Stories from the Stringam Family Ranches of Southern Alberta

From the 50s and 60s to today . . .



Friday, May 17, 2024

Away From Home

Fly on the Wall is a monthly challenge that I share with my blogging sisters, Karen and Marcia, where we invite people into our lives and recap our past month.
This is my glimpse into mine...

I'm a homebody.
There, I've admitted it.
I do like being in familiar surroundings. 
And especially in my own bed. With my own bathroom (something that grows increasingly important with the passage of years! But I digress...)
And my own stuff around me.
But Husby loves to travel.
And I love to be with him.
So I travel.
It's actually quite funny. With numerous health concerns between the two of us, much of what we pack consists of...pills.
Yeah. We pretty much resemble a traveling pharmacy.
Fortunately, pills are fairly portable. Thus far.
Where was I?
Oh, yes. Traveling.
And enjoying it.
Recently, Husby and I and a couple of close friends, Bill and Judy, left our aforementioned comfortable surroundings and did an Amsterdam/Belgium/Italy loop.
It was cold. I've never quite witnessed the cold like Amsterdam when it's +3 C, blowing a legitimate gale. AND raining.
Yep. There's no cold quite like it.
And I live in Canada!
But we enjoyed every single minute.
Let me 'briefly' tell you about it...
First Amsterdam (Or Hamsterdance, as Granddaughter #11 called it!). We were there for the tulips.
And wow! Did we see TULIPS!
(Just FYI: None of my pictures turned out, so most of what follows came from my artist/photographer friend, Judy White.)
Husby and me!


Keukenhof- a must-see!


Of course, being in Holland, we had to see windmills in Kinderdijk:

And museums: The Rijks Museum is beyond stupendous:

I want this library so much!

Now THAT's a model!

Nightwatch by Rembrandt. Just one of thousands!

And churches: 
Grote Kerk, Haarlem

We could have spent a month there!
But we had a schedule to keep, so on to the First World War Sites in Belgium. 
Just outside of what was known then as Ypres:

Of the 12,000 graves in this cemetery, only 4,000 were identified. The rest were 'Known Unto God'.
I've never cried so much...

Hill 62 Battlefield. Preserved just as it was. The divots and swales are from artillery blasts.
And now "sheep may safely graze'.


St. Julien Canadian Memorial

And then Florence and the surrounding countryside:

David.
So many works of art. So little time!

And SO many people!

We also took a bus trip out into the countryside of Tuscany. Pisa, Siena, San Gimingano. Fantastic!

We're not sure how many of these trips we have left in us, so we toured and ate and talked and laughed and absolutely enjoyed ourselves. There are thousands more pictures and an equal number of memories, but at least you got a glimpse.
Thank you for coming along!

When you start to look like your passport photo, it's time to go home.

Now go and see what Karen and Marcia were up to this month!
Trust me. You'll be glad you did!



Real Estates: All Murders Included in the Price!

Real Estates: All Murders Included in the Price!
My FIRST murder mystery!

Blessed by a Curse

Blessed by a Curse
My very first Medieval Romance!

God's Tree

God's Tree
For the Children

Third in the series

Third in the series
Deborah. Fugitive of Faith

The Long-Awaited Sequel to Daughter of Ishmael

The Long-Awaited Sequel to Daughter of Ishmael
A House Divided is now available at all fine bookstores and on Amazon.com and .ca!

Daughter of Ishmael

Daughter of Ishmael
Now available at Amazon.com and .ca and Chapters.ca and other fine bookstores.

Romance still wins!

Romance still wins!
First romance in a decade!

Hosts: Your Room's Ready

Hosts: Your Room's Ready
A fun romp through the world's most haunted hotel!

Hugs, Delivered.

Compass Book Ratings

Compass Book Ratings

Ghost of the Overlook

Ghost of the Overlook
Need a fright?

My Granddaughter is Carrying on the Legacy!

My Granddaughter is Carrying on the Legacy!
New Tween Novel!

Gnome for Christmas

Gnome for Christmas
The newest in my Christmas Series

SnowMan

SnowMan
A heart warming story of love and sacrifice.

Translate

My novel, Carving Angels

My novel, Carving Angels
Read it! You know you want to!

My Second Novel: Kris Kringle's Magic

My Second Novel: Kris Kringle's Magic
What could be better than a second Christmas story?!

Join me on Maven

Connect with me on Maven

Essence

Essence
A scientist and his son struggle to keep their earth-shattering discovery out of the wrong hands.

Essence: A Second Dose

Essence: A Second Dose
Captured and imprisoned, a scientist and his son use their amazing discovery to foil evil plans.

Looking for a Great Read?

E-Books by Diane Stringam Tolley
Available from Smashwords.com

The Babysitter

The Babysitter
A baby-kidnapping ring has its eye on J'Aime and her tiny niece.

Melissa

Melissa
Haunted by her past, Melissa must carve a future. Without Cain.

Devon

Devon
Following tragedy, Devon retreats to the solitude of the prairie. Until a girl is dropped in his lap.

Pearl, Why You Little...

Pearl, Why You Little...
Everyone should spend a little time with Pearl!

The Marketing Mentress

The Marketing Mentress
Building solid relationships with podcast and LinkedIn marketing

Coffee Row

Coffee Row
My Big Brother's Stories

Better Blogger Network

Semper Fidelis

Semper Fidelis
I've been given an award!!!

The Liebster Award

The Liebster Award
My good friend and Amazing Blogger, Marcia of Menopausal Mother awarded me . . .

Irresistibly Sweet Award

Irresistibly Sweet Award
Delores, my good friend from The Feathered Nest, has nominated me!

Sunshine Award!!!

Sunshine Award!!!
My good friend Red from Oz has nominated me!!!

My very own Humorous Blogger Award From Delores at The Feathered Nest!

Be Courageous!


Grab and Add!

Search This Blog

Ghost of the Overlook

Ghost of the Overlook
Need a fright?