Hope

This past year has been a rollercoaster: The end of a two year relationship, a new whirlwind romance and subsequent wedding, then settling in and getting to know each other on a deeper level. And don't forget I moved. Twice. Then there was the winter from hell that just wouldn't let up on us - I fell on ice and badly bruised my hip, I hit a pothole (crater) so hard it bent the rim and a tie rod, and got my car terribly stuck in snow and ice. Twice. Then just recently my beloved grandmother who I am extremely close to falls ill and needs open heart surgery.

Whew! When I lay it all out like that it's no wonder the bipolar has been roaring into overdrive this year. That's a lot of stress right there. Some of it I took on voluntarily, the rest not so much. I cannot even begin to describe how sedentary I have been this winter. (No, it's worse than you're imagining.) I wake up just in time to get ready and go to work. After work I nap. Then I wander the house aimlessly trying to figure out what to do. Am I hungry? No. Do I want to watch tv? No. Read a book? Hahaha, I can't concentrate long enough to finish a paragraph. Play a video game? Nah. So I lay on the bed and watch Noah play his game. We chat a little. Then I take a bath. Then I go to bed. I squeak by on chores. The cat litter box is clean. Clean enough. There's some clean laundry to be found. Good enough. I also just barely squeak by doing the minimum required at work. Sometimes I even fall short of that. I have no energy, no drive. Nothing brings me joy these days except animals. I've gained 20 lbs. in the last year. I've been pulling and straining muscles just by existing because my muscles are so tense and rigid and out of shape. I keep meaning to get back into yoga but find a million excuses not to. I can't take it anymore!

SO... I've found hope. Spring is very close. My State Park Pass is good until August. Do you see where I am going with this? I just need some momentum. A body in motion tend to stay in motion right? I've heard that somewhere. So here's my plan for getting in and staying in motion. This weekend I'm going to move into Gramma's and stay with her while she is recovering from her surgery. While I am there I will have access to the Elm Creek trail system and I will start to do some walking again (if the trails are walkable). Slow and easy at first. I might throw in some light stretching too. Then, when the weather is just right and things are starting to bloom I will start my state park hiking adventuring. My camera will of course be involved in all of my outdoor activities. And once I'm going I will throw yoga back into the mix. My first state park will be William O'Brien. It's only a half hour from home and has 12 miles of hiking trails. I'm so excited I can't wait to get started!

HURRY UP SPRING!

Marjorie McNeely Conservatory

Cathy and I went to the Como Zoo indoor gardens today and they were gorgeous! I found the photos more interesting in black & white (remember I'm an Ansel Adams fan) but threw a color one in there too since there isn't much color around this time of year.










pretty ice chain





Afterwards we ate at Panda Garden Buffet. I did not take any photos there.

The Big Trip!

On October 26th my mother-in-law (Mama Cathy) and I hit the road in our little Ford Fiesta rental car headed for the great New Orleans, Louisiana!

Here, a gorgeous model shows off our ride.

 

And another stunning model shows off her pedicure.

 

 

As soon as we arrived in New Orleans, we drove past the Villalobos Rescue Center featured on the Animal Planet show Pit Bulls and Parolees. Mama and I have watched almost all the episodes and we just couldn't wait until they were open to the public to see the facility.

 

 

 Then we visited the most important reason we were down there - my brother-in-law Trevor, his wife Kayla, and their furry babies Bunny, Honey, and Teddy who live in Metairie, LA. (Pics to come) Finally, we settled into the motel room that would be our home for the first four days. This was the view from our door. I laid by the pool on a sunny, 80 degree day and it was lovely.

 

 

 

Day Two brings us to the Oak Alley Plantation in Vacherie, LA. The photo below is from their website because I couldn't get a good shot from this angle.

 

We saw this cute little kitty wandering the property. He let us pet him but refused to pose for the camera.


Slave quarters. Not original buildings, just re-creations.

Mama walking up to the entrance.


The view from the inside. I'm fascinated with how they lived and what they saw and did, if that makes any sense.


View from the balcony. Imagine waking up to this view every day. You'd most likely see the river because there was no levy in the early days, and the path would be gravel of course.


It all seems quite magical and charming until you see this. These are just some of the names of the slaves that worked and suffered on this plantation. So sad.


And these are the same fields where they worked every day. Look how tall the sugar cane is!
That's it for this plantation, but I had to show you the turtle I bought in the gift shop. Yumm!

That evening, Trevor's sister-in-law and her family took us out to eat at a wonderful Mexican restaurant. The food was amazing!


And so was the company! (L-R) Cathy, Trevor, Trevor's wife Kayla, Kayla's sister Megan, her daughter Caitlyn, husband Sam, daughter Avery, and me. The kids were so adorable and charming, I loved them! And anyone who knows anything about me knows that means these little girls were pretty darn special!

Day Three brings us back to Villalobos for a tour of the facility. Animal Planet was doing some filming while we were there.


Then we took a swamp tour and while waiting for it to begin Mama made a friend.


Hurricane Katrina damage










Oh, hi there.


Okay so Sam and Megan have the sweetest, most cutest kids... but did you know they also have the sweetest, most cutest dogs? Here's Connor and Jean Luc. Connor is missing an eye from a run-in with a bigger dog, he's a sweetheart. But I absolutely fell in love with little Jean Luc... I called him
Fi-Fi La Rue.


Oh my little Fi-Fi how I miss you!


Trevor and Kayla also have adorable animals but I don't think I had my camera in their apartment because I don't have any photos :(
Here's a shout-out to dogs Teddy, Honey, and Meeeee-chon (the extra e's are for extra cuteness) and cat Bunny. I love you all.

Day Four takes us to another plantation Houmas House. I chose this place as a surprise for Mama because she loves gardens.



Notice the bandage on her hand...those are my sweet EMT skills put to use. Swamp 1, Mama 0.














Mama loved the gardens!


The interior was also gorgeous.


I got to play this baby grand and the sound was amazing!




Day Five we walked around the French Quarter and Jackson Square. I didn't take a lot of photos but here's one taken while walking along the great Mississippi River.


Day Six was Mama's birthday and that evening we walked around the French Quarter with Trevor and Kayla. We stopped at Pat O'Brien's for dinner.


Kayla was a good sport!


New Orleans has the best food!


This is my favorite photo from the trip (taken at Pat O'Brien's).






Day Seven we rested. Just a coincidence.
Day Eight was our last full day and we three girls drove to the Mississippi Gulf Coast to spend it at the beach!


Kayla snapped these last two beautiful shots.




And that's it! Phew! It was a tiring trip because of all the driving (I did all of it). According to our Hertz receipt, we drove a total of 3,232 miles. I love road trips but boy, this one pushed me to my limits. My back went out while we were down there, mostly due to the uncomfortable seat in our rental car. We made it home but as soon as we arrived Mama and Noah drove me to the hospital for some meds for my back. But all that aside, it was a wonderful and memorable trip. I'm SO happy I got to meet my brother-in-law Trevor and his wife Kayla. They are two of the sweetest (and smartest!) people I've ever met. And Kayla's sister Megan has an amazing family. I hope I get to see them again some day. I know I used the word "amazing" quite a bit in this post, but I couldn't find more descriptive words, that just how amazing the trip was!

In closing, I'll say to Trevor & Kayla  "Get up here soon and visit us! The pups miss you and we have a new kitten you will adore. Love you both!"

Wedding Outtakes

I have a State Park pass again!

In August I purchased a Minnesota State Park annual pass. Woo-hoo! Unfortunately, I've only visited one park so far and it had been so long since I actually used my camera that all my rechargeable batteries passed away. I was able to take two photos before their demise though. Behold, the picturesque Wild River State Park along the beautiful St. Croix River!

Aaaand that's all you get. Damn batteries. As you can see, I got there so early the moon was still up. It's a beautiful park and I hope to return in the spring. In fact, there's quite a few parks I want to cross off my list next year, so stay tuned! ...That is, if you like photos of grass and trees and nature stuff, because that's all I photograph.