Crossing the Rainbow Bridge

Today our Ella completed her time on Earth. She fought the good fight; she has finished the race.

Mission accomplished, our beloved furball.

Born on June 4, 2005, our little Havanese come home to us on August 24, 2009.

Here she meets Emma for the first time.

Once acclimated to our household, Ella took on the role of Security Chief, barking when the doorbell rang, barking when guests came over, and barking whenever anyone walked past the house. I even cut a hole in the front shrubbery so she had a clearer field of vision. Halloween night was the Great Barkfest, what with the constant parade of trick-or-treaters.

She also liked to know where each of us was at all times. She would wander the house, upstairs and down, making sure we were present and accounted for. If one was missing from her count, she would sit staring at the back door until the lost sheep returned.

She did not like fireworks and most definitely did not like thunderstorms. On stormy nights she would want up in the bed with us, then she would want down. This would repeat until she exhausted herself. While on the bed she would spend her time walking over us and scratching my head to get to my pillow. Sleep was not to be had on those nights.

Her favorite human food was liverwurst. She also loved all types of cheeses. But I can's say she was picky - I don't recall her walking away from anything we gave her.

When she was younger, she would jump up on the sofa and take it over - if she was in your spot you moved, not her. As she got older and her jumping ability diminished, we bought her some steps and taught her how to climb up. She was a fast learner and was soon up and down with ease.

We bought her several dog beds for sleeping, which she would invariably sleep next to but not in or on.

Ella was was 18.5 years old when she passed, which is about 90 in human years. She well exceeded the 14.5-year average lifespan of her breed. We chalk this up to the staples of her diet - grilled nuggets from Chick-fil-A, steak from Taste of Texas, and fajitas from Chuy's.

Ella, rest in peace. You have completed your mission - you made our world a better place.

You will not be forgotten, but will live on in our hearts and memories.

Godspeed, you wonderful dog. Godspeed, Ella.

Boston Public Library

We toured the Boston Public Library. The old building was never not a lending library, but for research only. The lending part was added fairly recently and is built in the back. We looked around the old building for the most part.

They were hosting a farmers' market the day we visited, hence the blue tent in the front.

The architects spent a lot of time and money on the entrance lobby. They have two of these lions, one each flanking the stairs.

In the old days, you would come up the stairs to this room to request a book.

Then you would take your book next door and read it here.

This little room was on the third floor. Behind the doors is where the books were stored.

The courtyard between the old building and the addition.

Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

While in Boston, we toured the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. I'm not an art expert, but I enjoyed looking at the various displays.

The museum's big claim to fame is the art heist.

"In the early morning hours of March 18, 1990, 13 works of art were stolen from the Museum. Guards admitted two men posing as police officers responding to a disturbance call, and the thieves bound the guards and looted the museum over the next hour.

The case in unsolved; no arrests have been made and no works have been recovered. The stolen works have been valued at hundreds of millions of dollars by the FBI and art dealers.

The museum offers a $10 million reward for information leading to the art's recovery, the largest bounty ever offered by a private institution."

Boston Harbor

We took a vacation this summer and spent a few days in Boston. After dinner at Trillium Brewery, we found ourselves by Boston Harbor. Captured a quick image. I like it.

More to come as I sort through the rest of the pictures from the trip.

A New World Record

As part of our company's wellness program, they entered a team in the Hess Houston Corporate 5K and asked for volunteers to participate.

We had a beautiful afternoon at Memorial Park, sunny and very pleasant temperatures.

While running is not something I enjoy, I decided to enter just to see what it was all about. And it's a good thing I did. My finish time turned out to be a World Record for my age!

Here I am closing in on the finish line. It's a good thing there was a photographer present to record history in the making.

Congratulations to me.

 

Art Car Museum

Our summer museum tour took us to the Art Car Museum. The exhibit was the art of Harold Bourdier. A few of our favorite items...

As The World Turns (2015)

Blue Steel (2019)

Waits Without (2019)

An Old Knife Maker (1975-2001)

Foster Dog (2012)

Neglected (2019)

World War I Museum

 I recently found myself in Kansas City with some available time. So I toured the World War I Museum.

The observation deck on the tower is available for an extra fee. Luckily, an elevator takes you up most of the way, leaving only 47 steps to the deck. This is the view. The weather was a bit blustery so I didn't stay long.

I also paid the extra fee for the audio tour. While the exhibits were well presented, the audio did add some additional information to help put it all in context.

They have quite a number of artillery pieces.

Since WW I was a trench war, they have several trench mockups, from the idealized version to a destroyed one like this.

Tanks were introduced during the war. An early example.

All in all a well put together museum. Highly recommended.