August 1
Neil is ready for sudden attacks, foreign or domestic, as we walk around our neighborhood
Neil is ready for sudden attacks, foreign or domestic, as we walk around our neighborhood
August 2
Granddaughter Ella has just discovered a box full of new toys
Actually, they're old
She just hasn't seen them in a while
Granddaughter Ella has just discovered a box full of new toys
Actually, they're old
She just hasn't seen them in a while
Up close and personal with herself
August 2
God always paints a pretty picture
in spite of all the man made ground clutter
August 3
Ella's mom Kelly took this picture
Cracks me up
God always paints a pretty picture
in spite of all the man made ground clutter
August 3
Ella's mom Kelly took this picture
Cracks me up
August 5
Grandpa Neil and grandson Knox head down the midway at the county fair
All the fair photos are by Kelly
Grandpa Neil and grandson Knox head down the midway at the county fair
All the fair photos are by Kelly
Knox is so over all those baby rides
One of his buddies showed up and they rode the rides together
One of his buddies showed up and they rode the rides together
They were brave enough (or crazy enough) to ride the pirate ship
Ella and her dad Kerry
This is Ella's first time at the fair
This is Ella's first time at the fair
One of these expressions is not like the other
Whee! This ride is awesome!
Kelly showed Ella the real live bunnies which are prizes in a ring toss game
(How sad is that. Just sayin'. Unless you really really want to take home a bunny to care for for the rest of its natural life...or yours...whatever)
(How sad is that. Just sayin'. Unless you really really want to take home a bunny to care for for the rest of its natural life...or yours...whatever)
Family Selfie at the fair
Kelly, Ella, Kerry, and Knox
Good times
Kelly, Ella, Kerry, and Knox
Good times
August 9
Kelly's kitty Frankie is fed up with people sitting in his chair ...
Kelly's kitty Frankie is fed up with people sitting in his chair ...
... and sitting on his couch
August 9
Knox and some of his after-school Bomb Pop buddies
Not sure who took this picture
Knox and some of his after-school Bomb Pop buddies
Not sure who took this picture
August 11
The leaning tower of DQ hot fudge sundae deliciousness
The leaning tower of DQ hot fudge sundae deliciousness
August 12
Neil added some pavers and did repairs on the brick walkway
Neil added some pavers and did repairs on the brick walkway
Mood
Coneflowers in a sea of weeds green
"I'm fixing a hole
Where the rain gets in
And stops my mind from wandering
Where it will go ...."
Pop quiz:
What is the song, who sings it, and what album is it from?
Neil is really fixing a hole where the rain gets in
to the basement
What every home owner wants to see coming out of the basement
August 12
Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer
Those days of soda and pretzels and beer
Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer
Dust off the sun and moon and sing a song of cheer
Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer
Those days of soda and pretzels and beer
Roll out those lazy, hazy, crazy days of summer
Dust off the sun and moon and sing a song of cheer
~Charles Tobias (1963 Nat King Cole version)
August 12
Pink
Pink
August 13
Jingle bells
Shotgun shells
Bullets all the way
Oh what fun
To shoot a gun
At the indoor shooting range
Jingle bells
Shotgun shells
Bullets all the way
Oh what fun
To shoot a gun
At the indoor shooting range
Neil and I got some target practice
He's using the .22 rifle his dad bought for him probably sixty years ago
It hasn't been fired in decades but still works perfectly
He's using the .22 rifle his dad bought for him probably sixty years ago
It hasn't been fired in decades but still works perfectly
Nice shootin' there, Tex
The rifle is awkward for me to shoot
I did better with the .22 pistol
Takes me a while but I can eventually hit the center
Sort of
The rifle is awkward for me to shoot
I did better with the .22 pistol
Takes me a while but I can eventually hit the center
Sort of
August 13
Ella and Granny
Picture by Neil
Ella and Granny
Picture by Neil
August 13
Shades of summer
After the rain
August 15
We took Elijah and Shelby to the shooting range to practice
We took Elijah and Shelby to the shooting range to practice
Shelby tried out the .22 rifle ...
... she's good
Elijah did well with the rifle, too ...
... good aim
Shelby riddled her target until she hit the center
with the .22 pistol
with the .22 pistol
After you target practice, you have to get donuts
It's a law or something
It's a law or something
August 16
Ella has been pulling herself up for a while now
It's also fun to play with Grandpa's belt
Or anything else that isn't a toy
Ella has been pulling herself up for a while now
It's also fun to play with Grandpa's belt
Or anything else that isn't a toy
What's in the box?
She liked the box and sat here for quite a while looking through her book
Great way to corral her now that she's mobile
Great way to corral her now that she's mobile
August 17
Neil took Knox to Jake's Day
He caught this good sized catfish
read what Jake's Day is all about:
http://www.nwtf.org/about/hunting-heritage/jakes
Neil took Knox to Jake's Day
He caught this good sized catfish
read what Jake's Day is all about:
http://www.nwtf.org/about/hunting-heritage/jakes
And got to do some shootin'
He also got his face painted
Got some curious looks afterwards during lunch at Panera
Got some curious looks afterwards during lunch at Panera
August 17
Grandson Elijah (far right) celebrated his 13th birthday with his buddies at his house
They enjoyed the big blowup water slide, a giant cookie cake, and a sleepover
No one slept I'm sure
Picture by Elijah's mom Holly
Grandson Elijah (far right) celebrated his 13th birthday with his buddies at his house
They enjoyed the big blowup water slide, a giant cookie cake, and a sleepover
No one slept I'm sure
Picture by Elijah's mom Holly
August 17
We had a sleepover, too
Knox spent the night for the very first time ever at our house (without parents here)
We watched his favorite movie, The Greatest Showman
He's seen it about seven times and knows all the lyrics to the songs and a lot of the choreography
First time we've seen it
Great movie! We enjoyed it very much
He slept upstairs by himself on the futon
We had a sleepover, too
Knox spent the night for the very first time ever at our house (without parents here)
We watched his favorite movie, The Greatest Showman
He's seen it about seven times and knows all the lyrics to the songs and a lot of the choreography
First time we've seen it
Great movie! We enjoyed it very much
He slept upstairs by himself on the futon
August 18
Hey! I've got hair!
Hey! I've got hair!
I had no idea until now! Why didn't you tell me?
It's still there!
August 20
Birthday party number two
Celebrated with family
Can't believe he's a teenager
Birthday party number two
Celebrated with family
Can't believe he's a teenager
Watched a spectacular lightning show after the party. They live where there's no city lights which makes night sky watching pretty awesome. Of course, my grainy photo doesn't come close to doing the lightning justice
August 21
My sister Ann and her hubby Terry celebrated their 37th wedding anniversary
This is their engagement announcement picture (way back) in 1982
They haven't changed a bit
Well, maybe the hair ...
August 21
Stop the car so I can snap a pic!
He did
I'm a sucker for sunsets and clouds
Stop the car so I can snap a pic!
He did
I'm a sucker for sunsets and clouds
This was our destination
Big O
We eat way too many doughnuts
Big O
We eat way too many doughnuts
August 23
A little porch sitting and bubble blowing and chewing on the bubble bottle
A little porch sitting and bubble blowing and chewing on the bubble bottle
August 23
Got a tiger by the tail
And boy is it fun to yank!
Smokey didn't seem to mind
Too much anyway
Got a tiger by the tail
And boy is it fun to yank!
Smokey didn't seem to mind
Too much anyway
August 23
Guitar practice
Guitar practice
August 24
Tried the new ice cream in town
Tried the new ice cream in town
They've got a huge variety of flavors
I enjoyed the pistachio
I enjoyed the pistachio
Yum!
August 24
Ella loved on her soft stuffed bunny ....
Ella loved on her soft stuffed bunny ....
... and then threw him over the cliff
Thank goodness it wasn't one of those bunnies from the fair ....
Thank goodness it wasn't one of those bunnies from the fair ....
August 25
Ella made it through most of the Sunday morning worship service before her mom had to take her out
She sat in Aunt Holly's lap, ransacked her wallet, tasted all the plastic cards, then threw them on the floor, but it kept her busy and quiet until she saw her mom sitting in the pew behind her and cried for her to take her.
Hooray for Aunt Holly!
Ella made it through most of the Sunday morning worship service before her mom had to take her out
She sat in Aunt Holly's lap, ransacked her wallet, tasted all the plastic cards, then threw them on the floor, but it kept her busy and quiet until she saw her mom sitting in the pew behind her and cried for her to take her.
Hooray for Aunt Holly!
After church, we tried a new (to us) Mexican restaurant
Shelby ordered her usual chicken/cheese/rice and enjoyed it
Shelby ordered her usual chicken/cheese/rice and enjoyed it
August 26
Rainy days and Mondays and granddaughter Shelby's first day in college
We enjoyed lunch with her at Panera
She hasn't been in a classroom since May
Hard getting back in the groove but I think she's going to like college
Rainy days and Mondays and granddaughter Shelby's first day in college
We enjoyed lunch with her at Panera
She hasn't been in a classroom since May
Hard getting back in the groove but I think she's going to like college
August 27
After school
Watching Spongebob
Could we BE having any more fun?
After school
Watching Spongebob
Could we BE having any more fun?
August 30
Still gets a kick out of doing this
Only now with a nose wrinkle
Still gets a kick out of doing this
Only now with a nose wrinkle
She's starting to get her sea legs
But right after I snapped this pic, she fell over and bonked her noggin on the floor
School of hard knocks
August 31
Happy trails, August
Whilst August yet wears her golden crown,
Ripening fields lush- bright with promise;
Summer waxes long, then wanes, quietly passing
Her fading green glory on to riotous Autumn.
~Michelle L. Thieme
"The crickets felt it was their duty to warn everybody that summertime cannot last for ever. 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, Charlotte's Web
