Category Archives: Adventure

Happy Monday!!

Weather in the Tries:
Beats me, I’m pulling into Dallas TX for a week. However, I have it on good authority that yes, there will be weather in the Tries. Sunshine, shade, blue skies, clouds, whatever—enjoy! Dallas will be hotter. San Antonio hotter yet. If you care, check where I am by date, and then check the weather there.

Happy Monday:
If you’re wondering how I’m travelling—well, I’m using Apple Maps, and following directions. Mostly. There does seem to be some minor differences between Google Maps and Apple Maps. My friend and I compared the driving times from Kennewick to Port Charlotte FL (she was on Google) and I on Apple Maps which was an hour shorter. We did not compare actual maps to see where the differences were, if any.

So, if you want to follow along, my itinerary follows:

21 Sep, leave for a 3-day drive to Dallas TX

not sure where I’ll stop at night along the way, but I’ll stop when tired. Hopefully in Laramie WY. Will turn right and head south through Raton NM and down to Amirillo TX then hang a lazy left and onward to Dallas for a week of gossip and writing, except I won’t be doing much writing, I’m taking a couple inches of printed out poetry and hope to get a book put together.

29 Sep, leave for a few days with my sister, in San Antonio.

3 Oct, leave for a good friend I met in ABQ but she moved to Marana AZ, I’ll probably make it a two day trip, as it’s more than 12 hour drive, and I want to stop in El Paso, at Rosa’s Cantina and buy a new tee shirt. Fortunately, they are easy off and easy on I-10. I’ll probably get something to eat, too. But I’ll forego the quart jar of margarita. Sigh.

7 Oct, I leave out for Henderson NV where I’ll pick up my old friend and travel buddy and head to Death Valley, for an o’night if the motel has a vacancy. Or, we can make it a day trip. Or maybe spend the night in Amargosa? We’ll figure it out.

12 Oct, leaving Henderson for a short drive to Castaic CA where I’ll spend the afternoon with poetry friends, and the night.

13 Oct, I head up to Vallejo, to spend a couple days with my brother. He’s on a different schedule, for the most part. But we’ll get to talk for a bit where our schedules overlap.

15 Oct, up to Vacaville (30 minute drive?) to spend a few days with my cousins, and then I’m gonna beat feet and head for home.

I make no promises about posting blogs on the trip. I’ll do what I can, but I’m on vacation, and if nothing else, I’ll post stories and photos once I return. I’ll drive north to Weed, then a lazy right and go up the bright side of the Cascades until I’m home 😉

I hope to be home the 19^th or 20^th of October.

And there you have it. My last Grand Tour Road Trip to visit friends and family, not sight see. Though I do want to go to the Alamo when in San Antonio. I was there when I was nine, with my grandparents. I’ve seen the photos. I have NO memory of it, and some of my childhood heroes died there! I remember wanting to see it, but every place else we went I have memories, not there. And of course Death Valley, that is pure sight see, but both Kay and I love the valley. (And I will take any excuse to drive through Pahrumps!!!;-) And a few fabric/quilt stores.

I do a couple of things on road trips that work for me. I stop every two hours, plus or minus, make a pit stop and refill my big cup with an iced tea or whatever. I eat light while travelling so I don’t get sleepy from too many carbs. If I do get sleepy, I stop for a nap. So, know I’ll be driving safely. My favorite pit stops are at Love’s Truck Stops. The store and restrooms are always clean, the staff are always smiling and friendly, and the choice of food is amazing. From the ubiquitous hot dogs cooking on the rollers to a bowls of fresh fruit and salads. And half a dozen different coffees, iced teas (sweet and not). They even have showers in case you couldn’t find a hotel for the night/s before!

Photos of Some Week to be posted on Some Day:
Honest, trust me.

from the desk of the crying chihuahua;
sniff. sniff.

Poor puppy. If I take him he gets horribly stressed, and two of the places I’ll be have dogs, and he’s not over fond of other dogs. If I leave him, he gets stressed, but he’s in his own den, sleeps in his/our room on his/our bed. And he’s not nearly as stressed as he gets in a car. And I’m less stressed when he’s home, too.

Will try to write and post as I go along. Stay well, and Let Americans Laugh Again!!!

Auntie Lenora’s Excellent Adventure

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Weather in the Tries:

As of Sunday night, it’s wetting and snowing. At 27F out, it’s freezing is what it is! It says snow later tonight, then cloudy, and a 50% chance of snow on Thursday. It will have to be in the morning or evening, because the low is only 29 and the high 40. Tomorrow it will be up to 33, and Tuesday, it will get to 39, with sunshine. Our high for the week will be 40, but ya know what? That’s a lot warmer than 32! The nights will be freezing, but that’s ok, I have a bed, a sheet warmer, and a dog!

Auntie Lenora’s Excellent Adventure:

It seems like forever since I last touched base with you. But it’s only been three weeks or so. Anyhow, I drove to the Dark Side on 7 Nov (where we had more sun than here at home) and spent 3+ weeks with my EBOC (Elder Brother of Choice) Thomas, while his primary care-giver was on a much needed vacation. Thomas is my primary mentor for writing poetry, stories, novels. He’s not afraid to tell me where something is broke, and when I fix it, I have a much better piece of writing. He truly is a gem of great worth.

Mostly, we read each other’s works, talked writing, I cataloged his morgue (collection of his writings that have been published), and drooled over the up-coming T-Day dinner we were promised. His good friend, Carla, said she’d bring us a Greek lemon soup with lamb meatballs.

But that day dawned with some real excitement. Thomas woke and wanted to get from his recliner where he sleeps, to his wheeled steno chair where he sits to work. He’s done it a thousand times, and saw no reason, even though he’s lost quite a bit of strength, why he couldn’t do it himself and let me sleep. Something happened and as he started the transfer, the chair got away from him and he fell to the floor.

Naturally, I was sleeping on the sofa, 5 feet away, as he fell, he started hollering for me to call 911 so the medics could come and lift him back into his recliner. No way could I lift him. The sudden awakening, the confusion, the adrenaline rush–I jumped out of bed, found my phone, called 911, and unlocked the door so they could get in. I stood by his recliner and when Dispatcher hung up, I fainted. I haven’t done that in years. So, Thomas is on the floor, at the north end of the room, and I am on the floor at the south end of the room. Surely there is some sort of Feng Shui about such a symmetrical arrangement?

Anyhow, Old Auntie Lenora managed to crawl into the nearest chair. The medics came. They lifted Thomas up and put him back in his chair, then came for me. I kept telling them I was fine, they ignored me. They took my blood pressure. Well, they tried to, I didn’t have any (it was 50 over something), they pricked my finger, and I was not low on sugar, in the meantime, I really didn’t feel too good. But I was feeling better. They called the hospital, and the dr. said to bring me in. So, I had a free ride to the ER and didn’t have to wait in the lobby;-) Well, free until the bill comes.

Once I was safely in the hospital, the guys confessed, they were sure I was having a heart attack. I wasn’t. They took a quart or two of bodily fluids through an IV, and the dreaded wee cup found in all hospital restrooms, checked me out, and about 3 hours later, released me to go home. It appears I fainted. Well, dohhh…

Got back to Thomas’s and spent most of my afternoon supine on the sofa. Carla came and fed us. OMG! I simply must get the recipe. I’ve had some sort of Greek lemon soup in years gone by and didn’t care for it, but this was to die for!

Believe me, that was enough excitement for both of us. And Thomas promised not to try that transfer again without help!

When I drove over, the only snow I came across was between Yakima and Cle Elum. Snoqualmie pass was bare, dry, and sunny. In fact, when I got to the end of my trip, I had 6 feet of sunshine on top of my car! When I decided to come home, there was a snowstorm in the pass, and chains were required unless the vehicle was AWD. Alas, Big Red is not AWD, and I don’t have chains. Couldn’t put them on if I did. So, I decided to drive an extra 175 miles and go south to Portland, then east to Hermiston, then north to Kennewick. It was a nice drive, took about 7 hours, but the only snow I saw was on the trees left over from a few days earlier. The day after I got home, the pass was bare and wet. Sigh.

Photos of the Week:

Alas the photo doesn’t do it proper–the sun was on the tree and it just glowed red, like it was on fire

Books of the Week:

Can you believe I didn’t read a book while I was gone 😉 I did read a bit more of Travels With Charley by Steinbeck, but that’s all.

Movies/TV shows of the week:

We watched at least one movie just about every night.

PBS: Native America. This is a 4-episode series, and we watched one per night. Very interesting and enjoyable.

Netflix: Lucid Dreaming. A K-Drama (movie) about a man whose son is kidnapped, and he finds him through lucid dreaming. Great fun.

Netflix: Kingdom: Ashin of the North. Another K-Drama (movie) about a young girl who is the only survivor when her village is destroyed and all in it killed, and how she goes after vengeance. Very well done.

Netflix: The Old Guard. 2020 American superhero movie starring Charlize Theron, KiKi Layne, and others. We loved this one. Four Immortal’s discover a fifth Immortal who isn’t all that keen on it, fight scenes are well choreographed, the evil dude is superbly evil, and we can hardly wait for the sequel next year. We laughed at the fight scenes. Terrific.

Netflix: Chocolat. Oh, if you haven’t seen this movie, or if it’s been a while, watch it all over again for the first time. It is as delightful as the last time I saw it. Dame Judi Dench, Johnny Depp, and others. It’s a marvelous movie, well worth your time.

Netflix: Slumberland. Primarily a movie for adults to watch with their kids, but we enjoyed it no end. A girl is orphaned at age 11 or so, and becomes the ward of her stuffy uncle whom she’s never met. She wants her Dad back. (Presumably Mom died years ago, she was raised by Dad) and in dreaming, she meets a character her dad told her about and they set out to find a secret map and the pearl that will grant their wishes. Jasan Momoa is marvelous as the Outlaw, Flip.

Netflix: Sand Storm. This is an Israeli drama about a Bedouin family living in a settlement/ghetto in Israel. The sand storm is not an haboob. It is the family. The oldest girl learns to drive from her father, she goes to school, she dreams of taking control of her life and marrying a boy from school, a boy of her choosing. The family have other plans. Father brings a second bride into the mix, mother is not happy, father agrees to marry his daughter to the son of a friend, none of the females are happy. The movie is well worth the time to see it. There is humor, there is pathos, the ending is correct.

Netflix: Mudbound. This movie is a 2017 historical drama that takes place in the Mississippi delta of the deep south, primarily just after WWII. About an African American family and a Euro American family who are tied to the same land. Two veterans, one white, one black, return from the war, each to his own family. They have served with honor; they have grown past the racism of their families. This movie should be seen by all. It is not a feel-good movie, American Noir, I think. If you watch nothing else on this list, watch Mudbound. Then watch Chocolat and feel better.

Amazon Prime: Columbo. YES! Thomas had never seen the old series, so we started with S1, E1, and got as high as E9 before I came home. This series has held up remarkably well. I have no idea how many times I’ve seen the episodes, Not sure I’ve ever seen them in order, and I shall have to continue.

We enjoyed all the movies. Even Mudbound, though it is dark, it is necessary. Things haven’t changed so much.

My Winter Gift from me to me came while I was away. I now have the complete Babylon 5 series, the movies, and Crusade all in a boxed set. I had just finished watching Crusade, again, when I decided to see if I could get Bab5. I could, and I did. Yes, I now have two sets of Crusade, a spin-off of 13 episodes. I’m so sorry the powers that be were so short-sighted they cancelled it when they did. It would have been a tremendous series.

Happy Holidays

to you all. I know many of you celebrate different holidays this winter season, and not wanting to offend any of you by mentioning one without all the others, I wish you the warmest and most joyous holidays of your choice/worship.

From Charlie to Ian

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Weather in the Tries: Looks like our week will be another gorgeous day in Paradise. Sunny most days, highs in the low 80s and upper 70s. Nighttime lows high 40s to low 50s. Air quality should be good most days, and no serious winds. BTW, back in 1962, we had a hurricane come up the northern coast of California, Oregon, Washington. and British Columbia. It wasn’t called a hurricane then (who would expect one in the Pacific NW and in October to boot). On the Pacific side, she was a typhoon named Freda and she slammed us on Columbus Day, 12 October 1962.

As you probably know, I usually write this a day or two ahead, then schedule it Sunday night for Monday morning. I started this on Wednesday and finished it in the days following.

From Charlie to Ian:

In 2004 I moved from the southern Oregon coast (Myrtle Point) to Port Charlotte, Florida. I think I moved in May. In August, Hurricane Charlie danced through town. And it was not a particularly dainty dance, as he was a high Category 4. The anemometers gave up at winds of 155 mph. Two more steady or sustained mph and it would have been a Category 5. Charlie was a skinny dude, about 35 miles wide by man oh man, he danced so fast we hardly knew he was there before he was gone. Okay I exaggerate a smidge more than a tad. Those of us who went through it, knew when Charlie came through. He was loud, he was ill-mannered, and did not clean up after breaking as much as possible. But he was fast. He travelled at 13mph, if my memory holds. He did a lot of damage, but not nearly as much as he coulda done at, say 3mph.

Welcome to Florida, he seemed to say. I remained there for one year fifty-one weeks. Yeah, one week shy of two years found me on the road heading back to the great Pacific Northwest!

Last week, I heard that Tropical Storm Ian was becoming a hurricane, heading up the Caribbean. Then the dreaded words, “It’s heading up the west coast of Florida to Tampa Bay.” No, said I to myself. The waters in Charlotte Harbor are warm and will sing its siren song. Ian will cut across Sanibel and go right up the Harbor, devastating as much as possible. I’m so sorry, I was right. He went up the coast, hit Naples, Sanibel Island, Fort Myers, Punta Gorda, Port Charlotte. Ian was angry about something. He was about 500 miles across, Charlie would have fit in Ian’s eye with room to spare. And by the time he made landfall, he had slowed from 10mph to 8mph, and was thought to go even slower, to 3mph. I don’t know if he slowed that much once his eye was all on land or not.

I still have friends in Port Charlotte. My Twin let me know she was okay as she and my brother-in-law were north up in Cape May. Today (Wednesday) she let me know she’d talked to a couple of our mutual friends and they’re okay, but that Port Charlotte is a mess. Unfortunately, I haven’t heard from a couple of friends who live in Port Charlotte and hunkered down for the ‘cane.

When Charlie came, we didn’t have time to evacuate or head to shelter, we were pretty much forced into hunkering down. And those shelters that were open weren’t allowing pets. Leave my cat? Alone? While she gets carried off to Oz? Uh, no, I don’t think so. I put all her stuff—food, water, box, blanket, in my bathroom (inside room, no windows) and then my housemate and I stood at the back window/sliding doors (in the lee of the wind) and watched our world blow away.

The scariest part was when the porta potty that was outside at the neighbor’s house (being built) was picked up and blew up the street, I was concerned that it might come through my living room window, but it went to the empty lot across the street and was gently set upside down among the palms and trash pines.

The worst that happened to my house was the cage in back was destroyed. (Cages are the screened in areas usually over pools). And a bunch of junk was dumped into my pool, mostly tree limbs. I was very fortunate. We got the junk out of the pool, and out to the road where it was picked up in a couple days. Power was out, but the streets were clear. Verizon brought in a truck and anyone without power could bring their phone down and get it charged free, regardless who their carrier was. We helped each other. FEMA came through within a couple weeks. The National Guard checked on us daily, brought us bottled water and packaged food. (No Meals Ready to Eat), the Red Cross came when the Guard left. We helped each other. We got to know our neighbors, if we didn’t already know them. (One of the really neat things of living in Florida was the garbage was picked up twice a week. And people would put things they didn’t want with a sign that it was free, and if no one took it, the garbage folks did.)

Packed away in Shed 54 is a piece of Styrofoam insulation from a mobile home over a mile away. I don’t know which home, but the nearest park was over a mile away.

Insurance was reasonably priced, and I believe most people had it (if they had a mortgage, they had insurance!) when I was there. Now so many companies are bankrupt, or just no longer underwriting home insurance for hurricanes and flooding. People can’t afford it when they get it, and if one has a mortgage, the mortgage holder will get it, at a premium price. Not sure how to fix that. One of the things I think should be looked at is the barrier islands on all coasts. When they are left alone, they usually have lots of vegetation, and they act as a buffer to the mainland. As the vegetation is cut down, and homes and roads are built, they no longer serve as a buffer, just very pricey real estate.

Ian was considerably larger, slower, meaner, nastier. I’m willing to bet the streets are in worse shape, and it’s harder to check on people than in 2004. I hope neighbors are helping neighbors. People are being told to stay out of the water because you don’t know what’s in it—sewage, alligators,… And I wish my friends would check in on Facebook. In the meantime, I continue to hope they are not among seriously wounded—or the dead.

Sunday morning update: my friends checked in. She couldn’t get Facebook on her phone, but they now have power. Their house is ok, and they are ok. She’s the last little chick to check in. Mama Hen (aka Auntie Lenora) will rest easier now.

Photos of the Week:

https://www.boston.com/weather/weather/2022/09/29/hurricane-ian-photos-videos-florida/ these are still shots, the below are videos.

https://weather.com/storms/hurricane/video/first-view-of-hurricane-ian-port-charlotte-damage-from-above

https://www.foxweather.com/watch/play-5ef963f42001269

Maps show the impacts of Hurricane Ian this is a free article, and well worth the look through. https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2022/09/24/ian-storm-tracker-map/?itid=hp-top-table-main-t-2

Books: Books I’ve read and reviewed are at: http://lenoragood.blogspot.com

Belated Mornings poems by John Macker. This is a chapbook of 38 pages filled with humor, pathos, and, well, mornings.

Movies: Movies/series I’ve watched and reviewed are at: https://rainydaysmovieoftheweek.blogspot.com

I found Love and Honor, the third of the Samurai trilogy (Twilight Samurai, Hidden Blade) online at a streaming site, LookMovie, watched it free and with no commercial breaks. Well worth the search. Then went back in to see if I could find my own copy at something less than the $95.00 at Amazon. I did. I found a used copy for under $30.00, and it should be here later this week. I will soon have all three of the movies (reviews posted above) to enjoy when I want.

In the meantime, I’m enjoying The Extraordinary Attorney Woo. A Netflix series from South Korea. This is the third k drama series on Netflix I’ve seen where the protagonist has Autism and lives in the real world and is treated like a real person. And all have been very enjoyable. The other two are: It’s OK Not to be OK, and Move to Heaven. All are full of humor, and also I think, goodness. They are not soaps in our use of the word. Speaking of, have you ever wondered where the term “Soap Opera” came from? The early radio melo-dramas were broadcast during the day for the little housewife in her domain and sponsored primarily by various soap products.

And there you have it. I was too busy last week watching Ian to check out earworms. I did find a couple of quotes that are pretty good, and I am listening to The HU.

Quotes by or about Jim Cantore:

“Remember to set out cookies and milk for Jim Cantore on Hurricane Eve, or he’ll leave you with no electricity for a week.”

“People asked when is a good time to worry? The answer is when Jim Cantore shows up.”

Those of you who aren’t from Hurricane Country probably don’t understand why Jim Cantore is such a god of bad weather. He works for The Weather Channel (for over 30 years) and always goes where the worst of the ‘cane will his. I ‘googled’ Where is Jim Cantore? the day before Ian was scheduled to hit Florida. The answer came up in a couple of seconds—Punta Gorda!

Have a great week wherever you are, do what you enjoy, learn a new song, and dance with Crow. And remember, People are to love, things are to use.

There are two kinds of people

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Weather in the Tries:

Whoa, Doat! It looks like Friday was (note that, past tense) our last hot day for a while, maybe even until next summer. This week looks mostly sunny with temps from 81 to 93, with most in the 80s someplace. It’s nice to not just think about cooler weather, but for a while to enjoy it. Until it gets super cold this winter. Actually, I don’t mind the cold either, if I can dress for it, and the dog can go out in it, but that time isn’t here. Yet.

There Are Two Kinds of People

Okay, there are probably several kinds of people, but I believe most people will fit into one or the other category. 1. The LOVE talking to computers and playing games with AI. Many don’t want the personal touch of a human, they want to get in, get out, get back to what they were doing. Or, 2. They hate talking with computers, they want a person who can understand them, hold their had (virtually, if necessary) and take care of business with a smile in their voice, and a nice goodbye well-wish. I’m in the latter category. I hate having to push buttons for this, for that, for anything. When I call a business, I want to hear something like, “Please listen to the following menu as we’ve made a few changes. If you’d like to talk to a living, breathing human, press 1; if you’d like a computer who doesn’t give a frap about you or your piddling problem, press 2.

I hate it when I say I want a representative and the AI says, “Before I connect you, please tell me a little bit about what you want.” So I, being the dumb person I am, say, I need a pin number. “Oh, I can help you. Do you want to cancel your account? Press 1. Do you want to cancel someone else’s account? Press 2. Would you really like to unplug me? Press 3.”

I suppose, another way of saying there are two kinds of people is to say there are old farts and fartesses, and young farts and fartesses. Those of us who grew up when telephone operators were there to help like real people. Those who grew up taking computer classes in the second grade, want to talk to AI.

Then, if you’re a fan of AI, may I recommend a book? I read it 25 or 30 years ago, and am sure I’ve forgotten a lot of it, but I remembered enough that I went looking for it and have a new (used) copy to reread again. Lady El a science fiction novel by Jim Starlin and Diana Graziunas. I had just about given up on the book as the beginning was pretty rough—not the writing, the story line where a little girl (black) was the smartest in her class and was on her way to college in a few years and then her stepdad pimped her out. Uh, no. I don’t need that kind of a story, but I gave it another chapter and BAM!! All that was back story that was necessary, but that wasn’t made clear. Anyhow, she escaped, made her way to NYC, worked at menial jobs, but never THAT job, and spent her spare time in the libraries reading (my kind of gal). When she got her ID card, she signed up to be an organ doner. Yeah, you guessed it, she was shoved between the subway and wall, and was crushed to death. Ewwww. BUT the military was looking for ten good brains, from heads that weren’t damaged.

When she came to she found herself in a computer. The other nine either didn’t survive, or couldn’t handle the new them. But Lady El, she was on an adventure. She could visit any and all libraries in the world. She could read and comprehend books in mere seconds instead of hours. She could get even with her stepfather (stand up and cheer!!), she could go anywhere, and do just about anything. Yep, her death was the beginning of a new and best life ever! The best one she could have ever imagined. If you want a fun book, hit your favorite used bookstore and get Lady El, by Jim Starlin and Diana Graziunas.

Photos of the Week:

I may have put this enthusiastic dabbler in before, but I just love him and his kicking. All the other ducks are much more couth. But this little guy is having FUN!

One of the dragonflies. Alas, they are mostly gone now.

Books: Remember, if I finish a book, I review and post it to http://lenoragood.blogspot.com

I not only finished the four Golgotha books that are out (two more are coming—eventually) I ordered his other two series!

I did buy and read a new chapbook. It’s a small book with about 22 pages, 20 poems in Spanish and English, written by young men between 13-17 years of age who were, at the time of the writing, unaccompanied minors waiting in the Selma Carson Home in Pierce County WA to find out if they could stay or would be shipped back to their home country. Really, they were boys, but their poetry says they are old for their years. My review is at http://lenoragood.blogspot.com. The book is $12.00 including shipping & handling. Buy the book at https://www.collateraljournal.com/community. You’ll be glad you did. These young men have found the beauty in life, the book is full of hope. I hope they all got to stay. We need people like them.

Earworms:

3 hours of Spanish Guitar. Great background music while you rest, read, work.

Quotes from Andres Segovia:

“It is not so hard to be original, what is hard, is to be original with continuity.”

“A man without patience is a lamp without oil.”

“The guitar is the easiest instrument to play and the hardest to play well.”

And there you have…the week past, the week future, and I hope an interesting read. Be well, laugh often, and love one another.

Coffee Break Escapes with Auntie Lenora

Short readings for short times

Category Archives: Adventure

Happy Monday!!

Auntie Lenora’s Excellent Adventure

From Charlie to Ian

There are two kinds of people

Slumberland