Toilet Paper Mystery

I wasn't sure what was going on here...



I followed the trail into the hall...



Around the corner...



Into the livingroom....



AH HA!! Caught red-pawed



"Murphy did it, Mom!!!"

Through the Panama Canal

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panama_Canal
The Panama Canal is a 77 km (48 mi) ship canal that joins the Atlantic Ocean and the Pacific ocean and a key conduit for international maritime trade. Annual traffic has risen from about 1,000 ships in the canal's early days to 14,702 vessels in 2008, displacing a total 309.6 million Panama Canal/Universal Measurement System (PC/UMS) tons.
One of the largest and most difficult engineering projects ever undertaken, the canal had an enormous impact on shipping between the two oceans, replacing the long and treacherous route via the Drake Passage and Cape Horn at the southernmost tip of South America. A ship sailing from New York to San Francisco via the canal travels 9,500 km (6,000 miles), well under half the 22,500 km (14,000 miles) route around Cape Horn.[1]
The concept of a canal near Panama dates to the early 16th century. The first attempt to construct a canal began in 1880 under French leadership, but was abandoned after 21,900 workers died, largely from disease (particularly malaria and yellow fever) and landslides. The United States launched a second effort, incurring a further 5,600 deaths but succeeding in opening the canal in 1914.
While the Pacific Ocean is west of the isthmus and the Atlantic to the east, the 8- to 10-hour journey through the canal from the Pacific to the Atlantic is one from southeast to northwest. This is a result of the isthmus's "curving back on itself" in the region of the canal. The Bridge of the Americas at the Pacific end is about a third of a degree of longitude east of the end near Colon on the Atlantic.[2]
The maximum size of vessel that can use the canal is known as Panamax; an increasing number of modern ships exceed this limit, and are known as post-Panamax or super-Panamax


Many people were on deck before sunrise to watch as our ship approached the first lock of the Panama Canal. This first set of photos are all about getting through the first set of locks, the Gatun Locks.















These machines are called Mules and guide the ship through the narrow lock so the ship doesn't smash up against the side.




We were served famous Panama Rolls and coffee on deck...

The Panama Canal Cruise Day 6

Day 6 we were at sea and we spent the day enjoying the activities available on board the Oosterdam. The list of things to do was extensive including learning the art of creating animals out of bread dough, learning how to make towel animals like the ones left on our beds each evening, listening to music, dancing, a Broadway Sing-Along, afternoon tea and cupcakes, learning about the construction and operation of the Panama Canal, watching a movie, enjoying an hour of comedian Bob Brizendine and of course non stop eating in the dining rooms and cafeteria.


Here's our view out the window next to our dining table....


Here's some of the dishes we enjoyed at dinner....






And here's my towel animal......

The Paneling Is Gone!!!

I've spent almost a year deciding if I wanted to remove the ugly paneling from the wall in my bedroom. I originally painted it to match the rest of the walls, but yesterday I decided it has to come down.





One panel gone...



Two panels gone......



The third and last panel is gone. Notice the 45 years of dirt on the wall. I scraped the glue and I'm hoping the paint will cover the residue left behind.



Then I removed the old baseboards and will replace them with 3 1/2" baseboards to match the news one in the living room, dining room, kitchen, hall and bathroom.


I put the bedroom back in order. After a good nights sleep, tomorrow I paint!!!

Around the House

The first grapefruit from my huge tree.


My huge tree with an abundance of fruit.


My tree up close and personal.


My large mission style coffee table and end tables weren't working well for me so I sold them and then set out to find new ones, on Craig's List. I first found the new coffee table not too far away in Sun City West. There weren't any end tables to match, so I continued the search to complete the set.


I had to travel 60 miles one way, to Mesa, to purchase the end tables, but the price was great and they go really well with the coffee table. And with the new, plush carpet my living room is just about complete. I still plan to replace the large front window with a new double-pane window and add new horizontal blinds.