Ever since my daughter Lisa moved to New Jersey, I have wanted to find the home where Martha Stewart spent her childhood. During Dick's and my recent trip there, Lisa kindly helped me accomplish this item on my "bucket list". It turned out that her home, according to MapQuest, is only 5.12 miles away from Lisa's home!     The…

During a visit with our daughter Heather in New York over the past two weeks, Heather's husband Patrick suggested that we tour a nearby 80-acre farm 30 miles north of mid-town Manhattan. The nonprofit Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture is a four-season educational center that offers workshops, conferences, lectures, cooking classes, book discussions with noted authors, kids'…

Dick and I have officially begun to settle in for the winter after our return flight home on Saturday night after spending two weeks with two of our daughters and their families… Heather in New York and Lisa in New Jersey. A few photos of our 5 grandkids… Heather's three - 8 yrs, 5 yrs, and 17 months… (photograped by heather)       …

Dick and I are on our way to Florida. When we travel, my favorite hotel chain is Hampton Inn because of their decor, comfort, and cleanliness. Breakfasts not so much… They don't stand out from any other hotel breakfasts. Here is a cozy corner of the lobby at the Hampton Inn in Madison, Wisconsin where we…

Sometimes people, ever so effortlessly, make one's life happier by little gestures that come about because they paid attention to… made a mental note of… the most minute detail that could be so easily missed. For example, I ever so briefly mentioned "sunny fruit slices" in a September 14, 2009 post regarding a stop at St.…

I took my first online test today for my ORT 100 Orientation Course while sitting in a cozy coffeeshop. I scored 100/100. It was the atmosphere I am positive. I am now working on an essay for ORT 100 that is due next. I am to "construct an essay that details a practice related to living a…

Traversing the country in a travel trailer has considerably advantages. A big consideration for us is being able to pack and prepare our own food. For the most part we dine in but, when an opportunity for a good meal at a local nonchain restaurant presents itself, we jump on it. One such place was a restaurant called…

My classroom has moved… After making our way west across Minnesota into the prairie of South Dakota last Wednesday and Thursday, we arrived in the Badlands. I have read, completed assignments related to my college cousework, and prepared for tests while absorbing the geography and history in the most amazing locations. After setting up camp in Badlands National Park, we biked,…

The next chapter in Dick's and my life? This looks like a good fixer upper. I fell in love with this abandoned homestead in South Dakota enroute to the Black Hills on Wednesday. There was not a farm as far as the eye could see on this country road that we chose to navigate across…

This morning, after I served guests breakfast, Dick and I left for St. Cloud. I spent quite a chunk of time there during my college years, so I came to love the city. The Good Earth Co-op for homemade soup and a chunk of whole grain bread,  followed by a leisurely stroll through each aisle…