R.I.P. DAN WHELDON

Those of you who know me, know that I am a huge sports fan……HUGE! I love football, baseball, basketball and a ton of other sports..…pretty much anything. Motor sports are also popular with me…..NASCAR, Indy Car, drag racing.

Today at the final Indy Car race of the season there was a horrible crash……15 cars were flying through the air, some upside down and on fire. Dan Wheldon, this year’s Indy 500 winner, was killed. Lou and I saw him several years ago at the Indy 500 when he finished fourth.

Dan Wheldon had two small boys, a wife and many extended family members. Although it is sad and upsetting, I know first hand that people who participate in dangerous sports know the risks and accept it willingly.

Dan Wheldon and his family after his Indy 500 win in May 2011

My ex-husband was a skydiver and an airshow performer for many years doing wingwalking……a high risk activity by any standards. My son started flying at 16 years old and understood the consequences of aerobatics and other airshow flying. Both of them couldn’t imagine living their lives any other way.

As the spouse and mother of people who knew and accepted the inherent risks, I had no choice but to embrace their decisions. Even though I didn’t share their acceptance, I knew that in order for them to be them, they HAD to do this. The possibility of injury or death was real……very real. But they wouldn’t be who they were if they didn’t participate in these dangerous activities.

I took solace in the fact that were “the worst” to happen they would leave this earth doing what they loved more than anything in the world. In his early teens, when Darrin traveled with Allen to airshows I had people in place who would immediately get to Darrin and call me should a horrible accident occur.

I can only hope and pray that Dan Wheldon’s wife and family understood and accepted that this made Dan who he was as well. He died doing something that he truly loved.

Rest in peace, Dan Wheldon.

CHRISTMAS IN SEPTEMBER????

WTF?? Lou and I were out at the local mall today looking for drapes for the bedroom - more on that later. What totally amazed me was that at both JCPenney's and Sears they already had Christmas items on display! There were artifical Christmas trees and decorations galore (I am not kidding)....is this not the 20th of September.......more than 3 months prior to Christmas on December 25th????? Honestly, I cannot recall a time when Christmas things were out this early. I repeat......WTF?

I mean, really, come on, Halloween is still almost six weeks away. Maybe next year we can start the Christmas season in August......then July....a few more years and I say, just leave it up all year round.

Back to the drapes. We must be old school since we were looking to replace our pleated, drawstring drapes that were wearing out and the hooks were disintegrating. There was literally only one style of pleated drapes and everything is the slide type, no more drawstring. We came home disappointed and empty-handed......then Lou hunted around the garage and found a bag of extra drape parts. We had enough rings to replace the broken ones......shook the dust out of the curtains, put them back up on the "new" rings and called it good.

FILOLI GARDENS - FLOWERS & MORE FLOWERS

Today we headed to the Filoli House & Gardens about 30 miles south of San Francisco. This was another of Lou's day trip discoveries. He keeps finding interesting places to visit. I lived in the Bay Area for 50 years and never knew this place existed. It is a stately old mansion built in 1917 with incredible gardens!

I assumed that the owners were named Filoli (an old Italian family??), but I was wrong - the Bourn family built the house and the Roths bought it after the Bourn's deaths. The name was derived from the first two letters of Mr. Bourn's credo - "Fight for a just cause; Love your fellow man; Live a good life" - FI-LO-LI.

I was totally impressed by the beautiful, unique and varied flowers that grew everywhere. The volunteers change the fresh flower arrangements in the house every Tuesday.

The front entrance to Filoli House

The back of Filoli House

Another view of the rear of the house

One of the lovely flower arrangements in the library

There must have been 20 or 30 floral arrangements on the ground floor of the house

My inside photos of the house weren't the greatest but the gardens were stunning! In just about three hours of wandering around I took 131 pictures. Narrowing down which ones to include here was not easy. The gardens were divided into many smaller themes - a sunken garden, a rose garden, a fruit garden, etc. I can easily see how Mrs. Bourn or Mrs. Roth could spend hours enjoying the gardens.

The Sunken Garden - the first one you see as you leave the house

The entry way into one of the several garden houses

A view of the reflecting pond in the Sunken Garden

One of many colorful and varied garden areas

A sundial backed by a large bed of blooming flowers

These are just a few of the stunningly beautiful flowers that greeted us everywhere we turned. The gardens were well designed with colors and styles that complimented each other. There is also a fruit orchard, a swimming pool and a tennis court on the property.

One of my favorites - Naked Ladies (Amaryllis) - I love their sweet, savory fragrance

These bright blue flowers (Morning Glories) were everywhere on vines lining a pathway

It amazes me how God creates so many varieties of exquisite flowers (Hibiscus)

I loved the numerous shades of color in this large bloom (Hybrid Cabbage Rose)

I'm a sucker for white roses - they are so simple and beautiful

I love this photo, it is one of my favorites (Dahlia - thanks M'Lynn for your flower IDs)

Following our visit to Filoli, Lou planned to drive a few miles south to Stanford University where we could go to the top of the Hoover Tower for a great view of the campus. Fortunately, it wasn't far out of our way because we arrived to find it closed for renovation until mid-October - a fact that the website neglected to mention.

The Hoover Tower on Stanford University

A building on the grounds of Stanford University

9/11 REMEMBERED

It has been ten years since the first jet crashed into the World Trade Center followed by three other horrific crashes that took thousands of lives. There are a few events in our lifetimes where each person knows exactly where they were when it happened. I was at home in my apartment in Stockton when Allen called to tell me to turn on the TV. I had just met Lou a few months before and Darrin was living in El Paso flying for a small cargo airline.

A decade later it still makes no sense and it still elicits tears and emotions to hear the individual stories. Countless people lost mothers, fathers, husbands, wives, sons, daughters, sisters, brothers and friends. Many policemen and firefighters surely knew that by entering the chaos of those burning buildings their lives would end on September 11, 2001. Those who survived are now being diagnosed with cancer from breathing all the toxic fumes. Families were changed forever - and our country was changed forever.

The Waterfall Memorial Ceremony honoring 9/11 heroes

A few years after 9/11, Lou and I visited Ground Zero. It was still rubble and big holes in the ground - an odd sight in the middle of Manhattan. We had lunch at a Burger King directly across from where the World Trade Center had stood. I wondered who was sitting where we were on September 11, 2001, eating their breakfast before heading to work when the first plane crashed into the tower? I doubt they could believe the magnitude of what they were witnessing.

Three years ago Lou and I stopped at the Memorial for Flight 93 in southern Pennsylvania. It was still just a makeshift monument honoring the men and women who chose to fight the terrorists and save countless lives while knowing theirs would end either way. It was one of the most sobering times of my life. Reading the names on the benches and looking out at the hole in the ground where the jet disintegrated into a million pieces as it hit the ground inverted, I could not wrap my brain around the horror they must have felt.

The Flight 93 Memorial that we visited - the field in back is where the plane crashed



Benches showed the name of everyone on the flight - visitors added things on the fences

The significance of some items is apparent, others we don't know

I could not stop thinking of my son who was on track to be an airline pilot at that time. One of the pilots on Flight 93 had attended San Jose State's aviation program just like Darrin. How did his mother learn of her son's fate? How did any of the mothers even begin to grasp what their heroic sons and daughters chose to do?

If there was any good that came out of that horrible act of terrorism, it is how literally everyone in our great country pulled together to emerge stronger and more determined to fight Al-Queda and all terrorism. I must admit that I rejoiced and cheered when President Obama announced this past year that we hunted down and killed Osama bin Laden.

Ten years later, as we honor all the incredible, amazing heros of that fateful day, it is my hope that we never let the terrorists win - be careful, smart and wary BUT go out and live your life accomplishing everything you want out of your time on earth. Travel the world, visit Ground Zero and the Flight 93 Memorial - and remember to thank God every day that you live in a world where such courage and bravery exists among ordinary people.

OHIO, KENTUCKY, WEST VIRGINIA...and a little of INDIANA

A few days ago we returned from a trip to Ohio, Kentucky & West Virginia.  My mother was born in Columbus, Ohio, and my grandmother (who we called Nannie) lived most of her first 18 years in the Ohio Soldiers & Sailors Orphanage (O.S.S.O.) in Xenia, Ohio. Both my mother & grandmother have long since passed away so my family history has been pieced together. Talk to your parents & grandparents now, then write things down!

I’ve always been curious about the orphanage where Nannie grew up. She had “sisters” and “brothers” from “the home”, as she called it, who she remained in contact with her entire life. On day one we found ourselves 20 miles from Xenia with a couple hours to kill before our tour of Frank Lloyd Wright’s Westcott House in Springfield so off we went.

I’d done some research online and found that the home had closed in the 1990s. The grounds were sold to a Christian foundation & only a few of the original buildings remained. I knew there was a small museum dedicated to the O.S.S.O. With an address & a few helpful Ohioans, we drove right to the museum. As expected it was closed in the early morning but the area was serene & beautiful – green grass, trees, beautiful buildings, streams. Although it certainly doesn’t make up for not having a loving family, I was glad that it was so picturesque and felt inviting.

The O.S.S.O. Museum in Xenia, Ohio

A building on the grounds of the former orphanage where Nannie grew up.

After our FLW house tour in Springfield we headed east to Columbus where we made it with five minutes to spare for the last capitol tour of the day. Both of us thought the volunteer tour guide looked a little dismayed that she had to stay another hour to give us a guided tour.

Frank Lloyd Wright's Westcott House in Springfield, Ohio.

The Ohio State Capitol in Columbus.

An interesting optical illusion on the interior floor of the capitol.

A Viet Nam War Memorial next to the Ohio Capitol Building.

One of Columbus's downtown skyscrapers.

The following morning we headed to the top of the State Office Building for a 40^th floor view of downtown Columbus. Even though Columbus has over 700,000 citizens, it was easy to get around and had more of down home feel than Cincinnati which has half the people.



A view of the art deco LeVeque Tower & the Scioto River from the 40th floor.

These little sparrows all lined up nicely for my photo op.

The seagulls didn't want to be out done by the sparrows.

Us enjoying the swing on the newly opened Scioto River walk.

We loved the art museum in Columbus – not too large, but with an impressive variety of big name artists' works. And best of all, thanks to PNC Bank, there was no admission fee in July and August!

The weather was horribly hot & humid, so where did we decide to spend the late afternoon? We visited the Franklin Park Conservatory where the heat and humidity is magnified by the enclosed glass habitats. It was a photographer’s paradise with numerous flowers, plants & butterflies. But I must have 20 blurry photos of nothing trying to capture the butterflies.

The Columbus Art Museum & Franklin Conservatory had blown glass sculptures that I loved.

Another of the blown glass sculptures - I may have to take a class to try this.

One of the numerous unique flowers and plants at the Conservatory.

Cactus in one of the incredibly hot desert habitats.

Some large gazing balls in an outside display.

Lou managed to snap this shot of one of the butterflies.

Our next stop was Cincinnati where we had tickets to see our World Champion San Francisco Giants play the Cincinnati Reds. Sitting outside for hours in stifling heat & humidity was not even a little bit comfortable – we were literally dripping wet. But even more uncomfortable was watching our Giants lose in the 13^th inning! Having to pay $5 for each 20 ounce bottle of water & $7.50 per beer to keep from keeling over in our seats wasn’t a barrel of laughs either. I mean, really - $5 for a bottle of water???

The Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, Ohio.

The scoreboard at the ball park.

The view from our seats during the game.



Lou's photo of the fireworks display after the game.

Cincinnati is a beautiful city with rolling hills, a river, lots of bridges & a fair number of skyscrapers - almost like a mini San Francisco. We stayed in a great little bed & breakfast just across the Ohio River in Newport, Kentucky. Unbeknownst to us there was a jazz festival going on in Cincinnati that weekend making the hotel rooms expensive or nonexistent. The b & b was only about $20 more than the Super 8 Motel miles away.

Paul Brown Stadium (where the Bengals play) from the Carew Tower observation deck.



The Union Terminal art deco train station that also houses several museums.



The Roebling Suspension Bridge - it reminded me of the Chain Bridge in Budapest, Hungary.

The Cincinnati skyline from Covington, Kentucky, across the Ohio River.

The Ohio countryside taken out the car window.

West Virginia has beautiful countryside but with its largest city having a population of 53,000 there is nothing metropolitan about the state. We took a wrong turn once & I really expected to stumble onto a still cooking moonshine in the backwoods. Their capitol building has a 24 carat gold plated dome which was quite impressive. The biggest attraction in the state was the New River Gorge Bridge, over a mile long & second highest in the country behind the new Hoover Dam bypass bridge.

A scenic West Virginia state park with small waterfalls.

We startled a mama deer & her baby when we rounded a corner.

The New River Gorge Bridge in West Virginia.

West Virginia State Capitol Building in Charleston.

Charleston's memorial to all their citizens who died in World Wars I & II, Korea & Viet Nam.

Our final full day was spent in Frankfort, Kentucky, where we arrived in time to tour the Buffalo Trace Distillery. I’m not much of a hard liquor drinker – give me my wine and beer any day – but I did learn that to be called bourbon, at least 51% corn must be used in the distilling. It was a great tour led by a really enthusiastic guide named J.W. He almost made the bourbon taste good!

Buffalo Trace Distillery water tower in Frankfort, Kentucky.

A couple of barrels used to age the bourbon to perfection.

The next morning we took our third capitol tour of the week followed by a tour of the Kentucky Governor’s Mansion across the street. I think every capitol we have visited has its own claim to fame – the tallest, the widest, the oldest, the something or other. Honestly, I’ve seen so many now that I have a hard time distinguishing between them. They all have marble & columns & grand staircases & a house & senate chambers (except Lincoln, Nebraska, which has the only unicameral legislature in the country). Most are beautiful buildings & we have set a goal to see all 50 of the state capitols. I think we are over halfway there, but I need to copy Lou’s notes so I’ll know where I’ve been. J

The Kentucky State Capitol in Frankfort.

The floral clock - one of Frankfort's attractions.

The Governor's Mansion in Kentucky - a gorgeous home.

One of my fun flower photos.

Our final stop enroute to the Indianapolis airport was a quick side trip to Louisville (pronounced “Lou-a-vull” a southern friend instructed me years ago). It turned out to be one of the highlights of the trip for me when we decided to do a tour of the Louisville Slugger factory that manufactures bats for Major League Baseball including many of our Giants. We were able to hold one of Buster Posey’s bats! Pretty cool!

The entrance to the Louisville Slugger factory with it's giant bat out front.

No photos are allowed inside but we snuck this one of the wood waiting to become bats through the window.

All in all we covered over 1200 miles through 4 states in 8 days. We visited 3 capitol buildings, 2 museums, saw 3 FLW houses, numerous bridges, art deco buildings & other sites (and took around 1000 pictures between us)  – not a bad little road trip.