About a year after The Engineer retired . . .
The Artist: I need weekends again.
I need something to look forward to.
I need surprise.
The Engineer: Something to look forward to and surprise are two different things.
We’re still working that out.
Today we had both: something to look forward to and surprise.
How?
On the spur of the moment, we decided to go on a treasure hunt
in search of a birthday present for Our Boy.
So while The Engineer put his shoes on, drank his green tea, took his tablets, let the dog out, used the bathroom, locked the doors, fetched his wallet and the keys, donned his watch, looked for then found his glasses, started the truck, stopped the truck to go back inside and look for his phone, come back and start the truck again,
I got to look forward to the outing
And I tell you what: the entire day was filled with one surprise after another.
There was a seasoned house
A storied house.
An abandoned house.
I have abandonment issues
which is to say that I adore abandoned houses.
I really, really do.
(Note that The Engineer stopped for me to snap photos.
He’s considerate and accommodating and supportive like that.)
There was a barn
with a rusting vintage Ford pickup truck.
I have rust issues, too.
And vintage vehicle issues.
Yep, I love rust and vintage cars and trucks.
A lot.
We saw corn
as high as an elephant’s eye
which annoyed The Engineer
because my beautiful crows
ate every corn seed he planted this year.
Every single one.
We saw generosity
with a cute-as-a-button hand painted sign.
We saw plenty of beautiful mountains
and plenty of beautiful clouds
but no rain, thank goodness.
We saw evidence of nature’s reclamation,
one of my favorite themes ever.
We saw hearts
And one heart impaled on a shadow.
Think about that story for a minute.
I thought this would make a fine stroller for The Engineer.
I offered to tie his feet onto the rails with colorful ribbons
Then attach a rope for me to use as I pulled him around.
The Engineer was not all that amused.
I was smitten with this bride doll.
And for reasons I can’t explain
wedding photos hold my imagination captive.
The Artist, showing The Engineer this photo: Who does this remind you of?
In a rare display of unanimity, The Engineer said “Amy.”
(She’s our niece.)
He got that one right
cause I thought so, too
even though, if the inscription is to be believed,
this is a photo of Joan
taken in 1938
for her Grandpa.
We came upon a Revolving Tree Stand
that rotates via a foot control.
Wonder if fitbit would give me step credit?
It brought back memories of
aluminum Christmas trees
and hand cranked homemade ice cream makers.
Okay, I staged this shot
because I thought it made a nice grouping.
Flashcards + Blockheads.
Get it?
I swooned at the sight of
this yummy door hardware
and I meant to ask about the price before we left
because I have something I want to do with these things,
but alas, I forgot.
Shoot.
We watched a bee eat his lunch
and spent a few minutes admiring this quilt.
Oh, how I wish I had floor space for this.
Why?
Because it would help me with my new plan:
One Thing At A Time.
The Artist: What is she holding?
The Engineer: Moonshine.
I thought these would come in mighty hands
when beckoning The Engineer in from his bees and the garden.
The Artist: I want one. Need a sleeping porch first, though.
The Engineer: You’d break your leg the first time you tried to get out of it.
The Artist: No I wouldn’t ’cause
I wouldn’t be able to sleep at all for fear of rolling over and falling out.
The Engineer: Still want one?
The Artist: Yes. And I still need a sleeping porch first.
This is The Daily Dahlia I posted over on Facebook.
It’s from our garden.
Today was Someday.
~~~~~~~
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Pull up a chair why don't you, and let's talk . . .