Grandson David has loved trains all his life. When he was very small, he’d take a nap in John’s caboose as John pulled a train around the club track on Long Island. He is all grown up now and recently was the engineer of a friend’s train at the club in Tennessee. This is what I’ve been waiting for – a good photo that shows my fellows on a train. John was the conductor, sitting at the end of the train. A friend took this photo and published it in the club newsletter. Can you tell by their faces how much fun they were having?
The day before our holiday up north was one to forget. I managed to break the washing machine, got upset, became angry when the repair service wouldn’t answer the phone, set the phone down none too gently and broke it! Finally put the phone together, only couldn’t get the cover on properly. You should have seen the mouthpiece hanging on for dear life, balanced precariously atop the little spindles, and the rest bared and looking naked. Later when the phone rang, Kate ran to answer it, took one look and backed away as if she’d seen a ghost. John got the cover put back later. Then back to the washing machine – I decided to empty it and found the problem! A disposable nappy had been included in that load, had stopped up the lint filter and prevented the water from draining. A quick clean and she was as good as new! From all those problems I rushed down for a quick chat at the toddler play group and had a good time. Thank heaven days like that don’t come too often!
Saturday we drove to Newcastle. Took all day, weather was drab until afternoon, and then we got to see some lovely scenery. Newcastle is in Northumberland at the top left-hand side of England. Not too far from Scotland! Wish you could have seen the luxurious suite of rooms John had for us. The girls had one bedroom with two double beds and a bath, there was a conference room next to it with a complete bath, and then our room just like theirs. Can you imagine five of us with three baths and three TV sets? I’m glad to say we used the baths and not the TV’s.
Sunday we saw Alnwick castle, but it was closed until spring. Still, the outside is little changed from medieval times, we read.
The thing we were all impressed with was Hadrian’s Wall. We all walked on it and explored one of the forts built as part of it. Unbelievable! It was built by the Romans from AD 122 – 130 and stretched 73 miles. Some of it was 20 feet high and 10 feet wide, though none of it is left standing that way now. It was abandoned in 383.
Walking on Hadrian’s Wall
Roman fort on Hadrian’s Wall
Inside York Minster
Monday we drove around Durham and then on to York. It rained all day, but we refused to let that stop us. York is an ancient town with an old wall around it, and we walked miles. There were parking lots sprinkled around, but all were full. We finally found one out of town and walked in. The huge church there was marvelous. When we walked in, there was a Bach organ work being played with brass (live) on the cantus firmus. That’s the way to see and hear a church! Found the graves of Edward III, Queen Philipa and a son of theirs. Also I found interesting a plaque with the names of the organists of Yorkminster since 1400!! There weren’t as many names as you’d imagine! Maybe church organists are a long-lived species.
York Minster
The National Railway Museum is also in York. Their parking lot stayed full every time we checked, but we finally found public parking not too far away. $ tried out the acoustics, but the building was too large and the crowds too loud for him to use his sonar. John tried hard not to let his extreme happiness show, but the girls let loose and enjoyed themselves to the hilt.
Found the ideal way to introduce drinking from a cup to a baby: find yourself in a situation without the training cup and with your baby wearing his raincoat! Works well! $ drank a full cup of milk minus two gulps and four napkins full. It satisfied him enough for us to get back to the car and drive to find a motel.
The motel by the side of one of the major roads was very nice. We all squeezed into one room, $ being the first into bed, then Kate, Lisa, and us. Also had the worst meal we’ve had in England at a cafeteria nearby. We decided the food was tired.
Tuesday we drove home. It was a very nice trip, and we learned a few things that might help when we next set out.
I’ve just gotten some marvelous Silverstone nonstick cookware. I’m wondering if people ever coat little boys with silverstone so the dirt will slide off!
John $ has a unique way of descending the stairs. He holds his left arm and leg extended straight and uses the right appendages as cogs in a wheel to stop the motion when the speed gets too high. When he wakes up, he comes to with a bang. If you sit in the room below, it sounds as if a trampoline has been rigged up as a drum above.
Cut $’s hair this week. Afterwards, instead of giving him a lollipop, I let him chew on his comb.
I went to a home group meeting where the people were studying a book about Moses. Enjoyed the study and the folks there.
John and I went for an interview at the school at the end of this road and were assured Lisa would probably be accepted there in September. [She would graduate from her present school and had to find another.] We had a tour of the school and saw neighbor Marianne and the daughter of Lisa’s French teacher. There are 340 girls, of which 40 are boarders.
The girls, $ and I went to explore the Silent Pool. We’d seen signs to the parking lot between Dorking and Guildford but didn’t know what was there. It was a lovely pool, must be spring fed and as clear as could be. There were lots of leaves floating on the water, so we plan to return in the spring. We also wandered around country lanes looking for the other school John and I have an appointment to see.
One day I heard John $ softly bleating and followed the sound to the guest room. Found the light turned on, and the baby pacing on hands and knees all around one of the beds! He had sense enough to know not to get off the bed head first. Several days later we saw him try it again and found he’d gotten on the bed by climbing up and through a bedside table.
Yesterday Chris G from the office came for the afternoon. We picked her up at the train station and drove to Polesden Lacey, a big country home with some lovely rooms. According to the guide book, this house was loaned to the Duke and Duchess of York for their honeymoon. (They later became King George VI and Queen Elizabeth.) We saw the house, wandered around the grounds, and came home for a hot cup of tea. We had a leisurely dinner, put the girls to bed, and Chris went back to London on the train. We enjoyed her a lot. She kept telling John she wanted to come out to play with the baby, and she did. She held him in the car in preference to sitting in the front seat to see more.
Today we rode the Bluebell Railroad, a steam engine drawn train, of course. [Why didn’t I take pictures???] Then we walked briskly through Sheffield Park Gardens because it was cold and almost closing time. Lovely autumn colors!
We were having an ordinary day when neighbor Shawn texted to see if her son Logan and granddaughter Lily could come over to visit. She added that Lily was the one who was excited about it. Logan knew our doorbell was broken and that he needed to pound on the door to get our attention. I heard John greet the children, and their enthusiastic voices rose as he told them we had a new doorbell. Ding! Dong! It worked!
They wandered around, deciding what they wanted to do. Both sat on the bench and “played” the piano. They were respectful of the instrument and didn’t pound on it. John reached over to play a note, asking them if they could match that tone. That’s when I rounded the corner with the camera. Both of them sang the note on pitch with no hesitation.
Lily decided to leave when we suggested playing with a balloon. As Logan went to get one, I remembered that Lily declined to play the last time she was here. I wonder if she doesn’t like balloons. One of my children can’t stand them. She is convinced it will break at any moment, and she hates the suspense. We’ll have to think of something else the next time Lily comes.
Logan always finds something unusual to do. He pulled the mouth of the balloon over his finger, up to the knot, and made it thump rapidly. We were amused.
We batted the balloon about for a while, and Logan glanced at the clock. He said, “I think I’ll go home, even though I don’t have to be there for ten more minutes.”
I’m not a mind-reader, but I think he was feeling a bit responsible for entertaining Lily. He thanked us at least three times and added a thank you on Lily’s behalf, too. His manners are amazing. Six years ago when we first knew him, he was prompted to thank people. Now it comes naturally and sincerely. What a boy!
We had rain and some gusty winds from former hurricane Zeta. As we waited for the storm to end, I spotted rainbows while sitting at the computer. The first one was brilliant, although the photo does not show it well. Grandson David came running to see it, and son John $pencer saw it from his room.
About an hour later I looked up, and there was a flattened rainbow. It looked like a giant had stepped on it. Clouds coming between us and the sun erased it momentarily. We played peek-a-boo for several minutes.
Flattened rainbow in center of photo
David had a rare day off, so he, John, and I went out for lunch and drove to Sunburst Falls. We had never seen the stream so full of water. Most impressive! For comparison, on the left there is a photo taken in December of 2019 with Lise and David on the rocks. The current photo on the right shows David with the swollen stream.
Below is a zoomed shot of David and the rushing torrent.
The end of the day was gorgeous with blue skies and fluffy clouds. The flooding? That would be moonlight flooding into the bedroom in the middle of the night, enough to cast shadows!
My brother Bob and Beth proposed an afternoon visit, and we were delighted. It had been months since we last saw them. That morning I looked at the trees in our neighborhood, knowing they enjoy autumn leaves in the mountains. I hoped they would have a lovely drive from Winston Salem and would see something as bright as this.
We were on our street when I whipped out the camera again. I labeled this photo “Not a Pyramid”. One of the first things Beth said was they had rain and mist all the way until they came to Asheville. At least the last half hour of their trip was more pleasant.
Not a pyramid — our street
The following photo shows Bob and Beth wearing masks on our front porch. They have been careful to avoid COVID-19, and so far that has paid off. They told us their grandson Sam caught the virus at college, although he had been careful, too. He had a cough and didn’t feel very well for a couple of days. John served them fresh apple cider he bought from the orchard a few days before.
As I put down my drink, the camera fell off my lap onto the floor. That was a good excuse to take another picture to make sure it was still working. The day was warm and sunny, perfect for sitting outside. As the sun moved, we scooted our chairs to stay out of the direct sunlight. I especially enjoyed hearing about their grandchildren and Beth’s family. Their granddaughter Kate has many of the same complaints Nathaniel has about on-line classes. Both are coping, but classroom learning is far better. Beth and Bob have enjoyed watching grandson Max play high school football on line. They live an hour or so away, so it’s really convenient to watch him from their living room.
Having a concentrated visit was most satisfactory. Son John $pencer was with us before I took photos, and he was very glad to see them again. We all hope to be together around Thanksgiving.
Son John $pencer has a little camping auger he has been experimenting with. He drilled holes in a stump and showed grandsons David and Nathaniel how to set a tiny fire in it. The young men were in the dark, although they saw the light.
On our way to take Nathaniel back to his dorm, we ate at Flat Rock Wood Room not far from Carl Sandburg’s home. We were surprised to find any restaurant equally featuring barbecue and pizza. I thought the food was tasty and served imaginatively. The fellows all had a skillet filled with macaroni and cheese, topped with barbecued pork. David’s side dish was fried sweet potatoes in a tiny bucket. I had shrimp and grits with barbecue sauce.
You can tell I was trying to fit faces and food in the shot without paying attention to one face.
On the way home I savored the memories of Nathaniel’s quick visit. He told us about his busy life – working one job in the dorm and one in the cafeteria, for a total of 40 hours a week. He attends one class in person and takes the rest of his classes on line. He doesn’t have much time to cook. I was delighted that he brought some sweet potatoes and was willing to prepare them any way we wanted. It’s a pleasure to cook with him. He never gets in my way, and I try to stay out of his. The mashed sweets were marvelous.
My favorite story was set in the cafeteria. There was an area in the dining room where people were not supposed to step. Despite a sign on the floor, people continually walked there while glued to their phones. Nathaniel suggested they tape it off and put a mannequin there. It was his suggestion that turned into his assignment. He said he changed the clothes on the mannequin once a week and put it in different positions on the floor. Lots of people commented on it, and no one stepped there again. I wish I’d asked for a photo, because I’m sure he took a few.
After we came home, David and I were relaxing in easy chairs. I said, “I don’t think Nathaniel moved the mirror down.”
John had looked and said that was correct. David got up, and I reached for the camera. The ritual was obligatory, even without Nathaniel. With the mirror lower, John and I can now see our heads. It would be comfortable for David about five inches higher.
We spent half a day with grandson David before driving to pick up grandson Nathaniel in the evening. How blessed we are to have these young men in our lives!
David, John, and I drove to Carver’s Apple Orchard. We enjoyed the mostly golden leaves on the mountainsides. The restaurant on the premises was full! Here is a photo of the dining room, for those of you who may have forgotten what a full restaurant looks like.
The orchard is visible from the windows.
It’s fun to have a picture of my dining companions, one of whom is always willing to pose.
[I don’t know how to make the above photo and words smaller.]
After eating, we walked through the market full of apples, cider, jams, honey, and vegetables. It was the first time we’d ever seen men grading apples. They quickly picked out some to go in bushel baskets, and the rest continued on the conveyor belt to a large bin on the left.
On the way home, John drove on a small road beside the Pigeon River. I listened to the sound of the water going over rocks as David went down the steep bank to walk beside the water.
David was helping a friend and didn’t go with us to pick up Nathaniel. They had their own reunion when we got back. John reminded us to do the mirror ceremony. (It’s a ritual that Nathaniel raises the mirror to a level where he can see his face. He moves it back down when he leaves.)
The next day Nathaniel concentrated on school projects while David was at work. Nate asked about building a fire as son John $pencer walked through the room. John joined the two of them as they burned the old wood from the deck. That activity was a perfect diversion from studying. What could be better for a pyromaniac than being outdoors and tending a fire?
We are beginning to have colorful trees near our home, but I haven’t found an arresting view yet. I stopped to take a photo of a burning bush we pass on our walk. This is the first year I noticed it has red berries. The leaves are getting redder and should be more dramatic in a few days.
Our one little rosebush was valiantly hanging on, keeping as much color as it could.
I didn’t notice the clematis bloom until I was pulling creeping thyme from a border. This plant produced two or three mediocre flowers in the spring and saved up all its strength to produce this stunner.
I hope you are enjoying the changing seasons wherever you are.
Grandson David took a few vacation days to go to the train club with John. He knows people there and was pleased to spend time with two men named Bob from the Long Island club, shown here with their steam engines and John between them.
Bob W, John, and Bob A
I liked David’s photo of a few of the trains running that day. Can you see the steam coming out of the smokestack nearest the camera? Those trains burn coal or oil. I don’t know the people in the picture.
David took a photo as Bob drove the train through woods. David’s knees are in the foreground.
David was eating a homemade breakfast sandwich, which developed a cheese tongue as he ate. I was very aware of tongues from avoiding Sadie’s.
The big rock in the creek often snags branches, but this time the catch looked like a board covered with cloth. Unless someone moves it, the board will stay there until the next heavy rain.
Sadie, Rose’s dog, has gone to live with Rose in Tennessee. Oh! How quiet the house is! We have no barky alert when someone comes down the street. There is no auto-vacuum in the kitchen or under the dining table. We miss our walking partner on a leash.
Sadie’s favorite place in the bedroom was the recliner. She spent hours there while I wrote and read blogs. Whenever I stood up, I’d pet her, and she’d squirm around so that I could scratch her tummy.
She is no happier being photographed than the rest of the family.
Today the shams are back in place on the bed. Several weeks ago I was surprised and pleased that Sadie jumped on the bed and took a nap with me. I barricaded her after that, because I didn’t want fleas in the bed. You see, I gave Sadie fleas. A couple of weeks before she came to stay, I saw a flea jump from the counter in the bathroom. I must have brought it and its family in from the garden. We vacuumed more often than usual, but the fleas loved catching a ride on Sadie. If we find more fleas, we’ll use a spray, which I didn’t want to use with the dog in the house.
Sadie barricades in place
This is my favorite photo of son John $pencer with Sadie. They had been playing hard, and he held her for a minute to calm her down. We both petted her a lot the days before she left.
I missed our morning routine. When I was dressed for walking, I’d say Sadie’s name softly outside $’s door. In two seconds, I’d hear her feet hit the floor and would open the door to let her out. She’d go straight to the front door and wait for me to attach her leash.
Hello CAT As we walked toward the bend in the road, John wondered how long it would take the cat to come out again. Twice she came nervously to the top of her driveway as John held Sadie a distance away. It had been weeks since we’d seen her. Today she jumped out of bushes and ran over to greet us. We call her CAT. She has a fancy name given her by neighbor Warren’s daughter, but Warren calls her CAT. I say it in a softer tone of voice. She loved the petting and walked along with us until something prompted her to hunt in the woods. I took a quick photo, because she is not one to pose for me. She seems to have forgiven us for walking Sadie.
CAT
Rose sent $ a video of Sadie meeting her grandson Easton. The three-month-old sat on the floor next to Sadie. The baby reached out his hand as Sadie sniffed him and licked his hand. They are off to a good start. Good girl, Sadie!
My name is Suki, my human is a writer, and this is about my world. The world according to Suki The Cat. My humans smell funny, look weird, and I can't understand a thing they say, but they feed me, so hey, what are you gonna do?
Mehrling Muse 