Lauritzen Gardens

Days run into the other, but today is Saturday and we stayed overnight last night in Omaha, Nebraska.  When Clyde was pouring over the internet, he found that the Botanical Gardens in Omaha were pretty much on our way west.  He wanted to break up our drive each day, so we spent the morning touring the massive gardens.  The price per ticket was a small price for a wonderful morning.  He said several times, it was sure worth the stop...and the price of admission ($10 each).  Honestly, so well kept.  I filled out a form saying so.  If we had more time, we would have also gone to the Omaha Zoo (very nearby).  I will add some photos, but I have more than I can share.  I may not take the time to download the camera pics....too many to decide!

LAURITZEN GARDENS

 Below are the trains that captivated Clyde's attention!  He loved them, there were six of them on different tracks.  So cool!!!

 Below is the rose garden, many beds of roses.  When I worked at Clays Mill, Barbara Vogler did as well.  She & her husband, John, had a house near there with a border of roses.  I don't know how many.  They were glorious.  So were these today.  

 The conservatory is fantastic!  So large, with fountains, flowers, trees, shrubs....more.

 We stopped for a quick look at the Corn Palace in Mitchell, SD.

 All the murals are made with corn cobs.

This was at the last rest stop of today and it was worth the stop!

"Dignity" is 50 ft. tall, 16 ft. deep and 32 feet wide.  The statue boldly proclaims that South Dakota's Native cultures are alive, standing with dignity.

Corn Fields & Wind Farms

Today we left Davenport for Amana, Iowa, and the 7 villages of Amana Colonies.  Settled in the 1850's by a German religious group, the villages were built one hour apart....when traveling by ox cart!  Each village had a church, a farm, multi-family residences and communal kitchens.  The community owned all the land and buildings. 

Today, the original buildings are private residences, museums, restaurants, B & B's and more.  The town of Amana was by far my favorite.  We ate at the Ox Yoke Inn for lunch and stopped by the Christmas Market, a festive fun shop filled with trees & decorations and so much more.  

Today was a "side trip" Clyde planned just for me.  Tomorrow is the same.  We left Amana, Iowa, for Omaha where we are going to a Botanical Garden.  This was a nice break from the long drive to Mount Rushmore.  The weather has been excellent.  

 From the sign above, and the pics below, we took with our camera.  Since the iPhone, we have not had it out of the camera bag. Thought this trip warranted it's use!

 This is "Lily Lake" and it's name is appropriate.  A huge lake with a million lotus and lilies!  So many, you can't see much water.

 I told him if I wanted to use these photos, I need NOT to be in them. But yet I do want to use them!  He liked the bed of zinnias and hostas....and obviously that lamp post.  

This was a neat country store.  

Time to put the laptop away and hit the hay.  Another day is done and a new one will be here before I know it. Night!

First Day is Done

Sept. 5, 2019

We got on the road 7 a.m. and rode through Indiana, 

Illinois and Iowa, stopping in Davenport for the night. 

Today was uneventful, light traffic, sunshine but slow due to road construction.  However, no stops, so we kept moving right along.  Actually, a good travel day.  Fields of corn, flat farm land, and wind farms/windmills.

 After a very good meal at a local diner on the River Walk in downtown Davenport (yes, I took a food pic, spared you), we took in a minor league baseball game.  A beautiful stadium along the Mississippi River.  This is the owner, Dave Heller.  He greets every guest as they arrive.  He said he is a friend of Alan Stein, retired president of Lexington Legends.

 I snagged a shirt, grabbed it in the air, Clyde is still LOL about my catch.  Really, who taught Becky to play ball???  Well, I had her in the front yard playing whiffle ball, but that counts.

 They had a beautiful Ferris wheel in the outfield.  Lit up with all color lights after dark.

The bridge was beautiful as we were walking back to our car. 

We ended the night with a second shirt.  A fun filled evening supporting a local baseball team.  

Go West Young/Not so Young Man

It's been two years since I've used this blog, so I am surprised my "account" hasn't been deleted!  I want to use it to journal our trip to Mount Rushmore and Yellowstone that begins tomorrow!  I want a media that is "user friendly" for paragraphs and adding photos.  So, I hope to use it.  Going to see how easy the pics are to download from my cell phone.  

So back on the road again, in the morning.  Clyde has truly spent hours upon hours working on this trip.  For the last couple of years, he had pondered over websites, brochures, his past times there to create a trip I will enjoy.  He, his brother and friends have traveled out west several times.  On his last motorcycle trip, he told his brother "when I get home I'm going to sell my motorcycle and buy another convertible so I can bring Debbie out west".  And he did.  First, about eight years ago, we went to the Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon, Mesa Verde, on to Las Vegas and many places in-between.

We have put it on hold the past week due to hurricane Dorian.  It has been very powerful and devastated the Bahamas.  From there it was headed to Florida, Georgia, the Carolinas....for south Florida, we got high winds and water but Becky & Jason's home in Fort Pierce, and ours in Jensen Beach remained unharmed.  Very thankful.  God bless the people in the Bahamas. 

I will post now and hope to start some journaling along the road as I see many places out west that I have only read about.  I look forward to seeing more of God's creation!  God, take care of my son at work, protect him on the road. Thank you for Becky & Jason's house, for their safety.  Thank you for Rosemary taking care of Lillian & Lucas, be especially close to Maggie, Austin & Matthew (youngest to oldest:) as they head to school each day.  Go before them.  Let them always know nana's love.  Amen

Clubhouse before the hurricane. 

 Waters up on the dock near our house, to the sidewalk.  

 Jim Cantore, the Weather Channel, kept us informed as Dorian came into Florida.

 Met mom & Martha at my favorite "lunch" spot.

 This soup is the best...my opinion:) not sure it was the favorite around the table.  Ha!  

Last, but not least.  After work today, Clyde stopped by to give his mom a kiss and a hug.  So, now we are ready.

Fall is Fast Fading...Winter is Coming 2017

My emotions are all over the place these days.  Excitement knowing we will very soon be heading south for the winter.  Anxious for the same reason.  So happy to have a home there to get out of the freezing Kentucky winter weather.  We have met friends that make us feel like we are "home".  A church we like and feel part of.  However, we do miss our long time friends, our friends that are like family, our family that are like friends.  Our church. 

Especially I hate leaving our mothers.  Both mine and Clyde's are in their early 90's.  We know their days on earth are numbered.  Each of ours are, that's true.  I know my mom is happy for us to be spending our winters in Florida.  She and daddy did that for 18 winters.  They loved to fish and had a mobile in Okeechobee at Town & Country Mobile Park!  Clyde's mom needs me to help out with doctor's appts. and misses us when we can't help.  For her, she calls each night so that keeps us in touch.  My mom and sister, Martha, will come visit in February.  So that helps!  A lot.  

We miss Lucas too.  We were close to Austin, Matthew & Maggie while they were very young.  To help out when needed.  When we are home in the spring, we watched t-ball games, coach pitch, kid pitch, minor & major league and for Maggie.....softball.  We enjoy their games.  Lucas is only four, so we still need to spend time with him.  He grows and changes so much.  Learning skills, talking/saying more every day.  Making us laugh.  We will miss little buddy.  The big kids would rather be home than with us these days and I understand that's how it happens.  I just want to stay "close" to them.  Hoping they will text or call, but I know that won't happen often.  Sigh.

Clyde looks forward to relaxing more.  Not having to get up so early, but he does enjoy getting up and out while it's cool.  Lots to do there.  He doesn't want to miss a thing.  We are thankful for it and don't take one day for granted.  

We know the time will pass quickly and we'll be back home again in April.  Home in time to spray for weeds, fertilize and mow.  Plant flowers, pull weeds, water!  Enjoy the beauty of Kentucky in the spring.  Until the summer passes into fall, then winter and we are heading back south for yet another winter season.  For each passing day, we thank God for it.  

Season 2017 in Jensen

It has been far too long since I've blogged.  The end result is usually more trouble than it's worth!  Since Facebook, I don't find it's as important to journal here as I once did.  However, I have a FB friend that reads this and she mentioned awhile back I hadn't blogged for some time!  It is good to be able to use more words ! here....be more wordy??  I know only those that really are interested will stop by and read.  I wouldn't want to fill up newsfeed with paragraphs of personal information that only a handful need to read:)  Saying all that, I do want to update our last season in south Florida!

When we first checked out Holiday Out, we rented a week.  Then we rented a month....then we purchased!  We found the first place, unit 476, not by chance.  It was divine, we felt for sure.  The price was right, the work needed to update could be done by Clyde (except pavers & tree removal).  The neighbors....the best people and will call them friends from now on.  The downside, it was one bedroom and one bath.  So, in our free time (ha) we kept looking for a two bedroom or at least we wanted a two bath.  

In March of this year, we found a 2 bedroom/2 bath!!!  Again, we had all but given up finding one, and felt "led" truly to go check out #99.  We had put ours up for sale (#476) and it sold in a few days.  So, we were riding around in the golf cart looking to rent!  This house (#99) was one we had looked through in January at an open house.  It was decked out, the previous owners spared no expense.  Which made it over our budget.  So, we let it go (never really considered it) until we did!  One Sat. night in Feb., we were eating with our surprise visitors, Becky & Austin.  We were at Cobb's Landing and three ladies from our church asked us about our search.  One sweet lady said "go look at #99 and make an offer".  We laughed and told her, in so many words, that we had seen it but might not work out for us. On Sunday, after church, we saw the same lady out at the same restaurant we were eating (our fave Mulligans), and she said "go look at that house and make an offer"....and we LOL.  I told Clyde, after seeing her that afternoon at the park and she said the same....we need to go see #99 again.  

We called the realtor (who also was the owners daughter) and set up an appt.  Walked through again (with me telling her "we may be wasting your time") and made an offer.  After a little counter back & forth, we came to a deal.  It is beyond our hope & dreams.  Not large at all.....very few in this park are.  Most are on the same size lots, which are not large.  But it has all the amenities we could ask.  Every drawer I opened I was more surprised with it's contents.  It came fully furnished, as the one we left did.

We brought with us two leather recliners and took the nice leather one in our new house to replace them.  We had just purchased a new chair and sofa and left them as well.  Our bedrooms/bedding and baths are super nice.  We hope to have many many (God willing) years there.  If not, we already loved the weeks we have spent there!  Also, we hope our children will enjoy spending time there as well.  Here are a few pics:

Well, that shows the inside except for the first bedroom and baths but they are just as nice as the rest.  I am not trying to boast, but be honest.  These people built it/decorated it for the two of them to live in for years.  However, they only had two years there, which I truly was sad for them.  I didn't know them, just "of" them, but teared up each time we stopped by.  They invited us to a neighbor "sunset" party to meet our new neighbors.  They were so sweet to work with.  Just lovely people.  They were not well and needed to go back home.  I brought my flower pots to deck out the outside, and a couple of my lounge chairs.  Their outside furniture is heavy and super nice.  We already have enjoyed the front porch, which looks (from a distance) at the marina.  I like watching the boats being loaded in the morning and taking off for the day.  

We do miss our utility (extra) room in our #476.  We were able to pull in our bikes each night, put our outdoor furniture in easily.  All one floor, no steps to take furniture up.  All in all, we were very happy and pleased there, but will love the extra space in #99.  We feel very blessed.  There were a few signs that this was the right move for us, I won't take the time for you to read here.  If you stopped by and got this far, you are a good friend!