S/VFreyja's Log

Friday, April 29, 2011

Happy 89th, Mina!!

We celebrated Jack's Mom's birthday on Easter Sunday! She's a great lady! I posted the videos mostly for Jack's family so they could see her opening their presents!

Sunday, April 3, 2011

OMG IT’S SNOWING ON MY TULIPS!!!

Just when we thought spring was here – guess what?

My cute Easter flag looked a little forlorn!

BUT – it MUST be spring because we are at a baseball game!!!

Jack in his Tribe gear

SRO on the train

Walking from the train to Progressive Field

Our flag being unfurled

Baseball legend and American hero, Bob Feller, who died last December, was honored before the game.

We lost the game to the White Sox 15-10 but in the 5th inning we were down 14-0 so the comeback was exciting! It was a beautiful, sunny day and we had such a good time. Go Tribe!!

March also brought a visit to the beautiful Florida Keys! It was wonderful to see so many friends but I must confess, it was MUCH too hot for me – in the 90’s – whew! 24 degrees felt GOOD when I got home! I really don’t miss the Keys – but here’s the things I do miss – my friends, fish and humidity!! Our friend Co from Islamorada/Cape Cod has had 2 brain surgeries in the last 6 months and is doing SO well. How happy it made me to see her improved condition and her happy face! Alina is going great guns in the real estate world! Thank you to both she and Don for their hospitality – and I loved loving on Victor and Victoria, their rescued beagles. Saw old hospital friends, old neighbors, ate lots of fish and stone crab, saw every sunset (one with a green flash!) AND Holly and our godchildren drove down from Melbourne for the weekend! So fun to see everyone and I love you all!

Sunset the night of my arrival!

That would be Co – with a boa on her head!! I LIKED your short do!!

Smuggler’s for hogfish!!

Had to give the manatee a drink!

Sunset on Don’s new boat!

Raquel brought special champagne to celebrate my visit – thank you!!

The kids were drinking Poppa T’s rum punch!

Sweet Vicky

And Victor

Breakfast at Mangrove Mike’s

Absolutely the most beautiful children!!!

Steamboat Springs

Spring is for many reasons a favorite time of year. One of those is spring skiing. Jack and I are determined to ski until we are 70 and then we ski free. We had never been to Steamboat but were invited to join cruising friends there and decided to go for it! In the 24 hours before we arrived they had 24 inches of new snow and then the sun came out and stayed out for the duration of our visit! Jack and I both think it was the best skiing we have ever done! Perfect snow, perfect weather, great friends to ski and visit with and a couple of knock-your-socks-off restaurants! We’ll be back!!

The view of the ski mountain from our room

YAY! This is soooo much fun!!

ANIMALS!!

What a gift it is to live in this place that’s chock full of some of the best Mother Nature has to offer!

Deer helping themselves to birdseed in our backyard!

Bluebirds swarm the suet!

A red-bellied woodpecker likes it, too…

as does the pileated woodpecker!

Winter continues but the sun is shining!!

Squirrel sunbathing on the roof of the gazebo

Dakota enjoys the sun shining in the window…

And when there is no sun……………..

Ice animals at tne annual ice carving festival in Medina Square

This one is in front of our knitting store!

Sunday, January 30, 2011

SNOW DANCING!

Saturday, January 22, 2011

WINTER WONDERLAND

The last time I blogged, at the end of September, autumn was ending and we were looking forward to winter. Here it is the 3rd week in January and I am just now getting back to my blog. Autumn did not end in October as expected. We sailed through November and even into early December with warm days, just barely cool nights and many Indian summer days filled with outdoor activities like hiking, raking, planting bulbs for Spring and preparing for that day when the weather did turn into Winter. We have had plenty of snow, mostly temps in the 20’s without wind and zero storms. Not what I call storms anyway, South Dakota girl that I am!! We celebrated Thanksgiving at our home with Jack’s Mom and our friend Susan Bigley. We threw a grand Open House for all our new friends and neighbors just before Christmas. Everyone had such a good time they stayed and it became a party - filling our home with about 50 guests, laughter and love! Our God daughter, Dawn, came from Florida for a 5 day visit – she was my capable assistant at the party and we had fun entertaining her – shopping, lunching and a trip to the Cleveland Museum of Art. We are very proud of her – she will be graduating from college in April! Jack’s Mother, our dear Mina, is good. She is happy in her ALF. I volunteer there often – always playing the piano on Tuesday afternoons for Sing-a-long. I am humbled by the experience as they are all so grateful that I come and play. Mina came to our home on Christmas Eve for an early supper in front of the fire and joined us again on Christmas morning for brunch and gifts. Jack and I celebrated our 37th wedding anniversary on December 27! Good for us!! New Years was quiet and now it’s January. A quick trip a couple of weeks ago to Gainesville to check on my Dad found him healthy and happy and thrilled to see his daughter! What a good guy he is – my hero. We hit Cleveland’s Playhouse Square with it’s 4 historic theaters as often as we can seeing Billy Elliot in December and looking forward to South Pacific in February. I am also a subscriber and heavy attender of Cleveland Public Theater – avant garde theater, much to my liking! Not to Jack’s!! We are enjoying winter concerts of the Cleveland Orchestra, last week finding us listening to Shumann’s Concerto in A minor with Romanian pianist Radu Lupu. A take-your-breath away moment listening to him with the orchestra in perfect accompaniment. I am enjoying my Art in Books book club – such a good idea. We read a novel about art/artists and over 3 Wednesdays in succession we get an art lecture, a book discussion with the librarian and the 3rd week go into the galleries!! Very fun and very educational. I also continue spinning and pilates and enjoy long walks. Jack keeps busy as he always does with assorted house projects, reading, computer work and taking care of Dakota. Beloved Dakota. We should all learn from her – always, but always stretch each time you get up, greet your friends at the door, running in circles, dashing to and fro and kissing them on the face to let them know how glad you are to see them, curl up in a ball and snuggling up to someone you love when you are cold and snuggle up to someone you love even if you aren’t cold! Oh, and run in the snow just for the pure joy of it!! We love that dog! Here’s a few pix of what goes on here – Happy Winter!!

Indian summer hike