We had a very good day!
Up at 7 a.m., but skipped my exercises so I could get ready for a visit from Son, Daughter-in-Law, and two great-grandsons. After breakfast, Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house, and we began lunch prepararations...I gathered ingredients for lasagna, and Mother put it together. She also cut up veggies for a salad, and sliced and buttered French bread.
After that, we spruced the house a little bit, paying particular attention to vacuuming, and using a sticky roller on the furniture to reduce cat hair and dander, because Daughter-in-Law is allergic to cats.
Son and Hubbie went to Mother's house, and immediately began working to replace light switches and receptacles. Just before noon, I discovered we were out of milk, so Hubbie made a quick trip to the grocery store, because that's what the boys needed to have with their lunch.
Our lunch of lasagna, salad, cottage cheese, and French bread, followed by peach cobbler and ice cream was very good. It stuck to our ribs all afternoon, and no one was ready for supper later.
Mother and I thoroughly enjoyed the great-grandsons, who are really good boys. Like all kids who visit our house, they were fascinated with the staircase, and played on it a lot. They also enjoyed the boxes of toys from the closet, many of which their dad played with when he was a boy.
Son and Hubbie finished the task at Mother's house around 5 p.m. Son and family left shortly afterward. I fixed a plate of macaroni salad and a slice of deli turkey for Mother to have later, and then accompanied her to her house.
Hubbie and I watched TV for the rest of the evening, including a 2009 movie called, "The Fourth Kind." What is causing mysterious deaths and disappearances in Nome, Alaska? Alien abductions? A serial killer?
Saturday, August 4, 2012
Friday, August 3, 2012
Friday, August 3
Slept late again, until around 8 a.m. After breakfast, Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house, where she peeled and sliced peaches for a peach cobbler, and while I put the cobbler together and got it into the oven, she peeled and diced tomatoes to be used in making lasagna tomorrow.
Once the cobbler was out of the oven, I did stair stepping, resistance bands, and weights exercises, after which I headed upstairs to get ready for the day. In the meantime, Hubbie took the van to the shop to get the oil changed. He also hoped to get whatever work done that was needed to satisfy a couple of recalls, but the shop didn't have the necessary parts on hand. For the oil change, he was able to use a certificate he won at the Summer Celebration silent auction.
He got back home in time for lunch, which was salmon sandwich, macaroni salad, and a helping of the hot cobbler for Mother, a generous serving of macaroni salad, and a dish of cobbler for me, and the remainder of the pimento cheese on hot dog buns, slaw, and macaroni salad for Hubbie, along with a dish of cobbler.
Mother headed to the couch for a nap afterward, and Hubbie and I relaxed for a while, since we didn't want to make noise and wake Mother. She slept a long time, until around 4 p.m.
After a while, I felt I needed to spruce the kitchen and den for company tomorrow, which I did as quietly as possible.
Mother got up feeling refreshed, and wanted to help make a batch of biscuits. I gathered all the ingredients and implements, and she prepared the dough, rolled it out, and used a biscuit cutter to cut them and place them on a cookie sheet.
I put the remainder of slow cooker chicken and veggies in the oven, and when it was heated, I put the biscuits in. It was a satisfying meal.
Afterward, I accompanied Mother back to her house, and then Hubbie and I watched TV, as usual, starting with the movie, "Glorious 39," a 2009 British suspense thriller that centers on a powerful political family just before WWII.
Once the cobbler was out of the oven, I did stair stepping, resistance bands, and weights exercises, after which I headed upstairs to get ready for the day. In the meantime, Hubbie took the van to the shop to get the oil changed. He also hoped to get whatever work done that was needed to satisfy a couple of recalls, but the shop didn't have the necessary parts on hand. For the oil change, he was able to use a certificate he won at the Summer Celebration silent auction.
He got back home in time for lunch, which was salmon sandwich, macaroni salad, and a helping of the hot cobbler for Mother, a generous serving of macaroni salad, and a dish of cobbler for me, and the remainder of the pimento cheese on hot dog buns, slaw, and macaroni salad for Hubbie, along with a dish of cobbler.
Mother headed to the couch for a nap afterward, and Hubbie and I relaxed for a while, since we didn't want to make noise and wake Mother. She slept a long time, until around 4 p.m.
After a while, I felt I needed to spruce the kitchen and den for company tomorrow, which I did as quietly as possible.
Mother got up feeling refreshed, and wanted to help make a batch of biscuits. I gathered all the ingredients and implements, and she prepared the dough, rolled it out, and used a biscuit cutter to cut them and place them on a cookie sheet.
I put the remainder of slow cooker chicken and veggies in the oven, and when it was heated, I put the biscuits in. It was a satisfying meal.
Afterward, I accompanied Mother back to her house, and then Hubbie and I watched TV, as usual, starting with the movie, "Glorious 39," a 2009 British suspense thriller that centers on a powerful political family just before WWII.
Thursday, August 2, 2012
Thursday, August 2
FINALLY! We got rain this morning...only about a half an inch, but maybe we'll fall under the 20% to 30% chances of more rain over the next several days.
Slept late this morning, until around 8 a.m. It was pleasant sleeping to the sound of rain, and even the thunder and lightening didn't bother us. After breakfast, Hubbie accompained Mother to our house, and she, Hubbie, and I worked to peel, slice, and bag peaches for the freezer. We got five quarts, and there are still more to be processed.
Afterward, I did a treadmill session and resistance band exercises. Once I cooled down, it was already time for lunch. Fixed a salmon sandwich for Mother. I had a slice of leftover bagel pizza, and Hubbie had a pimento cheese sandwich. Hubbie and I had frozen Reliance grapes for dessert, but Mother didn't want anything more.
Then Mother went to the couch for a nap, and I finally headed upstairs to get ready for the day. After that, we spent a pretty lazy afternoon, with Hubbie watching TV, and I reading, or playing on my laptop. I also gathered information (including a member mailing list, and volunteer hours) related to our scrapbook club to submit to the new Extension Services agent.
Mother was up from her nap around 3 p.m. We vegged for a while, and then fixed a supper of bacon/lettuce/tomato/Vidalia onion sandwiches, served with macaroni salad. Afterward, I accompanied Mother to her house, and waited until she had taken a shower.
Back home, Hubbie and I ran a couple of errands...first to a home improvement store, where we met one of our neighbors, whose wife we worked with before we retired. We learned tonight that, unbeknowst to us, she has been in the hospital for several weeks. Her husband and son had made a long trip recently, and she was unable to go due to poor health because of diabetes.
When they returned, they found her lying on the floor in a coma. They don't know how long she had been there. She barely had a pulse, and they feared they would lose her. But, she's now in rehab at the hospital. Her health is so precarious, that anyone who visits her has to suit up, and wear a cap and gloves.
Her lucidity comes and goes, and she has a sore on her tail bone that is not healing properly. She has already suffered a staph infection, and some other infection that I've forgotten, as a result of being hospitalized. Sounds like it's going to be a long road before she can return home, if she is able to at all.
The fact that we didn't know about this until today is proof once again of how insular we are as a society. We don't even know whats going on with our neighbors, nor do they know what's going on with us.
Our purpose in going to that store was to look for outlets and toggle switches for Mother's house, because Son and Daughter-in-Law plan to come up on Saturday, so Son, and electrician, can replace all them at Mother's house.
But we didn't find what we wanted, so we headed to the WDCS. Found what we wanted, and since we were there, I picked up salad and French Bread for Saturday's lunch.
On the way back to our van after shopping, we saw a beautiful sunset...blazing red sun against pink and slate gray clouds. At home, we watched TV for the rest of the evening.
Slept late this morning, until around 8 a.m. It was pleasant sleeping to the sound of rain, and even the thunder and lightening didn't bother us. After breakfast, Hubbie accompained Mother to our house, and she, Hubbie, and I worked to peel, slice, and bag peaches for the freezer. We got five quarts, and there are still more to be processed.
Afterward, I did a treadmill session and resistance band exercises. Once I cooled down, it was already time for lunch. Fixed a salmon sandwich for Mother. I had a slice of leftover bagel pizza, and Hubbie had a pimento cheese sandwich. Hubbie and I had frozen Reliance grapes for dessert, but Mother didn't want anything more.
Then Mother went to the couch for a nap, and I finally headed upstairs to get ready for the day. After that, we spent a pretty lazy afternoon, with Hubbie watching TV, and I reading, or playing on my laptop. I also gathered information (including a member mailing list, and volunteer hours) related to our scrapbook club to submit to the new Extension Services agent.
Mother was up from her nap around 3 p.m. We vegged for a while, and then fixed a supper of bacon/lettuce/tomato/Vidalia onion sandwiches, served with macaroni salad. Afterward, I accompanied Mother to her house, and waited until she had taken a shower.
Back home, Hubbie and I ran a couple of errands...first to a home improvement store, where we met one of our neighbors, whose wife we worked with before we retired. We learned tonight that, unbeknowst to us, she has been in the hospital for several weeks. Her husband and son had made a long trip recently, and she was unable to go due to poor health because of diabetes.
When they returned, they found her lying on the floor in a coma. They don't know how long she had been there. She barely had a pulse, and they feared they would lose her. But, she's now in rehab at the hospital. Her health is so precarious, that anyone who visits her has to suit up, and wear a cap and gloves.
Her lucidity comes and goes, and she has a sore on her tail bone that is not healing properly. She has already suffered a staph infection, and some other infection that I've forgotten, as a result of being hospitalized. Sounds like it's going to be a long road before she can return home, if she is able to at all.
The fact that we didn't know about this until today is proof once again of how insular we are as a society. We don't even know whats going on with our neighbors, nor do they know what's going on with us.
Our purpose in going to that store was to look for outlets and toggle switches for Mother's house, because Son and Daughter-in-Law plan to come up on Saturday, so Son, and electrician, can replace all them at Mother's house.
But we didn't find what we wanted, so we headed to the WDCS. Found what we wanted, and since we were there, I picked up salad and French Bread for Saturday's lunch.
On the way back to our van after shopping, we saw a beautiful sunset...blazing red sun against pink and slate gray clouds. At home, we watched TV for the rest of the evening.
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Wednesday, August 1
First day of August. Usually, this is the hottest month of the summer in our state, but after the extremes of June and July, I hope it doesn't hold true this year!
Today is also Great-Grandson's Birthday. Happy Birthday, Great-Grandson!
Up around 7:30 this morning. After a leisurely breakfast, I boiled macaroni to make macaroni salad later. Then, since the weather was moderate...overcast and in the mid-80s...Hubbie and I went for a bike ride. We broke a sweat, of course, so the air conditioning at home, and tall glasses of ice water felt great when we returned.
Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house, where she peeled and sliced peaches to be sweetened, diced an onion, and put together the macaroni salad, while I got ready for the day.
By this time, it was noon, and we had a sandwich lunch...hot dogs for Mother and Hubbie, and pimento cheese for me. Afterward, Mother went to the couch for a nap, while Hubbie and I ran errands.
We stopped by a grocery store to buy two cartons of cottage cheese, dropped the word search puzzle off at the newspaper office, went by the post office to mail a letter, visited a book/movie store, where I wanted to compare the price of a movie with an online store (found the online store is cheaper), and then went to the WDCS for a few items. I checked the price of the movie here, too, and it was lower than the book/movie store, but was still more than the online store.
Picked up Grape Festival photos that I'd ordered online last night, plus a few grocery items, including yogurt for Mother. Learned from the stocker that the price is going up eight cents on this item, and the store will no longer carry Mother's favorite flavor, vanilla. Go figure. You'd think this would be a popular flavor. The stocker said they have a limited number of it, which they plan to put on sale in a couple of days, so we'll need to go back and see if we can stock up.
Back home, I peeled and chopped tomatoes for bagel pizzas later. Mother got up from her nap as I was doing this, and wanted to help put the pizzas together.
We spent the rest of the afternoon before supper, about an hour, watching TV. In the meantime, Hubbie visited our neighbors, who had taken care of our cats while we were at the Grape Festival, to thank them with a small box of peaches and a bottle of wine.
Enjoyed the bagel pizzas for supper, with a side of cottage cheese and garden tomatoes, followed by a choice of cantaloupe or watermelon. Afterward, I accompanied Mother to her house. Then, Hubbie and I spent the evening in front of TV, as usual, including the movie, "An Officer and a Murderer." This movie is based on the true story of a high ranking Canadian military official, who breaks and enters homes, steals women's underwear, and commits sexual assault. These home invasions eventually turn deadly, before a small town detective, an FBI agent catch him.
Today is also Great-Grandson's Birthday. Happy Birthday, Great-Grandson!
Up around 7:30 this morning. After a leisurely breakfast, I boiled macaroni to make macaroni salad later. Then, since the weather was moderate...overcast and in the mid-80s...Hubbie and I went for a bike ride. We broke a sweat, of course, so the air conditioning at home, and tall glasses of ice water felt great when we returned.
Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house, where she peeled and sliced peaches to be sweetened, diced an onion, and put together the macaroni salad, while I got ready for the day.
By this time, it was noon, and we had a sandwich lunch...hot dogs for Mother and Hubbie, and pimento cheese for me. Afterward, Mother went to the couch for a nap, while Hubbie and I ran errands.
We stopped by a grocery store to buy two cartons of cottage cheese, dropped the word search puzzle off at the newspaper office, went by the post office to mail a letter, visited a book/movie store, where I wanted to compare the price of a movie with an online store (found the online store is cheaper), and then went to the WDCS for a few items. I checked the price of the movie here, too, and it was lower than the book/movie store, but was still more than the online store.
Picked up Grape Festival photos that I'd ordered online last night, plus a few grocery items, including yogurt for Mother. Learned from the stocker that the price is going up eight cents on this item, and the store will no longer carry Mother's favorite flavor, vanilla. Go figure. You'd think this would be a popular flavor. The stocker said they have a limited number of it, which they plan to put on sale in a couple of days, so we'll need to go back and see if we can stock up.
Back home, I peeled and chopped tomatoes for bagel pizzas later. Mother got up from her nap as I was doing this, and wanted to help put the pizzas together.
We spent the rest of the afternoon before supper, about an hour, watching TV. In the meantime, Hubbie visited our neighbors, who had taken care of our cats while we were at the Grape Festival, to thank them with a small box of peaches and a bottle of wine.
Enjoyed the bagel pizzas for supper, with a side of cottage cheese and garden tomatoes, followed by a choice of cantaloupe or watermelon. Afterward, I accompanied Mother to her house. Then, Hubbie and I spent the evening in front of TV, as usual, including the movie, "An Officer and a Murderer." This movie is based on the true story of a high ranking Canadian military official, who breaks and enters homes, steals women's underwear, and commits sexual assault. These home invasions eventually turn deadly, before a small town detective, an FBI agent catch him.
Tuesday, July 31, 2012
Tuesday, July 31
Another month gone already, though I can't say we're sorry to see it go after the dreadful heat and drought, which promises to continue for no telling how long into August.
Up around 8 a.m. this morning, and did stair stepping, resistance bands, and weights exercises after breakfast. Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house mid-morning, where she sliced mushrooms and diced onions, which I sauteed once I was ready for the day.
Spent the rest of the morning doing this and that around the house, and then fixed a lunch of a salmon sandwich for Mother, barbecue sandwich for Hubbie, and pimento cheese for myself.
Afterward, Mother retired to the couch for a nap, while Hubbie and I ran errands. First, we went to another town about 20 miles away to buy watermelons and cantaloupes from our favorite farmer.
On the way to and coming back from getting the fruit, we were stalled in traffic for awhile, because a semi truck, loaded with an enormous cylinder, had tried to negotiate a turn onto the highway, and managed to belly the rig down onto the road, where it got stuck.
Emergency personnel routed traffic around the rig, and we were on our way in a few minutes.
From there, we stopped by a grocery store to pick up a couple of cartons of cottage cheese; then went to the post office to mail this week's Sunday supplement coupons to Granddaughter; and on to the pharmacy to pick up prescriptions. Our last stop was the WDCS for groceries.
Back home, Mother had finished her nap, and went to the kitchen to dice bell pepper, which I sauteed and added to the mushrooms and onions. The veggies will be incorporated in meals this week.
Later, I heated leftovers from last night's meal for supper. After supper, I accompanied Mother to her house, and hung around while she took a shower.
At home, Hubbie and I watched the 2011 movie, "Hanna," starring Cate Glanchett. A 16-year-old girl is trained by her father to be an assassin. Then she goes on a mission across Europe, and is tracked by a ruthless intelligence agent and her operatives. The girl must kill or be killed by the agent.
In the middle of the movie, I remembered that I hadn't thrown a load of laundry in the washer for Mother, so I hurried to her house to do it.
When I got back, while I sort of watched the movie, I completed a monthly Literacy Council report, ordered photos of our Grape Festival trip from the WDCS photo center, and did the weekly word search puzzle contest.
Up around 8 a.m. this morning, and did stair stepping, resistance bands, and weights exercises after breakfast. Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house mid-morning, where she sliced mushrooms and diced onions, which I sauteed once I was ready for the day.
Spent the rest of the morning doing this and that around the house, and then fixed a lunch of a salmon sandwich for Mother, barbecue sandwich for Hubbie, and pimento cheese for myself.
Afterward, Mother retired to the couch for a nap, while Hubbie and I ran errands. First, we went to another town about 20 miles away to buy watermelons and cantaloupes from our favorite farmer.
On the way to and coming back from getting the fruit, we were stalled in traffic for awhile, because a semi truck, loaded with an enormous cylinder, had tried to negotiate a turn onto the highway, and managed to belly the rig down onto the road, where it got stuck.
Emergency personnel routed traffic around the rig, and we were on our way in a few minutes.
From there, we stopped by a grocery store to pick up a couple of cartons of cottage cheese; then went to the post office to mail this week's Sunday supplement coupons to Granddaughter; and on to the pharmacy to pick up prescriptions. Our last stop was the WDCS for groceries.
Back home, Mother had finished her nap, and went to the kitchen to dice bell pepper, which I sauteed and added to the mushrooms and onions. The veggies will be incorporated in meals this week.
Later, I heated leftovers from last night's meal for supper. After supper, I accompanied Mother to her house, and hung around while she took a shower.
At home, Hubbie and I watched the 2011 movie, "Hanna," starring Cate Glanchett. A 16-year-old girl is trained by her father to be an assassin. Then she goes on a mission across Europe, and is tracked by a ruthless intelligence agent and her operatives. The girl must kill or be killed by the agent.
In the middle of the movie, I remembered that I hadn't thrown a load of laundry in the washer for Mother, so I hurried to her house to do it.
When I got back, while I sort of watched the movie, I completed a monthly Literacy Council report, ordered photos of our Grape Festival trip from the WDCS photo center, and did the weekly word search puzzle contest.
Monday, July 30
Up at 7:30, but skipped my exercises after breakfast. Hubbie accompanied Mother to our house mid-morning, where she prepared veggies to be included with chicken in the slow cooker. Hubbie peeled potatoes for the meal. Besides potatoes, I added carrots, celery, onions, and the only zucchini squash that the garden produced, to chicken seasoned with pepper, no-salt seasoning, paprika, rosemary, and parsley, along with low-sodium chicken broth.
I chose this meal so that it could cook while I met with my ESL student at the college. Spent the rest of the morning doing this and that, including reviewing this week's lesson, and catching up on reading the Sunday and daily local newspapers.
In the meantime, Hubbie ran errands, including picking up a large box of free-stone peaches that we'd ordered before leaving on our trip. The peaches are from another state and are not quite ripe yet, so we'll let them rest a few days, and then prepare most of them for the freezer.
After lunch, Mother retired to the couch for a nap, and later I met my student. Today's lesson included "because" clauses: "Why is Lee Chan sad? Because he is leaving his family." "Why is Fran crying? Because her brother died yesterday."
The lesson also included "as + adjectives + as": "This pencil is as long as that one." "Fran runs as fast as Kim does."
The student also worked with the use of "almost": "It's 8:45. It's almost 9 o'clock." And irregular noun plurals: "I have a knife. I have two knives." "I have a loaf of bread. I have two loaves of bread."
We finished the lesson with my reading a paragraph that the student repeated back to me. She also worked on a lesson on reading and writing from her workbook.
In conversation, the student commented that she has another toothache. This time she needs a root canal, she said. I hope she sees a dentist soon.
Back home, the slow cooker meal was ready, and we enjoyed it at 5 p.m. Accompanied Mother home afterward, and then Hubbie and I vegged in front of TV.
I chose this meal so that it could cook while I met with my ESL student at the college. Spent the rest of the morning doing this and that, including reviewing this week's lesson, and catching up on reading the Sunday and daily local newspapers.
In the meantime, Hubbie ran errands, including picking up a large box of free-stone peaches that we'd ordered before leaving on our trip. The peaches are from another state and are not quite ripe yet, so we'll let them rest a few days, and then prepare most of them for the freezer.
After lunch, Mother retired to the couch for a nap, and later I met my student. Today's lesson included "because" clauses: "Why is Lee Chan sad? Because he is leaving his family." "Why is Fran crying? Because her brother died yesterday."
The lesson also included "as + adjectives + as": "This pencil is as long as that one." "Fran runs as fast as Kim does."
The student also worked with the use of "almost": "It's 8:45. It's almost 9 o'clock." And irregular noun plurals: "I have a knife. I have two knives." "I have a loaf of bread. I have two loaves of bread."
We finished the lesson with my reading a paragraph that the student repeated back to me. She also worked on a lesson on reading and writing from her workbook.
In conversation, the student commented that she has another toothache. This time she needs a root canal, she said. I hope she sees a dentist soon.
Back home, the slow cooker meal was ready, and we enjoyed it at 5 p.m. Accompanied Mother home afterward, and then Hubbie and I vegged in front of TV.
Grape Festival, Day 4
Sunday, July 29:
After a really hot day yesterday, this morning was very pleasant, so following a breakfast of bagels with cream cheese and strawberry preserves, yogurt for those who wanted it, and fruits, Daughter and I went for a bike ride.
When we got back, we all got ready to pack it in and head home. We were on the road around 9 a.m., and arrived back at Daughter's hometown by 11 a.m. We decided to wait to have lunch until later, so we bid goodbye to Daughter and her friend, and continued our trip home.
We stopped at another town about an hour away, had a sandwich lunch, then headed home. Arrived around 2:30. The first thing we noticed was that there had been an apparent storm while we were gone, because a couple of sizeable limbs were down (one near Mother's house), plants in the garden were bent, and a birdfeeder has fallen and broken.
I accompanied Mother to her house, and then Hubbie and I spent the remainder of the afternoon unloading the camper, washing clothes, and doing other tasks related to getting organized after a trip.
Fixed a supper of leftover barbecue and hot dogs. I prepared a plate for Mother...hot dog on a bun, and a half a baked potato leftover from her dinner at the restaurant Saturday night, and delivered it to her house. Once she'd eaten, I hung around until she had taken a shower, and then I threw a load of laundry in the washer.
Back home, I relaxed until Hubbie came in out of the yard, and then we finished the evening watching TV.
After a really hot day yesterday, this morning was very pleasant, so following a breakfast of bagels with cream cheese and strawberry preserves, yogurt for those who wanted it, and fruits, Daughter and I went for a bike ride.
When we got back, we all got ready to pack it in and head home. We were on the road around 9 a.m., and arrived back at Daughter's hometown by 11 a.m. We decided to wait to have lunch until later, so we bid goodbye to Daughter and her friend, and continued our trip home.
We stopped at another town about an hour away, had a sandwich lunch, then headed home. Arrived around 2:30. The first thing we noticed was that there had been an apparent storm while we were gone, because a couple of sizeable limbs were down (one near Mother's house), plants in the garden were bent, and a birdfeeder has fallen and broken.
I accompanied Mother to her house, and then Hubbie and I spent the remainder of the afternoon unloading the camper, washing clothes, and doing other tasks related to getting organized after a trip.
Fixed a supper of leftover barbecue and hot dogs. I prepared a plate for Mother...hot dog on a bun, and a half a baked potato leftover from her dinner at the restaurant Saturday night, and delivered it to her house. Once she'd eaten, I hung around until she had taken a shower, and then I threw a load of laundry in the washer.
Back home, I relaxed until Hubbie came in out of the yard, and then we finished the evening watching TV.
Monday, July 30, 2012
Grape Festival, Day 3
Saturday, July 28:
Up at 7:30, and had more breakfast breads and fruits for breakfast. Once we were ready for the day, we went to the festival. Arrived there around 9:30, in time to watch our state's attorney general participate in a grape stomping event. He was accompanied by an entourage of state and local police, as well as bodyguards. He didn't win the grape stomp.
Sis and Nephew arrived shortly after we got to the festival. It was an incredibly hot day, around 106 degrees we learned later, but we toughed it out, because we wanted to see Daughter compete in a grape stomp at 12:30. She had registered for the event yesterday.
We listened to local bands, and watched a grape pie eating, and Bacchus look-alike contest, but Hubbie, Daughter, and I declined sampling wines in favor of swilling water and cones of shaved ice. Sis, however, did sample a fruit wine.
Mother cooled off with a dish of soft-serve ice cream, as well as two pop ices that were given to her by firemen, who were passing them out to children and older folks to help keep them hydrated. A local politician provided hand fans, and we picked up a few. They helped.
Besides the heat, a further disincentive to wine sampling was the fact that visitors were required to buy a $3 wine glass, and then pay an additional $3 to $5 for a full glass. One could only sample a small amount of a single wine selection, rather than sampling several selections, as has been allowed in the past.
Other changes to the festival included the fact that neither the prison band, nor the polka band performed, and there were no prizes for event contests...only certificates were awarded. Which is what Daughter received when she competed in and won the grape stomping event. This year, too, a Lady Bacchus look-alike contest was added.
The stomp was a little late getting started...closer to 1 p.m. than 12:30, since event organizers were awaiting the local priest to show up for the blessing of the vines. When he didn't arrive, the stomp proceeded.
After that, we hurried back to camp to cool off under air conditioning, and have a sandwich lunch. Mother laid down for a nap then, and the rest of us headed back to the festival area. We weren't interested in attending the festival, however. Sis wanted to visit a winery to get this year's festival wine. But they were out of it.
So we went to another winery for wine tastings. This winery does not charge to sample, or at least they didn't this year. We had sampled on Thursday and bought a case of their three most recent varieties, all of which are delicious. Sis bought one bottle of each.
The winery also had a couple of varieties of table grapes for sale, one of which is very nice, though not as good as the Reliance grapes. They are good enough, though, that we bought a couple of pounds of them, as did Sis.
Sis and Nephew left after this, on their two-hour trip back home. Hubbie, Daughter, and I did some more touring. First stop, the little museum in this town, which is housed in a corner area of an old building across from the city park where the festival is held.
The museum exhibits center on coal mining history, which was the leading industry of the area early on. Lots of miners died in mining accidents, and many others died of black lung disease. A monument featuring a coal miner statue and four marble pillars with the names of deceased miners engraved on them is a focal point of the city park.
The museum is now in the process of raising funds for the construction of a large brass eagle to be mounted on the other side of the park, as the center of a veterans memorial, which also features marble blocks with the names of the fallen etched on them.
The museum staff were proud to emphasize that all funding for the eagle will be from private donations...nothing from the government, because, "we want no strings attached to it."
After that, we went in search of a dam site overlook. I'd seen it on a sign earlier in the day, and wanted to explore it. We first visited the dam, where a yellow and red tug boat rested, waiting for its next assignment. I love tugs, and took several snapshots of it.
We traveled from there up a winding road to the top of the hill, where there is a nice, quiet picnic park, and an overlook viewing area. From here, there is a spectacular view of the the dam, with the lake above, and river below. I'm surprised we haven't discovered this area before in the years we've visited for the festival.
We stayed at the overlook until sunset, so I could take pictures. It was a lovely sight. It was hot at the overlook, but not as hot as at the campground.
We were back at camp by around 8 p.m., where we hit the shower, and then played a couple of games of Skipbo. This time, Hubbie and Sis each won one.
It had been a long, very hot, day, and we were plenty ready for bed.
Up at 7:30, and had more breakfast breads and fruits for breakfast. Once we were ready for the day, we went to the festival. Arrived there around 9:30, in time to watch our state's attorney general participate in a grape stomping event. He was accompanied by an entourage of state and local police, as well as bodyguards. He didn't win the grape stomp.
Sis and Nephew arrived shortly after we got to the festival. It was an incredibly hot day, around 106 degrees we learned later, but we toughed it out, because we wanted to see Daughter compete in a grape stomp at 12:30. She had registered for the event yesterday.
We listened to local bands, and watched a grape pie eating, and Bacchus look-alike contest, but Hubbie, Daughter, and I declined sampling wines in favor of swilling water and cones of shaved ice. Sis, however, did sample a fruit wine.
Mother cooled off with a dish of soft-serve ice cream, as well as two pop ices that were given to her by firemen, who were passing them out to children and older folks to help keep them hydrated. A local politician provided hand fans, and we picked up a few. They helped.
Besides the heat, a further disincentive to wine sampling was the fact that visitors were required to buy a $3 wine glass, and then pay an additional $3 to $5 for a full glass. One could only sample a small amount of a single wine selection, rather than sampling several selections, as has been allowed in the past.
Other changes to the festival included the fact that neither the prison band, nor the polka band performed, and there were no prizes for event contests...only certificates were awarded. Which is what Daughter received when she competed in and won the grape stomping event. This year, too, a Lady Bacchus look-alike contest was added.
The stomp was a little late getting started...closer to 1 p.m. than 12:30, since event organizers were awaiting the local priest to show up for the blessing of the vines. When he didn't arrive, the stomp proceeded.
After that, we hurried back to camp to cool off under air conditioning, and have a sandwich lunch. Mother laid down for a nap then, and the rest of us headed back to the festival area. We weren't interested in attending the festival, however. Sis wanted to visit a winery to get this year's festival wine. But they were out of it.
So we went to another winery for wine tastings. This winery does not charge to sample, or at least they didn't this year. We had sampled on Thursday and bought a case of their three most recent varieties, all of which are delicious. Sis bought one bottle of each.
The winery also had a couple of varieties of table grapes for sale, one of which is very nice, though not as good as the Reliance grapes. They are good enough, though, that we bought a couple of pounds of them, as did Sis.
Sis and Nephew left after this, on their two-hour trip back home. Hubbie, Daughter, and I did some more touring. First stop, the little museum in this town, which is housed in a corner area of an old building across from the city park where the festival is held.
The museum exhibits center on coal mining history, which was the leading industry of the area early on. Lots of miners died in mining accidents, and many others died of black lung disease. A monument featuring a coal miner statue and four marble pillars with the names of deceased miners engraved on them is a focal point of the city park.
The museum is now in the process of raising funds for the construction of a large brass eagle to be mounted on the other side of the park, as the center of a veterans memorial, which also features marble blocks with the names of the fallen etched on them.
The museum staff were proud to emphasize that all funding for the eagle will be from private donations...nothing from the government, because, "we want no strings attached to it."
After that, we went in search of a dam site overlook. I'd seen it on a sign earlier in the day, and wanted to explore it. We first visited the dam, where a yellow and red tug boat rested, waiting for its next assignment. I love tugs, and took several snapshots of it.
We traveled from there up a winding road to the top of the hill, where there is a nice, quiet picnic park, and an overlook viewing area. From here, there is a spectacular view of the the dam, with the lake above, and river below. I'm surprised we haven't discovered this area before in the years we've visited for the festival.
We stayed at the overlook until sunset, so I could take pictures. It was a lovely sight. It was hot at the overlook, but not as hot as at the campground.
We were back at camp by around 8 p.m., where we hit the shower, and then played a couple of games of Skipbo. This time, Hubbie and Sis each won one.
It had been a long, very hot, day, and we were plenty ready for bed.
Grape Festival, Day 2
Friday, July 27:
Up at 7:30, and had breakfast breads...banana/pineapple, strawberry, and blueberry..along with fresh cantaloupe, pineapple, and oranges. Afterward, Hubbie, Daughter, and I went for a bike ride, since the rain-cooled temp was in the comfortable 80s.
Back at camp, we helped Mother to go into the yard to sit and enjoy the pleasant morning. She was concerned that she was still in her pajamas and housecoat, but I assured her no one would care.
We spent the rest of the morning out there, enjoying the lake, with egrets skimming the surface looking for a fish meal, and the crickets in symphony. In the quiet of the campground, it was as though an invisible conductor led the cricket concert. The music started low in one area, then rose and rose to a crescendo, then ebbed, as a song began and rose from another area. It continued this way in stereo surround sound. Mother and I commented that although we frequently hear crickets, it's just a common background noise that we don't conciously listen to like we did today.
In stark contrast to the pleasing cricket song, was the cawing of crows. They too, called back and forth from area to area, but it fell harshly on our ears.
Since the morning continued cool and pleasant, we decided later to have our sandwich lunch al fresco. Afterward, we helped Mother back into the camper for a nap, while Hubbie, Daughter, and I went in search of a fruit stand. We stopped at the one we usually visit while we're in that area, but a posted sign announced that it's closed for the season. This is due, I'm sure, to the early spring that ripened fruits too early. So, no peaches or grapes from that stand, or anywhere in the area, this year.
We continued our tour by visiting an area museum and flea market, a scenic overlook, and a vineyard (where clusters of grapes had shriveled on the vines, thanks to heat and drought). We sampled wines in the village's 1880s store, and learned that this year tasters can have only two free samples. After that, there is a $5 charge to sample their choice of the others. I guess this is all a result of grape crops that have failed for the past few very hot summers.
We also stopped at the city park, where vendors were setting up for the festival, to begin around 5 p.m. We hoped to buy our favorite variety of grapes from a vendor who sells them there every year. The vendor was there, but he only had containers of frozen grapes for sale. We would have preferred fresh, but we bought a container of the frozen ones.
Before going back to camp, we made reservations at a favorite Swiss restaurant for later this evening. At camp, we all changed clothes and then headed to the restaurant for our 5:30 reservation.
The hostess seated us on the lower level, so Mother wouldn't have to climb the steps to the main dining area. The table we were seated at was close to the kitchen door, but it was okay.
The waitresses all dress in Swiss Miss costumes, so of course I snapped a photo or two of Mother and Daughter with our waitress. The meal was good...Mother and Daughter had baked salmon (which Daughter exclaimed over), and Hubbie and I had steak and shrimp. The meal comes with a choice of Swiss onion soup, or salad, and all of us but Daughter ordered the soup. But since Mother was unable to finish her soup, Daughter enjoyed it.
Back at camp, we played three games of Skipbo. This time, I won two games, and Hubbie won one. Afterward, we drove to the other end of the campground to watch the bridge light up. It's a lovely sight, and I never tire of seeing it each year. I also like to photograph it.
We were ready to hit the sack after that.
Up at 7:30, and had breakfast breads...banana/pineapple, strawberry, and blueberry..along with fresh cantaloupe, pineapple, and oranges. Afterward, Hubbie, Daughter, and I went for a bike ride, since the rain-cooled temp was in the comfortable 80s.
Back at camp, we helped Mother to go into the yard to sit and enjoy the pleasant morning. She was concerned that she was still in her pajamas and housecoat, but I assured her no one would care.
We spent the rest of the morning out there, enjoying the lake, with egrets skimming the surface looking for a fish meal, and the crickets in symphony. In the quiet of the campground, it was as though an invisible conductor led the cricket concert. The music started low in one area, then rose and rose to a crescendo, then ebbed, as a song began and rose from another area. It continued this way in stereo surround sound. Mother and I commented that although we frequently hear crickets, it's just a common background noise that we don't conciously listen to like we did today.
In stark contrast to the pleasing cricket song, was the cawing of crows. They too, called back and forth from area to area, but it fell harshly on our ears.
Since the morning continued cool and pleasant, we decided later to have our sandwich lunch al fresco. Afterward, we helped Mother back into the camper for a nap, while Hubbie, Daughter, and I went in search of a fruit stand. We stopped at the one we usually visit while we're in that area, but a posted sign announced that it's closed for the season. This is due, I'm sure, to the early spring that ripened fruits too early. So, no peaches or grapes from that stand, or anywhere in the area, this year.
We continued our tour by visiting an area museum and flea market, a scenic overlook, and a vineyard (where clusters of grapes had shriveled on the vines, thanks to heat and drought). We sampled wines in the village's 1880s store, and learned that this year tasters can have only two free samples. After that, there is a $5 charge to sample their choice of the others. I guess this is all a result of grape crops that have failed for the past few very hot summers.
We also stopped at the city park, where vendors were setting up for the festival, to begin around 5 p.m. We hoped to buy our favorite variety of grapes from a vendor who sells them there every year. The vendor was there, but he only had containers of frozen grapes for sale. We would have preferred fresh, but we bought a container of the frozen ones.
Before going back to camp, we made reservations at a favorite Swiss restaurant for later this evening. At camp, we all changed clothes and then headed to the restaurant for our 5:30 reservation.
The hostess seated us on the lower level, so Mother wouldn't have to climb the steps to the main dining area. The table we were seated at was close to the kitchen door, but it was okay.
The waitresses all dress in Swiss Miss costumes, so of course I snapped a photo or two of Mother and Daughter with our waitress. The meal was good...Mother and Daughter had baked salmon (which Daughter exclaimed over), and Hubbie and I had steak and shrimp. The meal comes with a choice of Swiss onion soup, or salad, and all of us but Daughter ordered the soup. But since Mother was unable to finish her soup, Daughter enjoyed it.
Back at camp, we played three games of Skipbo. This time, I won two games, and Hubbie won one. Afterward, we drove to the other end of the campground to watch the bridge light up. It's a lovely sight, and I never tire of seeing it each year. I also like to photograph it.
We were ready to hit the sack after that.
Grape Festival, Day 1
Thursday, July 26:
Up at 6:30, and ready to hit the road around 9 a.m. We used both vehicles for this trip, because it's so difficult for Mother to get into the truck. It was an uneventful trip to our first stop, to pick up Daughter in the town where she lives.
Daughter's friend brought her to the parking lot where we met her, and after we loaded her bicycle and personal items, we invited the two of them to join us for a sandwich lunch, since it was now after 11 a.m.
Her friend, a man she works with, is totally deaf, but daughter has learned a lot of American Sign Language, so she easily communicates with him.
Around 11:30, we were back on the road for the two-hour trip to the campground in a town near the town where a grape festival would take place on Friday and Saturday.
We arrived around 2 p.m., set up, and encouraged Mother to lie on the couch for a nap, while Hubbie, Daughter, and I toured the area. We visited a couple of wineries for tastings, and a bank that features a wall to wall sandstone art depicting the history of the area.
Back at camp, I prepared a supper of microwaveable baked potatoes, topped with barbecued pork and sauce, chopped vidalia onions, and sour cream, with a side of coleslaw and sliced tomatoes from our garden.
It was a brutally hot day, so we welcomed a thunderstorm that cropped up in the late afternoon and continued through the night.
After supper, we played three games of Skipbo, which I won.
Up at 6:30, and ready to hit the road around 9 a.m. We used both vehicles for this trip, because it's so difficult for Mother to get into the truck. It was an uneventful trip to our first stop, to pick up Daughter in the town where she lives.
Daughter's friend brought her to the parking lot where we met her, and after we loaded her bicycle and personal items, we invited the two of them to join us for a sandwich lunch, since it was now after 11 a.m.
Her friend, a man she works with, is totally deaf, but daughter has learned a lot of American Sign Language, so she easily communicates with him.
Around 11:30, we were back on the road for the two-hour trip to the campground in a town near the town where a grape festival would take place on Friday and Saturday.
We arrived around 2 p.m., set up, and encouraged Mother to lie on the couch for a nap, while Hubbie, Daughter, and I toured the area. We visited a couple of wineries for tastings, and a bank that features a wall to wall sandstone art depicting the history of the area.
Back at camp, I prepared a supper of microwaveable baked potatoes, topped with barbecued pork and sauce, chopped vidalia onions, and sour cream, with a side of coleslaw and sliced tomatoes from our garden.
It was a brutally hot day, so we welcomed a thunderstorm that cropped up in the late afternoon and continued through the night.
After supper, we played three games of Skipbo, which I won.
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