And Now the Big Adventure Begins

It was a dark and stormy night...

Actually, it was 5:15 am, and it was raining heavily and still quite dark. Amazing how a month ago it was quite light by this time of the morning. On to the airport for my flight to Seattle!

I flew on Frontier Airlines which now sports a different animal picture on the tail of each plane. I flew with Mel the Mule Deer to Denver.

Flying somewhere over the western Midwest. Square upon square for hundreds of miles... Wet and green.

Then farther west.  Drier and drier to where only what is irrigated is green...

And into Denver. It was so cloudy that I just barely discerned some mountains, nothing I could capture in a picture. So a bit of a layover and then on to Seattle with Carl the Coyote.

Never did see any mountains, but this landscape was definitely not flat.

And into Seattle and a surprise. Since my plane was delayed out of Denver, my daughter and son-in-law, Karen and Todd, were able to pick me up right at the airport. We proceeded to my granddaughter, Katelyn's preschool. What a joy to see them all in person; to hug and touch and laugh together!

Then to one of the Seattle Farmers' Markets! It's enough to make this farmer market lover from LeRoy, Michigan, cry with delight! Here's Katelyn picking out just the right pint of blackberries for this week. I was so busy looking and tasting and eating and delighting in my family and their friends that I didn't take any more pictures!

Thank you to Julie, Connie, Sylvia, Betty, and others who are helping with my responsibilities while I am away. I am grateful!

A Visit (part 2)

I enjoyed the travel almost as much as the visit with Aunt Cora. I took the train from Michigan to Chicago and then the Metra (commuter line) from Chicago to the suburbs. Here are some pictures on the way home.

Pulling in to Chicago (through the tinted train windows.)

Union Station, now home of Amtrak. This is the great hall. When I was little, the entire hall was filled with the long "pews". Now most are gone.

I love the marble staircase and pillars. The steps, marble remember, are worn from the millions of feet that have used them. Amazing! I remember them being worn even as a child.

I took pictures of the two great statues on the East wall.  They've always intrigued me, but I didn't know much about them. After a little search on Google, now I do! Henry Hering was the sculptor. Here is "Day" shading her eyes from the sun, holding a rooster.

And here is "Night" holding an owl and covering her face with her cloak. They were to represent, according to Great American Stations, "the 24-hour nature of passenger railroading."

I have no pictures to offer from the ride home from Chicago...I slept a great deal of the way! When my eyes were open, the few glimpses of the sunset over Lake Michigan were great. A wonderful trip and glad to be home for a bit. Wednesday I head to Seattle!

A Visit to Aunt Cora

On May 18th this year, my Aunt Cora turned 90. She lives in the Chicago suburbs at a nursing home because of her poor mobility and blindness. (She's been blind for 60 years.) I've been wanting to visit her and finally made the time to do it.

She told me where her picture albums were, so I pulled those out and asked questions.We talked all afternoon and into the evening until we were both yawning. One of the best stories I heard was about the pictures of her on the wall behind her.

She had been working in a factory for a long time even though her eyesight was failing badly. She decided that she would go to modeling school so she could get out of factory work. It didn't work out, but not for lack of looks! I told her that the full length picture of her standing with her hand on her hip reminded me of the women who used to sell refrigerators and stoves on TV when I was little. She said, "I did great in modeling school, but no one wanted a blind model!"

The trip was easy and good. I'm going to make the time more often.

One Year

So here we are, one year later. In my first post, I stated the intention to post at least once a week. I actually completed and published 111 posts. Statistically, that's a touch over 2 per week, but they sure didn't come that way! It was more like in fits and starts! Sometimes, I couldn't keep from sharing the fabulous things I was noticing. Other times, I was just NOT IN THE MOOOOD! Of course, when I was least in the mood was when posting some bit of gratitude would have been the most helpful to me...sigh.

So now we start year two. Let's see if I can keep from repeating myself too much! Expect more of the same, and maybe even bigger gaps in between my posts. But with my writing buddy and my supportive audience, who knows?

Hot Cat

It's been a pretty hot summer at times here. I try to keep some of the heat at bay by closing all my windows and blinds soon after sunrise. But my sweet cat likes the sun and heat more than I and found a way to accommodate both of us. She makes me smile!

The Beauty of Order

I love the look of a freshly built wood pile waiting for Autumn to arrive. It is so satisfying to me because of its orderliness, because I can see the fruits of my labor immediately, and because it lets thoughts of cold, snowy days drift through my mind like wisps of wood smoke... A pleasant thought when it is 90 degrees and humid!  :-)

Michigan Day Lilies

The day lilies are blooming!

WOW! Wild!

An excerpt from Garden Guides:

Daylily History

Although they have a similar flower structure, daylilies are not true lilies, but instead belong to the genus Hemerocallis, a Greek word which roughly translates to "beautiful for a day." These flowers are native to Asia, and hybridizers have worked for years to create varieties with larger, more robust flowers in a variety of colors, from pastel peach to striking red to elegant purple. Yellow and orange varieties have escaped from cultivation and now grow wild throughout North America. In Michigan they can often be seen growing by roadsides, cemeteries and abandoned farm land.

Read more: Daylilies in Michigan | Garden Guides http://www.gardenguides.com/90048-daylilies-michigan.html#ixzz2Z3n5596Q

Crazy Tall Peas!

Look! These pea plants are 6 feet tall! Crazy!

Peas! Delicious!