Checking in

Still here with the limited internet capability.  Hence - no pictures for all this time.

We are west of the Austin/Blanco/Wimberly areas.  We have had strong storms, but we are on such a high hill that if we even get close to flooding at the house, we all had best look for the ark.  Now we may not be able to leave the area if it were to get really bad because we have so many low water crossings between us and civilization.

My stress level is about 200%.  The storms have been strong, often with vicious lightening bolts.  I worry about losing power.  We are all electric here.  I worry about Clyde having to go out when it is pouring.  Or being taken out and NOT doing his business when we know he needs to - but he is a delicate little 75 pound thing that doesn't want to get his paws wet!

Monday Jersey Village/Houston got hammered.  JV has a history of flooding, and while we have yet to flood (knock on wood), I still worry.  It came up to the house on the street behind us the last time it flooded.  Our rental house has flooded, and I worried about our tenants.  I am not sure they still have our phone number here.  Krissi was telling me her car almost flooded being in front of her house - and it drains rapidly there, but not that night.

To top it all off, Katie and her dad were flying in to Houston as the storm was settled in there.  They had to end up landing in Austin, and after a couple of hours on the plane they were allowed off.  They ended up staying in a hotel for the remainder of the night.  Relief because Krissi was to have go to pick them up at the airport.  She couldn't get out from the reports I was getting via internet here.  I have just about used all my data on my phone!

Hopefully we will be going home tomorrow, but I am worried about that.  Right now Austin is getting hit with a severe storm - again.   The community (Cypress) just to our north at home got hammered with bad flooding this morning between 6 and 10.  

I WANT TO BE IN MY REAL HOUSE!

San Francisco/Bay Area travelog part 2

Beginning to climb just out of Denver  You can see the front of the train going up hill.

Being a South Texas girl, I am still fascinated by snow!!

Higher and higher into the Rockies

The beautiful canyons of the Colorado River

Donner Pass

 r

From above Berkeley

Our chariot around SF - especially to the Golden Gate and Saucelito area

Didn't go in -   but the Palace of Fine Arts built on the site of a World's Fair.  These columns were part of one of the exhibits I believe and were re-purposed here. 

As if you don't know!!!

and again!  Katie told me she bicycled this when they were there, and it was a little scary!

And so brings part two to an end.  Somehow a really neat picture got deleted from this group and I will put it in with the next ones.  Either Blogger,  my computer or my album didn't want to add anymore for today.  So there will be a part three.

San Francisco travelog - part 1

We left Houston and flew to Denver.  Seems like a strange way to California, right?  Well it is, but the TRAIN we wanted to take - the California Zephyr - goes from Chicago to Emeryville - which is just south of Berkeley.  We were going to stay in Berkeley.

The flight was ok, but, as usual TSA was a bit of a pain.  The airlines clearly states that any medical equipment, prescribed by a physician, does not count against your carry on.  The first TSA agent told me I couldn't have my purse, small carry on bag AND my CPAP.  I tried to tell her what it was, but she was getting upset with me.  G, who like me doesn't want to admit he is hearing deficient, was talking in my other ear. So I gave up on my point and just "handed" him the CPAP.  There are things I always carry on:  meds, a change of underwear, toiletries, and perhaps a computer.That was all in a small carry on. 





Anyway I made it through the body scanner with it going off because of my titanium knees and  also the beads (????) on my blouse. But no pat down. Never had one in Houston! Ate l unch at the airport - good salad! Waited on the plane.

Now flying with old seasoned traveler, I ask if he wanted to play the handicapped card to pre-board.  I have a placard.  We  used it when Katie, Krissi, and I went to Riverside, California for water polo.  He said that since we were first class, he didn't see the need.  (since we fly less than once a year - we splurge!)  Well - the people began lining up in boarding group one.  There must have been 50 people.  Guess who was at the very END of the line!    t's pre- boarding for me from now on!

Got to Denver and slept poorly.  Time change (ahead an hour) and no clocks in the room had the correct time.  Our train was an early one the next morning.  But all was well.  Made the train in plenty of time - $22 poorer for the cab.

So I am going to jump two days ahead here to show you what was awaiting us in Berkeley:

The living room of the Berkeley bungalow we rented for the week.

Also the living rook

Kitchen

Kitchen

Dining arrea

Sitting area in dining

View from dining/den

Bedroom 1

Bedroom 1

View from bedroom one

also view from bedroom one

Hollywood style bath - toilet tucked away at left.  Pocket doors were a pain however

utility room off bath

second bedroon

second bedroom

second bedroom - the  house was set up in a circle - the living room is to the left

garden around the front porch

the landing for the second floor where one of the owners lives and the garden again!

roses as big as salad plates

climbing miniature roses acoss the front gate and fence

We really stayed in a spa like setting.  It was great.  When we went to SF we took BART.  But I am getting ahead of myself.  See you later with part 2!  So be forewarned.`

Mystery

That's my internet connection.  For the last four days, it has only worked properly if the moon and stars were perfectly aligned, I held my mouth just right, and mostly in the afternoons - sometimes.

I know there are those who could ascertain the problem in a couple of seconds and fix it, but not me.  I have been refraining from calling ATT because I know the first step, and the one I considered myself, was to unplug the danged thing.

I have spent the time that I couldn't be on the internet trying to reload the million of so embroidery designs to this computer.  I worked on some on the train (even when I was on the one without wi-fi.  All I needed was the external hard drive and I was using my baby laptop (it is about 5 includes wide).  The external hard drive was seeming to be really wonky so I wanted to get them onto this one where I have paid for a Cloud account.  So after a couple of days, my valued designs are safe living in the cloud.

I still haven't downloaded the pictures.  I really have to do that while this feeble brain recalls what things are!  I also want to have them made into a book again.  I think this time, rather than Snapfish, I will use Costco.  Snapfish did a beautiful job, but I want to see what Costco can do.

I did the book on Alaska.  By the time I was finished I probably spent $100 and it took me hours.  It is a big, bulky scrapbook.  The one of the trip to Seattle and Glacier was from Snapfish and it is really nice (and neat!!).

My children have finally decided what we are doing tonight for Mother's Day.  There is some animosity growing there between daughter and DIL.  I know one reason it that Katie didn't get her birthday present from DIL until G's birthday April 23.  Her birthday is January 16.  And DIL has never liked SIL.  Of course SIL doesn't like DIL either.  FAMILIES!!  Just glad I get to see my son tonight.

Happy Mother's Day to you all.

Home again, home again and all that jazz

And back to Physical Therapy, mammograms, eye appointments and other various doctor appointments!

We had a great time, and I do have pictures to share - when I have time to download them to cull.  The sights on the train were absolutely fantastic.  The Rockies and Sierras were breath taking.

We spent two days in San Francisco utilizing a "hop on, hob off" tour bus.  Saw the Golden Gate on both days, Saucelito twice and the beautiful Muir Woods.  We found a park above Berkeley (where we stayed in a fantastic bungalow) that had breath taking views.  Drove Highway 1 (the coastal highway), and went to a National Park - the Pinnacles that was so inspiring.

Of course there were downsides to it all.  Looking for elevators in the BART stations.   I have just enough vertigo that I am afraid of escalators - so it was stairs much of the time.  I know I really irritated those commuters who were in a big hurry.
he
The last leg of the train trip back to Denver wasn't great (still pretty good though).  I AM an advocate for good treatment of the handicapped.  I am pretty close to being one.  But an intellectual handicapped woman got on the train in Salt Lake City - which was in the middle of the night.  She  probably has a minimal physical handicap - clearly no worse than mine.  I will talk about her later.

This is it for today.  Had the mammogram this morning, and this afternoon is my eye injection.  So if the computers and modem decide to be nice and cooperate unlike yesterday afternoon, I will be back at some point tomorrow.