B&O Train Museum

On Tuesday we headed sown to VA to visit with Tamsen and her family. On our way we stopped at my Uncle Bill's and had breakfast with him. Then we headed into Baltimore and went to the B&O Train museum, a place my dad has tried to visit in the past but never made it. It was a beautiful day and we had a great time wandering around looking at all the exhibits. The Round House was a beautiful building just on its own.
One of the trains on display was this Gratitude train from France used during WWII. My dad shared that this was the kind of train he traveled through France when he was overseas during the war. They called it 40+8 car meaning that it would hold 40 men or 8 horses. When I looked at the train closer there was a plaque stating just that, just in French. It was so cool.
Just one of the engines in the round house
We ended our visit to the museum with a train ride on the B&O. I am so glad we got to share this with Dad. 

NY Car Show

Last Monday night we took the Ferry into NY and went to see the car show. Loved all the Hybrids on show- I hope a lot of people get them. Jay, Shelby and I all loved this remake of the Charger- Wonder if they will make it in a Hybrid?
We got to see two Shelbys there. Shelby keeps thinking we need to buy one for her. I wish we could afford it.
This Ford super Chief was unbelievable. The back seats had foot rests, real ones. The steering "wheel" was like a plane's. Very cool car.
Jay met the Geico Geecko- How cute are they? 

Easter at the Celery Farm

I went back to the Celery Farm today with my father and my sister Janet. It was such a beautiful day, we had brunch at The Mason Jar and needed to get out and walk. "Why not go to my favorite new spot?" I asked. And off we went. The park was packed once again ( I like it much better early in the morning before others are there.) I got to see some of my favorite birds and today we got to see some turtles, big big turtles, and I cuaght sight of my first muskrat!! It was way cool.
Dad enjoying the sights from a park bench
turtle love in the afternoon
Male swan enjoying the sun.

Happy Easter All! 

Embracing my inner nerd

Alright, I am going to say it right out... I am not cool. Like anyone thought I was. But this morning I realized how far gone I was when I found myself heading out at 7am with binoculars in hand to walk at the Celery Farm and look at birds along the way. I don't think I ever saw that in the rule book for cool. But I guess that is the good thing about being 44..I don't really care about being cool anymore. But I am not yet a full fledged birder either. I meet up with people on the trails and they will ask whayt birds I have seen and I will say, "Oh I saw one that had some red and yellow on its wing." At that point they just smile and walk away, not really. I have found that birders are excited to share their knowledge with other people out there and I have been enjoying the education. So this first picture is a red-winged black bird...
This is a Hairy Woodpecker (Or is it furry?) Who knows?
These are Egrets and this last picture is of a North American Alligator...Not really but had you going for a moment there didn't I?
 

Lame deer photo

OK, So I am sitting here waiting for my daughter to get home (In big trouble I might add) and I look out onto my front yard and there are three deer making their way across my lawn!! I love deer. So I run to the living room and get my camera and then fly into Jay's office to take a picture before they disappear. Well, I forget that he has screens on his windows, and I forget that the flash is automatic and so what results is this really lame photograph. AND the flash now bothers the deer so they take off to the neighbor's house. Oh well, I enjoyed seeing them and I will remember them when I see this photo. sorry you weren't here with me. 

Most mornings.....

This is how I see my daughter. Her bus arrives at around 6:45 and I get to take her to wait for it. You might ask why I drive her rather than have her walk but the bus stop is over 2 miles from the house, no way can she get up early enough and walk that with her 50lb+ backpack. Sometimes she is awake enough to speak but most mornings it is a barely awake child I deal with.
What is this, I am sure you are asking? It is an important part of my day. I am an avid Fiji water drinker. No not because I am a water snob but there is something about this bottle and the water that makes it easy for me to drink all the water I should. So this is the view that I see all day long as I drink my 6 or 7 bottles of water each day. One day I want to go to Fiji and see where they bottle the water. Then again maybe I don't! 

Don't walk, RUN to the New York Botanical Gardens

I went to the NYBG today with my dad. They are having an orchid exhibit that will last for a couple more days (It ends April 2nd.) It was amazing! The whole conservatory was filled with orchids of all kinds and yes Lois, they are bromiliads. It is truly something to see if you have the opportunity. We spent around 1 1/2 hours walking around the orchids, dad waited patiently as I took 3 rolls of film and a ton of digi pictures. Then we walked around outside and saw some of the early spring blooms. I definitely want to go back in a couple of weeks to see their spring flower exhibit. Anyone want to join me?


Dad, happy orchid lover. He was so cute, there were a ton of school groups there and he would keep going up to the kids and ask them if they were really looking at the flowers. He really wanted them to see the flowers instead of running through filling out the papers they had to for their class. 

orchids

 

Signs of Spring

This is one of my favorite times of year (although I think I just might say that at the beginning of each and every season) but Spring brings such excitement to the world around me. The trees are budding and my hyacinths are out and beautifying my garden. I love walking in to my porch when they are out because it just smells soooo good. This morning it was such a gift to see the flowers and trees and hear the birds. I just love spring. One more sign that it is spring is that I am now truly outside for my Bible reading and prayer journaling in the morning. So one more true spring picture follows - This is what I look at as I sit outside in the morning, I can't think of a better way to begin my day.
Happy Spring!!! 

Outside again

I slept in this morning (late night Mah Jongg game last night with the new 2006 cards) and didn't get up until 9AM!! What decadence. So anyway as I got ready to do my Bible readings, study and prayer journal I realized it was warm enough to sit outside again and do it. And how great is it to have a wireless connection to the internet that I can do my online Bible class outside too!! (A little tricky balancing the computer, notebook and Bible, but worth it) The birds sang all around me, a squirrel came up and visited and all is right in the world. At least until one of the neighbors' landscapers came and started their spring cleanup- who ever invented blowers? Oh well, not even the drone of those machines can take the joy out of me as I sit here enjoying the waterfall and the birds and the sun upon my back. Thank God for Spring!!

NY Flower Show

Yesterday I went with my sister Janet to the flower show up by Troy, NY. How wonderful to walk into Spring. It was cold and grey outside but it was warm and so colorful inside the building. I am so impressed with all the work people do for shows like this. I love seeing the flower arrangements people make in all the different catagories. There are so many creative people out there. As for me, I enjoyed looking at all the flowers and plants but mostly I loved spending the day with my sister. For me, spending time with people I love is the best thing of all. 

Ev

In my life I have been so lucky to have known some special people. Ev is one of those people. She and her husband Jay taught me so much about being a Christian and following the path of Jesus. This was not so much by what they said but rather by how they lived their lives. They were the first missionaries I ever knew. Together they traveled to Lebanon and started a woodworking program for people who were deaf, enabling them to make a living for themselves. Just mention the names of Ev or Jay to anyone who grew up at my church and you will see a big smile, you can't help but love them. Jay passed away a number of years ago and then Ev moved to an assisted living facility. Two years ago I had a dinner for another special person who taught me much, Amy. Amy was moving to an assisted living facility out in Missouri to be closer to family. Ev came to the dinner and in the course of the evening she apologized to me that she would be unable to send me a thank you for the dinner because she could not write on her own anymore. A couple of months later I believe the Spirit led me to realize that this was how I could give something back to Ev. Since then I have been visiting with Ev and slowly...very slowly... writing letters for her. We have come to a format of writing a single letter that will go out to all filling them in on what goes on in her life at Cypress Garden. I really love my mornings with Ev and I think she enjoys them too.
As I was visiting with her this week I noticed all the teacups Ev has on her windowsill. It seems that she has collected them from many of the places she has traveled. She really loves these cups and so I took some photos of them to print out for her to enjoy. I have to admit, I love them too. 

A little visitor

Yesterday morning I had such a gift as I sat at my kitchen table doing my Bible study. I heard this little tap tap on my kitchen door. I got up and looked out the window and there, by the steps, was a little female cardinal looking up at me. We looked at each other for a full minute and then she flew up to a tree outside my door. Her mate joined her, quite a brilliante red was he. I watched for another minute and then headed back to my Bible. Not 2 minutes pass and I hear another tap tap. Sure enough, there she is again looking up at me. We shared another minute together and then she flew off. I have no idea why she visited with me, what she was trying to communicate but that is OK. For me I have a thing about birds. I never really paid much attention to them until I was in Africa. The birds of East Africa have made a birder of me. I learned to take such delight from them there. Then when I was on my cross country trip with the kids I had another experience where I really feel God used birds to help me feel His presence and that has become what birds are to me. When I see them and hear them I become so aware of God and His presence in my life. I keep a set of binoculars in my Bible study basket so that when I am able to study outdoors (soon again- the weather is getting warmer) I have them handy to check out some of the birds antics all around me. They bring me joy and who can't use more joy in their life? What a gift to have one of the birds come and call to me that morning. Thanks God!

Reading of Africa

Last night I found a book at a local library that combined two of my all time favorite things; Africa and mystery novels. It is called Mark of the Lion and is written by Suzanne Arruda. Each chapter starts with a quote from a book called the Traveler. Chapter 5 begins,

"Africa's voice is neither the siren call luring men to promised fortune nor the primal sceram of bloodlust and danger. It is the whisper to the sleeping soul, a call of awakening that seeps out of its ancient rocks like a hidden, life-giving spring. It can be drunk and accepted as is or it can be dammed and converted to power. The response depends entirely on the soul."

That has been my experience so totally. Africa has seaped into my soul and now, still, almost 5 years after being there I dream of going back pretty much daily. For me it is the life giving spring. How bizzarre that a girl from the NJ suburbs feels more at home in Africa than in NJ? But that is my reality. When I was in Kenya and Tanzania my heart just sighed, "Ahhh, home."

Wednesday is Mah Jongg Day!

Wednesdays are my favorite day of the week. Why, you might ask? Because Wednesday is MahJongg day. Who would have ever thought that I would become addicted to this ancient Chinese game? I love the sound of the tiles as we mix them up and play them. I love calling bams, cracks and dots. There is nothing quite like being able to call, "Mah Jongg!"I think what I love more than the game is the women I play with. Marlene and Carol are from my mother's generation. I grew up at my church knowing them, I would have never in a million years believed I would become friends with them and yet I have and I cherish those friendships. Sesle is more from my generation, although she is 10 years older than me, Happy Birthday Sesle! LOL. Barbara, who started this whole game day has had to quit the group to go back to work full time. Barbara, Sesle and I have been in a couple's Bible Study with our husbands for somewhere around 15 years. I love these two ladies like sisters. I think the thing that makes our time together special is that while there is lots of girl talk there is no mean spirited conversation. We share our lives, thoughts and dreams without fear. With these ladies I don't have to listen to who in the neighborhood has put on weight, who's husband is cheating on them...etc, We just don't waste our time on that stuff. I really love that. I think every woman should have a Mah Jongg group and the kind of friendships I have been blessed to develop through this game....even if I keep on losing!

Its a Happy Day

There is something so satisfying about cleaning things up and getting reorganized. Today I spent the entire day going through all my scrapbooking stuff and getting it back into some semblance of order. I am such an organizational freak and nothing makes me happier than filling and labeling all the 12x12 containers I have from the Container Store (also known as Mecca) and stacking them up. Now I can't wait to sit down and create using all the cool stuff I bought and forgot I had until today. Need some metallic embellishments...No problem, there is a whole box of them. Looking for letters or how about words or mabye some rub-ons? Thanks to all my hard work today I now know that I have boxes of them! Even my tools are in their places. Maybe I will use my new all male drill that I picked up this past weekend thanks to the lessons from DD, I know just where to find it. Jay and I were talking at dinner tonight and it seems like it will take a bit longer for my new creative space to be finished but I am finding I am not as bummed out as I would have been if I heard about it yesterday. I will be happy working in my beautifully organized bedroom/crop room. Its a happy day!

Donna's world

I went up to Danbury, CT yesterday and took 4 classes with Donna Downey live (As opposed to the online workshop of hers that I do- 52 weeks of Donna - http://www.BigPictureScrapbooking.com- try it, you'll like it) I went to the classes with Anat and Babs. What an awsome and productive day. Let's face it I did more in Donna's 4 classes than I have done in the past month - speaks volumes on home well I am doing with her online class doesn't it? Donna is so creative and her projects were amazing. I walked out of there feeling accomplished. And I now know can say I have used a drill in scrapbooking LOL
Donna uses interesting vocabulary in her drill instructions, I don't think I will ever look at a drill the same way. Lets just say that a drill is ALL male. It was great just to get silly and laugh and create... all of life should be like that. I am so glad I went. I made 3 scrapbooks of varied sizes and design. I filled one with family pictures, the other two are open for ideas at this point. 

I so loved the projects we made with Donna. I think my favorite is this altered letter - HOME project. right now I have them sitting on my mantle waiting to get into the new room. Thanks Donna for your creative spirit that you so willingly share with others. My mind is on overload with ideas of what I want to do next. 

Our House

Construction has slowed down quite a bit...Jay is trying to learn about patience through all of this. But the work that has gone on has been amazing. The new bathroom is looking good, I may move all my stuff over there and give Jay our bathroom, He is thinking just the opposite. Here is the new outline of the house. I love the new entryway and the work Jay did with the stone to create the steps. It is so inviting. Jay had said the house would be done by the end of February, I thought March but now I am shooting for April. I figure I have lived for 44 years without a creative space I can wait a few more weeks, it is worth the wait. 

Waiting for snow

Hurray, Its snowing!!! I was taking some photographs this morning for an online class I am taking with Donna Downey and I had moved this penguin statue. As I went about some other things in the house I happened to look back at the penguin, the way I had placed him made me laugh. It seemed that he was trying to look out the window to see if it was snowing. I had to help him out and prop him up so that he could see, and as soon as I did the snow started coming down for real. I wonder if Jay will make me keep him like this for the rest of winter hoping we will continue to get lots of snow. 

Newark Museum

I found a little jewel in Newark, New Jersey, it is called the Newark Museum. I cannot believe that I had never been there before last year. They have the most amazing exhibits. Last year I found their Budist Temple exhibit. There is a true temple there, one that the DaliLama sanctified. It is beautiful. As Jay and I were talking about Christmas gifts for his dad and Rosie I suggested that we take them to the museum and then out to the Portuguese section in Newark. Rosie is from VietNam and is Budist. I thought it would be great to have Rosie share with us some of the things that are inportant to her and her faith. Althought the temple there is in Thailand style it is basically the same as Rosie's. I loved hearing about the many different things we saw in the temple and getting a better understanding of her beliefs. I am not sure how much anyone else enjoyed the visit ( I think I am the only museum person in that group) but I was thrilled. From the museum we headed to the Ironbound District in Newark and to a Portuguese restaurant. Jay's dad's family was from Portugal and we wanted to connect with his heritage too. We had a wonderful meal and I loved the conversation my father in law had with our waiter who was from Portugal. We were given lessons in pronunciation in Portuguese- we all had been mispronouncing the village Jay's grandfather was from. I cannot say how much we laughed through out the meal, I am so glad we did this. I am already planning our next visit, although I think the others will skip the museum part.