Friday, August 31, 2007

My Blue Moon Baby....

Just a short drive to the Toledo airport...a couple of flights...and I am in Portland, Oregon visiting Abe, Kristin and the Blue Moon Baby.

I arrived mid day on Thursday to a warm, beautiful day with roses blooming all over the city, I believe that is why it is called The City of Roses.

It is lovely to be here...to share in their lives. Today Kristin and I have lunch out and shopped and even took Miss Holly for a latte. (Well, she actually slept through that event!!) Tonight Abe and Kristin are going out to dinner and Miss Holly and I have events planned. We are going to do our very first art work (fingerpainting)...a music lesson (I'll sing to her with my guitar)...and a short lesson on astronomy (we will take the blanket outside to look for shooting stars.) At least that is my plan. She may have plans of her own. (She is three months old!!)

Until tomorrow,
Lou Ann

Lou Ann Homan-Saylor lives in Angola, Indiana which is nestled in the hills of Northern Indiana and spends her summers on the wind swept island of Ocracoke. You can find her gardening or writing late into the night under the light of her frayed scarlet lamp. She is a storyteller, a teacher, a writer, an actress and a collector of front porch stories.

Saturday, August 25, 2007

Rain, rain go away...

Day number seven. It has not stopped raining...OK, I take that back..on Thursday at 1:30 it did not rain. How many inches did we get??? 5, 10, 15, 20...reminiscent of the old hide and go seek days. I am not really sure.

I do know this.

My backyard is under water and my neighbors, Larry and Cheri of 30 years in the neighborhood have never seen this event.

The basements are flooded in my small town. (Mine just has minor water, no big deal!)

The tornado warnings sent us all scurrying to those flooded basements yesterday as the sky turned black and the wind whipped around. My neighbor girls were visiting and, for the most part, thought it a great adventure. I had them put on red shoes (part of my Dorothy collection) before we went to the cellar.

Stoplights are out all over town.

The lakes are closed in my county. Yes, the lakes are closed. The only thing allowed are kayaks and canoes. I had dinner with friends on the lake last night, and it was so quiet and peaceful. On occasion there was the stray canoe silently gliding around the marsh. Quite lovely, actually.

According to the DNR, this has never happened.

On the positive side...there is a lot of green...I have read a lot of books...and it gives us all something to talk about in my small town!

Lou Ann

Lou Ann Homan-Saylor lives in Angola, Indiana which is nestled in the hills of Northern Indiana and spends her summers on the wind swept island of Ocracoke. You can find her gardening or writing late into the night under the light of her frayed scarlet lamp. She is a storyteller, a teacher, a writer, an actress and a collector of front porch stories.

Friday, August 24, 2007

Back home again in Indiana....

Dear Folks,

What a long two weeks this has been. My last post was right before I left Ocracoke. Philip literally had to pull me away from the counter in his gallery, put my suitcases in the car, and drive me silently (yes, I said silently) to the 5:30 ferry. Tears simply dripped down my face. He never knows what to say when I am like that...I never know what to say when I am like that.

There were storms in the area, and we were privvy to a lovely rainbow. A sign I should stay? No, just a lovely rainbow on a stormy night.

The airport.

It is difficult to say good bye after a summer of sweetness.

Karen picked me up at the South Bend airport with the little guys in tow. It was wonderful to hug their little bodies and talk, even though they were shy with me at first.

My first night back we all went to the midnight star gazing at Pokagon State Park. We took a night picnic and watched shooting stars until the boys fell asleep on the blanket.

The days that have followed have been blog worthy, but starting the school year, moving classrooms (ahhh, there is another blog)...unpacking a summer's worth of sand and memories and reconnecting have taken time. I have met with my book club, hosted the first ever girl's pot luck supper, planned for the newly established writer's group, had coffee with neighbors, planned our neighborhood potluck, kept the boys overnight...attended garage sales and farmer's markets.

All in all. I am home in Indiana once again.

Lou Ann

Lou Ann Homan-Saylor lives in Angola, Indiana which is nestled in the hills of Northern Indiana and spends her summers on the wind swept island of Ocracoke. You can find her gardening or writing late into the night under the light of her frayed scarlet lamp. She is a storyteller, a teacher, a writer, an actress and a collector of front porch stories.

Thursday, August 09, 2007

"I must go down to the sea again..."

We do not use alarm clocks here on the Island. We just wake up at the bird's call (or the hum of the air conditioner.)

Today I woke early and declared my intentions to watch the sunrise on the beach. Philip (not an early riser) decided to join me. It was still dark so we put on the hall light just to manage the steep steps and stumble out to the morning.

As we arrived at the beach the crescent moon become silhouetted against the hazy dark gray of early dawn. It looked so like a child's cradle.

We walked over the dune and the sight was so stunning we just stood for a few moments. The beach was perfectly empty of humans in all directions. We were already barefoot so we went down to the water's edge to walk and watch the magic of dawn. As light appeared the water become light gray and we were able to distinguish tracks of all types in the sand. Ghost crabs. Sandpipers. Seagulls. Turtles. They have all been busy last night while we were sleeping.

The sun did not appear on the horizon, but hid under the hot steam of the coming day. We walked back and climbed up to the lifeguard post to watch the day. We talk about science and shadows and waves and colors when all of a sudden the sun appeared part way up in the sky. It was small and bright red and looked as if it were a small rubber ball suspended on a string.

We sat in silence as we watched folks begin making their pathway down to the beach as well. A fisherman cast out two lines in hopes of his dinner...a young couple put down a blanket to watch the day and an older woman just walked....

We stopped for breakfast at the Pony Island Inn and visited with local folks before coming home to start our day.

It could not have been more wonderful for my last full day on the island before leaving for Indiana. Sigh.



Sea Fever
by John Masfield

I must go down to the sea again

To the lonely sea and sky

And all I ask is a tall ship

And a start to guide her by.


And the whale's kick and the wind's song

And the white sails shaking

And a gray mist on the sea's fare,

And a gray dawn breaking.


Lou Ann
Lou Ann Homan-Saylor lives in Angola, Indiana which is nestled in the hills of Northern Indiana and spends her summers on the wind swept island of Ocracoke. You can find her gardening or writing late into the night under the light of her frayed scarlet lamp. She is a storyteller, a teacher, a writer, an actress and a collector of front porch stories.

Wednesday, August 08, 2007

Small black wasps..

The weather has been HOT and humid...oh, we need rain and a northwest wind to come in and cool us off. Last night at the ghost walk by the time I was on the second story, I was already dripping in....well, it wasn't really sweat...just dripping. In spite of the heat, it did not deter the ghost hunters as Philip and I both had full tours. There was no spectacular sunset or pale moonlight though..just hazy dark. Actually a very good time to see a ghost, although my group must have been disappointed that no ghost arrived. (I, on the other hand, was a bit thrilled by that!)

I noticed yesterday morning the outside shower was full of small black wasps flying everywhere. This was an odd occurrence since I have not seen any all summer. It must be the heat that has brought them in.

It would not stop me, however, from taking my shower outside. Philip definitely has the classiest shower...copper shower head, stained glass window. There is lots of room for all the shampoos and rinses and I line them up on the wooden shelf. The best part is that it is outside under the live oak tree...a canopy of green and sky. Oh, and it saves scrubbing down the shower once a week as well.

So, I shall live with the little black wasps in this heat...the mystery is...where did they come from and where shall they go?

Lou Ann

Lou Ann Homan-Saylor lives in Angola, Indiana which is nestled in the hills of Northern Indiana and spends her summers on the wind swept island of Ocracoke. You can find her gardening or writing late into the night under the light of her frayed scarlet lamp. She is a storyteller, a teacher, a writer, an actress and a collector of front porch stories

Sunday, August 05, 2007

What do I do??

Dear Folks,

My blog site is so important to me...and then no writing. I have decided along the way that I have few readers...I also have been reminded that I need to write every day, of course, I know that!



Hopefully you are all on my Sunday Passage list, if not, send me a note, and I will make sure you are on the list!!



Philip's birthday was this week, and we had a great time. He also shares his birthday with his grandson, Lachlan. (The one who lives next door!) Philip's brother, Buddy, came for the day as well. We spent the day and evening celebrating with birthday parties, dinner at the Back Porch, and then the evening with Molasses Creek. I hid small birthday cards all over the house for Philip and presented him with a photograph of the meal wine makers!



We spent our joined birthday money for plants and trees for our garden. It is so lovely, but so hot and dry that we have to daily water them!



Tonight is the Jolly Roger, my last time as I will be leaving at the end of the week. I know each day that I will have the same thought, my last time! I am such a romantic.



Take care, drop me a note.



Lou Ann


Lou Ann Homan-Saylor lives in Angola, Indiana which is nestled in the hills of Northern Indiana and spends her summers on the wind swept island of Ocracoke. You can find her gardening or writing late into the night under the light of her frayed scarlet lamp. She is a storyteller, a teacher, a writer, an actress and a collector of front porch stories

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