Road Trip: Part 5

Okay. This road trip has got to be the most-posted event ever. At least, for me. There still are so many pictures I want to show you and some of them need a little work. For some of them, I'm planning to choose the very-est best one only (and having a hard time doing so) and for some of them, well, they need work because they're not-so-good.
But.
On Wednesday of our week away (or was it Tuesday?), Chris and I stole away by ourselves to the historic town of New Harmony.
If you could script my Most Perfect Day Ever, it would unfold a lot like this one did. It was sunny and breezy and about 74 degrees.
We grabbed a cup of coffee and headed first to the local nature preserve, with trails and wildlife to explore. I talked to a sleepy owl and marveled at the first signs of spring breaking through in the forest.



It was almost like a tender layer of greenery was floating in the air, safe from the harsh conditions near the top of the canopy, where the trees were still stark and bare.


Once we'd had our fill of the forest, Chris and I drove with the windows down, past corn fields and farms, fallen barns and cows. We were listening to Iron & Wine. After a nice little jaunt through the countryside, we rolled into New Harmony with its brick-building Main Street and iron-gated lawns and homes.
It even appeared that they had been expecting us. Chris has his own pharmacy in town.

We wandered through the antique shops and I even found an apron to add to my collection!







There was one stop we needed to make on our way back - a little labyrinth. It was just a circular path cut out of shrubbery, but it wound its way into a tiny, round, stone building in the middle. The weather was so beautiful that neither of us minded the quiet, meditative walk.

Do you see that blobby, pink tree on the right? There will be more pictures of that. It was my favorite thing all day.
Once we were close, we found a cheaters' gate, though, that took us straight to the building and I couldn't wait any longer. I know patience is a virtue, but it's not one that I have really mastered. Lo and behold, up on the sweetly painted ceiling, there were gobs of ladybugs!

In fact, they were everywhere.

So many landed on me, too. It's probably because I wear the symbol of ladybug friendliness.

Road Trip: Part 4

On the afternoon that we went to the river town, we also visited the General Store. This little store in Newburgh, Indiana, is a favorite place of mine and it's quickly becoming the destination of choice for my kids too.
It's an old-fashioned general store that sells lotions, soaps, coffee mugs and that sort of thing, but it also sells locally-produced foods, kitchenware, and pretty linens.



But the atmosphere is the best part. The store looks like it's been there for ages (and I think it actually has been) and that people have just piled objects into corners over the course of time. Sometimes, it's hard to decipher the store inventory from the atmosphere.

My favorite part, though, is the candy counter.

There may or may not be a panorama of this delicious candy counter after my class tonight. I like Photoshop's panorama tool better than Gimp's and I can only get to Photoshop at school. Hope I have time to stitch the images together! I can't wait to see how it comes out.

Road Trip: Part 3

There are many more photos to show you, but most of them need a little more work or a little more consideration, so I will jump ahead of myself and show you pictures from the Easter egg hunt at Chris' mom's house.


The Indiana grass was so soft!

Our grass here in Florida is poky and brownish-green and not at all very nice.

Poor Andrew is a little bit too big for hunting Easter eggs, but his Mamaw really wanted all her grandchildren to have an egg hunt at her house for once.

She cajoled and strong-armed and when all else failed, she told him there was money in some of the eggs. Andrew will do anything for money.

Emma, however, finds no shame in hunting for eggs filled with money or candy. None at all. And when there is even more candy in a basket for her? That is even better.

My nephews had a really great time too.
Gavin ran around the yard finding as many eggs as he could, with the help of his entourage of grown-up helpers,

and Max really had fun playing with his basket.

Maybe Papaw had fun playing with Max's basket too.

A Letter of Apology

Dear Innocent Bystanders in the Southgate Publix Parking Lot:

I offer you all my most sincere apologies.
When I put on a dress this morning, I neglected to check the weather forecast. I didn't know there would be mischievous gusts of wind lurking in the parking lot.
Had I been a Responsible Citizen, I would have (a) taken care of that slight wedgie, making sure there was even coverage, (b) been more careful getting out of the car, and (c) lost 15 pounds before you were forced to see my kit and kaboodle.
I'm sorry.
I did my best to control the damage. I quickly straightened out the front of the dress only to have the back fly out behind me. As I grabbed the back, the front swirled straight out again.
I really thought that sort of thing only happened in cartoons. I have learned my lesson.
Plus, I really hope that I don't know any of you.
I mean it.

<3 me

Road Trip: Part 2

Continuing the story of our vacation - we relaxed a lot. Chris' mom likes to let us sleep in and she fixes breakfast. I mean it. Real, honest-to-goodness, cooked breakfast. It's nice to wake up to, I tell ya.
But once breakfast was over and cleaned up each day, we managed to get about the business of doing something.
Some days, there were chores around the house. A laser level? Oh, yeah.



Sometimes, it was a little more exciting - like dying Easter eggs.





One day, we visited the nearby town of Newburgh, which I'm sure I've mentioned in previous years. It's a little river-side town, full of historic homes and darling shops. We ambled about by the banks of the river, throwing stones at the water, stepping over the driftwood.

Easter This Year

It seems I have said of many recent holidays, "I'm not doing quite what I've done in past years, but I've settled on something (for now) that is enough." And that holds true again.
Easter is my favorite holy-day. I love what it means - to me and to the world. I love to spend Holy Week steeped in meditation and tradition and to cap it off with a joyous and raucous Easter Sunday. But this year...
We got back from our visit to Indiana on Saturday night. We had such a busy week and hadn't even been home - and Chris' birthday is Easter Sunday this year too. So, in spite of being super-tired, I stayed up late last night and made Chris a birthday cake and got breakfast in order while Chris stayed up late and set the table with my grandma's china. We didn't have elaborate Easter baskets, we didn't dye eggs - we didn't do lots of things.
This morning dawned and my heart was tired. I felt guilty for not having put in the time with God I wanted to. I felt unprepared.
However, we had a lovely breakfast (it's an annual tradition - how could I let that slide?) of blackberry buttermilk biscuits and blackberries in cream served on beautiful dishes.


Chris and I greeted church-goers at the door and shook hands and basked in the warm feeling of connecting to a community of fellow believers. We're starting to fit in where we are and it's really nice.
I made a really yummy coconut birthday cake for my honey.

We celebrated so much with our family, not just the Resurrection and Chris' birthday but my grandma's good news too - she does not have to have any chemo or radiation following her surgery!




I also didn't get pictures of us all dressed up for Easter (that is nobody's fault but my own) or the dress I made for Emma.
Sigh.
Oh well.
Life begins again with a vengeance tomorrow. I need a bit more sleep before I can feel truly ready, I think. I'm taking some medicine so my back will stop barking at me and I think I'll have a little more of that cake for supper.
Yeah.
That should do the trick.

Toes