Iris

I absolutely love the majestic Iris. You really must click on one of the pictures and see the detail in their faces. I was rather surprised that I got such clarity with the lens I was using.

Papa Cardinal

I've never seen a baby cardinal and here he is being fed by his Papa. The Mama was down in the plants. I wish I had had my zoom. This was right outside the window by my desk.

a flower of what name?

I don't know what these delicate little blooms call themselves, but I've seen them here and there in the grass. I think they are perfect loveliness.

edit: the little flower is a surprisingly aggressive flower called the Star of Bethlehem. It is in the lily family and is poisonous to livestock! The cooked bulb may be eaten by humans, but great care should be taken.

John and Yoko in my bathroom

Perhaps this is why Noah was inspired to sing every time he was in the shower.

The sixteenth floor

Bronwen's favorite spot. 

Can you imagine what it feels like to be so small in such a big city?

We saw a new breed of horse: a painted draft. His head was as large as Bronwen's whole body . . . his hoof as large as her head! She was not afraid in the least, but reached out to touch his greatness. His name was Scamper.

The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet. ~Aristotle

I am so proud of you my Love!

I hope your dreams take you to the corners of your smiles, to the highest of your hopes, to the windows of your opportunities, and to the most special places your heart has ever known.  ~Author Unknown

At the Museum

As soon as we walked in, Bronwen shouted, "Guys look! There are elephants in here! Look! There are elephants . . . can I sit on them?" 

There are two special exhibits there right now: Mythical Creatures and Nature Unleashed. Noah is currently fascinated by extreme weather, especially tornadoes so we chose Nature Unleashed and spent much of our time there today. He is considering being a meteorologist but thinks it might take him away from his family too much.

We learned about earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes and volcanoes. While we were safe in the city this weekend seven tornadoes ripped through the suburbs, much of Indiana and many other midwestern states experienced dangerous flash flooding, thunderstorms and more tornadoes. 

Hopefully we can go back and see Mythical Creatures before it leaves in the fall.
Sue doesn't look too big from up here!

Bronwen fell asleep as we finished up with the storms and slept through a walk through Nature and Africa.
When she awoke, we were in Egypt. This is my favorite exhibit. I could spend the whole day right here. Noah was thrilled to walk through the tomb, looking at real hieroglyphics and mummies. This was one of his favorite civilizations to learn about this year in school. I thoroughly enjoyed watching both of them as they explored.

Noah thought this was a pretty comfy place to take a nap. Instead, we headed for our hotel where there were real beds with soft pillows.

Chicago weekend

With graduation tomorrow in Chicago, we are spending the whole weekend in the Windy City. I LOVE Chicago.  The kids are very excited as they anticipate the museums, the lake, the busy bustling sidewalks. Bronwen keeps saying how much she wishes Aunt Jayme and Uncle Scott still lived there. 

"Mama, where is Chicago?"

"West of us."

"Where is Boston?"

"In the East."

"No it isn't. Boston is where Aunt Jayme and Uncle Scott are." She was very adamant on this point.

From Noah: "What color are Uncle Scott's eyes?"

"Blue."

"Oh . . .ok. It's just been so long since I've seen him."

And Annabelle. Annabelle is staying with Granma and Papa for the weekend. This makes her weaning final and the longest time I've been away from her. 

We're staying at the Hard Rock Hotel on Michigan Ave downtown, which will be different because I am not a Hard Rock kind of girl. I'm an Allerton kind of girl. But we stayed there last time and this was my Love's choice.

We plan to go to the Field Museum and Navy Pier while we're here. We'll see what happens! Maybe even a picnic by the lake!

I love Chicago.

Swinging

How do you like to go up in a swing,

Up in the air so blue?
Oh, I do think it the pleasantest thing
Ever a child can do!

Up in the air and over the wall,
Till I can see so wide,
Rivers and trees and cattle and all
Over the countryside -

Till I look down on the garden green,
Down on the roof so brown - 
Up in the air I go flying again,
Up in the air and down!

Town for sale

You can buy just about anything on eBay, and now that includes a 13 acre town about 50 miles north of San Antonio, Texas. Bobby Cave owns the town, called Albert, and he has decided to sell the property through the on-line auction. Anyone with at least $2.5 million to spare, can join the bidding. No one lives permanently in the town, which Cave has restored to include a tavern, a pavilion, dance hall and three-bedroom house. "It's more like a piece of art than a property," says Cave, who adds it also has peach and pecan orchards.

Sadly the auction is over. The listing was big news November of 2007 and closed that month. Some lucky winner in Italy won the auction for $3.8 million.

Answers

The North Sea

1898

England and Scotland (Anglo-Scottish border).

Caves

Caman

Now, can you use these words in a sentence?

In 1898 a man, carrying a caman, crossed the North Sea and traveled England and Scotland on foot exploring caves.

Happy Monday

Ok my dear, pop quiz:

Which sea is to the west of Denmark?

When was neon discovered - 1775, 1898, or 1920?

From which border countries do Border Collies originate?

Troglodytes (primitive race of man) lived alone in what particular type of dwelling?

In the leisure game Shinty what is the curved stick called?

Feel like you're in school again? Mmmm, Monday morning quizzes. 

Tonight, My Love submits his last assignment ever and is five days away from accepting his long awaited and much deserved MBA.

Have a lovely day, enjoy the trivia and the answers will appear tomorrow.