Images in the Clouds

A local gentleman took this photo the other day. He says it's a vision of Jesus. I tend to agree with him. It definitely has caused some controversy here in Polk County. But the local newspaper published it.

Mother Nature at the Farm

You know how I am with pictures taken when I'm at work. Not too much had been going on lately so I haven't really had any to post. These two pictures are Orange Trees. Not all orange trees have blossoms and oranges at the same time. I think these are Navels. I just love that every year you have oranges and blossoms on the tree together. They are so beautiful!And we had a surprise visitor out by one of the sidewalks the other day. He was about 4 feet long from nose to tail end.And he was gracious enough to pose for the pictures. We left him alone and I'm sure he wandered back to the pond after he was done sunning himself.

Old Town....Again!

We have always loved going to Old Town in Kissimmee. My kids and I have been going for almost 28 years. They used to have a 1950's style night club there that I worked at for awhile and they have been "cruising" classic cars the whole time. So when Wade bought his 1969 4 door Chevelle, of course we're going "cruising". And we do it ALOT!

But the cruise is always in the evenings. Starts at 8:15 every Saturday night. So to kill some time the last time we went, we decided to go to Downtown Disney because it's only 10 minutes away. And we always park on the West Side because 1. You can always find a parking space close and 2. You can ride the boat to the Downtown Disney side. And that in itself is a fun time. And then you have Rossi Jean entertaining you with her many faces.

In this shot you can see Layla and Wade behind Diana and Rossi. This is a really nice ride across the lake and it's free!

After our visit at Downtown Disney we were driving to Old Town. I saw this sticker on the back of a truck and thought it was really funny. You would have had to have been a fan of the Dukes of Hazzard to understand. This car was on display at Old Town and was a hit with everyone.And here's why. This sign shows what parts the car is made from. This is a true Heinz 57 of cars.This is a shot of the front of Wade's Chevelle.And a side shot of the car. We love this car and have such a good time cruising in it.Here's Rossi Jean. She was a little tired, but she always makes sure she is rested enough to wave at people while she cruises.And darn Wade! Had to snap this picture. I had worked an overnight shift the night before the cruise and hadn't been to bed. I was sooooo tired. Not a very flattering picture, lol.

Fish Fry

The Ridge Art Association put on a Fish Fry to help raise funds for the City's art gallery. It was held at a new park that recently opened in the city. It was good food, cooked by the WHFD, and tons of fun until the rain came.

These two pictures are of the crowd that managed to get there for food before the rain. And boy did it rain.Here is Hut's plate...fish, hushpuppies, beans and collard greens. There was also iced tea, lemonade and water.
I got fish, hushpuppies, beans, corn and cole slaw. And it all was fantastic!

Doing It In The Dark

Now what were you all thinking???? This is a truck/car show we went to because Scott was debuting his mini truck here. We had originally thought it was for mini truckers only, but were pleasantly surprised to see other vehicles there. And while it was still light out when we got there, the event lasted well into the night, hence the name of the show, lol. I didn't take many photos because we really didn't have a chance to walk the whole way around. We kept running into Scott's friends and socializing. To me, it's always nice when your kids friends have no problem hanging with you too.

This was a pretty big truck and he won an award for the best suspension.

My husband fell in love with this Chevy S10. We have an S10 but it's not near as nice as this. I love the colors.This is what low riding is all about. Can you get it to sit on the ground. I don't understand why someone would want to do that, lol.
This is not your momma's station wagon. Especially with all the skulls and bones painted on the sign.Close up of the paint job.This was a really cool truck with a custom motorcycle in the back. To me, though, this was a waste of a classic.I beleive this to be a Maverick, but I'm not real sure. Hut liked this car too.
And this is the piece de resistance! Scott's truck! Yes, it's missing the bed, but he finally finished it so that he could lower it and raise it with airbags. Every mini truckers dream. He is still in the process of building a new bed to fit over all the gizmos he has in the back.This of course is the back of the truck. Hut can't beleive these guys put there gas tanks all the way to back where they lower the trucks. Even in this condition, Scott is proud of his truck. I can't wait until he gets the bed on and spruces it up a little. One more shot of the gizmos in the rear end, lol.

Lakeland Raiders Arena Football

I was born a New England Patriots fan. And I married a HUGE Alabama fan. I do watch games occasionally but I have to admit I'm pretty much one who only watches the bowl games. So when one of our local magazines did an article about Arena Football I was curious. And they had a really cool skull and crossbones logo, lol. So Hut and I decided to check out a game. That was all it took. I am HOOKED!!

These are the Lakeland Raiders Dance Team. There are actually 10 of them, but these 7 were nice enough to post for a picture with Hut.
And the dance team is getting ready to welcome the team on to the field. I have a really awesome video of this, but for some reason FB or Blogger won't let it upload.
Some of the players warming up.
Done with warm-ups the team is getting ready to kick some Mississippi Hound Dog Tail!
These two pictures are the team shield and the team mascot logo. These symbols were both taken from the WWII Marine Corp bombing battalion. The logo is the exact replica. Out of respect for the Marines, at the beginning of each game they have Marines come out in battle gear like they are ready to strike. And then they have a Marine in dress blues come out with the color guard. As the players come out on to the field they all run up to the Marine and salute him. It's very moving. And I have it all on a video I can't upload.
This is the final score at the end of the game. We kicked butt! And I guess I should mention that the game is played on a 50 yard field. Tons of action. And if the football should end up in the stands, the lucky catcher of the ball gets to keep it. Even when they kick field goals. The End Zones are a good place to sit, lol.The coolest part is after the game, the players and the dancers stay on the field and then the fans are allowed down there to get up close and personal. Photos and autographs, some ball tosses with the kids (big kids, too), it's great fun for everyone. We decided to pass on going on the field because there were alot of fans.

If you ever have a chance to see an Arena Football game, I suggest you go. I've never had so much fun. I can't wait to take the kids and the grandkids. And the tickets are not expensive at all.

Craft Shows

Years ago my SIL Missy and I used to do "tons" of craft shows. We had some much fun crafting together all the time. Then life changed. Missy moved to VA and there was no one to craft with anymore. So I stopped crafting and doing shows. A couple of years ago, the bug bit me again and I made a few crafts and got back into one of the better shows Missy and I used to do. My DIL Diana helped me work the booth the last couple of years and she had a blast doing it.

Now Diana has learned how to sew and the craft bug has bit her, lol. So I have started looking for craft shows to do. Most of them are in the fall and around Christmas, but I found 2 that are this spring. And Diana is going crazy trying to get things made for them.

This one listed above is a brand spanking new event and a great event it is. I am so excited to be doing this one. It is a chicken wing contest that goes on for 2 days. This event benefits Bryce's Buddies. Bryce's Buddies was started by a local firefighter and his wife when their son Bryce was diagnosed with Juvenile Diabetes. While learning all they could about the disease and taking Bryce to doctors appointments and getting his meds, they learned alot of parents couldn't afford the visits or the meds, so they weren't getting their children the help they needed to live with this disease. Shannon and Brandy (Bryce's parents) told these other parents to get whatever help they needed for their children and not to worry about the cost, that they would cover the bills. And that's when Bryce's Buddies was born. This is a cause close to my heart as I am a Type 2 diabetic and my sister has Type 1 or Juvenile Diabetes. The people with Type 1 or Juvenile diabetes are insulin dependant. I am very excited about doing this event because the food proceeds are a 20/80 split with vendors getting 80% of the proceeds and 20% going to the cause. Craft vendors are a 90/10 split with 10% going to the cause. And I think I may have a giveaway to make extra $$ for the cause and possible just put up a donation jar also. I am hoping this event goes really well and that this will be the first year of many more to come. If you happen to be local and are reading this blog, please come out and show your support AND invite all your friends.This event is a small craft show that I was lucky enough to have seen posted on a friends FB page. It's a new area for me and I'm hoping it works out well. It's only a 4 hour show and it only has about 45 vendors. But they had to approve our items in order for us to be there and Diana and I were approved. I'm excited about this event too and if you are in the Orlando/Maitland area on May 6 please stop in and say hello.

There are at least 3 more shows I want to do, but they are all in the fall and around Christmas. So we will have a big break between to catch up and get tons of stuff made. I am, however, taking some Halloween and Christmas items to these other events because you all know it's never to early for the holidays.

I am so excited about doing these events. I will keep you posted on how well we do and especially how well Bryce's Buddies chicken wing event goes. I forgot to mention that it's taking place at our airport and they have reserved 150 spots for airplanes to fly in for the event.