M-I-S-S-I-S-S-I-P-P-I

GREAT RIVER ROAD TRIP
Last week my sister and I headed to the Southwestern corner of Wisconsin. Starting in Kieler, WI we traveled up the Great River Road. Stopping at every small town and many places along the Mississippi River. The weather cooperated and we had a great time.  

This tugboat was pushing several large barges down the Mississippi River, heading for St. Louis.  We stopped to watch as it went through the locks. Talking to the young man in charge of the ropes and yelling out numbers we learned that WI is the only state along the Mississippi with locks to maneuver through.  It would take this barge about 1 1/2 hours to clear the locks. Must take days to get to Missouri.

Fortunately, there is still transportation movement along the Great Mississippi.  We saw barges, boats, semis and a multitude of trains running up and down on and near the mighty river.   

Double decker trains.  The river ~ the train tracks ~ the Great River Road ~ all next to each other and we were meandering up the road, at our own pace.

Necedah Visitor Center ~ totally operating by solar power and recycled rain water.  I will return to this center in the spring, seeing a small part of it makes me want to return. 

Wisconsin is a beautiful state!
Wandering Wisconsin is fun, informative, friendly, eye-opening and amazing.
Try it ~ live like you mean it!

GO PACK GO!

The shoot that the Green Bay Packers come out of.

Stealth Bomber flies over after singing
The Star Spangled Banner.

The Pack coming out of the shoot, flanked by cheerleaders and flag bearers.

67,000 plus people attended this game.
It was the last pre-season game for the Packers.
Thanks to my God-child, Brenda, we had the opportunity to go to it. Gives a different impression when up close!

A pretty picture!  

Aaron Rodgers - #12 - watching and hanging out. He played, but not the entire game.  We were so close, I watched the guys that were not playing walk around, talking and joking with each other.
Very different view than on TV!

Security was everywhere.

So were cheese heads!
Over 67,000 of them!
The season begins! 

SUMMERTIME

Home for 42 days and not one day on my blog.
What can I say/it rained, it was dreary, we had storms; it was cold. So goes June. 
July still has wind, rain and storms/but warmer weather to help cope with all of it. 
Our yard has been blooming. I've been planting perennials, so the garden is up and ready to bloom upon our return from Florida. It's working...

Some of my yard art, featured in the front of the daisy garden. 

The new garden I started this year.

Stepping stone garden with strawberries in back of it. 

Daisy "fence" with crooked willow tree planted in the rock circle. 

 We have been trying to out think the squirrels for years.  We usually end up applauding them, for their crazy antics and persistence in feasting on the bird seed that we put out in "squirrel proof" feeders. 
This year we have a new resident in our yard~a black squirrel.  It is very brave and agile. Climbing into the sunflower feeder hanging in the middle of the yard and also coming up  on the deck     to say, "Good Morning" to me. 




If he/she only knew the seed is in the metal cans!  So far, even the raccoons that scrounge around at night haven't cracked into the cans yet.  
Maybe I am outsmarting them? 

Pretty flowers in the yard.                                        

VISITOR FROM PUERTO RICO

Josh's day in Florida was spent with his Aunt and Grandmother. We met at Downtown Disney, eating at the House of Blues, a boat ride across the lake and ice cream while chatting.  Grandma Ortiz is visiting Daisy, her daughter, for a month.  Luckily, at the same time Josh was coming down to Florida.  
We had a fun afternoon, catching up and commenting on how wonderful Grandma in looking and doing for almost 80!  Josh was all smiles, all day, as almost every turn is a Kodak moment for Daisy! 

Daisy and Josh at House of Blues.

Josh and Grandma Ortiz amongst the flowers at Downtown Disney. (Grandma loves flowers!)

The ceiling, in the entrance, at the House of Blues.
Shoes, artistically painted, in a circle overhead. 

LONG TIME SINCE I'VE SEEN YOU, MY BLOG

WHOA! What a busy month it has been.  Joe left Florida several days before I did.  Josh flew into Orlando, barely breathing the air of Florida, we took off early heading for Michelle's. After 19 hrs. we arrived at Michelle's!  Whew...long drive, but fun and safe. 
We helped Michelle and Ryan move the rest of their belongings, to the country.  Great place Ryan and Michelle!  Two days of moving and unloading.  The next day was a shopping trip to enhance Haden's room. We ended up in a basement, watching the 'shelf' clouds over us and listening to the tornado warnings.  

In an underground garage/basement
avoiding the rain, wind, hail and trying
to stay safe. Listening to the radio
weather announcements. 

Cracks of lightening made Michelle and I jump, later finding out a tree across the street was down in front a house.  






Bless the people of Joplin and Sedalia, where the tornadoes really took a toll on those towns. We were thankful to have a place to go to stay safe.

The back patio at Ryan and Michelle's new country home, in Missouri.  Relaxing and no music needed/the birds are so plentiful!  Having coffee out there in the morning was delightful!

MY QUEST CONTINUES...

No pileated woodpecker yet!  The holes in the trees show no more evidence of excavating. Possibly these trees don't have the right bugs, or whatever the bird was searching for.
I do have a few pics from walking around the park. Nothing unusual/until I went to the store yesterday and caught the last picture!

The park is full of cardinals. 
This one posed for a picture. 

The trees are full of beautiful blossoms.

The squirrels are everywhere!  
Smaller than the ones - Up North.

A relative to the first bird?  
Only this one is stuck-on a door frame.

The perfect perch where the resident eagle is often seen.
Another quest ~ to catch it sitting there!

A tree frog, clinging to our house.
Several hang out near the porch lights each evening, love the sounds they serenade us with.

So, this turtle looks small-not so-it is larger than the largest dinner plate!  It was digging holes, but on the edge of the road, in our park. To lays eggs?  I'm not sure, but I already helped one that was hit by a car. This one was way too close to the road.  So, I took a stick and helped it move into the "wilds" of the park.
Not sure if the first one lived, it was really "beaten" up, from a car hitting it. Cars coming around the corner sometimes go too close to the edge, and onto the grass, where the pictured turtle was digging. 

"Pinkest" of pink rides ~ 'Princess' on the darker pink side mirror.
 Who's the princess? The driver? The dog? 
My guess - both! 
Couldn't pass this picture up--the dog is totally enjoying the ride!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO ALL MOTHERS

    ****Thank you Michelle and Josh****
Without you two I wouldn't be a Mom.  First Sunday in May is set aside to honor Moms. 
I feel honored everyday~you two always make me feel special and important! 
                       Love you!