. . . and the rocket's red glare . . .

Wow! I spent yesterday in Washington DC. I'm visiting my step daughters on the East Coast. My first stay is with Emily & her fiancé, Chris, in Fairfax VA. We went into DC with Chris's dad about noon. We spent over THREE (perhaps over four) hours in the Newseum. What a great place. Even the orientation video had great news clips. The museum is 6 floors of wonderful exhibits of historical news events. The 9/11 gallery was very touching, and the Pulitzer photographs were gut wrenching, humorous, and extremely moving. The exhibits had different ways of presenting the material so it was never boring. I highly recommend the Newseum. It just opened earlier this year so it is still clean and "fresh."

At 6pm we made our way, by car, to the Dept of Labor building where Chris works. It's several blocks from the Capitol Building. We had a security check to get into the underground parking lot, and another check to get into the building. We were just four of many going through that. We made our way to the roof top along with many other people. I think initially there were dozens of people and eventually a couple of hundred. (I'm a poor judge of estimating so ...)

We picnicked on the roof top then lounged around in chairs to await the 8pm concert in front of the Capitol Building which we could see from one side of the roof top. From our vantage point, the Capitol was to the left, and the Washington monument was to the right (west). Huey Lewis played but it was difficult to hear. At 9:15-ish the fireworks started immediately behind the Washington Monument. WOW! & DOUBLE WOW! What an experience! A rooftop full of people oohing & aahing. Also, from our vantage point, we could see at least 6 other fireworks going on around us, but they were further away and much smaller as a result.

The fireworks ended with a magnificent finale, and we made our way down 6 flights of stair and got out easily and into traffic (surprisingly light) and home in no time. I wanted to write last night but I don't even have a laptop with me. I may come back to this later to edit & refine, but it will do for now. Today’s a nice quiet day for kicking back, shopping, and whatever. A day of "down time." I love it. I love the contrast. As much as I loved yesterday, I'm liking today. Oh. One more thing. I thought the heat & humidity would bother me. So far it hasn't been too hot because it's been overcast. It even rained yesterday on the roof top, but I liked that. It was refreshing. I think the humidity keeps me from getting dehydrated as easily as I do when in the DRY California heat. In California I feel that all of my energy is sucked out of me from the heat.

Well, I'd better go and kick back. Yeah, it will be a rough day, but someone's gotta do it. Kayo

Happy Birthday Woody!

Woody. Aka Woodman, Woodster, and more. (Sometimes Good Dog, Bad Dog . . .) Born 7 years ago today. The picture is Woody at about 3 months old. You can't see it well, but he had been in water & mud. Woody LOVES water. He swims in the pond, he plays in/with the sprinklers, and as a puppy he played in his water bowl. Fortunately he grew out of that.

Woody learned to ring a bell to go outside. (The bell hangs on the back door.) He's been doing it for at least 6 years. He has a weak bladder so he goes out often. So often in fact, that JC (one of our cats) picked up the "ringing bell" trick when he wants to go out - I'm sure because he'd heard it so much. (More postings about the cats another time. This is about Woody.)

Woody learned the names of his toys. When he wants a specific one that's put away, he won't give up until we give him the one that matches the name for his favorite of the day. We try to trick him into taking another toy, but it doesn't work. He's too smart for that.

Woody has been a real treat all these years. He's been a good companion to me, my husband, and Merlin, our older dog. (Merlin was rescued. More on him another time.) Now Woody's learning to be a big brother to Tootsie, our new puppy. (Check back for more on Tootsie later.) We get a lot of enjoyment from Woody's company. We love you Woody!

Happy Birthday Gramps!

Gramps. Figure Skater. Fisherman. Baseball Player. Ventriloquist. Railroad Worker. Provider. His given name was Howard Axel Olson. His stage name was The Great Chesterfield. He was born 126 years ago today in Chicago.

Gramps was a ventriloquist in Vaudeville as a young man. He passed that talent along to his eldest son Howard Minor Olson, my uncle, and they toured together for a while. My uncle went on to have a 60 year career as a ventriloquist and magician, but I’ll save all that for another posting. I just mention it here because it’s a way in which Gramps lives on. One of my uncle’s figures is still in action, and he may have come from Gramps originally.

Gramps was a man of many interests. I can’t attest to his talent because much of what he did was before I came upon the scene. He lived with my family since before I was born in 1949, and I lived with him until I was almost 20 years old. He’d had a shock of white hair ever since I can remember. My nickname, Kayo, came from him as far as I know. After my mother left when I was about 8, he took care of me and his son, my father. (My father had had a nervous breakdown.)

Gramps told me stories of his youth. I heard about days playing hooky from school and hiding under the wooden sidewalks of Chicago. I heard about him doing figure eights on the ice. I heard about baseball with, or against, Satchel Page. I remember one story about attempts by robbers to steal Gramps’ suitcase. The robbers must have been surprised by its contents. The contents, I’m sure, would have looked like a dead body to the unsuspecting. Well, that was no dead body. That was just Jake, his vent figure.

Gramps kept his interests alive in later years. He belonged to The Old Timers’ Baseball Association, Vent Haven Museum in Kentucky, and Show Folks of America. We made a trip to the Vent Haven Museum in Kentucky in the early or mid-1950s, and Gramps regularly received a Christmas card from Sophie tucker, the last of the Red Hot Mammas.

Gramps was a gadget man. He had cameras (still & moving), a projector, a machine that spliced the movie film, a tape recorder, and more. There were books in the house when I was a kid. I’m sure they came from Gramps’ side of the family. I think I got my love of gadgets & books from Gramps. I also have many interests, as did Gramps.

Gramps read books, and he talked about writing a book. I believe his interests and his learning kept him young. I think it’s also what made him so interesting to me as a young child and young adult. I think it’s why he is still so often on my mind. I should have written more about him before now, but I waited until this morning to write this. There is so much more, but there isn’t time or space for that now.

Gramps has been gone for decades already. He passed away in 1977. However, I talk to him every year on his birthday and then some. I think he knows that he lives on in me. He may be long gone, but he is certainly not forgotten.

Welcome Baby Hunter!!!

Best Wishes to Baby Hunter, Momma Carrie, and Poppa Ronnie! Our first grandchild, Hunter Thomas Riccitelli, made his debut in Baltimore Maryland at 11:37 pm (EDT) tonight. Hunter came into the world at 7 pounds, 14 ounces and 21 inches long. Baby, mom & pop are doing fine. This is truly a momentous day. See the slide show to the right. See the link below for photos to come.
http://babyriccitelli.blogspot.com/

Coming into California!

I just realized that today is the 33 year anniversary of my arrival in California. I arrived 2 June 1975, also a Monday. I had a going away party 30 May with friends at Diana's, a great Greek restaurant in Chicago. I left Chicago 31 May and drove cross country with a friend and a 6 foot trailer with all my stuff. I couldn't even get all of my books in that trailer today. My, how times change. Today is also my step-daughter's one year wedding anniversary. Last year at this time we were in the Bahamas - that's where Carrie & Ron got married. I'm not normally a warm weather person, but the warm balmy breezes and the proximity to the ocean made it truly heavenly. The Atlantis was like a big adult playground. It was fun, but next time I'd like a nice quiet place to just chill. We never get "vacations." We travel, but I think of them as "trips" during which we're always on the go. I want a vacation at a nice quiet spot. I want a place to settle down for a week or so. Even though my life isn't always hectic, I think the down time is important for mental health. Besides that, it just feels good.

A whole week since my first post!!??!!

Where does the time go? I'm just getting back to my blog. I've been wanting to add some pictures, but I'm not sure what to add. The Lost image is just practice for now. It was either that or Mick St John, my favorite friendly vampire. I have hundreds (if not thousands) of pictures to go through. I take lots of photos of my dogs, cats, the sheep, and whatever else takes my fancy. I'll eventually get around to picking out some of my favorites. I'm still experimenting with the blog and all the buttons/options. It's fun to try something new. Never too old to learn. Later. ko

My very first post on my very first blog!!!

I'm on my way. This is something I've thought about for a long time, but I'm only just now getting started on my first blog. Actually, this is practice so I can help my husband set up his own special interest blog. He's into Scottish Games and he competes in the athletics. I figured a blog would help him keep in touch with his fellow athletes, and he could post practice times, etc. I offered to help him set up his own blog. No problem. This is a piece of cake.

As I develop my blog, it will be a way to keep in touch with family & friends as I travel, and it will allow me to share some pictures of my projects (quilting, sewing, woodworking, etc). with friends. I may do more with it. Only time will tell. ko