Be Still and Know...Then and Now

7:30 A.M. There was a pleasantly warm breeze, the blue sky was dotted with wispy white clouds, the birds were enjoying the landscape, the butterflies were darting about and the bee’s were hovering over the blossoms. My new patio umbrella was providing the perfect refuge from the morning sun, my coffee was steaming and I just sat and enjoyed the moment. I think at times there is heavenly perfection here on earth in small human doses… Happy Friday Y’all Blessings R

Sunday, June 17 It’s a love hate relationship really. I love my summer veggies but I hate the reality that I am still struggling to figure this gardening thing out. I commented on FB that I was still waiting to make a first harvest in my garden. One of my wonderful church sisters brought me a whole bag full from her garden. She is a much more experienced gardener than I am and has much better success. Monday, June 18 My next favorite thing about summer is fresh fruit. I have about given up on ever getting any decent produce at the grocery store and have decided to refrain from wasting any more hard earned money on inferior fruits and veggies. Yes it means an additional trip up to Chadwick's every so often but it is so worth the extra effort. I can not tell you when I have enjoyed a cantaloupe more. It was simply the best cantaloupe I have had in such a long time. There is just nothing better in my book that enjoining the wonderful flavors that God provides of us in the simple...

Our last full day in New York was a jam packed day. Our hotel was a good ways away from the 9/11 Memorial. There was NO way I was hiking it down the million city blocks to get to Battery Park where we were to catch the ferry to the Statue of Liberty, so we hoped a taxi and gave our tired feet a rest. Since the 9/11 memorial was only a few blocks from Battery Park we made our way over to catch the ferry after our visit to the memorial. Again more waiting in line, about an hour, more security lines, more x-ray machines and finally we made it on the ferry! Regrettably there was some renovations still going so there was no access to the interior of the statue. We had a leisurely stroll about the island, is is not very big and I snapped of a lot of very good pictures of Miss Liberty! Before we hopped the ferry to Ellis Island we had lunch at the cafe. It was worth the $25.00 dollars just to get a cool spot under a tree to eat our lunch… or so I thought until I noticed this not so ...

Our last full day in New York began with mixed feelings. It has been ten years since that unimaginable day in September of 2001. Visiting the 9/11 Memorial was very different from what I expected. If you are heading to NY and want to visit the 9/11 Memorial you will need to get a ticket which can be done on the website ahead of time. It is a free pass but you MUST have one to gain admittance to the memorial. Also do not expect to just walk up to the memorial, there were endless pathways of turning corners and snaking through security lines to get to the actual memorial. The Hubs and I discusses the need for security however I found the process of getting in to be very very difficult. There is still quite a bit of construction going on in the immediate vacuity so there was a lot of construction noise as well.   The South Tower pool. Once inside the memorial area there were many, many people. It was at times difficult to get up close to the edge of the fountains. It was an ebb...

A View From the Ground: Central Park Wednesday morning we made our way down to Central Park. We encountered a few scattered showers but nothing that compared to the downpour we experienced the day before. Central Park was beautiful, fountains, rambling paths, expanses of deep green grass, flowers and thousands of bench lined paths.  Even with all the big city hustle and bustle these two little guys were happily getting in there morning bath! There is just something so peaceful yet magnetic about a gentle winding path.   Central Park has a small zoo. We spent some time there along with what I think may have been quite possible every elementary school in the greater New York area. The zoo was reasonably prices at $12.00 per person, but I will say that having to maneuver along the minefield of a billion elementary age children was at times a bit tiresome. This magnificent seal was the star of the show. He/She had no illusion as to his/her gorgeousness. It would pop up ...