HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

THIS N' THAT

I have totally been neglecting my poor old blog.  I meant to write about my visit to Frank Lloyd Wright's "Fallingwater," my new camera, my husband's trip south on the completed boat.  So here goes -- I will make it brief:

In early October my sister and I drove out to Pittsburgh to visit our Uncle Bud.  We had made this trip a year ago and thoroughly enjoyed it.  Nothing better than a sisters' road trip.  We so enjoy each other's company.  Uncle Bud is 86 and loves to travel and is always active.  He is one of two of our mother's only remaining siblings and he was our mother's favorite brother.  He insisted on making the reservations in advance (which you have to do) to get into Fallingwater and he drove the two hours to and from his house to Fallingwater.

Fallingwater was built in  1937 for the Kaufman family of Pittsburgh as their weekend retreat.  You probably have seen pictures of it.  If not, here is one of the house behind us.  It has to be seen to be believed.  It is built cantilevered out over a waterfall amidst deep woods.  Stone floors, rustic throughout, totally integrated with nature, extremely contemporary for its time and even for today.  Frank Lloyd Wright also designed much of the furniture in the house.  One question presented by the guide -- "Could you live here?"  My answer is a resounding "YES!"

Now my new camera:  I researched cameras for a month, going between spending a lot of money on one, or being more reasonable.  I knew the things I wanted in a camera.  My previous camera was a little Fujifilm which still works, but the USB cable connection is done for.  I had pretty much settled on a Canon, but finally ended up with another Fuji because it was more reasonable and had everything I wanted for under $200.  I am a very mediocre and inexperienced photographer, so I am happy with what I got.  Here is a picture of it.

The Great Boat Trip South:  My husband and boat partners left November 4 to take their 65 ft. trawler south via the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW).  This has been a four year project to totally gut and rebuild an old fishing vessel.

As you can see the photos are miniscule thanks to the downloading features of the Kodak EasyShare from which it was downloaded.  Kodak Easyshare is NOT Easy Share!

We had a huge nor'easter or as they are calling it Nor'Ida because it was the remnants of Hurricane Ida.  The beach here is totally eroded, roads were flooded -- it was a mess.

All the best to you, fellow bloggers,

Violetlady

HOLIDAY SWAP

I have joined in a Holiday Swap. Go here to read about it and join in, too. You have until November 12. I did this one year on someone's blog and it was a lot of fun.

I want to tell you about my visit to Fallingwater in Pennsylvania with my sister and uncle, but will leave that for another day.   I have a new camera which I will show you.  I haven't tried it out yet.  And the biggest news yet is that my husband and his friends are leaving tomorrow morning (if all goes well) on the big boat trip down the Intracoastal Waterway to Florida (after their four year boat building project).  More on all this news to follow in a few days.

VIOLETTE CAT

This is our old lady cat, Violette.  For months now we have been having trouble with her refusing /forgetting to use the litter box.  (We now have four boxes.) We took her to the vet and after all the blood tests and exams, they determined that she was a healthy old cat, especially since she is 16 years old.  Five oriental rugs have been ruined, hardwood is smelly and I am getting ready to have wall to wall carpet torn out in a bedroom.   I now have a complete arsenal of cleaning supplies and anti-cat urine products.  I finally had reached my breaking point and made an appointment to have her put down this week.  The vet had told me that even though there is no physical reason for her habits, if she can no longer fit into our lives, then we could have her "put down."  I made the appointment, but my husband and I were so upset that morning, that I cancelled it.  I continue with the numerous puppy training pads all over the house, cleaning up constantly and now trying to limit her territory.  And no, nothing has changed in the house over the last four or more months to cause this.  I researched it online and have made my own diagnosis (with no help from the vet, thank you) that she is suffering from senility.  Yes, cats can have this when they are old.

We are trying to be patient with Violette and give her love and attention since, of course, she is not doing this on purpose.  I remember when Beau was a puppy and all the accidents he had.  The difference is that we knew he would learn to go outside.  Violette is just old.  Wish me luck.

VIEW THROUGH THE WINDSHIELD

What a beautiful weekend we had so I decided to take a little ride around the area and take a few pictures from my car window.  Since my camera hasn't been working right, I used my cell phone camera and they turned out just fine.

The first picture is of a spring along the canal.  The third picture is the unpaved driveway leading to the boatyard where my husband's boat is and the sixth picture is the boat.  The fourth picture is of a ladies entry in the annual "Punkin' Chunkin Contest" right here in Sussex County, Delaware.  It is a strange event, but people come from all over the country (maybe even the world) to participate.  People create giant machines that shoot pumpkins into the air and whoever shoots one the furthest wins.  It is very competitive and I have never attended one of these events, but it is a real big deal here.  Sussex County also has a Scrapple-Apple Festival.  Do you all know what scrapple is? 

Has anyone besides me had difficulty moving pictures around on their post?  I have been trying for two days to do this post.  Apparently Blogger has a new way of posting pictures and it won't let me move things around with any accuracy anymore.  It is a real pain.

I am leaving tomorrow for Pittsburgh with my sister.  We will be visiting an uncle who will be taking us to see Frank Lloyd Wright's "Fallingwater." I have wanted to see this for many years and am really looking forward to it.

See you next week!

SHOW AND TELL FRIDAY

Cindy at My Romantic Home is hosting Show and Tell Friday.  Stop over there and take a look at her blog and also all the others who are joining in.

Since I used to do "My Favorite Things"one day a week, I am resurrecting one of my old posts for this Show and Tell.

Today I am sharing with you something that is very precious to me since it was a baby gift for me over sixty years ago. Yes, I said 6 - 0!! This sweet little dish was handmade for me by a friend of my parents. It says "This is Meryl's dish" because Meryl is my first name (after my mother).  I have never used the name Meryl - I have always gone by my middle name so you know this is old.

What astounds me are the things I have that are breakable and have survived all these years. My mother was protective of these things, as I am. I think it is a female thing: to treasure and to protect. After all, we do this with our parents, our children and with our friends. It is our most important "job" in this world.

THE AUTUMNAL EQUINOX

AUTUMNAL EQUINOX - One of two times a year when the Sun crosses the equator, and the day and night are of approximately equal length.
At the autumnal equinox (Sept 22, 2009; 5:18 P.M. EDT), the Sun appears to cross the celestial equator, from north to south; this marks the beginning of autumn in the Northern Hemisphere. (from Wikipedia)

Yes, it has been slightly cooler here in coastal Delaware, but we still have beach days into the autumn.  Actually, this is the best time of year to visit this area or for locals to hang out without the summer crowds.

It always amazes me that Fall seems to arrive on September 1.  Oh, the weather is still warm and sunny, but it is something that is just felt in the air.  The colors are suddenly more golden, the sky is a clearer blue, sometimes there is already a faint smell of woodsmoke.  Everybody comments on it.  I have had my homegrown pumpkin on the front step for a month or so.  It is the first time I have grown a pumpkin from last year's Halloween pumpkin.  He was early, but he survived.

The Fall is a busy time here in this resort area.  October brings our annual Rehoboth Beach Jazz Festival.  There are main events at the local convention center (sometimes big names like Chris Botti!) and the restaurants and bars offer their own jazz groups.  The following week is the Seawitch Festival which is the Halloween celebration in Rehoboth Beach.  There are lots and lots of things for kids of all ages to do on the beach and in the town.  November brings our annual Rehoboth Beach Independent Film Festival .  Some people stay throughout an entire day watching movie after movie and leave bleary-eyed and tired.

Autumn is my favorite season for many reasons, but primarily because it is the season of my birthday.  I was born on Thanksgiving!