Weddings and Summers are Perfect Together!

What a wonderful week it was... getting away from this Texas heat to enjoy a family wedding in Wisconsin!!

So. Much. Fun.

I might have a picture... or two!

We flew up... as many of the family as could manage... to celebrate the wedding of our cousin's daughter.  Poppy was happy to be smack dab in the middle of it all...

And while we were there for wedding festivities we made the most of our time exploring dad's old boyhood haunts... Wisconsin does not disappoint!! 

There were Boat rides on the Chain O'Lakes...

Poppy spent his summers fishing and skiing on these very waters.

He was in his happy place reliving those long-ago days!

Dad's sister, Aunt Di and her daughter, our cousin, made the day perfect with their delightful commentary and sharing of favorite family stories!

Thank you Captain Clair for taking such good care of us!

"Maybe we should take a group selfie", I say...

Wait, I didn't make the cut... Let's try it again...

Well, now I lost the other half of the boat... One more time...

Yes!

Then we spent a day at the local zoo...

and watched my brother become one with the birds...

Which was fun, but the real fun began when we got to Aunt Di's place...

Just this summer, her farm garden was voted as 

The Prettiest Farm in Wisconsin

by "Our Wisconsin" magazine.

And I have pictures!  Because, well, it is really the Prettiest Farm in Wisconsin!

And we had a blast staying with her all week...

And then we had a farm garden photo shoot

with our favorite gardner in the whole world...

Poppy found a great place for afternoon naps on the back porch...

While Leroy and Aunt Di got down to the business

of mowing this little piece of paradise...

And then there was a Walleye Fish Fry with Poppy...

The week ended with a drive down back country roads

in Aunt Di's old convertible...

Bliss on wheels!

It all started with a Summer Wedding... 

and became the perfect vacation getaway!!

Memories for the heart!

Back in Texas... with mountains of laundry and just a bit of jet lag...

But what a great way to send out the summer of 2018!

Much Love,

     Jane

  

Chihuly at Night

It's true!  Chihuly is even more Magnificent at night!!!

And a beautiful way to end this quiet weekend...

A walk in the gardens in the cool of evening.

Senses tantilized with sound and color and fragrance.

Praying you have been touched  this weekend

with moments of beauty

that lift the soul...

My Love, Jane

Chihuly in the Garden

Sounds a tad racy, doesn't it?!

A little Chihuly in the Garden... Moonlit nights, rose-strewn pathway, gardenia scent in the air...Well, for goodness sakes, who knew it was a famous Venetian-trained Glass Blower Exhibit at the Dallas Arboretum?!

Amazing Artistry!

This piece is called The Sun and is made up of over 1,000 individual, hand-blown pieces.  It is breath-taking in its scope, standing almost 3 stories tall and taking over 4 days to carefully assemble in the garden.  (Can't imagine packing that crate for travel!)

The artist, Dale Chihuly, creates free-standing glass sculptures with flare and drama.  These art pieces have been exhibited at museums, gardens, architectural environments and galleries throughout the world.  We are blissfully fortunate to have his exhibit showcased here at the Dallas Arboretum.

So, of course, it was a must-see trip to the Garden this week with good friend and adventurer, Tina!

Here are just a few of the magnificent pieces in and around the Garden:

And, then there's Chihuly at Night...

even more Magnificent I'm told!

Stay tuned...

Gardens and Girlfriends

The best remedy for those who are afraid,

lonely or unhappy is to go outside,

somewhere where they can be quiet,

 alone with the heavens, nature and God.

Because only then does one feel that all

 is as it should be and that God wishes to

see people happy, amidst the simple beauty of nature.

                                        

                                         ~ Anne Frank

Spring...  Is there anything more enchanting?  Life all around takes on an energy, a luminescence that is breathtaking.  And my spirit responds in kind.  Satin petals grace even the most barren of sod and the birds return to charm our senses.  At each turn there is something more enticing.  A bloom to dazzle, a dappled ray of sun, the murmur of water, the fragrance of a thousand roses, a tiny horned toad scurrying ahead.  Laughter bubbles from deep, and joy spills.

Today was a day made just for this touch of nature at her most becoming.  A day made perfect with friends at their most lovely...

Join me for a walk through Clark Gardens in Weatherford, Texas...

Garden Girlfriends sharing Joy in their Love of all things Blooming!

Bluebonnets and Irises Abound!

Azaleas and Poppies Delight

PinkBonnets tease the Bluebonnets

Texas Horned Toad playing Hide and Seek

A Sea of Poppies

Sweet Contemplation
Balm to the Soul

Artistry of the Master

Can I doubt His Hand when I behold such Beauty?

Awestruck to believe the Creator of such Magnificance loves me Always and Forever.

He touches my Heart this day with longing, for this is just a glimpse of the Glories awaiting...

Enchanted by Grace, Jane