Signs - Life in a Small Town

I saw this sign behind the register while paying for my breakfast at a little diner in a small town. I think it speaks the truth!

For more signs, visit Lesley here.

Help Me Out Here

Last week at our Thanksgiving party, the band was playing all kinds of songs. I requested, "Lake Shore Drive" or "LSD" by Aliotta, Hanes, and Jeremiah. My Canadian friends had never heard of this song. Because I grew up in the Chicagoland area, I'm wondering if this was just a hit in my area. The song is about Lake Shore Drive, the famous road that runs along Lake Michigan in downtown Chicago. Here's a clip from YouTube. I'm curious to see how many people recognize this song.




What say you? Have you heard this song before?

Sunday Bridges - Magnolia Gardens

It was an overcast day when we visited Magnolia Plantation and Gardens in Charleston, South Carolina, but it didn't deter from the beauty of the place. This red bridge really stands out among all the greenery of the area. The heavy Spanish moss hanging from the trees; the lily pads in the water.

For more bridges, visit Louis here.

Thanksgiving in Arizona

We celebrated Thanksgiving with 47 people! There was good food, good friends, good music, and so-so weather. It was overcast most of the day, a few sprinkles here and there, but NOTHING could put a damper on our spirits!

Our hosts, Sandy and Carol, ordered tables and chairs from the park's party wagon. The street was blocked off, and the tables were set up in the street. Everyone contributed a dish to pass, brought their own dishes, cutlery and drinks. Throw in some live music, and PRESTO! We have a PARTY!

We were entertained by:

Van

Doug

Henry came up and sang and Roman added his guitar.

Henry and his wife, Diane, sang an adorable duet.

I warmed up the crowd with a Thanksgiving joke. They were polite enough to laugh.

We have some crazy people in the park! Here are Lou and Jim, our kazoo aficionados.

I don't know why Jim has three kazoos in his mouth at one time; either he's extraordinarily talented or full of a LOT of hot air! Ha ha!

It sprinkled on us a couple of times, and no one was more prepared than Lou, the man of many hats.

Meanwhile, I arm wrestled David at our table. I don't recall what the bet was about, but I DID lose, darn it!

Not all my friends are here yet in Arizona. But here's the majority of the clan:

Table # 1 (l to r): Ken, Pat, Judy, Bob, Steve, Thelma

Table #2 (l to r):  Pat, Ellen, David, Doug, Lenore, me, Jim, Bob.

A neighbor said a blessing before our meal.

Although it looks like the man next to me is toasting my ta-ta's, he in fact is SECONDING MY TOAST to our lovely hosts Sandy and Carol.

The meal:

Buns, Chinese salad, cole slaw

Candied apples, cranberry sauce, fruit salad, cranberry jello mold, Watergate salad, corn, carrots, green bean casserole, stuffing

Sandy quickly removed the lids from the hot foods while the hungry mob waits anxiously!

There are FIVE, count 'em, 5, turkeys sliced up in the warmer, next to three crock pots full of mashed potatoes, two large pots of gravy and one large container of sweet potatoes.

Does this resemble a soup kitchen?

Everyone "gobbled" up their food, and then....bing, bang, boom, some of the tables were taken down to make room for dancing!

I had to laugh when I saw some of the women who couldn't resist dancing when they heard the music, even though they were in the middle of folding up the tablecloths!

I'm a sucker for a slow dance!

Dance, dance, dance

Rain dance?

Our hosts - Sandy (l) and Carol (r) doing the polka

Line dancing

Crowd participation

"Reaching out, touching me, touching yoooouuu! Sweet Caroline! Ba ba ba!"

I love this next photo - I have to thank my husband for capturing it. It's a prime example of the fun that I have here in Arizona with my friends - we laugh A LOT here - and as you may see - there are many bottles of wine  on the table - and yeah - that helps. But this is a great group of friends and I am thankful for them - thanks for making my holiday wonderful. You are my family away from home.

Towards the end of the day, blue skies!

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday!

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!

Finally, when you're thinking of all the things you are grateful for, be sure to add that you are grateful not to be a turkey!

I hope everyone has a wonderful and delicious Thanksgiving!

Signs - Food for Thought

Saw this sign at a restaurant recently. So glad I have my little Canon Power Shot in my purse just for these occasions!

For more signs, visit Lesley here.

Inquiring Minds Want to Know

Do you know that there are some people who are all ready for Christmas?

I am not one of them!

I have picked up a couple of things here and there, but that's about it. I'm just not into the season yet. Maybe it's because I don't put up ANY Christmas decorations. Sad, isn't it? And it's not because I don't WANT to, but because we don't have any with us in the trailer, and don't have any room to store them OR display them. I've flown home every year for the holidays to be with my kids, so at least I enjoy my family's decorations.

Are you planning to fight the crowds on Black Friday? It used to be fun for me, but now? Meh. I'd rather order things on line and get the free shipping.

Our Thanksgiving will be spent with an intimate little crowd of around 50 people! My good friends Carole and Sandy are sponsoring the party, and everyone is pitching in! There will be 5 turkeys, salads, vegetables, potatoes, appetizers, and desserts. Spending the holiday with a large crowd doesn't make me feel so homesick.

So are you one of those people who already have their shopping done and their presents wrapped?


Just a note: Thursday's Things in a Row will be postponed till next week!

Sunday Bridges - A Trio of Bridges

Could you imagine having THREE bridges on your property? While visiting a friend in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, she took us to see the house of another friend. We just walked along the property as the owners weren't home, but I was able to take photos of their lovely bridges. This first one shows Lake Geneva in the background.

A small creek comes off of the lake and runs along the property; this bridge connects up to the house.

This bridge is a driveway that leads to the back of the property.

Front view

All three are gorgeous in their own way.

For more bridges, visit Louis here.

Thursday's Things in a Row

This week's "Things in a row" are from the park where we spend the winter.

I found these saguaros (pronounced "suh-wahr-oh") standing tall and proud:

The shuffleboards were oiled and readied for play.

The scoreboards were cleaned and waiting for marks. The benches are neatly lined up, too!

We have our own post office in the park; here are just some of the mail boxes.

Here is a rare sight indeed! Empty loungers at the pool!

Now THIS is a more common sight.....bicycles parked in a row. Riding a bicycle is a popular form of transportation in the park; then comes a golf cart.

Palm trees line the main drive of the park. I took this first photo from a second story window at sunset last week. Since this photo was taken, white lights have been added to the trunk of each palm tree so it is really lit up at night.

Here are the trees during the day. Still an impressive sight, with the humongous American Flag waving at the entrance to the park.

That's a little tour of where I spend my winter months. What have you got from your neck of the woods?