Gentle Years

One of this year's calves; ice already forming across the road; Aidan thinking that he can outrun me back to our house.

The weekend actually began with a rainy Thursday night.  We got pizza and rented Madagascar so the boys could see the characters from their Happy Meals.  Also, I dance around the house with them-we all wear different plastic pails on our head-singing, "I Like to Move it, Move it", so they love that tune.

Then there was shopping-tis the season-first for gifts for a great niece's birthday (I think she's turning 13), then for the mundane things like groceries.  Those trips were with Mom, then with PB.

And last, we had BB's christening followed by about a three hour nap!

RB and Aidan went to the community center for tot time yesterday.  RB was so exhausted that he took a three hour nap.  While Aidan wasn't that tired, he also volunteered for naptime after lunch.

The boys needed to learn the difference between soft sand and wet sand when it comes to making sand castles, but they didn't need any instruction when it came to throwing a ball back and forth or throwing rocks in the lake.

LB took her SATs yesterday morning, so PB and I took RB to pick apples while she was in testing.  He really tried to be helpful, but did trip a couple of times on all the apples on the ground.  Then he found his true love-dogs-and apples no longer mattered. 

Fall is my favorite season.  I was late getting home today because LB had a dentist appointment, but that worked out perfectly, because otherwise I might have missed these early evening shots.  The opening in the sky is just above my own house; this is my mother's house in the foreground.

These three maples are on our lawn-all in different stages.  Contrary to what a lot of people think, the ones with red leaves are not the best for syrup.  According to my Uncle George, it is the yellow ones that are the best.  He is a retired logger, so he does know a little about it.

Here is LB taking her daily walk.  The sun is setting to the right.

My second brother's dog and workshop are in the distance, above.
Here is a frog that he is working on.  I told him that if he wasn't careful, RB would use it as a riding toy.

It turns out that he is making it for a carousel in New York, so that's exactly what purpose it serves-notice the saddle on the back.
Below is a piece that he finished and hopes to use as his final piece for membership in the League of NH Craftsmen.  He was already juried, but after the jury accepts you, you have to make another piece within a given period of time.

This weekend was our annual family retreat, a tradition we began in 1993 and have only missed once since.  The first year was white water rafting on the Penobscot.  Each year we go to a different place within a few hours drive as a maximum, and we always have water-fresh or in the pool.

The number in attendance varies from year to year.  This year we had about 35 total.  I didn't get any shots of the people attending, but had a good time.  We went to an Oktoberfest celebration, the cider mill, a chocolate house, and the Cabot shop (yes, we were in Vermont).

Yesterday all three "kids" were together-it was time to update our cell phones and replace them with newer versions.  Seems strange to think that our first cell phone was the one that GB got before heading off to law school in New Orleans.  Now we all have our own.  GB and LB got the fancy versions-with keyboards, etc.  The rest of us got plain old cell phones and don't know our own ring tones yet.

This afternoon we paid a visit to GB, JC, and BB.  The top photo is of RB holding his little cousin, BB.  Then he's getting a hand from GB at putting the ball in the hoop.  Below he is trying it on his own.

The sun came out for the Cup race after all-G went with GB, PB, JM, and a few others.  I went to yet another birthday party-for a four year old this time-with PB and RB.

Although we do have Old Home Day, people don't come home for it.  Instead, they come home for Grange Fair Day.  This year it started out wet, broke for the parade, rained again, then broke again.  The day starts with a pancake breakfast at the elementary school and ends with a street dance.  In between there are all sorts of other small town country events, including a white elephant sale, baby show, live music, bed races, horseshoe tournament, ham and bean supper (I made two salads), and tractor pulls (it used to be an ox pull but some people complained about animal cruelty through the newspaper and they decided that it would be changed to a tractor pull-what did those people think the Grange stood for, anyway?).  So we all have a good time visiting with our neighbors and people we haven't seen as often.

Starting off with the color guard.  My little brother (Army and Navy veteran) and my first nephew (Army veteran).  The "boys" are two years apart in age.  My nephew's brother usually is with them but his daughter burned her hand and they had to take her to have it looked at.

This year's theme was "Yankee Ingenuity" so my sisters created a float that advertised all the small businesses operated by family members.

RB and his daddy won a blue ribbon for their tractor.  RB was told to wave to the people. LB said she didn't know if he understood, but when he saw me with the camera, he waved like crazy!