For Marie

I took these pictures for a friend who wished she had her camera on a beautiful Fall day.

The Dinner Party that Wasn't

We had some uninvited guests drop by for dinner yesterday. I think they could smell the meat cooking or something. Although they were very cute and eager, we did not invite them in. There are two obvious visitors, center and left in the window, and one directly to their right who moves occasionally. In the back right corner of the video, underneath the window's crossbar, there is a fourth.



Here - I'll try to point out all four:


Taking pictures through the window was a little difficult, and two of our friends left to play in the grass by the time we turned on the outside lights. One of the remaining fellows took off, but the fourth was a very persistent and very cute little guy.

Marie-Therese Gown GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

Marie-Therese Gown GIVEAWAY !!!!!!!

I love it I love it I love it!!!!!

My Summer Part 3

Every year since the year after I was born, my family has gone to the coast. Now that the kids are grown up (and some have kids of their own) it is kind of our family reunion. There are years that some people can't make it, and some years we even have extra visitors or friends who stay at the same place at the same time. The ocean vacation is the most relaxing vacation I can think of. There are miles of beach in either direction for walking, the units are relatively quiet (you can hear footsteps overhead sometimes), and I usually manage to read several books during the week and work on a puzzle.


In recent years we have started a new tradition - the sandcastle. The sandcastles through the years have always been impressive. The mammoth structures take several adults most of a day to build. Honestly, most of that time is spent creating a gigantic pile of sand. Then the artists go to work, creating a design with turrets, stairways, windows, and anything else they feel like. This year's sandcastle was a "princess castle" in honor of my niece's birthday and her favorite preoccupation.


Some of us crazy people even try swimming in the ocean. It is numbingly cold, but lots of fun. Afterwards we all try to warm up in the sunshine.



We picked the perfect night for our campfire on the beach this year. The ocean breeze died down just in time for our fire, so the only hot dogs and marshmallows that were covered in sand were the ones my mom dropped off her roasting stick. The fire burned bright, hot and fast; my little brother saved the day by driving off to get an extra bundle of wood because it was burning so fast. We played a few rounds of charades as the night got darker, and then we put out the fire and headed back inside.

My Summer Part 2

We went to a great birthday party at the zoo.

Various Animals:
















Flamingos


Jaguar


Elephant


Hippos


African Savannah



I can still remember how much I loved the peanut butter frosting on the birthday cake! The cake-makers actually molded the candy kayakers ahead of time and then made the rest of the cake fresh for the party.




I was happy to take home some of the extras, but when I got home and opened up the bucket for one last bite, I found a stowaway.