No blogging for awhile for me. . .

Yesterday, I was walking the 5 blocks to the Kiggins House remodel so I can keep my blog about it updated and I had an accident. It is an old part of uptown and the sidewalks are in bad repair on some blocks. I knew I was nearing the corner and looked up to see if there was traffic or if I would be able to cross the street. Just at that moment, I crossed an uneven sidewalk that part was 2 inches higher than the leveled sidewalk and it threw me off balance and I fell flat on my face.

Both knees were bleeding, I cut off the tip of my little finger and my left hand was hurting like crazy. As I was falling, I saw out of the corner of my eye that a bicycle had passed me. Before I could figure how to get back up, the young man was there to help me. A lady in a car, pulled her car to the side of the road and came over to help me also.

When I was standing again all I could think of was my camera in my bag. . . thank goodness, it was in better shape than I was with just the battery door opened a smidgen.

The guy checked my hand and I could move fingers a little so he thought it was just sprained and not broken. I don't know. I just know my knees hurt like hell and so did my hand. They stayed with me for a little longer and then found out I was not going back home but determined to go get my photos of the remodel for my blog first. I didn't even think to get their names. I did thank them and told them that they were unique in today's society because most people would just go right on by. They will be forever in my thoughts and prayers.

I hobbled the remaining two blocks to the photo shoot and took three photos and came back home, got ice and took a nap for three hours. When I got up, I decided to go do some errands on the bus and got my bus pass and checked out a place I needed info on for an event next month and ate at Wendy's and came home. My knees still stung and my hand hurt so I decided to do nothing else. Got some more ice and went to bed.

I got online because I was going to write a thank you to those two people via The Columbian, our daily newspaper. Maybe they will see it. . . IF you are a praying person, you might pray for my healing and that my hand is not broken.

This is the letter I am sending the newspaper:

Kindness Of Strangers

Monday, I was on a routine walk to take more photos for my blog about the Kiggins House re-model. As I was walking up 25th, I was watching the sidewalk because there are quite a number of uneven concrete slabs that were probably caused by overgrown trees at one time. I could tell I was coming to an intersection so I looked up to survey the traffic situation. In an instant, I fell headlong onto the pavement.

As I tried to upright myself, a young man on a bicycle and a lady who had parked her car quickly, came to see if I was ok. I managed to get up and surveyed that I had hurt both knees and one was really scraped and bleeding. My left hand was throbbing and the very end of my pinkie was cut off by the fall. Nevertheless, my camera in my bag, was my first concern!

These two people stayed and talked to me, checked to see if anything was broken and finally went on their intended ways after I told them I was determined to go get a few photos before going home to put ice on anything. I didn't think to get their names but I did thank them personally because not many people will stop to help a stranger today. Last night, I thought these two deserved public recognition so I am writing this and hope it will be published in the letters to the editor and that they will see it and recognize themselves as wonderful members of our Vancouver community.

Thank you!

ODD SHOT MONDAY

If you want to join ODD SHOTS, see Katney.


The nerve of that squirrel ignoring that sign! Who did it think the barricade was for anyway?

Blog Your Blessing Sunday #38

If you care to join us acknowledging our blessings go here: Blue Panther

Today my blessings are the paved trails I have the opportunity to walk on here in Vancouver. I haven't been to Klineline Pond and Salmon Creek Greenway for awhile because of a detour the bus had to make when the road going over Salmon Creek needed major repairs and was closed. Now I have to take two buses to get there and walk about three blocks before I spot the waterfall that always told me (in the past) we were there.

When you see this waterfall on Highway 99, you know you have arrived. . . Klineline Pond is just across the road and Salmon Creek Greenway is the walking trail in front of it.



Klineline water park. . .

Canadian Geese. . .

Mallard ducks. . .

Water sprays to cool you off . . .

Klineline pond for swimming, fishing and enjoying . . .

Mile markers beginning just outside Klineline water park. . .

Beautiful blossoms. . .

The berries are almost ripe. . .

Beautiful scenery . . .

Tall trees. . .

Pretty weeds. . .

Glimmer of sunlight OVER the bridge. . .

More beautiful blossoms. . .

A bench to rest and watch the river. . .

Straight paths . . .

Flowers . . .

Contrasting scenery . . .

Curved paths . . .

Wild daisies. . .

Flowers. . .

More flowering bushes -- these reminded me of grapes growing. . .

More flowers. . .

Long shadows looking back on a path that's almost complete . . .

Berries . . .

The end is in sight -- just up that hill. It's only been three miles and has taken me an hour and 15 minutes because I was in no hurry and besides the exercise, more photos were my ulterior motive anyway.

The sign that officially ends -- or starts -- the Salmon Creek Greenway. Time to catch a bus home!

Snow walk . . . July 23, 2008

I haven't been to Klineline Pond and the Salmon Creek Greenway for a long time so I decided I was going to walk the trail this afternoon. I left around 4:00 . . . my walk photos will be another post. This one is about the snow I viewed on the path!!!!!!!!!!! Snow in JULY!!!!! I love snow . . . I was so excited!!!!!!!! CLICK ON EACH to see the SNOW better.
See the snow on the barbed wire fence?
See snow in the trees on the branches of pine needles?

Look at the snow in the air floating gently to the ground.
Do you see the snow on the edges of the path?
Look at the clumps of snow on the side of the path.
There's even snow on the branches.
Look at the snow on the pine needles!

What do you mean that's not snow . . . Cottonwood trees blowing seeds round? NO WAY! Tell me it isn't so. . .

My window view Thursday night

Love living in this high rise where I can always see the sun set in the evening. First, it is so bright that it looks white so I wait a bit and usually get a mellow shot that is a reminder that the sun is going to bed.

Summer flowers . . .

Summer flowers from my walks recently. Who can resist taking a picture when you see something so beautiful?

Parking Lot Movie Theater

This is a parking log in uptown Vancouver, just 2 blocks from where I live now. See that building across the street? That's where they project the movie (starting at dusk and after some musical entertainment) using a computer and projection equipment like an ELMO..

Last week, we saw a science fiction movie called "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow."

I doubt it would be something I would choose to see if I had to pay money for it. It was something to while away a lazy summer evening. People bring their own blankets to sit on the ground or sand or lawn chairs. Just like the concerts at the park, blankets are in front, then sand chairs, then regular chairs. They even have refreshments for sale that are donated by the Kiggins Theater which is located downtown. Speakers are donated for use by a church for the event. It is a Saturday night neighborhood thing in July and August for 4 weeks. Two high school students entertained us with their guitars for accompaniment. There will be other groups each week.

ODD SHOT MONDAY

If you want to join ODD SHOTS, see Katney.

I saw this at the Farmer's Market being used for grilling goodies for sale. I don't think I would want to be this animal IF I was also being BBQd. . . kinda ironic to me. . . thus a good odd shot.

Blog Your Blessing Sunday #37

If you care to join us acknowledging our blessings go here: Blue Panther

My blessing this week are the free concerts in the park each Thursday evening during July and August. This week it was our pleasure to hear Patrick Lamb and his Band again -- they also performed at our 4th of July event.

A bank here pays for most of the expenses and we have a Pepsi distributor and the local newspaper supporting it also.

It all takes place at a park in the middle of downtown. There is a beautiful bandstand there to use for performances. The mayor attends each one and always has a few good words to say about that night's band and always puts in a plug for Vancouver also. They even have prizes given out at half time to lucky ticket numbers which we are given free of charge.

OK, so now you know the setting. . . get your imagination going and sit back and listen to two hours of great tunes. What else can it be but a blessing? ONE that has been going on each summer for the past 8 years. If it is Thursday night, you will find me at the park! Thank you, Lord for the gift of music you have given to so many and for the sponsors who make it possible!

July sunset . . .

The sun sets in the west. Everybody knows that. My living room and bedroom windows face the north but if I look west, I can usually spot a partial sunset. This past week, the sun was just blazing and it spread to the north from the west and this is what I gazed upon when I was beckoned to the window from my computer when it reflected on my eastern wall. I thought it was quite beautiful! I wanted to put it up earlier but I didn't want people who dropped by to miss the prism in the cloud either.

Prism in the clouds

It was my lucky day when I looked up during a span of time while I was waiting to take more photos at the Kiggins House re-model and I spotted this. I got these two photos and it was gone! CLICK ON to see better.

ABC Wednesday - Year 2 "Z"

Go here if you would like to join us for ABC Wednesday. . . Mrs Nesbitt


This has been fun but sometimes challenging! I have now completed my first round of ABC Wednesday and think I will give it a rest for the next round. Thanks to all who visited my entries faithfully each week. I appreciate that! Hope you will drop by my blog and see what is up with me after this week. I know there are blogging friends who I plan to visit even if I am not participating in this challenge again. I hope to get in some hiking before summer is over and participating in weekly challenges hasn't given me much time to do as much walking as I want to do. Might even get to go to the beach one weekend. . . OK, on to "Z."

The final letter is "Z" and I thought of taking a photo of my TV which is a ZENITH or showing you a photo of a ZIPPER or a postage ZIP code, or doing nothing at all and having it stand for ZERO. . . and that made me think of when I taught Kindergarten and ZERO HERO came to visit us. . . or trying to think of a way I could show you my ZOOM lens on my camera -- that involved using a mirror . . . but I decided not to use any of them and instead I will show you a ZEBRA at the ZOO. This was one of the field trips that I took my Kindergarten class on during my last year of teaching.

ODD SHOT MONDAY

The symbol above is for a new meme that Katney started recently .

I was waiting at a bus stop after picking up a new printer from freecycle person when I noticed how funny the moon looked over this building. It is almost sitting on that vent on top of a building! OR maybe the vent is "blowing bubbles?"

Blog Your Blessing Sunday #36

If you care to join us acknowledging our blessings go here: Blue Panther

Everywhere I looked this week, I saw BLUE SKIES! That's my blessing this week. . . living in the northwest, we get lots of precipitation except in July and August and sometimes part of September. I like the cooling rain and the plants sure need it but I wish it would only rain at night when I am sleeping. . .

To think that back when I was looking for a place to move after college graduation, I chose Vancouver because of "high precipitation."lol Where I lived in southeastern Idaho, precipitation meant SNOW which I love! I soon found out my mistake -- even tho I was sure the rain forest was up in northwest Washington, I soon found out that we get the rain blessings here too. THUS, with blue skies for so many days now, I have truly been blessed!

Apples and pretty plants down life's pathways. . .

ABC Wednesday - Year 2 --"Y"

Go here if you would like to join us for ABC Wednesday. . . Mrs Nesbitt

Y" is for YARN! It helps me to make my hairpin lace projects. I couldn't do without it. Here's a few skeins of yarn that I haven't used yet.


These are some of the YARN projects I have worked on recently: many neck scarves, 1 heavyweight shawl and 1 baby blanket. We're having a Christmas in July sale the last two Sundays of July to help pay for the new piano in the VA hospital chapel. We will get matching funds from Thrivent for our profit. It is all clear profit because all the yarn we use is donated. Five other ladies are making other needlework things too, including Christmas pot holders, alligator neck scarves, hats, and dish cloths. Others have helped to make quilts.


These are YARN projects I did earlier in the year that went to an orphanage,


to the VA hospital Christmas bazaar








and college students.



As long as I have yarn in front of me, I will make hairpin lace crochet items. I have all the strips of YARN made for two different cape shawls but I have to crochet them together with regular thin crochet cotton which is a new experience for me.

Thanks, Rune! and Thanks, JenMcb

I promised myself to acknowledge my favorite blog participation challenge when I got to 500 posts on my blog. Rune's challenge has made me think of the meaning of a bridge, not always a photo of the beautiful bridges for cars and trains and people to cross that we immediately think of . . . but the milestones in life that are considered bridges also. Thanks for making me think, Rune!

Please take a copy of this for your blog.

******************************************************************and. . .
I surprised myself that I could blog and keep at it. I wasn't sure the first year and had only a few posts but Jen encouraged me to post and to spread my wings and find other blogs that interested me. The second year more than quadrupled the posts I made that first year and this year, my third year, I will have very close to a post a day all year long. So like all the tiny flowers that make up this one big flower, my blog started with small steps and blossomed into a beautiful "writing" flower. Thanks, JenMcB.

Please take a copy for your own blog.

Hit a milestone Monday. . . 500 posts

(Flowers compliments of a freecycle friend who I met this weekend when I gave her a movie projector and she brought me these from her garden and a bunch of fresh herbs that smell so wonderful in my kitchen.)

This should be #501. I knew I was pretty close but didn't realize what day this week that I would get to the actual 500. Was thinking maybe Thursday. I fooled even myself! I want to thank my blogging friend over at jenMcB who introduced me to Google Blogger three years ago in March. I hope to send her something in appreciation soon.

My first year, I was pretty slow at posting and only posted 49 posts the 10 months of that year. As I reached out and broadened my blog reading, I learned to like blogging. IN 2006, I BLOGGED ON 232 DAYS! UP TO YESTERDAY'S POST 500, I HAD POSTED 226 DAYS more days by THIS DAY THIS MONTH AND I HAVE OVER 5 MONTHS TO GO for 2008!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Then, I got more interested in visiting what others had to say and doing an occasional meme. I joined groups like Photo Hunt, Sky Watch Friday, Odd Shot Monday, Building Bridges and ABC Wednesday. I tried a couple others temporarily. I found blogs that I liked to visit regularly and right now I'm only participating in ABC Wednesday and ODD Shots on Monday. As some challenges grew, I found it frustrating to not visit everyone and bowed out of the project days. I will do that with ABC Wednesday when I finish two more letters. I gave up Sky Watch officially but I usually end up publishing a sky photo without visiting many involved and I may continue doing that. I also post on a couple photo blogs with themes occasionally. . .

I think of all the groups I have participated in, my favorite has been the once a month "Bridges Between" sponsored by Rune over at Rune E It makes me think of not just physical bridges which are beautiful but the kind you can create with your heart and between people. I plan to create an original award for him soon because I have found it to be the most worthwhile blogging activity and it presents a challenge to me each month.

Oh my gosh!!!!!!! How could I have forgotten Blog Your Blessing Sundays??????? It has been a wonderful experience for me to give God credit for my many blessings through this group. Neo is a wonderful host at Blue Panther and should you want to join us, just leave him a note on his blog.

So thanks to all my blogging friends throughout the world who visit my blog and whose blogs I enjoy reading BUT most of all to JenMcB who got me started.

Bridges Between

Scroll down for ODD SHOT Monday. . .


RuneE is sponsoring this monthly challenge on the first Monday of every month. Building Bridges is subject to open interpretation.

About two weeks ago, I went to the park downtown where they had the annual Recycled Arts Festival..

I saw neat benches that had been salvaged from the dump.

I saw creations made from junk metal by artists.

I saw the inner soles of shoes being used for a cute sign.


I saw creative benches.







There was so much more and it was all about recycling!

So what does this have to do with BRIDGES BETWEEN? A LOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! When things are recycled, we are taking care of the earth. When we take care of the earth WE ARE the BRIDGE FOR THE FUTURE GENERATIONS to enjoy the earth when they live here because we have taken care of it by not throwing everything away. We find new uses for things. We recycle! This is a most important message to today's generation who grew up with FAST everything. It is our responsibility to teach our children and grandchildren to care for the earth for the future generations: to build more bridges between for their children and children's children.

ODD SHOT MONDAY

The symbol above is for a new meme that Katney started recently .



I was walking down a block in my neighborhood and was greeted by this scene. I thought it was so funny that I took a photo! I noticed later that the owners have two places "cut out" for the dog in their fenced in yard. It's not just a broken fence. Each time I go by now, the dog is there to greet me. I find it odd!

No BYB Sunday entry for me this week.

If you stopped by for BYB Sunday, thanks for coming. YOU are my blessing this week!

I will be back to writing BYB Sunday next week . . . hopefully!

Paulie

Fence Daisies . . .

When walking to the doctor's office from the bus stop, I spotted these daisies hanging through a fence and thought it was a good photo op. I shot them using two different angles. I like my results. . .

ABC Wednesday - Year 2 --"X"

Go here if you would like to join us for ABC Wednesday. . . Mrs Nesbitt

I took our my trusty DICTIONARY to try to find something for "X" tonight. I knew I could use Xray because I had taken my Kindergarten class to a place by the zoo called the Children's Museum and they had a fun Xray machine for the kids to experiment with. BUT then I thought many people will probably choose Xray so I decided to find something else. . .

Next, I thought of Christmas tree (XMAS) .and knew that would be easy because I leave my decorated tree up all year long. I have already shown it on my blog along with my XMAS wreath because I had made one last year and had a photo of it but that was just too easy so I was searching the dictionary for something else. Boy! I was out of luck. Many of the "X" words were medical terms and I didn't have anything like that around to photograph!

Then, it came to me!!!!!!!!!! I had this little sticker making machine called XYRON that came with a bunch of stampin' and scrapbookin' stuff I got from a lady on FREECYCLE last fall. I had tucked it away in a drawer because I didn't know how to use it. I even had a replacement cartridge!

Off to the internet to google XYRON and see if I could use it for this post. . . Half an hour later, I was an expert at using my little XYRON gizmo. The following steps are what I had to do for making the 4th of July card for family. I only used the XYRON machine for the big hearts after I glued the smaller heart in their centers.

First, I cut out shapes I wanted to use for stickers.
Then I got the XYRON machine.
I could have made stickers of the smaller heart but I just glued it and made the larger ones stickers.
Here the hearts are coming out of the XYRON machine.
I tear the sticker off that I made in the XYRON machine.
Peel the cellophane off of the new sticker.
See the sticky back of my new sticker made in my XYRON sticker maker machine?
Choose blue for the card color. . .
Choose other background papers to use for my 4th of July card.
Stamp a patriotic saying and give it a colored border.
Glue everything together and stick on my two heart stickers made with my XYRON machine.
This card still needs something . . . maybe a button?
YES! I think that did it!!!!!!
Now to complete it, add some blue gingham to the envelope flap and it is ready to send out. Hurrah! I have got an "X" that might be unique and made a useful card while using it. Just need to add my 4th of July greeting inside. . .

If you want to see the rest of my cards for this year's celebration of the 4th, look at the post below.

Latest cards I made. . .

These are some of the cards I made for the 4th of july this year. I have three more to make for local sending so will finish them off this afternoon. CLICK ON to enlarge.