Hot yesterday, rain today?

Hello:

The water spray means the end of parade.  Kids ran out to get wet as it was a hot day here on the 4th of July.

I am still reading Shanghai Girls, a very good novel. I will finish it in a day or two.

My next book is Moby Duck.

I am going to China in about a month.  I will post many pictures in China.

It appears it may rain here but we shall see...

Not much else happening here.

Steven

The weekend is here....

Hello:

The Shriner's entertain the crowd every year at our parade.  I am sure they partake in many parades around Oregon.

I am reading Shanghai Girls.  It is a great novel. Two beautiful Shanghai girls are going out every night to the clubs and other places, without a thought to what might happen. Of course, it happens quickly as the Japanese attack the mainland and in Shanghai.

With their mother they try to make it to the coast to go to Hong Kong.  Mom is killed by Japanese troops who found her   The two girls make to the coast and to a boat, that is soon taken over by pirates.    From Hong Kong they want to go to San Francisco to try to find their husbands that they abandoned earlier in the book.  The events in this novel take place between 1934 and 1954, so much is going to happen to these two Shanghai girls in the pages to come.

I downloaded Skype today.  I will get a camera and a microphone later today so I can start using it to make calls.

My name on Skype is steven.schwindt

Have a great weekend as it is getting warmer here...finally.

Steven

H today

Hello:

This map comes from the Weather Channel earlier today.   Click on it to see a larger picture.

Now we know why we like to live in the northwest part of the U.S.  Hot everywhere but in the upper left coast.  Again, why live anywhere else?  Plus the high humidity covering 3/4 of the U.S., again we don't have here.

In Oregon we don't tan....we rust.  As long as others in the U.S. believe we get more rain than anywhere else in the U.S. that is good for us.

We know when it is summer in Oregon...the rain is warm..

Stayton has its big one-day festival on July 30.  I will go there to take many pictures of the events.

I am finishing the James Bond novel.  Light reading, but it took me almost 3 weeks to get through this book,.  My next book is Shanghai Girls.  I have three more books waiting for me at our library.

The weekend approaches.  What are  your plans?

Steven

 

Raining Sunday here...

Hi:

We know when it is summer in Oregon...the rain is warm.  Exactly today.  I hung clothes outside early this morning, but the warm rain since then forced them in to the dyer.

Except for the warm rain, I would think it is November out here today.

The picture is from the parade.  Kids are waiting for the candy to be thrown to them.  A local grocery store passes out plastic bags for the kids to keep the candy in them. 

I saw on little girl next to me get a piece of candy and eat it right there.  She was not saving any.  It was funny watching her open every piece of candy she got and put in her mouth.

What do here on a Sunday where it raining?????  Read I guess.

I  am watching Sometimes a Great Notion, a film shot in Oregon on the Siletz River.  It  is a great movie.

Steven

F today...

Hello:

The first entry in the parade on the 4th of July was this Elvis impersonator.  Getting popular as Nolan has one too. 

I watched, very early this morning, Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.  It was a terrible movie, poorly written and so quite predictable. I hated it.

My thumb is healing now, but still quite sore.  Never again will I use a hand-held can opener.  I use the electric one we have here.

I have not decided yet to give up on the new James Bond novel but will do so later today  So many more books to read than this one.

Have a great weekend.

Steven 

End of the week...

Hi again:

Parade horses in the parade.

I did finally finish the Sherlock Holmes book.  It had 120 footnotes, all with substantial information in them.

Now I am reading the new James Bond novel.  In the first 8 pages there  is train derailment and a assassination attempt.  I don't know how far I will go in this book, called Carte Blanche, is the latest attempt to keep this franchise alive.

I promise to write here more.

I cut my right thumb very badly, trying to open a can of pinto beans. My hand-held opener does not work that well.  From now on I will use the electric can opener in the future 

It amazes me how much we use our imposable thumbs.  One of our great evolution advances, our imposable thumbs. 

Have a great weekend.

Steven

Back again....

Hello again:

Sorry I am have busy the past week.  Now I will post more often.

This picture comes from our 4th of July Parade.  This is an old car in the parade. I have many more pictures here to post on this blog.

I am still reading the Sherlock Holmes book.  I need to take some time to begin reading again. 

My dad sold his car to my cousin.

Not much else new here except to say I have been busy the last week.

Steven

Tis the 4th of July

Hi:

What better to show on the 4th of July, but the snow dusting we had last winter.  Was cold enough for the snow to stick and ice to form on things.

Stayton's parade is at 4:00 pm today. I am going to find a place to put my seat around 3:30 today.  I will take many pictures to post here later.

Nolan's birthday is on Thursday, I have a twinkie left over from his last birthday. He will get that one...

I am reading my book one chapter at time. 

I am watching again 2001: A Space Odyssey.  The first 17 minutes of this show there is no dialogue.  Just a bunch of apes grunting, then discovering how to kill after touching the black thing. Plus the music is great.

Enjoy our 4th....

Steven

Saturday of the holiday....



Hi:

Yet another cartoon from AARP.  Very funny.

I went to Mass today with my dad.  I am starting to go to Mass again.

Still reading the Sherlock Holmes book, but it may take some time to read this book.

I want to read the books I got from the library.

Nice day outside.  I put some laundry outside earlier this morning and by noon it was dry.

I heard some fireworks last night.  But the fireworks around the Chinese New Year go on for nights and nights.  You can buy fireworks in China that shoot way up in the air.  It is hard to sleep at night during the week-long Chinese New Year.

The Stayton fireworks last only 30 minutes.  I may or may not go the fireworks. I will go the parade on the 4th.

Steven

the weekend is here...

Hi:

The weekend has arrived.  On the 4th at 4:00 pm there is a parade in Stayton. I will go there and take a bunch of pictures to post here.

Another funny cartoon about AARP and how they think.

I am into The Whitechapel Horrors, a Sherlock Holmes novel.  This novel is Sherlock and Jack the Ripper.  I will try to finish it this weekend.

I got hot dogs and buns to cook this weekend.

What are your plans for this long weekend?

Steven