Kids For Christmas!

We had actual kids with us for the Christmas holiday.  Our Utah family escaped all that Western coldness and spent about ten days with us here in Florida.

The girls baked cookies with Great-MomMom, did a lot of swimming, paper-chain making, jump-roping, Lego-building - such good girls, fun and smart and creative and only occasionally dramatic.  We had a great time.

The Magic Kingdom was lovely as usual, but crowded of course.

Evie, taking time out from rope jumping to study the sand hill cranes strolling through the yard.

Then taking a ride with Grandpa in the old truck.

Just wanted to post this little re-cap of our holidays on this last evening of 2013.  It's nearly 9:00 pm and already fireworks (and firearms) have been booming around the neighborhood.  I'm heading to Mrs. White's party.  --cds

Highly Recommend, Maybe.....

I admit my initial reaction after finishing Five Days was "why did I even read this?"

This was one of the most intense, infuriating, disturbing and thought-provoking books I've read in a long time. I suppose that's probably the reason most people read certain types of non-fiction, but this has taken me a long time to process and I still can't get it out of my head.  

Basically it is an account of the experiences at Memorial Hospital in New Orleans before, during and after Hurricane Katrina.  The disturbing and thought-provoking part comes from the fact that around the fifth day of remaining trapped inside the hospital, there were patients who were euthanized.  Whatever your feelings about euthanasia, for me the infuriating aspect was synthesized by the remark made by a daughter whose elderly mother had been injected with the lethal dose (I can't quote it exactly because I don't have the book here, but essentially) - My mother had Do Not Resuscitate orders - we never meant DNR to stand for Do Not Rescue.

Why why why did it take five days to get everyone out of that hospital.  Memorial is not an island in the middle of the Pacific. To me the crime here was the fact that it took so long to completely evacuate the place.  There were many heroic efforts, no doubt, both inside and outside of the hospital, but I would have given the medal to the guys from the bayous who arrived with airboats - one desperate couple hooked up with one of these boat owners and directed him to the hospital where they not only rescued the husband's elderly mother, but other patients and staff as well.

It's a frustrating story, but the current horrors in the Philippines reminded me that I wanted to (I guess) recommend this book.  --cds

Recent Absence

Our recent absence from Florida was the result of a quick trip North to visit our Vermonters before the winter sets in.

It was a busy week with lots of leaf raking and swing swinging.

We arrived just in time to help put the finishing touches to Ruthanne's Halloween costume.  She was a great pirate.

Marcus enjoyed observing Trick-or-Treating from the confines of his stroller.  Luckily the weather was fairly balmy though breezy.  I can remember a great many ice-y and blustery Halloween nights when the boys' costumes had to accommodate parkas and wooley hats and mittens.

We spent most of our time just enjoying the grands - lots of laughing and chasing and coloring.....

... and silliness with Grandma's glasses.

The Vermonters will be here in Florida in March for a winter visit - already miss them!  --cds

Change of Plan

I was going to stick in a book review today to mark my return to blogville (I've been absent, lazy, busy, etc etc etc), but this morning I watched Ken Burns talk about a project he just completed regarding the recitation of The Gettysburg Address.  Number 1, I was reminded how much I love Ken Burns - he's smart, serious, seems true to his beliefs and ignores his critics, which is good because I think he's just about the best documentary-creator ever.  Anyway Number 2, he talked about the importance of putting famous American speeches and documents to memory, or at least parts of them, or at the very least recognizing them, so in support, let's re-visit:

Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

But, in a larger sense, we cannot dedicate -- we cannot consecrate -- we cannot hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain -- that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

--cds

A Monkey!

I am so excited to report that there has been another monkey sighting in Central Florida, this time much closer to home - right here in Lakeland.  Now Lakeland is a pretty big, spread-out city and unfortunately the monkey was sighted on the north side of I-4, so unless he's learned to be somewhat adept at crossing a 6-lane, 70 mph interstate, I'm sad to say we probably don't need to be concerned.  But geez, how cool is it to live in a state where you might open your door some morning and find a monkey lounging on the patio munching a grapefruit.  I need to get a net.

This evening's sunset was a lot prettier in person - lots of pink and gray and rain sprinkles.  --cds

A Finish

I'm trying to be serious about working on my unfinished stuff basket.  Therefore, I am happy to post my newest quilt finish.

I jumped on the chevron-stripe train because I love half-square triangles and the way you can make so many quilt block patterns from them and I had been feeling sort of modern-quilt-ish.  This quilt also grew from my love of this turquoise fabric - you know how a fabric design can just grab your eye and you must buy it?  (That happens to me a lot.)

While I love the color combination I pulled together to match my focus fabric and I love the design and the black accents and I'm happy with the machine-grid-quilting and the overall construction,

this quilt absolutely does not in any way fit decor-wise in any of my rooms.  Also, it is sofa-size, which is a bit bigger than twin-bed size.  When I start to make a quilt for no one in particular, I like to make a sofa-size because it satisfies my need to make the quilt, but it's not so big that I get overwhelmed and never finish. Also I am the head cheerleader for making quilts in general a decorator's primary focal point.

So I actually may end up trying to sell this or something.  I have an Etsy shop all set up - it just needs to have the cobwebs dusted away.  --cds

Anniversary Road Trip

So we visited the oldest permanently occupied European settlement in America (St. Augustine) last week, and here is a picture of my most favorite site (not the cat, although it was kinda cute and had just taken a poop off to the left there -- I politely waited to snap my photo):

This live oak tree is purported to be over 600 years old.  600 hundred years old!!! That means it was happily growing in this very spot (the parking lot of a Howard Johnson's Inn) in 1513 when Juan Ponce de Leon was tromping around amongst the palmettos and gators looking for the Fountain of Youth. I like to think old Ponce spent a few nights at this very same HoJo's, sitting in these comfy chairs, checking his messages and planning the rest of his trip.  

And of course the tree has a name - meet The Old Senator.  Apparently, it is quite common to name old trees (who knew?).

Among others, there is the Dueling Oak in New Orleans, 300 years old; the Angel Oak on John's Island, South Carolina, 1500 years old; the Seven Sisters Oak in Louisana, 1000 years old, and Treaty Oak in Jacksonville, 250 years old.

Of course we poked around Castillo de San Marcos.  I do love old forts and this one had lots of nooks and crannies and so much masonry work.

And big boomie guns.

You will notice the low-ish height of the upper gundeck's outer walls - not an area you'd want kids running around - there is I'd guess a 40-foot drop down into the center courtyard.  In fact, there are signs all over the place about "closely supervising young children."  So can you imagine trying to supervise this crew, circa 1937.

Aaacckkkkk!!!  Of course, my Dad is sitting on the wall.  I imagine he's already been leaning over the side - Uncle Chuck too, I'm sure.  Grandmom (Miriam Clark DeHart) is closely supervising Aunti Lib, who is closely supervising her baby doll.

[Doug, Grandpop (Charles T. DeHart), Chuck]

Chuck says they traveled to Florida around Christmas-time two years in a row, 1937-38 and 1938-39, in a 1936 Plymouth sedan - no interstates and no travel troubles either except to dodge open-range cows and pigs in the road throughout Georgia and Florida.

I'm so glad we have these photos.

So here I am, about 76 years later (!).  No stairway to the lookout in 2013, however.

Ha!  Jim stepped all the way inside, but all you can see are his lovely white socks.

We also strolled through the National Cemetery.  We gawked at all the cool turn-of-the-century architecture. I had a slight fit when we entered the area of  "shoppes" - Claudia Ann does not do shopping, especially amidst extra-large tourists who are loud, rude, unhappy and wear perfume and aftershave. We made a quick escape and found a quiet dockside restaurant for dinner on the Matanzas River.

So this was our anniversary road trip -- as in 40 freaking years of married life anniversary, thank you very much.  It's a big deal, n'est-ce pas?  We only stayed away one night because we are big home babies. We made the good decision to drive up the coast road (A1A) from Daytona. Such a nice drive up and back - no traffic and great ocean viewing.

I really will try to keep this updated.  Really.  Pinky-swear.  --cds

Porch Post

Just sitting out on the front porch the other evening when this nasty-looking cloud bank blew in.  Certainly got dark all of a sudden.

Got quite windy, too.  When I went to the pool the next morning for my swim, all the deck umbrellas had blown out of their bases and two had crashed over the fence.  Typical thunderboomer in Central Florida.  --cds

Wrapping It Up

I want to put up some of the rest of our road trip photos because I need to move on to my new quilt project and also posting the results of my drift into making up my own recipes (Upside-Down Foccacia!).

So, we drove from Vermont to New Jersey so that the Utah girls could meet some of their New Jersey family.  We stayed with brother Jeff (ah, home...).

The girls got to meet lots of new cousins. 

Abigail and Emi Baker, the littles in the blue and orange swim goggles.  Water ballet??

Friends already, Evie and Abi.

Jamie and cousin Patrick Baker, and their girls.

Some of the boys, my brothers Jeff and Doug, cousin Patrick, Jamie and cousin Rob.

I added myself to the mix - why am I looking so short next to these guys???  Except for Doug, I believe I babysat (and changed diapers) for every one of these little boys.

Bella and Evie are ready to visit the horses!

First they learned all about grooming and other horse stuff from Auntie Ann (I am not so brave around animals and stood well back).

Riding!  Definitely the highlight of their week.

We went down to the river (the Delaware) and walked around the Red Bank Battlefield and I tried to jam lots of Revolutionary War history into their brains.

I like to think it worked as Evie and Bella decided to reenact the great battle.

They are great battle reenactors.  FI-RE !!!!!

Swinging on Jeff's backyard rope swing.

And ending our visit with ice cream at Dippy's, of course.

--cds