Computer Crash!

My laptop has decided enough is enough.  I don't know what I did to cause it to bite the dust; but it went down, and no matter how much coaching Howard has done to it, it will not open.  We have a "tech" friend in Indy who says he will pay us a visit, and see if he can retrieve the information. I hope my final memoir writing can be saved. If it can't, I'll simply write it again :-(

Howard and I are enjoying the warm temperatures here in Kissimmie.  We leave the sunshine state next Tuesday for home.  We are eager to get back into our regular routine.  January is a nice time to leave Ohio; but there's no place like home even if there is snow on the ground!

Howard's Sister, Connie, Doing What All Tourist Do

Shopping At Celebration

Another Look At Celebration

Welcome To Celebration

If you haven't visited Celebration, you are missing a treat.  This community was designed and built by Disney.  It consists of homes built from a variety of archetural designs. 

Yesterday I met a woman who has lived here fourteen years. She loves it.  She said Disney didn't own it anymore. It wouldn't be a place I wanted to live, but it was fun to tour and have lunch.

Some Oranged That Escaped The Freeze

The freezing weather Florida experienced a while back has passed.  It is now back to normal: in the mid-seventies.  Sunday promises a whopping 80.

West Virginia Cousins

Howard's two cousins (Jane  & Norma) and their husbands (Larry & Jim) came through Daytona today on their way to Miami where they are going to board a cruise ship tomorrow.  It was fun visiting with them over lunch.

Bird Meeting

Okay guys....I want you'll to listen up.  The tourists will be here in a couple of months on Spring Break. I want you'll to enjoy the quiet beach while you can 'cause we're gonna be out of here when them crazy kids come down here hootin 'n hollerin.

A New Driver Spotted On Daytona Beach

Daytona Beach is probably the only beach in the country where motorists and pedistrians share the same space. I was walking along the water this morning when I saw a car coming toward me only to discover I was in the traffic lane.   This photo was taken of a new driver who was speeding down the beach at a record-breaking ten mph.  He looked like someone I'd seen before, but I wasn't sure. 

Traders Point Christian Church & Haiti

As I watched the news tonight, I was reminded of the long-standing relationship between Traders Point Christian Church and the tiny island of Haiti; the poorest nation in the western hemisphere. I think of all the people who have gone from TPCC in the name of the Lord to do whatever was needed to be done. There are hundreds of you! You have gone as dentists, doctors, nurses, preachers, teachers and many other professions.  You took suitcases stuffed with clothing for the purpose of leaving your belongings behind.  You filled crates and barrels with needy products to distribute. You performed duties of all kinds without complaining.

I heard the testimonies when you returned. I saw the excitement in your eyes and heard music in your voices.  It amazed me how close you got to the Hiatian people in such a short amount time. You all said you had received more than you had given, and I believed you.

I asked Howard if he had any idea how much money TPCC had invested in Haiti over the years.  He paused and said, "Undoubtedly hundreds of thousands....quite possibly a million or more."  I don't say that to brag.  I say that to comfort all of you whose hearts are breaking now as you watch the news coverage.  You did a good thing when you went to Haiti: from rocking babies to extracting teeth and performing surgeries.

Howard and I had the privilege of sponsoring little Chantelle from the time she started Kindergarten until she graduated. He met her when he went on one of the early trips.  She was a shy six-year-old then. My heart goes out to those who founded Lifeline Christian Mission. Their hearts must be breaking too. They were responsible for providing all of us an opportunity to sponsor a child.

Did you noticed how many Christian missions, hospitals and schools were shown on the news?  God's people loved the people of Haiti long before the reporters and cameras arrived.  God bless Haiti, and God bless all of you who put your arms around the people and loved them over the years.

Catching A Muralist At Work

We were on the Boardwalk looking for a place to have lunch today when we spotted this artist painting a mural.  She agreed to let me take her photo.  We had a nice chat.  She and her business partner live in Orlando. The landscape behind the portrait was done by the other artist.

Enjoying The Sun

With the cold blast gone, it is a treat to get out into Florida's beautiful tropical gardens.  This is bamboo behind the bench. (We see a lot of it growing in Cincinnati which surprised me. I didn't think it would grow up north.) I don't need to tell you who is wearing the red sweater.  I'll let you guess who has the camera!

The Gardens @ The Orman Art Museum

When I viewed this water feature at the entrance to the Orman Art Museum, I assumed everything was part of the sculpture.  All of a sudden a turtle's head moved!!!  The peacocks remained in the same position the whole time we were there. I assume they are the sculpture.

Hey Buddy....Look At The Camera!

What Is Shadware?

An art form known as SHADWARE was once thought to be "Hippie Art," but today it has made its way into some mainstream galleries. We visited the Orman Art Gallery this afternoon where the gardens were decorated with walls covered with shadware. You can see actual dinner plates as well as raised carvings embedded into the broken pieces of pottery, glass, mirror and china. It gives the garden a whimsical look.

Growing Old Isn't So Bad After All

The building where we are staying here in Daytona Beach offered a craft class yesterday afternoon to off set the cold weather. I had nothing to do, so I sauntered in. The paper posted in the hallway said the class would be painting bird houses. I got there only to be told I was supposed to have signed up the day before.  Since I hadn't, I would not get a bird house!!!  There were not enough to go around. I apologized for being so thoughtless (I hadn't read the small print about signing up.) As I was about to leave, the director said, "you can stay, but you'll have to paint a box."  I really had my heart set on painting a bird house, but, hey, if all they had was a box, so be it! :-)

She held a plastic tub filled with acrylic paints asking which ones I wanted her to put on my styrofoam plate. I was afraid to ask for too many, since I hadn't signed up, so I requested only two: black and white.  She carefully squeezed the bottles as the paint blurped onto my makeshift palet.

The man across  the table was busy painting his bird house with brilliant colors. He welcomed me to the table by asking, "where are you from?" When I told him, he aked  "What do you do back in Cincinnati?  "I'm retired," I said as I glanced over at his blue and lime green bird house thinking how nice it looked.  "What did you do before you retired?" he asked.  I wasn't eager to tell him since I was engaging in a very elementary form of what I once did as a profession. "I worked as an artist," I said reluctantly. "Oh," he said in an excited voice, "No wonder you make such nice dots."  I suddenly realized I was in a place I'd never been before: in an old-folks craft class painting dots!  I decided growing old isn't so bad after all.

Sunrise This Morning

I woke up this morning with the sun shinning in my face.  The warm rays felt good. 

A Lonely Walk

If you look closely, you can see two people all bundled up taking a lonely walk along the beach. I am seven floors up looking out over the water. I am doing the same thing most people are doing this afternoon...staying inside! The temperature is supposed to reach into the 70's by Thursday. I hope they're right.  I brought swim gear, shorts and T's...and one thin jacket!

Too Cold To Swim!

The pool at the condo in Orlando was empty. Too cold to swim.  I chatted with a family from Alaska who had packed swimming gear for a week in the sun. The children stood at the fence looking at the chilly pool with little hopes of getting in. Perhaps they had a fun doing something else.  Mick 'n Minney are always ready to show every kid a good time at Disney World if the parents have enough money to cover it!

Burrr-r-r-r-r It's Cold Down Here!

We flew down here to get out of the cold weather, but  it followed us!  The average temperature in the Orlando area during the day has been in the mid forties.  That might not sound cold to you Midwesterners, but it's very cold for the folks down here.  One old timer told Howard he had lived here over fifty years, and he had never seen the weather be this cold this long.

The marine life is suffering terribly.  The big turtles are being pulled out of the swamps, wrapped in blankets for the 72 hours it takes them to warm up. They become paralized when their body temperature drops.  The iguanas are also making the evening news by falling off tree limbs.  They loose their grip when they get cold. Fortunately, the fall doesn't hurt them.  The manatees are crowding into neighborhood waterways where the waters are warmer. They are eating the vegetation off the banks which is quickly running out. The local evening news anchor said the weather must break soon or many of the marine life will be lost.

Extreme weather causes problems no matter where you live.  We have always been in the midwest during a deep freeze.  The temperatures here are nothing like back home, but they are devastating for the citrus growers and the marine life.  The fact that we can't go swimming or lie in the sun seems incidental compared to the devastation around us.  We're having a great time staying inside looking out....just like we did back home!

Greetings From Orlando

The temperature here in Florida rose this afternoon. It was 42 this morning, but is now warm and toasty. It must be in the high 60's.  Howard and I ate lunch at Celebration City today.  Howard enjoyed getting some rays.  

Update On HRB

Howard gave us a scare Wednesday when he passed out in a restaurant.  He was transported to University Hospital here in Cincinnati.  The doctors weren't sure if it was due to his Parkinson's disease or his heart.  He was put into the heart unit where they examined him thoroughly.  His heart looks great. That was good news considering his family history. 

It was finally determined that he was dehydrated.  His veins do not push the blood up to his head as well as they once did.  Keeping the veins filled with fluids is the answer.  He is to drastically increase his water intake with 1/3 of it being electrolytes.  Parkinson's robs him of his sleep, so a new sleep aide was given which was also part of the problem.

Believe it or not, but we went to the symphony last night after enjoying dinner at PrimaVista restaurant with friends!  He did fine, and there is no reason to doubt that his condition won't continue.  Thanks for your concern.