It was hard leaving North Carolina Thursday morning. We arrived in North Carolina before Christmas, to visit our son, his wife and their two children.
Santa’s reindeer.
Making Christmas cookies.
Together, we celebrated Christmas. We were there for the new year, and the grandkid’s winter break from school, and also for a time after they returned to school. We had a lot of fun together.
A picnic at the nature preserve.
At the nature preserve.
Hedgehog craft project from pinecones we found at the nature preserve.
It was so good to be there, to catch up with our son and daughter-in-love, and to see our grandchildren so happy in their new home, and thriving.
Playing on playgrounds.
Polishing toenails.
It was difficult to say good-bye as they headed out for school and we headed out for our three-day journey back to Minnesota. We already miss them…their excitement and smiling faces.
We’ve had some fun adventures on this lengthy (for us) time away from our home in Minnesota. We took a road trip to North Carolina and are staying with our son and his family. The time is going by fast; maybe because it started over the Christmas holidays, and is extending into the New Year. Or maybe because we’re visiting family and grandchildren – that is always special. I always anticipate having all kinds of time to write, but that never proves true for me. I get distracted with the days activities. We are still here, but I’m taking time to write now.
On the front porch at our son’s home in North Carolina.
Initially we had some warm days in North Carolina. We were able to sit on the front porch and drink our morning coffee, and go to a park on a sunny, 75* day and play with the new Stomp Rocket.
Having fun in the park.
We also had a couple warm and sunny days in Georgia, and I wore my sandals while walking along Savannah’s Riverwalk, but now a cold front has come through and it’s a bit chilly…but not as cold as it is back home in Minnesota.
The Riverwalk along the Savannah River.
We did take a mini road trip to Savannah, Georgia (a road trip within a road trip!) and enjoyed exploring that lovely, southern city. We had four wonderful days there. One, of many, interesting tidbits from our time in Savannah is from our first afternoon when we drove through the beautiful, historic Bonaventure Cemetery, which is on the National Register of Historic Places and located on a scenic bluff on the Wilmington River.
The cemetery has acres of old, interesting tombstones and monuments with mature southern live oak trees with Spanish moss dripping from them, and rough gravel roads that create a very mystical place.
This was not your typical manicured cemetery, but it was eerily peaceful in the late afternoon as we drove around.
Sun rays lighting up some Spanish moss.
Rod iron gates around clusters of marble and granite tombstones, large and tall monuments, cement angel and crosses, and all manner of cemetery props are within its gates with mature trees and other greenery.
On our way out we stopped at the info center just outside the cemetery where someone commented on our Minnesota license plates. He stated we’re a long way from home and asked what part of Minnesota we were from? “Northfield,” I said. And he said, “we are too!” Two couples from our hometown had just toured the cemetery. It was a fun moment.
Remembering an extra special homecoming:
Bringing up the Christmas boxes from the basement.
Choosing carefully the holiday adornments.
Taking time to decorate each room.
Decorating with the grandchildren in mind.
Wanting to create for them the wonder of Christmas.
Selecting the biggest and the best Christmas tree,
Cutting it down to size to fit in the pine-sided room,
Admiring the spruce’s perfect imperfection.
Smelling its wonderful scent,
Stringing on the lights,
Leaving off the ornaments...for now,
Creating enchantment within our home.
Lingering in the precious moments,
Recalling cherished memories of Christmas’ past.
Waiting with excitement at the airport,
Anticipating their arrival from the international terminal.
Spotting their figures linked together...my heart skipping a beat.
Rejoicing and giving thanks.
Pulling into the driveway at home...
Entering the house ahead of the others to turn on the tree lights...
Anticipating the joy of the little ones seeing the lighted Christmas tree.
Coming to a standstill.
Looking in awe.
Their happy faces lighting up.
It was priceless.
Autumn gel stickers put on our patio door by grandchildren.
It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to the Most High. It is good to proclaim His unfailing love in the morning, His faithfulness in the evening…
My fairy garden has taken on a winter look. While doing fall yard chores, I collected and cleaned up the fairies and table and chairs I used to create a fairy garden last spring, and stored them away until next spring…
My little granddaughter liked my fairy garden. Unfortunately, on a recent visit she wanted to see my fairy garden again, and I had to tell her I had taken it in for the winter.
But alas, now there is a new fairy in place…a winter fairy sitting by a frosted tree at the end of the glass, stepping-stone path, under the dormant rosebush in our back garden…looking out at passersby, bringing joy, and doing whatever it is that fairies do.
We often go up to the cabin we rent on Lake Superior in the fall. One never knows what kind of color autumn will have painted on the trees and foliage when we arrive.
On Oberg Mountain 2021
The leaves usually change up there in late September/early October. The last couple of years we have seen some good color up on the north shore, even though our dates staying up at the cabin have varied – a lot.
Oberg Lake 2021
This year, the day we went for our annual hike up Oberg Mountain, was one of those perfect fall days…bright sunshine, a vibrant, bold, blue, autumn sky, great temperature…it was stunning.
And the vistas from the seven lookouts on top were very colorful.
A lot of people were on the trail, and a lot of people were up north in general…more so than usual… evident with traffic and full parking lots. However, back at the cabin all was peaceful.
The Oberg Mountain trail. 2021
On another hike, in Tettegouche State Park, we spotted an unusual mushroom. It was golden…it looked like it was spray painted but it was far enough off the trail to know that was unlikely.
Zoomed in on this golden mushroom.
I tried to identify this mushroom with a quick internet search, but was unsuccessful. We saw other fun fungi on that same trail.
As wonderful as our hiking and biking and fall color drives were, the time spent with our son and daughter-in-love, and our two grandchildren, up north, at the cabin on Lake Superior, was the best!
A photo of me and my grandkids in NC, taken on a recent visit.
As I’ve mentioned, one of the highlights of my week is zooming with our grandchildren in North Carolina. These visits will come to an end soon, because school will be starting.
I love visiting with them and reading stories to them. At the end of our time this week, I asked Alexa to turn the volume up and play “The Hokey Pokey”. And we all danced to the music. I was waving my hands in the air, abandoned and totally consumed by this amazing time together, although distant it felt close.
I know it would have been smart to get in my daily walk during the early morning hours on our recent trip to NC, where we went to visit our son and his family. At this time of year, in July, the temperatures climb high, as does the dew point, so getting things done in the early morning is a good idea.
The front porch.
But the allure of their front porch won out. Our son and his wife and two children moved into a lovely two-story house with a veranda in the back – off the kitchen, and a porch in the front. They are at the end of a cul-de-sac, with a wooded lot next door and a landscaped, water collection pond across the street with more trees in the background. New houses were being built the next block over.
There are two very tall trees, with skinny trunks, across the street from where we sat on the porch. I loved looking at them – sometimes they would sway with the wind and intertwine at the tip top, and sometimes they would stand tall and alone – but they were striking, and greeted me every morning.
Sister trees…
I quickly got in the routine of sitting on the front porch every morning. I would usually be the first one up, make myself a cup of coffee, and head outside to the front porch. There were two comfy chairs waiting for me. I would enjoy my quiet time there as eventually the others would wake up. The best part was when the grandkids woke up, came out, and sat on our laps while we welcomed the new day.
Good Morning Sunshine.
There are a lot of front porches in the “south” as tradition dictates. It was fun to look at them as we drove through the area. In this new neighborhood, when we saw folks on their porch, we always said hi, and in turn, when I was sitting out in the early morning and neighbors walked by, there was always a greeting. What a wonderful thing.
Peaceful morning.
The porch made me think of my neighbor across the street from us in Northfield. She’s has made her front porch into a sitting area, an extension of her house, and she’s out there as much as her time allows (which is a lot). People always stop to visit with her. I think of her as our neighborhood watchdog, and find comfort in her being out on her porch so much.
Across the street, my neighbor has flowers surrounding her front porch…complete with rocking chairs and an umbrella. The corn growing from her flower pot was planted by a squirrel. We’re watching the stalk grow!
Our front porch, at our own house in Northfield, has a swing which I also love, and use often. However, a swing is not conducive to drinking coffee. Our front porch is covered and faces north, therefore shaded all day. Yet, it’s set back so it’s not as open and visible to passerby’s. We do use our back deck a lot. There are many trees providing shade in the morning hours and late afternoon/evening times.
Our front porch swing.
I ask myself would I do this – drink my morning coffee on the front porch daily – if our front porch had chairs instead of a swing? Would I fit it into my daily routine? I’m not sure. It just seemed right in North Carolina. Maybe because we were on vacation…
All I know is a front porch is inviting, and a great place to spend time!
Visiting someplace new is always fun. And staying in a private home instead of a hotel is delightful. And having grandchildren at that home is the best!
A new home in North Carolina.
We spent eight days in a suburb south of Charlotte, North Carolina visiting our youngest son and his wife and two children. They recently moved into a new home there, leaving a two-bedroom apartment in Colorado. It was great to see their new house and their neighborhood, to actually see their faces to know how they are doing, and to hug the grandchildren.
I enjoyed choosing a photo – or two – every day to send a “Photo of the Day” to our other son and his family back in Minnesota. It gave a glimpse of some of the things we were doing during our time away…like going to a fireworks display on the fourth of July, or going to the neighborhood swimming pool, building a workbench,
Building a workbench.
working on art projects, playing dominos, going to parks and playgrounds, going on a picnic, going out for ice cream.
A “spin art” project.
Playing dominoes.
At a playground.
And simply sitting on the front porch every morning, drinking our coffee, waiting for the kiddos to wake up and come down to greet us each day. Hopefully creating memories for the grandchildren.
Lovely mornings on the front porch.
Being silly.
Their house is next to a wooded lot so we saw deer several times, and lots of birds. We heard interesting creatures (insects and/or frogs) at night when we ate dinner on the veranda, in the back of the house.
The covered veranda at the back of the house.
As we sat on the veranda on our last night before returning to Minnesota, we saw two fawns and a mama deer in the woods. We talked about how curious we were as to what was over the hill and down the road in the wooded area.
The “Private Drive, NO TRESPASSING” sign.
A “Private Drive, NO TRESPASSING” sign was posted at the entrance to the driveway leading into the property, at the end of the cul-de-sac, next to our son’s property. We had seen little activity there over the past week. Our son and daughter-in-love had not ventured past the private property sign since they moved in, about a month ago. We had been there only a week and were curious!
The wooded property at the end of the cut-de-sac.
So Andrea and I decided to venture down the drive that last night. We bravely walked down the road, arm in arm. The deer saw us and ran away. We approached a modest house on a lake, and took a look at the surroundings. Our curiosity satisfied, we turned around and walked back up the drive. Just then we saw a car’s headlights! The occupants were coming down the drive.
We were busted!!!
After all the times of no activity… and then…here they come when we are trespassing.
Our son’s house next to the neighboring, wooded lot.
The car stops, of course, and two young men in their 20’s rolled down their windows. We greeted them and told them we are from the house right past their driveway and we were just curious to see what was down the gravel road. Thankfully they were very nice about it. After a little small talk we continued on, walking very quickly back to the veranda where our guys were waiting, curious to hear what happened. They had seen the car go into the drive and wondered what kind of reception we’d get.
We settled back on the veranda, let out a sigh of relief, and then had a good laugh.
I like libraries. I like the looks of them. I like the smell of them. I like their offerings…books (and more). Our library in Northfield is wonderful. I walked out of the library the other day with an overwhelming sense of gratitude for our city library.
The updated entrance to the library (2016).
I go to the library often…to borrow books, and CD’s, and even DVD’s for myself. My husband does too. I am in the habit of making my request online, then having the librarians find the item -at our library or another connected to the library system – and put it on hold for me until I go pick it up.
Another view of the Northfield library.
When the grandkids lived with us, we went to the library weekly for story time. Now I get to be the storyteller over Zoom. So now, I go to the library weekly to pick out children’s books for my story time. The children’s librarians are always willing to help me and I usually leave with about 10-12 books. I come home, read them to make sure I like them, and then let the kids choose which ones we’ll read. It’s great fun.
Inside the original part of the Northfield library.
The other day I checked out an audio book and knew I wouldn’t be able to return the CD’s on the due date, so the librarian extended the due date for me.
A corner view of the original library building.
The library in Northfield is a Carnegie library. A Carnegie library is a library built with money donated by a Scottish-American businessman and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie. A total of 2,509 Carnegie libraries were built between 1882 and 1929.* So Carnegie libraries are older, and usually beautiful, brick buildings.
This is the original door to the Northfield Carnegie Library (no longer in use).
The Northfield Carnegie library was built in 1910. A large addition was added in 1985. Another renovation was completed in 2016. The 2016 renovation included many large windows that let in lots of natural light and it is lovely. There are some nice sitting areas where I sometimes go to write or read.
The newest addition to the library…bringing much natural light into the lovely space.
I remember during renovation the library moved to the city hall, yet they still were able to provide a limited, but wonderful, service to the community.
The yard sign for library.
I like books. I like to read. I like the variety from the library without having to purchase. And, the library is available to anyone. I am grateful for our library system…a gateway to the world of reading.
