Another Bride in My Powder Room

Several young maidens have been dressed and coiffured in the inner sanctuary of my humble abode,
before they bravely set out to tie the knot.

In fact, two sisters of this spring bride (above) sat on the exact same stool, in the exact same spot,
being transformed in preparation of their weddings.

Which one is the bride?

It's silly Brianna, on the left, eating an artichoke leaf.
AKA Goddaughter #4.

The shot above was taken during one of our fabulous feasts as we prepped for the Grand Event.

It was ever so pleasant in the upper yard as we created hundreds of thank you gifts for wedding guests.

After searching the entire valley for supplies,
we made these darling little wildflower seed packets,
which included a poem crafted by the bride.

Price: 16 cents a piece!

The almost-married couple show off the finished product below:

On the day of the big event, there were the last-minute alterations of the bridemaids' outfits . . .

. . . and tying the bow of the bridal gown.

Then, we were out the door!
Sort of.
Actually, I was the one in the car snapping photos.
waiting for my goddaughters who made their appearances 'in due time'.

My assignment:
to take a photo of each and every wedding guest.

Couldn't help catching a shot of these dear gals.

I love them to death,
although I wanted to spank each one of them for deserting their posts
. . . and thus I ended up doing their assignments.

I forgave them within 60 minutes. Wouldn't you?

A neighborhood park, just a few blocks from my house, provided the perfect ambiance for the celebration.

The night was lovely, except for a few sprinkles, which provided us with a beeeaaautiful rainbow!

This shot was taken right from the park:


* * * * * * * * * * * * * *

The next morning, little Emma fed Chica most of her breakfast - Cheerio by Cheerio.

I let her give our little canine friend a large doggie biscuit as dessert,

Notice the perfectly executed hand-off:

And lots of things happened after that breakfast and the next day.
However, I missed the shots at the 2nd party which enthusiastically lasted until 2 a.m. .
Also, at the BBQ the next day.
As well as the ceremonious opening of the gifts.
Also, the lobster bisque banquet.

Okay.
I missed lots of shots.

So, here you get the parting shot as the herds are leaving their favorite 2nd home in the Rockies. (Mine, of course.)

And they're OFF !

Five of them jammed into a Subaru overflowing with presents.
Driving NORTH for another round of celebration.

P.S. Two goddaughters (and their families) remain in Utah. Just said nightie-night to one of them.
Hope her little Emma sleeps through the night. Pray that they all make it to Calgary, Canada safely.

Babies + More Babies

Okay. This photo does not have a baby anywhere in sight.

HOWEVER, if Grace hadn't come into the world,
this shot would not exist!

Yep. My new granddaughter has a name. "Grace" just happens to be ...

• The first name of Arian's cousin. (She's the daughter of my brother Squashblossom and a fine specimen of a human bean.)
  

• The middle name of his sister and niece. (The sister = Kelty Grace. The niece = Avery Grace.)
  

• The last name of our pioneer ancestor Isaac Grace. (She's way prettier than ole Isaac. Of course, that's not hard.)

Oh. She also has a middle name: Ginger

How sweet!

This big brother can NOT sit still for ANYTHING.

However, he will sit gladly for his baby sister. Like, for 20 minutes.

He'll even skip on story time for a chance to hold her. (He LOVES story time.)

By the time I arrived for grandmotherly duties, he was wearing a mask due to a cough. That didn't phase him one bit.

Does this little gal qualify as a baby?

Perhaps recent events have dissolved all association with that name.

Either way, I just have to say that she - Big Sister Audrey - won my heart.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Wait. There's more.

I received an UNEXPECTED SURPRISE on Mother's Day.

Can you guess?

Yep.

Another there's a wee dumpling in the oven!!!

WAY TO GO, Leah!


(Leah whizzing @ 40 mph on an inner tube in the Caribbean Ocean.)

. . . and you're up to the task, mamacita.

Big question =

Is THIS little whipper-snapper ready for a little sister?

I just got off the phone with Leah. Apparently little Aspen was busy practicing the fine art of diaper changing.

She'll manage in her new place within the family circle. Her two older sisters will teach her ALL about it!

She's Here!

The latest addition to the family arrived on Friday.

She's a healthy 6 lb 10 oz little gal, looking quite a bit like her new big sister.

Audrey doesn't know what Big Sister entails, but she's as happy as a lark,
playing with Aunt Kelty outside the hospital.

4 year-old Kenneth wants a turn too!
His auntie happily obliges, despite the fact that he's as tall as a 6 year-old.


"My turn!" "My turn!" "Now my turn!"
Good thing she's a strong gal and loves those little kids to death.

Moreover, she has MEGA-ENERGY!

I'm guessing it comes from the fact that her own little baby is back in Chicago with her papa.

This is the first time she's had uninterrupted sleep for over a year!

Another daddy does humble duties as his wife and newborn recover from the c-section.

Jill is a medical first. Nobody has ever had a baby within a year of two hip replacements. Yep. After Audrey was born, BOTH her hips were replaced, she needed new hips due to hip dysplasia at birth. A previous cheer leader and zumba aerobies instructor, she had big changes in store. You can read about her major recovering HERE. She glowingly reports that THIS pregnancy was her easiest. That THIS birth was a snap. That's our Jill. She is a Happy Camper under practically all circumstances.

On the Go!

You were always ON THE GO. Still are. You are no longer navigating HOPS OVER THE FENCE. Now we're talking HOPS OVER TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE WORLD. Your life at Oxford is chock full of interesting people and mega-doses of intellectual stimulation. But we all know where your heart is fully planted. Jill & the kids taken on Easter Sunday (Can you see that she's nine months pregnant? Probably not.) Anyway, dear son, congratulations on another birthday . . . as well as the upcoming DAY of BIRTH scheduled for Friday! Hugs, Mom P.S. I'm ON STAND-BY and IN GREAT ANTICIPATION.

At Home in Georgia

Why did I go to Georgia?

Well, it was the warmest place I could get to for $78.

Yep. That was the cost of my flight. Scan this site regularly if you love bargain basement flying.

Then, the car was $15 a day.
Bid on PRICELINE for the Economy Class, never more than $15 on your first bid. You'll usually get the car.

When you arrive at your destination, ask for a free upgrade and they'll often give one, because they run out of the cheap cars.

Another great deal: I got a Day's Inn room in Dahlonega, Georgia for $30 flat a night.
Use Hotels.com and sort by price. Sometimes Booking.com beats 'em but not often.

Why Dahlonega? It's at the base of the Appalachians. I'll explain what took me there in my next post.

In the meantime, see the view I got from my $30/night room.

When I opened the door and saw that amazing picture window, I squealed with delight!
Naturally, I had expected a rat hole.

The view was worth $1oo a night, even tho it was a regular Day's sort of place in every other respect.
I stayed there for the majority of my trip.

Soooo, I justified spending my last three nights in B&Bs. I selected ones that were in real plantation manors.

My first night was at "The Colonels Plantation" in Athens, Georgia.
Both the husband and wife are retired colonels. Colonel Mark took my photo just before I headed off to church.

This spread was the Fair Haven Plantation in Arnoldsville, Georgia.

What a joy to sit out on the balcony, listening to a banquet of bird songs that were completely different than Utah bird songs.

With encouragement from my generous host, I hung around for most of the day, absorbing a bit of paradise.

Holly Court Inn was my last stop in Washington, Georgia.
In this sweet town, many manors date back to the 1700s, including the first photo in this post.

I highly recommend all three of these B & Bs. They exceeded my expectations . Additionally, my hosts provided me with the fascinating histories of their homes and communities. Two of them played a role in the Civil War.

I probably look like a loner in the photo below, taken at the Washington B & B.

Actually, I wasn't alone. My host joined me at the breakfast table and we chatted about racial issues in Washington where there are approx. 2000 whites, 2000 blacks. Basically, he believes that people have learned how to get along much better than they did 50 years ago. Phil was old enough to KNOW.

Since forever, I've wanted to attend Southern African -American service, both for the unique, intense preaching style and the fervent gospel music. This trip was my opportunity! After asking around, I was led to the Springfield Baptist Church in Athens, which was established in the 1800s. Wow! What an amaaaaazing experience!!! See the church's history here.

FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN THE EXPERIENCE: I was the only Caucasian attending the Springfield Sunday service, but I was treated as a long-lost family member, hugged warmly by at least two dozen members of the congregation and the preacher himself. The music was indescribably beautiful. The call and response, praise and worship style of the traditional Negro gospel music is so full of emotion. The choir or sometimes a single vocalist started the hymns and then the congregation would sing the refrains. Many worshipers rose to their feet, swaying their arms, and even dancing in place. The minister at Springfield gave a rousing sermon. Here's a bit of the history of the "Negro Preaching Style" which perfectly describes my experience at Springfield: "The black sermon is stated in the vernacular, with inflection and timing so musical that many have compared it in style to improvised jazz. Much of the sermon is improvised. . . . This (style) is assured in part by the congregation, which answers the preacher verbally at every opportunity, creating a call-and-response pattern, which often builds to a frightening intensity." (Reference - here.)

The South isn't called the Bible belt for nothing. And there are still "Revivals" in Georgia.

I found this sign at the entrance of a cafe.

Can you read the small print which states that the Revival would be FOUR DAYS LONG?!

Most Southerners are Baptists and their churches are everywhere, but other Christian sects DO exist.

I only saw one Episcopal church and it was distinctive enough to get the street behind it named thus:

The streets in Georgia were named BEFORE developers got that honor, so they usually carry a bit of history. Like this one:

Don't know this particular bit of history, but one could venture a guess.

Vestiges of bygone times are rusting in overgrown vineyards . . .

Many of homes from the 1800s are still occupied and still show loving care.


Just about every home has a front porch with rocking chairs.

Even the not-so-nice ones:


However, there's a different genre of home, up in the "hollers" of the Appalachians:

Do you notice that the first trailer is attached to the home? They gave up the effort with the second one.

Okay. This is a crummy photo.

I got spooked because some hound dogs started barking at me just as I was taking this shot.
I drove away rather quickly, anticipating a shirtless guy with a beer can in one hand and a shotgun in the other.

There are lots of hound dogs in Georgia, because hunting is BIG.


When I saw this sign, I thought "Boar? Huh?"

Well, apparently the Conquistadors brought over boar in the 1500s and they still roam wild in Georgia.

Photo courtesy of blackcreeklodge.com

Possum hunting is a favorite Southern pastime and this little cafe proves it.
When I entered, I realized that I simply couldn't eat there. However, I bought an ice cream to be friendly.

I passed on the Poss-umm, and chose to eat at Big Chick.
Yes, two very big chicks were frying up chickens, a more common main dish than hamburgers at "fast food" diners.

The fried chicken was a whole lot better than KFC. It was served with okra or fries, you choose.

BTW, here's a little highlight from the Big Chick's menu board:

"GIZZADS" is the Southern way of pronouncing (and spelling in this case) "gizzards".

I absolutely LOVED the dialect! Especially the way they'd say "You'll come back now!"

Another Georgia specialty is boiled peanuts. You see the boiled peanut stands along the the country roads around the state.
If you're a genuine Southerner, you eat them shell and all!

Sorry to drag you through such a long post. That's why I'm saving my Appalachian adventure for the next round.

In the meantime, two parting shots - both advertising Coke using different venues.

First in Hapeville, near Atlanta:

Finally, this one, taken near Lexington, Georgia:. Don't you love the matching red roof?