Happy Memories

It sounds a little pathetic to say that the last month has been stressful. Bigger things have happened; worse things; harder things, are happening to people all around us. But leaving behind friends from the last three years has been difficult.

Life will be different in London, exciting, yes, but change always involves leaving the old behind. Even when it means coming back to what is familiar.

The whirlwind which was packing up, saying goodbye, and booking tickets in less than two weeks didn’t help. I’ve only just in the last week sat down to look at some of the (hundreds of) photographs we took on vacation in Yellowstone. I’d utterly forgotten taking this shot.

Amongst the pebbles

And corny as it may sound, carrying around the awesome memories of the last three years will keep us going long after we’ve moved into our own home and we’ve started to make new friends all over again.

Memories

Happy Love Thursday, a group feature hosted by ShutterSisters.

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A Funny Thing happened at the Speedway

I’m so British, there’s really very little mistaking me for anything else. I’m drinking my morning tea as I type, for heaven’s sakes. I love my home, and miss my family and the hills of Derbyshire, and the shady Thames-side Path in Richmond. I’ve even been known to defend the Royal family as a British institution.

None of which explains why I find myself with a lump in my throat every time I hear the US National Anthem. I love the way my temporary home embraces its armed forces, thanking its service men and women at every opportunity. I think it’s wonderful how everyone stands, hand on heart, with their hats removed at the sound of the Star Spangled Banner.

On Friday night at the NASCAR, I did it again. I stood with the other 75, 000 people in the Grandstand, a thing that we have decided to do, out of respect, at every sporting occasion when the announcer asks the gentlemen to remove their hats. And although I’m very British, what with the tea drinking and the polite stiff upper lip thing, I felt a few tears sting my eyes as the singing concluded and the incredible fly-by was applauded.

As this wise lady commented on my last post, I think the US has gotten to me. I do love this place.

Happy Love Thursday, a group feature hosted by ShutterSisters.

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The Napoleon

At the crest of the park on the banks of the Galena river, there stand at least four pieces of armory. The cannons all face out onto to the river; the 1913 Krupp Howitzer, the Spanish Cannon, the Blakely Rifle, and the Napoleon.

We spent some time in the sunshine, taking pictures of the cannons, the views across to the picturesque city center, and the statue of city alumnus, General Grant.

I’m not entirely sure why I love old weaponry. I held a rifle once and it terrified me to the point of tears. In my defense, they were asking me to shoot at a target with it, and I did not feel at all confident that I’d been told how to achieve that. On the other hand, if you put an old-looking gun with the vaguest of historical links behind a glass case, or on a plinth in a park, I just feel like it’s begging to have its photo taken.

I can’t remember not finding military and naval histories fascinating. I can’t remember exactly why, but I have a good idea.

Hey Dad. I inherited your hatred of making phone calls, and your interest in naval histories.

That’s why it was impossible to resist the siren song of a 12-Pounder Field Gun, a civil war workhouse called Napoleon. Cast in 1862, the cannon has an indentation on the side of the breech. The crater has been worn smooth now, but was originally the result of a direct hit. In May of 1865, the Napoleon was fired in celebration of the capture of Confederate President Jefferson Davis. Hard to imagine that noisy history when the mottled, burnished breech is seen on a quiet, sunny Sunday morning.

Amazing how an instrument of war can remind you of where your interests came from, and make you feel loved!

Happy Love Thursday, a group feature hosted by ShutterSisters.

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Cloud pictures

Because sometimes, life is about seeing pictures in the clouds. And because often, it feels like a miracle when someone else can see what you see too.

Happy Love Thursday, a group feature hosted by ShutterSisters.

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Finding Friends in the Midwest

Even the streets in Chicago seem to be sharing the love.

When we first talked about moving to Chicago, one of my biggest reservations was that I would be lonely here in the States. I have never been very good at making friends and we were both concerned about arriving in a new country where we knew no-one.

So, I came to Chicago determined to make friends. I had a plan. I would cook for these North American folk I was going to meet. I would be the friendliest person you have ever met. There would be much niceness, some baking, and a lot of bravery on my part. No invitation would be turned down. It was agreed that even if we didn’t much care for the idea of a gathering, our new best friends might also be there, and we would not miss out on meeting them. We were going to make friends, and we were going to make it our first and most important job.

I cannot begin to tell you how blessed we have been by the friendships we have found in the US. The Midwest has welcomed us, and I don’t even mind if they want to mock my accent every now and then. I’m not at all suggesting that I don’t have wonderful friends from the UK, who I miss more than any of them could realize, but I wasn’t expecting Chicago to be full of people ready to make friends with us. I didn’t realize that amongst the people we’ve met in the last few years, are the friends I’m going to miss more than I can imagine when we eventually go home.

Happy Love Thursday, a group feature hosted by ShutterSisters.

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