A Flyover Blog

Thursday Thirteen - Week 47

  

Time for my annual list of favorite holiday things. This year it's just a random list of the things I love most about this season. I hope I included some of your favorite things, too.

13 Things I Love About Christmas

1. Christmas lights. The more the merrier.

2. Christmas Music. One of the local radio stations starts playing wall to wall Christmas tunes on Thanksgiving Day right through December 25th. At this point I'm a little Tired of Madonna's tacky rendition of Santa Baby, but I sing along with everything else.

3. Christmas Cards. I know it's becoming a lost art, but I love getting these in the mail. I send them every year, too. It's a tradition.

4. Church Christmas Programs. Ah, the anxiety. The rehearsals. The festive handmade costumes. The forgotten lines and the perfect solos. I love church programs!

5. The smell of fresh Christmas greens.

6. Christmas trees. There is no such thing as an ugly tree. Okay, obviously that quote was written before hot pink, purple and turquoise trees hit the market. But, you get the idea.

7. Christmas goodies. I don't bake but I have several friends who do. Love those pretty cookies!

8. Wrapping paper and ribbon. So many colors to choose from.

9. Glitter. On everything. It never really goes away, does it?

10. Christmas ornaments. I collect them, mostly woodsy, handcrafted treasures. This year I've found a few old-fashioned, but glittery pieces to add to the mix.

11. Entertaining. Whether at parties or dinner, seems like December is the month to catch up with friends.

12. Shopping. I do most of my shopping online, but I do love to get out among the Christmas shoppers, put a little money in the red kettle and just be part of the experience. I've noticed people are thinking more about their gifts this year, looking for just one meaningful thing.

13. Our family Christmas. Juggling schedules, exchanging gifts, having fun, making memories.

Many Blessings to You This Christmas!

 

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Thursday Thirteen - Week 46: The School House Bed & Breakfast

 

Last Christmas, Mitch and I received a very special gift from our family - a holiday at The School House Bed & Breakfast  in Rocheport, Missouri. Our trip was postponed twice - first by my MIL's stroke in the Spring, then by our move to Springfield. We finally went on or trip the day after the election.

 

The School House B&B is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is an absolute gem! It has been featured in Southern Living and Midwest Living magazines and, most recently in USA Today's 10 Great Places series.

 

I snapped this pic of the back of the inn just before we hit the Katy Trail. Mike and Lisa Friedemann own the inn and are the most gracious innkeepers I have ever met. If you want to be pampered and spoiled, you definitely want to check into this inn! They prepared a gourmet breakfast for us each morning, which was a real treat.

 

I chose this room for our stay because it still has one of the original blackboards from the days when children ran through the halls. This one was called the Schoolmaster; there are 10 beautiful rooms in the School House.

 

Next door is a recent addition - the Dormitory. It is very popular with bicyclers who converge on the town during the busy season. A secure bicycle storage shed is nestled on the grounds between the School House and Dormitory.

 

This is Mitch in the courtyard after breakfast one morning. He made a couple of adjustments to his bike, then we headed for the Katy Trail.

 

The Katy Trail is a big draw in Rocheport, population 208. This historic little village sits on the Missouri River and is filled with quaint shops, gourmet restaurants and a winery. Rocheport is known as the scenic gateway to the Katy Trail State Park. The Katy Trail is America's longest rails-to-trails project and currently spans 225 miles of Missouri; Rocheport sits at mile marker 178.3.

 

Mitch headed off to pedal to a nearby town and I took off in the other direction with the camera.

 

The Katy Trail in Rocheport runs right along the Missouri River. There's water on one side, and high bluffs on the other.

 

A mile or so away from Rocheport, I found this unique room built into the side of the bluff.  It was built by railroad employees decades ago, for explosives storage.

 

I found some persimmon trees along the trail. Of course, I had to snap a picture.

 

This is the Missouri River. I am not fond of water, so I stayed away from the trail's edge.

   

Mitch and I enjoyed every minute we spent in Rocheport, and plan to return to the School House Bed & Breakfast very soon.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others' comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Thursday Thirteen - Week 45

Mitch and I went to the local Cider Days celebration last Sunday. It's a sort of street fair featuring food, music, street vendors and lots of dogs on historic Walnut Street here in Springfield. We had a ball. Thought I'd share a few pictures with you; they're a great introduction to Fall!  Many thanks to Samuli for the gorgeous header.

TT#45: Cider Days 2008

1.  I snapped this pic of Mitch in front of the first house we passed. They were selling mums.

2.  Painters working.

3.  Walnut Street is lined with historic homes in every style imaginable. I crawled behind some of the vendor tents and snapped pics of a few.

4.  I spied a big display of cockscomb and pumpkins. Love these colors!

5.  Seems everyone brings their pets to Cider Days. This little girls stopped to pose with her new puppy.

6.  Gotta have food at a street fair!  This is the very busy turkey leg booth.

7.  Looks like fall!

8.  Another gorgeous house.

9. Festive Fall Wreath.

10.  Public Transit.

11. More dogs... thirsty pugs.

12.  Peek-A-Boo. Between pics we did manage to get 2 ceramic mugs, some potpourri, a stone necklace and a glass of - what else - cider!

13. I spotted these on the way out and had to get a picture! No fair in an election year is complete without political pumpkins! Hope you enjoyed Cider Days!

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Thursday Thirteen - Week 44

On the Fourth of July, my SIL Vickie married her Jr. High Sweetheart, Dan. It was a perfect ceremony and I thought I'd share some of the pics with you in this very special Wedding Edition of the Thursday Thirteen. There are a few bonus pics.

The theme for this wedding was tropical and the ceremony was held outdoors. I had the honor of taking pictures. My hubby, Mitch, (Vickie's big brother) performed the ceremony. Here, he's walking everyone though the rehearsal the evening before the big day.

I had to get this shot of Mitch and nephews Nick and Blake. Aren't they handsome?

We woke the next morning to heavy thunderstorms. Here, Vickie and her Maid of Honor, Susan hover over the computer at Main Street Salon, watching the weather radar. Still raining. Would it clear by 10:30?

The only thing cheery in the salon that morning was the painted wedding toes, so I headed over to the site of the ceremony.

I snapped this pic of Dan and his wonderful kids before the ceremony. The rain had stopped, but threatened to start again any second.

Gorgeous wedding cake, huh?

Vickie was escorted by her boys.

Ominous sky. Mitch was prepared to do the short version!

Then right in the middle of Nick and Lindsay's duet, an amazing thing happened. The sun came out. Then we had a wedding!

The beautiful lady with the silver purse is Phylis, who reads this blog regularly!

Cutting the cakes.

Family Portrait.

Dancing Under the Arbor.

 

Molly makes a surprise appearance. She loves Dan... and all the attention!

Wedding Rings.

I hope you enjoyed the wedding   ...and they lived happily ever after.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Thursday Thirteen - Week 43

Today's list is in honor of April, one of my favorite months of the entire year. Enjoy!

13  Pictures of April

1. Jonquils

2. Baby Birds - these are Swallows

3. Trees come alive with new leaves.

4. Pastures are home to new babies.

5. Time to think about planting.

6. April's official birthstone - Diamonds.

7. Butterflies return.

8. Daisies are one of April's official flowers; the other is the Sweet Pea.

9. More April babies.

10. Another mowing season begins.

11. Dogwood blooms.

12. If it's April you gotta have bunnies.

13. And Baseball!

Thanks for stopping by this week... and Happy April!

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Thursday Thirteen - Week 42

Welcome 13ers! It has been months since my last TT - August 29th to be exact. So I thought it would be a great time to jump back in, touch base with some old friends and make some new ones. This is what's been going on with me since my last list.

13 Things DK's Been Doing

1. Where to start... Well, back in August I was still recovering from 2 major surgeries. I'm all mended now and feeling pretty darned good... except for one thing -

2. I was injured in the hospital by 2 nurses. In September, my surgeon sent me to therapy because my neurologist dropped the ball.

3. I went through two and a half months of therapy for my hand and arm. I also started seeing a brand new neurologist that I like very much. Therapy ended up making the injury worse, so that stopped abruptly just before Thanksgiving.

4. After months of therapy and evaluation, it has been determined that the nerve injuries I received are permanent. We are now dealing with the hospital's insurance company.

5. The holidays came and went. Busy. Great. Not as overwhelming as I thought.

6. The character blogs I write keep growing. To date, they have seen more than 750,000 visitors in a little over a year. (For those of you who don't know me, I work for a family entertainment company in NY. Keeps me very very busy.)

7. My hubby and I also have a small publishing company. I finished the final edit on a fiction series I'm writing and began work on the book's layout. I decided I want something different; I want this series heavily illustrated.

8. After the holidays, we began looking for a book printer for this project, fully aware that we're likely to end up in China.

9. The winter weather turned wild - 2 tornado outbreaks, 4 ice "events" and 1 major flood since mid-January. Consequently, I haven't been able to hit the walking trails much this winter. I'm up to 3 - 4 miles a day and I really miss it.

10. Mitch began looking for a recumbent bike for me - a sports model, not a geezer-mobile - since I can no longer ride my bike (Just one of the adjustments I'm making as a result of the nerve damage.)

11. A few weeks ago I began blogging regularly again. I changed my header and took a few new head shots. (The new one's on my other blog. See #13)

12. I've had lots of interest in my fiction series, but the illustration process is going to be lengthy. So, I decided to introduce it online, using a "character-written" blog. Yes, 2 of the main characters in my new series now have their very own blog. It's gonna be fun.

13. The blog is called Pages from Paddlebrook. It's about 2 weeks old and its already had several hundred visitors. I invite you to drop by and meet Sammy and Sheila. I think you'll like them!

That's it - my 13 items are used up and I barely scratched the surface! Oh well, there's always next week. Happy TTing! Thanks to Yellow Rose for the gorgeous spring header. 

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others' comments. It’s easy, and fun! Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Thursday Thirteen - Week 41

Labor Day Weekend signals summer's end and time to switch gears for fall. I'm getting ready to dive into a huge writing project - I'll start sharing details with you next week - and I've been firing up my creative spark by reading favorite quotes from my personal journal. I thought I'd share some of them with you; maybe you'll be inspired to start your own fall project. Hats off to Samulli for this week's header!

13 Quotes for Writers and Other Creative Types

1. Words are sacred. They deserve respect. If you get the right ones in the right order, you can nudge the world a little. -- Tom Stoppard

2. There's no excuse not to dream. -- Candy wrapper

3. There is no better way to spend your life than in the unceasing preoccupation of an idea - of an ideal. -- Gustave Flaubert

4. Every artist dips his brush in his own soul, and paints his own nature into his pictures. -- Henry Ward Beecher

5. If you really do put a small value upon yourself rest assured that the world will not raise your price. -- Anonymous

6. We learn to fly not by becoming fearless, but by the daily practive of courage. -- Sam Keen

7. Those whom God wishes to bless, he puts in their hands the means to help others. -- Saying

8. Hope is hearing the melody of the future. -- Rueben Alves

9. Every pebble and wildflower has a story to tell. -- Chet Raymo

10. There is no such thing in anybody's life as an unimportant day. -- Alexander Woolcott

11. Life isn't about finding yourself; life is about creating yourself. -- George Bernard Shaw

12. The artist has one function - to affirm and glorify life. -- W. Edward Brown

13. Rest when you're weary, refresh and renew yourself, your body, your mind, your spirit. Then get back to work. -- Ralph S. Marsten, Jr.

Let me know if these gave you a creative nudge!

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Thursday Thirteen - Week 40

This week I decided to share my favorite female vocalists of all time.  Hope some of these women are on your list. Thanks to Samulli for this week's header - as usual, another winner!

 

1. Gwen Stephani - I think this is who Madona intended to be.

2. Ella Fitzgerald - fabulous! 

3. Julie Andrews - This is who I wanted to sound like when I was small.

 

4. Then I wanted to sing like Karen Carpenter. Soon I realized I was not going to be a great singer.

5. Diana Krall - voice like liquid smoke

6. Ann Wilson - amazing. My #1 pick for Rock Vocalist.

7. Annie Lennox - my other favorite rocker

8. Aretha Franklin - instantly changes my mood!

9. I loved Cindy Lauper years ago. I like her new work even more.

10. Judy Garland - I really miss her...

11. Sarah McLachlan - switching gears here. Her voice is haunting.

 

12. Gets my vote for best all-around vocalist working today.

13. At the very top of my list is Rosemary Clooney. An original... never gonna be another.

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Thursday Thirteen - Week 39

Since I found Penny Postcards a couple of weeks ago, I've found myself browsing it every chance I get. I thought you might enjoy some of these old images too. So, this week I'm presenting 13 old postcards from New York City. Thanks to Nancy B. for this week's perfect header!

13 Penny Postcards from NYC

1. Fifth Avenue. Check out all those carriages and old cars.

2. The Automat - Times Square. Opened in 1912.

3. Mott Street - The Heart of Chinatown

4. Ellis Island

5. The Hippodrome - closed in 1939.

6. Lower New York

7. New York World's Fair - 1939

8. National League Baseball Park

9. NYC Post Office

10. This postcard is an ad for Sampeck Clothier, next to historic Grace Church (built in 1846)

11. The Brooklyn Bridge

12. Times Square

13. Yankee Stadium

I hope you enjoyed this tour from the past!

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Thursday Thirteen - Week 38

It is HOT here this week - WAY too hot for much of anything except wishing for cooler weather. I thought it would be fun to do a "How I'm SurvivingThe Heat Wave" list this week. I know it's hot all over the country, so feel free to add your own ideas or make your own list! Thanks to that banner makin' genius, Samulli for this week's sultry header.

13 Things I'm Doing To Survive The 2007 Heat Wave

1. Put snowy winter pictures on my blog - one for every day of the heat wave - as a sort of "visual oasis" for my visitors.

2. Watch White Christmas.

3. Pay close attention to the heat warnings and hit the asthma meds hard!

4. Live on McAlister's iced tea.

5. Think about ordering Christmas cards. Ridiculous! Nobody orders Christmas cards when it's 105!

6. Find creative ways to dry the laundry so as not to heat up the house.

7. No outdoor walks for this kid! I'm hitting the treadmill at the air-conditioned gym until this heat wave breaks.

8. Go to the The Landing and watch the tourists melt.

9. Hope the AC holds up.

10. Take cool showers to keep the house from steaming up.

11. Think about shaving the dog... He's a Yorkie with long hair to the floor!

12. Put ice cubes in my bra.

13. Wonder how people survived before air-conditioning!

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!
View More Thursday Thirteen Participants