And we are off!

 

 

Landscaping project completed, hummingbirds have left, final Tipsy Tuesday is in the books and The Wanderer is packed. We feel a magnet pulling us Northeast (that would be the cute little red head 

5th Birthday, note the stuffed manatee.

that is now a beautiful young marine biologist in Cape Cod.)

Galapagos 2021

Of course we will be meandering our way, overnighting at wineries, breweries and even a golf course (Thank you, Harvest Host.) First stop, Wildside Winery in Versailles, KY.

 We’ll keep you posted!

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We have had visitors!

Our daughter-in-law, Holly and granddaughter, Camille stopped by as Camille was returning to Indianapolis for her final year at Butler University. It was bittersweet as we realized we would no longer be able to look forward to these stopover visits.

This visit was extra special as we celebrate Holly’s completion of her Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education. 

Y’all, we think this is an outstanding accomplishment! After a stint in the Peace Corps, Holly chose to be a full-time mom as she moved around the country with Darin (ABN’s son) during his military career. Becoming a Gold Star wife (and single mom) in 2012, her focus was totally on her daughters (our granddaughters.)  When the youngest one left the nest, she stepped out of her comfort zone to pursue her Master’s degree. Thirty years brought a lot of changes to education including online classes. Not only did she meet the challenges, she did so while still being a supportive mom to our granddaughters. We could not be more proud of this woman who we love like a daughter. 

Holly and Camille were not our only recent visitors.

It has been ebb and flow with these visitors. The first week of August they emptied the feeders in a day, so ABN added another one (that makes about 5 1/2 feeders.) Recently there may be 6-8 one day and four the nest. But oh what fun it is to watch their shenanigans!

The Butterflies have arrive pretty much on schedule.

August 1

August 2

August 7

August 9

August 10

August 11

Yeah, ABN has been spending a good amount of time chasing butterflies. 

Like most of the country, it has been a hot, humid and dry summer here in Western Kentucky. The forecast for the near future looks good with highs in the low 80’s and lows in the 60’s. However we are headed to Texas where triple digit temperatures sound likely. Why on God’s earth would we do this? Let’s just say, we love our Texas friends (and family!) 

Where is The Wanderer?

We know you are just dying to know. We wish we could say she is parked in Montana or Maine, but unfortunately that is not the case. Well, why not? It is because ABN is a slave to her garden which, if left alone for any length of time in the summer, gets totally out of control.  For now, The Wanderer is waiting patiently in a storage lot. 

But the garden is looking good! 

It is ready to welcome the August migration.  We are seeing a few butterflies (which we hope are stopping by to lay eggs on host plants,)  A pair of hummingbirds have been hanging out around the lantana and Major Wheeler honeysuckle. Why they must constantly fight one another is a mystery. There are plenty of flowers and nectar to go around  Bees are loving the Creeping Thyme ground cover. Oh, and a couple of dragonflies were spotted (or maybe it was one dragonfly we saw a couple of times.)

The bounty from our garbage (aka compost) is always an unexpected surprise.

Two of many tomato plants

Wherever compost was spread in the spring, Moss Rose appeared in the summer.

Now to beat the squirrels and raccoons to the harvest

Like a good portion of the country we have had an unusually warm and dry July. ABN is out at day-break, watering plants, refreshing hummingbird nectar and deadheading, A couple of days a week we might be spotted riding around the town on the tandem around 6:00 a.m. 

While we wait for outdoor temperature to become more tolerable, we are doing some Swedish Death Cleaning (yes, that is a thing.) 

When and where is our next road adventure? We are not exactly sure, but we do have reservations at Catalina State Park and Lost Dutchman State Park in Arizona for March! In the meantime, we will enjoy (with envy) photos of our friends in the Colorado mountains  and those lucky ones on an Alaskan cruise. 

Update, the hummingbird migration has begun!