My Alphabe Thursday theme—Places I've Been The Husband and I were waiting for Amtrak at the San Jose Diridon Station this afternoon. We weren't going anywhere, other than back home, jiggity-jigg. We were picking up my godmother who had been up in Sacramento. Sitting alongside the track gave me the wanderlust. Sigh. Once upon a time, the Diridon Station was called the Southern Pacific Depot and Cahill Depot. Built in the mid-1930s, it's a gorgeous brick structure designed in the Italian Renaissance Revival style. The depot was restored in the 1990s and renamed after a Santa Clara county supervisor. I'm guessing Diridon was the guy who made the big push for getting the funds to bring back the station's beauty. According to Wikipedia, the station's platform was used to represent a Connecticut train station in the movie Marnie by Alfred Hitchcock. As the Husband and I sat by Track 4, I wondered if trains used to stop closer to the building. Toda

This is the Carquinez Strait, about 37 miles northeast of San Francisco. It's where the Sacramento and San Joaquin Rivers run into the San Francisco Bay. Carquinez comes from the Spanish word Carquines , which is for Karkin, the name of the Ohlone Indian tribe who once lived in the area. This is the Carquinez Bridge, which stands at the west end of the strait. It's actually two parallel bridges, a cantilever bridge built in the 1950s and a suspension bridge built in 2003 to replace a 1920s bridge that engineers determined would not hold in a big earthquake. These photos were taken a few years ago when the Husband and I, along with friend BB, took a trip to Napa for the day. On the way home, we stopped for dinner in Benicia, which sits on the north shore of the Carquinez Strait.  It's a cute place with lots of art glass studios, boutiques, and restaurants. Also, the once-upon-a-time California capital made lots of interesting California and national history. For in

My Alphabe Thursday theme—Places I've Been The Husband and I stopped in Baker, California fifteen years ago around this time of the year. Baker is a small town located at the point where Interstate 15 and California State Route 127 meet. Highway 127 takes you to Death Valley National Park, while Interstate 15 heads to Las Vegas. Each place extreme in its own way. We were heading back home from Las Vegas, which was our first visit there together. Talk about surrealism. Las Vegas, that is. But, that's for another day. Baker is in the Mojave Desert. It's known for having the tallest thermometer in the world—134 feet high.  The electric sign was built in the early 1990s to memorialize when Death Valley recorded 134 degrees Fahrenheit on July 10, 1913. You've heard the saying, "It's so hot you could fry an egg on a sidewalk." Standing next to the thermometer is a sculpture of a pan of fried eggs. How appropriate. Alphabe Thursday i

Today starts another round of the alphabet at Alphabe Thursday , hosted by the delightful Jenny Matlock. My theme this time round is places that I've visited far and near. So, the first place is Aromas, California, which has the distinction of being within two counties—San Benito and Monterey counties—as well as being within a few miles of the borders of Santa Cruz and Santa Clara counties. With a population of about 2,700, this incorporated town is about 18 miles west from Hollister where I live (hence the www.take25tohollister.com signature). But, it was only last year that I first visited Aromas when Friend Jenn and I checked out several artists who were taking part in the annual open art studio tour of San Benito county. These photos were taken then. Five things I like about Aromas. Aromas stays green longer than Hollister. I suppose it's because Aromas is nearer to the coast and gets refreshed by the ocean fog that rolls in.  Aromas is a small town fu

My Alphabe Thursday theme -- The Dude, The Husband The Husband's and my first not-a-date nearly 20 years ago was a hike up a mountain. We learned a lot about each other as we climbed up and down the mountain that day. For one, we both watched Lawrence Welk as kids. He was, in fact, the first person of our generation to whom I ever admitted watching that show. We've been on a lot of urban walks and wilderness hikes since that first not-a-date nearly 20 years ago. A traipse through a pine forest is the Husband's favorite kind of walk. Meandering among the trees clears his lungs and refreshes his soul. The Husband also likes to walk along the beach. So, he's very willing to drive to my favorite beach where the ocean air clears my lungs and refreshes my soul. Today is the letter N at Jenny Matlock's Alphabe Thursday . That's where I shall be checking out other N posts. Come join me by clicking here .

My Alphabe Thursday theme -- The Dude, The Husband Once upon a time, the Husband was part of the marching band in both high school and college. He played the trombone. He totally loved the experience from what I can tell. And, he still has his marching skills. Sometimes when we go walking, he marches ahead of me, turns and marches back, and when we meet, he turns quickly face forward. I have to say, his precision makes me swoon inside. Last year, we walked over to the hardware store to purchase a couple of pieces of long lumber to shore up the back fence.  The husband marched them most of the way home. Check out his style. Can you just see him in a marching band playing the trombone once upon a time? Today is the letter M at Jenny Matlock's Alphabe Thursday . Come check out other M posts with me by clicking here .

My Alphabe Thursday theme -- The Dude, The Husband Not once-upon-a-time, but in the now in a land that could be considered far, far away lives a lion-hearted man with a wonderful sense of humor.  He is a man of many talents and skills. He can interpret the colors and shadows of a forest scene on paper with pastels, pencils, or paint. He can play a cool trombone,  dance his ass off, and whistle like the birds. He can say very articulately, with great logic, why an individual or organization, is being inhumane. This man can do so many things. Once-upon-a-time, this lion-hearted man met a woman deep in the throes of woes. Day by day, he enchanted her and helped her climb out of the abyss and back into the light of laughter, imagination, and love. Then one day, they decided to marry. And, they continue to live happily onward, with some occasional forays into Grrrrr! but that is to be expected. They are a regular, loving couple after all. Today is Jenny Matlock's Alphabe Thurs

My Alphabe Thursday theme -- The Dude, The Husband The Husband and I were watching Celebrity Apprentice earlier this week. (Yes, indeed, we're hooked on this show even though we know we ought to avert our eyes, but we can't help it.) And, we both noticed that one of the female contestants looked like she had a makeover. "Her mustache used to show," the Husband said. "You noticed it, too, did ya?" "It was obvious," he said. "Not really," I said, turning my face to him and pointing above my upper lip. "This is obvious." "I don't see any mustache," the Husband said. "How can you not?"" "Because you're so sparkly." "What?" "I don't see anything but you're sparkliness." Sighhhhhhh. The Dude is a Keeper! And, a few years ago, this keeper decided to play at being a bell keeper. No. Make that a bell ringer! Today is the letter K at

Ovulation. No more of that for me. Old. That's what I am and I'm fine with it. Ostentatious. Who me? Ovid. Never read his stuff. Should I start? Ogre. I can watch a Shrek movie over again. Ocean. Sometimes I think I could live by the ocean, especially if it is a warm ocean in which I could swim every day with the Husband. Say, like the ocean surrounding the Hawaiian Islands. Obequitate. As some of you dear readers know, I love to ride around on Tilda-Hilda, the pretty hard-working pink cruiser that she is. Obtuse. "You are such an obtuse thinker, Susie," said my high school government teacher long, long ago. Ha! He didn't know me at all. Now, if he had said to me, "You're such a dreamer."  So, now you know a bunch more stuff about me, brought to you by the fifteenth letter of the alphabet.  Olé! I'm hanging out at Jenny Matlock's Alphabe Thursday today. Come join me and read other posts featuring the letter O .

Today's letter is C . For more C posts, please click HERE . On the husband's and my last 23rd date, we got in our car and drove east over the mountain to finally do the wander we started a few months ago. The fog was too thick then so we had turned back. Not so a few weeks ago. It was a gorgeous day for being carefree and fancy-free. Back in January, a waitress had told us if we wanted to see some great views, we should go to the San Joaquin Valley National Cemetery in Gustine and drive up to the flagpole. She was right.  The husband thought that the Veterans buried at the cemetery were probably happy to finally be in a peaceful place. San Joaquin National Cemetery in Merced County is one of the 131 national cemeteries for U.S. Veterans . To read personal comments about the cemetery at Yelp.com, click here . We had one goal that day—to hike in the Great Valley Grasslands State  Park. It is truly an undeveloped park. It's a good thing we did our homework. Otherwise, we w

Today's letter is B . For more B posts, please click here . Bleeding. Definitely not to be taken lightly. Postmenopausal bleeding, in particular, for us mature ladies. Still, there's some humor to be found. Hold that thought. Serious stuff first: The medical experts say that postmenopausal bleeding refers to any bleeding (light or heavy) occurring after one full year of no flow. There could be various reasons that a post-menopausal woman may suddenly start bleeding, from benign cervical polyps to yuck! cancer. So, dear ladies, you know who you are, do not hesitate, do not pass Go . Make an appointment to see your gynecologist tout de suite. Okay, back to that held thought. Humor. Let me take you back to 2006. Then was my first bout with postmenopausal bleeding. Lady-Doc (and my gynecologist is a she) found a rather huge, very ugly hot potato of a polyp. She twisted that baby off and sent it to the lab. Ladies, the things our gynecologists must see and do. They're well wort

Alphabe-Thursday , hosted by Jenny Matlock at Off on My Tangent , is staring a new round of the alphabet. Whoo-hoo!   To read more A posts, click on over to here . Of course, that's after reading my A post. ~ Su- sieee ! Mac Getting older is a learning experience. Duh. If someone gave me an operating manual for aging, I doubt that I would open it. That would be like finding out what date and time slot death has assigned me. No, thank you. I'm happy to grumble and gripe, cry and cringe, and mumble and moan through the aging process. The physical aspect, that is. Seriously, I don't think I am at all that old until I happen to glance into a mirror. Fortunately, we still haven't put up another mirror in the bathroom since the old one broke last New Year's Eve.  So, what I don't see, well is what I don't see. Though a few weeks ago, someone asked me ever so sweetly and with much concern, "Are you sick?" Huh? Heck, no. Knock on wood. 

Today's letter is Z . For more Z posts, please click here . Zounds! No longer a zitella am I. What does it matter. I still have zip, zazz, and zizz. Oh, yes, and zany. I have zipped the lines and one day I shall zumba.  Now, it's time for me to start making some zzzzzzzzzzzz's. Until later, my sweet Zumbadors!

Today's letter is Y . For more Y posts, please click here . We could be walking, riding our bicycles, or driving down the way. "I need to take a picture," I announce. He does not yelp. Nor does he yawp. He waits patiently.  Yawn. He does now and then. He says he is just relaxed. I am so fortunate.