My granddaughter Anna (13) texted me this photo from Ohio, just after I returned to Pittsburgh. I’d a week’s visit with both families. It was warm enough to play at the playground today. 
I thought it a good composition
Then she sent me the second photo and I could see some warm lights through the trees.
You might remember Anna’s photo of the pick-up truck full of mannequin legs on a snowy highway. From 4 years ago Click to see Anna’s photo from 2012
Thanks to Laura for sending me this Little Library photo. Clintonville Ohio sure has a lot of these little libraries. This one with a Lego diorama and a note to leave the Lego please.
Guest Blogger Ed Lipsman wrote today
“My flight launched from Oahu, Hawaii, North Shore location amid a calm beautiful sea, bountiful sunshine and low winds, and warm temps all of which helped with the launch.
My flight was fantastic as I always wanted to fly and being propelled into the air and over the ocean by water turbines was just a fantastic rush!”
Remember Ed Lipsman? Meet Flashes of Fire Author click for his author portrait and book link.
You know how I like dessert. It’s a double guest blog today.
Necessity! I purposefully left my cell phone home so I could be present in the moment during a special luncheon Wednesday afternoon.
Steve and I were invited next door for a delicious lunch to welcome our new neighbors to the neighborhood.
Dessert was this stunning and mouthwatering Lemon Tart from the French bakery on Butler Street in Lawrenceville La Gourmandine
The first photo by Madison who said “The simple things in life are the sweetest.”
and then when my slice of the delectable tart on the beautiful blue and white china plate was set in front of me, I definitely needed another photo. (Thank you Joaquin)
No way to adequately describe the simultaneous sweet and tart combination as it glides over your tongue. Perfection!
Aunt Rhea’s Lebkuchen recipe and this recipe was handed down from her mother’s father. (So from the 1800’s)
A double guest blog today!
This evening I heard from two dear friends.we met at Fort Knox, Kentucky in 1975. (Both were Army midwives -now retired, one delivered my son Mark in 1976)
Baked by Linda in Massachusetts – used light brown sugar she had on hand and it came out fine
And this batch baked by Kristin in Florida whose husband says it tastes like his mother’s -baked in Germany
Thanks for sharing your photos with me and all my blog followers,
Love,
Ruth
P.S.
and here is a response to the to the Annual Lebkuchen Baking post of 2016
Ruth,
My lebkuchen recipe is really a lot different….has honey and a bit of baking soda and is rolled into rectangle cookies. Then the icing has lemon juice and grated lemon peel. I think I’ll try your recipe along with mine this year. Oh, mine has chopped blanched almonds along with the chopped fruit. Different part of Germany, probably. Mine is from Bamberg and Wurzburg area. Pat Kelly
Remember Joanne sent the beach glass yarn the other day? She contributed the Nova Scotia posts this past week, the Loonies and Toonies Store in Lunenburg.
She wrote and mailed some photos below after I asked her about the glass she finds on the beach in Florida.
Joanne says –
1. I walk the beach almost every day, and I’m always on the lookout for sea glass – this was a lucky day because often there is none to be found. Most common colors are clear, green, and brown. Least common colors are cobalt blue, red and purple.
2. Here’s my collection of shells and sea glass. The tiny colorful glass in the lower right hand shell on the table comes from a beach in Spain (collected by my sister). And the tiny glass in the upper right hand shell on the table comes from a beach in Nova Scotia. All the rest from the beach here on the Atlantic Ocean side of Florida.
3. My friend Celia separates her sea glass treasures by color and displays them on her kitchen counter.
4. Since Hurricane Matthew, Celia and I find lots of large shards of glass, bottles, and lightbulbs among the debris on the beach. Celia collects this for a future art project she calls “Hurricane Glass”. 
Link below to Jessica Blaney’s ETSY Shop below if you need handcrafted sea glass jewelry
Today I received a skein of sock yarn in the mail from my friend Joanne. The name of the colorway is beach glass. She sent a little bag of smooth beach glass, too. Here’s the photo I took of the yarn
Here are the photos Joanne emailed to me today.
“Here are a few photos from Lunenburg – such a lovely little town.
The Mariner’s Daughter is the yarn store.
A few street scenes.
Our lunch – mussels with garlic and cream; and a lobster roll.”
The Mariner’s Daughter
My wish is you get to Anchorage Alaska and taste Wildflour Bakery pies. Although I am back in the lower 48 today I have some more Alaska posts.
When visiting friends in Homer Alaska, we met some very nice people in their interesting home that our host had helped build.
The first thing they did was offer us pie and coffee. Who could resist?
Three types of apple pie. As we sampled a sliver of each type, we talked about the excellent flavor and crust (one gluten- free) and then I learned about the pie creator, Wildflour Bakery Owner Olivia Allen of Anchorage. Although I took a few photos of the pie (see below) I wanted to know more.
Meet bakery owner Olivia Allen- photograph by Julia Bevins, I asked Julia if she would like to be guest blogger! What a great photo.
Then I called Olivia. She returned my call just as we were entering our departing flight but emailed me more photos and information about Wildflour Bakery. Here is her blog link Look into the World See Olivia’s watercolor illustrations and follow her on Instagram Wildflour Bakery Handcrafted pies and galettes made with foraged wild berries, organic ingredients and lots of love 🌸
Olivia writes-
Wildflour Bakery uses locally sourced and foraged wild berries, herbs, flowers and backyard honey to craft beautiful and sweet treats with creative flair.
Each pie or galette is handcrafted with the intention of highlighting the Alaskan spirit of our wild spaces, near and far.
Beautifully photographed by Julia Bevins.
Gallery of photos below , sent to me by Olivia
Here are my pie photos so you see why I needed Olivia to send me some more.
And here is her artwork. I love the part about “serve generous slices.” Yes!!
We fairly well decimated the pies! You can see why I needed more photos to create this blog post as you look at my three photos I took at the kitchen table.
A few years ago I featured friend and pie judge Rob Bard.on National Pie Day. I know he would have enjoyed the pies.
Guest blog by my son-in-law James
Cleveland National Airshow at the Burke Lakefront Airport
“My cousin Troy is ranked a CW3 Warrant officer. He was in Afghanistan for a year, Kuwait for a year, and Germany flying around generals and other dignitaries for 3 years. He is an 18 year army vet and has been a part of the Golden Knights for 1.5 years”….James
Cousins Troy and James and Charles and The Golden Knights
The Navy Blue Angels
My good friend and blog follower Bill is on the beat. Again. This time in OIB NC. (That’s Ocean Isle Beach in North Carolina.)
This morning he sent me a photo. (He won the caption contest at the local paper recently- got in the newspaper Without dying or getting arrested post.
Since I was on jury duty today all day, it felt good to know I had a guest blogpost at the ready! Thanks Bill. See his photograph below.
And the coincidence is I’d just watched the new version of The Little Prince and was reminded of my favorite quotation.
“Goodbye,” said the fox. “And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” “What is essential is invisible to the eye,” the little prince repeated, so that he would be sure to remember.
