It's been a rainy week . . . at the Hiles/Adams

Having a pool to watch over has been a change for us. Every week the water evaporates and we have to run the fill line to keep the water level at the proper height. This week, really the first week where we have experienced any rain to speak of since we moved in, we let mother nature fill the pool -- and she did.  We look forward to using the pool on a more regular basis probably in the late spring or early summer. And we expect to introduce Dino to the enjoyment as well. At the current time, Dino stays back and approaches timidly.
This is what the pool looked like today:

I was able to shoot a variety of pictures while the sun was out so the pool looks warm and inviting -- the truth is that it almost could have a layer of ice on it -- but that will change. We hope to upgrade the arbor type structures on both the pool level and on the back porch . . . mother nature actually didn't know when to stop filling, so if we get any more rain this week, the water will be over-the-top . . . speaking of the top. because of the heavy brush and leaves on top of the arbor we were not really aware that we had a pelican weather vane on top.

Weather All Over


While we were having heavy rains (started Thursday) many other parts of the country were having their own extreme weather. The Northwest experienced a huge snowfall. Having lived in the Northwest I know how treacherous snow there is -- it is a great deal like what it would be like for San Francisco to have a huge snow storm.The hills especially would be almost not driveable.

Serious weather (winds) allowed a huge wildfire to run throughout the Reno area destroying at least 29 homes while the surrounding mountain areas did get some snow allowing for some possible skiing -- strange. The Midwest and the Northeast also were hit with big storrms, but that is really not huge news for this time of the year except that the storms have started so late . . . on the other hand Hawaii is an attractive destination. Our neighbors just returned from Kauai and others from our tree have recently returned from the islands.

The above are some shots from the areas I just mentioned showing the results of the snow, the rains, the winds (fire) and the just plain sunny skies of Hawaii . . .


Whether or Not


The election campaign for this year is also a storm in itself. It is hard to keep track of who did what and when they did it and what any of it means to the ability to run the country. The PACs and Super PACs are having a field day and after awhile it really encourages "tuning out" somewhat.

Judging from the above, there may just be a shortage of dark blue suits at Robert Hall or J.C. Penney, not to mention red ties could be in short supply as well. And the smiling that goes on . . . how do they do that?

It got me to thinking about our ancestors and who they voted for or against in the election year 100 years ago -- some of you remember that I know -- but who won the election that year, 1912, when my Grandparents were voting (probably not the women though) and who were those actually running:

Wilson, Roosevelt (Teddy), Taft, Debs and Chafin (a name I do not recognize) were all running for President. The Vice Presidential names were all unfamiliar to me. But as we all know (by now) Woodrow Wilson won the election both in 1912 and 1916. His V.P was Thomas Marshall, who is reported to be on the list of "one of the poorest Vice Presidents" on record. Marshall himself hated the job and even remarked that it was of such low importance that no Vice President in history had ever even been shot at . . .

So it doesn't sound that different from today's candidates and we don't even know about any of the Vice Presidential candidates -- but thinking about the list from above it is hard to think that any of today's candidates could be worse than some of the notable V.P.s of past years.

I would like to know whom my Grandparents and other ancestors voted for, but it is highly unlikely that I will ever know that -- but we can make guesses.

Dino's Week


We attended a training session geared to all the grooming needs for our puppy -- ears, nose, nails, eyes and  most other parts as well. The big news for Dino was that he gets to increase his food intake due to his size and stature. Instead of 3 cups of kibble per day, it is now 4 cups per day -- he loves it.

The above shows a variety of things that Dino did during this week -- we have now had him for 50 days, time flies. It still is pretty much 24/7, but we are coming to terms with scheduling our needs along with his needs. He is such a good-natured  pup and so smart too.He enjoys "working" and especially going down the dog-food aisles of the stores AND meeting new people. 

From the Tree

We are busily communicating with several Cousins and eventually will have even more folks added to the tree. The fun part is "meeting" people that are related to us and have some of the same interests and goals.

There are several birthdays celebrated on this day:

The first one listed there is my Gr Gr Gr Grandfather -- John Hiles who was born this day in 1789. I can only imagine what the politics and economics that he experienced while growing up along with the young country.  He is the son of another John Hiles who is as far back as I go on my HILES line. I am hoping to change that eventually. 

The others on the report are Cousins of varying degrees. 

And so goes my (our) week. We look forward to watching the Championship game tomorrow and surprisingly will be rooting for the Niners even though under normal circumstances we have rooted for Eli and group . . .

We end this post with a sketch of -- guess who:

So in a few minutes Gail will arrive home after another week filled with the fun of the tax environment AND then it will be Slider Saturday Night (onion-free) for some . . .