Throwback Thursday

The picture above was taken in March of 1998. Yam (6), Spud (4) and I are standing (well, I am crouching) in an ancient creek bed near the Black Mesa in the Panhandle of  Oklahoma. The Colonel is snapping the photograph.

The Colonel had just come home from a deployment and we wanted to take a family trip to see some of the sites that Oklahoma had to offer.

We had read that you could see dinosaur footprints near the Black Mesa, so we loaded up the Jeep and headed that way.

When we reached our destination we began searching for the ancient dinosaur footprints. We looked high and low. We couldn't see anything, yet the travel book we consulted said that there were indeed prints in this location.

The Colonel climbed a little ledge that was hanging over the creek bed and he immediately yelled to us that we were right on top of the footprints! From where Yam, Spud and I were, the footprints looked like puddles in the creek.

The tracks are preserved in the sandstone strata and were originally discovered in 1980s and contained 47 footprints. Due to erosion, only a third of the tracks are visible today.

Scientists were intrigued by two tracks in particular that were much deeper than the others and had a ridge. They believe that the dinosaur was walking on a mudflat area and slipped, leaving a telltale sign that has lasted for millions of years.

Although the exact species is not known, scientists have stated that the tracks came from a Theropod, which is a scientific classification for bipedal carnivorous dinosaurs including Tyrannosaurus Rex.

Yam and Spud liked seeing actual dinosaur footprints...so did The Colonel and I. What kid (young or young at heart) doesn't like dinosaurs?

Wordless Wednesday

Great Minds Think Alike

The Colonel and I celebrated our 32nd anniversary in October. We've never made a huge deal out of our anniversaries. There were many years that The Colonel was deployed and was not home on the day of our anniversary. Sometimes we would celebrate it on a day before The Colonel left or some day after he returned home.

That being said, now that The Colonel is retired and does not deploy, we could go "all out" and  make the day of our anniversary very special (a dozen roses, jewelry, expensive dinner out) but we still don't.

We believe that every day we have together is special. Now on our anniversary day, we usually exchange cards and go out for lunch (rarely dinner...the older we get, the more we stick to home during the evening hours).

This year we exchanged our cards during breakfast while sitting on the couch and watching recorded home improvement shows.

We both laughed when we opened our cards. This year we had given one another cards with a star theme. We have given each other the same card in the past.

The Colonel's card to me...

My card to The Colonel...

It's little coincidences like this that make The Colonel and I know we were made for one another and that every day we have together is a special day, no matter the date.

Halloween 2018

The Colonel, Yam and I dressed up again for Halloween this year. We always have fun walking downtown and seeing all the kids (and adults) in their costumes. We also hand out candy to the little ones as we walk around.

The Colonel and I had been gathering parts to our costumes for a few months prior to Halloween.

The Colonel's costume was inspired by the character of Richmond on the BBC's show called the I.T. Crowd.

Image from the Internet

We visited the Goodwill store near where Yam used to live. She claimed it was a nice Goodwill and she could always find what she was looking for there. She was right...The Colonel found a suit coat, a white shirt, a top hat and a red "cravat" within minutes of stepping through the door. 

We found his black nails, wig and necklace elsewhere. He ordered his ruby ring and walking stick online a few months prior to Halloween. The Colonel picked out the ruffle material from Jo-Ann Fabrics and I sewed it onto his suit coat sleeves.

Yam was Mary Poppins again this year. As we walked through the streets, she was stopped by several people wanting a picture of/with her. Lots of the older crowd who saw Yam, waved to, smiled at and called out "Mary Poppins" as she walked by them.

I just saw an ad on television for the new Mary Poppins movie. Not sure how I feel about that...some movies should not be remade.

Yam said that her Mary Poppins costume will be her go-to costume, so next year she should get the younger crowd to yell out "Mary Poppins" (that is unless Hollywood completely changes Mary Poppins' look and she will not resemble the old one at all...they do that a lot...mess up a good thing). Yam nailed the Mary Poppins look with her costume...such attention to detail. She has the carpet bag, the parrot-headed umbrella, the finger-less gloves, the hat and coat. From head-to-toe, Yam is a practically-perfect-in-every-way Mary Poppins. 

This Halloween I was...you guessed it...a Mermaid.

When we were in Key West this summer, I purchased two shells for my costume. I also purchased a set of leggings that would make a perfect (walk-able) mermaid's lower half.

In order to appear nude on top, I ordered a flesh-ish toned leotard. When the leotard arrived, I bought some ribbon that was closely matched in color and built my shell bra. I also created a mermaid crown.

I wanted my mermaid to have a pet/friend (think of Ariel and Flounder), so I bought a shark pinata from a party store. I made the shark a spiked collar and a chain leash (the leash was made from the parts of a purse I got at Goodwill).

The bought a blue wig to complete my mermaid costume.

We put our costumes on at Yam's house. I had my leotard and leggings on and when Yam came out of her bedroom and saw me for the first time. She gasped because she thought I was nude. I did not have my shells on yet.

We finished putting our costumes on...

...and headed across the street to The Colonel's parents' house and knocked on their door. When my Favorite-Father-In-Law opened the door and saw me in my costume, I thought he was going to wet himself. He laughed so much and ran to get his camera. Based on his reaction, I knew I was in for a treat (no pun intended) as I walked around town.

I got plenty of second looks and side-glances (mainly from the men) as I walked past. One old man asked if he could play the shell game with me. I had my picture taken and had pictures taken with me. One young woman said she loved my crown and a little girl liked petting my shark.

The Colonel and I are already thinking about next year's costumes. It is never too early to start putting together a costume. You never know where or when you will find the perfect piece to your ensemble. We just have to decide who/what we want to be as we walk around and hand candy out to the little ones.
 

Yam's Gift

This October, The Colonel and I celebrated our 32nd wedding anniversary and Yam's gift to us was a trip to Epcot. The last time The Colonel and I were at Epcot was 31 years ago!

Yam wanted us to experience the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival with her.

She picked us up on Sunday, October 28th, around 6:30 in the morning. It was a bit breezy and chilly at that early hour, but we had hopes of it warming up by the time we reached Epcot. The 2 hour and 16 minute drive was pleasant (especially since Yam was driving and we were passengers).

It was still a bit breezy and chilly when arrived at EPCOT but the sun was out and it was a beautiful day.

Yam had our tickets waiting for us at the gate and we had Fast Passes for each of us that allowed us to go ahead of the general waiting line for the three of rides we went on. I purchased a re-loadable wrist band that we used to purchase the foods we ate. That was nice to just scan and go and not have to handle money or a credit card each time we tried the different foods or drink.

So that we would not become too full and thus have room to try different foods and beverages, we ordered one or two items and shared between the three of us. Here is what we ate and drank throughout the day: Australian Grilled Sweet and Spicy Bush Berry Shrimp (very good), Hawaiian Teriyaki-glazed SPAM hash (surprisingly delicious, but then we do like SPAM), Loaded Greek "Nachos" (yumm-opah!), Thai Marinated Chicken with Peanut Sauce and Stir-fried veggies, African Spicy Ethiopian Red Lentil Stew (and it was spicy but tasty), German Schinkennudelin (a favorite, pasta gratin with ham, onions and cheese) and an unfiltered pilsner called Radeberger Zwickel, Chinese black pepper shrimp with garlic noodles, Japanese teriyaki chicken bun (steamed bun filled with goodness), Brazilian Moqueca (a seafood stew, The Colonel and Yam liked it more than I did), roasted Irish sausage with colcannon potatoes and onion gravy and warm Irish cheddar cheese and stout dip with brown bread ('twas Heavenly) and Norwegian School Bread (if a cinnamon roll and dinner roll had a baby and the baby was stuffed with sweet vanilla custard...very delicious and not too sweet). I was too busy eating to take any photographs of the foods we ate, sorry.

We visited each country at EPCOT. Yam made passports for The Colonel and I.

When we arrived in a country, we had a representative sign, draw a picture and stamp our passports...we got in line with the rest of the kiddos. Some of the country representatives were impressed by our Yam-made passports (I know I was. Yam had researched and added "Thank You" in each of the country's language at the bottom of the passport page).

The Colonel and I remembered the interior of the Mexican pyramid. We ate in the restaurant over three decades ago.

I loved seeing all of the buildings and shops within each country. What surprised and impressed me was that each country had its own music playing and when you walked from one country to the next, the music never overlapped...the transition between the music was seamless. 

We flowed from Mexico to Norway. I loved the buildings with grass roofs and the pretty wooden church. I also liked the statues of Norse Gods and the rune stones.

While in Norway, I stopped in their little shop and purchased some perfume. It is a light, clean scent. It is touted as the Essence of Norway. The perfume designer was there. His name is Geir Ness and his perfume is called Laila, named after his mother. He signed my perfume bottle, gave me a small gift of his perfume, signed a postcard of himself and then Yam took my photograph with Mr. Ness.

Not only did I get my picture taken with a real life Norseman, I had my picture taken with a huge troll.

China and Germany were our next stops.

We then made our way through Italy and Japan.

Next stops...Morocco and France.

The last two countries we visited were the United Kingdom and Canada.

We also watched the American Adventure program. It was the story of American history told by animatronic Benjamin Franklin and Mark Twain. It was well done and got your patriotic juices flowing.

We went on six rides during our EPCOT visit. Living with the Land was a slow and easy boat trip through different areas of gardening. Some of the food grown in the gardens was served in EPCOT restaurants. Journey into Imagination was a gentle ride through the senses. We used one of our Fast Passes for the ride Soaring Around the World. It was one of our favorites. We sat in a suspended seat as the ride took us flying about places around the world. Not only did we fly about areas but there was the sensation of wind and scents associated with whatever area we were soaring over. When we flew over the Taj Mahal, it smelled like roses and when we were over a herd of elephants in Africa, it smelled of dust and earth. The two rides based on space were interactive (we used our other two Fast Passes here). We pushed buttons and pulled on joysticks as we flew around the Moon and landed on Mars. We pulled some G-forces on the Mars simulation ride. There were many warnings about the Moon and Mars rides before we got on them (pregnant women should not ride it, people with heart or neck issues should not ride it, if you are claustrophobic steer clear, things like that). I was beginning to wonder if I was doing the right thing. It was not as scary/bad as I thought it would be. We also rode the Spaceship Earth ride. You rode slowly through time and the stages of communication (cave drawings to satellites). That was interesting and well-done. I liked it especially since my college degree is in communications. 

We had a full day and we will always cherish the memories we made with Yam at EPCOT. The memories are even more special, as the tables were turned, and our daughter treated us to a fun-filled day at a Disney theme park.

THANK YOU SO MUCH YAM!