Random things

 

Hello, dear friends.  How are you?  I just realized my last post was in August...how did this happen? ~ I guess time flies when we're having fun.  And here it is fall already.  Don't you just love all the warm autumn colors?  I bought a big orange pumpkin today for the front step and yellow and red mums for pots.  

We have had quite a lot going on lately.  September is a big birthday month for us and we celebrated our granddaughter's 2nd birthday with family at Galen's mother's house in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.  It's a good central meeting place for all of us since Amy and Bruno and the kids live in New York.  What a great time we had!

And our other granddaughter, Maddie, here in North Carolina, just turned 15 in September. It seems like only yesterday that she was just a toddler, and now, here she is getting her permit for driving!  

Also, in September, I had my  6-month follow-up appointment at UNC Cancer Center.  Everything is good!  A little osteoporosis setting in but that is treatable.  I feel great, and this will be two years cancer free!  I am thankful everyday for my health and that I can garden and do all the things I love to do.  

And speaking of the garden, I planted kale, broccoli and spinach for the winter months, and have harvested quite a few tomatoes and peppers.  I've been cleaning up the flower beds, too.

Just to let you know, I may not be posting on my blog as often as before, but I am still here and will check in occasionally.  

Enjoy this wonderful fall weather! 

'till next time, 

Holidays

With Thanksgiving behind us, we now look forward to the Christmas holiday, but before we move on to all the frenzy, I want to reflect on the wonderful Thanksgiving we had this year with our family in Pennsylvania and also the fact that Galen and I.....

held our granddaughter (from NY) for the very first time.  

What a joy she is and we just couldn't get enough of her....

our little Esmé Catalina.  

On Thanksgiving day we ate a big delicious dinner, played cards, took a walk and enjoyed catching up with family. 

Later in the week we enjoyed Lancaster City Market (mmmm, woopie pies and sticky buns!) and drove around the Amish countryside.  No matter how often I've seen them, I still love the horse and buggies.  

Amy, Bruno and Esmé at the downtown Lancaster square.  

It was good to see everyone and so hard to leave.  

Oh, and Otis and Riley enjoyed the trip... 

but they were glad to get home.  

A much needed trip

We have been planning a trip for quite some time now and just had to figure out how and when it was going to take place.  We wanted to attend our youngest daughter's baby shower in Brooklyn, NY.  Of course it had to be after my chemo and before my surgery.  Well, we finally figured it out, and last Thursday we packed our bags.  Our oldest daughter Jen, her husband Rob, and Maddie, our granddaughter, stopped by and picked us up early in the morning and we all headed north...first to Pennsylvania to visit family, and then on to NY.  

We had dinner Friday evening with my sister-in-law and niece at the El Serrano restaurant in Lancaster, PA.  It was great to see them after such a long time.  

We had a chance to spend time with Galen's mother and enjoyed a great breakfast Friday morning with her and also with Galen's sister-in-law and nephew at Gus's Restaurant in Mount Joy.  

After breakfast, a quick trip to Central Market in Lancaster and then we were back on the road and headed for NY.   


I love NY.  

We stayed with Amy and Bruno in their wonderful apartment in Brooklyn.  

They hosted a barbecue Saturday evening so we could meet Bruno's family.  ~And what a lovely family they are!  

~~The Baby Shower~~ 

The Baby Shower was held on Sunday at noon.  
It  was at the Vanderbilt Restaurant in Brooklyn and hosted by Bruno's parents and brother and wife.  

We played games, ate delicious food, and had a chance to meet with more family and friends.  

So much fun!  

It turned out to be a wonderful baby shower.  

Then....

After the shower some of us decided to drive to Brooklyn Bridge Park and DUMBO area. Galen and I have never been there.  What a fabulous place!  It was a beautiful evening and a beautiful time spent walking around and enjoying the sights.    

Later we had dinner at the Coco Roco, a Peruvian Restaurant in Brooklyn, which was sooooo good. 


Unfortunately, Monday morning came too quickly and it was time to leave.  

Time to head south.  Homeward bound to Carolina.  


It was a good trip home, only a few travelling delays, and Otis and Riley were very happy to see us upon our return.  

What a great trip, 
and I was happy to have been able to take this break during all of the cancer treatments and doctor appointments.  

A wonderful and a very much needed trip indeed.  

A Pennsylvania Dutch Holiday

This year for Thanksgiving we traveled back home to Lancaster County, Pennsylvania to spend the holiday with family.



Otis and Riley love a road trip so they were in their glory sitting right up front where they could see everything.

Traveling up Interstate 95 we passed the beautiful clock tower in Richmond, Virginia (below).

We noticed the farther north we got the trees were more bare and the fall color was gone (colder too!).

We had Thanksgiving dinner with hubby's (Galen) family. The table was set for 15 and we enjoyed a Lancaster County feast of pig stomach (a Pennsylvania German meal) and all the trimmings right down to the delicious pumpkin pie.

On Friday, the day after Thanksgiving, we took a drive to the Amish country and Intercourse where Galen grew up.

I always enjoy seeing the clothes lines full of wash. Evidently this was wash day ~ and a good one too, because it was very windy that day.

Zimmerman's Hardware store where Galen helped with the Saturday auctions behind the store.

Below is the home where Galen lived until graduation. It's now a Bed and Breakfast.

This is the one room school house where Galen attended third and fourth grade.

There happened to be an Amish school that just left out when we were passing by, and below you can see the children walking home, pulling a wagon filled with their lunch boxes and books.

We stopped by an Amish broom shop and I bought a hand made broom. I like the Amish brooms (I think they sweep better) :)

We passed by the Red Caboose Motel (which looks like a fun place to spend the night) ~I've always wanted to but we never did,

and as we waited at the railroad tracks, we saw the Strasburg train filled with tourists and visitors that were at the Strasburg Railroad Museum.

On the way home that day passing through Ronks, this covered bridge looked beautiful as the sun was setting.

We had a great Thanksgiving holiday with family in Pennsylvania, but it's always nice to get home.