Everyday Life

I wish I had more exciting photographs to share, alas, that is not to be. However, what's wrong with everyday life anyway? After all, that's what makes up most of life, interspersed with excitement, and in our case, a year long adventure? Speaking of excitement and grandeur, Jon and Alissa are in Iceland for ten days and oh my gosh, that is one place that I now know we must visit after seeing their tremendous photographs. Matt and Tom visited some years ago, and my sister Nancy has now been twice. From what I can tell, visiting Iceland is anything BUT everyday life.

Hot and humid days remains the story here. Thunderstorms continue.

The above clouds produced some seriously heavy rain, however there have actually been two days without rain, in part thanks to Hurricane Florence which is pulling moisture out of the air. This past week was the anniversary of Hurricane Irma which struck Central Florida pretty hard although we hardly knew much about it because the coverage in Canada was minimal. David shared on Facebook a photo from that time which showed a massive tree limb filling the parking lot, the way we walk to the pool. It goes without saying that any major storm is no fun and we are so wishing our fellow Americans well.

Here's some good news for you. The exhaust fan in the new microwave is working quite well, something not to be taken for granted when living in a condo that does not allow for outdoor exhaust.

Yup, I caved in and used the cooktop, cleaning it like mad when done. Hard to know how long that will last, but if I were to put a wager on that, not very long. :)

The guys came with the new dishwasher on Wednesday morning and guess what? This one was damaged as well, however, they found a workaround for that, removing the bad front panel on the one I already had, and using the good front panel from the one they'd brought.

Now we are in business, and I am so happy with our purchases. As I was when I ran into Angela at Marshalls yesterday afternoon. I know, I could have already called her, however, my little month long funk hadn't allowed for that. Our chatting time was way too brief, but now that I am functioning on a more normal for me level, we'll get together sooner, rather than later.

I'd almost ridden my bike over to her house one morning, but instead I stayed in Lancaster Park which is such a beautiful neighborhood, aside from the brick streets. Of course the brick streets only add to the charm there, but for a bike rider, they aren't the best. I saw some fellows on the lake, wondering what they were doing with an airboat.

If you've never been around an airboat before, you just can't imagine how loud they are. Long ago, a next door neighbor had one that he kept in their driveway. Every now and again he would start it up, and I swear, you probably could hear it several blocks away. Turns out these were city employees spraying the lake for weeds.

There are so many beautiful homes in that neighborhood of every style and age that it is hard to pick a favorite, but this one might be a contender, and I suspect you can guess why.

Yup, I am a sucker for colorful doors! Which brings me to some sewing I've done this week involving color, specifically some fabric we got at the guild meeting and a challenge to combine it with one other solid color. Because there is also a drive going for placemats to give to Meals on Wheels recipients, I decided to combine the two ideas.

The off white is my contribution. And the back looks like this.

BTW, the pieces were small which is something I'm not accustomed to because I generally buy fabric by the yard rather than in what they call fat quarters. Well, as is often the case, one thing led to another, and I've now made a table runner to brighten up the dining area. Once I saw the placemat on the table, the idea was born. At first I was going to make a pattern of some sort, however, I scrapped that idea, no pun intended, and went for our favorite, a scrappy runner instead.

Making something scrappy was super easy before but not so much now, because I have fabric in several places, some of which require me to get out a step stool to reach. That tub under the table was neat as a pin before I began, but I used about thirty different fabric strips which required some searching. I decided to contrast the straight strips with some curvy quilting.

One thing I do love about scrappy is the memories that are contained in a piece like the above. Some of the fabrics I have purchased at estate sales, some brand new like the blue and pink you see that was one of my last purchases from Dress Sew in Vancouver. Some folks might find it to be too much, but I'm not among them--the more colors and patterns the better! I've yet to bind it, but now the dining area feels so much better to me. Plus Bruce likes it, so it is a win-win.

Because we do have a new home, I've spent some time looking at images of other homes, mostly kitchen ideas, and it is astonishing how beautiful some spaces are, yet devoid of any personality. Oxymoron? I think not.

Working on these projects perhaps made me more aware of color because when I went to our downtown library for another Rachel Joyce novel, I was super surprised to see they had organized all of the new fiction by book jacket color.

I thought there would be more attention grabbing red covers, however, although the photograph doesn't include the whole scene due to lens constraints, blue was the color victor. That probably should surprise no one other than me because I'm pretty sure that in surveys, more people pick blue as their most favorite color. What about you? What's your favorite color?

Although I love all color, you can't deny that my favorite, orange is quite a show stopper.

I saw the above while riding my bicycle over to the pool at Wadeview. One thing about having a class that is three mornings a week involving chlorinated water is that my hair is looking worse than ever. Finally I sent Monica a text saying I give in, time to do something with it. Perhaps, looking at myself while having a good long chat with Matt on Facetime, I finally realized how silly I was being. Because I so rarely look in the mirror, apparently I'd convinced myself it wasn't so bad. So not true! It is bad. Bruce will be in Calgary most of next week, and when he returns, I'll be a new woman.

If you have lived in this part of town for any length of time, you undoubtedly have seen a place that sold beer and ice called Aardvarks. Super run down, we would only step foot in there when hosting a large party, something that has not occurred for years. There was a time, however, when we would host an annual outdoor party involving lots of drinks in an ice filled canoe. Aardvarks was good for that. So, it was with great surprise that we drove by there and found a very spiffed up Aardvarks that now serves food. Last night we gave it a try, and it is cute as can be, both inside and out.

Still working out some kinks, we hope they can make it in the competitive restaurant market.

And yes, they still sell ice.

Bruce is at the condo budget meeting this morning, and I am now heading back to Marshalls to purchase some baskets that I saw, hoping they will make a big improvement on my current fabric storage method.

And that, my friends is a recap of our everyday life this week. Exciting? Probably not, but good, yes.

your friend,

Gail

What Luck

Here we are, only 16 years old and ready for prom. Can this be? Did we wear short dresses back then? According to the notation on the back, we had dinner first at the English Pub in Melbourne, pre dance. Can you even believe my hair? Technically, since this was taken on May 23, 1970, I am 16, while B had just turned 17. And to think that only six years later we were parents to a young son, Matthew. Sweet!

Homemade dress, btw.

Well then, what brought this about you ask? Saturday we spent the day making the condo more user friendly. Mostly Bruce did all of the work, but I helped as needed. Mostly I asked for things to make living here more our style which means, organization. Our washer and dryer are in a closet in the front bathroom, and prior to Saturday afternoon, there was a collection of cleaning tools leaning in the corner next to the dryer. Soap and what have you were on a shelf somewhat high above the appliances. Now, however, it is looking mighty spiffy in there thanks to you know who. Instead of the bucket taking up shelf space, it is now hung, as is my pizza peel that was impossible to store in the kitchen.

The shelf with the laundry soap is new, and now there is indeed, a place for everything and then some. Re-organizing gave us some empty shelf space which is always welcome when moving into a smaller space than you had before.

I cannot explain how happy this made me, as did the cache of photographs Bruce found in another space being remade. The one above is an example, and the ones I'm fixing to show you are another.

One of the things, aside from Disney and Universal Studios, that Orlando is known for is our airport. Guess who was one of the layout crew for said airport. Yup.

I did what I could to photograph these old photos, taken around 1978. Bruce is the one with the sledge hammer;  can you believe he is shirtless? As is his great friend, Bill Petrey. They wouldn't get away with that these days, that's for sure.

More...

and one more.

I have a suspicion that when all this was going on, no one could have imagined how busy this piece of land would become, welcoming, get this...44.6 million passengers passed through Orlando International Airport last year!!! Unreal to see these before photos. Thank God for construction workers who make all of our lives possible.

Friday afternoon I took Maureen to see a high rise downtown as we all think it wise that she move into a new place. There was a lovely view of Lake Eola from one of the higher floors, and Maureen and I are looking out at a new art piece on one of the parking garages.

Time will tell how all of this works out. After I dropped her off, I finally got over to our friend Sue's house which is only a few blocks away. SO GOOD to see her! As is happening to lots of folks our age, Sue and Duncan are on the move, having sold their home in the last month or so. You may recall how often I would post photos of her lovely and eclectic yard? Of late she's become quite fond of succulents, the better to show off all of her vintage pieces.

Lovely to sit and chat around her kitchen table.

Speaking of kitchen tables, Dale sent me a commemorative book that was sold to raise funds for the Stanley Park restoration following the big storm. Reading it while eating lunch, I'd left it on the table and of course, being someone who follows the light, I could not help but photograph it as the afternoon sun filtered through the window.

I am a sucker for beautiful light and we certainly have our share here.

That rug is taking its sweet time to settle down, but I have faith that it will. Speaking of that, we finally had a bird on Sunday morning--a tufted tit mouse hovered, finally heading to the feeder hung on the wall!! He had a friend who got close, but didn't stop to eat. I'm really thinking it is just the time of the year when the birds are scarce. I sure hope so anyway!

One last photo of a beautiful pink and white hibiscus I found on the grounds, and then I have a little story to tell you.

This morning, I did one of the stupidest things imaginable. Actually, it is unimaginable. I needed some groceries and wanted to have them in place so that I might ride my bike to the class at the pool. Arriving early, I purchased what I needed and loaded the back of the MINI. The time was looking good. Driving home, I was reflecting on how nice it is to have the grocery store so close and that kind of thing. Still feeling good, I pulled into my parking space and reached over to the passenger seat for my purse. NO PURSE! No purse with my new camera with the long lens, my wallet, and my cell phone!!! Running inside, I asked B to call the manager at Publix and explain that I'd left MY PURSE in the shopping cart in the PARKING LOT!!! I flew back the way I'd just come, pulled into the same parking space, and jumped out of my car, seeing the manager in the lot, I asked if he were looking for MY PURSE? Indeed, he was, but it was not in the lot. HOWEVER, the kind man who was gathering shopping carts had found MY PURSE and it was safely in the store office.  Breathing a sigh of relief, I thanked them, and found the fellow who'd turned it in, giving him all of my cash for his honesty.

Driving home, I was so grateful for his honesty, but I have to admit, with only ten minutes until class time, I skipped it. In words made famous by Elvis, "I was all shook up!" Pam came over later today and when I told her this story she tried to make me feel less stupid by saying that you are still not in a routine. True, but who leaves their PURSE in a shopping cart and drives home?

Apparently, I do.

your friend,

Gail

The Wait is Over

But before we get to today's exciting events, let's go back a few days, shall we? Doesn't everyone love how water looks when it is so still it looks as if it could be a solid surface? I know I sure do.

Being up early helps when it comes to seeing such sights,  although I admit, our waking times are not quite as regular, or early, as they were when Bruce was heading to the office every day. One day we might be up at 5, and the next 6:30. Now, however, I've got a new toy to keep track of all that. And what might that be Gail? Before leaving Vancouver, our friends Pina and Giovanni gave me a most generous gift, an early birthday present they called it. Except, I had no real idea how to set it up, so when Bill and Fallon came over on Labor Day, I had her set it up. Oh, by the way, a Red Shouldered Hawk has just flown into the tree outside my window.

But I digress. I will say I wish it were an owl instead, and speaking of that, the other morning, early, I received a text from Sally with an attached photo of two juvenile owls on the same branch over in Southern Oaks. Holy Cow! As fast as I could, I dressed and rode over on my bike. Perhaps I should have taken the MINI because, in spite of craning my neck back so far I thought it would snap, I could see neither of them. Another day, or so I hope.

Where was I? Oh, that's right, the watch. It is a smart watch that tracks all sorts of things, including how long I sleep at night. Using last night's data from the phone app, apparently 3 hours and 12 minutes were spent in light sleep, while the other 4.44 was spent in restful sleep. One minute awake, which is really something for someone my age as so many of our friends toss and turn at night. Can this be real? Sleeping with a watch on is kind of weird to me, so I probably won't do it all that often, but it is kind of interesting.

It is counting my steps too, although there aren't a whole lot to count. During the game on Monday night, during the dismal performance by my beloved Florida State Seminoles, I tallied up all of my Vancouver walking mileage. It is no wonder that my feet hurt so bad when we were first there, as it turns out, I walked the most miles in August--110. The 938 mile total is astounding for someone who walked to the front yard mailbox and into stores previously. Then too, I probably really cracked  1,000 miles because oftentimes either my phone would be dead, or at home. In any case, my walking days seem to be over for now, and bike riding isn't tracked by this watch. My feet, on the other hand (!),  are a little happier now.

I took a photo of a few of the ladies at the water aerobics class; of our instructor is seated in the lifeguard chair as the class was over and most everyone had gone home for the day.

Pam, while driving us to the quilt guild meeting asked if I felt like it was a good workout? My response----my mouth is getting quite the workout as it is a VERY chatty group, but it sure is fun. So the class was on Monday, and on Tuesday, following my bike ride, I decided it was time to make a new liner for my bike basket because the one that had sat outside in our carport, had so much dirt in the bottom that was not doing my camera lenses any favors. Plus, when I made the first one I knew not very much about how to go about it. Having made some bags now, I felt a bit more confidant, drawing a pattern on newspaper, and using that to cut out my fabric. Finally, the sewing machine was up on my table which is doing double duty these days.

Isn't it so miraculous how different the same area can look during the day? The lake looks mostly like a blank out the window, but oh in the morning! You will probably have to become accustomed to lots of photographs that look similar to the one below, as each day the sunrise is different. And how lucky that I, a sunrise girl, has this view? Very lucky indeed. A fogged, by humidity, camera lens.

Getting a good start on my project, I had to put it aside to go to the meeting where it was wonderful to see all of my quilty friends again. And what wonderful work they do! These are a couple of Charleston doors, interpreted in fabric.

This was a fun find on the side of the Sewing Studio building.

Using fabric, given to me by Pam , I quilted the panels differently, sewed them together, and there is a pin dot red polka dotted outside fabric. The red rick rack is some that I inherited from Bruce's Mom. Finishing it last evening, I plan on giving it a workout tomorrow morning.

This afternoon, during a wonderful visit with Bonnie and Bev, she, and I mean Bev, expressed concern that I was in a bit of a funk, and while that was partly true, I am now officially out of it! Making things will do that for me. :)

Those two friends, and faithful readers I might add, are the first to see the new appliances. Our final meal made on the old stove.

Wouldn't you know it, Bruce had a little business trip today and won't see them himself until tomorrow evening. Sorry honey.

Because he left for the airport at 5AM, I rose and began answering a letter from Dale who sent me all sorts of newsy stuff from Vancouver. Then the phone rang and it was the dishwasher/microwave installer. Woo hoo...he was on his way.

First he removed the dishwasher and kindly sorted out the crazy long electrical connection behind it. Behind the old dishwasher, he is in the hole.

I was heartened to know that he donates the appliances that he removes. As it turns out, the dishwasher is only four years old, so we hope it will be useful for someone in need. He had a helper, and here they are putting up the microwave.

Oh that microwave is cute as can be. Plus, these appliances, unlike stainless steel, have some sort of coating that renders them finger proof, which I can vouch for as he had some seriously sweaty hands holding it up there and it still looked good.

As he was finishing the dishwasher install, the guys from Southeast Steel called and they too were on their way. He told me to begin emptying the fridge, which I did, all over the counters and in the sink.

They don't mess around I can tell you that much. I was nearly done when I realized that I should have pre-moved my magnets; fortunately he was happy to help me with that. Out came the old stove,

and before long the new one was in place. Did I tell you it is a smart range? Lordy, Lordy, how will I ever figure that out? One of the fellows was young and helpful, but I still don't have the app installed properly. That said, I do know how to turn the knobs, so that's a plus. It is so pristine, however, will I ever want to cook again? I fear not!

The color is fantastic, changing in different lighting. One bummer is that there is a small dent on the face of the dishwasher, so there will be a do-over next Tuesday.

When Fallon was going through my paint chip samples, she immediately picked a green she liked for the lower cabinets. The uppers will be some shade of white. Wouldn't you know it, Bev picked the same green today, so it seems as if my search is over. When that happens is yet to be determined, although now that the appliances look so good, can I wait? Time will tell.

your friend,

Gail

Little by Little

Whether it was seeing the otters play in the lake, or the trip to the cemetery, or maybe it was the water aerobics class I took, in any case, I am mostly out of my funk. Plus college football started, so there's that.

Shall we begin with the otters? Here's what happened---standing along the shoreline, maybe two feet from me, I saw what looked like an animal, albeit only the top of the head. I wish I could better describe it, but alas, all I can say is that it looked like a hump with wet hair. Watching for a few moments, it also appeared that there were small air bubbles adjacent to the animal, causing me to think it was not my imagination working overtime. Immediately I ran to the back door, calling out to Bruce to come take a look. Please hurry honey! He watched too, and neither of us were quite sure what we were seeing. He tossed a small stick that way, and instantly the hair/head came to life, swimming off towards the middle of the lake. Well then! Although I'd been told a pair of otters lived in the lake, until then I'd not seen any proof of that claim. Woo hoo--now we had. Naturally I had to run back in for my camera, and those otters put on quite the show for me that day. At first I only saw the one, diving deep for his catch.

Keep in mind that humidity right now runs nearly 100% making it difficult to take a photograph immediately, like I had to in this case, because the camera lens fogs up big time. But, as I've told a few people before, when you see wildlife, take a photo right away because that might be your only opportunity, better to have documentation of a sighting rather than nothing. Actually, I suspect I will not be able to take any "good" photographs of the otters because they are active in the morning, or so I've been told, and that means shooting towards the sun. Never a good plan. Nonetheless, I tried.

In the meantime, I'd spotted a Limpkin along the shore, a very attractive shorebird, that flew off soon thereafter.

Writing my last blog post was made a little difficult due to watching the antics of the otters. Guess what? I've not seen them since!!! Boo hoo!

I'm also feeling pretty good about what's going to happen in our kitchen this week. Or, so I hope. After much deliberation, we decided to take the plunge and bought our new appliances which will be delivered and installed on Thursday. Why such deliberation, you ask? Well, we picked a brand new appliance finish that we think/hope will be warm and beautiful with our kitchen table. Called, Sunset Bronze. it is made by Whirlpool and the color is this:

However, to make the refrigerator fit the space, Bruce had to work a little magic, beginning with taking this cabinet down.

Aside from looking good, or so we hope, this new finish allows one to put magnets on their fridge, something that some might find tacky, but I love. That was one thing when we bought this place, because the fridge is so old, magnets worked beautifully. It may leak but it does hold magnets! Some folks bring souvenirs home from trips, I bring magnets. In our courtyard space, he set up camp, marked the cut line,

and put that jigsaw to work.

I can't really remember why that tape is important, but it is.

He cut the cabinet down, restored the bottom, and re-hung the doors on not just this cabinet, but the one adjacent, so that all of the hinges line up. Thursday cannot come fast enough.

As to the rest of the kitchen, little by little folks. Next up is seeing how things look with the new fridge/stove/dishwasher/microwave. Oh, and did I tell you they claim it is finger print adverse? Time will tell, but I do think it will look good with our kitchen table. Many folks add cabinets where our table is, but we kind of like things cozy, so as of this writing, the table is staying. Plus, I can put it to work like I did while rolling out a pie crust.

I wish it weren't so, but that pastry mat does not work well. In fact, I had to start over using plastic wrap instead! The table was good though.

I bought a temporary living room rug for $32! Temporary because it really should be larger, but it has no holes, so that's a good thing.

One morning, this happened. Oh my! Lasting for only a few minutes, the sun rays on the clouds...well, what is there to say?

It must have been that same day, because we were up so early, that I went over to the cemetery to see the owl tree and the eagle tree.

So many happy moments that MINI was parked there watching the owls and the eagle family. Anyway, I'd learned that the eagle tree was struck by lightening and sure enough..

the top parts were left strewn on the ground. During our absence, Hurricane Irma knocked the ten year old nest from the treetop, forcing the eagles to rebuild. Except, once they had, a pair of Great Horned Owls swooped in and claimed it as their own, raising owlets there this last Spring. Amazing, right? It will be quite interesting to see what happens this January which is usually the time for the eagles to get busy.

From there I drove over to Lake Davis, and didn't have to look long to find some birds. Lots of birds.

Mute swans, Ibis, Mallard Ducks, Moorhen, and the ever present Anhingas drying their wings on a Cypress tree knee.

Isn't it remarkable how limber the upper parts of a swan are?

Speaking of swans, this juvenile swan's coloring. Well, I just loved it.

Plus there were some cute Wood Ducks too.

Although I have seen them on our lake, I've been seeing Great Blue Herons on the big lake, Pineloch. That wingspan!

You might notice how high the lake is, and that holds true all over the city after this year's record rainfall.

While we are on the subject of water, here's what I did. Early last week, I rode my bike over to Wadeview to get the class schedule, perhaps I mentioned that already? Friday morning, after a trip to the bank, and other errands I'd been putting off, I put on my suit and told myself, "why not?" It had been a very long time since I stood on the side of this pool, the very one that Matt's school swim team used.

There were possibly twenty five women, mostly my age, already there when I arrived, and they welcomed me with open arms. Although I'd never tried water aerobics, I figured I could learn. Having been in a swimming pool for a good deal of my life, it seemed like a perfect fit for someone as exercise adverse as I am. Goodness it was fun. About halfway through the hour long class, one of the ladies remarked, "I know you," and indeed she did, although I'd not seen Sherry since I quit working at the hospital 13 years ago! Plus I chatted with a fine artist, and a former art teacher, and well, it was more than I could have hoped for.

So, little by little, we are making our way.  And it is September meaning that six weeks from now, or so we are imagining, the intense heat will be replaced by heat that is slightly more tolerable. And to think that were we still in Vancouver, where the temperature is 67, I might be looking for a sweater right about now.

your friend,

Gail