Day 1 - Marquette, MI

Our first day of our trip has been beautiful! Blue skies, blue Great Lakes, smiles on our faces!
This is the first sighting of Marquette. We have about 20 minutes to go for today.
We have decided to drive about six hours a day. I'll keep you posted.

 

The next morning we went for a walk on the path on the Lake. 

The early morning sun was so beautiful. 

Pat looking over the water.

 We would LOVE to live right here!

 

 I especially loved the sun shining through the petals of the wild roses.

I have to start watching!

Two videos in one week!

Friends with Food

We drove to see our nephew's food truck in Traverse City yesterday.  Poor planning that actually worked out.  I didn't realize they are only open until 3:00 on Thursdays - we got there at 3:10!

 

Anyway - that meant we caught them preparing for today.  That was fun.  Watching his business partner, Becky, cook was a treat.  She was making the Black Bean, Kale, Corn Taco filling.  It was delicious.  We also tasted the Bacon, Egg, Cheese Taco filling that she cooked while we were there - It also was delicious.  The ingredients they use are from nearby farms.  Organic meat.  Very sustainable. 

 



The food truck was very cute.  A little fence, flamingos, turquoise and white.  I absolutely love it!

 

They will be closed at the end of September but will reopen in May in the same spot.  Front Street across from the cupcake store.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I have never even seen xfactor! When my friend posted that this was the best he had ever seen I had to go looking for it on video - I so agree! ENJOY!

YEAH! Short Hair!

I called Dilly yesterday to get an appointment - she just had someone come in to get a haircut and decided not to get a color - so she fit me right in!  I am SO happy to have that long hair gone!  I know, I know I wanted it long to pull into a ponytail while camping.  Yes, that made me happy.  But NOT as happy as I am with short hair!

Working very hard on my third series.  I have challenged a group on Facebook to help me come up with ideas for a wedding in Montana in a barn in winter!!!  Someone living in Montana told me the idea was crazy - even with a heater in the barn!

They have come up with some GREAT ideas.  I am having fun writing this chapter.  I copied their ideas onto my http://saginawseries.blogspot.com sidebar if you want to read them.

We are planning our trip to Montana - I can't wait to see the places I have been writing about from memory.  We went their when Joanna was 5 and Caroline was 3.  We visited Janet, Rod and little Patrick!

So - back to writing - just felt I had to blog something for Fran who comes in every day and sees the same post at the top of the page!

Pictures from this weekend

We drove through the farmland and found some fabulous places to take pictures - laundry on the line, haystacks, apples,vultures sitting together on poles. The beautiful morning with a God-given sunrise amidst great winds blowing in wonderful waves! The best anniversary ever!

Huge Waves Crashing on Shore!

It is 5 am and the last day of our annual honeymoon weekend. What a great time we had.

I will post pics when I get home. However we didn't have a sunrise yesterday and right now it is cloudy so I am not sure about this morning.

We met one of the new owners of the Huron House - lots of changes coming.

Be home soon.

Pat is so enabling. . .

and it makes me so happy! I saw this truck and burst out laughing - what a great slogan!

I said, "I should have taken a picture of that truck!"

Pretty soon we turn a corner and we are driving down Shattuck. When I ask where we are going he tells me Oppeman's liquor store. That must be where the truck was going.

Sure enough the guy was unloading at the back door!

So the picture isn't very clear! Don't tell him! It says: We drink all we can and sell the rest

Gotta love my man!

International Family

Little did we know, when we were growing up, what an international family we would have. We have White, Black, Chinese, Mexican (listed in order they came into the family) all mixed up in children and grandchildren and great grandchildren - all part of the Shea/Clifford family - and our love for all of them is what defines us as a family. 

How blessed we are to have so many different cultures represented.  We can say we are our own melting pot.  My Mom welcomed all to our family.  She grew up in a biased family - she did not pass that on to us.  It didn't matter where you came from, what you looked like, just how you acted.  If you were a good person - she was happy to have you around.

I think having children makes you think differently.  And the facts that she was widowed young, she didn't agree with her family on many things and she questioned the church's position on some things meant she was a free thinker.  When told she couldn't go to her Goddaughters wedding because she was getting married outside of the Catholic Church, it became a defining moment in her life.

We are blessed.  We are happy.  We are America!

Ranidaphobia Anybody?

 



 

If you have a fear of frogs good thing you weren't at Shiawassee Auto Tour the other night!  We saw about 75 frogs on the road.  At one point Pat had to get out of the car and stomp on the ground to get them to move off the road so we could proceed.  They were tiny little things - about 2 inches.

 

They were very cute!

 

 

Spending the Afternoon at the Zoo with Ayva, Romeo and Grandma Caroline

 

It was a hot afternoon on Friday, but we still had a wonderful time at the zoo.  Papa said, "What do you want to do, Ayva?"  Of course the answer was, "Play at the playground!"  No matter what kid we take to the zoo - the fossil find and the playground are the two most popular spots at the zoo.  I know, I know, that is just sad.  When you want the kids to love the animals and they love to play - but that is what being a kid is all about.  Play is their work - they love it - and in the process maybe they will love the animals eventually, too.  Joanna, Caroline, Sheala and Robbie all do - so it must work!

 

 

 

YEAH! Number Two Draft Done!

I have been writing a lot the past few days.  I finished the second book of the Four Season Series.  Well, the draft is finished!  So now Summer and Fall are well on their way to being done. 

Pat and I are going on a trip this to Yellowstone National Park this fall.  We have decided to stop in Montana on our way to Yellowstone.  When Joanna and Caroline were five and three we went to visit my best friend, Janet and her husband and son.  We loved that trip and would like to see the Crazy Mountains again.  Janet and Rod took us to the Crazy Woman Mountain (There is a legend a white woman went crazy on that mountain) and we saw the most beautiful waterfall.  I would like to see that again.

I am going to try to find facts and legends to put in the books of this Four Season Series.  It will be fun. 

I love to write.  I ask God to give me words to write my books.  Some of the time the words just fly out of my fingers onto the keyboard!  The characters seem to form their own personalities.  It is a joy to get to know them.

Bountiful Harvest

What a good friend! Clarence bought over rhubarb, garlic, peppers, cucumbers, tomatoes and even grapes from his garden. Everything looks delicious.

I broiled tomato slices on garlic rolls with Longhorn cheese for lunch. Mmmm....

Thank you, Clarence!

Fun in the Sun

We had such a good time with the Martinez family at Wilson State Park.  Javier, Ayva and Romeo were such good campers.  Jesse even tolerated sleeping in a tent!  Caroline seemed to rejuvenate - relaxing as the weekend progressed.

We had fun at Pat's union picnic held across the street at the fairgrounds.  They have jumping, climbing, games, clowns, balloons, go cart rides, putt putt golf and even chances to win prizes.  Javier and Ayva were a little disappointed they didn't win a bike, but Nana won the spouse drawing!  I know it is a Meijer gift card, but for some reason they have to buy it and send it to me so I don't know how much!

There were two families there that had 175 and over 200 combined years of service in Local 85!  That was amazing.

 

 

 

 

A Michigan Sampler

To Benefit to East Side Soup Kitchen

Monday, October 21, 2013 - Apple Mountain Resort

 

 

 

Click on the flyer to enlarge. East Side Soup Kitchen is having a fund raising even - if you could support them in any way it would be appreciated.  They do so much good.  I have included the organization in several of my books.

Good Job, Chris!

When stars decide to be inspirational

there is no limit to what impact

they may have on their fans!

 

 

 

 

 

FOUND IT!

This is the picture of Bob dressed up like a ghoul.  His head is actually about chest high on the ghoul - the shoulders and head are above him.  He stood for long periods of time as still as a statue and then all of a sudden he would scare someone by moving!  Our friends Kevin and Laurie had Halloween parties that were so much fun.  We would all dress up and give out candy or stand in the yard all dressed up.  Over 900 kids came to the door for candy in their neighborhood!

So......  This is the ghoul that is at the Looby/Foley/Novak home in the Four Season Series second book, Fall.

P.S. Fran, good thing I'm the storyteller! 

Papa and Robbie

 

Figuring out the starter isn't turning over.  Done for the day. 

Have to buy a new starter.

This is such fun having Robbie here to work on the car.

I made them Chocolate Chip, Peanut Butter, Oatmeal Cookies!

 

Update to the Scam Alert Update

Pat just came in the room and exclaimed, "Mary Ellen, we just won $25,000!"

I guess they wanted all the Midland people to get the best cars before the Saginaw people all rushed in to hear the sales pitch!

What Fun!

We are in Grand Rapids waiting for the Noble Clan to get home. We stopped at the Winchester to watch the end of the Tigers game (boohoo).

We saw Red 2 this afternoon. It was great. We laughed all the way through it.  Ex-CIA assassin Bruce Willis is trying to lead the quiet life with his love Mary-Louise Parker. His old buddy John Malkovich shows up to lure him out of retirement.  Helen Mirren, Anthony Hopkins and Catherine Zeta-Jones are in it too.

I would see it again. Some of the lines are lost on the younger crowd - at times Pat and I were the only ones laughing.

Cutest Picture Ever

Caroline took this picture of Sheala and Ayva at the splashpark in Midland.  Cutest Picture ever!

Nice Day!

First we went to Marcia and Wayne's 50th Anniversary party.  It was so nice to see them.  They even had Marcia's wedding dress and photo album on display.  Fr. Yule married them at the Cathedral. 

We saw so many St. Mary's friends.  We enjoyed that a lot.  Everyone asked when we are coming back.  But right now we don't feel like we should.  We have made commitments to St. Pete's that we want to continue.  So for right now we are staying there.

Then we had dinner with the clan.  We celebrated Joanna's birthday at Famous Dave's.  We had lots of fun.  Robbie brought Alecia.  Jesse was working and Javier was at his Grandma's.  So we weren't all together.  Alecia's birthday is next - we told her we would go out for hers, too.

All in all - a very nice day!

Scam Alert Update

Recap: My father-in-law was convinced he won big money from Burt Watson in Freeland. Even though I called Burt Watson and knew it sounded like a scam!

It sounded like everyone had matching symbols on the mailer. Then they had to go to Burt Watson to check the numbers there.
He called back and told Pat he wanted to go check. So Pat met him in Freeland at Burt Watson. When they got there they had to listen to the sales pitch. Then they checked the list.

Guess what? He won! Two gold pieces each worth $1.00.

Shame on them for that mailer!

Co-op Nursery School Friends

Thank you Jan for getting us all together! We had a great time reminiscing about the fun times we had as mom's of preschoolers.

It is amazing how much we have to say to each other. Although miles separate some of us we decided there is no excuse for the ones in Michigan to stay apart for so long.

Margot Ruth

Also Known As - MAGGIE!

Such a doll baby - we so enjoyed our visit with her.  She is a darling.  Joe and Liz and Nana already love her to pieces - and so do AME and Uncle Pat!

Scam Alert

My father-in-law called to say he scratched off the spots on a Burt Watson advertising mailer and they matched. He thought he might have won $25,000!

Pat was on the phone with him and was relaying the information to me. I told him to ask exactly what the wording was on the mailer - did it say "could win?"

Well yes, but he matched! I told him I would call Burt Watson. I was so angry I could have spit nails. This was exactly what happened to Aunt Bernice that last year she was alive. She had the dining room table filled with snacks because she was sure Publishers Clearing House was coming that night to give her a $1,000,000 check because the letter said two people in Saginaw "may have won!"

I called Burt Watson and surprise, surprise I was transferred to a salesman. I said, "My 92 year old father-in-law thinks he won $25,000 - I suppose he has to come in to see a salesperson?" He just said, "Yes."

Of course - many people, if not all, match. What a terrible way to try to get people to come in for a sales pitch.

 

Webber House is now available on Smashwords (Click the picture).  You can download any format to read it.  I would like some feedback from people with Nooks - how does it look?  Thanks!