The Chimney

We did something what most would deem stupid. But with explanation, you'll understand why we call it brave and smart. Smave. Brart. 

The layout of our 1970s home is dated. There's only ONE logical place to put the television—and unfortunately it's smack in front of the fireplace. When it stormed, it leaked onto our electronics. The moisture would make the house smell musty. We used the fireplace (gas) only once when the power went out and it did NOTHING to heat the room. Tarping it over for the winter, and hearing the tap tap tapping of rainfall, we were done.

We had the chimney completely removed! Brave because everyone says a removal will devalue a home. However, to attach that argument to THIS home? I say "pshhhhhh."

It took about 2–3 hours for a technician to remove and then we had a roofer come in and patch over the hole.

Problem solved and done in one day! And you can't even tell where the chimney was. That's my kind of project, the kind someone ELSE fixes. Now we can design an entertainment center or accent wall inside!

 

Island of Corfu, Greece

 From Katacolon, Greece (Ancient Olympia) the boat deposited us on the Island of Corfu, Greece.

There were no unmissable historical destinations here, but the island is beautiful—our excursion took us to a little beach front community of Palaeokastritsa, and then up into the mountains for a higher view at a restaurant in Lakones, and then back down into downtown Kerkyra (Corfu), close to the port. My only wishes were first, the bus windows had not been tinted (makes for bad photos). And second, that we had opportunity for more stops. But I don't really think there could BE enough stops for me.
For full screen, watch the video in YouTube, hit play, then tap the bracket square (bottom right) to make full screen.

Information found on: https://greekreporter.com/2021/07/17/corfu-island-greece/

Ancient Olympia, Greece

From Rome, we cruised over to Katacolon, Greece and took an excursion to Ancient Olympia—the origins of the Olympic Games.

One thing I didn't mention was the hall of shame. According to an article in the Smithsonian about cheating in the Olympics:

Pedestals that once held great statues still line pathways that led to ancient stadiums. But these were not statues that heralded athletic feats, rather they served as reminders of athletes and coaches who cheated. According to Patrick Hunt, a professor of archaeology at Stanford University, these monuments were funded by levies placed on athletes or on the city-states themselves by the ancient Olympic Council.

I rather like the idea of cheaters being called out in such a way—never to be forgotten or replaced by tomorrow's headline.  

Credits: Much of the information worded and found on Wikipedia.

Temple Trip Test Run

Put almost extremely simply, temples are a place members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints go to do work for their ancestors. There's A LOT more to it—but it's not necessary to explain for this video. Just know that we are encouraged to attend the temple often, and the work there takes about an hour or so and when paired with dinner and/or dessert, can make a lovely date night.

 Click here to watch the HEB Butter Tortilla Superbowl Commercial. See? How could we NOT pick up a package to try?

Credits:
Dallas Temple Image: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/temples/photo-gallery/dallas-texas-temple?lang=engFort Worth Temple Rendering and Map: https://www.thechurchnews.com/temples/2022/10/31/23420106/site-locations-6-temples-fort-worth-knoxville-tampa-benemerito-san-luis-potosi-sao-paulo-east
Torchy's and HEB images from online advertising.