All in Less Than a Week

The rain was a steady drizzle during the first game of Aidan's soccer tournament on Saturday.

The geese liked the rain.

Aidan bonks one. (Note: Team spirit green hair.)

The Greens won that round and the rain went away, but, sadly, winning the next two games went away, too. We're all proud of the team; they struggled mightily the entire time.

Post-tournament blues. Coach doing some heavy-lifting of spirits.

Aching and sore, they managed a few smiles for the camera.

But, hey! there's still the All-Star games ahead.

On Sunday, Keoni's pre-performance heebie-jeebies were calmed somewhat when we took a walk around the property and snapped some pictures...

And, including, a little string, jammin' R & R with brother...

Grandma gets the pre-concert concert.

The solo with the Southeastern Pennsylvania Symphony Orchestra came off really well. (This is the orchestra name I couldn't recollect late Friday night.) No pictures allowed during performance. His teacher Bob de Pasquale was there and sat with us. Mr. d truly makes me think of Phil every time I see him. Keoni's making a world of friends and connections in the music realm. Listening to the musicians is somewhat like listening to old war veterans; in similar ways the musicians' conversations loop through finding where their acquaintances, backgrounds and experiences may have crossed paths or connected.

Post-performance pictures with his fellow competition winners.

And with conductor...

And with the proud mom and brother. Dad is getting the car.

The family is happy that John fixes electronic stuff; the latest was the dryer. While waiting for a part old-fashioned drying took place...

Wendy is enjoying some time in the saddle these days.

Putting away things from traveling, and catching up on rest and mail, etc., were my priorities of the past week. Rested up yesterday, I drove a little over an hour to Hawk Mountain. The drive was the highlight of the morning, but PA's rural roads don't accommodate stopping for photos of the beautiful fall landscape of farms and woods. I think, at this time of the year, some farmer might someday think to go beyond fruits and vegetables, and make an Honest-John photo-op pullout.

Hawk Mountain was a beautiful place, especially after the night's rain. I wasn't there early enough or late enough to see much raptor activity beyond what I see here at Rhapsody Ridge. But the lookouts and birders were interesting...

Bird-watchers watching birds.

It turned out to be good that I had a nice little afternoon nap. Aidan and I took a walk afterwards...

Let's look in the woods here, Grandma Judy...

Aidan's grasshopper picture.

Then, late Wednesday afternoon Keoni suddenly had free online tickets in hand to go to Kimmel Center for the Philadelphia Orchestra performance; gratis PYO filling up Verizon Hall on a slow Wednesday night. We got ready in 15 minutes and made it to the train in time. We walked to Verizon Hall from the station, and grabbed a quick meal as we headed to the concert.

Keoni's snap in Center City of the fall leaves, street light and the moon as we walked along.

My street-scape with City Hall.

We had seats behind the conductor because we wanted to see what that's like; later, changing to great balcony seats since we could hear their wonderful music better there.

Gloria de Pasquale (blond page-boy) warming up; Aidan's cello teacher. Mrs. d is Bob de Pasquale's sister-in-law.

Kimmel Center during intermission.

Home after midnight. Back to catching up on rest today.

Two of the three black walnuts I've been photographing are now on the ground below and the third probably in a squirrel hole somewhere.

HOME!!!

Twenty-eight hours and I arrived in Philly at the bus depot across the street from the SEPTA commuter train, rode 50 minutes to Lansdale station where the sight of Wendy's truck was a rainbow in my day. I was not just a weary, dirty traveler, I was unsanitary.

A positive note for Greyhound; Cleveland had a clean station, but on the equipment downside the air systems and coaches were troubling, as was the Toledo German Shepherd K-9 sniffing and barking at the under-bus luggage and shipping boxes.

Though the transportation part of this trip was a definite challenge, the slice of life I saw was as interesting as anything I've seen beyond dust fuzzies. Everything from fellow retirees to shirtless, tattooed gang-bangers, including toothless, meth abused youth; every skin color, myriad accents, and an occasional turban with East Indian music discernible from earbuds.

The stay in Des Moines with Marilyn and Alan just couldn't be beat. Their newly purchased home is in excellent order, comfortable and projects and plans for it are moving forward apace. It is spacious and inviting. Thank you, for all the comfort and food, Marilyn and Alan.

The days there were filled with visiting. Susie came for a quick weekend stay to increase the female camaraderie. Thanks again, Alan, for not frowning at our hilarity.

Susie set up her equipment and gave us all a concert...

And, yes, she did sing Pancho and Lefty. One of my favorites. What a nice Saturday evening her many songs made for us. Some people do house blessings for their new homes. Susie played and sang songs. No doubt, it accomplished the same.

Besides music, another of my favorite things in life is to be outdoors, and that's where we were a lot of the time. The farmer's market and Better Homes and Gardens demo garden you've seen on the Facebook postings already.

Then, there was Reiman's Gardens...

Marilyn--lookin' good.

The grounds are next to Iowa State University. Their mascot greeted visitors.

Evergreens and dill.

Color, forms and textures made wonderful plantings throughout. 

Petunias!

Butterfly.

River Birch is becoming my favorite tree.

Another River Birch. These are striking at all times of the year.

Sycamore.

Apple tree canopy; a living grotto. Appealing shade and forms. 

Marilyn's knowledge and active interest in the botanical qualities and aesthetics of these wonderful gardens and terrain are infectious. I was a most fortunate visitor to walk along with her as she absorbed the surroundings and explained what she saw. Her landscape customers are fortunate.

Ever since I heard of it, I've wanted to visit the Neal Smith National Wildlife Refuge to see the tall grass prairie that the "sod-busters" changed in a generation to the tilled fields that now fill 90% of all land in Iowa. Marilyn drove us there...

The varieties of plants were astounding. Among them were animal pathways, and mashed places where the buffalo or elk laid down. 

It was the warmest part of the day and the buffalo were hanging out down by one of the gullies. Once there were 40 million on our continent. Elk numbered even more.

Walking along the well maintained pathways we could get a good sense of the one-time vastness of the prairie.

The several thousand acres are fairly well cleared of non-native plant life. But, it will take another 200 years for the grasses to form the thick rooted sod that it was originally. 

These are the milk-weeds' pods. The Monarch butterflies need these plants; great amounts of them have been eradicated on the butterfly migration routes.

Over and over I am struck by the varieties of colors. Some are subtle...

Others are brilliant. 

I am struck by my fading care of the tough bus travel, and find foremost in my mind satisfaction with visiting Marilyn and Alan, Susie driving in from St. Louis, and Iowa itself.

This was the excitement when I got home...

Austin and friends

Snickerdoodle's special pen in the background.

Jasmine, the super milker nanny.

A bored Aidan climbed out his window onto the deck roof...

...to fly one of his five paper airplanes.

Just before the 6:39 a.m. school bus arrives...hmmm, bus again. Thought I'd forgotten about that.

Toby joined me on the porch/deck for my morning coffee. It was mild out for a couple of days.

While I was away I learned that Keoni became Concert Master at the Philadelphia Youth Orchestra, and Aidan became First Chair of the cello section of Philadelphia Regional Youth String Music orchestra.

A shoutout to them: Congratulations! for your wonderful accomplishments.

By Friday, the pace has picked up. While Wendy drove Aidan to orchestra practice in Bryn Mawr, I drove Keoni to his orchestra practice for Sunday's concert. A snippet is here...Keoni Orchestra Rehearsal  My apologies. I can't think of the name of this orchestra. I'll amend tomorrow.

Third Edition: Heading Home

Fog NJ, Pittsburgh; the morning has come. My, what a sight! these steep hillsides all around. I woke to a symphony of color. I wish I could post a snap of it.

Penn's Sylvania was named well.

Second Edition: Heading Home

It's 2:40 a.m. and we are again heading east after Greyhound let us down at Columbus, Ohio, at 12:15 a.a. The air in the bus coach was becoming stale with hints if exhaust. I tried to get the driver to get it circulating better, but he was no help saying a number of unrelated comments in a noisy way; then, ignoring the problem. He went off duty at Columbus and disappeared after we arrived. The lady driver who came on duty refused to drive the bus before a mechanic fixed it. No mechanics even answered their phone. The offices in Dallas were called. Still no results. Pittsburgh, the next stop didn't answer either. She said it would take two hours to get another driver and eight hours to get another coach to meet us in Pittsburgh.

A mechanic did finally come and the air system is working. One of the batteries was re-engaged as it was found the signals were out. Egad!

The driver says many drivers are quitting, the old buses have been repainted instead of being taken out of service like this one that is 22 years old and has been in an accident, there are not enough personnel. She was called in to work only a short while before the former driver went off duty.

Well, maybe I'm sleepy enough again to get some napping done.