travel | Love, Laughter, and Life

The inside of one of the barracks at Fort Simcoe

Do weekends go faster and seem busier than the rest of the week, or is it just me?

Pull up a cup of your favorite tea and let’s chat. I am drinking PG Tips with a tiny swirl of honey in the bottom. If I really wanted to be reminded of my visits to England, I would add a dash of milk and use raw sugar instead. Delish!

Here’s what I’d share with you about my weekend:

On Friday, I went grocery shopping. This is only worth mentioning because of the crowds! It was insane. But I did have my pint-sized helper, Miss Khloe. She assisted me as we grazed our way through Costco.

Nana with her 5 grands, from 5 weeks to 7 years-old.

The Quantrells took Fort Simcoe by storm on Saturday for a birthday plus a birthday plus a graduation picnic day. It was very nice, but it turned into a HOT day as the temps kept rising. We were done by 1, back in the cars, and on the road seeking AC. We enjoyed hanging out together. Nana especially loved having the grands in one spot, though it only lasted for 5 minutes. And then they were off and running.

Saturday was a free National Park Day, so we wanted to take advantage of the special day by visiting Fort Simcoe. You can read more about Fort Simcoe here.

We saw:

– a passel of squirrels, rolling and tumbling all over each other

– no snakes (Amen)

– no bears (double-Amen)

– cows (yes, cows – and plenty of cow-pies, ick!)

– old buildings

– 2 springs

– canons

– a tiny museum

– a parade of Model T’s that also traveled out to Fort Simcoe for a picnic

– a park worker in a golf cart chasing away the poopy-cows who wanted to graze (and poop) on park grounds

– the location of my son and daugther-in-laws’ wedding

On Sunday, we continued our celebration of graduates at church with a relaxed gathering where we viewed photos, chatted, and shared cake.

Our beautiful graduates!

My honey and I went on a lunch date. This was followed by relaxing in a cool theater and watching a movie. We migrated home, dodging the heat, and stayed inside and under shade. Temps were in the triple digits, so there was no working outside or going for a walk. Nope.

Back-to-work Monday has arrived. Triple digit temps are in the works as I type. I think I hear the beach calling me, if only it weren’t 5 hours away.

Thanks for stopping by. I’ve so much enjoyed tea with you.

Lavender from my garden and a tea cup we received as a wedding gift (31 years ago)

What did you do during the weekend? I’ll make another cup and you can tell me about your weekend.

meet in the middle

drive separate roads to where

catching up is fun

~ Haiku by Angie Quantrell

Meeting in the middle works.

Yes, the sort of meeting in the middle that signifies compromise and working together – that works.

But also the physical, drive and meet in the middle between two far flung locations – that works as well.

Making the most of a federal holiday, a friend and I recently met in the middle for a fun day of rubber stamping, visiting, and eating. We’ve been discussing the idea for quite a long time, but could never put wheels on our vision.

Until we stopped talking and started driving. She booked a hotel room for her daughter and a friend and herself. I met them. We took over the hotel’s business conference room table, where we were front and center for the excitement of the day.

It was great!

Due to the limited amount of time, we really focused. We only brought some of our mountains of supplies and ideas. We only shared one meal. We only began some projects, stacking them for completion later at home (one of the best unintended parts of the day). We only spent a short time visiting a local thrift shop.

Success.

Now we know where the middle is and plan to take advantage of this knowledge again.