Summertime Saturday

Hello. We woke up to 2.8" of rain in the rain gage Saturday morning!!! What another welcomed rain! Too bad all this rain is too late for the corn crop. Has probably "made" the bean crop though. Well, Am and I took a little trip to good ol' nearby Columbia on Saturday. It is about an hour and a half south of here so not far away. We decided to just hang out by ourselves and not tell any family members we were coming to town (no offense - family readers!!) I actually think getting away from MC did some good. The stupidity at our work place is taking a toll on him more so than me I think. SO it was nice getting away from everyone and everything we know and just focused on doing what we wanted when we wanted to do it.

We actually decided to go see the hot air balloon thing - but when we found Corporate Lake there was NOTHING there....and I do mean NOTH-INNNGGGG. Let me say nicely, that I was P^$$ED off!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! At this point I was ready to just say poop on Columbia - we're going home. However, since we were on the South end of town, Am decided "let's go to Rock Bridge Park." SO we did. We were just a few miles away from that. We went to what is called The Devil's Ice Box. A lot of the trail is closed right now because they are fixing some areas that are dangerous and need work - so we didn't get to go all the way down or in. It was a very nice area though. HUMID as could be. This fat girl had a hard time NOT huffing and puffing going up the stairs!! Some of it has been "rebuilt" over time but some of the original "stairways" are still what you have to climb - which is evident here. Rock wedges and/or tree roots are the so called steps. Of course, not knowing we were going to do that, I had on my Eastland flip flops which are NOT cut out for climbing around on trails!!! LOL Oh well. This is the only part of the cave area that I could get a picture of. Again, due to both ends of the trail that goes down and thru were closed this was all I could get and this was the closest we could get also. There wasn't much water in the creek - mostly just a rock bed.

Isn't he nice to smile for the camera??? Caught him holding up this tree and so I made him pose for me. He was actually making faces and sticking out his tongue.... boys don't grow up they just grow older.... but I did manage to catch him in a smile/laugh and it turned out to be a great picture! One of the FEW GOOD ONES that I have of him!! Anyhow...if you want "real" information on this place you can go here: http://www.mostateparks.com/rockbridge.htm The website actually shows the walking area that goes THRU the cave part we were blocked off from.

After the park, we went to the mall - a must whenever in town!!! We were there for quite awhile taking in all the stores. I only bought a cookbook (imagine that) at Barnes & Noble and a couple of Mizzou t-shirts. (which we're going to the big state rivalry between Missouri & Illinois next weekend!! wooo hoo) Since we had ate a little something before we left home, I was starving. We decided to eat around 4:30 - 5:00 so we went to the Olive Garden. OMG.....it was soooooo good! And I was soooo bad! I did, however, manage to go "outside the box" and order something besides the same thing I always get. And I loved it and didn't even wish I had got the norm. If you like shrimp.....and haven't tried this, it is one of the features the Olive Garden has advertised all summer! It is called Grilled Shrimp Caprese
(pronounced ca-PRAY-say) I ate 98% of it....only leaving a few of the fresh herbs, butter sauce and maybe one bite of pasta in the bowl! Doesn't it look good? And here is the official menu description:
Grilled marinated shrimp served over angel hair pasta with melted mozzarella, fresh basil and tomatoes in a garlic-butter sauce. $15.50 It was a "special price" though....for a mere $14.25 I wasn't going to get it - but since Ambrose ordered the Tour of Italy for $14.95, I went ahead!! We decided to splurge I guess!!!!!!! [he too, cleaned up his plate, and if you've never seen it or had it, the Tour of Italy is probably enough for 2 maybe even 3 people!!!! I've always at the entire thing and felt like barfing afterwards because I was so full] So it was a wonderful way to end the day.....so I thought.

Am decided since we were in Columbia, we might as well swing by the balloon thing once more. We found out that the balloons were scheduled to fly around 6. We got there about 5 after. No balloons were up or flying, so naturally I came unglued. Since he went thru hell and back to find a place to park we were destined to get out, walk over there and sit down and wait! lol

The University of Missouri hospital's "Staff of Life" helicopter was on display. Hopefully this will be as close as I'll ever have to be to that thing. I hope that we never have to deal with it on a personal level such as taking one of us to the hospital...................... It ended up taking off right before the balloons left. It was headed to the hospital so not sure if it's time was up or if something happened.

FINALLY....the pilot's meeting was over and the teams headed to the area where all the baskets were set up. It really only took a few minutes to get the balloons inflated and lifted off once they got started. Here is the first balloon that seemed to be "first" to get going.

Getting up...


Almost ready for take off...


FIRST IN THE AIR!!!!


After the Machens Toyota balloon took off, the rest of them wasted no time getting inflated (or whatever it's called for hot air balloons) They were all going up at the same time it seemed! It was very neat to watch! This particular picure is actually from this morning's Columbia Tribune which isn't a whole lot different from mine, just a different view and better clarity!!! We left before all of them were off the ground - because there really wasn't much else to watch - at this point - they were all chasing the first balloon. It was 7:00 and we were still in Columbia! LOL I had planned on being home by 8:00 to watch the FoodNetwork show at 8....which was featuring the Maid Rite shop in Quincy. Needless to say we missed it......BUT..it will air again this coming Wednesday (29th) at 8....so if you didn't see it....tune in!
Everyone loves "Goldfish"!!!!

On our way home, we stopped at Centralia and looked at all of the beautiful roses at the Chance Rose Garden. I'd never stopped and actually got out to look {been by it hundreds of times tho} but it was gorgeous. Here is a small glimpse of part of the garden. Across the street at the original Chance home, is a HUGE back yard flower garden that was a tiny resemblance of something like Botanical Garden in St. Louis or Powell Gardens in Kansas City. LOTS of work for one back yard!!!! This is actually the "potted" plants in the driveway alone. I tried to get Ambrose to stand by these HUGE elephant ears but having him pose TWICE IN A YEAR (let alone twice in one day) was asking way too much. I'm sure you can tell how big they are!!! We left when it was getting dark and I was getting mutilated by mosquitos. I counted 6 bites on one leg, 2 on the other and 1 on my hand. What did Ambrose get? NONE......................I told him I'm just much sweeter than him. {those of you who know him can probably hear his "giggle" at my own comment!!!!}
By the time we got home it was 9:00......................so we definately "made a day of it" and had a great time - which was the most important part!!! Guess it goes to show that you don't HAVE to travel far far away to get away from the daily grind and to find things to do!!!

Hope I haven't bored you to tears........but that is what bloggers are for......not to bore you lol but to write the events as they happen!!!!

Oh...one more thing. This is copied from something I found on the internet which tells a little about the garden we went to in Centralia. Also "A.B. Chance" is an industry still running strong. They make anchors. And if you would like to read about THAT....you can check it out on http://www.abchance.com/

One of the city's highlights is the legacy of A.B. Chance, the industrialist who in 1907 founded the internationally known company that bears his name. Chance Gardens is a floral wonderland, a colorful half acre of beauty that attracts thousands of visitors annually to view its flowers, trees, waterfall and rock formations. Adjacent to the gardens is the former home of Mr. Chance, which now serves as the Centralia Historical Society Museum. Built in 1904, the mansion contains many permanent and special exhibits of the community's early history. Educational programs and special tours are offered, and the house also is used as a meeting place for many of the more than 40 local clubs and organizations. Adjacent to the Museum is a new rose garden with its lovely spring smells and sights.



I am not sure what type of Hibiscus plants these were but they were bigger than we were!!!!!!
And I thought the blooms on MY plant were large~whoa!

Nothing

Well there are definately TOO MANY clouds for any kind of visibility tonight of the ISS.
Oh well. At least Am and I saw it perfectly clear on Tuesday night!!!
Let me know if any of you were able to see it tonight where YOU are!!

Have a great weekend!!

Clouds Clouds Clouds

Well........it's 8:03 as I type this really quick. Nothing but clouds out there tonight but in 21 minutes I still plan to perch myself outside just incase the space station goes past "under" the clouds! LOL ya right.
I'll repost later.

I know my family and friends in the Kahoka/Keokuk area received 2 1/2" rain overnight. We, on the other hand have ended up with a half inch here at Ponderosa Trail.

Later...............

Next International Space Station Viewing

Hello folks. Looks like we have one more change to catch a view of the space station. Below is the local time - and it appears as though it may be coming from the other direction. Here is the "schedule" that I have copied from the NASA sight.
OH...by the way...it's tomorrow....Friday August 24 Good Luck (supposed to be kinda cloudy/stormy during the day but maybe it'll clear off for that.)

Local Date/Time: Fri Aug 24 / 08:24 PM
Minutes of Duration: 3
Max Elev (DEG): 21
Approach (DEG-DIR): 19 above WSW
Departure (DEG-DIR): 10 above S

Sky watchin' again!!!

The International Space Station Pays A Visit

Visible passes of the International Space Station the last few eveings spawned a number of calls to our newsroom & the weather center. Due to the size of the station and additional solar panels, it is one of the brightest visible satellites after sunset & before sunrise. Tonight, the ISS will be visible from 8:49PM to 8:54PM as it moves from northwest to southeast. It will appear to pass almost overhead but skewed a bit south. Hopefully the sky will cooperate!

OK.......Did anyone happen to catch this???? I just happened to check my emails shortly before 9. One of them was my daily evening email from WGEM weather central and the above information was at the bottom. I looked at the clock and it was 8:50....I told Am to get his shoes on and let's go outside and see if we can see it. We stepped out on the steps and in the direct NW........THERE IT WAS!!!!!!!!!!!! It was headed right towards our direction just like they said it would! It went pretty much overhead. Pretty cool!!! We stood there looking up and watching it pass over until we could see it no more!!! When we came in, I made sure to check the clock again....it was exactly 8:54. Talk about "right on target" Good thing I read my emails!!!!! You know me and watching stars and anything else that is "out of the ordinary" in the sky!!!! Am said, "wouldn't that be the sh*ts if it blew up about now" LOL we have warped minds!!
OK, that is all. Just wanted to see if any of you caught this like we did. (He said that they talked about it some on the news....I was not here)

It's still HOT

Wow...it's hot again. Today is much worse.....at least the humidity is greater. I'm sick of it! I shouldn't say that because the only times I have even been out today was to go to church, coming home from church and then to throw out some yuky tomatoes. THAT'S IT!!!! I'm going to grill some chops here in a short bit though. Friday it wasn't too bad - in fact when I finally got home around 11 that night, the windows were all open and there was an awesome breeze coming thru the bedroom window!!! Yesterday morning it was nice and cool also, but it soon got hot as the day progressed.

We did manage to get some very much needed rain the other day. Thursday I do believe it was. (seems long ago) It got pitch black out before 9:00 a.m. and I do mean BLACK like black in the night. The street lights were on and the whole works. It was weird. The wind was blowing very strong as well and then the sky opened up and DUMPED the rain..........it didn't last long but here on Ponderosa Trail we ended up with 1.2" rain! Earlier in the week or week before we had a combined .8" or so, so that's good. Not that it caught up the moisture level by any means but Am had to mow this weekend!!!!!

Yesterday evening, Am brought in a butterfly that he found out in the front. It was dead so we don't know what happened to it. It's in perfect condition so it hadn't been dead TOO LONG. I took a few pictures to show you how pretty it is (was). I put it on Molly while she was taking a nap and she immediately knew that something was on her and that it wasn't supposed to be there. LOL Here she is checking it out.

Of course, I couldn't just take a picture of my hand and the cat.......I had to place the poor dead thing on top of the freezer. All of the other pictures weren't coming out very well and I finally got a half way clear picture so here it is. And yes....if you are wanting to ask, "do we still have the dead butterfly?"...yes we do. I don't know why - just do. It's too pretty to just fling out the door like a dead cricket!! LOL

Also....Gracie has managed to "master" jumping up on things.................. which I was hoping she would be too dumb to learn. God only knows what she does while we are gone all day. SO....there no disciplining her during work hours (sorry mom [or anyone else]...if you would like to come kitty sit and teach her during the day shift please do so) Here she was - looking out the kitchen window. I think it was when the wind picked up around 5:30 Saturday evening. I thought we were going to get a little storm but of course nothing happened. Just wind and it got dark like it would rain and that was all.

Well.....nothing much else to report. Have a good one.

When is it going to stop?

My goodness....ANOTHER hot day on the homefront. Today's high was 103* and that was in our yard. That's the third day in a row of 100 or more and the third consecutive week of over 90.................... As I write this, it's 8:14 p.m. and it's STILL hot....it's currently 97*. Can you believe that? At this hour of night? Needless so say, I have not walked (morning OR night) in a week......................................I've also noticed the days are getting shorter. STill dark around 5:30 and it's almost dark now. I hate the thought of shorter days.

Well - watched the meteor shower over the weekend. Actually on Saturday. I posted about Friday. My friend Chris and her son Brandon came out after 10:00 Saturday night and we all sat/laid out in the front yard!! She and Brandon laid on a big comforter they brought, I laid in my lounge chair and Ambrose sat in a lawn chair. We actually saw quite a few of them till midnight. That's when Chris left, Am went to bed! LOL I, on the other hand, stayed outside! Supposedly the better viewing for more meteors was to take place after 12:oo. WELL lemme just say that I beg to differ! I counted a total of five, yes only five, meteors shooting across the sky from 12 to 1:03 a.m. THAT STUNK. Then of course Sunday night was THEEE peak viewing night. Low and Behold - the clouds came marching in later that day and by nighttime there wasn't a star in the sky that could be seen around here!!!! In fact, a storm brewed up around 10 and "there was a whole different kind of light show in the sky" (as Chris put it in her text message!!!) Till next August - for the next Perseids Meteor Shower. Will keep you posted on the next one.

Well....stay cool people. Have a good rest of the week.............

Finally it's Friday

Well....another layoff week and another "night out" with our friends that lost their jobs. Such a downer.............................................................

Anyhow - this weekend, as every year, is the annual August show of the Perseids Meteor Shower. Supposed all month but this weekend is the best view. THE BEST view is supposed to be after midnight on the 12th...........and even better view from 2-4....good luck catching that one! LOL I have my lounger lawn chair set up and ready and I'm headed out as soon as I post this. Don't forget to watch in the NE sky......................at PEAK....you should be able to see 1 meteor per minute (or more).....last year it was a full moon week therefore no visibility. But this week starts a "dark moon" so no light!!! woo hooo

Stay cool this weekend!

Tuesday

It's Damn Hot.............................


nothing else to report......

Stay cool

Steamy Sunday

Well it's gonna be a hot week I believe. I took my walk this morning [later than usual since it's the weekend]. It wasn't bad at all as there is a pretty strong breeze from the South and West. I only went up to the highway though. Figured MAYBE I'll go again tonight. I was just looking at the 7 day forecast on Agweb.com and the temps for each day are very very hot. Water aerobics class on Monday and Thursday nights should feel great!!!!!!

Daytime Highs
Sunday: 96
Monday: 96
Tuesday: 100
Wednesday: 97
Thursday: 100
Friday: 99
Saturday: 98

Man, don't those numbers just stink!! We need some rain extremely bad........but doesn't look like we'll get that. Welcome to the midwest August!!!!!!!!!! {I DID see a woolly worm crossing the road this morning. He was brown but not black...............}

Stay cool, drink lots of water and make sure you turn your air on!! Have a good week.