Aw, how sweet that your Dad likes stuffed animals! My Mom loved them, it was the best loved presents you could give her to find a cute soft cuddly stuffed animal to give her.

Urk, I hope your Dad is okay, if you are having to do things for him it is worrisome. Really great that you and your Brother are close enough to help out!

Egg and cheese from Subway? (Urp) I like the tuna fish or the one with the turkey/roast beef/and ham - I put pepperjack cheese on it and load up the salad stuff on both of those sandwiches. Egg and cheese = no no, urp.

This is the first I've known about the extent of how rural Michigan is! My friends lived in Flint, which I guess is more of a suburbs of Detroit's urban sprawl. It looked really big city compared to Knoxville, lol.

I love that you took these pictures and shared this trip with us, it was great to see another side of Michigan - and really surprising to learn that it is the majority of the state, makes me wish I'd gone up there some summer vacation in the past! (just in the summer months though, lol).

Upstate New York is like that too, surprisingly. We had to travel from city to city for horse shows or various relative visits; but between those cities was rolling farmland/pine forests and apple orchards/pristine lakes, etc. It was beautiful, I love the Great Lakes region.

So, my stay abroad has been productive. We invested in some land a few years ago. I had the opportunity to take some pictures. If and when I get older, this will serve as a small retirement getaway. For now it will be a spot for family vacation. We're still building.

It is a bit distanced from the city, and its private and just peaceful to be at. A nice place to get away for the weekend. I think I'm going to buy a hammock hehe. The view doesn't do the real thing justice. One day I hope to get a better view.

Nice pictures, DE

Where is it?

It is gorgeous, DE! I am still hoping to see you back in the States, but can see how the beauty of South America can be a balm from the hectic pace of North America, lol. Awesome! When will we hear of some little mini-DE's pattering feet? (just kidding).

Thanks, Mirocu.

Brazil. In the mainland.


If everything goes well, this year I'll be back home. But it is a place to go once and awhile to get away. Mini-DE's? I'll have to be home first, and when I return home not for many years to come. I hope.

Very beautiful landscape indeed. But a little hard on a snowmobile..

I was just teasing about that; but if and when it happens you will be able to hear me whooping wherever you are.

I can't wait for you to be back, has your wife ever seen the US? Will South Florida be frightening to her after the peaceful quiet of Brazil?

This place is gorgeous; Awesome that you have already found such a beautiful spot to enjoy in your future!

Brazil looks fantastic DE!

Great shots, DE. Thanks for sharing!

I just got the keys to my new apartment. I expect to start moving in tomorrow night. I took some pictures of it empty, so I can compare them to ones I take after the move.

The living room

Dining room - the tile floor is brand new

The kitchen - everything is all new, cabinets, appliances, tile, etc...

The bathroom - new sink, counter, cabinets underneath, and new tile floor

The bedroom with vanity and closets

Facing the bedroom door

The bed will probably go in this corner

Finally one of the big reasons for the move - a washer and dryer in the apartment

Time for a new WHOO-HOOO!! - My second of the day


Nice place you got, SubRosa! Looks like a really posh hotel room But... have you moved out of Detroit?

How exciting, SubRosa! The place looks great. In addition to the new stuff you mentioned, the walls and carpet look to be in great shape as well. I bet you'll make it into a wonderfully comfortable nest!

Beautiful place, SubRosa! And a balcony, too! I don't envy you having to actually move, hope your cat population takes to this new place as well!

First off, I love the new tile and black appliances! And second only because I saw it later - love the built in vanity!

Yay, congrats on the new place, SubRosa! Everything looks so fresh and new. I love the wood color in the kitchen and bath. Built-in vanity, or kitty perch? One giant leap from the shelf to the bed!

I hope your move goes smoothly and everything and everyone finds a comfy spot in your new home.

Here's a pic of the new living room, with the tv hooked up to my main computer.

Woot! Aela makes a great screensaver!

Dude, with space like that, you could probably build an open-roofed gym or something. I know I would if I had a piece of land myself!

Nice, but where is the tv? All I could see was a shiny poster

Cat Food times Two: Check.
Goldfish Bowl full of Drinking Water: Check
Cat Bed: Check
Cat Pillow on the Coffee Table: Check
Cat Toys Scattered Enticingly Across the Floor: Check

Looks like the kids have moved in! How are they adjusting?

Holy Cow, what a huge monitor (drool, drool) !!!!!!! Aela looks live/lifelike at that size !!! Ooh, and a pillow to put your feet up on while you game on that enormous screen!

Is that thousands of movies on those shelves?

Secondly = LOVE the Japanese styling on the corner rack and decor items, I just really love Oriental statues and vases!

Oddly enough, this living room shot seems to look more compressed than your old living room did; probably just the angle of the shot. Anyway, you will make it your gorgeous space soon enough, your home shots have always looked so inviting and comfortable!

Thank you for sharing this, really cool new place you have now!

Cool place you have, SubRosa, and some interesting figurines. Who is the 2nd guy on the right that reminds me of some Indian chief?

I had my Vitara for a week now and I made around 450 km (280 miles). I already showed one pic of it but this one's better. The green sticker in the upper left corner (from the driver's perspective) is a vignette. The pic was taken in a village about 50 miles from my hometown Maribor (MB on the license plate) where my GF's grandma lives in a nursing home.

Freya had the most trouble with the move. Even though she had the most fun with the empty boxes and shelves when I was packing everything up. I brought the cats over last, and she kept trying to run out and back to old apartment. But she has finally gotten used to the new place now.


I don't game on the tv. It is just for watching movies. I only had it hooked up to the PC so I could watch Vikings on it, from the History Channel's website.


You mean the bronze statuette, with the head gear? That is Hermes. He is in between Artemis and Freya.

Well now you know how bad my eyesight is, lol.

SubRosa, looks like home. I’m glad you and the kitties are settled. Freya had all of that fun with the boxes, but now that she knows what they mean I wonder if she’ll hide when Amazon drops the next delivery.

Lopov, you’re giving me car envy. My dashboard lights went out on me yesterday for a short while, I expect my car is telling me that it’s time to move on!

That is such a sporty looking car; but still able to carry a family = can't beat that! I'll bet it is easy on the fuel, too!

My new 4k disc player came today! I took back the upconverting player I bought with my new tv a few weeks ago, and used the money to buy some 4k blu-rays. It looks just amazing. The first thing I tried was actually an old Sharpes Rifles blu-ray, and even a 20 year old movie made with a low budget is just eye popping. The actual 4k discs are even more astounding.

I had a laugh while seeing what the 4k movies looked like.

Mars

and

Australia look a lot alike...

Ha! I would have thought that was the same movie! Glad you've got things up and running.

Nice set you got there, SubRosa! Does it have the Framemeister so you can play retro games on it without lag?

Wait, is that an Alik'r TV?

With a Curved Screen. Curved ... Screen?

Awesome picture your set gets! And nice JAPANESE statues in the background, BWAAHAA !!!

I guess there aren't any Ford Falcons on Mars. But there might be astronauts in Oz. I was amazed at how alike the two movie settings looked too!



I don't even know what that is. But it sounds like a mad scientist that created a monster... Dr. Framemeister!


nyuck, nyuck, nyuck. I thought the Alik'r screen would be weird. But it seems perfectly normal when I watch it, curves and all.


Yes, great Japanese statues!

Ok I gotta ask, why the emphasis on Japanese?

I was driving to the grocery store just an hour ago when I made a startling discovery. The aliens are among us!

Hey, is that a picture of my sister?

(mALX)

Bekôzu Japanizu izu cooru.

Seriously you guys gotta visit Osaka sometime

I took a tour of the Dodge Viper assembly plant today. I am not a gearhead, but I still thought it was pretty neat. They are the only factory in America where the engine is built in the same plant where the car is assembled. In contrast to other factories, the cars are hand-made. The only robots were to take measurements of the chassis and punch the holes into it where the body parts are mounted. Then there are some other robots that measure every seam between body panels after it is assembled to make sure there are no gaps out of spec.

They make 3 cars a day here. Every one is built to order. Where other plants do one car per minute. Obviously the difference in quality is astounding.

The very first Viper ever made as a concept car

The first production Viper

The interior of the first Viper to win at Le Mans

Another Le Mans winner

Another Viper

The air filter is built into the hood. When the hood is closed, it makes a perfect seal around the top of the engine.

You can see some of the factory behind this one

An ACR version - these things have about 640 horsepower

Wonderful shots, SubRosa and thanks for sharing. They certainly are imposing cars that absolutely ooze an aura of 'sex on wheels'.

A Dodge Viper is a true American icon!


Wouldn´t mind gettin´ me mitts on one meself, I wouldn´t

That is AWESOME !!!! I LOVE the Viper !!! How I envy you seeing them actually in production! (and how did you leave there without sneaking one out for a spin? And if you did, you need to have a selfie of it!!! )

Awesome shots !!!





I meant to mention this - can't get over how CLEAN that factory is !!!

Little piece of family history

My grandpa has a few more of these. I've seen the contents of two of them. They are his last visits to Nicaragua, around the time my dad was about to be born. They're shots of him mostly around Managua, the capital city, but there are some of him around his home in Rivas. One of the reels has him at the parade the held when their president was assassinated.

I've never been yet, nor have I met his side of the family, but I'd love to go one day.

Oh, I hope you are able to preserve these - and most def get to see your family in Nicaragua!

Oh for sure. One of these days I'm going to take him to Costco and get them made into DVDs.

As for seeing his side of the family...doubtful. They've shunned him because he's deaf :/ The ones that are here in the US even gave him the wrong information for his sister's wake. From what I hear, they're pretty horrible and for my dad's side to actually be fine cutting off family (they're very family-oriented, to a fault even) speaks volumes.

What a shame the family is doing that! I'm so sorry

Looks like I´ll be walking home today

Nice kitty perch!

She was gonna give me a flat tyre

You were kind not to fire that thing up and take the cat for a spin - literally.

So, you went to the Cat House, huh?



...


*Where is Ghastley and Foxy when we need them?*

I'm on a congress roughly 1300m (4300 ft) above the town I live in (Maribor), and there's snow up there! Lots of snow actually, I made it to the top thanks to my car's four-wheel drive, because roads weren't well cleared yet in the morning so a lot of my colleagues had to turn around halfway to the top, return to the valley and get to the top with gondolas.

In Maribor, as usual, we don't have any snow, only rain.

Snow blanket from one of the rooms

My half-cleaned car after it stopped snowing and they made more parking spaces "parkable" again by clearing snow