RANDOM PHOTOS

Found this photo of Jordan when he was about  the same age as Owen.  Same nose and cheeks.  Similar.  He really looks a lot like his Mama but there are a few similarities to his Daddy too.   

Cousins at the Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City.  Love how Owen is trying to escape Jack's hold on him!

Megan and I went to Dalelyn's wedding in July.  It was fun seeing everyone.  I know Megan enjoyed seeing some of her cousins.  (L to R Rick, Lovell, Taylor, Megan, Kim

Rick, Kim, Taylor, Tara, Matt, Megan and  Courtney
Missing are Kari, Krissy, Kasie, Erin, Shauna, Jordan, Tamara

Nostalgia

I have been having fun the last couple of weeks collecting pictures that bring me back to the 60's and 70's.  There were so many pictures that I couldn't possibly add them all but here is just a little sampling of some of the things that I had and experienced in my younger years.

This was called a wiglet and I had one that matched my natural color perfectly.  These were all the rage in the late 60's and early 70's.  I used to keep mine on a styrofoam head and take it to the hair dresser to have it styled.  I thought it was so beautiful and it make me about 6" taller!  You really had to use a lot of bobby pins to keep it securly fastened.



This is the Beatles in 1964 when they first came to the US and appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show. Everyone was glued to their black and white TVs on that Sunday night.  What a thrill!!



This is what the entrance to Disneylnad looked like in the early 60's.  I went there for the first time when I was 14 in 1964.  I fell in love with it then and I still love it now!



During my high school years I spent just about every Saturday night during the summer at the drive in with these speakers in our car windows.  We really did not watch the movie that much.  We spend most of our time at the snack bar or outside  our cars socializing with our friends!



Ah English Leather cologne.  If you wanted to be a popular guy in the 60's you had to wear English Leather.  All the guys who were cool wore it and I might add they wore too much of it.  It was kind of strong and musky smelling, but all the girls loved it.



In case you can't tell this is an ice cube tray.  They were made out of metal and had a lever you pulled on to make the ice cubes come out easily.  (the ice tasted a little like metal)  There were no ice makers in my childhood and we used to get in big trouble if we didn't refill the tray after we emptied it and put it back in the freezer!



I remember watching Lassie every Saturday morning.  I can still hear Timmy yelling "Lassie" when Lassie wandered off to save someone who was drowning or lost in the wilderness.  That Lassie was a pretty amazing dog.  He would always come back limping with a bleeding paw!



This was just like the wringer washing machine that my Mom used every Saturday morning to do the laundry.  Mind you there were automatic washers back then but my Mom refused to have one.  She said they didn't get the clothes clean.  It would take her hours to do a load and she had to stand there and put every piece of clothing through the wringer to remove the excess water.  I used to love to go out to the garage and watch her when I was really little.  It was fascinating to me.  After she finished she would take the clothes to the back yard and hand them on a clothes line to dry.  My job was to hand her the clothes pins and I thought that was a pretty special job!



Good ole Blue Chip Stamps.  Every trip to the grocery store you received stamps depending how much money you spent.  My job was to lick them and put them in the books.  After several books were collected we would go to the blue chip stamp store and redeem them for appliances, and other household goods.  I remember our toaster came from the Blue Chip Stamp store along with glasses, dishes and pots and pans.



I had a pair of  clogs just like these in high school.  I used to wear them with tights or nylons.  They were so comfortable but they made so much noise on a hardwood floor.



These were called Ditto jeans and I had several pairs of these in all different colors in the early 70's.  They had to be really tight and hug your butt as you see in this picture.  Not cute!  Oh and the wooden bracelets were a great accessory to every outfit.



Ali McGraw and Ryan O'Neal.  Everyone was in love with them and this book and movie.  I thought it was so awesome but by today's standards it was pretty dumb.

Fun at the Amador County Fair

Had a fun non-work day with a few co-workers this week at the Amador County Fair.  I had never been to this fair and I was pleasantly surprised!  It is tucked away in the foothills off the Jackson Highway in a tiny town of 600 called Plymouth.  It was the cutest, prettiest little fairgrounds and had a great hometown feel.  It was opening day so there was a parade with antique farm equipment, firetrucks, boy scouts, and local businesses.  You could really feel the hometown pride of this small community.  The grounds were very well kept up and everything was green and the flowers were beautiful.  I really had a great time and it was not hot which was a real plus.  Gotta love that fair food too!  Great corndogs and kettlecorn for sure!!



I have not been on a ferris wheel in years and was talked into this one!

Eye Surgery



It's been quite a week!  Megan came to take care of dear old Mom after her corneal cell transplant.  Here I am in all my
glory waiting to go under the knife.  It was quite an experience - one I hope I never have to do again.  Hopefully it
will be worth it and I will be able to regain the sight in my left eye.  It is still very swollen, blurry, red and watering constantly as you can see in the lovely close up below.
 So gross!!  No make-up and not doing my hair really adds to my look as well!

I think the tear really adds to the effect - Thanks for capturing it, Megan!
Also the purple markings above my eye so they would know which eye to transplant the cornea.

It's always nice to get a Get Well Bouquet!

I didn't let the surgery keep me down!  Had fun with the grandkids at Johnny Rockets, eating
corn on the cob and enjoying S'mores for the first time and enjoying family!!

Thanks Megan for being my nurse and chauffer!

To Dyson or not to Dyson....

Decisions - Decisions.  I have been in the market for a new vacuum cleaner for a long time but there are so many to chose from that I am having a hard time making up my mind.  I want a really good one this time that is going to last me forever.  I have gone down the Kirby road and I have had a cheapo Eureka and every other brand in between, and have not been satisfied with any of them.  I keep hearing that Dyson is the way to go so I have been seriously looking and looking.  I borrowed one from a friend for about a month and really loved it.  Yesterday I went to Fry's with a friend and they had every Dyson model you can imagine.  Now I am more confused than ever.  Today, I heard from my friend that Costco has the best model right now for a very good price.  I guess I will be buying one very soon.  I just hope I make the right choice!

(I really wish someone would teach me how to place my pictures side by side1)

Sweet Land of Liberty....

I don't mean to get all patriotic here but I have to admit when we sang the Star Spangled Banner and My Country Tis of Thee on Sunday, I got a little choked up.  My Dad always told me I was a sentimental old fool even when I wasn't old, and I guess he was right.  It is wonderful to live in a free country and be able to enjoy all that is offered to us in this great land.  Not everyone can say that.  I might not always agree with our nation's leaders but I am grateful that we live in a country where we can express our thoughts and agree to disagree and where we have the opportunity to chose who will lead us.  Sooo all that being said, HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY.....  Let the fireworks begin!!