Bonsai's & Blue Ball Jars {Part 2 of 3}

I had a birthday. And this is the beautiful (and I DO mean beautiful) birthday cake that my husband got for me from my most favorite bakery in the world...Jay's in P'Cola. But, I have a dilemma. It has to do with choices. And I totally suck at choices. This choice involves my present. Here are my choices:

1. A trip with hubby to South Dakota. (I know it sounds hokey...but South Dakota has a special place in my heart.) He has never been there and I could show him all the places I've only talked to him about over the years.

2. A trip to Bermuda to visit my daughter. This is a two-fer. I would get to visit my daughter (and do we ever have fun) and Bermuda is enchanting. Drawback is hubby would not go. Plus to this is I LOVE Bermuda, and the opportunity is now while my daughter is over there. And I think this may be her last year there. So after that I'll probably never go back.

3. I get a SCOOTER!!! OMG! Plus to this is...it is a scooter! I have wanted one since my first trip to Bermuda. A scooter will last much longer than a week or two. And it would continue to make memories.

Problems? I have a few. Bad problems? I think not. Like I said . I'm horrible at choices. So...HELP!!!!

"I've never worried about getting older...I've been too busy worrying about getting caught." ¸.•*´¨`♥ StoryPeople

This is a bowl of seaglass in a wooden bowl I have in our livingroom window. On the seaglass is a little coin that says "celebrate each day". The coin was a gift from my daughter. And the seaglass probably was too. She brings me seaglass each time she visits. And when I go, I collect it. So it may be a mix of both.

"I celebrate myself, and sing myself." ¸.•*´¨`♥ Walt Whitman

In that same window, next to the bowl of seaglass, is a little bonsai. I got it on a shopping trip with my daughter. It was on clearance at Lowe's. And it looked like it may not make it. But, I adored it's shape and took a chance. I gave it some attention, love, water and sunlight. And it is growing and bringing me such joy!

"...the ultimate challenge for the bonsai designer is to expose the essence of the tree." ¸.•*´¨`♥ Herb L. Gustafson

In another window in our living room sits these three blue ball canning jars with zinc lids. I LOVE blue ball glass jars. All sizes. All shapes.

"Blue color is everlastingly appointed by the Deity to be a source of delight" ¸.•*´¨`♥ John Ruskin

Usually laying in front of the glass jars, under the window on his bed is Petey. He is our little dog. But that hardly says what he is exactly. He is my clown. My bride. (Long story.) Our little companion when days are long and we need a little friendly face.

"taunting the neighbor's dog with meat-flavored tofu because he can't get anyone else to eat it." ¸.•*´¨`♥ StoryPeople


{Continue to part 3...}

Pensacola Bound? {Part 2 of 6}

There is an old hospital in East Hill that is now being used for various businesses. Cafes, coffee shops, pizza resturant, animal hospital, photography studio (sigh), offices. It is a gorgeous building. So happy they didn't tear it down.

"Life isn't finding shelter in the storm. It's about learning to dance in the rain."
¸.•*´¨`♥ Sherrilyn Kenyon

Peeking at the windows

We stopped for a mid afternoon glass of tea in a resturant in the old Sacred Heart Hospital. It has been there for awhile. D went there often when we lived here before and enjoyed their vegetable platter. Yummmmm.

Wonderful resturant

One of the reasons we chose this little resturant, is because they had outside dining. A huge break for Petey. It was getting hot and he needed a good stretch and a place to rest in the shade. Our sweet waitress brought out a nice bowl of water with ice in it. Petey was grateful.

Rejuvenating

{Continue to part 3...}

Dining at Mango Mangos

After work we went out to eat at Mango Mangos, a little colorful restaurant on A1A (my favorite Florida highway). After dinner we enjoyed a walk on the beach.

Paradise at Mango Mangos

Happy beach flowers

Dune fence

Walking the bike

Family in the sand

Sea Oats

On the way home we saw the Seinfeld Campus Tour bus parked at a hotel.

Seinfeld Campus Tour bus

I don't think they were in there

As always, Petey greeted us when we got home. He is such a sweetie pie.

Petey

Could it be spring?

Wonderfully warm day. I think I may be experiencing spring. Yup. Spring. This harbinger of spring is blooming it's little heart out by my driveway. Not unnoticed. Oh, no. Not going unnoticed.

Lovely in pink

Pink explosion

Shy

Most rare...Stinky Peteitis

Just a short trip to the beach

Nothing special about today...just out trying out my brand new Nikon 40! Like D said, we looked put together, but we were a train wreck. Our water jug fell over in the Tahoe on the way to the beach, it was extremely windy and cold (even so, there were swimmers), my suntan lotion ran in my eyes and it looked like I was crying like a baby. It burned! I was pretty much out of it. Guess my zone for this weekend is cooking. I did put on a couple of spreads! I was trying out a new lens filter, and didn't know that I had to turn the lens to get the best angle. Some turned out, others didn't. But, I was such a mess, I didn't care.

I'm trying something different with this batch of photos...I'm using Flickr to post them to this blog. This is sorta like a test. I can't see a way to batch upload a set of photos to blogger from Flickr. Only one at a time...each in a different post. Not what I want. But, never-the-less, these photos are hosted on Flickr and I put the image URL code into the post. I know...too much information. I forgot I'm not on BlogU!

Sea shells

Looking

February flowers

Waves

I will sing for you

How did you like my song?

Skies of blue

February Atlantic

Time to go

Our Weekend, or, Ice Pack to the Nose

It all started innocently enough. Friday night we went out to dinner at a little cafe located on the St. John's River. At least I think it was the St. John's. There are so many bridges and waterways in Jacksonville, that I shall call all that is not the Atlantic, the St. John's River. We ate outside, and it overlooked a sweet little dock. Not particularly great, but we survived.

Sailboats...waiting

Saturday morning we did our run to the Farmer's Market. Always a joy. I could stay there all day. But, I've been told I have issues.

I have never mentioned before that I look forward to the ride to the market. We pass through an older neighborhood, and an establishment that makes perfect sense to me. Take a close look at this picture (click on it to get a big view). And, it is not a fluke. It has been set up this way each time we go by.

Nothing I would like more than to get ribs and my car washed. Really.

But, we don't stop, for what I'm convinced are probably the best ribs in the South. And we arrive at the market.

Farmer's Market

Here are the objects of Drew's affection. Unadulterated love. Pure.

Sweet melons

The line up

Lowe's Produce Stand

Sunday. Ahhhh. Sunday. We decided to take Petey to the beach. It had disaster written all over it. And that leads to the reason I am sitting here with an ice pack on my nose. I had good intentions. Really I did. It was going all right until we landed at the beach. I should of known things had taken a turn for the worse when Beach Bucky got knocked out of the back of the Tahoe and all of our water for the day splattered all over the parking lot. (For those that are following the escapades of Beach Bucky, he is doing fine. Lost a little cap, but I don't think any major damage was done.) Regroup. No harm done. No broken bones. No bruised bodies. Yet.

I can tell you about Petey, but I couldn't do it justice. Let's just say he is a free spirit. And he has no social skills. He gets excited and he dumps. So, 5 minutes out of the Tahoe, I'm looking at a pile of doggie-do. I didn't want to use my only plastic bag right out of the gate, so I spotted a discarded sand shovel close by a trash can. Perfect. Scoop and dispose. I begin the scoop process...Petey on the leash in one hand and the shovel in the other. I stooped down and just as I got almost all of the said do on the shovel, Petey lurched forward which in turn pulled me flat on my face. Literally. I was pulled straight out and my nose broke my fall. I was certain I broke it. There I was sprawled out face down on the ground, spitting sand and crying. And that is how Petey's big day at the beach started. Here are the pictures of his experience.

Morning sun.

Ocean dog...Petey

Drew took this one of a lonely surfer waiting for a morning wave. I was up the beach walking the wild man.

Surfer dude

Of course, the Atlantic Ocean.

Now you know why I'm sitting here with an ice pack on my nose. And why things are really starting to ache. What Doesn't Kill You Makes you Stronger. I have to remember that.