Saturday Adventure

A day for adventure.  We got in our car and drove.  Dragged Gilbert along with us. The only stop we planned was our favorite milk shake stop in Midland.  I always get peanut butter flavor.

Things found along the way:

Did you have a nice weekend?  Any adventures?

Happenings

Our local Post Office

We visited the local Post Office recently.  One must step back in time here, and hopefully not need the aid of a computer, as this sweet little office does not use one.  We met Peach, who said she walked two miles down the mountain to open the office that morning, with a friendly yellow dog at her side.  I would like to learn more of the history behind this building next time we venture down there.  Perhaps I will be able to introduce you to Peach and the neighborhood dog in a photo next time.

Take a look at this giant moth!  Wingspan was at least six inches.  I am not sure if it will live.  It was very slow moving on the porch this morning, but I did save it from the cats.  Managed to take some great pictures of it too.   It's called a Polyphemus Moth I learned.

A Polyphemus Moth found on the front porch.

Had the court all to ourselves.

Yesterday felt almost like fall here.  It's very strange for the middle of June, and for some reason, putting on sunblock did not occur to me with such cool temperatures.  I ended up with a nice sunburn after we went out to play tennis.  Dang-it!

The moon is getting close to full.

Finished the night looking at the almost full moon and thinking how summers used to seem to last forever.  I hope you are having a relaxing summer so far.  I am in the process of planning a trip to Oklahoma for a family reunion.  It will be my first time driving there and it's going to be a long drive from Kentucky.  But luckily I will have my sister and husband crammed in our tiny hatchback with me.

Moving to the Mountains

Moving is stressful, but beautiful panoramic views of green mountains and a welcoming farm house somehow make it bearable.  

What a special place we are staying in.  

We are nestled in a valley where the cool breeze on the front porch makes you forget your deadlines and due dates and appointments. 

No sirens, no trains, no leaf-blowers, no thumping base music, just the wind, the trees, and the birds.  

Evening walks are fun for everyone.

I will venture to the local post office today. 

And we hope to start our own vegetable garden soon.  

The cats and dog are already loving it here.  

Every window in the house has a view like a postcard, asking you to come and visit beautiful Eastern Kentucky.

The trip to Grand Rivers

My partner Josh and I recently had the pleasure of visiting beautiful Western Kentucky.  I thought I would share some of the pictures/adventures of the trip.  It's a very different landscape than Central Kentucky's rolling horse pastures and Eastern Kentucky's mountainous peaks.  The land is dotted with lakes, rivers and lush woods that were loud with frogs and cicadas, as well as hungry mosquitoes... and poison ivy, which we both managed to get.  I'm pretty sure it was at the golf course where my husband and his dad had to venture into the woods for quite a few stray golf balls.

I'm not a golfer, but I did enjoy tagging along and driving the cart while others played.  It is the kind of game that makes me immensely frustrated to play, but relaxed to watch.  Spending a chilly afternoon at Mineral Mounds Golf Course was like driving around in the garden of Eden. Deer, bunnies, cranes, cicadas, and Canadian geese were tame enough to linger for these photos I took.

We stayed in a very sweet cabin over looking a woodsy lake.  Every morning we woke up to the view off the back deck, sunrise on the water and the mysterious sound of a train in the distance, roaring down the tracks.

I had an adventure on Sunday, when I was invited to go out on the lake in a pontoon boat rented by some of my husband's family. Being a redhead, I dutifully packed along my long-sleeved cover-up shirt, a hat, and a full bottle of SPF 50 sunblock. I was determined not to get sunburned.  I had a refreshing dip in the water off the side of the boat (by refreshing, I mean ice-cold, muscle-numbing) and even got some reading done in my Amy Tan book.  Then it was time to return to shore.  I was offered a ride back on a Jet-ski and I nervously accepted.  In case there are readers who do not know my top three phobias... here they are: stinging insects, going under water when I'm not fully ready, and riding very fast things that don't have seat-belts where falling off might include death (amusement park rides, etc.). So I faced a couple of those fears and hopped on the Jet-ski as a passenger.  The water out on the large lake was so choppy we could see white-caps, so the ride home was something like riding a bucking bronco in the middle of the ocean.  But we finally made it to calmer waters and I trudged back to the cabin, proud that I had made it to dry land without freaking out on the driver.

*on an entertaining side note: the first phobia was also challenged as a gigantic cicada-eating wasp flew into the cabin.  This insect was almost big enough to rise out of the "insect" category and into the "avian" category.  It was easily as big as a hummingbird.  Although later we looked up some facts about it and it turned out to be almost harmless.  Thanks Josh, for getting it out of the cabin.

We had wonderful food and fun times with Josh's Dad's family.  Can't wait to do it again next year.

Kentucky Hills

Beneath the hills of Kentucky lies a magical land.
Spiderweb chandeliers dripping from ancient buttresses illuminate a cavernous ballroom.
And the sightless prince of the bats dances a funeral waltz with the doomed moth queen.


I found inspiration in the landscape of Kentucky with this new drawing,  Beneath the Hills

On sale now at the Sparrow Moon on Etsy. {stay tuned to the blog for updates about my new shop venue, coming spring 2012}

Here is an up-close sneak peek: