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---------->photo by Elaine A. Russell

I took this photograph tonight thru the window of "Hey Jhonny", which is a great store on Central Ave in downtown ABQ. The hubby and I took our daughter out to celebrate her 18th birthday... and it was fun. We had comfort food... lots of tea .... and even a sugar cookie for dessert. YUM.

It seems like everything is changing. I am not sure where things are going... but things seem to be moving pretty quickly around here. Kids growing up, getting married... leaving home. Becoming grandparents... taking care of parents... while still being there for the kids... it's all a mish-mash of emotions.

And my photography is changing a bit too. I have discovered the wonderful world of layering... and am trying my hand at some digital altering of a few of my photographs. It is a wonderful thing to be able to express my feelings and viewpoint with my art, and now I can do it a little bit more artistically.

"The secret of health for both mind and body is not to mourn for the past, nor to worry about the future, but to live the present moment wisely and earnestly." --Buddha

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I left the house at 7am, after getting little to no sleep. The flight from ABQ to Phoenix was fairly uneventful, although I still don't understand why I had to travel west in order to go east. I had a wonderful conversation with an Air Force Sergeant on his way to Hawaii... sounds like alot of fun!

the Phoenix Airport... and the flight somewhere over Arizona

In Phoenix, I had a short lay-over.. and it gave me just enough time to check my email and play around a little on-line. However, I was one of the last groups to board the flight to Philadelphia, and we were told that we had to check all our bag due to no room in the cabin. Reluctantly, I did. Come to find out, the person who checked my bag marked it as if Philadelphia was my final destination... so when I got to Philly, I had to go the full length of the airport in order to get my carry-ons... and then I had to go thru security checks again.. and take a shuttle to my section of the airport to catch my last flight. A little chaotic... and a little nerve-wracking.. but it all worked out fine. The other thing was that I was supposed to get a meal on my flight, and I didn't... which means I was without food from 8am until 6pm. NOT that I can't lose a little... :)
Philadelphia has a great airport. I can't believe that I lived in PA for over 25yrs, and never went to Philadelphia. It looked vast and cool from the air...
Had a fabulous dinner at a "Hard Rock Cafe" type place where I had a really good Asian salad... YUM.

the flight from Phoenix to Philadelphia... some where over Kansas, and then over Missouri

and finally coming into Philadelphia....

And now... I am waiting for my flight to Williamsport, PA. From there, I have a friend coming to get me... and it will be a 2hour drive to my parent's house. Such is the quirks of living in the middle of PA forest country I guess.

and this was the sunset in Philadelphia..... and then coming into Williamsport PA

all photos by Elaine A. Russell

In other news... It has been an interesting couple of months... and the journey is not over yet. I had mentioned in my blog once that I never anticipated this time of my life... that glorious in-between time of children leaving the home/ whilst helping the parents into "older-age." It has been a vast learning experience, and one I am glad to have gotten... but at the same time... chaotic... and very emotional.
I have also learned that I am going to be a grandmother for the 1st time... and I couldn't be happier for my son and his new bride. Such an incredible time of life... a new life developing and coming into this world... as my father prepares to leave it for the next part of his life....

renovations

photo by Elaine A. Russell

Renovations are seriously underway. Like fall.. we are beginning to see some real changes here.

• Instead of barely functioning sliding doors to the backyard, we now have working french doors with locks.
• Instead of a front door that hangs lopsided, so that the locks hardly work... we now have a brand new steel door and accenting side windows.
• Instead of outdoor brass & glass 80's lighting that was hung in the dining area and hallways... we now have beautiful frosted glass globes that hug the ceiling.
• several holes have been patched, the area around the fireplace has been demolished, finished and textured, and the doorway to the garage has been moved over to accomodate a kitchen re-vamp coming in the next few weeks.

There have been a couple of "oops"....like.. today the doorknob was put on backwards to the garage.. and I didn't notice until the crew had left. Ah well. But all in all.... fabulous work so far.