Down the Road

Click any photo for a closer look, and you will see what I see.

I took a long overdue drive to see my sister, Linda's, yesterday.

Going down and around the curves of Lake Shore Drive has grown some.

Shame on me to notice. It meant I had not been there in awhile and it's only a short distance away. How is it that it's been a summer ago?

My life is not that busy, just congested, I suppose.

Down Sister Drive, and I am there~~~there to hug my sister and give her my get well wishes, fresh picked raspberries and magazines to read while she recovers.

Much to my surprise, there she is to welcome me with her smile and " Well, where have you been? It's so good to see you. "

She has the most outstanding way of making welcomes wonderful.

Right down to her whimsical planters on her wall surrounded with bark, and her hand painted door.

Artsy, artsy, does run in the family.

The reason I was so surprised to see Lin walking around so well, was because she just had surgery on her foot. Nothing seems to slow her down for long. She reminds me of many others in the family with that innate ability to ' get up and go ' as soon as possible.

She also has a green thumb.

Take a look at that 3 yr. old clump of bamboo beside her, keeping in mind that we live in zone 3, for you gardeners.

Meet my brother-in-law, Jim. Normally, these two walk every single day.

It won't be long, and Lin will be right back at his side, step by step.

The peek out her picture windows draws you outside to see more.

We did not walk down to the lakes edge this time, as it's steep and at the moment, has no steps. I agree with her that it has got to change. Always a work in progress.

Here's a closer look at her Bamboo-gone-crazy! How do you take care of this so it doesn't get invasive? Any suggestions, cause I'm thinking of trying some.

Her Crab Apple Tree was loaded with promise and very busy with the birds and a chipmunk.

Oh, there he is~~he's got his eye on me, for fear that I may get one of his apples.

There you are, Chippy! Don't worry! Sour Apples are not for me.

From the house to the lake, the side yard is full of more Lily of the Valley than I have ever seen in one spot before. It was a gorgeous understory of ground cover.

Even the weed, Curly Dock looked lush.

The bark of the young Red Maple looks almost creamy and very white. At first I thought it was a Chalk Maple....

Nesting just above the driveway, was a nest with Mama bird. Neither Lin nor Jim noticed it before.

On closer observation, it might be a Yellow Throated Warbler. She never left the nest once, while I took her portraits. Her nest is about 20 ft. up from the ground. Most warblers nest much closer to the ground or even on it, so I was surprised.

So, what do you think? Is she a warbler?

This fledgling Song Sparrow would not move. He must have thought he was in his camouflage suit.

Now, what's that way, way up there?

Mercy, just the back side of a teenage Robin! Kids!

Thanks for tagging along. Lin is doing great, and I promised that I would not wait until she was hurting to return. She gave me a pretty rough time about not visiting more often. Though visiting at the farm when the entire families are around is great, it was nice sitting quietly in her own surroundings for a change. Walking around her yard with her was pure heaven. I enjoyed every second with her.

Life is too short. Now, go visit someone YOU love.

BlessYourHeart