Capistrano Mission In California

Capistrano Mission In California

On our spring vacation to San Diego in the seventies we made a point to go north to the famous Capistrano Mission. What a lovely and peaceful place. In the 1940's the singing group, the Ink Spots, and in the 1950's pop singer Pat Boone made recordings of the song When The Swallows Come Back To Capistrano.

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Legend has it that the swallows always return on March 19, the feast of St. Joseph. However, for quite some time the swallows have not returned to the mission each spring. Where do they go today? To a country club that is also located in Orange County California. Well, there goes another legend.

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But if you go to Mission Capistrano which was named after the Capistrano Church in Italy, you will not be disappointed even if you don't see any swallows. It is one of the loveliest old Spanish missions in California.

Spring In The Desert: Ajo, Arizona

Spring In The Desert: Ajo, Arizona

This photo from the seventies was taken during a spring vacation. Jack, Jennifer and I were on our way to San Diego to see the San Diego tourist sites when we came upon all these wild flowers blooming in the Arizona desert. We had to pull over and snap a photo. The low growing trees are desert mesquite trees. They had not gotten their new leaves yet.

Two Pics From The Past

Two Pics From The Past

Our first gardening adventures were in the Arizona desert. Here's Jack with our first two pets: Tough Cat and Shiloh. Shiloh, the dog in Jack's arms, now reminds me of Barney, Jeanine's black lab. We named Shiloh "Shiloh" because he was shy and low to the ground. I think this little dog that we rescued from an Arizona dog pound was a black lab and dachshund mix.

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We called the yellow tabby Tough Cat because he lived outside with the rattlesnakes. He was a great cat.

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Now look at my husband. I can hardly remember my husband sporting a mustache and having that much thick dark hair!

New Spring Growth On Pruned Rose Bushes

I can't wait till my roses look like the two photos above.

But right now they look like the two photos below.

Grow baby grow.

Bloom baby bloom.

New Spring Growth On Pruned Rose Bushes

March Book Club Read

March Book Club Read

I chose The Last Promise, by Richard Paul Evans.

Below is a photo of Richard Paul Evans who each year spends six months in the Tuscany area of Italy and six months in (of all places!) the state of Utah.

To learn more about this novel that is a love story go to my other blog, PiedmontReaders.

You will find it listed under my blogroll on the right.

I Hosted The March Book Club Meeting

I Hosted The March Book Club Meeting

The setting for my book was Italy so I served Italian red and white wines.

And since Lent is here I served fish, eggs and vegetarian appetizers for our

Friday evening gathering.

Hubby Jack made the deviled eggs.

Look below. No chocolate desserts because of Lent.

I served pound cake with strawberries.

Some More Strange College Mascot Names

Some More Strange College Mascot Names

Akron University: The Zips (Is that short for zippers or zip code?)

College of the Atlantic: The Black Flies

Eastern Arizona: Gila Monsters

Erskine University: The Flying Feet

Ohio Wesleyan: The Battling Bishops

Purdue: Boilermakers

Scottsdale University: The Artichokes

Texas Christian University: Horned Frogs

University of Alabama: The Crimson Tide

University of California at Irvine: The Anteaters

University of Idaho: The Vandals

University of Iowa: The Hawkeyes

University of South Carolina: The Gamecocks (I'm a cock!)

University of Virginia: The Wahoos (Dr. Seuss lived in Charlottesville, VA!)

Whittier University: The Poets (Here come the Poets on to the basketball court doesn't seem fitting.)

The Sweet Sixteen

The Sweet Sixteen!

Look closely at this photo and you can just make out 16 pink tulips.

Are they for the 16 lucky college teams who made it to the sweet sixteen this weekend?

Maybe.

Hope you find time this weekend to watch a game or two.

Jack and I will be hooked to the TV this weekend.

Let's Play Ball!

Let's Play Ball!

No, this is not basketball.

This is Barney ball.

Use the orange stick to throw the tennis ball

and let Barney retrieve it and drop it at your feet.

That's what Jeanine and her father are doing in this photo.

Time outs are called for water breaks for Barney.

Drink up Barney.

Now hit the court (lawn) once more for more action.

March NARFE Meeting

March NARFE Meeting

Our guest speaker, Donitta Whitter, spoke about filing federal income taxes and Virginia state income taxes. She gave the group some valuable information.

Shine On March Moon

Shine On

Shine On

Big Old March Moon

3/19/11

Wasn't that a great big old perigee moon!

They say it will be 20 years before we see a bigger perigee moon.

Look Down To See Spring

Look Down To See Spring

The plants in our flower beds are coming up!

Take a look.

Look Up To See Spring

Look Up To See Spring

Our trees are budding.

Take a look.

Tonight George Mason's Balloon Has Popped!

Tonight George Mason's Balloon Has Popped!

The Ohio State Buckeyes Are Whipping Them Real Good!

Newsflash: Tale of Miss Muffet

Newsflash: Tale of Miss Muffet In NCAA Men's Tournament

Little Miss Muffet (Morehead State) sat on a tuffet

Eating her curds and whey.

When along came a spider (University of Richmond)

And frightened Miss Muffet away.

Final Score: Richmond 65 Morehead St. 48

Wow!

March 20 First Day of Spring

March 20 First Day Of Spring

These little tet-a-Tet yellow daffodils were at my doctor's office

Sunny yellow flowers in March put a smile on my face

Strange College Mascot Names

Some Strange College Mascot Names

Delta State: The Fighting Okra

New York University: The Violets

North Carolina School of Art: The Flying Pickles

Ohio State: The Buckeyes (Nuts!)

University of California at Santa Cruz: The Banana Slugs

University of Delaware: The Blue Hens

University of North Carolina: The Tarheels

University of Oregon: The Ducks

University of Richmond: The Spiders

Virginia Tech: The Hokies (Castrated Turkeys!)

How would you like to go thru life supporting your college school and saying you are a violet or a flying pickle or a banana slug? It makes a buckeye look good.

We are enjoying watching on TV the basketball tournaments---both the NCAA and the NIT.

There's A Big Moon Rising March 19

There's A Big Moon Rising March 19

A Super Perigee Moon

Biggest Moon In Almost 20 Years!

Check It Out!

We Have Been Busy Outside

We Have Been Busy Outside!

Since the beginning of March on all our nice days we have been getting our yard in shape for spring and summer. We have done all of the the following: raked and picked up leaves and debris, mowed the lawn short to rid it of old grass and inbedded leaves, pruned roses and trimmed hollies and crepe myrtles, fertilized plants and lawn, put down weed preventer in beds and on lawn, edged all our many flower beds and finished putting down 12 yards of mulch.

Whew! A lot of work but the yard looks great now. So we were ready yesterday for some Irish food and beer to celebrate our three weeks of work. Today we should reach 75 degrees! I love it!

Hope everyone has a great weekend and has time to watch a little NCAA basketball.

I Kissed The Blarney Stone In 1971

Here's Blarney Castle In Ireland.

In 1971 I Kissed The Blarney Stone.

Here's The Irishman Who Lowered Me Down On My Back

To Kiss The Blarney Stone.

Supposedly I Now Have The Gift of Gab!

The News From Japan Gets Worse and Worse!

The News From Japan Gets Worse and Worse!

So Tragic and Sad.

In contrast this old photo above that I took way back in 1970 at one of the formal gardens in Kyoto, Japan is so calm and delightful. Kyoto is south of Tokyo and for many centuries Kyoto was the capitol of Japan and the place where the Japanese emperor made his residence. During World War II the U.S. spared Kyoto from bombing because of its many historical sites. Luckily this past week Kyoto was spared any damage from the earthquake and tsunami.

Mt. Fuji in Japan

Mt. Fuji in Japan

The Highest Mountain in Japan

This scene is so peaceful. Such a contrast to the scenes of devastation we have seen in the media this past week of the earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan. And now there is great worry about several of the nuclear power plants blowing up or leaking radiation. The death toll will be in the thousands. Peace be with you, Japan, in your hour of need.

The epicenter of the offshore earthquake was at Sendai, Japan where my late brother, Harold Gariety, was stationed in 1954-55 in the U.S. Army.

Mardi Gras is Over, Lent is Here

Mardi Gras is Over, Lent Is Here

Lent is here. Fat Tuesday is history now. But I want to show this photo of another famous New Orleans restaurant chef. The bearded man in the photo above is Paul Prudomme who is the owner and head chef of The Commanders Palace Restaurant in the garden district of New Orleans. Jack and I ate there in 1982 and still remember what a special treat it was.

We also remember the New Orleans food festival for the fourth of July in 1982 where famous New Orleans chefs prepared under tents food for large crowds of hungry folks. This is where the above photo was taken. Paul Prudomme and his restaurant crew fixed the most delicious stuffed crepes. Yum, yum! We loved them.

Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) in New Orleans

Mardi Gras (Fat Tuesday) in New Orleans

This is another great place to dine in a town that has dozens of great food establishments. This is the outside of Antoine's Restaurant in the French Quarter of New Orleans. It has been serving great French style food since 1840.

After you have eaten at Antoine's you can head to Cathedral Square in the French Quarter and feed the pigeons like we did with our daughters back in the summer of 1982. The "pigeon man" enjoyed selling bird seed to the tourists to feed the pigeons.
Here's another way to work off those Fat Tuesday calories. Do a little Hambone dance. This young man back in 1982 was teaching our daughters how to do some Hambone. What great memories for Jack, I and our daughters.

Don't you wish that you could relive a vacation event from the past? I do.