15 May ...

 I'm writing as part of my commitment to the American Cancer Society to write for 30 minutes a day in May.

Click here to go to my fundraiser page.

 Where was I?  Oh yes ... my last day of vacation ... the 3rd of May

 Kat has suggested meeting up to go to Maymont Park and Gardens [<link to click] and I foolishly twisted Dan's arm to join them.

  I say foolishly because he did say that it was a lot of walking, and I was foolishly thinking of my walking challenge and not the fact that I'm essentially an office potato who is seriously out of shape.

 My camera phone was not cooperating most of the day, so I didn't get many pictures.  I think I'd run out of memory space without realizing it and needed to upload and delete some.

 This tree was as we were walking in from the parking lot and was just so massive.  I really wish now I had walked out to it and just stood under it for size comparison.

 We started at the petting zoo, which was 98% goats.  Followed the trail down through the aviary gardens, where we role-played what the hawks and owls were thinking as they watched us from their cages. 

 Saw a beautiful red fox snoozing in the sun while the day was cool.  When we later took a shortcut back to the parking lot we watched him move out of the sun and into a shady spot for his nap.

 There were amazing Japanese gardens with a large pond that was currently drained.  Kat, who has been to Maymont many times said that it is usually full of koi, and there are waterfalls as well.  This is one of her photos from a past visit when the waterfall was flowing.

These are from Heather's phone.

 This is the Maymont Mansion.  We didn't tour it since it was towards the end of our walk, and I'm not even sure if it was open for tours that day.  Either way, we'd already walked over three miles and were pretty "done" for the day.

I'm smiling through my pain.  Hahaha.
I was exhausted!

 Dan cooked dinner for all of us [us=Kat+hubs, Luke & son, Jordon; Heather; him & his daughter, Aura; me].  I have to say that his girlfriend, Christine, whom we did not get to meet because she was out of town for work has herself a keeper.  Steaks to perfection, roasted asparagus, and twice-baked potatoes.  But in all of our exhaustion, and the chaos of dinner, we missed the last opportunity for a group picture!  I was so bummed when I realized it the next day.

14 May ...

 First, Happy Mother's Day to everyone ... whether you are bio-mom, fur/feather/fin-baby mom, step-mom, or single dad that stepped up mom.

I'm writing as part of my commitment to the American Cancer Society to write for 30 minutes a day in May.

Click here to go to my fundraiser page

 I thought today I would share some of the flower images that I've collected over the last few weeks, and maybe some fur-baby moms.  I'm throwing these in here in random order.

Allium that came up in the front yard, only about ten plants.  I will plan on buying more to plant this fall if I'm going to be here next Spring.

I was worried I would miss the irises blooming while I was on vacation, but it looks like I only missed a few of them.  This fall I will have to thin them out significantly, so may put some on along the side of the front walk.  The peonies and Easter Lilies I transplanted have yet to bloom, so I don't want to crowd them for next year.

This is a birthday bouquet that my friend, Deborah, brought me from her yard.  Solomon's Seal, Wygilia, Columbine, Tulips, and PomPom Hydrangeas.

This blep comes to you courtesy of my sister, Kat's, baby Branch.  He was a feral rescue so is not very people-social, but I did get the chance to get some face-time with him and a few under-the-chin scratches.  Granted he was cowering in the kitty litter box in her bathroom at the time, but hey.  Grab kitty lovin's where you can.

This one is my own Gracie, claws in my leg to prevent me from leaving again.  Her arm is fine, a little PTSD fur pulling from the trauma she endured before I rescued her.  But she's really serious that I don't get to go on another vacation anytime soon.  Or ever again.  We'll have to have a discussion about that eventually.

This is a tattoo that the sisters and I had talked about getting while we were together.  We didn't have time (too much shopping, and eating and laughing), so I have made an appointment locally to get mine (top image) done in late June.  I think Kat (bottom image) will also get hers done eventually.  Heather on the other hand (middle image), is afraid of needles and refuses to get one done, so I told her her daughter will have to just draw it on with a black Sharpie pen.

13 May ...

 I'm writing as part of my commitment to the American Cancer Society to write for 30 minutes a day in May.

Click here to go to my fundraiser page.

Someone recently asked me what the best part of my vacation was, and honestly, there wasn't ONE best part.

All of it was the best.  Especially this part.  Meeting my nephew, Dan, for the first time.

And meeting his daughter, Aura, who is just brilliant and beautiful!

Aura has two parakeets named Cookies and Cream.  This was Cream sitting on her shoulder,

This handsome dude is Ozzy.

 This hellraiser is Gordy ~ Gordy LaForge to be exact.  A rescued cat who was dedicated to his job of protecting the house from invading predator aliens disguised as squirrels.

This was the elusive Odin ~ Odie ~ who I didn't see much of, but was just as sweet as could be.

 I must admit that spending a vacation with resident fur-kids is probably the best way to do it.  I missed my own, but it was made easier by making friends with these guys.

Along those same lines ... a thought about family, especially the unexpected ones.

It doesn't matter how someone got here.  Whether or not they are half, step, or not even related in any way.

Family is who and what you make it, and something to be cherished, protected, and enjoyed.

Families are the people you love the most, the ones who have your back, and the ones whose backs you have.

Families are the people who can make you laugh until you cry, and cry until you laugh.

It's the people who you can pick up a conversation with whether it has been two hours, two years, or two decades since you last saw each other.

Families are the ones that are always in your heart, in your thoughts, or in your prayers.

You don't always have to agree on everything, or even like everything.

Families are the ones that love you just how you are, especially at your worst.

12 May

I'm writing as part of my commitment to the American Cancer Society to write for 30 minutes a day in May.

Click here to go to my fundraiser page

 Second stop with the sisters on Sunday ... well, after lunch at a place called Oak & Apple BBQ [<link there] ~ which was delicious! ~ was the Edgar Allan Poe Museum [<link to click].

  

And what would a visit to a Poe museum be without me acting the fool?

This is a gorgeous piece of art done by Chris King.  I wish I could get a postcard of it!

 The museum was around a small courtyard in Richmond, VA, and in the rear of it, behind the fountain, is an altar to Poe where people leave gifts and notes to him.

Kinda creepy.

The houses that made up the museums weren't really where Poe lived for any length of time.  The rooms were extremely small, and the lighting was not conducive to getting good pictures of anything.  But it was interesting to read about his childhood and the life that he had.  I'm sure that a lot of it came through in his stories.

But of course, the whole reason we went was because they had two black cats on the property that we just had to stop and see!

Just before Heather had her eyes clawed out...
just kidding!