This and That

 It has been 20 whole days since I blogged.  Really I haven't done anything very interesting and when I did I forgot to take my camera :(

This is Caity sewing her little dress to go to Africa with her Aunt Niki for some lucky little girl.

 This is our wish for house at Lake Wateree.  We went looking for a cheap house on the lake yesterday.  We took a picnic lunch and sat right on the deck below overlooking the water.  Man so serene and peaceful (does that mean the same thing?)

 The house looked neglected.  Weeds growing up the steps etc...but still furnished (perfectly)....we hoped for a foreclosure....but alas a call to the owner revealed his asking price $440,000....perfect....he will entertain offers (Um...what about $50,000....that would probably be entertaining to him...LOL)

 I took this as our local pool this summer.  I think I counted 35 people there that day.  So nice to have a pool in our rural community.  I always see a friend or neighbor I won't run into any where else.  We have had a lot of "new" members in the last few years so I get to meet some new people too.

 This is my hunk of a grandson Michael.  He is only 12 but looks at least 14.

 Megan on the slide.  The slide was a big hit with everyone that day.

 Megan caught the first fish of the day over at "Aunt Dianne's pond".  Actually, Aunt Dianne's father built the pond back in the day and now her three children live around it with their children.  They are generous to let my grandchildren fish there when they come visiting.

Michael made a catch, too.  In all they both caught about a dozen.

This is another fantasy of mine.....I want a small vintage camper....for cheap.  There is a group called Sisters on the Fly; all women with vintage campers dolled out oh so cute and I want to join them.  So far the closest old camper I've found has been in Kentucky and I haven't put my money down on it yet.   It will show up here when I do!This is a picture of two glamed up campers.

This That and The Other

This is the gorgeous Catholic Cathedral where the wedding was held in Philadelphia.

This is the lovely bouquet of flowers put in our room by the groom's family when we arrived :)

The terrific orchestra for the reception. There was a lot of dancing and
and hubs and I were a part of all that :)

My photographer, Hubs, was distracted and failed to get pictures of the bride, groom, cousins etc... I may not hire him for the next wedding. Trust me it was a five star wedding.....tour buses took us from the hotel to the cathedral and back. There was an hour of hor's d'ouvers before the seven course sit down dinner (at least 200 guests). We had a lovely time catching up with family we don't see often and making new friends.

Just finished these place mats and table runner for Fall.

Just finished two really good reads. The Mighty Queens of Freeport by Amy Dickenson. I had already read and loved this but the book club picked it so I reread it....it was just as good the second time. Amy was chosen to "replace" Ann Landers....and now writes Ask Amy. She also is on NPR's Wait, Wait,Don't Tell Me.....

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese was recommended to me at the book club meeting. Love, Love, Loved it. About the nuns, doctors and nurses who run a hospital in Ethiopia. Much more complicated plot that but it starts there.

Am now reading, In the Woods, by Tana French. It was also suggested by a book club member. It is the first part of a trilogy and it is a mystery.

So what have you been doing?

Catching Up

Just wanted to let you know......I have not died, am not in a coma, and my camera isn't broken. Haven't had anything very interesting to post about....but don't give up on me.....I'm leaving for Philadelphia, Pa tomorrow for a fancy, smantzy wedding at the downtown HILTON (Where we are staying!!!) The wedding is actually at a church but reception at the Hilton.

The wedding is my mother-in law's sister's Grandson and bride. The sister, Sabra Griffin and her husband are deceased but Great Aunt Edith will be there all 94 years of her. I have been over to her house to help select the appropriate outfit for the fifty or so possibles. (I have one possible and I am wearing it.)

The groom's mother suggested a picture of his grandmother, Sabra, as a wedding gift, but while looking for a great picture I came up with so many (thanks to Great Aunt Edith the original shutter-bug in the family) I decided to go to Shutter Fly and make a book with all the relatives on Aunt Sabra's side.
The technology buffaloed me on some pages (I know you are shocked this Media Specialist had problems, LOL) and I didn't get the pictures in the order I wanted and they aren't all placed on the page like I wanted but they are in the book and they have captions identifying who these people are and how the groom is related to them.

Hubs and I have been keeping our Darlington Darlings for two nights while their parents went to Cola for a conference. Hannah, 11, was so responsible about getting her homework done and STUDYING. (I didn't know what studying was until half way through college.) She also packed her own lunch each day. The Gatester kept us on our toes as usual. Golf.....scooter riding around the block..... walking around the block....following him driving his police car around the block..... He said, "Nana, can I drive my police car next door to say hello to my neighbor?" All the neighbors seemed to know him well!

"Hi, Gates, been playing any golf lately?" Said the neighbor on the other side.

Gates is going to his first CAROLINA football game tomorrow night. It is a surprise and he is going to be over the moon. When we got to his house Sunday he was wearing his Carolina football jersey, football pants, cleats, helmet,etc....

After he plays 50 quarters of football.... (he runs, he catches, those passes, he kicks off, he tackles......whew!) Then he gets his instruments out and does half time....Drum Major! I would love to see him at the Game...those sitting around him better put their stadium seat belts on!

Well, enough of a Grandma Rant for today!

See you when I get back from Philly.....with pictures I hope. And yes we will eat a real Philly Cheese steak Sandwich for anyone who asks :)

Miscellania

Last week I went to the author luncheon held here monthly. The handsome "young" man is Batt Humphries. Batt was a producer for NBC in New York for 15 years and then "retired" to Charleston to write his book Dead Weight based on a true story that happened in Charleston around 1910. I loved the book and pretty much read it straight through in a day.

Yesterday I went to the Hartsville Memorial Library Reading Club meeting held at an artsy restaurant here called Saffron. There were ten of us present. I knew about half and the other half are new friends :) We all read Time is a River by Mary Alice Monroe. Another Charleston author. The book was about a woman who takes up fly fishing and gets over some recent traumas in her life. I liked it so much I am looking for fly fishing lessons and a place to fish. (Hubs says, Get real! But he also wants to go if I get it worked out :)

This picture is a clue to another new interest in my life. This is my grandfather's violin and lovely alligator case. Grandfather, Dr. Thomas Gates, had a band in the Washington, DC area called The Hired Hands. They played on the radio in the early 1900's. I have just had it restrung and the bow fixed. I have not yet found a teacher....the one I am hoping to get is out of town. In case you are thinking I may have inherited some musical ability from my grandfather, remember I am adopted and have shown no musical ability thus far but I heard on NPR yesterday artistic talent is 89% work. However, I am not known to want to work hard either. We shall see.

Today Hubs and I decided since it had cooled off we would do some yard work. After an hour we were both drenched in sweat and decided to call it a day. It was 10 AM then when I came in and checked the thermometer to find it was 77.9%. We were sure it was AT LEAST 100%. Our thermostats must be out of whack.

Farmer Fran did get to drive the tractor for a nano second. The rest of the time was good old manual labor (I hate it).

Tomorrow I am off to Lucy's to make a male black doll in honor of our beloved tenant farmer/friend/father figure, Mr. Willie Adams. He was such a neat, cheerful person (even when he wasn't drinking). He could tell the best stories about Curtis growing up. He was always encouraging about the farm even when it hadn't rained in six months. He raised 13 children in a dilapidated tenant house on our farm....no indoor plumbing....I'm not even sure they had electricity.

Well that's it for old Donnamo today. What are you folks up to? No good, I bet :)