TO RIDE OR NOT TO RIDE? HMMMM . . .
>> Saturday, May 17, 2008
Well, I don't wish to be a "kill-joy", but some of y'all know I live in the WONDERFUL Mother Lode in Northern California, Calaveras County to be exact! Yes, HOME of the annual and INFAMOUS "Frog Jumping Jubilee" also found in the writings of Samuel Clemons aka Mark Twain!!!
One can take a drive through the smallish town of Angels Camp and feast their eyes upon frogs of various varieties as it is, indeed, the city's icon! My boys attended Bret Harte High School whose mascot is none other than a "bullfrog"! Never could figure out though why the school colors are purple and yellow!!! LOL!
I actually had one of my boys drive me from one end of the city to the other a few years back just so I could take photographs of as many frogs that I could see from the car window!!! You will see signs, statutes, banners, paintings and as you walk down the sidewalk of downtown Angels Camp, rather than engraved "stars" of Hollywood celebrities, you will see metal engraved plates with the names of previous frog jumping champions (yes, I am talking about "the frogs" themselves!) embedded in a slab of concrete, also known as the sidewalk!!! It really is GREAT fun each year and the Calaveras County Fair draws people from hundreds of miles away. The event is kicked off with a parade through the downtown area and then all other events are held at the fairgrounds.
Ha! I just happened to remember that I have a two-page layout that I scrapped of my two youngest boys, twins, from a decade ago, which was the first time that I took them to the Calaveras County Fair and Frog Jumping Jubilee!!! I will post below!
Well, now that I've painted a pretty picture for you, something tragic happened yesterday and I've not stopped thinking about it since my son, Mark, called me from work to tell me what happened.
One of the carnival rides, "the yo-yo", collapsed. Yes, the entire ride came tumbling down. I have been hearing conflicting stories from three of my sons as I've not yet heard for a "fact" whether or not anyone lost their life (I pray not), but there were several serious injuries as a few people were medi-flighted out to to the nearest trauma center which is over an hour away by car. Many others were taken by ambulance to our local hospital in San Andreas.
The reason I'm even mentioning this is that YEARS ago, I stopped taking my children to carnivals or fairs to go on rides as I can remember when the "light bulb" went off one year as I watched the "carnies" operating various rides and thinking to myself how these huge pieces of metal and machinery are carted around the country, put together and taken apart OVER and OVER again in a matter of a few days. At that moment, I deemed them a "risk" and no longer wished to "risk" the lives of my children in such a manner. Yes, I know that we take a "risk" each time we step foot outside of our homes (well, sometimes it can be risky inside as well!), but this was a "risk" that I could prevent from having a negative outcome, right? Uh, huh! Let's just say, carnival rides are not a necessary part of childhood! Yes, they are FUN, but given the fact that the people putting these rides together are not even given a background check, tells me not to put my trust into those thrilling adrenaline-rushing machines!
As a side note, while trying to find out information on this MOST unfortunate event, I read that they had just arrested two carnival workers. One was from Massachusetts and had a warrant out on him. And they both were found to be unregistered sex offenders. Hmmm .... not exactly the kind of people you wish to see hanging around a lot of children, eh? I rest my case. Let me just say, I am not a paranoid person, quite the opposite actually as I live in a very peaceful state of existence. I guess as we get older, we really do become wiser and I know for me, I have definitely become much more "cautious". I've also learned to go with my "gut" instinct, which I believe was given to us for a great purpose - survival!
Enough of my rambling, I hope you enjoy tonight's freebie, which is another addition to *Those Were The Daisies*. It was brought to my attention by "GRAMMY" that two of the papers showing in the preview for the first part were missing! My bad! Thank you "Grammy"!!! I am adding those two papers in with tonight's download. As I mentioned to someone earlier, I think me needs to work on posting earlier in the day as I'm usually about brain dead at this time of the night .... or should I say, morning!!! He, he ....
Thanks to all of you for sharing your experiences with doctors and/or health issues, as well as your insights. I REALLY love reading your comments and I SO appreciate your positive thoughts and prayers coming my way. While I am improving in some areas, I still have good days and bad days. What I mean by that is, some days I feel that I can conquer the world while others I feel that the world has conquered me!!! ROFL!!! Yesterday was one of those. I left the computer and went to bed! WOO HOO for me! Ha, ha, ha, ha .... sure shocked Robert! He's SO sweet and funny. Sometimes when I climb into bed, which is literally two steps away from my computer chair, earlier than usual, I hear this comforting voice ask me what time it is. Oh, it's a little after midnight I may tell him. Robert's reply, "What are doing in bed so early, it's not three o'clock yet"!!! I just LOVE this man! He SO understands me!!! I go to bed when I know I will fall right to sleep - in other words, when I am tired!!!
Have a SUPER Sunday my friends and if I don't see you tomorrow night, I shall see you Monday!!!
BTW - Zeke is getting along right nicely and tomorrow makes one week ago that he was delivered to me for Mother's Day by son #2, Mark (Kaleb's daddy!). Can you spoil a kitty with too much love? Not on your life!!! Let's just say, he's beginning to think I'm his mama! He goes to his litter box all by himself, but when he is hungry, he comes to me so that "I" will carry him over to his food dish!!! He is TOO darned cute I tell you. The other thing that just "gets" me every time is that all I have to do is lower my hand towards the ground and he reaches up with his sweet little paws for me to pick him up. I shall share more about Zeke next post.
Oh, Jeanie, if you happen to stop by - WOO HOOOOOOOOOO!!!! I am SO thrilled at your GOOD report girl!!! I tell ya, with all the support, well-wishes and prayers we get from our digi-sisters, how can we not get GOOD reports!!!
I think most of you know Jeanie aka Scrapdoctor Designs. If not, please stop by and take a peek at her WONDERFUL goodies, the most recent of which will have your mouth puckering!!! You can find Jeanie HERE (I just realized that I forgot to add Jeanie's link to my sidebar when I first discovered here last month. I shall add her there as well so you can hop right on over there from here with ease!!! While you are visiting Jeanie, please make sure to read her "dirty" story!!! ROFL! I'll be back over there when I get up tomorrow to finish reading and to download her FABULOUS creation!
SWEET DREAMS y'all ....
Love and hugs,
Linda
P.S. Password is: OldDays
TINK - I know you probably won't see this and I feel horrible for not being able to say "bon voyage", but I surely hope that you are having the time of your life in Orlando!!! Say "hello" to everyone for me!!! LOL! I look forward to your return home and some LOVELY layouts on your blog girlfriend!!!
One can take a drive through the smallish town of Angels Camp and feast their eyes upon frogs of various varieties as it is, indeed, the city's icon! My boys attended Bret Harte High School whose mascot is none other than a "bullfrog"! Never could figure out though why the school colors are purple and yellow!!! LOL!
I actually had one of my boys drive me from one end of the city to the other a few years back just so I could take photographs of as many frogs that I could see from the car window!!! You will see signs, statutes, banners, paintings and as you walk down the sidewalk of downtown Angels Camp, rather than engraved "stars" of Hollywood celebrities, you will see metal engraved plates with the names of previous frog jumping champions (yes, I am talking about "the frogs" themselves!) embedded in a slab of concrete, also known as the sidewalk!!! It really is GREAT fun each year and the Calaveras County Fair draws people from hundreds of miles away. The event is kicked off with a parade through the downtown area and then all other events are held at the fairgrounds.
Ha! I just happened to remember that I have a two-page layout that I scrapped of my two youngest boys, twins, from a decade ago, which was the first time that I took them to the Calaveras County Fair and Frog Jumping Jubilee!!! I will post below!
Well, now that I've painted a pretty picture for you, something tragic happened yesterday and I've not stopped thinking about it since my son, Mark, called me from work to tell me what happened.
One of the carnival rides, "the yo-yo", collapsed. Yes, the entire ride came tumbling down. I have been hearing conflicting stories from three of my sons as I've not yet heard for a "fact" whether or not anyone lost their life (I pray not), but there were several serious injuries as a few people were medi-flighted out to to the nearest trauma center which is over an hour away by car. Many others were taken by ambulance to our local hospital in San Andreas.
The reason I'm even mentioning this is that YEARS ago, I stopped taking my children to carnivals or fairs to go on rides as I can remember when the "light bulb" went off one year as I watched the "carnies" operating various rides and thinking to myself how these huge pieces of metal and machinery are carted around the country, put together and taken apart OVER and OVER again in a matter of a few days. At that moment, I deemed them a "risk" and no longer wished to "risk" the lives of my children in such a manner. Yes, I know that we take a "risk" each time we step foot outside of our homes (well, sometimes it can be risky inside as well!), but this was a "risk" that I could prevent from having a negative outcome, right? Uh, huh! Let's just say, carnival rides are not a necessary part of childhood! Yes, they are FUN, but given the fact that the people putting these rides together are not even given a background check, tells me not to put my trust into those thrilling adrenaline-rushing machines!
As a side note, while trying to find out information on this MOST unfortunate event, I read that they had just arrested two carnival workers. One was from Massachusetts and had a warrant out on him. And they both were found to be unregistered sex offenders. Hmmm .... not exactly the kind of people you wish to see hanging around a lot of children, eh? I rest my case. Let me just say, I am not a paranoid person, quite the opposite actually as I live in a very peaceful state of existence. I guess as we get older, we really do become wiser and I know for me, I have definitely become much more "cautious". I've also learned to go with my "gut" instinct, which I believe was given to us for a great purpose - survival!
Enough of my rambling, I hope you enjoy tonight's freebie, which is another addition to *Those Were The Daisies*. It was brought to my attention by "GRAMMY" that two of the papers showing in the preview for the first part were missing! My bad! Thank you "Grammy"!!! I am adding those two papers in with tonight's download. As I mentioned to someone earlier, I think me needs to work on posting earlier in the day as I'm usually about brain dead at this time of the night .... or should I say, morning!!! He, he ....
Thanks to all of you for sharing your experiences with doctors and/or health issues, as well as your insights. I REALLY love reading your comments and I SO appreciate your positive thoughts and prayers coming my way. While I am improving in some areas, I still have good days and bad days. What I mean by that is, some days I feel that I can conquer the world while others I feel that the world has conquered me!!! ROFL!!! Yesterday was one of those. I left the computer and went to bed! WOO HOO for me! Ha, ha, ha, ha .... sure shocked Robert! He's SO sweet and funny. Sometimes when I climb into bed, which is literally two steps away from my computer chair, earlier than usual, I hear this comforting voice ask me what time it is. Oh, it's a little after midnight I may tell him. Robert's reply, "What are doing in bed so early, it's not three o'clock yet"!!! I just LOVE this man! He SO understands me!!! I go to bed when I know I will fall right to sleep - in other words, when I am tired!!!
Have a SUPER Sunday my friends and if I don't see you tomorrow night, I shall see you Monday!!!
BTW - Zeke is getting along right nicely and tomorrow makes one week ago that he was delivered to me for Mother's Day by son #2, Mark (Kaleb's daddy!). Can you spoil a kitty with too much love? Not on your life!!! Let's just say, he's beginning to think I'm his mama! He goes to his litter box all by himself, but when he is hungry, he comes to me so that "I" will carry him over to his food dish!!! He is TOO darned cute I tell you. The other thing that just "gets" me every time is that all I have to do is lower my hand towards the ground and he reaches up with his sweet little paws for me to pick him up. I shall share more about Zeke next post.
Oh, Jeanie, if you happen to stop by - WOO HOOOOOOOOOO!!!! I am SO thrilled at your GOOD report girl!!! I tell ya, with all the support, well-wishes and prayers we get from our digi-sisters, how can we not get GOOD reports!!!
I think most of you know Jeanie aka Scrapdoctor Designs. If not, please stop by and take a peek at her WONDERFUL goodies, the most recent of which will have your mouth puckering!!! You can find Jeanie HERE (I just realized that I forgot to add Jeanie's link to my sidebar when I first discovered here last month. I shall add her there as well so you can hop right on over there from here with ease!!! While you are visiting Jeanie, please make sure to read her "dirty" story!!! ROFL! I'll be back over there when I get up tomorrow to finish reading and to download her FABULOUS creation!
SWEET DREAMS y'all ....
Love and hugs,
Linda
P.S. Password is: OldDays
TINK - I know you probably won't see this and I feel horrible for not being able to say "bon voyage", but I surely hope that you are having the time of your life in Orlando!!! Say "hello" to everyone for me!!! LOL! I look forward to your return home and some LOVELY layouts on your blog girlfriend!!!
Layouts created in 2005 by me and using *A Fair to Remember* by Christina Bartholomew (as you can see, the boys were young, 8-1/2
and only rode the kiddie rides.) The journaling is in the form of a
poem that was written by me! Thanks for looking! :)
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD FREEBIEThe time is 5:00 am PST - link has been tested and is in
proper working order! Have a GREAT day everyone! :)
