Almost Summer at the Ditch

The last time I posted about the Ditch, it was just beginning to wake up from the winter. It was still devoid of leaves and lushness as the branches of the many trees hadn't filled in and the lily pads were yet to be seen.

A month or so later, it's a different story. In the "off" months, you can drive by the ditch and get a good look to check for Harry the Heron. Now, you can still drive by, but don't plan on seeing anything but the leaves on the trees!

No, you have to walk it, which is what I did recently. No Harry that day. One of the Ditch People I met walking along (Ditch People are those friendly folk who walk this area regularly) said Harry has been pretty scarce this year.

No matter. There was much to see. Bits of color amidst the grasses and foliage.

Lily pads worthy of Monet.

A wild iris. (Or maybe not so wild, who knows?)

These might be wild strawberries. They have the same blooms as the plants in Rick's garden.

The geese had moved across the road to the golf course where several families were enjoying a smorgasborg on the eighth hole.

 

I loved the sweet downy fur. I imagine, though, that the golfers walking were stepping pretty carefully.

As I made my way back, I noticed a young boy -- maybe eleven or so -- standing off the path, taking photos with his camera. I thought it might be Harry -- but it was something all the more beautiful.

First one deer...

 

Then another. They burst onto the pond in a shower of spray and then began dining on the lily pads.



They were certainly aware of us, yet knew they were safe in the middle of the pond.



They were clearly enjoying their bath and time in the water.

And I was enjoying them.

I tend to require a fair amount of noise in my environment to keep me from concentrating on the tinitus in my head.

But on this day it was so quiet. Now and then the young boy next to me would whisper "I think she's a mama deer." It was a quiet companionship with a young stranger who was as captivated as I to observe these graceful creatures.

Not a day or moment to forget.

Linking up today with Pink Saturday! Check it out -- more than pink!

Hi, Lake! I'm Back!

Rick and I headed to the lake to open the cottage in the Land of No Internet after months of being closed during the winter. It's exciting going the first time -- you hope there are no "incidents" (a tree on the house, which hasn't happened; a winter 'guest'  which has in the past -- probably a squirrel -- that ate every piece of Kleenex in the house, along with pillows and other things -- and had no respect for the concept of litterbox.)

No ugly surprises. All was well. Our never-ending screen repairs of last year (three years, eight trips to Lowes) had held! And so had the protective sealing our foundation repair guy left on the cottage when he finished part one of the job. We'll be ready for part two as soon as he can get there!

After spending the first couple of days under the guest room bed, surfacing only for meals, Lizzie rediscovered the porch. She was captivated by trying to catch the evening bugs.

And delighted to eat the grass that seems to grow in by the crack in the door.

Rick was in seventh heaven, too -- back on the bike in Michigan's "Otsego Alps."

It appears the neighbors we weren't fond of on the other side of the vacant lot have sold. That's the good news. The bad news is that the new owners, who weren't there, have cut down a number of the trees on the lot which can only mean one thing -- building coming soon. Hopefully, an appropriate structure, not a McMansion. Nonetheless, it was hard to worry about it too much when the sky looked like this each evening.

There was work to be done like raking the pine needles from the yard, putting the porch together, making the beds. But we managed to find time for a nature walk (aborted by swarms of mosquitoes in the woods) and a visit to a nearby little lake where we engaged in a rather long conversation with a kid walking his grandparents' dog. I know a lot about that dog now.


Rick practiced hours on his guitar and you could tell. It was fun to finish off three books to a musical accompaniment!

And I had some art time. I redid my "Let Rick Ride" watercolor (on the left). I can't decide if it's better or worse than the first time. (The original is on the right)



And a friend's cat. As a cat it looks pretty good but definitely not quite right for the original model who has a little more black versus gray. Still, getting better at animals.

There was time to visit my friend Fran's kids, engaging in the sad work of going through her things and being at her home for the first time since my Lady of the Lake left this world. It felt right to sit in the chair I always did during our conversations, talking to her two daughters. I thought this picture was a bit of a metaphor -- it's a view of the lake where there is sun and all the brightness it can bring but with it the very real possibility that the darker clouds in the sky could open with tears.

There was time to read, time to Sharpie a couple of scarves and time check out the action in town (not much).

                     

And we leave as we began -- with time to watch the sunset.

There will be a few more months of this, some with family, some with friends. And oh, I can't wait.

Life is good.

This post is shared with Thoughts of Home on Thursday and Share Your Cup! Check out the great links there!

A Little More North Carolina

Our second day in North Carolina was a little bit family, a little together, a little solo. In the morning, Rick took off for a bike ride on the mountainous roads. The elevation from his dad's home drops about 3,000 feet from the top of the mountain down and it's up and down all the way after that! As for me, it was a bit of shop-and-sight-see time!

Kathy loaned me her car and I took off, landing first at a fabulous kitchen shop and then a wonderful antique mall where I did a bit of damage with some brown transferware, an original program to the Ethel Merman Broadway cast of "Gypsy" and a few Christmas presents. By then it was time to meet Kathy for lunch, and then we cruised by Grandfather Winery.

No, we didn't sip. But she wanted to show me how it was different from the Linville Falls winery the day before. While both are built into a hill and had the same lovely environment, Linville was more of a "California" style, while Kathy described Grandfather's as more of a French Bordeaux style.

As for me, I thought it simply lovely (and made a small purchase in the shop, of course!)

We got home and had a call from Rick. He needed the rescue squad! After a long ride up and down the hills and mountains, he was pretty sure he wouldn't make it back from Banner Elk and up the mountain with much left! So, his dad and I picked him up!

As soon as he cleaned up, he and I headed off to Mast General Store in Valle Crucis.



This classic building was founded in 1883 and remains a working general store and post office.

 

I found a few more gifts (and presents for me) there, while enjoying the delightfully quirky and homespun style of the store.

Included in my check out were yellow grits, some table linens and a nice piece of cheery oilcloth.

We couldn't leave without having a soda in a glass bottle from the cooler...

...and enjoy the sweeping back porch on a lovely early summer day.

We had dinner in Banner Elk and then while Dick and Kathy were at a concert, Rick and I took a long walk in a beautiful area near the Lees and McCrae campus.



It was quiet, warm but not hot or sticky, and the rushing water added its own coolness.



It was a perfect place for quiet contemplation...

                   

... and a walk in the woods.

There was duck-robatics in the pond...

And babies to admire!

The resident ducks and geese pecked for food...

...and when they thought they might have an extra handout, followed closely!

All in all, a perfect day.

I leave you with a last look at the water...

...and another beautiful sunset.

Back to Michigan!