Las Vegas, Raspberries and a Bittersweet Farewell

Friends & Mateys!
I have so much to tell you. Grab a drink and a little snack because we have some serious catchin' up to do. The rain finally quit and that's when the real fun began. Here's a summary...

First of all, I noticed a fantastic deal on the internet for The Bellagio in Las Vegas. $90.00 a night. If you're at all familiar with this 5 star luxury hotel/casino, then you know this deal is phenomenal. Too good to pass up. So me and my friend, Jenifer, promptly booked a two night stay. (Going with a friend, of course, means half price, right?! Woot!)

We flew out of Salt Lake City on the 28th of June. When we arrived at The Bellagio, the check-in lines seemed to be a bit long. So we decided to check our bags with the bellhop and run around for a bit and do some gambling. Six hours later we finally drag ourselves back to the registration desk. Well, this turned out to be a very good move because they had apparently filled all the rooms they had blocked for the $90 rate. Can you say "Free Upgrade"? We got a $500/night suite with a foyer, living room, 3 baths, 4 large flat screen TV's. It even had a doorbell and buttons on the wall to open/close the curtains. Fun! And you don't just get the typical soap/shampoos/conditioners. They also give you hairspray, bath gel, toothbrushes, razors, loofahs, slippers, box of chocolates, etc. It was "suite" indeed! I slept like a queen- the beds were "mmmm mm". Next day we had spa appointments. An hour massage and then four hours spent lounging in the saunas and pools. Fruits and drinks complimentary. It was delightful. So relaxing. We didn't win much as far as the gambling goes but felt we hit the jackpot regardless. Had such a great time.

I spent the entire month of July boating, swimming and golfing with family and friends. I had my granddaughter two different times for 5 days each (sans her parents). She was such a joy- kept the Captain pretty busy! He's her "favorite Grandpa" but he reminds me he works very hard to earn that title. LOL! They're so cute together.

I did a lot of baking too. Our neighbors knocked on our door as they were leaving town and told us to help ourselves to their raspberry bushes. They wouldn't be back for two weeks and the birds and deer would just eat them. We went over for five straight days and loaded up. These were gorgeous, large berries! I baked 3 raspberry coffee cakes and 2 pies. I also made raspberry vinegar, syrup and pancakes; sent a few quarts home with family; and had enough leftover to freeze about 3 quarts. I hope they invite us over again next year! :) Or did we make pigs of ourselves?

End of July and it was time to pack up and head for Michigan. Always bittersweet. We hate to leave our family and friends. Very hard to do. But, at the same time, our little MI cabin in the woods is in such a beautiful location. The hubs has been spending his summers here since he was 14 so it's a very sentimental spot to him. This is where we really unwind and relax. It's much cooler here though. The end of summer will come more quickly for sure. We've done a few fun things so far but I'll post those adventures in my next blog. I don't want to overwhelm you. ;)

Happy Sails!

(P.S. I tried to add more pictures but it's a very slow connection day. I'll make up for it next time.)

A Happy Mess!

Wow! Did anybody call the WAAAAambulance after that last post?? Um, I kind of went off... how embarrassing. Let's forget that ever happened and just move on, shall we?!

To ensure your visit is a pleasant one, today I'll just be treating you to some visuals with minimal jabber. Doesn't that sound refreshing? Go ahead, take a minute and grab an iced tea or beverage of your choice. I'll wait...

Last year we had a couple of Orioles helping themselves to the hummingbird feeder. Well, they're baaaack! And I believe it's an entire family now. There's five that I can tell. Aren't they so pretty? I tell you what, they sure drink a lot. We fill the feeder about every three days.

Here are a couple of pictures that I took at the Bear Lake Marina yesterday. The boating season hasn't quite ramped up yet this year but in another few weeks, the place will be packed.

And here's some shots of the garden The Captain planted for me under the deck with some varieties I've never tried before.



And how about this little chunkmeister. Isn't he cute? I don't know if he's losing his baby down or if he's just wet and scruffy. I haven't seen him since so I assume he's morphed into the typically sleeker version and I just don't recognize him anymore.



Well now, wasn't that so much better than listening to me whine. I promise to try and behave myself from here on out. Life will be nothing but lollipops and roses. And, maybe cheesecake for good measure. ;) I'll be a happy mess!

Happy Sails!

Signs of Our Times

Hi guys!

I have to admit that I haven't been feeling very creative in the Wordart field lately. Too much playing on Facebook and reading other people's blogs. And the weather has been beautiful so the Captain and I have been golfing and boating. (BUT, considering the download numbers on my 4shared account, my Wordart isn't the big draw here. LOL!)

Instead I'll try to be entertaining by other means. :) So I decided to post some photos of signs that I've seen recently in my travels. They need no explanation really. But just in case you're dying for more info, I'll provide brief details.

Sign #1- This was taken in the rain forest on St. Croix in 2008. And, trust me, the road was in bad shape! The people who live there obviously were trying to make a point to get it fixed and I'm happy to report that when we went back this year, the road was in much better shape. So, it worked!

Sign #2- Obviously taken just outside Roswell, NM. Unfortunately, we didn't spend any time in Roswell nor did we drive out to the UFO Crash Site. We were tired of being in the car and just wanted to get to our destination- which happened to be Carlsbad, NM where we toured the cave. (Side note- the cave is amazingly huge! You have to see it to believe it. Very interesting- but there's not much else out there to see so take a minute and enjoy Roswell when you pass through.)

Sign #3- Yes, this is an actual event that takes place annually in the small town of Woodruff, UT. Every small town around here has some sort of festival. Brigham City has Peach Days. Garden City has Raspberry Days. Tremonton has Wheat and Beet Days. Pleasant View has Founder's Day... and so on and so on. But Woodruff's is by far the most interesting. They actually have a booth where you can buy Rocky Mountain Oysters to munch on. Um, I'm not brave enough to try these little delicacies but my hubby says they're quite tastey. Okay. I'll trust him on that one. Question- did they spell it right? I thought it was ...cal. Hmm.

Well, I'm off tomorrow to the big city to have dinner with my girlfriends which I haven't seen since I arrived here on 4 May. They've just been so busy. I'm embarrassed for them that they haven't found time for me! So I'm looking forward to sipping a 'grita and catching up on all the dirt. It will literally take hours. I'm so excited! Hehehe!

Until next time,

Happy Sails!

Hug A Hero Day!

Memorial Day! A time to reflect and give thanks to all those who have served and are serving. The American Heritage Dictionary defines a hero as follows- "any man noted for feats of courage or nobility of purpose; especially one who has risked or sacrificed his life."

Some of you may be attending special ceremonies today while others are simply enjoying some time spent with family and friends. Either way, I hope you take a moment to pause and say a silent Thank You to these special men and women. What would our country be without these brave folks defending our rights and freedoms? If you know someone in the military, give them an extra big hug for all Americans when you get the chance. I, personally, don't know anyone serving at the moment, so I'd appreciate you giving someone a well deserved squeeze for me!

Happy Sails!

A Really Good Day

Summer doesn't "officially" kickoff until the latter part of June. But the season here is so short that this holiday weekend is official enough for us. We got the boat in the water today and I'm happy to report, she started up like a champ! We only saw maybe 5 other boats out there. The water was calm and smooth. No wind. The temperature wasn't that warm (only upper 60's) but it felt so much warmer. It was one of those near perfect days. My hubby tried to do a little fishing but nothing was biting. So we were content to float awhile, sipping sodas and eating crackers and beef jerky. ; )

It was so beautiful that we were a little tempted to put the wakeboard in and try to improve our skills. But the water temperature is only near 50 degrees right now so we'll wait on that. There were swimmers on the beach though. Are they crazy? Maybe they're out of state'rs and won't have another opportunity. Brave souls indeed! The water is such a beautiful blue that it kind of calls out to you to "come on in". It's easy to lose your senses. LOL!

So, with my declaration of the beginning of summer, I came up with two fun summery word art pic's that you can use for your 'fun in the sun' photos. Hope you can use them. And, remember, no terms of use. Change as you wish. Also, if you'd like the "Life's a Beach" minus the lobster, let me know. I can take him off real quick for you and send it via e-mail. Click on the title of this post to go to my 4shared folder to download the goods.

Also, I've been experimenting with my camera so check back. I hope to have some nice photos ready to post soon that you might enjoy! Thanks for hoppin' aboard today!

Happy Sails!

I'm Blessed

Good Morning Mates!
I wanted to share my latest work with you. I took this picture in my Mother-in-law's yard a few years back and just finally got around to doing something with it. I believe it's a Dogwood? Someone correct me if I'm wrong. I applied a dry brush filter to it to get a painted look. Then I added word art by Bethany Harty at Elegantwordart2.blogspot.com. (She does great work and her blogs are fun to read.) And, after being back home for a week and getting to see all my kids, I'm feeling pretty blessed. Everyone seems to be getting along fine even without Momma near by. Does that mean I did something right? I don't know. I'm a big believer in luck and, well, I've just got great kids. :)

On the flip side, our luck wasn't too great the other night. Our truck was pilfered and robbed. They took a Garmin GPS unit, a Road Atlas and 2 six-packs (which makes me think it was kids). Doesn't that just chap your behind? Aaargh! I guess it's our fault- didn't lock the truck. But this is Bear Lake. That doesn't happen up here! Um, well, it didn't used to happen up here. Our neighbor got his radar detector stolen too. He's lived up here for 20 years and leaves his keys in his truck. I guess you live and learn. I have to tell myself that maybe the thieves needed my stuff more than I did. But I'm really going to miss that Garmin! :[

Happy Sails!

Bridging the Gap

I added this photo to my Gallery this morning and thought I'd give you a preview as well. This is the Mackinac Bridge. It connects Michigan's lower & upper peninsulas. It is also the dividing line between Lake Michigan and Lake Huron. It's awe inspiring to see and quite a thrill to drive over. If you haven't visited Northern Michigan, put it on your bucket list. It's really beautiful there. Lots of history, lots of lighthouses, lots of golf courses and a ferry ride to Mackinac Island is always a fun way to spend a few hours.

To see other photos from my Gallery, click on the link at the bottom of my page. Photos are available for purchase. If you're interested, please contact me for pricing.

I had a fantastic Mother's Day! I got to visit with my Mom and Dad and I saw three of my five kids (the other two I will be seeing today and tomorrow). Mom was nice enough to cook a huge feast for us (cheesecake for dessert, yum!) even though her and my Dad have been a little under the weather. She spoils us. It was great! Living out of state for the winter is hard because the family is all in N. Utah. So it's terrific when we come back to Idaho because they're all within a 2 hour drive.

It's a beautiful, warm day here today so I better get out and enjoy it.

Happy Sails!