Photo Treasure Hunt....

William and Douglas went on a photo treasure hunt. They took five pictures of each item on the list. These pictures are the favorite in each category. Next we are looking up what each thing is.

The boys picked Wilbur the Great White Pine for their tree picture.

They picked this rock for the skeleton image they could see.

We think this is a Gypsy Moth Pupa, insect picture.

The boys picked Grumpy for their person photo. Dad got the Grumpy sticker at Disney World because he was grumpy in the morning.

In the toy category they picked their friends Nintendo DS Lite.

Our neighbors 2007 Hyundai, Santa Fe made the car category.

Bob made the cut for pets and animals. Bob is a Great Dane.

The mailbox came about in 1923.

Good fences make good neighbors. We learned that this phrase comes from Robert Frost's, Mending Wall.

Inukshuks make really interesting garden structures.

This fire hydrant made the anything category. In addition to being handy for putting out fires it is a doggy message board.

Best photo of the day.

Our American Toad....

This American Toad is Canadian and lives under our deck. One of the things I read says he is poisonous and we should wash our hands if we touch it, ugh. I should also make sure Gracie doesn't get a hold of it. It can kill a pet. I can't imagine Bob giving it the time of day. I saw babies hopping around also.

Beautiful Lady....

I met this lady at our family reunion. She was remarkable for the smile that was constantly on her face. Her and her husband are friends of my Aunt May's. He was telling us about a trip he and some others were going to make in 2008 to build a school in Africa. In September they are going to have a music and art fest to raise funds for this. Having learned that I was a budding artist, he asked if I would send something along. I told him that if I could get a good picture of his wife I would consider doing a picture of her. Now how salable that will be I have no idea.

Bob....

I needed to do some sketching and well Bob is on my mind a lot lately.
He is not doing so well. He is on heart medication. Sometimes it seems to work miraculously and others not so well at all. The walls of his heart have thinned out, so it doesn't beat as well as it should. This results in his lungs filling with fluid. He then coughs out this fluid and anything that he might have eaten. It has been really tough to keep any weight on him.
The thing that always amazes me with a sick dog is their ability to shake it off. I take out a leash and he is right there. We've been tramping through woods and over hills....we actually have one in Essex County! I have been trying to keep the puppy busy so we get a good work out. Bob leads the way for the whole thing, I am the slow one in the group.
I guess he'll go until he keels over. I think if I could ask him he would rather die running, over sleeping.

Douglas....

Look at me Mom!

Visitors in our backyard....

We have decided that this guy is a fisher spider.
He hangs out around our pool.

I think this guy is a male gypsy moth.
I found him on our patio door.

Family Reunions....

Getting together with family is always one of the highlights of our year. I hate the packing, but once I am on the road, everything is good. The kids look forward to it all year, "when are we going to Aunt May's and Uncle Joe's?".









My Uncle roasts a lamb and everybody brings a dish to contribute to the meal. My Aunt Genny and Cousin Jacqui play music and include any one who brings an instrument. At the end of the meal the kids take bat at a mosquito pinata. The mosquito is the mascot for the family reunion because there are always so many of them joining us....I think they plan their reunion to coincide with ours!


We start invading my Uncle's farm Thursday or Friday and stay until Monday. He has plenty of room for all the tents, campers and cars. He has a pool and trampoline and my Cousin Joey next door has lots of indoor kid entertainment. I am sure it only takes them a month or two to survive the invasion!


This year we brought Bob and Gracie with us. I promised that they would not be a problem at the party and they didn't let me down. They took right fine to camping and made many friends at the main party.

Yellow jackets....

Yellow jackets getting started on a new nest.


Favorite building material, our cedar deck.

Vacated old nest.

Sketching Dad...

As I said earlier, I want to do a portrait of my Dad. I have lots of snap shots but nothing that speaks to me. So I have been sketching him from the photos that I have. Trying to get a feel for how his features look.