A LAZY SUMMER MORNING

Today, all I need to know to enjoy life by watching the rabbits in my backyard - they were laying down on the grass, in the shade, simply taking it easy on this glorious day, a lazy summer morning.

 I learned that you should try to do your best at whatever tasks you were working on, but also remember to "stop and smell the grass".

Have a wonderful, safe and enjoyable summer!

HOW DO YOU MEND A BROKEN HEART?

I woke up this morning, got out of bed, even though every ounce of what little energy I had in my body told me to just hide under the cover and stay there until the start of next hockey season!  My beloved Red Wings was eliminated last night in overtime of Game 7 against the Blackhawks.  My husband tried to comfort me saying that the Wings put up a good fight.  Well, that did not make my broken heart feel any better.

I bought flowers and a bag of potting soil yesterday.  I spent the morning planting flowers.  I washed the patio furniture.  I dusted and vacuumed the house, washed and put away two loads of clothes, as I tried to keep busy, but the tears would not stop flowing!!! 

 After the Wings eliminated the Ducks and advanced to Round 2 facing the Blackhawks, I thought the Wings might be swept since the Hawks is the #1 seed (and the Hawks also won all the games during regular season).  The Hawks won the 1st game but the Wings came back and won the next three games.  All the sudden, instead of the nightmare of the Wings being swept, I dreamed of watching "Da Captain" Zetterberg raised the cup, paraded around the ice as the 2013 Stanley Cup champion.    

Well, I never learned my lesson for putting too much hope into something as unpredictable as winning three hockey games in the best of 7 playoffs series.  The Hawks came back, forced Game 7 and eliminated the Wings, once and for all, shattered my short-lived dream.  It was a sunny, comfortable and beautiful day in St. Louis, but how do you mend a broken heart of this Red Wings fan?

IS MY HORSE READY?

It has been a pleasant week after the big snow storm on Sunday.  The snow has melted.  The temperature is holding steady at upper 40s and we all love the sunny bright blue sky.  I am ready to get on my "horse" to go riding on another annual 4,000+ miles road trip again - go West geezer - haa haa !!!!!!

YOU ARE GOING THE WRONG WAY!

These photos were taken at the company picnic in August.  There were activities such as the "marathon" for kids in three age categories, 5 to 6, 7 to 9 and all the other 10+ years old.

To make it a little more challenging, each runner was given a balloon with instructions that they must pick up the balloon if they dropped it during the run.  Runners would race toward the spot marked with a red lawn chair, then turned around and whoever got back to the finish line which was the same spot as the starting line, would win the race.  My husband and I were asked to stand by the lawn chair to "officiciate" by telling the kids to turn around and run toward the finish line. 

We noticed one kid in a lime/yellow shirt holding a green balloon (above photo) took his sweet time at the beginning of the race.  Then half way thru the "marathon", he decided to stop and played with the balloon instead of continue running.  Only when the other kids turned around running toward the finish line, he started running toward the lawn chair.  We tried to encourage the kid to turn around and start running the other way but not only he did not listen, he sat down on the chair until his mom came over and carried him back to their table.  My husband made a comment about a certain politician who refused to listen to the people when we tell him that he is going the wrong way while leading our country in the wrong direction.  The option for this politician would be the same as with the kid who did not follow the rules - have his "mommy" take him out of the race!      

ALONG THE BOARDWALK

We spent Tuesday, July 5th visiting my husband' sisters (I never thought of this before, but all of his three sisters (and one brother) live around Detroit, Michigan. The other two brothers moved to Colorado and South Carolina.) We went to Hockeytown store but I did not made any purchase since I already had all the Red Wings stuff I needed! After lunch with P&M (my husband's youngest sister) and their son, A, (they live in Rochester Hills) we made a quick stop at a Polish Art and Bookstores in Troy.

Wednesday, July 6th - We drove from Detroit to Grand Haven. It is about 3 hours driving time. It was a beautiful sunny day, just like the image in the postcard my husband sent me when he tried to "trick" me into marrying him and moving away from NYC in 1988!

We walked along the boardwalk, stopped by "Pronto" and had our usual corndogs.

Grand Haven holds special memories for us because it was where we began our married life and where my husband bought and renovated our little 100+ years old home. The pace is no longer as slow as when we used to live on Franklin Street. There have been many new developments and changes, both positive and we-are-not-too-thrill about! The town still has the charm that draw tourists (mostly during summer time) and people who just love the quiet living.

SUNDAY IN THE COUNTRY

Beautiful white cloud in the blue sky made our drive to Hermann in the T-bird (with the top down) so pleasant. The temperature was in the mid 80s which made it very comfortable while letting our hair blowing in the wind.

We know we should enjoy the comfortable sunny weather before the extreme heat wave comes back. Autumn will soon follow and the long winter will soon arrive (it is always long when you are confined inside because of the snow and freezing temperature). The bright side is only 55 more days until the NHL 2011-2012 season begins - are you counting?

WHAT IS NEW WITH SLU?

It has been a few years since I last visited my alma mater, Saint Louis University. Last week I had a meeting there and since I was half hour early, I decided to walk around the campus. It was a beautiful sunny day with the temperature almost in the 100s. Except for the SLU Ambassadors giving tours to groups of prospective students and their parents, the campus was almost empty. Summer classes were ending and incoming students have not yet moved in. I dreamed of living on campus, attending classes, and walking back to my dorm. I also dream of having tuition, boarding, meals and everything paid for by someone (i.e. parents) - haa haa

There it was, the familiar clock tower, the inviting water fountains against the clear blue sky. I remembered so well the times when I was late for class because of traffic (it took 40 minutes from my home to SLU), then unable to find a parking spot in the nearby designated lots for students, looking up at the clock hoping that it was wrong. The clock still keeps very good time!

I remembered walking by and felt envied toward kids who had the luxury of sitting around, laughing and having fun with their friends. I had to rush to class or to the library, and to get to my assigned duties as part of requirement for the scholarship. I was never able to just be a student, concentrate on my study, getting good grades, without having responsibilities of anything else.

I don't remember if the above sculpture was "Pam". I do remember "Tim" was the one below.

When I was at Hunter College, I worked during the day and took evening classes the first two years. Then I got a job as data entry operator (Does anyone remember those IBM punched cards?) working from 4pm to 11pm. I was able to take classes that normally offered only during the days. One summer I registered for 12 credits because I wanted to finish my degree. Don't ask me how I was able to pull it off with all As while working full time. When there's a will there's a way!

Above is Xavier Hall where most of the communication classes were held. The offices of the professors in the graduate program were still on the third floor. Only the office staff and a research assistant were there. Most of the professors were still out on their summer schedule. The mail boxes were in the same corner next to the copy machine. I wrote a few quick notes and put them in the slots. I might come back next month, pretended to be a carefree college student, sit on the steps by the clock tower, do nothing and just watch the world go by!

THE PEOPLE OF IOWA WELCOME YOU

On Saturday, July 2nd, we began our Lincoln Highway Adventure with a 5-day road-trip from St. Louis to Iowa - Illinois - Indiana - Ohio, then a visit to my husband's family in Michigan. We packed on Friday evening as to get on the road at 8:15 a.m. the next morning after bagels and coffee. We filled up the cooler with ice, water bottles and mocha drinks. We headed west on I-64, then north on US-61 and after a few stops for photos, we arrived in Hannibal, Missouri. We had 15 minutes to order breakfast at the Mark Twain Dinette (they stop serving breakfast at 11:00 a.m.) We filled up the gas tank on the Mustang (the T-bird is not comfortable for long distance). At 12:18 p.m. we were in Lee County, Iowa.

There is a Vietnamese expression, "Di Mot Ngay Dang, Hoc Mot Sang Khon" meaning {A person gains an education when travelling} or something like that :) Up until July 2nd, I never knew about the Avenue of the Saints. Visit http://www.iowadot.gov/ for more information about this important highway connecting St. Paul, Minnesota, running thru Iowa to St. Louis, Missouri.

I would like to compliment the people of Iowa for the excellent coordination of the red, white and blue signs. We purchased a handy glove-compartment guide, "Lincoln Highway Companion: A Guide to America's First Coast-to-Coast Road" by Brian Butko. The guide provides charted maps, must-see attractions, places to eat and interesting facts along the highway. Iowa did a great job at strategically placing the familiar big L signs at intersections really helped us to stay on the right track without a need for constantly looking at the guide.

We enjoyed driving along the endless fields of corn. Far and between the fields are homes and red barns dotting the landscapes. We stopped a few times to take photos of decorated barns, especially those painted with the American flag.

After Cedar Rapids, we drove thru Mount Vernon, Lisbon, Merchanicsville, and stopped in Stanwood for a cup of coffee and homemade pies at Ditto's. CP had a raspberry cobler and I had the usual coconut cream pie. We highly recommended Ditto's when you are in Stanwood, Iowa.

The next towns were Clarence (look for interesting photos in the next post), Lowden and Calamus. At 4:41 p.m. we stopped in Grand Mound to add more gas before crossing into Illinois. The price per gallon was around $3.89 for mid-grade.

THE TAMING OF THE SHREW

These photos were taken a few weeks ago when we drove around Forest Park after a visit to the Missouri History Museum. I noticed that the annual outdoor Shakespeare Festival was being set up, ready for its 4-week run of "The Taming of the Shrew" production. The free festival began in 1997. According to the website, www.shakespearefestivalstlouis.org, the festival employed renowned regional and national directors, stage designers and professional actors. I have never been to a performance because I thought it would be only community theatre actors. I guess I was wrong!

As I was taking the photos, a man who dressed like the fortune-seeker character Pertruchio yelled out, "Stop taking photos of the stage!" I responded, "It is an empty stage." He did not look happy at my comment. Pertruchio insisted that I stop taking photos because "it is all copyrighted." (You could hardly see the details in the photo since I was far away from the stage.) I smiled and walked away after saying, "Have a nice day" to Pertruchio. Perhaps someone would explain to me about this copyrighted when it is outdoor, free admission and the festival should be glad that I am promoting it by writing about the play in my blog.

I thought of Qaptain Qwerty and wonder if he would enjoy going to the festival. The Shrew will run from May 27th thru June 19th. You could either bring a picnic basket, coolers with your favorite drinks, (or purchase food/drinks/snacks from concession stands) a lawn chair (rental available) or a blanket. If we attended the festival and brought a blanket, my husband' snoring probably would drown out the actors on stage and we would get kick out of the festival!

The temperature has been in the upper 80s with lot of promise of a typical hot and humid St. Louis summer. I decided to get a pedicure so I could wear these shoes I just bought last week. With new shoes and a pedicure, I feel I am ready for summer!

IS IT SUMMER ALREADY?

That is right - it was 70 degrees when I took the above photo on Wednesday, February 16th. I drove around during lunch break and at one point, it was up to 72! Not sure how long this warm sunny weather will last but I will enjoy one day at a time.

TUESDAY TWO - JUST TAKING IT EASY AT THE ZOO (SLEEPING "BROWN" BEARS)

It has been awhile since we went to the zoo. Last night I saw the documentary about polar bears and then from the travel channel about the brown bears in Alaska. Suddenly, I wanted to go to the zoo and see the animals. It always brings back wonderful childhood memory in Viet Nam when my parents took us to the zoo. I would ride the bicycle (two front wheels, a back bucket seat and two rear wheels) with my little sister CH or little brother VL (aka Qaptain Qwerty) in the back seat. When was the last time you went to local zoo and really had a great time there?

WHAT HAPPENED IN LAS VEGAS - WELL, NOTHING HAPPENED!

After our visit to Hoover Dam (Monday, June 28th), we drove 35 miles to Las Vegas. We decided to seek overnight accomodation at one of fine motels since it was already 7:30 p.m.

Las Vegas has many attractions and plenty of entertainment. The city is one of those “love it” or “hate it” places. Personally I don’t feel strongly one way or the other. I don’t enjoy the casino scene and I don’t gamble. If we had more time, I would have enjoyed attending one of the shows.

I find it interesting that some clever marketing people using these mimic miniature cities such as New York, Paris, English castles, famous places around the world, and put them right in the middle of the desert to create a one-stop around-the-world fantasy.

We were tired and hungry so we just got a couples of sandwiches from a food court. After a short walk along the main strip, we went back to the motel. If you asked what else happened while we were in Las Vegas. Well, for two boring geezers, nothing happened and that would stay in Las Vegas or anywhere else!

SIMPLE JOY (I AM JUST RAMBLING!)

The weather people were right when they predicted that the whole week would be hot. It was 100+ everyday. I went into the office, stayed inside until time to go home.

Simple joy - yesterday morning as I was making an egg sandwich, I cracked the first egg, one yolk came out. The second egg came a nice surprise with two yolks. Together the yolks formed a face that looked like a Mickey Mouse! Believe it or not, I have been making breakfast, very simple egg sandwiches or cheese omelets, on the weekends. Save money and avoid the heat. I am a simple person with simple joy :)

Late afternoon on Saturday, we did brave the heat to go to the First Classic Car Cruise on Route 66 along Watson Road, the original Route 66 in St. Louis. In addition to the vintage automobiles, carnival games, food and various local bands performed on the main stage in the parking lot of Crestwood Mall.

After the noon Mass, we went to the Mall looking for a new pair of polarized sunglasses for me. We decided to shop on-line for something less since those at the stores were over $200 and I would feel guilty spending that much money on a pair of sunglasses, even though they were from reputable companies.

Have a good week, everyone. Stay cool and don't forget to wear sunscreen!

SO FAR, IT HAS BEEN A GOOD SUMMER

Here we are, the first week of August. The hot and humid weather is expected for the entire coming weeks and months. You would think that living in St. Louis since 1995, we should get used to this "scorching" temperature by now. After our 9-day, 4,437 miles road trip, it was back to working, daily chores, weekend errands, putting away "stuff" that we obtained on the trip but most of the time, we stay in the cool basement, and taking naps on the futon. It took me a whole week to get the 2,000+ photos organized, copied onto CDs and also back-up copies on the laptop.

Sunday, July 25th we went to a Ford Mustangs and Classic Cars Show (top photo). There were, of course, lot of cool Mustangs, a dozen T-birds (none with the Merlot color) and also a few good-looking Fairlane. I specially like the Galaxie 500 Skyliner with a Retractable Hardtop.

On Sunday, July 18th someone at my husband's workplace gave us 2 tickets to see the St. Louis Cardinals taking on the Los Angeles Dodgers. At first I did not wish to go since it would be too hot at 12:15 p.m. but the tickets were two rows behind the dugout (above photos show how close we were to the field) and it was the Dodgers (Brooklyn connection). I know that the team moved from Brooklyn in 1958 but to me it will always be the Brooklyn Dodgers! I was glad we went because we got to sing Happy Birthday to Joe Torre. He looks good for a 70 years old guy.

I want to share a beautiful sunset, seen and captured (bottom image) from my backyard. Wishing all five of my faithful readers and three loyal followers and everyone who reads my blog, whether for a good laugh or to help with your insomnia, a safe, fun and enjoyable summer. Be cool!