birthday blues

Another birthday ...

Lots of love all around.  John sent fruit flowers ...

Sandy brought over free trade flowers ...

Friends stopped by, Eric and Dawn came to visit, and John flew home for the weekend ...

Partied with Frank's famous hamburgers ...

... an exciting game of corn hole (the old guys won) ...

... and finished it off with Sandy's gluten free chocolate cake!

Isaac

This blog would be remiss if I didn't at least mention Hurricane Isaac.  It was not a big deal for me - no flooding or trees down - but 3 solid days of bands of wind and rain that swirled out from the center of the storm. 

In some strange way, I enjoyed it, like I do most all "bad" weather.  Jane came over for part of it and we sat it out.   Some communities just west of here had major flooding, and all the property damage that brings with it. 

cactus bloom - UPDATE

Looking up from my yoga this morning I noticed that the cactus was blooming!  It only happens for a short time in the morning, then it closes up again.

This is the cactus plant, in perspective.  Photo was taken around noon, long after the blooms had closed up ...

John's photos

Here are some photos that John sent and that I think he wants on here.  I have a good internet signal from the back porch now so up they go ...

 This is to remind me of the Karmen Ghia convertible that I used to have!

The West Palm Train Station

Always a fun place, but especially at 6AM.  Eric and I put John on the train this morning, bound for the Fort Lauderdale airport.  So sad to see him go ...

 Looks deserted from here, but it's not ...

 ... lots of folks up early on Saturday morning waiting for the train.

 There's John, over on the southbound side of the tracks ...

 Jubilee watching him go ...

 Train is here ...

 and on its way ...  John will be back in PA before noon!

more fishing

 

John was able to get in a morning of fishing on the Blue Heron out the Jupiter Inlet.  I forgot what he caught - bonitas?  Anyway, he threw those back.  These are some of the fish that the others caught.

photos on my camera

Here are some miscellaneous photos on my camera.  Putting them here to remember what was going on (and where I am) during these August days.  This is our morning yoga/meditation spot.  Jubilee knows that whole routine and pretty much does it with me.

Some of the morning "pipers"(?) That are out in the morning looking for grubs.  The dark and white ones travel as a group, but divide up (within that group) into the dark birds and white birds.

 Some palm trees ...

 The Fort Lauderdale Airport shuttle bus.  John came in on a Spirit Airlines super-low-fare ticket, but had to fly into Fort Lauderdale directly from Latrobe PA.

 Barbara's 75th birthday party ...

 And the wonderful summer rains ...

 My surgery went very well yesterday.  I'm happy!  It was like getting a rotten tooth out, finally!