Changes

When my mom would say we were having.....

 Hot dogs

 sauerkraut

 and mashed potatoes for dinner............

 it would bring tears to my eyes.

 

so what would she say if she could see what hubby and I shared for dinner last night?

Well she would say that's not a hot dog its Bratwurst and you have gravy on your mashed potatoes and I can't believe you ate this with a smile!

How about you...are there things you like to eat now that you hated as a kid?

Thursday is our day to go to the Country Club for dinner and the best part is always the view no matter what time of year...

But look what was there this week.......

See all those white things..........

Know what they are?

 Sandhill Cranes

They can weight up to 15 lbs. so can you imagine the strength it takes for them to fly....

Watch the video for the amazing sight and sound.....

So why were they at the country club?  Just getting a little water and food for the the rest of their migration to Wilcox, Arizona. I have lived in Arizona all my life and this was news to me.

Amazing art

Look closely at this picture...................................................


























Would you ever guess it was created from these?

Only a genius could figure out how to place thousands of nails in such a way as to create beautiful art...

 

Meet   Marcus Levine

The British artist’s road to his brilliant career has been anything but predictable. Born in Yorkshire, Levine attended the Jacob Kramer Art College, but instead of pursuing his dream of making nail art, he opted for career as a TV graphic designer, and later joined the family business. It wasn’t until 2004 that he finally decided he wanted to make art for a living, and moved to Budapest. He began hammering nails into composite wood boards and completed his first real nail artwork in 2005. He continued to perfect his technique, creating increasingly dynamic interpretations of his subjects and pushing the boundaries with each new art piece.

He takes between three days and two months to complete one of his hammered masterpieces and uses anywhere between 15,000 and upwards of 50,000 nails. By placing them at various heights and distances, he can create various distinct tones and manipulate the intensity of the contours.

Preparing for Nov. 6, 2012

You have heard it over and over....get out and vote!
Well of course, I agree with this but how about being an informed voter.



This is an interesting test.
It shows results in a number of ways
It indicates that the majority of Americans haven't the slightest idea as to what is going on.
It's no wonder our politicians take such advantage of us.

It's astonishing that so many people got less than half right.
The results say that 80% of the (voting) public doesn't have a clue and that's pretty scary.
There are no tricks here - just a simple test to see if you are current on your information.

http://pewresearch.org/politicalquiz/quiz/index.php

Presidential Primary Election

February 28,2012

Arizona will soon be choosing their nominee for a republican candidate and I have watched many of the debates but truthfully many of the things that concern me are not usually discussed, like gun control. The following  web site can be of great help.

 Where  does your candidate stand  on some of the following issues:

Abortion

Budget;  Economy

Civil Rights

Corporations

Crime

Drugs

Education

Energy ;  Oil

Environment

Families ; Children

Foreign Policy

Free Trade

Government Reform

Gun Control

Health Care

Homeland_Security

Immigration

Infrastructure; Technology

Jobs

Principles; Values

Social Security

Tax Reform

War ; Peace

Welfare; Poverty


Be sure who you vote for shares your preferences and positions and then.......


 keep track how your congressmen/women are voting by joining Megavote. 

We the people..............do make a difference!

Rome it is............

First order was to study the city and decide where we wanted to be located.  Don't want to rent a car and want to take tours to outlying places like.....

Tuscany

Florence

and the Amalfi Coast
Of course we want to see

The Colosseum

Trev fountain and many other famous sites but most of all.......

Want to sit at those outdoor cafes...watch the people, taste the wine and experience their culture (including naps).

Thanks to all for your comments and good wishes....now to just hold my horses until May:)

Travel Agent

When hubby and I were first married we used a friend as our travel agent to fly to the competitions but as time went on and I became more computer savy

 I realized that often times there were some better choices for us than what was being offered.

I took the plunge and began taking care of our travel needs myself. There are so many sites that are of great help but some of  my favorites are Expedia and tripadvisor.

One of my first attempts didn't involve flying but found a out of  the way hotel right on the beach in Pismo Beach that we stayed in compared to the local motel 6 that was being suggested and we were in heaven!

Overall,  I have been pretty successful in this indeavor with only one major dissapointment. One of our trips to Hawaii I picked a Hotel that ended up to be a disaster but hubby came to the rescue......told them to keep the money and we walked down the street and got a really nice room.............the best part.......he marked it up to experience:)

For the most part I enjoy doing this but it isn't always easy. I do a lot of searching to try to find things that we will like as you can attest to from my past posts. Sometimes the not so popular areas are easier to find neat things we like than those places that are traveled by large crowds.

Out of the country travel was a bit more challenging and still a little daunting to me ...............

so is it any surpirse to see my desk piled high to research our 45th wedding anniversary trip coming up in May?

Can you tell where we are going?

Any suggestions?

Don't think spell check is working so please forgive  any mis-spelling

Constitution of the United States of America

Many years ago I learned that if you wanted to study something, looking up the meanings of the words used could prove insightful..............



We the People of the Untied States, in Order to form a more perfect union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, prove for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution of the United States of America.


We the People of the United States,
in Order (for the reason)
to form (frame, compose, fashion, arrange, construct, makeup, devise, create, invent, mold, shape, forge, organize, produce, constitute, make)
a more perfect ( ideal, whole, faultless, immaculate, compel, superlative, absolute, unqualified, blameless, excellent, flawless, ideal)
Union,
establish (prove, fix, found, settle, institute, raise, verify, conform, form, sanction, ordain, begin, organize)
Justice (impartially),
insure (guarantee)
domestic (home & internal)
Tranquility (calmness, peace, repose, serenity),
provide (supply, afford, produce, yield, give, fit, equip, furnish )
for the common defence (protection),
promote (advance, encourage, assist, support, further, foster, elevate, raise, facilitate, forward)
the general (ordinary, universal, common, customary, regular)
Welfare (good, well-being) ,
and secure (certain, definite, assured, positive, undeniable, sure, unquestionable, firm)
the Blessings ( sanction, favor, grace, benediction, invocation, approbation, approval, compliment, bounty, windfall, gift, benefit, advantage, kindness)
of Liberty (freedom)
 to ourselves and our Posterity (succeeding or future generations) ,
do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

____________________________________________________________________________


There were several things that stood out to me. the words (devise and  forge) seemed to bring enlightenment to the struggle involved to create this law of our land and invent shows the fact that nothing like it existed.

(More perfect) seemed to be a oxymoron but absolute and blameless seemed to show  the process of it becoming more perfect.

We hear the word Justice so often that it begins to take on all kinds of meanings but impartially seems more applicable in all situations.

Welfare....well of course the first thought of this word is a check from the government but well-being seems to cover the internal as well as the external well being.

Guarantee peace here at home and protection...impossible when our "government" is suing individual states

Positive, unquestionable, and assured just screamed to me as it is not what people in our country are feeling today no matter who you are or what your status in life.

Advantage of freedom.......we sadly take this for granted.

Future generations.......guess what? that is you and me 225 years later.

Only four  pages long, clear and concise and perfect in every way.

Any insights for you?

Days of Wine and Roses

Beautiful flowers from hubby and a expensive bottle of wine from a mutual friend.....listen when they tell you that all wines are the same......not true!

mmmmm so good.

Can there ever be time that you aren't amazed at the intricacy of a rose?

                                                            Now the battle to keep them alive as long as possible:)

Happy Valentines Day

Intelligent questions cont.

1. Do you like your popcorn buttered or plain?

2. Can you pick up marbles with your toes?

3. How many remotes do you have in your home?

4. Pepsi or Coke?

5. Have you ever ridden in an ambulance?

6. How many other countries have you visited?

Big Mac, Whopper, Carl's Jr. or Jack in the Box or other?

Have you ever broken a bone?

My Answers:
                         1. Plain popcorn for me!
                         2.Yes
                         3. One remote
                         4. Coke
                         5. Yes but without the siren
                         6. Five....Panama, Portugal, Australia, Mexico and Canada
                         7. Whopper or Whataburger
                         8. Yes....my ankle
                        
                    

Your turn............

Mounted shooting

I love to watch mounted shooting and last Friday I talked hubby into going out to one of the local competitions. Sadly, this one is way out of town so not many spectators attend which I find to be a shame. It is the most amazing sport you can imagine, You have to be an excellent horse rider,  an excellent gun handler,  strong as the horse to stay in the saddle and you better have some money or a sponsor plus.........you better know how to take care of your horse so add doctoring to the list.

The good thing about going where it is not so publicised is you can get up close and personal

She put up with me taking her picture.....











but this was her real attitude towards me

Oh well, it gives me the opportunity to point out the hoof shoes and leg wraps on her front legs you see used. Taking care of the horse is a must!

Most of the time if you attend you would have to sit in the stands but since hubby is well known we were able to stand at the gate at the end of the run down....be still my heart!

but I am getting a little ahead of myself here.

 If you don't know anything about mounted shooting it is like barrel racing plus shooting single action guns or a rifle at the  balloon's as fast as you can. Your time is recorded and if you miss a balloon a penalty of more time is added so it is speed and accuracy.

14.430 was his time with no penalty (a good run)

Here is a good demonstration video (turn off music to enjoy)

Hubby is Annie and Chad's gunsmith. They have to be set in a special way for mounted shooting...smooth but not too light because of all the bouncing.

For those of you who don't know much about guns here is a little extra added info. You can't fire a single action by just pulling the trigger, you have to manually cock the hammer each time to fire a shot.

and it only holds six bullets

so there has to be a gun change during the run....

Here is one type of the duel holsters they use

The big round part provides back support for the weight as noted on Annie's rig

Keep all this in mind as you watch this video of one of Chad's record runs...

Being down at ground lever with the smell of manure, dirt flying from hooves and noses flared is truly a thrilling experience....

Here he comes hooves pounding, ears back and digging in.

Now you may think I was very brave but trust me I ducted down more than once:)

After so many shooters the track has to smoothed, so out comes the handy tractor and an opportunity for us to sit for a spell.

Yep, stood for about four hours to watch it all but it was so worth it.

Remember I told you that money was also needed?  Well, here is home away from home.

Like the Rodeo circuit, there are competitions all over the country and since you can't fly with your horse:) it leaves you to driving many miles if you are a top competitor.