A is for . . .A

Today begins the 8th Round of  ABC Wednesday. It is hosted by  Mrs. Denise Nesbitt . 

My choice today is to begin at the beginning ....
with The letter "A"

Some fun facts :

A ... is the first letter and first vowel of the English alphabet.


A ...  is the third most common letter used in English and the second most
common used in Spanish and French.

A ... used as a noun denotes something or someone of a more prestigious
quality or status.
Example: The best grade given for a student's work. The A-list of celebrities.

A ... used as an adjective denote "one" or "each".
Examples: I ate a cupcake. It costs fifty cents a bag.

A... is used before all words beginning with a consonant sound.
Examples: a door, a flower, a unicorn (yoo'nekorn)

Thanks to Mrs Denis Nesbitt and the ABC Wednesday Team for
providing this weekly Meme.

Find more words that begin with the letter "A" click  HERE

WINTER WONDERLAND - I Heart Faces Photo Challenge

One Saturday afternoon in early December several of my family members can to our home to go sledding.
With the arrival of fresh snow, they didn't have to go far. Our long, slopping driveway made the perfect hill.

I Heart Faces is a weekly Photo Challenge that encourages all 

skill levers of photographers to join in the fun.

                    

                                                      


                                                        Just  click on the button and enjoy !

Far from home - part 2

I thought since A Paperback Writer and dennisthemennis commented about the Navy Pier
photo, I'd elaborate a little more on Chicago.


First, let me say that even though I now live in the Midwest, and have most I my life, I was not born here. Sometime during my 3rd year of life  my family moved from the West to the Midwest, around St Louis, Mo. Probably, when I was around 5 years old we moved to Chicago. We lived in a 4 room apartment on the Northwest side of the city, near Fullerton and Tripp.


 Right before I was to enter the 5th grade, my family moved to the "Suburbs", some 30 miles West of Chicago. Over the span of about 33 years, I lived in that area. When I was young we would go into Chicago to visit my Grandparents, but I never really remember going Downtown. When I was a young adult, I remember a couple of times going to place like The Goodman Theater,  The Lincoln Park Zoo, and The Museum of Science and Industry. BUT ... for the most part, we stayed away from Downtown, Chicago.


Chicago can be overwhelming (as I'm sure any "Big City" can be). Chicago can be scary (not that you want to think about it, but  Chicago has a high homeless population. Although, I must interject that the only city that I have ever locked my car doors because of the homeless is San Diego, Ca.).BUT ... most of all I HATE, hate, hate ... YES ... HATE Chicago's traffic. The plus side is ... I believe ... if you can drive in Chicago ... you can probably drive anywhere in the world.

So, now that I have panicked you  into never wanting to visit Chicago ... let me encourage you.

For the past 7 years I have lived approx. 125 miles or 201.168 km from Chicago and I go there more than when I lived in Illinois. You can stay outside the City and take a train in. On the week-ends you can ride back and forth, 2 times, for $7.00, children under 13 are free. The train takes you right down to the heart of the City, walking distance from the Lake, Navy Pier, Millennium Park, John G. Shedd Aquarium and many other cool places to see. The Navy Pier area has free trolly's and if you need to ride the bus or the EL (downtown train system) you can get a $7.00 day pass.

Here are a few things you might see :


Lake Michigan from the South end of the city.

There are all sorts of "cool" water features for kids to play in.

 Lake Michigan on the North end, in August during the Air Show.

The "Bean" in Millennium Park. 

Navy Pier

Street performers. These guys are playing 5 gallon buckets and are pretty good.
.

 Crowds

Chicago River

The Stone-Smurfit Building. This is my favorite building. I always have to take a photo of it.
This building's history includes being in the movie "Adventures in Babysitting"
.

Far from home -Thematic Photographic 130

It's Thursday and Carmi @ Written Inc has posted the new theme for this week.

I have been fortunate in that I have been able to do a bit of traveling. You have no idea how hard it is to choose photos for this theme.So in true fashion ... I guess I'll just post several ... from different places.

Shark's Cove, Oahu, Hawaii

 Hanauma Bay, Oahu, Hawaii

 Mall of America, Bloomington, MN 

 Sedona, Arizona

Dunn's River Falls, Jamaica

 Navy Pier, Chicago, IL

Hmmm ... maybe Carmi is trying to develop a travel site.

It could be a collective effort ...

 see where people have been ...

find out the cool places to go.

Time for a little face lift ...

Yup... it had to happen sooner or later. Do you get tired with the way your blog looks? Do you want a back ground that looks connected to your blog? Funny, when you first pick a name for your blog ... those aren't the things your'e thinking about.

Well, I think I have found one I can live with for awhile. AND ... you might notice that I made a Button for my blog. I have looked ( my daughter would call it creeping) enviously at other blogs and coveted their buttons.

I have a WONDERFUL blog friend that posted a step by step tutorial on how to make a BUTTON. Even though it looks like it's a lot to do ... it's pretty easy. The hardest part for me was making a decision on what picture to use.

Hope you like my new back ground as much as I do!
XOXOXO

Wet - Thematic Photographic 129

A New Year, a fresh start! And what better way to start out fresh? Posts of water, specifically WET.


Here are a few facts about water:


1. Roughly 70 percent of an adult’s body is made up of water.


2. At birth, water accounts for approximately 80 percent of an infant’s body weight.

3. A healthy person can drink about three gallons (48 cups) of water per day.
Drinking too much water too quickly can lead to water intoxication. Water intoxication occurs when water dilutes the sodium level in the bloodstream and causes an imbalance of water in the brain.Water intoxication is most likely to occur during periods of intense athletic performance.

4. While the daily recommended amount of water is eight cups per day, not all of this water must be consumed in the liquid form. Nearly every food or drink item provides some water to the body.


5. Soft drinks, coffee, and tea, while made up almost entirely of water, also contain caffeine. Caffeine can act as a mild diuretic, preventing water from traveling to necessary locations in the body.


6. Pure water (solely hydrogen and oxygen atoms) has a neutral pH of 7, which is neither 
acidic nor basic.


7.  Water dissolves more substances than any other liquid. Wherever it travels, water carries chemicals, minerals, and nutrients with it.

8. Somewhere between 70 and 75 percent of the earth’s surface is covered with water.


9. Much more fresh water is stored under the ground in aquifers than on the earth’s surface.
The total amount of water on the earth is about 326 million cubic miles of water.

10. Of all the water on the earth, humans can used only about three tenths of a percent of this water. Such usable water is found in groundwater aquifers, rivers, and freshwater lakes.


11. By the time a person feels thirsty, his or her body has lost over 1 percent of its total water amount.


12. The weight a person loses directly after intense physical activity is weight from water, not fat.



Water is so much a part of us and so involved in our daily lives . . . no wonder we are drawn to it.

Thanks to Carmi at Written Inc for hosting 

Thematic Photographic. For more pictures on

the theme of WET, click HERE.

Welcome 2011

Another year has come and gone.
Today we welcome

How are you starting out the New Year?
A new year = big changes in your life or little changes in your life?
Do people really make resolutions for the new year? Or is that just a fleeting thought?

Here are the top 10 New Year's Resolutions

1. Spend More Time with Family & Friends
2. Fit in Fitness
3. Tame the Bulge
4. Quit Smoking
5. Enjoy Life More
6. Quit Drinking
7. Get Out of Debt
8. Learn Something New
9. Help Others
10. Get Organized


Where do your resolutions fall in line with this list?
Recently, I saw this on a friend's FB status
Instead of making a resolution to change yourself, make one to be yourself ♥

This statement , at least for me, ignites a whole array of questions.
Are you satisfied with who you are?
Are you satisfied with where your life is or where it's headed?
Are you just plain satisfied with all aspects of your life? You're content?
There is nothing you want to change about yourself or your life ... you would be happy to just stay the same?

How about you?
It's you turn ... what do you think??