Steak & Salmon, Bailey & Harry Potter, Back to Reality...

Monday, June 16th, I did the laundry. There are certain things that are never-ending. Laundry, dusting, dishes, vacuuming, weeding, etc. Now laundry is a weekly chore, sometimes a little over a week, and it is usually only four loads of regular clothing. A far cry from the days of a family of five running through school and work clothes. I am always thankful I have a washer and dryer in my home. I remember the days of using a wringer washing machine in the driveway of our home in Louisiana as a child. We would then hang the clothes on the line. When we brought them in, we had a big glass Coca-Cola bottle with a stopper in it that was a sprinkler head. All that had to be ironed was sprinkled and rolled up till ironed. It was a process. I remember living in our little home in Denver and having a washer in the basement and a clothes line outside. Loved sheets off the clothesline. Since then, we have always had a washer and a dryer in our home. Not having to use a laundromat was heaven. So, while laundryis hear to stay, I am grateful for the improvements to the process through the years. 

We had wanted to go to Cattleman's Roadhouse for Claude's Father's Day meal. He loves a good steak and they have provided that the last two time we have dined there. When we got to Cattleman's Roadhouse, there was a 40-minute wait for a table. Claude really didn't want to wait 40-minutes. We opted for the Mexican restaurant and had a lovely meal. But that desire for a good steak was still there. So, Monday evening we went to Cattleman's Roadhouse, where there was now NO wait, and Claude enjoyed a good steak and I enjoyed my Honey Bourbon Glazed Salmon. We were both very happy with our meals. 

Tuesday, June 17th, we had a biscuit run in the morning followed by a trip to Kroger. We were going to have Bailey over for a visit. We requested a grocery list from her and we needed to pick up those items before we went to get Bailey. The Mini's are really good when we ask for this list. Hayden has a list on Google Keep that he keeps up-to-date for us. This is contains nutritious foods and some sweet treats. Bailey usually says, "I usually like what you have on hand." Then she provides us with a few things she wants. This time it was cucumbers, Snickers, three flavors of Uncle Ben's microwave rice, and popcorn. Easy to please, isn't she?

We drove to LaGrange in the afternoon and retrieved our girl. She was all packed at ready to go. We visited with Michael and Andie. Turns out Michael didn't know we had the kids make a grocery list for their visits. Now Michael wants to make a grocery list when he visits. I told him he should do that and then come have a staycation at our home while we go to Greece later this year. That sounded wonderful to him! 

Before we got home, we stopped at McCallister's for a good meal for dinner. When we got home, Bailey brought her stuff in and set up the guestroom for herself. Then she had me follow her to the kitchen. She put a sticker from Campbellsville University on the fridge. How fun is that?!

We had a lot of Castle television shows DVR's. Bailey wanted to watch those. We spent our evening snacking and watchin Castle. 

Wednesday, June 18th, we agreed we would all sleep in. Then we would start our Harry Potter Fest. The day Bailey graduated she said to me that she wanted to have a Harry Potter Fest before she headed to college this fall. Claude and I had nothing on the calendar for the week days and set up this time for Bailey's wish to be granted. We had cereal for breakfast and then spent the day watching the first four Harry Potter movies. Breaks between to get something to eat and stretch. I made tuna salad for lunch and we had little croissants to put it on. Yum! 

We had storm warnings for the evening. We leave the blind on the door to the patio open all the time. Bailey was sitting in my recliner when the storm hit. The wind was ferocious. Bailey looked out the door from the recliner and said, "That looks like a hurricane!" It truly did. Very black and lots of wind and heavy rain. At one point we heard a whack on the window to the dining room. It was a limb coming out of the trees. We were save in our little home.

While watching some more Castle to fill out our evening, Claude was playing with his phone. He came across some pictures about how they do surgeries. He found one on reverse shoulder replacement. He had me watch it with him. It was drawings of what they repair and how they repair it and then what you arm has to use to make it work. In all of this with my shoulder, I had not realized they don't really fix those torn places in my rotator cuff. After the surgery, what I was doing is training my deltoid muscle to do the work of moving my arm. Now I understand why everyone kept saying, "Strengthen that deltoid!" 

Thursday, June 19th, morning I was awake and out of bed first. I looked into our back yard to check for storm damage. In the back by the fence near the shed, a large branch broke off of one of our trees. It didn't damage anything. It was a bad storm and a lot of people had downed trees that would need to be cleared away. We only had one big branch and some smaller ones down in the yard. 

When everyone was up, we had our cereal breakfast and watched the next two Harry Potter movies. Then we told Bailey we needed a break and to be out of the house for at least a little bit. To do that, we proposed a drive-thru to pick up a nice lunch. Jimmy John's was the one all of us wanted. 

Then we came back and watched the last two Harry Potter movies. In the evening, Bailey wanted to see more Castle. Now, the funny thing about this Castle viewing is that Bailey fell in love with Nathan fillion in the television show "The Rookie". She has watched all of that. Michael, her father, is now wading through "Castle" which also stars Nathan Fillion. Michael wants Bailey to watch it with him. She has been begrudgingly doing that to tease him. Turns out, she really likes the show and was very happy she could watch them at our home. However, we are NOT to tell Michael about this so she can continue to tease her father. Oh My!!

Friday, June 20th, Aubrey Anne (Bre) posted this picture on Facebook. She is beautiful. 

Bailey slept very late. Claude left the house to run a few errands while I settled at my laptop to do a few things I had not done while having Bailey with us. When Bailey woke up, I had just come in from picking up all the twigs, sticks and branches in the back yard. It was hot and I was needed to rehydrate and rest a bit. Bailey put on another Castle (the girl was really happy watching Castle). When Claude got home, we loaded the car and drove Bailey home with a stop at Taco Bell for lunch to be eaten in the car while we drove. 

I just want to say how nice is it to have a granddaughter who wants to spend time with her grandparents. A generational thing happens as you age and grandmonsters age. It is nice to find a place in that distance were we meet one a shared love and enjoy time together. It definitely felt good to have one of the things Bailey wanted to do before college accomplished.

Saturday, June 21st, was back to reality. We got up and showered to begin our day. Then off we went to Chick-FilA for Claude to get him chicken mini-biscuits. Now, the poor guy has struggled with the name to give people at these places when you place your order. When she asked for the name for his order, Claude looked at me and said, "What name was I going to use?" The girl was amused. Then Claude told her Thor. We continued on to the pick-up window. Our Chick-FilA has two lanes of traffic. They brought out our order and I looked at the sticker on it. I was sooooo happy. First, they spelled Thor correctly. Last time he said Thor and they wrote Ford. Goodness. The thing that made my heart very happy was they put the color of my Buick as purple!!! I picked out a midnight amethyst from the book as they didn't have one on the showroom or in the lot that color. In the book, it looked like a very nice shade of purple. When the car was delivered, it was really hard to see purple. If the car is clean and in the sunlight, you can tell it is a purple shade of amethyst. How happy to see someone saw that and actually used it to identify my car. Very happy about this. We now knew we would have a great day!

After breakfast, Claude dropped me at Walmart to do a little browsing and shopping. He took my car to the tire shop to have the tire sensor replaced. Turns out, it needed two new sensors. Then Claude picked me up and we headed home. 

On the drive home, Laura called with great news. She does not have to have chemotherapy. She will do some PT to get her arm read to be in position for radiation, but NO chemo. This is great news and a tender mercy for her. So happy she shares these good things with me. Happy she share the difficult and bad but we both rejoice with the good news.

Claude went to work in the yard. Mind you the temperature was in the high 80's and he still cut all the grass and trimmed some branches in the back yard trees. He changed a light bulb in the living room. He was one very busy man.

I concentrated on the Relief Society newsletter for July. Then I found possibilities for our Acropolis tour when in Athens. Claude sat with me after my research and we picked out one and I booked it. It can be canceled if I find something we think might work better. 

At 5pm, the Georgetown Ward youth were have a big fundraiser. They were washing cars, having a silent auction, serving a meal, and had bouncy houses. We wanted to get our cars washed. We both drove over and had our cars washed and vacuumed. So nice to have that done. We had dinner at Burger King and ended our evening by watching Silverado and Broken Trail. Nothing like good cowboy movies on a Saturday evening after a full day. 

Now, for a bit of humor. I told Laura about our difficulty in getting fast food places to get Claude's name, or he pseudonym of Thor, correct on a food order. In the evening, Laura sent me a picture of their fast food order. He hubby is Howard. How hard is that?! They got their order and they put 'Caward' for his name! Oh My Goodness! We all had a good laugh.

Sunday, June 22nd, today has been a great day. I was able to substitute in Primary today at the piano. Now, the beauty of that is really a little miracle. This last week I was looking for my light rain jacket. I couldn't find it anywhere. I looked in the cars and all the closets. Claude looked in the cars and all the closets. Claude drove me to the church of errands one day and I looked on all the coat racks and in the closet that once served as lost and found. No jacket. I had started looking on line for a new jacket. Today, I went back to the Primary room to play and Lo, and Behold, on the floor behind the piano was my gray jacket. I must have had it one two weeks ago when I was substituting in Primary at the piano and left it there. What a blessing to get that little jacket back. It is very light weight and I can roll it up and put it in the bottom zipper area of my backpack, it has roll up sleeves that snap when you get a little warm, it has a zipper pocket for me to secure my cellphone in when we are out traveling. This little jacket has been all over the world with me and I want to put a few more miles on it. I did tell Claude I will probably still look out for a replacement. It won't hold up forever. So very happy to get it back.

After a Zaxby's lunch, Claude laid down for his Sunday afternoon nap. I set out to clear some of our DVR things off the DVR. Then I came back to get the Blog done today. 

It has been a good week and a good Sabbath Day!

Reading, Temple, Yard Work & Father's Day...

Monday, June 9th, was a day for of normal things. Laundry, completing pictures and Blog, reading some in The Lost Symbol. But I remembered Claude mentioning a day or two before that he was hungry for cupcakes. While Claude was gone to a dentist appointment to get his new crown placed, I baked a batch of chocolate cupcakes with NO icing. This is how he loves them best. It was a pleasant surprise when he returned home.

In the evening, I have two puzzles and a game I like to play while we watch television. For some disconcerting reason, I have started getting advertisements for headstones popping up on my Kindle. I know there are programs that automatically read what you are interested in and provide ads for you based on your preferences. Anytime you Google something or look at at advertisement on Facebook, the device you use registers that interest and the advertisements flood. I have not looked up anything about death and burial, so getting these ads is definitely a little disconcerting.

Tuesday, June 10th, in the morning, I started my weeding project. I would get the front flower bed and part of the side flower bed done. Claude cut the grass in the front yard. Then I went in to read some more in The Lost Symbol. 

Our outing in the evening would be a visit to the Louisville Temple. On the way, Claude stopped at the Burger King in Frankfort for our dinner. A lady was with two of her friends eating. I was immediately struck by her dress. I watched her while we ate and contemplated asking her where she got it. It was blue and white with a pattern that was kind of delft china-like. I had decided not to pester her. That was until I got up to refill Claude and my soda before we left. These ladies were sitting by the soda machine. I made eye contact with her as I walked back to our table and smiled. She smiled back and that was it. I paused and told her I truly admired her dress. Then I asked if I could ask where she purchased it. Sheepishly, she looked at me and said, "I bought it as a thrift store for 99 cents!" We chuckled and I assured her I couldn't replicate that and she made a terrific purchase. It was a fun moment. I love that when you can connect with a complete stranger and such a cheerful way. 

We would do an endowment session at the Louisville Temple. Steve Gulbrandsen, my sister's husband, had generate a lot of family names from my mother's family line. In the afternoon, I had printed a name for Claude and a name for me. We arrived at the temple and I changed into my white clothing and went to sit quietly in the endowment room and have a moment to think and prepare for the endowment session. I looked closely at the female name I had printed for me. Her name was Carrie Ruby Timms. I chose her because my Uncle Harold had a daughter named Carrie Mae and another named Ruby Rae. I loved these two cousins where were older than me. I felt drawn to Carrie Ruby Timms and I was sure it had to do with her name. However, as I read the card while waiting in the endowment room, I realized her date of birth day June 11, 1847. Wednesday would be her birthday. I had the warmest feeling that this was a great birthday present for the relative. Going to the temple is so uplifting. 

Claude surprised me on the way home by pulling into the Dairy Queen in Simpsonville for an ice cream treat. I am really enjoying the small strawberry sundaes. Just enough flavor and sweetness. 

The Marx family really filled this day. Hayden is staying in Chicago over the summer. He found an apartment he could rent with two other guys. He needed to move from his apartment on campus to this private apartment building. In addition, Bailey wanted to get her French horn up to Jon in Chicago so he could get it in great shape for school this fall. He is cutting the bell and fixing it so it will collapse and be stowed in a carrier Bailey can wear as a backpack. Michael, Andie and Bailey were up at a very early hour and left LaGrange, drove to Chicago, dropped off Bailey's horn, picked up Hayden for a quick lunch, moved Hayden, took Hayden grocery shopping, then returned to LaGrange all in one day! Whew!! These two youngest grandmonsters are really growing up!

Wednesday, June 11th, Claude and I started our morning with a biscuit run. This was probably the world's most perfect biscuit. Bojangles makes them fresh and by hand. Sometimes they are much better than others. This was truly the best Bojangles biscuit I have ever had. And, I love Bojangles biscuits. 

I finished my weeding of the side yard and did the back yard flower beds. I then came inside and plotted down in my recliner to read. I would spend the rest of the day reading. I was able to finish The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown. Claude would take a nap after he finished mowing the back yard. While he napped, I set myself up in the back yard and read outside. Claude had purchased me blueberries and I noshed on them while I read. Life just can't get much better than that!

Thursday, June 12th, my big goal was to clean the Adirondack chairs. They have sat outside all year for two years. Being under our big trees with the little critters and birds in the yard had left them covered with grime. Claude went to Lexington for a meeting and then had a couple of chores to do as he returned home. It was me and two chairs and side table all morning. Not sure these chairs will make more than this year. We have had them for many years. Bought them for our Sadieville home. I love the white lawn furniture but I really don't think they do well under trees and outside all year. There were board loose on each item. Claude would put them back on with wood screws. We'll have them out for this year and then see what we decide.

Friday, June 13th, I awoke before Claude, snuck out of the house, went to Frank's donuts and purchased hot glazed donuts and returned home just as Claude was waking up. He wasn't aware I even left the house! I showed him his breakfast surprise. He was very happy to start his day this way!

My big chore this day was dusting, sweeping and vacuuming. We have a smaller home but all the floors are laminate. We have placed some area rugs on that. I made it through all of that and felt very good about getting it done.

I spent my afternoon getting my PowerPoint finished for the Relief Society lesson I would teach on Sunday. 

We had a small field of mushrooms in our back yard again. 

Look at this cute picture of Kennedi reading!

Saturday, June 14th, Claude was thinking of watching the Lord of the Rings movies. I told him I really wanted to clean our bathroom and go over my Relief Society lesson again. Then I could sit with him the rest of the day. That is what we did. He was beginning his being spoiled for Father's Day on Saturday!

Sunday, June 15th, was Father's Day. Hayden was the first person to send Claude a text to tell him Happy Father's Day. Way to go Hayden!

I had a very busy day at Church. It is officially summer. Lots of youth camps in June. Lots of families starting the summer travel experience. This means the need for lots of substituting for these people. I would substitute for the chorister in Sacrament Meeting. By the end of the losing hymn, my arm was done. But it is good to do this and love doing this. I also was the substitute pianist for the Primary kids to sing the special musical number. They sang the first verse of "Teach Me to Walk in the Light". The men joined them on the back of the stand and sand the second verse. Then the entire congregation sang the third verse. It was beautiful. 

The second hour I taught the Relief Society lesson. It was the April General Conference talk by Pres. Camille Johnson entitle "Spiritually Whole in Him". Such a beautiful lesson reminding us that we can be spiritually whole even if our bodies are not physically or emotionally whole. She share several scripture stories to teach this principle. I loved the talk and was grateful to share it with the sisters in Relief Society.

The Priesthood enjoyed their Father's Day. Right after Sacrament Meeting, the Young Women handed our beef sticks (jerky) to all the men. Then the ladies covered their callings so the men could all meet together in the Relief Society room. Bryce Christensen shared some of his stories with the men. Then they went to the counter in the kitchen and retrieved a sweet treat to eat while they visited with each other. Claude had an apple turnover that he raved about all day long! 

We tried to have a Father's Day lunch at Cattlemen's Roadhouse. The wait was 40 minutes when we got there. Claude really didn't want to wait. Option two was the Mexican Restaurant we like. They had a nice table and we enjoyed a lovely meal together. 

When we returned home, there was a package on our front steps. We both knew that meant Nissa sent something for her dad. Sure enough, it was a cute Yoda with a little stack of cards with fun Yoda sayings on them. Claude picked one and then he set his Yoda by my turtle from Mother's Day. Claude then laid down for his nap. While he napped, I watched the Season 1 Episode 3 of Northern Disclosure on my Kindle. Loving this look back at Northern Exposure. John Corbett was the guest on this one. He played Chris, the radio DJ, on Northern Exposure and was a fan favorite. 

Jake sent me a text in response to one I sent him. He wanted to know a good time to call his dad. I told him I would text him when Claude woke up. I did and Jake called and had a great chat with his dad. 

After talking with Jake, Claude wanted to watch movies. We would watch two, "Hidalgo" and "Broken Trail". They are both based on real life events. 

Andie called in the evening to say Happy Father's Day to her dad. 

It was a very nice Father's Day for Claude. However, he is just sure it should be a Father's Day WEEK!!

Yard Work, 3 Outings, & a Birthday...

Monday, June 2nd, Claude would mow and trim the yard...again. While he did that, I did laundry...again. I received the final items for the Relief Society newsletter and was able to complete it and send it out. Since Claude worked in the yard, we opted for 5 Guys for a burger dinner. 

I added my pictures and video of Bailey's graduation to Andie's Google Pictures file. Later in the day, I was happy to see Bailey using the video of her marching across stage and actually receiving her diploma on a social media site. That let's me know she saw it and liked having it. Nice.

As we sat in the evening, Claude shared something he read. It stated that the three works that women like to hear most are "I Love You". The two words men like to hear most are "Thank You". I reflected on that premise for a moment. Then I told Claude my feeling is those words are based on how men and women are in general. Men really like to fix things. Very difficult for them when they can't fix things for their family. Hence, "Thank You". Women are created to nurture. This applies to their families and others. For most women, nurturing is innate. Hence, "I Love You". It was a nice bit of conversation.

Tuesday, June 3rd, I would attack the cleaning of the white rocking chair on the patio. It had not been cleaned since 2003. With my very lame arm and recovery, nothing happened to the white furniture in the back yard. It sits outside all year round under that big trees. Birds, sap, pollen, rain, wind, snow, etc. all accumulate on those white surfaces. This day I would only tackle the white rocking chair. It is made of a vinyl material and is made to look like it has a wood grain that is painted white. All those little grainy patterns fill with stuff. Goodness. I opted for a Clorox-based bathroom cleaner to try and brighten this chair up and get rid of all the yuck. It was an all morning task. My right arm really got a workout. I had two size brushes to really scrub. In the end, it is not a absolute white as when Claude brought it home from Cracker Barrel but I will feel comfortable allowing a guest to sit on it. The two white Adirondack chairs and the little table between them will come next week. 

While I did this, Claude power washed the shed. Then I sprayed down part of the patio and scrubbed it and Claude hosed that off. Whew!! 

We did not get hamburgers this time. Instead, we did our Taco Bell box of tacos run. 

Wednesday, June 4th, I finally did some ironing. I used to have ironing after every laundry day. During my arm recuperation, I could not iron. Therefore, I learned to launder our t-shirts and then fold them and put them in the drawer without ironing. I may never iron them again. But I had some long-sleeved winter shirts that did need ironing, some handkerchief and a while linen table cloth that all needed to be ironed. 

When I finished ironing, I set to work on my Relief Society lesson I would teach in two weeks. Set up my PowerPoint and got the lesson to a point where I wanted to leave it for a bit before finishing it up. 

In the evening, we treated ourselves to a night a the Ya'lls Ballpark in Florence, Kentucky. It had been in the high 80's all afternoon. We expected to swelter. But the shade comes over the third base side quickly and we were just fine. The humidity was gone and it was a delightful evening at the park. Ball park food was eaten. Our team won. We have never seen so many home runs hit in one game but both teams. They started the game with the Little Leaguers being on the field the the Ya'lls. We were right on their path to get back up in the stands when they exited the field. Yike! A lot of them sat behind us. They spent a couple of innings practicing their trash talk to the players on the field. Boys must learn these skills to be real men! It was very humorous to Claude and me. 

This is the year of the big cicada infestation. We have not heard or seen them in our back yard. However, a friend who lived next to us in Sadieville posted a video from his back deck looking down to the creek. The noise of all the cicadas was deafening. My dear friend in Frankfort, Laura, said they are making quite a ruckus at her home also. This meme came across Facebook and it really fits this Year of the Cicada perfectly. Still laughing.

Thursday, June 5th, Claude was debating about planting tomatoes this year. Something inside of him feels like he needs to do this every year. A Gentleman Farmer, if you will. He headed to Lowes. When he returned home, I was at my laptop working. The bed he plants in is under the window. I looked out and saw he was bringing home four liriope plants. I guess we won't have homegrown tomatoes this summer. The liriope should be very happy in this spot.

I enjoyed a long call with Laura in the evening. It is truly good to have a very, very dear friend in your life.

Friday, June 6th, was Joel's 4th birthday. I posted this on our family Facebook page. "Fear the Potato!! Today is his birthday. Happy Birthday Joel!! He is an impish mass of muscle that will melt your heart. Love Ya Bunches and Happy Birthday!!"

This was also the last day of school for the Roper girls. Raelyn and Emelia. 

We went on a really fun adventure. We drove to Cincinnati to see Titanic: An Immersive Journey. What a treat this was. The exhibit in on two levels. It is actually in the same location as when we saw the Van Gogh Immersive Exhibit. 

We were each given a ticket. Each ticket has the same front. The back has the name and information about one of the passengers.

We opted out of the professional picture as you enter. It turned out there was a setup inside the beginning of the 1st floor portion. A couple came in after us. I asked if I could take their picture for them. Then I asked if they would take one of Claude and me. See how I did that? 

Then I took a great one of Claude. Bailey's comment about this picture I posted on Facebook was "This is beautiful." She loves her Grampa. 

The first floor has exhibits, artifacts and signage that tell you the story of the Titanic from conception to building to sailing to sinking. Very well laid out. If you take time to read a bit, you have a clear picture of how things went and what things went wrong. Having watched several documentaries about the Titanic, I found this very fascinating and well done. 

This are models of the Brittanic, the Titanic and the Olympiac. The ships were actually named after Greek gods. They were meant to be more luxurious than the Cunard passenger ships of the day. This period was a huge immigration time. Many people were headed to America to try for a better life. The Titanic had place for lots of 1st Class passengers. There were also 2nd and 3rd Class passengers on board. The Titanic is called the RMS Titanic. The RMS actually stands for Royal Mail Service. They carried lots of mail and were to spend the voyage sorting it for delivery when they reached America. 

This is an exact replica of the Heart of the Ocean necklace used in the James Cameron Titanic movie. 

A wax cup used in filming the James Cameron movie. It was used in the sinking scenes.

A diagram of the Titanic. When enlarged and you look closely, each room and level is labeled. You can clearly tell where each class of passenger stayed and dined, etc. 

Even the candy makers wanted to make some off the Titanic and Olympic. This was a card made by Cabury Chocolate makers. Hmmmm...Now I want chocolate!

These rules were for the 3rd Class passengers on the White Star Line. Remember, their rooms were well below deck. 

The Titanic was constructed by the Harland & Wolff shipbuilding company in Belfast, Ireland. In this room, 30 architects spent 2 years drawing detailed plans for the building of the Titanic.

They had an entry like you were going up the gangplank. That is Claude inside the Titanic.

One display held a copy of the Titanic Grocery List. I wondered what 40,000 eggs cost in that day. They are soooo expensive today. 

There were picture of several of the elegant rooms. 

The 1st Class dining room featured stained glass windows. These were made to cover the portholes! 

A postcard with a woven silk image of the Titanic. It was purchased in the barbershop on the ship. 

The Parisienne Cafe for 1st Class passengers who might not want to eat on the regular dining room schedule. 

That famous grand staircase. 

The Veranda Cafe. Another spot for 1st Class passengers to relax, have bit to nibble on and read a book. 

Chair from the 2nd Class dining room and the 2nd Class dining room. This 2nd Class dining room would have been as elegant as 1st Class on the Cunard line. 

We walked the stair case to the 2nd Floor. This was the immersive experience. There were a few life boats to sit in. Items that fell from the ship were placed around the floor. Projected on all four walls was video. Claude and I opted to sit in one of the life boats. These pictures were taken of the video. 

These three pictures are from the Titanic leaving the dock.

This would be the bow of the ship during the day. 

The boiler room was shown next. I should explain that the video was narrated by a crew member that worked in the boiler room. He was part of the entire building of the Titanic and knew every inch of her.

The narrator/fireman on the ship was working in the boiler room and saw the most beautiful woman he had ever seen wandering through the ship. He would try to find her but she was very illusive. At one point they did meet up by the grand stair case. There was a modern dance scene with them that was the most out of place piece of the video to Claude and me. 

The two shipmates in the crow's nest spot the iceberg. They did not have binoculars. In a stranger series of events, a man was brought on to make this voyage as an assistant to Captain Smith. This meant other people were lowered a rank in the leadership of the ships officers. One was kicked off the ship and did not make the voyage. As he left, he inadvertently carried the key to the cabinet where the binoculars were stored. This meant these two lookouts were looking for icebergs without the benefit of binoculars. In addition, the sea was very calm making it even harder with a bit of haze to see the horizon to spot the icebergs. Ugh!

The Titanic hits the iceberg. It torn the hull and flooded part of the boiler room. Then the water crept up to the other decks. As we watched the video on the walls, the floor actually had ripples of water displayed on it. The moved like ripples of water. I tried to get that with the video but it simply shows dark. This is really an 'immersive experience'. 

There were not enough lifeboats. The standard for the number of lifeboats was based on old data before the built these huge passenger liners. Since it was believed the Titanic was unsinkable, this was really not a concern. The lifeboat drill that was scheduled for the beginning of the voyage was canceled as Captain Smith wanted to attend the church service at that time. This was to be his final voyage before retiring. Another ugh!!

Fireworks were set off to attract other ships to the Titanic's location. The writing across the top of the picture was the telegrams between the Titanic and other ships to get help. The next two picture are the sinking of the Titanic.

The Carpathia came to save as many passengers are were left alive. The Carpathia was also a passenger ship for the Cunard Line. 

We left this area and went back to the first floor. Before leaving, we opted to pay a little extra to use the VR headsets. Our journey would take us inside the Titanic and to the Bridge. Then we would experience the sinking. Amazing! I was able to get a quick shot of Claude as he finished his VR experience. 

We both felt this was really worth the cost and effort to go. This was our fourth Immersive Experience. Our first was the Van Gogh in this same location. We also saw Monet while visiting Phoenix. Last year we saw Khufu's Pyramid while in Atlanta. Now, the Titanic back in Cincinnati. You really learn a lot and they have all been very well laid out. Excellent adventure. 

Saturday, June 7th, we had the morning at home. We have a little bird that flies up to the top outside ledge of this window. For some odd reason, he will jump from the ledge, flutter his wings and tap on the window, then light on the window ledge again. I was trying to get a picture of him in the air. That obviously did not work. Interesting little bird. 

The Ropers took a family trip to Drew's hockey competition. Happy to see them take a little family vacation. The first picture of the Hockey team with their kids. I have put a red dot under Joel, Raelyn, Emelia and Drew holding Kennedi. The second picture is the Hockey Team. I put a red dot under Drew. The last is a great family picture in their hockey jerseys. Back Row: Kennedi, Drew, Joel and Katelyn. Front Row: Emelia and Raelyn.

In the evening, we drove to Renfro Valley to watch The Oak Ridge Boys 2025 American Made Farewell Tour. It seems we are saying 'farewell' to a lot of good musical groups. Ahh...the joys of aging gracefully. The lead vocalist has been with this band for 60 years. The youngest member is in his 20's. They said it brings their average age to the mid-70's. 

Video: My Baby is American Made

Video: It's Gonna Take a Lot of River

Video: You're Always in My Heart

The bass singer had a very booming bass voice. I love a men's chorus and I really love hearing the low notes. When Claude sings the low notes on a hymn at church, I always grin and he grins back. He knows I love those low notes. 

The Oak Ridge Boys had a man who played piano for them for 45 years. He retired. He happened to visit this night and they invited him out to play the piano while just the four of them sang. The rest of the band cleared the stage. It was such a moving moment. 

Their next to last number was Elvira. The lead singer said, "We would all of those who can stand, to please do so." This cracked me up. Yep, they and we are all getting a little older. Lots of walkers and a few wheel chairs. Lots of people holding on to each other for balance as they walked into the New Barn Theater.

Excellent show. I watched all this happening. Listening to old familiar songs from our past. It really dawned on me that we go to these things to hear the music live again. Face it, when you have sung for 60 years, your voice is not like it was when you were in your twenties. But we all love the music. That is why we can. To be with others that like that music. To sing along at time. The clap the rhythm. And to feel that good feeling you get from enjoying good music. It was a great evening for Claude and me. 

Sunday, June 8th, we enjoyed Sacrament Meeting. I was able to lead the congregational hymns. My arm was very sore when I finished that meeting. With the new set up of ball and socket, I arm doesn't really like lifting the way I like to do to lead the hymns. It was good to do that and get my arm to try a little more to learn old habits.

The second hour, I was asked to be the substitute pianist for Primary. I love Primary. What a delight to be there again and listen to the little ones sing. 

We had lunch from Jimmy John's. Claude took his Sunday afternoon nap, the best sleep he gets all week. I curled up in my recliner to get rid of a lot of stuff that has accumulated on our DVR. It turns out, I stayed there the rest of the day. I did enter the Trivial Pursuit questions on my phone for April and May. I did file my nails. I did do my Duolingo for learning Greek. Other than that, I enjoyed an afternoon and evening with my hubby in our snug little home.