St. PATRICK'S DAY PARADE IN NAPLES, FL...2014

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HUMUNGOUS PARADE, SO MANY WORE GREEN, EVEN THE WATCHERS, EVEN GREEN WIGS, GREEN GLASSES, SHOES, EVERYTHING!  THE PARADE WAS TWO HOURS LONG, AND THE BOTTOM PIC SHOWS THE LARGEST H.S. BAND, MUST HAVE BEEN 200.  THERE WERE 16 MARCHING BANDS....I REALLY ENJOYED IT ALL.

CRY!  I CAN'T GET HERE IN MY CASITA....3 TO 4 FEET OF SNOW YET!

OH, WELL, IT'S BACK TO FLORIDA....MARIA, DIANE AND VERNA WALKING DOWN THE BEACH

HUGE, MANY BLOCK ART AND CRAFT FAIR IN NAPLES
YOU CAN SEE ALL 3 GIRLS ...WHITE, BLUE AND PINK SHIRTS

WHOOPS...MEANT TO PUT THIS MANATEE WITH OUR TOUR

THESE METAL ANIMALS ARE ABOUT SIX FEET TALL AT THE ART FAIR...I SURE WOULD HAVE LIKED TO HAUL ONE HOME ON THE PLANE, BUT IT MAY HAVE BEEN KINDA DIFFICULT

AT THE ST. PATRICK'S DAY PARADE....EVERYBODY AND EVERYTHING HAD GREEN!

ANTTI AND BRUCE HELMINEN LOOKING IN MY 2ND STORY WINDOW FROM ON TOP THE SNOWBANK...GIVES YOU AN IDEA HOW MUCH SNOW WE HAVE

                    TALKED TO A BAG PIPER ON ST. PATRICK'S DAY....HE WAS THE LEADER OF THE
                    PIPES AND DRUM CORPS FROM THE COLLEGE OF MANHATTEN

THE FOLIAGE AND FLOWERS IN FLORIDA GROWS HUGE....LOOK AT THE STREET SIGN IN FRONT OF THIS TREE.....THE TREE IS AWESOME

ON MAY 3RD, A SENIOR CITIZEN OF THE HOWELL CONGREGATION WILL TURN 90 YEARS OLD.  SHE IS HOMEBOUND, AND A MESSAGE CAME FROM FRIENDS OF HERS TO POST THIS:....PLEASE SEND HER A BIRTHDAY CARD TO BRIGHTEN HER DAY.  HER ADDRESS AND NAME:  SUOMA SAARELA....34848 FREEDOM RD, APT. 215...FARMINGTON HILLS, MI  48355

SUOMA CAME FROM FINLAND IN THE 1940'S AND HAS BEEN A MEMBER OF THE (DETROIT) HOWELL CONGREGATION SINCE.

AT ROGER AND LORETTA'S WEDDING,
10 HELMINEN BROTHERS,  DAD, AND TWO GR/KIDS IN FRONT

HELMINEN FAMILY

BRAD AND RUTHANN MORRIS, PARENTS OF LORETTA

TRIED TO TAKE A REAL CLOSE UP

AND WE GOT MORE AND FUNNIER

BRIAN AND MARGIE HELMINEN PARENTS OF ROGER

ROGER AND LORETTA, MARRIED APRIL 5, 2014 IN COKATO, MN

ROGER, ME AND KARJIE TOROLA, BEST MAN

FORT MEYERS, FLORIDA POTLUCK
FIRST R: JUDY S, VERNA D, ELLEN T, MARIA S, ANN PIETILA
2ND R: KAREN R, BARB K, JUNE S, DIANE P, JONI P, SHARON L, PAULINE P

FT. MEYERS POTLUC
FRONT: JIMMER R, ?LINNA, JERRY P
BK: RON K, JOHN PAUL S, DAVID S

WEDDING IN HOWEL
BRIAN LAAKSO (CAROL LAAKSO'S) MARRIED JODI HELMINEN,
(CARL AND EVA'S), APRIL 12, 2014
(pic from carol)

70 KYDS ON A SKI TRIP TO SALT LAKE, UTAH, 2014

TOROLA FAMILY ON THE DAY OF VAARI'S FUNERAL IN 1995

MADDIE'S BIRTHDAY...MAKING A PYRAMID
BOTTOM..LENNIE, LIZZIE, TREVOR
MIDDLE, MADDIE...PETE TOROLA ON TOP
SIDE GIRLS, SAVAYA ANDERSON AND ?
(DAVE AND ANN'S HOUSE)

MY MOM'S UNCLE, PATRICK (UNCLE PADDY) MAANINGA
HE WAS A CRUSTY OLD BACHELOR WHO OFTEN VISITED MY FOLKS, LIVED IN AN OLD RAMSHACKLE HOUSE NOT FAR FROM THE INCLINE DAM.  BEFORE HE GOT TOO OLD, HE TOLD MY MOM AND THE UNDERTAKER THAT HE HAS ENOUGH MONEY FOR HIS FUNERAL HIDDEN BEHIND THE CALENDAR IN HIS KITCHEN.  AND HE REALLY DID.

FOUND OUT THIS IS DAVE STORM WHILE WE WERE WAITING TO BE SEATED AT A RESTAURANT....THOUGHT HE WAS SOME KIND OF BIGSHOT CEO WITH HIS HAT AND GLASSES AND PHONE!!!

VERNA AND MARIA, ON A DOLPHIN TOUR

WAITING FOR OUR RIDE...REAL FANCY AND COLORFUL SHOPPING AREA

MANATEE TOUR...DIANE, VERNA, ME

ONE OF SEVERAL MANATEES THAT WE SAW....THEY CAN GROW OVER 1000 LBS
LIVE  IN THE INTERCOASTAL WATERWAYS.  THEY HAVE TO COME UP FOR A FEW BREATHS OF AIR EVERY 20 MIN. OR SO.  MANY HAVE BOAT PROPELLER SCARS ON THEIR BACKS.  KNOWN AS A GENTLE GIANT

AT THE NAPLES ZOO BY A HUGE FICUS TREE

DOROTHY POYHONEN, ELAINE KIILUNEN AND CAROL RYYNANEN AT THE HOUGHTON COUNTY MED. CARE RECENTLY

BOB AND ELAINE LEAN AT THE MED. CARE...ELAINE IS A PATIENT THERE
GOOD FRIENDS OF ME AND PETE

MARIA, ME AND VERNA ON THE BEACH, NAPLES FLORIDA

ICE CREAM MAN ON THE BEACH

MEANWHILE, BACK AT THE RANCH.........

WINDY DAY AT THE BEACH...

A FUNNY BIRD IS THE PELICAN
HIS BEAK CAN HOLD MORE
THAN HIS BELICAN

PELICANS WEREN'T AFRAID OF US; MORE IMPORTANTLY, THEY WERE WAITING FOR FISH GUTS FROM THE FISHERMEN

THIS WAS MY FAVORITE PELICAN.....

ANOTHER SIZE PIC OF PETE'S CONFIRMATION CLASS....
CLICK ON TO ENLARGE  (OTHER ONE WASN'T WORKING TO ENLARGE)

DARLENE'S CAT...JOCKS...DOESN'T MIND BEING GUSSIED UP...SLEEPS WITH ALL THE HATS AND GLOVES WHERE IT'S WARM OVER THE RADIATOR.

                                      CHARLIEHORSE AND DINGO...HELMINEN'S HORSES

PETE'S CONFIRMATION PICTURE
CLICK ON PICTURE TO ENLARGE!!!

                                

PETE'S BACHELOR WAGON...READ ALL ABOUT IT ON PETE'S MEMORIES, STORY SENT BY PAUL JACKOLA....NOTE PETE'S HAT...HE LOVED OLD HATS, ANOTHER STORY ABOUT HATS ON PETE'S MEMORIES (TO THE RIGHT AT THE TOP OF MY WEBPAGE)

YES, WE REALLY FISHED A LOT!  NOTE PETE'S HAT....HIS MOTHER'S OLD CAST OFF.  DIG THE TENNIS SHOES AND THE CIGARETTE.   SHEEEESH!

THERE....GONE TO ROGER HELMINEN'S AND LORETTA MORRIS' WEDDING IN COKATO..I THINK..IF THE WEATHER LETS US OUT OF HERE.