Summer Book

All of Susan Branches books are so charming with just lots of nice entertaining ideas.

I love her watercolor pictures that she paints.

I can just look at it over and over again. 

Pick one up at the library.

It is very much worthwhile

Here are great pictures that depict things from summer.

This was taken a couple of nights ago. 

We hardly got any drops of rain, but it did look menacing all around us.

I love the contrast between the sunshine and dark clouds.

Last night I went to bed at 10:15 and could still see lightness in the sky. 

It made me sad to think that the longest day of the year has come and gone.

It took so long to get here this year.

This is my new console that I bought from the Pottery Barn.

I wanted something for the foyer that I could put my quilts in for display.

It works out very well and just fits the wall perfectly. 

I am slowly getting my books upstairs to put in this hutch.

I love it that I can display every ones pictures.

Angel Flower

The other day we were at WalMart looking for some outdoor items.

I walked through the gardening section and this flower just stopped me' Whoa" because I thought the pink was so pretty!

I just had to have this exotic angel plant. 

I had not seen anything like it before.

I go to the checkout where Tom is waiting and he looks at it and says "WHAT IS THAT"?

I said "it's an exotic angel plant", isn't it pretty?

He said, is that exotic or erotic?

"Very Funny"...

Now, not even noticing the appendages that are on this plant because I was so taken with the color.

The person checking us out was also a male and said "I am not allowed to make comments"!

I now just smile when I look at it-it is still very unusual.

Happy Fathers Day

He had such a nice fathers day, he just didn't want it to end.

We bought him breakfast.

He got to sit out on the covered porch and watch the Tigers Win.

Sam came home to be with him.

He got a triple layer made from scratch coconut cake.

It was mighty tasty.

He loves veggie pizza.

And a cute card made by me.

Happy Fathers Day to a Great Father!

Small Town America

We went to a parade on Saturday.

It was a really nice small town parade.

I would bet these two are brothers.  Pretty cute guys.  The sirens are just a bit loud though.

It's never a good parade unless the police are there.

Veterans marching in formation.

The queen in her sports car.

The funny car that makes a statement.

The All American Float

A Soldier

An interesting orange fire truck.

I liked the spectators in their red, white and blue chairs.

The red tractor with the American Flags.

Baton twirlers and cheerleaders.

Motorcycle guys

Casy the Cash Cow

Llamas!

The funny clown

A Duck

A Pig

Flag Girls

And the Marching Band

I love Marching Bands!

I was in one in high school.

My feet start tapping to the beat every time.

We had such fun.

A silly person bird

Of course you have your go karts.

And the Pretty Float.

It was a very nice parade.

In Heaven

You can't get more comfortable than this.

life went on

My herbs are sprouting all except the spearmint and Italian parsley.

Maybe they are late sprouters or I got a bad batch of seeds.

Builder Steve and his workers Matt and Jake were building a deck for us off of the sunroom.

It got finished while we were gone.

It is so nice and finished off.

We also had them put a screen door on.

We are really going to enjoy it!

I forgot to add this in the previous post.

I did pick up a piece of pottery made by an artist in Ely, MN.

It is a leaf and I am going to use it for a spoon rest.

I tried to catch it in a different light.

Back Home Again in Indiana

No matter where I go out of state I am always glad to see this sign.

I truly believe there is "no place like home".

On our trip we drove over 1600 miles and it was a whirlwind tour.

In a month we will do it again.

We saw so many things and this is a great camp so it was worth it.

This was the last morning and I had woken up at 4:15 to peek out the window.

It was so picture worthy.

On Tuesday we had gone to the International Wolf Center and enjoyed it.

Wolves are so intelligent and energetic.

After hearing the wolf sounds I am sure that first evening along with the loons I heard a wolf howling. It was very cool.

After we had sat in on a presentation one of the caretakers of the wolves threw out pigs ears so we could see them.  They had been sleeping in the shade of the trees.

This one got his ear and was chewing on it.

This one, his ear went in the water and he had a dilemma of what to do.

So he stood at the waters edge to see if he could get it.

Then he decided to slowly wade in.

Then he was taking a drink.  But he just couldn't bring himself to put his head under the water to get it. He had been gypped.

So he was looking back over there thinking "will you throw me another one"?

Then on the way home I talked Tom into taking a side trip.

This was the location that Laura Ingalls Wilder was born and the first Little House book was written about.

Pepin, Wisconsin.

This was Little House in the Big Woods.

The big woods are not there any more.

The road we took back to it was about 6 miles to town, so Pa had a long way to walk.

They erected a replica cabin that they lived in

Here is the loft that Mary and Laura slept in.

And it had two downstairs bedrooms. (I don't know the girl)

And it also had a big fireplace in the room with room to eat.

On our way home we stayed in Janesville and when we were leaving I noticed this big cow statue.

Probably because of the dairy farms around the state.

We had gotten off on US 30 in Illinois (big mistake) to try to bypass Chicago, we decided it wasn't worth it.

But Lincoln Highway was along this also.  There was a neat fountain for Lincoln Hwy and thought it was picture worthy.

T

This is for my co-workers at The University of Saint Francis.  Here is one of the hospitals that the Sisters of Saint Francis of Perpetual Adoration own.  It is in Dyer, IN, right across the line on US 30.

I just thought this guy was funny.  He was at a Valparaiso putt putt golf place.

Now tomorrow I am back to work.