back from the north

Peonies were everywhere.  They don’t grow down here so I really enjoyed them.

We dragged in this morning, before noon.  Our flight out left at 6:40 EST, so we had to get up at 4 AM.  So I’ve been up since 4 AM and am feeling a little numb.  My plan was to take the day off today and start in on business tomorrow.  However, the art consultant I work with called while we were still in NY about mid-way through the workshop to say he had his presentation coming up and he needed my stuff by Wednesday afternoon...as in day after tomorrow.  Sheesh.  I’m not complaining though because we want the work, but gimme a break.  So I am making little sketches in between trying to catch up on my blog list, watering the yard which has suffered terribly while we were gone and taking a little nap.  My son and d-i-l are due over in a little while as well.  Not making much progress so far.

Dogwoods were in bloom.  These are a little different than the ones that grow in East Texas.

We had a great time, laughed a lot.  We flew into Rochester Friday the 12th about 5 PM to be greeted by our friend Charles.  He and Renee are friends from the river guide days.  We were on the same crew most trips.  They moved last year when Renee got an offer to teach she couldn’t refuse at a college up there.  They live in Pittsford Village, a small community of about 2,000 people, one of the suburbs of Rochester.  It is a beautiful historic place, right on the old Erie Canal. 

The oriental poppies were beautiful.

One of the things I really like about traveling to different parts of the country is seeing the different flora and fauna indigenous to the area.  Our friends have a really nice house on about a half an acre that backs up to the power line easement so they have a broad green space behind them.  And the flowers and trees are really different.  I always imagined that because New England was settled so long ago and so densely that it would be, well, not more urban, but definitely more settled, I guess.  I didn’t really expect it to be so country.  It was very beautiful.  We had nice sunny days for the weekend and the following Monday.  After that it began to rain and it rained most every day after that.  The temperatures were very cool at night and at times during the day as well.  I kept kidding everybody that this was winter where I came from.  A slight exaggeration but I certainly couldn’t wear any of my summer clothes.

A couple more pictures...

These mallards (?) showed up in our friends yard Saturday and stayed around for several hours.  Settled in and took a nap.

I love window boxes.

This deer was in the green space behind our friend’s house.