Category Archives: Summer

No Internet Today!

Well we hit a snag with our internet service and were down for most of the day. The kind Comcast man came and fixed our problem and we’re up and running again. It was a good day to be off-line…

 

I went outside early (to beat the heat we’re experiencing) and worked on my patio containers. Dear and our son Dan had already put the cover on our gazebo and brought out all the patio furniture. My new oven was also delivered today and Dear installed it. He is such a handy guy. I’ll try to get some good photos of my new oven but right now with all the sunshine streaming in the windows there’s a lot of glare :0) I plan to break in the oven by baking some cookies tomorrow. Here’s hoping the temperature is calibrated a whole lot better then the old one…

Welcome Summer ~ The Hummingbird

 

Winged Jewel
(The Huming, Bird)
Feathered fire of emerald .
Aflashing through the air,
Its throat a glowing jewel,
A ruby solitaire.

Intrepid wings are whirring
In airy, fairy flight,
Careening through the sunshine,
A scintillating sprite.

Then pendant o’er flower
It dips its dainty hill
And gathers honeyed nectar
From flowery cup and frill.

Now darting, swiftly turning,
It seeks the trumpet vine,
A little tropic jewel
Aflame with nectared wine.
-CORA L. CONE

HAPPY FIRST DAY OF SUMMER TO EVERYONE WHO PASSES THIS WAY!

Photobucket is holding all my photos I stored with them from 2007-2015 hostage. They have blacked out all those photos on my blog posts. OH BOTHER! I’m slowly cleaning up my posts.

Amgen Summerfest 2008

 

The company my husband works for always puts on a nice summer party for their employees and families. This year they combined it with the company chili-cook-off competition and gave it a Hawaiin theme.

 

The decorations were lots of fun. Even the founders statues got decorated.

We picked up our wrist bands and we were ready to eat, drink, and be entertained.

 

The chili competition booths were all very creative and the chili was cooked by employees and hosted by them as well. We spotted several celebrities serving their chili. Elvis with the cool vanilla bean chili, Gilligan, Lovee and Thurston Howell the third. We also spotted Indiana Jones.

 

There were several stations with many choices of food and drink. The entertainment was great with Polynesian Dancers, Chinese Acrobats of Hebei, Fire Dance, and Denver and the Mile-High Orchestra. Thankfully the weather was nice and not too hot. We’ll never forget the summer fest of 2006 when it was well over 100 degrees.

Photobucket is holding all my photos I stored with them from 2007-2015 hostage. They have blacked out all those photos on my blog posts. OH BOTHER! I’m slowly cleaning up my posts.

Weekend Wanderings…

The L. A. Farmers Market

 Farmers Market (no apostrophe!) was created in July 1934.

In July 1934 a contingent of farmers pulled their trucks onto an expanse of empty land at the property known as Gilmore Island at the corner of Third and Fairfax in Los Angeles. They displayed their produce on the tailgates of their vehicles, to their delight, customers quickly arrived and parked their cars on a hastily created dirt parking lot in spaces designated with chalk. They strolled among the trucks purchasing fruit, vegetables and flowers.

The atmosphere was casual, the open air commerce enticing, the goods fresh, and the result remarkable. Farmers Market became an instant institution.

We met our friends from Seattle at the Original Los Angeles Farmers Market for dinner and a stroll. Luke, (one of our former pastors in Seattle), Terri and their two daughters Sophie and Greta are in L.A. for some sight seeing that will include the ultimate first time visit to Disneyland for the girls on Monday and Tuesday!

A very upscale outdoor shopping center, The Grove, has been built right next to the Old Farmers Market. We ended our visit with an elevator ride to the 8th floor of the parking garage at “The Grove” to get an aerial view of this Miracle Mile area of Los Angeles and Hollywood. We were hoping to see the famous Hollywood sign but sad but true it was too “L.A. smoggy hazy” to see it clearly! We were able to see the Griffith Park Observatory.

 View from a trail in Griffith Park from the south, looking north.

On our way home after our visit we were driving through a couple multi-million dollar neighborhoods and were shocked to see this eyesore on one of the street corners. We were amazed and decided to turn back to take some digital shots of this monstrocity. My photos will not give this gaudy display of bad taste justice.

There were over 14 of these statues…

Yikes! This is a beautiful neighborhood of amazingly landscaped and manicured lawns. House after house displays beautiful architecture and upkeep. I can only imagine what the immediate neighbors think. We found out later that there was a lot of TV coverage over this property and a  lawsuit that the neighbors brought to try to get these statues removed. They lost their suit. The bright white wrought iron fence was added after some of the statues were defaced.

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My weekend ended with a 250 mile round-trip out to Nuevo, California for dinner and a church service that my nephews Levi and Caleb were leading worship for (Levi in the red, Caleb in the orange). A nice ending to a busy weekend. Blessings on your week ahead…

Photobucket has blacked out all my photos from their site that I used on my blog since 2007 and I’m working to update my thousands of posts.

1994 World Cup ~ Los Angeles

I am a huge soccer fan. Our boys played soccer on club teams and on their high school Varsity teams. They both played defense, sweeper and full back. I never missed a game and after they graduated I still went to the high school games. Our daughter Katie played soccer on a recreational team. She played goalie and mostly defense. When World Cup is on I try to watch every single game that is televised. The following photos and memorabilia are from the 1994 World Cup. Josh got a 4 game package for games in Los Angeles. Dan and I went to the Brazil ~ Cameroon game at Stanford.

We all got to go to another game at the Rose Bowl, too. I drove them wherever we could get any soccer action. Fun times!

 

These are photos of Josh and Dan at the U.S. Soccer Team training facility and at the hotel where the team was staying. We were so excited to find the hotel where the team was staying. The players were so approachable and kind to the boys. They managed to get every players signature that was on the team and all but one of the coaches. Josh has that poster framed and in his office.

 

They also got Tony Meola and Cobi Jones to sign these magazines that we later framed.

 

I still hope to someday experience a soccer game (futbol) in England.

Quick Family Fun in Huntington Beach

We had a last minute party in Huntington Beach on Saturday because our brother Leonard came into town from Dallas, unexpectedly. It’s his and Lana’s birthday on Sunday so we got everyone together for a meal and fun. (Lana was in Seattle so she couldn’t come to her party!)

Dear and I had to drive South for 2 hours to Huntington Beach because of …

traffic! Where are all these people going?

We had the mini birthday cake for Leonard.

Leonard always the life of the party!

Mom and Pop brought the lamb chops to barbecue. Nick (Mr. T.) barbecued the chops after marinating them in rosemary and mint.

The young T’s were there to join in the fun.

The guys (Levi, Caleb and Ryan) being nonchalant because of the camera, were discussing Caleb’s new (old) Fender Telecaster that he bought.

Michelle and Jack enjoying Unca’s cake.

I had to include this photo of my parents. Nadz (baba, mom) is stylin’ with her capri’s!

The moon from Huntington Beach when we left.

 

The moon from Camarillo when we arrived home.

I didn’t get photos of everyone there, but no worries we never pass up an excuse for a party so there are always photo opportunities in the future, Lord willing….

My photos are being held hostage at the Photobucket site as of July 2017.

Baba and Deda’s with the Girls and Jack

Deda and Baba

Niece Michelle, Daughter Katie, and SIL Kelly

We had a family “girls night out” gathering at my parent’s apartment since Katie is here for a short visit. As usual my mother went “over the top” in preparing a wonderful meal for all of us. We were doubly blessed this time because my SIL’s Kelly and Letty were able to make it.

Sister Vera, SIL Letty, and Sister Kathy

 

We had Apricot Chicken, a Honeydew Spinach Salad with a wonderful mint dressing, a mixed veggie basmati rice, not to mention appetizers. Now for that fabulous cake pictured above, yummy Pistachio Cream Angel Food Cake.

 

The sisters enjoying a laugh. What a blessing to have loving, joyful sisters with peace between us.

Vera, Lana, Kathy and Ellen

Nana Kathy with grandson Jack. “It’s a high mountain goat.” My nieces Debbee and Melissa were there but didn’t get into a photo shoot.

My photos are being held hostage at the Photobucket site as of July 2017.

Safe and Sound In Southern California!

Katie and I arrived safe and sound today. The trip was easier than we expected. Thank you to those of you who were praying that my feet and legs wouldn’t cramp. God answered your prayers! Not one cramp in the 20 hours of driving. Of all the books on cd that we took our #1 favorite was Jeeves and the Song of Songs by P. G. Wodehouse. Funny and very entertaining. We enjoyed one of the Barchester Chronicles and Book 5 of Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. Today we listened to Meet Me at the Morgue which was an entertaining murder mystery. We wouldn’t recommend The Vicar of Wakefield, for us it was horribly dull!

 

Katie took this at the border of Oregon and California.

 

Katie being creative…

 

There is a story to this mountain range. Yes, what you see is a mountain range. The smallest mountain range in the World! Dear’s Mother Verna is buried in a cemetery with these mountains in the background. Our photo is from I-5 which is the opposite view from the one below.

Yuba City’s Sutter Buttes

Sutter ButtesYuba City’s western horizon is dominated by the Sutter Buttes, renowned for being the “Smallest Mountain Range in the World.”

The range is actually circular with a diameter of 10 miles and covers an area of about 75 square miles. The mountains are the remnants of a volcano that has been dormant for over a million years. South Butte, the highest peak is 2,117 feet above sea level. North Butte is 1,863 feet and West Butte is 1,685 feet above sea level.

Before modern levees and dams were built to contain the rivers, winter storms and spring run-off frequently turned the Sacramento Valley into an inland sea making the Sutter Buttes an island refuge for Indians, settlers and wildlife.

The Buttes have had many names over the years. The Maidu Indians called them “Histum Yani” which translates as, “Middle Mountains of the Valley” or “Spirit Mountain” … depending on the source. According to Maidu legend, after death, the spirits of their people rest in the Buttes.

Gabriel Moraga, a Spaniard trying to locate possible mission sites, was the first European to see the Sutter Buttes in 1806. Another Spaniard, Luis Arguello, led an expedition in 1817 to explore Northern California by water. He called the Buttes “Los Picachos” or the peaks. He also named the Feather River “El Rio de la Plumas”, because he saw many feathers of wild fowl floating on the water.

Other names for the Buttes were “Marysville Buttes”, “Sacramento Buttes”, and “Los Tres Picos.” They were finally named the “Sutter Buttes” in 1949.

Today, most of the Sutter Buttes is private land and not open to the public. However, you can drive through and around the Buttes. It is a beautiful drive any time of the year! Each year, in the spring, over 1,000 cyclists converge to “Bike Around the Buttes” an event sponsored by the Diabetes Society of Yuba Sutter.

If you want to experience the Buttes up close, organized group tour hikes are available. You can also play golf in the Buttes at South Ridge Golf Course, but watch out for the infamous 16th hole!

http://www.syix.com/yubacity/sutterbuttes.html

My photos are being held hostage at the Photobucket site as of July 2017.

Lakeside Bible Camp ~ Early ’90’s ~ Thankful Thursday

 I’m combining this post with Thankful Thursday. What I’m thankful for today are Summer Bible Camps! What a blessing they were in my life and in the life of my children. My heart became Christ’s at Hume Lake Christian Camp in 1963. My kids have grown in their Christian walk at Lakeside Bible Camp. I’m sure a lot of you out there have been blessed by summer camps, too. So thank you Jesus for all the summer camp workers and visionaries out there!

With Bible Camp season upon us I’m posting this little trip down memory lane for our very own upcoming Directors of  teen camps this summer at Lakeside Bible Camp on Whidbey Island! Blessings on you Jamie, Lucy, and Josh! You’ve come a long way….

 

Bloggers unite in praying for all the youth camps happening this summer. Haven’t we all read testimonies of many hearts that were changed as a result of summer camps. Praying for God’s mercy, protection, and grace!

To see more Thankful Thursday Posts go to Sting My Heart.

Recipe Round-Up ~ Summer Salads ~ Applesauce-Raspberry Jello

 Applesauce-Raspberry Jello

1 – 3oz. pkg. raspberry jello
1   cup hot water
1 – 10oz. pkg. frozen raspberries
1 – Cup applesauce
1 – Cup sour cream
1 – Cup miniature marshmallows

Dissolve Jello in hot water. Add frozen raspberries and blend carefully. Add applesauce. Pour into 9-inch square pan. Chill until set. Combine sour cream and marshmallows and spread over top of set Jello. Cover and Chill. Serves 6-8. I have doubled this recipe and put it in a 9 x 13 pan. Refreshingly cool salad!

Now for more great salad recipes head on over to Violet’s at Promptings.