Sunsets over the Columbia

Every evening close to sunset time, I go out to our deck to watch the sunsets.  Each night dresses up in her very best, ready to be photographed.  These are last night's shots, slightly pastel, and later in the setting of the sun.  A soft end to a very warm day.  I lazed in the river, sitting in my lawn chair, my feet up on a rock in the water.  As the temperature climbed to 92 degrees, I sunk deeper into the river,  Now, several hours later, the evening settles down to a soft good night.

Memorial Day, cont.

Continuing on with my Memorial Day, May 25, 2115, I was first showing my Father and uncles in uniforms and attire of that era of WWII.

First:  My uncle Wilfred Dunnigan and father Gerrit Jansen.
2nd:  My mother Vivian Clarke Jansen
3rd:  father Gerrit Jansen
4th:  Aunt Ruie and Uncle Wilfred Dunnigan (Aunt Ruie is now 95 years old!)
5th:  Dad Gerrit by  a classic old car.

As I was saying, the Civil War was the most vivid, heinous war of all, because it was on our own soil, and had devastating consequences.  With the ending, the assassination of Abraham Lincoln.

We saw it first hand in Gone with the Wind, which was so realistic and showed the destruction.

Of course our biggest war was saving the world from the Nazis.

Memorial Day

continued....

After I studied the Civil War in Jr. High, read a lot about Lincoln and Mrs. Lincoln's struggle in a time that was dreadful.  Health care was practically nonexistent, and we saw in Gone With the Wind, the bloody battles and destruction.   

WWI & WWII are sad that our Greatest Generation are mostly gone from us.  My photos are::

Dad Gerrit Jan Jansen & Uncle Wilford Dunnigan, my mother Vivian, Auntie Ruie and Uncle Willy,

Dad in 2 more poses.  Auntie Ruie is still living!

The Greatest Generation: An extra good time was had by all over Memorial Day

In my blog, from now on, I will simply refer to my characters by name.  Husband John and I had some of his buddies from the Air Force, and the early life of defense from Viet Nam.  We were very taken with the many relatives of ours were from the Greatest Generation, and are now deceased.
And we are now "it".  We are the only ones left, starting the New Generation.  We are all orphans of the many heroes, the Allies, that saved the world from the Nazis.  World War II.  Now, we are the ones to defend the world, or more importantly, our nation.  John, Tony, Don, friend Vincent, Rob, and many others have now taken the torch.

I will start with the Civil War of 1860's.  To me, this was the worst, most horrific time in our history.
The Declaration of the freedom of the slaves.  I was reading about Mrs. Lincoln, and the sadness of her life, losing 3 out of 4 sons to terrible diseases of the time.  The uproar of the Southern plantations, the bloodshed, and the complete destruction of a grand life of huge crops and products that were possible because of the labor of their slaves.

to be continued . . .

Images of pelicans in their May fishing grounds

Every year (and this is the third) we have gone to our favorite weir on the Yakima River and observed dozens of pelicans.  They are getting many fish for their families.  I have posted many other photos of pelicans from this spot on this blog.  They have been more descriptive of the actual bird.  This time I am enjoying their activities and the amazing grace and size of the bird.

Happy Mother's Day!

I adore flowers and my cat! And my Ginger Aile and lemon to help m cough.  Of course my husband and sons.  I got flowers from Jeff and a phone call from Jim.  Hearing from James was a joy. because after Jim's house sold, it was so awesome that he found a house so soon!  He and his ex wife had an agreement that worked out, and they each found houses close to their old neighborhood in Sudden Valley (near Bellingham, Wa)
The arrangement with Willard the cat was mde by me in honor of my friend Mona's vase.  When I get some yellow and blue iris, and they are actually outdoor iris,
plus a few yellow roses.  They went to the church with a few bigger arrangements I had made.

I hadn't planned to be so prolific, but once I  had offered to make arrangements, suddenly I was as though I was designing for a Wedding!

The reason I had to leave the floral department came back to me Monday as I ended up on a ventilator in the Dr.s Office monday.  

Senior Citizens Thoughts

I was at the store, and all they had was low fat cottage cheese.  I asked the clerks, who did not know what cottage cheese was, and did not speak English, if that was all they had (I do not speak Spanish).  It was, so I brought it home, and I had some, and I could not tell the difference.  In fact, I liked it better.  I find that my taste buds are not as clear as they were when I was young.  That is a good thing, unless someone gives me poison.  However I do not have vast wealth for that to be much of an incentive, so that is a doubtful scenario, unless I am just too annoying for my husband(or others) to stand anymore.

I live in Desert Aire, which is close to Mattawa, a small little Mexico.  I wished everyone Happy Cinco de Mayo, and met with blank stares.  Well, today is the 5th of May, or Mexican Independence from France.  In 1861-63, Mexico fought for their independence from Napoleon III of France, and won.  That is why Mexico celebrates Cinco de Mayo!  The Mexican soldiers defeated the French soldiers in the Battle of Puebula.   They destroyed the Napolian 111 regime in Mexico and started their own dictatatorship of Diaz in the 1860's.  They did not get their independence until the 1900s in September.