Think I'll sit down here for a bit... (10)

[MarkRohfrietsch]

Hi everyone! Happy Sunday morning. We went to such an awesome wedding last night. My son and daughter in law were best man and matron of honor. Here is my son's toast - "May God bless your marriage as He has blessed mine." Ok, so I'm a proud mom.

Tonight at midnight, hubby and I will head back to MI on the SS Badger. My hubby says he is finally taking me on the cruise that I've alway dreamed of - and in the moonlight too! Great - a 4 hour tour. Hope it's better than the 3 hour tour we've all heard of!

Hi seajoy,

My wife and I just got back from a mini-vacation in Toronto. Apart from it being too hot and humid, it was a great trip.

We went on a three hour dinner cruse around the islands and along the water front. The skyline was quite something at night, from the water; better than standing on Yonge St.!

The food was nothing special, but they had really good, really cold beer!... and we met a lot of great people. Apart from the Captain; I think we were the oldest ones on the boat!

The boat was about 120' feet long with three decks; next time we do this it will be at a cooler time of the year, and we will be taking the one on the 160' long three masted schooner!

 

[LilLamb219]

Pool party/cookout today at my house!

 

[Flipper]

And here I thought you were on holiday or something...

Having the time of my life, but it isn't a holiday by any stretch.

Was going to take the kids swimming yesterday and on the way S started throwing up in the back seat. Went back home, cleaned her up, and she was running a fever - she caught the 24 hour bug that her brother had earlier in the week.

S is feeling much better this morning, and I promised them both swimming after church, but it is currently storming.

Gotta quit making promises.

 

[seajoy]

Parenthood is a learning process.....my kids are 27 and 25. I'm still learning!

 

[ctay]

Mine are 31 and 29 and still learning too. Love them though

 

[Tangible]

Hi seajoy,

My wife and I just got back from a mini-vacation in Toronto. Apart from it being too hot and humid, it was a great trip.

We went on a three hour dinner cruse around the islands and along the water front. The skyline was quite something at night, from the water; better than standing on Yonge St.!

The food was nothing special, but they had really good, really cold beer!... and we met a lot of great people. Apart from the Captain; I think we were the oldest ones on the boat!

The boat was about 120' feet long with three decks; next time we do this it will be at a cooler time of the year, and we will be taking the one on the 160' long three masted schooner!

Several years ago my wife and I spent a lovely vacation up around Traverse City, MI. We hit the great bear dunes and all the lighthouses along the shore and stayed in a beautiful old B&B in the middle of a cherry orchard. We loved the beech woods and all the little lakes. Lake MI was really beautiful too, pretty chilly for swimming though.

One of the other highlights was a short cruise across Grand Traverse Bay and back on a tall ship. There was only a light breeze and you could barely tell we were moving. Like you said, the food was no great shakes, but the experience was very memorable. We took some great pictures. I highly recommend it.

People down in the central states rarely think of the Great Lakes for vacations. It's a shame because it's a really wonderful place to visit. Very different from the Great Plains. It was the best vacation my wife and I have ever taken.

Found this: http://www.tallshipsailing.com/manitou.html

 

[seajoy]

Several years ago my wife and I spent a lovely vacation up around Traverse City, MI. We hit the great bear dunes and all the lighthouses along the shore and stayed in a beautiful old B&B in the middle of a cherry orchard. We loved the beech woods and all the little lakes. Lake MI was really beautiful too, pretty chilly for swimming though.

One of the other highlights was a short cruise across Grand Traverse Bay and back on a tall ship. There was only a light breeze and you could barely tell we were moving. Like you said, the food was no great shakes, but the experience was very memorable. We took some great pictures. I highly recommend it.

People down in the central states rarely think of the Great Lakes for vacations. It's a shame because it's a really wonderful place to visit. Very different from the Great Plains. It was the best vacation my wife and I have ever taken.

Found this: Traverse Tall Ship Co.

Yep - have done all of this and a couple of wineries too! We only live a couple of hours from Traverse City. It's a beautiful place. Glad you had fun in MI!

 

[Studeclunker]

Sounds like the area my Mother grew up in. I have a picture she took from her bedroom window in the early thirties of the Cherry orchard in bloom. Most of the farmers in that part of the state are related to dear old Mum. Great grandfather had twelve daughters and one son. LOL, the Heimforth gene pool is well distributed in the area! In fact, you may have stayed in a relative's house, Tangible.

If anyone is even considering visiting the Traverse/Rapid City area, I'd highly recommend in the spring during the Cherry Blossom festival.

 

[seajoy]

The cherry festival, in Traverse City, is in July Stude.

 

[Studeclunker]

The cherry festival, in Traverse City, is in July Stude.

LOL! Shows you how many times I've been... NONE! Mum used to rattle on about it all the time. Only, she called it Cherry Blossom Festival. Maybe they changed it? After all, Mother didn't go back much after WWII. In fact, I don't recall she went back to Michigan ever again. We did visit Illinois and Virginia, I don't ever remember stopping in Michigan. Growing up I always wanted to. All the stories Mum told about Great-Grandfather's field-stone barn, the sawmill run by a Tin Lizzie, Great Grandmother's big victorian house, and the Cherry orchards, the Walnut groves and so on. Then on her Father's side, Great-Grandfather Wilson's big Victorian house with the doctor's office attached in Owasso. Never made it though, except vicariously through photographs taken in the late twenties and thirties. I suppose when all the great aunts, uncles and grandparents passed, there wasn't anything left for her there.

 

[seajoy]

You ought to come and visit sometime! Time to get out of CA! Find your roots.

 

[seajoy]

Coffee anyone? I'm enjoying mine with calorie free vanilla flavoring.

 

[Tangible]

This time of year my coffee goes straight from the pot to a tall glass filled with ice cubes. From time to time I'll add a little sugar and milk, but normally I take it unadulterated. =)

 

[seajoy]

This time of year my coffee goes straight from the pot to a tall glass filled with ice cubes. From time to time I'll add a little sugar and milk, but normally I take it unadulterated. =)

I am on a major diet program right now. I used to take cream - but that's out. I really just don't like plain black coffee - so I add the vanilla once in a while. By the by - I've lost 39 pounds!

 

[Studeclunker]

I am on a major diet program right now. I used to take cream - but that's out. I really just don't like plain black coffee - so I add the vanilla once in a while. By the by - I've lost 39 pounds!

Good job!

As for me, I just plain don't like coffee (LOL)! So, I believe I'll just have a wee cuppa.

 

[Tangible]

That's great news, seajoy - and lots of hard work I'm sure.

I wish there was a caffeine source that you could grow in your own garden. I'm into the grow-your-own thing.

One thing I really miss from my time in West Africa is the kola nuts. They were cheap and readily available and very high in caffeine. The taste took a little getting used to, but once you acquired the taste chewing them was like nibbling on an extremely bitter, earthy-flavored carrot. One kola nut could last all day if you bit off little chunks and just played around with it in your mouth. If you ate very much at once you would get quite a caffeine buzz, but you also might get an upset stomach. Unfortunately they also tend to turn your teeth a reddish-brown color over time.

 

[Zecryphon]

Coffee anyone? I'm enjoying mine with calorie free vanilla flavoring.

Angie, how can the word "enjoy" possibly accompany anything with the words "calorie free" in it?

 

[seajoy]

Angie, how can the word "enjoy" possibly accompany anything with the words "calorie free" in it?

When one is starving, anything tastes good!

 

[Studeclunker]

That's great news, seajoy - and lots of hard work I'm sure.

I wish there was a caffeine source that you could grow in your own garden. I'm into the grow-your-own thing.

One thing I really miss from my time in West Africa is the kola nuts. They were cheap and readily available and very high in caffeine. The taste took a little getting used to, but once you acquired the taste chewing them was like nibbling on an extremely bitter, earthy-flavored carrot. One kola nut could last all day if you bit off little chunks and just played around with it in your mouth. If you ate very much at once you would get quite a caffeine buzz, but you also might get an upset stomach. Unfortunately they also tend to turn your teeth a reddish-brown color over time.

I remember an ad in the seventies with a black man dressed in a white suit. He was sitting in one of those rattan Peacock chairs holding a lime between the fingers of his left hand and a Kola Nut in the fingers of the other hand.
"Kola nut..." and he would raise the right hand,
"or Un-Kola nut! It's your choice! Wah, ha, ha, ha, ha, haaaaaaaaah..."

then they would show him greatly enjoying a deep drink of 7-UP.

I LOVED that commercial!

I too like to grow what I can. However, up here we have four seasons and the summer is very dry. In fact, my garden is currently withering and crisping. It's late summer you see... This place just doesn't have the water and I'm not going to run back and forth with the tank this year.

 

[BoC]

This time of year my coffee goes straight from the pot to a tall glass filled with ice cubes. From time to time I'll add a little sugar and milk, but normally I take it unadulterated. =)

I just filled my 32 ounce mug about half full of coffee, then some splenda, milk and ice. The ice just barely cooled it off. My DW wanted me to try some Gavalia coffee from Sweden (I think it's Sweden) It fairly good but I like Eight-O-Clock coffee right off the shelf. Drank that for years before I quit drinking coffee in the early 80's. Now I'm back at it and making up for lost time and I still like 8-o-clock. I was looking for maybe a new taste experience or better flavor and when I did an on-line comparison for best taste it was 8-o-clock! Soooo....... I'm staying with it. At least until my wife gets tired of choosing my coffee.