Sunday, October 31, 2010

...the end of the 'garden'...


...also yesterday...

...as we pulled up the tomatoes from our makeshift garden, this little red tomato rolled out...I was so surprised to see it - I must have missed it when I picked all the green ones for the Chow Chow Pickles and it's been frozen of course - but I'm still going to put it in a sauce or something...I don't want it to go to waste...

...I'll pull the beets that you see there too...

...Another small project...about the house...a new Storm Door

...it's been quite a busy weekend - of course - there's Halloween to prepare for - and I'm going to get that costume posted about - at Church - there was Reformation Sunday - Reception of New Members - Third Grade Bible Presentations - and it was Polka Sunday today too - so there's an awful lot going on around here - all a lot of fun...

...the Man and I installed a new front door yesterday...

...of course it took about twice as long as we had planned...and it still needs a little bit of tweaking - as it's good and snug at the top - but not so much at the bottom...

I searched and searched for a before picture and found a very small one
...it was just your typical aluminum (material and colour) storm door circa 1950 or so probably from when the house was built...

...and we donated it to the Second Chance store...

...I really like it a lot...

...now on to that front door...

...What do you think of this colour?...

...peacock blue...hmmmm???...

Saturday, October 30, 2010

...another Omaha post...the gyro video...

...we are working on Halloween costume - so I promise pictures of that later...

...but my sister posted this awesome video of Scout and his Uncle on the astronaut trainer - it even has the operator asking them if they're OK...
...he had told them at the beginning that if he asked and they didn't answer - the ride would be over...funny...or not...eh...

Friday, October 29, 2010

...from shirtsleeves to snowboots...


...guess what greeted us when we got back to ND from Omaha...that's right - that's snow swirling through the air there - and Scout braved the 50 mph winds to go outside and pick the final bits of lettuce before they froze...

...and this is the snowy wonderland - it's a wet heavy snow - Scout threw a snowball at me (the first of the season) and it felt like a baseball...and you can see the swings swinging themselves in the wind...

...so...have you had your first snow yet?...

Thursday, October 28, 2010

...Come shopping with me...the Omaha Old Market...

...Karen, Scout and I did some early morning shopping right after breakfast...

...we found a rare book store...so I'm on the floor going through piles of books - it was pretty well organized...guess what book I bought...that's right The Book of Tofu - I had a copy years ago - now lost...so I was thrilled to replace it...

...guess what book Karen bought...that's right - Brideshead Revisited - on my recommendation based on the copy that sweet Maureen sent me from England...

...and we saw a mounted policeman on our way back to the hotel...

...Come to Omaha with me...a tiny bit of knitting...


...I did manage to do a tiny bit of knitting on my Karate socks during the trip down and back - I finished one princess soled bamboo sock and cast on for the other...that is all...

...Come to Omaha with me...The Durham Museum...

...on our last day in Omaha we visited the Durham Museum...

...it's in the old train station...

...I'm always amazed at how very grand these old train stations were...

...you might think this was just painted on the ceiling - but they showed the intricate molded plaster being restored...

...the ceilings are probably 30 feet high...

...and the floors are beautiful too...

...there were a couple of Great Halls - very impressive...

...the sign to the trains...

...there were statues of soldiers and partings...

...that's Karen flirting with a couple of soldiers...

...some art deco painting - I love it - it makes me wonder what people will look back on from our era...

...I loved all the neon signs - for taxi cabs...

...baggage...

...and the soda fountain - which still works...

...then we did go downstairs...

...to see the trains...

...and streetcars...

...and mail buggies...

...and baggage waiting to be loaded...

...Scout planted a sunflower - they were having a soil exhibit - Dig It!...

...then he headed outside to climb on some farm equipment - he enjoyed it still...when he was little he absolutely LOVED 'diggers' - we would stop on the side of the road and let him watch them digging - he had so many books about diggers and said he wanted to drive a dump truck when he grew up - so sweet...

...there was a tiny mouse in the scoop...

...back inside for gangster cars...

...old trucks...

...horseless carriages...

...a model train...

...Karen playing at being a snobby first class patron in a Pullman Car...

...her dining room...

...the lounge car - I must say that the lounge car has not changed an awful lot - I took the train from Greenville, SC to Boston MA - and the lounge car looked pretty much the same - on the inside anyway...

...the public restrooms were the same too - even the colour of the walls...

...a second class berth...

...the same berth in the daytime position...

...the second class seats - these look exactly like the seats on a train I took in France - they were blue too - and we faced each other like this...

...this is a first class sleeper - it has a door for privacy - the second class berth was just open to the hallway...

...the bunk pulled down on top - with the little ladder going up...

...a first class single sleeper - all in about a 3 x 6 space - you had a bed...

...a toilet...

...we thought the notice was funny - no flushing in station...

...the chair in the upright position...

...the sink in the corner with the toilet closed...

...and baggage overhead...those were the days...