11, 898 Visitors. Are You Kidding Me? I ramble on about visitors.....oh, no!

It seems my counter widget has gone haywire on all three of my blogs.

My Keepsake Letters blog has progressed from 284 visitors to over 11, 894.

Same with my Quoting The Quotable blog.  Only it went from 233 visitors to 11, 894.

And my main blog, which you are currently reading jumped from 1848 to 11, 898.

If you haven't visited one of my other blogs, you might be surprised by them.

You're asking yourself how I know the exact numbers, right?

Well, I keep track. 

(It's an anal thing.  It's the Virgo in me)

I know.  I just can't help myself.

Any time I view my comments on my blog I always make sure to write down the count.

I do this so that I can get a better idea of what readers are responding to.

Like this particular post right now.....

I probably won't get anyone too interested in reading this.

However, inserting funny pictures and lots of photos seem to help.

It seems that most of my visitors land here via the memes I participate in.

I'm still searching for my inner voice.

I thoroughly enjoy the memes, especially the photo memes,

but I do so secretly wish that people visited me because

they like my blog or the things I express in words and pictures

rather than feeling obligated to do so.

I really do spend a few hours every day reading other peoples blogs.

I don't do it out of obligation.

I do it because I truly love the blogs I read.

If you've noticed that I'm one of your regular visitors who always leaves a comment,

especially more than a brief sentence,

then you know that your blog is one of my favorites.

And at some point I will blog about my favorites and send visitors your way.

Right!  Like I really am the almighty powerful mover and shaker. 

Oh hell! 

I'll give it a try anyway.

Maybe someone will listen when I tell them about your really cool, awesome, inspiring blog.

Have a great day everyone.  I'll try to visit all your blogs by the end of this weekend.

I took a little break yesterday and today,

So I will catch up with you later.

My Top Ten Travel Destinations In The U. S.

I love to travel. 

I especially like going to places I've never been. 

For me, the fun is in exploring a new town and discovering all the little things that make that place great.

I love learning about the history,

and taking notice of architectural details on old buildings.

I get excited when I see something that is slightly different from my daily experiences in my own town.

I love seeking out restaurants to eat in

and meeting the towns people.

I like driving on the roads in and around town so I can look at all the houses,

and experience every little thing about the town.

I would like to travel abroad one day, but for now,

I have a list of places I want to visit in the United States.

These are my top ten:

1. Church Hill Downs (Kentucky Derby) 

I've dreamed about the Kentucky Derby since I was a little girl.

2.  Branson Missouri

I'm a country girl at heart so I would love touring the country music venue of Branson.

3.  Yankee Stadium 

I've been to New York and it was a fantastic vacation, however,  I've always had the desire

to see the New York Yankees play live.  I think this stems from watching old black and white movies about Lou Gherig and Babe Ruth when I was a child.  Going to Yankee Stadium has been one of my dreams for as long as I can remember.

4. Savannah, Georgia

When I discovered Paula Deen on the food network, my desire to go to Savannah was born. It looks like such a pretty town and it's silly, but I want to go there just so I can say I ate at the Lady and Sons Restaurant.  Well, that's not the only reason but it is high on the list.  I also want to go on ghost tours.

5.   St. Augustine, Florida.

One of the oldest cities in the U.S.

From a photographic perspective, this is a heavenly place.

6.  Charleston, South Carolina

Another desire brought about by a TV show,  Real Estate Pros

I actually want to go to Trademark Properties and meet some of the people that were on the show.

7.  Anywhere in North Carolina

8.  San Antonio, Texas

I'd like to see the famous River Walk Area

9.  Seattle Washington

10.  Santa Fe, New Mexico

I've heard that it is one of the prettiest cities in New Mexico.  And of course,

I'd like to try some of their chiles.

My goal is to visit all 50 states before I die and explore tons of cities and towns within those states. 

That is my most passionate desire.

And I will document every travel with photos!

What are your dream destinations?  I'd love to hear about the places you'd like to visit or have already visited.

Mosaic Monday ~ Sail Boat Races

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This is a Remote Control Sailboat Club that meets here every Sunday for boat races.

It takes place in a community of Las Vegas called Desert Shores.

I get the priviledge of seeing this every week because I have endermologie

every Sunday right next door.  See the palm trees in the top photo second to left?

That is a public beach area and right next door to that is where all the little shops and salons are located.

My endermologist is on the second floor so sometimes I look down from the balcony and just enjoy the view.

To enjoy other perspectives on Mosaic Monday visit Mary at Little Red House to see a list of participants and to see her gorgeous mosaic.  She really has some beautiful photos this week.

Tequila, Salsa, A Staff of Hams, Sasha and The Moon. Oh, what a night....

Remember to click on the photos to enlarge images. It is so much better looking at them close up.

Friday is date night for the hubby and me.  One of our favorite things to do on Friday night is to go to our favorite Mexican Restaurant for margaritas.  They make the best in town.  No skimming on the tequila and no watering down.

Last year we happened to go there on our anniversary and our favorite waiter, Ernesto and our favorite waitress, Biene' surprised us with an anniversary card.  It was so touching.

Ernesto no longer works on Friday night and Biene' has moved away to Mexico, so we don't really know the names of the newer waiters and waitresses but we see them on a regular basis and they know us as regulars also.

Friday night was really funny.  I brought my new baby.......you know, the black one with the long lense that can see images from far away.  Well, my baby caused quite a stir and the staff at the restaurant suddenly changed into hams.  I've never seen anything like it.

Our waiter was actually smiling really big while making our guacamole, and although usually friendly, this is kind of a rare occurrance.

While he was making the guacamole, the hubby and I were already sipping our margaritas and munching on chips and salsa.  Let me tell you, their salsa is to die for.  It is so good.

But nothing compares to the goodness of the home made guacamole.  Yummy!

I've tried to replicate it at home, but it always seems like some secret ingredient is missing.

As you can tell from the bowl, we've already devoured quite a bit.

Later, while we were eating our food, we could hear the staff talking about us in the kitchen.  I'm telling you, it was hysterical.  Everyone was prancing around dying for me to take their picture.  We overheard the staff talking about how our waiter was smiling really big and showing off for us.  I think maybe they thought they were going to be featured in a newspaper or magazine of some sort, because they were so alive with glee and making jokes, etc.  It was funny.  So, I just snapped some random photos.

That is the manager serving the table across from us.  He's usually not very friendly and he hardly ever smiles, but tonight, he came over to our table and was talking with us like we were old friends.  I've never seen the manager so jolly.  We caused quite a stir.

I wish I would have snapped more photos of the staff because we really were getting a kick out of how they were behaving in front of us.

It was very cool.

We had a good time like we always do, and then afterward we took Sasha to the park and we saw this bunny rabbit.  It didn't look like a wild bunny.  It looked like someone's pet and the poor thing was so scared.  It took off and hid behind some bushes.  Sasha was hot on his trail.

Isn't it cute.  Remember, you can always click on my photos to see a larger image.

She never did find him though.

We did pass another dog and that caused a little bit of excitement.

If you click on the picture, you can see Sasha's hair stand up behind her neck and how she raises her tail.  She is the alpha dog.  It's hard for us to allow her to get close to other dogs because she wants to be boss all the time.  I wonder where she gets that attitude from. 

I thought this was a cool picture.

So, I'm still operating my camera in auto mode.  I took a picture of the moon in auto, which is the reason for the lousy photo, but I think it could have been a cool shot if I had changed the setting to night time and slowed the shutter speed way down.

The moon almost looks like a heart shape through the trees.

One last shot......... and now, I am more motivated to learn all my buttons on the camera.

The pictures of the moon were actually taken last night.  All the other photos were taken Friday night.

Practice, practice, practice.  That's my new motto.

I'm Happy Because.......

Today I'm happy because..........

I was able to snap my fingers on my right hand.

I haven't been able to do that for about two years because of my Rheumatoid Arthritis,

And today...............

I was listening to music in the car and I was going to show my husband how I couln't snap my fingers,

and to my surprise I was able to. 

That simple little pleasure gave me so much joy.

I am unable to express how happy that made me feel inside.

The simple act of snapping my fingers was something I took for granted,

until I couldn't do it anymore.

Now, I am thrilled to be able to snap my fingers to the beat of the music while I'm driving.

I am bursting with joy and floating through the air like bubbles.

It means that I'm eating better and/or the meds are working.

Yay!

Friday My Town Shoot Out ~ Windows and Doors

I was so looking forward to this weeks theme of windows and doors.  Unfortunately, I have been feeling really low on energy this week and didn't get out much.  The one day I forced myself to get out and take a few shots downtown, the lighting was horrible, and because I haven't learned how to use my camera's other functions yet, I shot in auto mode and the light outside was much too bright.  Following are the few shots I took earlier this week.  I wanted to WOW everyone, but you'll just have to settle for now.

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This shot was taken in our neighborhood during our regular evening walk.

Another shot around the neighborhood.

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This was taken at the Main Street Hotel and Casino.  They have some beautiful stained glass windows, unfortunately the photographer is still a novice and therefore, the photo does not do the real thing justice.

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This is the same window as the one pictured above it, but showcasing just the lower half.

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These are the doors that lead inside the casino.

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The same picture as in the first stained glass window, but at a different view.

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This is a window that sits on the roof of a mormon church.  I'm not sure if it is a faux window or functional window.  This is in my neighborhood.

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This is also at the same church.

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This is a replica of an ice box that I use as a night stand next to my bed.  I tweaked the photo to hide the dust.  LOL

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This is a photo of the door to my jewelry box.  My youngest brother got this for me many years ago.

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This is the top of the window in my formal living room by the front door.

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These windows are in my formal dining room

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This is my next door neighbor's window  Notice the glass bottles she collects.  This is looking from my backyard into her window.

To see the list of other participants of the My Town Shoot Out, Click Here.

Thank you visiting me.   : )    We love to get looky loos.

Interesting Window Display

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I love books.

When I saw this window display, I squealed with delight.

This isn't a display for a bookstore, but it sure could be.

You can see my husband's reflection on the left.  He's the one wearing sandals.

An older couple is walking by just as I am snapping the photo. 

Can you see me?