A special little girl

A couple of houses from my parents is a large family who home schools their children. The kids are extremely polite and well behaved. Last year my parents hired the older kids to shovel out their paths for them (they have the driveway plowed).

Well, this year the older boys went to do another neighbor's yard and my parents had a couple of the younger ones. The youngest was a little girl probably about eight years old. She was so excited, "I never had a job before. This is my first job!"

My father watched as she loaded the shovel and then walked ten feet to dump it. She kept doing that, so he showed her the easier way. She kept asking, "Am I doing a good job, Mr. Casey?" "Am I doing good?"

Then she commented, "This is hard work," quickly followed by, "but I love it!" Her final comment (I'm sure after my father generously paid her), "This is the best day of my life!"

Wow, what enthusiasm. Don't you wish we could have that? My favorite Bible verse is: Colossians 3:23, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men," verse 24 goes on to say, "since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving."

With this new year coming, I hope to keep in mind the thought of this little girl and her zeal for her first job. I pray that God can give me a little of this enthusiasm when I am dreading the seemingly needless, duplicated and unending paperwork that my job entails. If I could only channel her attitude. When I am weary by the tasks at hand, I hope God will bring to mind this special little girl and her wonderful mindset and I hope that God will generously reward me too, as my Dad did her.

Sunrise in Ice

 

Sunrise in Ice

 

I love this shot of the sunrise reflecting on the ice. I was on my way to work and I realized that I was early and I pulled over and waited with my coffee and camera ready for the reward of a gorgeous sunrise. I always send up a prayer of thanks to God when I see these wonderful sunrises. Glad to share these pictures with you.

Ice Storm

 
This was the day after--believe it or not, 100% better than the day before!

Ice Storm

 

This is our street the day after the storm.

Full Moon in the Morning

 
This was the moon on the way to work this morning. Last night it was supposed to be the biggest of the year.

Good News/Bad News

 
The Good News is the ice storm is over and power has been restored. It was the worst ice storm I ever remember. On the way to work I had to weave back and forth between the left lane and the right to avoid all the broken branches and fallen trees. When I got to work, we were without power all day--I'm getting over a cold and that was not helpful working with my coat on in a cold office.

More very good news is this tree missed our house! George asked someone to cut it down a couple of months ago--it has an X painted on it. They never showed. If it hadn't snapped where it did, it would have gone through our kitchen window or through the roof. We are so grateful for that! Now we still have to have someone come and cut it up.

I am amazed by the birch trees--they should have been called rubber trees. We had two that get all weighted down and make an arch over our driveway. George broke ice off of them to lift them a bit, so that we could drive under (like the last ice storm a few years ago) and they are now back up. I did see some people were not so lucky with their birch trees. I heard chain saws throughout today.

The most often heard term yesterday as people came into the post office, "it looks like a war zone". There were wires down (even one in the post office parking lot), a telephone pole broke and so many trees.

The town of Hartland was hit very hard and parts were without electricity for a couple of days. A church in town offered a free chicken dinner for anyone wanting to come in out of the cold and just to be together--anyone with or without power. How nice the camaraderie of a little town.

Merry CHRISTMAS!! There, I said it!

We just got our annual memo at the post office. We are not to say "Merry Christmas" or "Happy Hanukkah" but should say "Happy Holidays" or "Season's Greetings". This is a pet peeve of mine. If I know the person is Jewish, I will wish them a happy holiday. If I don't know, it's kind of a clue when they buy Christmas stamps. If they are celebrating "Christmas" and I am selling them "Christmas" stamps, why can't I say "Merry Christmas"?

I've heard a number of comments over the years, "I would like the non-religious Christmas stamps." Well, that sure shows how far out of line the holiday has come. Hello...Christmas is a religious holiday. OR "I think I should take the politically correct stamps" meaning the ones with the nutcracker instead of Madonna and child. Guess that person was celebrating "Holiday" instead of Christmas, since a stamp with Christ on it would be appropriate for Christmas. Now I have to be honest here...often I do not like the choice of Madonna and child stamps and I will buy the non-religious ones, but I will say "Merry Christmas".

I guess that's what bothers me the most. I know I work with the public and therefore, they want me to be politically correct. I understand that they want us to be diversified and tolerant of all. Yet, I cannot help but feel this is an infringement on my freedom of speech. I am not to say "Merry Christmas". It's not like saying something degrading to someone. If someone said, "Happy Hanukkah" to me, I would not be insulted. Do people really take offense if I say, "Merry Christmas" and I'd be curious to know what percentage? I realize how much it bothers me to be told what I cannot say. I guess I am lucky this is just my employer and not my government as in some countries.

I hate to suggest, but if they want to be politically correct, just change it from "Christmas" to "Holiday"--no Christ, no religion--just Santa and materialism. I would think that would be on the list of things to do with the people who want to take God off our money too.

Well, I'm not at work, this is my blog and I would like to say MERRY CHRISTMAS! MERRY CHRISTMAS! MERRY CHRISTMAS! MERRY CHRISTMAS! MERRY CHRISTMAS! MERRY CHRISTMAS! and in case you didn't get that, Merry CHRISTmas!

Shhhh....

I read an article this week that the Secret Service came up with their code names for the new President and his family. I was surprised that the article went on to say the names, evidently not part of the secret in secret service.

President Obama will be "Renegade", Michelle will be "Renaissance" and the daughters will be "Radiance" and "Rosebud". As for the Bidens, they will be "Celtic" and "Capri".

I found this whole concept curious. First the article said it was the task of the Secret Service to come up with these names. I am curious how the process is done. Do they sit around a table brainstorming? Do they have a book of baby names to inspire them? Just how long does this process take--an hour? a day? a week? Do they vote on the names, or pull them out of a hat? Do they have to make sure the names haven't been used for past presidential familes and therefore, have to do some research?

What I wonder about the most is since the code names are not secret, why do they need code names? If they say Obama or the President or Renegade, we all know who they are talking about--as will the enemies, now that the word is out. I really don't understand this whole concept, though it does seem to go hand in hand with other government waste--wasting time and effort for what? Code names that everyone knows. I wonder how much I could have saved them if I suggested that they use their real names? Wonder if that thought ever crossed their minds? Well I guess that part is a secret and they're not telling.

Veteran's Day Parade 2008, Hartford, CT

 

My camera battery died during the Veteran's Day Parade in Hartford, so this is all I got. We were across from the State Capitol. There are two pictures of Brad Davis and one of the many bikers.

"Welcome Home"

On Sunday, November 2, my husband and I went to Hartford to see the Veteran's Day Parade. We went last year for the first time and actually my attitude was, "been there, done that". I really did not want to go again, but then I realized how important it is to my husband. He is a Vietnam Vet.

It was a little warmer than last year, but not a lot. I bundled up with a blanket on my lap while I sat on a lawn chair watching one Veteran group after another and school bands and fife and drum corps pass by for nearly two hours. We were given signs to hold up which said "Thank you" to the Veterans as they went by. Every war or conflict was represented. Some Veterans walked with companies they work for now, some with veteran groups for their particular nationality, some by branch of the service and some just riding their motorcycles. There were groups representing the Civil War and Daughters of the American Revolution and even a group dressed up as the members of the 4077th from the MASH TV show. A replica of the Wall was wheeled by.

My husband wore his Vietnam Veteran cap, therefore, as those marching were honored, many of them, likewise acknowledged him on the side lines. He got a few "thank yous and a couple of "welcome homes". The one that touched me most and brought tears to my eyes was the black man who said, "Welcome home, brother."

How much my husband had wanted such a reception when he came home from Vietnam. How much we would have liked a "thank you" for risking his life. It is very important to my husband even now, to hear "thank you" for things he does now. He was forever effected by the negative way he and the other veterans were treated.

To this day, he feels bitter feelings toward Jane Fonda and other protesters. We researched and tried to send packages to every enlisted person from Barkhamsted two years ago. I know, though, as he watches ceremonies welcoming home soldiers now, he feels jealous. Who can blame him?

I was mentioning his feelings to someone and he said, "oh, get over it." Wrong choice of words this person was a proud descendant of American Indians and had been verbal about their mistreatment. I told him I could say the same to him about his feelings for his ancestors--He got the point.

Likewise, I wonder what it will take...hundreds of thousands of men died and fought brother against brother for the freedom of slaves in the Civil War. Why then, are all white Americans lumped into a category of basically, "them vs us"? Groups started up special scholarships for minorities, businesses established quotas for hiring minorities, government made a holiday for one of the most beloved leaders for racial equality, Martin Luther King Jr. Now we have a black president. Somehow, like my husband's long awaited "thank you", I just don't think it will be enough for some.

At least my husband's thorn in the side is one that he lived through--not something that happened over one hundred years ago. No doubt, there were still racial issues more recent than that, but I do believe such situations are only brought on by the people themselves, not by the nationality. Not every white man is a member of the KKK and not every black is a member of the Black Panthers and therefore, feel that way.

I'll admit, I will always feel uncomfortable if I am the only white person in a room of black people, though, likewise I would feel the same in a room of all men, all Asian or all Spanish. White people have not been the minority and therefore, those scenarios are unusual.

I have had a couple of black friends in my life. We saw past the racial issue. Yet I also worked with a mean black lady who hated whites and showed it any time she looked at us and was threatening to us. Some people can't get past it. Many people voted for Obama just because he was black. I'm sure, likewise, many people voted for McCain because he was a veteran and Palin, because she was a woman.

I can see when a person who's heritage is a minority and becomes the leader of our country, that would invoke pride in those people. I hope they too can now proudly put an American flag on their house. "This land is your land, this land is my land." Let's remember that fact is due to hundreds of thousands of men who fought in the Civil War and all the wars before and since, whether you agreed with the war or not. Just as minorities want respect, these men and women deserve respect.

It is a time of change. So, whether you supported the past wars, or the present, remember, these are individuals doing this for our country. Give them the respect they deserve and the thank you that they deserve. I was very touched when my husband came home from the grocery store one day and he said this little girl came up to him. He did not know her and thought she must have thought that he was someone else. He had his Vietnam cap on and this little child came up and said, "Thank you." He looked up and saw the mother watching. What a wonderful thing to instill in a child--gratitude for those who have served for us.

Surely in the next couple of days, you will see a veteran somewhere, take the time and thank them--and just don't do it on veteran's day. It will probably never be enough to erase the scars, but it certainly is a start. We have many things to be thankful for especially our freedom. When was the last time you said, "thank you"?

To any veterans reading this, I thank you.

If my husband wants, I will go to the parade again next year, and the year after and the year after....

"The Story of My Life"

Since we couldn't get away for our anniversary, we decided to make it special by going to dinner and a play. We have never been to the Goodspeed Opera House and as I was checking out the options there, we found out that Goodspeed produces plays at the Opera House and at Norma Terris Theatre. We still would love to see a play in the beautiful Opera House, but for this time we chose the Norma Terris Theatre, which is a converted factory.

This is a nice intimate theatre--about two hundred seats, but a little too intimate for us. We found the seats too narrow for our size and a little hard. We were in the third row which was on the same tier as rows one and two and therefore, I did have one tall person obstructing my view a little, but not too badly because the stage was high enough.

The play we decided to see was "The Story of My Life" which ended up being a perfect choice for me. This is a new musical with only two actors. It's the story of two boys who become friends at age six and how their friendship affects their lives forever, even when they don't realize it.

I am a "It's A Wonderful Life" junky. This play has many references to the movie and the two characters are a writer and a bookstore owner--couldn't get any closer to my heart.

Will Chase played Thomas and Malcolm Gets played Alvin. Both had strong voices and sang clearly and emotionally. My only negative critique to this play is that the songs are not the type that you would hum later or buy the CD. I wish the writers had tried harder in that department, however, the songs got the points across. I also enjoyed when Will and Malcolm sang together and that did not happen enough for me. The songs were mostly conversational solos.

That being said, the play did not lack in emotions--there were times of laughter, times of empathy, times of sorrow and for wimps like me, times to cry--from the very beginning you know one character is struggling with writing an eulogy for the other--you would think knowing that that I could control myself. Not.

Some may think the storyline corny or unrealistic. I lost myself in it and thoroughly enjoyed it. If I get the opportunity in the future, I would definitely see it again. I hope this play becomes successful and that I can say I knew it when it was new.

Obama: Living under a black cloud?

I have to admit, I am not always a good judge of character. I will see a customer and get one impression of them at first and then realize later that I was entirely wrong. Maybe, just maybe, I've been too critical of Obama. Maybe he's just had a string of terrible bad luck.

Poor guy did not know that William Ayers and his wife were former Weathermen. He did not know when he donated $800,000. to Acorn that they were illegally committing voter fraud, he did not know when he sat in Wright's church that he was going to keep delivering the same type of message for over 20 years, he did not know that his aunt (who he mentioned in his book) was an illegal immigrant and living in government housing. He did not know that she showed up at his campaigns and that she contributed a couple of hundred dollars. He did not know the felons that he was hanging around with and even helping.

Wow. What horrible luck. If someone is living under such a black cloud, do we want that cloud over the White House and therefore, over us?

33 Years

Thirty-three years ago today, my life took a major turn in the road. Today is our wedding anniversary. For November 1st, it was a gorgeous day, a little breezy, but we were able to have our pictures taken outside without coats. And our honeymoon in the Poconos was in the 70's. It was an absolutely perfect start to this long journey.

We met on January 31, 1975. I had just come back from a long road trip and the girlfriend who I usually went out with on Friday nights had anxiously waited for me to return so that we could go out as usual. I really did not want to and tried to beg out of it, but she convinced me. The moral is sometimes it is good to do something you don't want to do.

I met George at the Springtree Lounge in Torrington. It was a dance club and it's really too bad that there aren't more of these around now. It was a little fancier, as I remember it. I don't remember people wearing blue jeans. I gave him my number that first night and on Sunday we went for a ride and to visit a friend of his.

After that we went out every weekend and never saw anyone else. In February near to the 22nd, I was asked out by another guy and I told him I was seeing someone. I can't believe he asked who. When I told him "George Washington" I'm sure he thought I was lying.

I knew from the beginning that there was something different about this guy. He stole my heart when he bought me a lilac bush knowing it was my favorite flower. That was in May and soon after that he proposed in the parking lot of the Chart House restaurant where we often went to their lounge upstairs.

In his proposal he was building up how hard it was having a name like George Washington and he asked if I had ever thought about changing my name. Duh! I said, "no". I missed the point, but then pretty quickly got it and said, "yes". We went in and I still have the little bottle that the champagne came in that we celebrated with that night at the Chart House.

In those days most people did not live together before getting married. We knew we wanted to be together for the rest of our lives and so, we did not want a long engagement. So nine months after we met, we were married.

I would not recommend such a short engagement, but it did work for us and I would never "test the waters" by living together. I don't feel God approves of that. It is true that we did not know each other completely and learned more through our marriage and we grew together. Of course it has not been all roses (or lilacs). We've been through as Dickens said, "the best of times and the worst of times".

I always tell newlyweds that a sense of humor is a key to the relationship. We love to laugh together. I remember the time we were having a silly little confrontation. He was upset that I bought creamy peanut butter when he likes crunchy. I had just finished cooking breakfast and he emphasized the point by saying, "I like everything crunchy, crunchy peanut butter, crunchy cookies," and then I took his plate and said, "Fine. Let me make your eggs crunchy." He burst out laughing and the tension was gone. I get it now. He likes crunchy peanut butter, but I like creamy. I think in life we are that way too--I like to smooth things over, let things go and he likes the crunchy road and although it's bumpy, fight for justice and his beliefs. We don't see eye to eye on everything, but we do on a lot and that helps our relationship.

When you don't see eye to eye, it is a hard thing to convince the other to your side and if you can't, you have to find a middle ground that is acceptable to both. George would say that he was always the one to give in, don't believe it. The hardest part was agreeing in areas of raising the kids. We came from quite opposite backgrounds (he was one of thirteen and I was an only child). Becoming a parent is an on-the-job training position. You make mistakes and you have regrets, but you do your best and above all love them. I remember when I had my kids of being so happy that a part of George and I would always live on.

Looking back, I also believe having the same morals is of utmost importance. This makes a firm foundation for your life together. We are born-again Christians and therefore, have conservative values. George is a man of integrity, honesty, hardworking, intelligent and best of all, loves to laugh and does so easily. He thinks I'm funny which works out well. I love to hear him laugh.

Creamy and crunchy, I'm a chocoholic and he doesn't care for it, only child and one of thirteen, and the list goes on. We have our individuality in our relationship yet share the same foundational beliefs and love which has seen us through 33 years and another 33, God willing.

Happy Anniversary, hubby! Love you!

Pondering Point

Here's a question to ponder...

If you could only be remembered for one of these two things, which would you want to be remembered for....

Your deeds?

OR

Your character?

I realize one should blend into the other, but not necessarily.

American Flag

 

This picture was taken by Ben Washington at Cape Cod, October 2008.

Six more days...

Okay, I can't contain myself any more. There are only six days left and I just can't do it. I have tried to keep this a happy place, a mostly non-controversial blog--no politics. I did not want to step on toes, or perhaps I did not want to take a stand. Political choices are personal. This has truly been the most interesting and most covered election that I have ever seen. At times I've been fascinated and at times so sick of the whole thing. My husband, a political and history junky, is going to have withdrawal when it is all over. He's relished this and if his guy wins, it will be a sweet victory. He will be shouting just like he did when the Red Sox looked like they were going to make it to the World Series. The Red Sox disappointed him and time will tell if the election disappoints him too.

I am registered independent, however I am conservative. I have tried to watch different TV stations to see the biases and how different people react to the debates and speeches, etc. I even caught part of a special on the history channel that I can't wait until they rerun. It was on body language. I have been naive and was so disappointed to learn that besides speech making, all the candidates learn body language too. However, there are times when they cannot control their body language. I believe I heard them say (but I want to see it again) that McCain's body language was honest whereas Obama's was less so. In my gut, I did not need a history channel special to tell me so. From the last debate, I felt like Obama had a smug smirk which reminded me of another presidential candidate that I did not like.

What bothered me first was the Rev. Wright issue. I debated a friend about this. I could not understand how someone could continue going to a church and hear such things if they did not believe the same. My friend told me that she continued to go to a church when she didn't believe everything they said. Ah, there's the difference. She opened my eyes. I never realized that some people do that. My husband and I jump ship whenever a church starts preaching something we don't feel is right. Perhaps we take our religion more seriously? Besides that, Obama didn't just go to church there, he said Rev. Wright was his spiritual advisor. Of course, he has since denounced him, but only due to public pressure. He would never have done that otherwise.

Then there's Bill Ayers. It amazes me that this man is a professor. What a liberal world we live in. I saw the video of his wife, Bernadine Dohrn, praising the Charles Manson murders in horrible words. After 9/11/2001 Bill Ayers still said he had no regrets for any of the Weatherman's bombings and only wish they had done more. If any of you have been to the Spy Museum in Washington, DC (I highly recommend it), there was a large special section on terrorism in the USA and the weatherman were among the terrorists. It was quite educational.

I see that Bernadine Dohrn is still fighting against the government and here Obama was in their home when his candidacy was decided? Shouldn't this bother people?

Obama is close friends with Tony Rezko, a felon, who helped launch his political career. Tony Rezko was a global arms dealer who worked with Sadamm Hussein. Doesn't this worry people?

Obama clearly gave money to Acorn and they clearly have deliberately forged absentee ballots. I haven't heard that these are not going to be counted. It sounded like it would be too much of a hassle to do that--yet when Florida's ballot was questioned, we waited for that to be settled.

I never understood how Obama did not feel the need to pledge to the flag when this is the flag of the country that he wants to "reign" over. I would be so proud of the flag of my country. To be honest, often when I watch a parade and our flag is being carried and the patriotic music playing, my eyes well up. I am so proud of our country and happy to live here.

I will say that I was listening to NPR radio the other day and they were commenting on different neighborhoods and that they discovered that black neighborhoods were less likely to fly the American flag. They interviewed some black people and they said they still did not feel like this was their country. I find that very sad. I don't know what has to be done to change that. I wish they would consider the hundreds of thousands of white men who gave their lives for their freedom. Is this taught in the schools? America has developed special scholarships for black children and other minorities. I don't know what it is like for them, but I cannot understand how they still feel unAmerican.

Anyway, the list goes on and on of the company that Obama keeps. He has been in the company of some pretty scary people. If I could draw, I would draw a political cartoon of the White House with Obama in there and all these questionable characters looking out of the White House windows and of course, no American flag.

I also have heard on TV that people don't care about who his friends are. They care about the issues. Well, being conservative, I have to go the other way. Yet, if that were a supposed conservative candidate with all those acquaintances, I would think twice. To me, character is just as important as the issues. I've heard Obama change his mind on the issues several times. How can you know what he will do?

To be honest, he kind of scares me. I know he's not the anti-Christ, but I wonder about him. He does not seem to be a proud American (his wife certainly wasn't), yet I feel he is smug and has too many dangerous and questionable associates. I want someone running for president who is proud of our country. I haven't seen that in him.

He is urging people to take off election day. Excuse me, this is the man who is supposed to understand the middle class...how many middle class workers can just take the day off? Or want to when they have only a couple of weeks vacation days?

Well, there I did it. I have surely offended or disappointed some--to which I say, get your own blog. It's free and very easy to do.

No matter what, pray for our country because it needs it.

Carpe Diem

Just a thought for you today. We know that life is short and that we will never have had "enough" time with our loved ones, but today think about this...Who in your life, family, friends, acquaintances, someone you know well, someone you don't know that well but would like to...who if they were gone tomorrow would you deeply regret not having spent more time with?

Now you know what to do.

"The Rainmaker"

We both had long days on Saturday, but since the tickets were bought, we went out Saturday night to see the Goshen Players presentation of "The Rainmaker". Now, I remembered parts of the old movie with Burt Lancaster and I knew it was a good storyline, but never saw it performed as a play.

First we did not get our favorite balcony seats. The balcony is small and there are only about five front row seats that are perfect. Any other seat in the balcony has poles in the way or the other rows are not slanted enough to be able to see over the heads in front--though they did put in new chairs that are movable so you may be able to alter them between heads.

Now that's not to complain about the main floor seats. From every seat on the main floor you can see perfectly. They set it up cabaret style with coffee, tea and little pastries and cookies with four chairs at each table. It is very nice. We just like the full view from above of the balcony. I shouldn't be spreading this around because everyone is going to be fighting us for our favorites seats!

To the play itself...this is the first play that Les Ober has directed there as far as we know. We know him as former director at our local high school. Whatever performances we saw there were high caliber. We were surprised to see such talent at high school level.

I don't know how much he had to do with drawing out the talent at adult level in Goshen, but "The Rainmaker" was excellent. Every single actor shined. Tom Denihan as Jim, the younger, not so smart, yet well-meaning brother was goofy but likeable. He provided much of the comedic aspect of the play.

Andrus Gates who played Lizzy was my husband's favorite. He was so impressed by her. She did have the deepest part showing a person's struggle with life and losing faith in hopes and dreams and then realizing the faith has to come from within to make dreams come true.

Noah Curry, the older brother was the serious, heavy handed character who wanted to control the others when he felt his father wasn't giving them the proper guidance. Michael Reilly delivered this extremely well.

Burt Lancaster's part in the movie was Bill Starbuck. Jonathan Jacobson protrayed the fast talking, con man, yet not such a bad guy after all. He did so excellently.

Keith Martin convincingly played the concerned yet perplexed father not knowing what to do to help his family. Also, struggling with life issues, Deputy File was well played by Anthony Urillo. We were interested to read that Anthony has appeared on some TV shows and a couple of movies. Finally, Jeff Savage was the Sheriff, a role that fit him well.

The play made you think and made you laugh. The stage was set with three different scenes yet interestingly and cleverly done so that there was no curtain needed. Although we were so exhausted from our days (and a lesser play I would have dozed), we are so glad that we went. It was an enjoyable performance, an excellent job done by one and all. Long live community theatre and the wonderful talent hidden within it.

My Cape Cod Treasures

My goal when I walk the beach is to find a piece of sea glass. This is a picture of my treasures from this weekend. The white and green pieces in front are sea glass. I found two, Ben found two and George found one (but who's counting?) But actually this is only the second piece that George has ever found. He's getting better.

Then there are the beach rocks. I love the feel of the ones that have been smoothed by the ocean and the others that have physical layers that you can feel. The baseball size one on the right rolls like a ball. I just am fascinated by the colors, the shapes and designs. I have always liked rocks and I cannot leave a beach without taking some home.

The rocks go into a container I have at my house displaying them outside. The sea glass is in a jar in the house, which is kept on the same shelf as the ceramic paw print--coincidence?

Dog Paw Rock

As we were sitting on those big rocks, I looked down on the rock that I was sitting on. There was this perfect circle where it may have been blasted, I don't know. I happened to look inside the circle. You will see above that the rocks wedged in there look liked a paw print. Since Ben and I were talking earlier about our dog's ceramic paw print that we have, both he and I were amazed. He liked to think it was a sign from our dog in heaven saying hi to us. When we touched the rocks, they were wedged in permanently in the sand and rock. It is amazing to think that they landed that way when the rocks keep getting covered with the water as the tides come in. We were both were in awe of this wonderful find.

Then the next day we went out to eat at Cooke's for fish and chips. They serve a few onion rings on top of the platter. Ben put his onion rings on a napkin to save them for last. The top right picture is what we saw when he lifted up the onion rings--it was even hard to fathom how the rings could have possibly made that design, but we saw it as another paw print--other people see Mother Mary, we see paw prints. What does it all mean????

PS I've added a picture of our memorial stone for Patches. It's hard to see but that is another place that I had put some of my precious beach stones around. Also I keep my jar of sea glass near his ceramic paw print. All seems to tie in together some how.

Cape Cod Rocks

These large rocks are a favorite spot of ours to sit and rest and talk. Note how big these rocks are as I am going to reference them in the next blog.

Ocean View

Just some more pictures of our ocean view this weekend. The tents on the beach were for a wedding. They had fireworks at night, so that was an added bonus for us.

Cape Cod Natives We Met

Cape Cod Sunrise

Cape Cod

This is mostly going to be pictures of our wonderful weekend at Cape Cod. We have traditionally gone to Cape Cod yearly (sometimes twice) to East Sandwich. My parents go twice a year and rent out this 5 bedroom house on the ocean and always invite us along. It has a lot of happy memories and we were not happy when we saw that it is for sale. With the economy I don't imagine it will sell quickly and they may still rent it out, but in the back of all our minds was the thought that this may be the last time we were all there together. If anyone has an extra $975,000. that they want to donate towards our purchase, you will make all of us so very happy.

Three of the bedrooms are upstairs with sliding glass doors to the ocean view. These are just different pictures of the house. I'll continue this on the next blog entry.