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When I started my retirement travels in 2009, I wanted a way to share it with family and friends as it was happening. Hence, "My Travel Journal". However I realized I wouldn't always be on a trip and wondered what to do with the blog in between times. My daughter pointed out, wisely, that travels can also include trips to the kitchen to try a new recipe, trips to visit family, trips to my neighborhood Starbucks, or a fun day trip with a friend. You're welcome to join me on any of these journeys! I've set up individual pages for each of my major trips (see tabs above).

Also, I have an Etsy shop where my current needlework resides. The last pieces I posted here were in 2013! So if you'd like to see what I have accomplished recently, go to (and I apologize for having to copy and paste):

www.etsy.com/shop/thedollhouseneedle

I recently added an "Italian Word a Day" thingie which shows up at the bottom of every page. You see the word and can click to hear it pronounced. I've been enjoying it and I think my accent is improving as time goes by.

May 17, 2017

Two visits - Part 1

I'm at my son Chris's home now but arrived at my daughter Heather's home on April 27.  My grandson turned 17(!) and Heather also had a birthday on that weekend so it was a happy time to be there.  In addition to which, one of their goats gave birth to her baby while I was there.  Almost got to the stable in time but wasn't fast enough.  The little one was already struggling to stay on its feet and get to Mama.  Pretty darned sweet. :)

 I managed to get a cold while I was there but it was a fast moving one and didn't make me feel as puny as my colds usually do which was nice.  Heather took Friday and Monday off and the kids didn't seem quite as busy as usual so it was a good visit.

Tuesday I drove down to Chris's apartment and have been there since.  He had told me that Saturday he had signed up to volunteer for a couple of things at the National Cathedral's annual Flower Market and I was welcome to come along.  So I did because he had said that various embassies in DC create elaborate floral displays and I thought it would be nice to see those.  Also, if it's nice weather, it's pleasant strolling around in their lovely gardens and I could visit all the various vendor tents.

So, off we went.  We had a bite of breakfast in the cafe there and wished it was not quite so cold and rainy.  I had only packed a sweater that I use when the weather is cool so I didn't plan on being outside for long. But I had my book and I-pad so that was all right.

Got inside and started our tour around the displays which were in the colonnades that run along each side of the nave and after the second or third one I - like an idiot - was moving on to the next one while looking back to say something to Chris and fell down two stairs.  Apparently, I hadn't remembered that the colonnades are two steps up from the floor of the nave.  It was quite a tumble and I immediately thought "I sprained my ankle again, darn it!" because it was very painful.  But with some assistance I managed to get myself upright and said to Chris "if I managed to walk around Florence for three weeks after spraining my ankle, I can manage to see the rest of the displays" and so, hanging on to his arm and wincing all the way, we did see all the displays and they were pretty spectacular.  I thought I would be able to remember which countries did each display but I was wrong and there was no guide to bring home so very few of these photos will be identified.  Maybe when Chris reads the post, he'll be able to come up with a couple more ID's.  But here are the pictures that Chris kindly took for me since I was kind of beyond picture taking after the fall.  I've left them in medium size but if you want to see them bigger, just click on them.

I do remember this one was Japanese with an antique Samurai sword on the right hand side.  A lady standing there told us it was a very valuable item and she and others would be with the display the whole time it was there (just that weekend or maybe even just the one day) partly to make sure it wasn't stolen but mostly to make sure someone didn't decide to pull the sword out and accidentally injure themselves or someone else with the very sharp blade.

 This was a neat one - the flowers copy a Mondrian painting and are displayed on an old wooden easel.
 I think this might have been China - it includes the Olympic rings and the white snow leopard.

 This was Australia's display - featuring their wine industry's growing world-wide popularity.
Each time I see this picture the country Patagonia springs to mind so just now noticing the mostly blue flag with the gold bar at the bottom, I Googled Patagonia's flag and think, based on that, this probably is their display.
And it's kind of embarrassing but this was the United States' effort.
Gee, I should have thought of the flags before I started because this one turns out to be Jamaica's display - a real beauty.
 It's kind of embarrassing but this arrangement is the United States' effort.  Pretty but not in any way symbolic of the country.  We discovered when we were finished and out of the colonnades that on the nave side of the colonnade railing, on the portion in front of this display was the next arrangement which is at least red, white and blue.

This gorgeous one, I have no clue...


This one would have been a much better idea for the US but it was another country's effort.

 I really liked this one - it has so many interesting bits and pieces.  The sign that is on the left side looks like it might say Panama.
 A very nice arrangement from our neighbor, Canada.
Another beauty, but again, no clue...
 This one is so lovely, I feel guilty not being able to credit the country who provided it - I feel sure it must be a near or far eastern country.

But the rest of the pictures below are all from the Thailand display.  It was gorgeous and also mind-boggling.  These are all carved fruits - melons, etc., and gourds or squashes (I remember there was a pumpkin sculpture.)  And the carver sat there carving which was a nice touch, I thought.




Their display table was big enough that it didn't fit in one picture but the second photo above shows the majority of it.

So that was all wonderful to see but by the end of it, I was pretty much finished and my foot was swelling so Chris got me to the docents' room, a policeman (who had joined the group who gathered when I fell) came to make a report and see if there was anything he could do and I asked about some kind of ice pack and he got me one of those, I got my legs up on the sofa, got my book and a glass of water handy, can't remember if anyone had any pills handy, and settled in until it was time to leave.  In addition to feeling sorry for myself, I felt so bad for Chris because he had taken Thursday and Friday off in the upcoming week and now was going to have this hobbling mother on his hands.  I had planned to go home following that 4-day weekend with him but now wasn't real sure what the situation would be by then.

I'll be posting again because I finally got myself to an urgent care center on Monday and also, we've managed to do several enjoyable things since then.  So, here ends Part 1 and you'll find Part 2 by scrolling down to the next post. :)


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