Saturday, June 30, 2007

Hi all, from MEXICO........ I wasn´t able to post, cause the keyboards here are different, and I couldn´t get the "@" to work...... Anywho, there will be lots of pictures coming soon, and I will be nursing my hubby back to health, he suffered from a kidney stone, something QUITE new for him, while I was gone.!!!!!
We are this afternoon sitting in an internet cafe in a small town called HOLBOX on an island, on the northernmost edge of the Yucatan Peninsula. We had an incredible day swimming with the whale sharks,(tuberon billena) as well as the Mantarays, which are about 10 feet across !!!!! INCREDIBLE !! What a Day...........
This trip has been utterly amazing in lots of ways !! More to come, soon...

Monday, June 18, 2007

Mexico, Here we Come !!!

Starting on our trip today. We will be 2 whole weeks roughing it in Mexico. We're flying into Cancun, but leaving there to venture down deep into the Yucatan Peninsula. We're not exactly sure what adventures we will find, but I'm sure they will be EXCITING.......

San Cristobal de las Casas, and lots of ancient ruins of the Mayan, and Incan civilizations are definitely in the plans. (I'm sure learning a lot about backpacking, nylon clothes that are wash and wear, and HOW to pack a backpack !) Never too old to learn new stuff, or to seek a little new experience !!!

Hope to take LOTS of pictures to post of our ADVENTURES in the weeks to come.

Sunday, June 17, 2007

Starts to Mina and Annie- in terra verde underpainting




Trying to get back "in the GROOVE" of this "painting thing!"

First Father's Day-----

Light luncheon, this time, so everyone could get in their visiting with Dads today. We have to share, you know. tee hee..... We had salads of all kinds, including the delicious Dierbergs crunchy chicken with grapes. Lots of baby time, too.. Hooray !!!!!



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Friday, June 15, 2007

It's about TIME !



We celebrated Jim's birthday (35) (where DOES the time go ?) with our traditional crableg feast, on Wednesday night. -Fun was had by all, Including Grace ! So much going on I didn't takes pics. shame, shame..... Here's a start to a portrait of Altin. He was in my ANP and graduated this year. He looks stern, but is a very nice and quiet kind of guy. It was hard to get a word out of him. He's from Croatia. -More work needed to finish it off. I've started Mina, too.......

Monday, June 11, 2007

What was I thinking ???





I know, I know, more baby pictures...... Little Gracie was over yesterday with mommy and daddy. We had a sad good-bye when they left, because Tracey is on her way back to SF this week, and she won't be back until Christmas.... WAIT A MINUTE----- I woke up with a WONDERFUL IDEA !! She and I should take a little trip together, while mom and daughter are both Unemployed for awhile......

She will soon be back working, and then we wouldn't be able to pull this off, in fact, I don't know when we could EVER do this.. So we planned today. Mexico for a 2 week stay, and we'll take it from there ! And I'm going to travel the way she normally does, which is Very Cheaply..... Wish me luck, there are a FEW things that I must have in the way of amenites. but I am usually pretty LOW MAINTENENCE. ! i GUESS we'll see ?!?!?!

Sunday, June 10, 2007

Retirement book

This book was compiled by one of the social studies teachers, Kim, who distributed pages, had students and faculty sign them with wonderful personal messages, and then had them bound to create a lasting memory.... Thanks, Kim, I LOVE IT !!



Here's a picture that "disappeared" before.... I'll just have to sit and figure out where things get stored, and how to retrieve them.

Thursday, June 07, 2007

It did it again, the posting said that the picture was added, but then it didn't show up- weird, HELP !

"Houdini-like" postings


Can't quite figure out why my pictures that I have posted, keep DISAPPEARING. (It's like David Copperfield is visiting my blog, or something) I have had some problems since I've now got a card reader to transfer my pics (instead of the Kodak Easy Share dock), and it's hard to find them and identify them once they are transfered..... Oh Woe is Me. ! Anywho, if ANYONE out there has a suggestion, please BRING IT ON, I need all the help I can get !!!!!! tee hee......

Wednesday, June 06, 2007

Diane's birthday.....



We took dinner to Diane's (my daughter-in-law)for her birthday, tonight. She loves lasagna, so it was that, salad, and her favorite, French Silk Pie. Of course, the star of the show is, as always, our 2 (almost 3) month old granddaughter, Grace. So Precious- I can't seem to get pictures of anything else ! Shame on Me. !!! Anyway, we had a very nice evening, I picked out a large trellis for Diane, and some woven silver earrings. (She's not much on earrings, but, she never wants anything, so I had to come up with something !) I did make her a special folding card with compartments- like my students at school made- and made 6 individual cards for the pockets with special pictures and words for the wonderful birthday girl !! -she enjoyed all of it !



Monday, June 04, 2007

Closing this Chapter of my LIFE



For my retirement party MY CAMERA had been dropped on the cement floor at Shop n Save, and I didn't get any images. Darn...
My daughter got a few shots, I think, anywho, the people that I work with are the best ! and we have a great community that is very supportive. Some of the fun stuff was this dancing doll (I'm the one that is always dancing, even in the hallways between classes) and some signage, making me feel LOVED...... I got books, a beautiful hand-thrown vase, from the pottery and ceramics teacher, Jan. Most of my friends either got me wine, or books, which I love...... The department went together and got me a carved frog sculpture from the Botanical Gardens here in St. Louis. The "cards across the mantlepiece" is a Graeser family tradition-- but you can only leave them up there about a week (newer, Haynes family tradition)... The book was compiled by a sweet Social Studies teacher, Kim, she distributes pages for faculty and students to sign for the retiring teachers, It's very special !! Thanks to all of you ! I love you guys, and will miss you all soooooooooooooooooooooo much -----------

Saturday, June 02, 2007

Fun Saturday !!




What a Day !!



First- Baby and Family pictures/ follow-up photo shoot for Tracey.......


Second- The most interesting wedding I've ever attended. One of my favorite former students got married, and her new husband is Mexican. They had an 8 piece mariachi band at the church, and then later at the reception. Many there were former students of mine, including both of the bridesmaids, and the brides brother. It was a lively wedding, and very "peppy" to say the least ( as the brides mother put it)..... My daughter was able to attend with me, and hopefully I'll be able to post some of the pictures she made, later. On top of the wedding cake sat a bride and groom (made from fimo clay, by Sara, the bride) in the style of the "day of the dead" celebration from Mexico. It is looked at as a festive occasion, rather than something morbid- but the wedding topper was so delightful, with the skeleton bride and groom smiling at one another, PRICELESS... Also, my sweet Sara is going to college in Bloomington, Ill. and is studying to become a high school art teacher...... WOW ! What JOY !!

Strip Quilt (Canon Pic)- cross your fingers !!


Hopefully I can locate this picture from the catacombs of this computer now .......
The "old" Kodak camera, actually only 2 months old, is producing pictures with lines across the image. I knew it couldn't last... Oh well, my new Canon is super, with lots of bells and whistles, actually, it is SO silent, that you are not even sure you TOOK a picture. I think you can turn that sound component back on if you want.
Anyway, just installed the disc that came with it, and I think I'm IN BUSINESS, finally.......

You can either transfer the images with the USB cord- directly from camera to computer, OR with the use of the CARD READER, which I also bought..... HUMMMM, what to do???

I will try to plug in the card reader, into the correct port, wish me luck, and then transfer the pic of the quilt I just about finished this morning- Lest you think I've been totally sitting on my hands, and not being
productive AT ALL !! ha

Friday, June 01, 2007

Paige and Rachel- (next portraits?)- one of me that my daughter took at The King and I Restaurant awhile back.....




Not ONE, but TWO cameras, now !!



I returned my kodak to see if it could be fixed, and I've already gotten it back... .So far, it looks like it's "back to normal" from what I can tell. Maybe it won't last, who knows???



I just received my NEW Canon PowerShot, and card, as well as service agreement for 4 years, TODAY-- Even though they had said if I didn't pay any shipping it should be 7-9 business days.... It only took 5 !!!



I'll have to read all the instructions, though, it looks a bit more complicated. My Kodak is such an Easy One to master... Wish me luck.