Serendipity

Coming from New York, where the speed limit is set at 65 mph on the highways, imagine my (pleasant) surprise upon seeing that I could make better time (though only by a few minutes over-all) heading for Wisconsin!  I had to snap a picture of it...just because it was something new to me!  LOL  "Chicago" 168 miles.  Seeing this sign brought a kind of apprehension because I knew this city was another big one.  Being a country girl and never having visited anything bigger than Rochester or Syracuse, NY...I worried that I might get my directions wrong and get totally lost in a strange city.  My fears were unfounded...I made it through without any problems!!! All I can say about seeing the skyscrapers buried in the clouds is...wow!  Little town gal sees a big city (in daylight...I went through Cleveland and Ann Arbor in a blur)...was amazing!   Another thing that was astounding was the amount of traffic that I was in.  I am sooo not used...

Water tower in Holly, MI It's always interesting to visit quaint little towns that are off the beaten track, and my friends, Laura and her mom, Cynthia took me to such a delightful little town called Holly, MI. Cynthia wrote about our little adventure and the township, adding to it some of the fun facts we learned in the process.  Holly boasts a haunted hotel and numerous antique shops ... more than I have ever seen in a small area! Wow!  I've always found it fascinating to wander through shops...the stories behind the articles, we can only imagine ! What follows is my photo story of the places we seen, the shops we walked through, and some interesting items of note.  Enjoy! Haunted Holly hotel front of the hotel   one of many antique shops main street Holly Candle Shoppe a restaurant Another antique store Clock in town center Another water tower Mural of times past

I have to apologize to everyone for taking so long to get back to my blog and my journey to Wisconsin.  As life so often does, it can become quite busy...and I won't deny that I am truly enjoying the peace and quiet here! I left New York State on the 6th of September driving a nearly new yellow Penske 10' moving van, and made my way toward Highland, Michigan, where I would stay 2 days with a dear friend.  The day was a perfect one for driving...not too hot and not raining...all was good! My co-pilots were two 3-month old kittens...Smokey and Lily.  They were all snug in a carrier...and did very well...to my amazement!  During the entire trip to Michigan, not once did they toilet in the carrier...but let me tell you that the minute I fixed up their litter box...they were in it in a flash!  I was so proud of them! The only times that I stopped were to refuel, grab a snack to eat and make sure the kittens were okay...as I put their food and water dish in wit...

Many years ago, when I was a beginning school bus driver, all of the drivers and bus monitors had to go to a required state training that took place up in Sodus, NY in order to licensed.  (The irony here was that we rode with others from different school districts on a school bus !) The day was bright and sunny but still cool enough that we had to wear either sweaters or jackets, as most of the training took place out doors.  There was a bit of a breeze but as the day progressed, I was able to take off the lacy white sweater that I had wore.  For a while, I carried the sweater draped over my arm, but after a bit it seemed tedious to have to carry that way, so I decided to throw it over the top of my purse and carry it that way.  (I didn't want to take it back to the bus as it was clear across the compound...and to do so would have also taken me away from the training sessions.) It ended up being a pretty long day and when we were getting ready to board the buse...