Happy May Day!

(click to enlarge)

On May Day I always think of Stevie O., my next door neighbor when I was growing up in the Dakotas. On May Days during the elementary school years, Stevie and I would leave baskets at each other's houses, ring the doorbell, and run like hell.



Being a tomboy I could usually outrun him. Although neither of us was really interested in actually catching or being caught. We were definitely just in the 'pals' category. We attended school together from kindergarten until my family moved in the middle of my junior year in high school. Along with the other neighborhood kids, we played kick the can and baseball during the summer and went ice skating and sledding during the winter. (Speaking of winter, Stevie was an absolute genius architect of snow forts.)

I've lost track of ol' Stevie over the years. Last I heard he was a Baptist minister -- I'm sure he would be a good one. If he ever surfaces via facebook or something, I think I'd be tempted to leave him a 'virtual' May Day basket! (Although a good hunk of the fun would be gone if you can't run like hell...)

---------------------------------------------------------
class picture from the '67 Ace yearbook; sketch from here

stupid (at least in my opinion) church signs

I saw this church sign on my way out of town last Friday (heading up to the blogpal meetup with Rev SS):


My first thought was: "Why? Is he in some sort of trouble?"

I know such signs are meant to be thought-provoking, but they really just bring out the snarky in me.

the empty nest (& bare bottom) hiking club

Guess Hubby and I will have to rethink our next hiking destination... and/or attire. We just read in USA Today that voters in a region of the Swiss Alps recently passed legislation banning naked hiking. Apparently dozens of mostly German nudists had started sauntering through the Alps wearing nothing more than socks and boots, and this upset many Swiss citizens who called the back-to-nature activity both "disturbing" and "irritating".

I suppose we could still go if we've got the 200 Swiss franc ($176) fine money. But come to think of it, I'm supposed to be wearing sun protective clothing anyway.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Click on picture to enlarge at your own risk. :) And no, it's not me in the photo. I got it from here

as promised -- the postcard post!

A couple of months ago, Hubby and I went hiking by the Sandy River near Gresham, Oregon, and we stopped in that town on our way home. We decided to pop into an antique store just for the heck of it and I started looking through their old postcards. I ended up buying a couple that reminded me of my childhood (one was of the Badlands in South Dakota and the other one was of a Dayton's department store).

Thus began a new hobby (albeit a very low-key one because at present I only have 8 cards). I love old pictures so it's a natural for me. And the cool bonus is that this hobby is not only affordable but takes up almost no space!

Anywhoo, there are obviously a bazillion postcards out there so I decided to focus on two areas of interest: (1.) the geographic region of the Dakotas, Minnesota and Montana (because of connections growing up) and (2.) roads from anywhere (because I like 'em as you may have gathered from the title of the blog). Also, I'm mostly interested in the time frame from around 1910 to the 1960's and I especially like it if there is writing on the back.

So... after that intro, here's my first "road" postcard (from Massachusetts, 1956).


And you've got to see the back!



Hilda cracks me up. "Weather wonderful - roads in good condition - food good -car operating ok. Scenery beautiful - beds soft. Did I cover everything?"

I also like the quote on the bottom:
"Take a highroad that leads to a beckoning future --
Tho it leads through the Autumn of life ..." --Farnsworth

How perfect is that?!

blogpal day

Today Rev SS and I met in Olympia (the approximate halfway spot between our homes) for her belated birthday lunch. We decided to take the standard "blogger feet" photo. The cute toes belong to Rev SS and the "Let's go hiking!" feet belong to me.



We also decided to pose with Garbage Puff outside the restaurant, located on the waterfront with our state capitol building visible waaaaaay in the background.



It was a nice day -- warm temps, blue skies, and good conversation. We had a tasty lunch and poked around some antique stores. I recently started collecting old postcards and Rev SS helped me choose a few good ones. (Yes, there will probably be a future 'postcard post'!)

The Bucket List Friday Five!

Singing Owl, after having a bad case of the flu, was pondering the fragility of life. So, she writes: "from the movie of the same name, list five things you want to see, do, accomplish, etc. before you kick the bucket". (She also instructs us to "have fun, and don't think too hard about this one.")

Alrighty, here's my "just off-the-top-of-my-head" list!

1. ROAD TRIP!!! I would take a lengthy road trip meandering through the U.S. and Canada -- but it would focus on the "off the beaten path" areas. I want to see things like Tommy the Turtle in Bottineau, North Dakota. (BTW I would use a fuel efficient, ecologically responsible vehicle. And buy carbon offsets.)

picture from roadsideamerica.com

2. And speaking of the Dakotas, I would like to build a vacation home on 80 acres of land my mother still owns in South Dakota. I would likely not vacation there in the winter, but the other seasons are fair game!

3. I would like to see Offsprings #1 and #2 happily and successfully established in the careers of their choice -- with homes that have large, comfortable guest rooms for Hubby and me to visit (but we would never make pests of ourselves. Well, maybe a little.)

4. I would like to publish (via Blurb) a book detailing our family history/genealogy -- including lots of old photos. (Note, Cavid, I would do a better job proofreading than some people.)

5. I would like to establish a scholarship fund for college students. (I'd have to ponder the specific type of student or major I would be targeting, but it would be great to 'give back' in this way.)

To continue that 'earth day' theme...

I thought I would share a picture of the tulips we've got right outside our front door:



I think they are the most bee-yooooo-tiful ones we've ever had. (We got them at the Woodland Tulip Festival I blogged about in an earlier post.)