Memories and Reminiscing

Bri went to the groomers and as always Top Paw Pet Spa takes a photo of the dogs when she's done.  She's a pretty girl.                                                                                 Pamela's neighbor has a new dog and apparently she and Bri are good buddies because the Simba (new friend) found a loose board and was in Pamela & Kaleb's backyard playing with Bri.  

As I was working at my embroidery machine the other day something caught my attention outside my sewing room window.. I looked up and saw this big ole hawk.  The quality of the picture isn't that great since I took it through the window. I figured if I tried to get outside it would hear or see me and fly away.  It's pretty hawk.

 I think he was posing for me. 

A nurse friend of Pamela's was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and had surgery so I got in and made her the seat belt cushion, under the arm pillows and a neck pillow. 

Don't look to close at the stitching on the seat belt cushion because it's not pretty. I forgot how hard it was to sew all the layers and Velcro.  I snapped a picture of the under arm pillow just as Sadie walked in and caught her in the picture as if I planned it. And I didn't get a picture of the neck pillow. I was told that the neck pillow comes in handy if they have to sleep sitting up.  

Our book club G3 met up on 9/12 to discuss The Mark of the Assassin by Daniel Silva. Pretty good book. Come to find out there's 3 more that follow this book. Good thing it left us hanging and wondering about several of the characters and who is the Big Bad Guy. We went to Big Bob's Steak House in Cameron out by the airport. The food was really good and the company is always good. Pam B. took our picture 

I'm all caught up with my 2024 Color Block Challenge now so I'm waiting for the post of the October block. I completed July, August and September at the beginning of  September.  I'm actually going to complete a sew a long challenge for once. 

Where does time go? We graduated 50 years ago. Damn! September 13-15 was David's HS reunion at South Shore Harbor in the Clear Lake/Kemah area. Bruno and Sadie were booked to go to a kennel in Bryan but they called to say there was a kennel cough outbreak and they were suggesting we find somewhere else. Okay so I had to scramble and search for somewhere for our babies to stay. Got lucky and our Vet in Caldwell suggested SaPaHa Kennels there in Caldwell and to be honest that is closer to us and more convenient to get to so we went and checked them out.  The owners Paul and Sally are really nice. So we dropped Bruno and Sadie off on the 13th for a couple nights.  The first night Bruno didn't want to eat but he got acquainted with the place and settled in. They have several runs for the dogs to play in. We put them in a big run and they were checking it all out. The kennels are inside the red barn and is air conditioned..  As we drove off I could see Bruno and Sadie looking out. This is only the second time we've boarded them since we rescued them in 2022.

We'll be back I promise.

On our way to the reunion we stopped in our old neighborhood where we lived after getting married.  Back in I think 1993 after we had moved to Lakewood Forest the subdivision flooded real bad. Our house had gotten like 15" of water in it. We weren't in the flood plain but we always kept flood insurance on it but the people who bought it did not. That was too bad. Now pretty much all the houses have been bought out by FEMA bulldozed down. Our home used to be there on this bare lot. and that mound in the 2nd picture was out front of my daughters bedroom. Sad to see it gone.

 

Time to get down the road and stop reminiscing for today.

We stayed at the South Shore Harbor Hotel where the reunion was to be held.

Friday night there was a meet and greet at Jackie's Brick House Bar and Grill with a live band. It was fun and the food was good.

After we ate we moved into the party area and I go I know that person and walked over to say Hi to an old friend and his wife. I didn't go to HS with David so I didn't expect to see many people I knew but Ned lived across the street from my parents house over near Hobby Airport. 

David was always over to Ned's house and that's how I got to know my husband David. Ned's wife Olivia was really nice and she so pretty. Ned didn't realize my Mom and had passed but we caught and so did David.

Now this guy is Carter and he's one of the Bell Gang that David has known forever. His wife Lisa is great. She LOVES to dance and even sings.    Then I saw another familiar face... My sorority sister Cindy.  It was nice knowing a few faces.

 This was the view off our balcony. Too hot to sit out there in the afternoons but not bad in the mornings.  It was a little noisy Friday night when we came in. There was like 3 other HS reunions going on in the hotel and the people in the room next to us partied until 4am. Loud music and talking on the balcony and in the room.     When we go up Saturday (9/14) and got going we went back to Jackie's Brick House for some seafood gumbo. It was so good. Then we had to decide what to do with the rest of the day till the reunion started at 6pm.

So we decided to go check out the old neighborhood. Our first look was at David's first home where they lived until he was about 10 years old. The house looked pretty nice and the area was pretty clean. There was a few run down areas but for the most part it all looked good. And of course we had to drive by his elementary school

  

While driving around the neighborhood we found this house. Okay this place. You could not see the house for all the shrubs, trees and vines. Yet it still looked pretty neat and the house was a green color. It made for an interest mow I'm sure.

Next was his home where his family moved and lived when I meet him when we were in college. We were talking and actually passed his house up. It was pretty rough and overgrown looking. His parents took good care of that house. It was sad to see it like this.

Then we drove by all the Bell Gang family homes. Most of their homes were in pretty good shape. Their homes were on the west side of Broadway going towards Hobby airport.

David then took my back on the other side of Broadway to go pass Mom and Joe's house. We moved there from Spring Branch the end of Freshman year in college.

It's didn't look bad but things were overgrown. This was the side of the house and backyard area.

When I looked at the next picture I was like why did I take this picture and then I realized it was the side of the house where my parents and my bedroom windows are behind all those overgrown shrubs and vines. LOL. Even the shrubs in front of the house were kinda tall.

 

Sightseeing time was over. We headed back to the hotel for nap. You know we're getting old and all that sightseeing wore us out. Lol And before we knew it it was time to head downstairs for dinner and some more looking at people going "I know you don't I".  LOL Some people changed a whole bunch and others not so much other than the white or grey hair. 

We had a good time!

Sunday Morning we met Lisa and Carter downstairs for breakfast and we each headed out toward home.  We were ready to go see our pups and we were sure they were ready to be home.  Bruno and Sadie were very happy to see us. I think they slept 80% of the time for the next two day but they seemed happy when we picked them up. I believe we've found a good kennel.

Well I better stop for now or this will be a novel. 

Until my next blog.

.....

.Memories are timeless treasures of the heart. Happy times come and go, but the memories stay forever. A photograph keeps a moment from running away. A photograph is the pause button of life.