THIS N' THAT

I have totally been neglecting my poor old blog.  I meant to write about my visit to Frank Lloyd Wright's "Fallingwater," my new camera, my husband's trip south on the completed boat.  So here goes -- I will make it brief:

In early October my sister and I drove out to Pittsburgh to visit our Uncle Bud.  We had made this trip a year ago and thoroughly enjoyed it.  Nothing better than a sisters' road trip.  We so enjoy each other's company.  Uncle Bud is 86 and loves to travel and is always active.  He is one of two of our mother's only remaining siblings and he was our mother's favorite brother.  He insisted on making the reservations in advance (which you have to do) to get into Fallingwater and he drove the two hours to and from his house to Fallingwater.

Fallingwater was built in  1937 for the Kaufman family of Pittsburgh as their weekend retreat.  You probably have seen pictures of it.  If not, here is one of the house behind us.  It has to be seen to be believed.  It is built cantilevered out over a waterfall amidst deep woods.  Stone floors, rustic throughout, totally integrated with nature, extremely contemporary for its time and even for today.  Frank Lloyd Wright also designed much of the furniture in the house.  One question presented by the guide -- "Could you live here?"  My answer is a resounding "YES!"

Now my new camera:  I researched cameras for a month, going between spending a lot of money on one, or being more reasonable.  I knew the things I wanted in a camera.  My previous camera was a little Fujifilm which still works, but the USB cable connection is done for.  I had pretty much settled on a Canon, but finally ended up with another Fuji because it was more reasonable and had everything I wanted for under $200.  I am a very mediocre and inexperienced photographer, so I am happy with what I got.  Here is a picture of it.

The Great Boat Trip South:  My husband and boat partners left November 4 to take their 65 ft. trawler south via the Intracoastal Waterway (ICW).  This has been a four year project to totally gut and rebuild an old fishing vessel.

As you can see the photos are miniscule thanks to the downloading features of the Kodak EasyShare from which it was downloaded.  Kodak Easyshare is NOT Easy Share!

We had a huge nor'easter or as they are calling it Nor'Ida because it was the remnants of Hurricane Ida.  The beach here is totally eroded, roads were flooded -- it was a mess.

All the best to you, fellow bloggers,

Violetlady

SERENDIPITY

One of my favorite words is "serendipity." According to the dictionary it means:
1. an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident.
2. good fortune; luck: the serendipity of getting the first job she applied for.

When my sister was visiting we were browsing through an antique shop. She called me over to look at a set of silverware. "Look familiar?" she asked. It was the same pattern that was on a few pieces that we used as children. As we looked closer, we saw it was monogramed -- with the letter "H." H is the initial of our maiden name!!! Serendipity!!

I came home with a new set of silverware.

Always,

SISTERS WEEKEND

It has been awhile since I have written, but as most of you know, sometimes the mood to write just isn't there.

I had a wonderful three days with my sister this past weekend. It had been quite awhile since she visited me down here in Delaware, although I am up in her neck of the woods much more often. Whether driving north or south, parts of the trip are just plain grueling - lots of heavy, high speed traffic.

We spent lots of time talking, talking, talking, shopping at thrift and antique stores and, of course, eating. We went to the Historic Lewes Farmers Market Saturday morning and then that afternoon we visited the local lavender farm. It was beautiful and smelled wonderful.

Always,

Violetlady

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DEAR SISTER!!

Today is my little sister's birthday. I am reprinting here what I wrote last year on her birthday.

The older we get, the closer we get. I wish that you, dear bloggers, could have a relationship like this in your lives with one of your siblings. I can remember when I was a very little girl and Linda was born. I stayed with our Nana while Mom was in the hospital. In those days, people didn't have babies and come home in two days. I remember that Mom had to come home without Linda because my new sister had a life-threatening problem. She was born -Rh factor and had to have blood transfusions. I remember clearly Mom sitting on Nana's sofa crying. I was four years old. Dad was frantically looking for blood donors. I don't remember more details, but the new precious baby in our lives pulled through. I remember being allowed to go to the hospital and see her in her little incubator.

Linda was the one who knew everyone in the neighborhood. She organized backyard fairs, had coffee with the older neighbors (she was then about 7) and loved to perform her dance routines for us in front of the television. Where was I? Mom would say, "Tina get your nose out of that book, and go outside and get some fresh air." As you can see, Linda was the outgoing one and I was the introvert. She was also the one who would cry if Mom or Dad yelled at her. I was the one who refused to shed a tear.

Unfortunately, looking back I remember being a brat to my little sister. I think she forgives me. There were adult years when we had disagreements and didn't see each other often, but thank heavens these always resolved themselves. I could go on and on, but I will end with this: Linda is so precious to me now. I cherish all of our memories and time together. Happy Birthday dear little sister!

Look on my sidebar and you will see a picture of Linda and me.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LINDA!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, LINDA!

Today is my sister's birthday. I made her a chocolate cake with chocolate icing using our mother's fudge cake recipe. (I should have taken a picture of it, but forgot). Yesterday I drove to Pennsylvania to meet her for the afternoon and give her the cake and present. We had a great day - lunch, shopping at thrift stores, visiting my nieces, talking, talking, talking.

The older we get, the closer we get. I wish that you, dear bloggers, could have a relationship like this in your lives with one of your siblings. I can remember when I was a very little girl and Linda was born. I stayed with our Nana while Mom was in the hospital. In those days, people didn't have babies and come home in two days. I remember that Mom had to come home without Linda because my new sister had a life-threatening problem. She was born -Rh factor and had to have blood transfusions. I remember clearly Mom sitting on Nana's sofa crying. I was four years old. Dad was frantically looking for blood donors. I don't remember more details, but the new precious baby in our lives pulled through. I remember being allowed to go to the hospital and see her in her little incubator.

Linda was the one who knew everyone in the neighborhood. She organized backyard fairs, had coffee with the older neighbors (she was then about 7) and loved to perform her dance routines for us in front of the television. Where was I? Mom would say, "Tina get your nose out of that book, and go outside and get some fresh air." As you can see, Linda was the outgoing one and I was the introvert. She was also the one who would cry if Mom or Dad yelled at her. I was the one who refused to shed a tear.

Unfortunately, looking back I remember being a brat to my little sister. I think she forgives me. There were adult years when we had disagreements and didn't see each other often, but thank heavens these always resolved themselves. I could go on and on, but I will end with this: Linda is so precious to me now. I cherish all of our memories and time together. Happy Birthday dear little sister!

"A ministering angel shall my sister be." William Shakespeare, 'Hamlet'

Here is my sister and me several years ago when we took our first vacation together since we were children. I discovered then that my sister is more than a sister. She is my best friend. Only a sister knows you inside out, your shared history, your happiness and sorrow, and who shot the peas across the dining room table and who got blamed for it.