WELCOME TO MY LIFE

Kurdistan Part 2

2010-04-03T18:10:00.002-05:00

These are also pictures from the top of the mountain overlooking Kurdistan & Iraq. During the war in 1988-1991 fighters built dugouts up here. Not only were they still here....but so were the rifle casings.

Kurdistan

2010-04-03T17:59:00.003-05:00

Those of you who follow Facebook know I just returned from the most incredible vacation of my life (to date) and had posted pictures along the way. I am going to do several segments of pictures here so I can group them. Scott took us to the Asmar Mountains. On one side they over look Kurdistan and the other, you look into Iran.

2010-02-27T20:44:00.001-06:00

My new grandson Ethan Scott Wiggins and Ethan with his big brother 2 1/2 year old Zeke.

God's paint brush

2009-10-22T21:45:00.006-05:00

Fall comes to Wisconsin

2009-09-17T20:02:00.006-05:00

Hard to believe but fall is arriving. We have had almost a perfect summer. Low 70's and clear everyday....and the most surprising is the lack of humidity. We do need rain as the grass is very dry but....no complaining from me.

Fall has started splashing reds and oranges in the trees and on the ivy and vines.

Time to go to northern Michigan for some REAL color.

And Lake Michigan is always beautiful. I took these about 12 miles south of Sheboygan

I always find it amazing the colors you can find in Lake Michigan. Depending on the depth of the water, and the sand under the water, can create multiple colors of blue, green and rust.

Ann's Place

2009-09-03T17:09:00.004-05:00

When I am in Minnesota I get to stay with my friend Ann and enjoy her home and park. There is a beautiful park right behind her place and a great place to walk. I am including some pictures of the area.

Minnestoa really is a pretty place

2009-08-29T22:10:00.004-05:00

Recently I had the opportunity to be in central Minnesota. I really had forgotten how pretty it is up there. I drove up 169 and back down via Brainerd and St. Cloud. The pictures to follow are some of the landscape and Lake Mille Lacs. Its real green with a lot of lakes. The water tends to be somewhat rust in color due to all of the iron ore.

If you should ever find yourself with some time to enjoy "Gods Country" (for you Minnesotans) drive up to Grand Rapids and over to Duluth. Stay at the Inn on Lake Superior (be sure to get a room on the Lake side). Walk the city front pier, visit Fitgers, have dinner at Grandma's and be sure to be back at the hotel at 8pm for Smores.

Statues of Las Vegas

2009-08-01T21:06:00.004-05:00

There are alot of pictures one can take of the Las Vegas strip but I thought I would show some of the statues.

Sarabyn Farm

2009-07-13T19:05:00.005-05:00

While in Michigan I visited a friend of mines farm. He has a beautiful little pond on the back of his property......and some chickens.

Gettysburg PA

2009-05-30T17:07:00.006-05:00

Battlefields & Cannons on the hillsides

Miles of fences & Regimental Monuments

I thought I would upload some of my pictures from the battlefields of Gettysburg. There is an 18 mile driving tour through the battlefields and monuments, dedicated to the different regiment's from all the states involved in the battles of Gettysburg and the Civil War.

The day we were there, was a beautiful spring day with lots of greens and yellows. The sky was clear and blue. The battles that were fought here 146 years ago can still be imagined by looking at the placements of the cannons, looking down into the Devils Den at Little Round Top where 100's of young men were slaughtered. So many died on this field that the creek ran red with their blood.

I would encourage everyone to spend an afternoon touring this area....and remembering.

2009-05-03T21:42:00.002-05:00

Sheboygan Falls at full run

FINDING dead people

CO RD J on a spring day

This is one of the barns west of my place. Ann's ancestors are from Herman Township & Ada. So we did a lot of driving around and walking cemeteries. Thanks to naggy, I was able to determine the exact point of Herman township on Hwy 32. We also stopped at Settlers Park in the Falls to see the falls flowing at a pretty good clip. Ahhhh spring has come to Wisconsin.

Door County

2009-04-22T21:09:00.004-05:00

Last weekend I joined other woman from Southside Alliance for our annual Ladies Retreat in Rowley Bay, Door County. On Saturday it was nearly 60* and very sunny. Lake Michigan was several shades of blue and very clear. My friend Ann drove us through Peninsula Park near Egg Harbor so I could add to my collection of pictures.

The pictures include Chambers Island, Horseshoe Island, as well as a number of other smaller islands. I have got to get up to Door County in the summer when everything is open and in bloom.

Wisconsin from behind the wheel

2009-04-08T21:43:00.003-05:00

OK - so maybe I should have been paying more attention - but how could I ignore the sunset. I was driving back to Sheboygan from a day in Madison and watched the sunset from my mirrors.

Now I'm a tourist!!

2009-03-19T22:08:00.003-05:00

When I came through Minneapolis last week I spent the evening with one of my sister in laws at the Mall of America. I guess now that I don't live in Minnesota anymore I can be a tourist. The Mall is doing well and has even remodeled some of the hall areas. They've added fountains like the like Janette is sitting on. The Mall has added old time street lamps and sitting areas.

There are some new stores and I didn't notice anything missing. The rides were all running. There were still plenty of places to eat and for a Thursday night, I found it quite busy.

Lake Beauty

2009-03-18T20:48:00.003-05:00

Last weekend my sister invited me to a quilters retreat at Lake Beauty at Long Prairie MN. It was a wonderful 'fall off the Earth' weekend. I not only learned but completed my first quilt. The Lake Beauty Bible Camp was a beautiful piece of Minnesota countryside. The weather was incredible. It was in the 50's with lots of sun during the day and TONS of stars at night. Sunday morning there was a layer of fog on the still frozen lake.

For those of you who are already addicted. I used 3X3" squares in no specific pattern. I put a maroon edge around it and will back it with a piece of butter yellow polar fleece. I have at least three more projects in mind!!!

My Hawk Tree Collection

2009-02-16T22:52:00.005-06:00

Morning colors

Blizzard

Spring storms & Clouds with silver lining

Fall

Moon Light

Winter Dawn

Portland Oregon

2009-01-16T21:27:00.008-06:00

My final blog on Portland. The weather didn't cooperate for GREAT pictures but i can still show you the lines of the city. It is such a great mixture of old and new.....one on top of the other. There is a great parkway that is looked over by Teddy Roosevelt. Check out the building with the 'painting' of Lewis & Clark on it. Honestly, this is a flat surface. You can't detect the flat area until you are parallel with the wall. There are also a great number of bridges crossing the river. The moss is everywhere, on trees, curbs, steps - sides of houses. On one Saturday Charlie and Aveline took me out to Seaside and Cannon Beach to eat at Mo's and see the ocean. These pictures are of Haystack Rock. And finally we went to a New Years Eve party with their up the hill neighbor. The table was set so pretty I couldn't help but take a picture of it. All and all....it was a wonderful 12 days.

Ollinger Home & Highlights

2009-01-13T20:26:00.005-06:00

The Ollingers live in a 115 year old Victorian home on a hill overlooking downtown Portland OR. These steps are a continuation of 14th street. There are steps down to the street or up to the parking area. There is a condo building below them and houses above. They have an amazing view from their windows.

This 1st one if the view from my bedroom window (and the only day clear enough to see any mountains). #2 is looking east (if you look carefully in the center of the pic you can see mountains) and #3 is looking north. There was 10+ inches of snow on the ground when I got there and the city was nearly incapacitated. But they walk everywhere anyhow.

2009-01-09T20:44:00.003-06:00

Aveline 12 yrs old and Eowyn 3 1/2 yrs old

Michele in her element Eowyn and Charlie

My favorite 12 yr old niece My beautiful nieces

I had a wonderful Christmas and New Years. My brother Charlie and his wife Michele invited me to spend the holidays with them in Portland OR. It had been snowing out there for a week already and the city was complete shut down. Which means many of the gifts coming in - didn't make it. So we got to celebrate Christmas over the the whole holidays instead of just one day.

My sister in law is such a gracious hostess. She is a wonderful wife and mother and I was thrilled to spend time with her. Charlie and Aveline spent a lot of time showing me all over downtown Portland (which we had an incredible view from their home on a hill over looking the city). One day they took me to the coast as well.

I loved my time in their home. The Ollingers live a simple life and it gave me time to relax. In the night when I would wake, my window overlooked the city and I could lay in bed and look at the lights. Charlie built a telescope and one night when the clouds cleared for a few minutes I got to see the moon which was truly a great experience. I look forward to visiting again.....

First Snow

2008-12-04T22:04:00.008-06:00

You'd think after all these years in the frozen north I would lose my fascination for winter. But the first snow has it's own magic. Especially when it's followed by a clear and very blue sky the following day. The snow fell so pretty....not alot of wind so it just drifted down to the ground. And how deep was it? Pixie was belly deep. Wouldn't make much of a sled dog would she?

Minneapolis is still home

2008-11-25T20:59:00.004-06:00

St Anthony

Minneapolis 35W Bridge
Recently I finished up a 10 day sales trip by staying in Minneapolis with my friend Ann. We had the opportunity to have dinner at the "Cue" at the Guthrie in downtown Minneapolis. Now I know these aren't some of my best, but the view from the top floor of the Guthrie was amazing. And any of you who live there need to check it out. And I also got to have coffee Saturday with some of my some of my favorite ladies. Ann always lets me stay at her place at the tree house. Sandy, Glenda and Mary Ellis are always a joy to spend time with when I'm in town.

Also PLEASE notice the NEW 35W bridge in the background!! When they rebuilt it they under lite the entire bridge. It's beautiful and I even made my first drive across it!!! Good job!

A very windy day on Lake Michigan

2008-10-27T22:12:00.003-05:00

There's nothing to say short of SPECTACULAR!!!

Another Fall time drive up north

2008-10-22T19:14:00.008-05:00

You know...you just can't get tired of God's beauty. I thought going up north in October would be dull and uncolorful. Yet there was still so much beauty. I drove to Iron River MI, Eagle River & Rhinelander WI, down through Clintonville and Green Bay to return home. And sometimes you get lucky and you see something that makes you go...hmmmm

My Speech in Gallipolis

2008-10-18T22:23:00.005-05:00

October 11th I returned to Gallipolis to speak on my ancestor Dr. Saugrain (look him up online - he was very interesting). My mother, sister and niece came with me. We took some time to check out the sites and museums. There was lots of fall colors and beautiful sunsets. I had my cheering team with me which was wonderful. I really enjoyed speaking and look forward to doing it again. There were about 100 people there and quite a few of them told how they found the story interesting and didn't realize what people went through to travel to America in the late 18th century.

I was awarded a pin and certificate for becoming a member of the First Families of Gallia County. You have to prove lineage to some of the original settlers to the area. The Dr. married the daughter of a friend of his who came over at the same time as he did - so I was able to prove on four people.

Many thanks to my sister Deirdre and niece Diana for coming from SD to be there as well as my mother picking me up in Dayton and enjoying the fall colors with me on the way to Gallipolis. Diana did an incredible job as my technical assistant.

The Our House Museum in Gallipolis has a couple of items they believe belonged to Dr Saugrain. There was a huge fur coat (the Dr was only 4'9" tall) and some bear claw gloves. They were behind glass and the pictures were not very clear. There is no proof...but interesting none the less.

They also had hand drawn portraits of the Dr. brother in law Joseph Guillotine (inventor of the guillotine) and his wife Marie Louisa. All and all - it was a fabulous weekend.

Fall in the mornings....

2008-10-05T08:28:00.004-05:00

My favorite hawk tree
I have had hundreds of geese in the field behind my place
Lake Michigan in all its colors
Look at that sky!!!
The sparkle off of the lake Friday was blinding

Sideoftheroadies

2008-09-27T20:06:00.002-05:00

Pennsylvania & Ohio

2008-09-26T21:57:00.005-05:00

I have just returned from central PA via Cleveland. And the only reason I mention Cleveland (mostly because there is no other reason) is the sunrise this morning. I flew out to Harrisburg Monday night. Toured from Shady Grove to Reading. Fall has not

quite begun to set in yet in PA but it's always pretty. I also enjoy all the old architecture of 1700 & 1800 America. The houses and churches and especially the cemeteries are the same as always. The Amish lend a reminder of quieter times. I also caught a really cool picture over Indiana or Michigan since I flew early this morning.

Settlers Park Sheboygan Falls

2008-09-18T22:20:00.002-05:00

OK - so I can hardly stand it. This fall is so beautiful already. Just a few more pictures.

Northern Colors

2008-09-17T22:17:00.006-05:00

I had the opportunity to drive up through Northern Michigan this week. I drove up through Marinette WI, Escanaba MI, Gwinn MI, Kingsford/Iron Mountain and back down through Green Bay and to Sheboygan. The colors are just starting to pop. There would be miles of green leaf trees and pines. And then all at once there would be a blast of RED or ORANGE and against the blue sky.....it was incredible.

I think there is also a bumper crop of turkeys this year. I saw several families with half a dozen poults. Surprisingly enough I only saw one deer. It was so hard to just choose a couple. ENJOY.

PS: I saw a bumper sticker today that read: "Jesus is coming...look busy!!"

Las Vegas

2008-09-11T17:06:00.007-05:00

New York ~ New York

My sister and I spent four days in Vegas right after Labor Day. We ate too much, walked WAY too much, spent money, saw The Blue Man Group which is so funny. If you get the chance you should see them. We saw Rita Rudner which is the cleanest act in Vegas. She has written a couple of fiction books and I bought one and had it personally autographed and the Bellagio's Cirque du Soleit. This was the most fabulous show I think I've ever seen. The story is hard to follow (much like A Mid Summer Nights Dream). The athletics are beyond description - THIS one is a MUST.

It was 109* out there but in the shade it was comfortable (believe it or not). On the other hand in the sun it felt like someone touched you with a match. We spent $12 on a pound of M&M's (just cause we could) and gambled a bit.

I held my own and came out only spending about $50 of my own money (the best machine is the Aliens penny machine at the Circus Circus).

We walked through several of the casino malls, Cesar's Palace, the Bellagio, The Venetian, The Palazzo, the Stratosphere (Deird road the rides on the top of the building. I was the smart one standing on the roof taking pictures), Circus Circus, MGM, NY NY and the Flamingo. We even took the time to lay around the pool at the Hilton Grand Vacations one afternoon. And I finally did it. I bought a time share through the Hilton. It is such a great plan and works in so many ways.

This last picture is from the mall part of The Venetian. They have Gondola's you can ride in on the inside and the outside of the building. The 'sky' also dims with the day. The stores are incredibly over priced...but fun to walk through. All and all....it was a wonderful trip.

PS: Watch for pictures from the cruise we're going on in January!!!

2008-08-24T21:01:00.007-05:00

Last week I had the chance to drive up into Northern Michigan to see my customer in Baraga (remember - drive north out of Green Bay for 4 hours and when you run out of land...you are there). On the way back I enjoyed the scenery of late summer and even a little changing color in the trees and ivy. The Golden Rod was in full bloom and made for incredible pictures. I drove through Amasa and Crystal Falls. I even took a quick break and walked back to see a wonderful little waterfall. Everyone should take a trip into Northern Michigan in the fall.

All good things must come to an end

2008-08-09T23:26:00.002-05:00

Wednesday we spent the afternoon in Gallipolis OH. This is a town that my ancestor settled in 1790. The Genealogical Soc. has asked me to speak there in October so I wanted to get a feel for the town. Its a sweet little town on the OH River. We drove to Marietta to visit Laura's mother and sister. Then on to Indianapolis for the night.

I returned to Sheboygan this morning after dropping Laura at the airport in Chicago. After suffering (and remembering) the Chicago traffic we went to a theater to see the new Mummy movie (wait till it comes out on DVD).

Not only did we see incredible scenery, visited with family, laughed till our sides hurt - but solved all the worlds problems - all in one week!!!

Highways, biways and old barns

2008-08-06T20:01:00.002-05:00

West Virginia has incredible highways. The mountains are so rich with trees and green that I can't even begin to describe it. From Johnson City to Gallipolis we crossed great expanses. Unfortunately there was no scenic drives or pull overs and it seems when we did pull off the road it would be in a valley with no view of the mountains. But we enjoyed the view.

The other interest are the old barns. There are a ton of these as well. We stopped and visited this one. There is so much to view in these old barns and makes you wonder what these barns have seen over the decades.

2008-08-05T21:32:00.002-05:00

While on vacation isn't it fun to walk cemeteries? That's the way we started our day. We visited the Lexington Cemetery where Henry Clay calls home. There were wonderful statues and ponds.

We drove through three states today, KY, VA and TN on the way to visit my Father. From Lexington we drove on the Hal Rogers Parkway which was incredibly beautiful and had lunch in Hazard KY (isn't that where the Dukes were from??). We drove through some light rain, 94* temperatures and hazy mountains. We are spending the night in Johnson City TN.....more driving tomorrow.

Lexington KY

2008-08-04T22:10:00.002-05:00

Today was really vacation. I started off spending 3 hours in a library research the elusive ancestors. Then off to an awesome lunch of sushi. Even though the KY Horse Park was closed we walked all over the enjoyed the horses and ducks etc. From there we drove all over the country side and enjoyed more horses, slate rock walls, LOTS of fences and a really cool historic cemetery.

And we finished off the evening with supper consisting of root-beer floats and cookies.....and a swim in the pool. How cool is that???

Knoxville

2008-08-04T07:44:00.002-05:00

So yesterday we took the slow route to Knoxville. You know, one step forward and two steps back. One really does have to listen to their GPS if one is going to have one.

We drove through some amazing mountain sides. You could stop about anywhere and be assured of great pictures. The duck pond we did find by sheer luck as I WAS listening to naggy and was turning around. Folks, the water was crystal clear and I'm not joking. You could look across the pond and see the bottom. I have reflection pictures that are double layered due to the clouds reflection and the water so clear you could see the bottom.

And although we drove 400 miles we enjoyed the time with family and new friends.

Vacation

2008-08-03T08:06:00.002-05:00

Ok so maybe I'm not on a sales trip - but I am taking a 'buss man's holiday' and driving all over the mid US. Today my dearest friend Laura and I drove from Lafayette IN (where we laid up the first night) to Lexington KY via the Creation Museum in Hebron KY. It was very interesting to actually go to a museum where they talk about God more then they do man. Very well done with beautiful gardens and a petting zoo.

From there we meandered our way down the Ohio River and then figuring out that wasn't the way to Lexington (one really does have to listen to the GPS if one is going to use it). We got in late and went right to bed so we can be fresh for our drive to Knoxville.

Minnesota and South Dakota

2008-07-24T20:31:00.005-05:00

I have returned from 10 days in South Dakota and Minnesota. It was incredibly hot. My cars AC could hardly keep up. I saw a deer running for the joy of it. I saw lots of pelicans. Watched roller thunderstorms move over Watertown SD and then followed them to Minneapolis. I watched my Grandson crawl for the first time and I saw my daughter and her family off to their new life in the Middle East.

On my return to Sheboygan I pulled through a small cemetery and took a picture of a lovely lake with children laughing in the distance and I stopped in Montello WI and took pictures of swans. They were in a beautiful waterfalled pond in Memorial Park

Clintonville WI

2008-07-01T20:38:00.003-05:00

Today Pixie and I drove out to visit my favorite customer - Seagrave Fire App. These are the most incredible trucks. Seagrave fire trucks were a huge part of the 9/11 recovery. When the World Trade Center buildings were attacked NYC used many of their Seagrave trucks to help in the recovery. There is one story about the second tower. When it came down a number of men dived for cover inside of the cab of the truck. Their structures are so strong that althought the truck was crushed...the men survived. Afterwards NYC placed an order for 54 new trucks. Seagrave sent out letters to all of their vendors thanking them ahead of time for the extra effort it was going to take for all of us to pull together and get these trucks out as soon as possible. They saw us (vendors) as part of the extended Seagrave family. Some of the trucks were painted with American flags and pictures of firefighters. Next time you see a fire truck look for the scripted word Seagrave across the front of the truck.

Idaho & British Columbia

2008-06-22T11:38:00.002-05:00

I had a sales call in Cranbrook BC this week. I flew into Spokane and drove up through Idaho and into Canada on Hwy 95. One of the cool things about this area of the world is the water. Its hard to describe the color but its somewhere around an aqua blue. The mountain are still snow topped and according to the locals - had a snow storm only two weeks ago. The days are much longer. I went to bed Tuesday night at 10:30 (the local time) and the sun had just gone down. I am including a couple of pictures but I can't begin to catch the beauty of being in the Rockies.

Baraga Michigan

2008-06-12T15:18:00.003-05:00

I had a meeting in Baraga MI. To get there you drive north out of Green Bay and three hours later when you run out of land you are there. There have been a lot of thunderstorms and heavy rain in WI and the rivers are up over their banks. Believe it or not it was only 42* up there this morning. On the way up and back we saw a number of deer and even one fawn alive along the road. This picture is from the shore line. It was late afternoon and rain was glistening on the grass. Really pretty.

Chicago & Moline

2008-06-04T20:45:00.003-05:00

I left Sheboygan in the mist this morning and enjoyed more of the same all the way to Chicago. When I drove past 6 Flags the roller coasters were running. Do you suppose its as much fun on these rides when you can't see for the fog? As I left Chicago for Moline the mist blew off and the sky was a hazy blue and humid. For those of us from the north....it was 83* in Illinois. My hotel is in Le Clarie IA on the Mississippi River. If it weren't for the bugs I'd love to have sat on the shore. And I guess I better figure out what county I'm in because there are MAJOR storms and tornadoes out there tonight.

**** WELCOME TO MY LIFE ****