Semi-local peaches, good family time and commemorative

- These peaches from Pearson farm in Fort Valley, Georgia were delectable.  And what makes this such a good thing?  I was able to buy them at the Thursday afternoon farmers' market held in my little suburb of Atlanta.  Click on the red link - they'll ship them to you, if you want.

- Peaches and blueberries on top of plain yogurt and granola.  So good.  Peaches just say "summer" to me.  My family used to drive to Fort Valley, Georgia, from our home in Milledgeville, Georgia, to pick peaches when I was growing up.  The orchards would allow you to pick them yourselves.  We had so much fun doing that and always brought at least a bushel home. 

- Georgia is known as the "peach state."  I've always loved this poster, hanging in my home office.  I worked as a volunteer on the floor of the Democratic Convention, when it was held in Atlanta in 1988.  When I was leaving on the final night, someone handed me a rolled up poster at the exit, which I didn't look at until I got home.  Here's what the text on the lower left says,

"Your participation in the 1988 Democratic National Convention Recycling Project made possible this commemorative poster.  
     The poster is printed on recycled paper produced from waste paper collected during convention week in Atlanta July 18-21.  Several tons of waste paper were collected each day of the convention and recycled to illustrate the valuable role recycling plays in transforming waste materials into usable products.

______________________________

This recycling project was sponsored by Recycle America, a Waste Management, Inc., Company, in conjunction with Georgia Clean and Beautiful, the Georgia Conservancy, and the Georgia Chapter of the Sierra Club."

I did remember all of the big recycling bins around.  I was delighted with this poster and had it framed.  As someone who now works for a commercial printer, I can't imagine how they pulled this off in time to hand them out at the close of the convention, but anything's possible, I guess.  They must have pulled an all-nighter!

Have a lovely weekend, friends!

New admirers, curiosity and time to go

- Friend Janice's dog Chili on a walk with the gals on Saturday morning at Mountain Park Park.  He is still a puppy and in obedience training, so he went with us to practice.  Here - he encountered some new admirers - friends also walking at the park.

- And here he is asking, "What are you doing???"  Oh please - like you haven't had cameras on you before.

- And here, he is signaling his intent to move on, but being very polite about it.  The adults could have chatted all day. 

Rolling clouds, moon with three names and captivated

- The skyline of midtown Atlanta up ahead during my morning commute this week.  And look at that beautiful sky!  Don't worry - we were all stopped.  Really stopped.

 - The Buck Moon that happened Tuesday night.  So called because bucks begin to grow new antlers at this time.  It's also known as the Thunder Moon, because of the frequent thunderstorms in July.  And it is also known as the Capricorn Moon.

- And more sitting in traffic.  On Thursday morning, I was captivated by this commuter pup - on an early morning trip with its person.

Here's something else to be captivated by:  the weekend!  I hope yours is lovely.

Red gold, gift and so good

- It's "home-grown" tomato season in the south.  Look at that beauty - friend Rick had his trunk open after church on Sunday, asking if anyone wanted any tomatoes.  Of course!  Between he and friend Bren at work, I've had some every day for a week. 

- Here it is, sliced up for lunch, for a sandwich.  What a gift to have these in my kitchen.  I like to make Caprese Salad with them, too, using basil from my potted garden.

- Here is the sandwich from lunch yesterday (I've had this for lunch every day for a week.)  So good!  I never get tired of this, while home-grown tomatoes are in season.  It is tradition in the south to make a tomato sandwich with white bread, mayo and salt.  I like Duke's mayonnaise, but do use fresh, whole wheat bread for myself.

Read this ode to the tomato, if you have time, titled, "One Tomato, Two Tomato" by Virginia Willis.  Click on the red link.  She calls the tomato sandwich "cheap and cheerful."  A perfect description.

Inside guest, Dorothy's basket and Echoes of France

- When I was watering the outdoor plants this morning, I accidentally knocked off these lovely blooms from the Dragon Wing Begonia.  The leaves are still damp from the morning drink.  I have these pretty pottery bud vases, that usually go unused, and hope the blossoms last a little while in this one.

- Lots going on in this photo - the basket was found at an antiques shop in the North Carolina mountains.  It's called a "Jeremiah Basket" (it still has a tag on it, brown with age) and was made by a woman named Dorothy Sprinkle.  I love Dorothy's basket.

- I've had those four paperback books (lying horizontally), since I was a teenager.  Treasures I decided to keep.  And my friend Karin Slaughter has the rest of that shelf dedicated to her books. 

My friend Meda, who lives in the UK, had just posted the following YouTube video of La Marseillaise (the French National Anthem) - subtitled Echoes of France - in honor of Bastille Day, on facebook, just before we heard of the latest attack last night in Nice.  I am heartsick.  So I share this video in a sort of tribute to the people of Nice.  It features Django Reinhardt, Stéphane Grappelli & Le Quintette du Hot Club de France (1946).

Rainbow, summer growth and late bloomer

- One evening last week, after a long, wearying day, neighbor Rhonda knocked on my door and said I need to come see the rainbow.  I'm so glad she did, or I would have missed it. 

- My potted plants leading to the front door are in mid-summer growth now, quite a difference between now and when this photo was taken in early May.  (Actually - it's not mid-summer yet, it just seems as if it is.  My coworker and I were laughing about a clothing catalog with the title "Late Summer Sale!"  Wouldn't that be more like mid-September??? )

- And I love that the Crape Myrtle trees bloom when they do - after so many other blooms begin to fade away.

Catching a few notes, the bend of the river and finally finished

- Thanks to the US Founding Fathers, I got a long weekend, so headed to my sister's Nantahala mountain retreat for a few days.  There is no internet service in that spot, so I have to come into town to email, etc. from my phone.  I love that they display the flag on the gazebo, where bands play every Friday night.  When I was passing by on my way in last Friday, I rolled my window down and caught a few notes of the bluegrass music the band was playing.

- My favorite nonagenarian farmer, Mr. Martin, was busy all day Saturday and on Monday working his crops.  He is a slight man, who always wears an ironed, long-sleeved shirt and a large, white cowboy hat when he is working.  He has always had that farm across the river and it never ceases to amaze me that he has so much energy to keep on doing it.  

- Back in Atlanta this morning, I noted the mural on the building across the street from my workplace is finally finished.  The window company has moved out of the building, so we are looking forward to seeing who our new neighbors, who commissioned this artwork, will be.

Special gift, still a puppy and beauty at home

- Receiving this photo in a text message from niece Amanda, who lives in Madison, Florida, "This huge dragonfly was on our porch tonight, and Kloie saw it before anyone else & yelled, "Miss Amanda!  Please take a picture of this dragonfly & send it to Aunt Lynn!!!!"  Kloie is six-years-old and Amanda's future step-daughter (she and Kloie's dad, Travis, will be married next March.)  I am delighted to call her my Great Niece already.  She is already beloved to all of us.

I've always loved dragonflies.  And then yesterday morning, feeling unmotivated to get to work, I was sitting at a traffic light five minutes away - and three dragonflies swirled and soared around my car and then flew north.

- This photo, also from a text, taken by my older sister on a visit with niece Carla in Ankara, Turkey of  the family's not-quite-well-behaved dog Eva.  Our younger sister texted, "Is that dog standing on the table?"  :)

- And at home, neighbor Rhonda's bountiful flowers.  She and I conspire on planting every spring, but her flowers are always the most beautiful.

I love early morning watering.  The birds around the condos are fully awake at 6am and provide a glorious symphony of singing to each other.  I love their calls and answers.  

Have a lovely weekend everyone!