What Has She Done Now?

......Baby It's The Guitar Man.

2012-01-26T06:55:00.007-05:00

I have found that one of the things that takes me away from all my cares and woes is music. I can listen to anything for a short time and know if I will buy the song or entire CD. And lets face it, is there anything sexier then a guy playing an acoustic guitar?

Last night I went to Rams Head to see Griffin House. I am always amazed at the art of storytelling musicians possess. A broken heart always sounds better with an acoustic guitar to accompany it. And we all know that every love song was written just for us.

The best part of last nights concert was the opening act, Matthew Perryman Jones. He was an excellent musician that until last night I had never heard of. In between his 3rd and 4th song the guy at my table shouted out a request. I thought, "Oh great!! Why do I always sit at the table with the Bozo". Anyway.... Matthew and Josh carried on a conversation for the rest of the show. It was great, and of course it was just a cover for Matthew to look at me for the rest of the evening. "My Blog, My Fantasy". Apparently the song requested had not been played or thought of for 50 years, so he'd do his best. It was my favorite song of his set.

Matthew had a gift of storytelling that went far beyond his lyrics. In between songs his rapport with Josh and the rest of the audience was charming. He told us about one of his songs being used for a television show. He gathered all his family and friends to watch, in his words, "This awful teeny bopper show", and he never heard his song. Did he miss it? Did anyone else hear it? Then finally in the last 5 minutes of the show the song came on, and started playing, he gets all excited about hearing HIS SONG, then 30 seconds into it the star of the show jumps off a cliff, the audience roared with laughter. After his set he came by the table and talked to Josh until Griffin's show started. I left with a smile on my face and a song in my heart.

Warmer Climates

2012-01-04T17:10:00.003-05:00

Luckily for me Tom dislikes cold weather as much as I do, so in November we headed to Orlando for a long weekend. Then in December off to Cancun. We were total tourists, snorkeling, parasailing and I actually took a scuba lesson. Our hotel had a pool that was 18 ft deep and was designed to look like a Disney attraction. All sort of faux coral and colorful fish. It made the scuba a relaxing and pleasurable experience, but I'm sure that was partially because I wasn't worried about Jaws swimming around the corner. We'll see if I take lessons at home.

She's Back!!!!!

2012-01-04T16:34:00.007-05:00

I have no excuses.... Rachel and Sara with 3 children each seem to be able to keep up with their blogs, so even if I could come up with an excuse it wouldn't really mean much. Suffice it to say, I am now going to make more of an effort. I mean some people hang on every word I print, how must they have felt when the blogging came to a stand still in August. To one and all I apologize.

Now a quick catch up.

In October I biked from Charleston to Savannah with my friend Susan. The South is truly gentile. I loved Charleston, the homes, the parks, the history, all breathtaking.Beaufort was another charming stop along the way, but it was Savannah that sang to me. All the ancient trees with Spanish moss was like something straight out of "Gone With the Wind".

It was another wonderful bike trip.

Hike Much?

2011-08-22T23:04:00.004-04:00

We are on day 4 of our trip and we are in the White Moutains of New Hampshire, and I pretty much want to sleep.

Tom crushed me in 3 rounds of ping-pong. Are any of you good at table tennis? That's kinda a pussy game ... don't you think?

I can kick major butt in Foosball, but ping pong not so much. Anyway we hiked our butts off.

May I just tell you I don't mind a hike, but when I have to lead and I am thrashing through spider condos, it is totally yucky. I could never date spider man, the webs are so icky, and you know there is a poisonous brown spider out there somewhere. Other than that, I'm good..

BFFFFF

2011-08-22T22:30:00.003-04:00

Tom and I have truly become BFF's here in Maine. I have meet his Mother and oldest brother, and all this as friends. Have you ever been an ex-lover to your best friend? It's a little touchy, but if you work it right, its magic. A lot of my friends think I'm nuts dealing with all the nonsense that I have, but you know what, I'm okay with it. He makes me laugh, and when my plate is full I will push it away.

ACADIA

2011-08-22T21:59:00.002-04:00

Okay! I have been to all 50 states and Alaska, bar none, is my favorite. I want my ashes thrown over Mulnomah Fall, Oregon. Kris and Kathy are in charge of that, and I mean from the tippy-top, Kris can do it.

Maine is yummy in the summer. The air is breathable, the sky is blue, and the water is cold and swimmable. It makes you feel alive, but I'm there in July. I do love being alive in July.

Maine Man

2011-08-22T21:43:00.003-04:00

Tom and I had planned our trip to Maine long before the CC nonsense started. I told him if he had any intentions toward Sally, traveling to Maine with me would not be in his best interest. I told him this as a friend, that is what we are now, friends.

.....You Pull Me Back In

2011-08-22T21:27:00.001-04:00

I can't remember when the last time I told you about where I was in my life. We all know when things are going well we can not wait to tell one and all about it. Tom is still a part of it, whether it be large or small. When last heard from I was CC'd accidentally by his girlfriend. OMG!! How in the corn bread hell did she get my email? Tom hasn't a clue? anyway... It was not pretty, but I of course rose above all the ugliness. Holy Moly... there was some ugliness. I should copy and paste so you know what I have known for some time, but Hell.. I know he'll love me sooner or later.. NOT.

Don't Be Afraid.

2011-07-04T16:53:00.005-04:00

Why is "LOVE" so scary to some. I never worry about telling my friends that I love them. I don't think I've ever finished a phone conversation with Kris without saying "I love you". Life is short, love means different things. I love the sunshine, I love the color yellow, I love the smell of microwave popcorn. The Webster noun description is... strong affection for another out of kinship or personal ties. Holy Moly!! That would include all of Craven County, NC for me. Anybody who reads this post must list at least five loves.
My 5, in no particular order are (not counting Harper and Scout)....
1. Cuddling
2. Mac&Cheese
3. A good bike ride
4. Roller Coasters
5. Massage

I love all of you who read this.

Friends

2011-06-28T15:31:00.005-04:00

There is no way one can get through life without making acquaintances.

I have so many that if combined it would easily rival the NY white pages. But then there are the special friends, real friends, that come into your life for a reason, a season, or a lifetime. Aside from my 2 sisters my "REAL" friends are so rare I could count them on one hand. These are the friends that come into your life and leave you a better person. One such friend just came into town for a very short visit. Donna had just spent a week with her sisters in Nashville. In order for her to get back to Florida she had a 2 hour layover in Baltimore. YIPPEEE!!!

I have another such friend from high school, her name is Valerie. She is someone who I can be away from for 102 years, meet at a reunion, and never skip a beat. We knew each other long before e-mail, Skye,and anything else technology might provide. There have been marriages, divorce,children, death. We are friends, we listen, we DO NOT JUDGE. That's what makes us friends, and not God. I have often given pieces of my heart to people, only my friends have pieces of my soul. Kris, Kathy, Valerie and Donna have all my love.

Couch Surfing.com

2011-05-31T18:20:00.004-04:00

About 2 years ago I was doing a bike trip in Vermont. It started in Burlington on a Sunday, and I wanted to go up a day early so I could look around Burlington a little more than the bike tour allotted. That weekend just happened to be homecoming weekend, parents weekend and every other weekend that Burlington had to offer. The bottom line was there were no rooms to be had unless you were booking for the entire weekend, which brings me to "Couch Surfing.com".
I had heard about couch surfing on a radio station that I listen to, so I thought "what the heck".

After filling out all the necessary blanks I decided to just go up the day the tour starts, and forgot all about it.

6 months later I got an email from a gentleman in Wisconsin who had a son at the Naval Academy, and was coming in for a weekend to see him, did I mind if he crashed on my couch. I just happened to be leaving the 2nd day he was here, so I said sure. Well this year his son is graduating, so he asked if he could stay again, this time with 5 other people. I'm just a girl who can't say no. David and Disa arrived last Sunday, his sister and her husband came in on Thursday, and his other son came in on Friday. Did I mention my air conditioner's condenser went out?

Taking It As It Comes.

2011-05-31T17:46:00.006-04:00

I know everyone has probably been on pins and needles about Tom and my outcome. It's been all over the place. He wrote an email saying he didn't think he wanted the "Hot and Heavy" (his words) kind of relationship that I did. I wrote him back and said, "What a relief. Once again we are on the same page". Then he asked if I wanted to go bike riding. The bottom line is we get along famously when we're together, so why not just keep having fun together. Last weekend we repeated our Eastern Shore ride. Memorial Day we rode on the C&O Canal through Harper's Ferry. The guy that we got to take this picture, handed the camera back and said, "some one's in love". I said, "Yeah, we just don't know who with". After a beautiful day together we headed back to Tom's. After riding in 98 degree weather, I hopped in the shower, when I got out Tom showed me his portrait wall in his bedroom. He has a photo of his 2 children, his brand new grand daughter, his family which include his mom, 2 brothers and 2 sisters, and 2, not 1 but 2, of he and I. They are photos that I have put on the blog, but to be on his bedroom wall, Holy Moly. I guess I should have been friends with him all along. Oh! did I mention he has invited me to Maine in July. Go Figure!! I am just taking it as it comes, and enjoying every minute of it.

One For The Road

2011-05-11T08:48:00.002-04:00

The rest of Sunday evening was spent watching a movie, 127 Hours, with the proverbial elephant in the room. Tom tried to consol me, but it wasn't working. I told him that if he still had feelings for Sally, I didn't want to feel like if he stayed with me he would have always wondered, would of, could of, should of, I am better than that. I also told him that they split for a reason, it may be nice for a week, a month, maybe even longer, but the problems they had before would resurface unless somthing was done to resolve them.
The next morning I had a doctor appointment, and then we were going to play tennis. I for one thought hitting a tennis ball with all my might would do wonders. Early Monday morning, 5:00am, Tom's cell phone beeped to alert him and me that a text had just arrived. Guess who? I was getting up to walk the dogs anyway. When I got back Tom told me the gist of the texting. Sally, "Want to meet for coffee"? Tom, "I'm not at home". Sally, "WTF", nice, huh? While I get ready for my appoinment, the texting contiued and I was only getting tidbits from Tom. Uuuuggghhhh.
Tom takes me to my appoinment and is alone with the "text-mess" for the next hour. Well by the time my appoinment is over, instead of breakfast and tennis, Tom doesn't think he'll be very good company, drops me off at home and goes back to Gaithersburg, and I'm sure to Sally's. I am crushed, and call my sister right away.

Trouble in Paradise.

2011-05-01T17:34:00.002-04:00

Throughout Tom and my relationship, Tom has been nothing but honest with me. It is one of my only stipulations, along with having nice teeth. From our very first date Tom talked about a previous relationship that had ended badly. It was with someone he thought he would spend the rest of his life with. I didn't ask alot of questions, because I wanted our time together to be about us, but if anything came up I was certainly there to listen.
Tom's daughter Lauren has recently had a baby, and when we were headed to Old Rag Mountain Lauren called and said that Sally (Tom's ex) wanted to come see the baby and give her a gift. Tom told Lauren that it was fine, but not to make the visit about him. I was in the car for the entire conversation, and knew then and there Sally wanted back in. People don't just don't do things like that unless they want to find a small opening, and from what I had heard about Sally, she was not doing it for kindness sake. There is nothing to worry about according to Tom.
Another few weeks go by and Tom tells me Sally wants to see him. She has some things of his, he has some thing of hers, including a spare car key and she needs closure. Well I am all for this. I think closure is going to be good for everyone involved, but I also know how wonderful Tom is and find it hard to believe Sally really wants closure. I sure hope Tom is right. This all happened on Saturday. Tom is scheduled to come over for dinner on Sunday, and tennis on Monday. I am a nervous wreck. Tom doesn't say anything all through dinner, and of course I am so upset inside, I can't eat. We sit down on the couch after an amazing dinner, and Tom tells me Sally wants him back. Surprise, surprise.

It Just Keeps Getting Better.

2011-05-01T16:51:00.006-04:00

This week Tom and I are headed to the Eastern Shore to bike from Easton to Oxford. The round trip was only 20 miles and flat, so it was very easy. What a great day...we stopped at a grocery store, picked up lunch, and then found parking by a small beach in Oxford. Tom took out a blanket and we spread all our culinary delights out, and enjoyed the day and the company. I am telling you I am over the moon about this guy. I dated Terry, who was from Easton, for a year and never made it to Oxford. Anyway... At our half way point on the bike we stopped at a Golf Clubhouse, had some refreshments then started back. We laugh and talk like we are long lost

friends. We really do get along well.

The same week Tom asks me to go hiking with a group he hikes with. That's right 2 dates in one week, he even invites both Scout and Harper. OMG!! A man who likes my kids, can it get any better? After checking the route I decide just to take Scout. It's a 7 mile hike and I'm afraid at 9 years old, Harper would just stop having fun after a mile or 2. We had another wonderful day, this time with others included. I think it's easy to get along when it's just 2 of you, the real test comes when you see how well they play with others.

My Monday Man in March.

2011-04-07T17:23:00.009-04:00

Tom and my first date was lunch at a great little restaurant on West Street called Luna Blue. He came into Annapolis from Gaithersburg, about an hour away. That is a little farther than my 25 mile radius request, but what the heck, it's only lunch. We sat and talked very easily for 2 hours. At the start of lunch Tom told me he was just getting over a cold, and I remarked, "good that takes the pressure off a first kiss, now we can enjoy lunch", and that's exactly what we did.

It is a little scary how much we have in common. We both drive Elements, our phone numbers end in the same four numbers, we both have a love of the outdoors, the list goes on and on.

Our next date was a 20 mile bike ride the following Monday. Afterwards we cleaned up, yes, separately, then headed to lunch. Another great day.

The following Monday, are you beginning to see a pattern here, I nicknamed Tom my "Monday Man", we meet in the middle at Columbia Mall, had breakfast at Panera's and talked for 5 hours. I think it is important to be able to communicate with someone, and the day at the Mall pretty much proved we had no problem there. Another week... This Monday we head to Old Rag Mountain in Shenandoah National Park. I met Tom at his house at 7:00am, and we have a 2.5 hour drive to our destination. Now I know nothing about Old Rag, but what I have read. The first 1.5 miles is pretty much straight up. I explain to Tom that this is my first hike since waking from hibernation, he just laughs at me. On this hike there is a rock scrambled that is really fun, but it's challenging. I ask about 2 hours into the hike straight up, "when does the scramble start"? Tom in his very funny way says, "As soon as you feel like you can't put one foot in front of the other, that's when the scramble starts". hahaha Tom has a great sense of humor, although nothing is funny on hour 3 uphill. When we hit the scramble it was a nice break from the hiking straight uphill. I want you to note the snow in this photo, well we wanted to beat the crowds. No problem there,we only ran into 3 others on the mountain. A young nurse actually hiked with us for most of the trail. It was a long day, but one of the best I've had in a long time. We stopped for milkshakes on the way home. Before leaving that morning Tom put a roast and some veggies in a crock pot, and we were greeted with the rich aroma of the finished product.

After the first bite I think I asked Tom to marry me. Who's funny now?

Cruise Contol

2011-03-30T07:48:00.004-04:00

I am going to interrupt my ongoing China blog to catch you up to speed with my real life When I came home from the cruise, I decided it was time to get back in the game, so I went on the ever dreaded dating site, match.com. After I had filled out all the questionnaires that would make up my profile, and hit send I regretted it. Do I really want to go through all this again? Well no sooner do I hit send then the winks start coming in. For those of you not in the date site loop, a wink on match is to let someone know you are interested in them. The first wink come from someone in Arizona. I let him down gently by letting him know with the cost of fuel on the rise I wasn't filling my Lear jet as often as I was. I figure if I couldn't make a go of it with someone down the street, Arizona was out of the question. Match is sooo different from e-harmony, in that people are in contact with you right away. A friend of mine described it as, drinking water from a fire hose. After a few "put me out of my misery" phone conversations, and abrupt e-mails concerning my rudeness, I wondered what the hell I had gotten myself into. ....and then there was Tom.

Out At Sea

2011-03-23T07:09:00.003-04:00

For the first day and 1/2 we were out in the South China Sea. The weather was brisk and damp, so laying by the pool was not an option.....actually being outside was not an option. There are plenty of other things to do while on board. Maura opted to learn bridge, I went to a yoga class and then to a group trivia challenge. These activities were replayed each day we were at sea. They also had an ongoing puzzle, 3 revolving movie choices that played in your suite, and any other wheelchair bound activity you can imagine. They had a spa on board, but Maura and I both agreed we would look for the $12.00 massage in town, as opposed to the $160.00 on board.
Our 2nd evening on board was the Formal Night, and Maura and I had been invited to sit at the Co-Captain's table. Now when I say formal, I mean the men were in black tie and the ladies dressed to the 9's. I wore a red dress, and just keep putting on faux pearls. When I go on holiday it is not to dress up and wear my best baubles. When traveling to a 3rd world country I don't even bring my real gems.....anyway, dinner was delicious.
After dinner, which ended at 10:00pm, we went to watch a magic show. Maura took us up to the front row, and everyone knows what happens when you sit in the front row. This magician was very different from the one I assisted in my early 20's. He was more into card tricks, then pulling rabbits out of hats, and sawing women in half. Well surprise, surprise in his third set he asks for my assistance. I have never been shy in front of a crowd, so up I go. I, of course, am still in my formal wear which includes 3 1/2 inch heels. I get in front of the crowd and am wobbling with every pitch of the boat. I say "Oh, I'm a bit tippy", well the crowd loves it, thinking I meant to say "tipsy". The magician runs with it, so the rest of the show I think the crowd is more interested in whether I'm going to fall or not. Maura and I were the only 2 who knew I hadn't had a drop to drink.

All Aboard.

2011-03-02T14:37:00.011-05:00

I have been on 5 or 6 cruises, and as a rule they are not my favorite form of travel. The Seabourn Cruise Line is by far the nicest Cruise Line I have been on. The bedrooms were actually suites, a sleeping area, as well as a sitting area. The closet was a walk in, and the bathroom had a sunken marble tub. For having to be in the same room for 2 weeks, this was not

a bad place to be.

Where???

2011-03-02T11:44:00.003-05:00

Maura and I get back to the hotel with enough time to question the concierge, hop in a cab and go to one of the nicest "Foot Salons" in Hong Kong. At least that's what we thought. When the cab dropped us off, there was a small Chinese woman with fliers for foot massage, along with any other type of massage you may have been looking for. Why would she need to advertise right in front of her own salon? In the universal sign for follow me, Maura and I did. We both assumed she was taking us to the Foot Palace, but why is it so far from where the cab let us off? We followed her for about 1/4 mile and thought maybe we should have kept the cab. I have no doubt that if we had been much younger, we would now be at the feet of some Sultan in Dubai.
We finally make it to a Foot Place as opposed to Palace. What a difference a letter makes. We both sat down and began a 45 minute foot and leg massage. As massages go, it wasn't too bad.
Maura's masseur spoke english and explained all the pressure points as he worked on her. I, of course, just smiled and shook my head. By the end of this trip I will be know as a Bobble Head. The last 10 minutes we got a neck and shoulder massage. Maura's neck wasn't right for the rest of the trip.

Open Market

2011-02-28T17:56:00.006-05:00

No trip to Hong Kong is complete without a trip to one of the many open aired markets. Now we didn't get to see frogs on grills, but I'm sure they were there. We only had limited time because we had to be back to the hotel by 2 for our ride to the port. So Maura and I spent about 2 hours scouring the treasures of the Orient. That was just about an hour and 45minutes more than I needed. Maura is a shopper. More on that later.

While we were cruising the market wares, we kept seeing signs with 2 feet on them. We guessed them to be the universal sign for foot massage, or pedicure. After going on about 6 wild foot chases, and I do mean wild, through alleys, up rickety staircases, down into basements, we decided to head back to the hotel and talk to the concierge about a decent foot masseur.

Running on Empty

2011-02-16T14:21:00.005-05:00

We made it. Off the plane, through customs and to our luggage. May I just tell you that when you have traveled this far, and land in a foriegn country, there is nothing better than to see someone with a sign that has your name on it. Our driver loaded us in our limo, and took us to our 5 star hotel. It was probably about 7:45pm when we arrived. We were greeted with tea in our room. It was served in a basket container, which Maura proceeded to spill all over the floor. Remember now, she was next to a 2 year old for 16 hours.
Once we had some tea, we decided to see what the night life had to offer. It's Saturday night. Maura has been up for 32 hours and I am not exactly running on all cylinders. So we walk about 3 blocks, and head back to the hotel. We decided to have some dim-sum in the lounge while listening to the piano player tickle the ivories. How old am I?

Hong Kong or Bust

2011-02-16T13:37:00.009-05:00

Finally the day arrived when it was time to go. Thank God for Kris, who didn't think twice when I asked for a ride to the airport at 5am. My flights are always at such ungodly hours. I would also like to thank God for Valerie, who equipped me with ambien for the flights going and coming home. At this point I would just like to tip my hat to Sara, who has done this flight with 2 girls under the age of 4. You should be canonized. The flight to San Francisco was a breeze. When we boarded the flight to Hong Kong, a passenger in front of me wanted to see if anyone around her would switch seats, so she could have her sister near her. Maura and I had opposite aisle. I didn't see any harm in changing seats, so I switched. Little did I know her sister came with a 2 year old.

So while Maura is in the back looking for extra space in the overhead storage to stuff the reincarnate of Rosemary's baby, I am nestled in my aisle seat with an open middle seat sleeping like the dead. No good deed......

A Night To Remember

2011-01-30T00:27:00.003-05:00

The night before heading on any of my trips is usually pretty quite. The pups have been shipped off to their temporary homes, and I have time to get all the odds and ends together for a timely departure.
Take off to Hong Kong was slightly different. Ellen and Lenny, who are taking care of Harper, lost their power in the most recent ice/snow storm to hit Maryland. When power is out for a few hours it's one thing, they had been without power for close to 18 hours when they asked if they could come over. I didn't have to think twice about it, of course you can. The nice thing about having close friends is you don't have to entertain them in a situation like this. They both knew I had a bunch to do, so they settled in doing whatever, while I flitted through the house talking to myself.
About 3 hours later I get a call from another friend, her husband needs to use the shower. Sure, tell him to come on over, the more the merrier. I've met her husband twice before and he is a doll, but I don't really have time for this. Thank heavens for Ellen and Lenny. Ellen made dinner, and Lenny entertained Martin while I bid adeau, for an early morning flight.

Are You Excited?

2011-01-27T06:51:00.004-05:00

I never really get excited about going on a trip until I am on the plane. There is so much to do before locking up the house. Packing is usually a pain, but because I am packing summer wear, I just had to go into my spare closet and get whatever I wanted to wear out.
The real nemesis of this trip has been the weather. I always give the pups a bath before they go to stay at their designated families house. Because I have Scout now, they are going to 2 different homes. Ellen and Lenny always took care of Harper and Bear, but they have not had a chance to meet Scout yet, and they have a dog of their own. No sense in ruining a friendship.
Yesterday they were calling for snow, but not until late afternoon. I went to get my hair and nails done, and had every intention of taking the pups to "Muddy Paws". Muddy Paws is this great place you can take your pups and have them bathed or bathe them yourself. This is a shot before their bath. Notice how calm and unsuspecting they look.

Even when Old English Sheepdogs are in there shortest coat, they are a handful in the tub. The nice thing about taking them to Muddy Paws is you use their towels, their shampoo, their water, and their blow drier, which I should add is so strong you can actually see the water spray off the coat when you use it. They also have staff that could wash one while I take care of the other. I get to Muddy Paws around 3:00, still wearing flip-flop, so I don't smudge my "Passion Pink" toenails. I arrive to a closed due to the weather sign. #*@^! So now a 2 hour job turns into the rest of Wednesday. I am not happy. You probably are asking why I waited so long. In this type of weather if I bathed the pups last week, because of the mud and damp ground, you would never have known by drop off date.

Scout is first in. This is the first bath I have given him, but was certainly not his first bath. He was so calm, I actually think he was enjoying himself, but hey, what guy wouldn't like getting lathered up by me. Shampoo, rinse, condition, rinse, dry off, shake water on any wall within a mile radius, towel dry again, start to blow dry and comb out. 2 hours later start on Harper, repeat. While Harper was in the shower I got a phone call between the conditioning and rinse cycle. It was mistake answering that call. Harper was still soaked and took off down stairs. So now not only are all the walls wet, Harper has drenched the carpet with her Ugg like wet paws. I have to drag her back up the steps and pull my back out. Find a happy place, find a happy place. 3 hours later both Harper and Scout are partially dry, but fresh as daisies. I, on the other hand, have swallowed 4 Alleve, washed down 10 walls, vacuumed the entire house, put 16 towels in the washer, and gone to bed with a heating pad. This is why I don't get excited until I am the plane.

Masters Swim Class

2011-01-20T18:01:00.006-05:00

I have a good friend that I do triathlons with that has talked me into joining the Masters Swim Club. She has been trying to get me into this group for close to 2 years, but I always had an excuse. I have been in the pool when Masters practice and I know how tough the workout can be, but believe it or not that is not what has kept me from joining. The Club meets 3 nights a week from 8-9:30pm. That's right PM, the start time is about 30minutes after my crawl into bed time.
The 1st workout was very gentle, probably to keep the dropout rate to a minimum. We also had a meeting ahead of time to go over what we can expect for the next 20 weeks, which cut pool time down to about 45minutes. The majority of this group all do triathlons, and are here to improve on their swim stroke. Judging by the lane I've been put in I have alot of improving to do. Speed has never been a priority for me, I swim because it clears out all the nonsense I carry in my head. It has always been more therapeutic than speed demon for me. I am afraid that Master Swim will be to swimming what spinning is to biking. But you know what? I am diving in head first.

EBay City

2011-01-18T07:57:00.004-05:00

When I closed Woofs & Whiskers the groomer down the street came in the Tuesday before I was locking my doors, and said "What ever you don't sell I will buy". This included everything except the dreaded Webkinz. So here I am, with close to 500 darling little adoptable stuffed dogs and cats. This photo does not include 7 unpacked, but labeled boxes. I am trying to pretend to be organized.I have donated cases to "Toys for Tots",the child oncology department at Mercy Hospital and various homeless shelters. This is why I am at the manageable number of 500plus.

I have now taken to ebay. I am sure there is a world out there where ebay savvy people exist, I have yet to enter their realm. At my first selling point I did not realize you can put your item on for 1 day, 3 days, 5days, 10 and so on. So... instead of a quick turnover of 1-3 days, I had to wait out 10 days to sell maybe 2 items out of the 68 posted. Aaahh yes... 2 out of 68. I am not even going to go into how long the posting of said 68 items took me. If at first you don't succeed......

I give it a second go round, lower prices, shorten days and find a relist key that does it all for you. My selling record is still nothing to brag about, 28 items sold out of 187 listed, but I am at least at the door of EBay Savvyville. Whatever I have not sold, one way or another, will be donated next holiday season.

Deep.

2011-01-13T09:07:00.009-05:00

I don't know who reads my blog aside from Sara and Rachel. They are the only 2 who leave comments, so I know they follow along with my usually mundane life. I try not to post anything too personal for fear someone may find a chink in my armor. Someone may discover I'm not always at the top of my game, I have needs and feelings that are never worn on my sleeve.
I have some amazing friends and 2 sisters that are always there if I find the need to share my innermost sentiments. My problem is I rarely do, which brings me to this post.

About 2 weeks ago, I made an appointment for a massage. With working out, catering and all the other little things my body has been through I felt like I was due. I have not had a massage since Donna gave me one for my birthday in August, and that was given by a women in her 7th month of pregnancy. Enough said.
I am a true believer that massage not only relaxes and rejuvenates, but also moves your inner chi and balances chakras. I was going for a nice deep tissue, and David always uses stones. Aaahh!! I never consider massages sexual, but they are definitely sensual. While on the table I was reminded how much I miss being touched. At one point when David was stretching my arm our fingers were interlaced so he could pull just so, my eyes filled with tears. Luckily I was face down. It's been close to a year since my last relationship. I really have not been anxious to get back out there. Now I find myself making up excuses. I didn't really want to go through the holidays with someone new, now I don't want to get involved before my trip to Asia. It's not really the sex I miss, it's the closeness. The hugs and holding, the reading in bed together, the coffee in the morning and the laughing. I have processed all these feeling for nearly 11 months and I know that I am worthy of someones love, I just need to kiss a few more frogs. Until then, I am scheduling my massages alot closer together.

Meet Scout!

2011-01-03T18:26:00.010-05:00

It has been one year since I lost Bear, and I always said that if I'm meant to have another dog it will just happen. Well it has.

2 weeks ago I got a call from a friend telling me that Winslow's brother needed a new home. OMG!! A 3 1/2 year old Old English Sheepdog, pick of his liter, needs a new place to live. The reason he was being let go by his old family was because they have since had a 2 legged baby and Noah nipped her. I don't know all the specifics leading to the nip, but even I know you don't leave an 18 month old baby with a 100 pound dog unattended. Anyway the parents could not take the risk of it happening again. The parents of Noah called a friend of mine, who in turn, called me. He got along great with Harper, which was a prerequisite.

I switched his name to Scout, because "NO" is a word used often in my house. I was afraid Noah was a little too close to that, and I would spend a fortune on therapy. There has to be a city named Scout somewhere, in the meantime he fits perfectly on Mockingbird Court with Harper.

'Tis the Season....

2010-12-27T06:56:00.005-05:00

It's Holiday Party time.....which means a few extra dollars catering. I have known Val Brady for 34 years. We first meet when we both worked together at "Fran O'Briens". Val now has her own catering company and whenever she needs someone to tend bar, I am her go to girl. This time a friend of mine needed a caterer and Val got the job.

I have known Donna and Alan for about 2 years now. They travel to South Africa every winter and I take care of their two dogs. They are such wonderful people. They have had such an extraordinary life, but remain humble.

Their home is something out of Architectural Digest. They have acquired artifacts from all around the world and their home is the perfect showcase. Once again my photos do not do justice.

The party was from 2-4, which was shorter than the time it took to setup and break down. Donna is very sensible, "It's after lunch and before dinner, we won't need tons of food". She and Alan also hired a pianist to play all the great old classics, with a few White Christmas's for the holiday theme. It was the perfect touch.

Val's table, as always, looked scrumptous. Crab dip, prime rib sliders ,cheeses from around the world (Whole Foods), fresh salmon, and sweet bite size treats from one of the best local bakeries. Everyone loved the food.

I had to throw this last photo in because I am such of fan of oriental carpets. Theirs come from Turkey, South Africa and a number of other countries. Mine came from Arnold.

Black Cloud

2010-12-16T07:50:00.009-05:00

I pride myself on being a positive person. I am a firm believer that if you are positive, you attract positiveness and positivity. Well in the last month it seems like a black cloud has attached itself to me, but I am staying upbeat to get through it.

No sooner do I blog about polarized sunglasses taking the place of love then my sunglasses crack at the nose. This would be understandable if I sat or stepped on them, but I pulled them out of my pocket to run my errands du jour and voila. I'm guessing the gods did not appreciate my comparison with love. I have sent them back to Maui Jim's with 10.00 and fingers crossed.

Next I am heading up to bed for the evening with a full glass of water, and see something on my desk that needs to go upstairs with me. I grab it with the same hand that my water is in and 2 seconds later the full glass of water is saturating my 11 month old Apple Macbook.

F...!!!! I wipe everything down as I watch the screen fade to black. I continue with the toweling off, cursing my butter fingers. I go to bed promising my first born to all the computer gods.

The next morning I turn the computer on, and the screen comes up and I am over the moon. One week later I insert a disc and nothing happens except a funny noise coming from within. I take the computer into the Apple Store and explain the details to the clerk. He sends it to the Apple repair store. The next day I get a call explaining that my computer has been....and I quote, "Catastrophically Compromised". The mother board will cost 800.00 to replace. They send it back....still compromised.

Now losing the apple is no big deal. It was always more computer than I would ever master. It was all the photos and music that it contained. All my trips..... Panama, Costa Rica, Tuscon, Hawaii and all my weekend getaways in between. I have come close to calling Terry a few times for a disc, but I'm sure he can do without that, so I won't bother him. I never really blogged about those trips, so I don't even have blog photos. Oh well...

I have since bought a Toshiba with Windows and love it. I actually know how to use all the extras.

This whole experience has made me miss the good old days. When I used to spill things on my desk all I had to worry about were a few pages sticking together. Some of my old address books are priceless.

There have been a million other little inconvieneces, but I have spent enough time whinning. I will now go put my big girl panties on and start my day.

Do you like my new shoes?

Farewell My Friend.

2010-12-08T19:12:00.003-05:00

Donna and I spent a lovely evening with friends for Thanksgiving. The conversation was lively and we even got to sneak in a game of pool with the boys. There was plenty of food and we both came home with full bellies. We hit the hay early, because Donna had an early flight home.
They say, "Home is where the heart is", and I think this trip made it clear for Donna, that Apalachicola is now home. I am truly happy that Donna has found a happiness in Florida that eluded her here. The quaint, quiet lifestyle just fits her perfectly. She has settled in like a puppy to it's litter mate, and I for one am thrilled. Happiness often by passes those who make a lifetime searching for it. This story has a happy ending.
I am just glad for skype, email, facebook, phones and scrabble..... even with all that I can't help but feel a small void. Love you.

Party On.

2010-12-07T16:34:00.004-05:00

The day after Donna's birthday celebration at the Chart House, Donna and I went to a friends house to celebrate their birthday...oh yeah, Donna's too.

Mick and Gisella went to South America on the mission with us. Actually Gisella is the driving force behind most of the Colombia mission work. We had a wonderful evening talking about missions past and one coming up in August. This mission will take us to Cuzco, Peru.

As much as I would like to polish off my halo, and say this is a totally altruistic move on my part, the truth is Machu Picchu and the Inca Trail have been on my bucket list for awhile now. And hey...if I can do a little good along the way, why not? Mick and Gisella had hiked the trail and had photos to prove it. Donna has already said that she would be taking the train, 1st Class no less. I feel like if I took the train I would be missing out on an adventure of a lifetime. Of course it's easy to feel like that now, I'm sure around day 2 of hiking straight uphill,sleeping outside, not bathing and barely being able to breathe in that impossible altitude, I will be rethinking my need for adventure. Anyone out there want to join me?

The Never Ending Birthday.

2010-11-26T07:42:00.004-05:00

Donna celebrated her 50th year on earth November 12th, but because she didn't get back to Maryland until the 17th, the celebration continues. I know I have been guilty of celebrating my birthday for more than one day, so hey, party on!!!

On Tuesday evening "the girls", Donna, Donna's sister Ellen, Kris and I went to the Chart House, so Ellen and Kris could send out birthday wishes. I know I have mentioned before how comfy the atmosphere is in the lounge area of the Chart House, so comfy in fact that we decided to have dinner there as well as cocktails and apps. It is always great to have dinner with friends, but when those friends are also sisters, it just turns the fun meter up a few notches. What better way to end the perfect evening than with "Birthday" lava cake? 4 spoons please.

A Rolling Stone.....

2010-11-22T08:57:00.006-05:00

Donna has not stopped since arriving back in Maryland. Saturday after her seminar, she came home, freshened up and then we both headed out to meet her step-sons at Chevy's for dinner.

Her boys are both wonderful young men. The conversation was lively, while steering clear of Jose, Donna's soon to be ex. Peter, the younger of the 2 boys, is living with Jose, so it may not have been as easy as it seemed. Dinner was delish. Most of us had the sizzling fajita plates, mine was portabello and asparagus. Yummy.

The following day when I went to put my jacket on to walk Harper, I could smell the onions from the night before permeated in the fabric of my jeans and jacket. So today I'll be doing laundry while Donna is in her lecture series. Could my life be any more stimulating?

....And How Was You're Day?

2010-11-21T08:01:00.002-05:00

Donna signed up for a medical seminar while she is here. It is something she needs to do every 4 years to keep updated on her RN status. So while Donna is headed to Alexandria for her day of lectures, I head to Morgan Gerard's to learn about the 400 different facials you can get.

I get home at 3 and decide to rake the leaves. Donna gets home and tells me she learned how to insert an intravenous line into the bone. Intraosseus.......Can you imagine? Directly into the bone, it can make the difference between life and death. It was fascinating to hear about. In the mean time I'm learning how to make a hair appointment. I guess it beats asking if they would like fries with their meal.

She's Back!!!

2010-11-20T06:05:00.005-05:00

My friend Donna, who recently headed south to live, is back in Maryland for an action packed week. She got in late Wednesday night, so after about an hour of catch up and giggles, we said good night and crashed.

On Thursday, while I head to my first day of training at the salon, Donna heads to settle on the sale of her home here in "The Hood". I meet both her and her realtor, who is also a neighbor, for a celebratory dinner at a new Latin restaurant "Paladar". We had a wonderful meal and

caught up on the day's activities.

From dinner, Donna and Jean headed to book club and I headed home. I meet them about 30 minutes later, because there was going to be a belated birthday celebration for Donna. Did someone say cake? Well I have been in a few book clubs and realize that with Donna being back, the first 30 minutes would have been question and answer period for Donna. I probably should not have gone over for about an hour and a half, but knew that was well passed my bedtime. As soon as I get there the talk moves from Donna to the book, which I had not read.

I have been in clubs where the talk of the book is so riveting that it really didn't matter weather you've read the book or not, unfortunately this was not one of them. I was there for maybe 20 minutes, and after the first 3 all I could think of was weather or not I had been there long enough not to seem rude to leave. I lasted maybe 20 minutes before I excused myself reminding Donna to bring home some birthday cake.

Cutting Edge

2010-11-16T21:00:00.003-05:00

I went in to get my hair trimmed last Tuesday. It is the longest I've had it for some time. Liza cut layers into it and it looks great. The weight of it being all one length took all the natural curl out of it. Now I can shake it and the curls are all over. Not only did I leave with a great new do, "The Boys" offered me a job. I thought what the heck, I can only watch so much Kelly and Regis. So starting next week I will be working part time at Morgan-Gerard's. I'm looking forward to the new experience and I already told the guys if it becomes too mind numbing, I'm sure it's nothing a facial won't cure. Call for your appointments today.

What's Love Got To Do Wth It?

2010-11-16T09:49:00.006-05:00

Do you remember what it's like to fall in love? Weather it's for the first time, or the thousandth time.....everything seems to take on a clearer, more vivid hue. Well since the stars seem to have taken a vow of celibacy in my universe, for the time being anyway, I have made a discovery that changes all that for me. Polarized Sunglasses. I first became aware of the color intensity of my shaded world in Hawaii. The blues of the ocean and sky took on new shades from God's crayon box. Shades that were never in my box of 64. The mountains beyond were a subtle shade of green instead of the mousy brown that was offered sans shades. With the fall foliage well passed it's peak, my sunglasses have offered an extension. I find myself removing the glasses to see what it is that mere mortals must see. So until the "Love Gods" deem me worthy, I am content with my polarized sunglasses, and I don't have to cook for them.

Weekend Scare

2010-11-08T08:31:00.004-05:00

Harper gave me a scare last weekend. On Friday she didn't eat her dinner, but I didn't think too much about it because she's ignored her dinner in the past. The next day she passed on both breakfast and dinner. She also had diarrhea since Friday. Okay I figure if she doesn't eat on Sunday, I'll get her to the vet first thing Monday morning. Well she had other ideas.

When Sunday come around, her diarrhea was bloody, and she couldn't keep water down. Off we go to the emergency vet clinic.

I was afraid if I waited until Monday, Dr. Etter would have said,"...if only I had seen her 12 hours ago", I would never have forgiven myself. She had some sorta of virus that ran its course and she is now back in the pink. Oh yeah, Harper's vet bill was everybody's Christmas present. MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!

Lecture Series

2010-11-04T09:19:00.004-04:00

A friend of mine bought tickets for the "Baltimore Speaker Series". She has seen a number of interesting people speak, and asked if I would like to join her for Elizabeth Gilbert, the author of "Eat, Love, Pray".

I jumped at the offer. I picked Katie up at Mercy Hospital where she works,and we headed to Little Italy.

I have not been to Little Italy since Rachel's rehearsal dinner, and it has changed so much. Velleggio's is now closed. Can you believe it? After 40 years......anyway.

We had dinner at Amecci's, and dessert at Viccarro's.

Elizabeth Gilbert was delightful. I was a little worried because my attention span is not what it used to be. She had me spellbound from the moment she started. Sometime writers only have success on paper, their speaking skills are not quite as honed. This was not the case with Ms. Gilbert. She basically talked about her childhood, adding the perfect amount of anecdotes along the way. I liked her after reading "Eat, Love, Pray", now I really like her. She related that nothing could have prepared her for the success of the book and movie. She also felt bad that she could not help everyone who has ask for a part of her since the release.

During the question-answer period, she remained posed and answered the questions as best she could. She is my new best friend.

Non Stop Drinking

2010-11-04T08:38:00.003-04:00

The bar is barely set up when the first of the guests start to arrive. It's Show-time.

The wedding planner instead of the caterer ordered glasses, and I could already tell there were not going to be enough. We had about 1 million martini up glasses and 60 high ball glasses. Even I can do the math on that. At about 7:00 we started asking guest to save their glass. We had no sink behind the bar or we could have washed them ourselves. Well by 8:00 we were serving gin & tonics in martini up glasses. The way these people were drinking the glass it came in didn't matter. The problem with up glasses is you can maybe get half a drink in it, so we were pouring drinks from 4:30-10:00 non stop. By last call I felt like I had been run over by a train. Now we need to break down the bar, stack all unopened cases for the father of the bride to take home. Uuugghh. Before that begins I decide it is time for an Alleve or 3. When I get out of the car after the 75 minute ride home, my legs don't work. I walk that off, put my 200.00 check and tip money in my pocket and think how much fun tending bar really is. Needless to say, I slept like the dead that night.

Apalachicola Interupted.

2010-11-04T08:01:00.006-04:00

I've filled you in on Donna's house and I will get back to describe the "Mayberry-esque" town, but first a little life in Annapolis.

Last week I was given an emergency call by a friend of mine to replace a bartender for a wedding the following weekend. I gave up catering a while ago, when I realized my 50 something year old body was not usually happy with the outcome. Well you know me, a friend in need....

So here I am in a car heading to Fredrick. That's right, Fredrick. Heaven forbid the wedding be in Annapolis, or anywhere closer than a 75 minute drive. Find a happy place, find a happy place.

Now the set-up begins. Racks, and racks, and more racks of glasses have to be moved from point a to b. Cases of beer, wine and liquor also need to be moved. Now this would all be a fairly simple process if a dolly or cart were available. No such luck, just 2- 5o something year old girls. We didn't move quite this many cases, but it certainly felt like it. Oh! did I mention the 50 bags of 40lb. ice?

Projects Galore

2010-10-23T10:30:00.003-04:00

During that first week we had so many project going on. The Ace Hardware store now knows Donna on a first name basis. This would have been tedious work for some, but I loved it. I sanded, primed and striped a small dresser that went upstairs in my room. This was also an old piece of mine that Donna bought. It fit perfectly in one of the many nooks in The Tower.

More House

2010-10-23T08:59:00.004-04:00

I'm not going to go on and on about the house, but it is so cute I just have to show you the rest

of it. This is Donna's office, it has a french door that leads to the back deck. Lots of sunshine.

Next is Donna's bedroom. It is painted a pale peach and has such a feminine, peaceful feel. I'm

sure only sweet dreams will come from this room.

Now for my room, I called it "The Tower". It was the entire upstairs. Like so many rooms that were built on the second floor as an afterthought, the staircase is built very steeply because of space planning, or lack there of. I was very careful to use the hand rail at all times and to never accend or descend in stocking feet. Harper decided to sleep next to Donna, rather than attempt the climb. Who say's dogs aren't smart?

It had a twin bed because the double that Donna bought would not fit up the stairwell. Actually it wasn't the stairwell, but the turn from living room to said stairwell....anyway, a single was just fine for my stay. I also had my own bathroom, Donna bought the polka dotted bath rug just for me. Love me some polka dots.

All Work and No Play... Yeah, Right.

2010-10-23T07:14:00.006-04:00

The first week in Apalachicola was very busy. Boxes, boxes and more boxes, luckily Donna is very organized and her packed boxes made the unpacking very easy. Donna has a great sense of

style which made putting the house together all the more fun.

The living room is right inside the front porch. One of my favorite thing about this house is the 16' ceilings. When the owner added onto the early 1900 style house he stayed true to the existing style, unfortunately these photos don't do the house justice.

We did a little shopping at the local consignment and antique dealers, buying rugs and some odds and ends, and voila, living room fini.

The next room was the dining room, or library/den/spare bedroom. Donna is going to have plenty of visitors coming and going, because lets face it, you can never have enough friends in Florida, especially during northern winters. She decided to turn what would normally act as the dining room into another sitting area, using a pull out sleeper sofa as the seat. The sofa was purchased at the local garden center and was the perfect addition, and just in time, company's

on the way.

The kitchen is so cute.Dona bought the bistro set I had in my kitchen, and it could not have worked out better.

A Pink Treehouse

2010-10-22T09:37:00.010-04:00

The house Donna is renting is just darling. It has been raised to protect it from flooding and because of that, it sits high up in the trees. This is the view from the front of the house, but the back porch is the real gem.

This is where Donna and I spent every morning drinking coffee, talking about the task du jour and solving all the worlds problems. It is such a comfortable setting. It has a ceiling fan that keeps a breeze going at all times, and you are surrounded by palms. It's hard not to fall completely into the island groove. It truly became my favorite place to be during my stay. Before leaving Donna bought a wrought iron table and 4 chairs, which we sanded, primed and painted, it now acts as the dining room table on the far side of the porch. Aaahh, dining alfresco, is there anything better?

No Excuses

2010-10-22T09:03:00.004-04:00

I am always amazed how Sara and Rachel keep their blogs updated. I have been back from Florida now for 3 weeks and have just finished my Hawaii blog. So without further ado I will just give the "Cliff Notes" of my 4 weeks in Apalachicola.

Donna and I headed south around noon on September 5th. I packed Harper,and all the things I didn't want to be without for a month in the Element, and off we went.

We stayed on 95 the entire way, because with Donna driving a 26' Penske we decided the scenic route might be an extravagance we could do without. Penske also put a cruise control on the van that did not allow Donna to go over 70mph. We made it through Virginia, North Carolina and all the "Pedro Sez" billboards, ending up in Florence, SC. Donna checked us all in with her service dog card and the 3 of us called it a day. We got an early start and made it to Apalachicola at 8:00pm the following evening. Donna's friend, Roma, was there waiting with Winslow. We carried in any boxes that were blocking the mattress, then the mattress and called it a night.

The next day Roma, and another friend that Donna had met came over to help with the rest of the van. Donna also had 2 guys that had just landscaped her yard help out. Now we all know how much fun unloading a moving van is, and believe me when I tell you there was not an open space in this van. I am just very grateful that Donna is the kind of person that meets people, becomes friends with them, and they offer to help with a mission like that.

Reaching the Summit.

2010-10-09T11:55:00.007-04:00

This was just one portion of the fabulous view from the summit. The day was picture perfect. The air was clean and the sky was blue. We made it to the top, but we had to climb 8 more steps to be at the highest point. I didn't come this far not to make it to the tippy-top. Now we are at the highest point. Life is Good.

Kris and I also did the climb in under an hour and I am convinced if we didn't stop for our Asian photo shoot, and all the other photo ops we could have done it under 30 minutes.

Baby Steps

2010-10-09T11:13:00.006-04:00

From the trail head to the summit of Diamond Head Crater it is only 0.8 miles one way, and the climb is 560 feet. The switchback portion was easy and then come the steps. There are 3 separate sets of steps. When we get to the first set I just sorta groan then head up, but not

before I ask everyone to turn around and smile. This climb was 74 concrete steps.

The next set of steps came very soon after the first set. This set was 99 steep steps. My groan was much louder than the first time, but up we go. Now comes the spiral staircase, 52 metal steps. Spiral Stairs are fine when people are just going one way, but when they are coming down while you are going up it gets a little tricky. Oh! did I mention, we are up really high at this point. Getting a shot of this stairwell while it was empty was no easy feat. I am still trying to imagine all this with Riley and Hadley.

Speaking of Diamonds

2010-10-09T10:43:00.006-04:00

It is our last day in Oahu, and since Trey is walking wounded, Rachel has offered to take us to Diamond Head for our trek to the top. On Kris's last visit she tackled Koko, and after seeing that climb I was glad that we were doing Diamond Head. Once we got to the parking lot it was full, so Rachel decided to drop us off and take the girls for a ride. I told her to give us about 2 hours. Walking through the parking lot there were 5 empty handicapped spaces. Now I am all for the Disabilities Act, but come on this is Diamond Head, 5 spaces seemed a little excessive.

Kris and I start the climb and passed a couple, I asked how long it took them, and the guy said, " We did it in an hour, but we were really moving". Kris and I just smiled and continued on.

Now I have been on some climbs before where I have to grab my knees every few minutes to catch my breath. This was not one of those climbs. The switchbacks made the trek fairly level with a slight incline.

This photo is taken at the 1/2 way point. We found some Asian girls to take our photo.

This was the first of about 20. This with Kris and I. Then with Kris and I and 1 of the girls, then with Kris and I and the 2nd girl, Kris and I with the 3rd girl, Kris and I with all 3. Dear Baby Jesus, you would have thought we were world renowned climbers and having a photo taken with us would cement their popularity back home. I am not counting this as my 15 minutes of fame.

Pearl Girl

2010-10-09T10:20:00.004-04:00

They say diamonds are a girls best friend, but give me pearls any day. I am a firm believer that pearls work with anything, from the little black dress to jeans and a tee shirt.

After finishing up the funniest day, Rachel promised me we would stop at "Pearl Paradise". Needless to say I was in heaven. I opted for a simple single pearl on a gold chain.

After purchasing the one pearl, the clerk makes you go through a ritual for good luck. You hit a gong 3 times, and then shout Aloha. I gave Riley the mallet to hit the gong. 1, 2, 3, Aloha, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10... Riley was having a ball, and I can only assume I am going to have the best luck ever with this pearl. Oh.... and the laughter continued with Riley joining in.

Then you choose an oyster and get another pearl. What a sales gimmick. Now I've got this pearl with no setting. You know I'll lose it if I don't get a setting, I choose a crisscross gold band. Kris paid for it and gave it to me as my birthday gift. She already took me to see James Taylor and Carole King. Could there be any better sister in the universe?

Funniest Day of the Trip

2010-09-28T14:32:00.005-04:00

Each day on this trip has been fun-filled, but I have to say the day we went to Waikiki was the funniest. Rachel took us to the lagoon. We found the last available palm tree that would offer us a little shade. I don't think we had all the blankets down before Riley was in the water and Hadley was eating sand. After Rachel came back from her 5 mile jaunt with lunch, I decided Kris and I should rent a paddle boat and get a little exercise in. I figure we both could paddle 30 minutes, no sweat. Of course they only had hourly rental. We'll take it. We don't get 10 feet and we both realize something is wrong with the steering mechanism. We can only move in a straight line by peddling backwards. Of course this send us into hysterics. For the first 15 minutes we have tried everything to correct the problem, except for trading our malfunctioning flotilla in. We have been going in circles and I just looked at Kris and said, "45 minutes of fun left". Both of us start laughing until we're crying. Now we back our way towards Riley who is standing on the edge of the water probably thinking, "Please don't come any closer, I don't want people to know were related". No such luck. Kris hops off the boat as gracefully as one can and goes to get Riley. The little angel puts up with our nonsense long enough to go to the waterfall and back. I don't blame her. Kris walks her safely back to shore and now the fun begins. Kris has to reboard with as much finesse as possible. I am only sorry that I don't have any photos of this maneuver. The lagoon is really not that large of a space. We have gotten very close to the beach in order to drop Riley off, backwards mind you, so we pretty much have the attention of the entire beach. Kris is now waste deep in water and must jump onto the paddle boat without capsizing me. She has to do all this with us both laughing so hard we can't catch our breath. Every time she tries we just crack up again. I kept telling her not to worry about everyone watching. The dolphins did it while we were watching, pretend your a dolphin. It was truly the most I laughed in a long time. Kris did it on her third try after she stopped laughing. I'm only sorry I didn't have a fish to give her......and now we have just enough time to return the boat.

Saddle Up

2010-09-26T13:32:00.006-04:00

After the spiritual uplifting of the sunrise I am ready to roll. We head down the mountain about 1000 ft. in the van, something about too many accidents on National Park property to start at the very top. Great a few dead people have to ruin it for everyone else......anyway.

So what we are using for bikes are basic heavy steel framed bikes, no gears, just brakes. But when you are only going downhill, what more do you need? I am psyched, downhill is my friend. 38 miles of nothing but speed. NOT!!!! We had to stay behind the tour leader, who keep a nice pace, but a few in the group were not very experienced bikers. They braked the whole way down. I asked if I could just meet them at the bottom, but OH! NO!, I had to stay with the group. Ho Hum. It was still a blast, albeit a safe one. We stopped for breakfast and to peel off some of our layers. Because our group was so small we finished at 9:30am instead of the usual 1:00pm. I changed to an earlier flight back to Oahu. After 3 non-stop days of adventure I was looking forward to getting back on schedule with Rachel's girls. I missed my naps.

Sunrise

2010-09-26T12:36:00.002-04:00

My 3rd and final adventure in Maui was a sunrise bike tour down the side of a volcano. The van was to pick me up at 3:00am for the 1.5 hour trek to the volcano. Our group was only 5 people, and once we were all accounted for we went back to the main office for bike instruction and breakfast. After about an hour we got on the road. The sunrise is self explanatory. I won't bore you with all my inner reflections, but every morning at the exact moment of the sunrise, one of the park rangers preforms a sun worshipping chant from an historic Polynesian people. It was hauntingly beautiful.

When my eyes started adjusting to the dark the volcanic rock began to take on a "Lost World" feel. The low lying clouds only added to the eeriness.
TA DA!

Top 10

2010-09-26T11:08:00.006-04:00

After our first snorkeling stop the guides passed out gourmet lunches, and took us to one of the top 10 ranked beaches in the world. The beach really was beautiful. I loved that this one palm tree was smack dab in the middle of the beach all by it's lonesome. There were plenty of palms further back, but this little guy stood tall and proud for the whole world to notice. The sand was that fine grain that you find in hour glasses. After lunch and more snorkeling, I decided to explore the rocky coastline.

One of the things I enjoy about traveling solo is I can do my own thing. While most of the others in the group were sunning themselves or snorkling with a buddy, I hit the trail. The hike was not too strenuous, but the sun was at it's hottest. I wet down my shirt before I began and made sure my water was filled. The views, as always, filled me with awe.

After hiking for an hour I headed back for our 3:00 departure. That is "Princess Rock" behind me. "DON'T JUMP".

Once back on dry dock, I headed for the bus stop and realized, once again, I have been in a wet bathing suit all day. If you've ever been on a bus in Maui, you know I fit right in.

I got back to the hotel, showered and had a quick bite, then went to bed. I've got a 2:30am wake up call. The good news, "No Bathing Suit Required".

Bucket List

2010-09-26T10:45:00.004-04:00

One of the things on my bucket list is to swim with dolphins. Instead of doing it in guaranteed waters such as Sea World, I opted for this "sure bet"cruise. On the way out to the spot the guide was telling us that there have been no dolphin spotting that morning. One of the passengers on board had been on that cruise 4 times before, and had seen the playful mammals on each trip. My hopes are still high. On our first stop we snorkeled for 45 minutes, it was amazing, but no dolphins. The waters were so clear, and the fish plentiful, my only regret was not having an underwater camera. Now I have snorkeled before in Key West, Costa Rica and Panama, but never with the confidence that I felt on this trip. Normally I jump in and something like a barracuda, or Portuguese Man-o-war the size of a basketball scare me right back out. This time I stayed in the entire 45minutes. Okay, so the guide was cute and maybe I was showing off a bit, but I was truly enjoying myself. So much so, that not seeing any dolphins didn't spoil my day in the least. The photo above was taken at Water Wonderland (or something like that)in Oahu. It's just more fun to read with pictures.

Legends of The Fall

2010-09-26T08:30:00.006-04:00

We all board the boat, which is really nothing more than a pimped out, blow up, Zodiac. The ride to the dolphin spot is about 45 minutes away. Everyone (15 of us, including the 2 guides) gets acquainted on the ride out. One of my favorite things about traveling to new destinations is the folk lore attached to the location. As we get close to our drop, we pass a mammoth boulder in the middle of the Pacific. This is called "Princess Rock". As the legend goes a native girl, the chief's daughter, was waiting for her lover, a lowly tribe member, at the rock. While waiting, she was drowned in one of the caves surrounding it by the incoming tide. When her paramour arrived and saw his princess dead in the cave, he carried her to the top of the massive rock and buried her, marking the spot with a white cross (if you look real close you can see it in the photo). He then proceeded to swan dive to his death, thus becoming legend. I am just grateful there is no such rock in the Chesapeake (haha).

Cab or Bus?

2010-09-23T19:23:00.009-04:00

This morning I am heading out to Lanai for a day of snorkeling, hiking and beaching it. For this trip I had to find my way to Lahaina, a seaport where my boat was docked. Lahaina was exactly 22 miles from my hotel. When my cab driver dropped me off from the airport, I asked about a trip on Wednesday to Lahaina, he told me the cost is $80.00, I said,"round trip"?, he said, "no, one way". That would have been $160.00 round trip, that was more than I paid for the days adventure. After talking to the desk clerk, she suggested the bus. The bus stop was 2 blocks away, and cost $1.00. Yes that's right from $160.00 to $2.00, and I saw parts of the island the cab would have totally by passed.

How Much Further?

2010-09-23T11:57:00.007-04:00

When I go anywhere new, I love getting a lay of the land by touring the area first. Now when you're are in Key West, you have the "Conch Train", in Boston you have the "Duck Tours". Both of these tours run 3 hours tops.

We are going on hour 7 when we stop at the "RedSand" beach.

. Our tour guide lets us know that most tours only make 9 stops, we will be making 18. The elastic in my suit is not happy about this revelation. We have gone through some of the greenest, lushest section of Maui, now we are headed to the other side which is dry and arid. It's was like going from the forest to the desert. Oh!! did I mention we are now on an unpaved road, and of course my bladder is full? Heaven forbid I dehydrate. We all know that after turning the tired corner I am usually good for nothing, except for maybe whining. We are on hour 11 and all I kept thinking was, "when is this going to be over". I know now that I should never book a tour over 4 hours in any type of vehicle. The gods were smiling on me, because I was the first drop off. I could not get my suit off quick enough, jumped in the shower and went to bed to ready myself for my next adventure.

Flora Extraordnaire

2010-09-23T11:07:00.005-04:00

With everyone back in the van we head to a nursery. Unfortunately, I must have missed the memo on bringing an extra set of clothing, so you would not have the pleasure of being in a wet suit for the next 6 hours. Who cares? I'm in a wet suit in Maui.

The incredible flora in Maui will take your breathe away, why we had to stop at a nursery when the beauty is all around you was beyond me. Of course once the shopkeeper started to try to sell us 80.00 bouquet to mail home, it became clear. I am all for helping out the local economy, but a bouquet was not what I was in the maket for. Bring on the pearls.

These are just a few of the flowers that Maui had to offer. I must have taken hundreds of flower photos.

Black Sand Beaches

2010-09-23T10:27:00.005-04:00

After 4 hours in the van we stopped for our lunch stop at a black sand beach. We had an hour and one half to enjoy this scenic stop. I think a more appropriate name would have been black jagged rock beach. I could not be stopped from going into the brilliant blue water, but the lava

rocks made it a very slow and painful process.

The rocks did not stop at the waters edge, it continued for as far out as I could still stand. Needless to say, I dove in head first as soon as I could to relieve my hurtin' pups. The water was amazing, so clean and pure. After my 20 minute swim I did a little cave exploring in the same area. I'm not normally a cave person, they are too dark and I usually end up slipping on something slimy. Luckily the light at the end of cave was very close to the entrance, so darkness was not a problem, squeezing through was.

Road To Hana

2010-09-22T13:58:00.016-04:00

When I first knew I was going to see Rachel with Kris, I planned a 4 day excursion to Maui. I talked to all my friend who had been there and got the scoop on what not to miss. I booked 3 tours ahead of time, so as not to be left out on any of these breathtaking wonders. My 1st tour was called, "The Road to Hana".The tour van picked me up at my hotel at 6:30am, and I probably wouldn't be returning until 7:00pm. It's gonna be a long day. This was basically a tour of the entire Island, but there is one section, 68 miles long, that consists of 620 curves, 59 bridges, 49 of them are one lane. This portion of the road alone takes around 3 hours to complete.Believe me when I tell you this would be a cyclist's hell. We were in a 20 seat van, so the turns were either too close to the side of the mountain or inches from the on coming traffic. May I just say, "thank the Baby Jesus I was not at the wheel". Our guide said most tourist that start the drive end up turning around. Where they find enough space to turn around was another question all together.

We did find some space to pull over, never mind taking your life in your hands to walk to whatever the view was offering, but the outcome was always well worth it. Rainbow trees, Jaws Beach, where the largest waves on the North Shore have been riden by extreme surfers, and sections of the lushiest rain forest on the entire island

Quick Update

2010-09-22T13:37:00.004-04:00

For those of you who have been wondering where I've been.....

Back on September 5th, I headed to Florida to help my friend Donna move into her new digs.

Donna got behind the wheel of this 24' Penske with all of her worldly belongings, well at least half of all her worldly belongings. I packed up Harper, one of my bikes and a few summer things and followed closely behind her for the next 2 days and 1036.2 miles. ....but before we get into that whole adventure I've got to take you to Maui.

North Beach and Cholo's

2010-09-09T19:48:00.003-04:00

For this posting please go to www.livinglifeprewittstyle.blogspot.com

Thanks Rachel, I could not have said it better myself.

Pearl Harbor

2010-09-07T20:10:00.005-04:00

I don't think anyone can come to this memorial and not be touched in some way. I started with a 25 minute short film that was shown before our tour began, it brought tears to my eyes. Kris opted to sit it out and help Rachel with the girls, because it had the exact same effect on her last time she saw it. We loaded a boat to head out to the Arizona Memorial.

Normally on the ride over to the memorial the soldiers on the shuttle boat give you a brief description on what you are about to see, I guess this trip they were a bit tired, because no info was given. That's okay... I actually enjoyed the silence. It is such a somber sight. For those of you who have not been there, This memorial was built over a portion of the actual remains of the USS Arizona and the 1177 men who went down with it. On the far wall of the structure is the shrine room where the names of those killed on the Arizona are engraved....and they thought was just going to be another day of duty. It is amazing to believe that just one day before December 7, 1941 "Battleship Row" held 21 fully functional ships.

Bellows Beach

2010-08-28T20:03:00.003-04:00

After our invigorating hike we decided it was time for lunch. We had planned to go to the Subway because it was next to the beach Rachel had picked out for us that afternoon, The Bellows. Unfortunately due to a water break, Subway was closed, so we went to The Bellows Snack Shack. After lunch we hit the beach. Now I have been to alot of beaches in my day, and I have to say Hawaiian Beaches are among my favorite. Aqua-marine waters, Carolina blue skies, puffy white clouds, a lush mountain range as a back drop to it all, it was my paradise.

Kris took care of Riley's entertainment, while Rachel had Hadley in tow. Rachel had the light duty because after about 30 minutes Hadley was ready for a nap. Of course the nap was not before Rachel got stung, for the 2nd time in 3 weeks by a Portuguese man-o-war. There had to be 10 kids in and out of the water bogey boarding for the 3 hours we were there, not one of them got stung. Rachel is in the water not even up to her knees for 3 minutes and gets stung. What are the odds?

After being doused by the lifeguard with some sort of de-sting spray, Rachel just kept on keeping on. I love these mommy-baby shots.

While mommy and baby were getting stung and sprayed. Kiki was playing with Riley, and I do mean non-stop. Running in and out of the water to fill buckets for sand castles, digging in the sand, I'm telling you I was exhausted just watching them. This is not a 15 minute play session, this is the entire time we are at the beach. Now you have to understand the whole time Kiki is playing, she is bent at the waist, so she can be closer to Riley. So not only am I exhausted, now my back hurts. Of course my back was nothing, during all this play time Kiki forgot her sunblock. Aloe is now her best friend.

What a View!!

2010-08-28T19:27:00.011-04:00

With the better part of the trail behind us, we continue up and up. It seems like the end of the trail has gotten a few degrees steeper, some sick engineer's idea of a joke. We get to the end of one incline, turn the corner and see it is

still going up. Kris has relieved Rachel on stroller duty. I am saving myself for the return trip. As we reach the top of the hill, the view is stunning, and we all agree the hike was well worth it.

Full Day of Sun

2010-08-28T14:50:00.008-04:00

Watching Rachel with her 2 girls is amazing. She is such a loving mother, her girls both adore her. It is really nice to watch their interactions. Rachel has the morning routine with the girls down to a science. I am in awe just watching how smoothly the drill runs. Once they have been taken care of Kiki takes over, and Rachel can jump in the shower herself. What does she do when she is by herself? Today we are heading to Makapu'u Lighthouse Trail. This is a breathtaking (literally) hike up the side of a hill with the Pacific Ocean surrounding the trail. It is the first real exercise I have done since the boot has been taken off, and I feel great. It is just so nice to be out in the open and doing something physical, of course being in Hawaii while I'm doing it certainly doesn't hurt. Now I am walking up this hill with the sun in my face and all is right with my world. Riley decides she will walk with the big girls. I am thrilled with this because I can use Miss Riley as my excuse to go slowly. When Kris and Riley fall a little behind they both come charging up the hill to catch up.

Rachel, who after this trip will always be "Wonder Woman" in my eyes, not only gets herself up the trail, but does it while pushing both girls. That is an extra 52 pounds. I, of course, offered to push it on the way down.

Jet Lag

2010-08-28T13:00:00.002-04:00

Once we got to Oahu, Kris put in a call to Rachel, we grabbed our bags (first on the carousel), and waited at the big C for our ride to appear. 2 minutes later Kris, who will now be referred to as Kiki, was smack dab in the center of her 2 favorite "Hawaiian" grand daughters. Knowing we would probably be exhausted, Rachel planned a very low key day. Kiki was energized by the girls and totally switched into grandma mod. When I say grandma mod, that is by no means to be confused with slowing down at all. She actually reved up. Watching her running around with Riley was like watching the energizer bunny after chugging a full can of Hershey's chocolate syrup. I don't know how she did it, watching her was exhausting. I hit the sack around 5:00, that's 11:00pm east coast time, not to be seen or heard from until the next day. I know ho-hum.

First Class All The Way

2010-08-26T22:32:00.004-04:00

I was awaken this morning by Kris singing "We're going to Hawaii, we're going to Hawaii". That was all I needed to jump up, throw a dress on and head out the door. Kevin drew the short straw and had the pleasure of taking us to the airport. The first thing we saw leaving the house was the full moon, what better way to start a trip.

Once we got to the airport we headed to my old stomping grounds, "Continental". We did the self check-in, got our bags tagged "Priority" and headed to our gate. That's right "Priority". For Kris's birthday I upgraded our seats to First Class. If we were headed to Boston it would have not have been a big deal, but when you fly 12 hours, even to Hawaii, First Class makes all the difference in the world.

Kris and I watched "Sex In The City 2" each on our private screen, then we watched "Please Give". Kris continued movies with "Back Up Plan", and I finished reading Janet Evanovich's "Finger Lickin' Fifteen". This of course was all being done while being served breakfast, a 3 course lunch, ice cream with assorted toppings, fresh baked choclate cookies, free flowing wine and anything else our little hearts desired. I am loving this trip so far......

All Set To Go

2010-08-24T18:29:00.007-04:00

I'm staying over night at Kris and Kevin's tonight, we thought it best for our 3:30am wake up call. The sacrifices I make to go to Hawaii, I am surely destined for Sainthood.

So I find myself in Rachel's old bedroom, looking around at some of the remnants of her childhood. Her old white dresser and desk are still here, but her matching bed frame has been replaced by a wooden futon, courtesy of Justin. I remember when Kris and I went shopping for Rachel's bedroom set. She couldn't have been more than 5 years old....and now we are heading to Oahu in time to celebrate her 29th birthday...she now has 2 little girls of her own.

Happy Birthday To Me.

2010-08-19T08:22:00.006-04:00

On August 18th I started my 54th year to grey skies and a non stop rain, but that was not going to dampen my spirits. It is MY day. First thing in the morning I checked my email, 36 messages. Now the only time I have ever had that many messages was when I went to South America and had no access to my account, and most of those were drug ads. I had no idea that as a member of Facebook my birthday is common knowledge to all my Facebook friends. I got well wishes from so many people, thank you one and all. What a great way to start the day.

Earlier in the month Anthropologie sent me my birthday card along with a 15% discount coupon. That, with a gift certificate John gave me for watching Layla started my day. I got 3 funky tops that I really didn't need, but hey it's my birthday.

From there I headed to see "Eat, Pray, Love". Love, love, loved it. I really saw myself in that character. I don't think any women of a certain age, could not identify in one way or another. With all my travels coming up maybe I could write a spin off, "Eat, Pray, Eat, Like Alot, Eat".

I think I'm on to something.... After the movie I headed home. Another 46 emails.

.... and what is a birthday without cake and ice cream? I opted for a chocolate eclair and Ben & Jerry's Chubby Hubby. I love birthdays.

To end my special day I got an hour and half massage. I've been going to David for my massages ever since my birthday last year. His massages are unbelievable. He uses stones and oil in way that I am sure is illegal in many countries. When I leave I am really not sure I should be driving, I am lightheaded and soooo relaxed. If I were George Castanza, it would have moved.

I get home, crawl into clean sheets and eat, pray and smile.

Social Butterfly

2010-08-12T07:56:00.008-04:00

On Tuesday I went to a fund raiser for the Hospice of the Chesapeake. It was a crab feast held at a friend's restaurant. I was familiar with Hospice before, but since my mother's passing, I've become an admirer. The tickets were $50.00 and they had a great turnout. They had a wonderful spread of barbecue ribs and chicken, corn on the cob and assorted salads. Basically it's all the food that I hate to eat in public or without dental floss. Luckily, I hung out with my ex-neighbor and good friend Kathy Corry. A good friend is someone you can show your teeth to in public and ask if you have anything in between. The food and company was great. They also had a 2 kids playing guitar and singing. It was a wonderful evening.

Wednesday I was invited to the Annapolis Yacht Club by some friends I got to know through Woofs & Whiskers. We had an amazing lunch overlooking Spa Creek. This couple is so interesting and have done so many things, I felt like a sponge just soaking up everything they said. I had so many questions, lunch went by much to quickly.

Making the Time

2010-08-12T07:17:00.003-04:00

Since becoming a "Lady of Leisure" I am actually doing things. Going out always seemed to be such a chore. Because I dealt with the public 6 days a week, on my day off all I wanted to do was just unplug and try to rejuvenate myself. I would do somethings, but I always went screaming and kicking. Now I am actually enjoying myself.

Saturday, Kris and I went to our cousin Maura's for her annual "Tea". She has a wonderful collection of antique bone china, all different patterns. I have as much fun looking at the settings as I do conversing.

As most of you know Maura live in Towson, so Kris and I decided to ride up together.....with address in Garmin we are all set. Anyone who has a Garmin know that they have a mind of their own. Kris's decided to take us on the scenic route, through probably thee roughest section of Baltimore. It was actually pretty funny, I kept saying, "Don't look anyone in the eye". We got through it laughing all the way, the kind of frantic, get us out alive laughing.

At Maura's we were joined by the Timmick Girls, Aunt Dorie( it's been probably 45 years since we've seen her), Aunt Mary and her daughter, and Molly's mother-in-law. It was a great group. The kind that you get to telling stories and in 20 minutes you've been there for 5 hours. We all vowed to get together more often, and said our huggy goodbyes.

Another Loss

2010-08-11T08:18:00.005-04:00

Last week I got an email from Terry, the subject matter was "Dad".

I have not heard from or seen Terry since March, so I knew this was not good. I had the chance to meet Terry's father when we went west for our bike trip. We spent a lovely evening together with the rest of his family. He was a true gentleman. Terry's note said that his father had slipped into a coma and passed away the following morning. I am very glad that Terry made it out to Arizona. His father was surrounded by a family that loved him very much.

I called Terry to see how he was, an email just seemed so shallow. I wanted to hear his voice to make sure he was okay. I may have caught him a little off guard by the call, but we soon fell back into our comfortable manner. Once I knew he was all right and let him know if he needed anything to let me know, I said good-bye. I was happy to know that he too was surrounded by family that loves him.

Shed Much

2010-08-02T17:22:00.004-04:00

Kris and I went back to the shop after unloading and got down to the fun part, cleaning.

It's amazing what you find under furniture after 6 years. I think Kris found close to $10.00 in change, I found 5 tennis balls, 3 squeaky toys, 2 bones, packing peanuts, envelopes, tags and enough dog hair to make 3 small dogs.

After sweeping up most of the big stuff, Kris and I decided to get lunch and call it a day. We had both started at about 5:30am.

Monday morning I went over to do all the touch up to the shop. It took me about 2 hours to get it up to snuff. The only time I got a little misty was when I wiped off the nose prints from the glass front door. I will drop the keys off to the guys next door tomorrow. Another chapter closed. 22 days and a wake up until Hawaii.

Convoy

2010-08-02T16:51:00.007-04:00

With all the fixtures loaded we caravan down Rt.50. Okay our headlights weren't on so I guess we weren't officially a convy, but it's fun to pretend. Got everything unloaded, and I can't thank

everyone enough for all their help.

John and BJ had the pleasure of carrying an 18 drawer dresser upstairs, and a cathedral sized bench downstairs.....which is no small feat because of the turns in the stairwell. After they put their heads together and used their mathematical wizardry, they managed to get the pieces to the designated rooms. We were finished by 11:00.

That being said, my garage now looks like a furniture warehouse sans the warehouse. I see a garage sale in my near future. Luckily for me, I now have plenty of time to get it all together.

All Hands on Deck

2010-08-02T16:18:00.005-04:00

Whenever something needed to be done in the Gunning household my father would bellow, "All Hands on Deck", and if you were within ear shot you had better show up ready to work.

After looking around the shop at the end of the day Saturday, I thought if I called John and Brian it would only take 1 load each SUV and I could have the store cleared out in no time. Even though Heather bought all my merchandise, I still had all the fixtures that needed to be removed. So I called the boys and gave the old battle cry and they agreed to meet me at the store at 10am on Sunday, no questions asked. Kris of course was already on board.

John showed up first. I was counting and boxing inventory to transfer up the street. By the time Kris showed up (on time), John and I had already filled the Element, and were working on his car. Brian pulled up, and the piece that was going into his car would fit better in 2 pieces. I knew when he asked for a screwdriver it was going down. Oh well...nothing a little gorilla glue won't take care of.

In the Dark.

2010-07-31T20:53:00.006-04:00

July 31, 2010 Woofs & Whiskers last day.

I'm heading into the shop today with a happy heart. I know I am doing what is right for me at this point in my life. So we all get to the store and I walk in, go to the front to turn on the lights and Oops, no lights. I go next door to see if they have electricity. In the last 2 weeks it's gone off twice due to the heavy storms in the area...Yep they have lights. I have to use Morgan-Gerard's phone to call BGE. They have a turn-off order for he 31st. I won't even go into the conversation I had with the BGE employee 2 weeks ago cancelling service on the 1st because I would be open on the 31st and I would need service until 4pm that day..... anyway, they would not be able to turn it back on until Tuesday. NEVER MIND.

Not having lights is one thing, but I have no phone, no credit card machine, no register, no fax, no air and now my happy heart is copping an attitude. Luckily for all of us it was a beautiful day and I opened all the windows and we had a lovely breeze. By the end of the day, 3 friends that could not reach me by phone came in to say good-bye, my sister Kris came by to make sure I was okay, and Donna called me at home from Florida letting me know she was thinking about me all day. My happy heart is back, I know I am loved.

Blue Without You

2010-07-29T13:34:00.006-04:00

With 2 days left at Woofs & Whiskers it seems that everyone who ever came into the store has stopped by to tell me how much they will miss Harper and I. I put on a happy face and tell them "It's all good, I'm closing because I'm ready for my next adventure". Of course they all want to know what that's going to be. I let them know I'm going to travel for a while

and see where the wind blows me. It's the pups that are really going to be "BLUE".

Yes... the Groomer colored her dog in memory of me. Poor thing. His name is Chewy, I am calling him Bluey.

Changes Are Coming

2010-07-29T13:14:00.002-04:00

It never ceases to amaze me how much life can change in such a short time. Those of you with small children certainly see it everyday. My changes are nothing as dramatic as some are, but in my little world they are major. A year ago I had a booming business, a very special someone in my life, a home that I loved and a very good friend to walk dogs with. All that has changed now except my home, but I'm not so sure I love it in Annapolis anymore. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining. I am actually one of those people that thrive on change.
I've been wondering what in the world I was going to do with all my excess inventory. I finally cleaned my garage out, just to refill it with pieces from my mom's house. I was dreading putting all the extra store stuff in there as well. I was imagining myself on ebay in my basement for the rest of my life. Uuugghhh! The owner of "The Grooming Salon" down the street came in on Tuesday and said, "Whatever you don't sell, I'll buy". OMG!! Can you believe it!! Thank you Baby Jesus.

Om Ar Hung

2010-07-20T13:32:00.004-04:00

I have started a Tibetan Buddhist Meditation class. There are probably as many schools of thought on meditation as there are people in the universe. I have done meditation before, but I never had the discipline to make it part of my daily routine. I don't know what makes me think that this class will be different.

So here I am, week 2 of TBM and we are focusing on our breathing and mind. Inhale through the nose Om, let the air flow through Ar, exhale through the nose Hung. After 5 minutes of this, I am in a very peaceful state. It is impossible to think of anything else when you are so completely concentrating on breathing and Om, Ar, Hung. In with the good air, out with the bad.

Next... everyone is to concentrate on an emotion. I pick happiness. If I want to concentrate on anger or sadness I can call a family member. This is my "Happy Place". The women next to me just buried her husband yesterday, and of course, focuses on sadness. By minute 2 she begins crying and her sniffling is disrupting my "Happy Place". After the 5 minutes we have a question/answer period. The big cry baby begins to tell the story of losing her husband and my "Happy Place" is beginning to build a resentment wall. Now don't get me wrong. I am very sympathetic to losing a loved one, but don't they have a grief management group for that? I am here to find relaxation, sort of a respite from the real world. If I want to hear sad stories I can stay at work for an extra hour, or go back to AA meetings. Anyway 3 more weeks for "Enlightenment".

Emotional Roller Coaster

2010-07-18T17:26:00.005-04:00

There are times in my life where thing seem to just flow, then there are other times where I just can't seem to catch my breath. There is so much going on in my life now that I feel like my plate is overflowing. With Donna leaving I feel this overwhelming sadness, but I also feel selfish for that sadness. I know this new start for Donna is something she has wanted for sometime now, and I also know she will flourish because of it... and because of that, I am thrilled for her.

Woofs & Whiskers now has an "Everything Must Go" sign up and I have 2 more weeks until the doors are closed for good. A very good friend of mine came in last week and I cried on his shoulder about Donna and Winslow leaving that morning. He just said, "Terry, it's like the sign says, everything must go". Richard has a way about him that is both spiritual and realistic, that statement pretty much summed up past, present and future all in one.

Farewell My Friend

2010-07-16T09:56:00.003-04:00

Donna left this morning to start her new volume. When you reach our age and leave everything that you have known for the last 25 years, it's not just a new chapter, it's a volume. Harper and I met Winslow and Donna down at the neighborhood gazebo for our last round of chucking tennis balls. It is so sad to say goodbye to someone who has become a real friend, so I didn't. I told her to be safe and that I would see her in September. As I headed to work I looked towards her home and the familiar red truck was gone, I stopped and bought some chocolate and called my older sister to cry. Donna is now on her way to my younger sister to start her healing. Thank God for sisters.

Dog Days of Summer

2010-07-06T09:44:00.004-04:00

I am trying to get as much Donna time in as possible before she heads south. A mutual friend of ours has a pool and has given us both an open invitation to drop by whenever we feel like it. She has a boyfriend with a house at the beach, so she is rarely there on weekends. Donna and I packed up the dogs a had a great day of sunshine. It was the day before the 100 degrees hit and it could not have been nicer out.

Just Another Joint

2010-07-03T11:35:00.003-04:00

After dinner we headed to the jam session. I was anxious to hear some of the talent that I was told came far and wide for this get together. What I wasn't aware of was the location that all this talent was to gather for our listening pleasure. It was the "Democratic Club" in Eastport. I have been to some joints in my day, but never sober. I truly believe that some places are better seen in double, this place was not one of them. It is one of those places that is really dark. The only light came from the register, the classy hanging Budweiser pool table light or from matches lighting up cancer sticks. I got through half a glass a water, watched Donna and Tracy play half a game of pool and thanked the Baby Jesus I had my own car. Some times reading is just more fun, but you gotta play to win.

Eat, Drink and be Terry

2010-07-03T09:13:00.007-04:00

We decide before the jam session, we'll get a bite to eat at "The Boatyard Grill".

The Boatyard is a great local pub in Eastport. Tracy decides she would like to eat at the bar. If it's just 2 people I love eating at the bar, but with 4 the conversation generally breaks off in pairs. It did.

Having been a bartender at one junction in my life, I love to watch bartender/customer interaction. Well Tracy decided to order Donna a Stoli vodka gimlet, straight up, but asked in her best flirty little girl way if he would use fresh squeezed lime instead of Rose's lime juice. He was very cordial and said since it wasn't busy it would be no problem, he asked if Tracy would like one as well. "No thank-you". Being a vodka gimlet drinker from way back, I know the difference between fresh squeezed and Rose's is like night and day. So the bartender painstakingly chills the glass, pours the Stoli over crushed ice and squeezes two lime halves to make what looks like the perfect Vodka Gimlet with pulp. Yummy!! The minute the bartender put it down in front of Donna, Tracy said she'd like one as well. Good thing my bartender days are behind me.

Girls Night Out.

2010-07-03T08:50:00.007-04:00

I have not gone out lately, especially on a school night, but when Kae called and said a group was getting together to go listen to some great bands in Annapolis and Crofton, I said cout me in. I am one of those people that thinks something sounds really good when told about it, but when the time comes I would really just rather stay home and read. This time I did not back out because there won't be too many more girls night out that include Donna. After coming home from work and getting all the dogs settled, freshening myself up...I go to start up the Smart Car (aka Scout) and find the battery dead. It's been awhile since we've been out.

Well... I figure I'll get her out of the driveway and try to jump start her. NOT!

I walk to Donna's, and wait for the others to show up. Now we have 2 single women, 1 soon to be divorced, and 1 who lives in a separate home from her husband, but is still married....How many girls does it take to jump a car? One if you know where the battery is.

Where would you put a battery on a Smart Car? Not in the back, barely enough room for the engine there. In the front then, what front? Where else is there? Under the passenger floor mat. Who didn't know that?

We all know red=positive, black=negative, but do you start the charging car before attaching the cables to the dead battery. We all decided since my hair was the straightest I would be in charge of attachment. Ta-Da it started on the 2nd try, once I figured out what part of the battery to attach the cable to. Trust me when I tell you, you have never seen a smaller battery.

Another One in the Loss Column.

2010-06-30T15:59:00.005-04:00

A very near and dear friend of mine asked her husband of 25 years for a divorce last Monday. I honestly believe that once she is on her own, she will bloom. She has such a wonderful spirit and I often thought her husband stifled her, but it was her husband. The transition is going to be difficult at best. Not only is she leaving her husband, but she gave notice at the hospital she's worked at for over 15 years, and she is leaving the state to help with the effort in the "Gulf Cleanup". I so admire her moxie, but I will miss her terribly. I am behind her in whatever choice she makes. In 32 days my shop will be closed and who knows, maybe I'll be wiping off a pelican or 2.

Sweet Suite.

2010-06-24T11:32:00.004-04:00

Ever since I heard James Taylor and Carole King were doing a reunion concert, I knew I had to be a part of it. So I called Kris to see if Tim could get us tickets. Tim is an advertising executive with Channel 7, and also Kris's brother-in-law, he can usually score great tickets. I put the bug in Kris's ear about 6 months ago and when I didn't hear anything about their June 9th concert, I just figured it was too hot a ticket. Woe is me.

Well the response to their first concert was so great, they scheduled another for the DC area. Kris called last Thursday to see what I was doing on the 23rd, of course I'm thinking, "Oh Dear Baby Jesus, what needs to be done at mom's house now? Being the ever helpful sister, I say I think I'm free that night. Well when she said she got 2 tickets for the Troubadour Reunion, my scream may have broken her ear drum. I can't remember the last time I looked forward to something so much. Everyday we would call each other with a "JT" or "Tapestry" song to begin the conversation. Now being a part of this concert would have been enough for me, but Tim being who he is got us access to the Channel 7 Suite. Now there are alot of suites owned by various big-wigs, but Channel 7's is what would have been the equivalent of the 50 yard line at a football stadium. Our seats were Primo.

The stage was round and centered on the floor. It was constantly circling so everyone in the audience got equal face time. The music was vintage "JT" and Carole Kings's "Tapestry". I could not have been happier with their music selection, if I had given them my own set list. Both voices were crisp and clear and when combined, the harmonies were straight from the heavens. I don't know about anyone else, but for me music can conjure up such images, some good, some not so much. I got a little misty eyed on 2 of the songs, but those are my memories. This is a concert that will be with me for years. Thank you Kris, Tim and Leslie.

2 Weeks To Go

2010-06-14T16:19:00.003-04:00

Yesterday was the first day in the 6 weeks I've had my cast on that I was actually grateful.

The "Eagleman Triathlon" took place in Cambridge yesterday at Odark:00. Due to the cast still on my foot I followed the race on line, instead of being a participant.

With Kathy's critters I was still up before the sun, and it was so humid out that I was soaked after the walk. So I'll consider that the mile swim. As the swimmers were transitioning to the bike, I was in AC watching "Inglorious Bastards"(2 thumbs up). The humidity got worse throughout the day, and I kept thinking how glad I was that I wasn't out in that sauna peddling 56 miles. I talked to my girlfriend who participated, after the race was over, and she said she was fine until about mile 40. At that point she started to loose feeling in her legs, and on a bike that's not good. She finished, but said it was rough. The problem with biking on the Eastern Shore are the headwinds, she said they were brutal, add humidity and you've got yourself 56 miles of non-stop misery.

No more complaining about my cast. I get 'em next year. Kris, You in?

Chuck Wagon

2010-06-12T05:56:00.008-04:00

After a Saturday of sister bonding, Kris and I are back on the road with our precious cargo for home. Part of the mission for this trip, aside from bringing mom's stuff down, was to pick up Kathy and Kelly's pups to take care of while they are cruising the Mediterranean. What's wrong with that picture?

So with Sami and Chloe in tow we are back on the road at 6:45am. I take the first turn behind the wheel, because mornings are when I shine. Well without coffee I only shined for the first 100 miles. We stopped at a rest area, so Kris could take over and we could give the pups a walk.

Kathy had forewarned us that Chloe needed to focus when she went out, so I took Sami one way, and Kris & Chloe went the other. We meet in the middle and walked back to the car together. On the walk back Chloe found a delightful scent to roll in. We didn't think much about it until we got back in the car. Now "The Chuck Wagon" on it's best day, has that lingering wet dog smell. Add freshly rolled in dog poop and you've got yourself a gag cocktail.

Now even with my well adjusted to dog smells nose, I knew this was not going to make the next 530 miles possible. We are now back on the road, so I climb into the back seat, and on closer inspection find Chloe's harness is cover in eau de poopfume. So there I am, feet dangling over the passenger seat, full body stretched over the crates, trying to undo the door which is facing the tailgate. Lots of trucks honking during this little maneuver. I remove the harness and wrap it in a poop pouch. At the next gas fill up, Kris buys hand sanitizer and sodas and off we go. The rest of the trip in comparison was uneventful. Thank you Baby Jesus.

Kris get us home safely, helps me bring all the paraphernalia in, then she head home while I start laundry for Chloe's harness and put Chloe in the sink for her bath. It's going to be a long 2 weeks.

I Scream, You Scream

2010-06-10T14:01:00.006-04:00

As Kris and I head to Kathy's car, I whisper to Kris to get in the backseat where I join her. Kathy turned around and said, "Oh no you don't". We both started laughing, and said we heard "Big Black" call shotgun.
After leaving Waverly we all decided to go to the local ice cream joint, Steaks and Shakes. Unfortunately they didn't serve Jack Daniels Floats or Cosmopolitan Sundaes, but we all enjoyed talking about our adventure.
Kris said as we were leaving she felt someone or something pull on her dress. Whooooooooo.
I was just thrilled with all my "Spirit Photos".

Keep Out

2010-06-10T13:48:00.006-04:00

After a few more scary stories including how before cameras were set up, people would break in regularly to see for themselves if the place was haunted. 3 boys were on the 4th floor with the hatchet they used to break in when the doors out were all sealed shut. They used the hatchet to try to break open the door to escape. When they were found later that night, the door was not jammed and was easily opened. They themselves were white as ghosts and all 3 had wet themselves. Good grief, they had a hatchet.. Hello.

This is what the door looked like. Sorry I wasn't there to get a picture of their pants. Our 2 hour tour was wrapping up and we all agreed we were very glad we had taken the 8:00pm tour instead of the 10:00pm.

I Ain't Afraid of No Ghosts.

2010-06-10T12:30:00.007-04:00

As we continue the tour, we get to see the morgue and coolers bodies were stored in. The tour guide offered any disbelievers 10 minutes head first in the middle cooler. Kris and Kathy wouldn't let me volunteer, but then again, I'm not a disbeliever. Because of the number of deaths we are told that the meat locker was also used for storing bodies. Anybody for a roast beef sandwich?

As we continue we are told about shock treatment and other atrocities preformed on unsuspecting patients. I truly believe that the stories told throughout the tour made you more frightened than the building itself. Suicides, devil worshiping sacrifices on a homeless man and his dog. What kind of freak sacrifices a dog?

When we get to the 4th floor, "The most active floor", it has gotten dark out and you can barely see a thing. We split into 2 groups and as our eye adjust we witness the shadow people. Unfortunately we were asked not to use flash photography, so you'll just have to take our word for it. They were like the shadows in "Ghost" when the bad guys were coming to take you to a bad place, just without the noise.

Our tour guide also informed us that his only attack was on this floor. Some guy he called "Big Black", hit him square in the back and he told his friends something hit him, he heard a voice say, "I kicked you". Hit? kick? Does it really matter? As we continue on this floor I start whispering "Come on Big Black, show yourself". Kris and Kathy were not too happy with that, and both in chorus said, "Stop It". At that point our tour guide stood off to the side, so we could all pass into another creepy filled room. Now remember it is really dark in this hallway, and Kris and Kathy see the dark form of our guide in the corner after I have challenged Big Black and start freaking out. Of course I can't stop laughing. Big Babies.

To Be, ORB Not To Be.

2010-06-10T11:15:00.007-04:00

Some people believe that orbs found in photos are souls of departed people, other believe they are caused by the flash reflecting off glass, mirrors or walls. Some think they come from moisture, dust or even insects. Of course my vote is spirits. Our tour guide just finished telling us about a photo taken in front of these windows of 2 girls, and when the photo was developed there was a 3rd girls in between them. Well, of course I rush to give George the camera to take a photo of the 3 Gunning Girls. Kris is leaning so far forward and I'm not sure if it was to give room for the spirit we were so sure would show up on our photo, or if she was unconsciously trying to roll into the fetal position. I really have to give Kris kudos for even joining us, it was sort of a surprise. SURPRISE!!!!

Now tell me we don't each have an orb over our shoulder. Oh Yeah! Mine's the biggest. I win.

A Two Hour Tour.

2010-06-10T10:08:00.006-04:00

Waverly Sanatorium's history is fascinating. I can tell you that it was built in the early 1900's, on the highest point in Louisville to house all the patients afflicted with Tuberculosis. It was toted as the most advanced hospital of it's kind for that time period, but when you hear what they did to patients, all you can think is "how barbaric". They lost approximately 1 patient per hour. To keep the morale of the still living patients up, they devised a "body chute" or "death tunnel" to transport the bodies. At the bottom of the tunnel the waiting hearse, or family member would pick up the body. Some bodies were never claimed, they are in a mass grave somewhere on the property.

We had 6 people in our group. Kathy, Kris, Kelly, Bonnie, George and I. Kelly had a personal interest in the place, her great aunt died at Waverly on the exact same day as our tour, 74 years earlier. It really put things in perspective when Kelly said, "My aunt went down this chute".
If you notice the tunnel had steps on one side and a slope on the other for easier transport. This is the photo on Waverly's site. Mine has orbs and will be download soon.

The Most Haunted Places....

2010-06-09T10:44:00.005-04:00

Anyone who knows me knows I have a fascination with the spirit world. Not the demonic part, but the Casper the Friendly Ghost stuff. Whenever I travel especially if I'm going somewhere Historic, I always google haunted B&B's to stay in. Well about 6 months ago I was watching the Travel Channel and they were doing a special on the most haunted places, well low and behold, one was in Louisville, Kentucky. After the show was over I called Kathy and asked her all about it. Guess where we went Friday night? That's right.

"The Waverly Sanitorium".

Thelma & Louise Hit The Road Yet Again.

2010-06-09T10:15:00.004-04:00

After loading up the Honda with mom's furniture and a pieces of artwork that had a perfect spot in Kathy's living room, Thelma and I hit the road. It was Louise who fell for Brad Pitt, right?
I love traveling with Kris, she is so far a superior driver than I am, but she just sit backs when I'm behind the wheel. I know her insides are clenched very tightly, but she doesn't say anything..... Well except when I drifted in to the other lane, and went through the speed limit signs 25 miles above speed limit. I drove the first 295 miles then Kris took over at a rest stop and finished off the 630 miles.
The credenza was strapped in nice and tightly and we didn't have any incidents on our trip. The ride home was a different story.......