What do you wanna be when you grow up?

Every time I think about doing something to bring in some extra money, I remember my Aunt Annie, about 92, telling me, "I still don't know what I want to do when I grow up." So what do I want to do when I grow up?

I've always loved photography. I bought my first camera in Hawaii at the PX on Fort Shafter. I had checked out the cameras of everyone I saw with a camera and read everything I could get my hands on. So I decided on an Olympus OM1. They were 30% smaller, 30% quieter, and 30% something else I thought was important. I would go to the PX every couple weeks to check it out. Finally after saving up the $300 plus, I told them, "I'll take it."

I loved that camera. Even though I was in Hawaii, I took a ton of black & white photos, learned to use the darkroom, and started shooting "garbage." One of my favorites was of cars that had been pushed off into the sea. There was a strip of beach off Kamehameha Highway that was a cliff with huge boulders at the bottom. There had to have been at least 10 cars lying among the rocks.

Arizona State had just started a program about "garbage," and I thought it was a calling. I still photograph "garbage..." unusual things in common places or common things in unusual places. Commodes are one of my favorites.

Lately, I've been looking at photos on Google Earth and have found some very interesting ones in Tullahoma by a guy by the name of Maurice. Check out this one.

https://picasaweb.google.com/soraxtm

I've been inspired by his technique. Here are a couple of my endeavors.

I don't have the computer program to do what he is doing, but I'm enjoying it what I'm doing and having some fun. 

So maybe I don't have to "know" what I want to do when I grow up. Maybe I just do what I enjoy when I enjoy it. I'm also getting my needle into fabric art. It might not bring in money, but it's the best way I've found to spend my time not making money.

So what are you doing just because it's fun?

Middle of June

I heard someone say the other day, as you get older the days get longer but the weeks and months get shorter. Now, I know what they mean.

John and I have been unemployed/retired for a year now. I was laid off on June 10, 2010. I continue to look for a job, but either I'm not qualified, or I'm too qualified (read: too old). I've done a little work on Elance, but basically I've just "rested." I can still draw unemployment for a while, but decided it was time to start the social security. Got my first check today. No one could live on what I get. With my unemployment, I can pay my bills, but not on the social security. Sure wouldn't make me socially secure.

I'm doing a lot of volunteer work, ie: escorting my mom to Wash. DC. I've got some more pictures to share. Another indication that something really special was happening that day, was our entrance to the Baltimore/Wash Airport. We had what is called a Water Gun Salute. A fire truck sat on either side of the path our plane was taking and sprayed water over us as we went by. Of course a photo inside would have only shown the plane's window with water running down it. But I found a pic online of it happening to another flight. Very dramatic and beautiful.

Our first destination was the World War II Memorial. Our bus let us out nearby and we did our group photograph. Mom and I rolled around to the entrance to get the full effect. There are two large monuments with World War II on them and you walk between them, down a slope to the middle. On either side of that stroll, there are bas-relief panels set into the walls. They are beautiful. And I didn't photograph them but you can see them listed as Bas-Relief Panels (duh) at http://www.wwiimemorial.com/default.asp?page=facts.asp&subpage=factsheets. 

There is a beautiful oval pool in the middle surrounded by columns with the name of each state on them. One either side there is a large column that rises above it all. On the left you'll see Pacific and on the right Atlantic for the two theatres. Also, on the walls around the outside there are quotes carved into the stone. Another visitor volunteered to photograph Mom and I in front of the one about women soldiers:

"WOMEN WHO STEPPED UP WERE MEASURED AS CITIZENS OF THE NATION, NOT AS WOMEN…THIS WAS A PEOPLE’S WAR, AND EVERYONE WAS IN IT." Colonel Oveta Culp Hobby.

You can look her up. Powerful woman.

Mom hates everyone seeing her in a wheelchair. And we only used one because there was so much to see and so much walking to see it all. So please ignore the wheelchair. She does not own one herself.

 

"Two Old Veterans"

Ask Mom to show you the brag book I made for her.

April 2011

Can't believe it's been so long since I wrote something.

This past weekend, Saturday, April 30, 2011, I escorted my mom on the Southern Middle Tennessee Honor Flight. This is a trip for World War II veterans to see the WWII Memorial. My mom is 87 years old and is doing fantastic, but walking very long is a chore for her. We flew in and out of Huntsville.

We left Winchester WalMart at 4:15 a.m. and returned at around 11 p.m. Same Day! Long Day.

The first hint that this was going to be something special was the police escort of the bus from Manchester and Tullahoma to Winchester. Didn't realize it was an escort till they headed out before us with lights flashing. They led us all the way to the Alabama state line. The world was so dark in Huntsville because of the electrical outage. As we left the Huntsville Airport, an employee said, "Enjoy the electricity in Washington." And did we ever.

The local organization provided wheelchairs, so Mom was in one whenever we weren't riding or sitting otherwise. The pat down and search at Huntsville was pretty thorough but everyone was very well behaved.

Once the flight was underway, the pilot announced that the Honor Flight was on board, and everyone broke out into applause. I was very surprised, one of the many of the day. The Air Tran plane was full. I think people were leaving because the electricity was down.

When we landed at the Baltimore/Washington DC airport, there were 20 or so military in uniform applauding and thanking all the WWII veterans. Tears were falling off my nose. I couldn't dab them cause I was pushing the wheelchair up the ramp.

All the way through the airport, people would stop, grab my mom's hand and thank her for her service. It was most touching and even now, I am tearing up.

Leaving BWI

This is the first installment of the day's events. After all it was nearly 20 hours. I've got a lot to tell you.

Love all,

Carrie

2011

Happy New Year, everyone!

I feel like I've been out of the loop for a couple months. First, we had Thanksgiving. Remember that almost 2 months ago? I cooked Thanksgiving Dinner for the first time in probably 12 years for seven. And it's one of my favorite holidays.

Then there was Christmas, and we thought we'd go to a local buffet, but didn't find out till Christmas Day, it was closed. So we did the second most popular thing: ate Chinese on Christmas Day. We, includes myself, my husband, John, and my mom. She lives about 20 miles away and we usually have Sunday lunch with her.

Oh, yeah, we had the first White Christmas in like 30 years ±. Not statistics I'm worried about. So our Christmas Story on 2010 included Chinese Buffet, but not because we lost our turkey. Actually, John and Mom both said it was the best Christmas dinner they’d ever had. No preparation, no cleaning up. We went in, ordered a drink, and started gathering our food.

After Christmas, Mom and I drove to visit my sister and her family in Wiggins, Mississippi. And I have to admit there were a couple trips to the casino, specifically "Island View." Best Buffet of the year, according to Carrie.

As we came back from Mississippi, we stopped in Birmingham for lunch with my cousin and her husband, neither of whom have we seen in probably 10 years. Maybe less, but, too many.

Once we returned home, I had to get ready for surgery to remove a portion of a bulging disk in lower back. That was certainly eventful. You’ll have to ask to get the details. I don’t want to bore everyone to death. I also started physical therapy on my left shoulder that was injured when I was hit by a car in 1986. OMG, that’s so long ago. But it finally started bothering me. The PT has been terrific. Love you, Amy!

So here I am months since my last note. I hope it was worth it.

Let me give you a short run down of all the illnesses of my friends. Three of them had knee replacement surgery in 2010, cousin has to have hearing aids in both ears, I’m having back surgery and physical therapy on my shoulder, two friends have cancer, and another one had an elbow replacement surgery last week. When I needed to go to pt Monday, I called one of the friends who had the knee replacement. She has just completed her pt. It was so strange to have a handicapped friend, take me to have my handicap worked on. Blind leading the blind?

I have realized, “Don’t expect to have a big funeral, if you live long enough to get old.”

The Holiday Season is Here

I just had a flash. It's it interesting we have our best holidays as daylight is declining. I wonder if this is because the ancient people thought they needed to get their partying done before the world ended.

I realized this year Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. And for the first time in a long time, I cooked our Thanksgiving Dinner. And we served it to some of my favorite relatives: Mom, 2 of her sisters, my sister and her husband. Then we celebrated 2 of the many birthdays my family has in November & December.

Earlier in my blog, I mentioned that I had a business I was contemplating. Well, I'm into it. I'm doing Virtual Assisting. I find my jobs on the internet and the client emails the work to me and I email it back. I'm finishing up a "leaflet" (brochure) for a client in Australia. And I'm in the middle of editing a book for a client in Singapore.

I'm doing what I love and making money at it. I'm working with elance.com a great organization with a terrific website. Here's my profile http://www.elance.com/s/yourofficetoolbox/

I can't recall if I'm mentioned the fact that we've been remodeling our kitchen. Well, it's finished except for some painting. And it's terrific. Here's are two photos of before and after. I have room for everything. Thanks to my sister and her organizational abilities! Love you, Rebecca.

                                                                              
Before (we had already started moving stuff out.)                               

After (this is the left side of the other photo)

Amazing change, huh! I'm loving it. I could stay in there all day. 

Check out more on my facebook page. http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1364355181

The Wind is Blowing and the Leaves are Falling

The weather for the last few days has been wild. I am a weather lover.

Unless it's HOT or COLD, I love the weather. One of my favorite things to do is stand facing the wind with my arms up open wide! Exhilarating! Try it! It's like you're embracing life fully.

So many people are afraid of storms, but I love them. I love the flashes of lightning and the rain pounding and the wind blowing and the snow flying! I've had some very interesting trips during monstrous snow storms. The wildest one was a trip back from Watertown, NY after Thanksgiving. Thanks to turkey sandwiches and half a cranberry/peach pie (without sugar, another story) my sister-in-law, at the time, packed for us, we didn't starve. Thank you, Gloria.

When we left Watertown, we headed west toward Lake Erie. Neil had never seen any of the great lakes, so in Pennsylvania, when we got close, I took a side road and we drove straight to the lake. Once there, we got out and stood at the edge of a cliff looking out at the lake. There were great trees, their roots were out of the dirt. There was ice all over them and water slapping against the cliff. And the wind was blowing. It was very, very cold!

Before we got into Ohio, we were in a blizzard, the blizzard of 1977, some may remember. We were in my Opal GT. Remember those, very low to the ground, with the gas tank opening on top of the back end. No trunk. As I drove, we were in blinding snow and I could not even see the front of our car. I was driving in snow ruts with the snow rubbing the underside of the car. I was driving about 30 miles per hour and just praying nothing was stopped in front of me. Fortunately, not.

At one time, we sat on a clean highway for three hours. Neil had to go into a gas station for a cup of hot water to pour over the gas cap to get it open. We ate all the food and that sugarless cranberry/peach pie was delicious. (The recipe called for sugar in the ingredients but didn't tell the cook when to add it. So it wasn't added.)

I'll tell about the other wild snow storm trip some other time. Love that weather! I know sometimes property is damaged and people are killed. But if I survive, I love the energy.

Remember the Opal GTs.  My Opal had been painted a great kelly green. See, tiny!

(thanks to www.cougars-den.com/ for the photo)

Moving On

I'm not going to dwell on the loss of my friend, Barbara, but I do want to share some good stuff.

The Memorial Service last week was very nice. She would have really enjoyed it.

She painted and knitted and her daughter and others had brought several things she had knitted and painted. The minister who conducted the service knew her and they had had a good relationship. At one time, he pretended he had dropped something and bent over to pick it up saying, "Excuse me." When he stood back up, he had on a neon orange toboggan and scarf. The toboggan had a huge orange tassel hanging from the top of it. Barbara had made them for him for Christmas last year. The attendees loved it.

Her friend Bertha and I were asked to speak about her and the remarks were appreciated. There were several amusing remarks about her politics and political emails. Some had deleted all with out reading, some had deleted some without reading, and some had read them all.

It was so obvious that everyone loved her. I got to meet several people she had spoken of frequently, especially her aunt B and her cousin J.

I hope that my memorial service is as entertaining and leaves people feeling as good about life.

B, I love you and miss you.