June 2008

Happy New Year everyone!! New Year resolution number 1 is to catch up the blog. My resolution is to get it caught up before we start a new adventure and this lodge starts travelling again. What a better way to start than to see the picture of Ben's sunflowers, so bright against the clouds and blue sky. We didn't measure but I am sure they were 6 ft high.

Maybe this one was 7 ft, we should have measured. The white pole is an extensio to the bean pole. The lima bean grew to the top of this extension also.
Bobby graduated from preschool at Montessori. An important day for him.

The best part was a party afterwards. He even wanted candles on his cupcake cake!!

Another special day was the wedding of our friends Gailyn and Evelyn. A beautiful and very meaningful service.

June was also the month of my second surgery. I received a pace maker to keep my heart beating at night at a regular rate. I also had a cardioversion to shock my heart from atrial fibrillation to normal sinus rhythm. They are still manipulating my heart rate etc with a computer and the a/f with medication. Welcome to the golden oldies!!

May 2008

May was all about the garden, little league, and the end of school. It was also very warm, alot of days above 100.

Here is Ben standing in between the sunflowers he planted. Man they grow fast and they aren't through.

Here is some of the harvest and was it ever good. We are still eating pickled beets.
An overview of the garden. We also enjoyed some corn on the cob. The cobs were small but they still tasted good.
Ben and Bobby relaxing on the cement blocks.
A crape myrtle bush which has bloomed all summer.

Here are Bobby's carrots. They didn't get very big, but we had to pull them finally when the ground got so hot.
The beginnings of our memorial garden.

The last day of school and awards program.

Ben received 6 awards. For grades, perfect attendance etc.

Yesteryear in Bastrop

In April, Bastrop celebrates Yester year. Like it's name, the people participating dress up in yesteryear garb. They also have lots of things for kids to do (and buy). Lots of booths with things!!! So Grandma and Pop took the boys to see what we could find.

There was a petting zoo with lots of baby animals and the boys got to feed them. Here is Bobby with a wallabee.

Ben found a Bison.
Ben also found a place to make a beaded necklace. So he did one for his Mom.
Of course we also witnessed a shoot out on the street. Boy was it loud. Bobby had his hands over his ears and kind of hid behind us.

This is one of the historic homes in Bastrop. We took a buggy ride around the downtown area to see several of the historic homes.

This is one of the wagons doing the tour. They also had people doing old time work, like the iron works making pots, horse shoes and utensils. It was a fun and warm day.

April 2008

Well it is time to catch up on what we have been doing. Between doctor appts there was little league, the garden, Ben's first communion and his 8th birthday.

This is the start of our spring garden. The foreground shows squash, broccoli and then on back was beets, peas and corn off to the side. We enjoyed the harvest, but it just didn't last very long due to the hot weather and the drought.
Pop is planting carrot seeds with Bobby, Ben is looking on. Ben planted sunflowers and some bean seeds they started at school.

Here we are after Ben's first communion. A happy day for the family.

That looks like an 8 yr old grin about to dive into a cupcake.

Our Winter Home

Our usual course of action is to spend the winter in Bastrop, TX and then the summer in the NW. This year we were going to go to the East coast and see some relatives in our journey through Florida and Maine. Our plans were changed after visiting the Dr. and having to deal with some medical issues. All that is behind us now and we ended up staying in Bastrop for the summer as well. We keep hearing the phrase... the weather is unusual. We broke heat records from 82 yrs ago and we hope we won't have to do this again any time soon. Now we know why we travel in the summer (up north). Anyway we thought you might like to see where we live. These pictures were taken in March, so the trees still look like winter.

This is what our place looks like from the front. There is a double car garage with a multipurpose room behind it and the garaport for the Montana on the side.

This is on the back corner of Brett & Paula's property.

This is the back end where we have room to sit in a couple of rockers!! That is a gardenia bush in the bottom left corner. When it blooms, the aroma is heavenly.


These are fire ant hills. We don't like them...


The big oak tree is in the front yard near the road. It is really gorgeous with all it's leaves.

A favorite climbing place for the boys.

This is the big house where Brett, Paula and the boys live.

Another shot of the 5th wheel.

Easter 2008

Easter traditions, and one of them is the egg hunt. 40 yrs ago it was hard boiled eggs, now it is plastic eggs with treats or money inside. At least when you miss one, it doesn't rot after a week or two.

After Brett and Bob hid the eggs in the front yard... out the back door came the boys with their baskets.
The hunt was on.

Under the trees, up in the trees, in the tall grass etc. They were all found.

Ben spied another one and is on the run to get it.

Another tradition is Cascarones. They are blown eggs, dyed and filled with confetti. You smash them on someone's head for good luck. It started in Italy but has fast become popular in the south. Brett is smashing one on Bobby.

Ben is running away with confetti in his hair. Everyone got into the game till they were all gone. Then we went into the house for a wonderful dinner.

Pop and Bobby

There is something about grandsons. I looked out the window and saw Bob and Bobby in the garden spot. A great discussion was going on.

Little did I know that a plan was in progress.
A train was being built.

Here is the final product. Pop is the passenger and Bobby is the engineer. That is the engine in his hand.

Bobby loves sticks. This one is a walking stick he propped up on the big tree.

More later....