Bluebonnets April 2021

We were all worried, down Texas way, that the aberrant late Feb freeze might have killed off all the bluebonnets this year. I dragged hubs, kicking and screaming, down south to Fredericksburg, Tx, to check things out for myself. 

Overall, I’d say there weren’t as many flowers as usual - but there were enough. You can check my previous posts, esp 2019, when I visited the exact same places during the exact same week, for comparison.

I take a lot of photos of bluebonnets, close up and far away, in various kinds of sunlight and shade, bc I paint from the photos. 

And some cows and other flowers, too, for the same reason. Note: These are my personal photographs, and are copywrited. 

Covid Pandemic Remodeling Project

 

                                                                       “Before” photo

Trapped at home staring at the same four walls this past year has spurred a new wave of home remodeling, and the addition of creature comforts needed to survive the lockdown (including a pool, a hot tub, an espresso machine, new equipment in the exercise room, and more). For my birthday this year, I decided to turn a junky closet just off the kitchen (home to a 1960’s style “wet bar” that had never had running water, not in all the 25 years we’ve lived in this house) into a wine cellar. The space had become a catch-all for all sorts of junk.....none of which was useful. 

                                                                         “After” photos

The old closet was gutted- “a big thank you” to the previous house owners for laying down the original brick flooring under the custom built (but dated) cabinets, as we changed the footprint dimensions slightly. Old water pipes that never worked were capped off, ugly wallpaper was stripped, a wine refrigerator was procured, along with storage shelving. The butcher-block countertop was donated by a friend who refurbished her restaurant. An iron door with scroll design is being made.....slowly, very slowly.....by a local artisan. Voila! Now I plan to drive across the land, visiting wineries, attending tastings and learning more about it, stocking up by the case - just as soon as this damn pandemic is over. 

Happy 26th Anniversary

26 years ago, I married my best friend - For over 40 years now, he’s made me laugh, driven me crazy, given me a family where I had none, taken me around the world, fixed things, (broken things), raised my first child as his own, and generally made my life much, much better than it was before.

Who knew what would happen, when I met him in 1978, all these years later? R is second from left in this photo - he never did like wearing a shirt.....

When you marry a person, you marry their family......fortunately, these are all intelligent, educated people. While we may squabble on the little things, we agree on the big ones.

Agra, India

My dates at our 25th college reunion

Palermo, Sicily

Colorado Rockies

Curacao

Private yacht off St Lucia

West Texas dance hall

North Shore pipeline, Oahu

New Orleans

Italy

South Pacific

 Yukon, Alaska

Corolla, NC OBX

My husband paid for everything for my son from my first marriage - all medical bills, summer camps, orthodontia, sports, SAT tutoring, 2 cars, college - bc my ex and my son’s father, Gregory Scott Panagos, refused

Virginia horse country

Maui

Tech Titans Award at UNT

This is how men hem pants - with duct tape

Off Martinique

Brewing beer

His friends and mine

I was thin and R had hair

Antoines, NoLa