Friday, May 16, 2014

Beauty in a quiet walk

Wheat and sky
It was a rainy few days in Southern Indiana, and I decided to head out into the cool evening for a walk after dinner.  And I was amazed at the beauty I found in a quiet walk. Fortunately I had my iPhone at the ready, and I think the pictures captured the moment


Red barns

Majestic clouds

Creek was raging one day ago after 2 inches of rain

My grandparent's home 

Simple iris

Round

Yucca

My shadow in wheat
Hope you are having a great week!
Diane

Tuesday, May 13, 2014

May in Indy

May in Indy is bustling with activity.

Diane & Mike with the band



First, we celebrated Cinco de Mayo with friends.  There was great food, a mariachi band and a few drinks along the way...






Kathy dancing with the band

















selfie...









And of course, RACING!  We attended the first ever Grand Prix of Indianapolis last weekend.

 It was very cool to attend this new racing event at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and along with 50,000 other fans we enjoyed a beautiful, sunny day and some great racing!








Entering the first turn


And it's a bit different from an Indy 500 race.  First the course itself is different, combining the oval track and a track cut into the "infield".  Also the cars race in a clockwise direction, and we had a great view of them heading into the first turn.








The tower and the stands


Racing underway



Busy at work...

Mike is spending every spare moment grading papers these days as the Spring quarter draws to a close.










Irises (transplanted from Iowa)





And I'm planting, planting, planting.

Ok, here goes my first of many summer pictures of flowers.  I know it's what you've come to expect of me, and I don't want to disappoint...

Wave petunias in a re-purposed patio chair 
Front porch
Petunias on the deck


Finally it feels like Spring has arrived.  I hope you are enjoying it, wherever you are!

Diane




Monday, May 5, 2014

Taking a vacation from retirement

Daffodils in snow the week we left for vacation
I know, I know...it doesn't seem like you would need a vacation if you are retired.  What can I say?  It was a very long winter!
















Sometimes you don't know you need a break from chores and schedules until you get away.  And gain a different perspective.  And relax.  And that's just what we did...

We headed to Mexico for a week of sunshine, warm weather and the ocean.  And oh yes, food and drink.
Miles of walkways at the resort



The resort was absolutely beautiful, set in the jungle with beautiful palm trees, coconut trees and wildlife.  The lodging was spread throughout the jungle, and we walked miles each day between restaurants, our room, the pool and the ocean.










Courtyard where we listened to live music at night


In front of one of the many water features


One of many...

Coati (usually they were traveling in packs in the woods). Kind of scary





We enjoyed fantastic food at all the restaurants including French, Indonesian, Japanese and Mexican.  It was some of the best food I've ever eaten!

 And I was a bit more adventurous this time, eating French, Indonesian and Japanese for the first time. And loving it!





Pool outside our room



We had a beautiful pool outside our room that stretched in front of several buildings.  We also enjoyed a much larger pool where we floated for hours and enjoyed drinks at one of the two swim up bars.

Mike under aquaduct waterfall

































The white sand beach was pristine, and we kicked off our shoes and walked and walked.


We enjoyed a snorkeling trip on a large catamaran.  Well, Mike enjoyed snorkeling, and I enjoyed laying on the boat and watching the water.  I've tried snorkeling before, but  I prefer to stay away from fish and other ocean creatures.  And generally my philosophy is that if we were supposed to swim in the ocean we would have gills.  Usually Mike tries to convince me to snorkel, but truth be known, he probably had more fun without me as a nervous Nellie beside him.

A caption defies me ...



About half way through the week Mike finally relaxed and quit worrying about all the stuff he wasn't getting done at home.  And as he proudly said at the end of the trip, "I didn't fix anything on this vacation".  And that's definitely relaxation for him...
Enjoying the cigar bar





We've been home a week now, and we are as crazy busy as ever.  But I can still see that beautiful beach in my mind, and I smile...


Diane