Red Heads With a Basketball

I was meandering around the web this morning and as usual for me, one thought led to another, one link to another and I found myself here: REDHEADS and here: ALL American Redheads

ZITLAU, JACQUELYN WRAGE Born June 21, 1937 at Paradise Valley Hospital in Chula Vista. to parents Everett Claus Wrage and Rosalind Turley Wrage. She graduated from Aurora-Hoyt Lakes High School, class of 1955. She toured the United States with the All-American Redheads women's exhibition basketball team. She graduated from Kelsey-Jenney Business College in San Diego and worked for San Diego Gas & Electric Company from 1962 to 1974 in various secretarial capacities. She toured South America with the Harlem Globetrotters organization in the early 1960's as a player in a women's exhibition basketball team. She married Walter A. Zitlau in November 1974. Preceded in death by her parents Everett and Rosalind Wrage, husband Walter A. Zitlau, and brother William Wrage. Survived by her sister and brother-in-law Gerrie and Bob White of Oceanside, and numerous nieces and nephews. A Memorial Service will be held on June 13, 2009 at First Lutheran Church, 867 South Lincoln Avenue, El Cajon, Calif.
Mentioned here is my ex sister in law. Jackie was 6ft. 5inches tall and the last time I saw her was in El Cajon, California. She was married to the president of Pacific Power and Light and lived in a beautiful home nestled into the hillside with a great view of the beach.

I shall never forget that visit. Her home was especially equipped for a woman her size. The kitchen appliances and sink was elevated to a height that made it comfortable for her to cook and impossible for me to see into the pots on the stove. Even the toilet was designed for a very tall person. My feet barely touched the floor. Lilliputians had nothing on me.

This huge glass fronted home sat into a niche in the hills above the beach with each home below hers at a lower level providing an unhindered view to the ocean. It was the law that houses couldn't be built to block the view of the houses farther up this hill.

Just up the beach was San Diego. This was in my early years of "hitting the road" and seeing California was a dream I had had all my life while tucked away into the hills of WV. The next years of my life would be spent traveling the entire USA, crisscrossing the country, living in one place for no longer or less then six months. It was a great way to see the USA. I've never been enamored of a two week vacation. It's just not long enough to actually get right with the natives. The work I did provided me the time to live amongst the locals, attend the gatherings and parties; observe the regional  culture and explore the surrounding areas.   

I'm always amazed at the people that will travel to Europe and neglect traveling through our on USA first. After years of moving around the USA, I made that trip to Europe and spent 21 days exploring which was not long enough. 
I want to return; there are so many more countries to see and my gypsy blood sings out. My husband doesn't have the same lust for travel. I'm nudging him gently toward another trip abroad. On my bucket list is Spain and Portugal.

 For now I find myself in Louisiana. I've never believed in the word "permanent" as it has seldom seemed to have applied to my life and I like it that way.

It's a wonderful evening to be indoors as the rain is still falling and so is the temperatures. I'm watching for snow. It's possible as the temperatures are now at 37 degrees, wind is howling and it's only 1700 hrs. I will be staying up late in the event it snows so I can run up and down the street screaming to the neighbors to "come see!" We don't get to see snow often here and a town crier is needed when it does happen.

I'm waiting patiently for the husband to sing out "Dinner is ready!" I can't begin to express my gratitude that the husband likes to cook and that in case he doesn't feel like cooking, fast food joints are just a few minutes away. Am I blessed or WHAT?

Night all..........

and before I go...another video..the reunion:
Redheads Reunion 2010