Whole Wheat Bread Today

Good morning,

The house smells wonderful!  These are two loaves of whole wheat bread, just out of the oven.

Oh, yum!

:),

Lois

Elsa the Therapy Dog

 Good morning,

That's Elsa, the most precious friend anyone could have.

Last week after a doctor appointment I didn't feel so well so took a nap.  Sweet Elsa was right there with me making sure I was comfortable and loved.  They just know, don't they, when you don't feel well.

What a sweetheart!  That dog is so very special.

 All the best,

Lois

Bruegger's Treat

 Good morning,

We are fortunate to still have a shopping area where we can take care of so many errands without traveling all over town.  Last week we were able to go to the post office, pick up prescriptions, Kjell got a haircut, and grab some salmon bagels to take home for lunch all in one small area.

Today's images are from Bruegger's Bagels.

 It was raining.  That's not grease on the bag.  ;)  

 Yum! What a treat!

All the best,

Lois

Medical Evacuation

 Good morning,

This is another image from our friend, Erica, who leaned over her balcony rail to see the medical evacuation from Navigator of the Seas.  The ship was slightly diverted from its course to drop a patient off at a Mexican port for medical treatment.

Safety first!

All the best,

Lois

Gangway - Navigator of the Seas

 Good morning,

Today's images are courtesy of our friend, Erica, who cruised recently with our daughter, Catherine, aboard Navigator of the Seas.

 The images are of the gangway being placed on the dockside of a port call.  There are generally at least two gangways down to shore side.  One generally used for guest, the other for crew and perhaps supplies.

  This is a manual job that is repeated at each port.

 It's also interesting to note that there is a worker spraying/cleaning windows on the side of the ship.  Also, paint is continuously touched up at each port of call.  

Safety, security, maintenance are key!

More to come....

Lois

Something Different

 Good morning,

Just so you don't think we only eat steak at J. Alexander's, here's an absolutely delicious cheeseburger we had there recently when our friends Tor, Teresa, and daughter Allie visited us from Louisville.

How fun!  Great friends, good food, lovely conversation.

All the best,

Lois

Laundry Lizard

 Good morning,

This tiny fellow managed to slip in through our basement door and sit on a basket in my laundry room.  

These critters weren't here in our area when we moved in 46 years ago.  They're harmless and eat other little critters, so are OK to have around.

Not to worry.  He wasn't harmed.  He's safe.

:),

Lois

Beautiful Sky

 Good morning,

What a beautiful sky.  Actually, it was even more beautiful than in this image.

I love the color combinations that I use as inspiration for my needlework creations.

That a lovely, peaceful end of the day.

Enjoy,

Lois

Dad's Birthday Dinner With Catherine

 Good morning,

Here's the birthday boy himself!  

Our daughter, Catherine, was out of town on Dad's birthday so we celebrated a little later.  

J. Alexander's has become a favorite restaurant for us.  The food is great, there are chairs with arms (important for me), tables are round (important for great conversation), and the people are lovely. 

 The shrimp appetizer is a favorite...

 ...as is the steak dinner.

 Birthday ice cream!

And, birthday carrot cake, too!

Happy birthday, again, Sweetie!

Love you,

Lois

Work in Process - Sorbet Lap Blanket

 Good morning,

My current work in process is a lap blanket in refreshing sorbet colors.   

This one is beautiful for all ages from newborn to someone in hospice care.  It will be a great size for a wheelchair, too.

When finished, it'll be in the shop.  There are many other blankets in all sizes and colors there now that are ready to ship.

What are you making, baking, growing this week?

All the very best,

Lois

Birthday Dinner at Home

 Good morning,

We are celebrating Kjell's birthday all month long.  We've been out to eat a few times and have made special meals at home, too.

Pictured is an Omaha Steaks Filet Mignon with baked potato, slaw, and tomatoes in cream sauce.

Great food to celebrate a great guy.

All the best,

Lois

Rest in Peace Charlie Kirk

 

Rest in peace, Charlie Kirk.

"You can't silent an opinion by ending a life.  
You only prove its weight."

Summer Dinner: Fried Sausage and Slaw

 Good morning,

This dinner was quick and easy.

Kjell split some Mets sausages and fried them in butter.  He made a stewed tomato sauce.  I whipped up some slaw salad and we were set.

This was delicious!

What's your favorite quick summer dinner?

All the best,

Lois. 

 

 

 

Teddy the Retriever

 Good morning,

That handsome Border Collie on the left is Teddy.  The pretty Labrador Retriever on the right is our Elsa.  The little character watching from the top of the image is our Lab Lily.

Teddy is visiting us again this week while his Mommy, our friend Erica, is traveling.   

Teddy just loves to retrieve toys.  Every time I take the pups out, he brings me a toy and drops it at my feet for me to throw it for him.  All goes well until I do throw it and Teddy tries to return it.  That's when our Labs, who are supposed to be great retrievers, step in and say, "Nope, not gonna do this" and they take the toy.

 Then it gets into a three way tug of war.... 

To play fetch with Teddy for a few minutes, I have to put the Labs inside.

Kids!  *sigh*

:),

Lois

Ovation of the Seas

 Good morning,

This is Royal Caribbean's Ovation of the Seas tendering in Mexico.

Catherine captured this image while standing on her balcony of the Navigator of the seas (see right side of image.)

Beautiful!

Enjoy,

Lois

U.S. Coast Guard in Mexico

 Good morning,

A USCG boat was tied up in Cabo San Lucas when Catherine and Erica were there.

A beautiful sight.

All the best,

Lois

Port of Call - Cobo San Lucas

 Good morning,

There are shops at the port of Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, so all you have to do is step ashore to spend some money and take home a souvenir.  ;)

Most of the ports in the region are like this now.  I remember the days when we had to take a walk or get a cab into town to see the ports.  If you want to sight see, you still have to do that in most ports.

More to come....

 Lois

Tendering - Navigator of the Seas

 Good morning,

Catherine leaned over the rail of her balcony suite to capture this image of tender boats loading passengers to go to the port of Cobo San Lucas from Navigator of the Seas.

The tendering process is generally very smooth and provides an excellent opportunity to take a picture of the "mother ship" as the tender pulls away.

Fun!

Enjoy,

Lois

Izumi Restaurant - Navigator of the Seas

 Good morning,

One of the favorite restaurants on board RCCL ships is Izumi.

Catherine sent me this image of their meal aboard Navigator of the Seas.  

Oh, this looks good!

Enjoy!

Lois

Captain's Corner

 Good morning,

During their cruise aboard Navigator of the Seas, Catherine and Erica attended the Captain's Corner question and answer session.

On some of the other ships in the fleet, the entire executive team is present:  Captain, Chief Engineer, Staff Captain, and Hotel Director.   

This is a great way to ask questions about the cruise and operation of the ship. 

 It's a worthwhile event on board.

All the best,

Lois

Breakfast On Board

 Good morning,

Yogurt and cereal just looks so much more elegant when served like this on board a ship, doesn't it!

Enjoy!

Lois

Patriot Day - USA - Never Forget

Patriot Day - United States of America 
We Will Never Forget

Loyal to Royal Gift

 Good morning,

Our daughter Catherine has accumulated enough cruise points with Royal Caribbean that she has been given a beautiful crystal block.  

As a family, we have several of these, but not yet one from Navigator.  So nice, Catherine!

All the best,

Lois

Cheese Plate

 Good morning,

Catherine and Erica are aboard Royal Caribbean's Navigator of the Seas, once again enjoying all the great food and service.

Above is one of my favorites, the Cheese Plate.  That's a whole meal for me.

There will be Mexican Ports this time.  Images to come....

Lois

Here They Go Again - Port of Los Angeles

 Good morning,

I do believe I see a ship beyond that door!

Catherine and Erica enjoyed another Royal Caribbean cruise, this time in the Pacific Ocean aboard Navigator of the Seas.

Images to come!  Stay tuned!

:),

Lois

Car Wash Colors

 Good morning,

I love color and design.  This week we took the car through the car wash and I snapped pictures every few seconds as we went through the tunnel. 

 I used no flash and just let the camera capture what it saw.

 It's actually much prettier when I see the images I captured now,  

than when I was taking them.  I love these colors.  I wonder how they would look as flowers on a crocheted afghan....  Hmmm.  Ideas everywhere!

Finally, the rinse cycle...

...and all the patterns in the bubbles appeared.

Then the giant sponge monster!

Ah, there's a light at the end of the tunnel and a pick up truck in it!

Finally, the dry cycle, then we were free to go.

We didn't have any of the dogs with us this time.  I remember taking Erik through this car wash and he barked all the way through.  The girls were always calmer.  Baby Lily has never had the experience.

Next time.  :)

All the best,

Lois

Dinner With Family at P.F. Chang

 Good morning,

I managed to snap a few images inside P.F. Chang restaurant where our eldest son and twin granddaughters took us for dinner recently. 

 The food was OK, but the company was even better!

It had been years since we had eaten here.  I found the food a bit too spicy compared to the descriptions. 

 Number one son had a salad with salmon...

...and each of the rest of us ordered the same thing:  Sweet and Sour Chicken.  

It certainly was filling!

Thanks, Les, Sarah, and Sophie.  Grandpa and I enjoyed seeing you all! 

All the best,

Lois

Work in Process This Week - Navy Blue Scarf

 Good morning,

My current Work in Process is a Navy Blue scarf crocheted in a textured stitch.  The yarn is soft, washable, and extra warm.  I'll be making at least one hat with the same yarn, too.  When finished, the items will be available in the shop where there are already more than 300 items ready to ship.  Come take a look! 

What are you making, baking, growing this week?

All the best,

Lois

Waiting

 Good morning,

I wonder how much time we spend waiting.  We wait in traffic, in line at the grocery, at the doctor's office....

I took today's picture while we were waiting for our car to be serviced.  It wasn't a terribly long wait for an oil change and safety check.  I guess it was about an hour.

But, I still wonder how much of our lives are spent waiting.  If the wait is going to be long, I usually bring something to knit or crochet, but this time I just caught up on email on my phone.

I hope you don't have to wait too long for anything this week.  :)

All the best,

Lois

Close Up of a Real Stinger

 Good morning,

Yesterday I got an alarm from the gate across our driveway.  When I looked at the video, at first it appeared to be a false alarm....

But, suddenly, the culprit appeared!

For some reason, wasps like to hang out in our gate.  Not a good spot!  

I'm looking forward to the end of the season when they will be gone!

Happy Summer,

Lois

Last Call

 Good morning,

Of course, we take the pups out for Last Call Potty Time each evening before we head to bed.

That very sleepy Elsa is telling me, "I'm finished, Mom.  Let's go inside."

Having Yellow Labs at night works very well.  As much as we loved our Black Lab Erik, he was impossible to see at night.  We'd let him outside and he would disappear into the night in the back yard, even with all of the outdoor lighting we have.  Fortunately, he had excellent recall and came when we called him.  We miss our sweet Erik who crossed the Rainbow Bridge last March.  It's just not the same here without him, but we are so grateful for the wonderful memories of a sweet boy.

Sleep tight, sweet Elsa.

Love you,

Mom