The Weekend Roundup, 'K'

It is Friday and time for Tom's fun meme The Weekend Roundup. Today's letter created an interesting challenge which prompted a look into the past at another eclectic collection of shots...

Begins with 'K' gave me a chance to showcase our then non-grownup Kids. This is the first day of school in August 1997, with Allegra and Cameron beginning the fourth and second grade her. 

Key West is another 'K'. Here at the southernmost point of the USA us my Aunt Terry in 1993

How about our King of this Jungle, the always regal Linus McDonald? Or is that HRH Linus?

Kaboom. Patti captured this brilliant ruby red fireworks kaboom in Manchester, Connecticut

Favorite. This is a lovely striped sunset over our back yard in Ansonia. It is the soothing end of the day. Have a great weekend!

The Weekend Roundup 'K'

It is Saturday and time again for Tom's fun meme, The Weekend Roundup. The letter 'K' is featured this week and now I'm reminiscing...

'K' is for Kids and on he left is the first day of school 1995. Our son Cameron was in Kindergarten and his sister Allegra was the (sort of :) older and wiser going into second grade. This is a sentimental favorite...to the right is nine years later and the sentimental parents asked if they could reprise the pic as it was the first day of high school, she (again) the more experienced one going into eleventh grade. Little or big, Kids bring cute memories...

Another (but not unexpected) 'K' is Kitty, and here is our fluffy and furry family feline, Linus McDonald, in the usual places and activities...in a box and fast asleep. Nothing new here!

The favorite this week is the cool view captured The always lovely Patti at Witek Park in Derby CT. It is a great illusory pic that includes the side view mirror looking up. Does the water reflect the sky...or is it the other way around?

The Weekend Roundup "C"

Friday is here so it is time again for a great meme, The Weekend Roundup, hosted by Tom. The letter 'C' is featured prominently today and is where we begin...

Starts with 'C'. Here is the entrance Union Congregational Church in Rockville, Connecticut. Its windows and arches are Circular in style.

The next 'C' is Crowded. These pics were taken in August 2007 when we were bringing our daughter back for her sophomore year at the University of Hartford. Although my ford E150 van was big, there was lots of stuff. I had to get into the driver's seat first so my wheelchair could be used for space. Note her computer between the front seats. Believe it or not, four other passengers made the trip too!

Obviously, our furry family feline (aka: Cat) Linus McDonald is seemingly in a trance as he sits in a open box.

Clouds. Our daughter captured these clouds from a 737 over the mid-Atlantic seaboard, perhaps as it gets ready to land in Raleigh. Nice wispy clouds hopefully meant a smooth descent minus any bumps...

Week's Favorite. It was cloudy all day but enough sun allowed for a colorful sunset view out our living room windowon Tuesday.

The Weekend Roundup...A

This is the first installment in a new weekly photo meme, The Weekend Roundup, hosted by Tom. Onward... 

My birthplace was Atlantic City, NJ. That qualifies as an 'A'. Grandpa poses by the famous Boardwalk in front of the old Traymore Hotel in 1956.

More Atlantic City, the family rides bicycles on the Boardwalk. July, 1969

Animals start with 'A'. And as a cat, Linus McDonald qualifies. Naturally, he is asleep :)

We live in Ansonia, Connecticut; our domicile is a nice example of the first letter

Finally, our daughter is named Allegra. She's in the photo - somewhere. Happy New Year!

Friday Hunt 2017.2.17 - Queens Borough

It has been an interesting week so far so I am ready for Teresa’s fun meme, Friday Hunt. 

Tuesday, our daughter Allegra and I travelled to Brooklyn to pick Cameron up at Kings County Hospital, his discharge at 8 P.M. We left home much earlier this rainy day with the typically thick NYC traffic. But it was worth it - our house is already set for my wheelchair so is perfect for him and his walker to recuperate (bear no weight on his right foot for 3 months!)

This week’s first prompt is Starts with ‘Q’. I requested that Allegra take pics on the road. So I am using the NYC Borough of Queens as my 'Q’. Our family lived in Bayside, Queens twice between 1957-1962, and remembered it as a good place to live as a kid. The first is on the Clearview Expressway in Bayside. This shows the 42nd Ave. footbridge, a bridge I walked across a lot when I was little. Next to it is on the Long Island Expressway and the message sign says QMT - which is the Queens-Midtown Tunnel...

Still on the way just before the Brooklyn-Queens Expressway, the BQE to the locals. I do not like this 1939 road, but it was the only way to go. At least the Manhattan skyline views from the BQE are cool. Finally, the final pic shows four of the five Villers children in 1962 in front of our apartment at 203-42nd Avenue in Bayside Queens. Odd what one remembers from over five decades...

Orange. I believe the carrots, cheese and some of the tomatoes on this large appetizer board are...

Animal. I can only think of one, furry, funny family feline Linus McDonald captured by Patti with these glowing eyes for Halloween. A real animal who sleeps too much to really act like one :)

Friday Hunt 2017.2.12

It's time for this week's edition of a fun meme, Friday Hunt hosted by Teresa. We get the cues and begin our hunt...

Starts with 'L'. Well, there is our furry, fluffy family feline, Linus McDonald as he lies lazily on the floor. Looks like he is in motion but that is a facade. Well, he is a cat...

Then there is Marquis de Lafayette, friend to the American Revolution. This statue is not located in Paris, but on the corner of Lafayette Street and Capital Avenue in Hartford CT.

How about Lava Cake, a deliciously decadent end to a fine meal at Copper City Grill in Ansonia. The vanilla bean gelato, whipped cream and lots of chocolate means you'll never leave the restaurant hungry :)

Landscape. Our son treated me to the Mets vs. Phillies game on Labor Day (last MLB game was in 1987) at the fantastic City Field in the borough of Queens in New York City. Beautiful views of he field in a wheelchair box. The first thing I noticed was a sea of the greenest lawn anywhere with a beautiful clay infield. A lovely landscape - the grass would look fab in our front yard!

Key. I think that a piano has a key or two. So here is Allegra and Cameron at their piano recital in 2003. Nice prompts!

Friday Hunt 2017.2.9

Friday Hunt, hosted by Teresa, is back close to Labor and the unofficial end of Summer. But a perfect time to participate in this great meme…

Starts with ‘I’. I have four today that start with ‘I’. The first is introduction, our son Cameron at 20 months 1992. He introduces himself to kitty Tiger, a normally standoffish being who is actually being cordial here

Then there is Ice. The year is 1959, and my 5 year old big sister Michele is on the ice in St Paul Minnesota. With a hockey stick, she may be considering a career choice (spoiler alert: she didn’t :)

Finally, here is a mid-winter shot of the playground at Irving School in Derby CT. It may be cold, but on this day you can have the pick of whatever playscape you want…

Bowl. These are filled with pasta, a bowl of macaroni salad we made and a bowl of sausage and peppers over pasta at Rosa Mina restaurant in Ansonia, a great eatery - and if you go, I hope you like lots of garlic. I do :) 

Desire. Furry family feline Linus McDonald begs for food. Although this pic was from 2010, his desire for your food continues today. Here is the chair Linus sits in to beg for whatever mommy (aka: Patti) is having for breakfast, lunch and/or dinner - desirous for sure!

Shadow Shot Sunday - Sleeping in Shadow

The midday sun filters through the window and falls over friendly, furry family feline Linus McDonald who will not deviate from his mission of napping away. For Shadow Shot Sunday 2, our shadowy sleepyhead seems an appropriate choice. Dream on furry friend...

Friday Hunt, 2017.1.19

It is Friday and time again for Teresa's fun meme Friday Hunt.
It has been an interesting couple of weeks. The always lovely Patti had a kidney transplant on May 9 (where the process began when my sister Suzanne would be a live donor for Patti); after two visits this week to her transplant team at Yale-New Haven Hospital, all is progressing very well :) 

So it is time to get back into the fun Friday routine!

Begins with 'T'. How about our Team McVillers, resplendent in our pink bunnyduck team shirts ready for the Griffin Center for Cancer Care 5K

Tennis with players in wheelchairs on the courts at Eisenhower Park, Milford CT

Week's Favorite. Linus McDonald relaxes without a care in the world...

Food. Well wishers sent food when Patti got home. The upside down pizza and chicken fricassee were wonderful. However, the 2 Lbs box of local chocolates get the nod today - we can all celebrate now!

Friday Hunt, 2017.1.17

It is yet another rainy and raw Friday in Southern New England, but no worries. It is time again for Teresa’s fun meme, Friday Hunt. Without further ado, here are my look at this week’s clues. 

Starts with ‘R’. I am choosing Renovation (and wreck would be perfect phonetically at least :). These pics were taken on 30 October 1996, and it was the beginning of a new wheelchair ramp. Which first required removing the front stoop and sidewalk. It was an amazing process handled by large workers and heavy equipment to remove the old before creating the new…

Week's Favorite. Every Spring, without fail, this lone tulip arises in the very spot in the side yard. It is a sure sign of Spring - it is pretty, but how about a few sunny warm days? 2017 has been way too cool so far

Window. What window is complete without furry family feline friend Linus McDonald? Not this one!