New Adventure

Finally the day is here. Joy's plane has landed and I'm waiting for her in the Atlanta airport. Then an overnight flight to Madrid. I love to travel and am ready for another grand adventure.

Hello Again

It has been quite a few years since I have written a post. In fact I thought I had quit blogging. But I have a new adventure coming up and I want to share it with family and friends. My Seattle friend, Joy, and I are going to walk across part of Spain to Santiago de Compostela. It is a pilgrimage people have been making for centuries. Supposedly the bones of James are enshrined in the cathedral. Everyone has different reasons for making this trek. I don't really care about old bones. Except mine. And I am hoping they will take me there.

 

Summer Fun

He just flung himself out, without fear, fully committed, with abandon. Papa was waiting at the other end, and he trusted. Love it!

Mourning a friend

"A ship sails and I stand watching til she fades on the horizon and someone at my side says,' She is gone.' Gone where? Gone from  my sight, that is all; she is just as large as when I saw her.
The diminished size and total loss of sight is in me, not in her, and just at the moment when someone at my side says, “She is gone’, there are others who are watching her coming, and other voices take up a glad shout, “There she comes!” And that is dying."

 
Dedicated to Bob and Shirley and the many great years they had together.

Recipe Review

I don't usually put recipes on here, even though I love to look at foodie sites on the web. But on the 4th of July I tried a new, so easy, so delicious recipe that I just have to share. 

Now, this looks like just a plate of fruit, right? But if you look closely you can see that there is another ingredient peeking out from underneath. One of my new favorite foods, quinoa. Technically it is a seed. It cooks quickly, like cous cous, and is delicious hot or cold, savory or sweet. It comes in a creamy white or this "red" variety that I used. And it is high in protein. Anyway, so simple. Cook your quinoa (don't be afraid). You can buy it in a box in just about any big grocery store. Follow package directions. Dress it with your favorite dressing. I used a sweetish one to go with the fruit. (And actually doubled it because I had used a big portion of quinoa).


Dressing
2T maple syrup
1 t balsamic vinegar
1T lime juice
salt to taste

(optional: sliced toasted almonds, fresh spinach, feta cheese, whatever you can think of...)

Put the quinoa on your serving platter, pour the dressing over it pile on the fruit, almonds, spinach, cheese, and serve to your admiring. What is prettier than a platter of fresh fruit?

Strength

One of my favorite quotes (well, paraphrased quotes) is ,"I am a woman of strength. I wish I'd known sooner". My daughter and her friend received this "pearl" from me today. Both going through a hard time, both not fully knowing their own strength. The strength to follow through with their convictions. The strength to know what their hearts and minds tell them is right for them. It is harder right now to be strong than to go with the flow and then live with the results. I certainly didn't know how strong I was when I started out. They are way ahead of me. Both of them have shown their strength today. And I'm proud of them!

I love this photo of my daughter. Her face shows confidence and strength. And of course there is a cute head in the sand :o)

Peace

Yesterday as I was in the middle of my birthday dinner (much noise and chaos) I closed my eyes and said, "Peace". It was what I really wanted. But then I realized that as the old saying goes "Sometimes God calms the storm, sometimes he lets it rage and calms the child." That is what he did for me yesterday. I need PEACE so I am grateful.

This photo of my grand-daughter and the swans speaks peace to me.