Lesson 371: Once in a Blue Moon

Once in a blue moon things work out as you plan them to.

I mean,

when you bring your husband to meet your boyfriend,

there's bound to be problems.

Not this time!

All is well at the Lamp Post.

It's been a busy couple of weeks for the Fab Five,

and the fun isn't over yet!

Yeehaw!

I carted my crew to Darien Lake, NY 

to spend a day at the park,

and the evening at the outdoor concert arena.

I was glad to see that Handsome still has my name tattooed on his arm.

It was a great show.

It was the first time my family had seen him perform.

He played lots of my old favorites.

Handsome sang them to me from the stage,

and my other Handsome sang them into my ear.

Perfect!

I had a few reservations about bringing my kids.

Sometimes country concerts can get a bit rowdy.

With Tim McGraw's aging fan base, 

this concert was tamer than those 

I've been to in the decade past.

I saw this little girl along the stage during Billy Currington's opening act.

Oh!

How cute!

See!

Eloise is not that bad of a parent!

However, the little brat stayed up too long past her bedtime,

as she stole my seat for the show!

That little %$#*!

 The day and night was a huge success.

We got to the park as it opened under a beautiful summer sky.

81 degrees 

and a breeze

made all things wonderful,

 including log rides,

(Natalie asked to go on this one!)

 (and Sam asked to ride it twice!)

 giant Ferris wheels,

(Erik went on this one!)

and of course,

roller coasters!

 You always plan for a day like the one I had,

but it truly is once in a blue moon that everything works.

Yesterday, 

it did,

and for that I am thankful.

I am also thankful to Cousin Bonnie, 

new Chicagoan,

who informed me that there is going to be a blue moon tonight,

for real!

Grandma is all for celebrating planetary events with alcohol,

so she bought us this!

Upon reading the case,

Eloise found that the bottles are part of a 20th anniversary series.

We have collected 10 of the 20 here at the Lamp Post.

And if you didn't catch my favorite design in the top photo,

here is the Eloise inspired label.

This is the one I will be having around my campfire tonight.

With a bear in the area,

a blue moon or two should help with the nerves.

Not too many, though,

or I won't be able to still the camera enough 

to capture shots like these.

Ellen was away at a camp this week,

and surprisingly,

Sam missed her most of all.

We got to pick her up in historic Gettysburg, PA.

The foggy early morning,

spent on the battlefield 

and a cemetery was a few hours I'll never forget.

51,000 casualties in 3 days.

July 1, 2, 3, 1863.

After the Confederate withdrawal,

the Union troops marched to Frederick, MD,

leaving the citizens of Gettysburg to 

care for survivors,

and identify and bury the dead.

 Please watch the photo video below of more of historic Gettysburg 

in the wee hours of a foggy, July morning.

It is set to a beautiful version of Battle Hymn of the Republic by She Daisy.

You owe it to those who fought and died to preserve this great country.

Enjoy your weekend,

and don't forget to catch the Blue Moon tonight.

We will not have another one until January 31, 2018.

Don't worry Erie--I know we'll be under a blanket of snow beneath a frozen sky.

There will be another one on March 31, 2018 as well!

LOVE,

Lesson 370: Beneath the Same Big Sky

Hey, Homeys!

Gnomey says 

Say cheeeese!

Gnomey,

a gift from Friend Leslie,

has found a new homey in my yard,

under the big, blue sky.

I captured this awesome cloud last weekend in our big, blue sky.

I knew it needed a quote,

but my creative juices were running on fumes.

I turned to facebook for some suggestions.

I received many,

but chose my favorite to include on this photo.

This one is headed for a dollar store frame soon,

with the perfect words to match the awesomeness of the sky.

I'll reveal on this blog which suggested verse I chose,

and the winner will be receiving a prize in the mail.

Speaking of mail.....

Friends and family should watch their mailboxes for a pastel envelope from Natalie.

She is sending out her Beast on the Bay sponsor t-shirt forms on Monday.
She's worked on them herself, 

stuffing every envelope,

signing every letter,

so it's taking some time.

Please be patient.

Anyone who inquired about a People T-shirt will receive one,

as well as other people near and dear to Natalie's heart.

I'll be taking t-shirt orders through August 15th.

Send word to the Lamp Post if you would like one.

We spent last Saturday beneath the big sky

in Saegertown, PA.

We went to our first Tractor Pull.

What an interesting event it was!

An amateur photographers dream!

It's only at a tractor pull you can find interesting exhibits such as this one.

Aside from watching friends' tractors

 attempt to pull the Draggin' Wagon the farthest,

I also watched a sawmill in operation

making shingles

free for the taking.

Very cool.

The skies over Lake Erie have been beautiful this week.

These shots thanks to my hubby and his GIANT iPhone 6+!

This one, 

compliments Sunset Peggy.

I listened to my nephew's band,

The Rust Belt Ramblers

beneath the setting sun on Thursday night.

Catch them if you are a local.

Great tunes.

A setting sun provides a nice backdrop for

a backyard family movie night.

Ellen Louise,

my artistic child,

prefers to paint beneath the great big sky.

Sorry Cocktails & Color,

she did this one on her own.

Evenings have been spent in the open air,

hot with the smell of Kettle Corn

and loud with the sound of screams of thrill riders.

Family has returned to bring their children to the same fun they had in their youth.

My attempt at my fourth consecutive Erie Half Marathon

was foiled by my own poor memory.

I could have sworn that I registered for that race!

Kenyan wasn't too happy with me.

I thought I'd simply forgotten which US President I signed up under.

After she went through pages of 1800 entries,

Kenyan was a little ornery.

(I'm the blue, calm, concise texter)

((Kenyan is the wordy one who likes to use mega exclamation points and emojis))

I wound up running the loop on Monday with Friend Leanne.

I had my best time ever and it was easy-peasy for me without the crowd,

parking issues,

and early rising just to do it.

Even though I know I won't come close to winning my age group until I'm in my 80's

(and set a trip wire and snares to mess up Heather Cass),

I still register for a few races a year to support Erie events,

and the general health and wellness of my community.

I've collected lots of medals and such over the past four years.

I hang them in my garage, 

so I can see them every day when I enter my house.

If you run 13.1 miles,

it is nice to get a medal and a t-shirt.

Usually,

Eloise does the Erie half in July,

Barber Beast on the Bay in September,

The Her Times 5K in October,

and whatever my sister Kenyan organizes in the spring.

That's plenty to keep me motivated,

and just enough challenge for my sore, tired feet.

I got this great shot of the moon this week,

and as I was taking it,

I thought of all the people looking up from Earth at the very same moon.

So many people,

so many stories.

The best story I've read is this woman's.

Her name is Immaculee Ilibagiza.

She is my age and survived the Rwandan genocide of 1994.

One million Rwandans were killed in 91 days 

the very year I was busying myself with my wedding plans.

It is your duty as a member of the Human Nation,

to read her account of survival.

She was hidden away for 91 days in a bathroom with seven other women.

If you don't read,

at least google her name and read the short version of her story.

You can also find her website and watch several news interviews that summarized her account.

Since my finishing of the book this week,

there hasn't been a three hour period I haven't thought about Immaculee.

I found a way to contact her, 

and am composing a letter to her in my mind.

I hope I have the guts enough to send it.

It is a humbling experience to read her account of pure evil.

It is hard for me to believe that Immaculee and I were living beneath the same big sky,

praying to the same big God.

I'll be out in the open air next week,

enjoying my favorite of all artists, Tim McGraw.

This year, I'm taking hubby, my kids, my sister, and some friends to see my boyfriend.

This should be an interesting trip.

Check in next week to find out how it all went down.

Peace to you and yours this weekend.

See you next week!

ELOISE