Have you ever blown the little white flyers off a dandelion?
This dandelion is in full seed mode with 150 – 200 seeds. Sometimes this stage is called a puff ball. Soon a breeze will take the seeds on a remarkable journey.
Photos
Family out for a walk
Awhile back Sher and I were traveling in Virginia and found our way to Chitoteague Island. There we saw this fine family out for a stroll. We thought this photo might bring a smile or two.
Will COVID-19 restraints end and safety return?
We and millions of others around the world are intimately aware of the terms shelter in place, isolation, quarantine, stay at home and social distancing. Trump and Pence and his experts are starting to hint about “re-opening” the country.
Our 2019 Highway 40 Yard Sale set-up
All of the Flea Markets and Shows we usually go to are closed due to COVID-19 mandates. One of our best is the annual Highway 40 Yard Sale which follows US 40 across the country. It is held in May.
Even if things are “open” in May, will it be safe for us to be out mixing at all with the public, no matter the conditions? Right now we are thinking we best not get out until there is a proven treatment for this killer virus.
What information/news is going to be enough for you to get back to “normal” activities? Will we ever see BC normal again? (BC = before COVID-19)
New Orleans beast of burden
We saw only mules pulling the carriages that drive around New Orleans.
Two plus years ago we were fortunate enough to be able to visit the historic city of New Orleans, Louisiana. I thought you all might like to see this beautiful and strong mule hitched to a carriage in downtown NOLA.
Seagull on the beach
We saw this seagull on the beach near Brackett’s Landing North ferry dock at Edmonds, Washington. Guess he didn’t want to get his feet wet.
Remembering a distillery visit in Texas
I thought it was time for something different than a post about the COVID-19 pandemic. Allow us to share a few photos and text about a nice local distillery we visited during our winter residence in Texas a few short weeks ago.
Fast Eddy logo in neon
The Hill Country near Austin is home to several breweries, wineries and distilleries. Near Dripping Springs one will find the Fast Eddy Vodka distillery. We stopped there one day near the closing time. The place was absolutely packed as there were the normal amount of cars and two huge tour buses that had filled the place with folks.
The bar of course had samples of the many varieties of flavored vodkas bottled at the facility. There was a very large distillery room with lots of tables. We looked at the merchandise, but did not really find any shirts we liked. Our purchases were limited to a couple of glasses with the Deep Eddy logo. We passed on samples as we had been out all day visiting breweries. I was not really in the mood for even a sample of vodka.
Here is the Deep Eddy website. Notice that now the place is closed due to, you guessed it, COVID-19 restrictions. When we go to Texas in the future, we do plan on visiting Deed Eddy again.
Indiana will be shut down thanks to COVID-19
Indiana’s Governor Holcomb went on the air at noon today to announce that even more measures are needed to halt the spread of the coronavirus. Indiana has seen a dramatic increase in the number of confirmed cases, and, tragically, an increase in the number of Hoosiers that have perished due to COVID-19.
Today Sher and I decided to take a drive to get us out of the house for a while. Our son (who does our shopping for us) drove. It was nice to get out. We saw a definite decrease in traffic at the grocery stores and big box stores. The eateries had their quickly made signs up offering take out food service only.
Nearly empty lot at Cracker Barrel: carry out only
Like many other regions in the country there have been recommendations to restrict the gathering of people in order to keep the spread of the virus down. Here the number went from 250 to 50 rather quickly. Within days restaurants, bowling alleys, arcades and theaters were closed. Soon after Indiana’s casinos also were closed. Now with the new Executive order from the Governor, Indiana will lock down this Wednesday at midnight. Folks are to stay home, work from home if possible. Stores are closing, well, you know how it works.
` Indiana Grand Casino closed. Even the pond fountains are turned off.
Where is this pandemic going? How bad is it going to get? Looking at New York, California and Washington State it is already pretty grim. Gov. Holcomb said more is needed to be done here to stop the spread. Trump says one thing, Dr. Fauci says something else. FEMA says they are getting the masks out. ER doctors across the nation say they don’t have enough masks. Testing? Who has a clue as to what is really going on there.
Wishing all our friends the best as we get through this trying time. Stay in, stay safe and remember to wash those hands. We are really looking forward to when we can get back on the road again.
Coronavirus is causing us to change our April
April is usually the month we start getting ready for spring festivals to sell our glass pendants. The pendants all need to be shined and all tablecloths washed. Usually we are getting ready for antique shows, where we sell antiques that we collect all year. In fact our first show of the year is usually in April. This year we’re not even sure if there will be any festivals or shows for us to go to.
Selling our pendants at an Austin show
We have gotten everything for the spring, but doesn’t look like we will able to do any. Not even sure that we can do any at all this summer. We are hoping that by fall things will back to normal, but we can’t count on it.
We’ve been in Texas for most of the winter and came back at the end of Feb. because of Coronavirus. Then when it was suggested that older people and people with other diseases were high risk, it caused us to “shelter in place” at our home. We still have family, kids and grand-kids that live in Indiana and Ohio and we’ve postponed seeing them for the time being.
We use facetime a lot and it has helped keep our sanity. Very thankful for all we do have. We have a warm home, food, and don’t have the virus. We have books to read, movies to watch and facetime with family. We have time to get caught up reading blogs we haven’t had a chance to read. And, we are so grateful for all our online friends that keep us on our toes.
Keep safe!!!
Solstice Outdoors is a fun Texas art gallery
Out side of Dripping Springs, Texas in the Hill Country near Austin is a thriving landscape design business that also doubles as a place to view and purchase unique outdoor artwork. Solstice Outdoors Ltd. is based in a former ranch home surrounded by 2 acres of what is now a whimsical display of outdoor works of art and decoration.
Solstice homestead
Outdoor fire pit complete with pyramid and butterfly seating!
Through an online mobile search Sher found this place while we were prowling about the Dripping Springs area. Thanks to google maps we soon found this surprising gallery of both indoor and outdoor craftsmanship. Each of the rooms in the house were used to display local artist’ works, including jewelry, tapestries and pictures.
Bull/man iron soldier
Another metal man
By far the most unique part of Solstice is the “backyard”. As soon as you go out into the yard you are greeted with a variety of ‘creatures” in all sizes and materials. The company offers landscaping design and construction. Walking through the grounds was like walking through an outdoor arts garden.
This face is kind of creepy, IMHO
A different medium for a longhorn!
Often we don’t have a set itinerary some days when we explore an area. It is always an adventure to find things by just driving around looking for signs, or hitting up the mobile search for “things near you”. The day we found Solstice Outdoor, Ltd. was one of those days.
Rose Hill Cemetery in Bloomington, Indiana
Bloomington is a vibrant college town in south central Indiana. Originally platted in 1818, the city father’s realized that a cemetery was a need, thus in 1819 a small piece of ground west of the village was laid out. To identify the grave yard the initials “G” and “Y” were carved into a large oak tree at the entrance.
Entrance marker to Rose Hill
A unique brick and stone monument. Note the entrance gate in the background
Note the Hand pointing up: symbol for deceased going to heaven
Monument to Civil War Vets
There were no burial records until 1897 after the eight woman Ladies Cemetery Association took over the running of the property in 1892. This civic minded group renamed the cemetery Rose Hill after the wild rose bushes scattered around the property.
Infantryman on CW monument. Note that vandals have knocked off the musket
Ornate multi-level family monument, has Greek and Latin lettering for Jesus
Other improvements and additions have taken place through the years. A nice fountain was moved to another park in Bloomington in 1991 after vandalism in the cemetery. A storm destroyed some planted trees in 2000. But the main reason we find this and other cemeteries interesting is the headstones. There are marvelous examples of symbolism on many of the stones in Rose Hill. Also named iconography, there are a host of symbols carved into many stones, mostly older limestone ones.
Sentimental inscription on a mother’s stone
Bloomington is about an hour south of Indianapolis. The cemetery is east of the I-69 interstate, take the 3rd Street exit. This is a 28 acre historic cemetery with origins in the early 1800’s. History buffs, take notice. This is a great old grave yard.
Roadtirement 