Stark Photos for Pat.....

                                                           Ailene Stark  (Babe)

John Stark with his aunt, Henrietta Blankenship Patton. She was sister to Georgia Anna and her grandson, Bill Patton, is the one who gave me this treasure of an album.

                                                   Inez in college yearbook

                                              Inez and John about seven years old

                                                               Inez and John Stark

                                                                Inez and John Stark

                                                                        Inez Stark

                                                                  Inez and John Stark

                                                                John and Inez Stark

                                                                 John and Inez Stark

                                                                             John Stark

                                                                           Lola Stark

                                                                          Lola Stark

                                                Lola Stark about 10 years old

                                                         

I didn't win the Power Ball

I didn't win -- and we can only guess how many people can say those words.  Ha!  Like I even thought it would happen.  Still...you gotta buy at least one when the pot gets that big.  I'm sitting here watching one of the winners being interviewed on the Today Show.  Glad it was ordinary folks.

Looked over the Oscar nominees and realized I haven't seen even one of them this year. Now I'm going to shop around and investigate which ones I can pay-for-view at home or rent from RedBox. Here's a round-up of ones I wouldn't mind seeing, along with the rating they got on IMDB.

20 movies up for Oscar Awards

The Big Short   8.0  - Ryan Gosling

Four denizens of the world of high-finance predict the credit and housing bubble collapse of the mid-2000s, and decide to take on the big banks for their greed and lack of foresight.

Bridge of Spies 7.8 – Tom Hanks

During the Cold War, an American lawyer is recruited to defend an arrested Soviet spy in court, and then help the CIA facilitate an exchange of the spy for the Soviet captured American U2 spy plane pilot, Francis Gary Powers.

Brooklyn   7.8  Jim Broadbent

An Irish immigrant lands in 1950s Brooklyn, where she quickly falls into a romance with a local. When her past catches up with her, however, she must choose between two countries and the lives that exist within.

Mad Max: Fury Road   8.2   Tom Hardy, Charlize Theron

A woman rebels against a tyrannical ruler in post-apocalyptic Australia in search for her homeland with the help of a group of female prisoners, a psychotic worshiper, and a drifter named Max.

The Martian   8.1   Matt Damon

During a manned mission to Mars, Astronaut Mark Watney is presumed dead after a fierce storm and left behind by his crew. But Watney has survived and finds himself stranded and alone on the hostile planet. With only meager supplies, he must draw upon his ingenuity, wit and spirit to subsist and find a way to signal to Earth that he is alive.

The Revenant –  8.3  Leonardo DeCaprio

A frontiersman on a fur trading expedition in the 1820's fights for survival after being mauled by a bear and left for dead by members of his own hunting team.

Room – 8.3   Brie Larson

After five-year-old Jack and his mother escape from the enclosed surroundings that Jack has known his entire life, the boy makes a thrilling discovery.

Spotlight  -  8.3  Mark Ruffalo, Michael Keaton,

The true story of how the Boston Globe uncovered the massive scandal of child molestation and cover-up within the local Catholic Archdiocese, shaking the entire Catholic Church to its core.

Trumbo – 7.5   Bryan Cranston, Diane Lane, Helen Mirren

In 1947, Dalton Trumbo was Hollywood's top screenwriter, until he and other artists were jailed and blacklisted for their political beliefs.

Steve Jobs  -  7.5  Michael Fassbender, Kate Winslett, Seth Rogan

Steve Jobs takes us behind the scenes of the digital revolution, to paint a portrait of the man at its epicenter. The story unfolds backstage at three iconic product launches, ending in 1998 with the unveiling of the iMac.

The Danish Girl  -   6.6  - Eddie Redmayne

A fictitious love story loosely inspired by the lives of Danish artists Lili Elbe and Gerda Wegener. Lili and Gerda's marriage and work evolve as they navigate Lili's groundbreaking journey as a transgender pioneer.

Carol – 7.6   Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara

An aspiring photographer develops an intimate relationship with an older woman.

Joy – 6.7   Joy Lawrence, Robert DeNiro

Joy is the story of the title character, who rose to become founder and matriarch of a powerful family business dynasty.

45 years -   7.4   Charlotte Rampling

A married couple preparing to celebrate their wedding anniversary receive shattering news that promises to forever change the course of their lives.

The Hateful Eight – 8.1  Samuel Jackson, Kurt Russell, Jennifer Jason Leigh

In the dead of a Wyoming winter, a bounty hunter and his prisoner find shelter in a cabin currently inhabited by a collection of nefarious characters.

Trainwreck – 6.4   Amy Schumer

Having thought that monogamy was never possible, a commitment-phobic career woman may have to face her fears when she meets a good guy.

Spy -   7.1   Melissa McCarthy

A desk-bound CIA analyst volunteers to go undercover to infiltrate the world of a deadly arms dealer, and prevent diabolical global disaster.

Concussion -   7.1   Will Smith, Alec Baldwin

In Pittsburgh, accomplished pathologist Dr. Bennet Omalu uncovers the truth about brain damage in football players who suffer repeated concussions in the course of normal play.

Empire – 7.9   Terrance Howard

A hip-hop mogul must choose between his three sons who are battling for control over his multi-million dollar company, while his ex-wife schemes to get what's hers.

Creed – 8.0   Sylvester Stallone,

The former World Heavyweight Champion Rocky Balboa serves as a trainer and mentor to Adonis Johnson, the son of his late friend and former rival Apollo Creed.

I've missed the first two episodes of the latest season of Doc Martin because I've been so wrapped up in watching this show on Netflix called 'The Making of a murderer'.  Fascinating documentary.  I'm thinking about signing up for Showtime at least long enough to watch the next season of Homeland. I borrowed Mary's Season 4 and am quite anxious to see what comes next.

Here are some Port Townsend photos I saw on Facebook that I thought were especially worthy. ...

                                                              taken by Tracy O

taken by Mark Stevens

taken by Dale Musselman

                                                            taken by Dan Haneckow

 And here's some I took of the Port Angeles harbor when Hunter and I were out and about yesterday.

 lots of lumber on ships downtown. Most going to Japan and China I suspect

 You just can't help but stop and take mountain pictures.  So pretty.

 Maddie made the Port Angeles sports section page yesterday.

Saw a picture of workmen on the old Union wharf dock in the Leader on Wednesday so I dug out some old photos of that pier.

The twins have completed their driving courses but still have several "driving" outings to do. Hunter drives my car pretty much every time we go anywhere.  He lives and breathes cars so he's a lot more comfortable behind the wheel than Maddie is.  Yesterday I had him hose down my car because the mud buildup on it accumulates way too fast and you have to be super careful getting in and out of the car or you get dirt all over your clothes.  I'm going to invest in mud flaps soon to see if it won't help a little bit.  I had to laugh when I was explaining my frustration of the mud to Hunter and how I hoped he could get the mud flaps installed for me.  He said he could and mentioned that if his truck had this, it would be considered way cool!  

Mud flaps? I asked.

No!

Mud!

Today I'm going to continue work in the sewing room.  Have been working on Sunbonnet Sue applique for this 'days of the week' wall hanging.  I'm pretty much learning as I go so hopefully, future endeavors will look more professional.  I've got to do some hand embroidery on the squares I've completed so far and I'm hoping it will look a tad better once it's all hung on the wall.  I'm still learning about my machine and needles too. (click on pics to enlarge)

Well, I guess that's about it for now. Looking forward to football on Sunday. Last Sunday I got to watch it with Jake although he was actually more interested in exploring my house. Caught him in the bathroom examining my miniature toilet collection.

Off to Seattle and home again

Left the house at 7:30 a.m. yesterday and got home again around 6:30 p.m.  Hate driving in the dark but I managed. Was thankful it didn't rain.  Caught the shuttle bus to the ferry at Clearwater Casino but got there early enough to have a quick bite of breakfast while we waited. Played a little Keno too but didn't win.  Ann Robson picked us up downtown and drove us up to Swedish.  I don't know how she manages to drive in that downtown mess with the streets straight up and down and traffic down to a crawl in most places. And construction.  I sure am thankful, though, that she's willing.

Picked up the twins at driving school when we got back in town and since we were a little late arriving, I treated them to burgers at Frugals 'cause they were short of time. Had to attend teen court. I sure was happy to get home and into my jammies.

Spent this morning catching up on little odds and ends around here.  Amazing how your to-do list grows if you spend the day away from the house all day.  One job I decided to tackle was to park the car on the front lawn and hose it down. I've had such a winter problem with mud that people often get their pants dirty climbing in and out of the doors.  I tried wiping it down with paper towels but it was so thick I wasn't getting anywhere and my back was killing me.  It's kind of hard to attach that hose but I think it's the only way I can manage to stay ahead of the caked on mud during the rainy season.

I won $4 on my power ticket so cashed it in to get one ticket for the next drawing and one ticket for Match 4 where the odds are much better.  Stopped at the UPS store to return a pair of pjs I bought for Jen for her birthday later this month but they didn't fit right.  I do like the ease of returning with Amazon Prime.  There's a cutting board she's got her eye on at Costco so I guess I'll look for it next time I'm in Sequim.  I got a gift card from Mary and Andy (much to my delight and surprise) so buying a gift will be all the more fun.

I spent a good part of my morning trying to figure out why my 'Tune In' radio feature on Roku isn't coming in.  None of the stations are and I've been listening to them for a long time.  Two of them are especially favorites. KIXI 880 AM  and KSQM in Sequim.  I can get them on my computer but not on the tv.  Guess I'm going to have to investigate more.

I've about given up trying to get a list of my TV channels on the guide menu on my smart tv. Jen thinks perhaps because I don't have the higher tier on cable is why it won't give me a menu of the listed stations.  I've written them all down myself and typed them up to have by my chair so I'll just have to scroll through until I get to where I want to be.  I can punch in 100 but then I have to scroll up or down to get the various channels in the 100 range.  Kind of hard to explain.  I am thrilled, though, that I can even get these stations.

Here's a selfie that Jen and I took on the ferry plus another out the window.  Glasses reflected too much to make it worth while.

Well, best get back to that to-do list now.

Tidying up in the office

I decided I needed to clean up my computer a bit and once I  start deleting and filing and sorting, I'm usually held captive in this room as I find more and more things "out of place" or that need to go to the great recycle trash bin in the sky.  Sometimes I'm sidetracked when I have to stop and read how to maneuver or perform the particular thing I want to do.  I managed to delete my favorites list from Google Chrome that I had moved over from Explorer so I had to go back and relearn how to put it back again.

I noticed my roku on the tv wasn't picking up any radio stations so now I have to go to that website for help.  I noticed my sign in needed a password and of course, I don't have one listed anywhere that I can find.  And my age was listed as 70 so while it may be somewhere in this mess, darned if I can find it now. I think I'll rejoin using a different email address.  I do have three to choose from.

Jenni and I were scheduled to drive to Bainbridge Island ferry this morning but thankfully, she changed her appt to tomorrow morning.  The roads were looking so treacherous yesterday a.m. I was dreading having to get out there on them.  The rains have returned, thank god, and the cold snap seems to have passed.  It does look awfully "strange" outside right now, though.  So dark.  Obviously a large cloud is hanging over the town. At least I hope that's all it is.    We're either going to get a really hard rainfall or dare I type it... some snow.  I refuse to believe that.  It has to be a rain cloud.

Once I get my computer cleaned up I think I'm gonna head back to the sewing room. Have been wanting to work on applique patterns a bit and have a fabulous Sunbonnet Sue book with a lot of cute designs. This one is Monday - Wash Day but I haven't added the wording yet.

 Maddie called requesting a pick up at the school at 4:30 so I think I'll hold off running my errands until later this afternoon.  Need to fill up on gas, get a few groceries, buy a power ball, and return some library books.  I finished watched season 4 of Homeland last night.  I got so involved in it that I had to stay up until midnight to see what happened.  Now I have to wait a year or more for the next season to become available.

Jenni gave me a book on making cakes in a cup so I might take a stab at that later today. Also have my latest jigsaw puzzle in process but it's proving to be a real toughie.  The pieces are such that it's hard to tell if they actually belong.  I read the reviews online and most everybody complained about this feature.  I can't even get the border done because most of the pieces are exactly the same.

I got on my exercise bike yesterday and oh lordy, was it ever hard!  Am determined, though, to use it daily (if only for ten minutes at a time) until I can pedal without pain.  Been so long since I climbed onboard that it's going to take a while to get over the hump.  It's a high bike so I have to use a little step stool to climb up onto it.  So pathetic.

Well, I've procrastinated long enough. Time to get back to the chores at hand.

Playing Around with my Blog

Decided I needed to post a few new pictures on my blog.  Always takes me  a while to figure out where to go to do what on this website. Guess I better take the time to read up on the little details I've been putting off until another day.  Always fun to change the font a bit and background colors but sometimes it gets to be too much of a chore when you're given too many choices.

Woke up to 28 degrees and it looks like it's gonna stay cold all day long.  Sure hope it breaks soon as this iciness is getting old.  Not much on my agenda except to finish up this quilt I managed to get tied yesterday. Sure had problems with it but hopefully, the hemming of the edges will go quickly.

Also began work on my Christmas jigsaw puzzle. It's of my childhood neighborhood and darned if it isn't one difficult thing to put together. Glad there are only 400 pieces.  It will keep me occupied as I sit and watch the Seahawks later this afternoon.  Will finish up Season 4 of Homeland too and I hate to see that end.  Man, is it getting good.

I'm sitting here with a cup of coffee using the chocolate spoons that Maddie made for Christmas gifts. It's chocolate wrapped around a plastic spoon that you let melt in your coffee.  Pretty tasty too.

Had to turn off the TV after my favorite Sunday Morning News show because Face the Nation was featuring that blowhard Trump and I refuse to allow his voice to be heard in this house.  Looking forward to the election being done so we can hear a little less from the egotist.  I wouldn't be surprised, though, to see him run again someday.  The publicity he's received is like opium for him. He can't get enough attention.  And I will never understand how popular he's grown with so many folks.  Anybody can bluster loud about how they're gonna' make the world better but I'm fascinated that so many are taken in by him.  It's scary really.  People aren't thinking.  They're being led around by their nose.  Strange.

Well, I'm gonna have to get up and start moving.  Poor ole body just can't take prolonged periods in front of the computer. At least not this morning.  Here's a photo I just saw on Facebook from Astoria Oregon. Fabulous!

The 1st day of the year

It's 4:50 p.m. and I don't believe I have talked to one single person today.  I hope that isn't an indication of how the year is going to go.  Ha!  Still, I've had a nice first day of the year.  I got up at 7 and that was better than the 5 & 6 a.m.s I've been experiencing.  I've slept in here on the single bed the last  two nights as I had moved the memory foam mattress in here thinking I needed a firmer mattress on my double bed.  Found my shoulders and back were just causing me too much discomfort so back to the foam I go again.  This has become a back and forth routine with me as I struggle to find comfort in sleeping.

I fixed myself a hot breakfast and began my morning browsing on the computer. Facebook mostly but I worked a crossword puzzle, as well.  Made some popcorn to throw out to the birds and set out a fresh batch of sugar water for the hummingbirds

Decided it was time to get back to work on my latest quilt so I set it out on the table to begin pinning it together. For some reason, I had a lot of problems getting it aligned.  I started over a couple times and on the third try, I found that whatever I'm doing wrong isn't going to be resolved. I finished pinning it and decided (as usual) I will play around with it when I'm ready to sew it together on the outside borders.  I know darn well I had enough bottom material so I don't know why I couldn't get it even.  Typical for my blankets so nothing new there!

I finished knitting a pair of slippers last night while watching Homeland. Man, but that's a topnotch good show!  I'll start season four tonight.

I also started the jigsaw puzzle that Sue gave me for Christmas. It's the map of my neighborhood growing up and the center piece is in the shape of a house.  It's fun to look for pieces that say Kuhn Street and Cape George Rd, etc.

Yesterday, Joyce Lee and I went to Elwha Casino for an hour and a half.  We came home with less money.  Typical.

Saw this picture on facebook of Jake trying to escape from his crib.  Those baby monitors are fun to watch.

Also saw this picture on fb today of cousin Lee Arey at Kai Tai Nursing home sitting with Norm Sather.

Tomorrow I intend to do much the same as today.  Quilting, puzzle, and browsing the net.  Will watch the Seahawks on Sunday and drive to Bainbridge ferry on Tuesday so Jenni can see her neurologist at Swedish.  She had exploratory surgery day before yesterday and they removed a little endometriosis. Poor thing has had a hard year.

Well, I guess I'd best get off this computer for a while.  I thought about making some New Years' resolutions and then decided the hell with it.  Although I will try to get my act together regarding diet and exercise.  Yeah, I know.  We all say that. I've been saying it all my life and still haven't quite figured it out.  ha ha