Philadelphia

 We had one day in Philadelphia and lots to explore. I had never been to the city and wanted to see the sights before heading to the Phillies game that evening. We chose to take the double decker bus tour and it worked out great. . . until about 3/4 of the way through the tour when the heavy rain started! It was a fun tour and the rain just made it more memorable especially since the lower level of the bus leaked horribly.

 I saw and photographed Independence Hall, Betsy Ross' house, Rocky Balboa and other statues but I won't post all of those photos. I have found that this blog serves as my vacation documentation. I look at this more often than going through all of my photo files so I like to post snapshots that represent the trip. Feel free to skip past all of these posts if you get bored with other people's vacation photos.

 Reading Terminal Market was recommended by a colleague and he was right; it was my favorite find in Philadelphia. The old railroad terminal is filled with wonderful things for all of my senses. There are fish markets, produce, delis, ice cream, Amish goods and more. If I spent a week in the city I would probably go to Reading Terminal most days!

It rained on and off all day long. It was clearing off when we headed to Citizens Bank Park for the baseball game. By the time the game started there was a light rain falling. It wasn't enough to delay the game but it was enough to make us damp and less than comfortable. It was still fun to explore the ballpark and see the Phillies play. I am always interested to see what happens when the home team gets a  home run and we got to see this liberty bell swing and ring.

Delaware

 Although the nascar race may not be my highlight of our trips it is most often the Sprint Cup Series schedule that gets things rolling. This year it was the race in Dover, Delaware. It was a great location partially because neither of us had spent time in Delaware. Race day was beautiful, parking was easy and Dale's favorite driver won the race. The exit was smooth and quick which is very rare when attending a race. It was good.

 We took some time to check out the state capital, a couple of cities and the back roads of Delaware and we were impressed. The Delaware Bay was beautiful and an educational stop because we learned about Atlantic Horseshoe Crabs which we saw again later in the week. Delaware was a great place to visit.

Washington DC

 When we left Lancaster County Pennsylvania we took a drastic turn and headed toward Washington D.C.  It ended up being the first of four major league baseball parks that we visited during this trip. The game was sold out and we actually waited around to see if they might open up more "standing room only" tickets. We were glad to get in to explore the ball park and watch part of the game.

 This boardwalk along the river made a great walkway to and from the ballpark. Because we visited DC a few years ago we didn't mind that our time there was limited. We did drive around a bit to peak at some of the landmarks and had a nice surprise when we accidentally found embassy row. It's not my favorite city but it was a well spent afternoon before we headed to Delaware.

Pennsylvania

 Although we are often "off the beaten path" when we travel, we did spend many hours on toll roads and turnpikes as we passed through Indiana, Ohio and Pennsylvania. It was the fastest way to get to our destination and save more time for exploring new ground. Dale always likes to stop to see the state capital so Harrisburg, Pennsylvania was on our list. Since neither of us had spent much time in Pennsylvania we got off the turnpike and explored more.

 Hershey is a pretty town with cute street lights but we did not check out the attractions and amusement park. We did check it out a bit on our way to Lancaster County where we enjoyed the little towns and Amish touches. We also visited two ball parks in Pennsylvania but more about those later.

Civil War

Dale is very interested in Civil War history so I was fine with stopping at Gettysburg on our way across Pennsylvania. I found it to be historically interesting but also a very beautiful area. On the way home about ten days later we saw a sign in Maryland for Antietam and made a stop there. The photo above is the Antietam Creek which was a part of the bloodiest day in US history, but it is a gorgeous spot now. The photos below are all from Gettysburg. I have been telling my single friends that if they want to meet men, they have been looking in all the wrong places. These battle fields are full of male visitors!

Road Trip

Dale and I had a great road trip and I will be posting many more photos. It's been great to get settled in at home, weed my gardens and spend time with family and friends. Thanks to Jay, I don't need to mow the grass yet. Ashley kept all of my plants alive and we have been eating salads and broccoli from my kitchen garden. Dale and I traveled east this time toward the Chesapeake Bay. We put 3375 miles on the car, saw several sporting events, state capitals and other sights in several states! I loved exploring Maryland, Pennsylvania, Delaware and the Jersey Shore. Lots of baseball and several bodies of water made a great trip.

Six Months!

Yesterday Lincoln turned six months old. I got back from vacation just in time to enjoy some snuggles and smiles. After being gone for almost two weeks I could really see changes especially in his fine motor skills. He can entertain himself in new ways now. I will be posting plenty of vacation photos soon. For now it's good to be back home and close to family!

Sitting Pretty

 When Lincoln and Ashley came over to help me celebrate the last day of school, Lincoln was wearing my favorite outfit and was sitting so nicely that I grabbed the camera, quilt and my favorite photographer! He is just so adorable! I posted one shot on facebook but thought it would be fun to include a few more for fun. I didn't edit or fix anything...just fun shots of my grandson!

Decorah Day

 Saturday I traveled to Decorah for a wedding with Ashley and Lincoln. Ashley was the personal attendant for the bride and I named myself personal attendant for Lincoln. He and I had a great time strolling around downtown Decorah. We shopped a bit, sat on benches, bought and read a book and Lincoln got a little nap. It's a wonderful downtown area and I so enjoyed the time with Lincoln as well as the wedding.

Droplets

After mowing the lawn, watering the grass seed, caging my tomatoes and tending my garden I was completely entertained by watching the water bead up on the leaves of this broccoli plant. I have never planted broccoli, cauliflower or cabbage so this is new for me. I bring my hose close, pull up a chair and just watch the water droplets bead up and roll off each leaf. It's like they are water repellent. It really is beautiful and a wonderful way to spend part of a summer evening.

Happy Birthday, Ashley!

Everything seems different this year! Ashley's life has changed more than it has for a very long time. Becoming a mommy certainly changes the focus but today we celebrate Ashley. It's been an incredible year to watch her grow into motherhood, carry, deliver and lovingly care for her baby boy. Happy birthday, Ashley!!

Fourth Grade

For the last couple of months I have been spending most of my days in fourth grade. In March I decided to take a job as a paraeducator at the elementary school where my kids attended. It's been a great experience and I have learned lots. I so enjoy the children and they have been so welcoming. The teachers that I work closely with have been wonderful; so helpful and encouraging. Although it will not be long term I am grateful for the opportunity. I learned that I love fourth grade social studies, that math is much different, that I enjoy recess and I miss saying the Pledge of Allegiance in the mornings. It's been great to be back near children's literature. I even reread "Box Car Children" when I recommended it to one student. I will miss these kids when the school year ends.  I wonder if my next job will allow for 15 minute recesses three times a day?

Stroller Naps

 This is my view during my walks with Lincoln. He always falls asleep before we get back home but before he falls asleep I get to listen to him "talking." Look at those sweet sleeping lips!

 When he is awake he will put almost anything into his mouth because he loves to chew now. I just love these after school visits from Lincoln . . . so glad that I live close to him.

What's Up in Mid-May

 I think that my kitchen garden is starting to look like a garden. There is good growth happening daily. I thinned the lettuce and spinach tonight but will need to thin it lots more. It's just so hard to pull out and throw healthy plants! The broccoli, cabbage and cauliflower are getting bigger but they all look the same. It's a good thing that I used some garden markers. My rows of red onion, garlic, green onion and carrots are not perfectly straight but they are growing. I added another row of carrots tonight so that I could have a longer season. I have added peppers, tomatoes, herbs and a couple of potatoes as well as more garlic and onion. I am still enjoying this project. If it feels too much like work, I will make a new plan for next year.

Mother's Day

What a wonderful Mother's Day! I got to see all the kids and spend fun time together in my home! We ate meals, played basketball and four square too! I even got presents and that's always fun. I got my yellow purse. . . more yellow in my life! And it was my first Mother's Day as a grandma and seeing Ashley as a mommy. . . that's a wonderful day!  

Boat Launch

Yesterday we got to help Jay and Briana with their afternoon kayaking the Cedar River. Dale and I followed them to the launch site, helped a little and watched as they got onto the river. We were then able to transport Jay's truck to spot further down river. They spent three hours on the water before they got to the truck. I just love being closer and being able to help out with little things. It was great fun to meet up with everyone after that for dinner out. . . table of seven! I love family time!

Landing?

My front yard is a mess. It looks like a UFO landing out front because of the huge round patch of dirt. The pine tree was cut down shortly after I moved here. Travis removed the block around the tree and raised bed and removed some of the dirt. The tree guys came back this spring to remove the stump. Since then I have been gradually working to spread out the dirt and make it somewhat even and smooth before attempting to seed with grass. I didn't make it too flat because I know it will sink but I finally got it good enough to spread grass seed on Thursday. Now I just need to apply water regularly and hope to get grass. I did make a call to check out getting professional help but that did not seem worth the $500 estimate! Maybe the yard will look good next year, especially if I get rid of those green shutters!

More Yellow

I think I would like more yellow in my life. Yellow is bright, cheery, sunny and uplifting. Lincoln gave me this owl for my birthday last month and I think its a good start.



I planted some yellow flowers for my front step yesterday and I have decided to add even more yellow to my current knitting project, a striped throw for my familiy room. I think that I am off to a good start but I have noticed other people with yellow purses lately. That could be a day brightener too!



Derby Day

In honor of the Kentucky Derby I decided to make a Derby Pie today. The name is trademarked so let's call it Kentucky Derby Pie. It was yummy. . . bourbon, chocolate and walnuts make a great flavor combination. Since I woke up early and noticed that it was derby day on the news I went to the grocery store and had the pie out of the oven before 8:30 am. That gave me plenty of time to decide on a Kentucky famous "Hot Brown" for dinner and invite company! The Hot Brown that I made was as good as the one we ate when we visited Kentucky a couple of years ago. It was a yummy Derby Day, but I still don't know who won the race!