A Visit With My Sister & Nieces

I woke up this morning and watched the sun rise...it was so calm & peaceful...

After taking care of some business, I waited for my sister Denise and my nieces Sophia & Hailey to arrive for a visit.  I have not seen them in quite some time and have missed them, so it was really great that they could make the two hour trip while I was here. 

The girls wanted to go swimming in the river, which required blowing up the floats...Sophie and my sister got the job done in no time!

Into the river they went...I stayed on the dock taking pictures:)

 

 

Everything was going great, we even saw some dolphins swim by!  But when they were ready to get out we realized the ladder we have attached to the dock was starting to loosen where the wood is attached, I think actually the wood may have cracked a bit.  Of course, Johny isn't here to help secure it, so it took a great deal of perseverance for the girls to get out, and my sister ended up having to come out climbing over the rocks!  What a trooper:) 

Then we went to Rockledge Gardens, an absolutely beautiful garden center and nursery.  We saw lots of  beautiful plants, flowers and of course, butterflies!

A Gulf Fritillary...

I believe this is a Monarch...

I believe this is a Swallowtail, but not sure exactly which type...

We also went to a thrift store and got some dinner.  I loved spending the day with them...I really hope they get to come up to the cabin and visit up there some time, maybe in the winter when it's cold and we have snow!  Keeping my fingers crossed for that:) 

There is nothing like a sister!

Thanks for reading my blog, you are the best f/f/r/s/f's, see you tomorrow,
Lise

A Sunflower, Simply Delightful!

It dawned on me today that it has been 4 months (on August 4th to be precise) that we have been living our log cabin life. How fortunate we are that all is unfolding in such a pleasant way.  I am truly grateful to be able to live this experience.  To celebrate, I bought a potted sunflower.  Only, I didn't realize why I was so drawn to it when I bought it, on the 4th, but I had to have it.  So I didn't buy it on purpose as a celebration, but I know realize that is exactly what compelled me to get it.     

I love sunflowers ~ I feel cheer-filled when I see them.  They are bright.  They are simple.  They are complex.  They are edible (the seeds, that is).   

Have you ever looked really closely at a sunflower? They are intriguing...if you click on the picture and then click on 'original size', you will see all the intricate details...

 

 

 

I hope you have enjoyed this journey into a sunflower.  I love them so much I have a stained glass sunflower hanging, for sunflower cheer all year round!

Thanks for reading my blog, you are the best f/f/r/s/f's, see you tomorrow,
Lise

Friends & Flowers

While I have been here on the river, I've been trying to visit with as many friends and family as possible.  Well, I did kind of make an oopsie with my family in that I didn't tell my brothers that I would be here, so we are not able to coordinate visiting on this trip; you know I will be sure to let them know of my travels in the future...but I will be seeing my sister and dad!  I shared a little about a day with friends a few days ago.  I thought I'd share about a few more visits; once again, I have been so caught up in the warm and engaging conversations, I didn't take pictures.  But I do have a few photos of beautiful flowers, and my friends are like beautiful flowers in my life.

This is a beautiful double hibiscus I saw while walking along the river with my friend Pam and her dog Luna.

They came for a mini vacation on the river, only one overnight, but a mini vacation nonetheless. They came up from Palm Beach County because she won't be home when I go there to see the girls and for Liam's birthday.  We had a wonderful time, learned a little more about each other (we've been friends for about 14 years or so, it is always fun to discover new things about each other!), prepared pasta primavera with a fresh tomato, cucumber and avocado salad together, drank wine, walked with Luna and talked a lot.  We enjoyed Pam's mini vacation together!

This is Luna, out on the dock, enjoying the evening breeze with us; the periodic jumping fish really intrigued her! 

A couple days ago, I had a lovely morning with my friend Cheryl, (besides being my friend she gives the best pedicures ever...though I did have to tell her that my mountain life doesn't include pedicures...).  She just got married, CONGRATULATIONS NEWLYWED:), so we had lots of catching up to do about how life has changed for her.  It was a great morning!

I feel fortunate to have so many good friends.  Warms my soul.  I am going to be spending this evening with my river friends Dominique and Brucie...really looking forward to that!

This beautiful flower is a canna lily, we have them in our yard.  A bright splotch of color when they bloom!

Beautiful friends, beautiful flowers:)

Thanks for reading my blog, you are the best f/f/r/s/f's, see you tomorrow,
Lise

A Marvelous Night for a Moon Dance

This is a waning gibbous moon which means the moon is just past full.  It was shining beautifully on the river last night!

Made me think of this Van Morrison song!  I did a little dancing on the dock because...it was a marvelous night for a moon dance:)!  Have you ever just danced around because you feel like it?  I love dancing...I really love dancing like nobody's watching (that's what my friend Melanie and I did the other evening)...

...Here is a little something about me that most of you won't know...I used to be a professional modern dancer...yessiree...up on stage, actually got paid...I used to really love dancing when people were watching!  These days, they call it contemporary, but I am talking Twyla Tharp, Martha Graham, etc, and lots of other creative twists to choreography...awesome stuff and I loved performing it!...and now we have Mia Michaels, I really love her choreography...it's the one thing I don't like at all about not having TV...missing 'So You Think You Can Dance'...boy those kids have mega talent!  Love dancing!  Still:)  I do plan on dancing like nobody's watching on my deck, once it is built...well, nobody will be watching, but go with me, it's the concept... 

Update on the garden, Mountain Man planted some turnip, rutabaga and beet seeds to begin our fall garden!  I hope everything grows well, because according to the Farmer's Almanac moon planting calendar, yesterday was a barren day, a fine day for killing plant pests...hmmmm...

Yard work today, only I'm not the one doing it!  Woo hoo for me, I get to supervise...saving my strength for when I get back to the garden:)

BTW, river is beautiful today, breeze is blowing, slight chop...nice.  Have I told you lately how fortunate I know I am???  I'm truly grateful!  Life is good:)

Thanks for reading my blog, you are the best f/f/r/s/f's, see you tomorrow,
Lise 

Sunrise With a Manatee

I woke up very early this morning (I think my internal clock has adjusted itself to my previous life's schedule).   Yesterday, when I posted the sunrise photo, it reminded me of how serene I feel when I am on the dock watching the awakening of the day.  Being that I woke before the crack of dawn, I decided to head out there and see what I would see. 

In the past, when Johny and I were enjoying our morning coffee on the dock, we would trickle water from the hose over the edge into the river.  Every now and then, if we were lucky, a manatee would come by and drink (the Indian River is brackish, meaning a mixture of salt and fresh waters, so they love to treat themselves and drink the fresh stuff).  So I turned the water on.  After a while, I went to turn it off, as I had no large swimming mammal coming to my fountain.  To my surprise and sweet delight, when I came back, there she was!

 She actually arrived face down...

 ...then began a slow roll...

  ...then she was totally inverted, letting the water trickle into her mouth...

 Doesn't she look so relaxed?  So awesome!

A little later, another gentle giant swam by...you can tell they are approaching by the trail their tails make as they are swimming, sort of looks like a round, flat bubble...so I knew he was coming.  This one did not stop to drink, maybe he learned to fear people...you can see the propeller scar on his back (don't know he or she, just guessing).

And this was sunrise...

...there were lots of fish at the surface, jumping every now and then but I never could capture the jumping action with my camera, just my eyes:)

I did catch a dolphin passing in the distance...

...the water almost looked like glass!

I still miss my mountains, but I surely do love the river!

Thanks for reading my blog, you are the best f/f/r/s/f's, see you tomorrow,
Lise

A Day With Friends

I had a wonderful day. 

Taking care of business, chores and such.

Having lunch with friends Donna and Harriet at a Grills on the river, so great to see them!

Visiting with my dancing friend Melanie, whom I have known since what seems like forever, and we relived our professional dancing days together by dancing in the living room!

Of course, I don't have pictures to share, too engaged in the visits to capture the moment.  But I loved the moments, entirely!

So here is a photo of a previous sunrise on the river, as this morning's sunrise was blanketed by clouds.  While I miss my mountains, the river is a beautiful place!

I'm hoping for a rain storm right now, to sing me off to sleep as it patters on the roof.  The clouds look promising, and the chimes sound like something is amiss...


Thanks for reading my blog, you are the best f/f/r/s/f's, see you tomorrow,
Lise

Road Trip!

I headed out this morning with tears in my eyes...must really love this cabin and these mountains!  How can I not? This was what I was leaving...

When I arrived, it was only 83, but it was overcast and VERY humid...

I'll keep you up to date with what I know of the garden, as well as my happenings here on the river. 

Thanks for reading my blog, you are the best f/f/r/s/f's, see you tomorrow,
Lise