Vacation Experiences, Kayaking and a Fire Sale

Don,

As you can tell, I'm on vacation! I've managed to avoid any long term technology to the point that I only have what I've experienced in the last 2 weeks to talk about.

Glad to hear that you enjoyed your Independence Day Celebration! We spent ours with our immediate family - our daughter and her family, our son and his family - all overseen by two very proud grandparents that couldn't stop grinning. The annul fire works were loud and brilliant and over in a timely manner. It took longer to get home than it did for the fire works display. But we enjoyed every minute of it.

 One of the things I got to do was go lake kayaking at 6 am in the morning. What a magical time! Even though the wind kicked up and the waves were a bit threatening - it was worth it to get up at 5. Even the rain was good. For a while, before the weather went south, we were paddling toward a rainbow that ended in the lake. What traffic there was was muffled and didn't interfere with the bird
sounds. We followed a flock of ducks for a bit - then they got bored with leading us and they took off.

The thunder and lightning drove us off the lake, but we were able to return around noon to try it again. This time all the families went and we were where the river empties into the lake. After we got there, there were a number of people who brought their chairs down and tried to fish in the same spot we were kayaking in. Needless to say, they didn't catch anything even though we tried to be quiet and not splash around a lot. But newbies to kayaking are going to splash...

I was amazed at how weak my upper body strength is! Paddling requires a lot of arm strength - I'm going to have to climb more to get into better shape. The climbing is going well. I was able to climb 85 feet last week, managed to climb over an 18 inch roof... didn't wake the dead too much with loud feet on the wall. As much as I enjoy kayaking - it requires a lake and a kayak and a way to get the kayak to the lake. Looks like climbing is my sport for the time being.

I remember that this time last year I was in a cast, totally left handed. The two surgeries on my thumbs over the last year may have left me weak for the time being - but I am pain free. This is the first time I've been able to say that for several years. My hands ache - especially with the weather changes, but they don't hurt. Big difference!

One of the other things we did was go to the goat ranch and help the grandgirls get their goats ready for judging. When the goat is cooperative, there is something rather calming about brushing a goat out. As these are cashmere goats, feeling their downy undercoat is a very sensual experience.

I was excited that our oldest grandson won first place in the 4-H dog obedience competition. I think it is the first time he's ever won anything! Our oldest granddaughter and her dog won the agility competition. As Marty is a Chihuahua, I'm not surprised as he is a fast little bugger! But he whines! He is constantly telling everyone how he just is not happy with whatever he is doing!

Coming home from the mountains we could have used the Samsung invention. Traffic was 3 hours longer than usual; motorized roulette is a most excellent description!


We saw the Glen Campbell special. Bittersweet. My better half and I saw Campbell perform in our college gym way back when he was the opening act for some group now long gone. He struck both of us as joyful and incredibly talented.  These are two qualities that he seems to be able to carry with him through this time. I admire him and his family as they opened up and were willing to share the progress and the effects of this disease with the world.  

A rather callus friend wondered out loud how much the Campbell family made between the tour and the movie. I think it took me all of 10 seconds to decide it didn't matter - they shared the truth of a disease that is progressively effecting more and more people. I'm thankful they had the guts to bring the effects into the light so we can't close our eyes to it any more. Mrs. Campbell pointed out that in the past, this would just have been "grandpa getting old..."

We saw Jurassic World the other day. It is an intense movie! We went at 10:30 in the morning and were surprised at the number of young children the audience! Chris Pratt did a most excellent job as lead. CGI effects were out of this world! I'm sure many of my animations students will have a lot to say about it. The other movie I'm hoping to see soon is Inside Out. The movies coming out in the fall look good - especially Tom Hank's new movie Bridge of Spies directed by Spielberg. It looks like a Hitchcock thriller! About time - Hitchcock was a master at scaring viewers without all the collateral damage that many current action movies have.













We're having a Fire Sale at Wormhole Electric! I've decided to focus on books and authors instead of a monthly e-zine. So, all Transport e-zines are on sale for $0.99 each now through August. After that, they're gone. I have enjoyed the ezine a lot, but it takes a lot of time and effort. Most of our writers have become involved in longer term projects so writing monthly is becoming more difficult. I think it is time to let Wormhole evolve.

We'll keep the books up, and as the writers come across with more stories, we'll publish them. The Wormhole books are also on sale for $1.99 each. This will end the first of September. I'm constantly amazed at the number of books our writers have written in the last 4 years! I've said it many times -I am fortunate to be able to edit and publish their writing.


My vacation is over - I have meetings and updates to syllabi and classes to do. It has been a refreshing, relaxing time -  I want another week to rest up from trying to get caught up on vacation time ...

Carolyn

 

All images downloaded from Google Images

Fig 1 - The Great Bonac Fireworks Show

lamshellfoundation.org
Fig 2 -- LIFE AS A HUMAN – Kayak Conspiracy
lifeasahuman.com
Fig 3 -- Skier's thumb (UCL ligament rupture)
www.sportsorthopaedics.com.au
Fig 4 -- 4-H Clubs | Cooperative Extension - McCracken County
mccracken.ca.uky.edu
Fig 5 - Glen Campbell Documentary Today News, Videos & Photos
ggregator.us
Fig 6 -- [PDF] New 'Jurassic World' Trailer Puts Chris Pratt In Charge Of The Raptor Pack : T-Lounge : Tech Times
www.techtimes.com
Fig 7 -- BRIDGE OF SPIES Trailer lays on the Cold War Drama - This Is Infamous
thisisinfamous.com  
Fig 8 - Alfred Hitchcock Directors Hall of Fame, Alfred Hitchcock profile ...
www.bullz-eye.com