Clark's Capers and Other Tales

Laura Outfit c.1940's

2012-01-22T16:44:00.005-06:00

Laura was home last weekend and she wore this outfit to church. It was her Great-Great Aunt Anne's suit. I think it's from about the 1940's. Of course, I "needed" to take some pictures. And since I haven't done any scrap booking lately these pictures seemed like a good project.

Anne and Bob she was sure a snazzy dresser.

Finally Finished Vacation Pictures

2011-11-24T20:43:00.005-06:00

Yes it's been 4 months and it's now Thanksgiving. I finally got busy and finished our trip pictures. We had such a good time on this trip. I loved the scenery of W ashington and O regon. Growing up in C alifornia we had mountains all around us. I really miss them when I'm out there. Yet, coming home to M innesota I'm always happy for the beauty of home.

The chicken restaurant is one of our favorite places to eat.

Today

2011-10-26T18:38:00.002-05:00

More Fall Colors

2011-10-24T17:30:00.003-05:00

I once had the chance to take a picture of a snake when Brian and I were riding around Crex Meadows in Wison son. However before considering it I told him to scare it away. After I thought about it I really should have taken that picture. So today when I saw this snake I took the shot. This one was about the size of a large rubber band. Yes, I was that brave!

I walked in a park not to far from here. I just love the colors on the trees this year!

Trying for an artist look.

This is on a street not far from our house. Lovely.

Threshing Show back in Aug

2011-10-23T17:31:00.006-05:00

We went to this threshing show last year with Emily. It's a not a long ride and a fun destination with all there is to see there. There's a lot of history there to experience. Back in the day the merry go round was fun to ride on. Now a days I 'm sure they are dangerous and have been removed from most playgrounds. These kids were enjoying it.

My favorite part of the threshing show is the glass blowing. In 2009 we stopped in St Croix at a pottery studio and the owner told me he blew glass there every year. After waiting for a year I enjoyed watching the process. As long as we're around in Aug I'm sure we'll go again.

I'm sure the woman of the day were very glad for this invention. I'm just glad they've been improved them over the years.

Of course we had to take in the tractor pull. After watching for a bit we headed over to get some food. Luckily we chose the place that had a tent covering the seating area.

Just as we were sitting down to eat it was down pouring. Good timing!

Cute pig!

Road Trip Today

2011-10-22T22:46:00.005-05:00

The weather is still cooperating and we rode to R ed W ing. The leaves have great color and it wasn't to cold to have my camera out while riding. So the majority of these were taken en route.

Luckily for this bride and groom we had a 60 degrees afternoon. It is entirely possible for us to have snow at this time of year!

A Bit More of Vacation

2011-10-21T17:34:00.002-05:00

I'm almost done with vacation pictures. Eventually I'll get to the end. On this day we wanted to try seeing Mt St H elens. Instead we saw clouds which produced drizzle. Since it was a lost cause seeing it we headed back to Ken and Brenda's. Brenda and I took a walk over to the rock quarry that is next to them. It's not in operation it proved to be a pretty walk and there is an abundance of berries over there.

Fall Colors

2011-10-10T20:40:00.009-05:00

Yesterday I walked thorough our neighbor and over to C.aponi A.rt Park to enjoy the colors. The weather has been so warm, in the 80's, over the last week. I spent a couple of hours just out enjoying the day. I've been there before and never realized this was a view to enjoy. I was also unaware of how extensive the walking paths are there. A perfect place to take lots of pictures (over 350). The trees are beautiful this year.

I'm not sure the last time I saw a game of football being played on our street. And I'm certain it's never happened in the mid October.

A game of girls Rugby.

One of the best falls we've had in a long time.

Riding to A storia O regon

2011-10-02T10:09:00.009-05:00

Catching up after all my computer troubles. I never did finish up our vacation pictures so that willl be my focus for awhile. We rode with Ken to A storia to see the coast. It was a very beautiful area of the state. I've never been to the Oregon Coast that the weather was nice. This was by far the nicest day I've ever experienced there. It was actually warm enough for people to swim.

We met Sarah in A storia and drove on to Sea side OR. Where we walked out to the ocean.

I thought this picture was enough as a stand alone shot. This was this little boys first time at the beach.

33rd Anniversary Weekend

2011-09-24T18:34:00.008-05:00

After a couple months of computer and photo editing trouble I've finally got it figured out. With that resolved I'm ready to catch up with my blog. I guess I'll work my way backwards.

Last weekend was our anniversary. Since the 16th was a Friday and Brian has Fridays off I took a personal day off of work. We decided at the last minute where to go based on weather. We chose Wisconsin with the final destination to be Duluth.

We ended up riding to R hinelander for our first stop. Little did we know that it was the a fall ride in the town of T omahawk. There were hundreds of motorcycles on the road. It was nice when we stopped anywhere in the area we didn't stand out in our leathers. There is a friendly wave that bikers do. I happened to get a shot of it below. We take smaller country roads when we do these trips and I like to get shots of barns. And I didn't want to miss the large statues of odd things such as the large loon.

Overlooking Lake Superior.

This was in the lobby of the hotel we stayed in. There was a great view of Lake Superior that we were able to enjoy.

These were in Bayfield around the Lake from Ashland WI where we stayed for the evening.

Small town America.

Sadly we saw lots of towns with building like this, closed down and shuttered. I wondered just what it was like when these communities were thriving.

My photo editing program has some features that I am trying out. A line drawing below was done off of the one above.

We talked about how things have turned out for us after all these years. Little did we know when we started our marriage we'd find ourselves in the Midwest. I've been so thankful we did it's been a great place to have raised our girls. And we are finding so many neat places to explore as we are enjoying time together riding the roads.

As the good riding weather draws to a close we take our chances with what conditions we have. Dressing to stay warm is possible with lots of layers. The day we drove home was a day that conditions were not so good. It rained for almost all 6 hours of our ride. Needless to say we were cold and wet when we arrived home. Other than that we had a great time.

R's Senior Pictures

2011-09-14T16:21:00.000-05:00

I was lucky enough to work with R for 2 years. He has a great personality and can be quite the character. I was given the opportunity capture his personality for his senior pictures. Here is a sampling of my favorites of him.

I mentioned to his mom that some of them were "not senior pics" but great pictures of him none the less. His mother said this, "I really like 6818... "totally is "him" to me."

Ryan's mom also said this about his photos:

Looking thru the CD of Ryan's proofs of his Senior photo shoot...Diane did a great job getting good shots of him!...I am also laughing so hard I have tears running down my face...little does he know what a comedian he is and the facial expressions he makes...he cracks me up!

Me: this make me happy. For me photography is about capturing the essence of a person. I want the viewer to feel something when they look at my pictures. If I can evoke feelings in the viewer then I've done what I set out to do.

Ward Party

2011-09-06T17:00:00.011-05:00

The ward Labor Day party was held yesterday. It was really fun. We had Emily with us, she cracks me up. They had the Hammer Schlagen game for the adults. Brian and Emily both participated with Em being the only female to enter.

Em has quite the following with the kids of the ward. With some of the girls she used to babysit. And dancing to one of the songs the ward band played.

This was the other crowd she was hanging with. She doubled checked she wouldn't cramp their style if she sat with them.

Working the crowd trying to get the wave going.

If you know Emily at all you know this smile!

She cracks me up all the time. She explained she is having an identity crisis. She decided to try being a hippie. Oh and she is going vegan! But it would have to start tomorrow since she had butter with her bread.

Currently I'm having trouble downloading photoshop onto my new computer. I have lots more pictures of the band but I don't want to add them until I can edit them.

4 Months - 10,016 Miles

2011-09-02T21:12:00.007-05:00

Today Brian has had his motorcycle for 4 months and it turned over 10,000 miles. We decided even with iffy weather we'd go for a ride we chose Winona as our destination. We rode over to Prescott Wisconsin and went up Hwy 35. The Mississippi River runs between the two states so we had a nice view of the river. Due to some rain we ended up turning around and crossing in Red Wing. And went up the Minnesota side of the river. We were able to avoid any more rain with that trip around to the other side.

As summer draws to a close our trips will soon end. I'm sure there will still be a few more although I will be sad to have this season over. I've had a lot of fun traveling the open road with Brian. That being said I'm sure Brian will ride for a long as possible before the weather makes it impossible to ride.

Crossing through North Dakota.

Last day of vacation we were packed up and on our way home. I still have a few more pages to finish from vacation. Maybe I will get back to them soon.

Kiddos at Ken and Brenda's

2011-08-24T17:43:00.002-05:00

I still haven't finished my pictures from our vacation. Here is a page I did of Ken and Brenda's grandkids. We finally got to meet them all this year.

Two Years Apart

2011-08-14T16:05:00.002-05:00

My great nephews Antheny and Aiden and my niece Samira. I was looking back at pictures I took in 2009 and found this of the kids posed almost the same way. These were taken just shy of two years apart. I think they are some cute kids. Remember Kingston the koala he was with us a lot back then.

Washington

2011-08-10T22:42:00.004-05:00

I've enjoyed scrap booking (all online) our vacation. Ken and Brenda have a great home and surrounding area. They over look a river it's so peaceful there. Lots of wildlife and nature to photograph. The deer was in the front yard. We also saw some down by the river.

I posted these photos before, but, wanted to put up the page I did.

Ken decided to surprise Kevin and Laurie. He and Brian had gone to the store it was a bit hard trying to keep Kevin from checking out Brian's motorcycle. But we managed so they were able to see their expressions when they realized there were two bikes in the garage.

Oregon & Washington

2011-08-08T11:33:00.003-05:00

We had a chance to see some of my family in Oregon. I've had the chance to see them every few years but that isn't really often enough. Our time is usually very limited and goes so fast. I love the picture of Samira, Antheny and Aiden in the center of the picture. Samira is my youngest neice and Antheny and Aiden are my great nephews. My neice Shawna is their mom and she has done a great job raising her boys. I've been lucky to have been able to see Shawna's mom, Alicia, over the years. I will always consider her my sister-in-law.

My mom has been battling lung cancer for about 2.5 years and currently is doing fairly well with all the treatments she is receiving. I'm grateful for the blessings she has received to combat this terrible disease.

We spent time with Ken, Brian's brother, and Brenda our sister-in-law. We had a great time visiting and relaxing with them. We spent about 3 hours riding this train and enjoying the afternoon. We saw some beautiful scenery I really appreciate all the rivers out west.

We had some fun adventures and enjoyed the days there. The weather was a little on the cool side and was a bit rainy, as is the case in Washington a lot of the time. Of course, the day after we left the weather turned real nice. We didn't let the weather stop us from getting out and doing things.

We had a nice day when we went to Portland. Although when Brian was riding Ken's motorcycle home it rained.

There is more to come.

8 Years Ago

2011-08-07T18:51:00.001-05:00

Happy Anniversary, Allison and Nathan!

Utah

2011-08-01T17:26:00.005-05:00

We were in Utah for 6 days. We had lots of fun playing with the grandkids and seeing Allison and Nathan. Emily and Sarah were able to be there. The downside, I sure missed having Laura and Tyson with us. It's just not the same when loved ones are missing. As always I took tons of pictures it's hard to narrow down my favorites. Sadly, I didn't get my traditional shot of just me and the grandkids.

I've had several people comment just how much Sofie looks like Allison. She sure does!

Days 2

2011-07-31T07:07:00.003-05:00

Day 2 we unloaded in Rexburg and headed out for Utah. We ended up at Allison and Nathan's about 1:30 am.

Day One of Vacation

2011-07-30T09:03:00.004-05:00

Preparation for the trip. We needed to load the motorcycle and our home teachers came over to help. Thanks Yhone and Bob, who brought Matt, and Sarah for helping us. I took the usual position behind the camera. I didn't end up with a picture, but, thanks Kevin for helping load the Yam*ha on the truck. So with that job done we were ready for 25 days of fun and adventure.

The first day consisted with lots of driving. Brian wanted to see Mt Rushm*re we made it there about 5 pm. Luckily they close about 10.

Mini Family Reunion

2011-07-22T09:33:00.007-05:00

Ken and Brenda hosted a family gathering on Sunday. I was amazed we were all looking at the camera. If we had a full blown family reunion it would be upwards of 65 to 70 people. I think that would be an amazing experience.

I bribe everyone with a goofy shot after a more formal. It works every time.

Ken and Brenda's grandkids and 2 of Kathy's grandsons.

The kids love taking the goofy shot.

FYI for my family: I only have access to these pictures that I burned to a cd for Ken and Brenda. I will add my side of the family when we get home.

Brothers on a Road Trip

2011-07-19T09:32:00.006-05:00

We are having so much fun with the motorcycle that Ken decided to get one. His is a special edition Firefighter model. This was the first trip they took together. They had so much fun! Stopped for road construction about a half hour wait.

The Yakima Valley.

Visiting

2011-07-05T11:01:00.003-05:00

July 4th with the cutest kids I know!

Grandpa is in his glory the kids L.O.V.E. riding on the motorcycle with him. And there are great trails around here he can take them on. Kyle now has his own cars bike helmet. But he was willing to wear this one to ride on the motorcycle. Ok he didn't really care it was turquoise and hot pink.

An Evening Performance

2011-06-19T21:31:00.008-05:00

About a mile from our home is this park. Every year they have a series of summer performances. Tonight they had this orchestra play. The weather cooperated and we had a beautiful evening enjoying the wonderful music they played.

This is Mr. Caponi (he just recently had his 90th birthday) he created the art park that is a treasure for our city.

The setting is really peaceful. I enjoy watching the young children as they learn to appreciate the music and have a setting that allows them to roam and play.

My First Riding Lesson

2011-06-12T20:23:00.004-05:00

The place to start is the high school parking lot (it's where Sarah went). Brian gave me a lesson on the basics and then I drove around for about an hour. After we came home I drove around the block for awhile. It was a lot of fun! I definitely have to improve on stopping. One skill, among others, I feel is really vital to master.

This is just before I laid the bike down after attempting to go up the driveway. I guess you have to point the bike straight you can't angle it at all. Well now I know. On the bright side I was able to pick it up by myself. And I didn't break anything on the motorcycle!

There's me watching Brian goofing around. As soon as I realized he wasn't wearing his helmet he stopped and put one and went for a ride.

Another funny looking strawberry.

Celebrating with Ivory

2011-06-12T17:16:00.004-05:00

We took a drive out to see our friends, the Smiths, yesterday. We've know them since they moved to Eagan 11 years ago. Our girls babysit for them when they had the first 4 kids (the have 6). They also spent a lot of time over there. Thanks Smiths for including us in your family. Congratulations Ivory on your graduation! (Excuse the helmet hair.)

Just had to take a picture of this funny looking for strawberry.

Game Day

2011-06-03T18:19:00.004-05:00

We received some free tickets to attend the ball game of our home town team. I don't have lots of interest in baseball, but, I have had an interest in seeing the new stadium (it's outdoor good weather that night). So we took the train downtown and had a chance to watch them play. I stitched together some pictures to show the size of how big it is. Despite playing lousy this season they still draw lots and lots of people. This game happened to be tied 0-0 in the 8th. We decided that was an enormous amount of people and it might be best to leave before the train loaded up with people. We lucked out and got seats facing the direction of travel both ways. And, of course, they happened to win this game. Some guy on the train had some techy device that had the game playing. So we technically saw how it ended.

Our perch was the second to last row on the right field side. There wasn't a lot of room for walking and as we walked to take our seats I thought I was going to fall. There was actually a player down below us who you couldn't even see.

This was executed with military like precision. It was a fun evening.

My 2nd 5K

2011-05-21T11:01:00.004-05:00

Today I did my second 5K, Eag*n's 5K Your Way. I'm happy to report I was able to run the entire course. This is significant because of the knee pain I've had to overcome in the last 14 or so months. I was having enough trouble that I was using a cane due to the pain. I've made several changes that have helped me reach this point. I'm sure happy with my accompishment. The other reason this is important is that I've always HATED running. In high school I decided I would try track and field. I think I lasted one day. I still don't know what I was thinking.

My time: 34:14. Last year I walked my first 5K my time was 51:53 a major improvement. There wasn't an official photographer there so pictures of me actually running. I just might do it again. Maybe there is a 10K in my future!

Rain was predicted today and sure enough it was raining a lot this morning. Happily it cleared up for the time I was running. It was pouring rain just after I arrived home.

Birthday Girl

2011-05-16T22:01:00.006-05:00

Happy Birthday, Emily. I wish you were home to celebrate with you. Keep following your dreams, Girlie.

Love, Mum

A Trip on Saturday

2011-05-07T21:14:00.020-05:00

We went to a few locations of the St. Cr*oix P*ttery Tour on Sat. It was nice to see arrangements of flowers. It means spring is finally here.

I liked the face inside this piece.

An old Indi*n motorcycle.

Brian really liked it.

I decided to play with my photo program to make these look a little more artsy.

This cute little puppy is really 6 yrs old. Just a cute little face.

My favorite picture of the day.

The new seat and back rest came in on Friday and Brian had it on when I got home from work (we took a ride over to Red Wi*ng and had dinner). I sure like the extra padding and I especially like the backrest. It's very comfortable to ride. I wasn't sore after a long afternoon driving around. The saddle bags will be handy to transport our stuff. If we take it across country in Aug we sure will have to pack light.

Laura was here when we got home. She got suited up and took quick ride. As is often the case she had to finish a text before she took off.

In just 5 days Brian has almost 700 miles. It will be interesting to see how many we log by the end of summer.

Our First Trip on the New H*rley

2011-05-04T19:00:00.002-05:00

Brian was able to pick up his motorcycle on Monday. The weather has been lousy here this spring. It's been cold and dreary. It's even snowed here in May, crazy. The weather finally turned nice on Tuesday just in time to take a short ride. We went into N*orthfield which is a usually a pretty quick trip. The river was really high.

In N*rthfield. Notice no backrest (which made for what felt like a bit longer and a bit of a nerve racking trip) and the seat leaves a lot to be desired. After this one ride I am waiting until we get the new seat and back rest before I go out again. We ended this trip with our traditional stop at a D*iry Queen.

Brian Decided to Upgrade his Harle*y

2011-05-02T21:09:00.007-05:00

Last summer we had a lot of fun riding the Sp*rtster. It was just a little small for both of us so this year Brian decided to upgrade a little. He bought it Sat and it was supposed to be ready Tuesday afternoon. We went over tonight to look at seats and he was hoping it might be ready tonight. He was quite excited to find it was ready to go. He even took all his gear just in case it was ready. (He did wear a helmet driving home it was off for the pictures.) It was a bit sad to see the Sp*rtster drive away it was a fun ride and has some great memories for me.

More Field Trips

2011-05-01T16:59:00.007-05:00

We had the chance to tour K*re 11 News on Friday. I didn't take my camera so no pictures. The kids all did very well and we were on a the 6:00 pm news in the Backyard Garden waving. It was surprising how "small" the building seemed to be for what they do there. Everyone was really in close proxmity to one another. We got to see the studio which was five different sets in one room. They let the kids sit at the anchor desk and we all got in a picture. We saw a lot of the news personalities that you see if you watch that station. There were tv's on everywhere with the news playing all the time. I wondered if they go home and watch the evening news after work. I wouldn't. Everyone one was really nice it was a fun trip.

On the 15th we went to the zoo. The last time I was there was a school field trip at that time they were working on the Russi*n Exibit. I asked the girls if they wanted to see the bears. They agreed and we headed out. As has been the case lately the weather was a bit cool and overcast. So after a quick trip we headed back in. I often have a favorite picture of the day and this was it. It seems a little drab so I did some editing.

I like how the colors pop now.

The bears were hugh.

A Sea Dragon I had never seen or heard of these so I was fascinated by the odd looking creature.

Seems the only place for flowering plants are at the zoo. Although I have seem some daffodils blooming. So really there is hope for spring. Oh wait it is spring, it just feels like winter (current temp is 39 degrees).

Reprise of Helmet Safety

2011-04-14T21:26:00.004-05:00

I just read a question on FB from Alaya. Do you + your kids wear bike helmets? With the start of warmer weather and bike riding beginning for the season I thought I would repost this. Please WEAR A HELMET!

Catching Up

2011-03-08T19:34:00.009-06:00

Ok not sure exactly why I haven't blogged much lately. A little recap from the last several months. Starting with Thanksgiving Laura helped with making the turkey. Since she has moved out she has had more interest in learning about cooking.

One day she fixed the hair with a pouf. I thought it was cute. The problem with blogging so far away we can't remember why she was fixing her hair. Laura thinks she was just having fun.

Seeing this card jogged my memory. Laura and Tyson went to a wedding reception. She made this cute little card.

Emily was home and wanted to use the new snow blower. Evening out door pictures are never very good. I suppose there is some trick that I just haven't figured out. Oh wait I didn't take these. This is how mine would have turned out anyway.

I didn't get any pictures of Christmas day. Not good.

The girls have been talking about learning to ride a motorcycle. So Brian got another smaller motorcycle that the girls can learn on. One day we had a "warmer" day. I think it might have got to 50, maybe high 40s. Brian had the great idea of riding, fortunately I was home and put the kibosh to that idea. (He was still healing from shoulder surgery.)

Emily has had a chance this last year to have a bit of experience with riding toys. So she took it for a spin. Discussing proper technique.

First she went this direction. Since that was ok Brian gave her permission to go the other way.He thought she would go to the first bend in the picture. Well she went all the way to the stop sign. Then she pulled over for the delivery truck to get by. Brian was a bit nervous by the time she got back.

I'm pretty sure she was saying her hands were freezing.

A night of entertainment at our house.

We went to Buffalo Wi*d Win*gs. for dinner. These two are so funny. So kind to one another.

Then again not so much.

Fun being together before Em went home.

Brian helped Max with his Pi*e W*od D*rby Car.

His grateful mother made a treat for Brian. He picked an apricot tart which he really enjoyed. I did get a piece and it was super tasty.

I'm not big on Valentines Day not for any particular reason. But this year I actually made sugar cookies with a raspberry frosting. Very tasty.

That sums up a rather uneventful few months. Mostly waiting for the snow to stop falling. But that won't be tonight we are expecting another 2-6 inches. Depends which station you listen to for an estimate. We'll see tomorrow.

Yeah a day off for President's Day!

2011-02-21T12:20:00.006-06:00

And this is how I spent the last 2.25 hours. Getting the first layer of snow removed. Now to get all the cars moved so the second round can take place. Trying to decide if I like these winter days...no I guess not really. And, of course, since it's President's day we didn't even get a snow day out of this. Oh yeah, it's also snowing again!

There is a step under there.

I had to clear a path out to the street to get these pictures. This is how we park when we have Laura home for the weekend. This way we avoid parking tickets for illegally parking on the street. We may or may not have personal experience with this.

Progress!

Success!

However with whats falling currently I'm sure we will be going out again this evening.

I might just get busy and post a little more. Since I'm missing anything about the end of 2010 and beginning of 2011. Mostly we have been waiting out the winter this one has been a doozie. Before this snow fall we'd already had over 50". Not sure yet what the exact total for this storm is. Brian even got a snow day off of work. It's only the 2nd snow day he's had in 20 years. The last time was the Halloween Blizzard when Laura was turning two.

Since Brian had shoulder surgery and Sarah has pneumonia I've been the snow removal committee this year. Yesterday Brian was able to work on snow removal his shoulder is beginning to feel better. But he is usually sore the next day. Sarah is working with a doctor to get her pneumonia resolved. Brian is going to go out and take a shift.

Brian and Sarah Arrived

2010-12-11T20:21:00.000-06:00

Brian and Sarah had the chance to come out for a little bit and for Shayla's blessing. The kids ready to go to the airport.

What would a trip be without Auntie Sarah's traveling beauty shop. She cut everyone's hair. Kyle not loving the experience.

He looks so handsome.

Chillin' with Grandpa.

What a better way to hang out with his Grandpa.

We took a little trip for "o-nuts".

Yes Shayla was there.

We did a birthday cake for Kyle. His birthday was on Dec 9th and we haven't had the chance to celebrate in person. He seemed to enjoy the attention.

Grandpa wanted the chance to go the SLC H*arley dealer. I fixed Kyle's hair, I think it looked pretty stylin'.

The Grandparents Rock have lots of little toys that kept the kids entertained.

Isn't her hair darling. Good job Auntie Sarah.

Our time in Utah ended all to quickly. I was grateful we had took the time to go out and help with the kids. I love being Gran D. I just wish we had the chance to spend more time with the Rocks. I sure do miss them.

Hanging with the Kiddos

2010-12-11T16:33:00.000-06:00

It's been awhile since I have posted anything. My pictures were at the limit for the free storage. I finally decided I would get it taken care of.

I arrived on Sat and we had tow evenings together before Shayla was born. Sofie hamming it up.

He's so intent on his little train. I experienced Thomas the T*ank for the first time!

The mountains on the morning Shayla was born. It was breathtaking.

Just playing outside enjoying the nice weather.

This little hat is one my Sister-in-law, Kathy, made years ago. I thought it was time for it to move on to another set of little kids to use.

The mail arrived and Sofie wanted to, "put up a poster" for her dad. I thought she might want to get approval before she hung up any political literature!

This was day 1 of mom in the hospital. I was able to take the kids to a little park just around the block from home. Sofie rode her bike and I had Kyle in the stroller.

Kyle on the little slide. This was just after I almost scarred him for life. We were by the big kids slide and I asked Sofie if Kyle went down the big slide. Sure he does. Sofie said she goes first and Kyle sits behind her. Seemed ok to me. Next time I'm not checking with her on that kind of info. She comes sliding out of the slide and no Kyle. Then he appears and he was tumbling all around and was a little tearful about the trip. I scooped him up and gave him a big hug. Then I figured I better make him think it was fun so up we went on the big slide and I held him while we slide down. I whooped it up and luckily for me he was ok with it.

No she wasn't crying. She was acting sad because she wanted a turn with the steering wheel that Kyle was playing with.

Just a funny face.

This was the day I picked up Auntie Em in SLC. Al thought they might have trick or treating at the mall. They didn't but there were lots of kids all dressed up. Sofie was so brave and wanted to go show her costume to the big kids. Then she got real shy at the last minute. These kids were real nice and willingly lined up for this picture. Good clean fun.

There were 3 cops on Segways driving along. We stopped with the kids and watched them for a few minutes. They came over and talked with the kids and gave them some tattoos and a badge sticker.

Em wanted to do some shopping and I entertained myself taking pictures of the kids. Not sure where exactly but Sofie has picked up some funny poses for the camera.

And some funny faces!

I think this was the first picture I took of Al with all 3 kiddos.

Auntie Em was enjoying Kyle's funny pose with his foot on his little knee.

I love the look Kyle is giving Auntie Em. It almost looks like Shayla is watching her also.

Preparing for Thanksgiving Dinner

2010-11-20T08:16:00.009-06:00

Today I purchased my ingredients for my cranberry relish. My plan is to make it on Tuesday so it has a chance for the flavors to blend. And I'm putting my turkey in the fridge today, so hopefully it will be thawed by Thursday.

My attempt at still life photography.

Comparing

2010-11-17T18:54:00.005-06:00

I was wondering about how much the grandkids look alike. I was looking back and laughed when I saw just how big Kyle was compared to the girls. Even Sofie has little rolls on her arms. I happen to think they are all pretty cute.

Sofie

Kyle

Shayla

First Snow of the Season

2010-11-13T17:09:00.002-06:00

I'm glad the snow has held off until now. We really made up for a late start we're supposed to get 7-11" through tonight. I have to admit that this was a pretty snow fall it really stuck to the trees. Big problems for many people with this heavy wet snow. Lots are without power and trees are breaking. Glad to say we have not been affected with either problem.

And last year Brian got a nice snow blower to make snow removal easier. Now we just have to get busy and get it done.

Out the front door.

And the back door.

I Was Surprised to See This

2010-11-08T20:31:00.002-06:00

When Brian was taking me to the airport he mentioned a postcard mailing for the next art sale. He told me they used one of my pictures on it. Today when I was checking in at that the community center I saw the postcard. Sitting on the counter was a stack of the postcards. I didn't know what it would look like and I was pretty excited to see how it turned out. The colored picture of the Raku pottery is one I took.

Newborn Pictures and Shayla Blessing Day

2010-11-06T22:21:00.004-05:00

A couple of my favorites of Shayla. This was fun shooting these pictures.

Isn't she darling.

Shayla in her blessing dress that I made her. I had to move the buttons over since she is so tiny.

Gran D and Grandpa with the Grandkids.

We sure missed having Laura with us.

Our Newest Granddaughter

2010-10-27T19:50:00.004-05:00

Shayla Kenly was born on Monday. She was expected to arrive on Wed, but, as in the past seemed to want to pick her own date of birth. She weighed in at 6 lbs 7 oz and 20" long. She is the picture of perfection. She is so small compared with her 10 lb 1 oz brother. Allison was able to come home from the hospital today. I went for a walk today and when I came home I found two little girls on the bench by the front door. Sofie had removed Shayla from her swing and carried her over to the bench. I figured it would happen that one of the kids would pick her up. But didn't realize it was going to be so soon.

Allison and Shayla.

Sofie and Shayla.

Sofie, Kyle and Shayla.

I feel pretty blessed to be Gran-D to these beautiful children.

Last Thursday

2010-10-18T18:43:00.007-05:00

was a busy day. I started the day taking a class picture of the dance class I sit in on with some of "my kids" that I work with.

Then it was off to the mall for a field trip. We went to the under water park which is an aquamarine. I've been trying to remember if I've ever been and I haven't decided if I have. We had the opportunity to take the behind the scenes tour. While in the food prep area (which stunk very badly) there was this old scale that caught my eye.

The kids were in a big hurry and we didn't have enough time to enjoy the experience in a bit more detail. I did get some cool pictures though. We got some lunch and headed back to school. We arrived back with as many as we started the trip with. That makes it a success!

The city had a tribute and memorial dedication for the hometown heros of the Armed Forces, Law Enforcement and the Volunteer Fire Dept. After I went to the fitness center that day I stayed and watched the dedication.

This is the law enforcement statue. I love the little girl peeking around him. The firefighter is there, but, they still need to raise enough money to add the military statue.

That evening Brian wanted to attend a raku firing at his clay supply store. Laura was able to come home with Tyson for the evening. Sarah was off so we all headed over to watch them fire. We don't often have a chance to do something with the girls, it was a fun night. Here we were trying to shoot our own group photo.

She is always cold and she was really bundled up for the occasion.

Now here is the funny part I saw this old scale at the clay store. I didn't photograph the whole thing it was surrounded by TP boxes. Just a bit odd seeing two old scales in on day.

I was pretty tired at the end of that day.

Last Motorcycle Ride for the Season

2010-10-09T22:08:00.002-05:00

I'm pretty sure tonight was my last long ride for this year. Next week Brian is busy and the week after that I'm busy and the weather could turn anytime. We might have the chance for a few short rides. And Brian will get to ride to work as long as the weather holds out.

We've had unseasonably warm days, in the 80's, over the last few days. We took advantage of a great day and took a ride over to Hastings. We rode on for awhile and ended up in Ellsworth WI and then back to Hastings for dinner. I'm glad it was such a nice day and the season ended in such a great way.

There have been very few times I've passed on riding. Last weekend I just didn't really want to go. So Brian went for a ride about 5 oclock I got a call and the bike had quit. Luckily the Uhaul place closed at 7 and they had a motorcycle trailer available. I headed out to get Brian he kept me updated as he got it going and moved closer to home. In the end he just waited for me to arrive. He loaded up the bike and we got it home. I was really glad that I had decided to stay home. It worked out fine and it was a really cold day. It was later this afternoon, after taking care of errands, that he got it fixed and we got out for the afternoon.

Calvin's Soccer Game

2010-09-19T19:54:00.006-05:00

I had the chance to take Calvin to his soccer game about a week and a half ago. It was pretty fun watching kindergarteners play. They start out spread out and as soon the ball is kicked they are a mass of bodies surrounding the ball. Of course I had my camera out. The chasing pictures in the collage were during their scrimmage game.

These pennies really stumped the kids. I laughed at this kid he was working so hard to get his on then there he was drinking his water.

Notice the little guy on the far right. Yup his penny is on upside down.

This little one really didn't want to be there. She was like this for just about the whole game.

I was watching the kids and I kept losing sight of Calvin as he moved around the field. One time I kept scanning for him and realized he wasn't even on the field. I saw him on the sideline crying. I felt bad for him and went to check on him. He was feeling sad and wanted his mom. So I did want any smart woman would do I bribed him with McDonalds. That's all it took he was back out on the field in a flash.

We stopped at the Mikey D's "by the gas station". Funny thing was I saw a woman come in and she was standing looking at the red box. I thought that looks like Stacey (his mom), about that time Calvin says, "that's my mom". So he talked to her while she dropped off her movie. I thought he might want to go with her. But, I guess my bribe worked he gladly stayed with me. He played on in the playground and then it was off for a quick stop at the art house to see Brother Clark.

Brian gets to take him to his game on Thursday. He's looking forward to it.

This is the end of my posting frenzy for the day. I'm almost caught up from the last couple of months.

Labor Day Picnic

2010-09-19T19:38:00.004-05:00

We don't usually attend the ward Labor Day picnic but this year we were around to go. The weather was a little iffy, but, Brian took the motorcycle and Sarah drove me over I wanted to avoid helmet hair. I did drive home with him and we avoided the rain.

Brother Backer is our activity committe chairman and he always has great games. This was the mens game this year. All it involved was a hammer a nail and muscles. Brian won the first round.

Here were the winners of each round.

Brian took second place and lost to a professional contractor. He said it was the best game he's played at a ward activity.

This is our little friend Calvin (more about him in my next post). Brian is his Primary teacher. I guess I should have had my camera out a little more. I didn't take very many pictures. We had lots of fun visiting with our ward family.

Emily's Last Day Home

2010-09-19T19:27:00.002-05:00

It was a bonus getting Emily home for a visit this summer. I didn't think it was going to happen I was so glad Sarah brought her home. We had a really busy 3 weeks. With Laura moving to Mankato and starting school and work down there we didn't have a lot of time together. This was our only group picture for all of Em's visit.

Laura and Tyson got this picture done at the fair. They had one done last year I guess they are starting a tradition.

The Fair not Once But Twice

2010-09-19T11:24:00.005-05:00

Sarah was working on the Friday we went to the fair. So she and I went on Wednesday about day 7 of the fair. Surprisingly we seemed to have picked a day when the crowds were down a bit. However, there were still lots of people there. Sarah also got a henna tatto the gal did a great job on this one.

We happened to stumble into the parade. As you can see we have big cows in Minnesota!

She said the chair was pretty comfortable.

We stopped in the birthing barn. We just missed this little calf being born.

And these little piggies. The second one on the left was trying to make it's way over to nurse. It must have worked at it for 45 minutes.

And if twice wasn't enough I went for a third time with Brian. We went Friday which means that I actually attended the fair 3 times in a week. What amazes me is that I'm thinking I'd like to go again next year. We went in buildings we've never been in.

We even saw 2 families while there that day. The crowds were really big this day as well. They really seemed busy around the food area. Brian observed there wasn't a line at all for the fresh fruit. We tried a yellow plum that was the best plum I've ever eaten. That was my best fair food. Plus we shared a yummy peach.

The Fair

2010-09-19T10:36:00.015-05:00

I'm not one to attend the fair if I do it's every 5 years, once I extended it out almost 10 years! That being said Brian and I went on the last day last year and decided we needed to see it sooner in the season. Well this year with Emily home I actually thought I might LIKE to attend this year. With Brian off on most Fridays we went the 2nd day this year. Wow were there a lot of people there. The crowds were crazy. We like to park closer to home and take a shuttle bus over. We got on the 10:30 am bus and didn't arrive home until after 11 pm. It was a really, really long, but, fun day.

Emily took this picture.

Such a fashion statement in her (?) coat!

There were miniature horses.

A charro and his family. We missed the little boy performing he was earlier in the day.

And there were giant horses. They need a footstool to work on these horses. They were such beautiful animals.

Emily wanted to get a henna tattoo. She and I walked over to the booth and left Brian looking at some thing with an engine. I went back to find him while Emily was getting this done. We went back to get her almost an hour later and this is what I saw. Wow she really picked a big design. It looked so cool the best part is that is was temporary.

Amazingly, we saw more tractors and farmers! We even saw one, farmer, we'd seen at the threshing show.

I left the camera with Emily so I have photographic evidence that I at the fair.

I always think with so many people at the fair how would you ever see anyone you know. We have a joke that as soon as we see someone we know we can leave. This was only about 1:30 and Emily noticed my friend's daughter. I took Caitlyn's senior pictures and Em had only seen them on the blog. Well needless to say we did stay.

Emily was so excited about the horses. These were teams of pulling horses that were sure neat to watch.

This was a very hard picture to take. Em wanted one with a team in the background. This was as good as I could get. I really like how it looks.

My favorite team.

The charro and his wife doing tricks. This ran really late Em really wanted to see the charro so we stayed. We finally ended the day and got on the bus heading home. I was so glad with all the crowds that we just hopped on the bus and it got us away from the madness of the traffic.

Despite the long day we had a really fun time.

The Last Half of Summer (Back in Aug)

2010-09-19T06:38:00.010-05:00

Back in Sept 2009 Brian and I went to St Croix Falls WI. One place we stopped in was a pottery shop. Its run by a husband and wife, Leif and Meg, he's the potter and she's the painter. They also live above their studio. They are a very nice couple and we spent quite awhile there that afternoon. Leif is also a glass blower which he does only once a year at this show. I'd had it in my mind to attend because I've always loved glass and I enjoy watching glass blowing. Emily was home so we headed there for the day. We watched and I got lots of pictures, Leif invited me to take some pictures closer to the kiln. I'm saving those pictures. I want to enter one in the photography club contest.

The glass is orange from the heat.

These kids were cute just sitting and watching.

Just before he removed it from the pole.

I really like the finished product it's such a pretty shade of blue.

I'd looked at the website and knew it was a tractor show. But I hadn't realized just how extensive an event this actually was. In fact there was so much to see that we went back on Sat and spent several more hours there. There was a section that has a blacksmith shop, a barber (yes you could get a hair cut), a school house and lots of building to explore and see how small town life was.

Static engines are a big part of this show this was the biggest one we saw.

The farmers come to run their engines and hang out. This engine was keeping these root beer bottles (they really were root beer) cool.

And then there were the tractors. There were hundreds!

Lots of people to see. This little boy was enjoying his kettle corn.

This little grandma was resting she and Peanuts was hanging out. I think she is so cute with her little hat and dog.

Of course there were the vintage toys. That yellow was similiar to mine when I was little. Although I think it's older than mine was.

I think the country folks like it when the city folks get excited to help out with the work. This was a corn sheller.

What would a farm show be without old cars? This was one of many.

Emily making a jump rope for Sofie for her birthday gift. Lots of people were having fun picking out colors and making their own ropes and doggie leashes.

This farmer has a really neat hobby he built that train and several others.

This little boy caught my eye at the tractor pull. He looked pretty cute with his shades perched on his head like that.

What made it even cuter was how he carried his blankie around with him.

And, of course, the tractor pulls. We sat for a long time watching them it was more entertaining than I thought it would be. A very fun way to spend a couple of days. We are planning on going back next year.

Tooting My Own Horn

2010-09-02T22:24:00.002-05:00

Last May I decided to join the Minnesota.Valley.Photography.Club to try and improve my photography skills. Tonight I entered two pictures one in the topic category Rocks (I thought about putting a pictures of The Rocks, but figured on one would get it). And I entered this picture Raku Firing in the Novice Open Category. It's the first time I have entered anything. I actually won First Place with this photograph. I was pretty excited I won.

There was a women who judges photos and she taked about what it takes to have a 15 (rating scale used). After the pictures were judged (member judging this meeting) she spoke about what she liked in 3 different pictures. One of them was this one. She mentioned liking the composition and how the ring around the pots fades in the background and how the one pot is more highlighted. And to think I just liked the picture. I was just happy to have some critique of my photo.

I Need to Update

2010-09-01T20:20:00.003-05:00

but I've been so busy lately that it's not going to happen in the next few days. Just a few things that have changed in the last few weeks. Laura officially moved to Mankato and has started school. It was a gradual change since she was down there off and on for about a month. Now that's it's full time it's different not having her home.

Sarah brought Emily home when she came home from her vacation. We got to have her here for 3 weeks. I sure enjoyed having her home. Yesterday I put her on a plane to Utah where she will be with Al and Nate and from there she will go back to Idaho. We were busy almost everyday. With her gone the room they use is officially empty. It was a sad day for me. I had to shut the door.

Today Sarah and I went to the State Fair. We were there about 7 hours. And this was my second time this year that was a 12 hour day. I guess I'm off the 5 year plan that I stretched out to 10 yrs. We went last year and the plan is for Brian and I to go again on Friday. Call me crazy.

Tomorrow I've got my official back to school meeting and there goes the summer. More to come with pictures in the near future.

Drive to Osceola WI

2010-08-11T10:13:00.006-05:00

Last Friday (two weeks ago) was a wonderful Midwest summer day. The sky was a pastel blue with high cumulus clouds. Like big balls of cotton floating in the sky. It was about 86 degrees, but, the air was cool when we were driving. We had another chance to take a drive on the motorcycle, these days won't be here much longer. We are enjoying these drives before the season ends.

Brian had a suggestion from a coworker to drive to Osceola. I have to say it was a much smaller town than I was expecting. We didn't even find a place to eat. So we decided to head over to Taylors Falls. We were there last September for a weekend. Pretty much the same but the flowers were out still.

They have a nice visitors center down from the band shell and overlook of the falls.

Summer is also the time of year to bring out the old cars.

After I put my camera away they brought some horses out and hooked them up to this carriage.

The Nina and the Pinta

2010-08-02T14:00:00.004-05:00

The weather has been pretty nice lately. Since it was another nice weekend we to Winona on Saturday. There were replicas of The Nina and the Pinta docked there.

It was amazing to see how small (relatively speaking) this ship was. It was amazing to think about the voyage that Christopher Columbus and his crew undertook for so many years.

The Mississippi River.

Great view of Winona.

This Cobra drove past us and caught our eye. Later when we were at the view point we saw it again. It was pretty fancy.

Since we have the need to work out the kinks after so many miles we are stopping more often. I've had a chance to take some pictures. This was at a marina in Lake City.

I love the reflection of the flag in the water.

Cute little boy playing on the rocks.

Someone had a good day fishing.

This trip we went about 220 miles and got home pretty late. It's amazing how tired I was and all I did was sit on the back.

This weekend the Tall Ships were in Duluth, but, I didn't want to go there thinking that the crowds and traffic would be to much. Next time they are there I think that would be a fun trip.

More Adventures on the Motorcycle

2010-07-25T11:07:00.014-05:00

On Friday we took a drive to Zumbrota. We stopped at the small bridge we were at in October.

Off the old bridge which they left up. I was glad since it represents a little bit of history.

By the time we arrived in Zumborta I was ready for a break. We ended up stopping by this old covered bridge. I didn't even know there was one in MN. Turns out this is the only one left.

I think this was on Hwy 19. We got off and looked around. Turns out it's a full music store.

My nephew Taleb plays this kind of drum. He has been playing since he was about 4 and now plays for different events.

This is John who Brian works with. For all the years (20) that Brian has worked with him he has wanted an old car. This last spring he bought one in Washington. He mentioned to Brian he would be in Hastings with some buddies with his car. We headed over and looked around but didn't see his car.

So we drove around and found Lock and Dam No. 2. We passed some time there watching the lock fill and empty of water. John wasn't going to be there for a few more hours. So took a drive to Prescott and got a bit to eat. We headed back to Hastings.

It turns out that Hastings sponsors an old car show every other weekend. From May until Oct. We never knew that so it was surprise when we realized how many old cars were there. We walked around and enjoyed looking at all the old cars.

Brian's brother, Ken, had a car like this many years ago. Brian said it was a darker color. He traded it in for a car like

This one. I remember the VW. He ended up making it into a baja car.

There were a variety of styles. This one was the oddest one we saw.

I've always wondered in a movie where they get the old cars that are period to the movie. Well I guess they must find them somewhere like this. There were hundreds of cars up and down and around Hastings.

This one had such a nice paint job.

It's amazing what you can find around MN to explore.

Summer Update

2010-07-15T11:18:00.006-05:00

Seems like it's been awhile since I posted something. So a quick update on summer here. The squirrels ate all the pretty peppers that we had growing. They are on my list at the moment. The raspberries are doing really well lately. I get about 2.5 cups every other day and I've been enjoying them very much.

This summer I have discovered that Cascade Bay has summer activities before they open to the public. So I've been there 3 days a week doing water aerobics and this week I've added lap swimming. I love the water and had forgot just how much I like it until I was in the pool. When I was a growing up in California we had a pool in our back yard. We were like little fish always in the water and always tan.

My mom and sisters in 1970. Love that couch (I think it would be consider vintage now). You can't see it but in the left hand side of the pool is our house which was about 10' or so from the side of the pool. (I've never told my mom this if your computer is working sorry mom) We used to climb on the roof and jump into the pool. It's lucky no one was seriously hurt doing that. I remember one time my brother was in the tree and slipped out and just missed the step sticking out in the corner of the pool. He slide right down the side. He was ok but I remember being very scared. Plus the roof was shake shingles so I'm sure we ruined it.

Brian finished his motorcycle class and passed with a 99 %. Nicely done. He can now take a passenger for a ride. This was last Sunday evening. We went for a short warm up ride about 5 miles. Then on Monday evening we set off about 5 pm and made our way to Northfield over to Stanton then to Kenyon (we'd never been very small town). Into Cannon Falls and through Hastings and then back home. We got home about 10.

It's been over 33 years since I've ridden on a motorcycle. We stopped often to work out the kinks and there were several. We stopped in Hastings for dinner so we had a chance to relax a bit. Many of our stops were at small parks and we walked around to see the sights.

In Hastings by the Vermillion River there is a water fall and a nice park to walk in. It was fun finding some out of the way places. Remember in Toy Story when Woody was being pulled behind a car and his mouth was flapping open. I was thinking I could have been like Woody if I had stuck my face out from behind Brian. It was a funny visual for me. You can't scratch your head with a helmet on!

When we were driving along I was really aware that in the car you can't smell the air like you can on a motorcycle. Weather is was the smell of fresh cut grass or the odor of a dairy farm. It was fun traveling on the smaller two lane highway. Just taking in the scenery and the sights of summer in Minnesota.

The First Rapberries of the Season

2010-06-28T13:36:00.009-05:00

From Joni, my visiting teacher, for my birthday.

Taken Jun 18 and just 10 days later

the biggest pepper is the one above.

The T.opsey T.urvey works. These are some of the tomatos we are growing.

From this

to

the first harvest. They are very tasty. One of my memories when we lived in Michigan when I was little was going to a u pick raspberry lot. I loved the taste of the raspberries that I ate as we picked them. To this day they are one of my favorite berries.

A Friend in Need

2010-06-27T20:14:00.009-05:00

This last week has been busy as Brian got ready for the art fair. Friday arrived and he had lots he still had to get done. He did have a chance to go out for lunch with his friend from the art house. Then he came home and said he needed to help Bob! I was a bit surprised since he had lots to finish. After he was done with that he told me he had to take some chairs to the Deans about 7. They were having a family reunion and needed to have seating for their guests.

While Brian was out getting his hair cut and a storm was going to be rolling in so I wrestled these chairs into my van before it started raining.

About 6 I told him I could just run the chairs over so he could get his stuff done. But, he said no we could just go together and "they were out and wouldn't be home until 7". It was close to seven and the storm rolled in. A torrential downpour!!! Brian had sat down for a bit so I called Melissa to see if they needed the chairs or could we wait for the rain to pass. She in her usual calm manner said, "yes". Could we wait a bit for the rain to let up? "Well, sooner rather than later would be better". Well ok. I thought they really want to be set up for their company.

I decided to put on this lovely rain poncho. Which the hood is rather large and hangs into my eyes. Did I mention it was storming?

And I put on my lovely red rubber garden shoes. I figured they would dry the fastest when we got home. There was a huge tree down when we drove by a house up the street. And the wipers were set on the fastest speed and they were having a hard time keeping up.

I saw Melissa standing in her doorway waiting for the chairs. I got out adjusted the lovely rain poncho. Wrestled 3 of the chairs out of the van and manuvered them past her beautiful hanging flower pot. All the while trying to tip my head back enough to see past the poncho hanging in my eyes. My glasses were tipped and I couldn't see very well and I was dripping wet. Brian was behind me with the other 3 chairs.

I got past Melissa, just barely, she was right behind me. I was trying to just push them in a little way so as not to drip on her floor. I kept thinking if she would just move I'd back out and let Brian get his chairs in and we'd get out before it was soaking wet in her hallway. She kept crowding in behind me and I had to keep stepping farther into the foyer. Then I hear lots of voices signing Happy Birthday to You. And Surprise. I was so confused!!! It took me a few moments to realize I was at my surprise birthday party!

Everyone kept asking me if I had guessed. I absoutely had no idea (would I have put on that lovely poncho and shoes? And I might have even combed my hair.)!!! It was lots of fun visiting with everyone who attended. Our friends Ebeadean and Bob (with some help from Brian and Laura) had done a wonderful job planning and preparing for the party. I later found that Doug and Melissa and kids had only arrived home from Hawaii at 5 pm that evening. The plan was to be outside and then this big storm moved in. Thanks Ebeadean, Bob for the wonderful surprise party. I've never had one!

Thanks, Brian for taking the time out from preparing for your show to help them get ready for the party. I was glad Sarah and Laura were able to be there. Sarah had told me earlier about her friends who were having a pool party. Before I got there I was thinking to bad Sarah's pool party had been rained out.

Oh yeah for my birthday present Sarah colored my hair and put new polish on my toes. All the while thinking I would have it done for my party. And Brian had wanted to out to dinner on Fri thinking I would be ready for the evening. I had asked if we could go out on Sat instead. He thought I might have an idea about the party. When he saw me putting on the poncho and my garden shoes he thought she has no idea!

Stanley the Acrobat

2010-06-27T19:48:00.004-05:00

I know I need to get a life. But, my grand kids are far away and I can't take pictures of them. These bird feeders are rather entertaining, well, I guess the wildlife on the bird feeders is. Look just how strong his toes are (do squirrels have toes?)

A newer addition to the feeders. This pretty cardinal.

This picture is a bit blurry but he was flying away I and I caught him.

Emily Requested an Apron

2010-06-24T11:54:00.001-05:00

She wanted a 4th of July theme. I embroidered the flag onto a contrasting fabric so it would stand out. I like how it turned out. Now to get it in the mail.

Stanley has a New Trick

2010-06-23T22:13:00.006-05:00

Let's see what's inside.

and

almost in

success. Enjoying sunflower seeds.

And back out.

We have a red squirrel that I have yet to get a picture of. Maybe one of these days.

Trip to Michigan and Mackinac Island

2010-06-21T12:34:00.021-05:00

I lived in Michigan from about age 1 until 6 when we moved to California. Even though we live so close (relatively speaking) I never thought I would take a trip back there. But the motorcycle Brian bought was there. I was telling a friend at work that we were going over the Mackinac Bridge she said you have to go to Mackinac Island. So I looked into it and that is exactly what we did. What a fun trip! If you are interested I have more pictures on my photography blog.

You know you are in the Midwest by all the BIG things you see driving across.

Here we were ready to cross the Might Mac. A little background when we lived in MI I remember crossing a loooong bridge and it scared me very badly. I remember that we were verrrrry close to the water. I was petrified and I kept thinking that the bridge was going to split open and our car would drop into the water and we would sink to the bottom. It has stuck with me all these years and to this day I have bridge phobia. Crossing any bridge my heart races and I get very nervous. I keep my eyes toward the inside of the bridge and get over quickly. Even looking at pictures online to check this out my heart was going a bit crazy. After all it's a 5 mile long suspension bridge.

I have to say I conquered this bridge and did pretty well going over it. I think it helped that I was taking picture which gave me something else to think about. I even looked over the side and saw some kayaker's in the water.

It turns out that it's not as close the the water as I remember. It always seemed like we were about 4 feet above the water the whole way. Seeing it from an adult perspective it helped me realize my child perspective was out of whack.

Tom, in the middle, is who Brian bought his Harley from. His dad Bill and sister all live on a really neat farm. The have a huge pole barn that they have set up as a shop. It's two levels and has an elevator that Bill uses to get upstairs.

He offered me a tour while Brian and Tom were looking around. Here we were about half way down on the elevator. He has a really nice woodworking shop in the upper level. We were looking at a piece of history that you don't get to see very often. It was a great man cave and then some.

Our day on Mackinac Island. Sometimes I get pictures that I really like and I have idea no exactly how I got it. This is one of those pictures.

The water was so clear.

On the island there are no motor vehicles (except emergency vehicles). The forms of transport are horses, bikes and foot power. We walked up the the I logged 15680 steps on my pedometer for the whole day. We also rented bikes and rode 8 miles around the island.

We walked up to the fort a bit of a hike.

Another favorite picture.

I saw some man who had a camera similiar to mine and had him take a picture. A bit of the bridge in the background.

Arch Rock (no relation to our Rocks).

We saw rock stacks along the route. Brian tried his hand at stacking one.

I love this picture.

Leaving the island one of the many many bike rental shops. This is a tiny fraction of the bikes on the island.

We took a ferry across. It was a fast ride 16 minutes and I loved the feel of the wind and the light water spray. It made me think of being at the beach when I was a kid. The difference the ocean has a distinct smell from the salt water.

The Mackinac Bridge the 6th longest suspension bridge in the world.

Our dinner pasties (past ies).

This was at the end of a really long day. Despite our very tired expressions we had had a wonderful day together. We still had some day light left and took a walk along Lake Michigan. This is a photo shopped picture we had separate pictures I decided to edit them together.

I tried my hand at a few silhouette pictures.

Most of the trips I've taken are on major highways. It was nice to travel on a smaller more scenic highway. I've always enjoyed the many older farms in here. I always wonder about the history of these old barns and if it's been in a family for generations.

33 Years Later...

2010-06-20T22:37:00.004-05:00

When Brian and I were dating he had a Harley Davidson (one of several motorcycles he had while growing up). He sold it so we could have some money to use for our wedding. Finally after all these years he is now the proud owner of this very nice 2003 Harley Davidson Sportster. He is so happy to have it.

We took a trip to Michigan to pick it up. We had the best time while we were there. We took a trip to see Mackinac Island. I'm pretty wiped out and I will blog about it tomorrow. After we got home tonight and he had a chance to take it out for a drive into Rosemount. He sure is excited to have a motorcycle to ride again.

Little Things Around the Yard

2010-06-17T11:50:00.006-05:00

The spirea.

Little rain drops.

See these leaves well Stanley or one of his friends has decided to make nest in our tree out front. Today it's windy and I think there are going to even more leaves out there.

The nest. Last year was the first year we had a nest in our tree. Before that I never knew (or cared) that squirrels built nests like this.

I was walking by these bushes the other day and wondered how a leaf came to be stuck right there on the wall.

It occured to me that it wasn't a leaf. It's a bitty frog.

Clay mushroom and the real thing.

Check out this News

2010-06-15T14:14:00.003-05:00

Look here!

Do you see the Resemblance?

2010-06-12T19:24:00.005-05:00

Allison 3 yrs old.

Sofie's preschool picture.

Al's preschool picture. Her dress was made out of Herself the Elf fabric.

Another Bird and Stanley

2010-06-12T16:23:00.004-05:00

I think these feeders will be a source of enjoyment for the summer. Never mind that it's only 61 degrees and rainy out. I have to be quick to get this bird. It usually flies off quickly. I've had my camera ready and I got it this time.

Handy use of a tail don't you think?

Gardening, Flowers and a Funny Finch

2010-06-11T18:25:00.010-05:00

We hung some of the T.opsy T.urvey garden bags this year. Brian mixed herbs, flowers, pepper plants and a tomato plant (out the bottom port). They are doing pretty good.

With the bird feeders and the plants we have a little eco system right out the window.

Two birds on the pole one was feeding the other, cracking sunflower seeds and popping them in the others beck.

Young woodpecker. Brian saw the mother feeding this one sunflower seeds the other day.

I think the finch lower on the feeder is the funny one on the window.

This funny finch keeps landing on the window and pecking the glass. It has been there every day pecking away. This morning the shade was closed and I could hear it knocking.

Sarah's garden the stakes are holding up the net in hopes of keeping the critters out. Although, the other day, Brian chased a small bunny out from the garden. Brian has some eggplant and peppers. We are going to have a bumper crop of those also. Pablano peppers are a new favorite.

Remember the raspberry patch well it's filled in very nicely.

And it looks like we will have a bumper crop.

This one has cilantro growing. Last weekend it was raining and I needed some cilantro. I just opened the door and picked enough for my recipe. Very convenient.

Peas

Basil, I like to make pesto it is so yummy.

We are seeing different kinds of birds this year.

WW Walk It Challenge Updated

2010-06-06T17:00:00.002-05:00

Update: I recieved an email today with pictures from my walk.

Today I walked in my first 5K (3.1miles) race. My time was about 51.36. I am guessing the 36 part because I got a little teary eyed crossing the finish line. I was so happy that I accomplished this. What makes this really extraordinary is the fact that in March I was using a cane to walk due to problems with the meniscus of my left knee. I was in so much pain that I knew I needed to do something to help A cortisone shot got me through some of it. The dr suggested physical therapy (lots of money). So I made some choices about what to do to strengthen my knees. One of them being get out and walk.

I'm behind # 16.

I appear to be really concentrating.

The half way point. 25:56.

A little teary eyed. Next time I will come across with as big a smile as I had at the halfway point. Official time 51:53. Just a bit off from what I thought.

I started the challenge Apr 17, the first walk I took was around our block and it took me 16 minutes. It's not a big block. I slowly built up to 3 miles and last Sat I did 3.7/10 of a mile in an 1:08 min. I wasn't even sure I was going to enter and then I made a decision to register and just do it. I am feeling very empowered that I did this.

One of the items to make my walking a bit more pleasent is a Walkman. I asked for one for Mother's Day and the girls got it for me. I have been adding music that is geared toward a good walking pace for me. I also got a water bottle pack with a case for my MP3 player.

Last Friday I got some Nordic Walking Poles (love these) to add to the benefit of walking. They have helped me with the pain in my knee. It has helped me go a bit farther than I was doing. And I am getting my heart rate up from the extra arm movement. All around it they have been beneficial.

Pictures from my phone that's why the pictures are so small.

Art Class

2010-05-22T14:47:00.006-05:00

This year I am with a group of kids that go out to main stream classes. I seem to have been assigned to the more technical classes. I suppose that is more my speed so I don't mind. Miss L and I worked on this mug for art class. We got a check mark for a grade!

The next few mugs are some of the work of other students in the class. I am so impressed with the creativity of the kids in class. There was a direction to incorporate the handle into the animal. I missed that direction. So the saucer has tree branches on it.

Here is some art work we helped make. Each student drew their own building and put in into the city scape.

I attend tech ed with Z. This year we have made a roller coaster, crane, speed boat and a rocket. Which we launced and it flew pretty high into the air. Pretty cool.

N was with us when we made the crane. I need to get a picture of it. He is a fun kid. Recently the teacher brought her mothers scooter for N to ride in school. It has been great to se him getting around school so much faster. He didn't want to ride it because "it would be embarrassing". That lastest about 5 minutes. Now the kids say "hey N nice caddy". He loves the attention.

St Croix Valley Pottery Tour

2010-05-10T16:31:00.003-05:00

Brian and I did this tour this last weekend. It has lots and lots of potters selling pottery. There are 7 locations with 44 potters participating. Many of them provide some form of food so we had a snack. We stopped for dinner at Famous Dave's. The weather cooperated and was dry, considering, we had some snow predictions.

Japanese Gardens

2010-04-30T21:41:00.002-05:00

The garden was pretty. I had envisioned it to be a bit bigger than it is. It was funny walking on campus and seeing all the students enjoying the beautiful weather. And then being inside and having the quiet (except for a group of 5 boys that were unruly who thankfully left quickly).

My current favorite picture.

I am Open to Suggestions...

2010-04-24T09:13:00.005-05:00

for good places to take senior and family pictures. My friend at work suggested the Japanese Garden at Normandale College. After seeing the video this is my next place to go look at. I can't wait to take pictures there. The next nice day it's raining right now.

My list so far:
Dodge Nature Center (my favorite right now); W St Paul
The park on Concord; S St Paul
Holz Farm; Eagan
Backer's Gardens; my friend's yard.
Trapp Farm Park; Eagan

Looking for More Photography Locations

2010-04-23T22:19:00.006-05:00

Yesterday, when I was checking out Dodge Nature Center I spoke with a couple of young women. I told them I was there to find photography locations. One of them mentioned a park off of 494 and Concord. This is what I found.

Heading up this way I found several places that could work.

I shared the path with these two.

Then I crossed this foot bridge and found

This:

Saw a barge.

And an eagle.

And a plane.

It was a beautiful view on this side of the tracks. I think there was more interesting spots on the other side.

I added a post to my photography blog with some edited pictures from yesterday.

Raspberry update and a Disturbing View

2010-04-23T21:32:00.006-05:00

The berry bushes are a catchall for leaves that fall off the trees. The neighbors have an oak, right next to them, it drops it leaves in the spring. We also have several trees that leave lots to rake (which Sarah and I did in the fall). Our big pile at the left of the berry bushes are from both leaf drops.

Brian and I worked on that pile of leaves today. We were able to chop them up and reuse them as mulch on the ground around the bushes.

A word about that disturbing view. I looked out the window and what did I see? When I open the shade in the morning I get a start seeing that owl just sitting there (he has only been there since yesterday). Sarah is planning a garden and so far the squirrels got her first plantings.

This is Gary the garden owl. Now we terrorize the squirrels that we used to feed. I have just been told by Brian he has heard of squirrels eating the face off the owl. I hope not. That would be even more disturbing. I guess we are even challenging any birds that might be interested in the food in that bird feeder.

Those berry bushes haven't looked that good in years.

A Place for Taking Portraits

2010-04-22T21:57:00.006-05:00

I have several requests for senior pictures and a couple of family groups. I have been scouting for places to take pictures and I found this great place tonight. I am so excited to have the chance to take some pictures here. There are all kinds of fun places to put people in. And there are lots more areas to explore and find more places that I like. I am pictureing several ways to set up poses in the different settings.

I was talking to a couple of young women there and they suggested another place out in S St. Paul. That is next on my list to check out.

I will be posting lots more pictures on my photography blog.

Raspberries

2010-04-22T21:48:00.002-05:00

Once upon a time I thought it would be fun to plant raspberries. They are my favorite! So I started with 3 individual sticks. Similar to the ones below.

Now twenty summers later we have this many raspberries plants. The patch at the very end of the picture is the neighbors patch. The rest are mine. Some years we gather the berries and some years we feed the birds. This year I got out early and did some pruning and cut in some paths to make picking easier. I guess that makes it a year to feed the family the berries.

She's Off to Idaho

2010-04-17T09:08:00.003-05:00

Well today was another good bye. It has only been 1 month since she came home and she is already off on another adventure.
Emily at the airport. First stop Salt Lake City where she will be picked by Allison and Nathan and the kids. She will get some supplies and they will drive her to Idaho on Sunday and get her settled in for school. Classes start on Tuesday.

Thanks Al and Nate for helping her get settled in. We really appreciate knowing that she is being looked after.

A Small Friend Came to Visit

2010-04-16T21:34:00.003-05:00

Laura was babysitting our little friend. So, naturally, I had to get some pictures.

Sunday, a Talk and Dinner

2010-04-12T15:57:00.010-05:00

Maybe you have read that Emily is moving already. As a returning missionary she was invited to give a talk on Sunday. Our friends, the Smiths, who moved from our ward about 6 years ago, wanted to attend when Emily spoke. Her friend Rachael and her mom Dianne were also there for her. She did a wonderful job with her talk. The spirit was strong as we listened to all three sister who spoke yesterday. And the two sisters who played a piano duet. It was a very uplifting Sacrament Meeting.

We invited Smiths, Aunt Jeannie and JaNae and a few friends to dinner. In missionary mode still Emily invited a family that has been in our ward for about 3 years and have attended church recently. They were very nice and have 3 nice kids.

I had a precision operation ready for our return so we could get the meal out in a timely manner. Things went as smooth as I had planned and we were eating about 5:10. Not bad considering our meetings end at 4.

Mark, I should say "Bishop" and Tamara.

Ebeadean and Bob.

Some of the crowd. I think most of the kids were in the play set. Notice the cob on the deck railing? Brian has taken to feeding the squirrel who was hanging out in our yard. Well he/she has lots of friends who come over for lunch now. And breakfast and dinner...oh and snacks.

Trying to get a picture of Mark and Brian together.

Finally we chased the kids out of the picture.

A yummy desert. Lemon and Raspberry layer cake. They happen to be both of my favorites. Thanks Jeannie and JaNae.

Tamara serving up her yummy chiffon pie.

"Grandpa" Bob and Laura.

Here's how we start our bon fires at our house. (kids don't try this at home)

Now let me address Emily moving so soon. I have truly loved the time we have had with Emily home. I have known that Emily has had the desire to go back to school and to be among lots of LDS young adults. The best way (but not the only way) to do that is to attend a church school. She made the decision to attend BYU-I(daho). I knew she would be leaving for school, but, thought it would be in the fall. It is bittersweet to have her going so soon. However, I want her to have the desires of her heart. She is completely comfortable with this big decision. So I will send her off knowing that she is doing just what she knows is right for her at this time in her life.

After all if I can send her half way around the world and be ok with it. I can certainly be comfortable sending her somewhere we can actually get to in one day (driving; technically we could have got to Australia in one day). Plus I can talk with her now as often as I want. And we can always skype. Not to mention that she is about 4 hours from Al and Nate. She was in Idaho a few years ago and was able to get to see them a few times. Plus, she has some of her best friends in Rexberg as well. Things are sure happening fast now.

My perspective on a 4 hour drive. There was a time that I thought that a 4 hour drive was a lot of driving (especially when my kids were little and before portable DVD players and computers could be plugged into an acutal adapter for electric plugs in the car). After Allison moved out to Utah and I have made the 23 hour trip so many times that I truly have lost count. I find the idea of a 4 hour drive not bad at all. So when I get to Utah again I know I will get out to see Emily.

Welcome Home Sister Clark

2010-03-17T18:46:00.004-05:00

We are so happy to have her home. We will go to the Stake President's house this evening where she will be released. Laura got her the flowers. Being St Patrick's Day we wore green. Laura lent her her jacket and she had green also.

So the not funny part was not being able to find a parking spot. Who knew the airport would be so busy (not me). We finally found one and I was so slow I had to gimp along because I have such a sore knee. As we were coming down the escalator Laura heard, "hi, Leroy". She was already at baggage claim. I guess she was only there a couple of minutes. I was so excited to see her and I really messed my knee up even more than it was already.

Things I've heard her say. "We just tossed them in the rubbish can". I will add to this as I hear them.

Within the Next 24 hours

2010-03-16T21:02:00.003-05:00

This is the what we have to look forward to.

The final day is almost here.

I have looked forward to filling in this dot for the last 566 days.

Sister Clark will finally see Kingston (who has been rather quiet) in person.

The signs have been prepared, this was created in Jan.

The sign maker.

This will move to the garage door.

Field Trip

2010-03-01T15:33:00.006-06:00

We took a field trip today. We have a student whose father works for the company named below in the center picture. We had a private tour and got to see many areas that I didn't know were there. We got to go up to the press box. Those are the pictures on the left. We saw the lodge that the first row seats, behind the glass, have access to for lots of amenities. We got to see a suite that corporations rent. Swanky. We also go to go into the visitors box and look around. The team was almost ready to come out for practice. I think we were supposed to be done and gone by then, but, as we are a slow bunch we were in the box when they started practice. #22 is in the center picture. One of the women that I work with knew who he was and got very excited. Another women had on a team jersey that she asked him to sign. He was very nice and accomadated her.

Our group. And some items hanging on the walls. The press box where we were from the lower level.

Enjoying practice. And marketing items. The man sitting in the stands is a writer for the local paper. He is covering the team this week.

We then walked over to Casetta's for lunch. Another fun field trip!

My Dad's Birthday is Today

2010-02-27T18:06:00.006-06:00

It's funny how things work sometimes. I was searching for a picture I had taken awhile back that I'm going to donate to the silent auction for empty bowls. I came upon this picture of my dad and I on the beach in Malibu. It is my favorite picture of the two of us. I have very few pictures that are just us. When I was placing the order for the picture I noticed the date is 2-27, my dad's birthday.

This is the last time I saw him it was Nov 2002. (Wow, I haven't ever really done the math but that is a bit more than 7 years!) Despite the tone of this post he is alive and lives in California. I'm not exactly sure why but he and I aren't in contact anymore. Sad. But that is typical for my father he always was an absent father. Still is.

I do have this photo of us when I was about 5 months old. According to him he thought I was a cute little baby.

More New Lenses

2010-02-27T17:56:00.004-06:00

Yes I got two new lenses today. Only this time it's the kind I wear on my face. I've had the same glasses, well, since 2005. I now have a bad habit of looking over the top of glasses to see up close. I have to tell myself over and over not to do that. This pictures is a self portrait so it's rather close. Sarah just mentioned I need to learn to smile. It was rather challenging to just get the shot centered. I was trying to smile and this is the best I got.

The Lens and a Little Help

2010-02-17T19:08:00.005-06:00

I was so frustrated with the new lens that I went back to National Camera and was ready to upgrade to a different one. I had lots of blurry pictures that I thought I should be able to adjust out. But I was not having success with what I was trying. Back when I bought my prime lens I worked with a young woman who was real helpful and I have been very happy with that lens. So when I set out to upgrade my lens I was hoping to find her there. Well I talked with several different clerks and hadn't seen her and, of course, I couldn't remember her name.

I called to make sure they had the lens that I was originally thinking to purchase. I spoke with someone that suggested I upgrade to a even better lens. Then I was off to make the exchange. As I walked in I saw the women that I had been looking for. As "luck" would have it she was the next clerk available to help. After explaining the problems that I was encountering she suggested a different setting and explained what I should try to do to get better lighting and a sharper image. And she said, "I'm going to send you home with this lens and you try these different settings."

I am positive that I if she hadn't been the clerk to help me I would have walked out with the upgraded lens and I think I would have had the same problem. Instead she took the time to explain what to try and then gave me her card and told me to call if I have more questions.

Here are two pictures with a simple adjustment that made a hugh difference.

These all have just a minor adjustment that changed the light just a tiny bit. As I have taken these few pictures I am excited to take more pictures and see if this lens will give me the results that I was looking for when I decided to upgrade my lens. I'm feeling optimistic that I can improve my photography with more practice.

Valentine's Day Flowers

2010-02-13T20:29:00.003-06:00

Brian got me flowers for Valentine's Day. It's nice to have the spring colors in the house. I am holding out hope that this long snowy winter will come to an end. And I have something else I can take pictures of as I try out my new lens.

New Lens

2010-02-13T12:14:00.004-06:00

I purchased a new lens for my camera yesterday. I wanted to upgrade from the lens that came with the camera. I know I can get better pictures and I am hoping that with the better lens that I can improve my pictures. Now I have to take lots of pictures in different settings to see just how much I like this lens. So far I am not real happy with the sharpness that I was hoping to achieve. The closer shots aren't to bad, but, I can get good shots my prime lens. The distance is what I am trying to improve. I guess I will be studying books on lighting and a couple of websites I like for improving my techniques.

Brian and I went out to get pictures of the hoar frost.

Trapp Farm Park tubing hill. It's been years since we've had so much snow.

Making bowls for empty bowls

2010-02-07T19:21:00.012-06:00

Last week Brian and a group of potter's gathered at the Eagan Art House and made bowls for this up coming event. I was invited to take pictures.

He is wearing an apron that I made him for Christmas. I guess it was a hit because I've actually sold a few. The split leg is what Brian likes about this style of apron.

This man was throwing bowls off of this slab of clay. I guess it's called throwing off the hump.

A bit of trim work after the bowl had dried enough.

As the day progressed this table was full of bowls.

A portion of what was thrown that day.

Someone had mentioned something about hearts being part of the theme. So I suggested the hands make the heart shape. I got the idea from a missionary who was making a heart shape in one of Sister Clark's current pictures.

The morning crew.

The afternoon shift.

Sunset on the day.

Mark your calendars and plan on taking part in helping raise money for a local food shelf. Bonus you will have a hand thrown bowl to take home.

Full Moon 1-29-10

2010-02-07T18:57:00.002-06:00

A wolf moon. The brightest moon of 2010. January's full moon is also called the wolf moon, according to Native American tradition associating this month's full moon with wolves howling in the cold midwinter. Mars is the small light to the left of the moon.

Being artistic through icicles.

Two Months

2010-01-17T22:14:00.002-06:00

It has been 508 days since I last saw Sister Clark. I am happy to report that it's only 58 days until I get to see her again. It works out that Sarah and I have spring break the week following Sister Clark's homecoming. She will be home for two days and we are all going out to Utah for the week. I'm looking forward to being together. I'm so excited that she will finally get to meet Kyle and see just how big Sofie has gotten.

Winter in Minnesota

2009-12-29T13:16:00.006-06:00

You may have heard it snowed here last week! We aren't and never were snowed in as bad as other areas in the Midwest. It was deep, but, we are after all a very snowy state and they are prepared for it. So while it snowed and the roads weren't great they did keep up, fairly well, with snow plowing.

Christmas Eve. There is some logistics required on getting 5 cars off the street. Even more is required to move them when someone has to get out.

Brian almost bought a snow blower last week and changed his mind. On Friday, Christmas day, we were digging out the driveway. Then again on Saturday digging out some more. This snow was the wet heavy kind that is back breaking to dig out. We worked with our 2 snow shovels and made paths out of the house and the driveway, barely.

Laura's job yesterday was to dig out her car. Brian called around noon and told her never mind she could wait he got a snow blower. He called HD and they had one left that they had used last week to dig out the store. They had discounted it and he got it for a really good deal. The nice thing about it it already had gas and was ready to go. He really likes the electric start feature. I will too, because I have trouble with getting the pull start equipment going that we have around here. If I mow the lawn, (very rarely, well ok, I think once in about 5 years) I have to have a Laura start it for me. It looked easy enough to start.

Sarah trying it out after Brian had done the majority of the driveway. I did my part and chipped off the really frozen stuff. We got a very kind note from the postal carrier. Could we please clear around the mail box. So we all worked around the mail box to clear it. I must say it was really frozen over.

Good team work.

The car that is waiting for Sister Clark.

The Christmas Tree

2009-12-25T19:50:00.007-06:00

I am not a fan of the Christmas Tree, especially one in my home. It takes up such a large space in our living room. I have been threating to get a small fake tree for several years now. Something along the lines of 36" or so, to sit on the table. That would be my ideal tree.

We've had a fake tree for several years now. Upon review a bit earlier in the month when I mentioned that I would set up the tree (yes I was in a bit more of the holiday spirit and was willing to set up a tree early this year) I was informed that it had been thrown out a few years ago! Perfect no tree to even bother setting up.

The others in the household don't really go along with this proposal. As the days got closer and still no tree I thought we might be off the hook this year. However on Tuesday night, Brian decided we should get one on Wednesday. Pahls Market had them for 35% off and a 5 dollar off coupon. As this was the first night of the snow and it was falling at a pretty good pace Pahls closed the tree area early! I called Gertens and asked about trees and if they had a sale. Nope. They had trees starting at 49.99! Brian told me about a tree lot which we decided to check out. As we drove past it they looked to have closed up for the night. We drove into the lot and found a sign that read ALL TREES FREE! Score! We looked around in the falling snow to find just the right tree. We (Laura and I) set it up after it thawed out during the night and decorated it just in time for Christmas Eve.

It didn't look this tall in the lot.

See this little elf

I've had him since I was a little girl. I was a Brownie and we got these one year for Christmas. He has been on my tree ever since. I remember going with my Brownie troop Christmas Caroling to a nursing home every year. I loved singing the Christmas Carols to the grandmas and grandpas. Even though some of them were scary to me when they would reach out and touch us (I do remember some of them grabbing a hold of us). I see it much differently now. They just want to have contact with little people.

This is our tree skirt it was a 5 year project. Back in the day we had Relief Society Homemaking Meetings. One year the class was to make tree skirt. How hard could it be? I had done some embroidery in the past, it was after all just a running stitch. For the meeting we marked the skirt, I didn't have a embroidery hoop so I started without one. If I remember I got about 2 of the patterns stitched. I don't remember using the skirt that first year. Year 2 I thought I better pull out the stitching and start over because it looked so sloppy. A hoop it the key to good embroidery work. It wasn't complete that year, but, I think I used it. The next two years around Christmas time I pulled out that old skirt and work on it. The last year I finally added the lace, ribbon and finished it up. That year skirt ended up in the tree water and the red thread and the bee's wax that I used bled all over the skirt. So my lovely tree skirt has had a red watermark (it's permenant) ever since. Brian used to tease me every year when I pulled out that tree skirt and say to the girls, "it must be close to Christmas your mom has the tree skirt out". It's been under out tree every year since.

If all goes well we will remove it sometime next week. I won't feel a pang of guilt (it was free after all) when we remove it after just a few days.

Here's why I didn't know the fake tree was gone. Three years ago I put off putting up the tree until the last week. As a result we got a free tree from someone at work. Her husband had a real estate business and had some trees left over. The girls really liked having a real tree. Last year Brian and Laura bought a tree and had it set up when I got home from Utah after helping Al and Nate with the new baby.

Christmas Day Phone Call

2009-12-24T21:40:00.005-06:00

From our missionary! Well it was her Christmas Day, our Christmas Eve. I loved talking with Sister Clark. I miss her laugh so much. She sounded really good. She has picked up a bit of an Australian accent. Her comment a couple of times was how American we all sounded.

After we talked with her for a bit we 3 way called Al, Nate and the grandkids (I love modern technology). The moment that really touched me was when we were sharing stories and everyone got to laughing together. That does my heart good. Even if we weren't all together in the same room we had the chance to laugh together and have a bit of togetherness that I can't wait to repeat, but, that will have to be in the future. Not exactly sure when that is going to happen, but, I am waiting for that day. Especially because she will get to meet Kyle and give Sofie a big hug.

That phone call made my Christmas complete. Because of the upcoming holidays and the library being closed she won't email for almost two weeks.

This is my 300th post. And I have several that I am working on.