I Wrestled With A Sump Pump....

On tap for last night was another wonderful evening out with the girls for our dinner and trip to the Paramount theater where we have season tickets to see 4 musicals each year. "Cabaret" shined bright . And yes, it was raunchy and bawdy, but oh so fun. Terrific cast which always amazes me the extensive amount of talent that we have in the Chicago area and that we don't have to go into the city, pay over the top prices for a ticket and exorbitant parking fees to see a terrific Broadway show. And a definite #33 on my happy list. And #34 is having left overs from dinner to enjoy a second time around.

#35 Field Daffodils from Trader Joe's 

I had an arm wrestling match with my sump pump hose yesterday. I'll back up....first came the snow almost 10 inches, then the warmth which thus began to melt the snow, ground is now saturated from the melted snow and then the rains came and came and came. Last Fall I threw my sump pump hose in the garbage because Toby (sob) loved to chew holes in the plastic hose, thus making it rather useless for hauling water away from the house. OK, now the rains have come (as stated) and the sump pump is running constantly, literally every 5-10 second intervals. Water is pooling around the house because of da dah NO hose.

Definitely Duck Weather....

I'll shorten this long story, bought the hose, wrestled with getting it on the pipe because ofcourse it didn't fit, resorted to duck tapping the damn thing onto the pipe between gushing water but first had to slowly cut the old duck tape away from the rim of the pipe,  This whole event became so much longer than anticipated (isn't that the way everything goes as you age)...and to end this event I couldn't get my rubber boots off of my feet. Well, I finally did, but I pulled every muscle in my arms and back and legs struggling to release my feet from the death grip of those damn rubber boots. I know I have used the word damn twice in this paragraph and while I was in the midst of this event I probably uttered the word "shit" dozens of times. It's difficult to be pure of mouth when you arm wrestle with a sump pump hose. OK, happy #36 it's done.

Monday I played bridge with a group of ladies that gather ever once in awhile for a few rounds. Mostly dealt very low point hands, but at least once I bid 5 hearts and made 5, which makes for a happy morning, not to mention the absolutely best home-made sticky buns I've ever tasted bar none. So good bridge hands and Flour's Famous Sticky Buns #37 and #38.  Here is the link to the recipe....
It's long and tedious and I would never attempt to make these, but I so appreciate that my dear foody friend Ruth treated us to these little pieces of heavenly baked buns.

Oh my gosh, I almost forgot about my outing with a photography friend last Friday. Jeanne and I love to photograph barns, and the older the better. If you ask Jeanne what she enjoys shooting she will reply....old, crumbling, rust, gritty. So last Friday off we went to see if we could find some old barns. So #39 is definitely finding old barns to photograph.''

And #40, my Orchid from a previous post (see here) is still alive and blooming...

Off to Bunco this evening, which means good food, fun and friends...has to be #41.

Enjoy your weekend and do something that makes you happy!

Until next time...

Trip Memories....

Traveling thru Texas on the way to Santa Fe, NM

A trip to Colorado to photograph the aspens in the Fall led by my friend and mentor Lou Nettlehorst, good golly yes, I'm in. That plan began much earlier this year with my blogging/photographer buddy, Jeanne Stone. We have made 2 trips together, one to Charleston, SC and another to photograph the Hill Country in Texas during bluebonnet season. We are compatible companions, even with my snoring and enjoy the beauty of the outdoors and nature. We get it when we take 30 minutes to photograph a wildflower, unlike those who do not see how we photographer's see. You guys out there know what I'm talking about.  Jeanne has breathing issues in high altitudes and her doctor advised her to drive to Colorado instead of flying to help her lungs gradually get used to the difference. OK, instead of flying to Colorado as originally planned I flew to Dallas (where Jeanne lives). A wee bit off track but not only did we plan on joining Lou in Gunnison, Colorado on Saturday, Sept 16th we decided to extend our trip by driving from Dallas to Santa Fe, NM...

staying 2 nights in Santa Fe (which was not nearly enough), then drive to Ghost Ranch near Abiquiu, New Mexico, the land of Georgia O'Keefe spending one night there (again not nearly enough) and then on to Gunnison, CO to meetup with our group for dinner and a get-together before outings began early the next morning. And what I mean by early is setting my alarm for 3:30 AM, holy mackerel who gets up at 3:30 except maybe to go pee. Lou has a habit of choosing places that are a bit of a drive for those early morning sessions, but it's all worth it for the end results. 

The night we arrived in Santa Fe we ate at a restaurant known for their tasty margaritas. Now I'm a frozen fruity margarita fan so that was a choice I decidedly agreed upon. Jeanne could only take a few sips, while I enjoyed every last drop and didn't feel a thing. While in Santa Fe, we wandered thru the streets, popping into churches to admire their beauty, touring the Georgia O'Keefe Museum and stopping at the rail station where the rail runner still had regular scheduled departures. Notice the rainbow in the scene....I took this as a positive sign that our trip would be filled with good times. It was until the phone call from my daughter came on Sunday evening. 

After leaving Santa Fe we headed to Ghost Ranch, the iconic place where Georgia O'Keefe created some of her finest work. The ranch itself is over 22,000 acres, but to my surprise, Georgia only owned about 7 acres of this grand space. Apparently she tried with earnest to buy the whole 22,000 acres, but in the end the owner, Arthur Pack left everything, except the 7 acres to the Presbyterian Church. It now resides as a retreat and education center with over 300 classes taught there each year. In fact, our humble abode (and they are rather humble, with no AC and concrete floors) was right next to a large group of oil paint artists that were in the midst of their last creation before packing up and leaving the next day. What a panorama for a subject. 

Yeah, that's me on the back of the horse, not the good looking cowgirl in front leading, me on the back of blonde horse, clinging (not really) to the reins and trying desperately to take photos with my big girl camera as we rode around Ghost Ranch for 1 1/2 hours. Please don't inquire as to my butt condition after that ride. Let's just say, I didn't fall off and the scenery was amazing. 

Our two wranglers, very kind to us oldies....

That evening we wandered down to the entrance to Ghost Ranch to capture the sunset. You can see from the wagon that the golden hour was indeed golden.  Wonder if riding in the wagon would be any more comfortable than the back of the horse...probably not. And that sweet little cabin is the one (so I have been told) that was featured in the movie, "City Slickers" with Billy Crystal.  In the visitors center there are a whole slew of movie posters featuring movies that were filmed at Ghost Ranch. 

Next stop (except for a few minor pull off the road I need to get that shot episodes) Gunnison, CO. 

PS - Thank you all for leaving such kind comments on my last post. I so appreciate your prayers and love that you have expressed. From the bottom of my heart, thank you!! 

Until next time.....

The June July August Break

Oh dear, I did it again, Said I would and then I didn't. I am very unreliable. Blogging is akin to a habit, you must continually write and post so it becomes part of your daily habits. And I don't mean a bad habit, I mean a good habit, sorta like drinking a cup of coffee before the world begins to turn. Many bloggers are taking what is referred to as an August Break, where they either don't post at all or very minimally. I think I fell into that first category but my August break went back as far as the end of June, the 29th to be exact.

And I might be in real trouble when it comes to forming a habit.  I just checked Google (I love Google) and instead of the old adage of 21 days, apparently the University College London has done a more thorough study on habit forming and now it has been determined that no longer is it 21 days but 66, trumping the 3 weeks to now more than 6 weeks. Are you kidding me, OMG I'm done for.

Oh well, I will give a quick over-view of my adventures this summer. trying to catch up during my June-July-August break. The two photos above were taken in Chicago on a night photo-walk during the photography conference. I rarely, pretty much never, do long exposure night photography. You need a tripod and patience, both of which I tend to fail at.

The 4th of July I drove to Dayton, OH with my kids to spend a long weekend with my sweetie's family.  Only one good day of weather the whole weekend was a disappointment. I thought it was a rule that it doesn't rain on the 4th of July.  Seeing and being with family certainly makes the days brighter even if the skies are dark and rainy.

Later in July I flew to California to visit and stay with my son and daughter-in-law for a week. We visited the San Diego Zoo, along with a million others and walked the beaches with a million others, and yes, it was hot like a million other places have been this summer. Remind me not to visit California in July. Fall or spring seem to be the more pleasurable times. But again, seeing and being with my son and daughter-in-law removed the unpleasantness of the crowds and the heat.

  But one thing is for sure, roses love the hot southern California weather.

And along the way I found a red barn.....always a fav!

And a gorgeous butterfly....

Many happy moments were spent with family this summer....this being one of them.

Can you believe this little bundle of joy will be two next month.

I am heading to Michigan next week to visit old friends that have a cottage on Torch Lake. Expectations are high for many photo ops.  Hope you have had a lovely summer as we head into a new season soon. It's been too hot and too humid around these parts this summer. The windows and doors have been shut almost the entire month of July and into August with the air conditioner running. Love having the windows wide open, enjoying the soft breezes and the sounds of summer. Maybe in September it will cool down for that enjoyment.  Until then, I will continue to sit on the screen porch, overhead fan on high, ice cold drink by my side, with an occasional trickle of sweat dripping on the pages of my latest read.

Until next time.....

The Little Things

OK, so on Tuesday evening I text my granddaughter Bailey, (you know that is the only way to communicate with the younger crowd....an actual telephone is beyond their comprehension). She has been out of town on business for 4 weeks so haven't spent any girl time together and I knew she was on vacation this whole week.  Anyhoo my text said, "are you busy tomorrow? how about lunch and a drive in the country so Nana can shoot some countryside and barns in the snow? Sounds like fun...right??"  She text back.."yes,sounds like fun!".  Now I don't know if she really enjoys country drives, is humoring her Nana, or the sound of a free lunch was appealing.  I didn't care, I love spending time with her and I haven't been country driving at all since it snowed.

After we had our lunch, (Noodles) we were on our way.  It was cold, the wind was whipping, and the sky was totally without color, but I didn't care.  I was with my grand and on the road.  We ventured into territory neither one of us had ever been thru and along the way I found this....perfect for Theresa's Good Fences Thursday and Kim's Little Things Thursday.  After all it is those little things that truly count in our life.

And another one....

Added a texture to this one...

And then barns....probably a little bit breezy in this one.

And just about the time we were done for the day the sky began to brighten up a little..

It was a great day, well spent and now off to the movies with friends and bookclub this evening where we will be talking about "Orange Is The New Black".  Enjoy the rest of the week!!

"Photography is a way of feeling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever... it remembers little things, long after you have forgotten everything." ~ Aaron Siskind

Until next time.....

A Sunday Drive (except it was Tuesday)

I took a Sunday drive except it was a Tuesday this week.  My good friend, Marti and I drove, well she drove, I rode a little over 100 miles (actually it was more than that because as we were driving and doing way too much talking we missed the turn, so add an extra 13 + miles) to Lake Carroll, IL to visit a friend of Marti's that had moved there 20 years ago.  They have kept in contact, which I think is exceptional to stay in contact with those that have moved away....Marti is a master at this....she has friends from childhood, friends from high school, friends from college, neighbors or church members that have moved away that she keeps in touch with which I think is a unique quality.  I can barely remember my high school and college friends, let alone stay in touch with them.  It is kinda sad not knowing how some of my best friends in high school lives unfolded. Did they have happy marriages, how many or any children did they have, are they even still alive?

Oh I do diverse....back to Lake Carroll.  Helen and her husband Lyle have a lovely home buried in a wooded area and after a tour of the house and lunch at the clubhouse, Helen took us on a drive through the countryside. Just a teeny bit of history abut this part of Illinois....very hilly so unlike the Chicago area which is flat as a pancake, but the reason we are so flat and this area which is in the the northwest area of Illinois, fairly close to Iowa & Wisconsin is so hilly is way way back when we were in the middle of an Ice Age, the glaciers made it down to the Chicagoland area, but didn't make it as far as northwest Illinois, and when they melted, they left the land flat.  I didn't know that but everyone I mention it to had heard that.....I really think it was because they were raised here and probably learned this in school, while I went to school in Texas and learned about the Alamo and not glaciers.  Marti had mentioned to Helen that I love finding barns to photograph.  It was an absolutely gorgeous day, sun was shining, slight breezes, blue skies with the most beautiful puffy clouds....give me a red barn, blue skies and puffy clouds and I am indeed in heaven.  And with two wonderful women by my side, indeed a lovely day.

I love this "condo" style barn with all of its windows...altho I wonder if those shutters open or are just decor.

And a blue and white barn, don't think I have ever seen one of these....

We did run across a couple of quilt barns....wish I could tell you the name of those squares, but I honestly don't have a clue.  I could google it but there are problem close to a gazillion different ones.

And we ended our drive with this church.  Isn't this just the perfect setting and site of a country church.

But my post isn't complete without a fence...to link up to TexWiseGirl's Good Fences.  This is very typical of the fences in this part of Illinois, nothing fancy, but gets the job done.

And today is the day I post at my collaborative blog Focusing On Life.  Please take a moment to stop by.

Until next time.....

Some Random Friday Facts....

Another dreaded day under the belt....today I had to return to Lincolnshire to gather the rest of my sweetie's clothes, furniture and personal belongings.  My son-in-law Sam rented a small u-haul truck to carry the furniture back to his house in waiting for my grand-daughter, Brie to take it to school with her when she returns in August.  She has rented an apartment, and ofcourse furniture is needed, so the timing was perfect. When he moved into Lincolnshire 2 years ago, I purchased brand-new bedroom furniture, bed, mattress, night-stand, and large dresser with mirror, along with chairs & lamps.  He doesn't need any of that where he is now...it is all provided, so what better way to use it than to furnish Brie's new apartment.

After another tearful goodbye I headed out to the country to find the peace that it always brings me.  This I will definitely miss since moving him to town, I will no longer have these drives to look forward to...

The Queen Anne's Lace is blooming.....

As I drove, I turned down a road that I had driven on about a month or so ago, but that day it was foggy and rainy....today was sunny and hot.  Things always look different when the sun is shining so I drove over this familiar road and stopped to take a picture of the fence post and then the barn.

As I was taking pictures I could see a man walking across the field toward me, obviously on his way to speak to me.  My first instinct was to turn and get back in the car and drive away....but I thought, heh, I am not doing anything wrong, I am standing in the road, not on anybody's property....and what the heck, I am taking pictures of a fence post, for goodness sake.

Well, sure enough his first words were..."can I help you"...no, just taking pictures, is there anything wrong? "well, just wondering why you are taking pictures of my boss's house"....oh, I am not taking pictures of the house, I am taking pictures of the fence post.   "Fence posts huh?, well we get a little suspicious out here when someone drives up on these quiet roads and starts taking pictures"....I then explain to him about visiting my husband and then finding solace in driving thru the country after these visits and taking pictures. And then I mentioned that I had been on this same road about a month prior, in the rain and had taken a picture of the old barn in the rain & mist.  "Oh," he says, "I am taking that old barn apart and re-finishing a basement with the barnwood."  If you have the picture I would really appreciate a copy of it, and any that you might take today. Not only would I like the picture but the new and old owners would really appreciate it as well."   

Today....

Last month....(look at the difference in the height of the corn.  I measured it today and it was at least 7 feet tall)

Just proves that a smile and a friendly word can turn someone's suspicions around really quickly.  I now know his name, and have his email.  Pictures are on the way.

Also on the way home I stopped by one of my favorite garden centers.  They were loaded with beautiful flowers to freshen up the pots that have become a little tattered....I have a couple that definitely needed some fresh new flowers.  Between barns & a stop at the garden center, my mood definitely lightened.

Now who wouldn't feel better after a stop here.

Bookclub met tonight....our book this month was "The Light Between Oceans" by M. L. Stedman....definitely a thumbs up for me.

And a couple of pics from the photo shoot on Wednesday....great family, good shots, perfect day.

Joining Nancy, Madge, Maria and Kristi..