Lovely Henrietta

This is my beautiful maternal Grandmother Henrietta...

She strikes a Glamorous pose, doesn't she?
My angelic Grandfather stands behind her.
This weekend, Henrietta would have celebrated her 84th Birthday.
One of the strongest women I have ever known, she was generous, willful, FEARLESS.

She lived without regrets, and with the utmost JOIE DE VIVRE!

As a little girl, I remember our trips to the Black Sea beaches...

We collected tiny pink seashells.
They had to be tiny, and they HAD to be pink!
Nothing else would do, for they were rare and oh so beautiful...




Her apple strudel was legendary.

As was her infectious laughter! 






She LOVED to dance...

She LOVED to play...

She loved LIFE!








She gave so much. In her last few years, she volunteered tirelessly at inner city schools...

helping children READ.








I miss her every day...


but Love and Memories live FOREVER.

Thank you for letting me share my memories of one of the great women who helped make me who I am.


A beautiful week to all...

Big Sea Water...

Here in the Northern Hemisphere, our sweet Summer has come to a close. Our precious children and teachers are in school, Halloween costumes are trickling into the stores, and some of us are itching to compile scrapbooks of delicious Summer memories. One such lovely scrapbook will be of our little trip "up North", to the shores of Gitche Gumee, to the shining Big-Sea-Water (thank you Mr. Longfellow)....in other words,    Duluth!

                                                                            

A little history...

Originally settled by Sioux (Dakota) and Chippewa (Ojibwa), this breathtaking lakeside city was eventually named after Daniel Greysolon, Sieur (abbr.Seigneur) du Lhut. A French soldier and explorer, he mediated the peace talks between the Ojibwa and Sioux nations in the late 17th century,  and claimed the area for France, while establishing a fur trading economy. By the mid 1800's, Duluth on Lake Superior had become the most active port in the United States. 
The timber and iron ore industries, as well as the construction of a major railroad, created more millionaires per capita than any other city in the world. Yes, the world.

A major influx of immigrants from Eastern and Western Europe in the early 1900's led to tremendous growth for the city. The steel and timber industries flourished, Duluth was booming.
The economic decline began in the 1950's. Iron ore was running low, and international competition forced the closing of steel plants. The city had to find a way to reinvent itself.
Today, tourism, the medical industry, the arts are a part of what keeps this beautiful port city afloat (pardon the pun).

For me, it is the spectacular natural beauty of the largest freshwater lake in the world, the magnificence of the surrounding pine forests, and the kind, creative people of Duluth that keep me coming back for more...

                                                                                  

                                                                              

                                                                   Looking toward Canada

                                                                               

                                                                                   

                                                                                 

                                                                            

                                                                     Aerial Lift Bridge

                                                                               


                                                                   

                                       The BEST blueberry pie at the glorious New Scenic Cafe

                                                                                  

                                                                                     

                                                                                    

The "San Francisco" of the North!  A very steep incline from the water..our  little car barely made it!!

                           

                                                                                         

                                                                                      
                               Wishing everyone a beautiful weekend!  A la prochaine!!