Thursday, February 21, 2013

friday's diversion...


I'm packing away the China pictures for another day...and will share about things closer to home.

We arrived home last weekend...


...and the majestic eagles were sitting on their usual perch and waiting. :)


We hadn't seen any green grass since we left home...everything in China was brown!  White swans on green grass was a welcoming sight as well.  (We always prefer if they sit on the neighbour's green grass though!)

On my front porch was a gift awaiting our return.  I knew immediately who would have left it there.


Only Marnie decorates cookies so beautifully!  She had no idea we were away and the gift had been left on Valentine's Day.  How nice to have such great neighbours.

It's been a good...and busy week.  The kids and grands all came for lunch on Sunday.


In China...each child gets a red envelope containing cash to conclude the Chinese New Year festivities.  We gave the grands each an envelope like that...with some Chinese currency inside.  It will be play money for them.

On Tuesday my friend Ellen drove up from Seattle with her daughter, Katie...


...and some of us had lunch with her at a comfortable bistro here in town.  Though I had never met Katie before...it seemed to me like I knew her. Funny how that is.  A good time...we had!

The sun was shining brightly and so as not to waste it...Marg and I played tennis after lunch.  On the way home...I just had to stop and take a picture of this lovely old farm. 


Snow-capped peaks against a clear blue sky...and green pastures and lawns are not to be taken for granted in February. We never saw clear skies in China...as it is hard for the sun to break through the pollution over there.

It's good to be home.  Next week...I'll finish up my 'tour of China'.

Have a wonderful weekend...

16 comments:

  1. So great to sit around the table with you and the the other girls. One of the gals in my study was talking about that Chinese tradition of giving money to single people in the family and extended family.
    Have a great weekend.

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  2. Wow Judy, the picture of the farm looks like it should be in a magazine or on a postcard. It is beautiful!

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  3. Oh my! That farm is amazing. It really should be on the cover of a magazine!! Do you mind if I pin? Too late, but I can remove it. One of those easier to ask for forgiveness later kind of things...

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  4. How sweet those little red envelopes were, I bet they thought that money was pretty cool.
    I love more than anything seeing the beautiful scenery you call home.

    Hugs!

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  5. I can't imagine not being able to see clear blue skies. That's a lot of pollution, all the time.
    Your barn shot really is striking, so clear against the mountains and sky. What a beautiful part of the world we live in!

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  6. What a lovely greeting awaiting for your return - eagles, swans, eggs and cookies. I love the photo of the farm with the mountain. Enjoy your weekend.

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  7. Bautiful pictures. I can't believe that swans are hanging out in the cold North. I thought they were more 'fair weather friends'.
    We had an exchange student from Korea who was shocked at the blue sky here. He had never seen blue sky! He kind of freaked one day while we were driving and he saw a jet stream in the sky. He had never seen that white streak across the blue and feared the worst.

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  8. That picture of the barn is gorgeous!!

    What lovely welcome home for you - those cookies look beautiful and I bet they tasted good too!

    No green grass in the East! White snow instead :)

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  9. Judy you do have such a lovely life both in setting and population. Thanks for sharing glimpses of your world; I am tempted to call it your enchanted world!

    And Katie is delightful isn't she?!?

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  10. I also enjoy peeking into your life each week. I am so happy I know you and your glimpses into the area you live!
    The pictures are so lovely as usual!

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  11. Looks like you are having wonderful Feb weather. Beautiful pictures! Love the red barn!

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  12. There is no place like home! Familiarity that indcludes family, friends and farmlands!

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  14. It sounds like you had a busy, but fun week, Judy. I love your photo of the red barn with those magnificent mountains behind it. It is amazing how your valley is so flat and then the mountains rise up so dramatically. here, the foothills hide the Rockies peaks from view, unless we drive quite a distance east.

    I heard that China's skies are very polluted -- their smog does not help our planet, and affects us all, that is for sure!

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  15. I like your favorites for the week. It sure is nice to be home again isn't it? It's fun to travel...but there's nothing like coming home. The red barn is a keeper.

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  16. Home is always best! I like each of these pictures , but the one of you and those around the table is my favorite. The warm, happy smiles blessed my day, and I like how you stated that, "even though you had never met her, you felt like you knew her." The eggs and hearts were a special treat, and the love that was included with the gift:)

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'The ornament of a house is the friends who frequent it.'
~ Ralph Waldo Emerson