Tuesday 4 & Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. Where have you traveled and what is the furthest you've been from home? I have traveled to Mexico City and Acapulco in 1970  Novia Scotia, Canada, while on a New England Cruise. Juneau Alaska while on a cruise and Puerto Vallarta Mexico while on a cruise. Hawaii, 2000, 2009, 2012 and 2018. The Mexican Riviera Cruise is listed above. I need to finish a couple of more days.

2. Is there a location other than where you are, that you think would be a nice place to live? Hawaii!

3. Do you have a photo or story from a favorite place to visit? I have photos and whole links to the pages I did at my Website. I linked a few at my last post. My website is linked on the left under the memes link. Ifo you go there and click on Site Map, it will take you to a page that list 100's of pages. The vacations are on the lower middle section.

4. What dream destination do you have tucked away in your heart? Do you think you'll be able to visit them one day or are plans in the making? Israel, Spain, Italy. I don't think I will go there physically, but there is a lot to see online. I am just traveling through. My final place is Heaven and one place I know I will get to in God's timing. I hope I smell plumerias there!

Waikiki

1. When does time pass slowly for you? When does time past quickly for you? The days just fly by now. I like to be busy for the most part. The day drags when I don't have anything to do.

2. Do you have a favorite beach? What's your favorite 'beach' activity? Tell us what we'd find in your beach bag. There are several beaches I like that are about 30 miles away from me. Takes about and hour to get there because of traffic. If I had to pick one that is local, I would say Corona Del Mar. I would go there while I was attending the University of Irvine. We would go in between classes or just miss a class because we could. It was a wonderful break from school and the reality that childhood was over. It is the beach we took our kids too. The water is a bit more calmer. We also went there with the grands.

Corona Del Mar

Huntington Beach

Balboa is another beach. Our kids liked walking the pier and playing in the water. Then we would leave the parking lot, what across the street, and head to the bay. There was a Ferris wheel at the boardwalk. We would get corndogs, pizza and Balboa bars, a favorite of mine. Sometimes we would drive our car to the ferry and go across to Balboa Island. We were last there with our married group in October. We took a bay cruise, but the captain took us out further towards a pod of dolphins which he estimated 200-300 dolphins. 

It was great! But my most favorite place is Hanauma Bay in Oahu Hawaii. I haven snorkeled there 3 times and loved it. Clear water, and lots of fish. The time with my husband in August of 2009 was the best. The water was warm compared to our Pacific Caost Beaches that are cold.

The grands are older and now the family goes to Newport and Huntington Beach. The piers are busy, and there are a lot of shops. And of course a lot of surfers! It's a lot harder to get a family day for the beach with everyone's schedule. When I go, I take one of several beach bags I have. I always take the basics like sunscreen, sunglasses, towel and water. The past few years I take a journal or travel Bible so I can watercolor in it. Hubby usually packs everything else. 

3. Your favorite book or movie with a beach setting? South Pacific comes to my mind along with From Here to Eternity.  I have seen the Halona beach cove from the love scene in that movie. This picture was taken in 2009 when we were on an Island your of Oahu.

4. What's a food you love, but find it's a pain to eat? Is it worth it? Pomegranates.

5.  Do you like roller coasters? What's the best (or worst) roller coaster you've been on? Yes, I do like roller coasters. I like to go on them at Disneyland. The tallest one was Magic Mountain. I think it was called the Colossus. The last one I went on was the Incredicoaster at Disney's California Adventure. It goes upside down and I liked the feeling. It actually made my neck feel better!

6. Insert your own random thought here. I love to be at the beach. The sounds and smell of the ocean are the best. I like to collect shells. I do not like the drive and hard to find parking. Hubby does not care for the beach for the same reason. I usually ask to go there for our anniversary. which is August 10 or for my birthday which is August 12. My family is giving me a pool n all party on the 9th. I will see how we feel on the 10th!

Hawaii 2009     Hawaii 2012

Thanks to Annie and Joyce for the Memes, links are on the left.

Friday's Fave Five & Saturday 9

Thanks to Susanne and Same for the memes, links on the left. 

So many things to be thankful for this week!

1. Thankful for a birthday lunch with a couple of my August birthday friends. 

2. Thankful for the beautiful day hubby and I had last Friday. He got me flowers and upgraded our room so I could have a few and soaking tub. He told me about the place were going to eat at the next day and I told him about the dress I got. So we ate at the original place on Friday instead. The Wind and Sea gave us a free dessert!

3. Thankful for 50 years of marriage last Saturday. We went whale/dolphin watching and it was great even if we did not see whales. We had the best dinner at the Chart House and he liked my dress. We also got another free dessert. It was a special weekend, and I was not going to say no to the desserts.

4. Thankful for dinner with my eldest son's family and my daughter and family. Since I share a birthday with my granddaughter, we both took our picture together and everyone loved the gluten free cake she made. Thankful to have dinner with my middle son and his wife at BJ's. 

5. Thankful for my Bible journaling group that met on Tuesday and a large group of friends met on Thursday to celebrate a friend turning 70. Most of my friends are seniors and we know how important is to be in fellowship.

Saturday 9: I Get Around (1964)

Unfamiliar with this week's tune? Hear it here.

1) 60 years ago this month, the Beach Boys were singing that having a cool car and helped them get girls. In your teen years, what did you drive? A VW Bug and Chevy Malibu SS.

2) They are searching for a new place to party. This weekend, will you be visiting any bars, theaters or restaurants? I plan to rest and go to church. It has been a busy 2 weeks!

3) When Brian Wilson was forming the group, he turned to his friend Al Jardine, his brothers Dennis and Carl, and his cousin, Mike Love. Though most of their songs were about cars, beaches and surf, only one of those founding members was a surfer: Dennis. Do you enjoy the beach? Are you good on a surfboard? I do love the beach. I never tried surfing though I have sat on one. I did go on an Outrigger Canoe in Waikiki and it was a similar experience of paddling out to sea and catching a ride back in.This is a picture of me in front of the Duke Statue. August 2009.

Waikiki, June 2012

4) They were originally from Hawthorne, California. Hawthorne was the early childhood home of Marilyn Monroe. Since Marilyn was one of the most iconic women of the 20th century, we know you recognize her image. Have you seen any of her movies? All about Eve, The Misfits, Some Like it Hot.

Hollywood, 2109

5) "I Get Around" is included in Endless Summer, the greatest hits compilation released in 1974. Influential music critic Robert Christgau said Endless Summer should be part of any basic record library. What's one of your favorite CDs? I have lots of them! Amy Grant-the Collection, Carole King's Tapestry and I also have the original album. Just too many to mention.

Let's look at the summer of 1964.

6) The #1 film of the summer of 1964 was Walt Disney's Mary Poppins. Have you seen it? Yes, our whole family went to the movies when it came out. My mom got us the album too.

7) President Lyndon Johnson accepted the Democratic party's nomination at the August 1964 convention in Atlantic City, NJ. Atlantic City is known for casinos and gambling. Do you often play the lottery, bingo, or any other game of chance? Our Senior Fellowship plays bingo once a month. We don't have to pay anything. We just bring a dish to share.

8) Billionaire Amazon founder Jeff Bezos was still a baby in the summer of 1964. What was in your most recent Amazon delivery? ink for my printer.

9) Another little one born in '64 is Mariska Hargitay. The star of Law & Order: SVU is the daughter of a well-known movie star. Without looking it up, do you know who her mother was? Jane Mansfield.

Tuesday 4 & Wednesday Hodgepodge

Here is another of Tuesday 4 invented by Toni Taddeo and kept alive in her memory.  While June is the month of roses, they do bloom all summer long and well past September in many places. 

1. What is your favorite color of roses? Do you have a favorite kind of rose? My favorite is Double Delight, pretty color and almost fruity scent. I have a Mister Lincoln and it has a deep rich rose smell. The two Double Delight are on the right of the picture below.

2. Do you ever buy flowers for your home? Rarely, because I have roses and plumerias.

3. Are there any roses in your yard or neighborhood? 

Yes, I have about 12 rose bushes. I also grow plumerias. . If not what kind of things grow around you? The rest of our plants are succulents and a cactus plant that blooms once a year.

4. What do you see when you look out your front door? Our big pepper tree and the neighbor's house. How about out your kitchen window? Looks out to the neighbor's kitchen window. So we planted a bush and the white jasmine on the ground grew on it. So now I see the white jasmine and it blocks the neighbor's window. We don't have a back door, we have French doors. We look out to the patio. We can see the birds at the birdbath. 

From our bedroom.

1. Do you feel older or younger than your age? Elaborate.  

Depends on how I feel each day. I find it really hard to believe I am going to be 69! My mind feels younger, but my body reminds me that I am not. I have been told that I look younger than I do. But there have been changes the past few years that reminds me I have aged. I have lost a lot of muscle and last year I gained weight in my middle. I am skinny-fat.

2. What's one thing you should toss right now, but just can't? Lots of clothes. papers in the garage. I actually just through out 2 bags and am on a roll!

3. Have you visited many of the 63 National Parks in the US of A? You'll find a list here. Do you have a favorite?  Yosemite, Sequoia, Kings Canyon, Redwood all in California.  Grand Canyon and Petrified Forest in Arizona.  Mesa Verde in Colorado. Bryce and Zion in Utah. Hubbard Glacier-Wrangell-St. Elias National Park in Alaska. Crater Lake, Oregon. Love all of them!

What National Park that you haven't seen do you most want to see? Yellowstone, Joshua Tree.

4. How often do you get take out? What's your favorite? 1-2 times a week. Miguel's and In and Out.

5. Do you have many (or any) subscriptions? Not necessarily magazines, but thinking more along the lines of boxes or products that companies offer, and you can sign up to receive on a regular basis. Could be weekly, monthly, quarterly, even daily. Tell us about them. No subscriptions.

6. Insert your own random thought here. I had a busy 4th weekend. Thursday we went to my brother's  and I posted pictures in my previous post. On Friday the grands came over and we went to the movies and they spent the night. Saturday we went with my son's in-laws for another 4th party. Sunday we went to church and my granddaughter sang the National Athem. Then we went out to eat with our married group and to Newport Beach sunset cruise. It end up being a dolphin show as several pods were swimming and jumping around our boat. It was amazing!

Friday Fave Five & Saturday 9

Thanks to Susanne and Sam for our memes. Links on the left.

1. I am thankful for a fun day at the beach last Saturday, church on Sunday and a day of rest on Monday.

2. I am thankful for having lunch with my life group friends. We meet again late August.

3. I am thankful for going with my cousin to see my aunt. She was very interested in my Bible journaling.

4. I am thankful to have grands over on Thursday and our Bible journaling time.

5. Thankful for my physical therapy appointment today!

Saturday 9: People (1964)

Unfamiliar with this week's song? Hear it here.

1) In this song, Barbra Streisand sings that pride can get in the way of happy relationships. Have you found that to be true? Yes, that can be the case in certain situations. I have grown in this area. 

2) The photo on the record sleeve was taken on Chicago's Oak Street Beach, as Barbra watches the sun rise over Lake Michigan. Have you been to the beach yet this summer? Yes, I was there last Saturday.

It was 73 at the beach and 98 in my city.

3) Barbra performed "People" more than 1,350 times when she played Fanny Brice onstage in Funny Girl. She also did it in her Oscar-winning turn as Fanny in the film version. She performed it in her first TV special back in 1964 and in at least 510 concerts since. That's a lot of "People!" Can you think of another performer who has/had a song that is so identified with them you can't imagine seeing them in concert without hearing it? It's too Late Baby, Amy Grant.

4) Barbra got her first pet, a poodle named Sadie, as a gift from the Funny Girl behind-the-scenes crew when she was 23 years old and she's had dogs in her life ever since. Did you have pets when you were growing up? We had a mini doxie named Mandy Belle.

5) Barbra has always taken her Jewish faith seriously, beginning with her days at the Yeshiva of Brooklyn. 70 years later, her old school is still there. How about your grammar school? Does it still stand? Yes it does. Madison Elementary. I am with my4th grade teacher Miss Helm. More retro pictures on my previous post.

6) She tried marijuana a couple times but didn't like it and the only alcohol she drinks is the occasional beer with her Chinese food. Are you like Barbra and generally abstain? Or do you enjoy pot and/or alcohol? I tried MJ once in my early 20's, yuck! I will have a virgin drink if I want one which is rare.

7) Barbra's favorite lunch is a bowl of Campbell's condensed tomato soup. If we were to peek into your pantry, would we find any canned soup? Yes, I have tomato, chicken noodle, chicken rice and lentil.

8) In 1964, when this song was popular, hats were, too. The Sears Spring/Summer catalog devoted six pages to ladies' hats and two pages to men's. Are hats part of your wardrobe? Yes, I have a few. See above. I have some baseball caps, some of my mom's hats I wear, and knit hats for winter.

9) Random question: Which of your personality traits has gotten you in the most trouble? I am ADHD and talking to much can be a problem. But mostly when I am around people I am comfortable with.