Friday, November 27, 2009

TEXAS RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL II

Finally I have some pictures of the Renaissance Festival to post for your enjoyment. These were all taken by my friend, Sandi, on her cell phone and I think they came out pretty darn good, don't you?

So here I am in my RenFest dress and robe in the midst of the festival, probably trying to figure out where the heck Sandi got off to. And all the time she was taking my picture!





















Here's the guy who does the show with all the great birds like the falcon he has on his hand. It's great exhibition with owls and hawks and other trained birds. It's definitely a must see at the festival.
























This is a closer look at me in my dress and great Tudor Robe (thank you, Maryellen). I also got the bag at the festival and it was so nice not to have to carry a purse!! Everything I needed fit in the bag perfectly. In my hand is a bag of the most wonderful roasted almonds. I always stop by the nut place when I'm at RenFest. Great and healthy snacking!





This is a view of some of the participants in the parade that takes place every day at noon. All of the actors and vendors march in the parade and it's quite fun.




Just a picture of some of the folks attending the festival. It was such a beautiful day and there were lots and lots of people.


And, finally, the long walk back to the car after a great day.



I'll be going thru the rest of the pics and post more in the next day or so.


Monday, November 23, 2009

TEXAS RENAISSANCE FESTIVAL

Yesterday I finally got out to the Texas Renaissance Festival. There's only one more weekend to go so I'm glad I didn't miss it. I love to go, just to get into another world and do some people watching. I also get a lot of exercise from walking to see the multitude of vendors, not to mention the varied performances. I've been going out there for many years and the place has grown and grown. It's getting where you can't really do it justice in one day, but I have my favorite vendors so, if I get to see them, I'm happy.

I have pictures, but they are not ready to post yet, so keep an eye out. I actually went in costume this year, which makes it that much more fun. I had a beautiful deep green dress I got out there a number of years ago. This year, my dear friend and seamstress, Maryellen Mcauliffe, made me a lovely Tudor Robe to wear over the dress. I got so many compliments on it!!

I would highly recommend that anyone visit a renaissance festival near you. It's a day of fun and make believe. It's a great opportunity to get away from the humdrum of everyday living. And if you like people watching, this is the best place ever! There is something about the place that lets people be themselves and have fun.

My friend, Sandi, went out with me this year and we had a blast. It's nice to go with someone who appreciates what a rare opportunity a renaissance festival presents to be someone else in another time for a few hours.

Anyway, pictures to follow. Stay tuned!!

Saturday, November 21, 2009

DADDY DAY CARE

I just had to post this picture today. There is a family of kitties living in my back yard and they are truly a family unit. This picture shows the little ones curled up with Daddy for a mid-morning nap. (Mom is scheduled to be trapped and spayed. Then we'll get dad and the little ones.)
Although Daddy can be ornery when other, non-family, cats are around, he is so good with the little ones. He seems to look after them when Mom is off doing whatever Moms do. He's very gentle with them. The cat at the top if the picture is one of his sons from a previous litter. The whole family interacts and plays together and it's really cute to watch. This shows that kitty dads do hang around to help take care of the kids sometimes.

This is a picture taken last month of the whole family together. Kinda cute.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

PLUMBING!!

Well, I had an interesting weekend dealing with an elusive water leak. Saturday afternoon I discovered water seeping into the MBR closet. Luckily I have vinyl laminate flooring that I could pull up. Did that and found that the water was coming in under the outside wall. It wasn't coming in fast and once I took up the flooring it just stayed right under the wall. I went outside and looked and could see water coming down the wall under the siding, right where the water supply comes into the house.

I asked my neighbor across the street for his advice. He told me how to look inside the wall for the leak and loaned me the little knife you use to cut sheetrock. I cut in several places, found what I assumed was the water pipe and couldn't find the leak. I thought the water may be coming from the pipe the previous owner had added to take the water to a faucet in the back yard.

On Sunday I decided to eliminate the extra pipe and, in trying to take it all apart I accidentally split a copper pipe. (Lesson learned - always use two wrenches when dealing with copper pipe, one to turn the attachment and one to hold the main pipe since copper is so soft.) My neighbor said it would take soddering to fix it so I called the plumber. He was able to fix that so I could turn the water back on. I thought the original leak was taken care of since no water had leaked in Sunday afternoon. Well, later Sunday evening, after the water had been turned back on and the plumber was long gone, the seepage was back.

I called the plumber Monday morning (I should say plumbing company) and they send out someone very promptly. One thing I found was that I had been checking the wrong pipe! Water rarely leaks from the gas pipe. lol Anyway, he came in, cut away more sheetrock and found where the water was seeping from a soddered joint at the elbow where the pipe turned down to go through the slab. It was a tight space to use a blow torch, but he got it fixed without burning down the house. He did singe a bit of the inside of the siding, but nothing major. A couple of tries with the sodder and a good whack with the wrench resulted in a fix.

Now I will be learning how to patch drywall!! Since that is one of the things my across the street neighbor does for a living, I'm sure I'll be doing it right. For the duration I have a piece of plywood covering the opening to keep the cold air and bugs out and the cats in (they can crawl inside the wall).

I'm just so pleased that this was finally fixed. It was a tiny leak - it didn't even move the water meter - but it could have caused lots of damage. In fact, I was so energized that I sorted out and bagged up some shoes to go to the charity shop and then vacuumed and mopped the bedroom floor, wiped down the walls, windowsills, and furniture. All I need to do to finish is move the bed and clean behind and under it. Wow!!

Anyway, this has been a learning experience and now I know how to tell the difference between water and gas pipes! (Water is smaller copper, gas is bigger black pipe)

Sunday, November 8, 2009

NOVEMBER IN HOUSTON

I just wanted to take a minute to share a picture I took this morning of this beautiful hibiscus out on the deck. As much as I lament the lack of seasons here in southeast Texas, there are advantages to having mild weather so late in the year. The trees are still green and the flowers are still blooming. There's still plenty of time for those sudden cold fronts that shock everyone into their coats, but right now it's pretty darn nice. For those folks where it's already snowed or just cold, I'm sorry, but I have to say it -

NEENER, NEENER, NEENER!!!