There's a MOOSE on our Deck!!!!

Okay, So it's not a REAL Moose! . . .





But, WE like him!...








He's a baby Moose from Lowes!(not walmart) (and Charlie likes to rub his jowels on his antlers!)

It is Legally, Officially Done!!!!

Who ever thought that a silly little piece of paper could bring such joy to a person?

But once and for all, the inspector has been and left her stamp of approval and her signature so that now we can use the deck! This is such a relief to me, I can't tell you how much... it's GREAT!... and it wouldn't have been possible without the help of my Wonderful assistants Jane and Catherine! Come on back Cath and I will take your and Jane's picture on the deck for history's sake! LOL

We moved the furniture and the grill onto the deck after the inspector left and can't wait to enjoy it.

There is still some work to be done I know... Sanding and staining, I have a couple of boards I want to redo because well... they just don't look right! I am going to add a hand hold board to the step hand rails, and I have to bring in a couple of pickup loads of dirt to level the ground by the steps... but, not today!

I am not certain. . . but, I would say there is a REALLY good chance that I will be using the barbecue tonight. And yes... I LOVE my rocking chair! I have always wanted one, I used to rock in the one that Uncle Harry and Aunt Jessie had. It has always been something I enjoyed, and mine is comfortable as well!

I'm sorry... but that just looks SO COOL to me!!! ( I am busting at my buttons - and it's NOT my weight!) LOL

This is where you will find Janie most of the time now I think... only now she doesn't have to move the chairs in and out of the house to hide them from the inspector anymore!

Well, there you have it for now! I don't think I will be posting any more pics of the deck until it is stained the dirt is put in and all the little things are done.

We only wish you were all here to share our new deck with us! We miss you all, and We Love you!

Ding Dong the Deck is Done! the Deck is Done the ..

Well, Hello everyone and I am happy to say that the deck is done! Well, I have to wait for the building inspector to come and sign off on it. But, It is completed to the point that he can do that. I have to pictures on the laptop to show Dad and Mom and so all is good!
When we get back I have to sand and stain the deck, and do a few little things to make it look nice for those who come to see it.
Well, enjoy the pictures and know that I am resting comfortable... with tomorrow being the travel day to WA state.
Bye for now!

Deck work

This another installment of the deck work... I am trying hard to get it done and keep the pictures loaded up so that I can take them home and show Dad what I did. I can only hope that he will be in contact with his environment while I am there so that he can connect with what it is that I am wanting to share with him.
Johnny said that we are having a barbeque at the folks house and that hopefully he will be able to bring Daddy home for awhile. I think that will mean quite a lot to both Dad and Mom. And it will surely be the last chance for our family to be together at the Folks house. Mom will be moving into the assisted care facility soon as well. . . Their lives are changing so much! . . .
So, here is the deck... I have but to put the slats on the rails and then after we get home from Father's Day, there will be a lot of sanding and staining. But before I do that I have to get the building inspector to sign off on the Deck... well, I hope you like the pictures.

Flowers and The Deck

Hello everyone,

I started out posting the pictures as it is easier to post all of them and then type in the information I want to share. .. It's a big curve I know ... but I am learning!


While I have been busy on the deck, Janie has been diligentlyworking on the flower beds out front. . . (or as she would say, "the garden"). So here are a couple of pictures of her progress so far. Mind you I say diligent because she was stung by the largest flying, stinging, and buzzing creature I have ever had the misfortune to see. She had the misfortune of having it sting her!... on the back of the leg! Missed her bum though! LOL.... Today we saw another one flying around while we were sitting on the deck, (if it's a "mud wasp" it's the biggest one I ever saw!!!) This sucker measured probably 2 inches long (before Jane chopped it up with her garden "trowel" little shovel). Anyway she can tell you what all the flowers are, and what their proper Latin names are! {thanks to a fine education by Mum! :-) }. I have learned that I don't have a clue as to what things are named... Thank Goodness Jane does!




As for the deck, I feel that we have turned the bend and are heading for the home stretch! I have only to cut and mount the railing post, rails, and finally the slats before we can call the building inspector and get the last inspection signed off. THEN... its finish work, stain, and . . . . P-A-R-T-Y!!!!!









I may be pushing it, but I would really like to have it done so that I can show Daddy the pics when I am done. With that being said, we are going home to see Dad Friday and will be back home on Monday evening. It's going to be a long hard trip with LOTS of emotions... But, it will probably be the last Fathers Day I will be able to spend with Dad. . .

I guess that's it for now... I hope I haven't put anyone off with my rambling...

We Love you all! ...

Tom, Jane, ... and of course... Charlie!

PS... Charlie approves!

Shenandoah River Valley

Hello everyone,


Though the pictures are kind of hazy, this is the real Shenandoah River Valley. These pictures were taken from the top of the mountain that runs through the Shenandoah National Park. It is called Skyline drive and I have been told that in the Fall (Autumn to some) the view is sensational because all the trees that you can see in the picture ( and beyond) turn colors. We plan on making the trip then as well to get more photos of course. As you scroll down you will also see some pictures of The Luray Caverns, and even a couple of antique cars on display there at a small museum.
We just finished a two week visit with Janes Sister Catherine and we really enjoyed her time here (as well as her assistance with the deck - which now bears her signature!) LOL .. Charlie was resting on Cath's bed when we got home. Once we had said hello to him, he went to the door and waited for Catherine to come in as well. But, we had taken her to the airport and so now he has gone up to his kennel and is moping. He took right to her and I really Think he is going to miss her for a while.
Well enjoy the pictures and I will put a note by them to let you know what they are. .. Have a safe journey home Cath! We already miss you and we ABSOLUTELY LOVED having you here!!! Come back soon! . . . . Meow! from Charlie!

The light you see is all artificial... but I understand once a year they turn out the lights and illuminate everything the way they originally did in the 1800s. I think that would be pretty awesome to see. The image below is almost impossible to believe when you see it. What you are looking at is a large body of water in the cave that is about 1 inch deep and the surface below the water is almost completely flat.
Everything that you see is a complete reflection of the stalactites on the ceiling. When you first see it your eyes can't focus on the fact that it's really a pool of water. Only when the Stalactites drip into the pool do you see the water and the smooth surface under the water. Needless to say the picture doesn't do it justice.

Like the commercial used to say... "Wouldn't you really rather drive a Buick!" The placard said that this is the "little white Buick that put them on the map"... I'd take one!!! If the Buick didn't do it for you... Well then... How about a Rolls Royce Woodie Wagon?... Talk about taking your surf board to the beach in Style and Class!!!! DUDE!!! What would a car blog of mine be without a Willys (Willys-Knight actually)Or... perhaps a Dodge Brothers model... I really like the lines on this one!Face it... They really knew how to combine a quality automobile with luxury back then... WOW~!

Viet Nam Memorial Wall

The photographs will never do justice to this Memorial. When you begin your walk along the wall you are taken by the wreaths left by loved ones. The family standing talking of one of the soldiers who has fallen. There are Docents who are there to help you find who you are looking for, and they have paper and some material like charcoal to do a very nice rubbing of their name for you. . . There are men standing alone sometimes, looking for a fallen comrade.
You find yourself holding back tears, though you know no one here... It seems this place is hallowed ground, almost as if it were where they had fallen.

There is a travelling wall that goes about the United States for those who can not make it here to Washington DC. I have seen it twice... I felt the same reverence in it's presence, as I did here. These men fought and died, in the name of freedom.

I won't be posting my WWII Memorial photos until after I return to Washington. . . They do not give justice to them Memorial, or to the men. I will be going back soon.

Our first trip to Washington D.C.

There are no words to describe what waits for a person when they visit the Nation's Capital for the first time... The experience is different for each and every person that goes I am sure. For me, to see the what I have shared here in these pictures. The Lincoln Memorial, The Washington Memorial, The Capital building, The White House... Each comes with its own set of thoughts and emotions. The National Mall stretches for two miles with the Capital Building on one end, The Washington Monument in the middle, and the Lincoln Memorial at the other end.
The Lincoln Memorial is Beautiful and you would never have guessed how immense it is in size from all the movies, postcards, pictures, books etc... When you see it, you find yourself silent like a child staring with your mouth open, not believing what is in front of you.

Even with this picture of the outside, only the people give you an idea to the scale of this Memorial. And it in no way does justice to its beauty.

The Washington Monument is amazing... We will be back to take the tour up inside of it. Everything that you look at, every place you go... to think that you can visit here and see all that there is to see and leave in a day... We will be going back for years I venture to guess and never see everything that there is to see. It is almost like you have to chose one place to visit, one monument, or museum... and plan your day around that.

This is obviously our Nations Capital building. once again to see the vastness, the tremendous size... It is overwhelming. You are not allowed inside unless by tour maybe during the week... I have to find out about that. It is after all where our nations leaders work.

This is the White House. I had heard that Pennsylvania Avenue had been closed to car traffic after 9-11. It is only accessible by foot traffic now. The grounds as far as the eye can see are pristine. It was near the end of our day, and by the time we got to it we were all beat to a pulp. It seems that once you arrive you are drawn to keep going... from one Memorial, to the next... to the next. If you were to walk from the Lincoln Memorial in a strait line to the Capital Building and back you have walked 4 miles. But, in reality you must add in the stairs, the Memorial Wall, The World War II Memorial, the National Archives (Where the Constitution is displayed). The Smithsonian (which each building is a separate visit for a day trip I am sure)... We saw the Jefferson memorial at a distance, Did not get to Arlington National Cemetery, or the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and I am certain there is much more that we didn't see.

I deliberately left out pictures of some of the things I have mentioned that we did see. I guess for me they have a different place, and a different time to be shared. For now I hope you enjoy what is here... and know that there is more to come.