Day one Budapest

Austrian Air did a great job of getting us to Budapest by way of Vienna. Flew overnight, however, which means we missed out on some needed sound sleep. Watched movies and dozed but also means we were at our hotel by 11am and had the rest of the day to check things out.  Out hotel is very nicely located, certainly not fancy--thats all I will say about that. We are wonderfully located in heart of city and easily walk to see much.  We decided to do a hop-on-hop-off city tour to get the overview of this amazing renaissance city, except we never got off, rode the two hours around to decide what we want to really go back and see.  Back to hotel when we started to fade late afternoon.  A nice hungarian dinner and a walk to St Stephens Bassilica and Parliment on the river revived us for the evening. 

St Stephans Cathedral.

Hungarian Parliment building.

A moving memorial along the Danube River, a bunch of bronze shoes commemorating a massacre that happened here in 1945 when people were executed and bodies left in river during WWII.

 View of the Danube, and Budapest from top of Citadel hill.  It was perfect weather as you can see.

Now the only problem is that Judy Massey was joining us, we were to meet in airport in Budapest and the three of us would be traveling together for next month. Judy got sick with what sounds like a viral infection and had to cancel at the last minute. Hopefully she will catch up with us before the week is out. Her doctor will release her to fly at her next appointment on Thursday as long as she continues to get better. I cant believe we left without her, but what else to do. Keeping those fingers crossed that she is healing.

Next adventure

Been a long day waiting for an afternoon flight but we are finally boarding.

Destination BUDAPEST!!
Austrian Air from Newark. First stop Vienna for 2 hr layover.

Children's Museum

Took Lia and Aeri to the Children's Science Museum in Jersey City. So fun for us all. Something for everyone and the girls had a ball.

Reading on the deck with Mom

With help with from Aeri.

Hi from New Jersey.

Loving up those grand girls!aching dresses from Grandma.

Morning walk

All the Saguaro cactus are at thier peek behind our house. Plus the last of 7 blooms opened this morning on my Trichocirrius. Never get over the startling surprise. Then when I returned home after a morning walk in the desert I found Mom and Dad Gamble Quail with 14 babies cleaning up under my feeder!!!

New door

Got a new security screen door on the front of the house.  Looks really nice. We have been meaning to do this for years but finally went and did it.

See how nicely it matches Will's glass window.

50th Anniversary. . .of a sort

Today is the official Mothers Day.  It is also my Mom' birthday.  She would have been 95 this year.  It is also the day that Will and I met 50 years ago. Was easy enough to remember because I always tied it to Moms birthday. And 18 months later we got married!

  I also heard today that May 8th, 1966, Martin Luther King gave a historic speach encouraging his constituants to vote.  Said all these people stood in the rain to hear him.

   Well it was raining in Chicago also, I remember that because we were going to the car races and they were cancelled.  I wasn't paying any attention to social justice in those days, I was pretty enamored with Will.  He still turns my head!!

Mothers Day, early

Decided to take a day away to celebrate Mothers Day today instead of tomorrow. Went to Agua Caliente Park for some early morning birding. Its across town so had not been there in several years and forgot how nice it is. Was an old historic ranch and travel stop because of the hot springs and perpetual water there.  Still an oasis in the desert although the water doesnt flow as much as it once did.  Still doesn't look like Arizona but it is for real

Then onto Tanque Verde Ranch for a wonderful buffet lunch. Its a popular dude ranch/resort that is nestled in foothills.  We just walked all the grounds, enjoyed the corals, and then foolishly ate way too much.

On way home we stopped at a cactus nursery and oogled over the seemingly endless varieties of cactus and succulents.  I found a couple that will add to my own collection.

This cactus was blooming at the ranch.

Mother and Daughter

Weekend in Bloomington

Lovely time in Bloomington Indiana with Stephanie for a long weekend. Rained a lot but sure is green here, all spring perennials in bloom. Little drive thru IU campus. This is main gate and building is where Stephanie will be moving her office to. Nice location. The New Film School is up and running and has been for a while and now this summer all offices will be concentrated in this grand building.

Those showers bring lots of flowers in Steph's yard.

She has two of these lovely light fixtures on her porch, and every year they are commandered by house finches doing what they do in the spring.  They do make a mess, but who is going to deny them a place to raise thier families.  We just have to remember not to turn the light on or it will be the end of them!  They sing so right out side the windows.  Such attentive parents.

A walk in the woods once it stopped raining.

A yummy quiche for lunch.

Back to that walk in the woods. . .dogwood in bloom.