I have seen the above plate around town before and I finally was able to safely take a photo of it when I saw it at a parking lot. I don't try to take photo while driving unless I am the passenger or I am stuck behind the vehicle when we have to stop at a traffic light. We don't need one more distraction while driving (music, cell phone, eating, putting on make-up are just a few things people do while they are supposed to focus on driving). "EIEIO" is perfect for this "Ramblings" post since I have no particular thing to write about (even though I have a lot to share but due to circumstances, I will have to wait for the right time to tell you, my faithful readers, about my recent "stormy" journey!). I plan to ask the owner of this vanity plate whether he/she has a farm and if his/her last name was McDonald!
Here is an update on my husband Winter Project (what winter?). You could see the progress when all the pieces were put together (above photo), then pieces of red glasses around the eagle (below photo). CP already picked out a nice frame for it. However, the eagle project is currently on hold as he is working on fixing (straightening) the retaining wall in front of the house. After that, my handy-man will be installing a sprinkler system. (That is right, he is doing it all by himself.) Next month, our neighbor who has a landscaping business, will be putting new sodding on our front lawn. We did not want to be known as the "poor" house with brown grass!
I did not understand why it was so important to Qaptain Qwerty and why it made him happy when he found free WiFi at a coffee shop or at a library wherever he happens to be while travelling. Now I do. Since we have wireless internet connection at home, there would be no need to sign up for data service for "Bo" except when we are on our road trips. All of the library branches in St. Louis have free WiFi and most of the restaurants/coffee shop, even supermarkets now offer this service. I think it is a smart business decision. Last week when I met a friend for lunch at a restaurant that has free WiFi, I brought along the iPad and we were able to do research on the topics we discussed. I like taking pictures of library or post office when driving thru small towns. The town of Chelsea, Iowa has only one building to house both its City Hall and Library. I am sure the good people of Chelsea are proud of their town because any town that has a library, no matter how small the collection is, would get my respect. 
When I mentioned to my husband that I got a few really good books from the library, he said, "I never knew you ever gotten a book that you did not like or think it was a good book." Reading has always been one of my favorite activities besides watching hockey/football. One of the books I recently read was about I.M. Pei, the world renown architect, and I found so many interesting things about his life. I always thought Mr. Pei only designs museum like the Louvre Pyramid in Paris and the Guggenheim in New York. I learned that he works included John Fitzgerald Kenney Library in Boston, MA; Four Seasons Hotel in NYC; Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio; Mile High Center in Denver, Colorado and so many others. If you did not already know a lot about I.M. Pei, please accept my humble suggestion to read about this giant of modern architecture. From his acceptance speech for one of the many awards he earned, I.M. Pei "Let us all be attentive to new ideas, to advancing means, to dawning needs, to impetuses of change so that we may achieve, beyond architectural originality, a harmony of spirit in the service of man." Would you like to share something interesting you read recently?
I have mentioned many times that I am "a day late and a dollar short" and that has been the story of my life. By now the whole world already knew about "the new iPad" or iPadHD or iPad3. Just last month, I finally purchased the iPad2 Wi-Fi + 3G 32GB White. We have been talking about it for a few years (we were impressed when QQ let us use his iPad when we were in NYC 2010 Thanksgiving) and thought we would get the iPad at Christmas time but never did. More than a year later, February 2012, we were at the Apple store and after the nice young man named "Bo" showed us all the wonderful stuff that we could do, I asked my husband for his wallet, took out CP credit card and say to Bo, "Sold - one iPad for my 51st birthday"!
Thus, it is only fitting that I name the iPad "Bo" after the young man who patiently answered all the questions us geezers asked. (It would have been much nicer if he would also mentioned that we should wait a few more months and get the latest model, the iPad3 instead.) It is also fitting that I write about the iPad2 for this week Tuesday Two post, just in time for the announcement of the new iPad. Of course, there are accessories to go along with the iPad. So far, I have purchased the cover with built-in wireless Bluetooth keyboard, a stylus pen so smudges from our fingers won't be all over the screen and just to be on the safe side, the handy microfiber screen cleaning cloths. I still need a camera connection kit so I could easily see my photos taken during our roadtrips and would not have to wait until after we got home to start orgazining the 10,000+ photos.
When we first brought Bo home, he had a hard time connecting to the wireless network. Bo would be connected then disconnected the next time we used it. After consulting with QQ and search the web to find out what the problems were, we decided that it was time for a new router. And everything worked fine after we installed the new router. We have been enjoying Bo since (QQ thought we returned Bo because we did not say much after calling him for help with the wireless connection.) We already downloaded a few apps, (how about my beloved Red Wings logo as screensaver, pretty cool eh?) especially those that would be helpful to our upcoming roadtrips. The only problem is I have become an addict to playing Scrabble almost everyday. I have gotten pretty good at the game. My highest score is 475 and I enjoy the challenge of not only not leaving any letters on the rack but also getting higher score. Thank you, Steve, for the wonderful things and the joy the iPad has brought to us.
Happy March everyone! How are your New Year resolutions? I hope you are not "stuck in the toilet in Joliet" like Qaptain Qwerty - haa haa
These photos were taken in June 2010 when we drove from St. Louis to The Begin of Route 66 in Chicago, Illinois. Travelling Eastbound, we followed Hwy 53 north from Wilimington, thru Elwood, and past I-80 into Joliet. We heard about a very nice Route 66 Welcome Center and Gift Shop inside the Joliet Museum at 214 N. Ottawa but we never went inside because the building closed both times when we were passing thru! Hey Qap, I have a suggestion - the next time you happen to be either in Chicago or St. Louis, let's plan on driving on Route 66, then we could stop by Joliet for a potty break!
This post is way long overdue. One month late to be exact! Originally this post was dated February 29th because I felt that I would not be able to proudly claim "Mission Accomplished" if I did not publish all 29 posts during the month of February in the year of 2012. I promise that this would be the last time I set this silly goal posting each day during the month of February.
At first the goal of posting everyday was fun and helpful, keeping me motivated when I don't feel like blogging or have no interesting story to share. But then it became such a chore and the goal was meaningless. I cheated by creating a new post everyday but then trying to catch up a few days or even a week later. Who am I kidding?
Then I could not move on to more posting in March. It was as if I was stuck in 2nd gear. (Well, playing Scrabble was part of the reason.) I read somewhere about how social media has created a kind of "zombie" state of mind in modern society. Words are instantly transmitted and people write, blog or text without thinking, whatever happens to be on their mind and often without any consideration for others. My Dad often reminded me to be careful because once the words were spoken, you could not ask the other person to forget what was said. "Communicate only 1/3 of what is on your mind.", he wrote in the Guest Book when he visited us in 1996. How I wish I was able to follow Dad's advise each time I open my big mouth!
You probably want to know why these photos from Flaming Gorge Dam and Reservoir in Utah. No particularly reason. Just because I was so impressed with the structure, especially the sort-of rainbow/archway bridge, just like the time when I could not stop talking/writing about the Hoover Dam. If you are in the neighborhood, be sure to visit "George".
