Today we held the first Beer Can Regatta of the year, and had a great turnout – Spike, Voodoo, Dancer, Prelude, Camelot and Caribbean Hug. Monte and I each jumped on one of the Catalina 30’s. Robert finished first and took home a bottle of Buckeye Vodka. So smoooooth! After the race a party ensued. More on that later.
Tonight was a good night. We celebrated Laura’s birthday by going out for a girlfriends dinner @ Uchiko. The food was fantastic. Edamame, sushi, sashimi, boquerones, vino … everything was delicious.
I’ll leave you with this: “A True Friend is someone who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when you have forgotten the words.”
Peace out 🙂
I had a doctor’s appointment this afternoon which took me downtown. Since I was in the neighborhood, I just had to stop by the Sno-Beach snocone stand. If you’ve never had one, you must. It will change your life. If you don’t live in Austin, fly or drive down here as soon as you can and get one. They make the absolutely, hands-down, indubitably BEST snocones on the planet. If any of you are skeptical, I’d even put money on it. And I NEVER make a bet unless I’m sure I’m right (even when i’m wrong) 😀
Even though there were about 30 people in front of me when I got there, and when I left I was in the middle of rush hour traffic on Mopac, it was worth it.
I’d like to work on ways to transform my blog into something more interesting for other people to follow. Up til now I’ve mostly been doing this for my own enjoyment. The Daily Post is hosting a Post-a-Day-2011 and Post-a-Week-2011 challenge, an online community really, for bloggers to share their posts and inspire eachother. It started at the beginning of the year, but I’m joining mid-way (or in work-speak, at the end of 2Q 🙂 ). I recently completed my own 365-project (a year of posting one photo taken of a moment from each day) but I have been and will continue to post here. So, in search of inspiration, today I signed up for the once a week version, check it out:
Oh, wait, one more thing! Here is a link to a video that my friend Teri took of us on Cupholder last weekend as we were all headed up to Cypress Creek Cove for the raftup. (we’re the little boat in the distance that Teri and Jim are catching up with quickly). It was WINDY… and we had 2 reefs in, so only a tiny bit of sail up, but we were MOVIN’! It’s good to be back…
Finally, finally, finally – we have some much needed rain in the forecast. The front arrived right before midnight. Yay!
Today is the Summer Solstice of 2011 – Summer arrived at 12:16 pm local time. Now it ought to REALLY get hot (!)
Google sez the word solstice comes from the Latin words for “sun” and “to stop,” due to the fact that the Sun appears to stop in the sky. On the solstice the sun reaches its highest point in the sky and stays above the horizon for the longest amount of time all year (14h 06m 08s for us in Austin). Shorter days are ahead. However, the earliest sunrise and latest sunset do not coincide with the summer solstice. The earliest sunrise actually occurred on June 14 in Austin, while the latest sunset is not due until June 27.
When IBM employees reach their 25 year service anniversary they enter the Quarter Century Club (QCC). One of the perks is that IBM will foot the bill for a dinner with 10 or so of your closest colleagues. Many of the people I work with are in the QCC zone. Boy, I must be getting old 🙂
One of my colleagues, Frank, from Raleigh had a QCC dinner tonight in Austin. I’ve worked with most of the folks there for over 10-20 years, and with Frank for over 15 years. IBM also has a tradition of compiling a book of letters from colleagues that is presented to the person. Each time I write one of those letters it’s always a nice trip down memory lane.
I had a good time. Lots of strories were told, and lots of laughs. Whenever these get togethers break up people always say …. let’s do this again soon. But time flies.
Oh, that reminds me… I said I would host the next happy hour the last time a bunch of the old Boca bunch got together. I better get on it….
I’ve mentioned before that we have many bluejays in the trees in our yard. Every year we see babies. This one isn’t a tiny baby, but he is a new, young jay.
I have seen 3 or 4 babies around. And I definitely hear them chattering right outside my office window. We had the sprinkler on yesterday and they were playing in the spray.
Today this one hung out in this shrub for most of the afternoon. I caught several shots of him napping on the branch, but I decided to use this one because it is the only one where he stepped out into sunlight.
One of the bloggers that I follow posted several miscellaneous factoids the other day, one of which was that a tiny owl and spider could be found in the detail on a one dollar bill. I wanted to see for myself, but I didn’t have a magnifying glass. So…. I took a macro shot instead.
I wasn’t able to see the spider, but I was able to find the owl. Can you see it? If not, this should help:
We worked in the yard today, cutting down one of several trees out back that have died in the last few years of drought. Whew, that’s hot work!
We ended up at the lake, of course. This is the typical scene on any weekend, and sometimes weekday evening, on B-Dock.
We played with Marty & Sue, Joe, Kurt, Wally, Kevin, and new B-docker friend, David.
Over the weekend Monte repainted the barn doors on the shop. They look great. We made the doors ourselves, which was quite the project. The rest of the siding on the shop is hardiboard, so it doesn’t need much maintenance but the doors are wood and the weather is hard on them here.
Here’s a shot from before the shop was there. Hard to believe it’s been 2 years. And it’s nearly 5 years since we bought the house(!). Where does the time go?
I’ve taken several shots of the morning glory already this year. It sprouted about four months ago, has grown up the arbor, and has bloomed beautiful pink blooms. And, though Summer isn’t here yet for 2 more weeks, it’s getting ready to recycle all its energy into seed for next year. I should take a bunch of this seed and scatter it all along the fenceline and see what comes of it next year. 🙂
I’m surprised this guy held still long enough for me to take the shot.
Today was a bit longer day than usual of endless conference calls. I just recalled how one summer between college semesters I was looking for any kind of job I could get. I ended up following up on an ad in the paper for telemarketer openings. I showed up. Sat down with a phone and some papers and started dialing. After a few hours I was out of there – swearing I would never do that again. You know. I could never spend all day on the phone. Talking to people.
So after finishing many more years of college and 20 years working, what am I doing? Spending all day on the phone. Talking to people. Ironic, eh? 🙂
The purple coneflower plant had a hard time this winter, but it’s back with gusto with a bunch of blooms to enjoy. This is the first one, and farthest along.
Many years ago, I saw a piece of inspirational writing hanging on the wall in a colleague’s office in Poughkeepsie, while on a business trip there. I wrote it down, keep a copy of it, and have since then taken it to heart. Unlike these perennials, you and I only get one season to bloom where we are planted. We should strive to make it our best…
Sing in the shower * Treat everyone you meet like you want to be treated * Watch a sunrise at least once a year * Leave the toilet seat in the down position * Never refuse homemade brownies * Strive for excellence, not perfection * Plant a tree on your birthday * Learn three clean jokes * Return borrowed vehicles with the gas tank full * Compliment three people every day * Never waste an opportunity to tell someone you love them * Leave everything a little better than you found it * Keep it simple * Think big thoughts but relish small pleasures * Become the most positive and enthusiastic person you know * Floss your teeth * Ask for a raise when you feel you’ve earned it * Be forgiving of yourself and others * Overtip breakfast waitresses * Say “thank you” a lot * Say “please” a lot * Avoid negative people * Buy whatever kids are selling on card tables in their front yards * Wear polished shoes * Remember other people’s birthdays * Commit yourself to constant improvement * Carry jumper cables in your trunk * Have a firm handshake * Send lots of Valentine cards. Sign them, “Somone who thinks you’re terrific.” * Look people in the eye * Be the first to say, “Hello” * Use the good silver * Return all things you borrow * Make new friends but cherish the old ones * Keep secrets * Sing in a choir * Plant flowers every spring * Have a dog * Always accept an outstretched hand * Stop blaming others. Take responsibility for every area of your life * Wave at kids on school buses * Be there when people need you * Feed a stranger’s expired parking meter * Don’t expect life to be fair * Never underestimate the power of love * Drink champagne for no reason at all * Live your life as an exclamation, not an explanation * Don’t be afraid to say, “I made a mistake” * Don’t be afraid to say, “I don’t know” * Compliment even small improvements * Keep your promises (no matter what) * Marry only for love * Rekindle old friendships * Count your blessings * Call your mother
– H. Jackson Brown, Jr.
Sheila365 has switched to a new wordpress theme!
I picked the Journalist v1.9 theme when I first started this blog in March 2010. I’ve been waiting for EVER for a new theme to be published, that I like, with a dark background, wide enough left column to be suitable for a photoblog, that didn’t have goofy fonts or other not-my-style eye candy, etc.
WordPress just published a new theme today: Twenty Eleven. And….I like it! The first new theme I have previewed that I wanted to activate.
I have made minimal changes to my existing content. I tweaked the width of some photos in several posts. I added an About page, and a few other pages which can be navigated via the menu bar at the top. I plan to expand content further, but for now am taking Twenty Eleven for a test ride.
Ooooo-weee it’s hot out. We’ve had a number of 100+ degree days. There is no escaping it. I shudder to think what the rest of the summer holds for record heat, record drought.
I happily did as little as possible today – a mental health day, so to speak.
This is a shot of the neighbor’s century plant, that I first posted about last month, now in bloom. I intentionally took it into the sun, hoping to get a nice silhouette. I like the color of the sky here.
Can’t you just hear the ground sizzling in this shot?
Sheila365 