More Firewood - Again!

 Good morning,

There is not supposed to be a tree on the top of our garage. 

 If you look carefully above the red propellers of Kjell's weather vane, you can see where the limb is split from the tree.

We've had so many rain storms with high winds that we have been getting a steady supply of firewood all summer. 

 Fortunately, our friend Bill was able to come and clean up the problem.  Thank you, Bill.

I'm actually looking forward to Fall!

All the best,

Lois

Busy Bee

 Good morning,

Catherine sent me this image that she took outside a local restaurant.  

The pretty image reminded me that we no longer have glads in our garden.  I'll have to add some for next year!

Thanks, Catherine.  Very pretty.

Love you,

Mom

Jungle Jim's

 Good morning,

Does that look like an amusement park up ahead?  Well, you're close if that's what you thought.

That yellow vehicle was once at an amusement park, but is now at the front of Jungle Jim's International Market. 

When I was a child, Jungle Jim's was a highway fruit stand.  My goodness, how times have changed! 

 Kjell and I enjoy trips here to pick up food from Norway and beyond.  If you crave something from somewhere else, this is the place to find it.

 Of course, you may have to sell some stock to shop here....

 We stocked up on brown cheese and cod roe.  Both are yummy treats from Kjell's childhood.

We were in line to purchase some fresh fish, but it was way too long to wait for our number to be called so we passed.

There is so much to see and buy here!  Check out the Jungle Jim's Website.  Be sure to click around the site to see it all.

Yum!

Lois

Hooked!

 Good morning,

There's a specialty restaurant aboard some Royal Caribbean ships called Hooked.  It specializes in seafood and it appears Catherine ordered something very special!  

Kjell and I haven't tried this restaurant yet.  I'm sure we will the next time we get a chance to cruise.

Yum!

:),

Lois

Crochet Artwork Aboard Symphony of the Seas

 Good morning,

Catherine sent me this artwork from Symphony of the Seas.  

What a clever way to include crochet doilies into the artwork!  

Thanks, Cath, I really enjoy this one!

Love you,

Mom

Towel Critter

 Good morning,

Towel critters are special treats left by cabin stewards aboard RCCL ships.

This critter seems to be watching TV.

Cute!

:),

Lois

Izumi Restaurant Aboard Symphony of the Seas

 Good morning,

Izumi is another specialty restaurant aboard Symphony and many other RCCL ships.

We enjoy Asian food, so this is a favorite of ours! 

 Oh, yes, seafood!

Enjoy!

Lois

Johnny Rockets

 Good morning,

Johnny Rocket's is a specialty restaurant aboard Symphony of the Seas and other RCCL ships.  

This restaurant doesn't have stores in our neck of the woods in the USA, so it was new to us years ago when we encountered it aboard RCCL ships. 

 The food is good, however surely terrible for your diet!  It is delivered by singing and dancing servers that add to the fun of dining there.

Enjoy!

Lois

Sweet Treats in the Suite

 Good morning,

These are only a part of all the lovely touches of cruising aboard Royal Caribbean ships....

Yes, these are yummy.

Enjoy!

Lois

Cheesecake at Chops!

 Good morning,

Now here's a favorite of mine!  Cheesecake at Chops Restaurant aboard any RCCL ship is amazingly good!

Thanks for the image, Catherine.  I can enjoy how it looks without the calories.  *sigh*  

Love you,

Mom

Nassau Light House

 Good morning,

This is a familiar sight to many cruisers.

This is the light house at the entrance to the Port of Nassau, Bahamas.  

It was an overcast morning when Catherine took this image which adds to its beauty. 

 Enjoy!

Lois

Main Dining Room - Symphony of the Seas

 Good morning,

Catherine and Erica spent a week aboard Symphony of the Seas, but didn't eat in the main dining room this time.  They enjoyed all of their meals in the specialty restaurants this time. 

 However, while walking through an upper deck, they passed through the main dining room so Catherine snapped a few pictures.

That round table in the center is used as the Captain's Table when he or she eats in the dining room.  We have also used the table for the Chief Engineer and guests. 

 The main dining rooms are similar on all of the RCCL ships, except some are much larger than others due to the overall size of the ship.  This dining room is three stories .  

Beautiful!

Enjoy,

Lois

Liftoff!

 Good morning,

Last week Catherine went out on her balcony aboard Symphony of the Seas to call me while the ship was in port in Port Canaveral.

Suddenly, she asked, "Is there a space launch today?"  I see something!  People on board are cheering!

I immediately did a search on my phone and, sure enough, there was a space launch.  It was due the previous day, but delayed because of weather.  

It's nearly impossible to see anything on the video, but still fun to have.

Kjell and I sailed out of Port Canaveral every week for six years before his retirement in 2016. We never saw a space launch!  How very cool that Symphony just happened to be in port when it happened!

All the best,

Lois

Carousel aboard Symphony of the Seas

 Good morning,

Sometimes it is hard to remember you are aboard a ship when sailing with Royal Caribbean.

This carousel is aboard Symphony of the Seas.

How fun!

Lois

Jamie's Restaurant - Symphony of the Seas

 Good morning,

Catherine and Erica enjoyed all of the specialty restaurants aboard Symphony of the Seas.  

Jamie's is now in the space where Giovanni's used to be.  Jamie's is a more relaxed atmosphere and is excellent for lunch.  Kjell and I ate at Jamie's aboard Mariner of the Seas. 

 Meals start with marvelous rolls. Yum!

I think the gals were enjoying the food that came after that too much to take pictures of it.

;),

Lois

Symphony of the Seas

 Good morning,

Symphony of the Seas is a huge cruise ship that is one of the newer members of the Royal Caribbean fleet.

 When aboard, you can imagine you aren't even on a ship. 

Catherine and Erica strolled around the ship as soon as they came aboard and were kind enough to send images for us to share.

The walkways, shops, and restaurants give the feeling of being in a beautiful little town

And, of course, as aboard all RCCL ships, there is a casino.  This one appears to be larger than others I've seen.

Thanks for the images, Cath and Erica. More images to come!

 Lois

The Ladies Are Traveling Again

 Good Morning,

Catherine and her friend, Erica, have landed in New Jersey on their way to Symphony of the Seas for a week-long cruise to the Bahamas.

 Have fun, ladies! 

More images to come!

:),

Lois

Engineering Genius

 Good morning,

Each week when My Honey takes the trash cans to the curb, it's all downhill.  It's a fairly long walk to the street, but the cans have wheels so it's not too bad.  Gravity works.

But, the long walk back up the hill isn't so pleasant.  So, My Honey, just hooks the can up to the back of the car and slowly pulls it back up the hill and into our back yard.

I'm so glad I married an engineer!

;),

Lois 

 

 

 

More Hibiscus

 Good morning,

It is fun to go outside in the morning to see what new blossoms are there to greet me.

The Hibiscus are in bloom now and will bloom all the way until frost.   

 So pretty!

Enjoy,

Lois

Will You Play With Me?

 Good morning,

Our guest dog last week, Teddy, loves to play fetch.

Whenever I sit down on the patio, Teddy brings me a toy and drops it at my feet. 

 If I don't pick that toy up to throw it immediately, Teddy puts it in my face.  Yes, Teddy has one brown eye and one blue eye.  That's common for Border Collies.

Teddy is such a sweetheart.  I was fun to have him here last week while his mom, Erica, and our Catherine were out of town.

Enjoy!

Lois

This is NOT our dog!

 Good morning,

Catherine sent me this image of a Yellow Labrador (NOT OURS!) riding in a golf cart in a McDonald's drive through.

I'm not so sure how this driver could get to McDonald's without going out on a public road like this.  *sigh*  

At least I hope the pup gets a pup cup.

It's always something....

Lois

Daddy's Girl Lily

 Good morning,

I love seeing this! 

 A boy and his dog and a dog who is definitely daddy's girl.

Sweet!

All the best,

Lois 

Norwegian Lunch Treats

 Good morning,

My Honey enjoys foods from his native Norway thanks to Jungle Jim's a local grocery and our daughter who is our grocery shopper.

Above is Herring in Tomato Sauce on (my homemade) bread smeared with mayonnaise and topped with cod roe. 

 I love the little scarf on the herring....  I didn't realize herring wear scarves....

;),

Lois

Hibiscus in Bloom

 Good morning,

This first Hibiscus of the season has shown her beautiful face this week.  We have them in all shades of white to deep pink.  They were surely planted here as part of the garden design before we arrived 46 years ago.  Now, however, they reseed and spread around the property and we love them! 

Happy Summer!

Lois 

 

 

 

Work in Process This Week - Custom Order Afghan Blanket

 Good morning,

I've been working this summer to stock the shop with new afghan blankets in time for cool Fall weather.

This week I'm delighted, however, to be working on a custom order for a full size afghan blanket similar to the lap size blanket a lovely lady recently purchased.  This one is about three times the area of the first so will take longer to complete.  

There are many other ready-to-ship afghan blankets in the shop here:  EvensensProductions.etsy.com.  Come take a look!

What are you making, baking, growing this week?

All the very best,

Lois

Quick Summer Dinner

 Good morning,

What's for dinner?

Cath made tuna melts on my home made bread, tomato soup, and hard boiled eggs.

Quick, tasty, yummy!

Thanks, Catherine!

Love you,

Mom

Filling the Pup's Pool

 Good morning,

Daddy keeps the pups' pool filled, but when Lily is outside, he gets way too much help!

We try to keep the pups out of the gold fish pond (right side of image) so give them this water near the patio for splashing on a warm day. 

 Here's Lily in action.

So cute!

:),

Lois

Smoked Salmon for Dinner

 Good morning,

It's smoking season here at our home and Kjell has dived right in.

He smoked that side of salmon and we enjoyed it for two days. 

 I age mine straight with some cole slaw on the side.

 Kjell ate his on a bun with cream cheese.

So, so good!

What are you grilling/smoking this summer?

All the best,

Lois

First Marigold from Seed

 Good morning,

This beauty is blooming on our front porch.  

Early in the Spring I sprinkled Marigold seeds in two of the pots on the porch.  These turned out to be very tall plants and the first big bloom has opened.

How pretty!

Enjoy,

Lois

Day Lilies in Bloom

 Good morning,

The orange Day Lilies are in bloom again.  They are quite pretty, but they are also very invasive. 

 During the years when I could actually dig in the ground and garden, I kept them under control by moving them to spots where I wanted them to grow and working hard to plant other things everywhere else they wanted to grow.

 Just the fact that they are growing and blooming brings such joy!  I love all the color.

What is blooming now where you live? 

All the best,

Lois

Lily Leads a Dog's Life

 Good morning,

Lily lives a dog's life here.  She's two now and is settling down which is wonderful.  As much as we love this little character, the first two years have been constantly:

"Where is Lily?"

"What does Lily have in her mouth?"

"Lily, leave your sister alone!"

"Lily, take that possum outside!"

"Lily, leave your toys inside!"

"Lily, we love you!"

*sigh*

Yep, the first two years are very busy....

Lois