Head over to Joyce's to add your post and see how everyone else answered this week's questions.
1. What's something that reminds you of your grandmother? Tell us why.
Sadly, I didn't really know either of my grandmothers. I have something very special of my maternal grandma's. Every time I take it out I can feel her fingers on the beads and (even though I don't remember what she sounded like) I can imagine her praying along with me. I touch the worn beads and wonder just how many Rosaries she said using this one:
2. Is your life currently more 'moonlight and roses' or a little more 'every rose has it's thorn'? Elaborate.
Well, it's summer so right now it's more moonlight and roses.
3. June 23rd is National Pink Day...favorite thing you own in any shade of pink? Favorite thing found in nature in any shade of pink? Your favorite pink food or beverage? Your favorite shade of pink?
I have a couple of v-neck Lands End t-shirts that are pink. So soft & nice to wear.
Pink in nature: Azaleas. It's just too bad they don't bloom longer.
Pink food or beverage: Shrimp
Favorite shade of pink: I have no idea. Blush or bashful??? Pink is definitely not my signature color!
4. Last thing that had you 'tickled pink'?
The view from one of our campsites last week:
5. What are two or three words that describe your style.
I have no style. (oops...that was 4!)
6. Insert your own random thought here.
CH & I had a wonderful, relaxing camping vacation last week...except for 1 night. We both slept better on our cots in the mountain air than we had in a long time. Look for a post very soon!
For the past few years, CH & I have taken a vacation between Christmas & New Year's. This one was a real bust of a vacation.
This year for our annual Christmas-New Year’s getaway, we decided to try something different and go somewhere we’ve never been. Last year’s vacation to St. Andrews State Park (Fl.) was cold and rainy, so we decided to go a little further south. That turned out to be a good plan because St. Andrews was hit hard by Hurricane Michael and is, for all purposes, non-existent at the moment. One of the volunteers we met either last year or the year before mentioned Manatee Springs State Park so that was our choice for this year.
We arrived about 3 ½ hours later than we expected because…Atlanta. Going through Atlanta was fine, the problem was just south where we ran into traffic being at a standstill. Google was a champ, re-routing us around the traffic a couple of times.
I called the campground that morning since I already knew we would be arriving after sundown when the gate is locked. I was told that the code was not given out until after 4:00, so I called again that afternoon and received the number to get into the campground. When we arrived at our site (#75) we were greeted by a couple of deer who were bedding down just behind our site. They ended up moving as we quickly set up the camper so we could crawl into bed after our 8.5 hour turned 12 hour trip.
Campsite #75 ended up being a good choice; 74 has a trail leading to the springs right behind it so people were intermittently walking to get to the springs to see the manatees. Unfortunately, the area had quite a bit of rain; swimming was not allowed due to “brown-out” conditions of the spring. We were able to see the manatee coming up when they took breaths, but the water was too murky to see them otherwise. I heard people commenting that usually the water is crystal clear. The springs feed into the Suwannee River, so when Georgia has a lot of rain the water backs up into the spring.
The first morning there we saw a family of manatees, at least we saw the family come up for breaths. That afternoon I saw a mama and her baby, along with a couple of other manatees. There was also an egret hanging around as well as some cormorants. Vultures were roosting around the springs and there were a lot of them! I heard an owl and some woodpeckers, and the little gray squirrels were all over the place. Then there was the water moccasin I saw laying on top of a bush in the water.
Mama coming up for air
Baby coming up for air
The park is next to the small town of Chiefland. Not a big town, but there is a Wal-Mart, Winn Dixie, and the ever needed Dollar General. There are also plenty of places to eat.
OS surprised us by coming home on Christmas Eve; when I got home from Midnight Mass his car was in the driveway. For some reason I had a sneaky suspicion he was coming home. He also brought the flu with him, so he spent most of Christmas Day sleeping. He offered to stay and take care of the dogs while we were gone, so that saved us from the hassle of taking them to the vet.
CH ended up with the yuckies while we were gone, so I spent the day just relaxing and reading. That was fine, because there’s not much to do around Chiefland anyway. We decided to cut our vacation short and come home that Saturday. The plan was to drive until CH felt he couldn't drive any longer, then we would get a hotel room and drive the rest of the way in the next morning. CH ended up able to drive the whole way. There were some snags around Atlanta, but we just listened to Google Maps and managed to miss most of it. It was rather nice to be at home for New Year's, especially since I had to be at work on Wed. We aren't sure what we're doing for next year. The couple who was next to us gave us the names of some parks they were going to so I may check those out online and see what's up with those. I really missed being in The Keys this year, but we'll see what we end up doing!
It's hard to believe this was 5 years ago in The Keys!
It's just like the Wednesday Hodgepodge, but with a new name and a new "hostess with the mostess"! Much thanks to Terri for continuing our Wednesday Q&A...I'm looking forward to being reacquainted with old friends and meeting new ones. 1.On December 5, 1901, Walt Disney was born. Have you been to Disneyland or Disney World? Can you share a favorite Disney memory?
We took the boys to Disney World in 2000; their ages: 11, 8, and 5. When we went to “Honey I Shrunk the Audience” (which is in 3D) everything was fine. Then the snake appeared to come toward us and we hear, “MAMA! MAMA!” I look next to me to see MS with his feet in his chair screaming for me. We laugh about that to this day!
I’m pretty sure that’s not what Terri had in mind, but that’s a favorite memory!
I also marched in my high school band during the Disney World parade a couple of times (I think it was 2 times, anyway). Very cool!
I’ve never been to Disney Land and really have no desire. I also have no desire to go back to Disney World. I’d love to give Harry Potter a try, though. 2.The first roller coaster attraction at Walt Disney World was Space Mountain. Do you/did you like roller coasters?
Space Mountain isn’t like it used to be. It’s not pitch-dark like it was when it first opened; I’m sure it’s because of liability.
I’m not into roller coasters & really never was. I just rode it because that’s what you do in high school, and what you’re obligated to do with your kids. 3.The very first fairy tale that Walt Disney made a cartoon about was Little Red Riding Hood. Did you enjoy fairy tales when you were a youngster or did they scare you? Did you have a favorite?
I loved fairy tales when I was young. I don’t think I have a fave, though. 4.In Lady & the Tramp, Tramp’s real name was Butch! Do you have nicknames for your fur-babies and/or for your children?
I always have nicknames for my furbabies! Laika’s is “Cuddle bug” and Gurl Dogg is “Crazy dog”. I mean, really, should Gurl Dogg even have a nickname?
For my "2 footed babies", I call OS "my sunshine", MS "Tater Bug", and YS "Russell Bear". 5. I can’t let this day go by without respecting George H.W. Bush, as he lays in state in the Rotunda of our Capital today. He was our 41st President and only the second father to have a son follow him as President of the United States. President Bush loved his colorful socks. I bought Joe a pair of George H.W. Bush socks for Christmas one year. I know Myra has a pair… any other bloggers checking in today who have a pair of the Presidential socks in a drawer at home? How do you feel about colorful socks?
No Presidential socks here; I didn’t even know there was such a thing.
I bought a 4-pack of Bombas a few weeks ago, only there were 3 in it and the pair that didn’t come was marked out with no explanation. I tried calling the 800 number only to get a message that they were only responding to emails due to the high amount of traffic. (Wonder how many other people they stiffed?) I emailed a week ago and finally received a response. The other pair of socks is out of stock so they are going to send me another pair of my choice. They are very comfortable (just as advertised) and I like that for every pair that is bought they donate a pair. 6.Please tell us something random about your week!
Well, the Small Town Football Team did it again: they won their 17th overall state championship last weekend. This team went undefeated. It's rare when they are undefeated, even if they win the championship because they play another powerhouse every year & the other school is about 3 times bigger than Small Town High. MS' team went undefeated his senior year (2009) and I think they were undefeated 1 other time since then. That's about the most exciting thing that happened this week! Thanks again, Terri, for hosting! Want to get in on the Wednesday Medley? Check her blog Your Friend from Florida on Tuesdays to get the questions, then don't forget to link up on Wednesdays!
MS' Irish friend said that he would rather spend more time in Galway than the town where he is from, even though when M & I researched, there is a lot of history in his town. YS mentioned that he wanted to go to Galway. What was the big deal with Galway?
Out of the places we went, the things we saw, and the people we met, Galway (and that area of Ireland) has my heart. The beauty of the rocky landscape, the stone walls that have been there hundreds of years, Galway Bay, and the Gaelic language swept me off my feet. A friend of mine said it sounded like I left a piece of my heart in Ireland, and I certainly feel like I did.
After a couple of hours' drive with a driver who made the trip "interesting", we checked into our hotel. At first, the young lady who checked us in seemed a little "stand-offish". She looked Irish: red hair, green eyes, but then she started talking. She was American. After we put our luggage in the room, we went back to the desk to see what we needed to make sure we saw since we had the rest of the day to explore. We found out that Dylan was from San Francisco and went to school in Galway to study ancient languages. M said she thought she was also getting a degree in art, but I honestly don't remember that part. Another employee was at the desk, and she pulled out a map and told us some things to make sure we saw. Joanna was Polish, and when I told her my maiden name we had quite the discussion. I explained that although my maiden name was Polish, I was actually German and explained that my ancestors were from the area of the Czech Republic, Slovakia, and Poland. She asked me if it was Silesia and my face dropped. M said she wished I could have seen my face when she said that. Anyway, Joanna is from that same region, although not the area where my ancestors were from.
Enough of that! The first thing we came to during our walk was St. Nicholas Collegiate Church.
This church is the largest medievel parish in Ireland. When we walked in, it felt medievel. It was quite chilly and dark, but it certainly was beautiful. The church was finished by 1320 AD.
A timeline of the church.
The Blessed Sacrament Chapel
The Chancel---the oldest part of the building
Close up of ceiling
The Transfiguration Window
Battle Standards of the Connaught Rangers, an army division used as part of the Napolenoic Campaign
Jayne Eyre's (yes, THE Jayne Eyre!) final resting place is at this church
The outside of the church was magnificent. I couldn't get the whole church in 1 picture.
I wish I had been able to read the pamphlet as I walked around the church. I think I have the captions correct, but it's very possible I don't. 1 more interesting fact about this church: Christopher Columbus worshipped here.
We left there and found a walkway that Joanna told us about. It was a very peaceful, beautiful walk around the water.
We made our way to the Galway Cathedral:
The outside of the building was pretty impressive
The Cathedral was built on the site of the jail
Even though the Cathedral looks old, it was finished in 1965.
The dome is gorgeous!
The Organ Gallery
White sculpted Stations of the Cross
Even though it's a "young" church, the details were amazing.
Crucifixion mosaic
M pointed out that the sun was reflecting through the stained glass:
This is over the front door.
We left the Cathedral and continued our walk...which led us to Galway Bay.
But first...another church! This one is St. Mary's, and it faces the Bay. You've heard of the Claddagh? Well, that's where this church is...in the Claddagh region.
The Dominicans have been here since the 1200's but I couldn't find exactly when the church was built.
Side altar
Sacristy
Organ in the back of the church
View of the church
Grotto outside of the church
St. Bernadette
Okay, now for the Bay:
If you've seen Ed Sheeran's video for "Galway Girl", at the end he was in one of these blue houses.
We saw a rainbow!
Monument to Christopher Columbus
Spanish Arches
Galway has a wondeful pedestrian shopping area.
We had our first meal here.
One morning we walked down the sidewalk to see a bunch of kegs sitting out. I asked the pub worker about it, and he said that they put the empty kegs out the night before (maybe Thursday nights?) and, like the milkman used to do, they are replaced by full ones just in time for the weekend!
Galway has a big music scene, but we didn't get down to the pub in Salt Hill that Joanna told us about. We did get to see a street band perform. I didn't stay around very long...you never know about pick pockets taking that opportunity!
