This and That

WELL, I have been having some blogging difficulties every since coming back from the houseboat trip.  My camera is broken and I have been using Bud's camera and my cell phone to take pictures so that complicates my ability to just do the same old thing that I have been doing when uploading pictures.  Everything seems to be in different files and more difficult to find not to mention that I am having some difficulties finding them when I use my phone and email them to myself.  That combined with taking a little break from the computer frustrations has led me to the apathy of blogging lately.  I will need someone younger than me to help sort out my technology problems or more patients to explore the problem.  

 Bud has moved his office to just across the lobby.  It is a bigger office with more storage space.  It is looking the cleanest it will be with the move.  He is happy with the new space.

 He even managed to put his pictures up on the wall.  He didn't get to this task in his last space because there really wasn't much space,.

 Last week was the National Cherry Festival in TC which means that there were lots of crowds in town   One day we did go downtown to check out the new space at Clinch Park.  They put in a new splash park where the old zoo was torn down.  It wasn't working correctly just yet but it looks like it should be a nice place for families.  Don't ask me how this picture got over to the side except to say that I pushed some button and I can't fix it.  Technology is still working against me today.  Anyway, the carnival was in town for the festival and so were the tourist .  We tend to stay away from the crowds but did manage to get out and see the parade on the last day.

We spent the 4th of July over at the Noble's cottage.  It was a quiet event since most of the kids were not in town or uninterested in spending too much time with the adults.  We came back across town before the fireworks so we didn't have to fight the crowds.  Bud went to bed since the fireworks don't start here until about 10:30 but I did see a few high up ones through the trees right from my living room.

This past Sunday we did get out on the boat again.  I think that is the 3rd or 4th time this year which is pretty good for us.  Our friends, Bill and Joan came along with us.  It was a great day on the water, hot with a nice little breeze.

They had some friends from Nebraska visiting so this was their first experience on the water in a sailboat.  They loved it but then again who wouldn't??  We did have an little 'hat overboard' episode which caused us to go around a couple of times before Bill managed to grab it with the boat hook.  That was pretty good for us since we usually aren't very good at retrieving things that go overboard.,

Since I am having technology difficulties I will just continue to go on from here and sign off.  I will work on my skills and see what I can do to fix them but don't be too surprised if I continue to be frustrated.  

Houseboat 2013

OK,OK,  this is a difficult posting but it is a random selection of our houseboat pictures because the numbers on the photos that I have in my camera do NOT correspond with the numbers that come up on the computer and just when I thought I had a system figured out it didn't work any more AND I am getting tired of trying to figure it out.  Just go with it and enjoy.  

Our trip to KY is started with a stop in Glasgow at our favorite Mexican place and a drink.  This year it was just Eva, Bud and Me that stayed in Glasgow for the night.

We went to Wal-Mart and loaded up.

The car was full.  We usually have Leo along to take some of the groceries but he was in Louisville picking up Josh so we had to do it on our own. 

Our first meal was at the dock while waiting for Josh and Leo to arrive.

It was worth the wait to have father and son together again.  Josh has missed the last two years but did make it this year.  We were all glad to see him but especially Leo.

The handsome guy is getting older.

Birthdays were celebrated our first night.

Saturday morning was B. birthday so Gram put candles in her French toast for breakfast even though we had birthday 'Death by Chocolate' the night before.  

The water toys were fantastic this year with an addition of the stand up canoe.  Even Eva tried it out but I just can't find that picture.  Matt did a head stand but once again I can't find that number.  Just trust me.  Maybe I will figure out the sequence and try again at another time.

Doug was the designated climber.  He said that Matt always leaves his climbing shoes behind so that Doug has to do all the climbing to tie up.

We ate well. This is Eva's flank steak dinner.  Every meal was fantastic.

The talking and laughing was a great part of the trip.  We also played Mexican Train every night and it was a great time.  Lots of joking and laughing.

 Ok, now things get a little 'hinky' from here on.  Sorry but I am too frustrated to try to figure it out.  H, came home with us and spent a couple of nights here.  We went out sailing and I delivered here back to Gram on Wednesday night.  We met in Big Rapids for the 'transfer.

 While she was here we did a cute sewing project.  I have cute pictures that will try to share later and we also went sailing for the evening.  A beautiful evening sail on the bay.

 I'm not sure when this picture was taken but they all sure look cute and I think maybe I already showed this picture.

 After the houseboat trip we stopped for a picnic and then Leo and Josh took off for the day.  They had a overnight in Louisville but were stopping in Mamouth Cave area to take a tour of the caves.  I heard they had fun.  It was great that they had some time together, just the two of them, like old times.

 On the way home we stopped for dinner

 Here is our last picnic at the park.  It was a wonderful trip this year.

 Doug's first year as an official family member.  We are planning to keep him.

 Jessica took pictures of the grandchildren for Gram.  I could only find these two and gave up.  They look great.

 LOTS of flip flops were a part of the birthday gifts.

Finally, us three wonderful woman.  I don't know where Diana was when we took this picture but I think she was packing up the family.

It was another wonderful year for our family and I will try to sort out the pictures later and put on some more.  Just too confusing for me this afternoon.

Playing the Lottery at the gas station in N. Michigan

Sorry, no pictures this post.  Just my latest 'rant'.  It seems that the gas prices in N. Michigan are VERY volatile.  One day it could be $4.29/ gallon and then the next day it starts dropping so you go out and buy some gas hoping that you are catching it at a new low price.  I did that last week when it dropped to $4.10 thinking I was getting a real deal catching it before the next raise.  Well, WRONG, I missed it again.  Today the price was down to $3.75/gallon.  We here in Traverse City are accustomed to the fluctuation  of prices in the summer when they try to 'stick it to the tourists' on the weekends so we try to buy our gas during the middle of the week but there doesn't seem to be any 'rhyme or reason' to the prices this year.  What frustrates me the most is when I drive across town and notice the prices but am in a hurry so don't stop only to find out that when I come back across town the price is up 25 to 30 cents a gallon.  What happened in that short time to warrant the rise of gas that far????  Is there a new crisis that occurred somewhere in the world that I missed in my every vigilant news monitoring on NPR????  You just have to wonder about such unfair events in your daily life.

Summer time, and the living is easy

School's out for Summer or at least here in N. Michigan.  

 I stopped by the local park on Tuesday morning to pass out Popsicles  to the Third Grade students.  I go every year and meet them when they get off the bus.  It is just my way of treating them at the end of the school year.  It was a difficult year for the teachers.  They had large classes and some very unusual and 'quirky' students.  All of them are glad to have this year behind them.  I worked mostly in Molly's class (she is on the right) but I also helped the other teachers.  Tonya, on the right, is going to teach kindergarten next year.  There will be 2 new teachers in Third Grade next year.  They are going back to having 5 teachers at that grade level.  I think that will be better for the teachers and the students.  I enjoy my time working with the teachers and students.  I don't miss teaching and I often get to keep my skills active by teaching a subject or two for many of the teachers.  I do get to know some of those more unusual students sometimes since they are the ones that need the little extra attention or just need someone to work with them before their classroom teacher 'kills' them.  I know that feeling and am glad to take a child 'off their hands' for a short time so they have a little 'rest'.  Those 'quirky' children aren't so bad if you don't have to work with them all the time.

I usually stay at the park and chat with the students and teachers through lunch but I had to leave right away this year.  My quilt group was meeting for lunch and I needed to join them.  Next year I will be the leader of this group.  It is a fun and good group of women.  They do a lot of 'charity quilts' which means that the members make quilts that are donated to area charities.  Our main charity is Habitat for Humanity. We give a quilt to every member of a family in the new Habitat houses that are opened in the area.
Our group meets once a month for a meeting. There is usually a program in the morning and a meeting in the afternoon.  One of the most important part of the monthly meeting is the 'Show and Tell' time at the end of the business meeting.  This is just one of the members displaying her latest creation.  There are some beautiful quilts displayed at the meetings.  You may have noticed on my blog page that there is a link to this group if you wish to see more of the activities.

 Friday evening we DID manage to get the boat away from the slip for the evening.  This is Charlotte and her new boyfriend, David.  They joined the 'old folks' on an evening sail.  It was a beautiful night, a little chilly but       it was good to be out on the water anyway.  With sandwiches and all sorts of snacks we criss-crossed the bay and enjoyed the wonderful evening.

 Ringo came along, he is a good dog on the boat.

 The captain had a smile on his face,

I love to go sailing when Walt comes along.  I don't have to do anything except sit around and enjoy the scenery.

I have been working on some quilting projects but I can't show them online.  They are gifts for people that might read my blog although I'm not sure that I have many readers lately.  It is a good thing that I don't rely on readers and people that comment to 'feed' my need to continue to blog.  I do know that I will NOT be pursued by advertisers wishing to reach my readership but I will enjoy my 'quiet fame' among family members or any strange readers out there.
However few you are, I do appreciate you.

Summer wedding season begins

Brittany is getting married in August and the Traverse City family drove to Ludington this last weekend to attend the first shower.  

 We look pretty good don't we?  Charlotte, Sonja, Brittany,me and Sue.

It was a kitchen shower so I made an apron for her and made some place mats with the fabric that I used for her wedding table runners.  Along with some napkin rings and napkins it all made a good gift.
It was a fun shower and us T,C. ladies had a chance to meet John's family.  John is a wonderful man and I am sure that the two of them will have a long and beautiful life together.  Meeting the right man or woman is probably the most important thing you can do in your life.  I wish them well.