Just Another Wordless Wednesday . . . . .

(Click on photo to enlarge.)

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.

Another Glimpse of Big Sky Country . . . .

Well, we're a couple of days now into our trip to the Big Sky County of Montana, and the weather so far has been gorgeous!


According to the local weathermen, from tomorrow on, it will likely be cloudy and possibly rainy, so Lee and I are making the most of the warmth and the sun while we can.

We spent yesterday and today taking scenic drives around and inside Glacier National Park.

We knew when we scheduled this trip, that parts of the Park might not be accessible this early in the year, but even so, we were hoping we'd be able to venture farther into the Park than we've been able to do.

We found out yesterday that the Going to the Sun Road that crosses Glacier National Park from east to west and goes through some of the most beautiful mountain landscapes in the Mountain West, is open for only 10 miles right now.

But, we went ahead and drove the road yesterday as far as we could, and were able to find some lovely views of Lake McDonald, a long and narrow fresh water lake along the western edge of the Park.

The photos that I'm posting in today's Blog entry were taken around Lake McDonald. I hope you enjoy them!

Until we meet again. . . . May nature's beauty surround and delight you.

On the ROAD Again!

Today heralded the beginning of another of my husband Lee's and my eagerly anticipated trips, this time to the beautiful Glacier National Park area of the great state of Montana.

We've been to this area once before several years ago, and were quite taken by the beauty of the surrounding landscape, as well as by the opportunities to view wildlife. Lee, being an avid landscape photographer, is always on the lookout (no pun intended) for new photo opps. So when we happened upon an available time share trade in the area, we jumped at it.

Lee and I took off this morning on the first leg of our road trip, from Salt Lake City, Utah to Missoula, Montana. We were both happy to get "on the road again." I've always thought there was something rather exhilarating and freeing about getting in the car and just GOING somewhere!

Over the years that Lee and I have been together, we've settled into our own comfortable routine for road trips . . . . Lee does all the driving, and I pour the coffee, get the snacks, and change the music CDs! (We both learned very early on that he had no tolerance for my driving style, nor I for his "back seat" driving, so we've become quite content with our current routine.)

Today's nine-hour drive was pleasant, although a bit windy. The scenery was varied and beautiful, and I tried to make good use of my time by catching a few snapshots (through my car window, of course!) to share with you all on my Blog. . . .

I hope you enjoy these. . . I've posted them roughly in sequence, starting with some shots of scenery in northern Utah, progressing into Idaho, and then Montana.

Lee and I do a lot of road traveling, and I have to say, we've never seen another grain elevator with a "Budweiser" motif... this was a FIRST!

The following photo, believe it or not, was taken from our 4th floor window at the motel we're staying here in Missoula this evening. The river below (I don't know the name) meanders through town and is quite beautiful. We lucked out with this view, for sure!

Tomorrow, we continue our road trip to Columbia Falls, Montana, another three or so hours from here. With Columbia Falls as our "home base" over the next few days, we will be exploring the various surrounding areas, including Glacier Park.

I hope to be able to post another Blog entry while we're on our trip, so please check back!

Until we meet again . . . . .

May the road rise to meet you, and may the wind be always at your back.

Uptown Sedona

Well, our vacation interlude to the beautiful Southwest is about to end. Tomorrow we head back to Utah.

But, I wanted to make just one more Blog post before we leave this beautiful place, and share a few more snapshots, particularly of Uptown Sedona. Who knows, maybe if you haven't already seen this part of the country, this little travelogue of mine might just encourage you to come see it yourself some day!

Uptown Sedona is the older part of town, and begins at the lower end of Oak Creek Canyon, about 28 miles south of Flagstaff, Arizona. Uptown Sedona is centered around a short stretch of U.S. Highway 89A that runs from the base of Oak Creek Canyon to a mile or so west, and is peppered with numerous restaurants and touristy shops (t-shirts, southwestern souvenirs, fine jewelry, clothing, etc.)

The next few snapshots were taken as we were driving east on Highway 89A toward Uptown Sedona.

As you can see, Sedona is nestled among numerous huge red rock formations. Most of these rock formations have names, based on their shapes, although I certainly don't know all of them!

That's Uptown Sedona in the distance.

We're just beginning to come into the center of town, where all the tourist type shops and restaurants are located.

Sinagua ("without water") Plaza is a two level outdoor shopping plaza toward the eastern end of Uptown Sedona, near the entry to Oak Creek Canyon.

The sidewalks and most of the structures in Sedona are apparently made with stucco and cement using the local red dirt, since they're all about the same color.

There are several bronze statues scattered around Uptown Sedona, which is also known for its galleries and community of artists.

Here is Lee standing beside a hot pink sculpture of a mother and baby javelina. Javelinas (collared peccaries) are known to roam about the nearby countryside. We even saw some of these nocturnal animals outside our condo one night a few trips back. They look like pigs, but they're actually not related, I'm told!

Once again, an accommodating fellow tourist offered to take a photo of Lee and me as we strolled Uptown Sedona. This shot was taken at the edge of the sidewalk looking toward the red rock formations to the south of Uptown Sedona.

This and the following photo are also taken from our vantage point in Uptown Sedona, looking toward the south of town. The cottonwood and sycamore trees in the foreground line the banks of Oak Creek, which runs along the south edge of town. The trees are just beginning to leaf out.

It's always a little bittersweet for Lee and me when we're approaching the end of one of our little trips. As usual, we've thoroughly enjoyed our time here in beautiful Sedona, but we're both looking forward to heading back home tomorrow.

And most of all, we can hardly wait to see our dear greyhound, Harley, after being gone for a week!