1/27/13

Somewhere it is winter, but not here! I was pleasantly surprised by two beautiful blooms on one of my larger orchids today. There are a couple of buds on the same plant, and all of the smaller orchids are covered with buds. They love this weather - and so do I!

1/26/13

Beautiful day today - could not resist taking a little paddle down the river with the doggies. Oreo is a seasoned kayak dog and claimed his spot on the bow last year. Annie is a new boat dog and she has a spot on the back of the kayak perched comfortably on a lifejacket. We were joined by our friend Dave and his pup Cessna. Oreo looks mighty content.

1/25/13

Cheating on my photo of the day today, but in my book - it is okay. Nicole took this photo tonight of me and my favorite little girl in the entire world. I adore each and every moment I have with Izzy, and I really liked this picture of the two of us. She makes my heart smile.

1/24/13

The Tiki Hut at Lucas Boatworks - A strange and wonderful place filled with strange and wonderful people. Took this photo today of the guard gator on the roof of the tiki hut. The Japanese flags came from Dave's son Ken, who is stationed in Japan; and the Christmas wreath - well, it's just there. Somehow all of the pieces fit - just all as the various people fit. We are all different, none of us are the same, and yet - it works! We all "belong", just as all this belongs. Strange and wonderful - both the people and decor.

1/23/13

Soup - It's What's For Dinner!

I'm having a hard time shaking the crud. Went through a round of prednisone, antibiotics and cough meds. Still feeling under the weather. This week has been homemade soup week. Tonight's soup is beef, vegetable with rice. All fresh ingredients and it smells yummy! Hope this will finally help cure what has been ailing me for over 2 weeks now. If nothing else, it surely can't hurt.

1/22/13

Today's photo is about a gift. A unexpected gift of time and talent. Our art teacher at Freedom, Cheryl Meehan, is one of the kindest people I know. As most of you know, I adore my dogs and share photos of them with anyone willing to look. I showed a photo of our little Annie to Cheryl and she said "I'd like to paint your dog." Ummm, okay. I did not give it too much thought after that. About a month later she told me she was working on the painting and requested a couple of recent photos. No problem with that - proud dog mama that I am I always have photos of my dogs. I emailed a couple of photos that I took at Thanksgiving to her. 

Last week, one morning Cheryl came into my office with a cardboard box. She then told me that my painting was still drying, but I could have a peek. I was so impressed with what I saw. She captured my little Annie completely - personality and looks! She told me that because I have always been so kind and helpful to her she felt compelled to do this for me. She is a strong believer in karma. I could not help it - I cried! She gave me more than the gift of this painting, she gave me a gift of her time and talent from her heart. Words cannot capture how that made me feel. 

So...if you know anyone with a pet they adore, Cheryl sells these paintings for $300. It is a bargain for the work she does. And, just for the record, last week Cheryl met Annie for the first time. She was surprised. Annie is about 9 pounds soaking wet, and Cheryl thought she was painting a big dog. Anyone who knows my feisty little girl would tell her she was. 

This photo does not do the painting justice, but here it is:

1/21/13

Doggies don't belong on the back of the couch! Well, exceptions to every rule. Our dogs have all been raised with cats, so except for 70 pound Cally all of our pups prefer to perch on the back of the couch to snooze. We just got back from the grocery store, and Oreo loves to watch what we got get put away. Could be something good for  him in the mix! Not this time, but he is forever hopeful.

1/20/13

My family is coming home! They've been up in Wisconsin since Tuesday visiting Aunt Pat, and today they are coming home. I know it is only a few days but I've missed them terribly and am so excited that they will soon be here.

1/19/13

Had lunch today with Nicole's matron of honor - Angela. After lunch we went to Michaels and found flowers that will become the perfect bouquets for the wedding. Very productive day!

1/18/13

Unfortunately this came out as a low resolution photo. We were out shopping for wedding supplies and the clouds with the light on the new building across the street was beautiful!

1/17/13

Don't like the weather - wait a few minutes! That is precisely what today brought. When I left for work this morning the weather was still warm. We've had day after day of mid-80's. What a difference a day makes. It is misty, windy and cold outside now. Winter is making its presence known today. This weekend should warm up to the mid-70's again. Can't help but love our Florida winters.

1/16/13

Winter? What winter? We have had a long stretch of 80 degree plus days. I love it, and apparently so do my orchids. I need warmth and sunshine to thrive, just like my flowers in the photo. Check out all the blooms and buds. They are  happy. This winter I am too!

1/15/13

Their bags are packed, they're ready to go....leaving on a jet plane - back in time for a moment there. The photo challenge gets more challenging through Sunday. My camera is packed in the black suitcase and is now up in the frozen land of Wisconsin. Lance, Jess and Izzy have heading north to visit Aunt Pat which leaves me my cell phone to use as my camera for the next few days. Therefore the challenge will move away from quality into content. It is okay to work another part of my brain just a bit harder. So day one of this cell phone photo week is simply a photo of what 3 of the people I love the most have carried with them on their journey.

1/14/13

Long day ahead. Today I return to work at 7:30 a.m. after my bout with bronchitis. I expect to be there till around 5. At 6:30 p.m. I will head up to Orlando, pick Jessica up at her volunteer job at 8:30, return home around 10:30 and crash. Tomorrow morning it will be up at 5:30 with the rest of the household so Lance, Jess and Izzy can be up in Tampa by 7:30 to catch an 8:30 flight to Wisconsin. Luckily Nicole will be the transportation director tomorrow.

In light of all of that this morning I decided to grab a few minutes of peace to watch the sunrise. It was a worthwhile choice. I feel ready to take on the day.

1/13/13

To me Lucas Boatworks is a magical place - a place where I step back in time and remember growing up around boatbuilders. My dad and our neighbors were boat people - they built them, spent as much time possible in them, and loved the bay. The bay was our playground, and most of the time our grocery store. My dad and the men who built the boats were some of the finest craftsmen and human beings I had ever known. They knew how to work hard, and they knew how to play hard as well.

When I arrived at Lucas Boatworks for the first time I smelled the smells of my youth - the wood, the resins. I met boat people that would have been my dad's best friends if he were still alive. They are my best friends instead. I felt like I had come back home. The magic of this place and these people cannot be overstated. As we arrived back at dock today, my thought is that this picture captured some of the magic.

1/12/13

Dinner with Ryan and Izzy. Tonight we celebrated Izzy's fifth birthday with dinner at Beef O'Brady's. We had a wonderful dinner, watched a little football (well Ryan watched football), and then we came here and she opened her gift - a Razor scooter which she loved!

1/11/13

From 0 to sick in 60 seconds! I was a tiny bit sick yesterday, but overnight into today - OH BOY! What a difference a day makes, and not in a good way. So...that being said today's photo is brought to you by my sponsor - bronchitis. YUK! Hoping tomorrow brings better things.

1/10/13

Hard to believe that Izzy will be 5 tomorrow. The joy she brings into our world is indescribable. Her mommy is sending cupcakes to the preschool for her 5th birthday party - her last birthday party in preschool. Another milestone is passed. Slow down baby girl, you are growing up way too fast!

1/9/13

Dog Day Afternoon. Today's temperature hit a record 85 degrees. Perfect afternoon for Oreo and Annie to go visit their friend Cessna and have a little swim in the river. Don't worry about gators, this river is salt water. They chased sticks, got muddy and had a great time. Life is good when you are a doggie in our house!

1/8/13

Beautiful sunrise on the way in to work today. And...the trees in the parking lot think it is Spring. Lots of flowers - lots of 80 degree days will do that!

1/7/13

First day back at work after the Christmas break. I open the refrigerator door and found this lovely surprise. Accidental or intentional? Not sure, but it sure made me smile. "Good Day Sunshine!"

1/6/13

This sums up my feelings about our winter so far...76 degrees outside today. Life is good! Tomorrow is "Back to School/Work" day for me. I really LOVE my job, but don't feel quite ready to go back. When the alarm rings tomorrow at 5:30 I will feel even less ready. But today, life is good. 

1/5/13

Much preparation is being done for the wedding which is 4 weeks from today. Today's photo captures Nicole assembling her centerpieces for the tables - her design!

1/4/13

Today's adventures took us to St. Cloud where we met Jessica for lunch at Rancho Chico. Izzy was spending the weekend with her mom, and Nicole and I drove her over. We found the centerpieces for the wedding tables on the way home - a very productive day.

1/3/13

Not always sunny in the Sunshine State! Foggy night and morning left dew drops on the lanai screen.

1/2/13

Lunch with my sister Gaela today in Venice at a quaint (and very inexpensive) restaurant called Wee Blew Inn. I don't think much has changed in this little restaurant since the 1960's. But...where else can you get a great $3.25 cheeseburger? Had a good time pre-celebrating her birthday.

1/1/13

January 1, 2013. I began the new year with a walk with Laura, Oreo and Annie down the River Walk. Beautiful day, beautiful weather.