Sunny Day at the Apple Orchard

On Saturday, Zoie & I went out to our friend, T's house and then followed T and her boys to a local orchard. The day was absolutely gorgeous...perfect for letting the kids run around! We tried to capture pics of the kids near the entrance with all the pumpkins and other fall signage...as you can see, some were just NOT into this!




T had her bucket in hand to pick fresh raspberries...she also had 3 little helpers, or so we thought! One of her boys was more into running free and Zoie did a great job picking but she ate everyone she picked! So, it was up to T and her other little guy as I was snapping photos!






We then played in the Butterfly Garden area where they have flowers & butterflies, of course, the cornstalk teepee, gourd cave, and haystack mountain. We also took a fun hayrack ride around the orchard which allowed us to see and hear all the damage this orchard sustained from a tornado earlier this summer. Nature was rebounding though...amazing!

Spaghetti, Elvis (kind of) and Marilyn

Some of you may, or may not, have watched the reality show "America's Got Talent," but there was a guy on there from Lincoln impersonating Elvis.

See the following link for a performance of his (copy & paste):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANvmeh3JQ24&feature=related

Anywho, months ago, Mom heard that this guy and a Marilyn Monroe impersonator were going to be at the Eagles in Lincoln so we decided to get tickets and go to the show. They had an Italian buffet ahead of time and Zoie really enjoyed shoveling in her spaghetti!!



Between spaghetti and the show starting, Zoie did a little pre-show for us...she got up on the stage steps and sang & danced...it was adorable! Then her and Grandma channeled Elvis with some rockin' shades and a lei I bought...





The Marilyn impersonator came on first...she was very pretty and did a good job with the music...and Zoie was mesmerized by her! She loved watching her and would dance with her...I could see the dreams forming in her little mind and the stars shining in her eyes!


Next, came what was supposed to be really GREAT Elvis impersonator...what we got was a total dud! Mom & I had actually seen this guy about 15 years ago and he did a decent job then...but we were supposed to be seeing the young guy this time...and he was no where to be found. They didn't say one thing about why he wasn't there or anything. This guy's whole show was dedicated to kissing up to his wife because he was leaving on a 12-day "tour", so she must not have been happy with him if he felt he had to broadcast his love and devotion in such a public forum! He did do something sweet at the beginning though...he gave Zoie a light-up tiara and announced to the small crowd that she was a princess and he tried to dedicate a song to her but she was not having it! Other than that, it was a real let down...the buffet was more satisfying by far - he didn't even sing "Hound Dog"!



Thank ya...Thank ya very much...uh huh!

Goodbye, Summer; Hello, Fall!

"Nobody on the road
Nobody on the beach
I feel it in the air
The summer's out of reach
Empty lake,
Empty streets
The sun goes down alone"

It's true...another summer has passed and, like the leaves on the trees, is floating into oblivion. Nothing showed more finality to the season of the sun than draining the pool. It's like packing up a good friend and sending them on their way, hoping you see each other again soon, but not really knowing for sure when it will be and if things will be the same. Ok, so maybe not THAT dramatic, but I hated to drain it and all that - it wasn't fun. Here is what is left of where it was:

As you can see, it definitely left it's mark!

It was another nice evening though when we were taking care of the pool, so Zoie and Grandma were outside, too. I had to spray the pool off and Zoie liked the water that was left in puddles...she did not like all the big, fat nightcrawlers that seeped up out of the ground when the water soaked in. I have to say that I agree with her on that one! I tried to capture some action shots with the new camera...got a couple of her jumping that are ok, but I'm still learning how to use it! I love the last one of these 3 where she looks she's just stroller with her hands clasped behind her back, but she's really jumping and both feet are off the ground!




Once we got done, Zoie and Grandma sat on the couch swing and were playing their 'air guitars' singing "You Are My Sunshine"...too cute! Then Zoie did some more sidewalk-chalk art with her sweet little hands.

Roasted Marshmallows and Unemployment Appeal

As you may or may not know, I felt that the NE Dept of Labor cheated me out of a couple of weeks worth of unemployment benefits due to working 1 measly day at a $9/hr job before being offered the position I ended up taking. I had filed an appeal on their decision, the phone hearing was held and I received the letter with the determination: I didn't win and I didn't lose. The original determination by the adjudicator said that I left the part-time job for no good cause and therefore was not only denied benefits for that week but for another 12 weeks in the future if I ever had a claim open. The judge's determination concurred that I did leave the job voluntarily (a point I never disputed) however, he also determined that it WAS for good cause as it was for the betterment of my career so instead of a 12 week disqualification period, the judge amended it to ONE week only. I had claimed 2 weeks worth of benefits that were denied over this so this means, I should lose one of those weeks, but get paid for the other one...he pretty much split the decision down the middle. Works for me! It's just so sad & frustrating that the adjudicator had all this information and mis-handled it. I'm glad that I did file the appeal!





On a funner note, with the days being so nice and the cooler evenings, I thought it would be a lot of fun to get a fire going in our little fire pit and roast some marshmallows! So, while Zoie & I went to take care of Swis Wendy's kitties, Grandma got the fire going and when we got back, we roasted some marshmallows and had a couple of s'mores and just enjoyed the glow & warmth of the fire in the cool evening! Zoie wasn't too keen on the roasted marshmallows, preferring to eat them right out of the bag! It really made me in the mood to go camping and just sit around the campfire talking and being hypnotized by the flames...ahh...maybe one of these days!

Fred the Dragonfly

Zoie, Grandma & I were playing outside one evening after I got home from work, and floating in the yet-to-be-drained pool, I saw a dragonfly. I skimmed out the little guy and figured he was a goner but then I saw movement! So I told Zoie, "Let's see if we can dry him off & save him!" As we were performing triage on the patient, we decided to call him Fred. We got him upright and I would very lightly blow on his wings to get the water droplets off and try to get them dry...then Zoie would take a turn - and pretty much blow him off the picnic table with her toddler gusts! So we kept doing that and he perked up as you can see in the photo. We felt very proud that we saved this little life! I told Zoie that we'd leave him alone to recuperate and check on him later. When we went back, he was gone...he flew again! Yeah!!




Editor's Note: We have confirmed through our sources that Fred did, in fact, NOT make it...his body was found at a remote location in the back yard; an autopsy is pending. Please pray for Fred and his dragonfly family. Thank you.

A Walk (& Ride) in the Park

Zoie & I got out and enjoyed the beautiful weather one Saturday afternoon...we went to the little park near where we live. She sure loves her hats & sunglasses! She was also very independent at the park (and everywhere else!), wanting to climb by herself and everything!

The Big Apple (Days 2-5)

The rest of the trip in NYC was much dryer than day one...actually we had gorgeous weather! On Sunday, we were able to sleep in (I don't even know what that is anymore!) and then had to meet in the hotel lobby and take cars from Staten Island to Manhattan for a meeting at the main NY election office. It was on this trip that we came through the Battery tunnel and ended up right at Ground Zero. This was my only venturing to that area...due to my own personal feelings about respecting what happened there and those who lost their lives. We arrived early for this meeting so we were able to walk to a local deli and grab a bite to eat. I loved the atmosphere of all the little delis we'd encounter; very citified and New York! The meeting was to go over policies & procedures for the primary on Tuesday, which was good to know, but what was incredible was that we were on the 10th floor of this building and they had some amazing views from all sides of this floor. My new camera (hehe) actually has a setting for taking photos through windows so I tried it out and it worked wonderfully! We could see where the trains come in & out on one side, and more awesome views of other buildings in Manhattan. The meeting lasted about 4 hours and after that we were on our own. One of my work colleagues and I took the car back to the hotel and chilled out for a bit then went from the hotel to the Ferry again, grabbed the Subway, and met another colleague near 42nd & 3rd avenue for dinner at a Tex-Mex place. You might not think NYC can do Tex-Mex, but it was really very good and it was laid back, which I liked. After dinner, we went to a local drugstore/novelty shop which was fun to look around in and then we headed back to the subway to head back to the Ferry and hotel. On the walk to the subway, we passed a corner market that had all these beautiful flower bouquets for sale...the colors were really popping! We also had a great view, when we looked up, of the Empire State Building and it's colored lights (yellow on this night), and a really neat church with outside statues illuminated by spotlights. Getting on the Ferry could probably be likened to how cattle feel being herded into one of those big transport semi-trailers...you know you have to get on, the next thing is to just try and find a decent spot. For this traveler, of course, my goal was to find a spot that presented the best photo ops! I did get some great pics of the Manhattan skyline, the Bridges and of the Statue of Liberty all from riding the *free* Ferry! And, as I digress, let me just say that it was really nice to have a couple of days where I got to watch the TV I wanted, could take longer showers, have a bed to myself and just be a little less responsible however, I adore Zoie and missed her very much. Ok, so on Monday, we had to visit the election office of our respective burrough, which was supposed to take all day, but we were only there for about 2-3 hours and then had the rest of the day free again! So, it was back to the hotel to drop off stuff and freshen up and then back to the Ferry to head over to Manhattan again - this time sans rain & umbrella drama. My colleague, and now friend, Su, was with me and we walked and walked and walked! We went to the Empire State Building, the New York Public Library, the Fashion District (it was NY Fashion Week while were there so while I didn't see anyone famous that I know of, I did see some great fashion - even on one unsuspecting trend setter with the bright blue tights!), Avenue of the Americas, Times Square (had a dawg from one of the vendors), and near Battery Park, where the Ferry docks are. We were originally going to meet up with the rest of the group and take the same ferry back, but we were both kind of done and we had to be up very early for election day so we went ahead and caught the Ferry back...and I am SO glad we did because the sun was setting over the harbor and city. I got some of my most favorite photos of this trip on this very last Ferry ride. Su & I went to a local bar on S.I. for wings & beer then went back to the hotel and retired for the night. The next day was election day so we actually had to do some work on our business trip and Wednesday we flew home (another direct flight!).



So, that's the story of New York City...apparently things were as peachy in Nebraska at this time as they were in the Big Apple with Grandma & Zoie! I think Zoie wasn't too happy that Mommy left...she would tell Grandma to stay out of the bedroom, telling her that it was "Mommy's room...leave it alone!" She also through one heck of a tantrum for Grandma so I'm not sure who was happier to see me when I got there! Zoie's eyes just got really big and she said, "Mommy..are you HERE?!" Then later she told me to not leave anymore, just to stay there. That is the hard part of this job, but it's necessary, and the time apart is good for us both! Enjoy the pics...

The Big Apple - Short Notice (Day 1)

One of my duties at my new job is to provide site support whenever any of our clients has an election (primary, general, school board, etc) and requests our presence. Well, the 5 main burroughs of New York City had a primary on Sept 9th that people were needed for and, originally, I wasn't slated to go but a colleague had a family emergency so they asked me on a Thursday afternoon if I could go in that person's place - to depart on Saturday morning of that same week!!! It's like winning a free trip but you have to pack and be ready in 24 hrs or you lose the trip - but so NOT like that! LOL Luckily, our flight was direct, which is a rare thing in these here parts, so we got there relatively early in the day and got to our hotel - half the battle of all travel in my book. I was assigned to Staten Island, which was great because it was definitely somewhere I hadn't been before! After getting into our rooms and freshening up, my travel companions and I grabbed a cab and headed for the S.I. Ferry to go over to Manhattan. Now, before I go any further, let me remind you all that at this point in time nationally, our eyes were peeled to a little gal named Hanna the Hurricane, who happened to be traversing her way up the East Coast; so naturally, there was rain in the forecast. Me, being the seasoned traveller that I am, I packed an umbrella..so, rain = no problem! It was overcast but not raining as we boarded the Ferry and had a nice foggy ride over to the dock in Manhattan - it was still really beautiful...the fog added a mystique & intimacy to the whole area which I was sure wasn't their otherwise.

Once we got off the Ferry, we grabbed a Metro Card for the subway (I was feeling like a real New Yawka then!) and grabbed the #1 red line to head to 42nd St & Times Square! We stopped at a little place and grabbed a slice and a beer first, then started to walk around and it also started to sprinkle; then, it proceeded to rain. I got out my trusty umbrella and I was good to go (or so I thought!). We kept walking and I was taking pictures and just taking in the atmosphere of Times Square...but for some reason, I still seemed to be getting wet. We decided to duck into a bar and have a martini to possibly wait out the rain (or get to a point where we really didn't care about it). After a yummy Tropical Martini, we grabbed our umbrellas (my companions bought one from a street vendor as they were everywhere) and headed back out. We walked some more over near Rockefeller Center and Radio City Music Hall, doing a little light shopping and looking around in stores as we went. Each time we went into a store, I'd notice that I seemed to be wetter than before...I could not figure what the deal was and then I felt a drip on my face - while UNDER the umbrella. I reached up to touch the umbrella's underside that should have been nice & dry & it was soaked; water was seeping right through it and onto me! I went to the next umbrella vendor I saw and bought a $5 umbrella, and trashed the crappy one I had brought. I opened up my new purchase with pride...I would now be one of the elite, dry pedestrians! As I resume walking, I feel even more rain on my face...I look up inside this new improved umbrella and there is a fist-sized hole in the seem and water is just coming on in! Curses! I turned right back around and showed the hole to the vendor who promptly gave me a different umbrella, which we both checked out and I finally had a decent umbrella - I was beyond drenched and could wring water out of my clothes, but, hey, I had an umbrella! At that point, I was tired of being wet and I couldn't afford to shop where my companions were going (Kenneth Cole, etc.) so I told them I was going to catch the subway back to the Ferry terminal, get across the water and go back to the hotel for a hot shower. I had no trouble navigating the different trains in the subway and had fun looking around and people watching in the nether regions of the city. There were people preforming music and dancing...one especially moving performance of Ben E. King's "Stand by Me" by a robust African-American woman reminiscent of the ones who bring down the church singing in their gospel choir. I should have gotten a photo of her but being as wet as I was and the demise of my last camera being due to water, I was shutter-shy! I continued on my way to the Ferry stop...and was entertained by another gentleman jumping onto our car and giving a story like you might see in a movie about the life & times of Jackie Robinson and then adding an eerily accurate sounding soundtrack of "She Was Just 16." He then wandered through the car collecting offerings of appreciation from listeners in the car.

I got to the Ferry terminal and was very glad to be heading back to a hot shower, dry clothes and a comfy bed. Coincidentally, I ended up running into my companions again at the Ferry...my side-trips in the subway took up any head-start I had on them, but that was fine since we were able to share a cab back to the hotel. When we did get back to the hotel and I got in my room, I took the longest shower I've taken in recent memory...it was almost magical! After that, we had a nice, quiet, relaxed dinner with a wonderful glass of wine and I slept wonderfully!!

This is me, soggy on the subway:



The rest of the trip and more photos to follow in a subsequent post...

Just Say Click...Take a Pic!

Oh, happy day!! I have officially entered the photo-taking world again with the purchase of a new digital camera! I was going to wait longer but with my next posts, you'll understand why I HAD to have a camera!


My first pics with the new camera: