Festival in the Park

Mark and Jen were in town this weekend for Reese and Kirsten's engagement party, and we spent some time together on Sunday at the 45th Festival in the Park. After a gloomy and rainy Saturday, the weather was perfect for outdoor art, "fair food" and people watching -- Carolina blue skies and sunshine with a cool fall breeze.

We enjoyed walking around the lake taking in the sights. Mark showed Jen the school-age art display section where he won a blue ribbon many years ago. Take note when you are at their apartment in DC, the prize-winning watercolor is hanging on the wall!

We also hiked over to the East Boulevard side of the Park to see the train. Mark wanted to show Jen where he had played as a young lad. We were disappointed to see that the train was now surrounded by a large black iron fence -- no more free climbing on the train. Of course, that was probably pretty dangerous now that I think about it, but the kids loved it!

Other highlights of the Festival included the Celtic dancers, the youth music (rock star) stage, birds from the Carolina Raptor Center, magic shows, and lots of arts and crafts vendors. Some artists were working on site, and others had brought their wares for display and for sales -- both the good art and the bad art. It was a fun and colorful way to spend a Sunday afternoon with family. Can we have more of those days?

Housework is Boring!

I really do not like housework. I never have. I try to avoid it if possible. And, I also try to keep the lights low at night so I don't see quite so many dog hairs on the carpets.

Several famous women and men seem to agree with me. For instance Erma Bombeck and Heloise Cruse, who made their livings giving us great housework hints have this to say on the subject.

"My second favorite household chore is ironing. My first being hitting my head on the top bunk bed until I faint. " ~Erma Bombeck

"I think housework is the reason most women go to the office." ~Heloise Cruse

"My theory on housework is, if the item doesn't multiply, smell, catch fire, or block the refrigerator door, let it be. No one else cares. Why should you?" ~Erma Bombeck

Surprisingly, men also have a point of view on this subject, but I like Dave Barry's take on it the best. Sad, but true.

"The obvious and fair solution to the housework problem is to let men do the housework for, say, the next six thousand years, to even things up. The trouble is that men, over the years, have developed an inflated notion of the importance of everything they do, so that before long they would turn housework into just as much of a charade as business is now. They would hire secretaries and buy computers and fly off to housework conferences in Bermuda, but they'd never clean anything."

But, nothing sums it up like this anonymous quote and gives me permission to avoid the drudgery. Think I'll head outside or read a book........

"A clean house is the sign of a boring person."

Symphony Park Jazz Downpour

John and I met Michelle, Steve and Morgan at Southpark's Symphony Park on Saturday evening for the Sunset Pride Jazz Festival. We had our chairs and picnic baskets in tow and a couple of umbrellas "just in case." The line up was outstanding (Marion Meadows, Matt Marshak, York and Fifth, Intertwyned), and we were psyched for a cool fall evening with good music and family!

A few clouds came our way and brought a nice breeze. We kicked off the shoes, opened the wine and brought out the appetizers. Morgan was enjoying getting to know the puppy next to us, and later we went off to explore the hill down to the lake. We had the perfect location for hearing the jazz and yet being able to have a conversation with the family. Morgan even took a stab at "conducting."

Then, the clouds rolled in. Not wanting to think that my second big jazz festival was about to be a wash out (a la the Preserve Festival in Birmingham, Alabama in June 2008), we braved our way through the early mist and reluctantly brought out the umbrellas. Bubba and Morgan even got in a couple of dances in the rain, and Michelle took a couple of pics.

The heavens opened up by 6:30 p.m. Rain was coming down in buckets, probably at the rate of an inch or two an hour. We huddled under the trees for a few minutes, but the darkness of the clouds said that the guys should make a run for it to the cars and swing back for the girls and the gear.

By the time we all got loaded into the cars, we were soaked to the skin. Morgan was ready to go home to dinner and a warm bed so we agreed we'd not to "picnic" together on Hallmark Drive. But, we could have. Absolutely no rain a mile down the road and none in Matthews. Go figure!

We'll try the picnic routine again next weekend with Michelle and Co. when Mark and Jen come to town. Hopefully, the Festival in the Park will be a sunny event -- at least for a few hours on Sunday afternoon.

Best seats in the house



Morgan conducting the bands

Food's out!


Bubba & Morgan "rain dancing"

Rain, rain go away!

Napping 101 by Prince

All good naps start with a big yawn!

And it helps to have favorite corners to cozy around.

And toys nearby are comforting, too.

But, it's best if you have someone you love to snuggle with!

Georgia Girlfriends

Anne, Dottie, and Judy

Last week I was in Georgia visiting mom, and we got together with Dottie and Judy, two of my childhood friends. We met at Dottie's house -- the most centrally located spot. They are now spread out over the Atlanta metro area. Lunch was at an Irish pub in Avondale Estates, and then we headed back to Dottie's home to "relive our childhood days."

It was funny how forgotten memories and unknown impressions came up, and I was glad that Mom could be a part of the visit. Both Judy and Dottie talked about how much they had enjoyed coming to our house as kids and teens, and what an impression my parents made on their lives. Both thought my Dad was so funny -- he did tell a mean joke! And Dottie confessed to eating a tomato sandwich (and she hated tomatoes) so Mom would let us invite her back!

Other memories included frozen Zero and Snickers bars at the neighborhood pool, baloney and mayonnaise sandwiches at Candler Park, and tin foil fights with the Siamese cat. Fun, fun!

The next visit will have to be longer. Five hours of four women talking about years of memories is just not enough! We are talking about a Pajama Party at Mom's house and hoping that my sister, Boots, can make it, too. Long live girlfriends!

"Put me in, Coach!"

Prince was ready to go on Sunday for the Panthers.
They looked like they could use any help they could get.

As, the Charlotte Observer said this morning, the "Good
Jake" will show up next weekend. We sure hope so!

Seattle

John, Michael and I made a quick stop in Seattle on our way home from Canada. We had a look around the city, a dinner at Tula's jazz restaurant, and a morning with Jeff at the Five Spot and Pike's Place Market. 24 hours in the city goes quick! But, we made the most of it!

Rem Koolhaus City Library

The place to be at the Seattle waterfront.

Colorful flowers and pasta in the stalls.

OMG Peaches were GREAT!!!

Flying fish & foolishness at the seafood counter!

Love those neon signs...........

Cabbie Jeff sends us on our way!

Dinner at the Rines

We headed up to Michelle and Steve's home to celebrate two birthdays over the Labor Day holiday weekend. Steve was celebrating #(mumble, mumble), and Jason was celebrating the big 21! Michelle and Steve cooked a wonderful meal for the family, and we enjoyed our time together with Nancy, Michelle's mom, and with Steve's parents, Russ and Marilyn, from Rochester. Of course, a visit would not be complete without a little one-on-one time with Morgan, and this was no exception. Enjoy the photos of our celebration!

Butchcart Gardens, Victoria

John and I visited the Butchart Gardens in late August when we were in Victoria for Ali and Ian's wedding. The weather was gorgeous and showed off the flowers in their full glory. It was sunny and in the 70's with very low humidity! Everything was green and fabulous. As we had just left a "burned up" yard in Charlotte with almost no flowering plants in our garden, we thought we had entered gardening nirvana -- and we had.

The gardens are over 100 years old and were started by Mrs. Butchart as a "project" to add beauty back to the limestone quarry that her husband had carved out of the ground. So all the pictures you see below came from a barren landscape to this floral heaven.

The team of gardeners (50 to 75 full time staff) set out new plants every eight weeks. The grounds are immaculate, and there are no blighted leaves for we tourists to find. The garden is largely annuals, and the garden changes with each new planting as the seasons unfold.


Happy Gardeners!

This begonia is easily as big as my hand!

This is the Sunken Garden, and it is the highlight of Butchart. You enter from above and take the stairs down into the garden (old quarry). It is quite vast, and this is only the main entrance planting area.

The Ross Fountain was added in the 70's by the grandson of Mrs. Butchart. The fountain sprays continuously from the lake, and the water sprays move in different designs. It is quite spectacular, and I can only imagine the drama at night when lit up.

Part of the original house is now used as a restaurant, a museum and a gift shop area. The Italian Garden is to the left of the building, and the window boxes are extraordinary. The entire grounds are watered directly from a reservoir into the irrigation system.

This is Mrs. Butchart's private garden. It is the only area on the grounds that has never been opened to the public. It is a small and contemplative area with a pond and a variety of annual bedding plants.

The Sturgeon Fountain crafted in Italy marks the entrance into the Japanese Garden. This garden is smaller than the Japanese Garden we visited at the Missouri Botanical Gardens earlier this spring, but very peaceful and thoughtful in it's design.

The outdoor concert lawn and band shell are used throughout the summer with concerts and events several times a week. We will have to go back to enjoy this interesting venue.

The perennial border gardens were quite showy. And this was one of our favorite areas in the gardens as we are great believers in perennials and enjoying their growth and propagation.

The dahlias put on one of the best shows. Again, similar to the Toronto Botanical Gardens we visited last summer. The weather is perfect for this showy bloomers, and many of the flower heads were as large as our heads. Something to behold!

The gardens also had a nice rose garden area with many varieties from both the USA and Canada. We were even able to spot some of our hybrid teas among the hundreds of plants.

The Italian Garden


If you are in the Victoria or Vancouver area and have half a day, the Butchart Gardens is a wonderful outing. Of course, we think walking outdoors among the flowers is as good as it gets!