Thursday, September 22, 2016

A, B and C


A is for the Asters adding beauty to my garden on this first day of fall.

The bees seem to be enjoying them too.
Planted last summer, I had forgotten what they were.  Since most of the perennials are nearing the end of their blooming cycle, it was a pleasant surprise to see them covered in buds last week.  In all my years of gardening this is my first experience with growing them. 

B is for birthday.
Brett's birthday.
Brett's big birthday, to be exact. ;D.
Big birthdays are a lot more fun when shared with a 3 year old.

C is for Charlotte.
Charlotte, North Carolina.
The city where we celebrated the big birthday.
Dinner in a lovely uptown restaurant.
After dinner the pleasant weather beckoned.
An after dinner walk to the nearby Romare Bearden Park seemed like the best plan.  A time to walk off a bit of dinner before it was cake time.

Romare Bearden Park photo courtesy the internet.

We took turns racing across one of the grassy areas of the park with Jaxson.
He may have the shortest legs, but they are also the fastest legs.
About the time I thought hoped the game was done he was ready to go again and again and again.  I think it's safe to say the dinner calories were burned.
Once all of the adults were exhausted we sat on one of the park benches.  Darkness had set in yet few people seemed in a hurry to get home.
I watched a tiny little girl dressed in pink toddling around as her family took pictures.  She held a bouquet of pink balloons.  I imagined how sweet the pictures would be.
Our former racing area was now being used by a group of boys for a lively game of Frisbee.
Looking to my right it was apparent that the water feature held a strong appeal for those enjoying a date night.  Young love was in bloom.
Looking up I marveled at the skyscrapers in their nighttime beauty.
In this little park at the base of the skyscrapers, a diverse group of people were drawn together enjoying the evening.  People of all ages feeling safe on this late summer evening in the city. 
As we walked back to my son's home to have our cake, a sense of happiness settled over me.  For a few hours the craziness of our world seemed to have softened.  I would have never guessed that only a few short nights later I would be glued to the tv until midnight watching this wonderful city become a place filled with violence and hatred.

Peaceful protesting is one thing.
This has become something else entirely.




7 comments:

  1. What a beautiful word picture you created. : )
    Happy Birthday to Brett and many many more!!
    Those asters are so pretty. I don't have any of them in my yard but I think I'd better get some. : )
    My son is now living in your state in Ashville.

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  2. Great A.B.C. post. glad you have a safe and happy celebration.

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  3. First things first...Happy Birthday to Brett! Big birthday? Pshawww...he's just a kid! What a great photo of all your guys together!

    You have so clearly shown the difference between a beautiful city at peace and one suffering in the hands of evil. Heartbreaking.

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  4. Oh Kim, these Asters are beautiful!!! I would love to have some in our yard -- beautiful for this time of year. Happy Birthday to Brett; it looks like you all had a really special celebration. :)

    It's scary what's happening in Charlotte right now. We only live a couple of hours away. We're right outside the city of Winston-Salem, in Forsyth County, where we've lived most of our lives. Hal and I are now handgun owners and are applying for Concealed Carry permits. I never thought we'd be doing this, but we just don't feel safe in this country these days.

    Take care and have a good weekend, Kim.

    Hugs,

    Denise at Forest Manor

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  5. Happy Birthday to your husband! Nice family picture too.

    Those Asters are so pretty it makes me want to try them again. I gave up when they got full of spiders, little guys but lots of them. Yucky.

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    Replies
    1. I was going to cut some to bring inside. Now I will do a spider check before I do so. Thanks for the heads up.

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  6. That looks fun! Happy Birthday to your handsome husband. :)

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