Old friends...NO WAIT: Long Time Friends Are Best

 This is my friend, Judy.  We have been friends since we were in the fifth grade.  This picture was taken at my son's wedding in Phoenix in 1995.  I was so happy to have her there.  She came all the way from Oklahoma to be with me.

 She sent me flowers for my birthday last month.  They were lovely and came in a glass florist's vase.

 I took that clear glass vase and glued ( Mod Podge) a bunch of stuff to it.

 I started with your typical grocery bags, added some netting that had contained avocados, and some burlap.  Then I added several yards of tea-dyed hemp string, some smaller netting, a bit of tea-dyed gauze, papers designed by Tim Holtz, and buttons and doo-dads that I had, just waiting for the perfect home.

I sent it to her for a sincere thank you, not only for the flowers, but for the years and miles that have tried unsuccessfully to separate us, but never did.  Love you, Jud.

AND--A Couple of Decades Later

                  ...I am doing good to walk.

The Doo-Dah Parade!

We marched in the Doo Dah one year.  Of course we did!  You don’t think we would let an opportunity like that to slip by, do you?

We met on the roof of a parking garage in downtown Pasadena.

As I understand it, the Doo Dah Parade originated in the foggy minds of two guys in a Pasadena bar one afternoon.  They decided that their parade would be called the “Tournament of Noses.”  Their queen would not be a pretty little sorority sweetie, but some gal wearing black leather and fishnet stockings and she would brandish a whip.  Instead of proper floats, participants could do anything they wanted.  There would be no political correctness or rule-following drones in the Doo Dah.

We put the last touches on our cardboard vehicles.  Mine was a replica of my '86 Mustang  convertible with the license plate that said, WINE 30.

The parade came to pass on the streets of Pasadena on the Sunday after Thanksgiving.  It continued to occur upon that day for several years.  I think it has been rescheduled to a more irreverent day now, but I am not sure when you can see it.

Here, my hubby is securing my shoulder straps.  His cardboard Harley is in the background with Todd.

The first, and possibly the most impressive Doo Dah group I remember was the Synchronized Marching Briefcase Team. There were several synchronized groups to follow, including the Lawnmowers, the Hibachi Bar-B-Qers, Nappers in Recliners, Shopping Carts, and my personal favorite, the Synchronized Lawn Chair Brigade.

The plan was to "drive" down the street until this gal blew her whistle and then we would crash into each other and yell inappropriate LA traffic threats.

Later there were a Garbage Can Lid Percussion group, the Dolly Parton Impersonators, Guys with Blow-Up Dolls, and Dancing Condoms.

Todd was a yuppy attorney who was on his cell phone and reading his Wall Street Journal while driving in his Beemer.

This is Todd's mom and a good friend of mine, Shari.

Us?  We were the Gridlockers.  We spent weeks preparing our cardboard cars.  Mine was a perfect replica of my Mustang convertible, complete with my license plate that said, “WINE 30.”   Richard made a replica of his Harley.

  Everyone else had a sort of theme, for example, there was the “Bleeding Heart Liberal Van,” the “Car Phone Talking Wall Street Journal Reading Attorney,” and the “Let the Baby Stand Up in the Front Seat Guy.”  You get the idea.  One gal carried a traffic light on a pole and periodically she would stop and blow her whistle and we would all crash into one another.

Shari and me.

Somewhere toward the end of the parade route three girls yelled “Hey, WINE 30!”  in unison. I looked over and they held up a half full bottle of wine.  I took it as an offer and drove my cardboard car over and grabbed it and took a swig out of it.

I still cannot believe I did that!  I guess that would be called, “Getting caught up in the moment.”

Other people’s germs.

After the parade Rich parks his cardboard motorcycle next to a real one.

Good Grief!

I'm Seven-and-a-Half Weeks Late

Standing here makes one's hair stand up, away from one's scalp. Really.

 I wanted to put these pictures up for Memorial Day, but I couldn't find them until now.

 The name of one of my classmates, whom I also considered a friend is on this wall.  I visited this heart wrenching structure in nineteen-ninety-something.

This photo was taken near the day we graduated from high school.  Larry is on the left.  My back is to the camera but I know it is me because I wore that danged shirt everywhere. Bill Yerby is standing with Larry.  He is married to one of my best friends now.

After graduation, Larry studied to become a pharmacist and then went to Viet Nam.  He is one of three brothers and all three of them died early and tragically. The last time I saw Larry Padberg was at a New Year's Eve party at his house.  Such a loss.

The Wall caretakers provide pencils and these strips of paper for visitors to make rubbings of names.  People leave mementos and gifts at the foot of it.  I felt as if I were in a magnetic vortex when I was there.

It's A July Thing-You Wouldn't Understand

Dinner with my loves.

Birthday Flowers

If you were born today, (That would be me) You are a highly creative individual, but you do not always maintain the kind of firm control over that creativity that you must in order for it to pay off in the way of substance, gain and reward. 

Rather you too often let your own creativity take control of you, and when it does you can be rather unpredictable and even quite difficult to work with, as you can be flighty, mercurial, selfish and quite defensive among those who try to steer you back to a more productive path.

This almost makes me want to start believing in astrology.

Wounded

So. I was walking down the street, minding my own business when these two dudes...

 OK, no. That's not really what happened.
       Suddenly at about ten o'clock night before last, I remembered that I had left the water on outside.

 I slipped into my sandals, not putting the back straps on, but standing on them instead.

                  Ran out to find the hose.

 My shoe slid forward and I tripped on one of the lava rocks that line my walkway.

 And trashed my bod.  Fortunately I have strong bones.  Below you can see the place where this drama occurred.

 I told Richie that I thought we should go out to breakfast tomorrow.  I have a little plan.

I'll catch the eye of a person near by and mouth the words, "Help me."
                            Mwahahahahahahahah!

                               I crack myself up.

Last Bahama Report

 Bahamian food.  Always "rice and peas"which looked and tasted like rice and beans. Served everywhere, no matter what you order.  This is yams, pork and corn.

Our food.  We cooked this in our condo.          Thus endeth the Bahama Report.

My Husband Messin' Around With the Cops

                          Not Richard!  Surely!

                         Don't call him Shirley.

Grand Bahama Island

 Lighthouse.

 I like the juxtaposition of the shack and the flowers.

 This sign gave us a laugh because we are immature like that.

 Wherever we go, we like to check out the ordinary neighborhoods.

 Lunch at a lady's house by the ocean.  She serves it on her back deck.

 A yard sale.  This granny sold sea shell by the sea shore.  She also sold cornbread.

 Evidence of the last hurricane.  They had two in a row.

 A tour of a cave.

 Everyone has these pointy rocks separating their yard from the road.  I guess there is a problem with the Bahamians staying on the road now and then.

 I believe this is a left over from the filming of Pirates of the Caribbean.

 Colorful shopping for cruisers.

Anniversary Twins

 Barbie and John celebrated their 40th anniversary while we were all in Fort Lauderdale.  They got married on our 7th anniversary.  This naturally made it our anniversary too! (DUH!)  I got the card above for Richie, along with his favorite candy bar.

 He got me this breakfast from the free buffet downstairs.  Yeah. We always go all out.

 These photos are from the place where we stayed on the Grand Bahama Island.  It is a yacht club and we met some interesting people, who live on their boats and just tool around the world.

                      It made me seasick just thinking about it.

    More too come.  Several members of my family are here visiting.  My mommy is here!