Vacation Thankfulness (Ten Things of Thankful)

(Because some people like Blogger and some like WordPress, i am putting the same content at both.  If you would prefer to read this on the other site, it is linked here.) 

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It has been a lovely week at the beach.

The saddest part of life is that things end; that shouldn’t stop us from enjoying and being thankful for them while they happen.  When good things are happening, we are making memories to treasure.

In that light, here are my thankful things about vacation.

Vacation happened, and that is a big thankful.  Grandpa is very kind to let the whole family use the condo in Florida once a year.  He also pays for our groceries and gas to get here.  His generosity makes it possible, without it, we would get no time away at all.

It has been the cloudiest and rainiest week we’ve ever had here, and i am thankful because i’ve spent more time noticing the beauty of clouds and how fast they can move than i ever have before.  (Sunday Selections tomorrow will be many sky pictures.)  Also, two rainbows!

Sunrise walks happened.  A couple of times i got caught in a bit of rain, but for the most part i was able to enjoy my early morning beach time.

Sunset walks happened, and usually the rain was over by then, the sand was moist and the air cool and refreshing, not hot and sticky.

Spending time under the waterfall checking the insides of my eyelids for cracks was rejuvenating.

Our friend Di Dreaming got to come stay with us for a day, and any time i can visit my out-of-town friends is a pleasure.

She and i went on a duck boat tour, and it was great fun.  Duck boats were build during WWII, they drive on the roads and then splash into the water and keep going.  They are not built for speed, but they are useful and fun and were built to last.  We toured Downtown Mobile and part of the bay, and then Di and i stopped at a couple of places on the tour to investigate further.  It made for a fun afternoon.

Sweetie and i got to have a nice dinner out together, not something we do often.

The week did have a couple of problems, such as when we discovered that the A/C was leaking, the lock on one of the balcony doors was broken, and the internet went out.  The front desk staff put in work orders and each of these things was cleared up within an hour or two, so i am grateful for the excellent people who work here.

The joys of seeing the birds, the crabs, the tiny fish swimming in the tidal pools in the sand, and especially watching the children playing at the beach makes me so happy.  When mine were little, i was busy making sure they were safe, so while i enjoyed that time with them, there was always an edge to it.  Watching other people’s children run and play is having the fun without the responsibility.

We’ve had a great time, and i am thankful to no end, even if there is an end to the time itself.

As usual, i am linking up with Ten Things of Thankful, where we are thankful for a new blog hop hostess with the mostess, Kristi from Thankful Me.  

Thank you, Kristi, for agreeing to keep our hop going!

Thank you, Josie Two Shoes, for all you have done for us, we hope you check in often!





An InLinkz Link-up




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Today is:

24 Hours of Le Mans -- Le Mans, France (the biggest sporting challenge for car manufacturers, as they have to be the best over a 24 hour period; through tomorrow)

Bloomsday -- commemoration of James Joyce and his novel, Ulysses

Day of Third-Hand Reports and Shaky Evidence -- Fairy Calendar

Dollars Against Diabetes Days -- always on Father's Day weekend, with information here   

Duanwu -- China (Dragon Boat Festival; the actual festival day this year is Monday, but the offical holidays begin today)

Festival of Ludi Piscatari -- Ancient Roman Calendar (festival for fishermen; some sites say it was on the 17th)

Fresh Veggies Day -- before you have that fudge later

GRABAAWR / GReat Annual Bicycle Adventure Along the Wisconsin River -- WI, US (fun bicycle adventures for all ages, levels, and abilities; through next Saturday)

Husband Caregiver Day -- to honor husbands who give health care to family members (wives, children, or extended family)

International Day of the African Child -- Organisation of African Unity     

Ladies' Day (Baseball) -- anniversary of the first ever Ladies' Day baseball game, hosted by the New York Giants in 1883

Longest Dam Race -- Fort Peck, MT, US (a run that crosses 1.8 miles of the Fort Peck Dam, as well as a fun run, a bike race, and more)

Madam Lou Bunch Day -- Central City, CO, US (Old Flop House Celebration of the Madam who ran the city's most famous house of ill repute during the gold rush, complete with period costumes and a brass bed race!)

Martyrdom Day of Guru Arjan Dev -- Sikh

Mermaid Parade -- Coney Island, Brooklyn, NY, US (wacky and wonderful and worth every wild moment)

National Fudge Day

National Morticians Day -- honoring the last people to ever let you down

National Vinegar Day

Norskedalen's Midsummer Fest -- Coon Valley, WI, US (celebrate summer solstice and Sankt Hans Dag[St. John's Day] the way pioneer Scandinavians did; through tomorrow)

Rochesterfest -- Rochester, MN, US (street dances, parade, exotic foods, children's and senior events, and more; through the 24th)

Spirit of the Woods Folk Festival -- Brethren, MI, US (a family friendly good time in the park)

St. Benno's Day (Patron of anglers, fishermen, weavers; Dresden-Meissen, Germany; Munich, Germany)

St. John-Francis Regis' Day (Patron of embroiderers, lace makers, social workers; Sisters of Saint Francis Regis; against plague)

Sussex Day -- West Sussex, England (on St. Richard's Day as celebrated in this area [current feast day is April 3 elsewhere]; he was Bishop of Chichester from 1245 to 1253, and his shrine was an important pilgrimage site)

World Juggling Day 

Youth Day -- South Africa

Birthdays Today:

Abby Elliott, 1987

Diana DeGarmo, 1987

Phil Mickelson, 1970

Laurie Metcalf, 1955

Sonia Braga, 1950

Joan Van Ark, 1943

Joyce Carol Oates, 1938

Erich Segal, 1937

John Howard Griffin, 1920

Stan Laurel, 1890

Geronimo, 1829

Debuting/Premiering Today:

Ghostbusters II(Film), 1989

The Blues Brothers(Film), 1980

Psycho(Film), 1960

Today in History:

The Zoroastrian Religious Calendar begins with the ascension of Yasdegerd III of Persia, the start of the Persian Era, 632

Battle of Stoke Field, the final engagement of the Wars of the Roses, 1487

British troops take Cape Breton Island, which is now part of Nova Scotia, Canada, 1745

The French surrender Fort Beauséjour to the British, leading to the expulsion of the Acadians, 1755

Abraham Lincoln delivers his House Divided speech in Springfield, Illinois, 1858

The Victoria Hall theatre panic in Sunderland, England kills 183 children, 1883

John Abbott becomes Canada's third prime minister, 1891

The Ford Motor Company is incorporated, 1903

The storming of the cockpit of the Miss Macao passenger seaplane, operated by a subsidiary of the Cathay Pacific Airways, marks the first aircraft hijacking of a commercial plane, 1948

Rudolf Nureyev defects at Le Bourget airport in Paris, 1961

Cosmonaut Valentina Tereshkova becomes the first woman in space, 1963

The largest single-site hydro-electric power project in Canada starts at Churchill Falls, Labrador, 1972

Soweto uprising: a non-violent march by 15,000 students in Soweto, South Africa turns into days of rioting when police open fire on the crowd and kill 566 children, 1976

Israel complies with UN Security Council Resolution 425 after 22 years of its issuance, which calls on Israel to completely withdraw from Lebanon, 2000

The 9/11 Commission, contradicting White House claims, determines Saddam Hussein had no strong ties to al-Qaeda, 2004

British Petroleum agrees to finanace a $20 billion fund to compensate those whose livelihood was damaged by the Deepwater Horizon disaster, 2010

Prince Harry of Wales is cleared to return to active duty in the Afghan War, 2011

Egypt's voters go to the polls for a second round of voting in their first presidential election, 2012