in the sand and water

I do not have a single memory that does not include the beach; always the beach. Two days ago my sister-in -law and brother called to tell me a huge professional surfing contest was being held on the beach where I grew up. And here I was hundreds of miles away wishing I was feeling the familiar breeze  and the warm sand of the beach an wishing I was there so I could go.

Boy was I bummed, I missed the surfing stars the bands playing all types of music the people from near and far getting together to enjoy the waves and each other. I missed chance to see the people I grew up with I missed the chance catch up to laugh and of course to hang out with my family.

 And I miss this beach.....

I just love this picture of my niece and my godson jumping in the surf; don't you? I actually was able to catch Alex while she was in the air, I always liked that about this picture.

I can't tell you how many life guards that sat on that very life guard stand that I had terrible crushes on when I was a  girl. Every summer they were just cuter and cuter, boys working lifeguard jobs way to wise to do anything but be nice and steal a few kisses with this girl; can anyone say.... *jail bait*.

When I was pregnant I used to come to the beach and dig a hole in the sand so that I could lay on my stomach, it was the only time I could I was soooo big. To my surprise when Matthew was born he didn't like the beach very much- he hated the sand! Hard to believe! Now he loves it just like me. Here we are walking together onto the first beach he ever went to, long before he was born.

And although Dr Evil wasn't staying with us that summer at our rented beach house, he did stop by even if in spirit to pose us for a picture! I know we're lame.

Wet and sun drenched sandy and hot four cousins digging in the sand, the love of the beach runs in the family I think.

My mom may be getting older but she's still up for jumping...well maybe not jumping but if we get a house at the beach, she's in.

And our favorite people to go to the beach with is my brother his wife and the kids, we swim, we listen to music, we play in the sand. We drink beer and wine and my brother and I cook in the kitchen while my husband mans the grill. And we play games do puzzles, bad words have been spewed and tears have been shed over games of Pictionary not to mention that puzzle piece nobody can place! 

Now this is the guy I really like to spend my time with at the beach! Even though he sunburns thru his clothes; my husband Bill!  It will be Barbados for two in November, I can't wait!

Every day on the beach is a magic moment. An opportunity for memories for pictures shared with my blog friends like Shell at things i can't say. Thank for thinking of this fabulous idea. I'm happy to link up with you and others today.            

         Capture those... Magic Moments.

Yippee you cancelled my homeowners

I hate loose ends. I guess it's part of my personality. When things are unfinished or left up in the air it makes me want to scream! Well maybe that's a bit dramatic truth be told it does make me uncomfortable.

So today when I opened an envelope from my insurance agent who covers my second home in Florida only to find out at the end of the policy in Feb. 2012 he is canceling the home owners, my first thought was to find another policy right away. State Farm is getting outta dodge (Florida) or that's the rumor. So they cancelled us - reason because we don't reside in our home full time. O.K it's a second home, we can't exactly do a Solomon and split ourselves in half can we? And they've been covering us for years, it sounds like a load of shit to me that is their excuse for canceling us that is. The timing as the first hurricane bears down on the east coast doesn't go without notice to me or my husband. It's not going to hit Florida but it still makes me wonder!

So now comes to the part of me leaving things unfinished, not gonna happen so I jumped right on my laptop and did a search for insurance. So I popped in the address; twenty minutes later we got a call from the nicest guy representing an insurance company. Since we're twenty minutes from the beach and haven't ever made a claim, he wrote a policy for the house. E-mailed it for our approval and we'll finalize it on Monday.

You want to hear something funny? Turns out all things included it costs half of what we were paying with State Farm. Isn't that that our good luck? Not that I've ever had much but hey whose complaining. Insurance laws require that State Farm refund any payment they've received in advance and  I've payed for the year.  As soon as I get my new policy in my hand I will cancel theirs a.s.a.p then the refunded amount basically pays for the new policy. Not bad huh?

our two days in St Augustine

The whole Florida neighbor situation was such a drag, we didn't really want to stay in the house and be annoyed!

If you missed my whole neighbor drama you can read it here my crappy neighbor and here my crazy neighbor part ll.

Since St Augustine is just a stones away, we decided to go there to relax. We got a hotel right on the edge of the historic area. The first night however we drove around to get the lay of the land and parked right by the water near the City Marina to have a quick look around. The bridge that's in the back round of this picture below heads over to the local beaches. We didn't visit the beaches this trip, that's for another time but from what I understand they're quite nice.

City marina with The Bridge of Lions which. takes you to the local beaches.

It is pretty hot here in August which was no surprise, so we didn't get far with our sight-seeing before Momma was needing a cold beer. Wouldn't you know it; my husband looked up and there right before our eyes was a brewery sign hanging above our heads! *cue in the angels singing*

So we popped in there for a few cold fresh Ale's on tap. Oh how good that was! A winding copper bar sat in the middle of the main floor of this bright neighborhood establishment; there was a dining room up stairs. We however enjoyed all their delicious food and beer from the comfortable tables that lined the windows with the beautiful views down by the bar.

A1A Ale Works on the corner; great beer!

What I loved about the eating and drinking establishments here in St Augustine is the family/neighborhood  atmosphere, every person even tourist like us were make to feel welcome, as welcome as the regulars. Many of the restaurants have live music of some type, either jazz or a live singer to entertain you while dinning, it really is a treat.

Then we were off to poke around the town. Lovely old buildings on each and every  street, parks and squares dotted throughout the area. I stopped by The Cathedral Basilica of St Augustine built in 1793, but the doors were closed unfortunately so I didn't get to see the inside. I did stand on the opposite side of the square as you can see in the picture below and take a picture of it.I'm afraid the picture isn't very good and the tree's block the view. The square itself was quite green and ripe with summer foliage and beautiful in its own right.

The Cathedral Basilica of St Augustine

There is a lot of shopping in the historic area of St Augustine. We spent long hours on St George St which is a pedestrian mall walking in and out of the shops; that is in between the afternoon showers.  If you aren't familiar; it usually rains every afternoon in Florida. It then gets so humid you can drink while breathing. So we'd grab a cold drink or an ice cream at one of the shops until the rain passes (and it does) and then continue shopping. I snagged some great birthday gifts for my Godson and his sisters, my nieces in a few of the shops, they have some beautiful and unique items there.

My husband found a novel little grill in front of one of the shops, it's certainly original! OINK! We didn't buy it though. Somehow I can't see this in my yard!

How about cooking your ribs on this?
My husband thought it was original!

I would love to go to St Augustine another time maybe plan the trip out a little better now that I'm familiar with the area. There were a few cute little Inn's on A1A right across from the marina that would have been a great choice to stay in, or maybe one of the lovely B&B's that we saw when we were walking about. The hotel was adequate but I would rather not do the hotel thing again.  I think being "in" the historic part proper would be so much better and something we'll do next time.

Have you ever been to St Augustine? What did you think? Like it or not?

We didn't really get to do much this summer with all my doctors appointments; it pretty much sucked being stuck in the house so even a few days was a wonderful break for me.

What did you do this summer; anything good? I'm always looking for ideas for get away's.

before my leg goes to barbados it needs IV drugs

Since I was released from the hospital a week ago Wednesday I have met with a home health nurse twice and she has taught me how to administer my own antibiotics for my MRSA. I've been thru with a ton of stuff with this leg and, if you've somehow missed it you can read it here.  I'm taking this leg on vacation eventually.....

It's the newest thing in home IV's it's called infusion therapy. There are no needles involved all the connections screw on so it makes it easy for the patient to learn how to do it themselves; safer too. They say it keeps down the cost and makes the need for prolonged hospital stays unnecessary.


my IV ball

This hooks into my picc line which they put into my arm before leaving the hospital. That stands for (peripherally inserted central catheter), the IV can go into the line that is on my right arm or blood can be drawn when the cap is taken off different tips are connected to the end. My picc line is for two weeks of antibiotics however if need be it could stay implanted in my arm for up to a year. It is threaded up my arm and into my chest in the direction of my heart by a specially trained nurse. 

Like everything else I didn't have much luck with the insertion of this line. There are three veins she failed to get the line in the first two, the first vein the line kept bending, the second the vein ran to close to a nerve and was to painful, then finally she was successful with the third. My arm however looks like it got beat the shreds by Muhammad Ali it's so black and blue. I even have two blisters; I know I know! That's how this whole wound in my leg started right?

my arm's to black and blue

to show!



So I push thru a little injection tube of clear fluid (sodium chloride)to clear the IV line,  then I attach the ball of antibiotic. The ball shrinks as the antibiotic is transferred into my body thru the picc line and when it will shrink down which indicates it's empty. Then I disconnect it and flush a second (sodium chloride)clear fluid followed by another tube which is yellow and contains (Heparin) a drug that keeps the blood in line from clotting; all done until the next day when I repeat the process.

My husband and I are taking a leap of faith that my wound drama will be all over by Thanksgiving when we go to visit my brother Gerard and sister-in -law Denise for Thanksgiving. We've decided to book a week at an all-inclusive in Barbados the Saturday after; boy do I need a vacation. It's in Christ Church so not only will we be able to be at the beach and eat and drink until our hearts content but we'll be able to walk the streets of what I've heard is a beautiful and picturesque city as well.

our resort pool area

our resort beach area

My leg can't wait; like me it needs a vaca!

We've never been to Barbados or stayed at an all inculsive, has anyone had any experience they'd like to share?

I'm taking this leg on vacation eventually - destination undecided

And the list just gets longer folks.... wound appointments,weekly debridements, wound vacs, pressure wraps,unna boots, infections-cellulitis, now MRSA, one hospitalization, home nursing care, and my new little friend a picc line- ( peripherally inserted central catheter ) daily IV's thru Aug 5. Ridiculous doesn't even cover it all because of  a couple of stinking blisters- no lie! 


But enough of that seriously people,  all I can think about lately is where I'm going to go when this is all over, when the leg is healed and the infection is gone.When I say good riddance to the last doctor or nurse and get my boring life back for good.


The other day my husband and I were sitting in the doctors office looking at a magazine and I couldn't help but be drawn to some beautiful articles of tropical beaches and exotic places. Heck I love the water as long as it isn't sterile saline!
Crap!


I REALLY NEED A VACATION. 


I have cousins and other living relatives in Ireland that I have yet to meet in person, so maybe when my whole leg drama comes to a close we should hop over the pond so to speak and go visit my Irish family from my paternal grandmothers side in Cork. Either way this whole episode has taken hold of my life and my life has pretty revolves around my treatments and all that's necessary to heal this wound and now deal with this infection that they found last week.


We've had to cancel one vacation at some expense, and our yearly beach excursion with the family had to be skipped this year since I am not able to be near sand or able to swim.


There are so many choices here in the United States after all there's so much of it I still haven't seen, sure I've been to many of the Eastern United States and Hawaii, California but that's about it. Maybe we should pick a place here at home. I could be persuaded for instance to eat my way thru New Orleans, listen to some jazz, have a few cocktails with the natives in some smokey bar or nightclub.Or do we do what we had planned to do this summer and never got to do, visit the place of my paternal grandfathers birth- Prince Edward Island, Canada I've heard it's beautiful there. Have I mentioned how much I love to eat muscles, some of the best muscles come from PEI, yum!


I am really open to suggestion about what to do and where to travel, and I'm not to worried about expenses at this point. One- I have really good insurance. Two - When I was in the hospital this week, my husband bought a truck. So I think we can probably afford a decent vacation don't you? 


Now I see visitors from all over the country and over the world visiting this blog. I'd really love some suggestions on where you think I should go, I just know you've been somewhere great and want to tell me about it! 


Don't be shy, leave a comment I am open to suggestions.

remember when transistor radio's were the rage?

I have a confession to make sometimes when I go to shop for someone else I end up getting something for myself. My tale of woe is this....my kids pretty much got everything that was needed before me when they were home, so now that I finally can I tend to indulge myself. Should I feel guilty? NO  probably not but I do anyway. Every time I shop especially when shopping for someone else and I find something for myself and buy it, I feel a little badly.

Most recently I purchased this neat speaker thingie for my I-pod, it was for Father's Day; for myself! I know I know. I'm rotten huh? This thing is great, you plug your I-pod in it, turn it on and boom the little speakers in it provide you with glorious music just like a stereo. Even though its small in size it is perfect for the pool or the beach the yard. It zips up and you can adjust your volume and change your settings without opening it up thru this little plastic window! How great is that?

 iMainGo2 

And now whether I'm in the yard doing gardening, or at the pool watching everyone else swim because of my damn leg, or if my damn leg was not my damn leg and I was at the beach, I'd have my favorite music at my fingertips and now I can share it with my friends and family - no ear buds!  I'm turning up the volume; my new music player rocks!

Remember when?

When I was a kid I used to go to the beach with a transistor radio, I would put it in a plastic bag like that really helped; twist ties were the only option back then no zip locks not very effective against the sand. We'd sit on the beach for hours and hours and listen to Cousin Brusie on WABC-NY as he played all the summer songs of the day.

Now I have this little player that I keep in the kitchen, it looks a bit like a jutebox, it recharges, plays and has a clock; it's an I-Home. Cooking does not happen in my kitchen without music and depending on the mood and occasion there may even be some dancing too!

What are you listening to your music on now? How about then, what is it you remember? 

"swim charlie swim" - when dogs pee to much

Do you have funny stories from your childhood that just make you laugh? I have tons of them actually, most from my days on the beach and my friends on the block. We had some good times during the summers of my childhood. Maybe you missed the story of my friend Mary and I as we watched the neighbor boys tie their Nanny up in the yard and cut her hair off in a friendly game of cowboys and Indians? You can read it here if you missed it girls-and-indians.

I was thinking today of another story this one had to do with a bunch of dogs who liked to pee on the fence A LOT!

My dogs names were Major and Smokey and my Aunt and Uncle's dog was named Duke; they were all Shepherds.My friend Mary lived right next door and there was a chain linked fence separating our yards, her much smaller dog was named Charlie Brown. The dogs, all male would wile away the hours rotating peeing on the fence, one after another like a ballet.

One night Mary and I were sitting at the curb directly in front of the gate to her yard. And there to our right was the four male dogs having their nightly pee fest. Then we heard a noise to the left, the neighbor on the other side had company, oh their company had a dog. OH SHIT it was a big dog a Great Dane.

We watched as if in slow motion as little Charlie Brown made his way over to the fence and started to lift his leg. The giant Great Dane did the same and poor Charlie Brown didn't know what hit him as pee rained down all over his little brown little body.

Then as if out of the blue from the doorway behind us we heard Mary's mother in a soft voice dripping with disgust say calmly but with humor that was hard to miss, " swim Charlie swim, swim Charlie swim." 

We sat on the curb and just giggled and giggled; I'm not sure what was funnier that Charlie was soaked with pee or that Mary's mother thought that the whole thing was so darn funny. We were maybe thirteen at the time and Mom's were not funny EVER then!

How about you; cute memories of childhood or favorite pet stories that you remember and would like to share?

my leg trauma drama

If I could  have anticipated that my week at the beach and the fall that I took when we vacationed there read here in my post-  WE DUCKED DOWN TO THE BEACH  would have turned into such a long and drawn out nightmare then I might have stayed home. I've explored the internet and some natural and home remedies but to no avail  the legs wound is still unhealed as I wrote in my post- MY LEGS A PAIN IN THE ASS.  I have gotten the best care possible from my regular doctor; but it's clear it was time to explore new options.

So my doctor sent me off to the Wound Care Center yesterday and met my new doctor. He will be the guy who will tend to my wound for what will be roughly the next 16 weeks. Yup you read it right 16 weeks, my summer is ruined no beach no swimming...sucks right? I have to go see him every week on Monday afternoons for a debridement (he scrapes) the wound with a tool to clean off the tissue so it will heal from the inside out. Apparently the trauma from the fall was so deep that the wound formed down as deep that the muscle is exposed in places, yuck. If it doesn't heal from the course of treatment he's set forth, I'll have to have a skin graft done. Crap! 

Every day I have to put special cream on it, bandage it in a sterile bandage then wrap my leg from below the knee to my ankle in an ace bandage. For the entire day every day for the whole course of the treatment I have to wear that darn ace bandage except while sleeping of course. Four time daily I have to raise my leg for 1/2 hour above my head and lay flat on my back and rest the leg. I'm never gonna get anything done! Then he told me, actually it was more like a warning. If I saw any sign of infection, redness or if the cellulitis returned I was to go straight to the hospital period. That I have taken enough oral antibiotics that I was going on an IV in the hospital no negotiation no questions asked!

With all seriousness I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have medical insurance! I am so grateful that I am covered by a good policy (medical, hospital, drug coverage). I can't imagine what people do without it.I can only imagine that this treatment will be a costly one. Even the twenty percent that I'll end up paying will probably be a good amount. I really liked the doctor I should say and I'm so grateful for this man, the doctor who has taken on my case. He was in fact quite knowledgeable and I'm confident  in his abilities.

Let's pray all goes well.

my legs a pain in the ass

About two months ago I took a fall while at the beach on vacation. Really I went ass over tea kettle down the stairs of our condo. Really it was mostly ass but we won't go there. Anyway my leg was really bruised; my leg slipped out from underneath me and scraped against the stair with such friction I developed two blisters on the back. These two blisters have really turned out to be a a real pain in said ass for lack of a better expression. They broke, they developed an infection and the infection and the resulting wound doesn't seem to want to heal.

I am finishing my third course of antibiotics ( he's tried traditional and sulfa ) and it's still not close to being healed. I'm going back to the doctor on Monday and I'd love to hear if anyone has any ideas about what I should do. It should be said I do not have diabetes and I have never had a healing issue before nor have I ever abused antibiotics. Also he tested me for MRSA and  regular staff and they were negative, fungus test is pending. I would love to hear if anyone has any herbal or other home remedies or conventional medical advice.

Your help would be appreciated. Thanks.

tag you're it

    

This week's prompt is- Let's Play your  memories for games you played when you were young.

My summers were filled with glorious days filled with sun, sand, family- the sweetest memories of of our family home at the beach on Long Island. My parents, Aunt & Uncle, brothers, cousins; oh the fun we had.

But just as sweet were the kids on the block...

Oh the games we played! Long days on the beach playing football, playing 'keep away' with a pink pency pinky's (pink rubber ball) in the water until our lips turned blue and our mothers would make us come out of the water. Then we'd stand there on the hard sand with strait faces shivering with blue lips saying" I'mmm noottt ccooolldddd," as they wrapped us in fresh beach towels and made us sit in the sun to warm our cold bodies.

After gobbling down dinner it was back outside to choose sides for whatever game of tag, freeze, ringalevio, T.V tag, hospital tag. ONE- TWO-THREE...... whoever was "it" would call out as the rest of us hid in our favorite hiding places. We scraped more knees then I could count, jumped more fences the I could count, hid in the smallest places I could imagine, played more games of tag the I could count, cried more tears of laughter then I could count.  

Seeing my friends daily, the innocence of being so carefree. I think of those days more than I can count and I miss them more the anyone could imagine.

-post card- we ' Duck 'ed down to the beach!

We left for our beach holiday about noon Saturday and did a leisurely drive to North Carolina, that amounted to about a three and a half hour drive. Before all the family arrives for Easter the following week we figured we deserved a little pre-rest and relaxation. Do you like our logic? Our destination the small charming town called Duck NC. This area the north part of the Outer Banks and is rather narrow from  the Currituck Sound to the beach. To walk from one to the other isn’t all that difficult although we didn't do it ourselves, the reason for that is farther down in this story.

shops on the sound

 

There are cute little shops in Duck, there are tons of restaurants dotted all over the community many with decks and docks. Of course all serving sea food, some with a Caribbean flair, most any type of cuisine can be found as well. This is a community that services a large tourist trade there are ice cream shops, kite shops, hammocks, t-shirts, antiques, crafts, books, coffee shops, just to many shops to mention, but you get the idea.

view of the resort from the beach

We checked into our resort and the view is beautiful, the walk to the beach is do-able and the beach is nice. The weather was in the 70 to 80 range the whole time we were there, but I’m getting ahead of myself a bit. We did a bit of shopping few a few essentials and were happy to commence with some relaxation.

decks of the uppers condos

The complex are these three story cedar shingle multiple units and they are everywhere on the property. All the units have decent size rather nice decks, fireplaces, kitchens and as many as three bedrooms. We however were unlucky enough to be placed on the third story, which equals 40 stairs. Five different sections of multiple steps winding your way up, it has its benefits though, the view is beautiful. 

view of homes next to our resort

So Sunday morning we decide to go to Mass, you guessed it…. we got all the way down and I took a fall on the bottom section. My foot slipped on the mold of the deck step and I went down like a ton of bricks. My leg, butt-pelvis, shoulder blade, and arm are such shades of black, blue, purple, and green. I will promise not to post any pictures of my wounds, take my word it’s not pretty!! 

  

resort beach

A little fall didn’t keep me down however, sitting was more painful than walking anyway. I’m strong boned so I was pretty much back to normal in a day. We went to the beach daily, I have to say there were plenty of troopers that actually braved the water and were actually swimming. The water is way too cold here in April for me.

calm seas today

We pretty much planned each day’s outing for one meal in a restaurant, usually lunch. I would rather be browsing in and out of the shops in the warm afternoon sun and eating at an outside café then eating dinner out. So that was our pattern for this vacation. Then we’d go back to the resort and cook dinner after visiting the beach and we’d eat a nice meal  on the condo’s deck and share a bottle of wine or have a few beers. It was very relaxing!!

beautiful beach front homes

On our last day we drove over the bridge to a town called Manteo- Roanoke Island, “the lost colony” and browsed in the shops. Again, another quaint town with shops, shop owners and crafts people selling their wares in shops and galleries by the docks, that are lined with the most beautiful boats.   We very much enjoyed the company of an elderly couple who were at the next table from us while we had lunch. He like my father was from Brooklyn, NY. We enjoyed a lively conversation and reminisced about our former home New York, he too now lives in the south-Virginia.

Manteo

All and all it was a lovely holiday aside from the fall. I only have one other tiny little regret (or maybe it was a blessing) about our vacation and that was the fact that the resort didn’t have free Wi-Fi. They did have a service available but they wanted something along the lines of $50.00 for a week’s internet service. Frankly that was just a bit excessive for something that most places give for free now a days. What I can do with my smart phone really is minimal so that’s why I didn’t post anything until I returned and I apologize for that sincerely. 

I hope you enjoy the pictures and hearing about our week at the beach...

spring break for grown ups

When I was a senior in high school I went down to Ft Lauderdale with a few girl friends for spring break. Boy did I feel like such a grown up. My first time away from home, my first time flying in a plane, getting a little taste of the freedom that was soon to come post high school.

The boys, the beer, the parties and the beach...what a time we had. Alas I have overcome my penchant for the first three but the last well......

I've said in numerous times here on this blog, I love the beach. I  love and appreciate the beach especially now after such a long a frankly crappy stretch of weather.

My husband and I are taking a bit of an adult spring break to the Outer Banks this Saturday. We'll be back by the end of the week because we have a wedding the following weekend.

There are some beautiful beaches here in Virginia and North Carolina as well. This time we're heading to North Carolina to the beach. The beaches here in the south are really lovely this time of year. I'm chomping at the bitt to get my feet in the sand, smell the salt air relax and do absolutely nothing.

Hopefully the weather will be nice and we'll get to walk on the beach and take some pictures. The resort we chose is right on the beach. I spoke to the lady at the resort the other day and I wasn't at all surprised to hear the resort was fully booked.

I haven't quite decided if this little vacation will be with or without my laptop.... so we'll see if I'll be posting on my blog or not....we'll just have to see about that! Check back.....

-from my kitchen- holy junk drawers batman

Starting the other day I have made this little deal with myself to take on these little projects in the house to get it in order before the southern heat sets in and we have to turn the central air on. For some reason when the summer heat comes mama doesn't get much done in the house. I happily dedicate my summer to the garden getting some time at the beach and spending some time with my family.

Anyway so far the den, my laundry/pantry room and the food shelves have been cleaned off and re-arranged.  The area going out to the garage where we keep the chest freezer is all spiffy and is ready for the new refrigerator that we ordered from Lowe's the other day. 

before

This brings me to my next project, do you have junk drawers in your kitchen? Believe it or not I have three. To put it lightly they are a mess and filled to the brim with all sorts of....how should I put this politely....crap, the pictures in this blog post show the before and after of just one of the three. True story- three weeks ago we had a birthday party for my mom, I had to use a votive candle on her cake, in all this mess I couldn't find the b'day candles and I know I had them in there somewhere.

So I lined up the three drawers, positioned the trash within arms reach and went to work on trying to make some headway on the madness.
I was a bit shocked to find a few things like.......

    1. the birthday candles- sorry mom!

    2. 11 decks of  playing cards

    3. 4 rolls of scotch tape and 3 rolls of packing tape- all partially used

after

    4. 4 nice wine corks and 5 bottle pour thingees  I didn't even know I had

    5. 4 cat flea treatments- the ones you put behind their necks-(those things are expensive!)

    6. 2 packs of gum that are a million years old.
    7. 4 ash trays- who smokes anymore anyway?
    8. an I-Pod nano
    9. enough 22 caliber ammo to make Dirty Harry dirtier.

It took a while but I got all three drawers done. I'm not really sure how long my efforts will last but at least for now I feel like I've accomplished something. 

  

Come on take a peek- I know you want to!

I was rummaging thru the picture files today on my laptop and I found that I have tons of pictures that were taken with my digital camera either by me or my husband.  

Let it not be said that I am not sensitive to privacy issues of my family members especially (those with sensitive jobs and worries about exposing their children). I respect that they may not like to be splashed  all over this blog without checking with them first. I'll have to do some checking with my peeps to see where everyone stands  on the issue.

So I have selected some photos that I know I will not have a problem sharing with you now. If you've read this blog before, you know I love the beach- love to travel, there are several beaches depicted here- ones in NY, Virginia, St Maarten and Hawaii. Oh and the people, they're all my family members.

Mom's 80th, me and my bro's

little bro & godson napping

north shore, hawaii

my son & niece - pix taken by my sister in law

VA beach - son, godson and nieces

sister in law & neice

VA sunset

bro & my husband

paddle boarders ( non family members) 

my older brother wife- their kids- little bro and godson in NYC at dinner

hawaii

nephew in NY

niece in NY

my husband in St Maarten

beach on St Maarten's French side

my  nephews wife wearing her Korean hanbok

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