Hot Summer Nights

I'm fortunate to have Gwen's company most Wednesday nights. I try to find different things to do. Sometimes we go out for dinner. Other times we set up an obstacle course in the driveway and chase each other through it. Tonight, we hooked up the sprinkler to cool off on a very hot and humid evening. I wasn't too sure how well it would go, but we had a lot of fun. At first she just allowed the outside edges of the water to get her wet.

Even though the temperature was hot, it was still shocking when the cold well water hit you. She got closer, washing her hands, feet, and the ball which we tossed back and forth through the spray.

I finally convinced her to jump through, but she didn't like the water on her face. The goggles (which came from the goggle fairy from swim class) came out, but they only lasted a very short while. She eventually was running through the water like a pro.

Here she had me take a picture of her with water on her face to prove that she got it wet!

She had me in stitches as she sang as if in the shower and practiced her ballet moves.

Another successful Wednesday event brought to you by Grandma!

Thanks Mel!

Don't you love it when somebody does something really nice for you just because you did your job? A few weeks ago I helped someone who works for me with a work related issue. She gave me a cute card and a gift certificate good at either Red Lobster or Olive Garden.

Last night I went home and worked through my Amas program. I was in a crappy mood for a variety of reasons. Brent was working in the office and I was trying to figure out what to make for dinner, which I really didn't want to do. Suddenly, I had an AHA! moment. I gave Brent his choice of RL or OG for dinner, and off we went.

I haven't been to Olive Garden in several years. I had forgotten how yummy their salad and breadsticks are. I had a baked ziti and Brent had some kind of garlic shrimp over pasta. It was great and I didn't have to cook. What's not to like about that?

Thanks, Mel!

These Back Roads

I typically take as many back roads as possible on my daily commute to and from work. I can't stand the stupid drivers out there, all the lights, all the accidents, all the....well, if you commute during rush hours, you know exactly what I'm talking about. I found that by taking the back roads where I can, I miss out on all the frustration and shave about 10 minutes off the drive. On top of that, I often see great wildlife.

Yesterday was a great driving day. It started when I came around the bend where I could view a large home in the middle of some fields on the left and on the right, there's a fence and a large outbuilding. What first caught my eye was a huge bird with wings spread wide sitting on the fence post. Then I noticed that there were 4 other large birds on other fence posts. As I got closer, I realized they were buzzards, but let me tell you, those suckers have a huge wingspan. It was just so unusual to see 5 of them sitting on different fence posts. Where's the camera when I need it?

On that same property, there's a pond, a small stream, and a small bridge. There were a bunch of geese there with little goslings scurrying everywhere. Seeing geese there isn't unusual, but it was cool to see the furry little ones everywhere.

Further along in my drive, I passed the fields where they've cut hay in the last week. In about the center of the one field were two large turkeys with their little ones. I thought that they were typically born sooner than this, but apparently not. I couldn't get a good count of the little turkeys, but there were at least 6.

Meanwhile, people are flying over those backroads and I know they never look in the fields or see the wildlife beauty they're dashing past every day. While I rush from one activity to another all day long, I guess this part of my day is a little like stopping to smell the roses - or at least slowing down enough to actually see what's along my travel route. It brings a smile to my face on what is otherwise just a pain in the neck!

17 Pages

I went to the Miller Resort this weekend for a scrapfest. The Miller Resort is the home of friends Kim and Matt Miller. The place is huge - certainly large enough to be considered a resort. Kim's Mom, Sandy (the devil who introduced us to scrapbooking), was in town to join us. It's always a great time when the 3 of us get together to scrap.

One thing I can say is that the food served at the Resort is fabulous. Three women who love to cook - wow! I love stuffed chicken breasts, and it's something that I've never made. Sandy made delicious ones on Friday night. Saturday I took care of lunch which was a portabella burger and a panzanella salad. Kim made some awesome pasta with proscuitto, pine nuts, and feta cheese that was yummylicious and Sandy made a peach pie for dessert. yum. Sunday Kim took care of lunch - a chilled pepper soup and a tart with peppers and proscuitto. I don't want to step on the scale today!

My goal was to complete 10 pages, and I finished 15 before I left their house at 5:00 last night. I was so into it that I finished another 2-page layout before going to bed last night. I am desperately trying to finish up my brother's Australia album. His trip was in November, 2007 and I started the 12x12 album back in March. I promise it will be done before the 1 year anniversary of your trip, Rick!

Lawn Ornaments

It all started several years ago when we finally did our first little bit of landscaping. I came home one day and found a "Bless This Garden" stone in the garden. That was the first of many different garden ornaments that have mysteriously shown up. Humping frogs, squirrels, ducks, and even a face on one of the trees. Monday night I decided to do a little weeding and look what I found. My sneaky parents have been at it again!

Lately not only have ornaments been appearing, but also some way cool rocks. This latest came back from my parent's most recent mining expedition in Maine. This specimen has garnets and mica - awesome! I love 'em!

Brent Turns 49

With the triathlon last weekend and too many things going on this coming weekend, we had to celebrate Brent's 49th birthday on the actual day, July 15. Being a work night, it was tough to pull anything real elaborate together. But, everyone brought something, it was a beautiful night to eat outside, and the entire family was together. Who can ask for more than that?



I have no idea what Allison's telling Chris, but it must be quite a story judging from the look on Chris's face!

Kera made a really delicious semi-sweet chocolate cake with ganache icing - yeah, luscious chocolate on chocolate. She put trick candles on the cake, but Brent had enough wind that they never relit. Hope his wishes come true - even if he did wish for Zip wheels!

Brent made out like a bandit - as usual. He loves getting presents and would drag his birthday out all week if he could. Is anyone taking bets on how long it will take him to get that Shuffle up and running?

Our grandaughters were quite adorable, as usual. They really do liven things up!


The funniest part of the evening came when Kera and Travis were playing a vigorous game of ball tag. Travis was pushing Kylie in the little car while Kera and Gwen chased them, trying to hit them with the ball. Kylie was laughing and when she saw me with the camera she had to say "Cheese!" Gwen managed to bounce the ball off the car just as the video ends. Good shot, Gwen!

After everyone left, Brent told me how happy he was that the whole family was able to come. Just wait until next year when we have a big 5-0 celebration!

Musselman Triathlon

This was Brent's second year for the Musselman in Geneval, NY. Located in the Fingerlakes, at the top of Lake Seneca, it's a beautiful location. If you've ever been here, finding a decent place to stay at a decent price is a challenge. We were a little late reserving a room, so we were about 45 minutes away. This presented a challenge since I'm not much of a morning person. It was just far enough away that it made sense for us all to get up and leave the motel by 5:00...that's a.m. As Kera will tell you (and did on her blog http://dailysahm.blogspot.com/), she's wonderful and went to see Brent in the swim while I stayed in the van and slept. She's the only crew member for Team Bart and she managed to snap these pics.

Brent posing in his wetsuit prior to the swim.

Brent's in the green cap to the left - waiting for the start of the swim.

As you can see, it's a beautiful day for the event...at least at this point. Not that I would know because I was sound asleep in the van. Did I mention how much I hate mornings?

Brent coming out of the water.

Kera waited and positioned herself for a great shot of him coming out - until everyone decided to stand in front of her. Why is it the tall people always want to stand in front?

Brent coming out of the transition area following the swim.

Meanwhile, Kera and I thought we had a great set-up. Kicking back in our chairs, our little winebox table, having a little breakfast, and watching a movie. Until the rain started. It didn't take long before we were stuck in the van watching a tear jerker of a movie - P.S. I Love You while it absolutely poured. If you haven't seen the movie, it's at least a 3 kleenex flick where you will laugh and cry through the whole thing.

Meanwhile, back at the race....

Finishing the 1/2 marathon in the pouring rain.

Yes, it was an absolute deluge which started when Brent was about half way through the bike. Doesn't this look like fun?

Kera waiting for Brent to finish.

Brent at the end with his medal.

July 12 in 12

July 12 found us in the Fingerlake region of New York with Kera and I sampling the local vintages. Since Brent was doing the Musselman Triathlon in Geneva on Sunday, he was our DD for the day. Kera and I did our best impressions of wine snobs.We were on the eastern side of Lake Seneca. The view from many of the wineries is just spectacular.

Most of the wineries have lovely gardens. The first pic is from Bloomer Creek and the second is from Atwater. Lots of great landscaping ideas.

We had lunch at one of our favorite places - the Red Newt. The wine is good, and the food is delicious. We ate outside overlooking the lake - what a fantastic day. We toasted our Three Philosophers to Brent and his upcoming race.

Kera loves to pose and make funny faces. I have pictures from all sorts of cool places, all with her silly mug. Isn't she a beauty?

Fearless Fourteen

If any of you have been sucked into the crazy world of Stephanie Plum like I have, you will definitely enjoy Janet Evanovich's new book Fearless Fourteen.

These books are an easy, entertaining read - great for the beach. This would not be my favorite of the 14 books. I don't think I had any LOL moments, although there were some chuckles. Not much on the love triangle going either. But, it is entertaining, and if you love the crazy characters from the past, you will definitely enjoy this one too.

Smokin'

Friends invited us to their home for a picnic over the 4th holiday. Jeff is the king of ribs to begin with, but he totally outdid himself with 2 different kinds of smoked ribs. Oh man, they were just falling off the bone and were so yummy! Here's Jeff and his handy dandy smoker.

Following dinner, we had our first experience with the Wii. We bowled, we played tennis, and finally, we played Guitar Hero. It was a blast, but I'm glad I don't have a Wii. I would absolutely never get anything done. I would be glued to that thing until I mastered it. Renee was the undisputed winner of Guitar Hero - clearly she spends a lot of her free time with her guitar. She was definitely smokin'!

The Full Cup

I didn't post about this sooner because I wasn't quite sure if it was a good thing to do or not. I may regret it, but I'm going to talk about it anyway because that's just the kind of mood I'm in.

While researching things to do in Old Alexandria, I noticed a place called The Full Cup. It calls itself "a European bra-fitting salon, dedicated to the idea that buying bras should be a heart-warming, fun, and loving adventure, that makes us all feel better about our bodies."

Hmmm. Interesting I thought. We stopped in and were able to make an appointment for later in the afternoon. We hesitated, but the clerk assured us...more Brent really... that she was sure it would be worth his while. Hmmm again.

It was very interesting really. Who knew there was so much to consider when getting a good fit? Some were serviceable everyday wear, and then others were, well...worth Brent's while! LOL!

Osteoarthritis of the Knees

It started a little over a year ago when I had the brilliant idea to take a year and train for a half marathon. Six months into training, with tears running down my face because of the knee pain, my chiropractor told me to stop running immediately. Fast forward one year later, and I'm still having serious knee pain especially on yoga and training nights or days when I am walking a lot. My trainer, Amas, said it was time to go to an orthopedist and figure out exactly what the problem is. I have a love/hate relationship with Amas. At the moment, I'm hating him for forcing me to face some hard facts.

It was much easier to remain ignorant and whine about it. Now, however, I have to face the fact that I have osteoarthritis of the knees and need to do whatever I can to avoid total knee replacement. Of course, it's just a matter of time until that will be the only solution available. In the meantime, continue strengthening the knees (which I've been doing with yoga and training), taking glucosamine/chondroitin which hasn't worked in the past, and try to stave off antiinflamatories and injections as long as possible.

It's hell getting old.

At Home in Mitford

I read quite a bit and I do enjoy a good book series. I've been hooked on any number of of them, but I have to say, seldom have I enjoyed one more than Jan Karon's Mitford series. The books are an easy read, but are filled with colorful characters and are truly inspirational and uplifting. The books center around the life of Father Timothy Kavanaugh, a small town Episcopalian priest. You will laugh, you will cry, and I guarantee you will thoroughly enjoy them. Give this first book a try - you won't be disappointed. In fact, I think you'll want to read the entire series!