We left the lake knowing we had a quick, two-day turnaround at home before leaving for a memorial celebration of life in Minneapolis. Rick was playing guitar for a garden club luncheon and I had another set of birthday plans. My Cork Popper friend Barb invited friend Kate and me to lunch at her home. Barb is probably one of the best cooks I know, if not THE best. And she always does things so beautifully. It was no exception this day when she met us with a lovely wine served, as she said, in "Nick and Nora" glasses. (You probably recognize those names from "The Thin Man" movies.
Then a gorgeous Shrimp Cocktail, as we sat on her deck and caught up. It was a perfect day -- just the right temperature with the perfect blue sky. Next up, a terrific Asian salad. It was similar to this one, but Barb always adds her own touches!
We also enjoyed a lovely walk around the yard. SO good to catch up with a good friend!
And we even got to meet their "pet" tree frog, who lives on the clock on their deck. A very cute critter!
Another highlight of returning home was getting my held-mail, opening fun birthday cards and presents and a package from blogger Linda Sue. Check out these fabulous holiday ornaments she made!
When I saw them on her blog I was so enchanted I said "I have to have some of these." They arrived wrapped in holiday paper, which was extra fun. (Wish I'd taken a pic of the package. It was the best!) I can't wait to see these on my tree! (These are a few of them!)
The next day it was off on our road trip. We stopped for gas in Michigan City, Indiana. Take a look at the gas prices!
Even less if you paid cash! (This was less by about 35-45 cents from the prices in Michigan on the day we left.) And on the way home it was less -- $2.94 credit.
We stopped for a picnic along the way, then on through the beautiful state of Wisconsin, overnighting in Eau Claire.
You couldn't have had a lovelier day for driving. Though it started out cloudy, that sky turned blue and the clouds became puffy.
After an overnight at a hotel that was nothing to write home about (but it did have HBO and we were able to watch The Barbie Movie -- which I hadn't seen), we continued our drive through beautiful country. We arrived safely in Minneapolis, got our hotel and connected with family.
All good -- and a little more on this next time.
Sharing with: Talking About It Tuesday / Share Your Style / Friday Face-Off / Love Your Creativity
54 comments:
Hello Jeanie,
The luncheon with your friend looks very nice. The tree frog is cute! Pretty ornaments, nice gift. Those gas prices are much lower than ours here. Love the pretty sky shots. Take care, enjoy your day!
Barb's cooking sounds amazing, and it must have been wonderful catching up with friends over that shrimp cocktail and Asian salad.
Those holiday ornaments from Linda Sue are gorgeous—I can’t wait to see them on your tree!
Glad to hear you had a great trip and enjoyed the scenic drive.
Happy Monday, Jeanie!
What fun, great to catch up with friends. That shrimp cocktail looks divine!!
So nice you got to celebrate again with your friends. Is that a real frog? Your holiday ornaments look really special. Enjoy them and your road trip!
The ornaments look fantastic.
Those of us on the other side of the border are paying something like $1.60/litre.
I love the Nick and Nora glasses reference! And wow, that scenery is something else. So beautiful.
Sound like a fun time ,we need fun times a lot ,We have our family in Minneapolis hope to keep in touch with you.
...you know of course that those lower gas prices are Bidon's fault.
Your friend certainly entertains well. Glad you had good weather on your way to Minnesota. Lovely shots along the way. Have a happy week Jeanie!
Glad you got to see the Barbie movie. I enjoyed it. What a lovely lunch and time with a dear friend too. Glad you had a good overnight drive eventhough for a sad event. Those gas prices are amazing! I paid $3.69 recently and thought that was a good price. Love the Christmas ornaments too.
What an interesting little frog! Looks like stone but squishy. I am glad the ornaments made it without getting bashed! So much glitter!!! Do not hurt yourself!! Love!
What a great time together with friends! Looks like the corn is growing high. Gas prices here in California are about $4.66 to 5.06. Gov. Newsome passed gas tax ($1.20 per gallon). do not elect him if he runs in 2028.
I love the sound of tree frogs. The photos from your trip were so pretty. One day I want to go to Wisconsin. Janice
What a fun trip. Catching up with old friends is always special.
A homemade meal by someone who can really cook is always such a pleasure. Your shrimp cocktail looks absolutely delicious. I assume that the company was even better - it's always wonderful to spend time with good friends, isn't it? Definitely one of my favorites in life. Your road trip looks great as well - here in California we can only dream of gas prices like that. I hope your week will be a good one, Jeanie. Hugs - Carola
Tree frog looks so amazing
It's amazing how gas prices can vary. Even in my area, they can vary so much. And wow, that is a fancy lunch. None of my friends make such a yummy lunch. And those ornaments are gorgeous too. They'll be beautiful on one of your trees, that's for sure. Have a great start to this new week. hugs-Erika
Oh goodness! Nick and Nora glasses! What a delicious visit.
Love the "pet" tree frog!
And the gift of such pretty ornaments. :)
I lived seven years in Wisconsin...outside of Green Bay, Eau Claire, and Menomonie. Minnesota is still the motherland to me, though--no matter where I am living--lol! ;)
I still haven't watched the Barbie movie yet. Maybe it's time.
Have a safe trip home. :)
What a lovely lunch with lovely friends! I'm still trying to talk my husband into the Barbie movie... Have a wonderful week!
Jeanie,
So sorry that I have not stopped by sooner but last week was quite the week...I think it was the hardest so far since Joe passed away...How wonderful to spent time with friends and I adore those ornaments!! So pretty!!! Happy Birthday!!!! We are going to be having some cooler weather so I have to catch up on cleaning up the garden.....I hope you have a great weekend!!
Hugs,
Deb
Debbie-Dabble Blog
what a gorgeous frog! love a prawn cocktail too.
cheers
sherry
What a wonderful time you are having! Happy birthday fun with a friend. It makes me smile.
What a wonderful lunch with friends! The holiday ornaments are darling. I think regular gasoline is about ¥170/liter here in Japan, so your gas prices look good.
A fine shrimp cocktail could induce me to do almost anything to have it. My scruples, morals and principles are all ready to sail away. Call me shallow, but that’s the power of shrimp!
Good Morning Jeanie,
You had a lovely week of fellowship and friendship. How nice to be invited to a friend's house for lunch. It looked delicious!
Your gift of pretty ornaments is darling. How nice to open them when you got home.
Looking forward to the rest of your trip.
Enjoy your week my friend!
That pastoral scene would be fun to paint.ornaments are treasures!I hate nothing to write home about but even worse disgusting ones..we fell upon one or two lol
Barb certain Ed hosted a fabulous lunch. The shrimp cocktail is calling my name. The ornaments are so pretty with lots of glitter. Enjoy your trip.
Hi, Jeanie. That area of Wisconsin is where we went to school and lived for 7 years. I even recognized that farm. You must have had a beautiful ride and Minneapolis is also gorgeous. Always fun to catch up with friends, and the ornaments are precious. Hugs, Sandi
You drove through beautiful country. I've never personally visited Minneapolis, but I'm looking forward to more photos in the future.
Lunch with friends is the best! Enjoy your trip!
Jenna
So nice you got to travel through Wisconsin. I heard it was a beautiful state. One I'd love to see. My father-in-law grew up there. The cloud photo is enchanting. And The Barbie Movie - now, that sounds entertaining, and want to eventually see it myself. Those ornaments that your friend made are delightful. I look forward to seeing them on your Christmas tree this year. I am wondering if the second one is Saint Nicholas? That frog looks like a strange one, and I've never seen a grey one like that. Your friend, Barb, sure had some delicious foods to greet you with. Looks like you had a very nice trip, Jeanie.
~Sheri
It looks as though you had a lovely lunch with your friend complete with Treefroggie!!
The ornaments are beautiful. What a nice gift.
Glad that you had such nice weather to travel in!!
That sounds like such a lovely catch-up with friends! Glad all went well with your travels.
Low prices (gas) is always good news. The same applies to weather (blue sky, fluffy clouds , moderate temperature), that cooperates well with one's road trip.
lunch with friends may be one of the best ways to spend an afternoon. the ornaments are so pretty, what a nice surprise!! i love those big puffy clouds we have been seeing, they have been delightful!!
What a lovely lunch with friends-sounds like a fun few days. enjoy
That's some beautiful midwestern landscape you drove through -- and with reasonable gas prices, too. We're sitting around $2.98 - $3.09, which is higher than we're used to, but not by much. I've never seen a frog like that -- he's absolutely darling. I'd let him hang around as a 'pet' too!
Jeanie, that was a beautiful lunch with friends. The ornaments were a lovely surprise and will be beautiful on your tree. Road trips give opportunities for wonderful scenery!
A lovely series of photos Jeanie. Lunch with friends is always a joy and that shrimp cocktail, oh yum! Loved the Nick and Nora glasses. Those ornaments are very pretty too.
Sounds like yummy fun - but... Christmas already, oh, noooo.... I still need some summer-days (nice pressies, though!).
I love the sound of tree frogs at night! Now I know what the look like. We just got back from a road trip, too, which I hope to write about soon. Mr. Cottage isn’t interested in seeing the Barbie movie. Just wondering what Rick and you thought of it.
Those ornaments will look beautiful on your tree. I used to make Shrimp Cocktail for my parties all the time. Very popular dish.
Nora Roberts has a Nick and Nora room/suite at her inn in Maryland:)
Love that frog:)
I love paying for things with cash! Shrimp looks yummy!
Hello Jeanie
Stopping by to say thank you for your kind thoughts and condolences on Eddies passing.
I do hope to get back to regular blogging soon.
In the meantime, my thanks again to you.
All the best Jan
PS I enjoyed seeing your photographs and I like the Christmas ornaments.
How wonderful it is to have a friend who is also a great cook! You really enjoyed your birthday.
Funny, but I thought you were noting how *expensive* the gas was! lol Cheap gas is one of the few perks here of living around so many refineries.
Sounds like you had an awesome catch up and some fun times.
isn't that is the most delightful treat, to have a dear friend whip up a beautiful luncheon for you. it's become too easy to 'go out' instead of open up our homes ... thanks for nudging me to be a bit more hospitable as autumn approaches and i hope to be home a whole lot more.
Genial descaso. Te mando un beso.
It's always fun spending time with friends. I'm not keen on the tree frog.
I'm crazy about the "pet" frog! What fun!
It sounds like you had a whirlwind of wonderful experiences! Barb’s lunch sounds like a true delight, with her impeccable cooking and that charming touch of "Nick and Nora" glasses. The Shrimp Cocktail and Asian salad must have been heavenly, and I love the idea of a walk around her beautiful yard and meeting the adorable tree frog!
Returning home to find such thoughtful gifts and cards is always a joy. Those holiday ornaments from Linda Sue look amazing—I bet they’ll look stunning on your tree! Safe travels on your road trip, and thanks for sharing all these lovely moments.
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That lunch looks amazing! It's such a pleasure to enjoy a meal at the home of someone who is such a good cook. In our family, that is my aunt Barb. But my mom is also an excellent cook and baker so we were treated to lots of great food at the lake last week!
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