Peonies, Part 3

Peonies, Part 2

Wild Strawberries

While exploring New Harmony, which is lush with gardens, parks, and other outdoor delights, we came across a carpet of wild strawberries. They didn't have much flavor, but sure were adorable to look at.

With the Girls in New Harmony, Indiana

A couple months ago, Mara had arranged to spend Mom's birthday weekend at the historical town of New Harmony, Indiana. She reserved a cabin at the nearby Harmonie state park. Though all our plans had changed considerably since Grandpa's death, we decided to go ahead with the birthday weekend for Mom, with Hosanna and I joining all of my sisters in Indiana. We were so glad we did. Mom certainly needed a break after the first two weeks of getting Grandma settled! It isn't often that ALL of us sisters get to spend time together, and we had a great time.

Playing in the Bamboo

Hosanna crafted a bamboo vase with flowers

While in Augusta, we met up with some friends who were also in the area staying at a nearby state park. This is Candace with Truxton. While enjoying an outdoor dinner together one evening, the children had a grand time playing in a large bamboo grove:

Biking on the Katy Trail

Yes, that's me with a rental bike. Me, biking. Weird, isn't it? I wobbled a few times, but it was like, you know, riding a bike and eventually I got the hang of it again. We had brought along Tom and the kids' bikes, so we only had to rent one for me and a pull-along for Drew, which he loved. The Katy Trail was beautiful, and we'll definitely do it again!

Dinner at the Winery

While in Augusta, we went to a nearby winery for dinner. Hwy 94 (on which Augusta is located) is dotted with beautiful vineyards and wineries. We had italian pizza and toasted ravioli at the Balducci vineyards restaurant. Drew was absolutely delighted with everything:

Our Retreat

While in Augusta, we stayed at a charming guest house located above an equally charming antique shop.
The Stone Ledge Guest Suite was a lovely, quiet spot to make our headquarters for the weekend.
When not there, we were out exploring the little town of Augusta, the nearby state park, or biking on the Katy Trail.

Augusta, Missouri

The weekend after Grandpa's funeral- Mother's Day Weekend- we went to this beautiful place. We were looking for a quiet, relaxing spot and we found it. This was a different part of Missouri than I had seen. Unlike the rocky Ozarks, this land was composed of rolling hills and vineyards and was a little like I imagined Rhine Country to be...