Scattered Thoughts . . .

After spending much of the day shopping and going out for a late lunch, we came home and spent the evening in the backyard with Lukey, Kenzie and Pop.  Pop joined us just as we were starting on dinner.   Earlier in the evening, we played quite a few games of Giant Jenga.  I had already written about that here .  There wasn't a whole lot of down time spent sitting around the fire.  We did do some of that but it was really only between games.  This was our first evening out in the backyard for the season so there were a lot of games we wanted to play.  It was fun but it definitely wore me out!  (Being so busy in the backyard also caused me to forget a dose of medications.  This caused significant problems for my health the following morning.) Although this photo, below, appears as though this is a perfect example of poorly applied makeup, this is really the result of eating cherries...   Before we headed out to do our shopping in the morning, I prepared dinner...  Shish-Ka-Bob.  When

One of the days while Adam and Joi were visiting us was spent in the backyard just socializing.  Liza, Whitney and the grandkids were also there to spend some time with Adam and Joi.  Even Judy and her son, Jamie, surprised us by visiting after hearing that Adam was in town! We haven't spent any time with Judy since before the pandemic so it was nice to spend some time with her on this day.  She and Jamie stayed for dinner with all of us.  I always make more food than is necessary so last minute extra guests never cause a plating shortage.  We were very happy to have them share this day with us... As the sun set behind the trees and the sailboat, it started getting a little chilly in the autumn evening air so we built a small fire to keep everyone warm and cozy... The kids always gravitate toward the sailboat and the playhouse.  Actually, we now have a putting green that also captures Lukey's attention.  If I remember correctly, Lukey spent some time with Ace on the putting gre

W e had Lukey and Kenzie staying with us for a few days about a month ago but I don't think I wrote about that time spent with them.  It's always nice to have them visit for a few days and this visit was no exception. We kept busy while they were here and Gee was even on leave from work so we could do whatever we desired.   Below are some photos from one night in our backyard during this visit... I'm not sure what was going on here but it sure does look like confession time... Gee photo-bombed one of Kenzie's selfies... After Gee's photo-bombing, she tried a selfie again... Lukey shot this next photo.  It's nice that I am finally able to get into some of the photos!  In this shot, I think Lukey was purposely trying to get the string of lights in the photo with me as well as the golf flag on our new putting green in the background.  He may even have wanted the sailboat in the background too!  Anyway, it is nice to get a shot of me in this group of photos. As alwa

W e finally had an opportunity to get together with a couple of close friends this Labor Day weekend.  We haven't socialized with friends in three years due to the pandemic.  These two friends were actually the last couple we socialized with prior to the pandemic and that was for a Christmas dinner in 2019.  We were long overdue for some quality time with these friends! I should point out that the reason we hadn't seen these friends in so long wasn't strictly due to being cautious about the pandemic.  Certainly, that played into it but it was not the sole reason for not seeing them for so long.  At times Sheila and I had the virus...  other times our friends had the virus...  and other times we both had scheduled commitments with our respective families and grandchildren.  So, health concerns and family commitments also delayed us getting together sooner.   We were out in our backyard until after midnight which was the latest Sheila and I have been up and awake since last s

W henever the grandkids are staying with us, we try to do a weekly weenie roast followed by S'mores over a fire in the backyard.  Of course, the weather must cooperate and, naturally, the weather has been rather lousy this past week for the kids' first week here with us.  Fortunately, we managed to have a weenie roast on a rather chilly, damp but dry evening under overcast skies.  The fire definitely helped keep us warm even though it was a bit chilly.  And, regardless of a little bit of dampness and chilliness, we had a nice meal and a really nice time! The hot dogs roasted over the fire were delicious and I made some New York Deli-style potato salad to go along with them.  I don't make that potato salad often enough!   Here are a few photos from the evening (photos shot mostly by Lukey and Kenzie this time) followed by a very short video...

The other night, I went looking through old hard drives where I store old photos to look for something.  Instead, I was distracted as I came across a different photo that I found interesting.   I usually try to capture at least part of the eyes in my people photos because that is where emotion and the soul is typically found.  On rare occasions, however, a different approach may work.   In this particular photo, Lukey and Kenzie are turned away from me with their backs to me...  no faces, no eyes.  The photo still manages to tell a story and capture some feeling...  a feeling that they were cold...  huddled up close to the wood stove trying to get warm...  dressed in a way you typically only see kids under five years old...  in their underwear and shirts after a day in the water and on the beach...  the fire was just starting so there still were no open flames... their hands out in front of them feeling the little bit of warmth...   I can't believe it but I actually vividly r

Yesterday, we had a little birthday party for Nan in the sweltering heat and humidity.   After Sheila and I spent the morning preparing for this little birthday gathering, I set up air conditioning throughout the house so we could take breaks from the heat inside the more comfortable house.  That worked out well especially when a few passing thundershowers passed through the area during dinner. We started the day with a much-needed haircut for Lukey.  Here is Lukey before the haircut...   Sheila managed to capture a few good photos of the haircut... And, here is Lukey after his haircut...   And, a before and after comparison in one image... While I cut Lukey's hair, Kenzie was keeping cool by playing with the cold water from the hose... Lukey had no desire to shower after his haircut but he was covered in long cut hair so he opted for getting sprayed with the hose... The water from the hose was a bit colder than Lukey liked so he did a little w