#52: "He doesn't need the spotlight. He just glows."

[Carolina Clay]

Happy Father's Day to Clay and Dads Everywhere!

Clickable by AmazingCA

I hope all who can share Father's Day with their dads are happily doing so. Hugs to those who can only visit
their fathers in their hearts and memories. -- paraphrase of a post by cindilu2

I think cindilu2's post says it all. I paraphrased it and shared it at CV with ACA's graphic.

Glad y'all are still enjoying the CLACK. Happy Day to all!

Caro

[Desertrose]

Lotus,

One thing that I forgot to add is that a lot of people in Europe are heavy smokers, and the trains stink of smoke, even the really nice ones. Sometimes we would get out of train and our clothes and hair would stink of smoke. If I remember correctly smoking was allowed everywhere. We went from Waterloo, Belgium to Brussels, from Brussels to London and from Brussels to Paris on the trains. Daughter was living in Waterloo at the time and we used the train system so much that the ticket seller would recognize us when we walked into the Waterloo station. Kind of embarrassing that we never stayed home. We also used Ryan Airline. We went to Venice on Ryan Air for $25 each way. That was an experience. We met a family from London there who had flown Ryan Air for 10 pounds apiece which at that time was equivalent to $20. This airline is comparable to our SW, but actually cheaper, and they make SW look like a luxury airline. Ryan Air does not even serve water. They hawk merchandise during the flight also. Like I said before this was an experience.

[Lotus]

all for your very informative and useful advice.

Much appreciated.

[FromClaygary]

Lotus, hope you enjoy your trip-of-a-lifetime! (or it would be for me, at any rate)

It's blowing like crazy and raining here intermittently~it'll stop for a while, then comes a downpour.

But I had a wonderful walk-about of Hopewell Rocks today Hopewell Rocks

It's about a mmmm.....40 km (half hour) drive from Moncton, and then about a 5 km hike to each of the viewpoints when you reach Hopewell Cape. The trails are through a true rainforest~it is so green, and there are ferns and moss and dogwood and wildflowers everywhere you look, on the pathways. Very arboreal~very, very beautiful. The trees are so thick you're almost completely protected from the rain on the trail.

You can then walk down a stairway (105 steps down, 283 up as one of the guides said ), to walk on the ocean floor when the tide is out as it was when I went today. Very, very cool! I'm hoping I got some good pictures...I'll get them uploaded when I get home.

The cape itself is gorgeous as well...you drive through several very small Victorian towns overlooking the Bay of Fundy to get there, and the drive is very pretty with its views of the Bay and the "Chocolate River" (Saint John River) all the way along. The river is so nicknamed because of its colour, of course~it is a floodplain, and picks up all the red-brown mud all the way out into the Bay. It literally IS milk chocolate brown.

Great afternoon!

[00lsee]

Lotus,

One thing that I forgot to add is that a lot of people in Europe are heavy smokers, and the trains stink of smoke, even the really nice ones. Sometimes we would get out of train and our clothes and hair would stink of smoke.

I wonder if this stuff would help with the odor? Cigar Aficianado magazine even recommends it.

I'm going to buy some to try after eating at certain restaurants because I hate the way some food places make my hair and clothes smell. Letcha know if it works or not! hee

Hope y'all are having a good day.

[Scarlett]

It's blowing like crazy and raining here intermittently~it'll stop for a while, then comes a downpour.

But I had a wonderful walk-about of Hopewell Rocks today Hopewell Rocks

I had to switch on the windshield wipers as I went out on an errand but the "rain" was over quickly. I hope everyone had a nice day.

[Lotus]

Lotus,

One thing that I forgot to add is that a lot of people in Europe are heavy smokers, and the trains stink of smoke, even the really nice ones. Sometimes we would get out of train and our clothes and hair would stink of smoke.

I wonder if this stuff would help with the odor? Cigar Aficianado magazine even recommends it.

I'm going to buy some to try after eating at certain restaurants because I hate the way some food places make my hair and clothes smell. Letcha know if it works or not! hee

Hope y'all are having a good day.

This product looks good. I mean if it can take away the smell of skunk as shown in the video it would be worth getting. I cannot see that it is carried anywhere up here tho' and I leave before Amazon.com could get it to me.

My day has gotten better now that my packing anxiety has decreased somewhat and I have just put a chocolate Pavlova for our book group dinner tomorrow into the oven. The recipe is one of Delia Smith's that I'm trying for the first time.

I do wish that the thunder I heard earlier today had been followed by rain...we really need it as everything is so dry.

[FearofH2O]

Have fun Lotus!

I made a decent dinner for Mr. Fear as he wasn't feeling so good today. I grilled lobster tails and steak with baked potatoes and salad. Fresh fruit and angel food cake for dessert. Fixing up that other house is not good for his health. We decided to have someone else do the painting and go over budget.

I hope we hear something from Clay this week. I changed my avatar after looking at last years Gala pictures I took. No great ones but they sure brought back memories of a good time.

[gbmifan]

Loved those pictures from the airport. He looks no different than my boys when they are out and about. My youngest always has on his long shorts. The only difference is he wears a polo shirt instead of long sleeves.

I am back from riding my bike over 200 miles in 4 days. The area we were in had the biggest hills I have ever been on. We have not walked one in years but at the end of a 70 mile day we had a 2.5 mile climb to the campground. We started up and with 1000 feet to go it turned into a 15% grade. the tandem was down to 3 miles per hour and ready to tip over. My hubby said either we continue and hope we do not fall or unclip our cleats and walk. I opted to walk. Our friends who made it had a much smaller gear on their bike. I think it is time we breakdown and change to a lower gear.

I really want Clay to sing to me in concert and feel it will happen. Maybe a Christmas concert first, but that is ok. Yes, I will buy the book, I still want to continue supporting him in all his endeavers.

[luckiest1]

Happy Monday all!

I have the day off today, because of my older son's college graduation ceremony. It's dawning up beautiful and sunny, and it's already warm out there. I really love summer, it's just to freaking short in this neck of the woods.

[aikim]

Weird sleep night for me...I fell asleep on the couch about 8:30 and didn't wake up until 10:00...so of course, when I got in bed, I was wide awake. Seems like I tossed and turned all night...didn't help that I had the dog in bed with me and he likes to stretch out across the bed. The cat had one of her midnight energy bursts and was racing up and down the hallway for a while and then jumped up on top of the armoire in my room and was running around up there. So now I am up trying to get myself motivated to go to work and they are both crashed!

118 Days until The BAF Gala!

Everyone have a great day!

Kim

[treenuts]

I am sad, Phil Mickelson did not win the US Open and Rickey Barnes could not maintain his lead. It was a bit of a let down. Anti-climatic for me. *sniff*

Content: Clay's been on a golf course

[preden]

Happy Monday all!

I have the day off today, because of my older son's college graduation ceremony. It's dawning up beautiful and sunny, and it's already warm out there. I really love summer, it's just to freaking short in this neck of the woods.

Congratulations on son's graduation. Have a good day off!

[preden]

Lotus, hope you enjoy your trip-of-a-lifetime! (or it would be for me, at any rate)

It's blowing like crazy and raining here intermittently~it'll stop for a while, then comes a downpour.

But I had a wonderful walk-about of Hopewell Rocks today Hopewell Rocks

It's about a mmmm.....40 km (half hour) drive from Moncton, and then about a 5 km hike to each of the viewpoints when you reach Hopewell Cape. The trails are through a true rainforest~it is so green, and there are ferns and moss and dogwood and wildflowers everywhere you look, on the pathways. Very arboreal~very, very beautiful. The trees are so thick you're almost completely protected from the rain on the trail.

You can then walk down a stairway (105 steps down, 283 up as one of the guides said ), to walk on the ocean floor when the tide is out as it was when I went today. Very, very cool! I'm hoping I got some good pictures...I'll get them uploaded when I get home.

The cape itself is gorgeous as well...you drive through several very small Victorian towns overlooking the Bay of Fundy to get there, and the drive is very pretty with its views of the Bay and the "Chocolate River" (Saint John River) all the way along. The river is so nicknamed because of its colour, of course~it is a floodplain, and picks up all the red-brown mud all the way out into the Bay. It literally IS milk chocolate brown.

Great afternoon!

Glad to see that you are getting around the sites, was there last time 13 years ago. I love the maritimes.

[luckiest1]

It's pretty quiet around here, but {{{hugs}}} to all who are checking in. :thbighug-1: I like to hear what everyone's up to this summer. Lots of fun stuff going on!

Since I posted the other son's pic I figure I'd better post this one too. This is Ian, who just graduated from Police Foundations at community college, and will be going on to university this Sept to study Criminology. He makes me look so short!!!

[preden]

It's pretty quiet around here, but {{{hugs}}} to all who are checking in. :thbighug-1: I like to hear what everyone's up to this summer. Lots of fun stuff going on!

Since I posted the other son's pic I figure I'd better post this one too. This is Ian, who just graduated from Police Foundations at community college, and will be going on to university this Sept to study Criminology. He makes me look so short!!!

Nice picture!

[liney23]

luckiest... Congrats!!! on another graduation.

lotus... you make me tired to just read about riding a bicycle the distance you do, much less up and down hills.

Thank Goodness my daughter and DGS get back tonight from Austin. Taking care of 1 large dog and 8 cats has worn me out. Course that's cause I cleaned house while there and did laundry every single day.

They had a pile of laundry on the garage floor that was 6 ft round and 2 ft deep. It was like being on an archeological dig... I found a pair of gym shorts at the bottom that was from my grandson's 8th grade PE class and he just graduated from HS. The stack of clean beach towels now towers from the bathroom counter to just a few inches below the ceiling. They now have 8 clean sofa throws in the closet and several clean blankets/comforters in the linen cabinet. I couldn't even count how many t-shirts I put in my grandson's room. They are going to be soooo shocked when they get back tonight.

[merrieeee]

Just because.

[Scarlett]

Congratulations again, luckiest, to you & your family!!! :clap:

[FearofH2O]

Congratulations luckiest! So your son makes you look short? Hmm.

[luckiest1]

Maybe it's that I make him look tall............

liney, you crack me up. My mom was here about a week ago, for a few days, and since there was nothing much else to do while we were all busy with school and work, she did every bit of laundry she could find in the house. I love it, because it catches me up (I find that laundry is never ending) but the kids hate it, becaues they run out of room to put the clean stuff, and she puts all the wrong stuff in everyone's room.

[ldyjocelyn]

liney, I think it is gbmifan who does the major bike rides...

Speaking of which...

So far, my longest ride has been 6 miles. A week ago, my husband and I explored one of the local trails; this past weekend, we actually rode to my workplace (2 miles away, but on some dangerous roads, traffic rise). Yesterday, I could barely do two miles, because it's so freakin' hot! The humidity and temperatures around her are terrible. OK, so probably not as terrible as for the eHP...but I still hate it. I'm looking forward to fall already!

Congrats luckiest1 for you son's graduation!

Oh, so we're doing "just because" pictures. I like that. One picked by random from my photobucket...

[aikim]

Luckiest1 You have some very fine looking boys! I know about being short...I am only 4'11"...my girls love the fact that they are all taller than me!

Hot here today, but it feels good. Think I will go out and work in the garden after dinner...need to pick some lettuce and spinach. Tomatoes have flowers on them as do the cucumbers and the beans..can't wait until they all fruit!

I am thinking we may not here from Clay until after the book deal is signed, sealed and delivered!

Kim

[merrieeee]

A certain someone has five days off before he goes to Russia so maybe Clay will be heading to Europe for a while.

[Scarlett]

103 degrees in Houston is NOT the same as 103 degrees in Alabama. *fans self like someone saying, "Oh, my Lawd!"* And who sent the memo to all 30-something guys? My travel companions are in cargo shorts and plaid shirts (one of them in red). Turns out someone was very fashion-forward!

Heading out for supper... I'm sure it will be low-fat, low-calorie... have to think positive!

ETA: Wasn't too bad.