Probably the First R.V.

One of only 6 made per year in the 1930's, this 1937 Ford Housecar still exists , has 19,000 miles on it, and is in like-new condition.

Caring Bridge

Today I learned of a neat website. It's www.caringbridge.org. The website is a place you can go to keep up with people who are in a hospital and can use the support of friends and family during a trying time. We have been keeping up with a friend who has been in critical condition in a Birmingham hospital. Friends can leave messages of support and find out updates on the condition of the patient.

This method of providing information to those concerned keeps the family from being bombarded with phone calls all day long - explaining what is going on at the hospital.

Johnny Isbell

My dad was born 106 years ago today. By nature, he was a quiet man but in all ways that mattered, he was strong and powerful. He was a strong Christian, an avid Auburn fan, a diligent farmer, a lover of nature and above all else, he was totally devoted to his family. He spent thousands of hours of my childhood reading to me, working puzzles with me, taking walks with me, counting stars with me and singing songs to me. He had such a positive impact on my life that I will never forget the day he was born - or any other day of his life for that matter.

Senator Ted Kennedy

If you are disabled and have experienced full accessibility in public places, thank Ted Kennedy.

If you have lost your job and have been able to keep your health insurance through COBRA, thank Ted Kennedy.

If you have been injured on a job because of faulty business practices and have been compensated fairly for it, thank Ted Kennedy.

If you are on Medicare and can afford your prescription drugs, thank Ted Kennedy.

If you can vote regardless of your skin color, thank Ted Kennedy.

If you are a woman and receive equal pay for the same job the man has in your company, thank Ted Kennedy.

If you are a child and have healthcare provided to you through the S-Chip program when you could not otherwise afford it, thank Ted Kennedy.

If you are an hourly employee and your employer is required to pay you a minimum wage when you otherwise did not make a minimum wage, thank Ted Kennedy.

For 46 years Ted Kennedy was the champion of human rights issues in the Senate and sponsored thousands of pieces of legislation which made life better for the common person.

Even those who disagreed with him idealogically admired him and said there may never be another person as influential and compassionate about the needs of others as he was.

Thank you, Ted Kennedy, for speaking for those who often cannot speak for themselves. You were the epitome of a true advocate!

Grandparent Pride

Will and Kristen had a stellar weekend! Will won the Montgomery County Country Club Invitational Golf Tournament and Kristen won the Principal Pianist position for the Etowah Youth Orchestra!

Congratulations, Will and Kristen ! You have both worked so hard to accomplish those things which you enjoy and I love seeing it happen for you.

"Say it Ain't So, Joe"

One of my all-time favorite movie actors is Morgan Freeman. And MSN reported today that he is dating his step-granddaughter!

Words to Live By . . .

I was reading comments from journalists after the death of their colleague Walter Cronkite and one of them was especially meaningful to me. It was from Andy Rooney of CBS's "60 Minutes".

Andy said:

"I've been proud over the years to see Walter become not just one of the best-known people on television but one of the best-known people in the whole world of people. He was proud of me, too, and there's no better feeling in life than that. I wouldn't trade Walter Cronkite liking me for just about anything I've ever had."

I would love to live so that people could say they wouldn't trade me liking them for just about anything they have ever had. I don't think one has to be famous to aspire to that kind of legacy.

The Word UP

The word UP is one of the most often used words in the English language. Here are a few examples:

We look UP toward the sky and wake UP in the morning.
At a meeting, a topic comes UP, we speak UP, our officers are UP for election and it is UP to the secretary to write UP a report.

We call UP our friends, brighten UP a room, polish UP our jewelry, warm UP our leftovers, clean UP the kitchen, lock UP the house and fix UP the old car.

People stir UP trouble, line UP for tickets, work UP an appitate and think UP an excuse.

We dress UP for a special occasion, and open UP a drain when it is stopped UP.

We open UP the store in the morning and close it UP at night.

If you are UP to it, think UP some ways, if it doesn't use UP too much of your time, that we use UP. Don't give UP, you may end UP with a lot more than I have.

Smart Cars - USA Style

When we were in Italy, we saw hundreds of Smart Cars. They are fuel efficient, are good for the environment, and certainly don't require much parking space. I have seen a handful in the United States but I'm guessing we will see more and more of them but given our desire to have everything bigger and better, I imagine we will see some Smart Cars that are "doctored up"!

Can You Guess Who These People Are ???

These are people you should know. Can you guess who they are??? There is a free beer for anyone who guesses correctly.

Bonnaroo

A friend of mine at work left this morning for Bonnaroo Music Festival. Among the many artists who will be performing there are Bruce Springsteen and Jimmy Buffett.

It looks like a cool place to be!

"Bear Country"

The Alabama Shakespeare Festival has announced that it will take its play, Bear Country, on the road beginning August 6-20 in Birmingham. In case you haven't heard, this is a play about the legendary Bear Bryant of Alabama football fame. Needless to say, knowing how Alabama fans revere the Bear, tickets have sold out in every venue announced so far!

I have a couple of very close relatives who are Bama fans whom I imagine would be first in line to buy tickets!

Wedding Cakes

An Italian Bellini

The Bellini is a drink that was created in the 1930's or 40's at Harry's Bar in Venice, Italy, by bartender Giuseppe Cipriani and was named after a favorite painter, Giovanni Bellini. The Bellini has sparkling Italian wine as the base in Italy but it is often made with Champagne elsewhere. Amy and I had one on our last night in Rome and it was delicious!

Autos in Italy

Thanks to my husband and son-in-law and their interest in cars, they managed to photograph some Italian vehicles while we were there. If the cars get any smaller over there I think they will start putting some Bondo on roller skates and call it a vehicle!

American Idol Pool Winner

About two weeks ago, I relinquished the reins of the American Idol Pool to my daughter Susan and then left town for 12 days. When I left town, I was leading the pool in points and when I returned, Susan had soared ahead of me and won the pot! I'm not saying she is unreliable at keeping up with the scoring, I'm just saying . . . . . .

That is TWICE she has picked someone out of the blue who won - she must have an inside track to some information that we don't have!

ITALY --- Here We Come!

For almost two years, we have been planning our 25th anniversary trip and now we are packed and ready to go!

Some places we will be visiting are: Rome, Venice, Florence, Assissi, Tuscany, the Isle of Capri, Naples, and Pompeii. Eric and Amy are going with us and we are all very excited!!!

We will take lots of pictures and try to share them when we return.

Set for Failure

Relinquishing the Reins of Idol Pool

As of today, I am giving my daughter, Susan Hawkins, the envelope containing the money, and the list of Idol pool entrants and their selections. I have trained her to be forthright and honest and hopefully, she will conduct the pool in a manner indicative of her upbringing. Since I have a $20 stake in this adventure, I certainly hope I can trust her to do it right! :)

As of last night's elimination of Allison (John, Sara, and Kirk had Allison #4 and earned an additional 50 points) I believe I have a good chance of winning the pot so I have an extreme interest in Susan getting the scores right!

In case there is anyone in this world who may not already know why I am relinquishing my responsibilities to Susan, it is because on the day the winner is announced, I will be leaving Venice and traveling past the Palladian villas along the Brenta Canal and heading into the forested Apennine Mountains to Tuscany! Sorry I am missing American Idol - NOT!!!

American Idol Pool Update

After the 2 round of eliminations which have the same point values, here are the scores at this time:

Sara - 120 points
Amy - 85 points
Kirk- 50 points
Benji- 50 points
Kristen- 0 points
Claire - 25 points
Jamie - 50 points
John - 120 points
Terry W. - 110 points
April - 85 points
Susan - 85 points
Terry H. - 85 points