A Sentiment

God knew what He was doing when He sent a gentle breeze and brought a lovely butterfly to set my heart at ease. The happiness of your friendship and the gentleness of your words have touched my life in special ways and now I feel assured. Thank you for your loyalty and for reading everyday. I only hope you find things to make a happy day.

Monday, August 8, 2011

Roamy Stopped By the Police

The story about the police stopping us is true...



Sunday morning dawned and it was going to be a beautiful day. We decided to take off and show Roamy and family some of our town's attractions. Roamy is interested in Nuclear Power plants, so we decided to drive by the Byron Nuclear Generating Station which is a nuclear power plant located in Byron...2 miles east of the Rock River. The reactors house two pressurized power reactors, they first began operation in September 1985 and August 1987 respectively. The plant was built for Commonwealth Edison and is currently owned and operated by Exelon Corporation. We had quite an adventure. As we approached the plant, Joe said, "Maybe you shouldn't take pictures here, Balisha." He went on kidding, "Homeland Security might think you are a terrorist." We both chuckled...Roamy looked worried. The little Gnomes were sitting in their special seats in the car until we neared the plant. They wanted a better look, so they climbed on the dash board and watched the huge looming towers, with clouds of steam rising, coming closer. I decided to wait till we got real close to take them outside for a photo.


We stopped the car and I got out with Roamy to take some pictures. As I held him up to get a better look, a police car came out of nowhere. The officer rolled the window down and said, "You can't take pictures here." Joe got out of the car and went over to talk to the police woman. He explained about the Gnomes visiting and said that we were just taking pictures for my blog. I think the officer was wondering about our story. She was kind and let us go on our way. Whew! That was something...what if they had apprehended the Gnomes and took us in for questioning? I can just picture Roamy and Juliet in prison stripes.


After this encounter Juliet suggested that we do something a little less exciting. We were having steak for dinner and wanted some sweet corn to go with it. We headed into town and saw a sign advertising sweet corn.



We stopped the car and the gnomes jumped out and climbed up for a better look. Ansel stayed in the car to catch a nap. Roamy helped Joe pull back the husks of each ear of corn. We wanted the best for our company. The ears were bigger than the Gnomes...I wondered how they would be able to handle these big ears.



our next stop was at Lowden State Park, where a huge statue of an Indian stands looking out over the Rock River and area below.


Lorado Taft, who created the 50-foot statue as a tribute to Native Americans, is said to have thought of the figure one evening as he and other members of the Eagles' Nest colony stood gazing at the view from the bluffs. According to a story attributed to Taft, he and his colleagues tended to stand with their arms folded over their chests. The pose made him think of the Native Americans who were so reverent of the beauty of nature and who probably had enjoyed the same view. The statue was dedicated to all Native Americans, but has come to be known as the statue of Blackhawk. The picture below shows the mammoth size of this statue.



We met a family there, who were so interested in the story of the visiting Gnomes. They thought it was a wonderful story and wanted to know where Roamy had been and where he was going next.
Roamy and Juliet bid goodbye to this big guy. Juliet was glad to be back in the car. This statue stands on a bluff over the river and she is a little leery of heights. She was watching as we left the park.







Roamy was more interested in the Smokey the Bear sign...relieved that the threat of forest fires was low today.



There are 23 teepees located in different places all over town. Artists painted them all so different. The artwork was created as a fund-raising tool for the restoration of Black Hawk and the 100th anniversary celebration that was held in July. They are all painted so beautifully and stand there through all kinds of weather. The gnomes weren't satisfied with viewing from the car. They had to hop out and inspect this up close. Roamy dabbles in oils and is very interested in art of all kinds. They wanted to climb up for a better look and little Ansel wanted to go clear to the top. I kept looking around for that police car, because we had driven in the grass...right up to the teepee. We coaxed them down and all got back in the car. We were all tired and decided to ride along the river and head home. There were boats on the river. It was finally a nice weekend and it seemed that everyone was out enjoying the scenery and weather. We got home and fell into our chairs. The gnomes climbed into the big red chair and I gave Joe a glance. He had a little frown on his face. He loves his chair, but is cordial and will share it with the gnomes...but after they are gone, he wants it back.

Balisha






















16 comments:

Lisa at Greenbow said...

What a cute trio of gnomes that share your love of travel. It will be interesting to see whwere all you go. We bird watch at a power plant near where we live. We are not allowed to take photos there even though it is not a nuclear plant. All this has come about since 9/11. Thanks for visiting my blog and commenting.

Margie's Musings said...

Has anyone ever told you you have a very active imagination, Balisha? :)

Lona said...

I am glad Roamy and the family did not get arrested. LOL! Looks like everyone had a pleasant day.

Diana LaMarre said...

OMG, Roamy Goes to Jail...that would have been good! LOL. What a fun day the little gnomes had with you and Joe.

Pat said...

So glad you and the little family are having such a good time. Just wondering how you all would have looked in striped prison suits.

Balisha said...

Hi Lisa...I enjoyed reading your blog today.
Our power plant stepped up security at that time too, but I have seen pictures taken there, in the newspaper, and I thought that it would be OK. I guess you can...if you're not caught. They didn't go so far as to make me delete my pictures. I'll always remember the gnomes when we drive by there.
Balisha

Balisha said...

Hi Margie...I guess that I have always told stories...to kids that I baby sat for and my own and then grandkids. I love to write poems and being an artist, I have an interest in things that you can only imagine. We actually did all these things with the gnomes...I only pretended that they were real and put myself in their place and reacted the way I thought they would. Balisha

Balisha said...

Hi Lona...We have had so much fun doing these gnomey things. I think my hubby will be glad to see them on their way to California :)
Balisha

Balisha said...

Hi Zoey...Only you know how it is with gnomes visiting. I enjoyed your posts and thought that you had a lively imagination too. Thanks for reading...they'll be leaving soon. Balisha

Balisha said...

Hi Pat...There is a little fear inside of a person, when the police are involved...be it something serious or even a little gnome mischief.It made for a fun adventure and is something that I will tell about for years. Balisha

garden girl said...

So many adventures they're having during their stay with you Balisha! They'll have so many stories to tell when they get back home.

Glad no one got arrested, and glad you got to keep your photos. They're too sweet to delete. Bet Romey and family had never seen a nuke plant before!

Anonymous said...

Well! It sounds like Roamy and his family are enjoying their visit with you and you are trying to make it as exciting as possible for them. (I love Margie's comment).You remind me of my son and now my grandson with the imagination. I have to admit they are a very happy looking little family and seem to be enjoying all this adventure. (I would love to have been a mouse in that police car after she left you all). Anyway, I've had a great time catching up and trying to figure out where in the world Roamy came from when I realized he has been all over the world.
Patsy's flowers are beautiful. I am going by to visit her this morning, too. Maybe, you all could wrap me up and send me around the world. I would just hate traveling in that little box though. I can tell you two are having great fun and that's what it is all about. Maybe, you will make him and his family one of my recipes before he leaves! I love ya Balisha. You are one in a million! Enjoy!

Anonymous said...

ok Mom the gnomes are cute, but when they start asking for tours of a nuclear plant, it is time to send them packing. They might be intel
bots from the planet Xenon for all we know-Love Tim

Balisha said...

Oh, Tim....you are your Mother's son. I knew that you would like this post. Where is Xenon, by the way? Roamy wants to know...Love, Mom

Anonymous said...

They know, that's why they were looking at your pancakes the other day. Reminded them of the mother ship. Hope their next stop is nowhere near silicon valley-love tim

Country Wings in Phoenix said...

Hello Sweet Friend...
What a beautiful post. Love seeing Roamy, Juliet and Ansel out and about. Looks like they are so enjoying Illinois. Isn't it exciting how others love seeing our stories behind them. Love that corn shot, now that was great. I am so tickled you have been enjoying them, as much as I did putting Roamy and Juliet together. What fun.

Please stop by blog and leave a comment. We are once again doing the Miracle Makeover with Design Gives Back and Guideposts Magazine. A 1.00 contribution will be given for each comment towards the next cancer patient makeover from our sponsors, just for you leaving a comment.

You must come and meet our makeover this year, 8 year old Charlie and his family. They will melt your heart. Such a beautiful story and makeover.

Please invite as many friends as you can come to stop over as well. We are trying to get as many comments as we can this year. We are taking comments through August 18th, and you can stop by each day. So, please do.

Many country hugs sweet friend, Sherry