This cropped top reminds me of the homemade tops my mother made for me as a girl and of the cropped circle tops I wore in young 20s. They were a very simple design and very cool. This one is a pale yellow seersucker. I was mid-way through a lengthy photo session when I stopped to count the number of seersucker items in my wardrobe--both pair of shorts, one pair of slacks, a skirt, a dress, and this top. Guess I must like the crisp look of this light fabric.
This past Tuesday, I rode to Columbia, Missouri, in our beater pickup truck with DH to pick up the 8th antique organ he has acquired since the first of the year. This pickup is very basic--it has no air conditioning and no radio and you can see the highway through the floor board in spots. Somehow road trips like this make us feel like we're in our 20s again. This is what I wore. The blouse is by Tommy Hilfiger, the bowling shoes by AMF, and the flowered sunhat is unknown,but all items were thrifted. The flowered hat proved to be a godsend before the end of the 8 hour trip as I was facing into the sunset on the return trip.
On Thursday, we thought we might soon have a swarm on our hands as we found ALL of our bees on the outside of the hive. I don't think I've ever suited up in my super-hero beekeeper's suit for the blog. If they are going to swarm it is often this time of year and often at the time of day we took this photo. We've since decided that they may simply be ready for an additional honey super up top. 
Another day, we took my step-son C.'s canoe for a trial run in our local city lake. He's planning to float the length of the Mississippi this summer.
And finally, we've taken our tandem bike for spin or two.
It's nice to be a little more active for a change. Hope your summer has kicked off well.
This post is part of Visible Monday, a regular feature at Patti's Not Dead Yet Style. This round up of looks is open to all. Come join the fun.
I love your summery looks! Outfit #2 in particular looks like my taste, too (bowling shoes!!). And I am impressed at the number of your seersucker items--I have yet to add any to my wardrobe, despite the fact I live in the Deep South. Maybe I'll make myself a nice cool top like yours...one of these days. ;-)
ReplyDeleteGinny--I got to reading up on seersucker today and it definitely has southern connotations. I'll be featuring more seersucker in days to come.
DeleteThat is exactly why I like wearing sunhats in the summer. I'm glad your hat did its job!
ReplyDeleteKathleen--when I left home, I wondered if the hat was a bit of an affectation, but it WAS useful after all.
DeleteSounds like a super start to summer - seersucker, pick-up road trips, and beekeeping! I love your easy breezy full skirted look. That's become my biggest relied on look for this hot weather season so far.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately mosquitoes and the high heat/humidity has kept me inside, but hopefully the called for rain will cool it off enough that I will want to do something other than sleep!
Megan--skirts like this let breezes doing the cooling! Our humidity hasn't really hit yet, but it will and my hair will grow thick and unmanagable! Sleep is a good way to deal with it.
DeleteBoating, biking, beekeeping... I can feel your relaxation and see it too. Seersucker is the most lovely-sounding word for such a summery fabric. The pick-up trip sounds like fun - I hope you took sandwiches and a thermos of lemonade with you. You look released is the best way I can describe it - wonderful!
ReplyDeleteMelanie--we should have taken a picnic. DH is forever joking about the 3Bs: bologna, bread, and beer. As it was, we ate the biggest Chinese buffet I've ever seen and I sampled octopus for the first time.
DeleteLook at you two on that tandem bike. Formidable!
ReplyDeleteSusan--the person on the front basically does all the work. The person on the back basically helps balance.
DeleteI love this time of year, too, when we are out and about. It just feels healthier! Love the tandem photo!
ReplyDeleteoomph--it IS healthier. We have our AC cranking already...and it is good to soak up some Vitamin D.
Deleteso fun! love this :)
ReplyDeletexx
natalieoffduty.blogspot.com
Natalie--Welcome to Rags and thank you.
DeleteOOh, Love the bike!!! Rod and I rented one once. we don't play well together ;)
ReplyDeleteI am a flip-flop hoarder as you will see this week-great minds....
Capri's are also the typical summer gear around here as well, while I live in skirts/tees and sandal most of the summer. It is so very hot here already!!!
Yuck!
Have a great week :)
Reva
Reva--We bought this one to entertain our brood of grandkids. And yep, I buy a new pair of flip-flops every year and have quite a pile of old ones in my closet. What do you do to cope with the heat?
DeleteLots of good old AC!
DeleteI do have a way of just dealing with the heat when i have to, but paper towels are always within reach to dab the sweat!
my god, all this stuff I didn't know about you! You have bees, and a tandem and 8 organs! wow! I like seersucker too, though I don't think I own any. Also, i only found out about the name of it about two years ago. It's a funny one when you think about it!
ReplyDeleteFranca--I've talked about the bees before, but much of the time the bicycle is in storage. The organs would be DH's latest enthusiasm. They are NOT taking up space in our living quarters, but in his workshop. Seersucker is a funny word.
DeleteThe tandem bike pic is my fave! What fantastic fun! Sarah xxx
ReplyDeleteSarah--Yep, a "Bicycle Built for Two," there's a famous old song about a this...
DeleteSeersucker is such a great word! And you look fresh and cool in your lemon top and skirt (did you shorten it?) And you always look super trim and chic in jeans, loving the road trip hat!
ReplyDeleteI didn't know you kept bees, how wonderful!
Love the photo of the two of you on your tandem.
You are a woman of many and varied interests and skills, Terri, I like that you keep surprising us! xx
Curtise--lemon is a better descriptor of the color. I did shorten the skirt by about 4 inches. WE do keep bees, but have been shy of harvesting the honey in recent years...as bees have been such beleaguered creatures that we want our last hive to thrive.
DeleteBee keeping, road trips and two man bikes! You look relaxed and like you're having a ball. The bowling shoes are too cool. I never thought to wear them for "real" shoes.
ReplyDeleteStyleAgent--I have searched for the bowling shoes for a long time and am very pleased with the pair I found. I think I may need to add some grips to the soles.
Deletea tandem?? How fabulous I've never tried one....love the idea of keeping bees!!
ReplyDeleteYoungatHeart--the tandem isn't difficult so long as you have a strong rider up front!
DeleteDH looks like the scientist from Back to the Future. If he hooks any of his organs up to a clock you should stand back and prepare yourself.
ReplyDeleteI hope the fellow in the canoe is the one floating the Mississippi - that's a long way for the little guys. Always a mother I would be hoping his tetanus shot was up to date!
Rose--He's been told he looks like Dr. Emmett Brown before. Others have said a cross between Einstein and Clint Eastwood! Hm, I don't know whether to mention this clock idea to him or not. Already our door bell is a gong as in the Addams Family!
DeleteAnd yes, the little guys in that boat will be staying behind. I'll have to ask him about the tetanus shot.
Great casual looks and that tandem bike ride looks like fun!
ReplyDeleteSylvia--the tandem bike is fun, unless you're pedaling up a long hill.
DeleteWow! You have been having some fun in some equally fun outfits! Love the story about picking up the organ in your pickup truck. And picture of the two of you on the tandem is priceless. : )
ReplyDeleteStepping--thank you. Did you take pickup road trips when you were young?
DeleteHa! Your pick-up sounds rather like our campervan!! Loving the tandem and had no idea you were a bee keeper, our friends' bees swarmed last weekend, too! x
ReplyDeleteVix--I love your camper van and being able to see the road between your feet. Were your friends able to capture their swarm? It always looks more dangerous than it actually is.
DeleteFun times! I love the pic of you and your husband on the bike - you both look so carefree. And hooray for your sunhat, and for seeing the road beneath you as you ride.
ReplyDeletePatti--Yes, we've had some fun times, but my days of fun are numbered. I'll be attempting full time care of 2 grandsons for much of the summer, while attempting to teach online. Grandma lost her cookies big time on Sunday afternoon. It wasn't pretty.
DeleteI also love the picture of you two on the bike..how much fun! I need to find a great sunhat...hopefully at Goodwill! My summer weekend has been a long novel and rest...but that is OK by me. My 12 day vacation begins on Weds. and I cannot wait! Now, I just might be off to shop for a hat like yours!!
ReplyDeletePam--I have trouble with hats because my hat size is big and many don't fit properly. I know you're ready for a bit of a rest. May you feel rejuvenated!
DeleteI think the texture of seersucker makes it cooler to wear in hot weather. It allows air to circulate. I live in a country where everybody rides a bicycle, my husband and me included. I can't imagine what it's like to ride a tandem, but it looks like a lot of fun!
ReplyDeletekaffesoester--it does allow air to circulate, it's an ingenious fabric. Do you ever see tandems in your country? American cities have a very divided attitude to cyclists. Some cities provide bike lanes and others don't.
DeleteI love that "road trips like this" make you feel young! I laughed out loud--it is 90+ here today and driving in our regular (read "beater") car without AC (because it's too old and we're too cheap to replace or repair it) did not make me feel in my 20s! It made me feel every bit of 56!
ReplyDeleteApril--I cannot recall how warm it was the day we made this trip, but my deodorant had been overwhelmed by the end of the day. Prior to this trip, the heat had been 'stuck on' in the truck and I refused to go unless he fixed that first.
DeleteWhat cool bowling shoes! I'd love to have some like them. I always thought the best thing about bowling was the shoes. I've never ridden a tandem bike, but it looks like fun!
ReplyDeleteDebbi--Well, I like the looks of the shoes, but I think I'd better add some grips to the soles if I'm going to wear them very much.
DeleteYour top+ skirt look so girly!
ReplyDeleteThe bees, are you not afraid of them at all?
It sure seems that you two pace well together ( the tandem picture ) in every way!
Mette--I am not afraid of our bees. You do have to know how to work around them--slow and steady and it is best not to disrupt them at all on overcast days when they tend to be a little cranky. Actually, when bees swarm, their abdomens are so full of honey that they won't sting, unless you harm their queen.
DeleteSounds like a great beginning of summer -- road trips, beekeeping, canoeing, lovely outfits, biking? How fun! I especially love the picture of you two on the tandem bike...it's been a few summers since I got the chance to ride one!
ReplyDeleteNow, how many organs do you have in your house if your DH has found 8 so far this year already? (I suddenly appreciate the fact that my boyfriend's collection of fountain pens, while occasionally expensive, is not particularly space-consuming...)
Elly--It has been a very needed break. DH keeps the organs in his workshop where he tinkers on the bellows and the reeds and the woodwork. We don't have any in our living space...yet. And yes, fountain pens definitely take up less space.
DeleteLove, love, love the tandem bike picture - so romantic!
ReplyDeleteSeersucker rocks, seriously :)
I don't own a single pair of short. Nada. None. It's all dresses, skirts, and flip-flops when I''m not at work, with the occasional cuffed skinny jean.
Lynne--I suppose it is a bit romantic, but it doesn't take long for me to huff and puff if we ride it very far. I'm thinking that the older I get the less I 'need' shorts.
DeleteOh, your description of the trip in the beater pick-up brings back such memories. There's just really no comparable experience here in England. Definitely reminds me of midwestern summers and roadside fruit/veg stands.
ReplyDeleteAna--I'm so glad that my words conveyed the vibe of midwestern summers for you--it's dusty and hot and fun! Not many roadside stands yet, but soon.
DeleteA tandem bike and bees -- two things that I have never owned!
ReplyDeleteWendy--I was fuming when DH bought the bike, but we've had a lot of fun with it.
DeleteYou have bees! and a bicycle built for two! You have such a fun-sounding life Terri.
ReplyDeleteNarda--I think the life has to do with some sort of "magic" between DH and I. ;)
DeleteHi Terri!
ReplyDeleteYour trip into Missouri gave me visions straight from movies I've seen. What a great description of the truck too.
You look great with your hair pulled back and that hat resting behind you. The flavor of your life really comes through in your posts.
Joni--Yes, it was one of those trips with whizzing, blurry landscapes and blowing hair!
DeleteI love the bowling shoes with hat! A summer uniform is a great idea. I have a renovation outfit that has become a uniform; it's so easy to climb into as the days fly by.
ReplyDeleteSounds like you and DH have had a few adventures to treasure! The bicycle built for two is a hit with me!
Judith--I would love to see the renovation outfit. I'm picturing a big painter's smock...is it anything like that? How are you coping with the dust???
Deletei always love how a crisp white top looks with jeans.
ReplyDeleteChic on the Cheap
Lyddie--I love the crisp white too, but it is hard to keep the tops that crisp and that white.
DeleteYour summer days sound so exciting...bee keeping (you are so brave), road trips...biking. Mine is just me on the sofa sleeping away the heat. You have got the most comfortable outfits for summer....you are inspiring me to get my butts off the sofa to go outside for some sun
ReplyDeletemongs
mythriftycloset.blogspot.com
Mongs--Some of us are dealing with far more serious heat than we were in Kansas this past week. I say do what your body tells you to do.
DeleteI love those laid back photos. I have two weeks break now before the final four weeks of term.
ReplyDeleteI look forward to some laid back times.
I love the first outfit, so chic and relaxed looking at the same time.
Jane--I've just come from reading a couple of your "relaxed" posts. It looks like you're enjoying your time off.
DeleteWonderful cool and happy pics, Terri.
ReplyDeleteXXXXXXXXXXXXX
Sacramento--I suspect that you are playing and equally happy in Berlin!
DeleteYou look fully prepared for summer. I have a couple of summer outfits lined up but our weather has not cooperated. What fun that bike must be.
ReplyDeleteDarla
Darla--I take the biking in very small doses. I'm incredibly out of shape and definitely need to ride more often.
Deletei like what i see here i´ll be back soon!
ReplyDeleteClara--thanks for stopping by.
DeleteWow, all that fun stuff in one week's time - and bees too! Love your cool and classy style.
ReplyDeletePao--thank you! I'd love to have a pair of sheer pantaloons like yours.
DeleteA tandem bike! So cool!
ReplyDeleteClaire--the tandem bike is fun though not quite the toy we pictured when we bought it with the grandkids in mind. You really need at least one adult on the bike.
Deleteit sounds like you have had a lovely few days! water, canoes, crazy road trips and tandem bike rides? it sounds perfect to me! (although canoeing the mississippi sounds scary to me...good for your stepson!)
ReplyDeleteTwoBirds--Yes, I'm privately worried about his Mississippi float and yet quite a number of people do it every year.
DeleteOne of my best friends in Seattle has two tandem bikes and was always trying to get my husband and me to go out riding with them. (She got them for so little money, I was stunned.) My husband always refused. (He had fairly new knee replacements, so I understood.) I wish we had gone on just a little ride, so I would know how it feels. When I told my friend I thought it looked totally romantic, she laughed. I also loved seersucker, but ever since someone told me the rudest joke, I haven't been able to enjoy it properly. I agree that the bees in North America need a break. I'm glad you're just a safe haven for them. Hope they rebound soon. I know what you mean about having a large head. The secret is to go to Target and try on every single hat in the style you want. Most are too small, but there's always one that fits. Expensive hats have better quality control and are uniformly too small for my head, so I don't even bother with them.
ReplyDeleteBeryl--I cannot imagine riding a bike like this with knee replacements, although I know knee replacements have come a long way. I suppose it does look romantic--it does make us look like we are in sync, whether that is true or not. Could you e-mail me that joke?
DeleteThe bowling shoes are cute and unique on you. For awhile, I had my eyes on some red piccolino shoes that kind of had that bowling shoe look...but for a lot more money! You scored!
ReplyDeleteThanks to you and a few other bloggers I read regularly, I am finally embracing the wisdom and joy in thrifting. I had to get over some of my own peccadillos to make but my first purchase...but now I'm loving it!
Lisa--Welcome to Rags! I searched for these bowling shoes for two years...so sometimes thrifting patience pays off. I'm glad to hear about your conversion to thrifting. I've been for a quick peak at your blog and I'm a new follower!
DeleteI much prefer wearing hats in the summer to wearing sunglasses. I have yet to find a straw hat that travels very well, though. Love the tandem bike, it looks like great fun! Can't imagine why the old truck makes you guys feel young again, but whatever it takes it must be nice to feel that way. Sounds like anyhow. Where on earth do you keep eight antique organs?
ReplyDeleteShelley--I have problems with sunglasses too, because I wear regular glasses much of the time. The organs are housed in my husband's fairly sizable "bunker" or workshop.
DeleteBowling shoes, nice touch! I used to have "used" shoe phobia but I am getting over it... Thrifting away now! :-)
ReplyDeleteStyleMentor--Welcome to Rags! I often wonder how some shoes show up in the thrifts. Some look like they are unworn...and I figure that someone bought them and didn't actually wear them much because they are more particular about the fit than I might be.
DeleteI love your blue skirt and think blue and yellow is the perfect summer pairing. You look fabulous.
ReplyDeleteAnd I LOVE the tandem bike. You mentioned yours was up and running, but I had no idea it was a tandem. That is just so wonderful!!!
As for my trying to resist thrifting, I know it's going to be hard. I hope to last for at least three months. I believe I have enough clothes in my closet to go that long without thrifting anything new. It'll be hard to resist though.
Yellow and deep blue were the colors in my wedding to DH. The bike I've pictured here is not the regular bike, but I have been taking it for spins too.
DeleteGood luck with your no thrifting campaign. I did walk through a store today, but talked myself out of the one item I found.
Looks like you're enjoying your time! I love the shot on the tandem. The first outfit looks like something I would like to wear, its really cute!
ReplyDeleteMeri--that first look is my summer uniform. Today I have on the same skirt, with a bright green tee.
DeleteGreat photos, Terri. It looks pretty there. I love your tandem bike. My husband and I need to be more active and that looks like fun.
ReplyDeleteLisa--My husband and I need to be more active too and we often discuss ways that we can work that into activities we do together.
DeleteVery nice photos :)
ReplyDeletehttp://themadcreationist.blogspot.it/
Kisses from Italy
Giuseppe
M.A.D. Creationist--Welcome to Rags and thank you! Kisses from Kansas!
DeleteHi Terri!
ReplyDeleteHope you are doing well!
Summer hey! I love it!
Love your pics -
I have been busy these past 2 weeks, did not post a lot, but will get back in the routine -
Going to a cosmetic events with Izzy tomorrow -
Ariane xxxx
Ariane--It's great to hear from you and Yes, I've been following both you and Izzy's goings on.
DeleteTook me a couple of google searches to realize what seersucker is :)
ReplyDeleteI have a few items myself ! seemslike you are making the best out of your spare time !
Ha, seems i commented on the wrong post....
ReplyDelete