On the Road 8: A Special Shrine

   Towards the end of our journey north, as we cruised through Maryland, we spied a sign that said,   “National Shrine Grotto of Our Lady of Lourdes” . We turned off to check it out and found we had just half an hour before the shrine closed. We followed the sign to a car park and then took a short walk and there in front of us was a tall tower, a golden statue of Our Lady of Lourdes atop.  

There were spectacular views over the surrounding countryside and hardly anyone around, save a small group of girls busy taking selfies. 

The old building is part of Mount St Mary's University.

We explored our way along neat paths through shrubs and flowers still dormant and bare in early spring, the Mysteries of the Rosary depicted in mosaic,  notices in English and Spanish urging silence. American Catholic churches could use a few more of those.

There was another statue of Mary, in the centre of a quiet pool. This must be wonderful in summer.

There was a tiny chapel 

with a statue of St Elizabeth Ann Seton, a pioneer of Catholic education in America.

And "Mother Seton's Rock" where she once sat to teach the local kids.

And finally the grotto itself

With St Bernadette looking up at her miraculous vision of the Virgin Mary.

  The replica of the Lourdes Grotto,  one of the earliest in America, was built in the 1870s  just 20 years after the 1858 apparitions. in the grounds of Mount St Mary’s  University and seminary. Apparently it currently has 150 seminarians, which is pretty good going these days.

   Here's St Francis.

   

And a memorial to an animal-loving  mother from her children.

     This statue is of Our Lady of La Vang

In oriental dress, especially venerated by the Vietnamese community, many of whom had made donations.

  That seemed to be repeated in a lot of places at the Shrine.  The American way, I suppose. You could even  sponsor a rhododendron,  “Come see the blooming rhododendrons and Awaken your spirit! Just like the blooming rhododendrons need care and nurturing, so does our spiritual life!”

  But never mind, a bit of spirit Awakening doesn’t come amiss.

There were some lovely mosaics

But this statue of Mother Teresa was my favourite.

She was one of many celebrated people who've visited the shrine over the years. Glad we could join them. 

On the Road 7: Amazing Azaleas

Driving north from Florida in April we always have an azalea feast, the spring in the Carolinas being of course much earlier than western New York's.

These were all colours from white, through pale and shocking pink to bright red.

And I'm ashamed to say I can't remember the name of the little town.

Though it was a feast for the eyes. Anyone recognise it?

This was actually a railway embankment.

 And with a blossoming tree too.

There were so many scenes like this.

No, it wasn't this place but the name was worth a photo.

On the Road 6: An Unexpected Purchase

   Travelling back from Florida by car has its advantages.   You don’t have to worry about flight delays or taking your shoes off in Security, or having too many suitcases, or putting your liquids in those miserable Ziploc bags. No, you just throw everything in willy-nilly and set off without  a care, save negotiating roads clogged with the hordes trying to head north in the spring.

  And there’s always room to add a few souvenirs en route. This can sometimes  get a little out of hand.  I once brought hubby back a bag of Florida oranges which were marmalade by the time we reached western New York.

   This time,  sister-in-law and I left  with good intentions.  Well you know what they say about the road to hell. We’d packed the car efficiently, we had our picnic cooler – no American  car traveller  is ever without one - which is why American hotels always have those noisy ice machines, inevitably right next door to your room.  We had supplies for the journey and  resolved not to add to the load – unless it was something we really, really needed.     Trouble is, there are plenty of places at the American roadside that would like nothing better than to tempt you out of your money - and your common sense.

We were in the middle of Then, further along,  in the middle of nowhere, we did a double take.  There, by the wayside, were  almost lifesize models of  a  giraffe, a hippo and a gorilla.  With a screech of brakes and the familiar, “I gotta see this!”, sister-in-law swerved through the gate.

 It was a garden ornaments place.

But this was America and there were acres of them.  

Acres of bunnies, acres of puppies, 

acres of   elephants, Madonnas,  angels, dragons,  sea captains.   Sea captains?

   “You bet!” said the man, “People love  ‘em in their yards”.  I was speechless.  Then, to be polite, I asked, “Do you have any birdbaths?” 

  “Sure do, Ma’am!”

   It was then that I saw it.  Not too plain, not too ornate,  entwined with a vine and butterflies, the most exquisite birdbath.  

But here we were still in the South with a full car.

  “If you can it get into the car,” I said to the man, “I’ll take it.

  “No problem!”  He huffed, puffed, pushed, shoved and twisted himself and the birdbath into unimaginable contortions,  then finally wiped his hands, satisfied.  The birdbath was squeezed behind the passenger seat.  I had to spend the rest of the trip sitting bolt upright with my legs bent but hey, what’s a little suffering for an object of beauty I’d never have got on a plane?

And here it is in the spring snow of western New York.

Cows in Cuba

 No one knows why exactly this small town is called Cuba but it's one of those western New York places such as Holland, Sardinia and Yorkshire that you can get to quite easily without a passport, Though you do have to circumnavigate the world class potholes on Interstate 86 en route.
  Cuba has a nice collection of old houses and a fabled Cheese Shoppe, whose mural depicts a gentle, bucolic scene..

I wasn't the only one getting pictures of the cows. There's something delightfully lifelike about them.

Get a close-up of that bonnet! .

A pity that western New York dairy industry has fallen on such hard times. And with plummeting milk prices, the farmers need something to cheer them up.

More Blossom Time

All my neighbours are agreed that this has been a bumper spring for appleblossom. Even crabapple blossom.

There hasn't been  major late frost, so far, at any rate. So I will have to go all American in the autimn and brush up on my apple pie skills. I did once bake a proper American apple pie, nervously cosulting the recipe every few seconds.. It turned out pretty well. I have to make my own as Americans always drown theirs in cinnamon. Like air-conditioning, loading everything edible with cinnamon is one of those American habits I could do without.

 And there are all kinds of other blossoms too, this one being outside a neighbour's house.I particularly like this darker pink which is something like a sorbet I once tasted and I can't now remember where. A pity it was a misty morning.

 Driving to town there are umpteen beautiful trees but, as with the best autumn leaves, they're never in places where you can easily stop and take a photo.

A Tenacious Tulip ...And a Marauder

Meet my favourite snazzy tulip which hung on for a long time despite..

 A sudden influx of the biggest, fattest rabbits I've seen here for years. All I can say is..

 

Uh-oh.

Bittersweet Day at the Post Office

I went into the Post Office the other day to find a table in the lobby with an array of goodies. All the customers were invited to join a party for Sharon, who's retiring. A pity - she always dealt with my peculiar British questions with grace and patience. I shall miss her, as will everyone.

And how's this for an amazing cake?