A little concrete block house. Cute as can be and just a short walk to the bay.

This green house is on a corner lot with Bay access. Sale by owner for $275,000. I think it is case for demolition.

This house is next to Bayside academy. Across from the bay. price dropped to $638,000.

Even though I am NOT thinking about moving I do like to collect houses!! Here are a few pictures from my walk today. This house is very mid century modern. Looks like a Frank Lloyd Wright. Very unusual for around here. This house is across from the bay.

The house on the left has some real southern charm. Walk to the BAY!

This house is probably in original condition. This is an example of what homes were like along the bay. They were summer homes, not really meant to be year round. This house is really just a room with a porch.

Here is the "handicapped" section from dinner on Christmas Eve. It now looks like Mom and Dad will be moving into assisted living the end of January. They are leaving their house of 56 yrs. I know we are doing the right thing but still, this is going to be hard on everyone. Dad is ready to go. Mom is giving him a really hard time. Hopefully things will go peacefully and they will be happy.

On Christmas eve we had my parents, patrick's mother, Lem & Amy, the Huey clan, and Shirley Huey. The three great-grand parent's spent the night. Patrick's mother went to Kathy's on Christmas day. Mom and Dad stayed until yesterday. So HOORAY, today was a parent free day.

Shirley Huey brought me a Lavender Plant, I hope it lives. Lavender does not like to live here.

Above is a sample of the cookies decorated by Tricia, Jack and Shirley. They had a blast. I did a couple of candy canes ala Jackson Pollack (purple icing and orange splatter) but they did not make the photo!! Most were eaten. Not sure how these cookies survived the crowd.

On Christmas Day we went over and watched Jack and Kate enjoy all their presents. Christmas Day evening we went next door to enjoy a traditional pig roast. Maria made her traditional black beans and rice. There was a lot of food and deserts and wonderful people. Maria is hosting New Year's Eve so that will be nice, no traffic.

Some pictures from the Kenny Christmas. I think there were 15 adults, two children and of course CASH the puppy dog.

Amy's great idea to take a group pic. This was late in the evening, I was in my hanging around the house clothes and Nanny was in her PJ's. We had a nice dinner and a nice visit. Amy and Phyliss entertained us as they consumed countless bottles of red wine. Ashley surprised us with a visit.

The Entertainment Center with glass and fully loaded. Pic taken by Patrick.

The Morise and Tenons have finally aligned!! Virginia there is a Santa Claus!!! Patrick has completed the console table/entertainment center!!!!!

More pics of the living room.

That gold chair came from a garage sale back in 1997. We have had it in a closet but pulled it out for the holidays. HO,HO,HO.

More Beach pics.

Margie is at the condo for a few days. She is working really hard on getting Dad's paperwork and finance's ready for going to assisted living. Here are some pics from the beach. It was a rainy yukky day.

This is a table scape I am playing around with. Kenny family will be here this weekend. The Lord and Lady of Snowdoun (John and Phyliss) George and Kathy, Chris, Mike, Mrs. Kenny and Patrick and I plus Lem, Amy, Cash and the Huey clan. That makes 14 adults and 2 cute little children and one little mutt.

I have been neglecting the blog. What do a toilet seat, cookie sheet and acrylic cutting sheet have in common?? They were all made in the USA. Hard to believe I know but it is true.

I am still trying to get my office organized into a craft room studio. Funny I keep cleaning the house TRYING to get to the office. My office ceased to be an office in 2004 when I was unceremoniously layed off from my job that I has spent the past 10 yrs working toward. From 2004-2007 my office was study while I attended college. Now it is time it morphs into what it is meant to be: a baby, guest, sewing and art room. This with one NORTH facing window to provide light.

OK - more on the progress later!!!

WHATTTT. Today of all days I did not have my camera with me. When I arrived at Mom and Dad's house I had to call 911 because there was a car ablaze in the parking lot at the Turquoise House.

This is an old picture. Car was right in this spot. The car went KABOOM and then the MFD showed up. People gathered on McLaughlin Dr to yell "Push the car into the house". Next time I go over there I will post a picture of the burnt out car. It will probably still be there.

The chairs, the chairs!! Patrick recovered all the dining room chairs.

OOOH, it was hard to get the color to come out correctly on the camera. Patrick changed the white balance.

I look forward to going down to Shalimar for Thanksgiving every year. Shirley cooks tons of food. We have a nice quiet dinner with Patrick, Glen, Tricia and the darling grandchildren.

I am thankfull that our children were able to enjoy my parents when they were young and healthy. My mother had a warning stroke when she was 54 yrs old. Her blood pressure was sky high. She was put on medication but did not like it, so she stopped taking it. When she was 56yr she has her first major stroke. Before the stroke she was a traveler, homemaker, volunteer and fairly active. After the stroke she was lucky to be able make a pot of coffee. In fact it was three months of in home care before she could make coffee.







The moral of this story is if you have high blood pressure, pay attention, take your medicine. Watch for signs of stroke. Take care of yourself.

I am happy to have now arrived at the age of 57 stroke free.

Today is Thanksgiving and we were supposed to spend a quiet Thanksgiving with the family in Shalimar. Unfortunately the parents are still not well so we stayed here. So what do I have to be thankful for today?? NO COOKING, it was great eating leftovers all day. So I had some time to take some more pictures!!!

Lizard on a lawn chair!!

AHHHHHGG!!!! Type is not lineing up with the pictures!! Preview looks fine but once posted, the text is not lined up. !!!!!!

Yesterday we cooked turkey with all the trimmings and had a small Thanksgiving Celebration here with my parents and Patrick's mother. Mom and Dad are not well and have been staying here since sunday.

YEAHHH. Patrick has done a great job on a custom

entertainment center made entirely of Mahogny. It is not finished but here is a preview:

The hardware was custom made in the USA.

Patrick has done a beautiful job on this furniture. Looking forward to using it.

I think this is a common box turtle. Not sure why he/she was sitting on the sidewalk. I just happen to have my camera that day. At least he is headed away from the street.

http://www.weeksbay.org/photo_gallery/reptiles/reptiles.htm For info on alabama turtles follow this link

This is the new Daphne City Hall. I usually walk here about once a week. They have lots of room for hanging local art. This building is quite a step up from the ugly old building.

Mobile Alabama, Navco Road. My parents live near here.

This shopping center was flooded during Katrina. To their credit the Grocery Store and General Dollar reopened and are still in business. The grocery store took out the Deli and put in a Liquor store. There is also a bar, pizza shop, chinese food and this urban limited place.

A bar on the corner, opposite the shopping center. This building was once a gas station

This house was once a nice home. It sat vacant for over 20 yrs. Around 2005 someone bought it and renovated, then it caught fire. Now people go in and set more fires.

This is the water near the bars and behind the gas station. There was a dead body pulled out of here.

Another Bar. In the 60's it was a Dairy Queen

Call me crazy, I wanted to document this place before it gets worse.

Like the turtle I am stuck in the middle of the sidewalk. Which way do I go??

I was out on a walk when I saw this turtle minding his own business. He/She and I both need a nudge to get where we are going.

We had a blast raising 5 beautiful children and living all over the country. Northern California is still my favorite spot.

Right now husband and I are living in Daphne Alabama. We live on the Eastern Shore of Mobile Bay. Here are some pics from my favorite walking path.

This blogging thing is NOT as easy as it looks.