KIDS, KATS AND KANINES...uhhh....CANINES

"Lady Friend'? That's our daughter, "Kelly Girl!" Wolfie is a great , lovable dog Kelly rescued from 'some- where in the Midwest' last year! What a find!




















(Below)...and here's "Whiskey" smacking a big, affectionate kiss on our other daughter Kimberly....about 25 years ago!


And here we have "Chinook" (no, the dog... not our son Mike). Mike and his wife Varinthorn (Kay) rescued Chinook when they lived in South Dakota. They now live in Portland, OR. Just had their first baby, a bouncing baby boy: Good Fong Christopher.

Very cosmopolitan!







Kay and Good! A tender moment.

Hi ya, grandson!

I used to manage a home nursing service in Flatbush, Brooklyn, NY. One day in 1982 this rather amiable cat wandered in off Flatbush Ave.

....and ambled up to my desk, staring at me as I ate my lunch. He wouldn't leave my office. After work I shoved him into a carboard box and took him home to our three kids, ages 7,8 and 11. It was love at first sight! Whiskey lived with us for the next 20 years.

He was the most 'spiritual' of all our cats. Very contemplative.

Annie (below) was part of a litter born in the Levittown, NY school yard where Pat taught Special Ed. for 10 years. Since we're cat-lovers, it was only natural that Annie ended up with us! For the next 18 years!

Rollo and Rufus were a couple of lovable 6 month old cats we adopted from vet's rescue service over in Fairhill, MD.

We later found out Rufus (on the right) was born with a heart defect. After a few months he became very sick, and when I put him in a carrier to take him to the vet, he let out a loud scream and died on the spot. Kinda sad....

But Rollo is still going strong.








And here's little Renee! A lovable, hyper-active little feline who 'breaks us up'! She's also a rescue cat from the same Fairhill agency.














Whiskey and Annie only tolerated each other's presence all those years they were together. But these two! They play together. They 'wash' each other with fervent lickings. They eat together. Take naps together. Hit the litter box together.

Yeah, real togetherness! Atta go, Rollo and Renee! (Sounds like a dance team, right!)

Can't read the inscription?

"Lordy, it's Cho-cho san and Liu....I mean Joe and Pat [our friends]....we were all young....long ago.

Cho-cho and Liu were English Sheep dogs. Very majestic. Look at the coat of hair! Wow!

And yes, believe it or not...we were all young.....once upon a time!

Years later....here's Fiona and Siobahn. Also English Sheep dogs. Very 'intelligent'.

So much fun!

Uhhh.....

THE END!

WE WISH YOU....

Celine Dion...magnifique, eh!

OUR FALL FLING!

Bright 'n early Sunday morning Pat and I loaded up the ol' RAV4 with our 'camping gear', i.e. snacks and other delectables. And headed due west for our annual Fall Fling. Gorgeous day. Idyllic, crisp blue skies and all the varied colors on Mother Nature's Fall palette: russets and reds, unique autumn auburn-persimmon-gold combos, and here-and-there, a dab of evergreen. Hard to keep my eyes on the road!












First stop...lunch. Not just lunch but a picnic lunch! At Codorous State Park, a few miles this side of Hanover, PA















We dragged our multi-striped picnic cooler back and forth, hither and yon, for 20 minutes while Pat was trying to decide which was the idyllic picnic venue...along the lake or in the woods.







Hey, perfectionist Pat! I've got a great idea! Let's eat in the car!

Oh, Chris! What a wonderful idea! We can nosh in the car with beautiful music in the background!


And so it came to pass. See! Perfectionist Patricia really is easy to get along with! Codourus State Park and lake. Beautiful setting!







While travelling on Rt. 116 east of Hanover, we had to stop to see an old boarding school of mine. As we do every time we're roamin' in this neck-o'-the-woods. St. Joseph's Academy. This was a boarding school for boys and girls, grades 1 thru 8 when I was enrolled
there back in the Fall of 1939. I was a 3rd grader. Lordy! 70 years ago this very month. The nuns who ran the place were strict (that's a given in those days!) but they were also loving and maternal in their own way toward us kids.
Today, St. Joe's has come full circle. It's an Interfaith Org. dedicated to the care of the elderly. We could retire here in 10 or 20 years! Whadda' ya' think, Pat!


We then pushed on to Gettysburg. A small town where Lincoln came to dedicate and consecrate hallowed burial grounds for the thousands of soldiers killed in that famous three day battle between the Union and Confederate Armies. The turning point in the Civil War. Gettysburg will always be iconic in American history. Lincoln's Gettysburg Address: "Four score and seven years ago, our forefathers brought forth..."

http://www.visit-gettysburg.com/the-gettysburg-address-text.html



The new Gettysburg Memorial War Museum opened recently. Magnificent! The old museum up the road toward town was getting old and 'seedy'. The new one does honor to both sides of this terrible war bet. the States.








Definitely worth a visit. And time for reflection!










Monday morn we hit the road to Hagerstown, MD. Potomac St. has been all gussied up lately, incl. the installation of these large butterfly art works along the sidewalk.

Chris, I wanna' photo you standing next to this precious big butterfly!

No thanks, Pat!!!!

Why!!! Uhhh....it's a guy thing..



But I'll be happy to take YOUR picture, dear heart!

N.B. Most of us know how Patricia loves butterflies! One happy woman!










From Hagerstown motored up into the Maryland mountains along meandering country roads.


To one of our all-time favorite mountain spots near Cumberland. Rocky Gap State Park and Lodge. This locale on Lake Hajeeb is a high class resort we could never afford. But it's fun to wander around there like we're guests or sumpthin'....


Spent most of Monday right here at the Park. About five hours. No need to drive farther for scenic beauty.

Time for another 5-star-inthecar - picnic lunch!







Once again, we hiked an old Indian trail around the lake for several miles. Nature at its best!
Pat! I think this moose whiste really does work! Look at that herd of moose (mooses? meese?) comin' over yonder hill!!! Let's run back!!!
Chris! Stop hallucinating! There's nothing on yon-derrr hill but three trees!

Really?? Uhhh....guess I hafta' cut back on my medications! Scared me!


THE END

September Song

Andrea Bocelli sings 'goodnite' to Elmo!

"....AND BABY WILL MAKE THREE!"

I'm a blogger well-versed in trite, hackneyed expressions, a corny purveyor of down-on-the-farm, somewhat archaic reflections about life and the celebration thereof! Corn is everywhere! Bring it on, baby



Photo: Soakin' up inspiration!


All that having been said, let's relive the great extended family event we celebrated this first weekend of October! A Skype baby shower on Long Island for expecting (November)Varinthorn (Kay) and our son Mike living out in Portland, OR. Why Skype? Simple, we were on the east coast, Long Island, and Mike and Kay live on the west coast. Impossible to party in person. So, we all Skyped and celebrated this happy time....virtually together.

Our daughter Kelly and her husband Mike T. hosted our family get-together at their lovely home and backyard, Long Island.

Hi Kelly! Lookin' good, kid!
















An American flag flies and flutters high over Kelly and Mike's home...."Fort Tornabene"(?). Their neighbors marvel that Mike T. was able to climb and fasten their flag to the very top of this glorious 62' evergreen in their front yard. Some neighbors even stop and salute as they motor by!










The famous flag-topped tree!



















Pat and the family aunties. The 'Golden Girls'!

Back l-r: Kathy and Grace
Front l-r: Elizabeth, Pat and Barbara

A beautiful bevy of feminine pulchritude!

By dumb luck I was finally able to get the Skype program working on our laptop. Our son Mike and Kay, mother-to-be, could see and hear us. And we could see and hear them. A great way to communicate over distance. Skype (a free download) and a cheap webcam is all you need.

Aunt Elizabeth. Pat's sister. Sean and Kerri's mom. Is that Scotch, Eliz?

'Twas a sunny, early autumn Sunday afternoon. The party quickly moved outside to......'Tornabene Park'.















Why....that must be golden-haired cousin Kathleen in the foreground!

l-r: Cousin Mary, Aunt Barbara with granddaughter Adrianna Rose. My Pat. Daughter Kelly.

Aunt Kathy with cousins Kathleen and Mary.

Barbara's son Brian with wife Teresa and Adrianna Rose.

Mike T.'s pride and joy....'Tornabene Park'!

Pat with Barbara's daughter Eileen

Kathy's daughter, cousin Jennifer. Thanks for helpin' out, Jen!

Jen's daughter Princess Deirdre

....and Jen's other daughter shy Shannon

















Thanks so much, Kelly and Mike, for hosting such a great extended family baby shower for Kay and Mike C.

'Wolfie'...friendliest dog in three states. "Hey! When's dat grub comin' out!"

Our other daughter Kim with Andy. Poor Kim felt bad she couldn't be with us for her brother and Kay's baby shower. Taking weekend courses for her clinical doctorate in physical therapy. 3rd year is tough. Can't cut classes anymore. You were with us, Kim and Andy.....uh, virtually!








Friday is Mike and Kay's 10th wedding anniversary.



Congrats on your anniversary! And your soon to be seen baby boy!