High Falls State Park in Jackson, Georgia

Thank you for your comments and visits but right now I cannot leave ANY comment, nor reply to anyone's blog...
What is up with BLOGGER?! 😡

On April 7 of this year, we both attended a lovely wedding in Milner, Georgia.

Leaving for home the next day, we did stop at the beautiful, tallest cascading waterfall south of Atlanta.

Pieter capturing this cascading waterfall at High Falls State Park Jackson on a rather nippy morning...

This is a photo from a polaroid photo at the wedding.

Yes, I was still on crutch with my double (closed) pelvic bone fracture.

We were so lucky with the weather all day; no rain but very windy!

Here we are at the wedding's dining room...

Wearing my silk/wool Escada jacket and Escada pant with RED Valentino sweater, shown in previous post.

This is a photo from High Falls that Pieter took.

So after so many years, we finally got to see this too.

This shows the lake and the High Falls from where we took the photo.
You can hike when entering the State Park but the weather was way too cold and for that you cannot be on a crutch...

Thanks for your visit and comment.

Related link:
{My Escada & RED Valentino Score} | previous post by me

Speckie Girl Magnet

Oh, when you just have been away for a couple of days... Kitties can give you that LOOK!

So did Speckie-Girl after I'd come home - she remained my MAGNET! On my desk, staring at me like saying Mom you don't go away AGAIN?!

She has such perfect white whiskers and eyebrow hair!

Thanks for your visit and comment.

Related link:
{Lazy Speckie Girl} | previous post by me
{Our Spicy girl with Snake} | previous post by me before we renamed her Speckie... due to being FAT!

Daycare for Kitties

Oh, those spoiled stinkers of kitties, what a life they have!

This is from April 5, all four of them lounging on their leopard blankies on top of our guest beds.

One would wish to be a pet like that!

Carefree nappy time after breakfast...

Bandido on the bottom, Barty on the other bed and Bandido's tiny sister Tiggy-Tiger at the foot end on an extra blanky!

Speckie girl claims the other soft blanky on the oak chest near the window for watching the front yard and the road.

Tiggy-Tiger loves to curl up when sleeping!

Barty boy, our most senior at the age of 14. He got white whiskers on one side...

They sure have a GOOD life!

But they are oh so loved.

Around 11:00 AM I call them all downstairs for their brushies. Combing their hair and then brushing it. Barty HATES it but he takes the bribes and lets me do some minimal combing + brushing.

Speckie loves to EAT so she lets me do a lot more.

Spunky girl, her brothers Spooky and Bandido LOVE it and so does Tiggy-Tiger. 

They are all so very easy.

Don't we all love our furry family members?!

Thanks for your visit and comment.

Related link:
Would LOVE to Reincarnate as Fur Baby... | previous post by me
{Cat Dining Room} | previous post by me

We Biked from Fort Benning to Columbus Georgia via RiverWalk

On June 15, I did post about last year's bike ride on the Chattahoochee RiverWalk in Columbus, Georgia.

On August 16, we did go back for a repeat of this lovely ride through nature.

Along the Chattahoochee RiverWalk there are spots for fresh cool water, so here husband Pieter is filling up his insulated water bottle.

This photo is taken of the Chattahoochee river in Columbus, GA High Uptown

We started out at Fort Benning, Infantry Museum where we parked our car.
Here we are on a bench in Columbus High Uptown after having completed over half of our ride of 30 km total or 18.6 miles.
We had a good whole wheat sandwich with beef tenderloin and sour cream/garlic/chives/horseradish for much needed muscle power.
So proud of my very senior mate!

Feeling very happy and FIT since my 2.5 month of NON-activity due to my closed double pelvic fracture.
Started biking again on June 15.

This beautiful arch with CHATTAHOOCHEE RIVERWALK is also in High Uptown Columbus, GA

Bridge with beautiful architecture and plants under those arches!
This also was in Uptown Columbus, GA
Would have loved to walk this bridge for taking more photos...

This is Downtwon RiverWalk in Columbus GA
Don't you love the pavement and the lanterns + railing!

Showing you here that beautiful railing alongside the Chattahoochee river, with Pieter waiting for me...

There is so much to see in Downtown Columbus GA alongside this RiverWalk, like this ALL WOODEN BRIDGE...

But we better keep going for returning back to Oxbow/Ft. Benning where our car is being parked!

The weather stayed perfect on Thursday, August 16 - no rain! 32ºC or 89.6ºF.

This is the entire 30 km or 18.6 mile route on Strava...
It took us 2 hours and 12 minutes.

Thanks for joining us and below is a short 59 seconds video of the entire ride.

Relive 'Fort Benning to Columbus via RiverWalk'

        

       Related link:
Time for Repeating THIS... | previous post by me

We DID go Back to Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain, Georgia

Yes, we finally did take the risk, regardless the weather forecast for rain.
Trusting that indeed those thunderstorms would happen in the afternoon.
We had to drive by car some 2.5 hours before starting our bike ride at Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain.

Here I am standing in front of Robin Lake.
Just click this short 43 seconds video below to see our actual bike route of 1 hour and 26 minutes for the 17.3 km or 10.7 miles.

Relive 'Lunch Ride at Callaway Gardens'

  

      This was the weather forecast at 6:00 AM that morning.
We figured that in the mornings the weather would be good to bike and it was!

On the short video above from Relive, you could see that we entered Pine Mountain via GA Highway190 and we had some great views of Franklin Delano Roosevelt State Park.

So we stopped for some photos from the F.D. Roosevelt State Park area.

While biking I took this photo from the tall trees along Mountain Creek Lake.

Here husband Pieter is alongside Mountain Creek Lake.

The red line is what we biked and you can read the different Lake names...
There are a total of 14 lakes at Callaway Gardens and we biked along 10 of them on this trip!
It was a wonderful day and it felt great for having completed this ride of 17.33 km or 10.8 miles.
The hills we biked were rolling with an altitude from about 240 m till 280 m.

From here we went to the Hyatt Place in Columbus-North where we stayed 2 nights.

Thanks for your visit and comment!

Related link:
THIS is Again in the Planning - Biking at Callaway Gardens in Pine Mountain | previous post by me

LEARN from Husband Pieter's Successful Rooting of Hibiscus syriacus Jeanne D'Arc

When we did add the latest patio, we had to cut down an older Hibiscus tree. Yes, it was more than a shrub after all those years.

You can see how thick its stem was from link below this post, about our Hibiscus syriacus Jeanne D'Arc & Our Life in Italy.

This is the double blooming Hibiscus syriacus Jeanne D'Arc.
We're so happy for having now more of this one!
Let me show you how husband Pieter managed to do this...

Starting out with a cheap plastic container from Walmart - drilling drainage holes in it.

A bag of Quikrete Play Sand from Home Depot...

On August 5 of last year, Pieter did mix in just a bit of potting soil and here are the six starters he cut off.

Covered up with white plastic bag for humidity, creating a kind of greenhouse for high humidity and waiting.

On September 3, they got transferred to individual pots. The smallest one still got a 'greenhouse' treatment but using a cut off plastic bottle for a cover. Important is that light can penetrate.

Very healthy looking growth already of this Hibiscus syriacus Jeanne D'Arc on September 3!

This Hibiscus syriacus Jeanne D'Arc is smaller but looking also very happy and healthy!

This is on August 12 of 2018.

It will take years for them to have some shape and for growing into a nice shrub and eventually a little tree!

It took us about six years to grow a Hibiscus syriacus Jeanne D'Arc before, the only one surviving from several and we gifted it to a dear friend who's Mom used to have one. Just a sentimental memory of her dear Mom and we were thrilled to hand that to her.
We will wait another 5 years for having our 2 young ones blooming and being pretty again!
Below is a good video about taking cuttings and growing your own shrubs:

Thanks for your visit!

Related links:
One More Patio Added | previous post by me
{Our Hibiscus syriacus Jeanne D'Arc & Our Life in Italy} | previous post by me

Brindavan Gardens Mysore with Luxury Heritage Hotel

Our final stop before going home (back to our hotel...) on that very long but oh so wonderful day!
Now on to Brindavan Gardens Mysore with its former Palace converted into a Luxury Heritage Hotel.
Brindavan Gardens are modeled after the design of the Shalimar Gardens of Kashmir (State in the North where husband Pieter visited in 1981) in the Mughal style. There are numerous terraces, parterres, fountains, running and cascading water channels, water chutes, lush green lawns, flower beds, shrubs and trees.
It sure is world famous for its ethereal beauty, grandeur and illumination/musical fountain.
See more from the short video that I placed below...

Here we are at yet another dreamlike Palace with a huge 60 acre (24.3 hectare) garden!
The Palace you see behind my husband Pieter, is now a Luxury Heritage Hotel...
Sudha, Sarath and Pieter enjoying the view of these majestic Brindavan Gardens.

It all looks like a dream...

There is a huge dam at the very end... with a big lake.
The Krishna Raja Sagara a gravity dam on the Kaveri river, just click pink hyperlink for more.
This is the view, straight ahead from the terrace.

So many heavenly impressions for that entire day...

Such a happy time together in paradise for one day...
Sudha told me that numerous movies have been made here!

Sudha and Sarath happy and for us they were the best guides we ever could wish for!
Sarath was also the one that traveled with Pieter to Madras (Chennai) on his ADVENTUROUS trip, see post below.

We are sitting here now below the terrace from where we overlooked part of Brindavan Gardens.

A happy husband Pieter!
What a WONDERFUL DAY HAD.
For getting a far better idea about these spectacular Brindavan Gardens near Krishnaraja Sagar Dam, watch the short video below.

We start our long journey back by 18:30 = 12 hours on the road already!
Driving in the dark rather soon and we had to stop several times throughout the Mudamalai Wildlife Sanctuary, for giving yield to the Muntjac deer; we spotted some 20.
Full moon so that was a bonus.
We all 4 had dinner together, at our Savoy hotel, but we were more tired and sleepy than hungry, after such a long day that started very early.
But how very special, thanks to such warm and kind people that offered this to us!

On Monday, next day, back to work as usual.

On Friday, we left for Coimbatore again, by car and a flight to Madras via Bangalore.
We dined with the export manager and his wife and stayed at a very posh Sheraton hotel.
Saturday, we went shopping in Madras with the export manager's wife.
After a full lunch we were dropped off at the airport, via a ride along the beach.
Flight to Delhi and we again met with our contact person from Pond's India and he dropped us off at the beautiful Taj Palace hotel.
Too bad that we're only feeling like going to bed, we have to rise again at 4:30 and fly from Delhi to Singapore in some 6 hours and on to Jakarta in about 1.5 hour on KLM Royal Dutch Airlines for our job there for the coming years...

Thanks for your visit and comment!

Previous posts:
Lalitha Mahal and Maharaja Palace Mysore | previous post by me
Chamundeshwari Temple and Chamundi Hills in Mysuru India | previous post by me
Trip from Ooty to Mysuru through Mudumalai Wildlife Sanctuary | previous post by me
Wearing a Saree for ONE Day and Lending my Jeans | previous post by me
Pond's (India) Limited Mushroom Project | previous post by me
My 1st Trip to India - Consulting Together with Husband Pieter | previous post by me
Husband Pieter's ADVENTUROUS 2nd Trip to India | previous post by me