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 Life, Adventure, Family, Writing what else is there? Random thoughts. |
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WELCOME TO: GEMINI RISING   UPDATED INTRO 30 JUNE 2025: Just a little about me. I've been married for 33 years this past NOV and currently live in Southern California, but I grew up in New Hampshire. I've got 2 boys who are young adults. I work as a 911 dispatcher for LAPD. I enjoy my job a lot. Still. If you can believe that. I love to write. Thankfully both of my boys achieved Eagle Scout. My Scouting days are over and I'm back to focusing on my writing. I like to get out in nature, drink coffee and watch football. Here's a little bio about my zodiac. GEMINI: Gemini, the sign of the Twins, is dual-natured, elusive, complex and contradictory. On the one hand it produces the virtue of versatility, and on the other the vices of two-facedness and flightiness. The sign is linked with Mercury, the planet of childhood and youth, and its subjects tend to have the graces and faults of the young. When they are good, they are very attractive; when they are bad they are more the worse for being the charmers they are. Like children they are lively, and happy, if circumstances are right for them, or egocentric, imaginative and restless. Their good qualities are attractive and come easily to them. They are affectionate, courteous, kind, generous, and thoughtful towards the poor and suffering - provided none of the activities resulting from expressing these traits interferes too greatly with their own lives and comforts. Geminians can be successful in many walks of life though their general characteristics tend to make them unreliable. They are often skilled manipulators of language, in speech and writing, and may be: debaters, diplomats (though in politics they are more interested in theory than practice), orators, preachers (brilliant rather than profound), teachers, authors, poets, journalists, or lawyers. CURRENT BLOG PROJECT:
RULES: 1. Blog has to be more than 2 paragraphs, some people have tried putting a one-liner response. That won't cut it. 2.You need to respond at least once every week to other participant's blog posts. This is a 7 week activity= 7 blog responses within each of the weeks. It's fun getting to see what others noted that you might have missed or hadn't thought about. 3. You don't need to blog everyday, catch-ups are allowed if you want to go for the bigger prize award. But each entry must be a separate entry. So, if you do all 51, you'll have 51 entries. 4. Please tag me Lyn's a Witchy Woman   in your entry so I can keep track of your entries for the prizes.5. Posting in a book is preferred to keep the forum from being clogged. You can use any book you want. ALONG FOR THE RIDE: HOST: Lyn's a Witchy Woman Princess Megan Rose   and her wolf, PeytonSung'manitu  and his pet rock, Peachy AmyJo-July 2/3s done  SandraLynn  AmyJo-July 2/3s done WakeUpAndLive  and her dog SproutKrista  Jellyfish RECOGNIZATION: 10-24 Entries, MB plus 10K Awardicon 25-50 Entries, MB plus 25K Awardicon 51 Entries MB plus 50K Awardicon Merit Badges Collected from Virtual Blogging &Virtual Blogging Friends: ![Merit Badge in Let Dreams Take Wing
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To my upcoming virtual traveling blog companion. Dream big and fly high!](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/group-Let_Dreams_Take_Wing-2335469_1.gif) ![Merit Badge in Normal Is Boring
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here's to another week of creating adventures!](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/Kudos-Normal_Is_Boring.gif) BLOG ACCOMPLISHMENTS: SEPTEMBER 2024: I participated in the
![Merit Badge in Nonfiction
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Congrats on your Honorable Mention in Blog Week Birthday Bastion 2024](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/type-Nonfiction.gif) Big thanks to WakeUpAndLive for hosting the contest! OCTOBER 2024: I participated in the
![Merit Badge in Halloween
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Congratulations on completing the 13 Poetic Days of Halloween.](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/group-Halloween-2026567.gif) Big Thanks to Lyn's a Witchy Woman for hosting the contest!Find me at: WEBSITE: http://www.stephanieburkhart.com FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/StephanieBurkhartAuthor GOOD READS: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/4031660.Stephanie_Burkhart YOU TUBE CHANNEL: http://www.youtube.com/user/botrina?feature=mhee  WARNING I intend to be open, honest, and forthright. No topic is off limits from religion to you name it, I'm going there. If you think you might be offended...back up now - this blog isn't for you. For those who "dare"  check out the "Gemini Rising..." 
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| The Party Bus pulled into the Gulf Coast Gator Ranch early in the morning. Lyn's a Witchy Woman thought it would be a good idea to check out gators while we were in Mississippi and WakeUpAndLive Sung'manitu and Jellyfish wanted to see what all the hype was since they didn’t have gators were they lived. Our tour guides, Susie and Tim, were very friendly. They took us inside the Gator Ranch and started showing us the alligators. One of the gators snapped at Princess Megan Rose so she bought a "just in case" stick. Susie and Tim let us pet the baby gators. Their skin is kinda rugged and slimly. I took a picture of Krista petting one for her Instagram. After we got done hanging with the gators, Susie and Sal took us for an airboat ride! What fun. The party crew was able to fit in a big fat airboat. There was a huge fan in the back that pushed the boat. Sal let me drive the boat for a bit. I slowed down enough to let Sung'manitu and WakeUpAndLive feed the gators. For dinner, we went to Nana’s Seafood, but Jellyfish had a vegan stash on the Party Bus that Sung'manitu gave her. Princess Megan Rose tried the catfish. After dinner we went on the haunted Bayou Cruise. The boat was a pontoon boat which had just enough seats for the guides and the Party Crew. Lyn's a Witchy Woman channeled her inner witch and saw several old souls lingering in the mist. AmyJo-July 2/3s done tried to feed the alligators, but couldn’t find any. The humidity was a killer! My curly hair frizzed right out. Krista said she could feel the sweat run down her back. Everyone complained. When the sun set, the guides took us back to the dock. The knats were really annoying and the old ghostly souls couldn’t even chase them off. After the ride, our guides feed us smores, plied us with tequila sunset. They apologized for the humidity as well as the knats. All was forgiven – especially after the tequila sunsets. The Party Crew did the pub crawl we learned in Minnesota and made it back to the Party Bus where we passed out quickly. I think our snoring kept the old ghostly bayou souls up though. I think I saw one of them knocking on the windows trying to get us to wake up and stop. |
| SandraLynn wanted to drive the Party Bus through the Wabasha Street caves, but the caves weren’t big enough. We unloaded off the bus in the parking lot and took the “gangster” tour of St. Paul. Who knew St. Paul was a hub for gangsters? John Dillinger, Alvin “Creepy” Karpis and Babyface Nelson used St. Paul. They lived in local houses which are still standing to this day. A popular place they would go would be caves. The Wabash caves are cool. They used to be a mine, then was made into a speakeasy, then a swing bar, and a gangster hangout. I think I found a money clip that John Dillinger used in one of the bullet holes down there. Princess Megan Rose thought she saw a ghost. What we didn’t know was that it was swing night. The band filtered in and started to play. Before you know it, the swing floor was full of customers. The new owner bought a round of drinks for the guests. WakeUpAndLive and Sung'manitu swung to the music. When the hour was over, we decided to do a 3 hour pub crawl through St. Paul. Lyn's a Witchy Woman found all the good shops – not just bars. Me and Princess Megan Rose got another Kate Spade purse. Krista took lots of pictures for her Instagram. AmyJo-July 2/3s done found a place that sold a fat tire bike – a bike made specifically for snow. She wanted to come back ride one in the winter. After our pub crawl, we managed to crawl back to the Party Bus and pass out, exhausted. |
| Welp, SandraLynn wanted to drive the Party Bus right up the Sleeping Bear Sand Dunes, but thankfully Lyn's a Witchy Woman explained that the bus tires would get stuck in the sand. After some gentle persuasion, she parked in the parking lot and we were off to climb the sand dunes. Let me tell you, these dunes seemed to go forever. We were all huffing and puffing as we reached the top, but we stopped quite often to drink water and catch our breath. The view was reward! Lake Michigan was gorgeous! The water was incredibly blue. Krista took pictures for her Instagram. WakeUpAndLive bought postcards from the visitor’s center. Sung'manitu wanted to go fishing so he took AmyJo-July 2/3s done to go fish. We all decided to go back and set up camp. Honestly, there wasn’t much to set up. We were glamping! Luxury camping! Kinda nice after staying in a Boy Scout camp. Lyn's a Witchy Woman went down to the camp store with Jellyfish to buy stuff for smores and I fired up the camp stove. Sung'manitu returned with 2 fish and I cooked it. As the sun set, we all sat around the campfire and made smores. WakeUpAndLive , Sung'manitu AmyJo-July 2/3s done and SandraLynn were exhausted and passed out cold in their fancy tents. A little bit later I went down to the lake shore with Lyn's a Witchy Woman Princess Megan Rose , Krista , Jellyfish and just hung out, listened to the sound of the waves, skipped a rock or two and just enjoyed the company. There’s more to Michigan than just Detroit! |
| Ah, Massachusetts! The Spirt of America! I’ve been there many times when I was growing up and even going back to show my own family. There’s so much to see and do! And the Party Bus had a day to pack it in! Let me tell you, SandraLynn fit right in driving the Party Bus like a crazy Boston driver through all the rotaries. We started the day out with pastries from Mike’s pastries. Nothing like a sugar bomb packed cannoli to get the day started. Me, Krista ,AmyJo-July 2/3s done ,and Princess Megan Rose indulged and were wired for hours. Then we walked the Freedom Trail. There are many historical sites dating back to Revolutionary times. WakeUpAndLive and Sung'manitu spent their time lingering on the USS Constitution. We walked past Faneuil Hall, a meeting place during the revolution, but now it’s a shopping place with several restaurants. We passed Paul Revere’s house which has retained it’s classic colonial façade. WakeUpAndLive takes more pictures than Krista does! The Red Sox game starts at 4 tonight. Fenway Park is the oldest baseball park in major league baseball. My first time there, I was in middle school and I won an opportunity to tour the park through one of the giveaways at the local Stop and Shop stores. It has changed since then – gotten a heavy facelift, and yet still retains its iconic structure. There’s Pesky’s pole, and the Green Monster where seats are $50.00 each to sit in, though you have to bid for them in a lottery. Fenway was built in the outskirts of Boston at the time, in a swampy like area, but since, the city of Boston has grown around it. SandraLynn gets some peanuts for the game. Everyone gets a Fenway Frank except Jellyfish . Our heroes, the Red Sox, are dialed in. Come the 8th inning, the whole stadium pauses to sing “Sweet Caroline.” A lump forms in my throat as I appreciate the opportunity to watch the game surrounded by friends. The Red Sox are MY FAVORITE baseball team, even here in LA, they are #1 to me. Here's a story I wrote inspired by their 2004 World Series win:
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| Well, SandraLynn got a little lost trying to find the place where we rent the kayaks to go see the horses so WakeUpAndLive pulled out her trusty GPS app and we drove right up to it, running over a kayak or two. The Kayak guys, Joe and Gus, were surprised to see the Party Bus and all it’s NASCAR decorations, but after we paid them, (for the broken kayaks as well) we were good. We went down to the beach, and hoped in 2 person kayaks out to Asseteague island to see the ponies. Me and Princess Megan Rose were in a kayak. We kinda took our time paddling because there was always something to see! Dolphins, seals, eagles looking for fish. Lyn's a Witchy Woman who was with WakeUpAndLive kept nagging us to catch up. As we approached the beach we saw the ponies. They were somewhat smaller than horses with a mix of white and brown spottings. Krista snapped up a bunch for her Instagram. She was in the kayak with AmyJo-July 2/3s done . Sung'manitu was kayaking with Jellyfish He takes good care of her and always finds her vegan options for dinner.After all that adventure, we went to the Trimper Amusement park. I rode the carousel and had a blast. SandraLynn won a stuffed pencil at one of the games and Princess Megan Rose won a stuffed wolf. WakeUpAndLive bought some cotton candy and shared with AmyJo-July 2/3s done After the amusement park, Lyn's a Witchy Woman took us to Edgar Allen’s Poe’s grave. I took her quiz “cold” and didn’t search for any of the answers and got 7 out of 15. Personally, I thought I did better than that, but oh well. It was sunset when we went. The air got chilly and a couple of ravens flew past the graveyard. Krista was creeped out. After a moment of silence, we moved on. As we shuffled out of the cemetery and made our way to the Party Bus, a raven croaked, “Nevermore!” |
| The Party Bus cruised into Bar Harbor, Maine a little late into the day, so Lyn's a Witchy Woman signed us up to take the Sunset Cruise on the Windjammer. Princess Megan Rose and I were hoping to see some dolphins and whales. We all piled into our windjammer (basically a big sale boat) and we were off. Our Captain was a really nice guy and gave us a nice historical overview of Maine, the coast and Acadia national park. What he missed Lyn's a Witchy Woman filled us in. As we started to sail through Frenchman’s Bay, we saw some really nice rugged areas of Maine’s coast. Krista took a lot of pictures for her Instagram. There were beaches, and cliffs, and tall pines. The air was incredibly fresh smelling – it’s hard for me to describe. In Los Angeles, the air is not fresh. There’s a lingering of dirt, or grime in the air. But in Maine – Coastal Maine – the air is akin to fresh cut grass. There was a hint of sea salt in the air with a whiff of pine. That scent invigorates the soul.  A nice breeze kept the sails full. Princess Megan Rose and SandraLynn spied a school of dolphins. They popped out of the water and wiggled their tales at us. Close by, a whale fluke splashed water and the boat got a little wet. Sung'manitu took a lesson from the Captain on rigging a sail. AmyJo-July 2/3s done , WakeUpAndLive , and Jellyfish sat near the front enjoying a refreshing cup of tea. The view of the coast, the dips, the green trees, a lighthouse in the distance – it was all postcard perfect! As the sunset began to set, long shadows crept over the trees and the wind picked up a little. The Captain brough us back close to shore and Krista got some good pics of the sun just before it dipped behind the horizon. Once on shore we were hungry so Lyn's a Witchy Woman took us to this great little place called Five Island Lobster Company. I enjoyed a hearty cup of clam chowder and a big boy lobster roll with light mayo. The others were a bit more reserved with their choices as they had to be mindful of their allergies. Lyn's a Witchy Woman had the scallop basket. Sung'manitu got a beanie and SandraLynn bought a hoodie. WakeUpAndLive tried the Moxie and loved it. Moxie is a drink basically only made in Maine. It’s kinda like root beer is the way I described it.  This day in Maine was wonderful for me. There’s nothing quite like the Atlantic, clam chowder, fried clams, lobster rolls and fresh air that say ‘welcome home.’ |
| SandraLynn made Sung'manitu drive the Party Bus to New Orleans so she would be wide awake to sample the New Orleans night life. Sung'manitu said he’d take a power nap and join us at the jazz bar. Lyn's a Witchy Woman promised not to loose him. I gave ⱲєbⱲitϚћ is 18 a call and told her I was going to New Orleans and I wished she could visit. She said she had a few witchy tricks up her sleeve – gave me a couple of voodoo words and told me to snap my fingers a couple times and if the moon was aligned just right she might show up. Sung'manitu parked the Party Bus in our hotel parking lot and we all got out and settled in. He laid down for a power nap while me, Lyn's a Witchy Woman , SandraLynn , WakeUpAndLive , Krista , Princess Megan Rose and AmyJo-July 2/3s done signed up for the premier ghost, vampire and voodoo tour. The tour guide met us in front of our hotel in a horse and buggy and we were off. Our tour guide had this black, goth going for her and a couple of noise rings. Krista was a little apprehensive, but Lyn's a Witchy Woman had an emergency shot of hooch ready and available to calm Krista nerves. SandraLynn asked the tour guide for her autograph. Since it was sunset, gray clouds slowly drifted in and the temperature got cooler. That voodoo chill was in the air. Princess Megan Rose thought she saw a ghost. Krista tried to take a picture for her Instagram, but all she got was a blurr. We toured a vampire museum and visited Anne Rice’s house. Princess Megan Rose got spooked and started walking around like a zombie. AmyJo-July 2/3s done and Lyn's a Witchy Woman shook the blank stare out of her. SandraLynn bought a couple of Anne Rice's books. I was missing ⱲєbⱲitϚћ is 18 so I said the voodoo words and snapped my fingers. Nothing happened. Totally bummed, we left the Anne Rice house and found ⱲєbⱲitϚћ is 18 waiting for us in the buggy. Everyone was happy to see her. After the tour, we went to the Spotted Cat to enjoy the jazz music and the drinks. No Sung'manitu ! Lyn's a Witchy Woman was worried. ⱲєbⱲitϚћ is 18 said she’d take her broom over to the hotel and fetch Sung'manitu WakeUpAndLive blaize} sat back and chilled and enjoyed the Voodoo Juice with AmyJo-July 2/3s done and Princess Megan Rose . The band was a Siouxsie and the Banshees Tribute band. Spellbound! ⱲєbⱲitϚћ is 18 showed up with Sung'manitu who was a bit sleepy eyed. WakeUpAndLive ordered us all a round and we chilled, jazzing out. At the end of the night, the voodoo spell ended and ⱲєbⱲitϚћ is 18 left us at midnight. We jazzed out at the Happy House and finally made it back to the hotel after four. That was a lot of voodoo to take in!  |
| SandraLynn insisted on parking the Party Bus a couple of blocks away from the Corvette museum because she didn’t want the corvettes to see the Party Bus. Well, Lyn's a Witchy Woman and Sung'manitu cajoled her to drive the Party Bus right into the parking lot! As soon as we got out, a staff member met us, eye’d the bus, eye’d SandraLynn and pointed to a corvette. “Want to drive a fast car?” he asked. I think she thought that he thought that she didn’t have it in her, but clearly, he had no clue to SandraLynn driving prowess. We all booked rides and SandraLynn went first. She got back, the dude’s hair had grown a ponytail and he was all wild eye’d. SandraLynn took him for a good, couple of fast loops and aged him five years. Lyn's a Witchy Woman and WakeUpAndLive got their vettes up to about a 100 MPH. Krista had AmyJo-July 2/3s done take pictures of her driving so she could put them on her Instagram. I drove so fast the PoPo pulled me over, but I showed them my 911 dispatcher ID from LAPD and they all laughed and escorted me back to the museum. After that, Princess Megan Rose followed the speed limit when she drove around the track. The tour was pretty neat and we learned a lot about corvettes. The first one was made in 1953. Since then, the styles have changed, but not the need for speed. As we left the museum, WakeUpAndLive and Sung'manitu bought some stickers for their Nalgene bottles and SandraLynn bought a toy corvette to hang off the rear view mirror to go with the Hawaiian Christmas bus ornament. After, we took a boat ride in the Lost river caves which reminded me of the Salt Mines I visited in Berchesgarden, Germany. Richard ~ Looking for Luck!  wanted to ride the zip-line so we were we to say no? Heck, I think Lyn's a Witchy Woman and Sung'manitu might have tried it, but we were exhausted. Well, Richard ~ Looking for Luck! had a blast. He put a go-pro on his helmet and tapped the whole thing. Well, after all that adventure, we were all in the mood for another hot springs. I tried to find a Diner, Drive-in or Dive in bowling green, but alas, Guy Fieri has yet to visit. So after a nap on the party bus, we went to a couple of places and AmyJo-July 2/3s done and I wrote to him, recommending some spots. Can’t wait to see if he visits! |
| Kansas is another heartland state. Our first stop today was the Monroe Elementary School, which was involved in the Brown v. Board of Education Supreme Court case in 1954. Prior to then, the law of the land was “Plessy v. Ferguson,” which called for separate but equal sites and facilities. The Supreme Court, in a 9-0 vote, did away with Plessy v. Ferguson. All children, regardless of their color, could attend their local schools. Honestly, it was a very sober visit. Brown v. Board of Education was a BIG win for Civil Rights. Nowadays, the school is part of the National Park System. In my experiences in life, I have not seen segregation like this, and in the type of environment I grew up, I would definitely call it out. I believe the country has made a lot of progress in regards to equality, (I’ve seen that in my own work environment) but there are some places where progress needs a push, and that’s sad. Lyn's a Witchy Woman , WakeUpAndLive , Princess Megan Rose , Richard ~ Looking for Luck! , AmyJo-July 2/3s done , SandraLynn , Krista , Sung'manitu , and I got back on the Party Bus and remained quiet, silently reflecting, and quietly contemplating what we saw. No one was really in the mood to visit our next place, the Air Combat museum, but we took a go at it. Princess Megan Rose shared her memories about her father who flew C-130’s. Some of us tried the airplane simulators, and slowly, the smiles started to come out again. WakeUpAndLive skimmed her phone and said, “The Eisenhower Presidential museum isn’t that far away.” Princess Megan Rose wanted to go. She liked Ike. I was game. Off we went. SandraLynn drove the Party Bus over to the museum. The museum is very similar to how the Ronald Regan museum was set up in Simi Valley. School de-segregation was important to Ike. He was a firm believer in Civil Rights and helped to de-segregate schools during his presidency. |
| The Party Bus was chugging right along on the way to Iowa when SandraLynn made a wrong turn in Dubuque. She wasn’t paying any attention and the next thing we knew we were driving through a cornfield! WakeUpAndLive got on her apps and tried to find the nearest paved street. SandraLynn could have sworn she saw a ghost, jerked the wheel and the next thing we knew, we were driving the bases on the Field of Dreams! Kevin Costner yelled at us. Princess Megan Rose didn’t mind. She waved at him, and he waved back. Between WakeUpAndLive , Lyn's a Witchy Woman and SandraLynn they got back on the freeway and we made it to Eldon an hour later, where the American Gothic house stood. Let me tell you, that house is kinda small. We pig piled in for a selfie that Krista took for her Instagram page. Sung'manitu found a pair of coveralls (something that the Kyles gave us before we left them) and he stood in front of the house holding a pitchfork. Then we all took turns with him recreating the famous painting by Grant Wood with Krista snapping away. I think she’s going to make a scrapbook of all our adventures. Wood really got around. He was born in Iowa, studied in Minneapolis, and then went to France to finish his studies. He returned to Iowa and was a jack of all trades to include a portrait painter were he took inspiration from real life. If you ask me, the dude in the American Gothic picture looks like Chuck Grassley, but that’s just me. Afterwards, we visited Chief Wapello’s memorial park. It was a profound visit. Maybe Kevin Costner will direct a movie about the Chief? I’d go watch. After a dinner, the Party Bus was back on the road and since SandraLynn was tired, AmyJo-July 2/3s done took over driving – Kansas bound! |
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