29 June 2007
Many years ago my brother-in-law went to Italy. When he returned, he returned with two absolutely lovely Carnival masks. This one
is my wife’s. It hangs on the wall above my mask. I love them and hope some day to supplement them with some I’ve acquired on my own.
Cheers.
~KR (29 June 2007)
Camera: Canon PowerShot S1 IS
Exposure: 0.017 sec (1/60)
Aperture: f/3.1
Focal Length: 58 mm
Exposure Bias: 0/3 EV
Flash: Flash fired, auto mode, red-eye reduction
2 July 2007
It works! And not only does it work, but, I did it all by myself! Thanks to some excellent training by my beloved Kyle, and a decision to add a monthly bill to our schedule, I am sitting in my brother’s house in Overland Park, Kansas, using my laptop, on a mobile wireless card, writing my KRuMB entry. I’m not much of a techno geek, but this is cool!
My photo today is . . . interesting, I know. I was driving at the time I snapped the photo, so I could only pray it would come out in some useable form or fashion. I didn’t count on the serious reflection off my own car window, but, that’s kind of cool, too! So, if you can look through to beyond the menagerie of teddy bears and such, and even beyond their reflection, you should be able to notice the HUGE Red River! The definitive border between Texas and Oklahoma, the Red River gets its name from the colour it is right now!
I knew that the nearby city of Gainesville had recently had some flooding issues, so I knew the river water would be high, but this is the highest I’ve ever seen it! There have been plenty of seasons where it didn’t look like a row boat would float in the shallow amount of water running under this bridge. And I just read a newspaper article saying that the Texas Department of Transportation had “cleared” the I-35 bridge over the Red River as safe and sound! Nice to know. Apparently they consider flood level at 25 feet, and the river is at 31 feet, now. The record is 40 feet.
Anyway, the drive today was amazingly uneventful–the very best kind of drive! I encountered a few little thunderstorms, but had no issues. I made great time—I just hope those clever little cameras mounted every now and then over the interstate, don’t mean I should look forward to receiving speeding tickets in the mail!
My brother and I visited for a while tonight, and completed a 1000-piece puzzle he and McKenna had started. I think this one required a little too much concentration for a seven-year-old, but I enjoyed it!
Artemis is travelling very well, although I chose to leave her in the van tonight, rather than bring her inside where two other cats live, and schlepp the cat box and the bowls, and, and, and . . . this way she can stay where she’s already made herself comfortable, and I’ll see her in the morning. It’s a beautiful, seventy-something degree night here on the outskirts of Kansas City, and she’ll be happier there, I think.
I am having trouble wrapping my mind around being away from home without even a visit back all summer long. I am a little homesick already. First night away is always hard.
~MB
1 July 2007
A tradition of sorts . . . Kyle and I usually have one of our last, if not our last meal together before I head north every summer, at a Tex Mex place with a margarita “as big as my head.” And, today, he let me splurge on the Patron Silver—it was a very tasty margarita!
I have loved taking these last couple of days slowly and somewhat methodically. I feel like I’m probably forgetting something, not because I was rushed or harried, but because it was almost too easy! I’m keeping a little “to do” list right here on my laptop, though, so as I’m winding down to sleep, I can simply enter anything I think of and deal with it in the morning. Hopefully, I’ll be on the road by about 9 a.m.—just shortly after Kyle leaves for work.
I think I’m headed north by way of my brother’s house. He’s off tomorrow afternoon and evening, so I can spend some time with him and then hit the road early the next morning. That keeps me from caravanning with Ginger, but it puts me with family for a few hours. I think it’s the right choice.
The only remaining unknown, is truck-related . . . do I or do I not, have an alternator/battery issue? I guess tomorrow morning will reveal the answer. If the truck starts right up–then I guess I’m good to go! If not, I’ll be spending my morning at Firestone!
One way or the other, though, tomorrow is the day. I have to be there by Tuesday night, and at this point, leaving tomorrow is the only way to achieve that.
So, farewell to the Texas summer—-I’ll be back in September!
I sure wish I could go have a northern summer without leaving my husband, my home, my husband, our dogs, my husband, my workshop, my husband . . . did I mention I hate leaving? Don’t mind the getting there—but I sure hate the leaving.
~MB
