our journey, part three: cleveland~stowe

from cleveland we headed north to buffalo, new york to visit my amazing grandmother, dommie, a.k.a gigi. she is the most incredible 93-year old woman i have ever known!

we stayed with her in her "retirement community" apartment. while we were there, we took a trip up to niagara falls. have you ever been? they are quite incredible.

the river just above the falls is a raging torrent.

despite the huge crowds, the power and the majesty of the falls was almost overwhelming.

according to dommie, they are much more beautiful from the canadian side, but we did not have our passports. i was quite impressed with the american side.

dommie wanted to take the girls to the park that she used to take me to when i was little. it was very sweet.

i used to spend a week with dommie every summer; i would actually fly there on the plane by myself. right around the corner from her house, was an honest-to-goodness castle. (you know it, right, cinder?) it was so alluring and mysterious. traci and i, and sometimes the cousins, would sneak past the "no trespassing" signs to go to the gate and peer in. we so badly wanted to go in.

dommie insisted that we drive past the "no trespassing" signs so that i could show the girls. i was climbing out of the car to get a quick picture through the gate when i saw a woman walking out. i was about to jump back in the car and make a quick escape. dommie said, "go introduce yourself; tell her you are my grand-daughter." so i did. she told me her name was "silly milly" and invited me in to look around!

she even offered to take us on a tour through the inside, something i always dreamed of as a small girl, but i was afraid to take the girls inside; i imagined priceless heirlooms crashing to the floor. and maybe a small part of me really wanted the mystery to remain.

we did walk around the grounds though and it was magnificent!

did i ever tell you that junebug loves salad?

from buffalo, we headed to stowe, vermont to visit my dear aunt kandy. she has the most beautiful home! it is so comfortable and cozy and there are wonderful antiques everywhere you look. she treated us like royalty, and cooked us the most delicious meals.

fresh flowers from the garden all throughout the house

and, joy of joys, she offered to take the girls for the day so glenn and i could have a date! we went for a beautiful hike and then to a local brewery.

the woods were deep and thick and almost dark.

i couldn't help but perceive my surroundings in contrast to my southwestern home. everything was so lush and green and WET.

words like fecund, fertile, prolific come to mind in this beautiful old forest

it was so refreshing. just before we reached the car, we were blessed with a fabulous downpour, and were soaked to the bone.

we got back to kandy's in time for a glorious sunset.

thank you so very much, aunt kandy, for everything!

i lovermont.