Family Portraits

Here are some more pics of the family via my camera (verses sister Linda's):
Adorable couple #1
Adorable couple #2
How Sean (cute couple #1) occupies his time when not en couple.
Cute cousin #1
Cute dad #1 and tumbled chicken
Cute fruit basket #1

p.s. Carol, my and Helen's best and first watermelon fruit basket effort, please forgive the wee bit of blueberry heaviness on the right.

Photo essay on remote obsession and chips

Always able to find a remote control device in any setting, Krista and Carter's party was no different.


A good addition to any remote control obsession: chips.

Nature Walk and Father's Day

We also found time to take a stroll (albeit short) in a coastal nature preserve. We saw snakes and birds and bugs. But, the insect life was minimal. Thankfully. Even though it is muggy here and in the 90s! It was nice under the trees and the breeze made it very pleasant.
Emma LOVES her cousins!

On Father's Day, we went to church. The music was wonderful. Emma liked the seating, the walkable grounds, and the boys....

Sun, Fun and Family (Part II)

Aside from the graduation celebrations, Emma and I had it good. We got to swim at the O'Connell lakeside home (resort-like accommodations to be sure). Entertainment galore was had by Auntie Linda, me, Corban, Katie and Baby Emma. Fun! Fun!

We also got to V.A. Beach. While Linda was taking a walk down the "wild side" of memory lane, Emma and I got to enjoy the surf. Emma had a ball. Linda got her taffy. I got my ocean fix.

Fun, Sun and Family in Virginia Beach, June 2009

My neice and nephew, Krista and Carter recently just graduated high school. Emma and I were able to come over/down Virginia Beach to celebrate their achievements with friends and family.

Sean and Helen. Sean is wet b/c he was thrown into the water by Ralph. Ralph was also thrown in; as were Krista and many others. Mostly by Ralph.

Mom and Dad. Dad's looking good.
Krista and friends.

Carter and his nice girlfriend (Amanda?).

The family. Emma (and I) were in bed by this point. The party went on way past our bedtime.

Summer Time, Summer Time, Sum-Sum Summer Time

Okay it has transitioned from winter to summer (with 2 days of spring in between). We took Emma to the Montana Outdoor School's "Watershed Festival". It is very fun; music, games, food, and with luck good weather.
Emma especially liked the great horned owl and the cow and calf. They mooed a lot for her and that made her laugh.
It was windy but beautiful on Saturday. We got there early so we could go on a hike up Drinking Horse Mountain (it is really just a large hill). Emma had fun. We had fun. That is the way we like it! Here are some pics of the hike.

The video is of our friend Tad who moonlights as a kid musician but is his day job is as a middle school teacher.

The proud and impressed Drake family clan.

A morning of reading and calculating

Emma was very interested in my old calculator this morning. Button pushing occupied her attention for at least 1/2 hour. This blended well with Sid's interest in the newspaper. I took some pictures of these mellow moments on the camera. Here they are:
Note Busby. Still working off the coop.

New Arrivals

Brock. Brock. Brock. Brock. Brock.
The first week of May has included a *flurry* of back yard activities: including the building of the chicken coop, the arrival of the girls, and a door to the back yard. Finally!

Here are some pics:
We'll paint the trim soon. It is just nice to have quick and easy access to our yard!The girls arrived on Thursday around 6pm. It is still chilly here, so we are making sure they stay warm enough with a heat lamp. It was a good thing, because later that evening it snowed.
Before you applaud my and Sid's handiwork, I have to fess up. We didn't build the coop. Our friend Ben did. The owner of Busby the dog; the one you've seen in previous pictures. We've been dog sitting Busby as an in-part trade for the coop.
The girls (from left to right): Jerry (guess who named that one), Eunice, Madeline, and Rowena Jr.
Emma is intrigued, but frustrated that she can't touch them. Not being able to touch is a good thing for now, we need them protected and "untouchable" until we know the yard is dog proof. Our next door neighbor's dog has proven keenly interested in their movements and clucking. And Ellie is an especially good digger. She wound up in our fenced yard a few times last year- very Houdini-esque until we figured out about the digging.

We are watching out for you, Ellie. Our chickens are not for eating!

It is still snowing

Update: It is still snowing in Montana.
We had a few nice days of sun and around 50 degrees. But, now once again it is snowing. The poor chickens! They have a house and heat lamps, don't worry. But, it would be nice if they could go outside soon.
Bad too, because Emma is ready to wear her helmet and go for a bike ride!
Sid, well he is still brewing and playing with Emma's stuffed animal friends: Pooky, chicken and monkey. Odd, but the beer is delish. :-)