I'm so glad you could stop by. This is my personal blog of daily life and my journey through life. You will find a strong emphasis on family and friends as well as finding my ancestors through genealogy. Unlike my other blogs this blog is more of a catch-all so any topic is fair game.
Being sick is not normally seen as a blessing but physiologically it is one of prominent indicators that your body needs attention. I've been having what I though was benign symptoms prior to the past week so when they escalated the first of the week I foolishly did not pay attention. I stress foolishly because I make it a point to listen to my body. Anyway, mid-week there was no ignoring symptoms because they were right there giving me a hi five followed by a whack across the head and a boot in the butt with a healthy dose of "I told you so". I broke down and called my doctor then crawled back into bed.
This is not something I do unless in desperate mode. My doctor and I have a great relationship. She knows I will not use pain killers unless absolutely necessary. She trusts my judgement, knows I do my research and am qualified to do so, knows I know my body and at the same time guides me but can be insistent if necessary. She knows I don't call for an appointment unless absolutely necessary and is very accommodating when I do. I respect her and she respects me. It is a great relationship!
So I call my doctor, asking for an appointment telling reception what was going on. Reception patched me over to my doctor's health practitioner. My health practitioner is a wonderful person as well who meshes well with my philosophy of holistic and natural health care. Based on the symptoms, tests were arranged and I was given strict guidelines as to how to manage the symptoms until the test results come back.
I'm still under the weather but am very grateful for having the doctor I do. She is a true blessing! She is a team mate in my health care not old school or not willing to listen to my viewpoints about my body but a partner in my health care. I am very blessed to have a doctor who treats me like their equal, realizes I am quite knowledgeable and respects me. Besides I really like her :)
Garden Gnome
©2006-2011
Fireworks Over Niagara Falls
July 31, 2011
During the summer months there are
firework displays on Saturdays and Sundays courtesy of the Niagara Park Commission in addition to the regular Falls illumination turning the park into a magical wonderland. There are free concerts in the park before the fireworks. Folks brings blankets to sit on the grass to enjoy the music and fireworks. It is a delighful way to spend a summer evening!
Garden Gnome
©2006-2011
Margarittaville, Niagara Falls, Ontario
July 31, 2011
Niagara Falls is just as busy if not busier once the night life begins. We walked around during the evening stopping at a couple of outdoor patios. Then we strolled down Fallsview Ave to enjoy the free fireworks shown on Friday nights and holidays throughout the summer months. It was a hot, balmy night yet quite pleasant with the occasional cooler breeze and mist from the falls. Pictured is Jimmy Buffet's Margarittaville on the corner of Murray Street and Fallview Ave. We had stopped there for lunch planning to stop by again in the evening but it was full so we mosied along enjoying people watching as well as the sights and sounds. It was a lovely way to spend the evening!
Garden Gnome
©2006-2011
Horseshoe Falls, Ontario Canada
July 31, 2011
During our recent visit to Niagara Falls we enjoyed spending time on the Skylon observation tower deck. The Skylon offers the highest view of the falls and a spectacular three hundred and sixty degree radius of the surrounding landscape. It is well worth going up the tower! Pictured is the Horseshoe Falls with the Maid of the Mist nearing the Falls.
Garden Gnome
©2006-2011
American Falls and Bridal Veil Falls
July 31, 2011
Garden Gnome
©2006-2011
Skylon Tower in Niagara Falls, Ontario
July 31, 2011
My husband and I met up with one of our friend's and his daughter in Niagara Falls (Ontario) on the Civic Holiday weekend. Niagara Falls is one of our favourite annual short vacation spots. We ususally spendthree days and two nights depending when we visit. My husband arranged for tickets to ascend the Skylon Tower, an excellent way to get amazing pictures of the falls. I post a few more pictures of the view from the Skylon Tower over the next couple of days.
Garden Gnome
©2006-2011
This past week has been a roller coaster of extreme stress, playing the waiting game and anticipation. Finally within the matter of one day, two huge deals were settled in our favour. The first is rather private so I won't discuss it but suffice to say it fell into the major good fortune category. Later that day our house was officially SOLD! The buyer removed all conditions for the purchase of our home. The following day the seller of the house we want agreed to the ammended closing date so we officially bought a new house. Then, the seller went a step further agreeing to a deal so we can move in three weeks earlier than the official closing date. To end the week on a high note my husband and I celebrated our Anniversary. In the end, the week wash highlighted by major good fortune that will take on another amazing adventure in this journey called life!
Garden Gnome
©2006-2011
My gosh, everything is just happening almost too fast. We knew it would with the right buyer but I did not bank on this almost lost feeling selling the house. It isn't that I don't know where to start with the packing or what to get rid of, but rather more of lost for lack of a better word. We've had sixteen months to decide how we were going to handle this move. I know what I want to replace as far as furniture and etc. with a set budget. I already have my colours picked out for the new house AND we have arranged to be able to have access three weeks before the official closing date. I have a lot of plans for the new house!
I am seriously totally wound up aka major hyperactive. I tore apart the upstairs bathroom just after getting the news everything was official. It is empty and in ready to move condition. I've gathered up all the nautical themed decor into two boxes, one to give away and one to take to our vacation home. I've gathered up all the documentation that needs to stay with the house like manuals. Unwanted items are going out the door daily. And so the detaching begins...
Garden Gnome
©2006-2011
I really apologize for not making posts the last couple of days. Things have evolved at such a high speed here pace the past couple of days I really can't even get my head around it. Our house is officially sold! We have an official move-in date but because the house we bought is pretty much empty we can get in there three weeks earlier. That allows us to do the cleaning and painting we want to do as well as move smaller things in. We will have a mover and we are buying new furniture that will be delivered directly to our new house. We are extremely excited!
We did another walk through today. My husband was thrilled to discover the thing we nick named the pulpet was hiding the plumbing for a wet bar. I discovered three peach (? apricot) and a pear tree in the back yard! We made a list of what we need to do sort of and what we need to change before fully moving in. I cannot believe this is happening so fast! I'm elated of course but still it is almost too much to fanthom. Talk about a gorgeous house too. It isn't on the water but it is in a wonderful location that will save us a bundle while moving up all at the same time. My husband says downsizing yet square foot wise and ammenities it is anything but downsizing!
Garden Gnome
©2006-2011
This was the long holiday weekend celebrating the Civic Holiday in Canada. We spend Saturday at the kids will most of the kids meeting there for a feastive summer barbeque on a beautiful summer day. The grandkids had a wonderful time! We spent the night at the kids then traveled to Niagara Falls the following day to meet up with one of our friends and his little one. We went up the Skylon Tower (pictures to come) and saw the movie at the iMax theatre. Last night was perfect for walking down to the Falls to enjoy the fireworks over the falls. My gosh, walking back up that hill was a chore! Then we did a bit of a pub crawl after enjoying a tasty Italian meal. It was a relatively early night with a fairly early start towards home. We took a lot of pictures so I will be sharing those once I've worked my way through the Florida spring vacation pictures.
My husband and I are celebrating a special milestone so stopped in Brampton at the casino for a couple of hours. It was a nice diversion but over stimulating with all the stress as well as recently being in Las Vegas. He lost a bit and I came ahead. We stopped for a quick bite to eat then made the final stretch home.
We are tired and the stress from the house is still wearing heavily on both of us. I'm beyond stressed! It was wonderful to be away for a couple of days. We are signing one offer tomorrow so at least we have one offer. It will remain as a first with a 48 hour clause for the buyer to remove all conditions should we choose to accept a better offer. The good news is we are showing the house again on Wednesday so perhaps that will be the better offer we are hoping for. At least now with this offer we have a tentative moving date.
Garden Gnome
©2006-2011
Woody Topiary
May 19, 2011
One of our granchildren absolutely loves Woody from Toy Story. I was excited to get a picture of this wonderful Woody topiary at Epcot in Walt Disney World, Orlando. I could not wait to get back to our vacation home to upload the pictures from my camera to send the little one a special message from Grandma and Papa. Disney World does such a lovey job on the toparieies. I absolutely love them as well as appreciate the multitude of hours that it takes to create and maintain these toparies. The are simply gorgeious!
Garden Gnome
©2006-2011
Welcome to Walt Disney World
Orlando, Florida
May 19, 2011
A couple of our kids and spouses are huge Disney fans. We were blessed with one of the couples visiting us during our recent spring vacation. They spent a few days with us which was really nice as we don't get a chance to see them as often as we would like. They live the furthest from us at about a ten hour drive from us. Weather conditions October through March makes driving rather touch and go. We had seen them on the tail end of our winter vacation the first week of January. We were so excited to see them again in May!
This couple is about the biggest Disney World fans you have ever met. They visit Disney World a couple of times a year. They know how to get all the discounts and the best attractions to visit. They know where the best places to eat. We spent an entire day at Epcot at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. It was wonderful event filled day! My gosh we had such a good time! We can't wait to do it again. Over the next few days I will be sharing some of the pictures from that great day.
Garden Gnome
©2006-2011
Standing Guard
May 18, 2011
Garden Gnome
©2006-2011
I hate, absolutely detest telemarketers. Our phone number is on Canada's Do Not Call List (that's a flipping joke) and we have call block. Despite numerous phone calls from Centennial Window (1-1-519-963-0831) both before and AFTER signing up for the DNC List we continue to get calls so today when I got yet another other one, I used *67 and called them back. The stupid and I do mean stupid telemarketer on the other end seemed to think I would be foolish enough to give them our phone number so they could check to see if they were calling us. Hello! You just called me and I called you back. I don't make a habit of calling telemarketers for something to do!
So I did not give them my phone number but I did head over to the CRTC to file a complaint. They are so annoying that there is no way I would ever consider buying windows from them anyway. They are truly pathetic bottom feeders! I would never, ever do business with Centennial Windows given their shoddy business practices. I will be so glad that this phone number will cease to exist as soon as we move and that time is moving closer as I type. Oh I know at some point they may find our new phone number then I will have to fight back once again simply because they are bottom feeder telemarketers. Absolutely disgusting!
Garden Gnome
©2006-2011
Imagine my surprise when I turned on the talking heads today to not hear one mention of Casey Anthony. I started watching the coverage of her trial back during our spring vacation in May. I watched it daily. It was a very sad case in which Casey was accused of murdering her little toddler Caylee and yet there was only scant circumstantial evidence, tampered evidence and lies in a trial that could cost Casey her life. She was facing the death penalty. I had ample opportunity to observe the talking heads. My gosh they can be quite horrid at best. The funny thing is they are condemning anyone of making money off of Caylee's death yet that is exactly what they are doing while inciting hartred and character assination. It was nice not to hear them speculate 'where's Casey' which has been their focus ever since Casey was acquitted and released from prison.
Anyway, back to the talking heads. What a horrible way to make a living off of the blood money others. I've notice the following characteristics about all of them and it really does not deviate much:
- exaggerated facial expressions - Talking heads verbalize through their teeth while exaggerating their lip shapes as much as possible. If they They feign this fake serious look most of the time but every once in awhile open their eyes huge to express shock. Then they suck in their breath to the point their head almost disappears! But I don't know where they get the air as they talk so fast they don't take time to breath which perhaps explains their pasty, bluish complexions.
- voice tone - Talking heads use almost a monotone voice except when they are trying to stress something then they raise the volume several decibels.
- self-centred - Talking heads are seriously about the most self-centred people I've seen. They get extremely upset and derragatory if anyone disagrees with their viewpoint whether it be a guest on their show or another team member. And they have no problem shooting a derragatory comment at anyone who disagrees then abruptly cutting the dissenter's air time so they cannot respond.
- failure to listen - This one really boggles my mind but talking heads do not want to listen to anyone else including their fellow talking heads. In fact if a talking head has other talking heads on as part of their panel the gackle is worse then Babalon! The main talking head as the other talking heads try to keep up so the gackle of competetion esculates. It ends up being a huge shouting match with the viewer left shaking their head just trying to understand what just happened as their stress level raises higher than if they were in an actual confrontation themselves.
- attack mode - The talking heads are always in attack mode. They don't really care who they attack whether it be the person they are reporting about or a colleague. They are in constant attack mode to the point the viewer expects them to keel over with a massive coronary attack!
- who needs facts - There is a saying in our home town that if you haven't heard a rumour by lunchtime you need to start one. That saying is so true when it comes to the talking heads. Honestly, they make-up the facts as they go then make-up facts about those made-up facts. They bring a whole new meaning to speculation and rumour starting.
Garden Gnome
©2006-2011
The past week was a bit odd in that my husband was away on the boat for three days so I had the house to myself. In the wee hours of Monday morning before he left I awoke in a fair amount of pain. So my great plans for doing what I wanted (even though I usually do) turned into staying indoors, working on pain control and listening to the talking heads. Oh and I prepped the house for showings that was a bit more difficult because of the pain but I managed. Then I got the call on the last day of the boat cruise that the boat broke down but they managed to limp it to safety. The good thing and most important thing is the guys were safe and sound. Boats can be replaced, they cannot. The following day we had two more house showings. My husband was sunburned and tired, I was still in pain so it wasn't the best day. The house was supposed to be shown on Friday but that was cancelled. I can't say I was disappointed but you can't sell if you don't show it. I had not been out of the house all week which really is not abnormal for me. I decided to go pick up a few groceries while my husband was golfing. We kew the kids, grandkids and grandpuppy were coming for lunch on Sunday. I came home with my goodies then set to work making sub buns. My husband was home by then and the storms rolled through knocking out our power just as the oven was heating to bake the buns. That was easily solved. The PVR on the other hand kept giving an error message that it was too cold so would turn on when the temperature reached 32ºF. Umm, I think the PVR has an attitude since the indoor temperature was a balmy 74ºF with an outdoor temperature of 92ºF. There is no way it could have a temperature issue over being too cold! The buns were out of the oven but the internet and PVR were still being quite fickle. I can't wait to get moved to where we don't have to deal with satellite services! Anyway, we decided to just call it a night. It had been a long, tiring week. Yet today was a wonderful end to last week and beautiful start for the coming week!
Garden Gnome
©2006-2011
A couple of years ago I was bashed, and I do mean bashed for not using my real name as author of my blogs. Using a pseudonym has long been acceptable in the literary field and that has been widely acceptable in the blogsphere. The bottom line is whether anyone else agrees with it or not, those who are important to me knows my online nym and my real identity. I refuse to be bullied and that is exactly what it was with my online stalker trying to bully me into disclosing my real name. Then the issue became that I don't talk enough about my online stalker, I don't disclose enough about myself and guess what I apparently don't make my online stalker the centre of my universe.
My blogs are about me, all about me! They are a reflection of how I see the world, my experiences and me sharing what I know. I, as author of my blogs, allow the reader to see one very, very narrow aspect of me. What I choose to share with my readers is entirely up to me and always has been. I will not be bullied or dictated to. I resent the judgemental attitude, telling me how I present my own intellectual property is wrong. The bottom line is under the Canadian Constitution I have every right to present my intellectual property any way I see fit. So my blogs are all about me but if you really want to know me, don't rely just on my blogs. You need to develop a personal relationship, one of which I will accept enough to let you get close enough that I will even talk to you, And let me tell you I do not and never have warmed up to people. At this stage in my life, if you aren't in my inner circle of friends and family the chances of you getting into my inner circle is pretty much nil. I'm just saying.
Garden Gnome
©2006-2011
Oh my gosh, I had the perfect post for today ending up my commentaries on the Casey Anthony trial. The bottom line is there wasn't even enough circumstantial evidence to convict Casey who was facing the death penalty if found guilty. I've watched coverage of this from almost day 1 and watched all of the trial coverage including seeing the laughing guy Jeff Ashton. There was nothing in the evidence that would convince me this young mother deserved the death penalty. Complicating matters was the mouths of the talking heads, specifically Nancy Grace of HLN, a subsiduary of CNN. She has been extremely vile always saying it is her First Ammendment Right.
Excuse me but I do know a bit about the US being there on a regular basis and owning property there. The First Ammendment does not give you the right to commit character assination, lible another person or instigate hatred. I'm sorry but Nancy Grace did all of these so I do hope Casey's attoneys sue Nancy Grace as well as HLN and CNN. [Oh and Nancy if you are reading this, you are seriously a nasty piece of work! You talk about others making money off of Casey Anthony and yet that is exactly what you are doing. For shame!] Now what is very interesting is the lawyers for Doctor Conrad Murrya, the doctor going on trial for the death of Michael Jackson specifically indicated their concern over Nancy Grace's vile behaviour with respect to the Casey Anthony trial. So her comments are now wasting the court's time? Hmm, can't she be charged with that? They want the jourey sequestered immediately and when you are talking
the Michael Jackson trial that is going to be a lot longer than the
time the jurers for the Casey Anthony trial were sequestered. They
don't feel they can get a free trial based partly on the vile comments
of Nancy Grace. Now that's a shame because it is going to cost the state of Florida more money and guess what they just wasted a bundle using Jeff Ashton aka the laughing guy. Perhaps Nancy Grace's ultimate adgenda is making the state of Florida a laughing stock and they are thanks to the ilk of Nancy Gracy they certainly are looking like a laughing stock!
So Nancy Grace in all her vileness exercised her First Ammendment Rights under the guise of being a journalist. Let me tell you she is not now or ever has been a journalist. Journalism may have been an excuse to exagerate, speculate, stetch the truth or blatant lie but there is no doubt that not once has she told the truth with respect to Casey Anthoney. I do think that one aspect of the ethics of journalism is reporting the truth. What ever happened to reporting the truth? Nancy Grace has failed that every step of the way! My opinion is she is a true disgrace to journalism, HLN and CNN. She should be held accountable for the vile hatred she had managed to spread and Now if I were a talking head which I'm not I would question her mental stability. Maybe I should speculate about her motives or where she was and why she would be saying the things she is that could put her family at risk. Perhaps we could question whether she needs psychaiatric help or if she is off her meds. Honestly this talking head is causing way more problems she is worth to the networks, if you ask me. Yet she contnues to make money off of Casey Anthony. Afterall, that's what talking heads do. They make money spewing off nonsense all in the name of being a journalist exercising their First Ammendment Rights. I say BS!
Garden Gnome
©2006-2011
Aging Gracefully
July 11, 2011
Garden Gnome
©2006-2011
Judge Belvin Perry was the judge in the Casey Anthony trial. Honestly my impression of him is he was so full of himself it really was pathetic. He came across as a minority with power that he was simply going to swing around because he could. He was so concerned over keeping the trial on schedule that he did hinder both the defense and prosecution. There is money pinching and being frugal but when it comes to life or death decisions a day or two extra to allow the jury to go through all the evidence should have been allowed. I really did not like Judge Perry. He charged one with 2 days in jail for making an inappropriate comment and a 28 year old 6 days for making a gesture in court and yet allowed the prosecution lawyer Jeff Ashton to grin, smirk and downright laugh in court over and over and over. He was, in my opinion a total disgrace to the bench. Ashton should have be at the very least been held in contempt of court given his behaviour. Now what Perry glossed over is I think if the defense wanted to press it they could easily get a mistrial because Perry wanted to keep court costs down. The penalty facing Casey Anthony was death. He in good conscious could say hey I kept the court costs down? What is with that? I did hear he is supposed to be penning a book over this trial. So he can make money, keep court costs down with a young woman facing death if found guilty? He had his moment of fame, his 15 minutes in the limelight but he isn't worth wasting any time on by buying whatever book he writes. He was in this trial for one thing only and that was to make money from it, not for justice. What a sham!
Garden Gnome
©2006-2011
Casey Marie Anthony, the young mother on trial for the murder of her toddler is officially a free woman. I've been following this trial since Day 1 when we were at our vacation home in Florida, not far from where the trial was held. In this case and I honestly do not think Casey killed little Caylee, justice was served. There was no real justice for Caylee though. I doubt the cause of death or what actually happened to that poor little one will ever be disclosed. The whole family and that came up over and over during the trial lives on lies. I really do think that Casey is a victim of her family. She was the obvious scapgoat which ended up costing her 3 years in jail from charges brought against her by complaints from her very own mother. No wonder she refused to see her mother in jail! Think about it. Her mother did not protect her from being sexually abused by her father and brother THEN betrayed her again by having her charged for cheque fraud. So Cindy Marie Anthony, Casey's mom is not the little Miss Innocent Goodie Two Shoes the talking heads portrait her to be. What is very interesting is the jury actually believed that George Anthony, Casey's dad was the one responsible for Caylee's death. Any normal parent or grandparent faced with a drowned child would call 911 and with him being a retired police detective, that should have been his first response yet he didn't call 911. Then he lied about his affair losing all credibility with the jury and quite frankly with the public. I really do believe that George Anthony is the person responsible for little Caylee's death.
I for one am glad to see Casey a free woman. I hope that her attorneys go full barrels against the talking heads, especially Nancy Grace. Of all the talking heads Nancy Grace has been particularly nasty but Jane Valez-Mitchell has been running a close second as to the derrogatory comments. More importantly I hope her attorneys take it a step further by suing HLN, the news station of the talking heads. And I hope the young store clerk that was attacked because she looks a bit like Casey sues the talking heads and HLN a subsiduary of CNN for their actions in promoting hatred. I hope that Casey's attornies sue CNN for allowing HLN to spew forth such hatred. There is freedom of the press but these talking heads are beyond guilty of character assination and promoting hatred. I hope that Casey's attorneys go after that horrid Facebook site promoting hatred against Casey putting her life in jeopardy. Facebook itself should remove the site which is really against the TOS anyway. What the talking heads and HLN does not seem to understand is they are directly responsible for promoting this hatred EVEN though Casey was found not guilty of murder, aggravated child abuse or aggravated manslaughter. She's not guilty! Leave her alone. Respect the jury's decision and leave her alone. She has lost everything - her child, her family, her freedom, her peace of mind, her personal right to safety - EVERYTHING! And yet the talking heads circling like vulchers looking for a feeding frenzy wanted the death sentence. FOR SHAME!
Garden Gnome
©2006-2011
Wow, what an absolutely wonderful week spent with family and friends! We had a chance to visit with all three grandkids and their parents this past week. Our grandkids are the sweetest blessings ever. I thought being blessed with kids was amazing, watching them grow to become the wonderful adults they are even more amazing but oh my gosh grandkids are the icing on the cake!
And then there's our friends. They are some of best folks you could ever meet. They would not hesitate to give you the shirt of their back. They are always there for us, never wavering in good times and even stronger in bad times. Believe me we are so blessed to have such true friends that are always there, that we can rely on anytime and you know are just wonderful people about as close to family as you can get!
It was a wonderful week!
Garden Gnome
©2006-2011
Ok, you think it is a funny topic but ever since my husband had his head shaved for cancer I've been thinking about my hair. It is waist long, virgin hair that is gracely aging aka getting very close to salt & pepper. It is treated with nothing more that shampoo and condition and I went to a No-poo cleansing system using cider vinegar and baking soda that I use a couple of times a month in addition to shampoo and conditioner. I wear my hair long and straight most days or a semi-pony tail secured with a clip. Occasionally in the summer I use a silicone product like Citri Shine but that's about it. Long hair need not be high maintenance either. I wash it, blow dry then style (eg. flat iron, curing iron) and believe me styling is not something I am all that interested. I really can't be bothered. As long as it is clean and looks half decent, I'm happy. I know I should not blow dry my hair but trust me it is the only way to get this amount of hair dried during the winter months and I do give it a break in the summer letting the sun dry it naturally. I have twisted it into a bun during the summer months after a day spent on the boat and honestly it will still be wet two days later! I don't think I could ever go with a short hairdo though. I've always had long hair with the exception of one defiant period where I cut it short to spite my Mom but that didn't last long.
Garden Gnome
©2006-2011
Oh So Comfy!
June 23, 2011
Garden Gnome
©2006-2011
Cheney Mason, one of the members had a lot of negative things to say about the media leading up to and during the Casey Anthony trial. I honestly cannot help but agree with him. My husband refers to these media vultures as talking heads. The thing is the talking heads extrapolate, speculate and downright sensationalize without knowing the whole story. And while they are condemning some of trying to make money off of the death of little Caylee Anthony, they are doing the exact same thing. They have been making money off this case ever since Caylee's disappearance and have been making money doing nothing more than character accination leading up to and during the trial. So those like Nancy Grace who I find particarly nauseating that are claiming they are seeking justice for Caylee have blood money on their hands. All of a sudden Casey's boyfriend and former friends are coming forward. Do you think they are doing these interviews without being paid some type of compensation? And then there were the so called protestors at the courthouse. Now that really is a joke as the real thing they were really interested in was getting their 15 minutes of fame on television. Casey Anthony was found not guilty of murder, aggravated child abuse and aggravated manslaughter. She will be released into the community on July 17, one week from today. In the meantime the talking heads will continue to make money off of the death of little Caylee Marie Anthony. And the talking head can sleep tight at night then look at themselves in the mirror the next morning knowing they have blood money on their hands and no amount of washing ever gets rid of blood money!
Garden Gnome
©2006-2011
It is almost human nature to complain about the weather. Everyone can relate, it is a safe conversational topic, and no one can do anything about it. This past week it would have been difficult to find any complaints with the weather. It was gorgeous, perhaps a bit too hot for some and too humid for others, but gorgeous no the less. We had the boat out a couple of times and went to a belated Canada Day celebration complete with a pig roast and a fireworks display that would out rival many community fireworks hosted by my husband's aunt and uncle. They have a beautiful 25 acre farm with a large manmade pond. A picture of the pond is the background for my gardening blog. It was a beautiful warm summer day with an amazingly blue sky dotted with big fluffy white clouds and yet the night brought cooler air perfect for watching the fireworks display. It was the perfect ending to the perfect summer week!
Garden Gnome
©2006-2011
Fireworks
July 1, 2011
As newlyweds we decided that buying fireworks for a personal display was not a frugal use of our funds. I can recall only once where we gave into the pleas of our kids to by a few fireworks and a couple of occasions of buying sparklers. Many communities have a fireworks display for July 1, Canada Day. We seldom attend though. I guess it is something we never got into and living in smaller communities it is easy to see any fireworks anyway. This past Canada Day we attended the community fireworks display. A large group of us gathered on the lawn of one of our friends where we had a wonderful view of the fireworks. It was a very pleasant way to spend the evening!
Garden Gnome
©2006-2011
Casey Anthony was found not guilty of murder, not guilty of aggravated child abuse and not guilty of aggravated manslaughter but guilty on four counts of lying to a police officer on Tuesday. Today Judge Perry sentenced her to 1 year for each count for a maximum of four years less time served as well as $1,000 fine per count ($4,000). She was credited with 1,043 days served giving a release date of July 13, 2011. At that time she will be released into the community. While she will have her freedom, she still faces a multitude of legal problems. The state is suing for costs. The search party is seeking compensation from Casey and her parents. A deposition was served on Casey last night by the attorney for a woman who's name is Zenaida Fernandez Gonzalez the name used by Casey for "Zanny the Nanny" for damages she has suffered as a result of Casey's lies. Casey's parents have received death threats and Casey's defense team is very concerned about her safety once released. There is talk that Cindy Anthony (Casey's mom) may be charged with purgery. Cindy and George's (Casey's parents) neighbours are hoping they make enough money from telling their story so they can move out of the neighbourhood. So the story doesn't end with Casey's release from prison next Wednesday.
Quite frankly, I feel justice was served in this case. The prosecution failed to prove that Casey actually committed any crime other than lying to a police officer. Without that proof, the jury had no choice but to find her not guilty of murder, aggravated child abuse or aggravated manslaughter. They followed the law in that respect. Prosecutor Jeffery Ashton discredited himself throughout the trial by smirking (opening statements and during trial) to coming close to openly laughing during Jose Baez's closing statements. What I found interesting is Judge Perry gave one lady two days in jail for making a comment in court, and 28 year old Mathew Barlett six days in court along with a $400 fine plus $263 in court costs for flipping the bird at Jeff Ashton. Yet he did nothing about the shameful behaviour of Jeff Ashton other than threaten sanctions. I think Jeff Ashton thought this was a slam dunk case so got just a bit too cocky. In that respect the solid win by the defense team is a bit sweeter. Jeff Ashton announced his retirement the same day as the not guilty verdict.
The sad thing in all of this is a little child, Caylee is dead. If the Anthony family knows anything about it they will never talk now. Even if it was discovered that Casey did kill her daughter which I believe she did not, she cannot be charged again. It is doubtful that the cause of death of little Caylee will ever be found. Yet many lives were affected and continue to be affected by this little angel.
Garden Gnome
©2006-2011
Luminaries of Hope
June 24, 2011
Garden Gnome
©2006-2011
After a little over ten hours of deliberation, the jury found Casey Anthony not guilty of First Degree Murder, not guilty of Aggravated Manslaughter, and not guilty of Aggravated Child Abuse. They found her guilty of lying to a police officer. The sentencing will be on Thursday but with time served, with any luck she will be a free woman then.
The media is having a feeding frenzie on this one They are still condemning Casey even though she has been acquitted but they they had her guilty and on death row well before the trial. Now Jose Biaz hinted that they would be seeing some of the members of the press shortly. I would think after some of the things said by HLN journalists that some will be held accountable for the liabliss statements made against Casy. I honestly hope they particularly hit Nancy Grace hard for her vile and vicious tounge. She honestly is a nasty piece of jounalism, a definite shame to her profession!
The media is so hyped up they are even discussing where Casey will live if released on Thursday. According to Nancy Green and her narrow minded cronies, Casey has no choice but to move back in with her parents. Now I don't know what the heck they have been sniffing but Casey has a lot of options where to live if released and I certainly doubt whe will move in with her parents of whom she accused her father of molesting her since age eight. Some of these sensationalist journalists need to consider that there are safe houses, support systems and government assistence available to Casey. Oh but that would take a bit away from the sensationalism, wouldn't it?
The sad reality is a little girl, Caylee Marie Anthony is dead. Her mother, Casey Marie Anthony will now be allowed to grieve but her life will never be the same. A disfunctional family has literally been destroyed not only via the trial but by the assination by the media. Their neighbours are hoping they make a lot of money from telling their story so they can move away and life get back to normal in the neighbourhood. And in the end, Caylee Marie Anthony is dead...
Garden Gnome
©2006-2011
Judge Perry gave instructions to the jury and they are now in deliberation. Now it is a waiting game for the verdict. Looking at it from the outside, there really is no evidence that Casey Anthony harmed her daughter Caylee in any manner. In fact she was quoted to be a very good mother. There's no DNA evidence on the duct tape, something that would be expected if the duct tape had actually been on Caylee. There is no evidence that Casey beyond a shadow of a doubt did the searches on chloroform. Four people had access to that computer so it really could have been any of them that did those searches. There is no evidence little Caylee's body was ever in the car. There is evidence that the car did not smell and in fact the idea that the smell was so bad seems to be one planted by Casey's father George. The only thing the evidence showed is that Casey did in fact lie to law officials.
There is no doubt in my mind that Casey is indeed a victim of sexual abuse at the hands of her father and possibly her brother, Lee. There was even speculation by law officials that Lee was the father of his niece, Caylee. The hatred on Casey's face towards her father is more than apparent! There is a lot of problems and issues in this family. The sad thing is this family, as disfunctional at it was, is now completely destroyed. I doubt it could ever be healed. Part of that is due to the huge circus the media has turned this case into.
The media has been absolutely brutal in this case. In particular to the point of being nauseating is Nancy Grace who calls Casey Tot Mom. She is not only deragoatory and judgemental but just a nasty piece of work. Feeding off of someone's misfortune and judging them guilty before they have been proven to be guilty just makes her look foolish. But what goes around comes around so at some point hopefully she is on the receiving end of what she is dishing out. Now we wait for the verdict and yet the media is hounding the defense team while they are having their lunch. It's sad that the media has to be so callous!
Garden Gnome
©2006-2011
This past week was one of celebration. We attended the 65th birthday celebration of a very good friend during the afternoon on Canada Day (July 1). It was wonderful to be able to share in this happy event! After the birthday celebration we went to another friend's house where we enjoyed a barbeque with him and his young daughter before we all headed out to enjoy the community fireworks. We had a perfect view of them from another friend's side yard. More friends some with their children joined us for a fun filled evening. The fireworks were amazing, filling the night sky with gorgeous colours celebrating Canada's one hundred and forty-fourth birthday. What a great way to enjoy time with family and friends!
Garden Gnome
©2006-2011
Today is Canada Day so I would like to wish all of my Canadian readers happy celebrations. We will be enjoying a wonderful day spent with family and friends.
Garden Gnome
©2006-2011
Pugs on Fremont Street, Las Vegas
May 13, 2011
Garden Gnome
©2006-2011
City of Las Vegas First Hospital Historical Plaque
May 12, 2011
On May 15, 1905 Las Vegas was established although the area was inhabited well before that. The first 'hospital' was an 8-foot by 10-foot tent at Stewart Avenue and Third Street erected for the railroad workers in 1904. The first doctor (chief surgeon) was Dr. Royce (Roy) Martin, Las Vegas & Tonopah Railroad. A second tent was errected at Eighth Street and Ogden Avenue. The first doctor at that tent hospital was Dr. Halle Hewertson, the surgeon for the San Pedro, Los Angeles & Salt Lake Railroad. The doctors worked together providing medical care for the railroad workers.
Garden Gnome
©2006-2011
Eiffel Tower at Paris Las Vegas
May 12, 2011
Las Vegas is the city of lights, glitter and glitz! Driving along Las Vegas Boulevard is stunning at night. We have only seen the strip dark once, in memory of Frank Sinatra. Other than that, the lights are always lit at night. Pictured is the Eiffel Tower at Paris Las Vegas. Isn't it impressive?
Garden Gnome
©2006-2011
We have been married over 30 years. There are times I really have issues with my husband and quite frankly there are things he does that seriously annoy me. It's hard living with another person something I think anyone who has been in a long term relationship will attest to. There are some things that he does simply amazes me! Yesterday was one of those days.
We have been dealing with my husband's unexpected health issues since May 14, during the 18 hour break between Las Vegas and Florida. Since then he has been poked, prodded, hospitalized and undergone a variety of medical tests. Yet he was determined to participate in two community events yesterday. The first was the Jail & Bail to raise funds in support of Crime Stoppers. He was 'arrested' for having 'too sharp of a pencil' and successfully raised his bail money to get out of jail. This was a well worth fundraiser that gives back to the community. Thanks so much to all who supported him in this fundraiser. He raised a little over $300 to help make our community a safer place to live for all.
The second community event yesterday started at 7 PM. It was the Community Relay for Life in support of survivors of cancer and remembering those who did not survive. I went along to take pictures and honestly this was a very moving and emotional event. As I looked through the crowd, every single person there had been affected by cancer on one or more levels. At 8 PM my husband had his beautiful hair shaved off stopping only briefly to honour a generous $50 donation (thanks!) for the mohawk shot. Then his moustache was shaved off. This is the second time that has been off in well over 30 years! But it did not end there. Thanks to another very generous donation of $100 his eyebrows were shaved off. Oh my gosh does he ever look different! Not only did he have monetary support, family and friends as well as clients showed up to give emotional support. I do have to brag a bit as he raised almost $1,400 for this very worthwhile fundraiser in support of the Canadian Cancer Society.
At 9:30 PM there was the Luminary Ceremony and like everyone there, we had purchased luminaries to remember family members who did not survive cancer. Sadly we lit a luminary for my husband's Mom and Dad as well as one for our DIL's sister. Yet we should have lit a lot more :( My DIL, middle grandchild who wants to know when they will put the hair back on Papa, and I left around 10 PM. My husband camped out with his team, continuing the relay until 7 AM Saturday morning.
He did all of this while not feeling well himself. He unselfishly raised funds to help the community, giving back to the community. He's a very community minded person but what he did Friday is quite amazing if you ask me. Kudos to my husband. I am so very, very proud of him!
Garden Gnome
©2006-2011
Looking Down on the Hoover Dam Bypass
May 11, 2011
Driving through the Mojave Desert is a stark contrast to Las Vegas. It is an absolutely gorgeous drive that brings you out of all the glitz and glitter of Las Vegas, a vivid reminder that this is a desert. It is easy to view the desert as barren land but it really is buzzing with a variety of wildlife. The flora and fauna varies depending on the smaller ecosystems within the Mojave Desert. It really is some of the most amazing natural eye candy!
We explored a bit the day we visited the Hoover Dam. My husband was entranced by the new Hoover Dam bypass. So we went off the beaten track to get pictures looking down on the bypass as it snakes through the desert landscape (pictured). Mind you we were not in a four wheel drive vehicle and my gosh the dirt road we took had a few scary points but we did get those pictures. It was well worth it!
Garden Gnome
©2006-2011
[edited July 7, 2011]
[My apologies to my readership other than my internet stalker. This post is directed at my stalker so others can disregard. Normal posting will resume tomorrow.]
Have you ever had a gotcha moment? Well I finally have the proof that my online stalker has been using a proxy server to view my blogs. You see all along I had my suspicions but now I have the physical proof. Apparently "hide my ass" anonymous proxy did not hide this person's IP . See that little line that says "IP Address"? How pathetic can a person actually be? Despite a very clear indication that I do not want anything to do with this person, she has not got the message. Time to launch the LARTs!
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Number of Entries: 2
Entry Page Time: 23 Jun 2011 10:00:23
Visit Length: 5 mins 53 secs
Browser: IE 7.0
OS: WinXP
Resolution: 1024x768
Total Visits: 1
Location: Kingston, Ontario, Canada
IP Address: Bell Canada (74.14.230.164) [label edited to not name my stalker]
Referring URL: www.hidemyass.com/
Entry Page: 5.hidemyass.com/ip-1/encoded/Oi8vZ2FyZGVuZ25vbWVzam91cm5leS5ibG9nc3BvdC5jb20v&f=norefer
Exit Page: 5.hidemyass.com/ip-1/encoded/Oi8vZ2FyZGVuZ25vbWVzam91cm5leS5ibG9nc3BvdC5jb20vc2VhcmNoP3VwZGF0ZWQtbWF4PTIwMTEtMDYtMTZUMDclM0EwMCUzQTAwLTA0JTNBMDA%3D
Garden Gnome
©2006-2011
Arizona State Line
May 11, 2011
The Hoover Dam is very close to the Arizona state line. I like taking pictures of provincial and state welcoming signs as mementos of our travel adventures. They are wonderful additions to my travel scrapbooks. Pictured is the Arizona state line sign on US Highway Route 95 Southbound Hoover Dam Bypass. We have been into Arizona a few times while vacationing in Las Vegas. The most memorable visit to Arizona was a side trip to Phoenix, Arizona to watch my husband's beloved Detroit Redwings play. It would be nice to take a side trip to explore Phoenix, do a bit of sightseeing so perhaps during our next Las Vegas vacation.
Garden Gnome
©2006-2011
Evening Splendor
June 16, 2011
Garden Gnome
©2006-2011
The media has turned into a lynch mob towards Casey Anthony, accused of killing her toddler base only on the bare minimum of circumstantial evidence. One in particular, Nancy Grace is about as nauseating as you can get always referring to Casey as "tot mom". What the heck. I'm sorry, but she is being judge, jury and executioner and quite frankly she should be ashamed! It is nothing more than sensationalism but really more like down right sickening. The thing is at most Casey is a victim of sexual abuse and trying to protect her family including the possible coverup of her daughter's death. For all we know either George or Lee abused little Caylee or decided to kill her to get rid of any possiblility of Casey being able to substantiate her claim of being sexually abused. Yet Nancy Grace appears to be the end all, be all spokesperson for the lynch mob going after Casey. She should be working for one of the rag mags like the Enquirer because she sure as heck does not how to report the fact of the news. Here's hoping she never steps out of line or gets accused of doing something she didn't because Karma is a bitch!
Garden Gnome
©2006-2011
I started watching the Casey Anthony trial when we were on vacation. Call me morbid but being a victim of murder, a mother and a grandmother as well as being well versed with the science involved, the trial caught my attention. The prosecution has nothing more than circumstantial evidence against this young mother accused of killing her two and a half old daughter. The problem is Casey herself is really a victim of her family. The prosecution has not and cannot produce any evidence that this young mother killed her child. The defense has not produced evidence of sexual abuse by her father, George Anthony since age 8 but they did bring in the fact that her brother Lee was tested to see if he was the father of little Caylee. I listened to the DNA results and what the heck, the state has nothing, zippo, as in nothing not even DNA from a child being in the trunk of a car. They don't even have DNA from the duct tape that was supposedly the murder weapon and that is DNA from Caylee and/or the murder. The only DNA they found on the duct tape came from a lab technitician who contaminated the sample. Come on! Talk about shoddy science! I'm not kidding either. The evidence the defense is presenting is clearing showing the prosecution is out to lunch.
I have a few theories as to what happened to little Caylee, some of them a bit more plausible than others but consider first:
- Casey sold her child for a drug debt or other debt - Casey lost her job at Universal Studios. She couldn't let her parents know so she sold her child.
- Cindy Anthony is covering for George Anthony - Casey implied that George has sexually abused her since age 8. I'm sorry but Cindy would known about this abuse or suspected the abuse and yet chose not to say anything. But the facts are there that there has been a history of sexual abuse in this family.
- Brother Lee might be the father of Caylee - The testing done said Lee wasn't even though he had sexually abused his sister Casey. Seeing Lee on the stand, the first thing that came to mind is he is definitely fabricating the story.
- Cindy Anthony is a narcissist - Talk about an overpowering figure but everything points to her not really caring about her daughter Casey and in fact there are reports of a huge power struggle between Cindy and Casey over the care of Caylee.
- George Anthony admits he saw Caylee drown - Now just give me a break! He is a former police officer and a grandfather. You mean he wouldn't know what to do in that event? What is your first instinct if you saw you grandchild floating in a pool? It would be to call 911!
Casey Anthony was not a bad parent by all accounts. She was battling with her mother Cindy who felt she needed complete control over Caylee yet she failed to protect her daughter Casey from sexual abuse by her husband George and son Lee. So Cindy really is not looking out for the best interests of Casey. What I think happened is either George or Lee thought they were the father of Caylee, Casey threatened to tell the whole storey so George or Lee got rid of the evidence (aka Caylee a little two and half year old toddler) and Cindy true to form is covering up their mess while framing Casey. There is no doubt in my mind that both Casey and little Caylee are victims of George, Lee and Cindy Anthony. But then they were victims from the start! My opinon...
Garden Gnome
©2006-2011
I need to give a profound apology to those who may have read a very uncharacteristic rant that appeared briefly here last week. I wrote the post and my settings are such that new posts go live at 7 AM. When I realized that the nest day, I removed the post. I was extremely stressed beyond being stressed so used a bit of terminology that I normally would not use. The feelings are still there and I still way am beyond upset but you, the loyal reader of this blog did not need to read it. I was venting, seriously venting. The good thing is with the venting I didn't hit anyone, I didn't name any names other than the Premier of which there is no love lost between us, I just vented. I didn't break or throw anything. In fact, on the surface it looks very much that I'm dealing with what is going on without a problem. Most would not even know anything is going on. Everything appears to be rather normal to the outsider. Venting is a blessing because everyone needs a way to lash out without causing harm.
Blogging is one way I can lash out, let it all hang out and not put on the 'everything is ok' face. For those who read the original vent before I removed it, I stand behind everything I wrote. If anything I was not harsh enough. But anger and venting, while they serve a valued physiological purpose, add to the physical damages from stress.
Yesterday was a wonderful day. I took the internet outdoors, then did a bit of reading and took a bit of downtime. Then I got out the knitting. As I knitted I chuckled a little about how I used to equate knitting with polymerase during DNA replication. Venting is a human emotion not a cellular function, really serving only a release and nothing more. But venting is a blessing or at least is was for me. I am really sorry my venting spilled over here. It won't happen again.
Garden Gnome
©2006-2011
Vivid Colours of Lake Mead
May 11, 2011
The water of Lake Mead is a vivid deep blue tinged with aquamarine that is quite stunning against the reddish rock bordered with the paler
bathtub ring of it's banks. From the sky, it is more of a deep navy blue. It is quite impressive!
Garden Gnome
©2006-2011
Looking Down the Hoover Dam
May 11, 2011
The Hoover Dam is a huge tourist attraction only 30 minutes from Las Vegas. It is well worth visiting even if you don't take the tour. The drive from Las Vegas to the Hoover Dam is beautiful, driving home there is no doubt you are in a desert. We have yet to take one of the dam tours or flying over the dam but we visit almost every trip. Standing on the dam and looking over is one of the most eerie, profound feelings I've experienced. Definitely
do not look over the dam if you have a fear of heights. It surprises me that the wall over the dam preventing visitors from accidentally toppling over is not very high. It's only hip level on me and I'm not very tall. It ends right there too with nothing stopping visitors from sitting on the wall or preventing an accidental fall. It is a magnificent view!
Garden Gnome
©2006-2011
Lake Mead
May 11, 2011
Lake Mead is located on the Colorado River about 30 mi (48 km) southeast of Las Vegas, Nevada spanning into Arizona. The lake was named after "Elwood Mead (1858–1936), who was the commissioner of the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation from 1924 to 1936 during the planning and construction of the Boulder Canyon Project that created the dam and lake".
1. It is the largest manmade lake in the United States, formed by water stored by the Hoover Dam. It is part of the Boulder Dam Recreation Area later renamed the Lake Mead National Recreational Area in 1964. The Hoover Dam is located where the Colorado River meets Lake Mead.
Water from snow melt in the Colorado, Wyoming, and Utah Rocky Mountains is the main source of water in Lake Mead. The water level has been dropping since 1953 and is currently at 39 percent capacity. The
bathtub ring is clearly visible in the picture. We were quite surprised at how low the water was. We noticed the lower level even from the plane. The declining water that threatens fresh water source in Las Vegas and surrounding are is noticeable in the casinos and rooms. There are water conservation signs urging visitors to indicate if they want their sheets changed otherwise housekeeping with only make the bed. They only change out towels that have been placed on the floor as towels replaced on the rack indicate the visitor will reuse them. More of the resorts and casinos are using xeroscaping and artificial turf to reduce the amount of water needed for landscaping purposes. We saw a lot less sprinklers in action. The water in the many gorgeous indoor and outdoor fountains is recycled as well.
Garden Gnome
©2006-2011
Hoover Dam Bypass Bridge
May 11, 2011
Garden Gnome
©2006-2011
Mike O’Callaghan-Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge
(Hoover Dam Bypass)
May 11, 2011
During our stay in Las Vegas we took a side trip to the Hoover Dam. There is a new bypass that was completed in October of 2010 spanning the dam. The
1,900 foot bridge is the longest single-span concrete arch bridge in the western hemisphere. After touring around the Hoover Dam we took a ride on the bypass. It was very impressive! You can't see a lot of the dam from the bridge though as it was constructed in such a manner to prevent cars stopping for sightseeing.
Garden Gnome
©2006-2011
Sometimes it takes a crisis to remind you to enjoy those little things that really matter the most. There are a lot of things I love about my husband. Like many spouses I take some of these things for granted. If you have been following this blog you will know we were on vacation from May 8 to May 25 with an 18 hour stop over at home. During that 18 hour period my husband had to go to emerg for an unexpected health problem. We arrived home on the 25th, he was back in emerg on the 27th then admitted into hospital on the 29th. The last time he was this sick was back in 1980 when we were living in Edmonton. He does not get sick other than an odd cold and even then it is not enough to knock him off of his feet.
I have spent an aweful lot of time looking into my husband's eyes over the couple of weeks. They are kind, gentle beautiful dark hazel eyes. They sparkle with laughter lighting up his whole face. They are the windows to his soul and my gosh, what a grand soul it is! His eyes shows how much he loves and enjoys his family and life. This past couple of weeks I saw questioning in those eyes and a bit of worry even though he was trying to hide it. I saw a trust, not only in my medical sciences knowledge knowing I won't let anyone do anything to him that shouldn't be done but also knowing as a wife I will fight to the end for him. He was so vulnerable and yet his eyes spoke volumes. He's on the mend now thank goodness but is still undergoing a battery of medical tests. I find myself looking directly into those gorgeous eyes to tell me what he is not saying. May I have many, many more years looking into those eyes!
Garden Gnome
©2006-2011
When we were down in Florida, I started watching the Casey Anthony case being tried in Orlando, Florida. This really is a sad case of a young mother charged with the murder of her two-year old daughter, Caylee. There is some speculation that the death was accidental then covered up by Casey's family. The media has turned into a lynch mob already convicting her before all the evidence has been heard. One thing that is coming to light is this was at some level a rather dysfunctional family. I have been watching the live trial on HLN. Honestly, I am going to hold back my take on the unfolding trial other than to say that I don't think she killed her little girl. I do think she is a victim of her family though. It was quite evident on the stand today when her brother was testifying that he was fabricating as he went although the media on their witch hunt claim he is a credible witness. More to come on this...
Garden Gnome
©2006-2011
The Roller Coaster
(New York New York, Las Vegas)
May 10, 2011
We knew before arriving in Las Vegas that the Sahara Hotel & Casino would be closing during our stay. The Sahara has been operating in Las Vegas since 1952. Many of the casinos on the strip have attractions, some of which are free. The Sahara Hotel & Casino had a lovely roller coaster that the guys wanted to take a ride on knowing they would not be able the next visit. When we arrived at the Sahara, operations were pretty much shut down looking like a ghost town. It was sad to see. We couldn't get a player's card as a memento and the roller coaster was closed down. I bought a drink at the bar to get a souvenir Sahara glass only to find out the almost bare gift shop was selling them two for $3.
The guys were on a quest to find a roller coaster ride. We stopped at New York New York on the strip where they were able to ride the roller coaster there. This roller coaster rises 203 ft with a drop of 144 ft giving a coasting speed of 67 mph. The heartline twist simulates a jet fighter's barrel roll. The guys road the roller coaster twice! The women being of sound mind kept their feet firmly planted on the ground.
Garden Gnome
©2006-2011
We arrived home from our spring vacation after being away from May 8 to 25 with about eighteen hours at home on the 14th. During our brief period at home between the two legs of our spring vacation my husband was seen in emerg. He was again seen in emerg not a full two days after being home and again a day later when he was admitted to hospital. We are so blessed to have adequate health care in Canada! Despite some viewpoints, health care in Canada is not socialized. Rather health care access is available to all but even that is a bit of a mis-statement as there are many under serviced areas in Canada. Now access to health care does not mean you can afford the recommended prescriptions or treatment. We experienced first hand just how much our health care has erroded. Still when my husband needed the emergency help it was there. Now we are going through the multitude of tests and the help is there. So we are blessed, very blessed!
Garden Gnome
©2006-2011
Things are going at a slow crawl here and while I have plenty of great blog fodder, we have been dealing with my husband's health problems since arriving home from vacation on May 25. He was been hospitalized for a couple of those days. He saw his doctor today who ordered more tests. He had viral gastroenteritis contracted likely during the last day of our vacation in one of the airports. The ongoing problems have a tentative diagnosis that will either be confirmed or disproved by the new tests. He is feeling better. It appears the viral infection has pretty much run its course or at least the worst is over. Now it is the issue of getting to the bottom of the new problems that have popped up. Next week is riddled with medical appointments but that's ok as long as we find out what is going on.
Garden Gnome
©2006-2011
Spiderman
May 9, 2011
You just never know who you are going to meet on the Las Vegas strip or Fremont Steet. Many of the rich and famous were out and about greeting visitors. The Superheros were out as well. I had a friendly chat with Spiderman. He is every bit as handsome in real life as in the cartoons :)
Garden Gnome
©2006-2011
Water Funnels at City Center in Las Vegas
May 9, 2011
On the lower level in City Center in Las Vegas this is a wonderful piece of artwork rising from the floor. It consists of various sized acrylic tubes. Water is spun inside the tubes creating a vortex or water funnel within the tube. The tubes are illuminated in various colours. Some of the tubes are floor level giving the appearance they may pop up any time. I thought it was quite ingenious!
Garden Gnome
©2006-2011
