Kathy from Valrico, Florida, USA

Kathy, Best Wishes for a rip-roaring success in your tennis match. Just know you'll win and knock their socks off! Have fun, and You Go Girl!

Kathy, I have been overwhelmed by the kindness shown to me for my birthday. It really does make your day to find well wishers from all over the world have visited with such greetings.
From the bottom of my heart, I thank you.
All the best at Daytona.
Don't worry about the #900, I'll give you the heads-up for #1000!

Who though you wouldn't win?/ Wasn't anyone here.

Congratulations on the first match (round?). Now go get 'em in the next. Know you can do it.

Hallo Kathy! Thank you for your visit to my page. Yes, we are indeed very fond of nature and what Africa has to offer. My suggestion would be Tanzania - NOT Kenya at this time, check on internet - political instability. Another two options could be Botswana or Zambia. My e-mail address is helena.elliott@telkomsa.net. Forward me your details and I will then forward tour operators details to you. Good luck. Take care
Helena

Kathy congratulations on your tennis win so far and I hope you are still winning.
I saw your queries to Linda/Pioneer about Africa.
We went there 2006 and loved it. We flew to Cape Town, hired a car and drove to the wine area and the garden route to Port Elizabeth. Flew to Zambia and Victoria Falls, Durban to see friends. Then picked up a tour in Kenya for Amboseli, Lake Nakuru, and Masai Mara.
We were with Africa Travel Specialists as the company we wanted was booked out. We had a van and driver to ourselves but thy were more expensive.
Last year we did a Baltic cruise and sat at a table with a Mary Pat L. Foss from Illinois who ran Kenya Camera Safaris and takes groups to Africa. Sounded interesting. Will send more details if you are interested

Hi Kathy! Hope you are having fun 'up north.'
You expressed an interest in knowing when Jonah the Loggerhead Sea Turtle, would be released to the wild.
Well, today's the day! As I write this, Jonah is either motoring north or is already swimming in Indain River Lagoon, a part of the Intercoastal Waterway north of here where many loggerheads that size are regularily seen.
Jonah lived at Loggerhead Marinelife Center of Juno Beach, Florida, as our educational specimen, from tiny hatchling size until today. The animal had reached his release size of 45cm carapace length earlier this month.
The loggerhead sea turtle is very instinct-driven. Though it receives no maternal training of any kind, we need not worry even though the animal has lived its whole life in captivity. He was angry and agressive to the end- great survival traits in a marine predator! I am sure the animal will thrive.

Kathy, you home yet?!
Miss you.
Hope all went well.

no need to think..just start booking the flights!

AUSTRALIA..MELBOURNE!!!
Is the place to be in 2008

Thank you, thank you, Kathy!!! You made my day even more special! I'll just have to hobble over to you and learn you to be more respectful of the elderly giggle, snort!!!

just in case you missed it yesterday.....

Angie says: all those in favour of Kathy and Rob visiting Oz...
just add your name to the list
Angie - Melb!
Rola - Perth
Orianne -Ottawa, I think Australia sounds great!
eaa - Tassie
Shiela - Michigan, - ditto,
Orianne
Mary- Bibra Lake
Marylinn- Portland
Nancy -Pennsylvania
Shosho - Los Angeles (can she come with you)
Eve - So. Oregon (add NZ to the trip & maybe Tahiti)
Elise - Port Macquarie, NSW Australia
Gail - Cockatoo Vic AU (BTW a beautiful place to visit )
Broni - Qld, Australia (yes Shosho you come to)
CynB - Redlands (near Broni)
June - Epping NSW
Col - Australia (not really melb but only 100km from it)
Gannimo - SW France If you like send me the fare and I'll go in your place
Madby3 Gold Coast, Queensland... lovely weather and beaches
Amelia -Robinvale
k - Brissie (beautiful one day.. perfect the next)
Maureen - Dubbo, NSW ,and me dont forget me
Rosemary - Wang.(sorry been out all day)
Angie - Wisconsin (who is green with envy)
CP - Canberra

Now how can you refuse!

but I understand. LOL

Dear Kathy,
Thank you for your support while I have been ill. I never expected such a response from this site, everyone’s concern and caring has overwhelmed me. I can only say that it is the genuine people here who make this a very unique place to share our hopes, dreams, ups and downs. So thank you for being there.
Broni

Gday Kathy, I popped in earlier today and watched your youtube, halfway through it, hubby got home from work and sprung me sitting here in tears! I am such a sook with stories like that, I think they should all have got medals.
As to what snew, nuffin much. D#3 was at camp on the weekend, so hubby and I went for a lovely drive on Sunday to pick her up. She was one happy and excited Vegemite. The smile we got as we walked in the hall was the best Mother's Day pres a mum could ask for.
The older two are about status quo, although an uneasy truce seems to be the way of it at the mo. D#1 threw in her job in the family business, I think she was finding it hard to work with such a large chip on her shoulder! She's just started another job and seems to be reasonably happy with it. This leaves D#2 still working in the family business and apparently happier now, not so in the shadow of, if you know what I mean.
My son and his girlfriend are a pair of sweeties and have recently moved back over to this side of town so I am able to see more of them which is lovely.
Well, that's about it for now, had my hair done and no-one noticed. Situation normal! I mentioned it as I was walking out the door this evening and got the usual response. "I thought so but I wasn't sure"! As I always say though, say something, I'd rather you be mistaken than not ever notice! Ah well, sigh and move on!
Keep your eye on the numbers, when I last looked, there were 12 to go. I have that #1000 spot reserved for you!

Hi Kathy, All the flowers & birds in my gallery are in my yard. Think I have over 30 different Iris in bloom now. I also have Clematis in bloom, four different ones on one arbor. The winds have been so bad lately. Not any tornados here but a little town of Picher was almost blown away the other night, 6 dead is what I read, this town only has 800 people. I will be adding more pictures of the yard flowers later.
Have you decided where you are going. With Harry's toe we can't go anywhere until it is healed. Might try for this fall, some where warm.

Kathy, you are correct - it brought tears to mt eyes.

Hello Kathy - What a beautiful bird. It looks like it is a tropical bird with all of its colors!
Thanks for this picture. Maybe we will see on in Virginia or North Carolina sometime.

I forgot to tell you about our hummingbirds. You wanted to know what kind they were. Most of the hummingbirds we get are Ruby Throated. The one in my picture is a female. They have white on their throats. Only the males have the red.

Looks like a lovely place to relax.

Oh yes, If you go to the "member" link, you will find Angela from Dallas,TX,USA. I left a note on her page this morning.

Wonderful bird. I'd never heard of a Bunting before & now I've seen two in one day! great photos, Kathy.

Hi, Kathy! I didn't take the pictures of the tornado (a friend of a friend did). Jaime and I didn't even know there was a tornado warning and didn't find out about the storm until two hours afterwards when we got a call from Brenda in Brunswick. Apparently, the tornado tore up the family "compound", then headed over the marsh to St. Simons. And, no, we don't have a weather radio, but we probably wouldn't have had it on anyway! The local authorities only had 12 minutes warning!

Kathy...loved the latest shots from Fripp Island....especially the sunset picture.

OH my, where do I start.
Your photo's are amazing, and I must say,the sunset is just beyonds words, you should submit that to Gath.
As for your youtube..
Just beautiful, and what a wonderful reminder that there is always hope in this amazing world of ours that life is about sharing, giving and loving each other.
for sharing that with us

Kathy, thanks for dropping by and leaving all those wonderful comments on my pics.

Oh Kathy that was so inspirational and emotional, found myself with tears coursing down my face. I am so proud of those girls. Life is still good and I have my faith in humankind restored. Thank you.

for the get well wishes!
(I really want to get better so I can participate in a Sudoku visit at Debby's with Junebug-Jenny on Saturday! So cross your fingers!)

Hi Kathy - wish is my command! the photo is in the gallery!

Debby, Jenn & I ARE going to get together tomorrow! Should be fun! (...Doubt if we'll have a cool convertible, though!) Jenn's bringing her two young sons to see Debby's baby robins.
Not completely over my "cold", but shouldn't be contagious. (It's been a strange cold... mostly a dry severe cough & weird voice & that's all.)

Hi Kathy,

Got your post on the baby robins - I think there are three, just count the beaks. Have a great day!

Cheers,
Jenn

Let's have a party.
Cheers Kathy.
Phew, I'm glad that's over too!

Hi Kathy, meet Indigo, Ralph's river friend. Another one is Molly, she's little poodle type. In Sydney in our street is Jule, a large but extremely gentle Bull Mastiff. My daughter has two b*tches, Mocha & Cassie, so he has a lot of female play mates as well as male! Indigo, Mocha & Cassie are all part kelpie & other things!

I forgot his Wagga Wagga playmate Sardy, a chocolate Labrador. My Wagga inlaws where we stay mostly when we go to Wagga & they stay with us in Sydney & also "Up-the-River". Sardy loves the water too! She's named after the Sardy House at Aspen where the family stayed for their daughter's wedding several years ago. They're all mad skiers!

I've just replaced the Ralph photo with another from the same day showing Ingigo & Molly romping on the sand a couple of jetties along from our place on the river.

Thank you Kathy for making my birthday a special one.
Many sudoku friends from around the world coming to visit me and wishing me a Happy Birthday have overwhelmed me.
My Husband and sons took me out to dinner to a Chinese Restaurant, and on the Sunday, we had a delicious Roast Dinner at MIL’s.

Kathy, I hope you had fun in Orlando. I can imagine how you feel about your oldest baby turning 40. I am my mom's last baby and I turned 40 a few years ago. She wasn't very happy. Now, her oldest is only 2 years away from 50 (and me being the baby sister will not let big brother forget) Enjoy the grandkids. My oldest starts middle school in August.

Kathy, thanks for the compliment on my flowers. Yes, we do have a gardening service for the not so fun part of yard work, mowing, weeds, cleanup, heavy pruning. We save the fun stuff for ourselves, planting, light pruning, shaping, deadheading, hand watering, that kind of thing. You asked and I never answered, so, I will here ... we're going to Maui and Oahu on our Hawaii trip, though all we've seen over there is beautiful.

Hi- thanks for the comments. Dick was very sick for so long that it was not unexpected. I start to think that things are back to "normal" and then there is a holiday or something that triggers all those feeling of loss. It has been nearly 6 months, but still there are good days and bad days. Thanks again for writing.

Oh my gosh!!!! I had about 22 messages in my inbox today just from Sudoku friends wishing me a 'Happy Birthday'! Thank you so much for all of your kind thoughts and wishes especially when I haven't been around for so long. It has been a wonderful day and a lovely weekend. Rick and I went away to a romantic chalet at Springbrook with an open fireplace and we went bushwalking etc. I have uploaded a photo of Kiarah and some others onto 'my page'. Photos taken 26th May 2008. Kiarah is just about 18 months old now and still gorgeous hahaha....

Dear Kathy,
Thank you so much for your very caring message after Mum's death. The love and support from everyone on this wonderful site has been amazing and very much appreciated, it really did help me get through a rough patch.

Kathy, Just wanted to thank you for the birthday greetings....Being remembered by so many certainly made a good day better....Glad you were a part of that.
Your u tube sounds so interesting, but since I'm traveling around the world with my thank yous, I just don'thave the time to enjoy now. I hope you keep it up a while longer so I can get back to hear it. The bird however is beautiul...glad I did get to see that.Have a great day. Peace.

About frangipanni....Yes, they smell heavenly. You can buy soap, oil, perfume and more like car scent in Brisbane. I leave in the city near the botanical garden where I took photos. I am getting to old for gardening and working full time.... looking forward to do it again in my retiremnet years.