December 6, 2024 Holiday Pops Spectacular

Roanoke Symphony Orchestra Southwest Virginia's biggest holiday tradition.......HOLIDAY POPS! 

David Steward Wiley, conductor was EXTRAORDINAIRE🎄🎶🎄🎤🎄🎸🎄🎺🎅🎄🎻

Incredible talent of American Idol star, "Big Mike".

The festive atmosphere included Michael Lynche(vocalist) Roanoke Symphony Orchestra, Roanoke Symphony Chorus, Virginia Tech University Choir, Roanoke Valley Children's Choir, Virginia Tech Marching Virginia. 

My favorite Musical piece: "A Musicological 12 Days of Christmas"🎶🎄🎅🎶🎄🎅🎶🎄🎅

The finale to the spectacular evening included the audience SINGING FAVORITE CHRISTMAS CAROLS!🎶

December 6, 2024~ Naturalization Day

JOY IN THE COURTROOM!

What an honor and privilege to attend and participate in the NATURALIZATION CEREMONY for 49 NEW CITIZENS! The event took place at the United States District Court Western District of Virginia. 

The Honorable Judge Michael F. Urbanski presided.

Special music was performed by the Salem Choral Society, directed by Reed Carter.

Kristin Johnson, Assistant US Attorney for the Western District presented the new applicants by name.

The Oath of Allegiance was recited:

The path to citizenship has been completed..........a powerful journey for all! Flags, cards, congratulations, hugs, hand shakes, tears of joy, were shared with the new citizens. Judy Thierry, Past Regent for the General James Breckinridge Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution, led the Pledge of Allegiance.

Matthew Hall, Community Liaison Officer for Office of the Attorney General spoke, as well as other state officials.

The remarks by new citizens were heart-felt, bold, and sincere.

Immediately following the ceremony, the General James Breckinridge Chapter NSDAR provided a reception.

I have attended 4 Naturalization Ceremonies. If you have never attended one, plan to be a part of the 'courtroom gallery'. It is an experience that you will not forget. The next ceremony is scheduled for February 14, 2025 at 11:00AM. 

I am proud to be an American. 

December 4, 2024 Homestead

 December 4, 2024~ It's December ❄️🎄☃️🎄❄️🎄.

How about a spur of the moment lunch date with my sweetie💓. The best part? The Homestead, Hot Springs, Va was all decked out in its Christmas glory. 

Tea time.........was magical.....oh my..........Warmth, cheer and unforgettable moments🎄💓🎄💓🎄

Roaming around the massive resort was a treat! A very Virginia Christmas, with many themed trees throughout the main floor, our afternoon was filled with an abundance of eye-candy.

Of course the Homestead's Great Hall Christmas Tree was the centerpiece!

The tree is showcased in the foyer from the week of Thanksgiving until New Year's Day. The ornaments, the lights, the bows......the perfectly wrapped presents under the tree, causes me to wonder how long the process takes to get ready for the Christmas season.

Nostalgic, traditional, unrushed, old-fashioned, elegance, and of course fine dining.

The exterior of the Homestead was equally decorated.

There's nothing like that "home for the holidays" feeling.

November 26, 2024~ Meta Al Generated Images in Chats on FB Messenger

😂😂😂😂😂JUST FOR FUN😂😂😂😂😂.

Today I generated an image using Meta Al, while on my iphone, in FB Messenger. This experience was a "new-to-me-at-76" encounter! In fact, it was my 25th new thing/new place at 76 years old.  I typed: @Meta Al Picture me wandering aimlessly in a sea of tools and lumber at Home Depot😂. 

The second time that I generated an image, I typed: @Meta Al imagine me scrambling through all of the Christmas decorations at Lowes:

And the third time I typed: @Meta Al imagine me frantically raking a large pile of leaves. 

I was using my Iphone on Messenger to accomplish these photos. Funny?Yes! So I continued with more commands. 

"If you use Facebook, Messenger, Instagram or WhatsApp, you've probably come across something called META AL without even realizing it. It's woven into how you interact on these apps, from helping you with posts to editing images." Needless to say, I am late to the party of  Meta AI, especially understanding all of the possibilities. But when I realized Meta Al is my ultimate personal virtual assistant, it became a little less mudied.  

 @Meta Al Imagine me as a gardener:

@Meta Al imagine me playing Pickleball:

@Meta Al Imagine me doing genealogy research:

@Meta Al Imagine me working in our vegetable garden

@Meta Al imagine me out in the woods getting ready to shoot a deer.

@Meta Al Imagine me Gazing at the stars:

@Meta Al Imagine me serving a turkey at Thanksgiving dinner

@Meta Al Imagine me back at the easel painting with oils on a canvas

@Meta Al Imagine me stomping the graveyards looking for relatives

@Meta Al Imagine metrying to get the perfect shot:

@Meta Al Imagine me as a super star 😂😂😂

@Meta Al imagine me at my piano playing a few Christmas tunes

@Meta Al imagine me wishing all a Merry Christmas

AI........ "ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE is a field of study that uses technology to create machines that can perform tasks that typically require human intelligence. AI uses algorithms, data, and computational power to simulate human intelligence." ....... this quote, BTW is an AI Overview, that was written for me when I asked google "What is AI".  AI can give you a referral, write a response, answer a question....... It's not complicated, really, especially when you know that Siri, is Apple's virtual assistant for iOS and is powered by artificial intelligence.

Yes, you can use Meta AI on a Windows 10 laptop... so I gave it a try! Tap on the Messenger icon in FB. In the blank search Messenger Chats type: Meta AI and click. I  typed Imagine me playing basketball outdoors.  

OK, you get the idea!.......... here are a few more that were added. The possibilities are, of course, limitless!

 

Just for kicks, Ron did a few for him! 

😂😂😂😂😂JUST FOR FUN😂😂😂😂😂