Standing Into Danger

Friday, April 12, 2024

On Becoming a Lady of Leisure

Well, my time crunch didn't ease. It worsened.

We got back home yesterday evening after a three-night trip to Florida

to see Terry's brother who is seriously ill.

It was a difficult but worthwhile visit, and we all enjoyed seeing each other.

A Strange, but Oddly Beautiful, Landscape (to Me)

Panhandle, Florida, USA

April 8, 2024

On Tuesday, while we were in Palm City Beach, my eye surgeon's scheduling nurse

called me to tell me that a surgery slot had opened up on Monday, April 15th.

Could I make it?

Of course, the call came while I was 1200 feet out on a pier in the Gulf of Mexico

surrounded by fishermen, screaming gulls, and crashing waves.

M. B. Miller County Pier

Panama City Beach, Florida, USA

April 9, 2024

Fortunately, I was trying to photograph the tumbling waves,

and I could toss my iPhone to Terry to try to get the call before the nurse hung up.

I could hear nothing and see little on my screen.

I can handle point-and-shoot photography,

but not blindly trying to accept an important call.

Waves Crashing near M. B. Miller County Pier

Gulf of Mexico, Panama City Beach, Florida, USA

April 9, 2024

Success! I was scheduled thanks to my calm husband.

And a bright spot too, after just having said goodbye

to Terry's brother and promising to return soon.

Now I'm scrambling to cancel and reschedule appointments

and get ready for my surgery on Monday morning:

unpacking, laundry, ironing, groceries, bills, medical forms ~ you name it!

At least I don't have time to worry about my surgery, which is a good thing.

But, come Monday, I will be a lady of leisure for two weeks.

Dr. Superman (That's what my voicemail calls my eye surgeon Dr. Subramanian.)

told me that I can't work out, lift anything over 15 pounds,

or do anything stressful for two weeks after my operation.

He assured me that he doesn't have to take my eyeballs out

and that I'll be under general anesthesia. Whew!

Yup, Gonna Be a Lady of Leisure!

Aurora, Colorado USA

January 9, 2019

Poor Terry ~ I plan to milk it, lol!

Probably not. He's been through a stressful and difficult time.

Yesterday's flights home were scrambled by severe storms in the southeast.

We rerouted from Palm City Beach through Nashville,

because we couldn't make our connecting flight in Houston in time.

In Nashville we could catch a Denver-bound flight.

Our bags had already been placed on the plane to Houston,

so they found their own way to Denver.

I so love Southwest Airlines. They were so good to us!

Terry and Others Lining Up to Rebook Their Flights

Panama City Beach Airport, Florida, USA

April 10, 2024

This Guy Made My Day with a Bow

(He spotted me taking lots of pictures ~ lol)

Nashville International Airport, Nashville, Tennessee, USA

April 10, 2024

Turning onto the Runway

Time to Rock and Roll in Stormy Skies

Panama City Beach Airport, Florida, USA

April 10, 2024

Lots of rock and rolling during our two flights, but we made it despite the turbulence.

Home looked sooooo good!!!

Our Plane's Shadow as We Approached the Runway at Denver International Airport

Near Denver and Aurora, Colorado USA

April 10, 2024

T. H. Stone Memorial St. Joseph Peninsula State Park

Port Saint Joe, Florida, USA

April 8, 2024

I'm linking to Rain's Thursday Art and Dinner Date, Nicole's Friday Face Off,

and Tom's Aloha.

For Rain: Wheels. Okay, I have a thing for machines and hardhats!

The Beginning of a Huge Development Nearby

Aurora, Colorado USA

April 8, 2015

For Nicole: Goofy Faces. I thought I was seeing things

when I spotted the Sphinx from the pier, but it was part of a miniature golf course.

Goofy Golf Faces

Panama City Beach, Florida, USA

April 9, 2024

For Tom: An oil leak and scattered rose petals in a sacred place.

USS Arizona Memorial

Pearl Harbor, Honolulu, Hawai'i, USA

February 28, 2024

Have a great weekend!

Till next time ~
Fundy Blue

Writing this on Thursday,

publishing it at 12:00 am Friday.

My next post will be

Friday, April 17th 🤞

On the Bay of Fundy
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved

Friday, April 5, 2024

Aloha!

I'm really in a time crunch this week,

but I decided just now that I could post something brief.

On February 26th, Terry and I attended the Kilohana Hula Show in Kapi'olani Park.

It was spectacular!

Aloha!

Kapi'olani Park, Honolulu, Hawaii, USA

February 26, 2024

My inspiration was Tom's Aloha Friday.

I am also linking to Rain's Thursday Art and Dinner Date and Nicole's Friday Face Off.

And that's all folks ~ my shortest post ever!

I hope to share more photos of the show another time.

I'll be back with a more typical post next Friday.

Have a great weekend!

Till next time ~
Fundy Blue

My next post will be

Friday, April 12th 🤞

On the Bay of Fundy
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved

Wednesday, April 3, 2024

IWSG: Wednesday, April 3, 2024 ~. Everything's Coming Up Roses!

It's the first Wednesday of the month,
the day that members of the
Insecure Writer's Support Group
share their writing struggles
and writing successes
and offer their encouragement
and support to fellow writers.

To visit the IWSG website, click here.

To become a member of the IWSG, click here.

Our wonderful co-hosts who are volunteering today,
along with IWSG Founder Alex J. Cavanaugh are Janet Alcorn,

T. Powell Coltrin, Natalie Aguirre, and Pat Garcia!

I hope you have a chance to visit today's hosts and thank them for co-hosting.

I'm sure they would appreciate a visit and an encouraging comment.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Every month the IWSG announces a question that members can answer
with advice, insight, a personal experience, or a story in their IWSG posts.

Or, the question can inspire members
if they aren't sure what to write about on IWSG Day.

Remember the question is optional.

This month's featured question is:

How long have you been blogging? (Or on Facebook/Twitter/Instagram?) What do you like about it and how has it changed?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Happy April, Everyone!

I hope you are enjoying the beginning of a new season that arrived with the equinox.

Spring has sprung or summer is done.

Regardless, I wish you happiness and creativeness.

Meanwhile, everything's coming up roses for me!

Oh, Terry! You Shouldn't Have!

March 27, 2024

Just kidding ~ Terry didn't envelop me in roses!

I just have a rosy outlook,

which feels wonderful after the challenges I've faced since April 10, 2021.

I seem to have turned a big corner healthwise and so has Terry,

incrementalism is easing my stress and helping me accomplish personal goals,

and I'm working on my memoir on a regular schedule again.

Gorgeous Roses!

Fontainebleau Las Vegas

The Strip, ⁨Las Vegas, Nevada, ⁨United States

March 27, 2024

All the Pretty Roses!

Fontainebleau Las Vegas

The Strip, ⁨Las Vegas, Nevada, ⁨United States

March 27, 2024

I'm so glad that this month's question is about blogging!

This genre has sustained me throughout my retirement.

I launched my blog "Standing Into Danger on August 14, 2012,

and, no matter what happened throughout the years since,

I have blogged regularly and published 760 posts, not counting this one.

Whenever I was discouraged about my "real" writing,

I would remind myself that blogging was writing too,

and I was doing it! I was a writer.

Fontainebleau Las Vegas

March 27, 2024

(We won't mention my defunct "Mrs. Barbour's Wonderful World of Science blog,

which published one post on Asian and African elephants and then shut down.

My school district had encouraged its elementary teachers

to start classroom blogs, particularly to engage young boys.

Well, I went for it, circa 2010, publishing photos I had taken

at Sairung Elephant Camp outside Khao Lak, Thailand.

And then, I discovered to my chagrin, that my highly engaged third grade boys

had figured out how to enlarge the photos I had embedded in my post ~

large enough to see the outline of the breasts of a woman

riding an elephant while wearing a sheer blouse.

Blog terminated immediately, photo deleted immediately ~ lol!)

Feeding the Asian Elephant That I Rode

Sairung Elephant Camp

Outside of Khao Lak, Thailand ⁨United States

December 14, 2008

There are several things I especially like about blogging.

First, over the years it has honed my writing skills, for which I am grateful.

Next, posting about my family's time in the North became the basis for my memoir.

Then, blogging allowed me to showcase my photography,

which I love pursuing almost as much as writing.

Finally, and most importantly, I treasure the friendships I've built over the years.

It's the friendships, the relationships, I've made that have kept me blogging.

I have special friends all around the world, both in the IWSG and outside it.

Some, like Pat Hatt, I've met in person, and I hope to meet more!

I've found understanding, encouragement, and support.

Often my online friends get me more than my offline friends.

Terry and I with Pat

Smith's Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada

July 28, 2023

The biggest change I have seen is that the number of people blogging has decreased.

It is a time-consuming undertaking, and our lives have gotten busier and busier,

so I understand why some people have stopped blogging.

I worry that it will die out as a form of communication in future years.

But, then again, maybe not, because friendship is a powerful motivator.

Fontainebleau Las Vegas

March 27, 2024

Have a creative and fulfilling April!

Enjoy IWSG Day! And a big thank you to the co-hosts!

Till next time ~
Fundy Blue

https://selkiegrey4.blogspot.com

My next post will be soon!🤞

Friday, March 29, 2024

When I'm in Vegas, I Always ...

I was riding up the elevator at the D on Fremont Street Tuesday morning

when an employee asked me, "How are you this morning?"

"I'm waking up," I said, saluting her with my hot cup of coffee.

"What would we do without coffee?" she responded. "I hope you have a great day."

"When I'm in Vegas, I always have a great day!" I said.

"Here I have nothing to worry about!"

My friend Janeth and I

We had last seen each other about five weeks ago in Waikiki.

(She's from Ottawa, Ontario, Canada)

Whiskey Licker Up, Fremont Street

Downtown Las Vegas, Nevada, USA March 25, 2024

And it's true. I've been coming here since August 1973,

and I've never not had a good time in Las Vegas.

The world disappears, and I live in the moment.

I don't have to worry about working, taking care of the house,

or the routine busyness of life. I can do whatever I want.

And I sleep like a baby!

Watching My Favorite Fremont Street Band ~ Stays in Vegas

Featuring Lead Singer and Frontman Jeff St. Germain

Whiskey Licker Up, Fremont Street

Downtown Las Vegas, Nevada, USA March 25, 2024

I hope you're not imaging a wild, crazy, and out of control Louise.

I'm quiet and low key. I like to slip around anonymously.

That way I can observe and take photographs without drawing attention to myself.

When I win at video poker, anything, I rarely make a sound.

I don't want anyone to notice. If Terry remarks on my win,

I get mad at him and say, "Don't grump on me!

I don't want to attract the attention of the Universe."

A Previous Big Win ~ A Royal Flush

Laughlin, Nevada, USA November 24, 2016

So what am I doing in Las Vegas this week? I'm here for two reasons.

Terry treated me to a very special event on Tuesday evening,

and Janeth and I completed a bucket list item for both of us on Wednesday.

For those of you who may think I experienced more than my share

of tropical sunshine on O'ahu recently, the Universe noticed.

Early Sunday morning the National Weather Service issued

a blizzard warning for Aurora and the Front Range that night.

I couldn't believe it!

Terry is taking me to Teddy Swims' concert in Vegas,

and there is a blizzard coming the night before we leave!

Terry booked Sunday night at the Hyatt Place by Denver International Airport,

and we caught a Lyft there just as the bad weather moved in.

This is so not Terry, but he knew I was freaked out at the thought of missing Teddy Swims.

Terry's the best!

Driving to the Airport (DIA) Monday Morning

Aurora, Colorado, USA March 25, 2024

Deicing the Plane Before We Take Off

Aurora, Colorado, USA March 25, 2024

Hello Beautiful Waterpocket Fold and Capitol Reef National Park!

I look for this spectacular monocline every time I fly to Vegas.

Southern Utah, USA March 25, 2024

Pulling into the Gate in Las Vegas!

Aurora, Colorado, USA March 25, 2024

Teddy Swims appeared with his band Freak Freely on Tuesday evening

in the Chelsea Theater at the Cosmopolitan on the Strip.

I discovered Teddy and his band on YouTube over a year ago,

and I fell in love with his voice and his ability to make you feel the emotion of a song.

Me (Louise) Waiting for the Concert to Begin

The Chelsea Theatre, Cosmopolitan, Las Vegas, USA March 26, 2024

Teddy got his start by uploading covers to YouTube in 2019 and 2020.

When his first upload, a cover of Michael Jackson's "Rock With You" went viral,

he asked his friends to commit to helping him with his music for six months.

The rest is history.

With a lot of hard work, Teddy accumulated millions of views,

and scored a record deal with Warner Records in 1919.

One of my favorites of those early YouTube covers

is Teddy's version of Lewis Capaldi's "Someone You Loved."

It features Teddy and his longtime friends Jesse Hampton and Addy Maxwell.

Freak Freely with Addy Maxwell (left), Teddy Swims (center), and Jesse Hampton (right)

The Chelsea Theatre, Cosmopolitan, Las Vegas, USA March 26, 2024

When we were waiting in line to enter the Chelsea, a door opened right beside me.

Out stepped Addy Maxwell! I was so startled I blurted out, "Addy! Hi!"

He smiled at me and said, "Hi! How's it going?"

I had watched him and listened to his guitar and piano playing so often on YouTube

that I felt like I knew him. I was so excited he said "Hi" to me ~ lol!

Guitarist Addy Maxwell (front left)

(As photographed from the Nosebleed Upper Left Gallery)

The Chelsea Theatre, Cosmopolitan, Las Vegas, USA March 26, 2024

Teddy and Freak Freely did not disappoint.

They delivered a setlist that included so many of my favorite songs.

And, of course, Teddy sang his international hit

and Billboard Hot 100 #1 hit, "Lose Control" (list dated March 30, 2024).

I loved every song, and the enthusiasm of the concert goers was unmistakable.

And Teddy and Freak Freely are coming to Denver!!!

A Short Clip of "Lose Control" Featuring Addy Playing the Guitar

by ME! ~ YouTube

On Wednesday evening my friend Janeth and I took the plunge literally!

We flew out of the top of the world's largest slot machine SlotZilla!

I've been wanting to fly down Fremont Street under its canopy since I first saw it.

The zip line is an exhilarating 11 stories high when you fly out, and it is 5 blocks long.

No one would do it with me until Janeth said she'd come to Vegas and fly with me.

Now that's a true friend!

Janeth and Me ~ Geared Up and Waiting to Fly

SlotZilla, Downtown Las Vegas, USA March 27, 2024