A Boy and His Dog

     He is my other eyes that can see above the clouds; my other ears that hear above the winds. He is the part of me that can reach out into the sea. He has told me a thousand times over that I am his reason for being; by the way he rests against my leg; by the way he thumps his tail at my smallest smile; by the way he shows his hurt when I leave without taking him. (I think it makes him sick with worry when he is not along to care for me.)     When I am wrong, he is delighted to forgive. When I am angry, he clowns to make me smile. When I am happy, he is joy unbounded. When I am a fool, he ignores it. When I succeed, he brags. Without him, I am only another man. With him, I am all-powerful. He is loyalty itself.     He has taught me the meaning of devotion. With him, I know a secret comfort and a private peace. He has brought me understanding where before I was ignorant.     His head on my knee can heal my human hurts. His presence by my side is protection against my fears of dark and unknown things. He has promised to wait for me... whenever... wherever—in case I need him. And I expect I will—as I always have. He is just my dog.  -Gene Hill

 While Kevin was working and attending the Big Ten tourney with buddies, I jumped on a plane and headed south for some "son time" in the sunshine.  Even just a few days of sunshine is really good for the  soul.  After spending the weekend with Eric, I realized the ONE thing he misses the most from home is....his dog.  Hence, the poem and the photos from years past.  Just looking through all the pet photos brought me joy.

Back to the weekend.  While Eric continued his hectic college schedule I watched from the sidelines as he rowed, and rowed, and then rowed some more.  While he was busy with class assignments and fraternity requirements I had time to attend a Florida Tech Athletic fundraiser called Chopper Dropper, where I saw 2000 golf balls dropped from a helicopter onto the golf course.
Unfortunately for me, my number was not on one of the closest eighteen balls, so I won zip.  It was nice being outside on a lovely evening though.  We were able to get several beach walks in, but missed the opportunity to get the boy a much needed haircut.  (He promises that Friday is the day...)  The best mom moment of the weekend was being with my son in the fresh ocean breeze on the beach at night with a million stars above us and the vast ocean before us.  I felt pure happiness, love, and peace.  It will be one of those moments I cherish forever.
Blessing abound.  Give your loved ones a hug today!

One Week Later....

With blue skies and mild temps bright little crocuses greeted me today hinting of spring!  Always makes for happy people and animals. 

Gotta love Purdue Pete!

If you have not heard the news (only if you've been living under a rock)...Indiana University Men's Basketball won the Big Ten for the first time in twenty years.  Hmmm - funny to think that my Boilermakers of Purdue have won it seven times in that time, but the local media seems to think that THIS year, it is extra special.  Oh well, I'm happy for my IU buddies, all the same.  While IU was winning the Big Ten, Kevie and I enjoyed the last home game of the year in Mackey Arena.  Senior day is always heart warming, and this year our dear family friend, Andrew, was honored during half-time for his contribution as an amazing Purdue student.  He even gave his mom roses - sweet.  It is great being a Boilermaker!
 Before arriving at Purdue, I had spent the day at the NCAA Div 3 Indoor Track and Field National Championships watching Sarah's Tufts teammates compete.  Our Jumbo Pentathlete pictured here was an All-American for the third time in her career - Congrats Jana!

As I sign off this entry, the weather has changed yet again....to snow.  Those poor little crocuses may have shown their bright colors a little too soon.

March Madness

Usually the most exciting part of March in Indiana is basketball.  While 2013 might not be our beloved Purdue Boilermaker's year for a title, we still love the game and watching Butler and even Indiana make their way through the NCAA tournament.  Of course the Big Ten tourney will offer thrilling competition next weekend.  But before all that fun starts, Mother Nature had to bless us with a wintery blast one last time (hopefully) before spring officially arrives.

The horses are extremely bored since I have them confined to the sand pad due to the shoe pulling muck everywhere else.  Leo is my tried and true helper, happy "help" me with horse management.

Arriving at my parent's home (where I was born and raised) I was prepared to do a "functional" workout to clear their driveway of this heavy snow.  At 85, my dad is still stubborn enough to do it himself, but I figured I needed a workout more than he needed to end up in the hospital.  As I took the first pass of the shovel, I was reminded of how nice Indianans are....their neighbor waved me down, telling me her plowman was heading over to do it for them.  On that note, I'll be sure to pay it forward today.  

 As I made my way around town this morning, I couldn't help but appreciate the beauty of this snowfall. Everyday roads had transformed into a magical sparkling world overnight.  Here is Kissel Road and the Salem Cemetery.

I hope you take the time to appreciate the beauty around you today, and have yourselves a great week!

February Fun

Time flies when you're having fun, so at this rate 2014 will be here before I know it!  We were fortunate to head to Lake Tahoe to meet up with my friend since the bicentennial and her husband for a few glorious days of skiing.  Here is the view from the Northstar resort

 In addition to the skiing, we enjoyed great meals, tasty beer, and lots of laughs.  I can hardly wait until next ski season when we meet on the slopes again!

Break Time!  Lake Tahoe is over his left shoulder

Friends for 37 years

 Back on the homefront, two more t-shirt quilts have come together quite nicely.  I'm just finishing up the back so the quilter can work her magic.  These are by far the largest quilts I've made.  Good thing the recipients are 6'4!

                                               

   After these two, I have three more t-shirt quilts to go, but I'm going to take a break with my friends Anne and Mary to make a colorful "real" quilt of my own just for me.

Side by side, king size quilts.

Hope you all have a happy Valentine's day, and a wonderful February.  Until next time...

And off we go....

     As is true for all of us, when the year begins we never know where our paths may lead us.  To start 2013, the Colorado Rockies were our first stop.  Born and raised in Indiana where the terrain barely undulates , I am always in awe of any "mountains", even what some refer to as foothills.  My soul always sings when I find myself in the Rocky Mountains.  This trip was no different.  Since the extremely low temperatures deterred us from skiing, we hopped in the well heated car to enjoy the many beautiful views from scenic by-ways.  The sunshine and deep blue skies accented the peaks and valleys of our trek.

The delightful town of Breckenridge welcomed us the first day, with its picturesque main street of great shops and great beer.  We enjoyed warming up and sharing a few laughs at the brewery in town.  Kevin had to pose below for a classic "Eric" shot for our son.  Turns out this place has impressive pizzas too, which is always a bonus in our book!

The following day we meandered up, down, and through mountains, stopping in Steamboat Springs for lunch where the temperature had reached a balmy 3 degrees. The skiers who happen to dine with us radiated frost as they sat down.  Brrrrrh!

Eventually we arrived at our next destination, the Winter Park Zephyr Mountain Lodge.  It's always a lively spot with assorted shops and refreshment locales.  The view was spectacular, but the -17 degree temp was not.  We did enjoy our standard jaunts, Carver's for breakfast, Deno's for drinks and dinner with friends, and both are highly recommended if you find yourself in the area.

From Winter Park it was on to Boulder, Colorado, where Kevin wanted to show me the town and some of his old haunts.  The scenic long way (Highway 119) was well worth the travel time.  It was definitely the road less travelled, but the scenery was incredible.

This picture can hardly do it justice.

We strolled the Boulder shopping promenade, The Pearl Street Mall, and checked out the University of Colorado.  Maybe if you attended school here the views would get boring, but somehow I doubt that.

So all in all, a wonderful weekend get away was enjoyed in spite of the temperatures!

Until next time, blessings!