Casual Cloning

I was bored. bored. bored. And then I remembered the tripod. ZAP! boredom. gone.

Love the children, love them not

So we're on our way back from watching the stallions, and I'll admit that we were feeling quite disappointed. After attending Dressage at Devon in Pennsylvania for years we couldn't help but compare and we discovered we were snooty. Then we found ourselves in a parking lot of traffic on the highway right at dinner rush hour. Guess that's what we get for our upturned noses. But then I spied Woody's River Roo Pub from the bridge overpass. And I had the most delicious crab cakes I have ever had. Surprise!

But as the picture displays, I have suddenly been noticing signs about children in places that are not the friendliest ever. Have the signs always been around? Or are retailers finding that parents are forgetting to teach and monitor appropriate behavior in their offspring?

Those little kids in the picture were sweet. And their parents kept their eyes on them the whole time. Just sayin'. In defense of those that do.

Herrmann's Royal Lippizzaner Stallions

Herrmann's Royal Lippizzaner Stallions from Austria is a family-run affair that showcases these gorgeous horses. They are so beautiful and to see them in motion is moving. It's been on my list of Tampa Bay area things to do for a while. Down in Myakka, it was a little more than an hour's love-bug squashing ride from Indian Shores. The performance itself wasn't breathless, but it was a dress performance open to the public for donation and I'm glad I finally satisfied my curiosity.

This young stallion was showing off in front of a crowd for the first time. Some attitude, huh?!

Unattended Children

You can just see the sign in the upper right corner of the picture. It says "Unattended children will be given espresso and a free kitten". And so, without question, my grandson was being carefully attended at the Sweet Sage Cafe.

The Freedom of Mobility

Now that Mason can move his way around a room he is giddy! Everything is funny to him. This new freedom has shaken loose his irritation and all of the joy is pouring out.

Before I can blink my eyes, I'll bet that little Mason will be asking for the car keys. I can see him putting the top down on our convertible, playing the radio too loud and driving down Gulf Boulevard giddy with the joy of his found-again freedom of mobility.

Some walk in the rain, others just get wet

These girls *run* in the rain. One dashing into it and the other out. We spent the day at Busch Gardens with my cousin and his wife. They were visiting us from Alaska and my cousin told me that they really wanted to visit Busch Gardens. After riding a few roller coasters with him I finally heard him say that he had never ridden on a roller coaster before that day. Sheesh! He was fearless! I was duly impressed.

There was one roller coaster that had a foolishly steep drop that terrified me (I saw my face in the candid camera pictures and they accurately depicted my terror). It was mesmerizing to watch (as long as I wasn't on it) and then I realized how fun it was to watch the kids wait and wail when the car dipped into the water and sprayed everyone in the walkway.

There's something so satisfying about watching the glee and hearing the happy shrieks of kids playing in the middle of a sunny day.

Smitten by White





What is it about color against all white that is so delicious? Contrast I suppose. With the pink (as opposed to red) the blooms suddenly appear delicate and dear. It makes me want to wear pearls or a tutu, listen to Mozart and sip from tiny, thin tea cups.