aka

Hound Dog, little, little, hound dog, hound dog

passed over on Sunday afternoon.

She was 18 years old.

We celebrate her

tremendous voice

and faithful, fabulous, companionship.

She is free from her limiting old and tired body.

We MISS HER!!
and give thanks for all the joy we shared with her!
OH, BEANIE

Lauren Soldwisch

Poppy

Grandchildren are a gift from God!

A man was exploring caves by the seashore. In one of the caves he found a canvas bag with a bunch of hardened clay balls. It was like someone had rolled clay balls and left them out in the sun to bake. They didn’t look like much, but they intrigued the man, so he took the bag out of the cave with him. As he strolled along the beach, he would throw the clay balls one at a time out into the ocean as far as he could. He thought little about it, until he dropped one of the clay balls and it cracked open on a rock. Inside was a beautiful precious stone. Excited, the man started breaking open the remaining clay balls. Each contained a similar treasure. He found thousands of dollars worth of jewels in the 20 or so clay balls he had left. Then it struck him. He had been on the beach a long time. He had thrown maybe 50 or 60 of the clay balls with their hidden treasure into the ocean waves. Instead of thousands of dollars in treasure, he could have taken home tens of thousands, but he had just thrown it away! It’s like that with people. We look at someone, maybe even ourselves, and we see the external clay vessel. It doesn’t look like much from the outside. It isn’t always beautiful or sparkling, so we discount it. We see that person as less important than someone more beautiful or stylish or well known or wealthy. But we have not taken the time to find the treasure hidden inside that person. There is a treasure in each and every one of us. If we take the time to get to know that person, and if we ask God to show us that person the way He sees them, then the clay begins to peel away and the brilliant gem begins to shine forth. May we not come to the end of our lives and find out that we have thrown away a fortune in friendships because the gems were hidden in bits of clay. May we see the people in our world as God sees them. –Author Unknown

My brother, Steve, surprised me with a road trip to Savannah and Tybee Island, Georgia. Bonaventure Cemetery was beautiful. I could have explored there for hours.

Then we rode to Tybee Island. First time I’ve been to the beach in a very long time.  It was refreshing. There was a light rain from time to time. Steve went for a swim. I simply enjoyed listening to the waves, watching the gulls, and feeling the refreshing rain drops.

That evening we checked into our room and headed out to River Street in the historic district. Lot’s to take in there. We went to One Eyed Lizzy’s for dinner. The best Shrimp Quesadilla I’ve ever had. Grilled shrimp, spinach, mushrooms, tomatoes, onions, shredded cheese and queso blanco. Delicious! Steve had Baked Stuffed Flounder. Filet of flounder stuffed with deviled crub, lightly seasoned and broiled. served with fresh vegetables and baked potato of french fries. He enjoyed his meal also. 

http://www.allmenus.com/ga/savannah/33921-one-eyed-lizzys/menu/

After dinner we walked up and down River Street taking in the sounds, sights and people watching. After a long day of traveling and exploring we retreated to our room. It was very nice and spacious. Both of us took advantage of the wireless internet and then got some much needed rest. After an ample breakfast at our hotel, we packed up and headed out to explore the historic district of Savannah. We walked and walked some more. Checking out the famous ‘squares’ located throughout the area. Huge trees with spider like branches made a canopy over many of the squares. Most were ladened with moss. People sitting, walking, riding their bike, entertaining. There was a formal wedding in one of the squares. The store fronts, the homes, the parks, the churches, the people. Such a diverse city. Savannah Georgia is a beautiful city!

Lake Lure, North Carolina

It’s been awhile since I’ve spent time with my brothers. I live in Alabama and they live in South Carolina. My brother Steve and I drove up to Lake Lure, NC to visit our brother Mike at one of his job sites. We had lunch together and talked about when we were children and the things we used to do. Playing, exploring and learning. It was special.

Azalea

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Origin:
1750–60; < NL < Gk azaléa, n. use of fem. of azaléos dry; so named because it grows in dry soil