Thursday, June 14, 2018

A Michigan 2018 Review


It's going to take time to get through these last weeks of gallivanting about, especially since they're not over yet...not until g'son Nicholas leaves for Atlanta on Sunday.

So, the easiest thing right now is to show the Facebook posts I published each day, first in Michigan for a week and then in Atlanta for 1.5 weeks.

Astrid and I flew to Detroit, MI, on May 16th and were picked up by sister, Ruth, and BIL, Don.

First order of business was to go eat lunch in Chelsea (home of Jiffy).
Gotta love the bike that made us feel right at home!

To be honest, the most important part of being on The Farm is just to BE there.
Just BEING with Don and Ruth where they live is a vacation.
We needed that.  We were all so relaxed.

A surprise awaited us from Ruth, who had already quilted a table runner that reminded her of me.
She had wanted to perhaps make more placemats and napkins for us,
but I convinced her that the table runner had our name written all over it.
Once Nicholas leaves, it goes on our table, with accompanying napkins.
What a gift, especially watching her make the binding at the end.

Another very special memory was spending a few hours with their son Peter.
While Andrea stayed home to work, Peter and the kids went with us 
to the 4-H Children's Garden at Michigan State.
OMG.  A D O R A B L E.

You may remember that the main reason we went to Michigan in the first place
was to attend my 55th high school reunion:  Class of '63.
There were 32 of us who attended (with added spouses) from our class of 178 classmates.
All of us are 73, mas o menos a year!  :)

The joy it was to connect with my classmates was like meeting them again for the first time.
This was so high on my bucket list that I could have died and gone to heaven.
It was even better than I had imagined.
(I'm here with our class president, Bruce, and his wife Maria.)

And they all totally loved and included my wife, Astrid.
How could they not!
(Carol Baker on the right was a girlfriend all through my youth.)

The class reunion was on Friday night and Saturday was a luncheon for 500 classmates
who have graduated 50-plus years or more.  The oldest present was from the Class of '33 (age 102)!
That was a special day but my own Class of '63 reunion was the highlight for me.

On Sunday, it was time for my sibs to meet up and have our own reunion!
6 of the 8 of us were present:  Nelson, Moi, Nancy, Jim, John and Ruth.
Bennett (#6) is wandering the galaxies somewhere.
Susan (#2) was on a pre-scheduled cruise for her 75th birthday.

But here she is (left) from eons ago.  Nelson celebrated his 75th a year ago.
I'll celebrate mine two years from now, followed by Nancy the next year.

Which brings me to the ones who were responsible:  Barbara and Carl Hart!
I always visit my parents' gravestone when I'm in Grand Ledge, MI, where I grew up.
It seems a fitting close to this first busy week of our vacation.

Next post will be all about Nicholas' high school graduation,
plus our time enjoying the neighborhood where he lives....


Thursday, June 07, 2018

Watercolor Sunday and Saturday's Color: May 2018


Now that we're back from our American trip, I'll start off with an easy post, since grandson Nicholas is now with us for two weeks.  In time I'll catch you up on everything.

For now, here are my Watercolor Sunday posts on Facebook for May, 2018:

May 6 (photo manipulation):
"A lie keeps growing and growing until it's as plain as the nose on your face."
--Walt Disney Company, Pinocchio

"Most unfortunately, in the lives of puppets there is always a 'but' that spoils everything."
--Carlo Collodi, Pinocchio


May 13 (photo manipulation):
"Children are the anchors that a hold a mother to life."
--Sophocles

Happy Mother's Day!


May 20 (photo manipulation):
"Earth's crammed with heaven, And every common bush afire with God:
But only he who sees takes off his shoes."
--Elizabeth Barrett Browning


May 27 (photo manipulation):
"What lies behind us and what lies ahead of us are tiny matters
compared to what lives within us."
--Henry David Thoreau

♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥

These are my Saturday's Color posts on Facebook for May 2018:

(finished on 20 April 2018, posted on FB 5 May 2018)
For some reason, I've always liked brown and red together.
Of course, brown is the redhead's "black," which is probably why.
But I don't recall ever wearing the combination.  Hmmm.
(from my Mandalas book)

(finished on 14 April 2018, posted on FB 12 May 2018)
Happy Mother's Day to Barbara Nelson Bennett Hart
who bore us 8 kids (of whom I am #3) and lived to age 80 by 1997.
We all came from your "center" and blossomed out over the years.  Thank you.
(from my Mandalas book)


(finished on 28 January 2018, posted on FB 19 May 2018)
Have you noticed that when you live long enough,
your life circles back to itself in sometimes wonderful, unbelievable ways!
That's how I felt last evening at my Class of '63 high school reunion here in Michigan...our 55th.
OMG!  I'm still luxuriating in those moments of "rekindling."
(from my Techellations book)


(finished on 7 April 2018, posted on FB 26 May 2018)
This Mandala design is called "Bluefin Tuna" in honor of daughter Amy's husband Dennis
and his parents who owned a sport fishing boat named "Bluefin" for 20 years.
(Judy, his mom, is with us now in Atlanta, from California.)
Happy Memorial Day weekend to all my American friends,
especially those of you who will be fishing.


Garderen Sand Sculptures 2025: "Amsterdam 750 Years"

For how much Astrid and I both LOVE LOVE LOVE the Garderen sand-sculpture themes ever year, it's hard to believe that the last time we ...