W T C Memorial

I can't believe we missed that terrible storm!

Thank goodness!
It was so beautiful on the Saturday we visited!


World Trade Center Memorial

October 22, 2011

I will be sharing all the pictures from my trip soon.

The visit to the WTC Memorial was the most memorable to me so I thought I would share these pictures first. 

We arrived early Saturday a.m. Our cruise ship docked at Pier 92 in Manhattan. We made the short jaunt to Pier 84 to get the Water Taxi.

The aircraft carrier "Intrepid" can be viewed from the little park where we waited for the Water Taxi.


We made our way to Battery Park to disembark for a short walk the WTC Memorial.

This orb was a feature of the original WTC site. It was recovered and now occupies a featured spot in Battery Park.
As we walked in lower Manhattan, we passed a couple of  interesting sights in NYC. This is why I love NYC so much. There is always something interesting going on and there are always humorous sightings.

In NYC accommodations are made for everyone and everything. We saw one, low placed, water faucet with a sign above "Doggie Bar".

I think I got this pic on the way back to Battery Park.

Kim couldn't understand why I wanted this picture. Duh! This guy was probably a slow reader, huh!


When we arrived at the WTC Memorial security was as tight as the airport. We were lucky enough to have secured a couple of passes for the day. Believe me, this is one hard ticket to get. The passes are timed and we were admitted with the 11:15 a.m. group. 
Having visited ground zero on two previous occasions, I was pleased, to finally sense a spirit of calm. The memorial is beautifully done. 

The memorial offers enough space to move about without seeming crushed. I was glad to see large granite blocks placed about, providing a place to sit and reflect. The waterfalls on the original footprint of the fallen towers are powerful. All victims names were engraved in the massive bronze frames around the waterfalls.
It is hard to keep from tearing while reading the names.  One young woman's name was followed by...

"and unborn child".

For some reason I could not bring myself to photograph the complete names. Since I did not know any of the victims I felt to photograph the names was an invasion of privacy. I know that may seem strange. Just me.

This is the "Survivor Tree". This pear tree was originally on the WTC site. It was discovered, alive, in the rubble, taken off site, nurtured and brought back. You can read about it HERE!

This photo gives you a sense of the spaciousness of the memorial with people moving about, relaxing and reading. It was nice to see children all about.


You can see some of the, approximately 400, Swamp White Oak trees planted on the sight. They will eventually create an oasis in this area of the city.

The reflective building seen here will be a museum when finished. 

Of course the "Survivor Tree" has a place of honor. 

"One World Trade Center"

It is evident and comforting that the "One World Trade Center" Building is beginning to dominate the skyline of New York City. It can be seen from almost any place in lower Manhattan and from the shoreline.


This building represents the spirit of the American people and our strength of survival and renewal. I hope you enjoyed my perspective on the World Trade Center Memorial.

God Bless America!

I will be posting more or our visit to NYC and the rest of our cruise later. I wanted the WTC Memorial to stand alone.

Please leave a comment and let me know if you enjoyed the visit.
Please join me to visit the following parties:
Tuesday's Treasures
Wednesday's Bunny Hop Party
Outdoor Wednesday's
Wow Us Wednesday

SURPRISE, SURPRISE!! COME AND SEE!!

IF I HAD TOLD YOU I WAS SHARING MY FRUITCAKE RECIPE YOU WOULDN'T HAVE COME OVER.

SO!!

I HAD TO TRICK YOU!

Most of you know I have just recently gotten home from a wonderful cruise with my oldest daughter, Kim.

Since I got home I have been doing laundry (I will tell you about the lost luggage later), planting tulip bulbs, dividing and transplanting other bulbs and plants and cleaning house.  
I have made a futile attempt to catch up with blogging.  I love you guys so but you are a prolific bunch. I think I will just start now and try to keep up instead of catching up. 

 When Miss Goosey puts on her fall apparel it is time to make the annual FRUITCAKE, around here.

I know, I know!! Fruitcake is a time honored joke this time of year. I know we have all heard that there is only one FRUITCAKE on earth. It just gets mailed around the globe each year.  

WELL, let me tell you, those people have never eaten my FRUITCAKE!

The recipe states that you must use only "Bargain Corner's" especially prepared fruit cake material.

Bob sold the same thing to all his customers. Bargain Corner purchased in bulk and made a large annual display of the product with Mrs. Oglesby in pioneer dress.

This wrinkled and stained recipe is as least forty years old. Bob was a food broker and sold the glace` fruit to this large grocery market each year. Back then the art of making FRUITCAKE was a big deal. 

I had never really liked the store bought FRUITCAKE that I eaten as a youngster. Sorry Claxton, Georgia. Since Bob sold the main ingredients, we got ours free,  we tried Mrs. Susie Oglesby's recipe. Afterward we were hooked and the annual FRUITCAKE became a tradition.

The ritual starts at the end of October. Bargain Corner no longer exists. That is not the location of the Days Inn on Bay Street in Savannah. So,  Bob goes out and purchases the FRUITCAKE material - glace` fruits of pineapple and cherries. We don't use mixed fruits. that has citron in it and is a no no here. Of course we have  the new season's pecans.  Fresh moist coconut rounds out the extras for the recipe.

Isn't he just too cute. Another pic was clearer but I liked his smile here.

Sweet Ole Bob chops the cherries and pineapple into smaller pieces and breaks the pecans. It is less expensive if you can find the broken nuts. 

I gather the remaining ingredients and prepare the tube pan.

A major ingredient for now and later as you will see!

Miss Goosey watches over the process.

While Bob is chopping I prepare the batter.

While I am doing this I thought I would show you a little about how my kitchen works for me. This is the area I use for most recipe preparation. I can move easily back and forth to the island.

 My dishwasher is here so that I can easily place dishes straight into the dishwasher as I am finished with them.

My trash receptacle is just below me, for discarding butter wrappers, egg shells and etc. Handy, right? I know I did not invent anything but this works well for me.

The ingredients make a stiff cake batter that is then transferred to the fruit, coconut and nut mixture. 

 Back at the island.

This was a subsequent dose of Brandy.

Open and add additional Brandy about once a week until Thanksgiving and then enjoy. Just Remember ~ After one slice you shouldn't operate machinery.

If you are interested, Mrs. Susie Oglesby's recipe will be on my recipe page, with my minor adjustments.

Even if you don't like FRUITCAKE I hope you enjoyed joining us for the ritual. I pray that you and your loved ones have a great holiday season.

My daughter, Kim, and I will have a surprise announcement soon. Please stay tuned! 

NO! Neither of us is pregnant!

 One last picture of Sweet Ole Bob. Just cuz I think he is cute!

Join me for the following fun parties:

Pink Saturday

Saturday Nite Special

Show and Tell Saturday

Sweets For A Saturday

Seasonal Sundays

Sunday Showcase
Metamorphosis Monday

WINTER IS COMING!!

 The Farmer's Almanac is predicting a very cold winter.
It must be true because the squirrels
are gathering NUTS. 

Three of my friends have already disappeared!

Are you OK??

What can I say? I am tired, busy and I am having to steal material from my email!

Love you guys. I will be back in the groove soon. 

Join me me at these fun parties:

Wednesday's Bunny Hop Party

Outdoor Wednesday

Wow Us Wednesday

MISSING IN ACTION!

I missed being with all of you this past week.

It has not been a good week around the island.

I have been dealing with medication allergies, and the

death of a sweet friend. 

Ava was a typical southern lady. She was kind, sweet, a little sassy, to go along with her red hair, and a faithful friend. I miss her, however she hasn't been Ava for a while. She suffered from Parkinson's Disease for quite a long time. Ava is at peace with our Saviour now. Please pray for that same peace for her family.

My Daughter and I are leaving this morning for an eleven day trip. Papa will be holding down the home front.

I am usually very excited to be traveling but for some reason I am having a hard time working myself up for this one. I am sure when I see my daughter's face everything will be great.

I will be back home on the twenty-fourth. I hope to have some great pics of Quebec City, St. Lawrence Seaway,  Nova Scotia and our eastern seaboard.

I will miss you guys, behave until I get back out there.

Pray for us also.

Hugs, Ginger

Autumn Decor

AUTUMN MANTEL

AND MORE!!

I decorated the mantel several times today. As I was sitting in the den, Bob asked me what was wrong. I was staring at the mantel. I didn't like it. It had too much stuff on it. I took most everything off and started over.

The only things that remained were the topiaries. I have had these ivy topiaries for many years. When I purchased them they were live ivy and a bit pricey. I petted and pampered them but within three to four months they croaked. 

I took the shriveled mess back to the home center, with receipt, to see if they honored their plant warranty. They did and I was shocked. How can they do that when there are so many people like me around? As I took my refund money and turned to leave the clerk threw the mess in the trash.  

Whoaaaaa! Light bulb goes on in my head.

"You throwing that away?" I asked. 

"Yes, ma'am" was the reply (Our southern youth are taught to say ma'am).

"Can I have that stuff back?" 

"Yes, ma'am, (Our southern youth are taught to say ma'am), I'll put it in a bag for you."

 "Thank you, Woo Hoo!" 

Well, I didn't say it exactly like THAT!

A little faux ivy and I have evergreen,  permanent topiaries. 

Being too green for Autumn, they needed a little adjustment. I used some extra ivy from my "stash", some spray paint, in rust, yellow and orange and I had Fall arrangements. Voilà!

I added a few natural elements.

 The excess material was cleared and with the addition of a couple of black candle holders and a minimal amount of faux gourds and pumpkins I had a simplified Fall mantel.

The topiary on the left has the tilts. Didn't notice it until I saw the pic, just now. I'll just whack it around a little. Hm mm, maybe that's why the real ones croaked.

I hope you like my simple mantel.  It suits me now. 

Here's a couple of other things that are finished. 

 Foyer...HERE

Front Porch...HERE 

I am still digging in those boxes so there's more to come.

I am joining the great parties. Please come join me!

Wow Us Wednesdays

Wednesday's Bunny Hop Party

Open House Party Thursday

Thrifty Thursdays

Time Travel Thursday

Vintage Thingies Thursday

Thursday Favorite Things