On July 25th, I saddled up my Chevy Equinox and headed west to Abilene, a town rich in Old West history and legends, and the boyhood home of Dwight D. Eisenhower, former World War II Five-Star General and President.

The focus of this excursion was a book talk at the Abilene Public Library. The original plan was to make this a “girl trip” with a friend: go out on Friday to shop the antique malls and stores, stay over and tour the museums and other historical sites after my talk. But due to the forecasted extreme hot and humid temperatures, we scrapped those plans until cooler weather. I left home at 7:30 Saturday morning, arrived in Abilene around 9:00, scoped out the downtown area, then headed to the library, also downtown, to prepare for my talk.

This is another of the libraries established with a grant from Andrew Carnegie. The current building was opened in 1908 with additions in 1934 and 1977, and renovation in 2009. I love the stately architecture!

The interior is also reflective of the period with original oak woodwork, and columns that divide sections in the original building.  

The people who attended my book talk were a lively group, asking questions and sharing some of their own experiences.

The gorgeous kimono displayed on the wall behind me is from Abilene’s sister city, Omitama, Japan.

After the book talk, I set out to troll for treasures in the antique malls and stores. Here are a few of my finds: 

An enamelware kettle and lid

A group of colorful reproduction “fish” liquor bottles. Even though they are repros, they were inexpensive and will add pizzazz to my bottle trees.

Many thanks to Kristine Sommers, Outreach Coordinator for the library, and to the patrons who attended my talk and made it such a fun experience!

I’m looking forward to a return trip, this time with my friend, to hunt for more treasures and tour the historical sites.

The zinnias are out in full force! Last year on August 3rd I posted a blog about our zinnias with pictures of our favorites: http://www.fromhighheelstogumboots.com/gumboot-tracks-blog/archives/08-2014. 

Bill planted some new varieties this year. One of them is “Zowie! Yellow Flame,” shown in the first picture. The rest in this group are "Whirligigs." But I call them all Zany Zinnias.

I got lucky and caught a bumblebee checking out one of the blooms in the first photo directly above. I think the one to the right should be called "Red Hat Society Sock It To Me!" It has a ring of purple next to the center, then bright red petals. Actually, it's another "Whirligig."

The variety shown below is called “Cactus.” The blooms are a little larger than regular zinnias and the petals curl under. 

We’ve also added hollyhocks to the colorful chaos.

Most of the daylilies and hollyhocks don't provide much of a purple presence but tall garden phlox adds a splash of pinkish-lavender color.

Coreopsis thrives along the south side of the house.