Living the life

My friend's husband just had knee replacement surgery, and Molly, their dog is helping him recover.

I enjoyed watching Sally Field and others in "Remarkably Bright Creatures" the other night. Which reminded me of the following trip to the Georgia Aquarium.

These children are all grown up, with the littlest a sophomore in college this year. And one of my sons in this picture has divorced from the wife he's with and remarried in 2019. Definitely a portrait of the family from the past.

Myself (left to right,) son Russ holding his littlest, Kate, while his other 2 daughters (Caroline and Audrey) are front row center and right. Oldest son, Marty with dark hair and beard, and his (then) wife with his son, William on far right. Their daughter, Cayenne, is holding Kate's hand over next to me.

OK, a family update...

Missing are my other son, Tai and his wife Kendra; Russ' wife, Michelle; Marty's current wife, Barbara; Marty's oldest son, Michael and his wife Amanda. Of course some of these people weren't part of the family yet in 2008, but I'm updating all of them as of 2026.

Tai

Kendra on r.

Michelle

Barbara

Michael and Amanda

Russ in his 20s in college.

While I'm mentioning family, I send happy birthday wishes to my son Russ, who turns 59 today! He doesn't read blogs (of course, he's busy with other things!) so I'll call him!

Here's a post wishing him a happy birthday, including earlier photos taken when the whole family got together for my 80th.

While unpacking, I found this pin from when Russ played soccer for Temple Terrace (FL) including a couple of soccer exchanges with families in England.

 My Sepia Saturday contribution for this week: No bar games photographs - just family, friends, sharks, pithy sayings and a dog!

Musings of miscellaneous things

 

I like watercolors of cats... by Elena Wuest, The Tangerine Hour. This may not be a watercolor. I've added a YouTube at the bottom of this post of more of her art.

I love when the temperatures drop after midnight and I can open the windows.

"Caws for Concern" last Saturday was International Day of the Cat!

----------------

The owners of this property have fenced off their garden area...but the deer enjoy the leaves on their trees, thus there aren't any lower than the reach of the hungry critters.

Sharing with Saturday's Critters

--------------------

Groceries (and gas) cost more in Durango than they did in Black Mountain NC. So rather than paying $7 for a loaf of mixed grain bread, I baked some. I found my dried buttermilk which was packed in a U-Haul truck had baked into a hard cake of something inedible, so I just used water instead. My bread was kind of thrown together without a recipe, but it is tasty.

I found some more Elena Wuest paintings on this YouTube. No more cats though! 

Along the road going southwest

 

This is the second and final post about my trip from western North Carolina to southwestern Colorado.

Wildorado TX, July 24, 2026 - Yes, we saw lots of wind farms.

Adrian TX, July 24, 2026

We saw several dust devils rise up and disappear in seconds.  I missed catching the ones that were perfectly defined little tornadoes.

Vega - what an interesting cloud!

We did drive through a few rain storms. 

Breakfast at La Quinta Inn in Santa Rosa, NM on July 25, 2026. Tai also cooked me a delicious waffle. The Rte. 66 auto museum was just down the street. We had other things on our minds!

Santa Rosa NM

One of the many casinos were passed.

Albuquerque NM

A whole lot of land where not much can grow.

Small settlements were scattered around, just like the mesas.

You may have seen Jabba the Hutt before.

I was watching the soil turn into these strange black rock formations

And then they were gone...

My first train appeared, and then another within a few miles.

Adopt a Highway Litter Control...

Newsome Resource Center

Shiprock beyond Tai's relentless driving.

Tsé Bitʼaʼí, known today as Shiprock, NM

First view of the San Juan Mountains.

And we were welcomed to Colorado!

Towaoc

 Mancos CO

Coming into Cortez CO, there are little mini-bill-board signs, so you still can see the view!

A domestic view with my son finally home, with wife and dog doing their thing!

And an exhausted me describing something or another while enjoying home-made garbanzo stew! (Fortunately the bruises on my legs come and go quickly...but it was hot, so comfort was the choice over beauty!)

------Yes this was lots of photos...just wanted a completion of the journey all together!

My main emotion is immense  gratitude for my son's helping me move my whole life to a new setting, to be near one of them and to hopefully breathe better!

---------------

Update from Thursday...

I went to the Post Office first thing, and the address change order I'd put in in North Carolina July 22 didn't show anywhere in their records. Sometimes I like that our whole lives are on digital files. So I made a new address change form.

Then to Natural Grocery to sign up for the raffle of a free car. Why not. I got my iron tablets on sale also, to help with adjusting to the altitude. And some of my favorite drink, Reeds Jamaican Ginger Beer.

Walgreens was right across the street, so I activated my account for a prescription that's being transferred. With the medicaid in limbo, I doubt it will be the usual price, but quite a bit higher. We shall see when they fill it.

---------------

Sharing with Skywatch Friday