To Florida and Back

Last week we travelled to the Sunshine State.

The first few days we visited Brett's mom.  She will turn 95 later this year and is starting to show signs of dementia.  Brett and his sister went through her storage room while I spent time going through photos with her.  A lot of time was spent reminiscing about these photos.  Often I had no idea who the people were and she couldn't remember, yet she was reluctant to toss them.  I tried to explain that the younger generation isn't typically interested in these old relics so if they didn't have meaning to her, it wasn't necessary to keep hundreds and hundreds of them.  

Meanwhile in the storage room, Brett and his sister dealt with tax papers from the 1970s to the present and every brochure for every piece of furniture, appliance, etc. that they had owned.  Once done they had 400 lbs. of paperwork to be shredded.

I don't say this to be critical of my in-laws.  Instead, it was a reminder of how much has changed regarding keeping photos and paperwork in the past few decades.  

After the work was done, we enjoyed a nice lunch overlooking the water.

The boating activity and pelicans were entertaining as we dined on fresh grouper sandwiches.

Then it was on to visit our son and his family for the remainder of the week.  Jaxson was on spring break so there was lots of time for science experiments and many, many board games.

We brought our very old tennis rackets and introduced Jaxson to the game.

Somewhere in my own old photo collection I have a similar shot of my dad with his two grandsons on the tennis court holding their rackets in this same position.  My parents loved the game and wanted all of us to love it as much as they did.  

All too soon the week was over and it was time to head home.

I never like that part and neither does Jaxson :(

Good memories will tide us over until the next visit.

🌞🌞🌞

Fun Family Times

Well, finally there is something blog worthy to report.

After waaaaay tooooo loooong, I hopped on an airplane and headed for home.

Although I've been gone for 20 years now, I think Michigan will always be home to me.

Of course a trip back home as autumn approaches calls for a visit to one of the places we miss the most.  The local cider mill.  And since calories don't count while on vacation, two donuts for me and four for Brett seemed like a wholesome lunch.  Certainly the apple cider took the healthy factor up a notch.

 ~ Gardenviews in Northville, MI ~

~ Sideways in Plymouth, MI ~

 Back in the day I loved to shop in the quaint little towns of Northville and Plymouth.

One day when we had a couple of hours to spare, we went to see how much the shopping situation had changed in the last 20 years.

I must say I was thrilled to see that two of my very favorite shops were still going strong.  I guess that speaks for itself.

Unfortunately I didn't have time to do much but look and be inspired.  That galvanized turkey tray above was HUGE and also gorgeous.

The purpose of the trip wasn't to shop.  It was for something much more exciting than that.

My brother and sister-in-law flew in from California and my sister and brother-in-law live in Michigan.  It was a three day family reunion.  It's been a very long time since we were all together.

We enjoyed getting caught up, meals together, games (finally learned how to play Mexican Train Dominoes), laughs, a walk through the local state park and a lot of reminiscing.

 All too soon it was time to head back to the airport.

Since it was necessary to eat something before boarding, we scouted the dining choices until we located another Michigan favorite.  Funny how when we lived there I rarely ate coney dogs, but as soon as they were no longer available, I began having occasional cravings.

I must admit they tasted a lot better than they look :).

Using the same logic as the cider mill meal, we felt the shared Greek salad cancelled out the hot dog factor.

Do you ever use this type of logic while vacationing?

"The love in our family flows strong and deep, leaving us memories to treasure and keep"  ~anonymous

A Dream(y) Getaway

Hello there.

Just dreaming a bit today about the ideal getaway.

When given the opportunity, my preference will almost always lean towards the country vs. the city.

Point me towards rolling green hills dotted with cows and farmhouses and I'm a happy camper.

Breakfast outdoors on a cool spring morning sounds delightful.

If that outdoor breakfast includes a bit of birdsong and a view like this, well just plant me there and keep the coffee cup filled :).

Although, with a bit of coaxing, I could be uprooted for a hike in the great outdoors.  If that hike involved a waterfall, I'd have my hiking shoes on in an instant.

After an afternoon hike, it would be most delightful to head into the nearest small town and discover a new restaurant to try out.

These smiling faces across the table would bring me great joy.

So, imagine my surprise when I was recently told to pack for two nights.

Casual clothes and comfortable shoes were all I was told to bring.

It seemed Brett and I were headed for a wee getaway.

Little did I know that he and the boys had been hatching a plan.

One that included a three hour drive into the NC mountains where the countryside rolled, the cows mooed and the rivers rushed.

After winding our way down a hill the car came to a halt at this charming log cabin.  

Part of the plan was to fly my grandson and his Dad in to be part of the getaway.  He was happy to try out the chair right outside the front door.  A perfect fit I might add.

Just inside the door sat this sign.

This cabin was recently built and so nicely decorated.

In fact, if I were still dreaming, this would be the cabin of my dreams.

Apparently my family knows me well.

 Right down to my preference in cake flavors ;D.

They thought of everything.

Party hat, cake, balloon, gifts.

I honestly couldn't dream up a nicer getaway.

A very nice way to usher in a new decade.

The lower level of the cabin offered an ideal spot for family fun time.

I don't think I've shot a game of pool since I was in high school.

How nice to try again while introducing Jaxson to the game.

He delighted in chalking up the cues and helping Grandpa make the shot.

Another sign in the cabin.

Hmmm...

this sounds like a good motto going forward.

*all photos from the real getaway.  Elevating dreams to dreamy! 

First Farmer's Market of the Season

The cool morning that greeted us on Saturday was ideal weather for a little jaunt to the farmer's market.  We like this one located in Winston-Salem, NC. 

As we made our way over to the farmer's stands, it was inspiring to see what was growing in the gardens of the neighboring Old Salem.

The varieties of lettuce looked lovely together.

Almost too pretty to pick.

The large field of poppies was in it's glory.

It's so much fun to explore the different farm stands.

This one offered beautiful strawberries and spring greens.

Unfortunately we had just purchased strawberries (from California).

The floral bouquets were lovely too.

We purchased pasture raised chicken and sausage, tomato plants and a bush cucumber, spinach and tomatoes (greenhouse grown).

As it was getting near lunch time we decided to pick up our meal from the market.

Last year I tried this iced green "Peace" tea.

It was so good that I bought a package to make at home.

It has the health benefits of green tea and the refreshing benefit of mint.  So good especially on a hot summer day.

We took our sandwiches and tea to the car and had a little picnic.

As the day was warming up a bit,

I cracked the car window to this view.

Not bad for an in the car picnic.

I love going to farmer's markets.

The whole idea of eating locally grown food is so appealing to me.

As is being able to support the farmers.

I always learn something new when I take the time to talk to the farmers.  While buying the pasture raised chicken parts to make my chicken broth, the farmer told me that many of his customers tell him that pig's feet are an essential ingredient to the best broth.  Apparently they all say that once you make it this way you'll never go back.  He was all out of feet that day as they were such a popular item.  When I think of little piggy feet in my soup, I don't envision something delicious.  Tell me, have you ever tried it?

While chatting with him I was eyeing that bag with the pink bow above.

Trying to decide what I was looking at I finally came out and asked him.

Seems that is his young daughter's contribution to the farm stand.

Bagged up chicken p**p.

It was important to her to add the pink bow :).

Believe it or not I was very excited to find this.

I have always heard that it makes wonderful fertilizer.

He told me that popping a few p**p pellets on top of the soil in my container plants would work like a time release fertilizer and it also wouldn't burn the plants or their roots.

Sounds good to me.

I'll let you know how it works out.

If you already use this method of fertilizer, perhaps you can share your experiences with me.

A Room With a View

 

 It seemed especially fitting that the view from the balcony reminded me of those snowy village scenes often featured on Christmas cards.

You know the ones featuring gentle snow covered hills just right for sledding on, pine trees and evergreens dotting the landscape and long winding driveways leading to warm welcoming homes?

Ah, yes, this was the view our eyes settled on as we enjoyed the gift our son gave to us for Christmas.  A weekend stay at the Inn at Riverbend in Pearisburg, Virginia.

Turning our heads to the left brought this view.

The funny thing about this river is that although it is called the New River, it is thought to be the second oldest river in the world, second only to the Nile River.  It is estimated to be between 10 and 360 million years old!

Train tracks run along the river.  The train could often be seen (and heard) chugging along at various times of the day (and night).  I found this to add even more charm to the Christmas card scene below.  Brett's thoughts on the middle of the night train whistles were a bit different, however.

Inside the room the corner windows were ideal for allowing us to enjoy the scenery from the reading chairs and also from...

the comfy bed.

One afternoon after an exhausting day spent visiting the local antique shops, I curled up under that pretty throw and leafed through my one and only purchase.

The cover alone made my heart beat a bit faster.

Once I opened the cover, I was a goner.

Published in 1947.  It would have cost $2.50 then and now it was still being sold for that price.  That's a deal far too good to pass up.

;D

I love books with monthly or seasonal chapters.

I allowed myself to read through February.

Now my excitement for the upcoming gardening season is in full force and I am trying not to cheat and read the March chapter before the calendar officially says "March."

 Speaking of books, this was the one I read most recently.

A story of homesteading in the Alaskan wilderness during the 1920s.  A couple mourning the loss of their child while learning to live off the land in this remote area.  One day they build a child out of snow together and from there the story really takes off in a most delightful way.

I absolutely LOVED this book.

My niece gave it to my sister-in-law for Christmas.  They both enjoyed it and passed it along to me to read.  I'm so glad they did. 

A perfect book to read on a winter's day.

Fresh Start

After that last somewhat smelly post, I thought it was time to freshen things up around here.

  So, today I offer a few photos from our pre-Christmas getaway to  Lake Junaluska.  More specifically our four mile walk around the lake.

The swans, ducks and geese were in abundance that day.

The thing I love about this walk is that the lake is in view the entire time.  There's also interesting houses to check out along the way.

Like this one up on a hill.  I imagine they have some awesome lake views from their vantage point.

 This one was also pretty high up there.

I couldn't resist a photo of a yellow house with blue shutters, even though much of it is obscured by the embankment.

Brett kept telling me to move to the right where I'd likely get a better shot.  I was trying not to be too obvious in case the homeowners were currently enjoying their lovely views.

~ Gliding into the new year ~

Thank you all for your input on my smelly kitchen mystery.

Seems I'm not the only one who has dealt with this problem.

Since that post I tried several things I learned from Bob Vila online.  I ran ice cubes and kosher salt through the disposal, scrubbed the rubber gasket inside and out with a toothbrush and ran the disposal with lemon peels in it.  In the morning it seemed somewhat fresher in the kitchen.  Today Brett disconnected the various connections under the sink and drained and cleaned them.  Now we are hoping the odor will be totally gone.  Time will tell.

Because we have had this problem at times in the past, I don't think it is a mouse.  Also, we have a yearly contract with a pest control company which includes mouse traps in the attics.  If, however, the problem persists or gets worse I will look into that possibility. 

 Keeping my fingers crossed that that won't be the case :).

Hope your New Year is off to a fresh start.