The Greek Islands

If I could time travel, I would go back exactly a year ago today. This was the day that we took a ferry across the Agean Sea to the beautiful Saronic Islands of Hydra, Poros, and Aegina. This was an optional excursion that most of the adults took, but Catie was the only student who opted to take it. The other students loved the idea of having a whole day of free time in Athens. I gave Catie the choice and she chose the cruise. Thank goodness!! I can't imagine being in Greece and not taking the opportunity to visit some of the islands. What a shame that would have been. I was so glad that Catie is so mature and understood the opportunity that she had.

I think she agrees with me; the islands of Greece are not to be missed if you ever travel there. The beauty that abounds in this area is breathtaking. The people that live there are friendly and welcoming. I even met a seventy-seven year old man that had traveled to Wilmington, NC when he was only seventeen. We had a nice conversation about sights in that area that we had both seen. Isn't it a very small world?

The first views of the islands were from the ferry. Although the ferry ride was a treat in itself, we couldn't wait to get off and explore.



Aren't the churches in Greece beautiful?



Hydra was my favorite. It didn't allow motor vehicles, so donkeys, bikes, and walking are the only form of transportation. The islands were very steep and donkeys carried both people and things up the hills. The men with the donkeys kept trying to talk Catie into letting them take her up the hill. Funny thing, none of them tried to take me up the hill. We laughed about that. We even saw one donkey carrying a flat screen TV up the hill. Too funny!



This island of Aegina is famous for its pistachios. That is one of their main exports. Catie and Greenie enjoyed Catie's favorite: baklava made with pistachios.



I just had to get a picture of the blue water. Isn't it beautiful?



I'm sure you can see why I would go back in time to this particular day. I came home and told John that I wanted to live on one of these islands. I don't think we are moving any time soon, but maybe one day!

Visiting the Parthenon

As I continue my walk down memory lane, I can't help but remember how amazed I was when I saw for the first time all of the old architecture in the city of Athens. We spent our first full day exploring the Plaka area and the Parthenon.

The Plaka was like a shopping area with all kinds of places to buy souvenirs and wonderful places to enjoy authentic Greek food.

This church was in the middle of the Plaka, and was one of the most beautiful buildings that I have seen.



Several people in our group found this wonderful taverna in a neighborhood near the Plaka. We all ordered something different and shared our dishes with each other. The food was absolutely wonderful!



I'm not sure how to pronounce the name of the taverna. I am also sure that we were out of the tourist area of the Plaka, since none of the waiters spoke any English. Now, that was fun!



Carson, my youngest daughter who was left behind with her dad, put one of her stuffies in my carry on. Greenie went with me every where during the trip. I made pictures of him doing all kinds of things for Carson. Here, he is in front of the Parthenon. What an amazing structure! It was almost overwhelming standing on a spot with so much history. Living in the United States, we do not have any structures that are that old.




Catie and her friend stopped to pose for a picture.



The more I saw in Athens, the more I fell in love with Greece. Although I enjoyed the sightseeing for that day, I couldn't wait for the next. We were taking a cruise to some of the Greek Islands. That was something I had looked forward to for a long time, but that will have to wait for another post. This remembering has made me a little exhausted.

Making Memories

This week I want to take a stroll down memory lane. On this day last year I took a wonderful trip with my oldest daughter, Catie. She is one of those rare kids who never asks for anything. Even on her birthdays I have a hard time deciding what to get her because she doesn't drop any hints like most people do. So, on the day that she came home from school asking if she could go on a school trip to Greece and Italy, what is a parent to do? We evaluated the expense and decided that we would pinch pennies, borrow the money, or do whatever it took to send her. Her dad was also uncomfortable with sending her without one of us, so he decided that I had to go.

Now. I do not like to fly. In fact, I am a white knuckle flier, you know- one of those people who holds onto the Bible during take off until their knuckles turn white. But I decided a long time ago that I would not let that keep me from living a full, well-traveled life. I certainly was not going to let my fear of flying stand in the way of making memories with my precious Catie who would be grown and gone before I knew it.

Despite the eleven hours spent on the two flights, we made it to our first destination, Athens, Greece. What a beautiful place! I was amazed at how large the city of Athens was. As soon as we arrived, we hit the ground running! Our tour guide took us on a hike up a thousand (not really sure how many) steps to the top of the highest hill, Lycabettus. From there we could really understand the enormity of this city.



This is just one picture in one direction from the top of the hill. Every direction looked exactly like this. I think the tour guide said that one half of Greece's total population lives in Athens. I believe it!



I thought I would absolutely die before I reached the top of the hill, but the view was worth the sweating and panting that it took to get there.

There was a little chapel, St. George, at the top. I couldn't resist taking a picture of the beautiful window in the chapel.



I quickly fell in love with the beauty and the people of Greece. I will be spending the next week sharing some of the memories that I made on my trip with Catie last year. Hope you will enjoy!

Growing Babies!

Our new babies, Voltaire and Garth, are really growing. We got them a couple of weeks ago at a local animal shelter and they have already stolen our hearts. We took them to the vet for their first visit and second round of shots. They behaved themselves very well and got a clean bill of health. It is funny how each one of their personalities match each one of my girls who own them. How did that happen to work out? Anyway, they are growing faster than the weeds in my garden. (Maybe that is a slight exaggeration; the weeds are growing pretty fast.)



They have learned to climb up the curtains. (I'm not quite sure I like that!)



They have become very, very comfortable in their new home. (I think they have taken over.)



They didn't mind the car ride to the vet's office. (My doggies always get car sick.)



The best animal hospital for miles around is only five miles from my house. (How did we get that lucky?)



They were perfect little patients while at the doctor. (What angels!)

As you can see, they are growing into perfect young ladies. Just like their owners!

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

I don't ever want to give the impression that my life in the country is perfect. In fact, there are many things that make it far from that. I know that on our blogs it is easy to show only the pretty pictures and share the parts of our life that make every one wish they could live that way; however, to me, it is very important to be real. (My kids are reading this and they know the truth!)

There are parts of my day that I just love: the morning walks around the yard, the quite moments studying God's word in the sunroom, and the evenings spent on the pier or the porch with my love.

Then, there are the parts that I would rather not mention, but I will: constantly cleaning up the dirt tracked through the house, smelling the neighbor's freshly spread manure, and washing the dogs who love to roll around in stinky stuff.

Today my pictures represent some of the good, some of the bad, and some of the down right ugly stuff that I have seen this week.

Good: one of my snowball bushes that is starting to get its blooms



Good: one of my peonies that is growing nicely in the cage that my dad made



Bad: Mo, after getting very dirty during her afternoon romp yesterday



Down right Ugly: The pollen that is covering everything in sight



As you can imagine, the pollen is even getting tracked into the house on every foot that enters my door. (And that can be a lot of feet over the course of a day!) I am just praying for the rains to come soon to wash it all away.

So, before you pack your bags to move out of the city, or your beautiful suburban neighborhood; remember, the grass is not always greener on the other side of the fence. But I think I will stay here. There is much more good than bad or ugly.

I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.
Philippians 4: 11-13

Signs of Summer

It seems like just yesterday I was posting pictures of the signs of spring. Although we lived through the longest winter I can remember, It seems that we have just skipped most of spring. The weather has been summer-like for the last week or so with temperatures reaching the low nineties. I am not sure that I want to go straight into summer, but it sure beats the cold winter we have had.

Lately, when I take my morning stroll through the yard, I have been noticing more and more signs of summer. Of course, I can't show the summer pictures without at least showing one last sign of spring. Or maybe this is a sign of the ending of spring around here---POLLEN! It is everywhere -on the porch, on the cars, on the plants, and on the pond. I even noticed it in the water reservoir of my rainbow vacuum cleaner yesterday!! At times it has been blowing through the air like clouds of dust. Hopefully, some fore casted rain will wash a bit of it away tomorrow.

Pollen on the lilly pads in the pond.



Hydrangeas- one of my favorite parts of summer. I rooted five from my mom's bush that she rooted from a bush that was on another part of her property when they bought it over forty years ago. Four of my five survived. They are fairly easy to root. I hope to root many more this summer.



Hostas- I have a lot of shade in my front yard and can't live without my hostas. They are the most dependable plant that I have. I plant more every year!



Astillbes- I love them, but they never seem to get very big. Maybe our heavy clay soil hinders the growth, I don't know.




Creeping Jenny- This was planted years ago. I have read that it can be very invasive, but not in my poor soil. I love the color, but it never gets much bigger than this.



We deal with very dry shade in the front of our house. The oak trees soak up most of the moisture. Any ideas of what I can plant that will tolerate shade, poor soil, and dry conditions?

Spring Break

Yippee! Spring break is here! Even when you home school it is nice when spring break arrives. Just to have the extra time to garden, do a little cleaning, or just plain relax is a special treat. Knowing that the girls can sleep in and I can get a little extra work completed around the house is nice.

Our break started out with a busy schedule, however, the rest of the week should not be quite so hectic.



Catie's school performed "Alice in Wonderland" on Thursday night at a dinner theater. Didn't Catie make a cute Alice? She even spoke with the proper accent!


Although we worked in the yard on Friday and Saturday, I did manage to take a few pictures. The redbud tree and the spirea bush were begging to be photographed.


It seems that we have skipped spring and headed straight into summer. The temperatures have reached the nineties already. I think it may prove to be too hot for my romaine lettuce in the vegetable beds. What do you think?


I was excited to find one of my asparagus plants popping up through the soil.


Easter weekend was lovely. I can't remember ever having such a warm Easter Sunday before. We had a beautiful service early in the morning at church, spent the afternoon with family, and even managed to catch a couple of fish from the pond.

Every tree is leafing out and every plant is emerging from the ground. I hope it doesn't get cold again, or we will loose many of the tender leaves that have grown. I did find a couple of drawbacks to the warm weather we have had: SNAKES! There were two black snakes in my yard today. I managed to run one back into the woods and the other disappeared (under the house perhaps). I hope this is not a sign of what is to come.

How did you spend your Easter weekend?