Mount Rushmore Road Trip Part 1

21 Oct

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Day 1 Wednesday

9/09/2020

I packed a wool vest and a lined jacket and headed for the Orlando airport.  The Southwest flight to Denver was uneventful as it was cloud cover the whole way.  But the passengers were rewarded with fresh mini-pretzels, small cinnamon cookies and ice-cold water.  It was 39 degrees in Denver when I arrived with snow on the surrounding mountains.  I was witness to an unusual sight after picking up my rental car.  As I headed for the Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum I noticed that all the houses in the sub-divisions were covered with snow, but there was no snow on the driveways or on the streets.  I guess the sun baked road surfaces had melted the snow as soon as it hit the pavement.  

The Wings Over the Rockies Air & Space Museum is located within the former Lowry AFB, and displays some 40+ beautifully restored aircraft and lots of aviation related memorabilia.  I am always glad to see the history of aviation restored and displayed in this manner.  I believe it helps to preserve the evolvelution of aviation in our country for future generations

Next I headed a few miles west to visit the Denver Firefighters Museum.  The Volunteer Hook & Ladder Company No. 1 was formed in 1866 and was the first in the Colorado Territory.  This museum is located in the former Fire Station No. 1 built in 1909.  The four-gallery museum displays over 30,000 artifacts and memorabilia.  Beautifully restored displays include fire fighting apparatus such as early 1800s hand-pulled & pumped fire fighting equipment as well as modern day fire engines and trucks, covering the history of Denver firefighters dating from mid-1800s.

Now I drove another few more miles to visit the Forney Museum of Transportation located in historic downtown Denver.  Established by J. D. Forney in 1964 with a single 1921 Kissel Tourister the museum has expanded, over the years, to cover the history of transportation.  This museum’s collection is absolutely amazing.  It consists of over 600 artifacts which include all types of transportation devices such as bicycles, buggies, wagons, motorcycles, firetrucks, automobiles, steam engines and the Fornair airplane.  

After experiencing that amazing collection, I found the Molly Brown House Museum located in downtown Denver.  The museum was closed, but Wikipedia informs me that the house that now houses the museum was built in 1887 for Isaac and Mary Large.  It was sold to James and Margaret Brown in 1894.  In 1902 it was used by the Governer of Colorado  while the Governer’’s mansion was being remodeled.  Margaret became known as The Unsinkable Molly Brown after surviving the sinking of the RMS Titanic in 1912.  The house was purchased in 1970 by Historic Denver, Inc and restored to its original Queen Ann style architecture and opened as a museum.  I took a photo and moved on to the visit the Cussler Museum.

The Cussler Museum is located in Arvada, CO and displays some 100+ beautifully restored classic cars collected by the novelest Clive Cussler.  I had the opportunity to talk to the Curator of the museum, and he told me that the Denver collection was only part of the  Cussler collection, as there are more cars in a museum in Arizona near the Cussler home.  I was thrilled to get a chance to see a few of the classic cars mentioned in the Clive Cussler novels I have read over the years.

As I made my way toward the motel, I stopped at a local Walmart for a styrofoam cooler, water,  and morning breakfast supplies.   I also picked up a couple of pre-packaged “Heat & Serve” dinner meals to enjoy in my motel room.  I was tired and hungry from the day’s activities, so I just crashed in the room and recorded the day’s activities.  Then I watched some TV while I enjoyed a good hot ready-made meal.

—–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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19 Oct

My Take

DiVoran Lites

Romans 8:26

Holy Spirit Prayer

Scribe-DiVoran

Painting by DiVoran Lites

My Dearly Beloved,

Holy Spirit knows the way.

He will teach us how to pray.

Praying in us every day.

Prayers forever, here to stay. 

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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Random Memories of Germany-The Windows

18 Oct

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

While we were in Heidelberg (1980-1983), the military decided that the windows in all U.S. government housing apartments needed to be replaced with newer, better ones.

1980 – our apartment building.  Ours is the top left, on the end.

Now, that usually isn’t a big deal, and the new ones were a great improvement over the old ones.  And those buildings (with kitchen/bathroom fixtures) were built in the 1940’s, so an upgrade should have been welcomed.

The windows in the housing in Patrick Henry Village (PHV) were a pop-out/pop-in situation.  The buildings in PHV were built much later than the ones we lived in – in Mark Twain Village (MTV).  So PHV windows were done first, then they turned to us.

Unfortunately, the window spaces built in those MTV buildings were not any kind of “standard” sizes.  The frames were just not the same size as the windows they wanted to replace.  Therefore, they had to remove all the windows in our buildings and drill out the window spaces in order for the new windows to fit!!

That might not have been much of a problem, except they wanted to do all that drilling work while we were still living in the space!!  Here are a couple of pictures of what we had to do – everything had to be moved away from the windows and stacked against the walls.  So we covered everything with sheets and plastic sheeting, to keep the dust off the furniture.  And that included every window in the apartment!

The alcove in the living room

Window at the end of the building-during the renovation.

Here are pictures of the windows in Karen’s room – one at the end of the building, and one on the side.

Here is a picture of Janet’s room – and you can see that there was a large double window there! 

Here is a picture of Janet’s room – and you can see that there was a large double window there! 

That was also the same as the windows in our master bedroom. (Sorry, no picture there)

There was one window in the bathroom,

and another triple in the kitchen. 

There were three or four windows in each of the alcoves in the living room and dining room, and another large set at the end of the building.

The window at the end of the building, before the renovation.

So that’s a lot of windows.  It took them two weeks to drill out the window space and replace the old windows with the new ones.  We lived in a hotel during that entire time.  There was just no way we could live – in October! – in that apartment with no windows.

And then, when they were done, we found that the window replacements were taller than the original ones – and, therefore, all the window “treatment” that we had, was MUCH shorter than it had been before!  Not too happy about that.  But I didn’t want to purchase anything else for the window treatments, as we would be leaving Germany in June of the next year – just eight months later.  So we just “made do” with what we had.

Yeah, it was an inconvenience, but life is like that.  It was still an experience, and one we won’t forget any time soon! 

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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Mount Rushmore Road Trip Prolog

14 Oct

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Prolog:

As you might have guessed from the title, the main reason for this road trip was to visit the Mount Rushmore Memorial which I had never visited.  During my North Country Road Trip in 2017 I visited various northern museums from Fargo, ND west to Missoula, MT (mostly along the I-94 corridor).  Then after heading south I visited many museums from Idaho Falls, ID to Omaha, NE (mostly along the I-80 corridor).  That was a great trip, but I completely missed a lot of the major points of interest in the middle of South Dakota.  A lot of those points of interest, for me, were located around the Rapid City, SD area, which included Mount Rushmore and much of the Great Plains history in and around the Black Hills National Forest.  That left a big hole in my knowledge of the central South Dakota area, and I wanted to rectify that situation.   For these road trips I try to see as much of our beautiful country as I can while visiting museums of all types along the way, but I can’t see it all in one trip.  So as a result, I plan my trips for a maximum of 14 to 16 days duration.

My wife, DiVoran, has a grade school friend in Pueblo, CO that she keeps in touch with, and she also has cousins in Canon City, CO near where she grew up.  So for this trip, I made plans to start by flying into Denver, CO.  This would put me in the relatively close proximity for a visit with friends and relatives.  Southwest Airlines cooperated with that plan by having roundtrip non-stop flights from Orlando to Denver and return (free) with my Rewards Points.  DiVoran says, “I love it when Bill travels. It is not my passion and I couldn’t withstand the pace of visiting multiple museums in a day and all that daily driving for two weeks. The thing I like best is that Bill sees to it that everything in the house and with my car is in topnotch condition before he departs.  It’s kind of like a deal between us.  I enjoy just drifting along in my everyday routine.  He calls every evening from his motel and we catch up on our days activities and before I know it, he’s home again.“

As I planned this trip, I had been keeping a close eye on the weather.  I was concerned that the temperatures in the higher elevations and northern states would be getting cold anytime now.  Once a route had been established and reservations had been confirmed, I was pretty much committed to the plan.  However, as the day for my trip drew closer, I became a little apprehensive about what the weather was going to be like.  The southwest part of the country had been dealing with record high temperatures, but now there was a freak cold front heading southeast out of Canada.  Then I got the bad news.  The weather in Denver was forecast for 90 degrees on Monday and 35 degrees (with snow) on Tuesday.  And here I was flying into Denver on Wednesday.  How was this Floridian going to handle the cold weather?

—–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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Hush and Listen

12 Oct

My Take

DiVoran Lites

Picture from Amazon Books

A teacher once told her class that research shows women need to speak 30,000 words a day. Some of us may do that and way over and some of us may not speak a word all day long. Sometimes in my life I have been more contemplative than talkative, but now I’m older and probably talk too much.  Of course, with our Covid quarantine many of us talk less because of the isolation, though we can always get on the phone or write if we need company.  

Lately, I’ve been paying attention to the idea of listening more than talking. And the idea has given me room for thought and improvement in my prayer life. 

I’ve been reading a National Bestselling Non-Fiction book called Merle’s Door, Lessons from a Freethinking Dog by Ted Kerasote. The dog Merle shows high intelligence and discernment. He is also well and reasonably trained by Ted, the master he adores, and boy can that dog communicate. 

The author learns how the dog is affected by everything around him. Merle uses his tail, eyes, ears, and nose to communicate with his human buddy. Here’s something Ted wrote in the first few pages:

 “His deep brown eyes looked at me with luminous appreciation and said, ‘You need a dog, and I’m it.’

Unsettled by his uncanny read of me—I had been looking for a dog for over a year—I gave him a cordial pat and replied, “Good dog.”

His tail beat steadily, and he didn’t move, his eyes still saying, “You need a dog.” 

Ted Kerasote is an A1 listener. 

Well, come on, I’m ready for my treats.

Thea, my Tuxedo cat, and I have many ways of communication. She likes the sound of my voice and the way my breath smells. Usually, she leads the conversations by tone of meow and tells me what she needs. She has a questioning voice, an emergency voice and a happy voice. She also purrs, to show how happy she is.  She strokes my sandals with her cheeks leaving pheromones that broadcast that I am hers.

Lately, I’ve been slowing down my pell-mell personality, and it’s delightful to see, hear, and acknowledge things I would usually have over-looked because of my impatience.   

Now I will use that realization to train myself to listen more. One person I must hear from is our Heavenly Father-Jesus Christ-Holy Spirit. For most of the years that I have been a Christian, which is for most of my life, I have not listened to him as well as I might have.  I read the Bible and accepted its precepts. I made notes of what other people said I should do and say. I searched my soul and engaged in long sessions of worry/praying to untangle my troubles. 

One day I asked our preacher’s sweet wife a question. I’ll always recall how she pointed up with her index finger then arched it down toward her heart. She said, “Ask God and wait to get His answer. He may speak in a still small voice, or illuminate a scripture, or speak through another person or event.  

 It took many more years for me to even begin to understand her simple explanation. I always thought I should fend for myself in the worry business.  

One year we had family problems and day after day and night after night I thought about them and tried to solve them. Then one day I read Isaiah 55:8. “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways,” declares the Lord. 

The light went on. If I wanted God’s point of view I would have to stop thinking about any problem and wait for His answer. It didn’t matter if the problem was large or small. It didn’t matter if the wait was long or short.  He illuminated this scripture: “And if anyone longs to be wise, ask God for wisdom and he will give it! He won’t see your lack of wisdom as an opportunity to scold you over your failures, but he will overwhelm your failures with his generous grace.” James 1:5.”

Believe me, It works, and it makes life more peaceful, and productive. 

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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Look Who Came for a Visit-Part 2

11 Oct

SUNDAY MEMORIES

Judy Wills

Nearly two years ago, I wrote about critters we see here in Florida, birds, water birds, and especially the “visit” we had from a doe in our backyard.  (Please see my post of December 30, 2018 – Look who came for a visit) Fred and I have been thrilled with the wildlife we see here in this wonderful state. 

But the visit from the deer is especially thrilling.  She did not seem to be afraid, but watched me closely as I took her picture.

Well, I was startled to see her – I like to think it’s the same doe – recently in our backyard again.  But this time, she was laying down, seeming to be just resting!  I have enhanced the pictures, since I took them through the glass door and the screened-in patio. 

I continued to watch her for about half- an-hour, alternating between watching the French Open Tennis Tournament on TV, and her.  She would watch me some, then look down the alley between our house and the next-door-neighbor’s fence.  She was in a spot where she could see that, and also into our and our other neighbor’s yards.  She was very attentive.

So imagine my surprise when I looked back at her after some time, to see her standing up – and her spotted fawn was nursing! 

My heart was full!   As I watched, amazed, the fawn’s tail was going 90-miles-an-hour!  What a delight.  I did have a bit of trouble getting a good picture of the fawn nursing – either the bushes were in the way, or the screen door and door post were in the way.  But after the fawn stopped eating, I think I was able to get some good pictures.

Back to the TV for a few seconds – and when I looked back – they were gone!  I missed seeing them leave, like I had wanted to do.  Shucks!! 

When I was describing this  event to a friend, she asked what time of day it occurred.  When I told her it was “2:00 in the afternoon,” she was amazed.  As she said, usually these animals come out in the early morning.  So the afternoon was an unusual time for the doe and her fawn to be out.  It was wonderful!

But it was such a thrill to see that – right in my backyard!  I have wondered whether or not this was the same doe we saw nearly two years ago.  Perhaps we are a spot where she feels safe – for herself as well as for her baby.  I would like to think so, anyway.

Thank you, Lord, for giving us this precious moment to observe your creation.

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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Dealing with Fear?

10 Oct

Walking by Faith, Not by Sight

Janet Perez Eckles

Dealing with Fear? Psalm 23 brings back all the reassurance you need.

Reblogged October 10, 2020

October 9, 2020

I sat at my computer ready to finish an article the other night. But I confess, rather than get to my task, I slipped over to check my inbox. And this message from a friend popped up:

“The alarm company called at 3:30 this morning. Our jewelry store had a break-in. A thief, expert in computers, managed to bypass our alarm system, break the door window, and reach in to open the door from the inside.

But he was in for a surprise. He wasn’t aware we have a secondary alarm system installed. It went off scaring him out.”

A second alarm? What a great idea. When it comes to protecting something valuable, wise people double their protection.

But often we don’t do that.

As a result, we end up vulnerable to any emotional and spiritual break-in. They take place because we failed to set up adequate protection.

We’re just too busy engaged in watching the screen, reading headlines, checking others’ posts on social media, turning angry at comments that don’t align with our thinking. No wonder we need coffee to wake us up in the morning, Tylenol to get rid of the throbbing headache, and a glass of wine to help us sleep.

But who could blame us? Life is tough. And there is one being that makes sure it’s tougher, more painful and ugly.

God identified him as the evil one. And today, some say that Satan has become more intense in his attacks. Could it be that while we’re busy with other things, he managed to trip the first alarm and has made his way in?

Even if he did, we can learn from David. Although he was a mighty king, a hero, and a brave warrior, sometimes he stepped out unprotected and slipped into the cliff of destructive sin. Other times, he was depressed and desperate.

And in that desperation is when he installed in his heart a second layer of protection—he tapped into God’s power through His promises.

Our declaration to combat fear.

And when he did, there was no shyness or hesitation. He crushed the enemy with his courageous declaration in Psalm 23. His assertion of God’s promises was bold and audacious. And ours should be, too, as we make David’s words our own: With unwavering faith we declare:

  • No matter what chaos surrounds us, we will lack nothing. We will not be without. God will meet our needs, provide and supply all because “The LORD is our shepherd, we shall not be in want.” (Psalm 23:1a)
  • When we drag our feet through the mud of adversity, exhausted by the weight of our burdens, “He promises His strength and makes us lie down in green pastures…” (Psalm 23:1b)
  • We will not trudge through the rough waters that flow through the river of fear, anxiety or worry because “He leads us beside quiet waters…” (Psalm 23:2)
  • Although our soul may be discouraged and dim, we will still rejoice because in His unending love and mercy “He restores our soul.” (Psalm 23:3)
  • We’re not paralyzed by fear, but follow God’s instructions, believe His promises and hold His hand firm because “He guides us in paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.” (Psalm 23:3)
  • No matter the discouraging and unwanted medical diagnosis, we still assert with passion because “Even though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we will fear no evil…” (Psalm 23:4)
  • We push away gloom because even in the midst of sorrow, we’re never alone or abandoned. Therefore, we declare, “For you are with us; your rod and your staff, they comfort us.” (Psalm 23:4)
  • Many ridicule our faith, insult our convictions and fiercely attack our beliefs. But we assert, “You prepare a table before us in the presence of our enemies. You anoint our head with oil; our cup overflows.” (Psalm 23:5)
  • With unbridled boldness, we climb to the rooftops, grab the largest megaphone and declare: “Surely goodness and love will follow us all the days of our life, and we will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.” (Psalm 23:6)

We’re living in urgent times. We can’t afford to be mousy about our convictions or shy about claiming the power of God’s Word. Rather, we embrace profound reassurance and audacious boldness. And with that confidence, we’re already victorious. This truth must dominate our every thought, word and attitude. They did for David as he tasted reassurance when God lifted him from that dark valley. Why wouldn’t God do the same for us?

Let’s Pray

Father, because of the power of Your Word, I can rest at night, trust during the day and see Your hand at work. No matter the mess in the world, I shall be confident and reassured. In Jesus’ name.

What portion of Psalm 23 was written for you?

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.

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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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Orlando…My Childhood Favorites

9 Oct

A Time to Live

Melody Hendrix

Orlando is a beautiful city, isn’t it? The art! The buildings! The entertainment! The culture! 

I am a native and have lived my entire life in Orlando and Winter Park. I was born in a wooden house that sat on blocks off of the Orange Blossom Trail. It sounds scary because it turned rough, but it was a nice and homey place back then in 1951. We ran the dirt roads barefoot and freely visited people and places along the way.

Then we moved to Ollie Ave in Winter Park. My home was one house up from the Dinky Dock Park on Lake Virginia, a few blocks from Rollins Collage and downtown Park Avenue. I  survived hurricane Donna in 1960 in that location. When we moved there we enjoyed swimming at the park. The first few nights we were there, we kept hearing people calling for help across the lake. It wasn’t really clear so we didn’t call the police right away. When we did, we told them of what we were hearing. The officers just laughed. We were hearing peacocks. Across the lake there was an area of peacocks people would enjoy driving to, stop and feed the birds. They were beautiful but loud.

Photo credit Pixabay

Then, we lived near the Winter Park sink hole. My dad once had a business in the building that was almost swallowed there. 

From the Orlando Sentinel

In May 1981, a sinkhole in Winter Park opened up gulping down 250,000 cubic yards of soil, five Porsches from a foreign car repair shop, the deep end of an Olympic-size swimming pool, chunks of two streets and a three-bedroom home.

On two separate occasions, I lived near Mead Gardens in WP. I have enjoyed this little park all my life. I still do. Just a peaceful little walk in Florida nature. Near that park is Leu Gardens. Another place to stroll. A beautiful place with many events.

Just around the corner from that is the Science Center and museum. Directly across the street from that is a nice art gallery that offers monthly featured artist and a sculpture garden. There is a lot of art and unusual little shops and cafe’s in that area.

And finally, not far away is Thornton Park, there are some quaint restaurants there and it is right next to Lake Eola Park.

Painting by DiVoran Lites

Lake Eola is one of my favorite places to not only photograph, but be a part of the magic it has to offer. The swans and swan boats come to mind when you think of it.

 The mornings are spectacular with it’s light reflecting off the buildings onto other buildings and create artsy reflections in the water. I am awe struck by these patterns and can’t stop photographing the abstracts I see.

Photo credit Pixabay

And of course the fountain with it’s changing colors and shooting water is gorgeous among the abstract collection of art and architecture. There are many birds and of course the white and black swans that swim so gracefully through the water patterns are all a part of this loved place. 

Lake Eola is such an inspiration for me as an artist and photographer. Below is a video I was inspired to create of the awesomeness of my childhood city I love. Come take a little tour with me and enjoy Orlando as art.

MelodyWelcome! I’m so glad you stopped in to visit. I am retired and enjoying life. My hobbies are my 5 grandchildren, son and daughter, and my loving husband. I am a photographer and extreme nature lover. I love spending time in my garden or in the wilderness connected to God my Creator.
What a beautiful world we live in. We all have that in common. Natural beauty is everywhere, but sometimes we are not connected until we see a picture, taken just right, that makes it really come into focus and be admired. My passion is to make a connection between the lens and your soul. Photography is my passion.
 
My photography passion began when my Father handed me his old Ricohflex box camera when I was 12.  It was love at first sight. I still have it. My hand was never empty of a camera since.
 
I am a native Floridian. I am so lucky to call it home. I was born in Orlando BF (before Disney). My family moved to the Winter Park area when I was very young. Central Florida was so simple and quaint at that time. I wandered the streets barefoot with my friends, never worrying that something bad could ever happen. My Mom used to pick the sand-spurs out of my feet. I still go barefoot. It grounds me to earth and connects me to nature.
 
I have extensively explored Florida and its diverse beauty. So much to see and so little time. I would love for you to join me in my travels through the images I have taken. I wish you could hear the sounds, smell the fragrance and feel the breath of it. But for now we must be content with exploring with our eyes and only imagine the rest.
 
Thank you for your interest.

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Life During Covid 19-Part 25

8 Oct

Road Trip West-Interrupted

On the Porch

Onisha Ellis

After arriving home from our interrupted 5 week road trip, the piles of luggage, totes filled with warm coats and cooking supplies were daunting. If we had completed the trip, it would still have been daunting, but I would have had pleasant memories as I unpacked.

Still, I was thankful for the wonderful care my husband received at Georgetown Community Hospital and the kindness of the staff at the Comfort Inn of Georgetown, Kentucky. My husband was no longer in acute pain from the kidney stones and we settled in to await a procedure to laser the stones in two weeks.

Except, it turned out the excitement for my husband wasn’t over. A few days after returning home, my husband moved wrong and felt something pop in his back. Instant pain. He has experienced back issues off and on for years but this was the worst. Usually a chiropractor can get him going again but this time was different. We didn’t have a chiropractor in North Carolina and due to other circumstances, it took three weeks to get in to see one. My husband said the pain was worse than the kidney stones.

He spent 4 weeks sleeping upright in a recliner and unable to walk without the assistance of a wheeled walker.

Thankfully, he is improving. He can now sleep in a bed and he has a new appreciation for it. He even drove this past week. Not sure if he has come to appreciate my driving skills, though. He still uses the walker, but is able to walk short distances in the house without it.

He has watched hundreds of hours of You Tube and can now repair items we don’t even own. I was secretly hoping he might watch some cooking videos.

On a positive note, it has been easy to shelter at home. Doctor visits and grocery shopping are our outings. I have enjoyed having more time to read. Our local library is part of the Libby app system and I can choose books without needing to visit the library. I usually have an audio book and eBook “checked out.” Plus I have a selection of paper books to read as well.

I hope once our lives become normal again, I will remember to take time to relax with a good book.

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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How I Met the Love of My Life Part 7

7 Oct

A Slice of Life

Bill Lites

Did I mention it was the middle of the night on New Year’s Eve, and we were on Route 66 somewhere in the Chihuahuan Desert?  Have I mentioned recently that it was freezing cold outside, and that the only thing we had passed for miles, was an occasional car going the other way?  They weren’t going to be any help.  Every time the temperature gage came off of the “Cold” peg, and started creeping toward the “Normal” peg, I would hold my breath.  That would mean the engine water level was getting low and we better start looking for another one of those “Stations.”  God was watching over these foolish young people that night, and we were able to limp from one station to the next, or use our water bags, and actually made it into Albuquerque around 4:00 pm on New Year’s Eve.  I didn’t have to worry about falling asleep at the wheel that night. Whew!  Was that ever a stressful trip!

Wouldn’t you know it, our friend Leon, thinking we would get into Albuquerque in plenty of time for some rest, had set us up to attend a New Year’s Eve party that evening.  Remember, we had not had any sleep for over 30 hours.  But, we got cleaned up, left the Mercury dripping in DiVoran’s folks’ driveway and went to the party in Leon’s car.  DiVoran’s aunt commented as we walked out the door to our last party for a long time, “Oh, I’m so glad I’m not young anymore.”  We managed to stay awake until the stroke of midnight, and had a great time, but then we slept until almost noon before DiVoran’s dad, Ivan, woke us. 

I had guessed right, the water leak was coming from one of the two water pumps.  That afternoon, after a diligent search for an open auto parts store, we found one, and Ivan helped me replace the leaking water pump.  Then we added antifreeze to the cooling system, since night time temperatures were going to be near or below freezing in Albuquerque for a while.  After I drove the Mercury around several blocks to make sure everything was working right, we discovered the antifreeze had eaten thru the old seals in the second water pump, and we had to drain the system and replace that pump too.  That finally took care of the leaking water pump problem, and we installed the proper thermostats, so DiVoran would have a working heater during the winter.

The rest of my leave was spent having a great visit with my folks, my aunt Jessie and Granny.  DiVoran and I had a T-bone steak dinner, with all the trimmings, at our favorite Mom & Pop restaurant in downtown Albuquerque.  On another evening, we had a superb lobster dinner at our favorite seafood restaurant uptown, in the Nob Hill area.  When my leave was up, it was really hard to say goodbye to friends and family.  Finally, on the last day, DiVoran and I said our long and tearful goodbyes, and I left her with her folks.  I took the Santa Fe, El Capitan, train back to San Diego, to join the crew of the USS Hector for its voyage to Japan for duty.  That was a lonely train trip, but as usual the U.S. Navy found lots of things to keep me busy, for the next eight months, before I would once again see my lovely wife.

When I look back at some of the things we did as Young Adults, it’s hard to believe we had the nerve to strike out on adventures like those.  It seems as though we were thinking nothing of the possible dangers and challenges we might come up against.   I thank God for watching over us back then, when we were young and thought we were indestructible.  And that’s the short version of the story of “How I Met the Love of My Life.”  I remember those times (63 years ago) like they were just yesterday, and I will never forget them.

—–The End—–

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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