The Adventures of Garrett Squared

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Happy Birthday Gman...

That's Gman on the right in his cousin's wedding.

Today is the day that my hubby was born several decades ago.

Since then, he has had a lot happen in his life including marrying Moi and having a beautiful baby boy.

Gman is a great guy and I am blessed to have him.

Happy Birthday Honey!

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

What Is This I Spy????

I made a wrong turn in town and spied something...

So I took a detour and got up closer so I could see it.

What is it, I wondered.

I thought it might be an old water plant or well, an electrical station, a really COOL tool shed, a telephone switching post? Many things were flitting through my mind,

so I got out and took a closer look...

Inside was a panel that looked like it could be opened. This kind of supported the well or water idea.

Then I saw the sign...

"Cupola and Foundation Stones from the 1871 Warren County Courthouse" (if you enlarge the picture you can see a line art rendering of the courthouse on the sign)

Now I understood the panel in the floor! Cool!

Monday, August 29, 2011

Mother of Invention Monday...It's Curtains for You...

What do you do when you need a curtain?

How about that old dress???? Or is it a nightgown?

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Soundless Sunday...Silent Visitor...

Friday, August 26, 2011

Fractured Friday...

I have a bunch of disconnected thoughts, so I think I will just put them out there...

1) Am I the only one that is glad to see Cathy go? In watching Design Star, I really could not stand to watch Cathy speak. Her eyes kept going open really wide and then going normal, then open, then normal. It was really distracting. And I wasn't really excited about her designs. Goodbye Cathy! I can't believe you lasted 6 weeks!

2) Is it crazy to be so happy to have a TV show come back on? Haven, Welcome!

3) Thoughts and prayers are with our friends, family and everyone in the path (or close to it) of Hurricane Irene. PLEASE prepare and stay SAFE!!!!!

4) To be happy that I am finished laying the new flooring in the Mother Ship's slide out. After some misses and revamping my plans, it is finished! Yes I will blog the before and afters! Boy do I miss my Jacuzzi!

5) Hoping to win the scarf and headband made by MammaTea (seen to the left modeling said scarf and headband) over at A Farmish Kind of Life. You can try to win it too...head on over and check it out!

Thanks for stopping by! Have a great weekend and don't forget to leave your thoughts on the picture that needs a caption for this week! :)

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Wall Street Part 3...The East River and TRS Building...

Just in case you think, geez! They must have been having a great time and it is only in Missouri that weird things happen to the Murphy's. Hah! You might enjoy one of my earlier posts about our trip to NY or our train ride to NYC here...

We don't go ANYWHERE without a few surprises! ;)

We stopped at Canal Street yesterday, so we will continue on today...

We are going to the tip of Manhattan at the confluence of the Hudson and East Rivers...

See the little red pin? Enlarge the map to see better...

As you came down the street, you see this set of buildings--a mere 4 stories high...

Turn the corner and see a MASSIVE tower behind them.

This is Gman standing in front of the smaller buildings with the Massive tower behind them. The modern glass and granite structure rising stories above. That is the building that Gman was working in.

Here is another look at it soaring above.

Look at this sculpture as you are walking to the larger building...

It is right by the building...

There are great planters at this building, but you will have to see my Thursday Things in a Row for those! :)

Next to the building, you can climb up the steps several stories above the street...

Where you can look up at the building...It kind of give you vertigo!

And enjoy the courtyard.

You can also look out over the East River and see the Brooklyn Bridge...

And the heliport.

When you see helicopters taking off and landing in NYC, it is here...

And Governor's Island...

You can look across to Brooklyn...

And see the boats and water taxis out on the East River...

There are benches if you don't want to hang over the rail (like I did!)

Or enjoy the grassy area and relax. Remember, we are several stories above the street--not at the ground level!

Gman was looking down toward the heliport watching a chopper land. You can see the building behind him.

Here is a picture of the building from the water (we will share that trip later.)

And finally, a water tower...

I told you I like the water towers! :)

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Picture Needs A Caption...

I saw this as I was walking around the town...

Now YOU give me the caption!

The Mockingjay

It is with great sadness that I say goodbye to the characters of this Trilogy.

This 3rd and last book in The Hunger Games Trilogy was not remotely what I thought it would be. While the first two books were books about horrific competition and massive loss it was also about the indomitable will to live and thrive of the human spirit.

I thought that this book would be much as the other two. Our heros are tested and then survive to live happily ever after.

But, this book is much deeper and probably much more realistic than that. The thin skinned President Snowden in his extreme anger makes it clear that Katniss, her family and even her village are not going to be allowed to live in the peace that we anticipated after the first two books. To the end that President Snowden wants to see Katniss and everyone who follows her and her courage destroyed, we are drawn deeply into a story of battle both internal and external, love and loss and the dramatic results of a long lived, hard fought war while unsure of who is friend and who is foe.

The end of this book was a loss in many respects. The loss of a group of people to whom I was drawn and the loss of a way of life for those characters. While the war was won, the battles took their toll on all of the characters that we have come to know and love and their lives are forever changed by the end of this book and trilogy.

Catching Fire

This 2nd book in The Hunger Games Trilogy was even better than number one!

I read it in about a day and a half.

I simply could NOT put it down!

The main thrust of this book is the Quell games. Every 25 years the districts must take part in not one but two games to celebrate the domination of the Capitol.

If I go further than that with explanation, I will probably ruin #1 for you, so let's just say that the Mockingjay has a part in this and that the families of Peeta and Katniss as well as Gale are well represented.

The ending leaves us hungry for more at the edge of an abiss...

Now, on to book 3.

PS--Don't start this series without purchasing all three books because you will surely kick yourself if you can't go right to the next book!

The Hunger Games

Book 1 of the Trilogy:
GREAT READ! This was recommended to me by my hair stylist while I was in Missouri. I purchased it for my Kindle, but subsequently passed it up for other reads. My mistake! What an engaging book! Following Katniss and Peeta as well as the other characters in a richly written narrative of the Hunger Games which are a fight to the death each year of children chosen from each of the 12 poor downtrodden districts of the country of Penam for the enjoyment of the spoiled, protected class of people in the "Capital". Gripping and twisting right to the end! I liked it so much that the second I finished I felt like I couldn't let go of the characters and zipped right on to the second volume of the trilogy! RECOMMEND HIGHLY!

Pumpkin Roll

Pumpkin Roll by Josi S. Kilpack~~This book was recommended by another blogger who made it sound so good that I I just had to check t out. I purchased my copy for Kindle and really enjoyed it! The author writes a very fine mystery without using vulgarity or objectionable content which is refreshing. This book was a fun one for the autumn season when our thoughts turn to pumpkins, spices and a nip in the air.

The neighbor is rumored to be a witch and with several other colorful characters of dubious nature, we have a fun Halloween culinary novel.

The nice twist at the end of the story gives an interesting wrap-up to make this book a good light read.

In addition, the recipes sounded so good that I had to copy some of them down and try them--including the Pumpkin Roll of the book title. A good read and good recipes! What's better than that?

Pages