Taking flight

Tomorrow I’m taking flight to France, although by plane, not by my own wings. God willing, I’ll be back in October with lots of photos and stories to share. BTW, we celebrated our 35th anniversary yesterday. Bless my husband for not minding that I’ll be vacationing when he can’t go! He’s a keeper (obviously). 🙂

I was finally able to get all my photos off my phone so I’d be ready for all the vacation shots, but it took hours and hours. I’d try one thing and it would work, but the next time it wouldn’t (or I’d forgotten how I’d done it.) Or I’d find empty files while my phone was filled with photos. Ah, for the days when I’d plug my phone into my laptop, the photos would show up, I’d copy, then delete. Sigh. Such is life in the virtual world.

Be safe and happy while I’m gone!

The road goes ever on and on.

An early start soon had me in Chamberlain, South Dakota, the place to “cross the wide Missouri“, the river in full spate after all the rain.

On the other side, the land stretches out seemingly forever, justifying the speed limit of 80 mph.

This view is calling me.

Although I’d be seeing snow if I were sitting here right now (and I’d be bundled up against the cold), it’s time for the annual drive to Wyoming’s Big Horn mountains. This will be the last time I take the route that’s been part of my life for more years than we’ve been married (35 this September.) Driving from Arizona next year will show us new vistas and places to replace the ones I’ll miss.

As we have no phone service and very little internet, I’ll be enjoying the relaxation that comes from not being available all the time and online sometimes too much. I’ll miss you, but of course you’ll hear and see all about it when I get back.

See you in July and may you have a blessed rest of June.

Lunch in Colmar

Monday on the blog we were walking in France, tiring work, so let’s hop over to Colmar for a bit of lunch.  We ate at the same restaurant as the prior year, sitting outside by the river (Little Venice).  If you’d like to see a number of photos of places we saw and read a bit about them, click here (not my photos.)  It was hot, so we opted for salad and a glass of wine, while watching flat-bottomed boats filled with tourists pole by and swans glide past.

Colmar was part of France, then Germany, back to France, again to Germany, and finally ended up on the eastern edge of France.  Consequently, the architecture and food represent both cultures.  We opted for a lighter, more French lunch this visit.

This delicious, refreshing, filling, and beautifully presented salad had foie gras (front left), prosciutto (middle left), smoked salmon (hiding on the right), lots of beautifully cool, thinly-sliced veggies, and was topped with a crisp breadstick.  It was just what I needed before hitting the streets for photos of doors and other delights.  I would order it again in an instant!

Saying goodbye…

…but just for a bit.  Between work and my upcoming trip to Philadelphia, I can’t keep up with the blog.  So  I wish you all the best during the next week or so and look forward to catching up with you when I get back online.  As Pooh would say, “TTFN.”

Sit down and just breathe.

No walking with Jo today.  I’m flying to Arizona to spend time with my parents, something I do every January.  Time for family, relaxation, sunshine, and warmth.  See you soon.  In the meantime, feel free to sit on this beautiful bench with me and just breathe.

 

Light at the end of the tunnel

I know today is Thursday and the doors I was going to feature are in my folder, but I just can’t do it.  They should have been done last night, but life has gotten too busy at the moment and when I realized this morning that I hadn’t gotten them into a post and that I don’t have time in the next few days to respond to comments or visit all the posts I want to see, I decided enough is enough.  Life has to be lived and work obligations met and especially in this season, I don’t want to be any more overwhelmed than need be.

So I’m taking a few days off, but leaving you with this shot from my Monday walk in the park.  It’s a sort of “light at the end of the tunnel” photo, in a place you’ve seen at least several times on the blog before, once with fog at the end, once with a deer and rabbit silhouetted halfway down.  Enjoy the beauty and the symbolism.  Take time to enjoy the season and I’ll see you soon.  Feel free to chat, as I’ll have a bit of time here and there to check and I’ll miss that.