BATTLE OF CHICKAMAUGA

Just follow the signs...We always
follow signs if there is any part
of American History involved!

Joe ~ loving every minute we spent at
Chickamauga Battlefield.
We spent the day driving the tour of the
battlefield.  There were so many monuments
dedicated to the different states involved.
Many states, like WI, had several monuments.
I didn't count them, but there had to be hundreds, large and small.

FLORIDA'S MONUMENT

Wisconsin Infantry Monument

Wisconsin Infantry

First Wisconsin Calvary

ROCKABILLY WEDDING

Hurricane Isaac chased us out of Florida.  We decided to leave early, so as not to drive for hours in the rain.  We ended up driving only about an hour through rain.  
Arriving in Missouri we had great weather!  Hoping it would stay through the weekend was Michelle's wish, and mine!  No such luck - the first part of the week was fine.  Michelle and I hit the vintage and thrift stores, looking for a 
red skinny tie and a leather jacket.  The tie we found-to our amazement, the leather jacket, not so lucky.  Oh well, Josh will look great without it.  

Friday evening:  Italian restaurant - families met - all went well.  

Saturday morning:  Putting hundreds of Gerbera Daisies into short Mason jars, to decorate the tables with.  Thank goodness my sister and sister-in-law were there to help me!  I didn't know it was going to be such an enormous task!  

Saturday- early afternoon:  Dress, in 50's style clothes, the theme of the wedding.

Saturday- late afternoon:  Pose for a multitude of pictures!  Background was the "Cat's Meow" ~ 1950's cars, bright and beautiful! 

Saturday- early evening:  The wedding, taking place on the grass, trees as a backdrop.  Yup, Michelle and Ryan are really doing this!  

Saturday- evening:  I'm smiling non-stop!  The ceremony is done, the food has been served, the music is continual, the white tent and flowers were fantastic, the people were enjoying a bonfire,  aahhhh-    THEY DID IT!  

Here's a peek at what it looked liked: 

Getting ready, at the hotel. 

         Very pretty!

Nancy, Michelle, Josh & Joe

Family pictures:  
Sister and Brother rocking the 50's.  
Josh should've been born to rock the 50's all the time!  

Looking cool!

                                               Josh, Ryan and Joe- hanging out.                               

Enamored with her! 

GROOVY!

 Auntie Geri and Auntie Diane came from WI ~ 
Gina from Nebraska and Megan, also from WI ~ Michelle's cousins.  
So glad we had some family present! 

 

NO! NOT ON THAT GREAT CAR!  
(Just kidding around.)

Ryan's brothers, Blake and Damian on the ends ~ Josh above Michelle's head.  So cute! 

Exchanging vows ~ and some vows they were!

Gina and Megan singing:  THE ROSE

Vows that rhymed, and told the "whole" story!                                          

     RINGS!

               

MR. AND MRS. RYAN KEPNER!

 A gift from Uncle Jack ~ he was there in "spirit."  Love you Jack!

IT'S A WRAP!

                                                       WEDDING CUPCAKES              


Josh and Michelle dancing...

        Ryan and Michelle dancing...

THE HAPPY COUPLE!

VW Thing  

FOOD TRUCKS IN TARPON SPRINGS ~ ALONG WITH HIPPIE FEST

We went to Tarpon Springs ~ never there before.  It's a great town, that we will return to sometime.  Our purpose was to participate in Hippie Fest and Food Truck Rally.  
The Food Trucks were downtown, right on the main drag.  We arrived as they were setting up.  Never having been to a food truck rally before we just strolled down the street to see what the offerings would be.  

Bayou Bistro ~ very tasty sliders here!
I need to learn how to make the sauce they put on my sliders ~ YUMMO!
I also went to get a cupcake from the truck that looked very "sweet" on our walk when we first arrived.  It was early and there was only ONE cupcake left!  Now, just who would bring a cupcake truck and not enough cupcakes?!  They did sell me (yes, it should've been free) the last cupcake for 1/2 price.  It was delicious and maybe they learned a lesson about how people love cupcakes!  

Where Joe bought his tasty Italian sandwich. 
Not even a truck, it's a cart - as the ones we 
ate at all over Mexico.  How did it get in line
with all the trucks?  How could they refuse it?   
These carts were the first mobile eateries!  

For some reason I can not move the pictures around as I usually do.  Guess Blogger has changed and I need to learn the new way to move the pics.  Oh well, the food trucks were fun.  The Hippie Fest ~ well, a few VW's were on display and a band was playing the "Oldies."  Surely expected more of something advertised as Hippie Fest.  

Joe, visiting his first truck/not really food/but it was 
very warm and he was thirsty.

Another one of the trucks--there were about a dozen total, each
with their own unique offerings.  

AT THE SPONGEDOCKS IN TARPON SPRINGS THE VW'S WERE FEATURED.  THIS IS A SMALL SAMPLING OF A FEW, TO ME, INTERESTING ONES. 

Nice van ~ the inside actually had hardwood flooring.  

Same color!  I had this VW Rabbit when
I moved to California 31 years ago!
Loved it then - many memories flooded
back when I saw it.  One being - Michelle
had a talking doll when we left WI for CA.
The batteries 'disappeared' 1/2 way there,
the doll mysteriously stopped talking.
It's a long ride to CA!

Several bugs fixed up and lined up. 

Well, Hello Blog!  It's been awhile since I have visited you.  Why haven't I been here?  Hmmm... good question.  
Living life, I guess. 

It has been creeping up in the back of my mind-write on the blog, put pictures on the blog, keep up this cyberspace diary.
So, here I am Blog, starting again.  Life is just one start after another.  Always learning~always starting again~one adventure after another~no matter how small or insignificant they seem.    
Chico, Michelle's outdoor cat, is in this picture.
He learned how to climb trees while I was in MO, for 2 weeks, this summer.  He also learned, while Michelle panicked a little, how to climb down and get out of the trees. 
He also learned how to track down and kill his prey, while we watched, in horror!  Chico is an outdoor "mouser" ~ objective accomplished!  Even though it was a young bird and not a mouse.  
 Hunting is hunting and Chico learned fast!  

Colts - strange name for a bird...

  How cute are they?
The colts (young cranes) are so brown and fluffy.  They walk continually through the park, as colts need at least two miles a day in walking to develop properly. The parents are scratching for bugs unceasingly, teaching the colts what their future encompasses.  We have another pair of cranes on the other side of the park,  which do not have colts this season.  I love to hear them whopping it up in the morning and see them flying low throughout the park. 

BUBBA GUMP
SHRIMP CO.

Located at John's Pass, 
Maderia Beach, FL on the west coast. 

Not many movies do I watch over and over.  
For some reason Forrest Gump is one that I've seen several times.  It's one of those "feel-good" movies that can be seen again and again.  That must've been the thought of whom ever opened the Bubba Shrimp Restaurant.  The place is floor to ceiling with sayings and pictures from the movie.  
Another restaurant, seems like that's the hobby of choice down here- eating out.  

Anna Maria Island, Florida

 Visiting Anna Maria Island, on the west coast, with friends Bill and Andrea.  A very pleasant weekend away from our norm.  
I love the beach, so this was a real treat.  Staying at a beautiful resort, walking the beaches, riding the trolley across the island, a picture perfect sunset after a relaxing day.  Ahhhhh...