More Wedding Pics

Dancing girls

Taking pics of cake cutting

Wild and crazy flower girls

Heather reading during the ceremony

These pictures are random-There are many more on Evan's computer that I will post as time goes on. It is great to look back at them and remember all the wonderful details about the wedding. Enjoy all you lurkers!!!

                                                                        

Wedding Pictures

Delicious Cake-and pretty too.

First walk as a married couple.

Waiting for his beautiful bride.

Marching to her groom with Dad.

Wedding Pictures

Jilliane and Kevin have been married for one month and two days, and I think it is time to look back and reflect on that wonderful day! So I will post pictures for the next couple of days. It is fun to remember!

Tim, Kevin , Kyle and Evan waiting for the ceremony.

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College roommates how long ago?!?! We have both been to all five of our children's  wonderful weddings.

Good friend Shirley-Thanks for coming! How did you like that sombrero?

Wonderful is romance, and sweet. Be happy you two.

Random Pictures

Monet with breakfast on her cheeks and chin and pony tails in her hair!

Posing beside Mommy's bright yellow car.

Louisa serving cake to the hungry family. She loves having a job to do, and is quite serious about completing that job.

The tee shirt Mouse made for the golf foursome she played in on Jilliane's and Kevin's wedding day. Thank you Mouse!! That is Jill hiding behind the shirt!

Late Afternoon On The Pond

Great Blue Heron in Flight

Louisa on the ski boat-I wonder if she will ski in a couple of years?!?!

Scott carving his way through the water-notice the yellow ball which is part of the course he skis.

A shot of the boat going through the course. The boat has a computer in it that controls the speed for each skier. The course made up of  round, inflatable, buoys, sinks and rises with a compressed air system. It stays in all winter under the ice.

Scott skis a lot , and it is fun to watch him and the other folks go screaming around the balls of the course. Evan and I were out in our boat the other night and watched from the water. We like to do that, and take some pictures of the skiers as well as the wildlife. The light from the setting sun sometimes makes for great pictures.

Memories held in old pictures

These pictures were in some older photos I was looking back at. It does not seem like two years ago  that some of us traveled to Iowa to see the dedication of Doobie's Kinnick bronze. Jill and Kevin were not engaged at the time-now they are man and wife. Monet was an infant-now she is over two and a baby brother will join the family very soon. We had a wonderful time, and since that trip have made a second trip to Iowa for another dedication, and a trip to Ireland for more wonderful art dedications.  Jill and Kevin got married, and sweet Louisa joined the family as well as little Elsy, Ethan's brother. How lucky we are!

Jilliane, Henry,Heather holding Monet, Pete and Kevin arrive at the airport waiting for Doobie.

Pete and Doobie at dinner with sweet Monet.

Jiliane and Kevin displaying gifts from Doobie.

Teething Monet.

Farmers' Market

Sharing a scone with Nanna. Yum!

Sharing a scone with Mommy! Yum

Big tree-little girl.

Bright glads waiting for a buyer.

After spending the night with Heather and her family, Heather, Monet and I took rode to the local Farmers' Market.  Once we arrived, Monet recognized where she was, selected a snack from a table laden with homemade treats, and headed for a shady spot under a big tree to share her blueberry scone with her mother and me. After finishing the  scone, we wandered from table to table, watching jewelry makers and face painters and listening to a pair of storytellers. We purchased some little round lemon pound cakes with blueberries on top and one green bunch of fresh celery. A visit to the creaky floored country store next to the market for a cold drink completed our mini-adventure. I tried to teach Monet how to sing "How much is the Doggie in the Window" on the way home. It was a sweet gentle event in our lives on an August afternoon.

The Cruise -Great time

this fella was alive-felt like a soggy , cold sponge, wrapped in stiff plastic. They guy in charge charged two dollars for the privilege of holding him while Evan took a picture!

Evan in our suite on the ship-The Liberty of the Seas.It was a beautiful, large cabin with a full bath and a balcony.

Another view of our cabin.

The royal Promenade on the ship where there were shops and food venues. Very elegant. It was hard to believe we were on a ship at sea.

Coffee on our balcony in the warm tropical morning air.

Level one of three dining levels. The Captain's table has the ship logo on it, and our table is at the left of the Captain's.

With the hectic schedules we have been on lately, Evan and I often speak of the cruise and the fun we had. Even though we were very busy with the on board activities and excursions, it was a grand escape from everyday home pressures and obligations. Missing family was the only drawback. 

Award? who Really Deserves It?

Yesterday, two very nice representatives from the Lymphoma  - Leukemia Society visited WF with an award for Evan and I.   They presented Evan and I with a plaque with our names  and a statement  on it saying we were receiving the  Society's President's Award for having a "corporate culture that supports employees dealing with a catastrophic illness or a family crisis." The award was presented in the presenceof WF employees, a couple of family members and the mayor of the city. Pictures were taken and there were smiles all around.

An employee spent the last 11 months dealing with a teenage son with leukemia. We facilitated her caring for him by being understanding of schedule differences and offering other support when the need arose.  That is what we do. It was easy. We do not deserve an award for it because that is who we are. 

The employee is the who deserves an award for her many trips  back and forth to the hospital in a rickety car  through blinding snowstorms; for emotionally supporting a scared, very ill, 16 year old who should have been in high school, playing baseball, riding his bike, learning to drive and maybe finding a girlfriend, rather than undergoing brutal treatments to save him form a brutal disease; for making up all the hours she misssed work; for presenting a business like and professional face to the business, while  her insides where in contant turmoil; for learning everything no one would want to know concerning leukemia treatments on her precious, only son. Through her efforts, and the efforts of the medical community, he will be entering school again in a few weeks; he is riding his bike again, and he has a twinkle in his eye that shines with happiness and hope; and she still has her job.

So the plaque will be hung -the story will be sent to the local paper with a few pictures, and life will go on. Evan and I will continue to attempt to fulfill our mission to be of service to others. If another award is given, it will be just as much a surprise as this one was. The reward ( if any) for us is in the doing. We are  blessed and thankful  that we can be of service.

Olympics Change

The Beijing Olympics have been thrilling in many ways-just like all the other Olympics I have watched in my life.  They have also been predictable .I was struck by the samenessof the competitions last night as I watched women runners trying to beat eachother and  the current standing records. records. The only thing that seemed different from all the other years I have watched, is the scantier pants and tops the runners wore. I thought about all the events I have witnessed in the last week or so, and realized that the different outfits kept my interest as much as the competitions themselves. So, I thought of a few more differences that would vary the Olympic viewing , and pique the interest of the millions of viewers trying to prop their sleepy eyes open until what they really wanted to watch was aired.

1. A three legged race! Now wouldn't that be fun? Men and women could be paired up so that we do not have to watch the men and then the women.
2. A sack race. Every contestant could wear a sack with their countries colors or logo on it!
3.A backwards race. We have watched people race going frontwards for hundreds of years. Pretty soon the records will be non existent because they have all been broken-so the racers should start going BACKWARDS!
4. Swimming in a curved or zig zagged pool-or even a pool with a maze for lanes!! This going back and forth and back and forth and back and forth does not leave much to the imagination.
5. Diving OUT of the pool by leaping from an underwater springboard. It is alway funny to watch videos of people splashing  in the water when it is run backwards-why not make an Olympic event out of it!
6.  Sychronized trampolining-on different trampolines, and if the jumpers are really talented, on the same one!
7. Eye patch diving where the divers have to wear a patch over one eye, giving them the challenge of no depth perception.
8. Using a real flesh and blood horse in the pommel horse event in gymnastics for men.
9.Trapeze! My hands always sweat watching trapeze artists in the circus! I think the Olympic fans deserve that kind of thrill!
10.Volleyball with two or three volleyballs in play at once-sort of like pinball in the sand!
11.Ping Pong with superballs! Talk about action!
12. Bathtub races -we have watched rowers with fancy boats and engineered oars-now let's seesomebody smoothly get a bathtub through the water to the finish line!!
13. Mule Basketball - Put some other athletes on the back of an equine, rather then just the eventers in their fancy costumes!! Donkeys are too small-mules would be perfect!
14. tug O' War-who knows, a great big country may actually beat a small country! The weight of the contestants needs to be equal on both sides of the rope.
15. Jello Wrestling! What a tasty treat to watch the wrestlers try to keep a hold on with slippery gelatin sliding all over their muscles and in between their fingers! The jello's color would bebased on the hosting country's national colors.
16. Bobbing for Apples -anybody who has tried this knows how difficult it can be
17.Hide and Go Seek- A great childhood game that, with the correct training,  and playing field and camera angles,could be really exciting
18. White water surfing- Rather than using a kayak, the athletes would surf the rapids, riding the white water to the end of the course -the uniform would include gaily decorated Hawaiian style suits and there would be Hawaiian music playing. Each athlete would get a lei at the completion of their run.
19. Towel Snapping-Those swimmers are always just drying themselves off with the towels. It would be great fun to see who could get themost snaps in to unsuspecting swimming budies as the Games proceed. Thi event would have no set time, but would rather continue all through the games with sneaky judges keeping score until the last swimming event is over-then present the three medal winners!
20. Dumbest Interview Answers -The athletes are always so polite to the answer the inane questions posed to them by reporters after a taxing swim, or run, or dive, or leap, or throw or game-Viewers might actually listen to some of the interviews if they anticipated creative, innovative, funny not relative answers!

There-a grand collection of possibly interesting Summer Olympic contest that take a turn away from the normal!

A Baby Sprinkle

We traveled to Cornish this weekend to a pool party at Heather and Doob's. The three Wiley siblings and their loved ones, plus Mom and Evan were all there. We had a great dinner and lots of fun and a surprise part for the Nowlans was a Baby Sprinkle-not a full fledged baby shower like for a first baby, but a little sprinkle for the second little one. It was fun to see Monet enjoying opening gifts for "Baby Brother", who she has named "Tomato" for now!! A baby sprinkle is a sweet, gentle tradition to replenish baby necessities and give a few special items for the new little one to come.

Mother Nature's Gift

Pink Phlox with heavenly perfume.

Two sad looking cone flowers that are part of a large bush. It is a perennial. so it has a chance to be more beautiful next summer!

Flowers -Nature's smiles, laughs, giggles
Buds - Promises of Beauty
Blossoms - Bumble Bees' Bistros
Petals - Fairy Kisses
Flower Fragrance - Perfect Perfume

One sunny sunflower of at least thirty!! They are just starting to bloom.

One sweetly scented honeysuckle flower of many. The hummingbirds like this big bush climbing over the deck railing.

Flowers should be easy to plant, tend grow and enjoy. Wildflowers grow in abundance with their bright faces following yellow sun and welcoming hydrating showers with no human assistance. Flowers in my garden, however, are growing with little tending summer. Wet weather and many obligations and whatever, have led to flowers that, thankfully, have some of their wildflower DNA left - enough wildflower genetic stuff to blossom from buds with pretty petals wafting delicate scents. Thanks to Mother Nature for her forgiveness of garden neglect, and the gift of summertime flowers!

Helping with the Nursery

Heather and Mom cutting tags off and sorting baby boy clothes.

Louisa playing in the kids' kitchen.

Scrubbing old wallpaper pasted off the nursery walls.

Heather entertaining Louisa in the sandbox while chores are done inside.

Kate, Louisa and I headed up Rte. 89 early this morning, fortified with Dunkin' tea and glazed treats to help the Nowlans progress a little further in preparations for the arrival of the baby boy in a month or so. Upon arrival, we were treated to a fast paced  modern dance of welcome by Monet, followed by lots of cooking in the little kids' kitchen. I painted a bookcase with the remnants of a can of cream colored flat paint, while Kate tackled cleaning the floor and walls in the nursery after they were stripped of lots of wallpaper by Heather and Doobie last weekend. Once I finished the bookcase and cleaned up, I helped Kate for a bit in the nursery before heading back home. We timed it perfectly to allow Louisa and Kate and I a peaceful ride back (Louisa napped). It was a good feeling to help. We also delivered some baby boy clothes and a toddler bed and mattress for Monet.

Visits with Louisa

Running from Mom. What you do not see is Louisa chasing Mom in the other direction!

It is much more fun to feed the pretty pink pony, sitting in the high chair, than eating your food yourself!

A baby belly laugh-one of the sweetest and funniest sounds in the universe!

Even though Kate , Scott and Louisa live five minutes away from Northern Acres, visits that last any time  with her are infrequent. Most of our meetings are short and sweet. Lately, I have been trying to spend a little more play time with Louisa-she is so much fun. Usually, because Monet lives a couple of hours away, when she and I get together, we have lots of play time. I am deeply feeling the need to do the same with Louisa-she is such a character and a sweetheart!
Here are some pics of sweet Louisa playing. Tomorrow Kate, Louisa and I head to Cornish to visit the Nowlans.  Pictures of that happening will be posted soon!

Olympics and sunshine

We had  planned an evening of dinner, a good bottle of French red, and the Olympic opening ceremony, and it all happened-with a few surprises thrown in.
But before all that, the rain has to be the subject. There was lots of it-enough to flood the parking lot behind the building Welch Fluorocarbon (from now on referred to as WF)  is in ,causing everyone to move their cars to the  dry edge of the road. The building is obviously built on a swamp, some of which is left behind and in front of the structure. It is a wetland out back with frogs and water plants and  WATER. There are several strips of marsh on either side of the road in the front of the building, with cat o' nine tails growing and who knows what else in the water. A great blue heron landed in one of these mini-wet lands the other day to fish. He was a regal site, and upon being startled, morphed into a positively prehistoric winged creature and flew away, sans fish.
WF is  place we spend lots of time, so there will be photos of it time to time to add to the writings.

A grown daughter and her hubby hired a young neighbor to sit  with L while they took in the new Batman flick. L was sleeping peacefully for a while, but at 11:30 PM I got a call from the sitter that L was not so peaceful anymore and could I please assist. Of course, said I, who cannot resist toddler beauty, charm and need,  all wrapped up in grandmotherly love. So after throwing clothes on, I drove through the night to the rescue. L was delighted to see Nanna and her bag of tricks and stayed awake until 1:30 AM , when Mom and Dad arrived home! It was wonderful to help. As I drove back I was hoping to spy a nocturnal bruin on his or her way, but was instead treated to a lovely, fawn colored doe munching on the apples that gravity had deposited for her pleasure under the apple trees in the front yard. She and I nodded politely at each other, both going back to our business -me in to bed, and her to juicy, cool fruit munching. E was sweetly awaiting my return, and we turned off the light and slept.

The flooded , empty parking lot behind WF.

Looking from Unit 11 to Unit 12 at WF. We have a third unit as well. This is the second floor. Engineering and Manufacturing are on the first floor. 

                                            My office with a computer, and lots of toys that lots of folks play with. Off to the left is a window that opens to E's office, and comes in handy.