243 / 365 The Things We Find

I never know what I’m going to find when I arrive at the office each morning, especially when it comes to “anonymous donations” to the church.  I think that most items left for us are given with good intentions, but it can certainly be a challenge determining what to do with them.  Today we discovered a humongous watermelon in the kitchen refrigerator with no identification on it, so we served it at our Wednesday night dinner.  I hope it wasn’t meant for someone else’s table.

242 / 365 Summer Dining

On warm summer evenings like this one, H and I will often enjoy an outdoor meal at one of our local restaurants.  We enjoy the sunlight even more when we realize that it will be considerably cooler – and pitch black – at dinnertime a couple of months from now.

241 / 365 A Sign of Things to Come

For many years our youth group at Mt. Zion UMC has sponsored a pumpkin-patch fundraiser to support its various activities.  At the beginning of October, a huge semi-trailer filled with pumpkins arrives from New Mexico, and the kids (along with parent volunteers) unload thousands of the big orange globes into the designated field behind the church.  A second truck arrives a couple of weeks later with a new batch and the process happens all over again.  By Halloween all the pumpkins are gone.

This afternoon as I was leaving work, I looked out at the empty field and noticed a lone clump of vines with something orange poking through.  Upon further investigation, I realized that a seed from last year had germinated on its own and that a single pumpkin was growing in the patch, ready and waiting for the season to begin. 

240 / 365 Otherworldly

H and I spent a most pleasant afternoon at the Tellus Science Museum in Cartersville.  We arrived in time to see the Planetarium Thrill Rides show, described as an adventure through the solar system on roller coasters and thrill rides.  The images were digitally projected on a dome above our heads, and while the seats didn’t gyrate there was a convincing sense of motion.  In addition to being impressed by the other exhibits we saw, we were happy to have an opportunity to give our feet – and minds – some exercise.

239 / 365 Higher Ground

H and I have been following the updates on Hurricane Irene throughout the weekend, but H’s mom (who lived on Staten Island, New York before moving in with us six years ago) has been glued to the TV.  While watching CNN she was amazed to see a report on the evacuation of the hospital where she had worked for twenty-six years (and which is located just a short walk from her old home).  If she were still living there, she would have been evacuated as well (since she lived in one of the red zones on the map)… which makes her even happier to be with us.

238 / 365 Top of My Head

My great-aunt W grew up in a time when the women wore hats; I have no doubt that she had one for every occasion. When W died, my sister inherited quite a few of them. Whenever I see her collection I try to imagine just what kind of outfit I would have worn to match the hat.  As you can see, each style is so different…and some are quite dramatic.  What a different time that was.

237 / 365 Berry Good

While we’re on the topic of meringues… H and I had this soft and chewy meringue topped with whipped cream and fruit compote while in Dublin.  It was heavenly!

236 / 365 It Must Be France

Several years ago H gave me a digital picture frame for Christmas.  Instead of the typical family shots, we fill it up with food pictures from various travels and special occasions.  We often turn it on and call out where we were and what we were doing when each shot was taken (kind of like a memory game).  I’ll soon be adding this photo of a pastry shop in Bayeux to our collection.  I was really impressed by the size of those meringues on the top shelf.

235 / 365 It Must Be Tuesday

My father used to keep all of his bottles of vitamins and medicines in a tin box on the kitchen counter.  Each week he would take what he needed from the main supply and divvy them out into a Sunday-to-Saturday pillbox so that he could keep up with his daily intake.  I always thought that I’d never need to do that.  Well, guess what?  I recently found myself buying one because I can’t seem to remember what I have and haven’t taken.  It seems I’m turning into my dad.

234 / 365 Hanging Loose

H and I were strolling through downtown Roswell and passed by this swing.  It looks a little uncomfortable to me.

233 / 365 Geese Alert

I snapped this photo as we were backing out of the driveway today.  These geese, who normally hang out at the neighborhood lake, were wandering up our street, I guess for an afternoon stroll.  H is afraid they’re going to discover the pool in the backyard and establish a colony.

232 / 365 Grown-Up Candy

H’s mom has a real sweet tooth (as does he), so when we travel we try to find yummy souvenir treats for her.  In France we found these cool chocolates that look wine stoppers and champagne bottle caps.  We later learned (through my brother-in-law, who also received some) that the pieces contained real liquor.  I understand that they were pretty tasty, but I’m glad we didn’t buy any for the kids.

231 / 365 Resting Comfortably

P has been cremated and will be buried in the Secret Garden in the back with his sister L.  Until we get some rain to soften up the ground, we figure he’ll enjoy waiting here in one of his favorite spots.

230 / 365 Empty

My home office has become quite lonely without the familiar presence of P.

229 / 365 In Memory of P

Our homecoming was bittersweet as we learned that our beloved cat, P, had died the day before.  His kidneys had been slowly failing him for the past two years and the disease finally caught up with him.  P was eighteen years old.  A frequent star of this blog, he was a sweetheart.

228 / 365 Headin’ Home

The train station in Bayeux is a fifteen-minute walk from our hotel.  Once on the train, we have a three-hour journey to Paris, a forty-minute taxi ride to the airport, and a nine-hour flight home.  I’m exhausted just thinking about it.

227 / 365 Honoring the Dead

H and I visited the beautiful and touching Bayeux War Cemetery, the largest British war cemetery in France.  We were surprised to find some German graves among the headstones.  As at all such cemeteries, we were struck by the young ages of the soldiers buried here.

226 / 365 Welcome to Bayeux

This morning, after an overnight crossing of the English Channel, we docked in Cherbourg, France.  H and I (with the kids) hiked from the ship to the railway station and settled in for a smooth two-hour train ride through Normandy.  This view awaited us at the end of the journey… the beautiful medieval town of Bayeux, steeped in history and charm.

225 / 365 Ahoy from the Oscar Wilde!

Today we’re off to France, where we’ll spend a couple of days in Normandy before heading home. H, the kids and I took a three-hour bus ride from Dublin to Rosslare to catch this overnight ferry to Cherbourg. (D and J traveled by car and met us at the port.)  The ferry was much bigger than I had imagined, and I watched as trucks and cars alike rolled into the bowels of the ship.  What an adventure!

224 / 365 The Pre-Show

On our last night in Dublin we saw the musical Grease at the very sleek and modern Grand Canal Theatre.  It was a fabulous production, performed by a top-notch London-based company.  Before the program we had dinner at a restaurant just across the street from the theatre (which you can see in the background).  We giggled all the way through our meal as we watched a locksmith (called in to repair the restaurant’s main door) lock himself out of the building. (Note desperate man in blue shirt.)  He eventually left, promising the owner he’d return early next morning.

223 / 365 Rolling by the River

After our three-day walk, we returned to Dublin for another day of sightseeing.  While D, J and I visited the Chester Beatty Library (to view ancient Egyptian papyrus texts, illuminated manuscripts, rare books, and more), H took the kids on a two-hour guided Segway tour of the docklands and had a blast.

222 / 365 Now That’s Old!

Roundwood to Glendalough:  Eleven miles to go to our final destination.  Just outside of Glendalough, we visited the ruins of an early medieval monastic settlement.  Established in 6th century by St. Kevin, the village includes the remains of seven churches (one of which is thought to be the earliest known Irish Christian church), a gateway, a variety of buildings, a graveyard, and the tower you see here.  This bell tower is a thousand years old(!) and served as a landmark for travelers, a lookout, a storehouse, and a place of refuge during attacks.  The door is located eleven feet above the ground and requires a ladder to get in.

221 / 365 Watch Your Step

Enniskerry to Roundwood:  Our walk today covered sixteen tough miles over varying terrain and gorgeous countryside – my favorite being this skinny trail winding across the mountain.  Sheep were everywhere… we were obliged to dodge their droppings all along the way.

220 / 365 Follow the Yellow Man

Today we began the walking segment of our trip: Dublin to Enniskerry thirteen miles away.  We followed well-marked trails (see the yellow man) over hilly roads (gravel and paved), rocky fields of heather, dense undergrowth, and pastures full of sheep.  The temperature averaged in the low sixties with some form of precipitation most of the way.

219 / 365 I Hear You Knockin’

Dublin is famous for its colorful Georgian townhouse doors, painted in every color imaginable, including pink and purple. The two most popular explanations are:

1. Queen Victoria, while in mourning for the death of her husband Prince Albert, ordered all the doors of the entire British Empire to be painted black.  The Irish refused, and chose bright, brilliant colors in opposition.
 
2. The women of Dublin painted the doors different colors to make it easier for their drunken husbands to find their way home.

Truth or fiction, the stories are fun and the doors are beautiful.

218 / 365 Bridging the Distance

Yesterday we were in Marietta, Georgia… today we’re in Dublin, Ireland. WOW!  What a jump in cultures.  H‘s brother D and his family will meet us here tomorrow for a three-day hike through the Wicklow Mountains; in the meantime, H and I have been exploring the city.  This is the Ha’penny Bridge, a pedestrian walkway that spans the River Liffey.  Built in 1816, it was the first iron bridge built in Ireland and got its name from its original half-penny toll.

217 /365 One Step at a Time

Most people would call this an iPod Nano, but H and I call it the Step-O-Meter.  We use it to determine how far we’ve traveled, especially when we take our morning walks.  For this photo we tracked the distance to our refrigerator.

216 / 365 Stormy Weather

When H woke me in the pre-dawn darkness to tell me it was raining, I knew that we would likely have an excuse to avoid our regular morning walk.  I saw later that the rain gauge (a thoughtful gift from our nephew F) had trapped a couple of inches from the much-needed storm. 

215 / 365 Remnants of a Birthday

Life is back to normal at our house, but we have fond memories of the weekend’s celebrations.  Sadly, we both know that it’s almost time to pop the last balloons.

214 / 354 Home Repairs

I’m not much of a handywoman around the house, but I know who to call when something goes awry, because that’s what I do all day long at the church.  I am on a first-name basis with electricians, plumbers, computer technicians, air condition/heating crew, alarm system techs, elevator/boiler inspectors, and pest control professionals.  In short, if it has to do with facility maintenance, I’m your girl.  So when we discovered a leak under the kitchen sink this evening, I told H to move over honey, ’cause I’m in my element!

213 / 365 Calling Card

During our morning walk, H and I came upon this lone feather standing upright in a stack of sod squares.  I have no idea what kind of bird it came from, but it looks like it just fell from the sky, much like in the story of Chicken Little.  I would have loved being there to see it land.