Beaufort 2018 | Part One.

This year's trip* was maybe the most fun ... the place we stayed was perfect for the four of us, the weather was cool and breezy but dry, the food and drink were amazing (as always) and I won the weekend-long dice tournament 😉. I'm not sure if it was the fun factor, or having 1SE (movie!), or just that we are all so comfortable with each other and the place, but I have a record 70+ photos (that's the edited down number) and a video mashup #funproblems.

We love looking back on these blog posts as we plan our visits - and of course as we look back on the high (and low) lights of past years. All of this is a long way of saying that I'm going to share this year's trip in multiple posts. I decided to start with an overview - the video, my favorite "all of us" photos and a little bit more.

Here's the video

Cheers!-ing is a favorite subject (you know that if you follow my 1SE monthly mashups on Instagram), as are walking and wind chimes, but I don't often get to peek into a wedding (just as Shout! comes on) or a beautiful old church with a massive pipe organ.

One thing that I'm sure contributed to this year's trip being so fun is that we all drove together! We did have to rent a car to be sure we had enough space for everyone's luggage and knitting (and that big bottle of wine :-), but it was well-worth it.

(I promise Lydia is there in the backseat behind my big hair!)

Friday morning, we went to visit my dad. Beaufort was evacuated last September for Hurricane Irma and Charlie assured us the Memorial Garden made it through unscathed.

We thought it looked even better - there was a big (overgrown) oak tree in the middle of garden and it has been replaced with flowers and flowering shrubs.

We had lunch on Friday at Lowcountry Produce - and we found a very nice woman to take our photo.  We also had a very nice waitress who didn't seem to mind that we were there for almost two hours.

Friday night we ate at Emily's (tapas!). Here we are just before leaving.

Saturday lunch was at Wren's. We had "our table" in the back corner.

We walked from there to the Pat Conroy Literary Center. I wasn't thinking we'd have a good photo op there, but we did!

Karen is sitting in Pat's desk chair and that's his writing table. Apparently, he wrote in a similar setup on those yellow legal pads. I didn't think to ask then, but I wonder just how many yellow legal pages South of Broad was in manuscript ...

Saturday dinner was at Old Bull Tavern and we did not get a photo. Sunday night we were at Saltus. As we were leaving, I approached a group of strangers at the bar and asked if anyone would be willing to take our photo. One woman enthusiastically agreed - phew!

My last photo is one I took Sunday morning, just after sunrise, on a walk by myself.

The low country at its best!

Next week, I'll share more about the food and drink. and who knows what might come after that.

Happy Friday, y'all!

*Katie shared this article with me last weekend and I read it out loud to my housemates. We all agreed that it was a trip (family, in-laws, packing the car, groceries, dishwasher, ...) but in a most acceptable way. Maybe we're all at the age when a getaway with family is just more special.

Ten on the Tenth | Enjoying Fall.

last week's lake view ... those trees are nearly bare now, but wow!

Ten on Tuesday is now a monthly thing and I couldn't be happier today to share my first Ten on the Tenth post about things I'm enjoying this fall.

1. The colors. The trees have put on an amazing show for us this year; it's nearly over now, but it's been spectacular.

2. Getting back to knitting wool. I knit a lot of silk, cotton and linen during the warmer months, but my heart belongs to wool. My hands enjoy getting back to it, too.

3. Planning holiday menus.

4. Seeing Sara (she'll be here two weeks from today!)

5. Family gatherings (my mom arrives a week from yesterday for two weeks).

6. Lower humidity (good hair days :-)

7. Our anniversary. Marc and I will celebrate 33 years next week and that's not a very exciting milestone, but now we're only two years away from one that should be memorable!

8. Having a fire in the fireplace (haven't actually done this yet, but I think it might happen this weekend).

9. Snuggling.

10. Making lists like this one. being mindful of all the goodness. saying thank you.

Thank You Carole for getting us back together! If you'd like to join in the fun, click here to sign up.

Making Room.

I shared a very vague post a few months back about making room for new priorities. After more thought and many difficult conversations, including some hard goodbyes, today marked the end of what I now see as a months-long journey to be home on Thursdays.

It started back in May, when I moved my knitting class from Monday nights to Thursdays.

The change was good, like I shared in July:

Beginning last month, I moved my Monday evening class to Thursday evenings. Thankfully, all my students save one were able to make the change and most were just as happy about it as I am. It's nice to be home on Monday evenings - the golf course is closed on Mondays, so if Marc's in town, he's home; and I get to bed at a more reasonable hour, which makes Tuesdays with Charlie easier. So now my Thursdays are a little longer, but that seems to be working ok, since the next day is Friday and then the weekend!

But then I started thinking about how nice it might be if I were simply home. I could cook dinner (??!!) and  I could be the one to turn the porch light on. Once I thought about it for more than a second, it was an easy decision. It was harder to tell my students. But happily many of them have the flexibility to join me on Wednesday afternoons, so I might end up with one VERY full class in the middle of the afternoon in the middle of the week...and that's wonderful!

We had our last Thursday evening class last week. The girls were great - we drank wine and had snacks and talked about knitting and life ... which is what we always do (well, except for the wine). I thought to take another photo in the parking lot as I left. Marking another milestone.

Today's goodbye was, in a sense, harder.  Holly and I have co-hosted the weekly knitting group at the nursing home since 2011. There are now three of us (four, including Holly) co-hosting and the group of "knitters" mostly crochet. Also it's only three to four ladies most weeks, so it doesn't feel like I'm leaving a huge gap. When we (Holly is really the more popular :-) said good bye today the ladies gave us hugs and I promised we'd keep in touch.

It was really nice to get home today before it got dark. I didn't even need to turn on the porch light.

So now my Thursdays are "home days". just in time to welcome a new baby into the family! If all goes well, I'll be having Thursdays with him when Katie goes back to work next February.  Tuesdays with Charlie have been such a blessing I'm not sure how my heart can possibly hold that and another day with his brother. but of course it will. there's plenty of room!

An Altar in the World.

I hadn't intended to be away from here on Friday, but the day got away from me almost as soon as it started. First, I finished reading this book. Then I met with a wonderful group of women to talk about it. Then I went to a meditation class and then, well then I decided the blog could get by without me for a day or two. I very rarely write much about the books I read, but I took a bit of time on Goodreads this morning to write a little about this one. I know many of you follow my reviews there, so you might see this anyway. But in case you don't - and for myself - I wanted to share my thoughts here, too. Happy Sunday!

An Altar in the World: A Geography of Faith by Barbara Brown Taylor
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I read this with my small group (six women, including two widows in their 70's/80's and four "empty nesters" in their 50's and 60's) over the last six weeks; each week, the six of us would meet to discuss two chapters. This is the second book we've read together, so we knew a little about each other before we started. The conversations we had over this book have made a deep and lasting impression on me.

As has this book. It is beautifully written, with just the right mix of Taylor's own thoughts - wow, this woman can write a sentence - illustrations from others (she includes poetry, prayers and other meaningful quotations from a host of "wise" people across centuries) and warm hearted humor.

She says in the introduction "...my hope is that reading [this] will help you recognize some of the altars in this world -- ordinary-looking places where human beings have met and may continue to meet up with the divine More that they sometimes call God."

For me, she certainly succeeded.

I read this with a pencil; most pages show at least a few underlinings, stars, hearts and other marginalia. Looking back over all those pages, I'm struck anew by the power of Taylor's writing. I started reading the book a few pages each day, but soon found I wanted to keep going and had to make myself stop when I'd finished the reading for the week. But when I reached the last two chapters - on prayer and blessing - I didn't want to finish. I read that last chapter just before heading off to my meeting. I loved it most of all. (While I was reading, I also ordered two of the poetry books she cited on those pages - gotta love Amazon on your phone.)

Two days later, the passages I marked on those last pages still evoke the emotion, clarity of understanding and simple grace I felt when I first read them:

"I could argue with myself on this, but I am not sure that you have to believe in God to pronounce a blessing. It may be enough to see the thing for what it is and pronounce it good. For most of us, that is as close to God as we will ever get anyway."

"God has no hands but ours, no bread but the bread we bake, no prayers but the ones we make, whether we know what we are doing or not."

"That we are willing to bless one another is miracle enough to stagger the very stars."

and finally - from the very last page:

"I hope you can think of [at least a dozen] more ways to celebrate your own priesthood, practiced at the altar of your own life. As the love poet of all time reminds us both,

Today like every other day we wake up empty
and frightened. Don't open the door to the study
and begin reading. Take down a musical instrument.
Let the beauty we love be what we do.
There are hundreds of ways to kneel and kiss the ground."

(that last bit is from Rumi and that's one of the books I ordered.)

I'm confident I'll feel the same way two weeks, months and years from now. All of this might be a little much for some, but it was just what I (and the other women in my small group) needed. If it sounds remotely interesting to you, please read it. I think you'll love it, too.

Ten on Tuesday | Home.

This week, Carole's invited us to share ten things we love about our home. Shortly after I picked up the prompt, I read this:

...then she'd walk from room to room in a small private ritual* she had, something she did whenever she'd been traveling. She'd touch all the things she loved the most, the objects and pictures and mementos that made this house her home, the one place on earth where she truly belonged and that belonged to her. (from Debbie Macomber's A Turn in the Road)

As I prepare for tomorrow's trip, the timing couldn't be better! (and a post that's long on photos and short on words is welcome, too!)  Here goes:

1. the front door. I love that it's a big window and you can see through all the way to the porch and the trees behind. and it faces west, so evening sunset reflections can be very cool.

2. the screened porch. it faces east. nothing better for a morning person than a front-row seat for sunrises.

3. just off to the left as you enter the front door is my study. this little vignette is on the corner of my desk. I love every piece of it...and the memories and emotions each evoke.

4. this is the path to the lower level. where all of Marc's stuff "lives". I love that he has his own space (that I don't have to see or clean...very often). That painting is of Katie/by Katie from a fabulous middle school art class.

5. the space where I live (almost) all the time. I love it all!

6. and this little corner (which is just to the left of the photo above)... a "shrine" to 32 years of marriage (I made the photo collage and Marc likes to bring home "pairs" from his Asia trips). a much-simplified cookbook collection. Georgia Tech (of course). and a reminder of last year's OLW.

7. and now upstairs. the bookshelves in my "office". my yarn stash (well, most of it anyway ;-), my favorite books and photographs and OLW's... altogether with my desk, swift & ball winder, laptop, printer... this is where I'm sitting now as I type this post. I have to say, I never dreamed I'd share an office with so much yarn-y stuff, but it's good...very good!

8. the 360 degree mirror in my bathroom. I took a photo of this the first time I saw the house. love at first sight!

9. a sitting room in our bedroom. the windows face east and the light is bright in the morning and not so much in the evening. (just like me!) I love to read and knit in those chairs. (yeah, I don't have a favorite - is that weird?!) the space is calm and serene....

10. except when Charlie's here! turns out our bedroom is the easiest place to entertain him. he can't get into too much trouble and there's lots of room for toys and exploring. (and nope, no walking today - he definitely walked along the windows, and the chairs, and the dressers... but nothing on his own!)

Thank you, Carole, for another delightful week. If you're not already playing along, click here to join the Ten on Tuesday fun!

*Of course my ritual isn't like the one Debbie describes. I run to the bathroom...then walk Holly, unload the car, pour a glass of wine, and chill at my kitchen counter spot (emails, blogs, Ravelry, Instagram) until bedtime. when I'm forced to carry bags upstairs and unpack. Honestly, I think I like Debbie's better. And I just might try it on Monday!

My (favorite) Dad.

...I'm going rogue for Ten on Tuesday today. Carole asked us to share our ten favorite TV dads; while I was struggling to come up with even one or two (BJ from M*A*S*H?, Sandy from the O.C.?) from the make-believe world, I had no trouble thinking up ten plus reasons my dad is my favorite. And I'm very fortunate that he's still around to read this post!  So I'm going to consider this a belated Father's Day card* to my dad (who is, in the best Southern way...Daddy).

If you've been reading my blog for any length of time, you probably know my mom was great with photos - not only taking them :-), but also writing on their backsides "who/when/where" and ultimately putting them into albums. There are multiple pages of photos that include me and my dad at the beginning of my album, but these are are the first two that show both of our faces for the camera:

Roy & Mary. one week old (puts this at about Thanksgiving, 1962)

Roy & Mary. six weeks (I'm thinking this is the week between Christmas and New Years)

Oh my, right?!

and because I know my mom will read this too and I was struck by the total 1962-ness of this photo (not to mention my mom's figure...5-1/2 weeks after giving birth!?!), I had to share it, too.

Polly, Roy, Mary. 5-1/2 weeks. Christmas. Grove Hill.

In any event - I had fun looking through the photos...and documenting just a few of the reasons my dad is my favorite. He's kind, generous, polite, smart, intelligent, willing, able, diligent, loving, committed, loyal, faithful, witty, funny, athletic, determined, strong, has integrity (what's the adjective for that?) and he has a wonderful smile!

Thank you, Carole, for prompting this belated Father's Day wish... (if you haven't joined the Ten on Tuesday fun, click here.)

*I really did send a card (and he told me he enjoyed it) and we had a lovely long talk on Sunday about all sorts of things including To Kill a Mockingbird (which I'd just finished re-reading), the Queen of England (because I was reading her biography), the recent shootings in Charleston, and how much we both enjoyed Katie's wedding (Katie and I attended a wedding Saturday night that recalled all kinds of memories). I shared this photo on Instagram - I'd shared it here the Father's Day after the wedding - it's crazy to think of all that happened in the 50 years between this photo and ones above! xoxo Daddy, I love you!

with Daddy, at Katie's wedding. (photo credit to Sara - with many many thanks!)

Fresh Air!

...porch views (#porchview on Instagram) and park views - it's time to get outside and enjoy some fresh air!

Those front porch planters have been refreshed. I didn't end up with the "hot" colors I planned - instead I have muted pink and peach, gold and a hot green. It's been five days and the deer and rabbits haven't eaten anything. I'm thinking they must be still busy with the neighbors.

May is a great month for our screened porch. I cleaned it week before last (and then waited to see if the pollen was really done - it was) and Marc set out the sofa cushions on Friday. I've already enjoyed wine, coffee, knitting, podcasts*, reading, Marc's play by play rerun of Saturday night's fight ("enjoy" is a stretch for that one, but still, it was time shared in a lovely setting)...and a Sunday afternoon nap. The only thing I'm missing is a shared glass of wine with my sister.

Early morning walks in the park are even more delightful with the baby geese. We first spotted them a few weeks back - when I didn't have my phone camera. I've carried it every walk since then, but it wasn't until Saturday morning that we saw the tribe. The babies are about twice as big now. I guess baby geese don't stay babies for very long. I snapped this photo on our first lap and we smiled on lap #2 when we saw other cameras out to capture the cuteness.

I think our Spring is way ahead of many of you, but I hope you're all getting outside now to enjoy a bit of Fresh Air!

*I highly recommend recent episodes from both Books on the Nightstand and Literary Disco that feature poetry. The BOTNS episode even includes a handout with samples and recommended poets for different types of poetry. I'm looking forward to exploring a bit...outside my own comfort zone.

Ten on Tuesday | Hearts (just for fun).

...it's Valentine's Day this Saturday. And in that spirit, Carole's asked us to share about love. I've had fun thinking about this list all day - things that make me smile and warm my heart...hearts (just for fun).

♥ Tuesdays with Charlie. He'll be five months old this Friday and I love that I get to see him at least once a week. On Tuesdays, I have him all to myself (although I think Holly is just about to insert herself and demand her own Charlie time). I love that I get all the photo ops. And if I'm lucky, I get a really wonderful one. (this one happened before noon... so I could relax for the rest of the day).

♥ my iPhone. phone (probably the least used function :-), camera, texts, podcasts, books, weather, fitbit,  mail, Instagram ... all in one little device.

♥ Instagram. yeah, it deserves its own heart. If this had been around before blogs, I'm not sure I'd even be writing this.

♥ knitters. I am so blessed to know quite a few in real life...family and friends....and on-line. 

♥ Ravelry. no explanation needed here either, right?

♥ quiet time.

♥ walks in the park with Lauren. exercise and girlfriend time combined.

♥ a new (knitting) project. hopefully I'll have more than one to share tomorrow.

♥ signs of spring. when I walked Holly this afternoon I saw pink buds. yep, February 10th. 

♥ this Ten on Tuesday community - supportive, encouraging, inspiring...and fun!

click here to join in!

Bring on the Twinkle.

...my well-earned reward for a long to-do list...fully done. Twinkle lights, a glass of wine and knitting.

When I walked with Lauren this morning, I didn't think there was any way I'd get it all done (especially because I - yikes!!! - overslept an hour!) 12 hours later, I'm still amazed it all happened. and incredibly grateful for my iPhone.

And now I'm leaving it to charge...while I re-charge. Happy Thursday!

Watercolor Wednesday | The Bird Tree.

...made its first appearance in 2011 in the family room of our old house (and yikes, I had to really dig to find any reference to it here on the blog!). The tree is just four feet tall so it sits on a table - now in our entry hall. I love how there's a trail of twinkling tree lights from the front of the house to the back (stay tuned - that's a post for another day!) I've added a few ornaments since 2011 - bird ornaments are one of the few things I still actively collect. Apparently, I have a lot of red birds.

Along with a few antique, handmade and otherwise sparkly specimens.

That guy with the gold streamers was on my tree growing up (as was the green and silver tree topper).

I never set out to collect bird ornaments; I've always loved birds and I guess it was just natural to add them to our tree. It wasn't until 2010, when I put all the ornaments away that I separated out the bird and bird-themed ones (in addition to actual birds, I have a few bird houses and a nest). At that point I realized I had enough for a small tree...and the idea was born.

Do you collect or display any special ornaments?

Sunday Evening.

...Sara just texted that she's landed in Madison. It was great having her here, even for just a few days (and I'm pretty sure I have no photos to even prove she was here, nor for that matter, was I!) Our family was together and it felt so comfortable and complete.

We put up some of the holiday decorations on Friday and she hesitated to take an active role - "I don't know where it goes, or how you like it". Or course she did a fine job on the two mantels and the dining room. And our Christmas wish tree. This was a Sara/Mary project back in 2007 and I've always arranged the cards; this year Sara did it by herself. I didn't cry when I dropped her off at the airport this afternoon. But this evening, when I really looked at the tree and saw this card, placed near the top, right beside "hope" and just below "peace", it hit me. hard.

I have a lot more thoughts and feelings about "family", but that's gonna be another post. For now, I just want to relax on this Sunday evening. Finishing up a few more leftovers, watching TV with Marc and talking over the holiday.

p.s. to everyone who blogged all 30 days this month, congratulations!!

What's the Good Word?!

...To Hell with Georgia!!! (#thwg)

I can count the number of times Georgia Tech has won the annual Saturday-after-Thanksgiving matchup with Georgia on two hands (it's been eight times since 1979 when I started to watch). It appears little Charlie is indeed a lucky charm - because the eighth time happened today! The Jackets have had a pretty great 2014 season - including the Saturday Charlie was born and they beat Georgia Southern (and Georgia lost to South Carolina).

At this point, we find it's easier not to watch the game (in real time). Marc golfed. Sara and I played a pre-game visit to the Tieman's (when I took the photo above), but we left just before kickoff. Then we watched four episodes of Homeland while Sara monitored Tech's twitter feed. Only when I was sure we'd won - in overtime! - did I post my lucky charm photo ... and see what else was on Instagram. My feed is usually knitters and food, but today there was a lot of Georgia Tech spirit!

 

Katie's photo is - no surprise! - my favorite!

(hoping your team won today, too... unless of course, your team was Georgia!)

Meeting the Great Grandparents.

...My mom and dad got to meet Charlie for the first time Friday evening. It was so great to share their excitement.

My dad with Katie and Charlie

We were all together again yesterday (the sangria was delicious!) and this time we tried for a "real" photo. My sister was shooting with my dad's camera and I had my phone. Between the two of us, I think we have a handful of good ones. But wow, it's hard to get three people to all look good for one photo...especially when one of them is just ten weeks old!

No matter. These are my six favorites - every one of them shows a smile...on at least one face!

 

Throwback Thursday | The Early Years.

...yesterday was our anniversary. Hard to believe it's been 31 years since we said "I do" and shared a very public kiss after two neat bites of wedding cake.

And maybe harder to believe we started dating when I was 16 years old! That's a lot of years together. I'm sure I have a photo from that first fall (but I'm not sure where it is), so instead I'll share this one. It was taken at Marc's sister's wedding, summer 1981.

Early years indeed!

 

Ten on Tuesday | Collections.

...this week, Carole's asked us to share about our collections. I don't think of myself as a Collector, but I didn't have any trouble coming up with a list of ten!

1. Birds. Mostly carved wooden pieces, but I also have one ceramic (an eagle my brother gave me years ago) and one glass (from Marc). A few of the pieces were from my grandparents. They loved the ones carved from a single piece of trunk so it looks like the bird is perched on a stump; the front left and far back right ones are from them. This collection sits on the chest behind my desk. I've got to curate it carefully now because there's really not much more room!

2. Bird ornaments. This is a collection I'm still adding to. I think it was three Christmases ago when I realized I had enough ornaments to fill a tree. The Bird Tree is one of my favorite holiday pieces. I'll be sure to share more about that next month!

3. Fashion prints. This collection started with these six prints from my mom. They're from Godey's fashion magazines from the 1860's and 70's. Over the years, I've added a few more pieces.

This piece is a special favorite; it's also the oldest (1847!)

4. Tea cups. I started collecting them as souvenirs when I was a teenager. One of the first pieces is from Butchart Gardens in Victoria, British Columbia. I haven't added to this collection in years, only because the cupboard is full.

5. Blue and white. This is one of my newer collections, inspired when we updated our kitchen and dining room back in the early 2000's. I had a few family pieces and decided to add (a lot) more. It was a lot of fun to comb antique markets with my folks. Most of what I have is hanging here and on another smaller wall in the dining room. When we moved to this house, picking just the right red for the walls was a big deal. I think I did (finally) get it right!

6. Stangl pottery. I think my mom acquired her first pieces when we lived in New Jersey in the late 70's. I didn't realize until just now that the factory closed in November, 1978. Perfect timing! She gave me this piece in the 1980's but it wasn't until the 2000's that I got serious about it. I now have small bowls, several plates, a serving bowl, creamer and sugar, luncheon plates and a gravy boat. Most of the pieces have the same fruit design, but not all. The luncheon plates have dogwood blooms around the edges, perfect for entertaining here in Georgia!

7. Depression glass plates. I'm pretty sure I was inspired by Martha Stewart here; she got me crazy into this in the early 2000's (I still am...just not quite so much!) I love using the dessert/salad plates when I entertain. I pick them up in sets of four and varying colors. I have a lot of amber, some clear and four each of green and amethyst. Sadly, I had a shelf mishap this summer and lost a few of my favorites...I'm hoping my mom and dad feel up to an antiquing trip when they're here for Thanksgiving so I can "replace" them.

8. Georgia Tech. This is as much Marc's collection as mine. It lives in the basement along with his "golf" collection.

9. Fans. My grandmother gave me her collection; I added to it a bit in my teen years, but haven't done anything with it since then. They're pretty to look at - and the history is fascinating...but they're hard to display (and no one uses them anymore). All of my "active" collections are on view and/or used on a regular basis.

10. Spoons. My mom had a huge collection (as did her mother) and multiple racks to display them. She actively added to it when I was growing up; it was her souvenir of choice when we traveled and we gifted her a few, too. She shared the collection with me, my brother and my sister and I think each of us has added a vew pieces over the years. I had a few racks and displayed mine...but then I got tired of always having to polish them and in one kitchen re-do, took down the racks, and never put them up again. Now the spoons live happily tarnish free in a bag in a drawer. A hidden collection.

So that's it - a list of ten and I'm done! I've loved sharing all this - and realizing (yet again!) how wonderful it is to inherit both a love of collecting (and a few of those collections themselves)!

This was a fun share; look forward to seeing what interesting and pretty things y'all collect!