Annual Pinewood Derby racers.....

Within the last week, several of the young men in the family were anxious to finally race their 'vehicles' in the annual Boy Scouts Pinewood Derby.  Sean and Logan (Doug & Dawn O'Donnell Inman), Webelos 1 and siblings' class, show off their entries.......

....while Adam Korkowski (Paul & Sue), also a Webelos 1, shows off his creative entry, Legos style.  The Inman boys' results are as follows:  Sean did well, he raced in 6 heats. Finished first in 2, 2nd in 3 and 4th in his last heat. Logan overall finished 2nd in his sibling class group. As for Adam, Paul says that the car unfortunately came in last every time, BUT, the car came in a runner-up in the 'coolest looking' category!  Good job, guys!

Time to squeeze in a birthday.....

Doubtless our birthday gal today is gearing up for tax season so won't have much time for herself, but Julie (Korkowski) Nelson (#48) should at least enjoy a piece of cake...after a nice dinner out, Kevin!  Happy birthday, Julie....let the tax season begin!

Florida's swamp buggy......

Before Norb & Donna arrived in Naples, they visited Faye & Ron in The Villages for a few days.  And, one of the items on the agenda during their stay was a 'swamp buggy' ride to see some of Florida's wild life.  The verdict came in as a good experience as they were able to see alligators and various birds of Florida.  And, it looks like they still have all their fingers........

Inside the chapel.....

Inside the chapel at Ave Maria, your neck almost becomes stiff after awhile because you're always looking up at the massive steel beams....or the sound system in the choir loft. The simplicity of design with just the beams demonstrates the beauty of the whole project. And, of course, the woodworkers in the family couldn't take their eyes off the pew markers themselves....lots of details in those things!

The shadows from the cross are always present, even on the cloudy days

Symmetry at its best...

How's this for a sound system?  And, we were lucky to hear a bit of organ practice...see the lady seated down in the lower left corner?

A serene and beautiful space

The ever-helpful Ron!

Snow days.......up north....and down south!

The awful winter weather continues to make the news almost daily, and it won't be a winter many will forget anytime soon.  And yet, it depends on where you live as to what constitutes a true 'snow day'!  Jim and Staci Korkowski sent me this picture towards the end of last week, saying that they got a snow day because of this.......

Yes, a snow day....it was a 1/2" of ice but still!

And, this is what a Minnesota 'snow day' looks like!

And, back to Texas...this is the forecast for Tuesday (tomorrow).  Jim and Staci said this is the coldest winter by far since they moved to Texas....a long time ago!

A day at Ave Maria.....

We played a lot of Samba while the family was here, but we also took a day trip over to Ave Maria one day, which is the city built from the ground up starting in 2005.  The visionary for this Catholic-based community is Tom Monaghan, the founder of Domino's Pizza and at one time, the owner of the Detroit Tigers baseball team. Mr. Monaghan still has an active presence in the community, having a part-time residence there, and when in town, he's been known to get on the 'tourist' trolley or show up in any one of the college classrooms. (Unfortunately, we didn't have that pleasure on the day we were there.) Cliff and I have visited this community every year to see what new has been added (and over the next year, there will be lots of new buildings based on the current construction).  So, here's a bit of what we saw on this particular visit....and we'll post a few more pictures from inside the chapel tomorrow.  

The interesting part of the design is that from the back end, the chapel resembles a bishop's miter.

Remember back then?

Six years ago today, Kent & Susan (Krentz) Roers walked down the aisle as newlyweds, and today, they have three little munchkins to share their lives with.  So, we're hoping the 'bride and groom' can sneak off to a dinner for two....or maybe just open some spaghettios (do they still make these??) and celebrate with the kids!  Happy anniversary, Kent & Susan!

Visitors...come and gone...

By the time this weekend is over, Norb & Donna Korkowski will be back in Minnesota with visions of beaches, palm trees, and....Samba....in the rearview mirror!  We tried to show them as much as we could in the days they were here with a trip to Ave Maria, Tin City, the Naples Pier and beaches, and our favorite indoor market.  In the week to come, we'll show you some of what we saw during their stay.  Today, we'll start with the beach; and, as you can see, it wasn't exactly toasty out there, but it's still always a good place to be.

You can almost 'hear' the ocean

High tide coming in

Cliff, Donna and Norb in their beach clothes

Well, Norb's wish was to dip his feet in the ocean...and then he renigged!

A pin fish....about 6" long and the only fish caught that we saw....fishermen said the fishing was lousy

Donna and Norb at the end of the Naples Pier

This says it all.......

Yes, it's been a long harsh winter so far...and there is surely more to come.  These sentiments pretty much say it all, and you can guess that I don't feel so 'warm and fuzzy' about the state since we abandoned ship!   (Thanks, Devyn, for sending it my way.)

Out there in North Dakota.....

Birthday greetings go out a ways to Bismarck ND for Tom Korkowski (#49) as he celebrates a birthday today. Wishing you the best and hope you can find a bit of time for some R&R today...happy birthday, Tom!

Two cakes or one?

Today there are two birthdays in one family.....Rose Mary Peterson (#61) shares her birthday with son Caleb Peterson (#31) today, and we send double the greetings to these two birthday celebrants today.  Happy birthday, Rose and Caleb!

A bit of color this winter......

For those who are suffering the winter doldrums of looking at white, white...and more white....here are just a few pictures to tide you over until all my pictures are sorted and filed.

We're on a roll now....

Three days in a row....another birthday today, and it's for Kevin Campbell (Roger & Jan Korkowski Campbell) who is 15.  Enjoy your day of honor and ask for a little less homework today, okay?

Continue to party on.....

Don't put your party hats and balloons away just yet....nope, today it's Rachel Korkowski who has a birthday (#39), and she'll be happy to be in the limelight today!  Happy birthday, Rach....have a wonderful day.

C'mon, let's celebrate!

Yes, we have a birthday...finally....and it's Theresa Krentz (#64) who gets to enjoy her cake and ice cream today. Wishing we could celebrate with you but our Manhattans tonight will make us think of you!  Happy birthday, Theresa....

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We're busy....stay tuned!

Nothing more than a picture and a note to let you know that we're out 'making news' for the blog, so stay tuned. But, here's a picture of us this morning as we headed out the door for a day at Ave Maria, Florida....more to come......

Ding dong.....no, it wasn't Avon calling

But, it was Faye & Ron and Norb & Donna who arrived for a couple days of drinking water and eating lettuce leaves....and playing cards!  Okay, so I'm not truthful about the drinking water and eating lettuce, but the cards is a fact.  And, here are the newly arrived guests enjoying burgers off the grill....and yes, that is water at their fingertips :)

Golf, anyone?

This morning, while out for a walk thru the neighborhood, this serene and uncluttered picture was worthy for snapping.  Not a soul around, the water like glass.....what a way to start the day :)

'Oh Sweet Lorraine'

Received this as a 'tag' on Facebook from daughter Amy the other day.  It was posted by WOWK Television, a CBS affiliate out of Charleston-Huntington WV.  That we should all be so lucky to have that special someone write a song just about us.....

"This is a sweet, sweet story about Fred Stobaugh, who is 96 years old. He wrote a song for his wife that she'll never get to hear. Lorraine died in April; they had been together for 73 years.

You might be surprised if we told you that his song is in the Top 10 songs on iTunes (as of the end of August 2013) and he can't even carry a tune, even he admits that. The song is called "Oh Sweet Lorraine" and this video will make you shed a tear."

The video lasts about 9 minutes....and you will get a bit of a lump in your throat!

A very green thumb......

A high school classmate of mine, Lorlee Bartos (whose mother was a Klimek) lives down in Dallas Texas and just recently retired.   She loves to garden, and it definitely shows.  Her property is next to a freeway, and she even plants her gorgeous things in the state's spaces as well.  Now, that's dedication...and also a chance to plant more beauty around you. Look at her 'before' picture, and then look at her 'after' (and recent) look....simply gorgeous!  

Before....and.....

After

And, below are some of the pictures she has posted on her Facebook site for all to enjoy. These beauties are breathtaking!  This gal should be into landscaping on HGTV, as well as a photographer for a garden shop.  She is GOOD!

Minnesota lilac

Oak leaf hydrangea

Ornamental pomegranate

Pink iris

Pink oxalis

Lemon star amaryllis

Nasturtium