Aloha!

I saw this cute toddler's Hawaiian shirt in an antique mall and it made me pine for the tropics. Makes me want to book a return trip to Kauai or Isla for October! Hmmmmmm. I may have to throw a tropical tantrum and start searching for cheap airfare! : )

A Vivid Thursday Sunset

Phoenix is known for its sunsets! And they get much more dramatic when we have stormy skies! Last night we hopped on the bikes so I could snap some photos of the sunset. Earlier, a dirt storm had blown through, so I'm sure that pollution made the sunset even more vivid!

The sunset started out with ribbons of pink in the southeast.

I guess it would be a sailor's delight, because the sky was certainly red tonight!


In the west, the sky looked really fiery.

I'm Baaaaack.

I'm back and the watermelons I bought before I left are still good! I can't believe it. Fresh and Easy (get your mind out of the gutters) had regular size melons for $1.98 apiece on Memorial Day weekend, so I bought three!

The plane ride back was rather bizarre. I was seated next to a little old lady (I'd estimate mid-80's) who was reading a periodical with stories about real life Angels. A religious magazine. Seated in back of us were two couples from Tulsa who wanted to impress everyone on the plane with their coolness.

Since one guy was seated across the aisle, they were yelling their constant conversation back and forth the entire ride. And it was all fairly foul, even before the drinks got rolling. One of the guys was bragging about his female neighbor who didn't have any grass on the playground. Words like labia, braided hair hanging to the knees, etc... were being thrown back and forth. I was trying to finish my Jodi Picoult book, but the way the seats were staggered, the guy across the aisle was yelling in my ear. The little lady next to me would grimace with every foul/obscene word and phrase. And it escalated to shit's, asses, etc... as the drinks multiplied. I'm not exactly a nun, but it got downright annoying. When you're in a bar or restaurant, you can move. They were headed to Reno for their big gambling trip -- supposedly staying in a $2000 a night suite. They were all trying to impress with big talk about expensive resorts in Phoenix, Lexuses in the garage, million and a half dollar houses -- but somehow it was lost on me! HA! And the $2000 a night suite? I went to a retirement party in Reno about five years ago, and it wasn't Vegas. Craig and I thought it was kind of the poor man's Vegas, but maybe it's changed since then?

When the plane was headed down on its final descent into Phoenix, one of the dumb broads suddenly remembered she really had to 'pee'! She yelled (and I do mean YELLED) at the flight attendant -- Can I go PEE? A male and female flight attendant both told her to stay seated and to wait until everyone deplaned. The minute the wheels touched the runway, she tried to bolt from her seat and run down the aisle to the back. Fortunately, one of the husbands grabbed her and told her to sit down or they'd have security on that plane dragging her off. She then started yelling Clean up on Aisle 10! mixed with other obscenities. And the poor little old lady next to me would grimace with every foul word.

Some people -- you just can't take them out anywhere! Anyway, we were all relieved to get off the plane and away from Miss I'm Going to Reno. I usually travel with earplugs, but this was the one time I forgot them! And I also couldn't find my I-Pod before I left, so there was no escaping that obnoxious crew.

Well, I need to get off the computer and do something!!! Craig had the house all picked up and cleaned when I got home last night. What a guy! : )

Pimp Your Ride!

I noticed all these old cars outside of antique malls in Joplin, Missouri and they look pretty good! In particular, this black and red ??? was really pimped out!

Looks like a gangster mobile!

A chihuahua in the back window!

Check out this interior!

Buick

And I think this was a Packard?

I think I'd take that sporty black and red model with the fake leopard interior, but that old Buick might be fun to try and drive. I saw an older couple wheeling down the road Monday afternoon in a 60's era white Buick convertible. I couldn't get my camera out in time, but they looked quite stylish! Their white hair matched the paint job and upholstery!

I'm actually hoping to make my way back to Arizona in an airplane this evening! Not to complain, but I added it up and I've spent over a month in the past year in one part or another of Kansas. I'm clicking my Ruby Red Slippers again!

There's no place like home! There's no place like home!

Yes, I am SO ready to be at home!

Crying Fowl!

Saby would have a tantrum if she saw these birds lounging around the pond at the zoo! I'm missing that dog more than my husband, but don't tell him! She takes a run at any large birds lurking out of the water on walks in the neighborhood. This place would be Saby heaven! I guess that's why they have a sign No Dogs Allowed!



I wish I'd taken the time to read the little signs so I could tell you the particular species on all these waterfowl -- but I didn't. Looks like a bunch of geese and an emu to me! By the way, that emu was so cute and he evidently doesn't spit like an ostrich. He appeared quite jovial!

Roadtrip!

I set off on a roadtrip to Joplin, Missouri bright and early Saturday morning. Sometimes you're just not quick enough with the camera to snap the truly bizarre pics along the way. I missed the pet goat tied up in the junky yard in Oswego, Kansas grooming the front lawn, the tiny shetland ponies under a big umbrella by a Galena, Kansas porch, the old Coca Cola cooler on the front lawn in Crestline, and a guy I recognized from high school following me down the highway on his lawnmower.

I did take a lot of photos in the antique stores. Antiquing has always been one of my favorite stress-relieving pursuits. I forget all problems when I'm on the hunt! And as always, I wished I was driving Craig's SUV instead of heading home on a plane. You always see the best stuff when you don't have an economical way to get it home!

Cwazy Wabbit!

Another Shiny Red Bike!

Pots and Cupboards

Quilt!

Wicker Doll Sofa

My mother questioned this wooden Indian's hand placement. Ha!

And here we have inappropriate Rapper Santa, who also seems to be grabbing his package.

Monkey Island

When we were kids growing up in Southeast Kansas, we thought Monkey Island at the Independence Zoo was the greatest! I was driving past it today and decided to stop and take a look.

I think the monkey castle was built as a WPA project. The stone house is surrounded by a moat to keep our poor little captive friends from escaping. When we were kids, there seemed to be a lot more monkeys. Maybe if I'd had peanuts, I might have seen a little more excitement. One little guy was doing repeated back flips today, but I couldn't catch him with the camera.

The moat surrounding the castle is filled with snapping turtles and swans. Here we have the Tortoise Lounge.

Snapping turtles.

And one of the beautiful swans! I guess the snapping turtles and swans are security for the bad boys -- the monkeys. : )

Another Antique Roadshow!

Well, I'm off in my rent a wreck to do some antiquing this morning while I'm in this part of the country. That would be in the corner where Kansas/Oklahoma/Missouri join. By the way, ain't it a good lookin' car! So I thought I'd post a few photos from my antiquing trip to Miami/Globe last weekend. I'll take my camera today and try and take some photos along the way.

What's this guy's name? I think I missed him on Saturday mornings! Seriously, anyone know?

But we all recognize this guy!

Thank ya, thank ya very much.

I love anything that's shiny red!

I'll have some of them french fried potaters! (Actually, maybe I should pass!)

A Bunch of Hot Air!

These guys have been driving me nuts for months! Well, only in the sense that I've been trying to get photos and they never get close enough. I hear the whooshing, but they always veer in a different direction as they approach. They launch from the regional park across the main road. Some of them have been making a daredevil game out of dipping up and down in the lakes in our neighborhood. When they do that, I almost root for them to sink.

Anyway, Monday morning, I just happened to be peeking out the back door when I heard that sound! They came in low, barely over the rooftops. I ran and retrieved my camera and was out there in my red nightie snapping photos. Out in the open. Wow! Got 'em! Then Craig happened to point out that there was a large group hooting and hollering in one of the balloons and a guy had a telephoto lens snapping pictures of me! OMG! I'll probably be the featured joke in the next issue of Balloon Life Magazine. The old hag in her red nightie!

This balloon had the perv snapping photos of me!

Craig said this basket was loaded with people. They actually dipped right over our backyard, but by that time, I was hiding under the covered patio to get away from the photographer.

This balloon was a little more polite and kept its distance.

But I love this photo when it was almost directly overhead.

There's something in a flying horse,There's something in a huge balloon.
William Wordsworth