~J Meets a Blogger & Other News~

The Dog Days of Summer have arrived! In honor of the occasion I thought you might enjoy a few photos our daughter and son in law shot, on their Alaska Cruise, at the end of May 2008. Perhaps these images will help keep you comfortably cool, on these long hot Summer days.

One of the meals they enjoyed.

These photos and the following photos were shot with my little Kodak Easy Share Z712 IS.

J judged a car show, here in our town, Saturday. Greg, the proprietor of All About Home and Oddfellows Cafe, brought two out of town visitors over and introduced them to J. It was none other than Dana of The Stone Rabbit and her friend Bonnie. Dana and Bonnie were visiting our area of the state, from the Kansas City area. I missed meeting Dana and Bonnie. I hope to meet them one day, during our travels. Dana took lots of photos and will have a delightful blog post soon!

J's nephew, Aaron, showed this vintage International Harvester tractor. The tractor was restored by Aaron and his Dad, J's brother.
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We waited all Summer for Calhoun Peaches. With the flooding of the Mississippi and the closing of the Ferry we use to cross the river to Illinois, we had just about decided we weren't going to have these delicious peaches this year. How happy we were when we arrived in the small town just west of here, on our way home from the lake, last Thursday, and saw a truck with a sign, CALHOUN PEACHES.

I harvested a few Endless Summer blooms, Friday. We had no blooms, last year, after the late Spring frost. The colors are wonderful. I'm hoping they dry beautifully.

Julia at Hooked On Houses is having a tour of homes. For details click the button on my sidebar.

~Petit Jean State Park Arkansas and a Thank You~

This and the following photos were taken at Petit Jean State Park, Arkansas, during fall 2004. On a clear evening you see gorgeous sunsets from this vantage point. Unfortunately, during our stay, it was overcast. That gives us a very good excuse for a return visit. Perhaps next time, we'll have clear weather.

J and I have been discussing a return to Petit Jean. I had not realized how long it's been since our last trip, until I was going through photographs, today. Being close to home, it's an easy road trip.

This park is beautiful and it comes with an interesting legend.

http://www.petitjeanstatepark.com/history/default.asp#legend

Here I am sitting on the swing, at our cabin. This cabin did not have a kitchen. However, there are larger cabins with kitchens, available. Woodburning fireplaces are also a feature.

An absolutely wonderful place to relax and forget about your cares. We highly recommend a stay at Petit Jean.

Autumn is a wonderful time to visit, when the mountains are ablaze with color.

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Thank you all, so much, for stopping by and leaving happy birthday wishes!

I also want to thank Linda at Studio Stuff for bestowing the Rockin' Girl Blogger Award, upon me. I am flattered and plan to pass the award forward.

Also, thank you to Suzy Q, from Rabbit Run Cottage for presenting me with the Schmoozers Award. Again I am quite flattered and will present this award to a blogger or two.

JoAnna from Homeschool Blogger has challenged me to a random facts list. I'll ponder this over the weekend and write about it, next week.

We're going to the lake tomorrow. We don't have a day trip planned this time. We're playing it by ear. You never know what we might get ourselves into! Or then again, we might just hide out at the condo, with a good book.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Door County Memories

This print is from a painting titled The Village, by Door County artist, C.L. Peterson. The painting was reproduced in posters, as a fund raiser for a local high school. It hangs above a cabinet at our lake place.
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When Country Living Magazine was still quite young, way back in the early 1980's, I began seeing articles about Door County Wisconsin. I was facinated by this beautiful peninsula. The cottages featured in the magazine were so pretty. The Villages looked beautiful and peaceful. I decided, that someday, I would visit this wonderful place.

The print is from a painting titled "Flight" by Door County artist, Jack Anderson. I love this print because it not only reminds me of our Door County trip, but also the bluffs along the rivers and lakes of Missouri. The print hangs beside my desk.

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My dream to visit Door County Wisconsin became reality in September, 2004. The photo grid shows our room at The White Gull Inn, Fish Creek. The porch overlooks the courtyard.

We explored Door County over several days. From Sturgeon Bay to Washington Island, we traveled up one side of the peninsula and down the other. We visited several lighthouses. Our last day, we boarded a ferry for a trip to Washington Island.

One interesting evening we watched a Fish Boil, from our porch. What a spectular show it was. The next night we saw it while sitting in the courtyard and dined on the Whitefish dinner.

We browsed the Jack Anderson Gallery, where we purchased The Village and Flight prints. Another gallery, we visited, is the Kathy Glasnap Gallery. You might recognize her work by the tiny Cardinal, she paints into each piece. We enjoyed talking with her and seeing her work. At the Glasnap Gallery, J fell in love with a print depicting a stone house and deer in snow. It hangs in his "lodge", over the mantle. We also brought home prints of Eagle Bluff Lighthouse and Cana Lighthouse, by Kathy Glasnap. We toured both of these lighthouses, among others. These prints hang in our breakfast room.

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~ Beautiful Lake Michigan scenes~

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We would love to return to Door County. I said to J, we should plan another trip there. He agreed. I know someone else who would be happy to see us return. Our friend, whom I've known since junior high school, in the late 1950's, Aunt Pittypat, who lives within daytrip distance from Door County.
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http://www.jackandersongallery.com/

http://www.glasnapgallery.com/

http://www.doorcounty.com/

http://www.whitegullinn.com/
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