Maine, July 2009

More on Baby Emma!

Baby Emma. Baby Emma. Older (and cute) cousin Katie. Older (and cute) cousin Katie.
Katie does a great job keeping tabs on Emma. Emma really likes Katie.
Emma only drags, pulls, pushes and lays on people she really likes.
This one reminds me of a cartoon I once saw: It had something to do with a school for the "gifted" and a door.

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.