Still Driving South

After a few hours in Kingsville, we headed still further south to Harlingen. We visited the model of the Iwo Jima monument that is located at the Marine Military Academy. It is the original working model of the famous bronze statue at Arlington National Cemetery. It was donated to the school by sculptor Dr. Felix W. de Weldon. It depicts the raising of the U.S. flag on Iwo Jima during WWII.

God Bless America.

Y'all Come Back,

Lorilee

Click on over to the Stars and Stripes Cloggers blog to see what we are up to!

Drive South!

This is pretty much the view from the highway all the way to Kingsville! Well, sometimes instead of maize, it is cotton! The recent rains are making harvest difficult to impossible for many farmers and the maize is ruining. So sad.

This is an awesom store in Kingsville. Sadly, it is also a bit pricey for us. Oh,well, it is always fun to look.

I can just imagine myself on this chaise with my laptop or a good book with a cup of hazelnut coffee nearby. Luckily, I have a good imagination " 'cause it ain't happenin' ". There were men actually working on saddles in the store. I didn't take many photos because it embarrassed my sweety. He said it made us look like tourists! Well, he might come this way everyday with his tractor trailer rig, but I was a tourist!

I thought this was a cute name and sign for another store!

He also took me to the Gift shop, soda fountain and Pharmacy where he stops each day. The owner took us to see his house. It is an historic home. I think one of the highlights was getting to go on the "Widow's Walk" on the roof! He is a "fun" man! He has lots of hobbies and collections! From Kingsville, we headed further south to Harlingen.
Y'all Come Back,

Lorilee

Texas Day trip!

Sweety and I took a day trip to "the valley" as South Texas is called. Not sure why because it isn't a valley, it is just a lot of flat land! Our first stop was Double D Statuary. We have driven by, but we had never been able to stop before. My sweety has given me a St. Francis statue from there.

I thought the Geckos were cute!

These human skulls were pretty creepy. They could come in handy for Halloween, but storage could be an issue!

I think this rattler would be a bit too startling in my flowerbeds!

The flock of giant roosters was quite interesting, especially with my very own Rooster standing among them!

I put this sweet little bird bath on my "wish" list!

We noticed this very "to the point" sign as we were leaving. It made me think, "You might be in Texas if..."

This sweet little Horned Toad came home with me--paid for of course, not in my pocket!

This tiny hen sits on my patio shelf . Double D Statuary also has painted statuary for sale. I usually prefer plain, but I liked the little hen painted up! From here we headed South to Kingsville.......

Y'all Come Back,

Lorilee

Shoe Love!

I was ecstatic when I started chatting with a couple of ladies in the elevator of our hotel and discovered we were next door to the Allen Factory Outlet Mall! (While in Allen for the wedding.) I could hardly contain myself when I discovered this mall had a "Clark's" shoe outlet! I have loved Clark's for the last 5 years, since I was introduced to them by a dear friend! In fact, they are just about the only brand of shoes that I have purchased since then. Sadly, our local stores carry a VERY limited choice of styles.

They seem to be one of the brands that best fits my foot type! I found this style (Lyon) at the outlet. They only had them in black in my size. I wanted tan or brown. The salesman found them in a catalog and then found them in another store in Texas. They shipped them to my house with no shipping charges. They arrived in 3 days! THAT'S good customer service.

I also found this pair of cute shoes.(Geraldine) My MIL found a pair of shoes there also. My husband found a pair of shoes at the Skechers outlet. Brian found 2 pairs at the Converse outlet.

Shoe Love!

Y'all Come Back!

Lorilee

Who are these people?

Who are those strange men with me?

Wow, we "clean up" pretty well! We don't get this spiffied up very often. Our boys are wearing their first suits! Oh, and the baby is the tallest!

I think the boys were feeling pretty cocky in their duds!

Definitely cocky!

Hmm, things are getting back to normal

Our niece's wedding was beautiful. The temps in the Dallas area were crushing-highs of 105 degrees Farenheit-but it was a dry heat! haha!
Y'all come back!

Lorilee

After several days of intensive sewing, I finished the aprons just in time for the wedding. We traveled 6 hours to Allen, a suburb of Dallas, for the wedding.

Shadow, a.k.a. Beasty, kept me company much of the time!

I made matching his and hers Texas A & M aprons. This is the "hers" with the lace on the pocket! "His" was plain! Both the bride and groom are Texas A & M students.

This is the "fancy" apron! It was such fun to make!

I love poofy bows!

The wedding was beautiful. It was great to spend time visiting with family. It also wasn't too bad staying in a hotel with fresh towels provided and beds made--all not my ME!

Y'all come back,

Lorilee

Rain, Fabric, China

It has been raining here, a lot, over 6 inches in the last few days. My chicken run is muddy. The yard is mushy. The garden is mucky! The weeds are growing, well, like weeds! The mosquitoes are back in droves. Last summer, we were in a drought!

Since, I won't be getting much yardwork done, thanks to the company of the hoards of mosquitoes, I should have no problem getting some sewing projects completed. This is especially so, since the MOUNTAIN of ironing has been conquered. All of these fabrics have been chosen for aprons. Except the red stripe, it is for cloth napkins.

I also received some wonderful treasures from a dear friend that passed away. It is nice to be entrusted with things I know were dear to her. The assorted pieces of china belonged to her grandmother. I think they are absolutely lovely.

They blend beautifully.

Simple and detailed.

All blues and gold.

Cups that are even pretty on the inside! I miss you "Mum".

If you are looking for me, I SHOULD be in my sewing room.

Y'all come back,

Lorilee

New photography subject!

Look, its not chickens! Heh, heh, Cats make good photography subjects. They just go about their business and ignore you! Dogs, on the other hand, come to you to be petted.

Cats are not even shy about taking a bath in front of an audience.

Love those green eyes!

Such a handsome boy!

We've only had him one week, but it feels like he's lived with us forever!

Y'all come back,

Lorilee

We hold these truths to be self-evident,

" We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." That is my favorite sentence in our country's Declaration of Independence.

Our Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, 1776. The "Committee of Five", Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Philip Livingston, and Roger Sherman were chosen to write the Declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson wrote the first draft. John Hancock was the first delegate and the only delegate to sign it on July 4, 1776. It wasn't until August 2, 1776, that the last of the remaining 54 delegates signed it. Benjamin Franklin was the oldest of the delegates to sign the Declaration of Independence.

On July 8, 1776, the Liberty Bell rang out from the tower of Independence Hall to announce the first public reading of the Declaration of Independence by Colonel John Nixon. Both Thomas Jefferson and John Adams died on July 4, 1826, the 50th Anniversary of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence.

Let Freedom Ring,

Lorilee