The Bridge Tour (From the Macinaw Bridge to the Natural Bridge--and a River with No Bridge, Too

PART ONE: I will have to cover this long ride (over 2,600 miles) a little at a time, since we have so many pictures and they take so long to load. First bunch of photos from Grand Haven, MI: Open Mike Night at the Deelight Cafe and Bar. My son Andy (aka 'Drew, aka Reges with a hard "g") plays and sings the blues with Big Daddy somebody or the other--I'm sorry not to have his name straight, as he is a great musician--while Drew (the Elder) backs him up on five-string ("I can't play five string!") bass. Notice that musicians must perch up among the liquor bottles behind the actual bar--Top Shelf Music?
'Roo was hit by a car while riding his bike to work the day this photo was taken, thus the generally rugged and manly banged-up look...After playing, he spectates with Felicia.
Next Installment: We visit Thom's duplex! You won't want to miss this one, guys...

You Want to See the Garden, Right?

The state of Eden, as of mid-June; blooms in forground are borage and catnip. The first cucumbers show their warty little faces.... Mrs. F.W. Sanford (Hybrid Perpetual) takes up residence in the butterfly bush, as does a bee, who, unfortuanately, will not sit still for the camera. On a less gardeny note--a picture of me, my co-teachers and some of our students on a farm field trip kinda faux hayride last week, out near Bluemont, VA.

Garden Update

The garden in late May: beans up, lettuce getting fright-wiggy, catnip in bloom and the newest roses to flower: Pink HP Mrs. F.W. Sanford, white Oak Garden Alba, dark beauty Supurb Tuscan. it's getting hot and swampy-tropical here. The air is like a drug---green, damp, heavy with honeysuckle, wild-rose, sassafras, and the first cutting of hay. Kudzu and honeysuckle and VA creeper have begun their annual clamber up phone poles, over porches, trees, down embankments; spring peepers do not "peep," they deafen--It is sooo multisensory. If only this could be a scratch'n'sniff weblog!

Stan "I'm Dangerous, Really" the Cat Reveals His Softer Side

Stan at home on Friday night enjoying "Club 13": he demands and receives an ear-scratch; enjoys quality time with Drew; his latest trick--correctly choosing which hand conceals the salmon treat.

Pictures of the Road King....

Getting ready (okay--thinking about it anyway) for vacation and ride north through PA and OH and IN to MI...sitting in the garage and talking about it...on Friday night. Note gardening knees...there is a great picture in the collection of me dismounting the bike with an expression of goofy concentration, but I'm too vain to post it.
The best part of long rides, in some ways is the ritual--getting suited up, making lists, packing everything you need, because what you bring is what you've GOT, you know? And at the same time, packing with outrageous asceticism, because every ounce you pack weighs the bike down, wears it down, slows you down...

Note the Precision Bean Trellis--Drew's engineering instincts much in evidence.
Note the extremely closely-spaced pepper plants--that megalomanical thing of mine...I can and will plant EVERYTHING! Hahahahahahahaha!

The Rest of the Garden pictures. Dial-up...painfully..slow. Have to upload singly.

Virginia in May--walking today the air is drenched with the heavy and heavenly drenching really perfume of wild roses--little white climbing into trees and up telephone poles in every neglected corner (lots of those in Lake Arrowhead!). They do not look like much, but the complexity, the many-layered nuances of scent they create--I gotta stop--I know this sounds idiotic, but they smell amazing..."Weisse aus Sparrieshoop" and barbed wire in the garden today; The first bloom of "Madame Caroline Testout"; slightly blurry "Souvenir de Madame Leonie Viennot" (too breezy for a clear picture but check it out! What color ISN'T in this rose?); "Buff Beauty"--an old friend; the gargoyle broods in a nest of Russian sage; The newly-planted garden bed: tomatoes and hot peppers to the left, herbs straight ahead, and beans (the enormous harp) and cucumers to the right.

Rediscovery: A velvet painting of Jimi turns up in the garage. 20 yrs old? 30 yrs. old? I tried, unsuccessfully, to strike up a conversation: "Nice shirt..."

We rode to our mutual hometown, Vienna to attend a Buffalo Soldier's bike show and cookout. Fred, the policeman at Drew's school was recently inducted into the club, which is a (mostly but not exclusively, from looking about yesterday) black motorcycle club with all kinds of roots, apparently--I never knew about it before.... Beautiful beautiful day. Ran into Pam Boyd, who was friends with my sister in HS. Long red findernails and hair to match. Helped two members from Delaware fix their bike by escorting them through the NoVa mess to HD dealership and Home Depot. Hard to say why riding around en plein aire on a motorcycle is so much fun--so much fun that even doing pretty much nothing gets transformed. Photos are of Fred and Drew and the beleaguered Delawarians and me and D.

Margar showed me how to post pictures. Steep learning curve has left me slightly light-headed but also mad w/power. So here are: the school where I teach; Drew playing charity gig at Sully's in Chantilly; Stan...had more but the mechanism kept vomiting them back up. Must curb megalomania...must learn to spell megalomania...
Still in the 40's at night, but the days seductively warm. Today I planted fennel, lovage, lavender, sorrel, borage and Thai basil. And garlic. I haven't grown fresh garlic since Pineaway house in Hastings back when Thom was a baby.

I loom over Kip and Sherri; Kip and Mark huddle in the kitchen at Nancy's birthday party. I spilled a bourban and soda on Nancy's venerable Dad--did not take a picture of him with damp pants. He's a cool old guy. In fact downright chilly after that bourban shower...

This is my experiment to see if I can get pictures to post--last night went to old friend Nancy marie's 51st birthday party. Too-sweet cocktails and great southern rednecky horsdouevres. Kip and Sherri and Mark and Anne there. Worth the long drive and longer walk thru condo purgatory. Pictures of party when i finish figuring this thing out.ictures

Christel