31-JUL-2007
Rest Now Because Morning Comes Really Early
My 2 year old twin grandsons are staying with us for a few days while Mom and Dad have some deserved time off. I must be really out of shape, because at the end of the day, I just need to put up my feet and chill. They are so much fun, but they really keep us hopping. After a while, we don't even bother to pick up all the toys; they can pull them out faster than we can gather them. But we treasure every moment with them, because they grow up way too fast.
30-JUL-2007
Cool Pool
Twenty minutes to blow this thing up with the electric pump in 95% humidity, 85 degree heat. Twenty minutes to fill it with water. Total minutes Ben and Jake spent in the pool--about 5.
29-JUL-2007
Cake
This is what Ben and Jake eat for dinner when they get to stay with Nana and Boppaw! Just kidding, they had a good dinner and the cake was for dessert!
28-JUL-2007
Do You Know the Number for Pizza Hut?
Jake playing on the climber set in our backyard.
26-JUL-2007
Thursday Challenge--Elements
Adding water to my backyard pond, which I have to do several times a week. THIS time I remembered to turn off the hose when the pond was full. Let's not talk about the time I left it running for hours (almost killing the fish and greatly increasing the water bill). Now I use a timer to remind me to turn it off (if I can find the timer)!
25-JUL-2007
Swing
My friend and I happened upon an Estate Sale today. It was cool and sad at the same time. Cool, because you could see all this old stuff that people hang on to, and sad because most of it is stuff that they once cherished, but no one in the family really wants--so they sell it. You could tell from the yard that someone used to be a gardener, and it was probably beautiful at one time. But it was overgrown and everything was falling apart. I would have loved to see it in its prime.
24-JUL-2007
Spooky
This building used to be the married student housing at Marshall University about 30 years ago. Before and after that, I don't really know what it was used for. But it is abandoned now, and to me, it looks haunted.
23-JUL-2007
Sticks & Stones
Well, sorta. Actually railroad ties and rocks along the tracks right behind my mom & dad's house.
21-JUL-2007
On the Road Again
This is the view out of my car window today. All 13 hours and 657 miles of it. Yep, we drove from Wisconsin to Lexington, KY today, and while the clouds and farms and corn fields are beautiful, it gets old after a while.
20-JUL-2007
Getting My Feet Wet
Well, we've been here nearly a week, and the theme was "Come to the Waters." But I hadn't even stepped into the lake, we were so busy doing other things. So today, I got my feet wet. That's as far as I went, but it counts!
19-JUL-2007
Sing us a Song
My husband and I are here in Green Lake Wisconsin for a church musician's conference, And I was surprised and happy that the Thursday challenge for this week is "Sing us a Song". There are many skilled singers, handbell ringers, and band members here. It is a real thrill to sing in a choir of 300 people. In the next two days 3 handbell choirs will perform, a brass ensemble and a full orchestra will play, and choirs from young children through adult will perform. It has been a full week, but lots of challenging fun!
18-JUL-2007
Come to the Waters
I am at a music conference in Wisconsin, for American Baptist musicians. It is being held at the National Conference Center on beautiful Green Lake. The little boy in the middle of this photo recently accepted Christ and decided to be baptized in the lake. His mom and dad are beside him, along with the minister for this week. It was a very moving experience.
16-JUL-2007
Arbor
Green Lake Conference Center, Green Lake, Wisconsin
15-JUL-2007
Finding His Own Inner Child
Garden Sculpture, Green Lake Conference Center, Green Lake, Wisconsin
This sculpture begs you to "complete the circle". I'm sure you can't count the number of photos taken here.
14-JUL-2007
Windmill in Wisconsin
Really hard to get a good photo going 70 miles an hour in the middle of HORRIBLE traffic!
13-JUL-2007
Please, Can I Ride It?
We're on a trip to Wisconsin with James and Debi, and their kids Jenna and Sean. Sean really wanted to ride this double decker carousel, but we decided to pass.
12-JUL-2007
Architecture
This tunnel started as your routine overpass bridge. Instead of replacing the bridge, the state just filled in the opening from the ground up, and put in a tunnel. Interstate traffic was only disrupted for a couple of weeks, instead of months.
11-JUL-2007
Mobile
King's Daughters Hospital, Ashland, KY
I've walked by outside this room probably 20 times in the last year, but I was always in a hurry, with things on my mind, or trying to get in out of the cold. I've never seen this beautiful mobile until today. It's amazing what you see when you just look up.
10-JUL-2007
Coneflower
I took this on my morning walk. I always used to make sure I had my cell phone with me when I walked; now I've added my camera. I've gotten used to having it all the time so I don't miss a photo op, and feel lost without it. Like all hobbies, this may just be a phase I go through, but I am enjoying it right now.
09-JUL-2007
New Toy
This is my new flexible tripod. It looks like a cross between a slinky and a transformer. You attach your camera to the top of it, and you just bend the legs to wrap around any surface or stand on its own. I'm hoping it will help me with my night shots.
08-JUL-2007
Birthday Boys
Ben and Jake will be 2 July 17. Daddy Hilton's birthday is July 10. Boppaw is just here to help blow out the candles.
07-JUL-2007
Bridge Looking Up
Traveling across the beautiful suspension bridge spanning the Ohio River from Huntington, WV to Proctorville, OH.
06-JUL-2007
Mystery Plant
What is it? Growing in my friend's yard. Very cool, but she definitely didn't plant it, and we're not sure if it is a weed or not. Any ideas?
UPDATE: I found the name of the plant. It is "Venice Mallow" or "Flower of an Hour" and is considered an incredibly invasive weed. Apparently the seeds can lie dormant for 50 years! It has a really pretty white flower with a purple middle. I called my friend and told her to get rid of it ASAP.
05-JUL-2007
Country
My Thursday Challenge. I love these little guys.
04-JUL-2007
Patriotic Picnic
My parents live in a retirement community which is wonderful for them, because there are all kinds of activities they can enjoy with others their own age. Today they invited us to a 4th of July cookout at their clubhouse. It sounded like a good idea until we walked in. Suddenly, being in a room of 40 very lively senior citizens was a little overwhelming! So we loaded up our plates and headed outside with Mom and Dad to sit by the pool. There was a nice breeze, and we had a great time visiting. Visiting is the key word here, because even though it is a nice place, we're not ready to live there!
03-JUL-2007
Beetle Love
"...they were so crazy in love that they couldn't wait to be together! They rushed through their salad of green leaves, and then became as one..."
02-JUL-2007
G-l-a-m-o-r-o-u-s
I didn't buy these sunglasses. They're a little too Fergie. Something a really famous person would wear. When we went to Hawaii in February, I found them in the door pocket of our rental car. I immediately put them on and wore them the whole vacation. I felt very glamorous, which was fitting for Hawaii. So today I found them in the kitchen drawer and put them on. They remind me of our wonderful vacation. And for a little while, I am glamorous again!
01-JUL-2007
Chandelier from Below
Sanctuary, Fifth Avenue Baptist, Huntington, WV