Meanwhile, Back at the Ranch

First and foremost, today is the birthday of our twin sons, Bill and David. My life seems really easy these days, but I needn't tell you it used to be anything but. I'd have to admit that the first year of their life was one of my hardest; just thinking about it wears me out! That said, each of our sons have enriched our lives far more than any effort we put in. You might notice I did not put a comma between Bill and David because as long as anyone can remember, there has been very little separation between them, either on the page, or in life. Identical twinship is really something.

If you, like me, live in a Florida ranch style home, you understand perfectly how little help the web is. Think about it--looking at homes online for design ideas, there are very few that look anything like ours. In this slideshow, entitled Ranch-Style Home Ideas, the closest that any of them come to our neighborhood, and many of those surrounding us, is the first one. So, why in the heck did I bother?

In my last post, I said I was choosing Ashley Gray, and then I asked for input from you, dear reader. Except, in spite of seemingly loads of people clicking on the post*, I heard from just one who suggested I use the Chelsea Gray instead. This person, who will remain nameless, is one whose taste I trust implicitly, so, with that in mind, I got up on Monday, and painted the wall all the way around one window in the back.

Whoa--what a change it will be when the whole wall is dark!! Nancy called just as I was finishing and did not like the shutter colors, and neither did my trusted advisor. He claimed it looked like "Miami Vice," and in spite of the fact that I reminded him that we do live in Florida, I went back to Ace for a sample of dark for the shutters. After lunch I went to work on the front porch, and I like it. Especially with my blue door!

Now, we are cooking with gas, as my late Mother used to say. The feedback on this scheme from Fallon and Bruce is the shutters could be darker, and so, perhaps they will be by the time we are finished. One great thing about this is, I will, or so I hope, be able to keep my awning, and my blue bench. Herbert comes around 9 this morning to give me a price. Aside from the trim, the truth is, I could probably do it myself, but I'm, thinking maybe not. The timing is perfect because Bruce has cut all of our bushes way back making things considerably easier for a painter. Finally, and then I'll shut up about the paint, it is interesting to see how the sun changes the color isn't it?

You may recall that last year on this date we were freezing to death in Edinburgh.

Plus, the rain!

Next week I am accompanying B to Vancouver for a few days, and the forecast is for rainy, chilly weather. I'll be getting out my traveling clothes...

The last few days of that trip were spent in the Mayfair section of London. Thinking of this house painting business, going super dark, I was reminded of the gorgeous town homes we saw there. Ours will not be having a Lamborghini parked out front! Or is that a Maserati? One thing I know for sure is it is not a Bentley although we did see one on every street.

Nor do I have the nerve to go this dark, although in person it was stylish to the max!

Speaking of color, driving home through downtown the other day I was pretty surprised at what they are doing to, yet, another high rise residential property. Painting as they go, and very colorful while they are at it!

While there is a building boom going on again, there is the perpetual tearing down boom going on simultaneously. Thinking back to the years when the children were quite young, money was tight, thus, when possible, I would work crazy shifts anywhere I could find work, and Bruce could watch the boys, because day care for three to four children was out of the question. One such place was Lucerne Hospital, or should I say, the former Lucerne Hospital? My time there was difficult because I worked overnight, and portable chest x-rays was a big part of my shift. Nothing too terrible about a portable x-ray, that is, unless it involves pushing the machine up a big ramp, or the patient is quadriplegic. Check on both of those. In later years my dear friend Karen spent many happy years working there, and I took these photos for the both of us.

They seem to be crushing everything, and forming pebbles on site, as there are several large hills of building material. Perhaps it is hard to tell from the photo, but the furtherest ramp thing is doing just that.

Bruce just showed me an article in the paper about how young people today are not interested in any of their parent's things, or memories, whereas, people our age are a nostalgic bunch. I know I am, that's why I wanted to document this change.

Lucerne, aside from having the spinal care unit, was known early on as the place to have open heart surgery, which back then was not the big business it is today. I can't recall a single billboard touting their prowess, however, today you can hardly drive a mile on the interstate without the two major hospitals in town claiming they are the best. So, lots of lives were saved in these buildings and now here is what is left of it.

I think, in honor of having attended a gazillion baseball games when my boys were playing, today, on the last day of spring training, will be a good day to catch a game in Kissimmee. I'll let you know how it goes.

*according to my stats page.

Happy day to you all,
Gail

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly

Yesterday's post, or at least the written portion, pretty much covers the ugly, don't you agree? Well, the good news is that the first place we stayed in was a small apartment with a kitchen sink and dishwashing liquid. Bruce, again, rose to the occasion, washing out all my messy clothes and hanging them around the flat to dry. Surprisingly this happened quicker than you might think despite the fact that a pair of jeans was in the mix. Here is the front of the apartment as we were preparing to move to our next hotel:

and here is the view out of our back window:

The Brits love their gardens, and flowers, including them wherever they can! So that was all good, but what was the most good was the wedding. Be prepared for some photo overload as it isn't everyday that a son gets married!

While waiting on some folks, sitting in the hotel lobby, (strategically positioned close to the reception venue), I gave Matt and Tom a photo book I'd made with the photos I'd taken of them through the last few years:

It was small in keeping with the "no gifts" policy. Naturally I shed a few tears. :)

Although there was no rehearsal, that did not mean that we couldn't all gather for a meal before the big day. Tom's best friend Phil was there, along with his brother Olie and his girlfriend Nic, of course Jane and Ray, and Simon and Nadia who will be celebrating their own wedding in late May.

Jonathan will be pleased to know that we ate at Nando's where I took this as we were leaving:

Then it was Saturday, the 29th of March, 2014. Equal Marriage Day!

Most Americans don't understand the concept of a Town Hall wedding, but from what I witnessed, it is very popular indeed, and no wonder, as the rooms are lovely. A hired retired London Bus whisked us from the hotel to Hackney Town Hall, just a few miles away.

Initially this was a group of about twenty staying at the hotel. Matt and Tom posing for photos:

Looking mighty happy don't you think? Here we go....

In the forefront is Jeremy, the outstanding photographer. If he gets a decent one of me, I might just be labeling him extraordinary! We waited outside the hall for the preceding wedding to be over.

Big place right? Here are the grooms awaiting their guests:

This gives you a little notion about the room with seating for 45. One of the things I most liked about the ceremony is that they got to sit through part of it, which seems odd to some, but makes a lot of sense.

Some of the time they stood as well....the ring portion of the ceremony:

The blonde woman is what is called the Registrar, or so I think. In any case, she broke down during part of the ceremony; wiping tears away, she said what an honor it was to be performing the service on the very first day. To tell you the truth it did seem momentous, and I think I'd feel that way even if it weren't our son. They'd even had a sign made just for Matt and Tom:

Because Matt's guest list was short, no other family members were present, nor were most of his American friends, he'd asked some to do a reading of a poem which he then put together as a video, which can be watched using this link. I suggest you have kleenex handy! Here he is showing it to the gathered guests.

He'd asked for a television, but the iPad had to suffice. As well, Nadia, one of Tom's best childhood friends, and an actress I might add, did a reading:

It was all very emotional, and to tell you the truth, I'm getting all teary eyed just reliving it! Then of course there was the confetti throwing as shown yesterday, and the congratulations on the steps of the hall.

Remember what I said about my loud dress? Well Jo, pictured in front, was as wild as it got. She was my dancing partner for much of the evening!

Then off we all went in the bus for the ride to the Dispensary, a neighborhood pub which looked beautiful with the bunting Matt and Tom made for the occasion.

Food, drinks, and fun began with dancing not long after, or at least for some!

They'd prepared a playlist for the evening, which eventually segued into dance music. Mrs. Camera Crazy noted the change, asking her now married son when we could begin. He'd only just told someone that "you can't contain my Mother!" Truer words were never spoken. My heels came off and dancing commenced for the remainder of the evening!

They'd thought of everything including the fantastic light show! Not to be contained me then walked back to our hotel in her stocking feet, if you can imagine! It was just wonderful, and that's all there is to it!

So, that was the BEST part of the trip, or the good to fit with my title. The BAD was our visit to Edinburgh Castle in the pouring rain. Bruce and I trying to find our way:

Well I suppose it is just Bruce, but you get my drift. Set high above the city, the Castle is formidable in any weather, or so I imagine, in the rain and fog, seriously so.

Most of your visit is actually spent outdoors which does not bode well on such a day as we experienced. Picture taking was few and far between, but here's what a wet lens looks like:

After a bit, both of us were so cold, me with wet shoes, and pretty much miserable, so we cut our visit short. What's a tourist to do though when your time in a city is limited? Why, go into the gorgeous National Gallery of Scotland, or at least that's what we did!

There you have it--two experiences that could not have been more different. Oh yes, I forgot to mention that the weather on wedding day was superb, and did you expect otherwise?