It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like…

 …Christmas!

After a weekend of wicked weather (rain, wind, hail, and tornadoes throughout the Southeast; thankfully, we were spared any damage), we have taken advantage of sunshine and blue skies to put up our outdoor decorations. And while he was rummaging through the attic, Thomas brought down the tree and several green boxes of decorations. So, you can guess what we were doing for the past 4 days.

And it’s all in the Saint Nick of time, too, since we are looking forward to a much-anticipated visit from Bro J & SIL J tomorrow. Woo hoo! 

Check out these holiday photos…

Tree is up!

Nutcrackers have arrived!

Dining room is ready for food, fun, & games!

Landing Lights in place!

Another view of lights in front yard

Next up…recovery days to top up the energy levels before the happy day arrives!

From a Thursday’s Child

 

Do you know the poem about the day of the week a child is born? The following from Wikipedia is supposed to be the common “modern version:” 

Monday's child is fair of face, 

Tuesday's child is full of grace. 

Wednesday's child is full of woe, 

Thursday's child has far to go. 

Friday's child is loving and giving, 

Saturday's child works hard for a living. 

And the child born on the Sabbath day Is bonny and blithe, good and gay. 

Both Thomas and Maredith are Tuesday’s children. I am a Thursday’s child, and if my lifetime of travels and moves is any indication…well, no argument could be made against the fairness of the prediction of having “far to go.” 

Still, as of August 4, 2021, just how much further I would be going was thrown into question. I haven’t written much about my health in my blog…heck, truth is I haven’t written much about anything in my blog for a few years now, but since that date it’s practically been the sound of crickets. Well, time to make a 180° change! 

I hesitate to call this about-face a New Year’s resolution, but the timing is too close not to recognize the connection. And I know that resolutions are easier to keep if one eases into motion (hence, starting a few weeks before a new year begins) and if one doesn’t bite off more than one can chew at once (hence, limiting my posts to once a week). And, for that one day/week for my posting…looping back around to the poem…I’ve decided on Thursdays. 

Well…it’s a Thursday, 4 weeks before 2024 arrives…so, here we go…again.

 ===== Photos are this year’s knitted rose ornament for the tree (something I’ve been doing for several years now), modeled on our At Last floribunda rose…which you see Rowan sniffing.

Now Where Was I?

Hard to believe that two and a half years have passed since my last post. Time flies…as they say, right? It will take more than one post to catch up, but I want to start somewhere…and I thought sharing some snaps from our “Celebrating My 70th Trip” last month would be a great way to begin.

 

After flying into Minneapolis for a few days of sightseeing that included a Green Line tour of the Twin Cities, an afternoon at the Mall of America (where I found a yarn shop!) as well as a road trip to the South Dakota state line to put our feet on the ground and breathe the air*, we boarded Amtrak's Empire Builder at St. Paul's Union Station for the next leg of our journey to Whitefish, Montana and Glacier National Park. 

Not quite so “Mighty Mississip’” in St. Paul, MN

Minnesota State Capitol Building in St. Paul

“Oh look, dear…it’s a yarn shop!”

Getting closer to our 50 states in South Dakota

Amtrak Lounge for Empire Builder

The overnight trip and brief stops allowed us to also check North Dakota off our 50 states list. 

Overnight cabin 730C

“Good morning, America…how are you?”

By the time we reached Montana, I had my 50th, with Thomas earning his when we got to Idaho.

To see as much of Glacier National Park as we could without having to drive the popular “Going to the Sun” road in the challenging summer traffic, we boarded the Xanterra Red Bus “West Side Crown of the Continent” Tour, Duration: 9.5 Hours. 

Our tour followed the Red Line on this map,
courtesy of Glacier National Park Lodge site

It was a clear, beautiful, almost cloud-free day that allowed for fantastic views and pictures, especially when the guide removed the roof of the bus (!)…but it soon became challenging to stay cool under the relentless sun. Fun fact—The vintage (read that: un-air conditioned!) 1930’s 16-seater Red Buses of Glacier were made by the White Motor Company and are Model 706, the third generation of tour buses in Glacier National Park. 

We began the morning on the shores of Lake McDonald, where the mist rising from the clear water was mingling with remnants of smoke from the forest fires in nearby Canada.

We inched along through construction and single-lane traffic on the first portion of the Going to the Sun road until we came to the smoother, paved area that made the ride more bearable. After a couple of photo op stops, we made it to Logan Pass on the Continental Divide.

“Logan Pass is the highest elevation (6646ft) reachable by car in the park. It is extremely popular with visitors and the parking lot is generally full…” Nat’l Park Service

Beargrass

Monkeyflowers

“At Logan Pass, Reynolds Mountain and Clements Mountain tower over fields of wildflowers that carpet the ground throughout the summer…” Nat’l Park Service

When we stopped for a lovely lunch at the blessedly air-conditioned Many Glacier Lodge, I was thrilled to choose my souvenir of the day: a loosely woven wrap with artist drawings of the wildflowers of the Park…which was immediately pressed into service as a head covering for the rest of the tour. In addition to the majestic mountains and endangered glaciers that are mainstays of the tour, we delighted in the profusion of lovely wildflowers and the wildlife, including ground squirrels, marmots, big-horned sheep, mountain goats, deer, elk, and a cinnamon black bear that was the size of a small grizzly.

Many Glacier Lodge for lunch

Snapped this one through the open roof of the bus

After the excessive temperatures (folks, it was HOT!) created problems for trains on overheated tracks, including a derailment east of us in Havre, we cancelled the rest of our train trip and continued on to Seattle in a rental car with an overnight in Spokane. It actually turned out fine since we got to see parts of the country we would have missed otherwise…including an absolutely clear drive-by view of Mount Rainier. Amazing! To finish off our trip, we stayed in the Pioneer Square area of Seattle (along with multitudes of Taylor Swift fans!) and did all the touristy things: monorail, Space needle, and Chihuly Gardens and Glassworks.

It was all about Taylor…everywhere!

We’ve done planes, trains, and automobiles…time for a monorail!

Skies had turned Seattle-gray by ticket time

Looking through the glass floor of the Space Needle 

Last sunset in Seattle…from room at Pioneer Square Embassy Suites

And now? Where are we? We are back with M at her home in Auburn, GA, where we’ve been for almost a year since selling our house in Loganville. We said then we’d give ourselves at least a year to make some decisions about our next move while dealing with some health issues. We’ve been extremely grateful for the space and breathing room she’s provided, and we are very happy here in our cocoon. We haven’t made any plans for another move…yet…so, stay tuned.

Meanwhile, I’m still gardening (just in a smaller patch) and still knitting!

Finished shawl in the Supernova MKAL 

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*In order to qualify for the All 50 States Club, one must “put your feet on the ground and breathe the air” of each state. Check and double check!