Sunny Bike Ride

 Not always easy to plan bike rides with March or even April weather... Had our Tornado watches and nasty wind with lots of rain!

But on March 6, it was such a perfect sunny day!

Wearing our shorts and off we went!

Finally we found us a spot for a break.

Pieter is munching on my home baked Amaretti cookies.

This was on March 6, so the trees were not yet filled up with green new leaves...

Beautiful lake...

A short 6 second video of both lakes and Pieter on his bike.

Lovely Redbuds or Cercis canadensis

For those that love to see our full ride on Relive, here it is...

Our Year on WHEELS

 The year 2021 went so FAST!

Not so much on WHEELS, but in general...

Pieter did spot this 'old bike' long before I'd seen it, always zipping by too fast... So finally we captured it.

Both are GREEN deals!

The BEST thing we've done is to trade in Pieter's Male Trek bike for this: Vale Go! 9D EQ S

Pieter has been enjoying it so much!

Not bad for a 92.5 year old guy, don't you think?!

Well, I didn't go quite as far as Pieter did but I used my Vale Go! 9D EQ rather well.

For me, only 300 rides versus Pieter's 530 rides...

Pieter did 3,118.7 km over 2021, as he runs his bike for running errands to Home Depot, to Kroger, Walmart and whatever. He loves doing that!

For 2022, I would love to see me do more km as well.

Hoping to soon have all my digital work behind me, and looking forward to routine things.

For our Dutch Batavus Cambridge bikes we did not yet have the Strava app or any other app...

The Schwinn Hybrid was too risky for pushing up the many hills in our region and Pieter's heart could give out.

So, Pieter did search on his iPad Pro, for a better solution, looking for an Electra and for me as well.

Even if I did not want to go that way at first, but Pieter insisted by saying: 'Listen we always have done things TOGETHER!'...

So I was sold!

Only one trip I manually entered in 2017, for my Batavus Cambridge, when my youngest brother was here with his wife Wilma and daughter Caro, for Pieter's 88th Birthday.

While Pieter napped, all four of us rode, we still had the Batavus Cambridge and the Schwinn bikes.

~

Pieter had bought the Trek Verve +3 MALE bike but when we together once started at home and he tried to swing his 92 year old leg over the back+saddle, PLUS Pannier bag, he fell on the lawn.

It was then, that I made up my mind and when coming back from our ride, getting in touch with Edward Angus Hall from Atlanta Cycling Vinings.

He went out of his way for getting Pieter this new green one; A LOT SAFER!

Our longest ride was 58.5 km or 36 miles and we reached home just before dark, riding with our lights on for the final 5 km!

Pieter wearing his down puffer jacket and I should have worn it too, as I got rather chilly in my cotton sweatshirt with cardigan below, under the thin jacket...

Friend Engracia took this photo on her iPad, just before we left.

My eyes show bags, due to my hyperthyroidism and CKD stage... But I'm still alive! 😏

But it sure felt good having visited our widow friend and sipping some tea together and enjoying the mixed unsalted nuts and rice cake with Tamari seaweed that I'd carried inside our Pannier bag.

I'd baked almond amaretti cookies for her and she gifted us with a heavy scented candle that went back inside my Pannier bag as I did not want to make it harder for Pieter to push some real mean hills.

This one shows you the rolling area!

Engracia captured that when we left her home.

Sunny and 18℃ (64℉) and it should be 16℃ or 60.8℉ when riding back... 

But in reality it was only 11℃ or 51.8℉ when riding back around 5:00 PM and the days were short after mid November!

Proud of my Pieter for managing this!

There were some very mean and steep hills to tackle.

But on October 20, when Pieter's cardiologist had an ultrasound done to check his heart, he said his heart even had improved a bit!

Soooo, let's keep rolling our wheels together as it is good for a healthy heart and for a healthy living.

My CKD level is in stage 4 but due to me being 'muscular' it is mentioned as 3b.

Not that it ever improves but keeping my 28% function as stable as can be, I HAVE to continue!

May God grant us some more blissful days on wheels together.

Related link:

New Green Deal | my July 21st post with more info about Pieter's virgin ride... 

{Tea in Atlanta with a Blogger Friend I Admire}

FINALLY I get to post this... Meeting a very sweet and special Blogger Friend, Tamago and her husband 

Tamago writes the very humorous and fun blog: GOROGORO & NIKONIKO about her two adorable cat-boys.

Devoted Cat-Mamas together; Tamago to the right.

We enjoyed some tea and dessert at the Grand Hyatt Atlanta in Buckhead where we were staying for a free night, annual gift that comes with their Visa card's anniversary.

This makes Tamago my 6th Blogger Friend that I met in person.

It is always very special to do so.

Mr. D. with my Pieter, two devoted Cat-Daddies.

This was on June 28 of 2015.

Thank you sweet Tamago for this special photo of the two of us together!

As usual we did exchange some delicious cookies...

Again I'd baked some Amaretti Cookies from Almond Meal with Coconut Palm Sugar to bring with me.

Sweet Tamago and Mr. D. gifted us with some very special individually wrapped Macarons from the Mozart Bakery.

This very special Bakery also seems to have a restaurant and we for sure will check it out within a couple of months!

The thrill of tasting a Mango Macaron!

For the color I added these orange Hibiscus...

And of course served, using the Japanese lacquered tray with Kyushu teapot and Japanese teacup, in honor of Friend Tamago.

Sorry for having eaten this yummy Mango Macaron almost before taking a picture!

Mozart Bakery's Macarons are yummy and their tastes are: 

Blueberry

Chocolate

Coffee

Green Tea

Mango

Strawberry

Tiramisu

Vanilla...

Thank you so very much sweet Tamago and Mr. D.!

Wish we would live closer and do this more often.

Related links:
{Brunch in Toronto with Blogger Friends I Admire} | previous post by me
{Port Huron, MI - Meeting with Blogger Friend I Admire} | previous post by me
{Livonia, Michigan - Meeting with a Blogger Friend I Admire} | previous post by me
{Visiting Ria from IT'S ME} | previous post by me

{Highly Fragrant 1939 Sweetness Daffodils}

Due to my severe back pain, I just recycle this 2012 post of January 28...

~

• Yesterday we had two big nosegays of fragrant 1939 Sweetness Daffodils. One for a dear friend and one for us to fill a white ceramic vase. What a bliss for having those in January. That is extremely early. Do any of you have bulbs blooming right now? 

• 1939 Sweetness Daffodils and china from the Daffodil of Royal Albert Friendship series...
• This china pattern can be found at Replacements Ltd, click the above link.

• Fragrant Sweetness Daffodils; Sunshine and Tea...

• Dark chocolate Pomegranate from Costco.
• Amaretti cookie hearts from Mariette's Back to Basics

• Teapot is a French Pillivuyt

• The ceramic spoon to the right is an American Favorites Porcelain Spoon from Avon. It is the 1988 pattern with Daffodils.

• The sterling bon bon or nut spoon is a H44 H J Howe with daffodils.

• 1988 Avon Daffodils spoon

• Matching cocktail napkin with daffodil embroidery.

Sorry that you cannot smell their fragrance...

Related links:
{DAFFODIL OF ROYAL ALBERT FRIENDSHIP SERIES} | Previous post by me

{Tea Cup Gift from Blogger Friend Susan & Ava Grace}

It seems unreal when thinking about our lovely June Brunch in Toronto with e.g. sweet blogger Friend Susan...
BUT already 4 months have passed!
Time for finally showing Susan from Ava Grace's Closet's lovely gift...

Look what an adorable Box with fabulous afternoon Tea Cup & Saucer by Indigo!

With a sweet note from Susan and Ava Grace, her cute little daughter.
Ava Grace could not join us however, she was sick...

My home baked Almond Amaretti cookies are great with tea on the balcony!
The weather did brighten up this afternoon.
Hope it will soon look better in South Carolina where people suffer from so much flooding.

Love the poppies with butterflies!

sincèrement
Tu es tout ce que j'aime...
You are all that I love...

Seriously
you give me butterflies
You sure DID sweet Susan and THANK YOU SO MUCH!
The Box is a Gift in itself; so pretty! Glad it did fit into our carry on for flying home with it.

One day, we will get to see your cute daughter Ava Grace - PROMISE!
Fond memories, every time I sip tea from this cup ❤

Related link:

{Brunch in Toronto with Blogger Friends I Admire} | previous post by me

{Livonia, Michigan - Meeting with a Blogger Friend I Admire}

After our wonderful Mackinac Island tour, complete with Afternoon Tea at the Grand Hotel, it was back to Mackinaw, City and next day after breakfast I hit the road again for driving some 4 hours south to the Detroit area. We were staying at the Hyatt Place Detroit/Livonia for one night before continuing to the border of Canada next day. Just enough time for meeting with a sweet Blogger Friend that I Admire: Deborah from The Beautiful Matters. Over the years we have shared so many mutual interests and our love for tea on Blogger. It was about time for meeting in the flesh and sip a real cup of tea together!

Here we are; happy together!
Sweet Deborah did write about it even before I could put my act together: Tea and cookies with a blogger friend

Yes, before going on this trip, husband Pieter mentioned that our home smelled like a bakery as I'd baked about 10 lbs of Amaretti Cookies from Almond Meal with Coconut Palm Sugar to make them as healthy as possible.
Deborah sure deserved her two bags of these home baked cookies as she is one of the bravest women I know. A very touching post written by her was this one: In memory of my son and it is only weeks ago that her eldest son would have been 31 years old.
Hard to believe that this beautiful and brave lady had 10 children of which 3 are alive.
A true role model with a strong Faith.

We both had a white iPhone...
Both let our hair color be natural...
Both of us LOVE pearls: Deborah's post about it→ Looking for pearls
Both of us LOVE hand writing: Deborah's post→ Thank you notes

Both of us LOVE vintage handkerchiefs: Deborah's post→ Vintage handkerchiefs

Both of us feel alike: Deborah's post →  Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking - you can check out my comment on that.

Sipping Tea Together, feeling blessed!

 Living both a content life is very much like Deborah wrote: Blessings in the mundane

Words of wisdom...

Closing with Deborah's words:→ Ode to friendship

I certainly feel blessed knowing this fine lady!

Pieter speaks also very fondly of her and that makes me double happy.

If you not already have discovered this gem in Blogland, click on those pink hyperlinks for getting to know her great qualities.

Hope you enjoyed our tea time!

Related links:
{Our Grand Hotel Mackinac Island Michigan Afternoon Tea} | previous post by me
{Mackinac Island Flora} | previous post by me
{Mackinac Island Carriage Tours} | previous post by me
{Patriotic & Romantic Mackinac Island, Michigan} | previous post by me
{Shepler's Mackinac Island, Michigan Ferry} | previous post by me
{505 S Huron Avenue, Mackinaw City, Michigan} | previous post by me
{Delta Annual Companion Certificate Flight to Detroit, Michigan} | previous post by me

{Fragrant Chrysler Imperial Rose}

Several years ago, we lost all our roses due to drought...
Finally we have found our highly fragrant Chrysler Imperial Rose back!
It is such a lovely Hybrid Tea Rose.

Chrysler Imperial was a 1953 AARS winner. (All American Rose Society)
A dream in a tiny Baccarat crystal vase.

It is a stunning and also a rather large rose...

My Rheinpfalz Hartporzellan cake plates from Germany also have red roses... They still are from my original trousseau. Yes, I did start quite young with gathering some nice pieces; several of which I still possess!

My home baked Amaretti cookies are on the cake plate...

Guess I always have loved roses.
That's also why we do have our {New Rose Arbor on High Heels} and it is visible from our bay window area as you can see here.

The teacups and teapot are by Seltmann Weiden Bavaria in then W. Germany in the Mirabell pattern.

The tablecloth is hand crocheted and was a gift from my dear friend Ellie.
Does any of you have this highly fragrant Chrysler Imperial Rose?