Thursday, June 28, 2012

Technology Addiction or Enjoying the Ride?

Today Caroline came by to visit, which is always great fun for us.  Since I had some work to do, she and her grandfather, Gramps, “talked among themselves”  while I finished up so we could go to a new lunch spot. Soon, the scene in our living room involved five or six digital/technological mechanisms.  That’s not unusual for us, but it just struck me funny today, realizing how much we ‘need’ the technology fix and enjoy it. 

The two of them, Caroline and Gramps that is, were talking about her college courses as well as today’s momentous Supreme CourtCaroline registers for college online. decision on the Health Care Act . Specifically, it was mostly Gramps informing Caroline and pushing her to get registered for this coming semester (her sophomore year).  She says “I will soon, Gramps.”  He says, “Why not do it right now.  You can use Nancy’s laptop.” 

Fast forward to when I take a break to see Jerry is happy with his iPad.what’s happening with them in the other room.  Here’s the scene:  Caroline setup with the laptop selecting her 15-hours of courses (with her trusty Blackberry and iPod close by); Gramps reading the news and opinions on his iPad (Maude); me (Nancy)  with my digital camera photographing the two of them while reading a text on my Android. We all had what we needed immediately.  Can we remember a time when we didn’t have these instant results?  Do we want to?  Not really.

Addicted to technology?  No, don’t think so.  I might call it cruising along in the fast lane enjoying the ride. 

Thanks for using your technology to read Hurley Travels.  Stay safe.

Monday, June 18, 2012

My Great Niece, Chloe’s 15th

This weekend we had fun celebrating with a special 15-year-old, my great niece Chloe.  We don’t have a lot of opportunities to see her lately.  How nice to have the chance to talk with her and see how she’s growing into a fine young lady.  She still has that great smile, sense of humor and upbeat attitude as when she was just a little girl.  Now she’s planning for her freshman year in high school, raising funds for band camp this summer, thinking about possibilities for her future in teaching and, of course, boys. 

I am happy that she seems to be taking in so much of life.  But, WOW, has the life been flying by!   Happy Birthday, Chloe, and many good wishes for the future.

 

Then and Now: 

Chloe at five years old.

Chloe smiles for the camera at 15.

Friday, June 15, 2012

Colts Come Out For the Fans

Want to go with me to the Colts open practice this afternoon, Mom?  Well, of course….especially this Indianapolis girl who hasn’t yet been inside Lucas Oil Krissy enjoying the Colts.Stadium and has one of the biggest fans for a daughter that exists.  Krissy and I had a great afternoon watching the mostly-new Colts team workout.  This was a real practice, full team, plays and all….for free.   And we could select-a-seat. It  was quite cozy with just us and 7,498 other folks, some wearing Manning jerseys.
For a certain percentage of Colts fans, the pain is still lingering over the departure of Peyton Manning.  There has been much talk about whether fans would come out to support the team as strongly. And then there’s the new head coach and tremendous changes overall on the team. So there is a lot to get used to for those who’ve been supporting this team for years. I’m no judge by any means. But the fans on hand on Wednesday Indianapolis Colts 2012seemed to be into the newness. There was a
tremendous curiosity, of course, for quarterback Andrew Luck, #12, the top pick in the NFL, and the new head coach, Chuck Pagano.  But also getting a lot of fan attention were the veteran players, such as Dwight Freeney, Reggie Wayne, and Austin Collie. 
I enjoyed having the opportunity to leisurely  tour the stadium, with a minimal crowd,Andrew Luck, #12, quarterback for Indianapolis Colts taking a look from every vantage point. The sun was bright on the playing field as the roof was rolled back and the glass on the ends opened. We tried out a couple of different spots for seating, but decided to stay about 15 rows up near the 40 yard line, with a great view of the action.  Dwight Freeney, #93, Indianapolis ColtsAnd there was plenty to watch; passing, kicking, offensive line workouts and defensive drills, some of it simultaneous. Since I have my own personal football professor to fill me in on the players, stats, trades and other miscellaneous personal information, I was chillin’ (as they say). 
Krissy got a peek at some of the new players she has heard about on ESPN and her daily sports feeds.  I enjoyed the afternoon of observing people and players, learning more about the Colts and having time with Krissy. After an entertaining two hours of watching various football squads do their two-minute drills, 7-man somethings and defensive hand jives, we walked a few blocks to the Colts Grille for a short refreshment break and to talk over our season predictions before heading home. 
Thanks Krissy.  Mom had a super NFL day with her favorite daughter/football aficionado.

P.S.  If you’d like to look at more photos, click below.
Colts Day Photos

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Gardens & Gabbing

We expected a day of more gardens than gabbing, but we got some unexpected results.

My sister and I decided about a month ago that we’d sign up for her church’s bus trip to Cathedral Gardens in Henryville, Indiana, on June 4. Never heard of the place, Part of the scenic blooms at Cathedral Gardens.but the descriptions sounded very nice and we were curious.  Besides, we could have a new experience, since neither one of us had tried the bus trip thing.  

We started off the day with a surprise; being chosen for seats on the overflow, 16-passenger, van that was accompanying the 45-passenger, full-sized motor coach.  Oh well, our fellow passengers were good-natured and we had a jovial driver, so our two-hour trip to Henryville was fine. There was only one tiny hint of a possible glitch when the van almost didn’t start after our restroom stop.  And, the weather was looking gruesome all the way, even though the forecast was only 20% rain.  We remained optimistic.

Well, it happened. As we were just at the end of our tour guide’s intro, it poured and poured and poured, for over an hour.  The informative tour guide ran low on stories about the owner’s life, the planting routines Cathedral Gardens, Henryville, IN.and the origin of the statuary, as we all smiled and kept our sheltered seats.  Meanwhile, the rains were weighing  down many of the blooms.  Regardless, when the rain break did come,  we had an enjoyable tour.  The colors and the spectacle of the gardens were impressive.  My favorite part was probably the expansive lily pads blooming with bright pinks and yellows on the ponds sprinkled with rain drops. With draping willow trees along the edges of the water, those views seemed calming on a mostly-rainy day.  We did have clearings and enjoyed some beautiful blooms as well.   See a few more scenes below: 

So, after the rain delay, our 2:30 lunch stop at the KFC in Scottsburg was more than welcomed.  I thought of the times we’ve stopped on the road at a similar restaurant only to see a bus parked outside and drive right on through the parking lot, avoiding the long line of senior citizens.  Well, here I was.  Waiting my turn in that line. But, did I care? Nope. Col. Sanders fare was delightful. Then our group gathered once more at the van. By this time, after the rain delays, walking in the drizzle and our fill of chicken, I think we were all more than ready to go home.

Oh, no.  You guessed it.  Our transportation went lame.  Despite the best efforts of both drivers, there was no getting the van going.  Fifteen of us were stranded in the KFC parking lot until another van could be sent from Indy - 90 miles!  This is what I meant by more gabbing than gardens.  All we could do was make the most of it.  In fact, three of us went next door to Cracker Barrel for coffee, conversation, and a little shopping. Sonny and Marti and I had fun sharing dog pictures, travel stories and hobbies. But, we did miss the singing out in the van, so they told us.

There was more waiting… Until, about four hours after lunch, we saw the other van approaching. The driver could hear us cheering. All in all, instead of 5:00 pm it was closer to 9:00 pm before I was telling Jerry my tale at home.

But, truthfully, the overtime gabbing with folks that wanted to laugh instead of complain wasn’t really that terrible.  We sure will remember this day, for lots of reasons!

Sunday, June 3, 2012

Ladies Day in Brown County, Indiana

Last Friday I had a chance to enjoy some great company and see some beautiful creativity.  My sister, Marti,Nashville, Brown County, Indiana, 34th Annual Quilt Show.. my cousin, Marilyn and my aunt, Ruth took me along for a trip to southern Indiana to the 34th Annual Brown County Quilt Show. What a very nice day!

Aunt Ruth volunteered to drive so we all gathered at her house to climb into one car for the 60-mile trip down Highway 135, through familiar surroundings that we all have traveled many times over our lifetimes.  But I haven’t traveled this route for a while and sure enjoyed being chauffeured through those crossroad towns of  Morgantown, Trafalgar and Beanblossom.   We had lots to talk about, so the trip flew by and we were soon in the spring green rolling hills of Brown County. When we drove into the small parking lot of the Brown County Historical Society we knew we were living right when we took the last parking space.

The Quilt Show, complete with musical entertainment and quilting demonstrations, was impressive. Our resident quilting expert, Aunt Ruth, pointed out certain characteristics or answered questions about a quilt style or a pattern.  Marti was busy getting ideas as she is into the hobby, too. Harley Davidson t-shirt quilt with Marilyn. Marilyn and I were happy soaking up the amazing work and the creativity we saw as we wandered through the rows of various types of quilts.  We’ve both been with the family quilters before, so we are learning to identify certain stitches and techniques and it’s fun to see how much we can remember.  Regardless of whether we were the learned quilters or those with the limited knowledge, there is so much talent displayed in these works, we were all absorbed in what would come around the next corner.  Each display had new designs, new colors and a story to tell aboutBrown County Fall Quilt the maker and some distinctive facts about how the project came about. Marilyn spotted the piece above, a Harley t-shirt design, that she thought might interest her daughter, Lisa. This one on the left is called Brown County Fall. I thought it represented so well the gorgeous hues of the area during that time of year. Creativity and craftsmanship were in abundance.  

Then, for the trip home, I soon learned that these ladies plan their lunch stop at Kathy’s Cafe in Morgantown. Meatloaf, mashed potatoes and lima Kathy's Cafe in Morgantown, Indiana...beans, oh my…. homemade cooking in the perfect diner atmosphere.  And, of course, it would be a sin to leave without taking a piece of wonderful pie home to the hubby.

After lunch we made a stop at a few shops down main street, which was a great way to let the food settle just a little.

You just never know when you start exploring what may turn up.  I wouldn’t have expected to find a shop filled with every imaginable kind of doll house and miniature furniture so detailed you could imagine the peopleRuth who lived there.  I can’t remember ever seeing a washer and dryer, or a hospital bed and doctor’s bag in a doll house in my day. There was even a miniature quilt shop.  Then we walked a half block further to the bee’s wax store where you could take classes on constructing bee hives and raising bees.  Seemed like rather unusual businesses for a town of less than 1,000, wouldn’t you say?  Maybe not…

For a nice ending to this road trip,  we visited a while longer in Aunt Ruth’s living room back in Indy.  We especially enjoyed seeing some of her own quilting handiwork and the beginnings of her latest project. 

Thanks ladies, for including me in your trip to Brown County!