Supercopa 2016

There isn't really a lot to tell about our weekend. It was all about soccer! The rains did clear out so the boys could play and the weather was just perfect for us as spectators! Our Rangers team played great and won ... that is, up until the last day! It wasn't for lack of trying and hard work though. They did very well. Brady played every game.

Great kick!

Making a kick  

  He runs like the wind.

Jack

On the sidelines having a snack

Noah

Jack was so excited he could hardly contain himself. He looks up to his cousin Brady, and each time Brady comes close to the sidelines, Jack is calling him. "Brady, hey Brady." And Dad is telling him, "Stop talking to him, you can't talk to Brady, he has to concentrate." Haha. He's so cute.

He's gonna have some big shoes to fill some day.

We had lunch at the Gas Monkey.

Strange name, but it was good.

It's all about cars.

I don't like skull and crossbone stuff,

but I do love these two.

Just chilling.

They came, they played, they left.
The end.

Blue Monday in June

It is a Blue Monday indeed when your company has gone! Our visitors left yesterday and it seemed they were here for only a moment. Well, maybe they were, after all! The trip was about soccer and that is pretty much how we spent our weekend except for the times we were eating, sleeping or traveling. Whew! They did great and it was wonderful to see them, if only for a short time. I will have pics of them tomorrow ... but today is Blue Monday! 

I'm linking up today with Backyard Neighbor. She has some beautiful photos over there, and you can also add your blue to Blue Monday.

This blue is a view from our suite on the American Queen

Steamboat traveling up the Mississippi River in 2015. 

Some beautiful blues here.

This could rightly be called the "Blue Plate Special!"

It is a place setting in the dining room at the

Nottoway Plantation. Our guide informed us that

each setting was worth $1,000.00!

My husband resting on a bench at the plantation

beneath one of the magnificent shade trees.

Reflections on the Mississippi

And a rainbow's end!

Pink Saturday

It's Pink Saturday and I'm linking up with Beverly at How Sweet the Sound!

From my June calendar

Does anyone know what this flower is?

One of my favorite flowers!

Look! 

But please, please!!!

Happy Saturday!

Saturday 9: Ode to Billie Joe

Welcome to Saturday 9. What we've committed to our readers is that we will post 9 questions every Saturday. Sometimes the post will have a theme, and at other times the questions will be totally unrelated. Those weeks we do "random questions," so-to-speak. We encourage you to visit other participants posts and leave a comment. Because we don't have any rules, it is your choice. We hate rules. We love memes, however, and here is today's meme!

Ode to Billie Joe (1967)

If you're not familiar with today's song, you can hear it here.

This song painted such a visual of the story it was telling, I could just see everybody sitting around the table talking and eating and passing food back and forth. It reminded me of our family's daily supper times. 

1) This song takes places on "the third of June," which is described as "another sleepy, dusty" day. Describe the weather where you were on Friday, June 3, 2016.

It has been a warm and muggy day with lots of puffy clouds against a blue sky, with occasional dark clouds trying to bring more rain. 

2) In this song, the family sits down to eat and discuss the doings of their friends and neighbors. Mama, Papa, Brother and Sister were at the table. Who did you have dinner with on Friday?

I had dinner with my husband. 

3) Young Billie Joe MacAllister playfully put a frog down another kid's back. Do you see many frogs where you live?

I hear them at night down at the lake, but don't see too many in the yard. I do remember once a boy put a frog down my sister's back and I gave him the "what for!"

4) This song made Mississippi's Tallahatchie Bridge famous. What's the name of a bridge in your neighborhood?

The Lewisville Lake Toll bridge. While working at my boss' lake house, I actually had a daily birds' eye view as they built this bridge several years ago. 

5) Bobbie Gentry often performed with Glen Campbell. Mr. Campbell's family is very open about Glen's battle with Alzheimer's. Is anyone in your life facing this terrible disease?

No, and I hope I never have to answer yes on this one. It is indeed a sad and terrible disease.

6) "Ode to Billie Joe" was made into a movie directed by Max Baer, Jr. Mr. Baer is better known for playing Jethro Bodine in a famous 1960s era sitcom. Can you name it?

Oh yeah! The Beverly Hillbillies. One of the silliest shows ever, but our family watched it every week. Unbelievable!

7) Bobbie Gentry made one of her last public appearances in 1981 on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson. Johnny is now seen in reruns on the Antenna TV channel. Think of the last TV show you watched. Was it new or was it a rerun?

It was a re-run. We have been watching Andy Griffith and Everybody Loves Raymond. There's nothing on TV since Downton Abbey, Call the Midwife and Mr. Selfridge ended. 

8) In 1967, when this song was popular, Sweden changed its traffic laws and Swedes began driving on the right. Have you ever driven in a foreign country? If so, did you have a hard time adapting to their laws?

We've visited many foreign countries, but have never driven while there. We always travel with a tour group in foreign counties. 

9) Random question: Which would you rather have more of -- compliments or hugs?

I think hugs. Compliments are nice, but I would rather hear sincere words of affirmation. I think there is a difference. 

Friday Foto Friends

Linking up today with Deb for Friday Foto Friends.

Thursday was the last day of school for our grandsons Brady and Noah. Both made honor roll all year and at the awards presentation, the teacher making the presentations read as follows:

"All year long this student stayed on task, 

he leads others in the right direction all the time ... 

no matter where they are, on the playground, 

in the classroom, 

he always speaks up for the right thing 

and does the right thing."

and then she presented the leadership award to our grandson!!!

So proud!

To have it said that he always speaks up for the right thing and does the right thing is maybe one of the greatest things a teacher can say about a student.

This was one of the obstacles they faced on the interstate as they made their way to our house yesterday. So much rain and flooding in Texas. They came to watch soccer and play soccer.

Waiting in the Toyota Stadium for the game to begin.

The rains didn't let up so they came home early.

This morning after breakfast.

This is Roger - 

one of the friends who came with them.

Grandpa keeping his feet up! ;-)

This is the young man who won the award!

Way to go, Brady.

They are staying with us this weekend and in between soccer games, we will be trying to connect with them and see what happens. Looking forward to spending time with them.

This past Monday, Kate and Jack were here. They made a cave with the trampoline. It may have been a little warm under there, so sitting on top of the cave proved to be a better way to have fun.

They love my piano and set the thing to rhythms and drums, then dance all around. Kate was inspired to write a song about dancing, so I am saving it here.

Testing the mic to sing her song.

Jack and Mr. Foxy resting on the cave.

Happy Friday to all! So far it looks to be a nice day here.

Sun is shining in the back yard.

But there are clouds to the west of us! 

oh well ... que sera sera!

I love sunsets and take pics quite often. Here is one from this week.

Only God. Every sunset is unique.

A Nice June Hodgepodge

It's another Wednesday! That must mean it's Hodgepodgin' time again! Join in the fun on this first Wednesday in June with the questions from Joyce and link up at From This Side of the Pond!

1. Tell us about one fun thing on your June calendar.

The first fun thing lined up for the month of June is a visit from our daughter and family. Our grandson's team is playing a soccer tournament here this weekend and so we will be entertaining them in-between games. That is, if all the rains don't cause cancellation of the games. Grandpa and I will just be flexing with everybody and see what happens while they are here. If the weather is nice, it might be possible for all of us to get out on our son's new boat for some fun on the lake. 

Yes. 

This looks like some good summertime fun!

2. How careful are you in the sun? Do you tan or burn? 

If I ease in to the sun, I tan and each time out I can stay longer in the sun to deepen the tan. However, I am prone to overdo, so I usually burn the first time out and it turns to tan fairly quickly. 

Do you make it a point to see the dermatologist every year?

No. At my age now, I probably should visit a dermatologist. When I was in high school, I baked in the sun for that dark look. Does anybody remember mixing baby oil with iodine to spread on their skin? I wonder whose crazy idea that was! It finally caught up with me causing some big splotches which I called Jungle Rot! I did visit a dermatologist then and whatever it was that he prescribed worked for me. It took a while for those splotches to disappear. 

3. Describe a time when you wanted to 'throw in the towel'?

Gee. I'm not sure how to answer this. Throw in the towel means quitting. I can't think of having wanted to quit anything except a job I had. I felt pressured by the never ending deadlines and longed to just throw up my hands and walk out. But, of course, I didn't until the time was right and I left gracefully on good terms. I wouldn't have wanted to leave any other way. 

4. What's a song you love that has a day of the week in the title or lyrics?

Groovin' on a Sunday Afternoon - The Young Rascals

When I hear this song, it takes me back to warm Sunday afternoons spent at Mohawk Park in Tulsa, Oklahoma where all the Northside kids drove around, parked their cars on the grass under the shade trees, just hung out with everybody to enjoy sweet, lazy summer afternoons. 

5. Are you a fan of berries? Which one's your favorite? What's the most recent berry dish you've eaten? Which blueberry breakfast food appeals to you most-blueberry pancakes, blueberry yogurt, or a blueberry muffin?

I love blueberries and strawberries. Just today I had both. All three of your listed breakfast foods are my favorites, but a blueberry pancake or waffle covered with butter and maple syrup are probably my favorite, with a fresh baked streusel covered blueberry muffin following close behind (maybe with the yogurt on the side.)

6. What's something you want to do before your next birthday?

Visit my birthplace and the relatives who live there. 

7. June 1st is National Say Something Nice Day, so let's all say something nice here.

On my honor! I try to say nice things every day. But, here goes.

Joyce, thank you for hosting Hodgepodge every week. Some weeks I just don't have anything to say, but many times the Hodgepodge stirs up motivation and triggers ideas of things I had forgotten about. So, here I would just like to say thank you. 

8. Insert your own random thought here.

Today was our last Ladies of Grace Bible study. We thought it would be fun to have a hat day. Not all of us are into hats, but for the most part we all put our hats on, at least for a little while. Although we all can use the summer break, I am sorry I won't be seeing most of the ladies until September. It has been a wonderful season and I feel I have gotten to know many so much better and I am looking forward to next year and the relationships deepening and forging new friendships.

A couple of hat rebels!!! 

This isn't all of our group. It being the day after a holiday, 

not everybody could be there.

I love them all.

Marie, our local Chicken Lady, jack of all trades, and big time crafter, had been collecting all kinds of doodads over the past few weeks for us to use in making brooches. Here is my effort! 

I don't think I will every be wearing this anytime soon, but we all had a great time together digging through the doodads and messing with the glue!