Well that was fun! Great to see Jill, Lisa, Pat, and David and really great meeting John and his wife Yvonne.

That was great fun! We enjoyed meeting everyone yesterday too! The Garden Center was beautiful!

Hey, I'm submitting a "garden idea" article about our trip to Watermark Woods... and I don't remember owner Judy's last name! Help!

Her name is Julie Borneman

oops, forgot to post that I found the website with that and other info. thank you!!

I just submitted a short article to "member ideas." Hopefully we'll see it soon!

Highly recommend exhibition in Hudson River Valley NY featuring classic Hudson School artists (Cole, Church) and newer artists, overall theme is art and the environment. Hummingbirds have diva roles. An aside: Poughkeepsie (yes!!) has amazing and affordable restaurants, run by grads of CIA (Culinary Institute of Arts).

Hmm, Alexa just told me Poughkeepsie is 309 miles away... might have to miss that one, but the exhibition sounds amazing! Glad you got to go.

Good point, Poughkeepsie is not a hop, skip and jump from our 'hood. We're in Hudson Valley, visiting Innisfree Garden tomorrow and Chanticleer en route home.

Rainy day tomorrow, but fortunately the Apple Festival at Little Buffalo State Park in PA is a two day event! Sunday's forecast is cooler (high in the 60's) but SUNNY.

https://events.dcnr.pa.gov/eve...

The festival runs from 10 to 3 on both days. There's a wonderful old water-powered mill, and it will be in use both to make cider and to grind corn. They have somebody making apple butter, too. Corn meal and apple butter are both available to purchase, at least they were when we happened upon this festival 5 years ago.

It's a pretty park, too... got some hiking trails, a lake, etc. There are hotel rooms available in the area, but the campsite is totally full.

If you're thinking of going, LMK so I can try to find you there!

We won't get there but thanks for the suggestion. Looks very nice!

Went to Oregon Ridge, north of Baltimore, nice morning, trails not crowded, we had no problem parking at 10:30 but while we were hiking it may have been busy at times as there were a few people on park road shoulders when we got back to the car near 1 pm. Free entry to this big county park. Popular with the families with kiddoes on the playgrounds, and nature center, hiking is not spectacular but it has a number of trails thru mature forest. Would be nice to catch rhododendrons in spring.
Afterwards, we went to Kooper's North off Padonia Road, one exit closer to Baltimore off of I 83. Nice pub in a shopping center in a nicely developed area- not jammed and busy like Timonium on the other end of Padonia Road..

Had to post here, because I didn't know what other threads John might be following...

CONGRATULATIONS on your photo contest recognition! That's a stunning image of those Bird of Paradise blooms.

john!

Rawlings Conservatory is a nice hour or so in Baltimore. I was really impressed by their desert room.

Does Rawlings have Christmas displays up?

It might have to wait until after Christmas, but I want to go somewhere with a gorgeous Christmas display. Possibly we'll go to Phipps Conservatory if we get up to Pittsburgh. If not, then Longwood or ?

Rawlings is quite small, Xmas limited to a moderate Poinsettia tree and more poinsettias around. You'd have to work to spend more than an hour there. Then you would drive elsewhere for a meal. We went to Fells Point and had a decent sandwich at Alexanders. And strolled the waterfront a bit.

OK. Wish I'd made time to swing by when I had my appointment at Johns Hopkins (Greenspring)

You can do that some time, it isnt terribly far from Hopkins. Easy free parking along their driveway. Near Hopkins looks like a fair number of quick lunch places - students lol. I assume Hopkins hospital is near campus..?

The main hospital, yes. But I had my appointment (and will have my outpatient knee replacement) at their facility near Greenspring station... near around 11 o'clock on the beltway. I don't know if I'll have a final check-in with surgeon 3 months out (the "all healed up" stage), but if so I'll go to Rawlings that day also (especially if I will otherwise end up in rush hour traffic).

critterologist said:Had to post here, because I didn't know what other threads John might be following...

CONGRATULATIONS on your photo contest recognition! That's a stunning image of those Bird of Paradise blooms.

Thanks Jill! I was pleased with the recognition of the trees and shrubs picture, the birds of paradise. Truth be told, I haven't been following too too much here. Yvonne has developed a major back issue since about July or August. She has degenerative disk disease (as do I). But hers has now debilitated her to the point where she can't walk without a walker and has a lot of pain! Been to a lot of doctors visits. Looks like she is now going to have a major back surgery next month. Decompression of nerves and spinal canal from levels T10 down to S1. Fusion with rods and screws. Six months of recovery. We're also going to have major house renovation done (Roof, trim, and gutters, as well as all new windows). Getting the funding lined up for all that has been keeping me busy too. Thanks again.

Oof! Compared to that, my planned knee replacement surgery is a cakewalk! Please tell Yvonne she's in my prayers, as are you! You've got a lot on your plate. Remember to take some breaks and do things that are just for you, as well as making sure you eat and drink enough. Who takes care of the caregiver? Be good to yourself. I know you are wonderful support for her!

critterologist said:Oof! Compared to that, my planned knee replacement surgery is a cakewalk! Please tell Yvonne she's in my prayers, as are you! You've got a lot on your plate. Remember to take some breaks and do things that are just for you, as well as making sure you eat and drink enough. Who takes care of the caregiver? Be good to yourself. I know you are wonderful support for her!

Thanks Jill. I try to be. Sometimes I get crabby! But then it blows over and I have to apologize and then we're good again. She tries really hard to push past how she feels. During the day she stays pretty busy (although I don't let her go anywhere outside of the house without me at her side. She fell the Saturday after Thanksgiving. Her leg just went out from under her - sideways no less! Her entire leg was bruised from her ankle to her groin. Weird thing is, she didn't even hit the ground. I was able to catch her and get her up. Doctor says she probably tore either a muscle or a blood vessel. Usually in the middle of the night she wakes up a few times hurting pretty bad. Even though the surgery is scary, her being like this I think is worse. Especially since we don't know how much worse this will get if we don't do the surgery. My neurosurgeon said if we do nothing she may end up in a wheel chair. Definitely NOT an option!