Archaeology Month!

May is archaeology month in Georgia. During this time the Society for Georgia Archaeology and associated chapters across the state promote awareness through events, demonstrations and exhibits. In conjunction with these efforts, posters and information are sent to schools across the state. Below is this year's poster.SGA members were recruited to assist in stuffing and labeling several hundred tubes with posters and documentation. The Fernbank Museum of Natural History provided space for us to work and I took advantage of the opportunity to take a few photos.

The museum is a beautiful building in Atlanta, Georgia on Clifton Road. (My apologies for not getting specific names for the exhibits)
Three large dinosaurs welcome guests.
A different angle...
A closeup...
Students come to the museum from multiple counties in the metro area.
The large cylindrical room in the center of the museum houses large skeletons of dinosaurs and echos with the excited voices of children who are mesmerized by their enormous size.
The head of this grand creature
A large predator hanging from the rafters
I'd hate to get caught in those jaws!
Another creature lurks from a nest on the side of a wall.
A miniature of the the welcoming committee
Other natural resources....
Looking outside, two dinosaurs are checking out the museum's guests
If you should visit Atlanta I strongly recommend visiting the museum!

Life's Blessings - Lunch with Friends

Evans Fine Foods in Decatur, Georgia is an old-fashioned restaurant and a great place to have a quiet lunch with good friends. Upon entering, one of my friends asked "where should we sit?" I replied, "a booth" and of course when you survey the restaurant, you quickly realize that is the only seating available. (I love booths, much cozier than hard chairs.)
So, with camera in hand, I began taking pictures. First is Phillip who is quite excited about his new position with a local university.
Joe, our good friend and a great listener, is also a happy camper with a relatively new position (six months) at a local institution of higher education.
Chandra, who is shy with a camera, tried to outdo me, but I caught a glimpse of her. This picture could also be titled, 'Check out my watch!'
Chandra's good news is her new event planning business. Actually she's been doing this for years, but now she is expanding to cover not only the Atlanta area, but the Bahamas and Trinidad! Chandra planned my retirement party a couple of years ago and it was phenomenal!

Below is one of the postcards she gave each of us. I highly recommend InStyle Events as they are most capable and have wonderful ideas. For more information go to their website at www.InStyleEventsATL.com or email them at info@instyleeventsatl.comThe portions at the restaurant were great and I believe we ate just about everything given us, except for some leftover cornbread.

But most importantly, we all had a great time catching up and joking about times past. My recommendation - call a friend, go to lunch!

Peek-a-boo

This morning while I was eating breakfast I noticed a pair of green eyes peeking from under the table and behind a plant I had set on the table. Of course I grabbed my camera and began taking pictures
I was amazed at how our Cassie's eyes matched the colors of the leaves so well
Of course, she was camera shy as usual
She snuck backwards further behind the plant, thinking she was out of sight
Finally, though, she acquiesced...
And the best way, to get out of the picture, you ask? Turn away from the camera!

Life's Blessings

"May flowers always line your path and sunshine light your day.

May songbirds serenade you every step along the way.

May a rainbow run beside you in a sky that's always blue.

And may happiness fill your heart each day your whole life through."

(Irish blessing)

A week with Winston

Sir Winston came to stay with us for a few days while his parents traveled North. He was definitely the epitome of a gentleman of noble birth - polite, quiet, and content.

You can tell from his stance below how calm and attentive he is. At this point he is surveying the back yard, making sure there are no intruders or unwanted guests. (And yes, that is a pirate bandanna his momma placed around his neck:) Arghhh, he would mumble quietly.
His sweet, gentle demeanor is a tribute to his excellent breeding!
In the past, Winston has had an occasional problem with sudden or high-pitched noises. However, he has mellowed and not once did he bark at the phone or doorbell, or the microwave! We were very proud of him.

Then Monday came...

Monday is garbage day. It is also the beginning of Spring break for the schools. And what's more, my neighbor across the street is getting a new roof!

Winston, who had slept in each morning to nearly nine, was up at 6:30am. He had heard the workmen across the street and sounded a short warning. It was not until the delivery truck arrived that he became alarmed. Beep, beep, beep went the truck, as it backed into my neighbor's driveway. Bark, bark, bark went Winston.

Then the garbage truck came - beep, beep, beep at each stop, as it wound its way down the road. Bark, bark, bark. Of course, we live on a cul-de-sac, so the truck had to return, stopping at several houses on the way back.

I sit on the sofa, Winston in my lap, then suddenly...

A new truck came to the house across the street delivering a dumpster for the old roof tiles to be deposited. Beep, beep, beep went the truck as it backed into the driveway. Pound, pound, pound went the roofers. Bark, bark, bark went Winston.

Vroom, vroom, vroom, came the recycling truck, followed by, you guessed it, bark, bark, bark. First up the street and then back.

And then a third truck, one for yard waste, came and went. Sigh...

Finally, all had quieted and Winston became accustomed to the pounding. He finally settled on my lap once more, but what? Another noise? Yes, it's spring break and where do the neighborhood children decide to play ball? You guessed it, right in front of my house. Whine, whine, whine goes Winston.

The children left. Winston is getting hoarse.

Then the yard man came to spray for weeds. Why today, of all days, I ask myself. He only comes 8 times a year, and out of 365, he picked today? Bark, bark, bark... I go outside and ask the man when can Winston walk on the grass? Three hours he tells me. Not a problem, I figure, as I can walk him in the front area amongst the bushes. He is a boy so it shouldn't be a problem, right? I put his leash on and as soon as I get outside, here comes a neighbor walking his black lab. Thank heaven he was on a leash and the same for Winston. Whine, whine, whine, bark, bark, bark, growl, growl, growl. After seeing the other dog, no bush was good enough for Winston. We wait the three hours.

Thank heaven for wine! No, not whine, but wine, vino, cabernet...

Tuesday. You would think Winston would be worn out from the preceding day. Ahh, no. He knew his parents were arriving today and he began searching. First one window...
Then the next. Back and forth he went. My poor sweet boy. I could not get more pictures because his movement was so fast. Even these are blurred.
Finally, around 7pm, all was quiet. His parents arrived and Winston was happy and content once more, and an hour later, so were we!

Life's Blessings

"May your joys be as bright as the morning, and your sorrows merely be shadows that fade in the sunlight of love. May you have enough happiness to keep you sweet, enough trials to keep you strong, enough sorrow to keep you human, and enough hope to keep you happy." (Irish Blessing)

Happy Easter!

The morning purples all the sky,

The air with praises rings,

Defeated hell stands sullen by,

The world exulting sings.

Glory to God! our glad lips cry;

All praise and worship be

On earth, in heaven to God most high,

For Christ's great victory!

For Christ's great victory!

(Author Unknown)

Spring Break

Ahhh - you know it's Spring when the flowers start to bloom, the weather warms and the sun is out, birds are singing, everything outdoors becomes covered in green (pollen) and your daughter (The Victorian Parlor) comes to visit on her spring break!

Kim brought me a present - a beautiful antique desk! She no longer had room for it and her hubby did not want to sell it so I became the proud owner. It fit in my bedroom perfectly and I will definitely use it!
Woo-hoo! My Eastlake embroidered chair looks perfect with the desk!
Lizzie of course also came to visit and settled down immediately in her bed on the guest bed...
Yes, vacations are wonderful!
Cassie, Sweetbrier's resident feral, did not so heartily agree. She was for the most part confined to the master suite except for occasional outings to the rest of the house when Lizzie would kindly return to the guest bedroom.
This is just for a short time, right mom? (Sorry baby, it's for six days)...
OK, I get special treats she asks? Sure you do honey, I reply.
Little does she know at this time, that Lizzie will be replaced by Sir Winston (the poodle), who will be staying the following week. Oh noooo, she exclaims, not another week...
On a lighter note, Sweetbrier's kitchen is in need of renovation which we hope to do next year (it will take that long to make decisions:) Since I had the company of my favorite and most talented interior decorator (her favorite two words are 'trust me'), we decided to start checking out cabinetry and tile. I dragged Kim to Home Depot against her wishes and we were both pleasantly surprised. My Home Depot is a mile down the road and the service was amazing! We spent an hour or so talking to their kitchen interior designer, their tile expert, and the manager and assistant manager.

We took a few photos of some of our favorites (but of course all is subject to change). Kim liked the scrollwork on these...

I liked these in the store but am having second thoughts...
Not sure who liked this:)
Stained glass for the breakfast room breakfront...
Beautiful lighting...
Kim's favorite for her kitchen

We went antiquing to several of our favorite stores. Kim bought this beautiful Victorian mahogany and glass cabinet. It's missing a couple of the spindles at the top, but she's sure hubby can replace them:) The picture does not do it justice, but believe me, it is a great piece!
The top of the cabinet.
The Broad Street Antique Mall in Chamblee, GA has recently been renovated and continues to be an amazing place for antiques!
An old victrola...
An interesting lamp...
Beautiful seating (I'm sitting on a matching chair)
Tapestry draped across the sofa
The Blue Birds are one of the dealers at the mall and are known for their beautiful antique hats and clothing...
An old wedding gown
A beautiful hat with large feather plume. Kim liked the lace hat in the background as well.
A handsome full length black coat with a lovely hat. Hmmm... I wonder who's peeking out behind it wanting to take it home.
Kim stayed an additional day so we could visit her step-grandmother, Mary Jane. Mary Jane is 92 and sadly suffers from dementia. She did seem to recognize us for short periods of time, but communication is only one-way. We will continue to pray for her.
It's the night before Kim leaves and Lizzie lays on grandma's lap. She is content, but very ready to return home to her brothers and sister.
In addition to antiquing and visiting, we also did some sightseeing, which Kim will post on later, a lot of cooking and eating, drinking (wine and tea of course), watching movies, etc. It was a good week and the weather was most accommodating. BTW, the other dog has now arrived and poor Cassie is out in the garage moping. I wonder which piece of furniture she will torture after two weeks of having to share the house with her canine cousins.