Today I visited the Charleston Town Center and was surprised by this beautiful balloon sculpture of the New River Gorge Bridge. Approximately 15,000 balloons were required to recreate the bridge, mountains and water down below. Balloon sculptor Aaron Hay and other balloon enthusiasts crafted this display as a part of FestivALL.
The goggles here are a fabulous touch:
But I think my favorite was the Spiderman rescue:
The US Youth Soccer Region I Championships are headed our way, and this high energy, positive video was created to welcome them to our area. It highlights some of my favorite local places, so of course I wanted to share it with you. You can learn more about the soccer championships at WVvisit.org.
Yesterday was the 146th birthday of West Virginia. I sat on my back porch looking up from underneath my maple trees, waiting for the sun to break through the clouds and light up the leaves. That shade of green is one of the things I associate closely with West Virginia and is usually comforting to me - but lately it makes me think of Iran.
I found this blog yesterday and I feel a need not only to share it with you, but also to warn you - it’s not an easy read. It’s heartbreaking to hear the voices and see the faces in Iran, to read about their struggles for freedom and see how difficult a fight it truly is. Click here to read.
This blog was posted by a friend on Twitter. As you may have heard, many Iranians are now using Twitter to share information and organize protests. (This communication is so vital that the United States government even asked Twitter to hold off on scheduled maintenance so as not to cause a “blackout” in Iran.) Our news media is gaining much of their own information from reading these tweets.
The Twitter community has pulled together to show support for the people of Iran in simple ways, turning our avatars green and changing our location and time zones to Tehran, Iran to help “hide” those who are really there behind a wall of our numbers. We’re making sure their stories are told. Looking in Twitter, you’ll see a sea of green avatars, hopeful that those in Iran will see and know they have our support. The simple question, “Why is your picture green?” gives us a chance to make sure more learn what’s happening in Iran.
My state exists at all because of civil war, because we didn’t agree and were willing to fight and even die for our beliefs. Freedom is not free. Witnessing the pain in Iran, even from this distance, makes my heart ache.
They are willing to fight or die for their beliefs, something that a West Virginian - or any American, can understand and relate to very well.
I wished West Virginia a happy birthday in my green back yard, with a prayer that the people of Iran will soon have the same freedom I am so lucky to possess.
I’m looking at the week ahead, adjusting my brain to the idea of the kids home for summer and prepping for a trip to Chicago. Peeking through my iPhone, I selected a few pictures that summed up the last week.
I bought this bendy little tripod from Photojojo and I can’t quit playing with it! Its legs move every which way so you can set it up on an uneven surface or even wrap it around bike handlebars or a doorknob. I hope it helps me get some interesting shots on my next trip!
I turned 40. My Dad gave me this card:
My family took me to Blackhawk Grille for dinner. Here’s my sweet husband.
I’ve done maybe too much shopping for that upcoming trip. Did I really need orange shoes? Really?
Yes. Yes I did.
And finally, here’s our friendly neighborhood exercise partner. If you want to take a walk, she does too, even if she just walked several of our other neighbors. She takes her responsibilities very seriously.
Good girl!
Today is the last day Little One is in elementary school, which means it’s also the last day I’ll do bus stop duty. It’s not cool to have Mom pick you up from the bus stop in Middle School. (*Sniff!*) It’s also the last day I’m 39, so I’m feeling a whole lot of “last days” piled on me all at once.
I was flipping through some of my Flickr pictures and found this from earlier this year, titled “Sometimes the Picture is Not About the Picture.” I’ll include what I wrote underneath:
This afternoon I picked up my Teen from band practice and we made a surprise stop at McDonalds. We giggled in the car and snarfed down French fries and milkshakes while we watched for a break in rush hour traffic that seemed like it would never come.
One driver stopped and held up the traffic behind him for ages until we had the break we needed to cross to his lane. I felt the sun on my face, the company of a kid I love beside me and the kindness of a stranger and told her, “It doesn’t get any better than this.”
She looked at her fast food and said, “Really? This is the high point?” We paused and giggled, and I told her yeah, this is pretty much it.
I hope she understood. The giggles in the car? It really doesn’t get any better than that.
I hope someday years from now, I’ll find this picture, and instead of seeing French fries, I’ll hear giggles.
***
It didn’t take years for me to find the picture and remember the giggles. A day full of “last things” is not just about last things — it’s also about lots of new things. Today I’m appreciating what the years have already brought me, tomorrow I’ll be looking forward to what comes next.
Here’s hoping my next 40 years are full of lots of giggles - and French fries!
I’m raising daughters - what changes we can make in the world when a girl is given a chance! (Not to shortchange the boys, but you’ll see what I mean.)
Hurricane High School graduation will be held tonight at 7:00 at the Charleston Civic Center. Poca’s graduation ceremony will also be held at 7:00 tonight at the Municipal Auditorium. (I’m feeling bad for the grandparents who might have to choose which to attend!) Winfield, Buffalo, the Putnam Career & Technical Center and GED have already held their graduations.
Congratulations to all Putnam graduates, and good luck in your future endeavors!
The graduation owl pictured above is a decoration from the first graduating class of the new Mountain View Elementary.
Earlier this week I visited Philadelphia, PA for a Real Estate BarCamp. We organized a little photo walk for the morning of our return home, passing by Penn’s Landing, the Liberty Bell and Independence Hall. Philadelphia is a beautiful city, proud of it’s history and diversity. My favorite place of all was Elfreth’s Alley.
Elfreth’s Alley is the longest continually inhabited residential street in the United States. The 32 homes were built between 1728 and 1836. The stone doorsteps have been worn down over generations. One of the more interesting features are the mirrors on metal brackets over the doors, so that someone upstairs can see who’s at the door. (Legend has it that Ben Franklin was quite a lady’s man, and the mirrors were his invention to see if hubby was coming home early.)
I just loved the bright, cheerful doors. There were no yards, but flowers everywhere.
Over the years, this little alley has been home to over 3,000 people.
This is one of the last intact early American streets, saved from destruction of the years by the residents themselves. (The construction of I-95 in the 50s was a close call.)
From it’s first days, this has been a neighborhood full of people from distinctly different backgrounds: A Christian family next to a Jewish family next to a family of former slaves. While the buildings themselves are beautiful and deserve protection, I’m so glad the spirit of America - that we are all worthy - has been protected as well.
I found this video of the flooding in southern WV and had to share it with you - using still photos set to music, Cody Stacy shows the devastation left behind by the flood waters earlier this month in Gilbert and Hanover, WV. This is a powerful story, simply told. Cody would appreciate a comment if you’d care to leave one on the YouTube video page.
If you’d like to help, you can make a contribution to the American Red Cross, designated “Southern West Virginia Floods”. The address for checks is American Red Cross, 113 Lakeview Drive, Charleston, WV 25313.
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