Traveling Buckeye Style

We're getting ready for another OSU game day. My cousin Flat Joe is selecting his "Buckeye" items so he can look cool like me. After all, I'm his older wiser cousin, Flat Stanley. As you can see, I'm appropriately dressed and sporting the colors. So, did you know OSU means Ohio State University. And the colors are Scarlet and Gray with black and white as extra. And in case you didn't know, (and my visiting Cousin, Flat Joe didn't) The Ohio State Universitys nick name is The Buckeyes.

See the Buckeyes on the earrings, necklace and bracelets? Do you know what a Buckeye is?

Let me back up just a bit. President Lincoln signed The Land Grant Act on July 2, 1862. That made possible higher education for the masses. The Ohio General Assembly established The Ohio Agricultural and Mechanical College though there was a dispute about how broad or narrow it's curriculum should be. Luckily Joseph Sullivan pushed the idea of a broad spectrum to the board of trustees for a liberal arts type education. Soon thereafter the school's name was changed to Ohio State University.

Aesculus glabra, Buckeye Tree is native to the State of Ohio, particularly along The Ohio River. It's a very hardy tree, one hard to kill that produces a shinny nut with a spot that resembles the eye of a Buck/Deer. Apparently in early history the tree's wood was used to fashion many items the pioneers needed, and became popular. Ohioans then became known as Buckeye's. Later the school's athletic teams officially adopted it as their nickname, and mascot.

A favorite candy of peanut butter and chocolate is made that looks like a buckeye and can be found in almost any store in the area, as well as made my hand at home.

Keeping a Buckeye in your pocket is thought to be good luck, thus wearing the Buckeye Necklaces should give the teams good luck and cause many wins.

So Buckeye's are Trees, Ohioans, Sports teams, and candy!

Flat Stanley and Flat Joe out, we have to go get ready for tailgating.
And it's Follow Friday, get in the act.
You can read more about Flat Joe Here




Can someone PLEASE tell me why this linky shows numbers on everyone else's blog, but not mine? I've looked at this using 2 different browsers, Moz FF and Int. Explorer, and on hubby's computer (last week), and no numbers????

Packing Thursday Traveling Tip

Packing, it's been my experience that regardless of where you go, most people over pack. Ask yourself several questions.

1. ..What am I going to be doing (what type of clothes are needed to accomplish this)
2. ..How long am I going to be there
3. ..What's the weather like
4. ..Are there laundry facilities there?

Answering those questions will truly help you.
Example...what am I going to be doing? Going to the beach, you're going to be walking and laying on the beach. What do you need? Sunscreen and bathing suit, and not much more. So, if you're in a hotel where you will eat out every meal, you need clothes for that. Is it fancy? Probably not, most beach places are pretty casual. Shorts, or summer skirts and tops are probably all that's needed. If you're in a condo and will be doing you own cooking, are you going to "dress for dinner"?
How long am I going to be there? Going for a week, you need maybe 2 skirts for evening with different tops, and maybe 2 pair of shorts for variety. A couple of suits so one can be drying while you've got the other one on. What's the weather like? Probably a beach trip is hot (though I took one that wasn't) Sweater sets are great, sleeveless for when it's hot, and a matching sweater if it cools down at night or you get cold in A.C. while dining out. Are there laundry facilities? If so, you can pack lighter and do a laundry mid week.

My suggestion is to lay out what you think you need on the bed, look it over; match sure colors blend so you can mix and match. If not make changes. Then when you satisfied, remove 1 full outfit and hang it back up in your closest. Think back, how many times have you come home and said I didn't need this or that while unpacking?

Pack a slightly larger suitcase then you need for your clothes, you'll have room them for purchases you make while gone. Be they gifts for friends and family or your personal souvenirs. Toss in a bag or two like these. These happen to be what I use grocery shopping, but one or two of these gives you a bag to separate things in your suitcase for the return trip, something to put your beach towel, sunscreen etc. if you're going to the beach or spending time at the hotel pool.

If you're flying, be sure and weigh your suitcase at home. Give yourself room to grow heavier so you're not charged for a heavy bag. Another good purpose of those bags above. You could use one for your carry on if you're over weight. How will you know if you're overweight at the hotel? Does your hotel have a workout room? Most do, so do condo's at resorts. There are scales in a work out room. Weight your bag the night before departure. Don't be caught off guard.

**Still having issues with formatting. Can anyone figure out why the numbers and or dots don't work here when I post on blogger? I see both when I type in draft form, I see both in preview form, I see neither when post is published. The same situation with the few times I've tried to use a linky. No numbers appear???

Historic Breckenridge, Colorado

Such a pretty little yellow church with a red door. Not a color combination you see everyday. Look how narrow the windows are, look closer (remember you can always click to enlarge pictures) and you'll see original leaded windows. This quaint little church is old. It's located at 100 North French Street in Breckenridge, Colorado. Walking around to explore I was taken in my this cute little building. Looking futher I've learned it was built way back in 1887. It's served the community is several capacities; which is often is the case histrically with churches. It was more then a church, it was a place people could come together.
Giving you a side videw. The Original building is the part you see in front, while the back portion is the addition. This church was moved from just across the street when they needed to enlarge it. It's been several different denominations from Episcopal to Baptist. This building was the first in Breckenridge to install electric lights back in 1891.
While the sign is a bit hard to read, you can tell it's listed on The National Register of Historic Places. Old, small and quaint perhaps; but it's still serving the community. It's not just a building to look on and consider it's place in history, it is a busy and thriving church in modern times.
A stone's throw away from the cute yellow church is this impressive Catholic Church, St. Mary's. This historic church was built in 1881 and is therefore a bit older than the previous church. The Bedll and Belfrey was added in 1899 and is original. A nice courtyard, pretty flower bed surround the church. They've added on a modern addition to the left of this which is really disappointing, as it looks modern and frankly out of place. I wanted to get pictures of the inside when I saw the door opened; but as I approached realized a wedding was taking place.
It also is listed on The National Register of Historic Places. My daughter attended Mass here on Sunday and said it was held in the new addition which was disappointing, as she too hope to see the inside of the historic chapel.
Another view of the quaint historic church. When you travel, go off the beaten path. Churches have historical been the center of communities, see what you see and learn.

Traveling on Tuesday with The Suitcase Packed

A brief word about a few changes here on the blog. I've reluctantly added comments being moderated after 14 days. I hate, hate, hate, comment moderation. Seems to me it slows down the whole process of blogging which is suppose to be interaction. Not just you and me (the writer of the blog and the commentors), but interaction among the commentors too. I ALWAYS read the full post and the comments...unless there's a huge huge number of them before commenting. I've noticed the fun blogs often have discourse between the commentors. Or people then visit each other. I love that and do it often myself. Spam lately has been an issue with Chinese and Russian comments, generally on older posts, so I've started to moderate comments made after 14 days. Hopefully that will help.

In the process I've learned blogger now has a spam filter. It's important to look at your spam filter to make sure what's there is infact spam. If something isn't you merely click publish. Some of the comments I may not have responded to sadly got there. They are now published and I appologize for them being delayed here on the blog, as well my response back to you; if in fact you asked a question. As I understand it using this filter will be like what we all do with our email. Sounds GREAT to me. Thank You!

And now for some fun, I've packed my suitcase and am going traveling...virtually with the follow me back Tuesday Meme

Join us for Follow Me Back Tuesday

Hosted by Survey Junkie,Little Yaya's,

Review Retreat , Boobies,BabiesAndABlog

& this weeks Guest Host

Nicole from

Mama to 3 4 Blessings ....

( Do Not Link Your Giveaways.. This is not a giveaway link up.. All links not linked to your FMBT post or your homepage will be deleted )

<center> <a href="http://surveyjunkiegiftguide.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://i1020.photobucket.com/albums/af324/staycee413/th_fmbt200.png" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></center>

It's a great way to start off your week & get more BF's !!

We will draw a Guest Host every week from blogs linked
for the #5 Spot for the following week :)

( In order to guest host FMBT you must follow all 4 host blogs )

How it Works

• Follow all 4 Hosts & Guest Host - Spots 1-5 leave us a comment w/ your blog url & we will follow u back ( only leave a comment that you follow if you actually follow )
• Snag our button to add to your FMBT post then post on your blog
• Add your blog to the list- using the link from your blog post( NOT YOUR BLOG HOP or GIVEAWAYS PLEASE ) These entries will be deleted.
• Follow as many blogs as you would like, Make sure you leave them a comment so they know you stopped by . Then Follow Back everyone that follows you & comments.

You can link up every Tuesday at 12:00 am est

Camping in Style

Resting after hiking a trail in The Great Smokies, hubby and I posed for a photo shoot. The hike down was hectic and dangerous. See those dark clouds above us, well they cut loose and one really doesn't want to be up high on a ridge with lightening and thunder. We hurried making our way down, but at the same time had to careful with the wet slippery trail when the skies let loose. I was really glad we had purchased good Camping Gear. Good hiking boots kept me sure footed so much more then a pair of sandals or tennis shoes would have in those conditions. When the wind kicked up and it got cold, I was able to quickly zip on the bottoms of my pants.
Having Quality Camping Equipment makes or breaks a camping excursion. Though this picture shows a bright sunny pretty day, the night before was something else entirely. We were camping out in Rocky Mountain National Park. We were dry and secure while others around us weren't so lucky. Some tents blew badly in the winds, some tent poles snapped making the tent collapse. Our Dome style tent with vestibule kept us safe, warm, and dry.
It's important to have the right equipment for the journey. Tents, backpacks, sleeping bags, air mattresses, stoves, lanterns, heaters, fuel, water bottles and purification systems needed for hiking, camping, fishing, and climbing can all be obtained though Camping Gear Outlet. When you have the right kind of quality equipment you really can enjoy the journey, you feel safe, you feel secure, you truly feel protected. Communing with Mother Nature is a wonderful way to de-stress in our overly busy lives.

Doesn't matter if you're going for a night or going for a week in the back country, you want and need quality equipment and tools to make your journey interesting, fun, and rewarding. And let's not forget clothes, yes even the right clothes can make a difference in your comfort. Outdoor clothing needs to be comfortable, strong and durable while also being purposeful. Don't over look the importance of food and the right tools and equipment to prepare it either. You don't have to be Eulle Gibbons and stalk The Wild Asparagus, you can eat pretty well if you plan ahead and purchase the right camping equipment for cooking a good hearty and healthy meal.