Changes Coming...

Remember our anniversary wind sculpture we bought?

Time to place it, but hubby dug through a water drip line so...after a repair.

It's all ready for the wind with a turtle protecting it.

Here a real live rabbit in our back yard eating our grass and strawberries.

Look closely on the left is a ceramic rabbit and on the right is a live one!

Remember the one baby bird-he's now grown and soon ready to fly away.

Hubby is placed a brass strip to protect boat's bottom

Soon he'll be ready to turn it over to work on insides.

Shopping with hubby...

I lost my shopping partner Caryn but decided to take hubby to see a fun pottery place that also had wind sculptures. Ended up buying a fun one for our upcoming anniversary in June. Also have a birthday coming up in July-time to shop again.

Remembering Memorial Day

Our retirement community has a large number of veterans and

a lovely program on Memorial Day to remember them.

New DESERT GARDEN

Yesterday we decided to take a look at the new Red Hills Desert Garden just opened to the public to demonstrate use of native plants, desert landscaping and water conservation. It's a fun free park with paths leading along a typical winding stream with lots of red rocks-some natural and some manmade. lots of red sand and shady places to sit and think. Lots of young families visiting and enjoying nature.
Click on photos to enlarge.

Earthquake....

 Well, yesterday at 12:47 pm we felt an earthquake of 5.4 magnitude not far from us in Caliente, Nevada-where I was born. Sitting at my makeup table curling my hair, I felt the house move to the right a little and then back.This happened twice. At first I thought I was hallucinating, then I thought I bet that was a small earthquake which was confirmed quickly afterward on the Internet and in today's papers.

I remember my first earthquake in 1952 after we moved to California from Utah in 1950. It was centered in Techachapi by Bakersfield out in the desert 100 miles north of Los Angeles with a magnitude of 7.7. It was strong. My mom and I were sleeping in our small apartment in Lawndale when everything started shaking. I didn't know what was happening. We both jumped out of bed and huddled together in the frame of the doorway until the shaking stopped. Not sure how long it lasted and then there were about 50 aftershocks of a magnitude of 5 or more. Seven lives were lost and 50 million dollars of destruction near the epicenter.



After living in Utah for many years, this earthquake was the first one I've felt though I know we have faults running all across Utah. We even have earthquake insurance. The best place to hide I've read is under something strong like a table or by the side of your bed. Watch out for shattered glass and any downed electrical lines outside. There's a whole website telling you how to prepare. Duck, cover and hold! 

Lost in SPACE

Still recovering from my bout with the 24 hour flu, seems all I want to do is nap even while working on my computer. Then I noted that I haven't blogged for quite some time, so I'M BACK! Seems like my weeks are flying by. Monday starts and soon it's Friday. Along the way meals have been prepared daily, laundry done, grocery shopping, even some poetry written. This past Monday was the closing social for Daughters of Utah Pioneers until next Sept. The summer is before me full of possibilities that I need to grasp or create.

HERE'S MY LIST:

1. Have a VISIT BY THE TWINS now almost 17. They will come down in June and each stay a few days with their grandma exploring our area, talking and having fun together. I can't wait.

2. Soon time for a 22nd wedding ANNIVERSARY on June 12th-will try to get hubby to go somewhere in Utah to stay overnight and explore. Thinking I'd like to see Capitol Reef again.

3. CELEBRATE my 75th birthday on July 12th-nothing special planned for that except an Alaskan Cruise later in Aug.

4. Would love to SEE MY FAMILY that live in New Mexico sometime this summer. Hopefully will visit my son in Seattle this summer on my way to Alaska.

5. ALASKAN CRUISE-coming the first week in August with Daniel, Tina and kids on Norwegian Crusie Lines-my first cruise ever. Hubby's not interested in big boats, so he'll stay home and work on his little 16 ft. sailboat.

6. Squeeze in some GENEALOGY and indexing activities. Still have tons of files to go through after 55 years of doing family history research.

7. Go to LEAGUE of UTAH WRITER'S Conference in Logan the end of August and visit my friend Caryn who  is living near Ogden,  Then it will be  FALL again.

8. More EXERCISING and healthier eating, so I can loose some weight.

9. Work on a new PHOTO-POETRY book which includes writing more poetry.

10. HAVE FUN!

What are you planning to do this summer?

Wall of LOCKS...

 On one of our shopping days, Caryn and I discovered this Love Lock

Gate in St. George, where couples are invited to express their love.

Maybe this is better than carving your initials in a living tree?

Boat UPDATE

Hubby is still working on the boat after about 2+ years of assembling, painting, sanding and repainting the outside, that part is finally done. Now it's soon time to turn it over...here's some history-started about three years ago and it will be another year before it's ready to launch...

The boat came in a computer drafted kit, lots of pieces

These are the strakes or sides of the boat that were carefully assembled

This is the frame that the boat will be built around, then taken out...

It's coming together slowly, this is a BIG PROJECT or HOBBY!

Sanding first then epoxy and finally painting...for years it seems.

Finally it's painted and finished to perfection, time to turn it over.

Making a template for the bottom of the boat so it can be turned over. 

An engineer at work, designing a cradle for the boat bottom to rest on.

His original plans are in French but drawings help lots to get measurements.

Soon it will be time to wince the boat up in order to turn it over-stay tuned.