Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you have imagined. Henry David Thoreau

Monday, August 29, 2011

Road Trip part 4..South Dakota!





Although we didn't plan on being in the middle of

the annual

Sturgis Rally Week,

that's where we ended up.

Us
 and tens of thousands of

Harley Bikers.




We really just wanted to see these guys.


And we DID see them!




They are impressive,
and though I enjoyed
seeing them,
I was more interested in
reading about how they were sculpted from the granite
and the tools that were used to do it.

How one man with an idea
got together with the sculptor
and they put their heads together
and said "we can do this!"

One sculptor and a team of men,
ordinary men,

with ordinary tools...

it blows my mind.


Look closely and you can see the carvings.....
trust me, they're up there!


As impressive as this feat was,

it paled in my book,
compared to the natural beauty that surrounds it.

One of our most scenic days by far was the day
we drove through Custer State Park
to get to the Mt. Rushmore site.

Breathtaking beauty up close and personal!


The eye of the needle...
















I know now why this is such a magnet for bikers...

The scenery is awesome, the air is cool and clear, and the roads are winding and curvy...
Biker Bliss!


We tried to fit in,
but the only leather between us was Jim's white tennis shoes!
I had bought a do-rag at a truck stop along the way,
but it was just not that flattering,
and you know how fussy I can be about that!

No pictures of that nonsense...you know what they say,
what happens in Sturgis, stays in Sturgis!

 We just did silly things that tourists do...





I'm not sure that was flattering either! ;)



Back in Hill City, where we spent our nights
away from the roar of tens of thousands of Harleys,
these two were enjoying a little peace and quiet

me too!
Do you realize how noisy tens of thousands of Harleys are???



Bone rattlin noisy!




As much as I hated to leave this beauty behind,
I must confess
I was starting to get homesick...
and sick of riding around in a truck!


The road called out again,
and this time,
we would really be headed for home!


Next stop...Mitchell, South Dakota!
Who knew SD had so much to see and do???
Not me!


Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Road Trip part 3...water and rocks and bears! Oh my!





Are you hot, sweaty and tired of summer?


Well, sit back and enjoy
the breathtaking views
and up close and personal

sights
of

Beautiful Yellowstone National Park
and
Grand Teton National Park!



















Can you tell that we loved the water?  Waterfalls around every bend in the road!
Clear, cold , running water. Roaring rivers, meandering streams, and sparkling lakes.
I need a job writing travel brochures!



The second most photographed item in the Yellowstone National Park is...

wildlife.

My husband's biggest regret of the entire trip is
that he couldn't
get the zoom feature on my little camera to work...
 when he discovered this friend,
munching berries a mere 30 feet away from him..

(Note: There is a reason that signs everywhere state: Do NOT get closer than 100 feet of wildlife!)

Everyone else had left the area,
 had grown tired of waiting
for this guy to amble out of the brush.
 They had wisely moved on.




Not easily discouraged,
my hubby waited.
And waited.

His patience was finally rewarded
when this guy's head popped up
from the berry bush,
and he looked straight at the photographer~

My man did not run.
He stood there and fiddled with the zoom button.
They say you should not run,
so he didn't!

Damn zoom!
Oh well,
I know it's a true story,
because my husband
took about 30 minutes
to calm down!









Once his hands stopped shaking,
we moved on.
Hubs took one million up close shots of
Rocks.
Safe, unmoving, rocks.




Massive Rocks.






Rock climbing school seems to be  in session...
either that, or they are both taking a pee break!



Ready everyone?





Do you see them?




Let's have some more of that cool, peaceful water - shall we?











Ahhhhhhhhh! We don't see much of this in Kansas.
In fact, we don't see any of this!


I chose to sit right here
and rest while my man
climbed on up to the top.

Thanking the Lord for allowing me to be here, for my family,
praying for each of them, one by one....

I sweet place I will not soon forget!










It was so much fun to see all of the wildflowers EVERYWHERE

Unfortunately, some of the prettiest ones were right on the edge of the road
on a hairpin turn with no shoulder,
where you wouldn't dare stop your truck!







and the luscious plantings EVERYWHERE
something about the dry, cool mountain air .... the flowers love it!





What a wonderful 4 days....
we didn't see it all,
I know we will come back for more someday.





We must move on...
the road is calling once again.

It's Rally Week, after all!




Stay tuned!

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Road Trip-A-Rama...Seattle

Part Two.

  The hard part.
 Unpacking the UHaul trailer. ( See previous post.)
. Sorting Kevin's stuff from the girls' stuff,
 and putting Kevin's stuff back into the trailer .
 Lugging Audra and Sarah's stuff up three flights of stairs.
Hauling Kevin's stuff to his apartment across town.
 Lugging Kevin's stuff up three flights of stairs.
Too bad we don't have any pictures of this...I was not in the mood.
Imagine.

By the time we got to the final stages of this day, I was exhausted and depressed.
Kevin's apartment is no bigger than a postage stamp.
No bigger than a breadbox.
No bigger than a walnut shell.
 You get the picture.  The more boxes the guys brought up the stairs,
the more discouraged I became

 I got me an ATTITUDE.

I think this is when the reality of it all hit me.
This was not just a fun road trip,
 I was leaving him here to fend for himself
 to find his own way.
to find a job
to find friends
to find out what he is made of.

He kept going over to the little windows and looking out at the view and LOVING IT!
All the while,
my mother's heart was not helping me get the right outlook...

So WHAT if he can see Mount Rainier from his window? ???


I could tell Kevin did not want me helping him set things up...he pretty much told me so!
 After he undid several drawers that I had brilliantly organized, I finally got the hint,
 and left him to do the hard part...I was pretty sure
that we would be hauling a big portion of stuff back to Kansas!

After a hot shower, a nap and a good Mexican dinner,
 things looked much brighter.
That night, I had a talk with the Lord and asked Him to kindly
adjust my attitude..ASAP....for Kevin's sake.

And He did.


The next day dawned  more hopeful,
and it did my heart good to see that Kevin
 had made his tiny little apartment
 into a charming little nest.
He had all of his stuff organized,
 art up on the walls, and books shelved.
 It looks great and he is happy!
And he didn't need me to do it for him!
He just needed me to get out of the way!

We left the kids that day
to sort things and continue unpacking
while we explored the city.
I needed to get my head and heart around this place
called SEATTLE!




My favorite part of the city...Pike Place Market. Love this place!











I took this picture for my friend Lezlie, who creates the most wonderful things.in crochet.....this little stall was nothing but little crocheted  hats...hats and more hats! Adorable hats!







Here we have the most wonderful things..I don't even know what they are called but they are strings of peppers, flowers, and who knows what else...I wish I had bought one of these, but I was trying to be so careful not to buy things everywhere I went!  This was a very hard task for me!


Aren't they beautiful!








And Oh my goodness such flowers! Huge fresh bundles of the most lovely flowers you have ever seen!



I couldn't get enough of them!!!








Music! These were the most fun to watch...they were really into it!



Seattle is called
The Emerald City.
Everything is so lush and green...when you take an exit off the interstate,
you can't see where you will end up
because of the plants growing everywhere.
They take flora and fauna to a new level here!




And then there's the water.
Lakes. Lakes. and More Lakes.
Boats. Boats. and More Boats!

Who wouldn't want to live in a town that looked this dreamy all the time?


more dreaminess...






not sure what this is like on a cold, rainy, winter night,
but it sure looked dreamy while we were here!






a little neighborhood park with a sparkling lake just a couple of blocks from the apartment...
where you can swim, row, kayak, or just lay around and watch the world go by.
Dreamy~








fresh blackberries as  big as walnuts!
and wild ones growing in everyone's back yard????
is your mouth watering yet??





Totem poles galore.

Take a look at those lush ferns at the bottom of the picture.
They grow around here like shrubs.
It's a tropical paradise, without the heat!





And the icing on the cake...

Yes people, I finally got to experience

 IKEA!

That day about wore poor Jim out,
but it was the jackpot for Audra,
she found the futon and pillows she wanted
to make her nest complete.

Just look at that smile!





back to more dreaminess.
Think "Sleepless in Seattle."...
I would have liked to see it at night!





And last, but not least,
Mt. Rainier

If you look closely, you can see it hovering above the skyline.
It was a pretty clear day, but you wouldn't know it from this picture!
It's beautiful and majestic every time you see it!







The next day Audra's parents flew home
and we spent the day doing some sight seeing with Kevin


Here's one of the views from the Space Needle.
Awesome!







Jim and Kevin went to the Aquarium and
I went to an antique market...
couldn't resist!
That night,we ate the most amazing clam chowder and salmon
on the waterfront downtown.

There is still so much we wanted to see and do,



There's always next time...
We'll see you again Seattle,

In the meantime,
be good to my boy!

I'll be back!









I promise!


"Finish each day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense." Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Welcome to my happy place. A place where I can share ideas, projects, and dreams. I am a nester, a crafter, a creator and a dreamer I hope you will find inspiration and encouragement for the journey you are on. I am a Jesus follower, wife, mother and nana. Blessed beyond measure, just trying to live my life gracefully and make a difference in my small world. Join me!