I Come to the Sea to Breathe. . . . . .

A Touch of Small Town America Charm . . . . . .

This time last week, Lee and I were still in Kansas, on one of our trips back to my home town of Abilene, to visit family.

Born and raised in Abilene, I spent my first eighteen years there, before I went off to school. And though I’ve now lived in Utah for many more years than I lived in Kansas, images of this small midwestern town are indelibly etched in my mind.

Lee and I have been making the trip from Salt Lake City to Abilene twice a year for over twenty years, and during this time, Abilene really hasn’t changed very much. It’s still a quiet little town with a strong sense of community.

There are summer band concerts in the park, church ice cream socials, sidewalk sales sponsored by the handful of local merchants, home tours and garden walks, and various other community events throughout the year.

All those years ago when I lived in Kansas, growing up in the country a few miles outside of Abilene, I pretty much took my surroundings for granted. But over the past years of Lee’s and my travels back to my home, I think we have both begun to appreciate how truly unique and memorable this little midwestern town is, particularly if one just takes the time to look.

And that’s one of the things that Lee and I did last week. In between visiting with friends and family, and with camera/s in hand, we tried to keep our eyes open for local scenes that typify my little home town of Abilene, Kansas. I’m happy to say that we managed to snap a few photos which I think do just that . . . . . .And I wanted to share some of those with you, my friends and fellow Bloggers.

I hope you enjoy viewing these photos as much as I enjoyed taking them. . . . . . .

(And once again, you can click on any of the photos for a full sized image.)

The scene below is of Mud Creek, which runs north and south through town. The little bridge in the distance crosses Third Street, the main east-west street. Most of the time, Mud Creek is completely dry. But this year, even in July, the creek bed was filled with water and the banks were lush and green, as a result of unusually heavy amounts of rain.

In some of our more recent trips back to Abilene, Lee and I have actually seen a Blue Heron perched atop an old log near the lower banks of Mud Creek.

And this is Third Street . . . tree lined with hundred year-old deciduous trees of varying types.

One of my personal favorites about Abilene, is the wide array of wonderfully unique Victorian style homes. . . most are nicely restored. And many are scattered along Third Street.




The sign out in front of this lovely multi-story home is for the local Garden Tour, of which its grounds are part.

And here is another Victorian style home on Third Street that has been converted into a Bed and Breakfast, the Abilene Victorian Inn. Lee and I have never stayed there, but one day we may (IF they have wi-fi!).

I love how these tall Echinacea leaned over the sidewalk. These were planted on the outside of the fence alongside one of the old homes on Third Street.

And this lovely cottage garden was also something we happened upon, just beside the sidewalk leading to the Abilene city park.
Here is the Lebold Mansion, located in West First Street in Abilene, and it has the distinction of being the oldest house in Abilene. The current owners of this restored historic home offer daily guided tours for a nominal fee. Lee and I have been through it twice, and it's well worth the time!



This is another historic building in the older part of town. . .It's up for sale now, but its history includes being a grocery store, and later I think an apartment building.

Thursday evenings in Abilene during the summer are Band Concert nights. And my mother has always loved going to the band concerts. So we took her last Thursday, which happened to be the last band concert of the season.

The concerts are performed by the Abilene Municipal Band, pulling its members from several of the small surrounding towns. And the members can range in age from high school students to retirees!

The band concerts are held in the Abilene city park, and it's quite the community event. Some folks park their cars around the band shell and just roll down their windows to listen to the music, honking their horns at the end of each piece, for applause. Others grab a seat on one of the metal benches in front, for a better view. And yet others (like Lee and me) stroll around the beautiful park gardens and admire the flowers (taking pictures all the way) while we enjoy the music.






Thanks once again for visiting my blog!

And until we meet again . . . . May you always keep your sense of new discovery and wonder.

INAUGURATION Day!

It's been over a week since I've posted a Blog entry, and I've missed my blogging!

Since my last post, I've been keeping busy with my cardmaking and various other tasks (read: "life"!) that demanded my attention, all the while obsessing about topics for future Blog posts! And indeed, I have a couple of ideas in mind for upcoming Blog articles.

But right now, what I'm most excited about is January 20th, INAUGURATION Day!

In all my adult life, I've never been much of a "political" person. REALLY. Now don't get me wrong. . . . .I've taken my right and my responsibility to vote quite seriously, and as nearly as I can recall, I've voted in every general election since I turned voting age (and that was MANY years ago!)

But I've never been registered with either major political party, I've never been a "dyed-in-the-wool" Republican or Democrat, I haven't actively campaigned for any candidate, nor have I "marched" for any particular cause.

Yet, this last presidential election has energized me, moved me, touched me, like no other ever has.

And like so many other fellow Americans, I am SO excited and SO hopeful that our new President and his administration can bring positive change once again to the United States of America.



I wish I could be in attendance at the actual Inauguration Ceremony to witness President-Elect Obama getting sworn into office, but since that's not possible, watching it on TV will have to suffice!

And I know I'm going to be glued to the TV to catch everything I can!











I feel so privileged to be living in a time when this exciting and momentous election has taken place. This is a time that I know for sure, "history is being made."

Until we meet again. . . . .May you, too, recognize and enjoy watching history in the making.