a tight, uncomfortably painful spot. We’re stuck. And raw from the stress, we wonder if we’ll ever be free again.

Confusion sets in because we made the mistake of expecting happiness by allowing the world to dictate our goals, dreams, and expectations. But the world failed us.

When all seemed to be just fine, surprise, 2020 greeted us with an unexpected tight grip that choked our happiness. Then, the struggle began. We tugged, yanked, and pulled on various ways to be free. But we remained stuck in fear.

We failed. Because we battled using our feeble strength. How do I know? I’ve been there.

I was only 30 years old when the effects of my blindness put me in a pandemic of fear. The battle became real, painfully real that my own ways to solve problems were not sufficient. solutions were not a match for a tragedy of this magnitude. Nothing brought comfort, reassurance, or hope.

And empty of that hope, I frantically shopped for a dose of comfort—through specialists, even visiting fortune tellers, psychics, New Age healers, etc. They successfully increased frustration and decreased the balance of my bank account.

My whole life was off balance. And when almost ready to tumble in defeat, I found the zipper—the opening. It was the entrance designed in the heart for Jesus to come in.

When He did, He provided freedom from the world’s deceptions.

Once I received Him into my life, I made Him my Lord, my God and my all.

His faithfulness, compassion, and guidance offered a perfect garment for my soul. The price tag read, “Free.”

This incredible gift, complete with the jewels of His trustworthy promises, adorn my renewed life.

It can adorn yours, too!

With a new beginning, you can leave behind attempts to win the battle on your own. With the new-found confidence, you can embrace the truth that God created you and thus know what will fit your soul. He knows the size of your needs. The color of your pain, the fabric of your fears, and the fashion of your insecurities.

Trusting in the pattern He custom-designed for you, He invites you to step into the dressing room of life where you can put on the new garment of His freedom.

Breathing in that freedom, fear, anxiety, and doubt no longer fit. Instead, you receive a new peace-filled life in Christ.

That’s how God’s peace filters through as He turns blindness, emotional virus, or tragedy to joy.

And with a new outlook, we can hold on to his healing Word as we sing from within: “We will rejoice greatly in the Lord, my soul will exult in God; for He has clothed me with garments of salvation, He has wrapped me with a robe of righteousness, as a bridegroom decks himself with a garland” (Isaiah 61:10 NIV).

Let’s Pray

Father, I confess my feeble attempts to find my own way out of fear. But because of Your grace, I delight in the perfect fit of your faithfulness that clothes my longing soul. In Jesus name.

God has the perfect garment that fits your every need, will you try it on?

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.

Please share: Feel free to share Janet’s posts with your friends.

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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Great Coffee, Good Day

26 Mar

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

Our time in Florida is almost over. With our cameras we see the daffodils blooming at our mountain home and soon the peonies will bloom. We missed the peony bloom last year due to Covid and I am anxious to see them. This is a picture from 2018

Yesterday was my daughter’s day off work and we decided to combine running errands with lunch. A new coffee house opened a year ago and I had been wanting to try it but due to Covid it was closed for inside service most of the year. One of the errands was to pick up a prescription from a pharmacy we don’t generally use, but they had the cheapest price and guess what? It was in the same shopping area as the restaurant.

As soon as we entered the restaurant, RearView Coffee I felt that this was going to be a good experience. It just had that “feel’. We told them it was our first visit and they were helpful with our order. My hairstylist had recommended the chicken salad which comes with a croissant. We ordered coffee asked for the salad without bread and expected a scoop of it on a plate. When they brought it to us, they had wrapped it in a large lettuce leaf and topped it with a tomato slice. We still needed to use a knife and fork to eat it but appreciated the presentation. They also brought our coffee….

Photo Credit RearView Coffee Facebook

Ah, the coffee. We have a local bean roaster in town and the restaurant collaborated with the roasters to create a signature blend. It was amazing. All coffee should be that good. I picked up the register receipt to see how much this divine brew was costing me. To my surprise and delight, it was priced the same as I would have paid at any chain restaurant.

The restaurant is family owned and everything they serve is made fresh. I’m looking forward to trying more of their food next winter. Before leaving the shopping strip my daughter dropped off some books to share at a Little Library Box.

On our drive home I mentioned I would have liked to have visited a local shop downtown that has a large stock of Paparazzi Jewelry. She said we can do that. And so we did.

I’m not a fine jewelry kind of lady but I do enjoy tossing on a necklace when I am wearing a pretty shirt. Paparazzi costs only $5.00 but looks more expensive. Perfect for me. These pictures are from the Paparazzi website and chosen at random. I tend to favor long pieces but they also have lovely short ones.

Photo Credit Paparazziaccesori4es.com

We were almost home when I saw the sign for an estate resale store we had been wanting to explore. So we went exploring. The store was having a 70% off sale on dishes. Dishes are my weakness. Before I got carried away I remembered that I had spent almost all of my cash on the jewelry. I did leave the store with an adorable cut glass mini cream pitcher and a sweet miniature jug in blue and white. It will make a perfect vase for small blooms and wildflowers and I spent less than $2.00.

We had fun but it was good to get home and take a rest. I spent the time proof reading my daughter’s soon (hopefully) to be released book, Legacy.

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Fishing With Ivan Part 4B

24 Mar

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Heading west out of the desert, everything was fine until, our car transmission overheated in the mountains (7000’).  We were on our way to visit our high school friends Jim & Charlene in Flagstaff, AZ.  The fluid had boiled over, out of the dip-stick tube, onto the exhaust; causing a huge cloud of smoke (we were lucky it didn’t start a fire).  

I was afraid we had burned up the engine, but after we stopped to let things cool down, I was able to added more transmission fluid, and we were able to continue on our way with no further problems.  Whoo!  That was a close one!

Photo Credit: AGCO AUTOMOTIVE https://images.app.goo.gl/ZbvKryuWzDBYhVTr8

I had met Jim at a motorcycle club while in high school, and had run into him in Japan during my tour of duty with the U.S. Navy.  DiVoran had become friends with Charlene at Cosmetology School, while I was in the Navy.  They are still good friends, and they write to each other all these years later.  Jim and Charlene enjoyed meeting our kids, and gave us a grand tour of the sights of Flagstaff.  I remember when we got ready to leave the next morning; we had a flat on the station wagon.  Their sloping driveway made it very difficult to unhook the camper without it getting away from us.  Then we had to unload the back of the station wagon to get to the spare time.  Boy was I glad to have Jim there to help me.  What a hassle that was!

Photo Credit Bill Lites

After leaving Flagstaff, we were able to show the kids the ancient Indian cliff dwellings (1150-1600) in the Bandelier National Monument.  At the time, we were allowed to climb ladders, provided by the park service, to inspect some of the dwellings.  That was an interesting experience for all of us.  We were all impressed with the design and quantity of the different types of dwellings there were, and how they had survived for so long.  I’m sure the park service doesn’t allow people to climb all over the dwellings these days.

Photo Credit DiVoran Lites

Our family will never forget the night we spent in Needles, CA.  We had stopped at an RV park for the night, before starting the trek across the Mohave Desert the next day.  It was really hot, and by the time we got the camper set-up, we were all ready for a swim in their pool to cool off.  About the time we got the dinner dishes cleaned up we noticed the wind was picking up.  At first we didn’t mind a little breeze to help cool things down.  But the wind kept getting stronger and was starting to kick up some dust.

Photo Credit James Brooks https://www.flickr.com/photos/jkbrooks85/558825676

We finally moved into the camper and closed all the windows and the door, to get some protection from the wind and dust.  It was like an oven in the camper with everything closed up (NO A/C), but that was about all we could do.  Then we heard a loud roaring sound and the top of the camper started rocking back and forth.  That only lasted a very few minutes, but it was a really scary few minutes.  Then it was all over, and things calmed down.  We learned later that a very large ‘Dust Devil’ had passed thru the area.  The rest of the night was hot and humid, with no wind, and it was a fretful night for all of us.

Public Domain, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=26731316

—–To Be Continued—–

Bill is a retired Mechanical engineer living with his wonderful artist/writer wife, DiVoran, of 63 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.

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

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Too Much of a Flag Waver

23 Mar

The Storyteller Almanac

The latest episode in my podcast series, “The Storyteller Almanac,” is now live. This one is entitled, “Too Much Of A Flag Waiver.” It’s presented in the Paul Harvey “…Rest Of The Story…” format so listen until the end to hear the resolve and figure out what famous person in history We’re talking about . 

It took me almost to the end of the podcast to guess the song. How long did it take you?

CLICK HERE TO LISTEN

The podcast can be found here: www.StorytellerAlmanac.Com or on any of the major podcast platforms such as Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts and more. And please, please, please … if you feel so inclined, subscribe to the podcast so you don’t miss any future episodes. It helps me and the podcast when you do. Thanks .

Thanks for droppin’ by neighbor. Peace – “Mike The Storyteller.” 

I’ve been ‘clickin’ the shutter since I was about 16. I morphed into video production when I went to work for The Walt Disney Company many years ago. Currently, I still work for Disney. But my real passion and path is utilizing my photography and multimedia skill sets for the greater good. Translated, anything or anybody that deserves recognition, appreciation or documenting for future history, I’m all over it. Too many important things just slip away in a fast moving, fast paced world / society. ‘If ya’ wanna know where you’re going, ya’ gotta know where ya’ come from’ (Sir Lawrence Olivier – The Jazz Singer 1980). 

If you feel so inclined, I’d sure appreciate you subscribing to Storyteller Almanac on any of the major podcast platforms like Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts and more. Really helps me grow the po

To contact me for any reason, please click or copy & paste: 

MikeThomasImagery@gmail.com

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Music and Me-Part 1

21 Mar

SUNDAY MEMORIES

My husband, Fred, suggested that I write something about music and me.  Music has been such a part of my life, that I thought it might be a good topic to write about.

I don’t remember a whole lot of music in my life when I was very young, but I do remember that I started taking piano lessons the day I started first grade in public school.  I believe my teacher’s name was Mrs. Allen, and I went to her house to have my lesson.  I don’t remember what “books” I was given to play from.  I’m sure they were quite simple.  I know that now, most professionals won’t start teaching a new student unless the student knows how to read.  After all, the piano keys are “lettered” with A-B-C-D-E-F-G.  And then it starts over again – we call those “octaves” as the eighth key starts the alphabet over again, just either higher or lower all across the keyboard.

In that vein, I must have been reading by 1st grade.  And back in those days, kindergarten was not part of the public school system.  So my Mother and Father must have taught me to read.

1950 – Judy at the old upright piano – nine years old

1950 – Judy at the old upright piano – nine years old

1952 – Mother, Agnes, and Judy with the new piano
1956 – Judy at the piano – 15 years old

1958 – Judy at the old pump organ in Aunt Jessie’s house – 17 years old

1963 – Judy at the piano with her favorite niece, Charlene Lites

In any case, I took piano lessons from 1st grade all the way through 12th grade.  The teacher that I studied with the most, Mrs. Jordan (later Mrs. Larsen) also had me enroll in a correspondence theory course with the Sherwood School of Music.  I completed that course.  However, I was not a “prodigy” with the piano.  I could play the music, and usually with some feeling or emotion, but I didn’t have a “gift” of music.  I cannot play “by ear” as so many I know can.  I have envied that gift, but am comfortable with what I have, and God has used my talent for His Glory….and that is all I can ask.

From a previous post, I wrote:  I always remember there being a piano in the house.  Mother would sometimes sit down and play her favorite hymns from memory, with embellishments.  Occasionally we four would gather around the piano and sing along – Mom playing, Daddy on bass, brother on tenor, me on soprano. 

1952 – Mother, Dad, Bill and Judy around the piano

I have been church pianist in several churches, and even organist occasionally – much to my regret!  I am NOT an organist!  While I don’t usually have problems with my right hand coordinating with my left hand, I do have problems with both of those going along with my feet!  I have accompanied singers.  I have accompanied violinists.  I have accompanied group singers.  So I haven’t wasted my talent.

I remember one summer, possibly following my senior year in high school, Mrs. Larsen encouraged me to try a two-piano duet.  She had me play with another Judy, who was a distant friend from high school and the head cheerleader of our high school.  We had great fun playing together.  It was a rather difficult piece, but the final product was fantastic!  We played “Malagueña” from the Andalucia Suite, by Ernesto Lecuona.  It’s a magnificent piece.  I don’t remember that we actually performed it anywhere, just for ourselves, but we loved it.  I purchased the sheet music for that as well as for Andalucia itself, and learned to play it myself.  Really beautiful music.

~~~~~~~~~To Be Continued~~~~~~~~~~

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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Tarpon Springs Adventure

18 Mar

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

Last week we enjoyed a Covid delayed trip across the state of Florida to spend time with family and visit Tarpon Springs, Florida. I have always found it interesting that my husband’s parents settled on the east coast of Florida and other members of my father-in-law’s family settled directly across the state on the west coast. Before interstates and toll roads we traveled one main road all the way except for maneuvering into and out of our subdivisions.

My father-in-law was the only boy in a family of five children. His sisters adored him and I learned on this trip that when my father-in-law’s sister was looking for land on the west coast, they chose their land because Highway 50 ran from their land straight-ish across the state.

I have wanted to visit Tarpon Springs for quite a while and I was disappointed when we didn’t make the trip last year. It’s a small town, so maybe you haven’t heard of it. Here’s a short description from exploretarponsprings.com

Tarpon Springs has the largest population of Greek and Greek-Americans in the U.S. The city is home to the World Famous Sponge Docks, which are still an active working waterfront as they have been since the 1800s. As the sponging industry grew, so did the City. Tarpon Springs was once known as the “Venice of the South” and has long touted the moniker “The Sponge Capital of the World.” 

We made an early for us start, 10:00 am. The weather smiled on us with lots of sunshine tempered with a cool breeze. We decided to cruise the town first to decide where to park. The main street of the town is lined with shops, restaurants and more bakeries than I could count. One restaurant with outdoor seating even had heaters. Fortunately they weren’t needed.

My husband and his cousin enjoyed chatting on a bench while the ladies walked along the dock to look at Sponge boats. We coaxed them from the bench to get a picture.

The pretty blue and white boat is a display and has a statue in front of it commemoring their heritage.

We decided on an early lunch and our hosts took us to their favorite Greek Restaurant. Early was a good decision. By the time we completed the meal the restaurant and the sidewalks were filling up.

As a rule, I research a destination to death. This time I decided to be surprised since our hosts were familiar with the town. I didn’t know any of the restaurant’s history but the food was delicious and the setting beautiful. A nice perk was the restaurant provided a parking voucher to its diners.

As I began writing this post, I decided to research the restaurant.

Since 1970 Hellas Restaurant has been a proud cornerstone of the Greek Community in Tarpon Springs. Owned and operated by the Karterouliotis family, Hellas Restaurant heralds their rich heritage by producing a truly authentic and cultural cuisine. We strive to provide you with the finest Greek dining experience. Located in the center of Tarpon Springs, Florida’s World Famous Sponge Docks and Fishing Village, Hellas Restaurant features Award Winning Greek Cuisine and Authentic Greek Pastries creating a truly memorable dining experience. Because of our uncompromising dedication to culinary excellence, Hellas Restaurant is a favorite dining spot among local residents, Tampa Bay area residents and visitors who crave an authentic Greek dining experience. We also have a full service bar with an extensive wine selection.

Did I forget to mention their bakery? Words fail me. When I learned the restrooms were in the bakery I felt an urgent call. I felt it would be a responsible action to cruise the laden cases so that we could make a good choice for our desert to go. Except the desert didn’t make it out of the bakery! My husband and I shared a baklava cheesecake. I can’t believe I didn’t take a picture of it. I guess I was a bit eager.It was beyond delicious.

Since my husband is getting his strength back after surgery, we decided to do the rest of our exploring by car.It was fun having someone point out interesting things instead of reading from a book.

For supper we had a lovely meal at a mom and pop Italian restaurant not far from the Gulf of Mexico. By accident, we timed our meal perfectly with viewing a beautiful sunset at nearby Pine Island. Our past attempts to view a beautiful ocean sunset were dismal failures, even from a cruise ship. This one was perfect.

It did my heart good to see families enjoying time together. If Covid has had a positive effect, it would be that our lives slowed and families spent more time together in the outdoors.

Our trip to the west coast and Tarpon Springs was short, but a delightful break from daily schedules and to do lists. We always enjoy time spent with our hosts. We usually meet in Orlando, half way between our homes, but this time we went all the way. Haha

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.

My 2020 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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