REVISION at Daughter's Request!

Daughter wanted me to be a bit clearer on my description of her years at

Cornell.....

She spent 3 1/2 years getting her undergraduate degree....

Making the Dean's List every single semester I might add!!

And then another 3 years getting her

Doctorate of Law degree....

She didn't want you to think it took her 7 years to get through college....

Oh Me.....I tend not to be very clear at times........

And she also added that after I freaked out mid way into Virginia

I gave her the keys to the car and she drove us to

Philadelphia.....she was only 16 at the time...

COLLEGE ROAD TRIP......FROM ATLANTA TO MAINE...With a Little Mel Gibson Thrown in.

Get a cup of tea.....go to the bathroom...get comfy...because this is a long story....

And you all know I love to tell a good story...

Back in 1992 I took daughter on the "East Coast College Tour".....

From Atlanta to Maine.....with many stops along the way...

We started out in a rented LeBaron Convertible because every good road trip starts with a

Convertible..

I was doing fine until we hit a rest stop somewhere in Virginia.....I had driven for hours and hours....When I asked daughter when we would be crossing into Maryland she advised me that we were only half way through the state of Virginia....

At that point I was ready to crawl into the back seat of the car and have a nervous breakdown...

Well before we knew it and no worse for the wear we arrived at our first stop in Philadelphia...My brother lived there at the time and we thought we would make a stop and check out the University of Pennsylvania.....Not very impressed by the campus being in the middle of a big city we stayed the night at brothers then moved on to daughter's appointment at Yale.....

Okay....not much of an improvement.....interview went well and we moved on to Boston....

getting into Boston early in the day we toured the campus of Harvard then went over to check out Boston University.....well....to be honest with this one we only made it to the college bookstore/gift shop....

Again big city.....so we moved on.....

Now I know your tempted to stop reading at this point but hang it there because it's about to get good......

I bet your wondering why you haven't seen any pictures yet.....Me too....

I have no idea why I didn't take any pictures of anything up until this point....

I'm thinking when I stopped at the Maine Welcome Center they gave me a disposable camera...instructed me to take some pictures then return it on the way out of the state....

That would be the only explanation I can come up with......

You see what I didn't know at the time......until we hit the State of Maine was that daughter had more plans then just visiting Bowdoin College......

Yes, the daughter snookered me into driving her all the way to Maine to find Mel Gibson....

You see Mel was in the town filming a movie and at the time.....well....daughter just thought he was the greatest...

Who knew that he would turn out to age very badly and become a drunk!!

Have you people seen him lately?

Anyhoo......we arrived very late into the night at our destination......

The Harpswell Inn....a lovely B&B......with strange Inn-Keepers...

The man of the house was an alumni of Bowdoin so we thought how perfect...

Daughter can pick his brain about the college before we went over for her interview the next day...

To say they were a bit pissed because we arrived so late is an understatement....

We were scurried off to our room and told breakfast would we served in the morning in the dining room.....

The next morning all we got out of Mr. B&B was an unfriendly hello....

Not a very good representative of the college.....

Well we decided to check out early and take a little ride up the coast in hopes of finding Mel....

Oh Sure......

Like looking for a needle in a haystack....

Daughters interview was at 3:00 so we knew we had to be back by then.....

So off we go...top down.....beautiful weather....beautiful scenery....and our first stop...

The Maine Prison Store....

Very unusual concept but cool none the less...

The prisoners make do-dads with wood like little Moose recipe card holders and when something sells the money goes into their account for when they get out........ We continued North up the coast to Camden....we heard that Mel was filming there that day and we figured how big can Camden be....

It was very scenic....lots of boats in the harbor and we had a wonderful lunch at
Cappy's Chowder House...
The finest New England Clam Chowder I have ever had....We still talk about it to this day...
But where was Mel???
I drove all this way under false pretenses and No Mel?
Well....Mel had moved down to Rockport.....So we headed down to Rockport....
It was starting to get fun at this point.....

BINGO!!!
movie set......we saw it from the road and quickly turned the car around...
We might actually get to see Mel in the flesh and you have to admit back in 92' he was something to look at......Now....not so much.

How do you sneak your way onto a closed movie set......Well.....you make nice to the local police force....When this friendly cop heard we had driven all the way from Georgia.....
He told us where to go to wrangle our way onto the set.
They were filming down by the harbor and we were able to go and sit on the set and watch them film....daughter even had the nerve to go to the "craft table" and get herself a drink....I think she still has the cup she drank out of....
Mel was a few hundred yards away and yes...we did get pictures....daughter must have them because they are no where to be found during the making of this post.............But believe me.....he was there...and we were there...
the movie was.....The Man Without A Face".....

Did we make it back to Bowdoin for daughter's interview.....?
Ofcourse not.....we were having too much fun....What a terrible mother....
Oh heck it gets too cold in the winter in Maine anyway...
The ride home was somewhat uneventful accept for two minor incidents...
Driving back into New York I made the mistake of taking the ramp to the top level of the GWB...
Around....and Around...and Around....and Around....it was horrifying.....
I was so scared because I knew I was going to hit the side wall......
I made it through okay but I must say I will never drive over that bridge ever again....


Then somewhere in the Carolina's we pulled off the highway and while pulling into a gas station we hit the curb and blew a tire..... Not having any skills to change a tire we stood there looking pathetic....hoping some kind man would come to our aid....
When out of the blue walks up a man and offers to change the tire....
Here's where it gets creepy.....
I was wearing at the time a gold half moon charm on a gold chain....
After he got finished changing the tire he was standing in front of me looking at the necklace....
He made some comment about looking at what he was wearing around his neck....
Karma....Maybe....
He was wearing the same gold moon but in the opposite direction.....
So the two charms would have made a full moon....
Daughter.......can you verify this.....
In an instant he was gone and we had no idea where he came from or where he went to.....
One of those "sends shivers up your spine moments"......
One more college stop at Duke University....You know they won't let you walk on the grass there.....didn't think that was a nice feature....and one more stop at Hertz to pick up a new rental car with a good tire and we headed for home.....

As we come to a close......your probably asking where did daughter decide to go to school...
Well....the road trip proved to be just a fun experience for the girls....
A real bonding moment in time.....

Looking for a large University......but not in a large city.....
Some thing with real Rah Rah...ambiance......
Maybe a little bit of Ivy on the buildings......
Yes.....just one more Road Trip.....


All 18 hours to Ithaca New York.....
We reached the school........and what did we see.....
The Artificial Insemination Lab Building.....for large animals.....
Not a good first impression.....Daughter wanted to turn around and drive home....
OOOps.....we came in the wrong entrance.....
The Main Entrance to the University was beautiful......
And it was here where she made herself at home for the next 7 years.....
And Mel Gibson was no where in sight!!

May all your future College tours be as fun as this one!!
REVISION!!!!
see post above.....

A MAGAZINE TO AVOID........

I think all Bloggers love magazines......I know I love magazines....the more the better....

I read them....I subscribe to them....I stockpile them.....

All of them....

Decorating and Food being two of my favorites....

So when I was in Border's back in May I saw a new publication with Mario Batali plastered all over the cover.....

"The Food Magazine"

NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH THE

"FOOD NETWORK MAGAZINE"

I picked out the card.....actually 4 fell out onto the floor.....and I mailed it in with my check..

$12.00 for 12 issues....

The check was cashed in May......I waited patiently for my first issue.....

Finally in July.....I thought that was a long enough wait.....I sent an e-mail to their

subscription address........

And I sent another and I sent another.....I finally sent one to the "Publisher directly........

I finally got back an answer.....

She tells me how well the first issue sold and they are working on the new issue to make it even better.....Blah....Blah....Blah......

I then ask if I could atleast get a copy of the first issue.....

Now it's the end of July and all I'm asking for is the issue from

February/March......

I bet your asking what happened to the issues from April, May, June and July?

Who knows??????????

To be fair she did send me that first issue.....apparently considered a "gift" ........according to her.

Now it's the middle of September.....no more magazines.....just that "gift"....

So I send an e-mail today back to the Publisher asking when they plan on having more issues..

I didn't think this was unreasonable.....

After I'm told more nonsense.....by the Publisher....

I ask for my money back.....

She prorates the "gift" she sent and tells me she is sending me a check for $5.46

I say this isn't acceptable....I want a refund....

The Publisher lets me know that if I contact her anymore she will bring legal action against me for harassment and being threatening.....

My question is.....how many thousands of people sent this women $12.00...had her cash the check then possibly not deliver on the magazine.....Was I the only one??

She claims that by advertising $12.00 for 12 issues does not mean an issue will come out every month......

How many years is she planning on dragging these 12 issues out....

And how much money is she making....

So if you see this magazine.....'THE FOOD MAGAZINE"

in your local store....You might consider purchasing it in person..... But I certainly wouldn't subscribe to it........ send your money to the

Food Network Magazine instead.....They actually mail you a copy every month....

And it's one great magazine.....

p.s. this isn't about getting a refund for the magazine.....that has nothing to do with it...it's about the gall people have these days to always throw the blame onto the other guy....People don't take responsibility for their own actions anymore.....

A BOY AND HIS DOG.........

Poor Boo had a bad night last night......we weren't able to get him mobile and move him from the garage into the house until 1:00a.m..........

He panted and panted for hours and he was still unable to stand up on his own...

At 4:00 a.m. we half carried him down the front steps after he finally drank tons of water....and the rest of the night was alot of heavy whimpering breathing.....

I called the vet first thing this morning and he said to try to get him up and moving and at points in the phone call he was very silent which got me kind of nervous....

especially when I told him Boopie's feet were really cold....

2 pair of socks later......they are finally starting to warm up.....

So I got ready to head over to Walmart to pick up his prescription and the boys had finally settled down....

This is how I found them on the bedroom floor......I'm hoping as the day goes on he perks up a bit more.....

I hope the dog gets to feeling better also.....

A PIANO DOLLY.....And a Bad Case of Jelly Legs.

The Boss has had a piano dolly for as many years as I can remember.....he has used it on numerous occasions over the past 39 years......and my most fond memory was when we were moving into the house in Georgia and the "Big Boss" was here to help.......I had left a box of china on the front porch in the middle of moving in other boxes......The "Big Boss" came along and heaved the piano dolly up and over the porch railing landing right in the box of dishes....

Yes....they were smashed beyond repair......

You guessed it I got the blame for leaving the dishes there and ofcourse with the Big Boss being much of an ass mumbled something like

"You didn't need those anyway"

So Today the old piano dolly got put into much better use....

It helped a Senior Citizen in need of attention.....

How you ask??

Well.....below is the "Boo Dog"....all 125 pounds of him.....Boo had a little surgery today to have a massive canine tooth extracted.....

Boo had a little bit too much anesthesia.....

When we went to pick him up ....the vet.....who by the way is wonderful....

Kept us chit-chatting about follow up care while his assistants

snuck Boo out the back door and placed him carefully next to the Bug.....

We happily went out to drive away after Dr. Vet lifted up the rear end of the dog to

get him into the back seat....

Not thinking a thing about this we drove home...

When we went to get him out of the car we discovered that his "ass end" was not working properly...

In other words he couldn't walk.......

So the husband went ofcourse and got out the Ye' Old piano dolly....

Lifted the big guy onto it.....after a few tries....

and we rolled him right into the garage......where he remains until he no longer has

Jelly Legs.....

He's doesn't even want to drink the ice water I brought him so I found myself sitting on the

garage floor throwing bits of ice water onto his tongue.....

Oh what we won't do for our kids and our animals......

THE NIGHT THE LIGHTS WENT OUT IN GEORGIA......

Happy to report the Rains Have Stopped here in Atlanta!!

and to be less dramatic the lights actually went out at 2:30 p.m.

Directly after I saw the "Boss" heading up the stairs with a bucket.....

Yes, our 35 year warranty roof leaks whenever we have a bad downpour....

The drippy skylights add to the chaos.....

The power went out.....

We sat for the next 2 1/2 hours deciding what to do if it didn't come back on soon...

Here is a picture of our front lawn.......lightened up so you could see all the water...... it was

very very dark outside.....

To be fair.....I had prepped the lawn the day before for a scheduled seeding so no grass was washed away in the storm..

And ofcourse the Boo Dog had to go out to pee right in the middle of the monsoon....

Can you say Wet Muddy Dog Paws......

on beige carpet!!

Trees were down everywhere.....

After a call to Cobb EMC and finding out that a tree was indeed down up on the main road...knocking down power lines.... we figured it would be hours before the power was restored.....

So ofcourse we jumped into action....and what does that mean.....

The generator was about to be put into service.....

Ofcourse we didn't have enough gas..... and we needed an extension cord to reach the fridge...

To The Home Depot!!

And here is the culprit.....uprooted and blocking the service road....it was a big one....
the cops were directing traffic and we were able to drive the few miles to the Depot...

So here we are......the $42.00 heavy duty extension cord.....a 5 gallon gas can.....

two 10 pound bags of ice....just incase.....and 5 gallons of gas.....

the gas balanced between my legs in the front seat of the Bug....

Bumper to Bumper traffic all the way back to the Manse....

Did I mention we were actually out in public without taking showers!!

Tough times call for tough measures.....

Finally the sub division in sight.....avoiding the flooded roads....We pull down the street heading towards the Cul de Sac....and what do we see.....

Someones porch light on.................

Lesson learned....

Time only seems like it's standing still during a natural disaster.....

The lights eventually go back on.....so stay put and take a shower.....

BEST IN SHOW..........and more fun with those two crazy ladies....

Last week I took you to the Cobb County Quilt Show.....where I spent the day with fellow Blogger "Flour Power Joyce"...

If you didn't get to see all the beautiful quilts just scroll below for my last post.....

Today you get to see the "Best In Show" winner....

Here is....

"Metropolitan Garden"

Applique' Baltimore Album Quilt by

Jane Gorder of Marietta...Georgia....

Deserving winner of Best in Show!!

A reproduction of a Baltimore that is in the

Metropolitan Museum of Art...

The original quilt...... Presentation Quilt....was made around 1849 in

Baltimore Maryland...

look at these colors!!




Beautiful......

I love the bluebirds and the blue bows....

Congratulations to Jane for winning the top prize!

And now for the rest of a fun filled day....

We went across the street from the Civic Center to someplace called

Garage Sale Mart.....

me and the Boss did a drive by last week and in his words.....

"I wouldn't take anybody back to this place".....

Such finds!!!

We know how all you ladies find great stuff at Goodwill and with just a simple can of spray paint you turn your bargains into treasures.....

I told Joyce I think this little gem was a lost cause.....

She did spot this quilt in a pile of linens and I quickly claimed it...

For $5.00 how can you go wrong......

Here she is with a plastic Bunny with a big light bulb in his belly.....

She was tempted to take this home......another $5.00 buy....

but she came to her senses and left without it....

Off to Big Lots to check out the silverware and dishes.....

We also know all you ladies get great stuff at Big Lots....

we weren't so lucky....

Here is our potential lunch...

Southern Style

A big bag of Pork Rinds and a Melon Soda....

Enough of Big Lots we went on to

The Classy Flea....

You know the Classy Flea...that's where Susan from

Between Naps on the Porch does all her shopping....

We did mention her name as we were checking out hoping to get a discount and we were

looked at like we had two heads....

This adorable toile pitcher was marked at $7.95 and the big canister was

$9.95.....

Some cute pictures......

Lots of old family photo's....

Cute ruffled lampshades....7 for $18.00

I loved this little painted dresser.....

Perfect for Miss "B"...

A Halloween Tree filled with Sock Monkeys dressed for the occasion...

A close-up of Monkey Devil.....

This whole set of Fish dishes almost came home with me at only $20.....

The Boss would have sent me packing if I showed up at the door with anymore dishes...

We both left buying the same thing.....

Yes, you guessed it.....

The Sock Monkey ornaments.....

We decided on celebrating our roots and went with a nice Pizza for lunch....

Maybe we'll try the Pork Rinds next time....

We had such a fun day.....Joyce keeps you laughing from the minute you meet until the day comes to a close....

We already have our next outing planned...

a fancy lunch at the

Le Cordon Bleu Cooking School and shopping at the

Cake and Candy Supply store....

And here is what my new $5.00 quilt looks like at home in my Bent Willow chair along side

my beloved New Jersey pillow.....

Nice match don't you think....

QUILTS...QUILTS...AND MORE QUILTS........Fun with Sue and Joyce.

Today was the opening of the East Cobb Quilter's Guild Biennial Show....

Bright and early I met up with fellow blogger and just a "Barrel of Fun" Joyce of

http://www.flourpowerjoyce.blogspot.com/

Between the two of us we probably would have a hard time threading a needle but in spirit we were quilters for the day!!

This what you saw when you walked into the Cobb County Civic Center here in Marietta Georgia

Quilts hanging everywhere....

Two stories of Quilts and quilting supplies....

One more beautiful then the next.....We kept getting stopped by the volunteer ladies and asked if we quilt....no...we're just here to take pictures.....and drool...

By 10:30 the place was getting packed....so we started in the back and worked our way forward...

Are you ready to see some spectacular quilts....

Oh.....wait a minute....here is Joyce taking a picture of me taking a picture of her.....

We were doing good....No one had asked us to leave the premises yet...

My favorite style....

This quilter was working on an old fashion peddle machine....

subtle colors but beautiful all the same....

Wacky Hawaiian shirts.....

This one was called

"Flamingo Fandango"

This was spectacular

It took a 1st. Place ribbon

pretty fall colors.

the only all red quilt...I loved it!
Red is my signature color!!

Another shot of the Blue Ribbon winner..

up close and personal

Another Baltimore Album

look at the detail in the flower....

a colorful dragon....the stitching on this was amazing....

"Beach Baby"

is a fabric portrait quilted entirely by hand by Molly Samuals of her 2 year old granddaughter Samantha.....Inspired by a photo taken on vacation at the Outer Banks this was truly a labor of love......Molly was standing by her masterpiece when we walked past and she was beaming with pride at her creation....

Winning first place in the miniature category as soon as we walked in we were told to make sure we didn't miss seeing this one....

"Flip Flop Paper Piercing"

Mary Kay Mouton of Milledgeville has a new book out with the same name and available from

C&T Publishing....

here's a closeup....the stitches were so so tiny....

Another Blue Ribbon Winner

"Landon and Grandma's Wildflower Garden Patch"

Made by Fran Fister....and another grandmother's labor of love....

In honor of Landon's 2nd. birthday Fran worked on this while Landon napped and it took her nine months to finish.....

Here's the ribbon she'll be taking home.....
Congratulations Fran!!

How whimsical is this.....

On the second level there was everything you need to quilt.....

Not that it was any help to us.......

We were like two idiot savants.....

Just mesmerized by all the "pretty colors"""

Hope you enjoyed "part one" of Sue and Joyce's fun day out.....

Next post I"ll show you the magnificent "Best in Show"......

and then what us girls did to take up the rest of the day....

See you soon!!