Illinois Trains

We went to the Illinois Train Museum in a small town west of Chicago. John almost drooled. It had more trains than any other museum he has been to. We started with a ride on an interurban car from the North Shore Line.

When the motorman invited people to ride in front, John was right there. Doesn’t he have a satisfied look on his face as he came back toward me?

When the ride was over, John was the only one who accepted the invitation to sit in the motorman’s seat.

John said it was a good thing his sister Barbara and Thom were meeting us on the way to Minnesota, otherwise we might still be at the train museum. We looked at many engines and interurban cars, and John had a comment on almost every one. If I could remember half the things he says, I’d be an expert.

When Barbara and Thom met us in that town, we had lunch at a German pub. We managed to eat and begin catching up with news at the same time.

Tunes at a Touch

We were on our way to Minnesota and stopped for lunch at a little town in Indiana, the kind with the court house in the center square of town, surrounded by stores. There was only one eatery, so we went in. The town, the cafe, and the food were nondescript. When the waitress came to take our order, she couldn’t hear us because the music was so loud. She called over to the manager behind the bar, asking him to turn the music down. Thankfully, he responded, and that’s when I saw a flashy contraption on the back wall. It was about four feet tall and three feet wide. One of the customers kept going over to it, choosing music. Between songs, words flashed on the screen announcing that you could download the app and choose music from your table. Wow! It was an electronic jukebox! Before we left, I asked if they minded if I took a picture of it. The manager was pleased to show me all the menus on the flat screen and explained that you could put a dollar bill in the slot for three songs or pay with your phone.

When a song was playing, its video showed on the screen. Volume bars danced across the top, and the title scrolled across. The menu said you could hear 80 songs for $20. We could have tasted everything on the menu in that amount of time.

I feel sure the e-jukebox has been around for a while, but it was the first time I saw one. As a hearing-challenged oldster, I wondered if I could pay through the app to lower the volume. I could have had a bidding war with the customer who chose the music. I’d lower it; he’d raise it. Competition would be the name of the game.

The Ultimate Dish Garden

Our first visit to the Asheville Arboretum was delightful. Grandson David and I took an inordinate amount of time looking at the bonsai trees. I have seen miniature trees inside, but these were all outdoors. My favorite photo, with David included, was one that looked like a dish garden. I wanted to shrink myself and sit on the garden bench.

I snagged David and John to pose with my favorite single tree-on-a-shelf.

One of the first gardens we came to was the quilt garden. I believe they change the design of the squares every other year, copying a standard quilt design. We climbed the steps of the viewing platform to see it from above.

I can’t resist running water, so the stream garden was another favorite. Plants normally found near streams were in that area. The smooth water course didn’t produce much more than a gurgle, but it was visually engaging.

As you might imagine, we spent a bit of time near the train layout. John and David peeked in the shed to see the cars stored there. As they inspected the tracks and scenery, I watched two women with their five children in the amphitheater on the hill below. The children were cavorting on the stage and slipping through the wall of evergreen trees. It was the perfect place for them to shriek and chase each other while their mothers chatted.

Most of the visitors were parents with young children or retirees, a nice mix! There were probably serious walkers on the miles of trails that surround the gardens. We had a delightful time on a cloudy day when the temperature was on the cool side of warm.

Ice Cream SPLAT!

Grandson David and I were longing for barbecue, so John took us to Dickie’s after church. Dickie’s pulled pork might not measure up to the meat at our favorite BBQ place in Virginia, but it was certainly better than another favorite, Haywood Smokehouse, because it is closed on Sunday. We enjoyed our meal and choreographed getting the free soft ice cream. David, being the “professional” in the family working at Burger King, would load the cones, and John would bring ours to the table. He brought mine first, balancing it carefully. I had it securely in my hand, and then it toppled onto my tray. SPLAT! By the time I thought to take a picture of it, I’d already gotten a spoon and taken a bite or so.

John brought his cone to the table and sat down without incident. Two couples were sitting behind us at one table, and their four children at another table began watching David. By their dress and behavior, we assume they had just come from church, too. As David walked carefully to join us, he heard the children say things like, “Ohh! Look! I want one like that. It’s so tall! How did he do it?”

The fellows were man enough to finish off their cones without losing a drop. John’s success was because of speed and David’s because of being extremely careful. David said he has been told to limit the ice cream to three swirls per cone at Burger King.

Many of you can afford to envy that dessert. Several months ago we heard a person behind the counter tell a customer that the frozen part is dairy free. The cone is gluten free, as well. You can’t lose, except if what you are trying to lose is weight.

Weather Calls the Shots

Weather decided whether we would be outside. The forecast included thunderstorms, but storms are iffy in the mountains. We planned to find a swimming hole for grandson David if the temperature turned unbearable. If we were cool enough, we’d go to the arboretum in Asheville, which we’ve not been to yet. As we set out in the car, we headed for the arboretum. About five miles from it, I saw a dark cloud coming our way. The three of us dithered and decided to drive beyond it to the visitor’s center for the Blue Ridge Parkway. The center was lovely, having interesting displays about the building of this scenic highway perched on the mountain ridges from Virginia to North Carolina.

We heard thunder, and then came a huge downpour. We watched the video, looked at the exhibits, and examined the map of the whole parkway. I mentally pointed to the spot where our house is. I took a photo of John and David in front of the map. We left when it was only sprinkling.

Just down the road was the center for folk art. It’s a beautiful showcase for the work of contemporary mountain artists and includes a permanent display of historic crafts. I did not take photographs there, since most galleries do not allow it. It’s understandable that people might profit from stealing ideas. There were racks of clothing, Christmas ornaments, pottery, wooden utensils, musical instruments, paintings, furniture, jewelry, quilts, kaleidoscopes, and other decorative items for sale.

David and I got out at several overlooks on the parkway. I liked the foliage of some wildflowers and asked David to pose with white-bloomed autumn clematis.

Is this David’s gateway to the mountains?

On our way down the mountain, we stopped at David’s and my favorite waterfall, Sunburst. I took a photo of David with the falls. Where he is sitting is not a dangerous drop off. This is one of the places where people hop on the rocks and get closer to the falling water.

We were impressed with the low level of the water, and David held his phone out to get a closer shot. Light rain hit us at the falls, but it did not fall on the car a few feet away. At the bottom of the mountain, we stopped at Jukebox Junction to get David a milkshake.

On the way home, we stopped at a supermarket and a dollar store. If only I had restricted myself to looking for the things on my list, we would have made it home dry! John opted to stay in the car to watch lightning, but he came in to bring me my rain jacket. Just as we checked out, the deluge hit. We stood under the covered walkway waiting. It was amusing to watch people go through the rain to their cars. Some ran as fast as they could, and others shrugged their shoulders and walked. We couldn’t see past the parking lot for the heavy, heavy rain. When it slacked off, we waded to our car. Very few surfaces are level here in the mountains, and that included the parking lot. The water was rushing downhill as fast as it could go, but it was still an inch or so deep. The storm came down the valley, soaking Waynesville and Clyde. We live on the other side of Utah Mountain, and the roads near our house were bone dry. That afternoon we had several thunderstorms at home, and there was another storm raging when David and I went to bed at midnight. What an odd-weather day it had been!

As I was writing this the following day, a thunderstorm blew through. A photo of the deck in front of my computer shows heavy rain on the deck, with drops splashing up two inches in the birdbath. Behind the mountains were blue sky and white clouds.

Dragon Breath

The last time we went out to eat, I chose Dragon Shrimp. The menu said there would be shrimp and broccoli on a bed of rice with a spicy sauce. The waitress asked if I wanted Bleu cheese or ranch dressing to tone it down. I declined, not knowing that I would change my mind in a matter of seconds. I tasted the broccoli first. Yoweeee!! Steam may not have come out of my ears, but tears rolled down my cheeks. The shrimp and rice were fine, even though they had the same sauce. The day was saved with ranch dressing, and I thought no more about it.

The next morning the temperature was cool when we walked, in the low 60’s (15.6C). That’s what it has been much of the summer. I said to John, “I can see my breath.”

Blowing out, he said, “I can’t see mine.”

“I know what it is,” I said. “It’s Dragon Breath!!”

Logan’s First Day of 4th Grade

Neighbor Logan and his dad were waiting for the school bus as we walked to the top of the steep hill. I asked Logan to pose for a first day photo, which he did willingly.

Logan’s hands are blurred because he was still moving.

On the other side of the car, John and Bob were discussing whether they had missed the bus. John knew it took us ten minutes to climb the steep hill, and the bus had not passed us. Logan did the floss dance for a few seconds, probably letting off steam and excitement. He declined being videoed doing the dance, but he agreed to recording his getting in the car.

Silly Kitchen and Oregon

Silly things go on in our kitchen, but I guess that is to be expected. We spend a lot of time there. Grandson David and I remembered John stored boxes of cereal over the refrigerator. I asked him to look, and before I could fetch the step stool, he was standing on the counter. The cereal boxes were there.

Grandson Nathaniel gave me some of his sourdough starter, and I found a recipe for biscuits that I wanted to try. I quit using sourdough when we moved to England in 1980, so I was excited to have it again. When the ingredients were ready to stir together, I was careless and did steps in the wrong order. Nathaniel would have dumped the mess and started over, but not miser me! Oh, no! The biscuits did not brown, and I should have made them thicker. David and I ate them, anyway. Next time they will be a lot better.

When I was putting the leftovers away, I found the angry biscuit scowling at me.

Oregon is much more beautiful than an angry biscuit. Rose took a photo of John $pencer with a Sitka spruce tree. The Sitka is the tallest of spruces and can thrive even when hit by the ocean’s salt spray. It can live for 700 years.

Rose took my favorite shot of the dog – Sadie observing her kingdom in Glacier Peak Wilderness .

North Carolina to Washington State

On an August Sunday, our son and grandsons were on opposite sides of the United States. Photos show a great contrast of urban living and wilderness splendor.

Nathaniel and David

We went to church in Tryon because we were there once before and enjoyed the traditional Lutheran service chanted by the Pastor. We walked to the edge of the parking lot to see the lovely stream that runs behind the church. It’s a good thing I couldn’t see it from the sanctuary, or I would have been greatly distracted. We had lunch in Landrum, SC, and I took a photo of David and Nathaniel. David drove himself back home to work, and we took Nathaniel to Charlotte.

Would you like to see pictures of his dorm? He worked at the university all summer and has just moved to the suite he will share with three others when the next term starts. I’m sure you can label the photos yourself – shots from the kitchen, the living room, his bedroom, and the balcony.

Nathaniel and Charlotte

Johnson & Wales has an urban campus, smack dab in the downtown area. Nathaniel’s suite is on the seventh floor. Neat Nate had everything put away in the kitchen. The living room will come to life when the others bring in a TV and decorative items. Everything is in place in his bedroom. I wish I’d taken a shot of his closet where clothing is sorted – cooking clothes on one side and civilian clothes on the other. The balcony photo speaks for itself. Nathaniel will share a bathroom with another fellow. Two bedrooms and a bathroom mirror theirs on the other side of the kitchen. The four students will share a washing machine and dryer in the common area. This bears almost no relation to my college experience of dorm living.

Now for the contrast. Look at John $pencer’s temporary quarters in Washington. He was studying a map. They spoke of being surrounded by goats one night and thankful Sadie didn’t bark.

Rose took a picture of $ and Sadie on the trail. With a little imagination I can see my son, but I can’t find Sadie.

$’s joy is visible as Rose had him pose with a glacier. They heard low noises while camping near the glacier and are wondering if glaciers make sounds. Does anyone know?

Waterfalls to Balloons

We had a busy week with our grandsons. On David’s day off, we went to Linville Falls. We walked .4 mile on a gravel path and stood on a large flat boulder to see the low falls.

The wide pool seemed to be a quiet place for the water to gather energy to hurl itself down the gorge.

Back in the car, David reveled in the space for his legs. The middle seats had been removed so that he could sleep on an air mattress at the train club. As a selfie, this was unusual. I held the camera and had him direct me for the best angle. My gray hair was watching from the front seat.

Nathaniel came for the weekend and cooked breakfast and lunch on his one full day here. I took a photo of his luscious biscuits. [Biscuit lovers Karen and Al, wish you could have been here!] Not pictured were the strips of bacon he prepared for John and sausage links for the rest of us. He took orders for the eggs, so that everyone had what they wanted. John chose an omelet, and David opted for scrambled eggs. Nathaniel and I had our eggs sunny side up. I have never been able to cook a presentable one, and his were perfection.

For lunch, Nathaniel grilled three kinds of brats and the lovely squash neighbor Logan brought from the garden. I took a picture of Nate’s technique of eating two brats in a foot-long bun.

In the afternoon Logan came over, and inevitably a balloon made its entrance. The still shot shows Nathaniel, John, and Logan with the feet of Logan’s dad.

We were batting the balloon while talking with Bob. I sat there, letting the pocket camera observe the action. Logan seemed to be in two or three places at once. My foot appeared for a second at the bottom of the screen as I kicked the yellow balloon back into action. My apologies to Bob for such a fractured conversation.