“August rain: the best of the summer gone, and the new fall not yet born. The odd uneven time.” ― Sylvia Plath

August 1

Granddaughter Shelby on the job at Kirkland's

She's working part time, plus she'll be starting her sophomore year in college later this month

Shelby and her aunt Kelly

{I stole borrowed these Snapchats from Kelly}

 August 3

Grandson Knox started the third grade

Masks are mandatory in schools here

August 3

Knox and his coaches pitch baseball team played their first game of this delayed season. They had enough kids for two teams, so they play each other each game. Knox's team won this one big time.

August 5

Granddaughter Ella clomping around in her brother's shoes

On the wrong feet of course

August 7

Ella's final swim lesson with this instructor who was very proud of how far Ella had come in the last six weeks. Ella had just flipped herself from face down and onto her back to float with no prompting from the instructor or her mom.

August 11

Ella's first day of preschool

This was the first time mom and dad had left her for a whole day with virtual strangers

She was not a happy camper

August 15

I know. I take pictures of random things. Just happened to notice this light fixture outside the window at Romo's Mexican Restaurant.

Thought it was pretty cool

August 15

Pretty pink clouds floating over the Putnam County Fairgrounds ...

... and over our church building

August 16

Granddaughters Ella and Shelby stylin' in their hats ...

... and Ella stylin' in her cool shades

Ella and her brother Knox bustin' some moves to the music playing outside the restaurant

August 16

Daughter Holly took these pics of her kiddos Elijah and Shelby

All are suitable for framing

August 17

Elijah celebrated his 14th birthday

A first for him at their new house

j

August 18

Ella had better days her second week at school

Minnie Mouse did, too

August 18

Knox after school

He's been devouring this series of books and was eager to finish this one so he could start the next one

August 20

Ella's bouquet of expired Tulip Poplar leaves she gathered from the backyard

Our tree always starts to shed its leaves long before the end of summer

August 20

Kelly's capture of this spectacular summer sunset

Kelly, Kerry, and Kids out for an evening stroll {roll} around the neighborhood

August 22

Kelly and kids and Neil and I visited Amazing Acres, a short drive away

This farm is well known for their huge pumpkin patch in the fall

This was my first visit. I had no idea they grew oceans of sunflowers, too.

We paid for a tall plastic bucket 
{serrated knife provided} 
and set out to cut however many sunflowers we wanted

It's hard not to go for the biggest ones

We'd just got started when the sky turned black and released a torrential windy downpour on us and everyone else who was unfortunate enough to be caught in this rainstorm

I think we're the only ones who brought umbrellas 
{rain was threatening but we weren't expecting this flood}

Kelly and Ella shared an umbrella, and Neil and I shared an umbrella

Everyone else ran for shelter near the parking lot

The rains came down for probably twenty minutes, soaking us in spite of our umbrellas, and splattering our feet and legs with mud

If you look closely at Kelly's white pants, you can see the mud

Knox had crawled underneath this old flatbed truck since we didn't have room for one more under our umbrellas, but he ended up wet and muddy and the back of his shirt smeared with grease from the truck. In hindsight, we may have been better off making a run for it.

The rain eventually stopped and here we are, our clothes soaked, our legs and feet muddy, but hey, we got some sunflowers and a memorable afternoon at Amazing Acres of Fun 

It was fun

Plus, we got a beautiful rainbow

August 24

This watermelon tasted as sweet and juicy as it looks

It was so good that we ate half the melon and just about made ourselves sick

August 26

She's a good girl

loves her Mama

loves Jesus

& America

{& Bomb Pops}

August 27

Bee Day at school

Ella and her classmates enjoyed watching the bees in their hive

August 27

Enjoyed having dinner with these two

Elijah is a freshman in high school this year, and Shelby just started her sophomore year in college

August 29

Lunch in the car at Chick Fil A with Kelly and kiddos

One last peach shake for me before it disappears from the menu til next year

Ella was in the mood for peekaboo while we waited for our lunch

What!? They're out of Chick-Fil-A sauce!?

That face you make when you're trying to be happy about the sauce they gave you instead, did not ask for, but will eat anyway because you gotta have sauce for your nuggets 

August 30

Opposites attract

August 31
End of school day
End of August
Already

"August rushes by like desert rainfall,
A flood of frenzied upheaval,
Expected,
But still catching me unprepared.
Like a matchflame
Bursting on the scene,
Heat and haze of crimson sunsets.
Like a dream
Of moon and dark barely recalled,
A moment,
Shadows caught in a blink.
Like a quick kiss;
One wishes for more
But it suddenly turns to leave,
Dragging summer away."
-  Elizabeth Maua Taylor 

“The crickets felt it was their duty to warn everybody that summertime cannot last forever. Even on the most beautiful days in the whole year – the days when summer is changing into autumn – the crickets spread the rumor of sadness and change.” – E.B. White

"Summer's lease hath all too short a date."  
-  William Shakespeare