Hi everyone,
Who’s hot? I think just about everyone is… I heard yesterdays were the hottest EVER recorded. I think they took an average of lots of different places and used that number. I don’t think they said what it was…
Anyway, it’s BEEN HOT and most everyone has gotten a taste of it.
Well, today you are in for cool, refreshing post… brought to you by Sissy… I’ll let her narrate and you can see all her pictures… Then tomorrow I’ll be back with a dolly haircut and a hat… :o)
Our first day in Crystal River was to head out to the Gulf to look for scallops. My nephew, Mark lives in Crystal River and is very kind to take us around in his boat. You can see the 2 cousins, born one week apart, my granddaughter, Simone, and my older brother’s granddaughter, Harper, (the blonde). The Gulf water is so clear and warm, we stayed in the shallower water, about 6 feet, so the kids, including another nephew’s young boys, could reach the bottom. The kids got more scallops than we did. We had enough that evening for everyone to have a taste.
That evening Mark and his wife Deb opened their kitchen to us as we all made or brought food. My much younger brother, Thom, is in the photo with my younger son, Tommy. For some reason he loves his beard and looking very old. The next day we went out on a huge 2 story boat my older son rented for us. It had a slide down from the top, and even my older brother, who will be 89 next month, went down it. We hung out in the river, with all sorts of other fun things, including kayaks. The girls took off in those and actually saw a manatee. The dogs enjoyed the river too.
The last day was going to the beautiful Three Sisters Springs. This is an area that is blocked for only swimmers and kayaks to enter. The water is clear as glass and there are 3 lovely springs that you can dive down to. That is what I love to do. My Simone got a photo of me doing just that. The only drawback is that there were too many kayaks in there and I got hit in the head twice by them! Good thing I have a hard head. the photos are of me, very wet, with Peyton, and another with my older son and one with his wife, each holding their new puppy. Simone’s video of me may show up.
Click this image and you can see Sissy diving underwater! I am IMPRESSED!!! I can only get the video to work on my phone… not if you are on a computer… sorry.
That night was my birthday dinner. There were 21 of us there. The photos are of Mark and Deb, our wonderful couple who hosted us so beautifully in their home and boat. Then the two girls all dressed up for the dinner, my older brother laughing with his daughter and granddaughter, my birthday cake, and our whole crew. Best birthday I ever had. Being 85 isn’t so bad, so far!!
Well, we’re not hot out here in the Seattle area! It only got to about 75 today, and yesterday I don’t think it made it out of the 60s!! Brrrr…. (Ah, yes, July in Seattle….)
Sissy your photos are wonderful, and it sounds like you all had a fantastic time. What a wonderful way to spend your 85th birthday!! Thank you for sharing it with us all. And I have to say, I, too, am impressed with your diving. Although in the past I’ve been able to reach the bottom of the pool–stand on my hands, turn a somersault–I don’t go in the deep part at all, because I am a rather reluctant swimmer. I didn’t learn until I was 30 or so, and just the basics, enough so I wouldn’t be terrified if I took my little boy in the water! (said little boy is 49 now…)
BTW, Jeanne, I had to download the link to my computer, and then I was able to view her dive just fine. So you might try that on your computer, too.
Some cautious good news–after a virtual visit with Ron’s doctor Tuesday, an antibiotic was ordered, and they got it right away and started it Tuesday night. Ron’s coughing has become much less (it’s been going on and gradually worsening for a week now, and last week’s virtual visit with another provider and a cough med didn’t help at all) and it seems he’s sleeping better again, too. So I am hopeful. He has a cardiology appt. Friday for a pacemaker check, and that will have to be virtual, too, as he’s still much too weak to go in. I don’t know how they’ll do the pacer check, though–maybe they’ll go to the house? Stay tuned.
I am glad you enjoyed the photos, and also glad to hear an update on Ron. I know what it is like to worry about a beloved husband. Mine is still here with me but slowing down. Peyton also fell on some steps at a party and cracked 2 ribs. He still took me to our reunion and rode around in the boats with us. He is such a good guy, I can’t help but worry about him.
I’m so sorry about Peyton’s fall and cracked ribs. That can hurt!! And you can’t really put a cast on them, you just have to tough it out. (Been there, done that.) Falls can be such an issue for at least some of us seniors; that’s partly why I convinced Ron he needed to be somewhere other than home–he was falling way too often!! Take care!
Prayers for Ron, Charlotte. Hopeful that the antibiotic does the trick.
Thank you. He seemed to be coughing more again today.
Prayers for you and Ron. I had an upper respiratory infection once that had to be treated with antibiotics. Once I got them I recovered quickly. First and only one I’ve ever had. I think pacemakers can be handled remotely these days. Can’t remember where I heard that but I think it was from a woman at church whose husband has one. I responded to your comment yesterday about being a floor plan junkie but I just did it, so you’ll have to go back and read it.
It turned out he didn’t need a pacemaker check this time, just the doctor visit, which I found out when I called to change it to a virtual visit.
Oh, Barbara, if only we lived closer! WE would have such fun together!! I think in many ways we are two peas in a pod!! (I went back and read your comment about the floor plan junkie!)
Well, Seattle is a long way off from here, and I can say it was hot here in St. Louis yesterday! Also the humidity was a big time thing, although we have had it worse! On top of that, the air quality was not good, so there was no reason to be outside yesterday. I wonder how Dorothy is doing at the UFDC convention, just 4 hours from me.
Sissy had a wonderful birthday celebration, but I would be terrified with most all the activities, for sure! Water scares me half to death, and I’m not sure why. As a child, I was always hesitant to go in the water and still am like that today. I made sure my children knew how to swim and kept my fears to myself , so they would enjoy water, but I could not bring myself to see them in a pool!
I too, was able to see Sissy’s dive on my computer, doing just what Charlotte did. Oh my gosh, what a brave person you are, Sissy!
It was interesting to see what mussels look like. I have never seen them in real life. It looks like you had a wonderful time, and being 85 isn’t what it used to be, for sure! Thank you for sending your pictures to Jeanne, and it certainly was a treat to see you and your lovely family!
Glad to hear that Ron is pulling through, Charlotte! I’ll keep him in my prayers.
Linda, I grew up on a coastal island and my home was right on the beach. I have been swimming all my life, and still go to the Y twice a week with my Peyton. It has kept me strong for my age. I understand that there are people who are not happy in the water. My Peyton prefers shallow water himself, he grew up swimming in a pool, I grew up swimming in pools and also the ocean outside my house!
The sea creatures we caught were scallops. The meat is small but so delicious! The kids had such fun diving down for them.
Oh Sissy I would have loved growing up on the beach like you did. However I married a mountain man and he wants nothing to do with anything coastal. Hawaii was a nightmare for him. He went to Hawaii purely because I wanted to go but he spent most of the time green around the gills. One day we rented one of those large-tire water bikes. About halfway through our time he made me put him on the beach and I finished up the time by myself. And I am a seafood connoisseur and he doesn’t eat any seafood but shrimp. The other day we went to Red Lobster and I had snow crab legs. I was in heaven. When we went to Maine I ate Lobster everywhere we went, even a McLobster sandwich. And I love scallops. But I will not go to the beach at Galveston. Until you get out a ways the water is dirty not to mention I picked up a fungus twice from trips to Galveston. Once was in my ear and the other on my upper chest. I used to have a friend who had a boat and we would take the boat out in the Gulf to fish. I was amazed at how clear it was once you got away from the shoreline.
All the detritus from the Mississippi River comes down along the eastern Gulf shore and it is not very nice
You are a great diver. I’m so claustrophobic it’s hard for me to say underwater very long. Really enjoyed the video.
So glad you enjoyed it, Barbara. I was blessed to grow up with the water and stuck with it all my life, one way or another. I loved living in Crystal River until it got so popular and crowded, so we moved back to GA to a quiet county full of shrimpers and crabbers. The seafood here is amazing. I only swim at the Y here because our river is salt and has a few alligators. We used to have a boat and enjoyed that but it got to hard to mess with on our own and sold it. We still love our place looking at the water, seeing dolphins and birds.
Thank you, Linda.
Oh, Sissy, excuse me for misundentifying the scallops! I live in the Midwest, so what do I know?
As far as swimming, as a Girl Scout, I took swimming lessons at the Y, but I never was able to get my face under water, which is the first step, so there went that opportunity!😊
Linda, that was The Hardest thing for me about learning to swim (at age 30 or so)–putting my face in the water to blow bubbles. Once I could do that, I was okay, but oh, I so much did Not want to do it!! Fortunately there was another lady there just as scared as I was so we did that together!! Gave each other courage, I guess.
thank you for the absolutely lovely photos shared. Everyone looks so nice and happy and content!!
I love swimming, I love water.
The video loaded fine for me and I use my MBP🍎 for everything
I love this celebration. Reading today made me very happy for all of you
So glad you enjoyed it Rosemary. Glad to hear from another water baby. Where do you swim?
I will swim anywhere I can. Mainly pools I guess.
I used to love the ocean, but now I do not like swimming in any oceans.
My neighbor has a salt water pool and it is great to swim there.
What a fun birthday for Sissy. I don’t like the idea of being hit in the head with a kayak though. 🙁 So, not being familiar with scallop eating or diving, I presume that it is a salt water cove or something where you were? The Pacific Ocean here has big waves that some do surf, sneaker waves, and a steep drop off from the shore. We do have ocean mussels here, but I would consider them inedible. There may be scallops too, but I’ve never tried them. How do you prepare scallops? The only salt water I’ve ever been swimming in was in Hawaii. The ocean is too cold here for swimming without a wetsuit. Loved seeing all of Sissy’s family enjoying themselves on boats and doing water activities. Looks like so much fun. And Simone, is all grown up and beautiful. I so remember the Meadow doll done in her image. So cute. A big belated Happy Birthday to Sissy. 🙂
Our heat is subsiding for awhile hopefully. But, there was another fire north of here yesterday. If you look at the WatchDuty fire map, it looks like CA is burning up. New Mexico too. But, we’re okay here.
I just downloaded the video of Sissy diving. Now, that looks like Hawaii. 🙂 So how deep was the water?
Hi, Joy. Crystal River runs into the Gulf of Mexico, which is salt water. That is where we go to get the scallops. The water is clear and warm, and the river water is not salt and is very clear and colder than the Gulf, except in winter, when the ocean and gulf get much colder. That is when the manatees come into the springs in the river in droves to escape water that is too cold for them. The springs water in the river stays a 72 degrees year round. The water in the various springs varies. The one I was shown swimming down was probably about 15 feet where as the deeper one is about 22 feet. I swam down all three of them. So glad I could still do it.
Yes, Simone is growing up, she will be 13 in December. She would like for me to teach her to sew on my machine, I hope to do that some day if they come to my house.
I am so sorry for the fires, Will pray for that and for your safety.
What a lovely neighbor you have Joy. A church here in town serves as our homeless shelter now for sleeping. Another church provides meals. During college I volunteered at our local crisis phone and in person counseling service (defunct now) and then people were put up in hotels.
There’s one man I’ve seen often at the library and he’s allowed to bring his dog inside which I think is just wonderful. The first time I saw him before I could even smile at him and his dog he told me he was permitted to have the dog inside. I smiled and replied that I wouldn’t have even questioned it. He remembered when I stopped to say hi the following time.
Okay, I think Laura is joining the kindest group along with our neighbor Becky. You’re the best. 🙂
Thank you, Joy! That’s so sweet of you to say.
What a lovely birthday you had, Sissy! It was so nice to see you and your wonderful family. The boating and being in the water looks fantastic. I absolutely love the water!! We were on the Gulf side of Florida as well once for vacation (Ft. Myers Beach and Sanibel). I was in the Pacific as a child when we went to Disneyland and have been in the Atlantic various places from PEI to South Carolina as well as all five Great Lakes.
So fun to see you diving. I always download a video on my computer and it works great. Thanks for sharing all the photos.
Yes, very hot here yesterday, but this morning there was a nice breeze, so good for a walk.
Laura, my dad grew up on a farm in Lancaster, Ohio. We visited there many summers when his parents were alive. I remember going to a nice pool where I think I learned to swim a bit. Also we went to a lake, I remember. It was a great farm with the big horses that pull the machinery , a spring house for the milk, chickens, cats in the barn. I loved it.
Hi Sissy ! What great pictures of family fun and in the water too!!! It looks like you had a wonderful birthday celebration. There’s nothing g more fun playing in the water, let alone diving down in crystal clear water! Thank you for sharing your pictures with us.
What a nice looking family you have too.
Thank you, Paula, I am so glad you enjoyed them. We had such a great reunion.
Seeing all Sissy’s pictures was a lot of fun. And she is truly 85 years young. It has been years since I’ve been out in a boat. I used to go out fishing in the Gulf a lot with a friend of mine who had a boat but that was before I met and married David so it’s been 45 years.
As for swimming, well I nearly drowned when I was about three. I fell off a platform into a lake. Fortunately my cousin saw me and grabbed and held me until an adult helped get me back on the platform. I was only three but somehow that stayed with me because I would not take my feet off the bottom of a pool ever. But in 10th grade our school had a pool and swimming was the PE for sophomores. Our swimming skills were tested by making us swim the length of the pool. We all had to wear bathing caps in those days. Those who had Red Cross training wore white caps, and the ones who couldn’t swim at all wore these horrible looking red caps and the rest wore blue caps. Well there was no way I was wearing that horrible red thing on my head so I got in the pool and swam the whole length for the first time in my life. After that it was easy. All it took was the proper motivation.
About the weather well I’m telling you this not to make anyone feel bad but to rejoice over the fact that we actually have had a small front come through and our temps have not been out of the 80s for a few days. Today at lunch time it was actually in the low 70s. Wouldn’t mind if it kept up for the rest of the summer. After last summer with weeks of 100+, I’m all for a bit of a reprieve.
Great story, Barbara, glad you got over your fear of swimming!
Well, that was amazing — I just clicked on the link, and there I was (or seemed to be) underwater. You look perfectly at home there. I’m glad you had such a lovely day,
Thank you, Marilyn, it was so fun, a great family reunion and birthday.