tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-39532774676848393022024-03-14T07:01:10.660-05:00 ELDERBERRY STREETKarenBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11354372312817808972noreply@blogger.comBlogger894125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953277467684839302.post-70028581897022536562022-01-13T17:04:00.004-06:002022-01-13T17:04:54.871-06:00Taste and See!<div>Last Friday night we had a Chocolate Tasting for our women at church. It was titled, "Taste and See that the Lord is Good!" We made these cute little recipe books full of chocolate recipes for each lady. I got the inspiration from the beautiful artwork <a href="http://theadventuresofbluegirlxo.blogspot.com/2009/01/winter-frost.html">here</a> from Julie Collins.</div><div>
</div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaeJDB7qMHK0VP5waZ5qz85xoIjPxLQIMdhVO0hMzBdQxJcXhWMnhs27VIfiAQFEF5oEy6qsqrOMkL4NZHuvjipaEaPKcZcy948nriHJQ8siMQM1I_s6H0h98dIfbPfCFaroGsAMyMiXE7/s1600-h/IMG_2460.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337701682404665762" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaeJDB7qMHK0VP5waZ5qz85xoIjPxLQIMdhVO0hMzBdQxJcXhWMnhs27VIfiAQFEF5oEy6qsqrOMkL4NZHuvjipaEaPKcZcy948nriHJQ8siMQM1I_s6H0h98dIfbPfCFaroGsAMyMiXE7/s400/IMG_2460.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 278px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe8i2Dkv_uoXnjL9ezQZKs2iPT7jK-IhPeezERDJs2VymfUqgy8U0ziFGKR2G8j5Ak1YoWiJ5meTqaOGWtjr8FCJTKPVskB7t8n2pKsD6hVtHjjMfxAYXngviAUVnR8mSoNzWPahrZfeFJ/s1600-h/IMG_2453.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337701678594466034" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhe8i2Dkv_uoXnjL9ezQZKs2iPT7jK-IhPeezERDJs2VymfUqgy8U0ziFGKR2G8j5Ak1YoWiJ5meTqaOGWtjr8FCJTKPVskB7t8n2pKsD6hVtHjjMfxAYXngviAUVnR8mSoNzWPahrZfeFJ/s400/IMG_2453.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 267px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 400px;" /></a>Every cover was different. We used paper flowers, beads from a thrift store necklace, lace from my heirloom sewing projects and buttons from my grandmother's sewing box. I also tea dyed little tags with the date. They were very labor intensive, but a BIG HIT.
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCAIP9gzNsNmm43oc11MKMHjJDsM9Yi95DOpkQV_jUiPs6aB2HuTsKueVunwL406tVrLY53UIbMNDquCTqZnWnYDDUrnJFYOqMd09g8HMiyRgb1y8t9kyoJq0bFD59mkOgb2C7P9kXrekA/s1600-h/IMG_2467.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}">
<img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337700920826607202" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCAIP9gzNsNmm43oc11MKMHjJDsM9Yi95DOpkQV_jUiPs6aB2HuTsKueVunwL406tVrLY53UIbMNDquCTqZnWnYDDUrnJFYOqMd09g8HMiyRgb1y8t9kyoJq0bFD59mkOgb2C7P9kXrekA/s400/IMG_2467.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 267px;" /></a>This young lady was one of our speakers. She shared her incredible story of God's faithfulness through extremely different circumstances. This picture was taken before she was to speak. Do you sense a little apprehension? Unfortunately, I didn't get a picture of our second speaker. It's difficult to take pictures when you're in charge!
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdxmBGd5ZZ0_IfKmJSsrxtUofhW_UJMUiwobY6eFlVjeilOtIWuZRVg5XP37R3GEFbwrRr-WuH_sZ483fWXzNMZZ6nGs8mNSvpYnrLmrVY5hiLfIMVYA8vRxbVNwtExXNTffSx3dOMbJx0/s1600-h/IMG_2464.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337700919561612946" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdxmBGd5ZZ0_IfKmJSsrxtUofhW_UJMUiwobY6eFlVjeilOtIWuZRVg5XP37R3GEFbwrRr-WuH_sZ483fWXzNMZZ6nGs8mNSvpYnrLmrVY5hiLfIMVYA8vRxbVNwtExXNTffSx3dOMbJx0/s400/IMG_2464.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 345px;" /></a>Sandy was one of my council that helped. She even dressed with pink and brown, our color scheme. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrTBz4nPTebjJ-TodXbxxsRQgxJIvRR5ELrZhLBf06WRm0dm8NtLiDN3tqhPMcsTb0KSal6bQGTymqAODdEm8MIRfGQKNRE-TtS0W3y-YV5_sUaONNFw5Rzno_abGl16HMTnW548Vx5pZL/s1600-h/IMG_2465.JPG" onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}"><img alt="" border="0" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5337700907870922370" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrTBz4nPTebjJ-TodXbxxsRQgxJIvRR5ELrZhLBf06WRm0dm8NtLiDN3tqhPMcsTb0KSal6bQGTymqAODdEm8MIRfGQKNRE-TtS0W3y-YV5_sUaONNFw5Rzno_abGl16HMTnW548Vx5pZL/s400/IMG_2465.JPG" style="cursor: pointer; display: block; height: 400px; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; width: 251px;" /></a>We ate LOTS yummy chocolate desserts, even a chocolate fountain with fresh strawberries. There were a lot of great door prizes and pretty decorations. It was a great evening!KarenBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11354372312817808972noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953277467684839302.post-9964959860475704592021-11-10T19:17:00.000-06:002021-11-10T19:17:04.360-06:00Better Butter<p>Last weekend I had a big event at our local church for the women of the congregation. If you've been here over the years, you know that I often lead our Women's Ministries in our local churches. However, I only was in charge of this event this time. I've done a similar one before. We had several demonstrations along with other samples of ideas for the holidays. Some were for entertaining, gift giving and others were decor. I wanted to share this particular one with you today. </p><p>I made three different compound butter recipes. These would be perfect as gifts or when you have company. Each lady got to taste them and took home the recipes. I brought the leftovers home and popped them in the freezer for future use. Cutting them up into smaller pieces means I don't have to waste any. Tonight we grilled smoked pork chops with roasted asparagus and new potatoes. I thawed out the Lemon and Dill butter and it was <b>very</b> delicious with this meal. Perfect for the asparagus and potatoes. My husband also ate it on a baguette. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM5TMYvnr1sMmLNj0szNn-_o3f-OOmF_ZPJBvun9RuN6zHrp_f4vuz5OPk-5Kc_bE-lQRnpJ2yCrIYbR3DCGnYZy9mXgUKx_wL-jS4wPVu_ilyfhiuAejLmSGoslQAiO1HT91tVGugeFk/s2048/IMG_4472.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjM5TMYvnr1sMmLNj0szNn-_o3f-OOmF_ZPJBvun9RuN6zHrp_f4vuz5OPk-5Kc_bE-lQRnpJ2yCrIYbR3DCGnYZy9mXgUKx_wL-jS4wPVu_ilyfhiuAejLmSGoslQAiO1HT91tVGugeFk/w400-h300/IMG_4472.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><p>The three flavors are <a href="https://www.foodiecrush.com/5-favorite-recipes-flavored-compound-butters/" target="_blank">Lemon Dill</a>, <a href="https://www.savoringthegood.com/compound-butter-recipes/" target="_blank">Cranberry Walnut Orange</a> and <a href="https://www.chefnotrequired.com/cafe-de-paris-butter/" target="_blank">Café de Paris</a>. I've linked the recipes so you can find them easily and try them out. I think the Cranberry, Walnut, Orange would be perfect for Thanksgiving dinner. Doesn't that sound good? There are many similar recipes on Pinterest or just a google search. Check these out, it is an easy way to enhance your holiday meals. </p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>KarenBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11354372312817808972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953277467684839302.post-12746224824824513552021-09-14T05:00:00.003-05:002021-09-14T13:14:57.302-05:00Missouri Getaway - Day Three<p>We left Hermann, MO and drove backroads down to the Lake of the Ozarks and specifically to Camdenton, Missouri. I had seen pictures of a castle ruins that are now in a state park. The park is called Ha Ha Tonka State Park which means "laughing waters". There are a lot of interesting and beautiful natural features in the park and many trails to hike. There is a short half mile up-hill trail to the castle from the parking lot. The Castle was built in the early 1900's by a wealthy Kansas City businessman. Unfortunately, he was killed the year after construction began in one of the first automobile accidents in Missouri. His sons finished building it in 1922, however it wasn't as elaborate. Eventually the property was leased for a hotel and in 1942 sparks from a chimney ignited the roof. The fire gutted the castle and the carriage house. In 1976 vandals burned the water tower. The ruins are massive and give an idea of how lavish the house was originally. It has a stunning view from the top of a bluff over the Lake of the Ozarks. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSS_Ga26cl_7kwP3_vzVt5XG_JlHkInwebFX4z8-wOBq2tsFwIVcffwkaf_rjCCnEQwMQx-wTX5M3tyCvD4fYKHv0a3QbEs46q4bDVSK0QBjjOfvQLIPzTHO-6BeSqKijKv_9XYCG91mk/s2048/IMG_5152.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1484" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSS_Ga26cl_7kwP3_vzVt5XG_JlHkInwebFX4z8-wOBq2tsFwIVcffwkaf_rjCCnEQwMQx-wTX5M3tyCvD4fYKHv0a3QbEs46q4bDVSK0QBjjOfvQLIPzTHO-6BeSqKijKv_9XYCG91mk/s320/IMG_5152.jpg" width="232" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">remnants of the carriage house</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPlN_hPNC0CwP8rBKlzPVPqqHZpINsZ8IcPtsKAy3vM6YzqdlpgumP7XlkatfW_OEQjCIRnivt02BbB5KvUeYbojLZGyxvA_GD68QBYg-R269-ALZt-6iqLI9uaVm2MrxQgFATb2KGEmc/s2048/IMG_5154.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1366" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPlN_hPNC0CwP8rBKlzPVPqqHZpINsZ8IcPtsKAy3vM6YzqdlpgumP7XlkatfW_OEQjCIRnivt02BbB5KvUeYbojLZGyxvA_GD68QBYg-R269-ALZt-6iqLI9uaVm2MrxQgFATb2KGEmc/s320/IMG_5154.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNVLLY1Iu1PBE2ibJlrk8vSSGSNbY0WJm1k0j-73DTftRCjtChA1_DI1cE8yU2sHOVrSQHaGsHOA76FloQq3jGkSfYZEO6r7H3r6qIy95YDg9dhsC9XdivSskf3auPiYV7SYyjiPBrp_U/s2048/IMG_5155.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1366" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNVLLY1Iu1PBE2ibJlrk8vSSGSNbY0WJm1k0j-73DTftRCjtChA1_DI1cE8yU2sHOVrSQHaGsHOA76FloQq3jGkSfYZEO6r7H3r6qIy95YDg9dhsC9XdivSskf3auPiYV7SYyjiPBrp_U/s320/IMG_5155.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnSkL2LGLDWlTwQbOMd95wjd5qafYxILJ4QPwRAtLnrpjhSNy3UYxyt79ChDrTTF3l_FMJR-z_LonyMxaJUdA1x1xmidVAnkRpzqeqD4tQRmWONA0rVGoVhpYvWhH_bhrmh606ratJ2is/s2048/IMG_5157.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1366" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnSkL2LGLDWlTwQbOMd95wjd5qafYxILJ4QPwRAtLnrpjhSNy3UYxyt79ChDrTTF3l_FMJR-z_LonyMxaJUdA1x1xmidVAnkRpzqeqD4tQRmWONA0rVGoVhpYvWhH_bhrmh606ratJ2is/w426-h640/IMG_5157.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The castle ruins</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT8fICS8GLB4ppSYiWJJkHtAM0x9Srm6Zq4SCBlKWhEe7XTYsC_c1N61iWK4KBeUuQ6YTRM6LAAJPDMo1HBHrpc-G8PZEdV1tZhNyoaRmGOJ4X7aSSNP-qkyatWSF_6vS3gyR9JsMp5VQ/s2048/IMG_5172.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT8fICS8GLB4ppSYiWJJkHtAM0x9Srm6Zq4SCBlKWhEe7XTYsC_c1N61iWK4KBeUuQ6YTRM6LAAJPDMo1HBHrpc-G8PZEdV1tZhNyoaRmGOJ4X7aSSNP-qkyatWSF_6vS3gyR9JsMp5VQ/w400-h266/IMG_5172.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYkKE_o083qLaNeJoX7rnnBZK42eHh__m0MwFNI8WrWK6AeWUzPYNgj9Q3imKj0hH77V6NKW1DbV_QKqHm8An9cyNvBJkt2T866jevcgVS5Ch-sSgRjz1MopRvlDsnpASkVbbmrmZAUYc/s2048/IMG_5177.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1366" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYkKE_o083qLaNeJoX7rnnBZK42eHh__m0MwFNI8WrWK6AeWUzPYNgj9Q3imKj0hH77V6NKW1DbV_QKqHm8An9cyNvBJkt2T866jevcgVS5Ch-sSgRjz1MopRvlDsnpASkVbbmrmZAUYc/s320/IMG_5177.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6tbG4I9u40ZHtQKFWcOCFwxRI-3Tn4yvSJ2G_HaaLfH2_1EU9gPmbOCJ_zIlGaP_TOtwV-tUlqXCJXrL8hetyEojY7_AYZVsRLt_7ZZzeOwlox_qewahirafH1fGsglspQQYBuNkwV9g/s2048/IMG_5180.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6tbG4I9u40ZHtQKFWcOCFwxRI-3Tn4yvSJ2G_HaaLfH2_1EU9gPmbOCJ_zIlGaP_TOtwV-tUlqXCJXrL8hetyEojY7_AYZVsRLt_7ZZzeOwlox_qewahirafH1fGsglspQQYBuNkwV9g/w400-h266/IMG_5180.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZQagcAUj0EeKJuSkkTpvXfXM4grCs4aLoCAcCpM4czgTmHbTWFyB192GxHps-0QuWbUfQVn9dRvechvmmS0UfcbnuqCJnjBV_OxcbtciruqSTKqltK73eAZZEs4nAbQpq020Pr5tfeDg/s2048/IMG_5159.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZQagcAUj0EeKJuSkkTpvXfXM4grCs4aLoCAcCpM4czgTmHbTWFyB192GxHps-0QuWbUfQVn9dRvechvmmS0UfcbnuqCJnjBV_OxcbtciruqSTKqltK73eAZZEs4nAbQpq020Pr5tfeDg/w400-h266/IMG_5159.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWaXFvAb1cOsLZvxC75OJ6me70H2RfzhxczeFR4kGyyxDMIMebBxwaM1svoRER69mwm3RI_Wap_eDVoCFEy91sedvWJoCrp74C_GH2QMREUQubqnTa6WZS87AUeMmqhnmb1-3zNNOV1MM/s2048/IMG_5194.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWaXFvAb1cOsLZvxC75OJ6me70H2RfzhxczeFR4kGyyxDMIMebBxwaM1svoRER69mwm3RI_Wap_eDVoCFEy91sedvWJoCrp74C_GH2QMREUQubqnTa6WZS87AUeMmqhnmb1-3zNNOV1MM/w640-h426/IMG_5194.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">overlooking the lake from the bluff<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrYUqn3_j1B4aynu6eMSNWfp-PyBpMU2E3Ms1hFiMVxFNZG_AqWLwd8tUTvY1_RcWkoQLEK4QHa1WFM3j1MCXUHvK1HD-AetFD2R3EcKuuf1rkzRD_sVnx4BAw7tJPpl8cNMIDe-aNs6U/s2048/IMG_5193.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1366" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrYUqn3_j1B4aynu6eMSNWfp-PyBpMU2E3Ms1hFiMVxFNZG_AqWLwd8tUTvY1_RcWkoQLEK4QHa1WFM3j1MCXUHvK1HD-AetFD2R3EcKuuf1rkzRD_sVnx4BAw7tJPpl8cNMIDe-aNs6U/w266-h400/IMG_5193.jpg" width="266" /></a></div></div><span> </span> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9MejZtdsycT0j2xKRFhn01X2k-IIKwxgSMsKT68kKuDpw-vHXtSZ9C-ABSkkoqTlnckKfKdlPrnJbT0zTVOsHsc8oIL3yppbF6ArFcly732uzPoJGmrt6WDoAY2DGnDTmGsHya8Nk_7c/s2048/IMG_5156.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9MejZtdsycT0j2xKRFhn01X2k-IIKwxgSMsKT68kKuDpw-vHXtSZ9C-ABSkkoqTlnckKfKdlPrnJbT0zTVOsHsc8oIL3yppbF6ArFcly732uzPoJGmrt6WDoAY2DGnDTmGsHya8Nk_7c/w400-h266/IMG_5156.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">A natural spring that pumps 48 million gallons of water daily into the lake.</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHpzoYG2lyr3sN54AFGQt6Hnkx80wQrv-WIZavyhhw6uHzYGopH0ZKQ-iGcQN_AG6a3HR0cY_Ss0wXcorWyS2JONdgszfRMFZVAXKRqWCHbC-vKLGhMGTTwM1nIZaijv5geHg3a5R1LwI/s2048/IMG_5207.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1366" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHpzoYG2lyr3sN54AFGQt6Hnkx80wQrv-WIZavyhhw6uHzYGopH0ZKQ-iGcQN_AG6a3HR0cY_Ss0wXcorWyS2JONdgszfRMFZVAXKRqWCHbC-vKLGhMGTTwM1nIZaijv5geHg3a5R1LwI/s320/IMG_5207.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUBxvH4y1kvlv0NznEVsdrl-2UoaNvec4OSBUlz4ZyS5LeZ-sVTMBMDSOX4ELTay39PII7PM1QpahlfUzKWuG3RIr2ZpbuRvmRnCBSutEPFYPysvIe-gMFjKrUt3ZumaJad9s1r1SaUcc/s2048/IMG_5204.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1366" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUBxvH4y1kvlv0NznEVsdrl-2UoaNvec4OSBUlz4ZyS5LeZ-sVTMBMDSOX4ELTay39PII7PM1QpahlfUzKWuG3RIr2ZpbuRvmRnCBSutEPFYPysvIe-gMFjKrUt3ZumaJad9s1r1SaUcc/s320/IMG_5204.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The water tower was stabilized and a roof added back on after the vandalism in the 70's. The caretaker of the property lived in it with his family before the castle was burned. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLaxYoU91M0juhqi8guViuewKaa9xDXfLK_-j4ovTGy4FWgF4tibaCJMwDHHOilZ8KsguDL0iVuWOJ7Tmo_0cdUyHEvUtFKHf2C1tAxwKwSQUz1y0LwDG2H6gh4t-YzKw-8Ix7xfsshtY/s2048/IMG_5202.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLaxYoU91M0juhqi8guViuewKaa9xDXfLK_-j4ovTGy4FWgF4tibaCJMwDHHOilZ8KsguDL0iVuWOJ7Tmo_0cdUyHEvUtFKHf2C1tAxwKwSQUz1y0LwDG2H6gh4t-YzKw-8Ix7xfsshtY/s320/IMG_5202.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVp-Jw8Jc9pBWiIFWHoJDjOfpjWKTWF5FMo1ZWpZwYUlid2RMIWo7-4TmyOB6rv-94YJ56_AE00TEOAzEJqN4rQ9MPkE1_KOv8nJdrqp7K4koyn34P91uE4e0vaF_EYEVTxdt8QjKIxBk/s2048/IMG_5211.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVp-Jw8Jc9pBWiIFWHoJDjOfpjWKTWF5FMo1ZWpZwYUlid2RMIWo7-4TmyOB6rv-94YJ56_AE00TEOAzEJqN4rQ9MPkE1_KOv8nJdrqp7K4koyn34P91uE4e0vaF_EYEVTxdt8QjKIxBk/s320/IMG_5211.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">There are many wildflowers blooming in the park.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYUlTtTbyEJH-79BIUCK1hShdLm4zA-QKAiatPQeY6pzO6zwgL5F1h6MkxUHZXc48PwXzck2IHcd7UD5WFCaZt8QRgb1sjbAGACCqQ_xpBgNyb37VIVmUYu58gPWZ2eYVzeo6KEZGof7s/s2048/IMG_5213.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1502" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYUlTtTbyEJH-79BIUCK1hShdLm4zA-QKAiatPQeY6pzO6zwgL5F1h6MkxUHZXc48PwXzck2IHcd7UD5WFCaZt8QRgb1sjbAGACCqQ_xpBgNyb37VIVmUYu58gPWZ2eYVzeo6KEZGof7s/s320/IMG_5213.jpg" width="235" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">The park boasts one of Missouri's best oak woodlands with almost 3,000 acres preserved.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip2vKTt_4yY6ngMj72X1Ib-ClOMdV_Yg2f2wWoR8RVyG1iXK3ADr9QCovDURFSwjpTBdhyphenhyphenI5y1iwkUWk2Z_2jvvRgxKlfppRkiulOFIyCPLwvwhtVFHxchyphenhyphenk6ZwpxcqGSvh-J0tXcfuR8/s2048/IMG_5215.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1366" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip2vKTt_4yY6ngMj72X1Ib-ClOMdV_Yg2f2wWoR8RVyG1iXK3ADr9QCovDURFSwjpTBdhyphenhyphenI5y1iwkUWk2Z_2jvvRgxKlfppRkiulOFIyCPLwvwhtVFHxchyphenhyphenk6ZwpxcqGSvh-J0tXcfuR8/w426-h640/IMG_5215.jpg" width="426" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Next time we will go more prepared to hike. </div><div style="text-align: center;">For more information on this beautiful state park go to </div><div><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://mostateparks.com/park/ha-ha-tonka-state-park">https://mostateparks.com/park/ha-ha-tonka-state-park</a></div><p><br /></p></div>KarenBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11354372312817808972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953277467684839302.post-33217509003294189572021-09-12T17:00:00.007-05:002021-09-12T17:00:00.182-05:00Missouri Getaway, Day Two<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyyaLTomXX8_f1R2Dq14jnLhMHNZNcG_aywyiEUB1IJJdRKvEsCAK-YO3Z5qdv4Ee63NdeksNiY8JXOF_QDLnW0yrMOCN1Yg2ABUOsNnsEfwwOSu9zD93yUW_-HQHB80xshIEqLjKLJXI/s2048/IMG_3438.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyyaLTomXX8_f1R2Dq14jnLhMHNZNcG_aywyiEUB1IJJdRKvEsCAK-YO3Z5qdv4Ee63NdeksNiY8JXOF_QDLnW0yrMOCN1Yg2ABUOsNnsEfwwOSu9zD93yUW_-HQHB80xshIEqLjKLJXI/w300-h400/IMG_3438.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">On our first full day we planned on hiking on the Katy Trail State Park. It is the longest developed rail-trail in the country. It was built on the former Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad line and is 240 miles long. It runs between Clinton and Machens with 26 trailheads along the way. Part of it has been designated as an official segment of the Lewis and Clark National Historic Trail. The trail runs closely along the Missouri River and there are many ranches and farms along the way. We only went five miles (round trip). But, are hoping to take bikes next time and go farther. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">The main reason I wanted to get on the trail was because of an important story in my family. My Papaw, Marquis Frank Turner, was born in McBaine, MO and my family was from the area. When he was a young adult, his father, Jesse Porter Turner, was killed in an accident on the MKT line when he jumped off a moving handcar to retrieve his sister's hat. She never wore that hat again. It was 1918 and he was 49 years old. It was a Sunday afternoon and they were visiting family, traveling from McBaine to Providence which is about an 8 mile trip. I didn't get to that location this time, but I will in the future. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDS8o0e8W4dtq7-5CqfV0Jzc2wgfWArMOTvIgjgWDfW9V3NTJa9N18Zd-S8IfaCqYM2KvgDfei4KzvzlYSphkTCIKi7kn5JoitiGxWhNAOoSAkVjsScfmooU46s5WUFb1reoic9ltjMlE/s2048/IMG_3424.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDS8o0e8W4dtq7-5CqfV0Jzc2wgfWArMOTvIgjgWDfW9V3NTJa9N18Zd-S8IfaCqYM2KvgDfei4KzvzlYSphkTCIKi7kn5JoitiGxWhNAOoSAkVjsScfmooU46s5WUFb1reoic9ltjMlE/w400-h300/IMG_3424.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjq43mdLqqGZgZtg6JvssTiwvsoNPst26hhKwvOvJ-C8EMLMS-AC27-yReelOEvdal6CC4-UWQee5fp-oTK5IsnmF0W0zK6W7pj_jhLRxbKXZiXUgUsCiRn-h-vfBOfrhr9ZvoudM66Kg/s2048/IMG_3426.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjq43mdLqqGZgZtg6JvssTiwvsoNPst26hhKwvOvJ-C8EMLMS-AC27-yReelOEvdal6CC4-UWQee5fp-oTK5IsnmF0W0zK6W7pj_jhLRxbKXZiXUgUsCiRn-h-vfBOfrhr9ZvoudM66Kg/s320/IMG_3426.JPG" width="240" /></a></div>The trail is fairly flat which makes it a great trail for bicycling. We saw mostly cyclers and a couple of dog walkers. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNCMSWbfnphVFv8UyY-ZNqjMqMDl71dHyOCgZccDhwlNshv6M14FKWNq6UB7NzIZQnEmqYeB8LVdQyFsgIVRjyoIMdO88Ak6605_eTHX_RHUizVabyApDfst4BuL1zXyP8OfN8WBGhlek/s2048/IMG_3439.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiNCMSWbfnphVFv8UyY-ZNqjMqMDl71dHyOCgZccDhwlNshv6M14FKWNq6UB7NzIZQnEmqYeB8LVdQyFsgIVRjyoIMdO88Ak6605_eTHX_RHUizVabyApDfst4BuL1zXyP8OfN8WBGhlek/s320/IMG_3439.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCD5rd4TNAlEgCegoTkwie-0KHipZWNbwoMPk2LiG0mg5YE692BCXKZXWgdyt0zJaFbR96RgYIBhEBg8QfCW3rrtoSKJoPcPQWbMmVEEuvQ7r4KWB4cp765qJzG2oRAqO9LggJDsFM668/s2048/IMG_3444.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCD5rd4TNAlEgCegoTkwie-0KHipZWNbwoMPk2LiG0mg5YE692BCXKZXWgdyt0zJaFbR96RgYIBhEBg8QfCW3rrtoSKJoPcPQWbMmVEEuvQ7r4KWB4cp765qJzG2oRAqO9LggJDsFM668/w300-h400/IMG_3444.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG8T9_VlAhf6UaJgTy2-PqRnI6vw_ZHZ7EfZYX6fhslHyVj__fpHnn0Ll21_VIC64XicVT1zVhF8RhiwXhbxsUyHkgK_XnFmnpJ1fnYyqeIhN3s4_rSmlwUt_8FI3wbg6JFLuQ1fK-dEM/s2048/IMG_3446.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1539" data-original-width="2048" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG8T9_VlAhf6UaJgTy2-PqRnI6vw_ZHZ7EfZYX6fhslHyVj__fpHnn0Ll21_VIC64XicVT1zVhF8RhiwXhbxsUyHkgK_XnFmnpJ1fnYyqeIhN3s4_rSmlwUt_8FI3wbg6JFLuQ1fK-dEM/s320/IMG_3446.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJZCfw5ReN-MtVuljo0OucmpbdD_6n3AzGxJ3TL5bkiRm3DCukSABQeV51cCeo25MsTpibd5yl3KlqhJMM2ZSWInkoKKfMDMp1tZd29kKEeqJXc5_OqT51Q7z-7qOuuHh0BXHCB-4um6I/s2048/IMG_3448.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJZCfw5ReN-MtVuljo0OucmpbdD_6n3AzGxJ3TL5bkiRm3DCukSABQeV51cCeo25MsTpibd5yl3KlqhJMM2ZSWInkoKKfMDMp1tZd29kKEeqJXc5_OqT51Q7z-7qOuuHh0BXHCB-4um6I/w300-h400/IMG_3448.JPG" width="300" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">There are many trestle bridges from the train days. There is one original tunnel in the Rocheport area, which I really want to photograph. The trail where we were was surrounded by corn and soybean fields. There are sections that go right along the Missouri River and the bluffs which are beautiful. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAP-_shgTs8QU373UWgUAMpwH-OZOX5xBNPEi6aPbTOPhJhTcTCHlVRCPsZd1XU2IVHflI7mM_0TXBgE93hINnMCo7rxdC0jYYK6QPcgbFXu1McCHdllZ2o1amAALrhKwa9ZWHEjPihco/s2048/IMG_3462.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAP-_shgTs8QU373UWgUAMpwH-OZOX5xBNPEi6aPbTOPhJhTcTCHlVRCPsZd1XU2IVHflI7mM_0TXBgE93hINnMCo7rxdC0jYYK6QPcgbFXu1McCHdllZ2o1amAALrhKwa9ZWHEjPihco/s320/IMG_3462.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOyYo9xDAO1KBmgEqW-HYjLH0nvdtJasm8BQsN8PXgjcokdilQUj2a2e8DtX0WOCI0sWRuO3QEvfhNMKzjAjC3fIqwnWdkj9mSZ706StTo_RuCtmiUL8s-tt1dRabRjL-xiwkWGrDKknI/s2048/IMG_5138.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1440" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOyYo9xDAO1KBmgEqW-HYjLH0nvdtJasm8BQsN8PXgjcokdilQUj2a2e8DtX0WOCI0sWRuO3QEvfhNMKzjAjC3fIqwnWdkj9mSZ706StTo_RuCtmiUL8s-tt1dRabRjL-xiwkWGrDKknI/w281-h400/IMG_5138.jpg" width="281" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSGakcl86tAHrn8oXUScUJkN1fdJTFWI1c2yIxKPAeY1S_UWPnRzx3fsj3JqnsYAeZkYZ43RS5Y8N6h6Uo0VfJ1dryx2qggbfQv8fMoweIw-drfHMHKOGfLJYiDAwjzyBsqzLjxJKC-QQ/s2048/IMG_5148.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1435" data-original-width="2048" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSGakcl86tAHrn8oXUScUJkN1fdJTFWI1c2yIxKPAeY1S_UWPnRzx3fsj3JqnsYAeZkYZ43RS5Y8N6h6Uo0VfJ1dryx2qggbfQv8fMoweIw-drfHMHKOGfLJYiDAwjzyBsqzLjxJKC-QQ/s320/IMG_5148.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">This was a former mercantile that was built when the railroad went in. </div><div style="text-align: center;">Notice the large, carved ear of corn on the right. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtWeFNQAchm32JKcWaj7DM3wiog_54o50a20lPuqmks2HgVwPfu5BWeCnAMPJeo73iDYlQJOs5JqfME914ZVqLkGsNmjF2yMLuwd9f9vbcwEK1br5r6_zQRm-Glky77SZg6XUTg2JNA5Q/s2048/IMG_5145.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1366" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtWeFNQAchm32JKcWaj7DM3wiog_54o50a20lPuqmks2HgVwPfu5BWeCnAMPJeo73iDYlQJOs5JqfME914ZVqLkGsNmjF2yMLuwd9f9vbcwEK1br5r6_zQRm-Glky77SZg6XUTg2JNA5Q/s320/IMG_5145.jpg" width="213" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Check out more information on the KATY Trail State Park at </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://mostateparks.com/park/katy-trail-state-park">https://mostateparks.com/park/katy-trail-state-park</a></div><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><tbody><tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj125KNtHUbC6Kyh5wSrL54Q57SGMz1F-5bHesbZP9LpnJWSDB5IofjewbjDbBufQry6AuLy_1yBE-qbfjtz2Hd_T_vmNBC9PLHepc8aPe43QONlpeFO0NH5aFqV7kDQGqwndDPAMYioWE/s2048/IMG_5144.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj125KNtHUbC6Kyh5wSrL54Q57SGMz1F-5bHesbZP9LpnJWSDB5IofjewbjDbBufQry6AuLy_1yBE-qbfjtz2Hd_T_vmNBC9PLHepc8aPe43QONlpeFO0NH5aFqV7kDQGqwndDPAMYioWE/w640-h426/IMG_5144.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr><tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"></td></tr></tbody></table><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;"><br /></div><br /> <p></p>KarenBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11354372312817808972noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953277467684839302.post-56952214107119254892021-09-11T14:35:00.005-05:002021-09-14T13:06:20.203-05:00Missouri Getaway - Day One<p> This past week, we traveled to a couple of destinations in Missouri for a quick get away. I had discovered some things that I wanted to see and they all happened to be not too far from each other. We reserved a VRBO in Hermann, Missouri as our resting spot. </p><p> First of all, we drove to Fulton, Missouri on the way to Hermann. In Fulton, is Westminster College. Westminster is a beautiful little campus in the small town of Fulton that has beautiful architecture and some interesting history. I specifically wanted to see America's National Churchill Museum that is on campus. It is set in a chapel building that was moved from London and rebuilt onto the college campus. The chapel is the Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Aldermanbury. Originally from the 1600's, it was bombed by Hitler during the blitz of World War II. The story of how it came to rest in Fulton, is worth the visit. The museum commemorates the life of Winston Churchill and they also have a small exhibit of his paintings. Did you know that WC was an oil painter? He was invited to speak in the chapel and his "Iron Curtain" speech, "Sinews of Peace" was given there. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0pI3HMXIfu9OMJ1YGXipsTohuHeUNbTNNmtkDv1VkxwoO5RW_hZcJlJvcKyrphH9cnTw-guRCyRt6Cs-7x34cCpqGrLgB1xJSy2j5dQ1BbmnK1b4AGEStGBuYJzkEb_WMsrXsi5RgDpM/s2048/IMG_3372.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0pI3HMXIfu9OMJ1YGXipsTohuHeUNbTNNmtkDv1VkxwoO5RW_hZcJlJvcKyrphH9cnTw-guRCyRt6Cs-7x34cCpqGrLgB1xJSy2j5dQ1BbmnK1b4AGEStGBuYJzkEb_WMsrXsi5RgDpM/s320/IMG_3372.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXs_BYumRTftrUHAMX8YQ9xcXQw2aEPsXHP7NnYmJYYlSJ5Uv2wdEaITwIQ-tRHwl1k-9zZsn6x9HhUtVFqGv-SKZJ02AXKr85dKzsjmI6myX3Ei8Kb0Bx6Kgt_isa02XdquRDGmGcDhw/s2048/IMG_5132.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1366" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXs_BYumRTftrUHAMX8YQ9xcXQw2aEPsXHP7NnYmJYYlSJ5Uv2wdEaITwIQ-tRHwl1k-9zZsn6x9HhUtVFqGv-SKZJ02AXKr85dKzsjmI6myX3Ei8Kb0Bx6Kgt_isa02XdquRDGmGcDhw/w266-h400/IMG_5132.jpg" width="266" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY6xCUAV4CfP4qBSPzM8ouMf6kTdZsqX9HeqVpRc48b3odE5zaei4vR0R4ujCL_NpGV857BiLyPr7mpkrz_5c_YkFKYnmfqbNRaHY4BAtMOdHhayCBbcjCBgB59NEp5Cf1j5odiTPX__k/s2048/IMG_5131.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1366" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgY6xCUAV4CfP4qBSPzM8ouMf6kTdZsqX9HeqVpRc48b3odE5zaei4vR0R4ujCL_NpGV857BiLyPr7mpkrz_5c_YkFKYnmfqbNRaHY4BAtMOdHhayCBbcjCBgB59NEp5Cf1j5odiTPX__k/w133-h200/IMG_5131.jpg" width="133" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9QubeNjOkxmSYSt1xwQ894m2lavZoF16qSoQMrK585-_jYV_fyH0ygrWSSk0jqnuvX_9vgEOfJRlY0RGKeNGFGu__04eEAN_RAc-Z2Wu3_DMIZSTP7BWI5o_ju8A-yrXeq4zFU35c6JU/s2048/IMG_5130.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1365" data-original-width="2048" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9QubeNjOkxmSYSt1xwQ894m2lavZoF16qSoQMrK585-_jYV_fyH0ygrWSSk0jqnuvX_9vgEOfJRlY0RGKeNGFGu__04eEAN_RAc-Z2Wu3_DMIZSTP7BWI5o_ju8A-yrXeq4zFU35c6JU/s320/IMG_5130.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2OFSnwa4kBdeu8ImaatW1SuSmMTtLdyD5S8QFMMxpLKrQVLM_koyBzU8dPh3nRMzgxGRq_sJq3YBUFDlelSvGdCypoHq24juJfpcCaNNo24jFXfGdvS28BaES6p4CEGWcrE21GGcjyJM/s2048/IMG_3359.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2OFSnwa4kBdeu8ImaatW1SuSmMTtLdyD5S8QFMMxpLKrQVLM_koyBzU8dPh3nRMzgxGRq_sJq3YBUFDlelSvGdCypoHq24juJfpcCaNNo24jFXfGdvS28BaES6p4CEGWcrE21GGcjyJM/s320/IMG_3359.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhibVEpytpGVpEdSFrxg1hLNpahHjtwZB7-dXdCAwocGLHRaATObx_o0Ib2mC2VxmYyYPzqO3ZF86BbHGZGc5Y1u5qLGfZkf7Mov5g4uX44uoQ0xOnitmcrgHGeKuaCROhyaUvTqdkAIvQ/s2048/IMG_3354.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhibVEpytpGVpEdSFrxg1hLNpahHjtwZB7-dXdCAwocGLHRaATObx_o0Ib2mC2VxmYyYPzqO3ZF86BbHGZGc5Y1u5qLGfZkf7Mov5g4uX44uoQ0xOnitmcrgHGeKuaCROhyaUvTqdkAIvQ/s320/IMG_3354.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtPHZ9bv6zKUpY8QWGIIisMwWXtX0D16n0yamcY73iLkWi05YgncOEkPPjX1QwG08XWRJIhZZfxJuRVZ2QcZpAssU5nRPuom7l12ojwmvcISOxJ8PVfGuG61MSuLsgtou4f67oWFs9LWo/s2048/IMG_3353.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtPHZ9bv6zKUpY8QWGIIisMwWXtX0D16n0yamcY73iLkWi05YgncOEkPPjX1QwG08XWRJIhZZfxJuRVZ2QcZpAssU5nRPuom7l12ojwmvcISOxJ8PVfGuG61MSuLsgtou4f67oWFs9LWo/s320/IMG_3353.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzCnex3uJoeUQz_i5ucQ5f1ZkH9oPQh4FaBZAQ1NbpAVPmFAQ9SeqvXpYWaIxSWIw8HC5Pfcv1zJQQpRXmKLstp3gqpRFXjLWTtP1KzDbAXEQvtp-tgn6AYdqzCYA2WvjlKpB_AROlJ5M/s2048/IMG_3365.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzCnex3uJoeUQz_i5ucQ5f1ZkH9oPQh4FaBZAQ1NbpAVPmFAQ9SeqvXpYWaIxSWIw8HC5Pfcv1zJQQpRXmKLstp3gqpRFXjLWTtP1KzDbAXEQvtp-tgn6AYdqzCYA2WvjlKpB_AROlJ5M/w400-h300/IMG_3365.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Lake Scene at Norfolk</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">oil on canvas</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">1930</div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnbxRsb2zNC1EZ6hv9hJH7aU926GM4VOA_VIeafU4YyVrc0bfNfcEcmuLes6qV3eHzBGKhY8bxKzPb9Yu53mAA1_v3YuamOAk0V6eQvTJ9wRYTGNh-5JdhtI2eKFmwzSFI14Tf8hOdHXQ/s2048/IMG_3364.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjnbxRsb2zNC1EZ6hv9hJH7aU926GM4VOA_VIeafU4YyVrc0bfNfcEcmuLes6qV3eHzBGKhY8bxKzPb9Yu53mAA1_v3YuamOAk0V6eQvTJ9wRYTGNh-5JdhtI2eKFmwzSFI14Tf8hOdHXQ/s320/IMG_3364.JPG" width="240" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">A big piece of the Berlin Wall is also on display next to the Chapel.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJYo4ZqeCnIfJfhTAKAR_IzBx3SLahHsStYg1NXLt4e5KcHy10_9ZtVdy_hvg9XU6CO_3oZIH7ETkeT651TgncL0gM9VZWCe4WF42MAprVG12U9i31q4x2qe6rXDzLNYn4tzn9fBe4KoQ/s2048/IMG_3373.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJYo4ZqeCnIfJfhTAKAR_IzBx3SLahHsStYg1NXLt4e5KcHy10_9ZtVdy_hvg9XU6CO_3oZIH7ETkeT651TgncL0gM9VZWCe4WF42MAprVG12U9i31q4x2qe6rXDzLNYn4tzn9fBe4KoQ/w400-h300/IMG_3373.JPG" width="400" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Check out more about this museum at <a href="https://www.nationalchurchillmuseum.org">https://www.nationalchurchillmuseum.org</a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><br /></div>KarenBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11354372312817808972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953277467684839302.post-28930246848648179632021-05-24T13:44:00.000-05:002021-05-24T13:44:39.299-05:00Plein Air Workshop<p>Who is this you ask? It's me. Still hanging around. I'm usually on Instagram @imkarensb if you're curious. I had a wonderful week attending a painting workshop and thought I'd share some photos here with you. Let's see if I can remember how to post on here. Things have changed a lot and I also don't remember how they work. </p><p>The workshop was by Kim Casebeer in Manhattan, Kansas. Kim is a well known oil painter and has multiple awards and professional associations. Since the workshop was reasonably close to me, I decided to take the leap and join in. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigfV_emDbVHMr4DU-ooyA6K8dRoT67l672G_alh2NU0WstQtc-BTZx5WApndXgrCpI9KWuN5u66XMAd7oLsxmNzw_E6gGhhGP-TzEMzc55IF6kFO3FQo0RZJ01Vy0WrzaxKI4-O81AxAg/s1000/IMG_4525.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="667" data-original-width="1000" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigfV_emDbVHMr4DU-ooyA6K8dRoT67l672G_alh2NU0WstQtc-BTZx5WApndXgrCpI9KWuN5u66XMAd7oLsxmNzw_E6gGhhGP-TzEMzc55IF6kFO3FQo0RZJ01Vy0WrzaxKI4-O81AxAg/w640-h426/IMG_4525.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><p>This area of Kansas is home to the Tallgrass prairie in the Flint Hills of northeastern Kansas. We were able to enjoy beautiful vistas like this of the Konza Prairie which is owned by The Nature Conservancy. It is located within the largest remaining area of unplowed tall grass prairie in North America. </p><p>We spent 3 days painting plein air (outside) in the wind, sun and rain showers. For this rookie painter, that was a challenge. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizwRsbdvzKi6ZIVjtv18UdD1a7mgYf4r5b1wYD1TlE4xzHHbeIL1y7eMHzdm-NLpV7YwU0aPQNmMM3_ZQ1xoqTWzB3lLuDNPyum7IiZvpNOFUQtWeaN9f0PTp3DiTO-80jJhLN2NHRTEM/s2048/IMG_1506.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizwRsbdvzKi6ZIVjtv18UdD1a7mgYf4r5b1wYD1TlE4xzHHbeIL1y7eMHzdm-NLpV7YwU0aPQNmMM3_ZQ1xoqTWzB3lLuDNPyum7IiZvpNOFUQtWeaN9f0PTp3DiTO-80jJhLN2NHRTEM/w640-h480/IMG_1506.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>Kim demonstrates at our first location. Her subject is a big, gorgeous tree that is sweeping over the trail. This was one of the few days that the sun was out and the sky was beautiful. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU2dAnnaDUb6MHyMWewNia9wfT3nJUrOG7Rdj8UYLzmO7JJF2bVWBZ0YzUz1tOfCIGE7gSBY8fBPlO8jxDnsCRa-ICf2ga8v52E4ea1wxtEPOjTG1m0sL3AFKKpQpDa3bgmAH5da5XSrI/s2048/IMG_1517.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1580" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU2dAnnaDUb6MHyMWewNia9wfT3nJUrOG7Rdj8UYLzmO7JJF2bVWBZ0YzUz1tOfCIGE7gSBY8fBPlO8jxDnsCRa-ICf2ga8v52E4ea1wxtEPOjTG1m0sL3AFKKpQpDa3bgmAH5da5XSrI/w494-h640/IMG_1517.jpg" width="494" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrnoFDf9f0zG0C7ZTSvHWh_iAvUU9BwitWcxj0r3ZY0vQVSjNpy9CBsfWhDysrIqZZ9x9u9vfh68FNveOxnXDHAs6dbTREIZAiIznuE2_Oib6hZGMorS7e-6E_2WdGiSYdPzMvKTyKl0g/s2048/IMG_1523.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrnoFDf9f0zG0C7ZTSvHWh_iAvUU9BwitWcxj0r3ZY0vQVSjNpy9CBsfWhDysrIqZZ9x9u9vfh68FNveOxnXDHAs6dbTREIZAiIznuE2_Oib6hZGMorS7e-6E_2WdGiSYdPzMvKTyKl0g/w480-h640/IMG_1523.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Packed up and ready to find my spot.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid3qpiQF_fEQDaErWZWN1phnWcMgKB4RWfVbDQWup3IDf_GOLHCuXu22RnOjKomAw5yAdjRn2DQvdHtL-Hg5iRgDdi2vvFKkqfLD-TYqpR1O5lqr__IGOXBNKuZPI9zb0Kh6uk9g-r8m8/s2048/IMG_1530.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid3qpiQF_fEQDaErWZWN1phnWcMgKB4RWfVbDQWup3IDf_GOLHCuXu22RnOjKomAw5yAdjRn2DQvdHtL-Hg5iRgDdi2vvFKkqfLD-TYqpR1O5lqr__IGOXBNKuZPI9zb0Kh6uk9g-r8m8/w640-h480/IMG_1530.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>This is the spot I chose. I loved how the trees arched over the creek. Of course, I would choose a complicated scene. Finished painting to be revealed at a later date. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM51dAH9UtmWu1zIwm06fI4b4RNxhogXZrCP2FqG1Lz-VxlhbRYB83Ei_rMH4S7p4fW1bntbD8wCIh_0VOKdAkJ9UnxDTzLvVS03oxIVFSGsdesAuLq1vrIN3MvynQSNWQgzFO7KL-QkY/s2048/IMG_1548.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1413" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiM51dAH9UtmWu1zIwm06fI4b4RNxhogXZrCP2FqG1Lz-VxlhbRYB83Ei_rMH4S7p4fW1bntbD8wCIh_0VOKdAkJ9UnxDTzLvVS03oxIVFSGsdesAuLq1vrIN3MvynQSNWQgzFO7KL-QkY/w442-h640/IMG_1548.jpg" width="442" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIaluhxa63sqmj7Fi1wYr7HIECmKbtKa12tem4vxr41iVgGbO0gUA9JD11mCLdEpjz6WxeAQ2MfkICNjBiaWNyg1HYp3WnYvqkQ45Jn39j7xQ3VKT-W5tj8OEl4O1lwAvZgOs0i5En5TE/s2048/IMG_1557.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2048" data-original-width="1536" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIaluhxa63sqmj7Fi1wYr7HIECmKbtKa12tem4vxr41iVgGbO0gUA9JD11mCLdEpjz6WxeAQ2MfkICNjBiaWNyg1HYp3WnYvqkQ45Jn39j7xQ3VKT-W5tj8OEl4O1lwAvZgOs0i5En5TE/w480-h640/IMG_1557.JPG" width="480" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;">Scenes from the drive back to the hotel.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_ghAqkeNgPwHa9p-fKB0BhKbPKre7ifTIaKiY1llaeekdtTdr9ww9QjZpliYra8wfGCKMNAuOVIzLtlWF_nXln8QY8lwtoC7yXu6hyphenhyphenA3-5VGnpOi4W57lzX6i8z2jTO0Dr1PAMvbExkc/s2048/IMG_1575.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2048" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_ghAqkeNgPwHa9p-fKB0BhKbPKre7ifTIaKiY1llaeekdtTdr9ww9QjZpliYra8wfGCKMNAuOVIzLtlWF_nXln8QY8lwtoC7yXu6hyphenhyphenA3-5VGnpOi4W57lzX6i8z2jTO0Dr1PAMvbExkc/w640-h480/IMG_1575.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>In the evening Ken and I went to the overlook and waited for the sun to set. This photo was taken just an hour after the first one in this post. I really will try to continue posting over the next week about this wonderful experience. <div><br /></div><div>Take care and try something new!</div><div><br /></div><div><i><span style="font-size: large;">Karen</span></i></div><div><p><br /></p></div>KarenBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11354372312817808972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953277467684839302.post-12802512330023799962019-05-04T17:45:00.002-05:002019-05-04T17:46:37.141-05:00What's Been Going On?Hello everyone! Is anyone out there? Would you like an update on life with us? We are still in the Dallas area. However, last year we bought a home in the Kansas City suburbs with plans to eventually retire there. That's is originally home to us, although we haven't lived there in 34 years. Wow. It still seems like home since we visit family there multiple times a year. Our youngest daughter has been living in it to keep an eye on things and to save for her own house. Which she just bought yesterday!!! Woo Hoo! <br />
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Last Fall we began a remodeling process to get it ready before we moved in. I thought you might like to see some before and after pictures. My main goal was to lighten up the rooms. <br />
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We mostly remodeled the kitchen and master bathroom, but we added additional wood floors and painted the entire main floor. So, I'll just show you some glimpses. <br />
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This is the living room. We painted the walls Creamy (SW7012) and trim white Snowbound (SW7004) and the fireplace Sherwin Williams Anchor Aweigh (SW9179). We removed the carpet and added wood floors stained a Dark Walnut matte finish. Removed the ceiling fan and replaced it with a brass chandelier. I really wish I'd painted the walls a "whiter" white. Picking paint colors is extremely difficult. In the end, the goal of lightening the rooms was achieved. </div>
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The original kitchen.</div>
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We removed the appliance garage in the corner and extended the cabinet above the ovens. We extended the top of the island and obviously, painted the cabinets (Zurich White 7626) and added new countertops and backsplash, sink and faucets. I haven't taken final photos yet because there is still a punch list to finish and it needs to get cleaned up. <br />
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Here's the repainted dining room and new chandelier. </div>
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Just small changes in the Family Room. We painted the cabinet Navy (SW9179), painted the walls Light French Gray (SW0055) and refinished the floors. </div>
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Well, I think I'll show you the rest of the house in another post. There were a lot of changes in the master bathroom. We also updated the laundry room, powder room and piano room. </div>
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<br />KarenBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11354372312817808972noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953277467684839302.post-70132180226455054232018-10-29T17:14:00.000-05:002018-10-29T17:14:29.542-05:00Twenty-two GiftsIn my last post I told you all about the art retreat I went to in Vermont earlier this month. What I didn't show you were the gifts I made everyone. We could bring a simple gift or just give "calling cards", whatever we chose. Typically several women make some pretty fun and creative gifts. I labored over this decision for too long and wanted to make something that reflected my skills and interests. The decision was made, I had a plan and bought linen napkins to embellish. I'd make a set of two for everyone. My plan was to dye them using the Cyanotype method (sun prints) you may have seen me do previously. Something like this idea.<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="https://gardentherapy.ca/sun-print-napkins/" target="_blank">Cyanotype Napkins</a></div>
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The more I thought about it I realized that the process would take too long for the amount of time I had left. So I had to come up with Plan B. I already had purchased 44 napkins. I decided to embroider Fall designs on each set using this fun embroidery book I bought in Japan. </div>
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You may remember that I used it to make some pretty coasters for a friend's birthday while I lived in Japan. This is how they turned out.</div>
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So, I got to work! Now, so you don't think I'm TOTALLY nuts, the second napkins had a simple word stitched on it: Blessed, Grateful, Gather, Thankful. They are perfect for Fall dinners for two. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcKWDxCmOzUEKxteoXj01uvIpgqV-suGD-Ye2qNsVabFYU5cLrwcw2OjUwVRuWCTx8kChAAGXB_yT5wkfdKSeBfF__TYvfuPGM29LnW9haFe3xFx4koIZNlqhO3iltEdXnQvFXdlqXeyU/s1600/IMG_5648.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcKWDxCmOzUEKxteoXj01uvIpgqV-suGD-Ye2qNsVabFYU5cLrwcw2OjUwVRuWCTx8kChAAGXB_yT5wkfdKSeBfF__TYvfuPGM29LnW9haFe3xFx4koIZNlqhO3iltEdXnQvFXdlqXeyU/s400/IMG_5648.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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Other attendees made some sweet gifts too. Several gave out packs of ephemera to use in our art for the week. One woman picked flowers out of her garden and brought a large bouquet for EACH of us. It was full of dahlias, zinnias, cosmos and forget me nots. Here is a sweet paper clay doll that was made for everyone. </div>
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I didn't get a photo of every gift, but when you get creative women together, it's bound to be good!</div>
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KarenBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11354372312817808972noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953277467684839302.post-27260917346738576432018-10-17T18:00:00.001-05:002018-10-17T18:26:40.265-05:00Vermont Art Retreat<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL-69NfzqeksnZqWpwTrN5_LkUdYtFJ44uSvnRsHdwY-RRL4fygOpFLFCZxD2SZEUBuFg8Ropsq3TXtyI0B_L_I4DEGnTlQ8Z9lRiOMa_BCe8YA5-1HVl1U9Z7FMGfs3UBZvZ2VnWJbSM/s1600/IMG_5639.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1600" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL-69NfzqeksnZqWpwTrN5_LkUdYtFJ44uSvnRsHdwY-RRL4fygOpFLFCZxD2SZEUBuFg8Ropsq3TXtyI0B_L_I4DEGnTlQ8Z9lRiOMa_BCe8YA5-1HVl1U9Z7FMGfs3UBZvZ2VnWJbSM/s200/IMG_5639.JPG" width="200" /></a></div>
For years I've been wanting to attend "Meleen and Charlotte's Vermont Getaway" in Arlington, Vermont. It's an art retreat that happens twice a year with several attendees from all over the country. Many have attended several times so sweet relationships have been built over the years. I had a few of these ladies as Instagram friends, but we had never met in person. I managed to make it happen this year and during October seemed the ideal time to visit Vermont. It was a rainy week, which gave it a subtle, moody feel all it's own. We managed to have one afternoon of sunshine, so any photos you see were during Friday afternoon. <br />
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I flew in on Wednesday, because you can't get to Vermont by noon from Texas, just so you know. A sweet friend picked two of us up at the airport in Albany, New York, and drove us into Vermont. They were much obliged to stop and let me get out in the rain to take pictures of the covered bridges. <br />
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Warm Brook Barn is a lovely spot where the retreat is held. There are two houses and a new event barn. It is filled with beautiful antiques and warm hospitality. Meleen is the most generous and gracious hostess who served us delicious meals three times a day. She uses her vintage china, silver and antique serving pieces. </div>
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We all bring a gift for each other. Some are simple, others are extravagant. Robin brings a bouquet of flowers for EVERY participant from her abundant garden in Massachusetts. I'd love to see the garden in person. They included Dahlias, zinnias, forget me nots and cosmos. </div>
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Delicious soup and salad for lunch. </div>
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Breakfast was steel cut oats, fresh fruit, yogurt and cinnamon rolls. </div>
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Swag bags met us in the barn workroom.</div>
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I only took a picture of Becca's embroidery at it's beginning stages. </div>
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The variety and creativity that everyone used on theirs was fun to see. </div>
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Our Friday morning session with Rebecca Sower was acrylic painting using the flower bouquets as inspiration. Everyone struggled as almost all of us were new to painting. With Rebecca's patient help, many of us actually liked the final products. As with anything, practice makes perfect. You can see how different everyone's turned out. I definitely have my favorites. </div>
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Friday afternoon we headed out for a field trip to Studio Hill Farm. </div>
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This little building at the top of the hill was the owner's grandfather's studio. </div>
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It still held old drawing tables and a rustic stone fireplace.</div>
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As you can tell, the sheep were highly entertaining. </div>
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Studio Hill has an Airbnb that is very popular in case you're interested in heading to Vermont.</div>
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I met Lauri who lives in the Kansas City area. She and I have an unbelievable number of things in common. It was so fun to discover the similarities. We will definitely be connecting again when I move back in the area. </div>
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Saturday morning we went to town to visit area tag sales. We went to the Dorset Church sale which was very fun and crowded. I bought two small copper skillets for $15, and this pretty little pin for .25.<br />
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Later in the afternoon we dyed a bunch of things in the indigo dye pot. </div>
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The sun came out and gave us quite a show with this gorgeous rainbow. It was actually a double rainbow, but you can't see it in these photos. </div>
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We had another session Saturday where we drew landscapes with pastels. You'll notice that there is no picture of my piece. For good reason. We finished up on Sunday morning. There were lots of hugs and goodbyes. On the way back to Albany we stopped by Northshire Bookstore in Manchester Center. Which is huge and fabulous, by the way. This is getting too long, so I'll show you next time what I made for everyone. They loved them. </div>
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KarenBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11354372312817808972noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953277467684839302.post-27995051535510068042018-08-11T17:13:00.000-05:002018-08-11T17:14:43.345-05:00Painting Changes Things<div style="text-align: justify;">
I traveled to Kansas City for two weeks to get started on the house remodeling. It may not have been the first thing that should've been done, but I had the main floor painted. My painter's week of availability was the last week of July/first of August. I was anxious to get the wall colors changed. So, up I went. </div>
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First are some "before pictures" of the house. This a screen shot off of Zillow and shows it partially furnished from the previous owners. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYKPwxYlDgM9BM1h7JOKFxssShyphenhyphengZmfJ6-XQ-J6mGWkN6alNzsGpKtNouU7oVXWTGdqnJeBMVEc0A-o9tmWHHD0slozGYehYYunscqRS-7BR9bqa6_fGvWJ2Kektp1EW8_1wvXUwFKN7Y/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-04-29+at+7.31.00+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1069" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYKPwxYlDgM9BM1h7JOKFxssShyphenhyphengZmfJ6-XQ-J6mGWkN6alNzsGpKtNouU7oVXWTGdqnJeBMVEc0A-o9tmWHHD0slozGYehYYunscqRS-7BR9bqa6_fGvWJ2Kektp1EW8_1wvXUwFKN7Y/s400/Screen+Shot+2018-04-29+at+7.31.00+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Here is a tighter picture of it empty. I obviously don't have a wide angle lens.</div>
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Here is the painted version. The walls are painted Sherwin Williams Creamy and the fireplace was painted SW Anchors Aweigh. The floors will be wood and probably a chandelier will replace the ceiling fan. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxgwxgFfnKAwKU6tz2jwXlqeQ4ymK_8SW9li8fsJWmAEDf9mT-hAlxHDu9xw0M4vqNaOsIWA71oEvvnnJl88RbHM5NcmZfrBEBPzF019FK2-mAjszjxUhBh2SDIUCPEy8n-7f8f16QPIY/s1600/IMG_4382.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxgwxgFfnKAwKU6tz2jwXlqeQ4ymK_8SW9li8fsJWmAEDf9mT-hAlxHDu9xw0M4vqNaOsIWA71oEvvnnJl88RbHM5NcmZfrBEBPzF019FK2-mAjszjxUhBh2SDIUCPEy8n-7f8f16QPIY/s400/IMG_4382.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Same for the dining room. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtTkJMjHb7d6Lm2aDxOUC4PH8FOKcf1KeQN8sIvIeGbc6qP365dpud1k9L1e1KqcE0j1zy1u1wyhNKdQltUdmxHAf5KT-2iRVL7Z0Uv_rvCQzuoJXsQ6YtadJvX27bGici2XVzV1U0buQ/s1600/IMG_4826.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtTkJMjHb7d6Lm2aDxOUC4PH8FOKcf1KeQN8sIvIeGbc6qP365dpud1k9L1e1KqcE0j1zy1u1wyhNKdQltUdmxHAf5KT-2iRVL7Z0Uv_rvCQzuoJXsQ6YtadJvX27bGici2XVzV1U0buQ/s400/IMG_4826.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Sorry for the different angle. The chandelier will be changed as well. </div>
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Here is a different angle with the painter's tape yet to be removed. I didn't really want the trim to be a different color than the walls, but I had difficulty identifying the trim color and not enough time to figure it out before the painters arrived. I went with Creamy on the main floor except for our bedroom. </div>
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Here is the entry staircase "before". This first photo is very old. </div>
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You can barely see a brass chandelier at the top of the photo. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7eWGWsYkXdcp-e2dd3BgSJBCCQ0FGvfFzGI7XybesrNoXHvsFsUB2_9qsFr4rFDIb0B6KEzBNDLZJiVynv8Zmq1fxFfY67URSSD4YloBUcpAa2eY_mk7bPWrsvicVxeLHUGYICxMepHs/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-07-27+at+3.36.26+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="672" data-original-width="1016" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi7eWGWsYkXdcp-e2dd3BgSJBCCQ0FGvfFzGI7XybesrNoXHvsFsUB2_9qsFr4rFDIb0B6KEzBNDLZJiVynv8Zmq1fxFfY67URSSD4YloBUcpAa2eY_mk7bPWrsvicVxeLHUGYICxMepHs/s400/Screen+Shot+2018-07-27+at+3.36.26+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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This current chandelier is bronze. But I recently noticed that the chain and cap are brass. </div>
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Strange.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM0oqXnZdwdeFBEanto_gU00HxGUrZ7HDOMNoTf1kpR-ovdC7k7tg7qrfZ_iEHVRcYwZFce1usE_7pFCM8G1vvcPAa1vjBPDkWeyn4-vgWtJBlx-lzy9jjx9M1fSBvkq8KdJDCgh8gbMM/s1600/IMG_4854.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgM0oqXnZdwdeFBEanto_gU00HxGUrZ7HDOMNoTf1kpR-ovdC7k7tg7qrfZ_iEHVRcYwZFce1usE_7pFCM8G1vvcPAa1vjBPDkWeyn4-vgWtJBlx-lzy9jjx9M1fSBvkq8KdJDCgh8gbMM/s400/IMG_4854.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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"After" These aren't from the same angles, but you can see the color change. </div>
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It is a very dark area and I think the SW Creamy white will help a lot. </div>
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The door straight ahead leads to the Master Bedroom. I will have the wallpaper removed and painted or re-wallpapered. The room on the right is the library. It is the same color as the other rooms. It looks blue because of the northern exposure. It was a gold color as shown in the Zillow photo below and is now also Creamy white. Evidently I never took an after photo. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2qkliyWYAxz0THhjLqLGHXwurEBxuzQDCMGe07gcTbbiSMCiqB4EYUh32j3yMBGDYNmhYdCJW44acvpM9tcHSk709nE52VjKX102PwJ4MuE4tbRVeEcm3Hlpm-vQXTDdvTX3758zT3qk/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-04-29+at+7.32.01+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1070" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2qkliyWYAxz0THhjLqLGHXwurEBxuzQDCMGe07gcTbbiSMCiqB4EYUh32j3yMBGDYNmhYdCJW44acvpM9tcHSk709nE52VjKX102PwJ4MuE4tbRVeEcm3Hlpm-vQXTDdvTX3758zT3qk/s400/Screen+Shot+2018-04-29+at+7.32.01+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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The Master Bedroom was dark brown, much like our bedroom in California. I was very tired of that color and never picked it in the first place. So this time we went with a gray/blue/green color. It is SW Silver Strand. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSQ4YBA2s8nuj-Rwnw6H0OL-zu_q0kdBDptczJAkd-4KGIPruEAV0-57rmanCaVYrpgTapGDAtrLcHf-Qt61FA6NTKvJEs-JgfE-MMnby4CHVHUj7YmgjbkRfklFg5o53qni1Gs58bqoI/s1600/Screen+Shot+2018-04-29+at+7.32.54+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1061" data-original-width="1600" height="265" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSQ4YBA2s8nuj-Rwnw6H0OL-zu_q0kdBDptczJAkd-4KGIPruEAV0-57rmanCaVYrpgTapGDAtrLcHf-Qt61FA6NTKvJEs-JgfE-MMnby4CHVHUj7YmgjbkRfklFg5o53qni1Gs58bqoI/s400/Screen+Shot+2018-04-29+at+7.32.54+PM.png" width="400" /></a></div>
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Again, I lack a wide angle lens. I think you can see the improvement though. </div>
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Much better, don't you think? </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEuC16_AgGElKL3FOJuUWh5yBlBunBXD4hg3vvnxm8L3qILvd_PIQVbaawPKiPS732zPVriUYSLEoJO4arUiADVcW0zBWFzYkdIKO1NhuZPAuMGHU_Jt2RQNfjFPDaf77hfmd65fDl7VE/s1600/IMG_5573.dng" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEuC16_AgGElKL3FOJuUWh5yBlBunBXD4hg3vvnxm8L3qILvd_PIQVbaawPKiPS732zPVriUYSLEoJO4arUiADVcW0zBWFzYkdIKO1NhuZPAuMGHU_Jt2RQNfjFPDaf77hfmd65fDl7VE/s400/IMG_5573.dng" width="400" /></a></div>
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So, there you have some progress pictures. I met with two contractors and am waiting on their bids then we will start making decisions and picking out surfaces and fixtures for the kitchen and the Master Bathroom. I'll keep you posted! Any advice you can give to me since I'm new at renovations will be much appreciated. </div>
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<br />KarenBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11354372312817808972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953277467684839302.post-44051685351090350312018-07-17T22:02:00.004-05:002018-07-17T22:02:47.658-05:00Visit to the DMA<div style="text-align: justify;">
The Dallas Museum of Art that is. A Dallasite (made that up) friend that had <b>NEVER</b> gone to the Dallas Museum of Art suggested we go for a visit this week. Today was the day. It's a good time of the year to do inside activities in Texas. My car said the temperature was 108 degrees this afternoon. Good grief that's ridiculous. I took a few pictures, of course, some were just okay and I didn't get information on everything. The museum is great and definitely a must see. </div>
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We began our day at the Nasher Sculpture Center. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWtiOjt7QrOVw4zARBp3zakbdkL10dE2SLzHZDKFj4EEtGuAJj7K0QA607sI3M5pGprw3xgkZ5pMAKp2X4M60QGF1g8s0CKjn7ghoPpQKZFwh5ek8MZ_0QAQds11tuZamQqJsSV2esioE/s1600/IMG_5443.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWtiOjt7QrOVw4zARBp3zakbdkL10dE2SLzHZDKFj4EEtGuAJj7K0QA607sI3M5pGprw3xgkZ5pMAKp2X4M60QGF1g8s0CKjn7ghoPpQKZFwh5ek8MZ_0QAQds11tuZamQqJsSV2esioE/s400/IMG_5443.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipj_c5JC3P7ew0-xYOGRHv06UPYI7AxYEcsEQHtH4L5LwElWh40GF5Qz130CxY1Yex8iMOXHS6VPfNgVex6jYZtg_f-u1Bd43ifoLjl5ITOuSWOaByIW-GlbPJwZawQvuMJ0YSqFBgfG8/s1600/IMG_5454.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipj_c5JC3P7ew0-xYOGRHv06UPYI7AxYEcsEQHtH4L5LwElWh40GF5Qz130CxY1Yex8iMOXHS6VPfNgVex6jYZtg_f-u1Bd43ifoLjl5ITOuSWOaByIW-GlbPJwZawQvuMJ0YSqFBgfG8/s640/IMG_5454.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZnTCuDXSMguLEXjR83NpjIdygSBFYTPaXKG4vOaxNnxcfm-uNhysYupaWtdSB26JAFIhNvMkFjDlRIrICsvD70NUNBk-2jnBU8EYFu-38Q6DBD0_Oo8PJnC1L5q9YwxsTTGX9oM-sg2E/s1600/IMG_5463.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZnTCuDXSMguLEXjR83NpjIdygSBFYTPaXKG4vOaxNnxcfm-uNhysYupaWtdSB26JAFIhNvMkFjDlRIrICsvD70NUNBk-2jnBU8EYFu-38Q6DBD0_Oo8PJnC1L5q9YwxsTTGX9oM-sg2E/s640/IMG_5463.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This piece depicts Jews as they were being shipped by train to concentration camps. </div>
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Very sobering sculpture. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFb5Ow7X9vUTl6ub1_RljCJT0CY4Y62HN7XEMIVpU956YYmGSzLU-3qRzk3rKLH4WqpbFdUNU3rKuS-6fNZo8vraMi-DJNnvXA82fZVfehWpne6CoJMBv_MNPypNCPMYzJ_DVVfsayE7c/s1600/IMG_5465.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFb5Ow7X9vUTl6ub1_RljCJT0CY4Y62HN7XEMIVpU956YYmGSzLU-3qRzk3rKLH4WqpbFdUNU3rKuS-6fNZo8vraMi-DJNnvXA82fZVfehWpne6CoJMBv_MNPypNCPMYzJ_DVVfsayE7c/s400/IMG_5465.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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We went into the DMA cafe for lunch. There is a beautiful Dale Chihuly display in the café. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitUbGKSmOQnvK7X_TUnZ54ecWJiCwgq7ncMIAtlT3tXtccWfhCTpznOqHAnEwhA5kEFUWnOIKbWY8fk4GvyhWOj8kZgvao61FljGxnlnAKtXxvZxIFDr8c3Q2xh0g4gMo1LvpSKLt44rg/s1600/IMG_5478.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitUbGKSmOQnvK7X_TUnZ54ecWJiCwgq7ncMIAtlT3tXtccWfhCTpznOqHAnEwhA5kEFUWnOIKbWY8fk4GvyhWOj8kZgvao61FljGxnlnAKtXxvZxIFDr8c3Q2xh0g4gMo1LvpSKLt44rg/s640/IMG_5478.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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There is a large display called the Wendy and Emery Reves Collection. The Reves donated many pieces of their collection which had also been the collection of Coco Chanel. They had purchased the home, La Pausa, including the furniture and art from Coco. Emery collected art and had several collections confiscated by the Nazi's during WWII. This collection had so many originals from famous artists that it was unbelievable. The display is constructed much like the French house. The furniture was beautiful. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_gmZPxjRvNPgevVD0-CHV3ThAWC2DeFJvrJENCiz6u_WmD3XhBwW0rwCF0ikC2KfpHSyd2aAZHny5nA8GwY0Tw4n5xC8DdWrwbUTh6rhVLhUBT7r02id4d2tDJtPAi1fMGyFqSnJtOt8/s1600/IMG_5497.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_gmZPxjRvNPgevVD0-CHV3ThAWC2DeFJvrJENCiz6u_WmD3XhBwW0rwCF0ikC2KfpHSyd2aAZHny5nA8GwY0Tw4n5xC8DdWrwbUTh6rhVLhUBT7r02id4d2tDJtPAi1fMGyFqSnJtOt8/s640/IMG_5497.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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This is Bougival by de Vlaminck</div>
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It is in the Fauvism style. <a href="https://collections.dma.org/artwork/3201991" target="_blank">Here's </a>a little more information about this piece.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQgl1KEUUQhtejzJsI6mabudkRdwM24b-hr-XBY9eXlQy8SgKPuVIz10i59DTL__5zhyJQC-ewVF8OKuBt8f8DgYb0Hous8QkZPop-mbyx-ICw3dCrjg0ykYk7XcSYIjH7zpuDPoRcJso/s1600/IMG_5505.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQgl1KEUUQhtejzJsI6mabudkRdwM24b-hr-XBY9eXlQy8SgKPuVIz10i59DTL__5zhyJQC-ewVF8OKuBt8f8DgYb0Hous8QkZPop-mbyx-ICw3dCrjg0ykYk7XcSYIjH7zpuDPoRcJso/s400/IMG_5505.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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A section of the above painting.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt36lVzc9WXo1KsjB_CCEtes5rQvpy8ikLBBtRHxzaphZDxBVWBEaoQi4eAsbnbn1araMy9oHD6_dZz-lWU3Aikj8qakF7_JAOsnUWUscdgFhGBrug-zRg8ph4szEcNs0mcTacVHzDc_w/s1600/IMG_5503.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt36lVzc9WXo1KsjB_CCEtes5rQvpy8ikLBBtRHxzaphZDxBVWBEaoQi4eAsbnbn1araMy9oHD6_dZz-lWU3Aikj8qakF7_JAOsnUWUscdgFhGBrug-zRg8ph4szEcNs0mcTacVHzDc_w/s320/IMG_5503.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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These are the paints of Winston Churchill and below is one of five paintings that he gave the Reves. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGn9Lsp2nZ9y5ObgJbJ_DRkHwy2yv_bPK-bh2yjCZ5ddiNrwu2i6rKW-gO4uzP2f8wPICvEtcNvO7pP5T9LH13rRSwZSvQktNx_joywD8jihO5kLbZ_PoJQLmMyAG3Qz2P5vflcel8H4M/s1600/IMG_5515.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGn9Lsp2nZ9y5ObgJbJ_DRkHwy2yv_bPK-bh2yjCZ5ddiNrwu2i6rKW-gO4uzP2f8wPICvEtcNvO7pP5T9LH13rRSwZSvQktNx_joywD8jihO5kLbZ_PoJQLmMyAG3Qz2P5vflcel8H4M/s400/IMG_5515.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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Vase of Red Tulips</div>
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Winston Churchill</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyGl-b_193DhrYU-9ZcNnTtFgCuP7VOpBwIoU5XOQkwTQpP1I6U3qwlZC67A_l9tfFOF33wrSRTMlD6lAYiITP4SfMlFimLbMdY4YDfwl0-w-h29JNKuhEvU4chSfXhQ1Eio3Y3CABpHM/s1600/IMG_5517.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyGl-b_193DhrYU-9ZcNnTtFgCuP7VOpBwIoU5XOQkwTQpP1I6U3qwlZC67A_l9tfFOF33wrSRTMlD6lAYiITP4SfMlFimLbMdY4YDfwl0-w-h29JNKuhEvU4chSfXhQ1Eio3Y3CABpHM/s640/IMG_5517.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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Incredible carving on a gilt frame. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIRP5OVh4u8l-T1nAtBzBmcbKe3haVI0NfLGx15TSH4dxsQEWLYTVlNYLSVvyloNDqew4N7_-XcjNW4STf9fHv8BKb4auZfqfKQF3dXcCf9EknSJMvhPoaIzHwIdrnXONt81S57pPYHgQ/s1600/IMG_5521.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIRP5OVh4u8l-T1nAtBzBmcbKe3haVI0NfLGx15TSH4dxsQEWLYTVlNYLSVvyloNDqew4N7_-XcjNW4STf9fHv8BKb4auZfqfKQF3dXcCf9EknSJMvhPoaIzHwIdrnXONt81S57pPYHgQ/s320/IMG_5521.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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River Bank in Springtime by Vincent van Gogh </div>
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This one really reminded me of Sakura season in Japan.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5s2jPywbod7sfi7V8jQtR2LegbVjH-o4xdeFTth9RQCy0RtECt_nLsa7j-k5U2WQpPDPHoU3ezF9kutTM7BbIrh_GKonnj6eX2MuYVMwj5wSc5Ff7ZnDqSkPnI41bNnYsD70RuNhAud4/s1600/IMG_5523.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5s2jPywbod7sfi7V8jQtR2LegbVjH-o4xdeFTth9RQCy0RtECt_nLsa7j-k5U2WQpPDPHoU3ezF9kutTM7BbIrh_GKonnj6eX2MuYVMwj5wSc5Ff7ZnDqSkPnI41bNnYsD70RuNhAud4/s640/IMG_5523.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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A small portion of Apple Harvest by Camille Pissarro</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLUeYGSZkitEnG8SlGN5UlHKBLDnwMtiO3UpKTXIPKADLoGikt61J43RhJ4IyEJBrN1pS3Ai5woqYbO9OnqwWyYzqPEMaI6djWf3UMhd1a4creGSu9jvlSGisUN3wjD5fzowFudvhA4mI/s1600/IMG_5528.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLUeYGSZkitEnG8SlGN5UlHKBLDnwMtiO3UpKTXIPKADLoGikt61J43RhJ4IyEJBrN1pS3Ai5woqYbO9OnqwWyYzqPEMaI6djWf3UMhd1a4creGSu9jvlSGisUN3wjD5fzowFudvhA4mI/s640/IMG_5528.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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These two above are just portions of paintings using Pointillism. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifX9SCRyhuda0n7SuF-Rir20H_NLSFpthnCx5EQnc9xDAkLgE4AeF28T8Xhdn9GXz1_xFz51xygaY3ZucumjckQ5VwogH_0cLRTW51PFAA0kPGG77__K9Cw3ZJ-e0JkyI0ESrpegkaGZ0/s1600/IMG_5493.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifX9SCRyhuda0n7SuF-Rir20H_NLSFpthnCx5EQnc9xDAkLgE4AeF28T8Xhdn9GXz1_xFz51xygaY3ZucumjckQ5VwogH_0cLRTW51PFAA0kPGG77__K9Cw3ZJ-e0JkyI0ESrpegkaGZ0/s400/IMG_5493.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Fishing Boats at L'Estaque by André Derain</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxDGr01XNjOw_ky-fE911EQIdXI8Cu6EgoFTziXCL8QhcckOvy1C1YvXv-GvgXmrVhTkHr_AEtMuLedJ9_MExgh3rZb07tHwqHgaNohOo4OVKzpnUqtKB3NTlupwKIC2-3DtOYPReR_q8/s1600/IMG_5488.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1067" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxDGr01XNjOw_ky-fE911EQIdXI8Cu6EgoFTziXCL8QhcckOvy1C1YvXv-GvgXmrVhTkHr_AEtMuLedJ9_MExgh3rZb07tHwqHgaNohOo4OVKzpnUqtKB3NTlupwKIC2-3DtOYPReR_q8/s640/IMG_5488.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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If you are ever visiting, take the time to see the <a href="https://www.dma.org/" target="_blank">Dallas Museum of Art</a>. It is located in the Dallas Arts District which also holds the Symphony Center, Opera House, and theaters. When is the last time you went to an art museum?</div>
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<br />KarenBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11354372312817808972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953277467684839302.post-78695948246834962902018-07-08T21:44:00.002-05:002018-07-08T21:44:39.587-05:00Delicious Summer Recipes<div style="text-align: justify;">
I've recently been searching for some new recipes for the summer. You know, all the wonderful produce that's in season has had me wanting some good salads. I've posted a couple on Instagram recently, but I thought I'd share the links to them here. </div>
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This first one is <a href="https://greenvalleykitchen.com/ravioli-sauteed-asparagus-walnuts/" target="_blank">Ravioli with Sautéed Asparagus and Walnuts</a> from Green Valley Kitchen. I could only find cheese ravioli in my store, which I thought was ridiculous, but it was still delicious. These are my photos, so you can see how they really turn out. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj3ci80psBSylXGdVsIs92VEJn9IfJMYwvcbWxo6C_5oA6rJQI7gWQQcJJvrAZg9-LPRaXR1Ic-IYHbQwxh8cCEAjAMcUHwMktg6an9BTtAa4oSrZF6sB-WP2sJ17p9J9EDxXNKhBAH2g/s1600/IMG_3862.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjj3ci80psBSylXGdVsIs92VEJn9IfJMYwvcbWxo6C_5oA6rJQI7gWQQcJJvrAZg9-LPRaXR1Ic-IYHbQwxh8cCEAjAMcUHwMktg6an9BTtAa4oSrZF6sB-WP2sJ17p9J9EDxXNKhBAH2g/s640/IMG_3862.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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The second one is 10-Minute Zucchini Noodles with Garlic, Lemon and Parmesan. I asked for and received a Spiralizer for Christmas and I finally tried it out. It worked perfectly on zucchini and this recipe was very good too. You can find it at <a href="http://instantpoteats.com/instant-pot-zucchini-noodles-with-garlic-lemon-parmesan-recipe/" target="_blank">Instant Pot Eats</a>. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyFVxzqn4wJn0a5Qe88AEzOKeGcgBvsGoWhQeKgV5608Ww58_I0AYJErm6Is88fyeVw0bQfO0UPDqMf0dmnfLhhRpzZyJsyCyF_3d_XvUjVgw2WUygf_lgtuEGAUTWWI97UHz7ucdaoH4/s1600/IMG_4110.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1537" data-original-width="1203" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyFVxzqn4wJn0a5Qe88AEzOKeGcgBvsGoWhQeKgV5608Ww58_I0AYJErm6Is88fyeVw0bQfO0UPDqMf0dmnfLhhRpzZyJsyCyF_3d_XvUjVgw2WUygf_lgtuEGAUTWWI97UHz7ucdaoH4/s640/IMG_4110.jpg" width="499" /></a></div>
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I loved all of these recipes or I wouldn't be passing them on to you. I've just hit the jackpot lately. This one was my favorite combination. Pasta, tomato, basil what can be wrong with that? This recipe is from <a href="https://alexandracooks.com/2010/07/18/a-super-summery-pasta/" target="_blank">Alexandra Cooks </a>and was a favorite with my husband too. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuGloqcVUGohvZaJvqCJgSSC_Dj7pLrcOJJCsJ6aIRAcDINpu3P5aZLAJql_CDawwB5hmSZ-locrsiYix9CL-ZDviK6hAL7gRXKPm-7w3_125XjOZ5IaGOpDvQvyDqhCWhmGd5bIjb1ww/s1600/IMG_4053.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhuGloqcVUGohvZaJvqCJgSSC_Dj7pLrcOJJCsJ6aIRAcDINpu3P5aZLAJql_CDawwB5hmSZ-locrsiYix9CL-ZDviK6hAL7gRXKPm-7w3_125XjOZ5IaGOpDvQvyDqhCWhmGd5bIjb1ww/s640/IMG_4053.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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And lastly, I decided to make my own hummus. In Japan, we couldn't buy hummus or decent crackers. I craved hummus and Triscuits. I had friends that would make their own. I even brought cans of chick peas to Japan for them and myself. I never did it. Yesterday I did and I added "Everything but the Bagel" sesame seasoning to the top with some olive oil. It was amazing with some Triscuits. I made this <a href="https://www.gimmesomeoven.com/classic-hummus/" target="_blank">Classic Hummus recipe </a>from Gimme Some Oven. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh86JvyIq0_rTw8uPvYxqEs9EOUepY1z2J_3X_mmb9bDK3dQbeI8ZShX5FzmD0DvOqhdZDiAJP2cOyFwt9b5o340eQh18232AJ_jmy4enZ3E_FUtFCZfgP6FvD358b1j7yEoD5ZsBBz9V0/s1600/IMG_4107.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh86JvyIq0_rTw8uPvYxqEs9EOUepY1z2J_3X_mmb9bDK3dQbeI8ZShX5FzmD0DvOqhdZDiAJP2cOyFwt9b5o340eQh18232AJ_jmy4enZ3E_FUtFCZfgP6FvD358b1j7yEoD5ZsBBz9V0/s640/IMG_4107.JPG" width="480" /></a></div>
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Do you have some new summery recipes you'd like to share with me? I'm on the hunt! </div>
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Happy eating. </div>
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<i>Karen</i></div>
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KarenBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11354372312817808972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953277467684839302.post-74614736406189838872018-06-20T21:35:00.000-05:002018-06-20T22:24:18.107-05:00Crafting in Texas<div style="text-align: justify;">
Hello everyone! You read that right. I'm in Texas these days. Crazy turn of events, isn't it? We are still missing Japan very much. I do miss all of my crafty adventures while living there. I really hadn't planned on blogging again anytime soon. Most of what I do I share on Instagram. You can follow me <a href="https://www.instagram.com/ksueb/" target="_blank">@ksueb. </a> </div>
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Recently I have been playing with a process called Cyanotype. You may remember doing it as a child or with your children. I've seen some artists trying it on Instagram and asked for a kit for Christmas. It had quite the trip getting to me, but eventually I received it. I didn't really try it until recently when I had more time and the sun was strong. It is a chemical process that was invented in the 1800's and was eventually used to catalog botanicals. I'll leave you some links for more information. This is the Wikipedia <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyanotype" target="_blank">explanation.</a> The kit is no longer available at Interweave.com, but <a href="https://www.interweave.com/store/quilting-arts-workshop-surface-design-essentials-for-the-printed-quilt-grouped" target="_blank">this DVD </a>gives instruction and some resources. </div>
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Here is what I've done so far. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP42Tu5dnI4jPcc7DjnS0CdzvT7BUqQDURmz5ECPsnW807VMekgPUfI2-zZUQm4dHo788TMXpxAIqwFLjl0DwAmnAkeYuRr3SUMVx5Q4Z9XImjhNOAZfLAdH6T09dgNR4J-7e24vNHURY/s1600/IMG_3849.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP42Tu5dnI4jPcc7DjnS0CdzvT7BUqQDURmz5ECPsnW807VMekgPUfI2-zZUQm4dHo788TMXpxAIqwFLjl0DwAmnAkeYuRr3SUMVx5Q4Z9XImjhNOAZfLAdH6T09dgNR4J-7e24vNHURY/s400/IMG_3849.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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These were wild grasses. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq8BDoe01E5jeq4R0w4gX__eNG9TqFiJb5fWY9xDZF-Jr542efITcJaao4mw23JsAxw8w1YWJgj6siaFDGProGv2soV8VORrsLUe8Vz2UYlwg6Aw8VVxXaobzGt4N56ly-lOwMDxtYTlk/s1600/IMG_3664.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1161" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq8BDoe01E5jeq4R0w4gX__eNG9TqFiJb5fWY9xDZF-Jr542efITcJaao4mw23JsAxw8w1YWJgj6siaFDGProGv2soV8VORrsLUe8Vz2UYlwg6Aw8VVxXaobzGt4N56ly-lOwMDxtYTlk/s400/IMG_3664.jpg" width="290" /></a></div>
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Queen Anne's Lace (Daucus Carota)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz7Rw2SRNM1ghd2-oWGw-UefMtQDezq1kAiWBXmLe6iqUag_XMo1S5V0EfkNyzdQNWDABAPdMOi8tL450d_FnL97CN6WlsUlGUkl25-i1ECU5d9vSX1CfOplqxVe54qqpwKlrx7EPo1Ms/s1600/IMG_3812.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjz7Rw2SRNM1ghd2-oWGw-UefMtQDezq1kAiWBXmLe6iqUag_XMo1S5V0EfkNyzdQNWDABAPdMOi8tL450d_FnL97CN6WlsUlGUkl25-i1ECU5d9vSX1CfOplqxVe54qqpwKlrx7EPo1Ms/s400/IMG_3812.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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Mexican Hat (Ratibida columnifera)</div>
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What are you going to do with them, you ask? That, my friends, is TBD. I might frame them or sew them into something. I'm just having fun at the moment, playing. Hope you are all well and enjoying your summer. We have big things on the horizon and I'll maybe keep you updated here. If there is still anyone out there. </div>
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<br />KarenBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11354372312817808972noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953277467684839302.post-62076323625570390312017-07-01T08:26:00.000-05:002017-07-01T08:33:32.489-05:00The Value of the Handmade<div style="text-align: justify;">
One of the things I love most about Japan, is the immense variety of handmade crafts that continue to be done here as well as the continued appreciation of them. I do understand that some of these traditions are not necessarily being handed down to the younger generations. A few of the artists that I know personally do not have children that want the family business. Some have assistants that they have trained that will continue the craft. </div>
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A few weeks ago was the Arimatsu Shibori Matsuri (festival). I didn't get to go last year so jumped at the chance to go with our Japanese teacher and her husband this time. I didn't even know it was scheduled, so I'm so glad they invited us. Shibori is a type of fabric manipulation used when dyeing fabric. It was probably handed down from China, but Arimatsu developed it's own style and was set along the Edo trail, which was the road from the capital of Tokyo (Edo) to Kyoto. Arimatsu has a 400 year tradition of the shibori trade. </div>
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The streets and shops were swamped with people buying discounted shibori ready made and fabric yardage. There were food booths (of course) and craft booths where you could learn several different craft techniques. It isn't entirely handmade any longer. Small tools have been developed to make it a less laborous process.</div>
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I ended up buying only a handmade and hand dyed linen scarf. It was dyed with natural ingredients, the green was rosemary, blue was indigo and pink was madder. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rubia" target="_blank">Here is a description of madder.</a> The lovely lady that I bought it from had a henna rinse in her hair. Ken says that's a "no go" when I mentioned getting a henna rinse myself. I think the scarf is so beautiful. It has already softened up from wearing it. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6hGBiXI-4YgDqYaYm6LTJcqdovHux2W8bmYrhcSpG4-bedSqnDzZ9GMfalreYGi34mh1yxYF1mb5-UNNP4H1Mr9b0-3MQD27sMNxeceS-yjAe7jroVGMGDFgMzIyJZpFoZMdYUenlcPI/s1600/IMG_3372.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6hGBiXI-4YgDqYaYm6LTJcqdovHux2W8bmYrhcSpG4-bedSqnDzZ9GMfalreYGi34mh1yxYF1mb5-UNNP4H1Mr9b0-3MQD27sMNxeceS-yjAe7jroVGMGDFgMzIyJZpFoZMdYUenlcPI/s400/IMG_3372.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEyUxAtLohP4CTIpT8nkrIhhX4-ql8WgxWDYmb7VkgIBwcqhyHLEdtBXukvwJmHd0mSvSSWTYoAEYSEylygqLtX8wltj8VgJ9KpxkyO0YCoAPJIJ83rVLCLKPCSqnbuuGH8g252tLfWnE/s1600/IMG_3395.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1280" data-original-width="960" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiEyUxAtLohP4CTIpT8nkrIhhX4-ql8WgxWDYmb7VkgIBwcqhyHLEdtBXukvwJmHd0mSvSSWTYoAEYSEylygqLtX8wltj8VgJ9KpxkyO0YCoAPJIJ83rVLCLKPCSqnbuuGH8g252tLfWnE/s400/IMG_3395.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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Here are some photos of beautiful fabrics at the festival.</div>
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This display was incredibly impossible to photograph. It was in a gym so there was that distraction, but it was stunning the way the light played off of the fabrics. </div>
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These are coasters I made for Mari's birthday. They are made from vintage Yukata (summer cotton kimono) fabrics that have patches and stitches and seams. She was actually with me when I purchased the fabrics over a year ago. Because the fabrics were rustic, I decided to do Sashiko stitches in a heavier weight thread with more of a rustic, primitive feel to them. I love how they turned out and she did too. I've learned recently that the traditional Sashiko indigo and white colors were used because it was illegal for commoners to wear bright colors or large ornamentation during the Edo period. That is why most of the designs are small and the colors are blue and white. This came from a book with the history of Sashiko that another Mari gave me. It's called The Ultimate Sashiko Sourcebook by Susan Briscoe. </div>
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Recently I asked a friend from the UK to teach me how to do EPP (English Paper Piecing). Another friend joined in and we were taught this lovely piecing technique. </div>
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I made a coaster for myself out of my little flower. </div>
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Since I've been talking about Sashiko, I thought you might like to see how I mended my jeans recently. I used an iron-on patch on the back and then sewed some Sashiko stitches for reinforcement. This idea is referred to as "visible mending". Google it and you'll see lots of ideas. I think it would've been easier if I would have used regular fabric instead of iron on. That was difficult to stitch through. But, I did and I read that they will be so strong that the fabric around it will be weaker. So, we will see how these hold up. In the mean time, I think they look cool. Okay, so enough about Shibori and Sashiko for now. We've had lots of company in June and so I've taken so many sightseeing pictures as well. Maybe that will be my next post. Or flowers. </div>
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Our sensei and her husband, Keiko and Akio.</div>
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Thanks for stopping by for a visit,</div>
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<i><span style="font-family: "georgia" , "times new roman" , serif;">Karen</span></i></div>
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KarenBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11354372312817808972noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953277467684839302.post-67942544260116500962017-05-20T03:19:00.002-05:002017-05-20T03:19:59.983-05:00Wow, It's Almost June!!<div style="text-align: justify;">
Sorry for the silence these last few months. I knew they would fly by. Last March we were talking about all that was on the calendar for the next few months. We had a home leave trip planned for April for two weeks. The following week I was helping decorate for another wedding at our church. Four days after that we had guests arriving. They left today and now in two more weeks our oldest daughter and son-in-law come for a two week visit. We blinked and the time has flown by. Soon, too soon, it will be the end of June and we will have only two more months in Japan. </div>
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I'm trying to take it all in. There are goodbye lunches, dinners and picnics being held every weekend it seems. All the while there is still uncertainty about what happens once we get home. We are just trying to take things one day and a time. What good does it do to worry too much about it. God always seems to have another plan. It's usually superior to our own anyway. </div>
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Here are a few photos from our recent months. <br />
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We went on a couple of hikes around our house. It's an entirely different kind of beauty in comparison to Japan. But, everywhere you look, there is something gorgeous. </div>
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This is the only part of the garden that looked good. So much work to do when we return!</div>
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Do you remember this place? It's been awhile hasn't it?</div>
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I came back to help this lovely lady get married. I was sweet and simple, but still took a lot of work. What a blessing to be able to contribute to this special occasion. </div>
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Our guests arrived soon after and we hit the ground running. They are from Malaysia and she was one of our foreign exchange students that we hosted several years ago. We hadn't seen each other in 12 years. The sensei really gave us some special treatment and took us to his favorite lunch place. </div>
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Last Friday I got a message asking if I wanted to go with my photography group to the fish market early in the morning. My company was so excited so we headed out at about 5:30 am. This was definitely not my normal environment for photography but it was very fun and quite a learning experience. </div>
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He's using the longest knife I have ever seen. </div>
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They went off and did their own thing in Kyoto and Osaka for a few days. Such great kids and so helpful and considerate. When they returned, we visited the Aquarium. My husband hadn't been there yet either. Along with it was the Fuji Antarctic Exploration Vessel that was in commission for 18 years. </div>
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With that I'm going to swim off and go eat some Mexican food. Yes, we have one good Mexican restaurant here. Basically it's a bar with about 4 tables, but that's beside the point. Until next time. . . </div>
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KarenBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11354372312817808972noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953277467684839302.post-40647975738944090232017-03-17T08:43:00.000-05:002017-03-17T08:43:12.275-05:00The Shift<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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There is a shift in the air. Expat life is mostly fun and amazing as you have probably noticed. What I don't mention often is when it's frustrating or downright difficult. Expat life is full of goodbyes. It seems like many we have met or gotten close to have left or are leaving before we do. Thankfully there are a few close friends that will be here till after we leave. We are in a season of goodbyes. Matane means "see ya later". A Matane party is a goodbye party. They are bittersweet. <br />
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I have one young friend leaving at the beginning of April. She asked me and "S" to take pictures of her and her daughter in kimonos. "S" is a much more experienced photographer than I am. It was super fun to watch how she works a portrait shoot and especially how she handles a toddler. I don't think I want to do portrait photography, but I really did enjoy it. Although I felt inadequate and was sure nothing was going to turn out. I thought I'd show you some of my favorites. As you can tell, I prefer more candid shots. This little one looks just like her daddy.<br />
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There were also amazing Ume trees (plums) blooming, so I got a few pictures of those while I was there. This is our last Spring in Japan and I want to savor every moment of it. Ken and I will be traveling to Kyoto and Hiroshima at the end of March which should be beautiful this time of year. <br />
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This week I went to another Matane party for my two young friends that are leaving. It was a Karaoke party with toddlers! It was really fun and again, I took my camera. Oh yeah, there were Moms there too. </div>
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I can't even get enough of this cuteness!</div>
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Goodbyes are hard. I treasure these sweet friends. Thankfully, I will see some of them again because we will be moving from California to Texas when we return. Many are going to the same place. If you've followed me here long enough you'll realize that this means we will be selling our beautiful home and relocating. That is a hard one. But, no matter how we plan our days, they don't usually end up the way we think. God has much better plans than we can ever dream of. So we are trusting in His direction one step at a time. </div>
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<i><span style="color: #45818e;">"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the Lord, "plans to proper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11</span></i></div>
<br />KarenBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11354372312817808972noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953277467684839302.post-13968570214527347662017-02-20T05:44:00.001-06:002017-02-20T05:44:48.163-06:00I know you've done this. <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
I know you've done this. We've done it too. Many Japanese who live by us have never seen some of the things I've seen in this last year and a half. I remember when we lived in Southeast Texas many, many years ago. It was our first move away from home and we thought we'd be there about two years. Nine months later my husband was given a promotion and we would be moving to South Dakota. We had<b> two</b> weeks. It was a huge wake up call. We hadn't done a thing in the area. We hadn't driven around to see Galveston, we hadn't driven to Houston. We had just set up house and gone about our business. Often it takes having company to go see interesting things around your home. Stop that, right now! Enjoy where you live. Take the time to investigate all it has to offer. Go on day trips in your local area. Check out the parks, museums, events and even the aquarium!</div>
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My friend took me to the aquarium in Nagoya in January. You may have seen some of the photos on Facebook or Instagram. It's super hard to narrow it down here. I think I almost love the people, especially children, more than the actually sea animals. Take the little tour in no particular order. </div>
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This is a new one for me.</div>
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"who are you looking at?"</div>
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Play ball!</div>
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"ichi, ni, san, chizu"</div>
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You just never know what you'll see!</div>
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Lesson learned. I'm heading out Wednesday for hopefully an amazing location. I'll keep you posted! </div>
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"Matane"</div>
<br />KarenBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11354372312817808972noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953277467684839302.post-16921718856771667742017-02-08T00:25:00.000-06:002017-02-08T00:25:18.544-06:00Light and Darkness<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I've been stuck at home for several days fighting a cold. I'm tired of sitting around and watching television and movies. But, then again, I have a natural affinity for being lazy. Today I actually have sewn a little bit. My sewing machine is old and really not cooperating today. I've also run out of thread and don't feel up to walking to the fabric store for more. So my next plan of action is to write a long overdo blog post. The majority of these photos are from a place we visited called Nabano No Sato. It's a park and a nursery. There are an unlimited number of begonias on display. For several weeks they light up the entire park in the evenings and droves of people visit in the evenings. It really was magical. </div>
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<br />KarenBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11354372312817808972noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953277467684839302.post-33250759179312809522016-12-12T04:48:00.000-06:002016-12-12T04:48:18.487-06:00Fall in JapanHello again. What's up? It's turning cold here in Japan. Chilly really, not super cold. But, I'm finicky. We are heading to Kansas City over the Christmas holidays. It's suppose to be arctic cold while we're visiting. I hope Kansas City lives up to it's reputation and vacillates back and forth between cold and mild when we arrive. What have I been doing you ask? I know you've been wondering. <br />
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Well, the days do seem to be flying by. Can you believe we have lived here almost 16 months? When we return from Christmas we will have about 8 months left of our stay here. Therefore, I'm trying to take advantage of everything I can. My youngest daughter came to visit in late October. We crammed as much as possible into those two weeks. We did glass blowing, pottery and indigo dyeing. We visited Kyoto and Tokyo along with sites around Nagoya. It went fast!<br />
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I've done some more pottery since then and think I might make several more trips there before I leave. I pretty much love everything I make. Here are the pieces I made from this trip. </div>
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I've been doing a lot of knitting. I have several friends that knit. We meet often and hang out at a coffee shop or a friend's home. I have a shawl that I need to finish asap as it will be nice to have this winter. I know you can't really tell, but its a beautiful chunky Noro yarn that should be nice and warm. I've got two scarves in process and just added two different shawls to my queue. Although I haven't bought yarn yet. I definitely have enough to keep me busy. Here are the new possibilities, The <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/parlour-2">Parlour </a>and <a href="http://www.ravelry.com/patterns/library/find-your-fade">Find Your Fade.</a></div>
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<span style="text-align: left;">I was also able to explore some new areas and take Fall pictures. Fall and Spring are very big in Japan. They take it seriously. Japan illuminates the beautiful fall trees and it's a site to behold. First of all, I'll show you some trees from a Shrine out in the country on a rainy day. </span></div>
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Last night I went to an Illumination and took some fun pictures. </div>
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Fall is now all over and winter is upon us. I don't have plans to travel to Sapporo for the Ice Festival. I hear everyone in Japan goes to the Ice Festival. It's too late to get flights and reservations, etc. So you may just get more photos of knitting. Sending you lots of love and wishing you all a </div>
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<span style="color: red; font-size: x-large;"><i>Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. </i></span> </div>
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<br />KarenBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11354372312817808972noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953277467684839302.post-59248910646609168892016-09-18T06:39:00.000-05:002016-09-18T06:39:43.276-05:00Japanese Pottery<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Pottery is a big deal in Japan. There are several cities in the surrounding area that are known for their pottery. Last weekend we visited Setomono Matsuri which is a festival in the town of Seto. Their specific pottery is referred to as Setomono. We left early on the train in the hopes of beating the crowds and the heat. We weren't really successful with either. Evidently they expected over a half a million people to visit Seto during the festival. </div>
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Dachsunds are one of the most popular dogs in Japan. </div>
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This is not your usual festival food in America. It is a rather healthy choice. They are obviously cucumbers on a stick, but they are being washed with salt water. Perfectly refreshing choice for the hot and humid day.<br />
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This sweet little family was sharing this spiraled potato on a stick. </div>
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Sounds like a good snack to me. Especially if its fried and salted. </div>
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Some of the pottery is very beautiful. I love the rustic, handmade pieces the most.</div>
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I wanted one of these big pots, but didn't want to carry it around.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhP21a6bynwipttMnrWLexW11HE4QUsWWitDv6PafI5aKoFv_E4eFunq5Uqxc9NkPsjjmty-bbTB7uO17auJg8e_JOhcxl7lr2nV8otT8ISyn7ioRUpkDSwLAjkd56yiYzysf0e9jSd0M/s1600/IMG_4241.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhP21a6bynwipttMnrWLexW11HE4QUsWWitDv6PafI5aKoFv_E4eFunq5Uqxc9NkPsjjmty-bbTB7uO17auJg8e_JOhcxl7lr2nV8otT8ISyn7ioRUpkDSwLAjkd56yiYzysf0e9jSd0M/s640/IMG_4241.jpg" width="426" /></a></div>
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Again, not your normal festival food. </div>
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This guy wouldn't get away with smoking while serving food in America.</div>
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They had a cute section for kids to make crafts. Or was it a section for cute kids to make crafts? </div>
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This is the pretty mug that I came home with. It is hand made, hand painted and pricey. That's what happens when you want original pieces. </div>
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Speaking of pottery in Seto, this last Friday I was able to go to a pottery workshop and make pottery again. This time we were at a different studio with a very helpful sensei. This teacher actually has people come to live at the studio for 30 days to learn. There were a handful of these students helping us that day. Here is the <a href="http://www.explorejapaneseceramics.com/">link </a>to his program. </div>
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Kneading the clay is hard work!</div>
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Concentration.</div>
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These are my final pieces, a cup, small plate and a large serving bowl. We were able to pick out the glaze and they will finish them once they are dry. I'm very happy with how they turned out. <br />
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Kato-sensei and Nanda. Nanda made two Ramen bowls and a larger one.</div>
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Kato-sensei is demonstrating how he cleans up the bottom once they have dried.</div>
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Can anyone guess what these are?</div>
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He was showing and explaining his kilns. Fortunately he speaks very good English.</div>
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The paint pots for designs on the pieces.</div>
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This is the beautiful table in his reception room. </div>
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The cushions are where you sit so it's all very low to the ground. </div>
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I definitely want to return for more time on the wheel!!</div>
KarenBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11354372312817808972noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953277467684839302.post-8109084612198542882016-08-18T08:10:00.001-05:002016-08-18T08:10:09.201-05:00Takayama Weekend<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
Since it's almost the end of August, maybe I should catch you up a little on July? What do you think? We had the wonderful privilege of being invited to Takayama by our Japanese sensei (teacher) and her husband. He is an lead architect for his firm and the company recently restored an old style Japanese home. They use it mainly for business groups. It was rebuilt very modern inside and the details were stunning. I may have to do this in two posts because we got to do some fun sightseeing as well. </div>
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A river runs through it. ;-)</div>
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We got there barely in time to visit the morning market. </div>
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This little lady mixes up the spices to your request. I admit that I haven't tried mine yet. </div>
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I'm pretty sure that the bright red is chili powder. </div>
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This sweet family was getting a custom mix.</div>
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Busy holiday shoppers.</div>
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I couldn't believe how this guy was parked. Parking is a premium in Japan. He evidently wanted to park close to home and hopefully had some assistance. If you look closely you will see that he is straddling a narrow, but deep drainage canal. </div>
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This is the front of the "villa" we stayed in. </div>
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Most shops, restaurants, and some homes have these curtains that hang in the doorways. They are called Noren and are used sort of like screens. Here's some <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noren">information</a> on them.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6b_OIu6EgCz_WiRtHXIgrWwoCXreNKHtbBWyLyrhpAN1ZJWGVI-ibEQphngUFbNp0J6RpX-M7N0CjnFkKwC3pcbReUXmUxwMqY2EjCkyyaScvfCibU1_BWiWh7IjsZ_kLlwMDqz064io/s1600/IMG_6943.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6b_OIu6EgCz_WiRtHXIgrWwoCXreNKHtbBWyLyrhpAN1ZJWGVI-ibEQphngUFbNp0J6RpX-M7N0CjnFkKwC3pcbReUXmUxwMqY2EjCkyyaScvfCibU1_BWiWh7IjsZ_kLlwMDqz064io/s640/IMG_6943.jpg" width="476" /></a></div>
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My favorite part was the back garden.</div>
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This was our bedroom. We had singles, but all the rooms did, so it was fine. </div>
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It is used for company events so it makes sense.</div>
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On the other side of our beds was this desk that was the length of the room. It was down low, but there was space for your legs. It was a nice workspace. Great for putting on makeup with that natural light coming in. ;-)</div>
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One of my other favorite spots was the back of the house where you could sit and enjoy the garden view. The floors were designed to look like faux wood grain. </div>
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This is the main eating/lounging area. Fortunately under this table is an area for your feet. That was a relief to us Westerners. You can see on the left the cut through to the kitchen. You make tea in the middle of the table and underneath those boxes are heating units for grilling, I believe.<br />
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More gorgeous floor details. Faux wood surrounding real wood.</div>
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Another friend joined us for the weekend and we ate some delicious meals.</div>
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The front entry of the home. These walls were concrete with a gorgeous wood floor.</div>
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The detail on this piece was amazing. The glass had been "etched" somehow with fabric from an obi. It was hung with a hand forged piece of iron on a concrete wall. You can see some other fiber in the glass on the right of the wall. <br />
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Here was another hand forged shelf in a little alcove. </div>
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The flower was a little spent, but the idea was fabulous!</div>
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The walls on the left were new, the ones on the right were original.</div>
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Very difficult to photograph all the amazing details of this house.</div>
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Kitchen</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdQm9hQIl2beKC4-OxBOGFd2x2w1NMrLXMKKA4gzrrZcHBPbsBp31F0NA8tje2LnKjFg_QoJsjreJcV3-9Rw6UqUPFHTgyPEEIzdHhMdLRti3QhVK1SAwTm8uDGhnoxlJZcYCCX9-E2h0/s1600/IMG_6964.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdQm9hQIl2beKC4-OxBOGFd2x2w1NMrLXMKKA4gzrrZcHBPbsBp31F0NA8tje2LnKjFg_QoJsjreJcV3-9Rw6UqUPFHTgyPEEIzdHhMdLRti3QhVK1SAwTm8uDGhnoxlJZcYCCX9-E2h0/s640/IMG_6964.jpg" width="466" /></a></div>
<span style="text-align: center;">I actually got a picture of the streets of Takayama when they were empty. It was later in the evening and everyone was probably eating dinner or had gone home. It's lined with traditional style houses that are mainly used as shops and restaurants now.</span><br />
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Night!</div>
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KarenBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11354372312817808972noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953277467684839302.post-49214854818496817622016-07-01T06:00:00.000-05:002016-07-01T06:00:26.820-05:00Ajisai Season -In All It's Glory<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I took advantage of Hydrangea (Ajisai) Season recently. It gave me a lot of wonderful opportunities to work on my photography skills. I've attempted to use the Manual setting on my camera for several months now. Taking pictures of flowers are fairly easy subjects. They don't turn around and walk away from you or run by. The wind is a factor sometimes, but basically, they are gorgeous and stand still. I'm going to take a portrait photography class this next week. We will see how I do. </div>
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I had two different opportunities to take pictures of beautiful hydrangea gardens. This first one was in the Nagoya area, so just a short subway ride away. </div>
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I loved this old, distressed map of the garden.</div>
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We met friends there and so I got Ken to join me.</div>
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This next stop was an hour and a half train ride away. We left in the afternoon because of schedule conflicts, and we also wanted to get the afternoon light which is better than mid day. <br />
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My photography friend likes to get down low. </div>
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I tried it and it definitely gave some fun and interesting results. </div>
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I tried some new angles. I had fun with these two photos, using my screen while I held the camera down low. I have yet to perfect my focusing skills doing this. The effect is fun for something different. The photo below would've been even better if we would've had blue skies to contrast.<br />
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Another "different" perspective shot.</div>
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We stayed until the lights came on and got a few fun photos with them. We left around 7:30 to go home. When we got to the subway we eventually discovered that all the trains in the area were cancelled, due to an "accident" on the tracks. It's a very real problem in Japan. Many choose suicide by train as the solution to their problems. It took quite a lot of thinking to get home. We ended up taking an expensive cab to a station two stops away. When we arrived there a train was arriving that was two hours late which is unheard of in Japan. When at another stop, we could tell we were being instructed to move to another more express train. I ended up taking four different train lines home after the taxi ride, finally arriving at 10:30 pm. I'm so thankful my friend speaks Japanese! </div>
<br />KarenBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11354372312817808972noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953277467684839302.post-80347976127879821542016-06-24T06:37:00.002-05:002016-07-01T03:31:27.303-05:00This and That and The OtherHello strangers. Yes, I am still alive. Sorry for being in absentia for so long. A lot has been going on in the last two months. I have been filling my days with photo opportunities, site seeing trips, crafting, friends and eating out. Just to name a few. I'll give you a little taste.<br />
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In May we traveled by train with friends to visit Takayama. The following pictures are of Hida no Sato which is full of restored homes and buildings brought together to demonstrate life in the Edo period, (1603 - 1867). There were many handcraft demonstrations in the buildings. You can see more information about it <a href="https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g298113-d320154-Reviews-Hida_Minzoka_Mura_Folk_Village_Hida_no_Sato-Takayama_Gifu_Prefecture_Chubu.html">here. </a><br />
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This magnolia was magnificent.</div>
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Later in May I happened upon the rose garden in full bloom at our local park. I went to take pictures of the iris, which were not yet ready. The roses did not disappoint. </div>
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I think the parasols just add to the beauty. I've recently embraced the tradition of sun protection.</div>
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I love to find artists in various locations. I didn't want to bother this gentleman, but I should've asked to take a closer picture of his artwork. Sometimes I see a sketcher on the subway drawing people. You have to be fast to do that. I had the opportunity to make pottery recently. I even tried the potter's wheel. I think my bowl was kind of wonky in the end. We also painted a bowl that was already fired. I think I should be receiving it this week and was told it turned out beautifully. I can't wait to see it. </div>
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Even the parking lot has pottery everywhere.</div>
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I tried to paint a poppy. Who knows what it ended up looking like.</div>
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This group represents Japan, America, Canada, France, Mexico and Belgium. <br />
I am taking every opportunity to embrace Japan as you can see.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRVRBuWlKPMQx405eVHD7YWS6dZWLIOEkwxD83vl-BMr5OoT-lV5rc3CvREd5TkCMdiwASYTkyDaqhxTThyphenhyphen8RrzJcSHkXek6ex_6amHwl_057qZHPfxsPGF_x0i7ST8tnRg0WvVm7BUWs/s1600/IMG_6465.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRVRBuWlKPMQx405eVHD7YWS6dZWLIOEkwxD83vl-BMr5OoT-lV5rc3CvREd5TkCMdiwASYTkyDaqhxTThyphenhyphen8RrzJcSHkXek6ex_6amHwl_057qZHPfxsPGF_x0i7ST8tnRg0WvVm7BUWs/s320/IMG_6465.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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*Edited to add a photo of my finished rice bowl. I'm happy with the way it turned out. </div>
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KarenBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11354372312817808972noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953277467684839302.post-15129889797748890292016-05-21T00:48:00.000-05:002016-05-21T00:48:26.495-05:00Australian Loves Several years ago now, we hosted a foreign exchange student through AFS when we lived in the Chicago suburbs. Her name was Sandy and she was from a small town outside of Melbourne. I called her Sandra Dee, much to her dismay. If anyone gets that reference, then kudos to you.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEEvf5fRv6hzYSA4OEgF_KjFj8EV34gZ_JbrpBR-KFQA6P0tJSJBfXv4Wb_AU3rLbFw_i0A-k4RV6Za8Cfm5vQ7M0dwWZMRUWtG23txaisObwkP8XKT4Z2OyUtCJR2kK_n2kuoRhjdd3A/s1600/Sandy+and+Lauren.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="271" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgEEvf5fRv6hzYSA4OEgF_KjFj8EV34gZ_JbrpBR-KFQA6P0tJSJBfXv4Wb_AU3rLbFw_i0A-k4RV6Za8Cfm5vQ7M0dwWZMRUWtG23txaisObwkP8XKT4Z2OyUtCJR2kK_n2kuoRhjdd3A/s400/Sandy+and+Lauren.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyUkD_77dsPiSB4L06QSiBhfKBY7qjv8MjIJXLvAtN4ckR24x7AwYeUChJVQGg91zCbs08m4wZSOtSF8fd2cpYuh6iW7CDmdLp73uYv2Zy8Hv4qkL_IwrepfcPpZD4Dc-3h2cwjYRWsJQ/s1600/Sandy+at+Thanksgiving.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="308" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhyUkD_77dsPiSB4L06QSiBhfKBY7qjv8MjIJXLvAtN4ckR24x7AwYeUChJVQGg91zCbs08m4wZSOtSF8fd2cpYuh6iW7CDmdLp73uYv2Zy8Hv4qkL_IwrepfcPpZD4Dc-3h2cwjYRWsJQ/s400/Sandy+at+Thanksgiving.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
With AFS, students typically stay for 11 months. It takes time for them and you to adjust, usually a few months. She arrived in August and after Christmas, I think she started feeling more at home. Or was it that new boy she'd met? Being responsible for someone else's 16 year old daughter when they begin dating is SCARY, let me tell you. <br />
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Fast forward 16 years and they are happily married and living in Australia. I hadn't seen their two oldest children in 7 years and had never seen the youngest, she'll be 5 this month. While my husband was traveling to Mexico and the US, I decided I should go visit. I AM on the right side of the world these days, but it is still a pretty long flight. The price was reasonable and Sandy said, "come". So, I did. Here's a glimpse of my very fast visit with them. I played a lot! <br />
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This area is called Lake's Entrance which borders along the Bass Strait. </div>
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We walked over to the beach for a lovely view. </div>
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Another day we drove to Raymond Island and took the ferry across. </div>
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We were hoping to see Koalas and Kangaroo. </div>
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This is a Galah, part of the cockatoo family. Alas, I saw NO KANGAROO, the entire visit! </div>
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The cute kiddos on a busy afternoon after school.</div>
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My last day there we spent the day in Melbourne. This is an alley of cafes.</div>
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It poured the day we were in Melbourne, which was the day I left.</div>
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Little bit was tired out. </div>
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We found the alley of graffiti and took advantage of the photo opportunity. It was so fun to be with them and HH and I need to go back TOGETHER. I realized that I need to do a post on a visit to Kyoto. Sorry about that. It will be a little out of order. Have a great weekend!<br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: large;">Karen</span></i><br />
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<br />KarenBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11354372312817808972noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3953277467684839302.post-71945796954203926952016-05-04T22:12:00.002-05:002016-05-04T22:12:05.680-05:00So many photos, so little time<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: justify;">
It doesn't help that I LOVE taking photos here and am doing my best to improve. Today I'm just showing you some random photos from exploring close by. I have pictures from a Kyoto trip, but that deserves a post all it's own. My husband and I explored around Nagoya castle in order for him to see the Sakura blossoms a few weeks ago in April. When you're working all day and getting home in the dark, it's hard to see some of this natural beauty. Not to even mention that he's out of the country a lot. The Sakura (cherry) were almost finished blooming, but we found a few still going strong in Meijo Park which is next to the castle grounds. </div>
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This guy was getting quite a workout on his bouncy band. I'm going to try to post a video of it. </div>
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On a different day, a friend and I explored a local shrine that we were walking by called Atsuta Shrine. The grounds were much larger than we realized and absolutely beautiful. </div>
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The gardenia trees were HUGE and the ground was covered with blossoms.</div>
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I guess you can tell that I love taking pictures of flowers. I'm in a private FB group for local photographers. Recently there was a challenge to take pictures of wisteria. One day, I set out to find some. Here are a few pictures from that search. Boy, it sure smells amazing. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLwTzxd8IIuNPtERHWCiYWOvN-OIaPbjq6lMUc6pJ7fyCcbygHk1nq4gqPuVzJzeB6fCIHMPtNTik5aGQFRacyDpuw4Yov00PDBtfp105WyTHlN_myC6kYJckgSVrNNWZbPl__AAePwqg/s1600/IMG_2098.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLwTzxd8IIuNPtERHWCiYWOvN-OIaPbjq6lMUc6pJ7fyCcbygHk1nq4gqPuVzJzeB6fCIHMPtNTik5aGQFRacyDpuw4Yov00PDBtfp105WyTHlN_myC6kYJckgSVrNNWZbPl__AAePwqg/s640/IMG_2098.jpg" width="446" /></a></div>
I just couldn't resist a photo of this cute dog. He wasn't on a leash and was having the best time. <br />
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A very typical scene, here. </div>
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Okay, one more flower excursion. </div>
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These lovely girls were my exploring companions that day.</div>
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And there you have it! More excursions and more flowers! Thank you all for sticking around. I have more to show, I really do! Have a great weekend. (It's Thursday here). </div>
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<br />KarenBhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11354372312817808972noreply@blogger.com4