Travel

A quick getaway

Dew Drop, family, Sugarwings, Travel
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Sugarwings and I had a brilliant, spur of the moment plan to invite my son and Dewdrop to meet us at Universal Studios.


It wasn’t well thought out to be a trip that made the best use of our time, resources, or cash.  It was a spontaneous -LETS DO THIS- idea and we ran with it.

That is very much unlike me.  I’m a person who knows every in and out at Disney for shortest lines, places to be, how to do this, how to find that, and I typically squeeze every drop of timing out of each trip there.

But I am unfamiliar with much of Universal, and honestly, if I missed something, we wouldn’t know the difference.

Plus, I wanted it to be these guys’ trip, and let them decide where to be and when.  Sugarwings has grown up maneuvering around on park maps, so I simply followed their lead.

Not feeling like you have to get the most out of your visit and see it all is a relaxing way to go.  Turning over the lead to others felt pretty good too.

We ate where we happened to be.  We rode what we stumbled by. We saw a couple shows that I didn’t even know existed.

I knew I’d already paid way too much for the vacation since it wasn’t purchased in advance, flights and the hotel were rather high.  So I was in a bit of a “hey, I’ve already broken the bank, let’s just go for it”.  We bought what we wanted and I didn’t care.

My only rule about meals, was to not be wasteful.  Don’t over order, share when possible, drink water, not pop (because it’s better for you in the heat, of course) and everybody can choose a special treat when they want.

I had a wonderful time, and loved being with some of the people I love most in the world.  A trip with grown up kids is a true delight, and worth every last penny we spent.  I was ready for relaxing, because to make this work, I had to double down on my schedule of getting ready for Good Juju’s November sale before we left.  I tagged 13 bins of inventory to restock after the October sale was over.

It’s probably a very, very good thing that I still have a booth at Juju to keep me grounded.  I’m tempted by how wonderful my family visits and trips  have been and could easily just quit my job and spend my days traveling.

But for now, I’ll keep my booth, and rein in some of my wonderlust, while indulging in it as much as feasibly possible.  A bit of balance, because I still enjoy my job too.

A hometown visit

family, jewelry, Travel
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My trip to Indy was as always, THE BEST.  Lots of family time, crafting, and a visit with friends.  Sis had been going through her storage and sent me home with not only a stack of like new tees, some gorgeous dresses, and lots of doo dads, but this recipe from our grandma too.

And did I mention a car? I flew in to pick up this car that Sissy was trading in, that she instead sold to me at the price offered by the dealership.  A pretty good deal, if you’ve been looking at any used vehicles lately.  Sugarwings starts Community College in KC, and needed a more reliable car.

This one certainly is!

As typical, we had lots of creative time together.

Sissy let us pile supplies from one end of her spacious home to the other and we made bag charms all week.

Pendleton’s Falls Park has some wooded trails that bring back childhood memories for me.  Not that the actual trails existed way, way back then.  No, just reminiscences of hanging at the park, splashing on the stones that cross the creek in jr high, and being with my tiny sons on the playground equipment.

There is an area now that holds memorial trees, and we visited Bobbie’s tree there and I was touched to see her handmade bracelets in the branches.

Yep, it was a lovely trip, filled with loving family time.

When I go home, I feel like I’m splitting myself in two and leaving part of my heart behind.

Back in the 70s, I left my hometown, with just a brief stay a few years later.

Since then we moved around a lot before settling in KS.

While I consider Lawrence my adopted home, and sincerely love living here, part of me forever wishes I could be back in Pendleton.

Ruby’s

antiques/junking, Food and Drink, friends, Travel
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While I was visiting family in Indiana, I got to meet up with a group of friends from high school.  Well,  jr high and grade school too.  So our friendship goes back, uhm, way, way back.

We got together at a unique lil treasure, Ruby’s Bakery and Cafe. The building  once housed an ornate, old church.

That abandoned church was renovated by a local judge before he sold it to business he felt would help reviltize the area, and he chose well.

The current owner, Pam, is enthusiastic and welcoming.  She gave us a tour from bottom to top with some history of the place as well as stories of what she has planned for it and what’s lined up for the future.

Her decor speaks to my heart, lots of vintagey goodies throughout.  And pretty  pies!  I bought a “flight” of three slices to take to Sissy’s house to share.

Sharing was the word of the day.  Not only was Pam generous with her time, she took us to the storage area where the judge kept his art collection and told us we could pick out something to keep.

My favorite part was sifting through the stacks and looking at the wide range of prints and paintings in various styles.  An offer to select one for myself? That was the icing on the cake of beautiful afternoon.

My pal, Lori, had mentioned when we walked in, how much she loved a Victorian style oil painting by the door.  And then, lurking in the back of the framed goods stored in the balcony, there was a companion piece, rolled up and tucked away.  What a sweet gift.

And what a sweet place!

Around town

paintings, Travel
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My adopted hometown is  a charming place, and I am so proud that some of my murals are still on display.

They actually look even better with some age and wear over the decades.

Downtown can be packed, with KU’s various activities. Parents’ weekends, big games, those sort of things fill the sidewalks and restaurants to the brim.

But on a quiet, Sunday night mid July?

Purely peaceful.

With a dollop of quirkiness.

And a smidge of funky.

It’s filled with art and atmosphere.  Lush flowers for all of the warm months.  Then twinkling lights line the streets for the holidays.

With a variety of traditional spots.  I don’t know how old this merry go round is, but it’s been spinning for the decades I’ve made Lawrence, KS my home.

New additions are some inviting, outdoor seating.  (The one good thing that came about from Covid lockdowns. ) There are quite a few choices to enjoy dinner while soaking up the local ambiance.

And I’m honored to be a part of it.

A Denver retreat

family, paintings, Travel
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We had a family get together in Denver at a relaxing resort.  While there, I spent some time painting.  Mostly in the room between times when we had plans.

But do you know what was even better?  It was when the sisters-in-law gathered poolside to craft and chat about what is going on in our lives.  We simply do not see each other nearly enough for as much as we enjoy being together.

The hotel had a spa and a golf course.  And I actually spent some time out on the greens!  Ha, NOT golfing, nope, never ever.  At sunset, when the players left, we used the course as our private walking trails.

That delightful spa got used too.  The three of us met there for treatments, then kicked back a couple hours in the lounge to sip tea and crunch on some snacks.

I cannot picture a more relaxing time.

Our visit was filled with love and laughter.  Stories, jokes, family updates, and delicious meals too.

Throw in a few minutes here and there to dabble around with my paint brush, and it was an ideal vacation.

Thanks for working your travel planning  magic, Terry.  You are the best.

An Ozark float trip on the wrong river

family, Travel
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There were some glitches on our trip to the Current River, but moments like this-

And peaceful mornings enjoying the scenery more than made up for it.


Our first issue?  The rental home we got was cancelled, no communication, no notice, a few days before the adventure was set to begin.  We scurried to find an overpriced replacement that had some major issues (lights that wouldn’t stay on, doors that fell off track, washer unhooked, stove wouldn’t heat up, well you get the idea) but fantastic views and private beach.   I think what we paid for was location, not the home itself.

We also booked a six hour float on my son’s favorite river, the Current, up river from where we were staying.

But oops!  After a couple hours of my boy being confused about landmarks, he realized we’d been dropped onto the Jacks Fork instead.

Again, beautiful scenery.  But here is the issue.  This river runs mostly east/west, while the Current is the opposite.  Doesn’t sound like a problem until you figure in the shade which is non existent for much of the one we were on until our last stretch back to the truck.

So it was hotter than expected, and the six hours on the water seemed long at times.  But it was broken up with picnics and swims.

We also hiked over to some spring heads where the air is as crisp and clear as the mineral laden, blue water.  The water rushes from the ground ice cold and tempers the heat, plus they were nestled back into the shade.

All in all, it was a delight.

Fab food

family, Food and Drink, Travel, Uncategorized
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Did I mention how good the food was in Maui?

The best was at Mama’s Fish House.

My sister-in-law, Terry, is an expert traveler and planner. She booked our reservations months in advance so we could have this special meal in this extraordinary setting.

We had an ideal mix of cozy family dinners made by Terry, by sunset on the balcony and fresh seafood meals at the beach.  One special treat was an appetizer of a goat cheese flight at Surfing Goat Farm.

Dinner and a show, we got to watch little kids playing.

We never turned down a dessert either.


Everything was fresh and delicious.

Maui memories

family, flowers, Food and Drink, Travel
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Maui was a delight.

From the little things

To the majestic ones.

The food

The nature inspired artwork


And the nature itself

Friendships

Grand vistas

Sunsets


Spending time with people we love 

And with each other.

Forgetting my worries

Travel, Uncategorized
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Our Maui visit was very laid back.  Every day but one began with a long walk along the shore and typically an excursion, or just some time to chill.

One morning, we explored the other side of the island.  Stopping at more than one roadside banana bread spots to compare the treats.

All were deliciously different in small ways, but overall they were too good to chose a favorite.

Along that drive, we pulled over for a walk in the woods.  The three of us were the only people there and it felt like we were in a timeless, exclusive space no one had ever discovered.
That was  deceptive feeling, because this secluded jungle was right off the highway, and we could see cars parked along the road.

Did I mention it was a scary road? Narrow, twisting, with a sheer cliff on one side and a drop off on the other.  When another vehicle came across us, we needed to back up to make space.

I’m terribly afraid of heights and get car sick easily.  But on this edge of a mountain road, I wasn’t on the edge of my seat.  For some odd, once in my lifetime reason, I had zero worries about plunging to our death.  Or even feeling a tiny bit nauseated.  And I have deep problems with the much tamer hills of the Appalachians.  I don’t know what got into me, but this drive around the volcano was nothing but pure pleasure.

An outing that I will always treasure

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