Annapolis, Baltimore, Family, Amish Country, FUN!

"It takes a long time to become young." Pablo Picasso



First stop ~ Annapolis, Maryland to meet up with my family and treat a special birthday boy to a special birth day.






My Uncle Jack being his silly self and wearing my glasses.

This touched me ~ my brother James (fresh from Bagdad) is helping my Grama walk to the car.

Baltimore, Maryland ~ Inner Harbor
And here is the birthday boy Frank (otherwise known as Pop,Dad and Pop's ) taking the wheel of this beautiful sailboat. A 2 hour cruise in the Baltimore Harbor was my brother and my gift to him.

You can smell a scent of carmel corn in the air from time to time ~ it was really Domino Sugar factory making the brown sugar!

He makes 70 look really good ~ doesn't he?!?

The clouds did not interfere in this special day!

Time for a 70th Birthday Dinner!

Aunt Bonnie, Grama, Frank, James, Mom, Uncle Jack, and me ~ so happy to be together!

Saturday September 13th 2008 Family Reunion, Chestertown, Maryland.

They surprised those of us turning a decade this year with a cake!

My cousin Millard is a master woodworking craftsman. He had a shop along Fells Point in Baltimore for most of his career. He created this plaque to record the names of our loved ones that have passed away since we started having the reunions 21 years ago. In this picture he is adding the name of my 41 year old cousin Kris who was promoted to Glory this past summer.

We released a balloon for each one of our loved ones that has passed away. As you can imagine ~ there wasn't a dry eye.

Sunday Afternoon,
Baltimore Harbor

After saying good-bye to my family I started off on an adventure all my own.

My birthplace ~ Johns Hopkins ~is after all just down the road.
It just felt right to get to know my city again.

I bought a $9.00 ticket on the water taxi which is good for endless rides around the Harbor ALL day!

I found a treasure across the street from the Harbor ~ The American Visionary Art Museum!!!

Located RIGHT HERE to be exact.

This is the side of the building ~ mind blowing glass mosaic!

How about a glass covered bus with cute little critters dancing on the top!

This angel hangs from the ceiling ~ no photos were allowed inside of the gallery rooms :(

This is what you see when you look down the stairs from the third floor!

This is what you see when you look UP!

The outdoor garden...

Spitting is okay in this garden...

A GIANT bird nest...

Sculptures come alive...

The trees have bark of glass....

and flowers of sparkly prisms. ..

And no one steals the artwork that grows on the trees.

What a wondrous place!

Back on the Harbor I pay a visit to the largest Barnes and Noble I have ever seen! I bought some wonderful books on Baltimore history that I will read in my hotel tonight.

A nice lobster dinner before I head to Amish Country in Pa. for the night. As I left Baltimore ~ I tryed to get a photo as I was driving of the row houses ~ so much a part of life there. If you look closley ~ you can see a few to the left.

Sunday night I arrive at my beautiful room in Intercourse, Pa. This is what greeted me as I walked in the door.The rooms are located over a quilt shop! They leave the key for you in a desk in the hallway.

This is the loveliest room I have EVER stayed in.

Notice you can see right into the shop. They used glass doors and everything is lit up so beautifully inside!

Isn't my room beautiful! Handmade Amish quilts cover the bed and wall behind the sofa.

I was greeted with two stainless steel mugs and a lovely gift basket to bring home.

The water in the fridge ~ free!

A warm cozy chair and inviting bathroom ~ spotless ~ what you can't feel in the photo is the love that surrounds every special touch.

I fell asleep to the click clock, click clock of the Amish horse drawn carts going by : )

Monday Morning ~ Intercourse, Pa.

I opened all 5 shades that covered the windows so I would wake to the sunrise. I called my son who was driving to work in Conn. and we enjoyed the sunrise together!

My room was right above the Quilt sign.

I was sitting on a bench facing this breathtaking corn field. It was 7:30 am so I crazy quilted until the breakfast shop opened. This was at the end of the parking lot behind my room!

Yummy breakfast ~ included with the room.

The wonderful Quilt Museum located across the street. Feast Your Eyes!

I wish I had had some treats to feed the Koui fish ~ they came right to me!

Yummy fudge shop ~ YUM!

OKAY ~ this display GOT me! I walked in "just to look" and walked out with a quilt. The dear meninite lady knew what she was doing when she hung my two top choices on her clothes line. It was a wedding ring quilt so I told my husband it was his anniversary gift!

On my way home from Pa. ~ I found this wonderful candy shop and bakery. That happens to be a clock made entirely of chocolate! http://www.premisemaid.com/

YUM! Pumpkin Ice Cream! Isn't the building amazing!

My last look at the breathtaking Pa. cornfields. I came across this fancy lady at my last stop of my adventure ~ dinner in Milford, Pa in the Pocannos.

I enjoyed a nice meal of salmon and greens and then headed 1 1/2 hours to home sweet home.

Just 30 minutes from home ~ I was in a 45 minute long traffic jam.

This trip was one of the nicest ever! I am far away from all of my family so these special moments with them are tresured jewels. Being with them ignites the child in me.

As I enjoyed my time alone in Baltimore and Amish Country ~ I felt like a kid who knew how to drive!

I let my heart tell me where to go, I laughed out loud as I hung my head outside the window in Pa. and watched the sun rise.

I sat crossed legged in front of a corn field and played with my thread and fabric.

I took backroads home and stopped whenever I wanted to.

Let me encourage you to take adventures all alone.

The adult inside of you will set up the rules and then the child in you will feel safe to come out and play.

"Fairies, come take me out of this dull world,

For I would ride with you upon the wind,

Run on top of the dishevelled tide,

And dance upon the mountains like a flame." William Yates

"Look and you will find it ~ what is unsought will go undetected." Sophocles