Dolls-another of my hobbies

Naturally, since I live in a 36' fifth wheel, I don't have space for my dolls. I keep most of them in our storage unit but have my two American Girl dolls here so Mary, my granddaughter, and I can play with them. For those of you familiar with American Girl dolls and what they cost I have to tell you that I found "Kirsten" (blonde) at a thrift store in Pahrump, Nevada and paid $3 for her. Aren't you jealous? Mary named the dark-haired girl Kristy last time she was here. I bought her on E Bay.

I just sent this E mail to Mary telling her about the girls new outfits: Hi Mary,

Check out our dolls' new outfits! The red one on Kirsten is ruby ballet (it has white ballet shoes and even includes a necklace!) and the green on Kristy is an Irish Dance costume. It has shoes, arm bands and a cape PLUS a head band with curly wig attached! They are both so beautiful. American Girl doll Company was having a really good sale and I just couldn't resist buying these two outfits.

More fun next time you come!

Love you Sweet Pea,
Grammie

Carnegie Libraries...my hobby

These are pictures of the one that got me started in my love of Carnegie's (and not incidentally, my love of reading and books!) - Minot, ND. Here, in the first grade I checked out my first book, Little Black Sambo! It is now an Art Center. Original fireplace which I remember vividly. And original tile in the entrance.

I have been meaning to begin writing about one of my favorite travel hobbies - finding and photographing the Carnegie Libraries of America. And, so, tonight as I answered an E mail from one of Gary's Heber Springs (Arkansas) High School classmates (actually his wife Teresa) I decided to use that E mail as a beginning.

Let's see, I think I am up to 58 now (there were 1,658, of course many of them are gone, but I have many to go!) - did really well this year when I got 13! Four in Louisville alone.

It's pretty easy to find those on the National Register of Historic places because they have addresses. The remainder I just have a list I got from the book "Carnegie Libraries Across America: A Public Legacy." by Theodore Jones. So...we drive through the towns on my list (I mark them on our road map.) From experience I know that the libraries were traditionally built in the center of town and, with their distinctive architecture, are pretty easy to spot. Its really fun since we also get to see small towns and/or the older areas of larger towns. Of course, when we are on the road towing the 5th wheel we are about 53 feet long so it is a challenge for Gary to drive on downtown streets and then find a place to park while I run to take pictures! If the library is open I always go inside and usually get into a conversation, sometimes a lengthy one!

Update on our movie marathon

Yes...we are still on a roll with our movie marathon! We've seen 12 movies since Jan. 2 - only a couple of them at home with a rental DVD! (last night The Duchess and Dark Knight) Since the movie theaters are usually so busy on weekends we decided not to go yesterday but then Gary said "what time are we going today?" so a quick check of the Monterey County Herald's entertainment section and we were off to see Frost/Nixon!

Grandson Jorden is a WWII in Europe history buff so on Friday we picked him up from school and saw Defiance.

Since The Curious Case of Benjamin Button is based on F. Scott Fitzgerald's short story I have subscribed to it on http://www.dailylit.com/. So far I have found that the movie very very loosely follows the short story!

In the midst of seeing all of the heavy movies we took a break and went to see Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson in Last Chance Harvey.

I note brief comments in "love the movies" here in my blog.

Movies and skunks

Watching the Golden Globes put us into the "going to the movies" mode. So we've seen five in the past week - all of them good! Gran Torino, SlumDog Millionaire (Really good - I wasn't too keen on seeing it but it is so good), The Reader, Doubt and Revolutionary Road - we're on a roll! We'll see how many of them get Oscar nominations. (Every year we try to see the nominated films before the awards ceremony.)

All of them are pretty heavy so I'm ready to see something a little lighthearted and mindlessly entertaining - maybe the Dustin Hoffman/Emma Thompson Last Chance Harvey next?

Haven't had much on the track this month so we've had time. Worked yesterday (BMW Club) and I'm working Skip Barber 3 Day school tomorrow and Monday - then back to the movies on Wed!

(OOPS, Gary just looked out the door - skunk on our deck!) Didn't dare try and get a photo of it!

Christmas in the Suite

The suite - see our 5th wheel in the background through the suite window?

We had a wonderful Christmas Day in the Suite. Since we live in a 36' 5th wheel and don't have a lot of space our family tradition has become to celebrate Christmas Day in a hospitality suite here at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Lots and lots of space for presents, food, having fun and, for my sports-minded family, sports on TV! Jorden has fun shuttling people and food and whatever else in the golf cart and the kids have the run of the paddock which they think is pretty cool.

Check out my very candid photos of the day: http://www3.snapfish.com/share/p=11281231446072860/l=442366177/g=18975671/cobrandOid=1000131/COBRAND_NAME=comcast/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB

Excerpt from our Christmas Newsletter

Photo above: Our 3rd trip to Graceland-enough is enough! Maybe it's the "Elvis" name that keeps drawing us back. At Stanley's baptism a few years ago the pastor called us the Elvis family - five generations of the Elvis name in the Thomas family!

February-our first annual Superbowl Cousins Weekend with Linda & Clif and Rhonda & David. No, we didn't attend the game but could see the stadium from Rhonda & David's beautiful home in Phoenix.

This summer, 6,904 round trip miles to Shipshewana, IN.to have warranty work done on our 5th wheel...of course we enjoyed the journey. ...Purdue, Notre Dame, Louisville, Memphis, Oklahoma football stadiums (at times we had to "sneak" in!)...Betty photographs 19 more Carnegie Libraries, total now 58, lots to go! ...catfish dinner with 35 HSHS classmates at Grandpa's in Little Rock...picking peaches in Arkansas - in 100 degree heat...Gino meets us ...Churchill Downs (amazed that it is basically in the middle of town and not the rolling blue grass hills of Kentucky!) & the Louisville Slugger Museum in Louisville... had to have the truck towed in Memphis - the worst part is that we missed a meal! We were on our way to have dinner at Rendezvous and instead had to settle for pizza delivered! ...Santa Fe - ah! Southwestern food and the New Mexico feeling...visiting people dear to us along our way

Several trips to Tahoe. A first, Gary played in two Slot Tournaments and even won money in one! As for his other winnings/losses Betty doesn't even want to know! She just enjoys the great view from the rooms at Harvey's.

Visits throughout the year with the Fresno Five - Russ & Denise and watching 7 year old Stanley play baseball, playing dolls with 6 year old Mary, learning about dinosaurs from 5 year old William. Micki and Dylan's annual visit for the Historics Races. Dinners with Kelle & Joe. Gary & Vivian living close so we see them often.

In October, 2,016 miles wandering in California, including a week in Crescent City with Don & Lee. Since they no longer have a RV they stayed with us - we still get along! The Alabama Hills in eastern California where they made many of the old Western "B" movies. Friday night pizza with the Laguna volunteer group - if its Friday its pizza! PGHS football games, Fresno State football games (Gary, not Betty)

Tahoe...no snow but still wonderful

The view from our window at Harvey's

Good Morning from South Lake Tahoe. Enjoying a few days up in Tahoe --also so Gary could accept his invitation to play in the Slots 'O Candy slot Tournament yesterday--and he won fifth place - $200!

No, we haven't gotten any snow this trip (the locals are very anxious for snow which is expected this weekend.) but are still experiencing the "feeling" of winter--I even got to wear my beautiful black leather gloves!

Pumpkin pie...can ya smell it?

I just took my pumpkin pie for tomorrow out of the oven. Is there a better smell than a warm pumpkin pie? Not too many in my opinion! Of course, the taste is not too bad either!

I have used the Spicy Pumpkin pie recipe from the Betty Crocker cookbook we received as a wedding present for a very LONG time. See the electric burner marks on the cover? Not too long after we were married Gary & I moved to an all-electric apartment in Minot. I'd never used an electric stove before so struggled a bit but thought I was doing OK. Then one day I set Betty Crocker on a hot burner; it only took a minute or so for me to smell burning! OOPS! I was used to turning a gas stove off and it being off but electric burners stay hot! I never did enjoy cooking on an electric stove and have made sure that was my first and last.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Holiday amaryllis, paperwhites and new wine

Yesterday, as in year's past, I planted holiday bulbs. I'm going to love the brilliant red of the Red Lion Amaryllis and the wonderful white Narcissus Paperwhites. This is how they look today...not impressive yet but they will be...hopefully just in time for Christmas!

The wine bottles? Yesterday was the 3rd Thursday of November --- the once yearly release of Beaujolais Nouveau. This French red wine, made from Gamay grapes, is the first wine of the new season. This year one of my selections, bottled by Bouchard Aine Fils, is in a plastic bottle...with a screw top!

Last year's paperwhites:

TWO Dakotas - North and South!

Yesterday I was watching the 5 o'clock news and they were reporting about the big snow storm. Our local news anchor here in Monterey, California did not know that Bismarck was in NORTH Dakota! He said "oh, just call it Dakota!"

After a commercial break he returned, having had a geography lesson, with further information that school had been canceled, not due to snow, but due to the start of hunting season. Someone at the station talked to a ranger in Turtle Lake who said that the snow could make for a better hunting season. They were having a heyday with it!

Those of us who are from/or still live in North Dakota are very accustomed to people saying "you're from Dakota, (no north or south designation) aren't you?"

This is a fun quiz for testing state's location: http://www.pibmug.com/files/map_test.swf