Art and Beauty for Autumn -

What could be more enjoyable on a perfect Autumn afternoon.

For me, on Monday, it was a thought-provoking stroll over the

 gentle slopes of Dix Park above downtown Raleigh, with loved

 ones, to view a stunning international traveling outdoor art

 installation - WINGS OF THE CITY from world-renowned Mexican

 artist, Jorge Marin. This collection of nine bronze sculptures depicts

feathered figures in mid-flight or posed for takeoff, and acrobats.

The details of each piece are exceptional.

A stand-alone pair of beautiful wings frame a view of downtown

and are perfect for snapping a pose of someone you consider

'angelic'!

I hope you will enjoy a few photos of these beautiful bronzes.

Ángel Persélidas

Bernardo Oriental

Equilibrista 90

Abrazo Monumental

Split Monumental

Me with granddaughter Jasmin - Raleigh skyline from Dix Hill.

Enjoying a perfect November day.

ALAS DE MEXICO

Bob in an angelic mood!

Now if only I could fly!!!!!

A night to remember. . . . .

Memories of better times.

This blog never has been, and never will be, a platform for anything political

concerning my own thoughts, hopes, and dreams for my two countries.

The United Kingdom where I was born, raised, and lived until I crossed the pond

at age nineteen, and the United States of America which became

 my permanent home, and will be for the years remaining.

Last night I watched, on TV, grief-stricken, as parts of my beautiful home city

 for the past 42 years, crumbled, burned, and literally shattered as the glass of dozens

 of downtown storefronts were violently smashed, not by the peaceable local protestors

 of the afternoon, but by what could only be domestic terrorists hell-bent to destroy

 property, riot and loot . . . . . . . . . . . . . and they did both!

This morning my heart aches, not only for Raleigh, North Carolina, but 

for all the other American cities experiencing such devastation these past

several nights.

What can one do?

How does one deal with such brutality so close to home?

There are so many questions right now.

We all need answers.

Edited:  Please understand that I will not be posting any comments here today. 

As I said, this is not a political platform of any kind and name-calling will not be tolerated.  

Please just pray for peace in all countries of this beautiful world.

St. Patrick's Day, cityscape, and the daffodil trail. . . . . . .

Yesterday, Saturday. . . . . . . . . up early and off downtown for the annual
Raleigh St. Patrick's Day Parade. 

Fun for an hour or so then the chilly breeze encouraged us to get moving. 
We headed up to the former Dorothea Dix Hospital grounds where I once
 worked, now a park overlooking the the city skyline, to view this year's hello to
 spring. 
This planting of 50,000 daffodils was done by a piece of machinery which digs,
 plants the bulbs, covers and tamps the soil back - I could use one of those!
The winding trail is really breathtaking. The golden blooms dance in the
 brisk breeze . . . . . . perhaps not quite William Wordsworth's view along the shore
 of Ullswater in 1802 as he walked with his sister, but certainly brings his poem
'I wandered lonely as a Cloud' to mind.

A fine day to walk and watch a parade. . . . . . . . . here are some glimpses of the

 morning when everyone suddenly becomes Irish.

Many special people to thank - musicians, dancers, bands, many whom traveled

 some distance to bring us great music (especially the All American Band

 of the 82nd Airborne from Fort Bragg, NC). After all, what's parade without bands.

The dogs were amazing, so many breeds trotting along the parade route, including

 the huge, calm and dignified  Irish Wolfhounds. . . . . . . .along with so many fun

 people of all ages who turned out for this lovely morning.

Erin go Bragh - and a happy day to you all.

Riding the rails. . . . . . .and a new station!

Below are the words we heard last year, and yes they have now come true.

Yesterday, on a beautiful cloudless blue sky, gentle breeze, 

wear-a-sweater Autumn afternoon, we at last paid a visit to check out

 our brand new train/transportation station in the heart of the city. . . . . and

 quite honestly we were blown away!

'Today (in 2017) it's a gravel-filled construction site.

But this time next year? Expect something amazing at Raleigh's

 new Union Station, says the project engineer.'

Raleigh Union Station is completed and open for business - at least for

AMTRAK train service. Bus traffic and hopefully light rail will be added later.

We had such a fun time exploring the station as well as conversing with 

other Saturday visitors on the outdoor observation deck - we do love to

 meet and chat with interesting people. 

There was a dad with his young son who longs to ride trains;

a Brazilian couple our age who moved here 25 years ago; a very 

nice Jordanian gentleman who came to the US many years back and

 owns a business with his family here; a young couple with a beautiful 

7 month baby boy who were good listeners, despite us being older than

their grandparents!

All in all it was a busy visit. 

I loved that the architect has taken what was a huge ironworks company

 supply warehouse, built in the 1940's, renovated and expanded it, but

kept many of the original elements incorporating them into the new

contemporary construction.

The station timepiece hanging from a vintage ironworks gantry.

'Raleigh Union Station fits within efforts to support the expansion of mass transit

 options in North Carolina's central region. Raleigh is a rapidly growing city, and

 with that comes a need for transportation facilities to meet current and future

 transit demands. 

Raleigh Union Station will not only serve Amtrak passengers, but also 

act as a multi-model transit center connecting riders to other forms of transit. 

Offering this level of service will address congestion and land development

 concerns, while also providing a transportation hub that will continue to 

revitalize Downtown Raleigh and its Warehouse District.'

'The station retains elements of the old steel warehouse, including the massive steel pillars and ceiling beams in the main hall. Two gantries overhead that used to move steel around the building are fixed in place, as is the big sliding steel door on the back wall. The walkway leading to and from the train platform is lined with rusted steel plates salvaged from the warehouse.'

All photos via iPhone

Hope you had a great weekend too.  

We actually started out just to take Bob's desktop computer to the repair

 shop - it crashed yesterday morning as, like us, it's showing it's age I fear!  

The ride through downtown became a "let's find a parking place and take a

 walk around" mini sightseeing tour!  It's years since we both worked downtown

 and the many changes always bring surprises, some good, others bad.

 We must say however time definitely doesn't stand still. . . . . . the entire

 cityscape is an ongoing project.

A parade, an Autumn city walk, some history. . . . . . . .

We headed into town early yesterday to watch the annual Christmas Parade

prepared to do some city walking.

It was perfect weather, bright sunshine, clear Carolina Blue skies, a breeze, and

 temperatures eventually reaching the high 70's. Definitely not wintry weather

 by any means, but it certainly brought out the crowds standing or sitting ten deep
 along the parade route. The mood was cheery, it was a day full of smiles and
 happy moments.

After the parade we decided to walk the long way back to where we had

parked the car - through the city streets and on into a nearby neighborhood which we

 were not really familiar with, at least not on foot. It's good to see everyday life within

 the city confines looking neat and tidy. The houses are small, many quite old,

compared to the burgeoning suburban neighborhoods, but lovely in the Autumn 

sunshine. We chatted with people enjoying the mild weather on pretty front
 porches, stopped for coffee, and just enjoyed walking and kicking up
 leaves . . . . . . here are few photos from our pleasant hours spent in town.

Old and new - the City Market and condominiums.

 Leaves changing, and falling, at last.

 We took the elevator to the 20th floor of the downtown Holiday Inn - the huge

 difference in the cityscape was even more obvious from above!  
We have lived here almost 40 years. . . . . . . many, many changes over that time.

 Off in the distance, among the lovely trees, we were able to get a great view of
 the Holy Name of Jesus cathedral under construction. 

The 160-ton steel and copper dome, 65 feet tall, was lifted into place last March
 by a special crane built on site. Expected to open in Autumn 2017, this cathedral
 will serve 2,000 worshippers at a time. The city's current Catholic cathedral, 
Sacred Heart, is the smallest in the United States with only 320 seats, and
 requires 11 Masses each weekend to accommodate all comers.

A coffee shop we'd not tried before where the almond croissant was one of the best ever.

We'll definitely go back!

A wonderful day in the city. Then last night we headed out again - in much

 colder temperatures - to join another merry crowd at the lighting of the

 Christmas tree in our midtown North Hills neighborhood. 

A busy but most enjoyable run-up to the holiday season for us.

Downtown shines at dusk . . . . . .

A little more from last weekend when we were out and about much of the time

enjoying the fine days during the Christmas rush.

 Saturday was warm, sunny, near to perfect, and downtown called to us.

We headed out to walk late afternoon unencumbered by heavy accessories.

 No jackets or bulky bags, just a scarf in case it turned cooler, comfy walking shoes,

 and my iPhone to snap a few pix along the way as dusk fell gently over the 

bulky city buildings and cheerful shoppers.

Many people, casually dressed, were on their way to restaurants - it was Christmas 

party time. Others, elegant in sparkly high heels and pretty dresses, bow ties

 and tuxedos, were strolling toward the auditorium for an evening concert with the 

North Carolina Symphony.

The blend of old and new architecture strung together by symbols of the season.

 Even commercial buildings, such as these banks, make an effort to warm up

 those big blank spaces at Christmas.

Do you enjoy visiting a bright and bustling downtown area during the holiday season?

The country drive. . . . . . . . . . . .

. . . . . . . on Sunday afternoon was perfect.

Our first day of cooler temperatures after such a long hot Summer.

Autumn definitely now in the air. In fact this morning it was so cool 

I decided the heavier duvet needed to be dug out from storage.

Of course with the sun out it's now warming, and by noon it will be hot, 

but the thought of cooler nights from now on is wonderful. 

Anyway, on Sunday a brilliant 'Carolina Blue' sky beckoned and we headed 

south through the city in search of these. . . . . . . . . 

Perhaps a wee bit early to be thinking pumpkin decor however I just don't want 

them all gone by the time I return from Europe in October. 

The above pic shows some of the pumpkins I bought on Sunday.

The green-gold pumpkin on the left has already been enjoyed - oh my, roasted 

with fresh sage and olive oil, it was SO tasty. I will be making a delicious

pumpkin soup today with the leftovers. . . . . and will roast the seeds.

Driving through the ever burgeoning downtown area - Raleigh just continues expanding, 

upward and outward. . . . . . but if you keep going it's just 30 miles south to the country.

I love looking at the homes along the country roads, wondering who is enjoying

 life away from the hustle and bustle of the city. . . . . .hanging out in a red painted barn, 

mowing all that grass!

Our destination of course. . . . . . the Johnson's farm where we come each year 

for pumpkins. This is just a corner of their front yard. Freda, who plants each

 seed by hand, is already bringing in the beauties from her huge pumpkin patch

 in the surrounding fields.

 Sadly we missed seeing farmer Doug this visit - he was out searching for a lost cow.

  We plan to go back in late October to visit the Johnson family again, always enjoy the

 lovely chats and catching up on country news.

Here are links to our visits in the past years where you can see the incredible 

selection of pumpkins, gourds and veggies offered at the Johnson's farm between

 the small towns of Angier and Coats in Harnett County, North Carolina.

Johnson Farm Pumpkins in 2013

Johnson Farm Pumpkins in 2014

As always, homemade country ice cream is a treat and this is one of the best.

We stopped, along with the motor cyclists, pick up trucks, big families

 with cute kids, texting teenagers, and a good excuse for 

two scoops as we'd not eaten since breakfast. . . . . .  

 black cherry and butter pecan for Bob, tiramisu and coffee for me - it was really good.

Later I'll share more of the pumpkins and gourds I bought for decorating - they are

 in the cool of the cottage where hopefully they'll stay fresh until I return home from

 France and can decorate for Fall/Halloween.

Happy pumpkin hunting - I hope you get out into the country soon - nothing

 more pleasant and exhilarating on a sunny almost Autumn day.