hereabouts.

 

popping in here to say hello, pretending i've been here all along, not incognito for months. literally.

multiple trips marked our spring into summer covering wide stretches of land with dots here and there along the road and off the beaten path. taking advantage of our harvest host membership, overnight opportunities offered breathtaking scenery, restful quiet, and one particularly intriguing tour through an air museum. the summer months have two trips on the books though not trailer trips .. come september our niece's wedding, a jeep event high in the mountains with yet another in the red rocks. additionally, we're putting possibilities from noggin to paper about a trip in october stretching into november .. all while holding our plans loosely for reasons known to us. 

did you know i have a golf cart? i have a golf cart. her name is *pearl.* she's a creamy white girlie who will in the future display a ruffle of ralph lauren charlotte on her sweet head (roof). the hubs restored the mechanisms so she's confidently usable now rather than leaving myself and my sister in law at the bottom of the hill because she lost her get up and go. and sputtered and stopped and lurched while taking my (then 89 year old) mom for a spin. more than once. twice. thrice. 

today, after donning my straw hat purchased in prescott, arizona while antiquing with my friend julie, and securing my vintage basket to the flat back, we hopped in and with me driving, took off for our tiny town market to buy romaine and other necessaries. i drove (while the hubs held on for dear life..hehe) and took the road less traveled nearer to the market.. a field with a well worn path, rocks, undulations and such. so in essence, we 4-wheeled. with me at the wheel. wink. once our basket was filled and payed for and a short chat with a market-lady about the current fire her beloved is fighting, we checked out the *little free library* outside the market to search out something interesting and new. there was nothing. 

securing the full basket onto the flat back we flipped around and took the same route home - stopping just past the sherry style 4-wheeling field to clip a few spent poppy pods to save for next year's garden. making our way up the steepest of hills the hubs told me to floor it - to which i exclaimed, "i am!" laughter ensued. 

pearl's an old girl.. 

once home the hubs set to building a frame for the flat back, as a neato way to secure purchases at the market, deliver meals (or tools) to neighbors, or for just the cuteness of it all. so within thirty-minutes he built a swell frame using spent fence board and set it in the open space. immovable unless you're strong enough to lift it out - which i am not. putting a couple borrowed tools in the space he took off to deliver said items. worked like a charm. he's pretty nifty - that guy. we still have some work to do on this sweet girl, including new vinyl front seat as well as seat backs for the front. when we go for a spin with other folks the new frame comes out and the back seat flips up for two more people. going up that steep hill might prove troublesome with four in tow. comedic!

the hubs wants a pirates flag attached to the cart. 

nope. not happening.

white streamer pom-poms? 

yes. 

a very real possibility.

we'll see. 

as to the newly constructed cart frame, i'll be painting it white (or maybe duck egg blue) using a dry brushing technique. i figure that with the cute paint and cute ruffle and cute pom-poms, it'll be saved from the dreaded pirate flag. i hope.

with the intense heat, we've been largely relying on cold foods yet the hubs is always willing to grill something as a go-along. i haven't made bread or parbaked pizza rounds in quite a few weeks - unwilling to heat up the house more than what it already is...... tonight we're topping and grilling the last pizza round from the freezer. this, along with a leafy green salad, will be just the thing.

scant few homes in our village have air conditioning. typically there's just a couple weeks in summer requiring a/c. not this summer though - at this rate i fear it'll last through december. slight exaggeration. we're now proud owners of two portable a/c units i've not named. for a gal who's favorite temp is *walk in freezer cold,* this helps. a little. a. very. little. but enough to make my whining less so. wink.

may 28, my beautiful mother celebrated her 90th birthday! we're so thankful to help her celebrate, along with all her 431 daughters! mom lives with one of my sisters in the state of washington .. this sister is so creative and makes mom's daily life a delight. i loved time well spent with my mom.

a couple weeks ago we enjoyed a lovely dinner at a little resort further up the mountain. overcast, cool, breezy, then rain. perfection.. thankful i brought a sweater and the hubs wore a sport coat. wonderful evening. while waiting in the 'shore viewing open cabin' we agreed that next time we'll bring our kayaks and paddle around for a bit before changing clothes for dinner. even in the rain. yes indeed. 

here's our table view:

and our drive toward the resort:

speaking of kayaking.. 

as long as we get to our favorite lake by 7am it's usually glassy.

we've kayaked other lakes and still have more to explore. 

there just isn't enough glassy water hours in a day.

there's much i'd love to say ..

thoughts i think ..

soon.

in closing i'll simply offer foodie pictures..

cool food on hot days in our recent past.

be well. 

keep your eyes on the Creator.

not the created. 

love you.

sherry

& lastly. wink.

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