In The Summertime

My summer starts here. 

Every year.

We left Fairhope Sunday morning as I said, and drove, well I drove, all the way to Louisiana. Will was talking in his sleep. So yes, by now I've been in four of the Southern states in one week. I love it. I've already talked extensively about Locustland. So because it's Wednesday, and you're probably busy as hell like I am, I will skim on parts missed and touch up on parts that were briefed before.

Becky's garden.

 Garden & Gun missed the garden! Which is a form of controlled wildness. That's how I like it. Let that Queen Anne's Lace light up the night. There's always some cool purple carrot or weird tomato in their vegetable garden.

No I don't have a garden this year. And I feel fine about it. So be easy on me. I will not show you what my yard looks like this year until the Gardenias come out to play. 

A boat load of people singing Sarah Happy Birthday.

Sarah is one of the most excited, festive and American people you will ever meet. Hell, she was born on Memorial Day.

Not Jackson. This is his girlfriend. Jackson could not come this year. I don't want to talk about it. 

Queen Anne's Lace at night.

 We ate at about 9:30. My job is always to go cut the flowers for the table arrangement. I love this job. 

And every year, I think I might go into flower arranging. 

We added some votives, and a vase sweet peas for the additional table. Jane Marie over there checking it out. 

Beauty. I'm good. And humble too. 

Will walking through a jasmine arch. 

Smelled so good. The lake is that way. 

Everyone in the living room, admiring the cork-de-lier, which a spin off the beer-de-lier.

By the way, I had it wrong. And so did Garden & Gun. Becky does not collect bottle caps from the local kids. They help her make the beer-de-liers, stringing the bottle caps. No they aren't encouraged to start drinking beer as soon as they can to start making money off it. Ha!

Awesome picture.

Check out the cypress tree in the moonlight beam. What a gorgeous moon. It was so huge and full when it came up over the lake. 

Sarah and I as youngins. On the porch.

Becky and Touchdown on the pontoon in front of the General Store.

Touchdown is a major part of this place. Becky's dad, Sarah's grandfather. Makes fabulous waffles for us. So great. As the article said, he is kind of the reason Becky and Michael settled here. Will and Touchdown have a sweet relationship. Notice the sweatshirt in 80-degree weather. That's something else, I tell ya. He's getting dropped off at the General Store for nothing specific. With a nickname like Touchdown, you've probably guessed that the man loves sports. 

Sound of boats motoring by. Makes me feel right at home. And I could use a terrace like this.

So American. So festive. This is what you get if you're born on Memorial Day. 

 She's proud to be an American Saints fan, on her birthday, singing Faith Hill on her porch.

This is Lucille. I'm a big fan of this dog. 

So that's where my summer started. Locustland. 

Happy to be home, feeling lifted by all the places I've been recently. 

Just loving life, you know?

Summerly,

Liza Jane