Election Day 2008

It is finally here....election day....at least the campaign will be over...but the politics will not. Why in this "wired" age we have to have campaigns run for 2 years I don't understand. It's such a waste of time and money...of course, the media has something to cover for all that time. What would they do if our campaigns ran like they do in the UK? Of course, whoever wins will get non-stop coverage from the media so it's really not over!! We voted absentee ballots about 2 weeks ago so it's sort of a non-event from that perspective.

All I can say is that it'll be interesting...I think B will win but never count M out...

Fall Choir Workshop

Today is the first day of November...wow, already. Halloween was a "non-event" at our house...2 Trick or Treaters showed up...and that was it. I dislike Halloween so it was fine with me. Since our neighborhood is on a hill and dark, we usually don't get a lot of kids..also, we don't have a lot of kids on the block. So we send up with candy left over which is why a couple of years ago we started giving out juice boxes.... good for the kids and good for us if they are left over. This year I bought chocolate milk boxes... so now we have to drink that!!

Chancel Choir Fall Workshop was from 9-4 today. It's always a fun time - starting to rehearse our music for Christmas and just having time to visit with each other. Great turn-out today and good food. What's a Presbyterian meeting without food? I don't know because we never have them.... lots of great snacks and then soup, salad, sandwiches for lunch. We had sectional rehearsals (men, women) in the morning and after lunch a Master Class (men,women) with Katie and Ross for an hour. What a great time that was. Working on basics of choral singing. And then putting all the work together after another break (food). A good time was had by all. I will miss the Pacific Northwest when we move to New Mexico but mostly I'll miss choir and First Presb. We are so blessed to have this fabulous music program that has given both Gene and me such great adventures since I've been part of it. Can never replace it but also, can never take it away from me.

Tomorrow, Sunday, I will work on my resume and send it off to a few places. It's the hardest thing to do as I'm not good at telling people how wonderful I am !! Ha Ha.

Daylight saving time ends tonight so what was 9 pm is now 8 pm... so I'm heading off to the internet to research jobs.

Good night all.

Halloween 2008

Our ad is posted on Craig's list in Santa Fe...no one has answered... guess we'll have to put an ad in the paper in LV and post at Highlands... this is beginning to worry me. Still hoping the interested possible renters will show up in LV and contact MM. She has been out of town on a cruise so may have news when she returns tomorrow. It's out of our hands at the present time...

I've been out of work since the 22nd and at first just wanted to leave Seattle and head south...but calmer heads are prevailing and we will take our time these next few months to get this house ready to rent and then move in the spring/early summer. Have to admit I am looking forward to it. Still have to decide if I want to find a job...probably a good idea. Just not sure what I want to do when I grow up. :)

Gene is busy working on cleaning the garage and has taken up all the dahlia tubers and put them to bed for the winter. I've spent today cleaning files in our office and trying to get that organized. Makes me feel useful!! Saturday choir has the Fall Workshop so that'll be fun.... getting ready for Christmas.

So, our life is going along. Levi loves having his two slaves at home with him. I'm enjoying the non-commute.

HAPPY Halloween! My least favorite holiday. Now on to Thanksgiving and Christmas and a new year.

October Already

Gene arriving at his new house - Levi's Llama Land - and in the midst of painting the pink bedroom....is it pink or was it pink... we flew down to Albuquerque on Oct 5th taking with us clothes to paint and clean in and plans to start making the house ours. Our renter decided to move into town so we are now without her. But it gave us the time to clean and paint and see the house without anyone else's stuff in it.

The weather was wonderful all week - perfect for painting and for sitting on the porch taking a break now and then.

We left a bunch of money at Wal-Mart and at the appliance store. Bought new Frigidaire front-loading washer and dryer and had them installed in the laundry room which is right off the kitchen. And we christened them with our dirty clothes and came home with mostly clean clothes. Course there were some that were beyond cleaning!!

Got to really know my way around Wal-Mart, and Hacienda Home Center, and the Gambles Store, and many other places. We stayed at the Comfort Inn which was nice since there is no furniture in the house and we are getting a bit elderly to be sleeping on air mattresses. It was a relief each night to go back to the hotel and crawl (almost) into nice soft clean beds and have clean towels and a good night's sleep.

Didn't get to see everyone we wanted to on this trip but we did meet the next door neighbors and visited with the THompson's and of course our favorite real estate agent and friend, Marylena Melton. She is helping us still even though she's already sold the house to us. What would we do without her watching over the place.

Hopefully we'll get the house rented for the winter. But for now it's tucked away with the heat on and ready to be shown.

Land Barons R Us

So we now own our retirement home in Las Vegas, NM...not the glitzy, smoky, crowded Las Vegas in Nevada.....the quiet, laid back, slow, original Las Vegas. Found the property last fall on a "scouting trip" and never thought it would still be available when we wanted to buy. But not only was it available, it was lots cheaper. So with some urging from our financial and tax guys, we made a deal and the owners accepted. We are renting it to the lady who owned it which is a win-win situation for all of us. When will we move? Maybe late next summer....depends on Linda's retirement situation... but until then, we'll plan some changes to the house and Gene will ahve plenty of time of think about the yard....all 5 acres of it. Check out the slide show ...

Our New Mexico Home

Make a Smilebox slideshow

It's Been 2 Years

Oh my... just realized it's been two years since i wrote in this blog. lots of water over the dam, as they say.

Today is June 16th 2008 and we are fine here in Seattle! We have vacationed in Russia, gone home to Minnesota for visits, traveled to the southwest to look for retirement property and generally kept busy. In the days to follow, I will attempt to update you on our lives!

This is a photo of the Corps badge that is on the butt stock of Corporal Dow's Sharps rifle and which started the whole journey of discovery.

Our Book is in Print

"The Search for Corporal Dow" is now in print...We got the first copies a week ago and are thrilled with the look, feel, sight of this book that has been so long in the making. They did an awesome job with the cover and editing and we sure hope lots of folks will enjoy it and use it in their genealogy research. We'll have a web site this fall and the publisher will be starting the advertising shortly. In the meantime, I've published a copy of the cover and the introductory page....

Linda and Gene

Quilts

Life as a quilter is such fun...there is never enough fabric, never enough room to store it, and never enough time to get all the quilts made and finished. But it "keeps us out of the bar".... I will be posting pictures here from time to time of newly made, and works in progress.

This first one is of the baby quilt I made for my great-nephew David about 2 years ago. The pictures of David wrapped up in his quilt are proof that all the work was worth it. He is expecting a baby sister to arrive any day now (early March) and there will be a quilt for her soon.
L

Mountain Memories

Some pictures from our journey to the mountains on Feb 23. Levi got to play in all the snow. What a glorious day to be up there...sun, warmth, just gorgeous. Plus we came home with a wet dog!! Such fun.