Happy 16th Sam

When did this little person

become this big person??

When did this little personbecome this big person?

And when did this little person

become this very grown up young man????

I have no idea where 16 years have gone. All of a sudden he is 16 and I don't feel a day older than the day my first born placed his first born in my arms.

Sam, without embarrassing you we would really like to let you know how very proud we are of you and how much we love you and love who you are. You are becoming an amazing young man. We just want to wish you a wonderful life filled with happiness, fun, friends, success and love.

Happy 16th with love from Grandma Nancy and Grandpa Chuck.

Ruby Tuesday--Red Umbrella

When we were at Disney World a couple of weeks ago, we stayed at the Port Orleans Riverside. They have a gorgeous pool with Red Umbrellas. The Life Guards were also sporting lots of red.OK, I know you are all busy checking out everyone's Ruby Tuesday but take the time to bookmark me and drop back to check out my blog. I am a retired Special Ed teacher who now lives in paradise on Sanibel Island, Florida which is a Sanctuary Island for wildlife. I volunteer for a wildlife hospital. I am also the proud grandma of 5 wonderful grandkids and brag about them often!! I also have a blog called Branches and Roots where I talk about genealogy and my ancestors. OK, enough about me. So if you really want to see red go to Work of the Poet

Mellow Yellow Monday-Turtle Crossing

I love this meme called Mellow Yellow Monday. Lots of yellow pictures to brighten up a Monday. After you look at mine, hop on over and see lots more.

We have lots of Gopher Tortoises on Sanibel. Many of them end up as victims of hit and run drivers. I have often wondered how, if you are observing the 30 or 35 mph speed limit here on the island, you can't not see these guys crossing the road. It's not like they jump out in front of you!! They even get hit by bikes and golf carts on the bike path or streets. These signs are all over the island but people still seem to find ways to hit them. When you are on Sanibel which has tons of wildlife, you have to drive defensively. Expect a wild animal to crawl, run, or fly out in front of you. Be prepared to put on the brakes. OK, I'm off my rant now. :-) Go enjoy some other Mellow Yellow Monday entries.

Hangin' with the Girls

A day or two after Hurricane Charley devastated Sanibel Island on Friday, August 13, 2004, a message board Best of Sanibel Captiva was formed to keep people informed on what was going on. Since then it has become a board where people can discover Sanibel and meet others who are Sanibel Lovers. It was through this board that I have met many of my Sanibel friends--Tink, Tootie, Gary, Bonnie, Cheryl, Kim, Fran and the list goes on and on. Last fall several of us got together for a "pub crawl". Now when some of our out of town friends visit, we try to get together for a crawl. Today was such a day. Fran is here for her yearly visit and Kim is also in town from out of state so Tink and I met up with them today for some lunch, adult beverages and girl talk.

We were slated to start with lunch at the Sanibel Cafe which is owned and managed by friends Richard and Bonnie. Unfortunately the mast of a sail boat a lot of miles away in Matlacha Pass "came in contact with the main electrical transmission line" and wiped out the power on Sanibel, Captiva and Pine Island for a couple of hours. The power had just returned as we arrived at the Cafe but they had decided to close up. So, we headed to Jerry's which has their own generator.

After lunch we decided to head to the West Wind Pool Bar.

We ordered yummy Pina Coladas and Mango Margaritas.

We settled in with our drinks but pretty soon the slapping and itching began. The No See Um's had hit! So, we gulped down our yummy drinks and headed to Biddle's which was air conditioned and bug free.

We all had a great afternoon of just talking, laughing and getting to know each other better. And of course blogging!

Going a Bit Overboard

We have new neighbors next door. They are great people. They are from Wyoming. He has a terminal lung disease so bought the house for her to retire to when he is gone. For someone who is ill, he has been working his backside off. We thought the place was in really good shape but he has been putting in new ceilings, tile, paint etc. They also have a deck which is over the water like ours is. It isn't as big as ours or as wide and I don't think I've ever really seen any of the former two owners even use it. Of course, there wasn't much to see from the deck since the vegetation had pretty much taken over. So Ed decided to do something about that. He hired Renee, the Park caretaker, to do a little trimming. I was thrilled as it gave us a better view of the creek also. They even got on the other side of the creek which is city owned land and cut out some stuff. But, I think they might just have gone a bit overboard.

Before

After--well not quite after. This is a work in progress!

This is a look in the other direction. I have to admit that it is a lot more open in this direction.

This Way Thurs Way--Almost Home

My friend, Tink, took on the chore of hosting a meme called This Way Thurs-Way. This is a meme which appears every Thursday. In Tink's words, "This Way Thurs-Way is all about photos of signs, paths and things pertaining to being "on the road"." When you are done looking at my picture, why don't you hop on over to This Way Thurs-Way and check out some others.

This is the best sign in the whole world. It means we are almost home. Even a pair of Ospreys thought so since they built their home right on the sign.

Good News and Bad News

I realize that Breast Cancer Awareness Month is just about over but perhaps every month should be Breast Cancer Awareness Month. I just found out the other day that a friend of mine has just been diagnosed with breast cancer. I have known Lori since she was in high school and worked as an aide in my classroom. Then some years later, I team taught with her. I had her kids in school. And to hear this was pretty upsetting. The same day another close friend disclosed that she had a suspicious lump in her breast and had to have a diagnostic mammogram and an ultra sound. I totally understood her panic as this is exactly what I went through last spring. I found out yesterday that her outcome was like mine--negative. Thank goodness!! And I totally understood her elation and relief at hearing the news. But it got me thinking that maybe I needed to put my pink bracelet back on again. I wore it for 9 months when my friend, Jan, was going through chemo and recovery. She has been cancer free for 2 years now--thank goodness. We were able to share our trip to Ireland together this past summer. I also have a bracelet which reminds me often of my friend, Tootie's daughter Becky. Becky has been suffering from this horrible disease for several years now.

Ladies--and yes, guys too!! Do those monthly self exams. Get yearly mammograms. Do whatever you can to protect yourself. Wouldn't it be wonderful if for once and for all, they could eradicate this disease? And let's make every month Breast Cancer Awareness Month.