There's no place like home...

I think it's the coolest thing ever to pack up the car, fill the tank with gas, program the GPS and begin driving. Road trips are the best. And I cannot think of a better way to experience America. (Jeff might beg differ but this is a road trip, after all, not an Appalachian Trail trip.) This time I logged 2,750 miles and seven states.  Oklahoma, Arkansas, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Florida and Louisiana.

Of course, it's always nice to have a destination in mind and people waiting for me to arrive on the other end of the journey. Family. Friends.  

Jan and James.  Thanks for always having a room ready for me.  Our visits are always a balm for this girl's heart.  See you again in the fall!   Jessica.  What a great week we had, heh?  Working at the deli together, seeing Mandy in Concert, making several batches of tofu, walking to Indian Beach to see the sunset, hanging out on Lido Key, meeting new friends, entertaining and cooking for good friends.  Thank you.  And Christopher and Leigh.  What a perfect way to round out the trip.  Thanks for making it so easy to drop in, stay a couple nights, hang out, rest up and then finish out the rest of my journey back home. 

Home.  It really is where the heart is.  

Special Birthdays

For these very special people in my life

born on November 15th

Mom

 

Skip

and Leigh

Hope you all enjoy a glorious day and celebrate in the fashion that is your due.  I'm raising my cup to you all and toasting to your good health and prosperity!  Cheers!

Here's to us! 

Friends

Mary Grace, Linda, Carole, Jan and Me, Rodeo's Mexican Restaurant, 10/01/11

My recent road trip to Ozark was a multipurpose sojourn.  I am so glad I did this.  I accepted Linda's invitation to be a program guest speaker on the topic of Living Green way back a number of months ago.  Saying 'yes' and getting this commitment on the calendar was what I needed to motivate myself.  I had all these 'refashioning' projects to be finished and lots of recycled materials to magically transform into little works of art.  What better way to accomplish these tasks than to agree to talk on this same subject and use all my finished products to illustrate "reduce, reuse, recycle.'  This was my plan.

It worked!  The seminar was mucho fun and all my preparation paid off.  Jan and James Lisenby were gracious hosts.  As a guest in their beautiful home, I had plenty of room to spread out and organize everything before the seminar.  Only a very good friend would allow such a mess for so long.  (Thank you, Jan and James.  I enjoyed my time with both of you more than words can express.  And I loved meeting 'the girls.'  They are sweethearts...and I must say I miss that 'little dumpy' more than I thought I would.)

Since Linda allowed me to choose the date of the seminar, I chose a date close to the Claybank Jamboree weekend.  Hopeful I could attend for part of the day and catch up with more of my Alabama gardening friends.  And finally, at day's end, perhaps round up the 'best of the best' for dinner at Rodeo's before I departed town the next day.  And unlike the "best laid plans..." it came off without a hitch.  Lucky us!

I miss you all.  You are never far from my thoughts and always are in my prayers.