ice1 - a friend of mine is flying to Reykjavik today. They are on their way to Norway and thought they would stop there for a few days. They are so looking forward to doing some tours and seeing the area.

Great thread everyone. No pics but I can tell you it is another gorgeous today here. Lots of sunshine (day 29? of no rain and on the coast in southern B.C. that's a big deal! think PNW rain forest weather here) but the forest fire rating is now extreme.

Badgergal, I always read this thread from the bottom up in order to see the photos I have not yet seen. So, I saw your pic before your explanation and I could not for the life of me figure out what that was. To answer your question, no I could net even begin to contort myself to fit into that box.

Will try to post today's slice later. Have a good Sunday everyone. It has been an overcast but delightful morning here.

Oh, to live where you can hear the sounds of Lake Huron in the distance -- how romantic.

Some friends joined us for breakfast outside today:

Blfenton, they are coming at the best possible time, the weather has been good and will be this week, we have until last week had the worst summer in a long time. It has rained all summer ,but as of last week things started to turn around. Hopefully it will keep.

Update: The Hobie launch was scrapped. The mast does not seem to go with this boat. sooo- Grandson and DH are working on a new project- a kid's sea do. Happy Sunday

And a little romance ...

Dd is in Ireland and just posted pics of Blarney. Her boyfriend flew there at the end of June to take an intensive eight week course to learn the Greek language. He missed our dd so much he sent her a ticket to come join him for a week. She told me "mom, that's the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for me". It is romantic isn't it?:)

So enjoy this thread dear gw friends!

Deedee....yes very romantic! My DD was dating a guy for quite awhile. One Halloween she was too busy to even think about a costume let alone put one together because she was working full time and taking 3 graduate classes. I thought it was so sweet when BF scoured local thrift shops and crafted a cowgirl outfit for her....denim jumper, boots, etc. and it all fit! We thought they would get married, but he broke it off...she was devastated. Six months later he wanted her back, but she was too afraid of being hurt again...sigh.

Still enjoying all the pics and comments!

Also, speaking of romance....we would have been in Chicago this weekend for DS2's wedding yesterday. He broke it off and moved home in March. She was 12 years older...hes 25, shes 37...and we had misgivings from the get go but got on board for his sake, but we did like her as a person. He finally realized the age difference (among other things)was a problem...he wants to be out and about with friends like most 20's, she's more settled down and ready for kids. So glad he didn't go through with it to save face. It's great having him back home and happy.

Summer Nights downtown. Happens each Thursday during summer months.

This post was edited by jstell2008 on Thu, Aug 8, 13 at 10:36

Where jstell?

It's in the beautiful Black Hills of South Dakota

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This post was edited by jstell2008 on Sun, Jul 28, 13 at 19:25

Wonder what they are thinking?

Not our cat, just stopped by to say hello.

jstell, I've been studying that picture to see if I could figure out where that was taken, but I'm at a loss. So many interesting things to see in that one snapshot though! I wish it was a little bigger so I could see it more clearly, especially the art/graffiti on the buildings.

Yesterday I attended a 2nd birthday party for this little one...GF's grandson...ain't he a cutie?

{{!gwi}}

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This post was edited by jstell2008 on Thu, Aug 8, 13 at 10:41

Jstell...that looks so cool! That's one area of the US I haven't been to but it's on my list.

birds, babies, bodies, boats, flowers and kitties..and the sweet raccoons !! wow...so many great pics. I love the Black Hills pic and Ireland...what a sweet story.

DH is using muriatic acid on the rust on our concrete. Have to replace the plastic things on the bottoms of the chairs but no one carries them anymore :( We are having it all power washed tomorrow as we have a bunch of parties coming up starting Wed. It is amazing how fast it works ! 3 pics:

before

{{gwi:1422684}}

during

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after

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He is going to lightly scrub but it works so fast you really don't need to . c

I am stupid busy. Every time I think there will be a break something happens. DH and I are working like maniacs, the kids too. We are all healthy and happy.

This thread is a bright spot in my day. Thank you for sharing your lives with me.

Xo

Beth P

mustangs - We saw those red velvet ants on a golf course in Cape Charles, VA yesterday. None of us knew what they were but instinctively knew they wouldn't be coming home with us.

Here we are (4 of 6) loading (cramming) the car for my 3-day birthday weekend of golf. Besides my own clothes/clubs, my only contribution to the weekend of golf, cocktails, hors d'oeuvres, food, presents (!), and swimming was coffee (afterall: javachik). What a great weekend with besties who know how to treat a princess like royalty!

Just back from a week at our cabin in the Adirondacks. Completely unplugged for the week--we spent our time reading, walking, swimming, talking. The cabin has been in the family for years, and nothing ever changes. Love it.

Just back from a week at our cabin in the Adirondacks. Completely unplugged for the week--we spent our time reading, walking, swimming, talking. The cabin has been in the family for years, and nothing ever changes. Love it.

{{!gwi}}

From my sister's wedding yesterday. I did all the planning, decorating and cooking with very little input from the bride other then "make it casual country". My husband and I hosted the event in our yard.

Train concert at PNC Bank Arts Center (in Holmdel, NJ) last night. Gavin DeGraw and The Script were the opening acts. Great concert (despite the rain--we were up in the loge section, but thank goodness we had seats under the amphitheater!). High energy, great songs and performances.

Pat Monahan, along with all of his Train bandmates, always puts on a terrific concert. They seem to really appreciate and enjoy being with their fans at their shows. We've seen them in concert three times. We first saw them perform at the Beacon Theater in NYC 9 years ago(?). DH went with me grudgingly that first time, but he was pleasantly surprised at how much he really enjoyed that concert. Pat Monahan is quite entertaining and engaging (and talented!), much like my DH, who performs locally (singer/acoustic guitar player) where and when he can!

Not the best pics (the second one shows one of the two jumbo screens mounted at either end of the stage/theater).

Nice work, cozy farmhouse!

DH had me doing woodwork today...though not the kind my decorating friends usually think of....

Several trees had come down in the woods during the last several storms, so we are harvesting them for use in the wood stove next year.

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This post was edited by jstell2008 on Thu, Aug 8, 13 at 10:43

I am loving the setting for the wedding. It's just perfect. I can't imagine the noise when all those motorcycles start up. Ba-rooooom!

Here are my Limelight Hydrangea. They are really thriving this year. It's nice to have blossoms when not many other things are blooming at the moment. They are over six feet high and give me privacy from across the street. I love them.

Nothing much exciting going on here--no beautiful food or flowers and I don't have any children or grandchildren, but I do have an update of the home office.

Here are some updates from the home office:
Paint: BM Nantucket Fog in SW Cashmere finish. They did a great job on the color match.
Ikea shelving has arrived. Now we must put it together and get our contractor friend to attach to walls.
Slipcover swatches ordered for loveseat, though I'd love to just get rid of it.

Still in need of desk and place to put the printer. Trying to see if I can make a treadmill desk work.

Yes, that's the cat box, speaking of the thread on pets and smell. I did just get a new box that is supposed to be odor-resistant.

Because tomatoes love heat and sunlight, it is a little difficult to grow them in our PNW forest location. But, we are having an amazing summer( no rain for 33 days but I hope we get a shower soon)! Even though we don't get all day sunshine my 3 tomato plants are doing great. So while this may seem like a sad little tomato to some, it is a promise of more to come for me. Our first ripe tomato of the season

Our weather has been perfect lately so last Sunday DH and I decided to go on a field trip. We're not always sure where we'll end up, just that we need to get in the car and explore. This time we went on the Balboa Island ferry which takes us over to the Fun Zone on Balboa Peninsula. It's a short ride but always pleasant. We stopped on the way home and got chocolate shakes. A lovely time.

Incredible wedding, wood pile ( whoa that is some work ) gorgeous gal friends, motorcycles, flowers and food and a ferry ride ! Tomato , decor pic and concert ...all perfect.

Here is grand baby having an apres swim snack...he is such a sweetie pie ! Have so much fun in the pool with him and his Mom. He "swims" back and forth between us kicking and paddling for all he is worth. Wears us ALL out !

Snapped this one in the HD parking lot. Not my car, BTW!

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This post was edited by jstell2008 on Thu, Aug 8, 13 at 10:45

Thank you Annie, Dedtired and Trailrunner!

The car at HD made me LOL Texanjana. I've really enjoyed all the installments of this topic. So many great photos.

The first fruits from our blackberry vines were picked this morning:

{{!gwi}}

New sandals for an upcoming wedding. Came home from work to find them on the front steps. Zappo's comes through again-one day delivery!

Took this with cell phone traveling north from Daytona Beach. Pretty scary!

caminnc, scary but beautiful! Great shot.

DD and DH made homemade giant bubbles using string tied between two sticks...

sueb20--COOL!!!!

The stingrays all had a funny reaction to the polka dot pattern on my daughter's swim suit top. Each one, as they swam by, came out of the water and tried to "eat" her and only her. We think the light/dark pattern triggered some sort of food recognition.

caminnc, that is an amazing photo. I thought it was a painting! I think I'd have it printed and framed; it's beautiful.

Slice of life indeed! Love every one of these pics!

So last night we woke up to water dripping from one of the recessed lights. The AC is in the attic just above our bedroom and the condensation pan was clogged. So this is what we were doing at 2am. I'm tired!

I have no idea why the builder thought it would be a good idea to put the drain line so high.

Love the sandals and those pretty pink toes !! kelly...we went through the same thing last year !! What are they thinking ???? kiki..that is very cool..perhaps it thinks she is the spots on an octopus ??? bubbles are awesome...and that sky.wow. Too bad the rattlesnake was in the wrong place...they are endangered here in AL. That HD pic is so funny.

Here is dinner last night. A veggie frittata:

olychick, that's a great idea. It was like that for a long time and I think my niece might have gotten some better pictures with her camera. About ten mins. up the road a house was struck by lighting and fire trucks were everywhere. Scary stuff!

caminnc, I love the composition of yours...the ??? are they pelicans? are just perfectly placed. It's really, really lovely. If you find better pics, please post them. Is that just a thunderstorm coming or is it called something else. We don't have that stuff here in the PNW, so it looks ominous to me...I probably wouldn't have been on the road if I'd seen that.

Yes they were pelicans. I don't know what kind of storm it was but very different than what I am use to seeing at our beach in NC. There were several of these storms and all very flat and straight on the bottom. The rain was so heavy we had to pull off the road several times. I will post more pictures. btw, we were coming back from a beautiful day at the beach. Another storm we got caught in crushed our 10 x 13 tent. When it wasn't storming it was beautiful! lol

caminnc - beautiful picture. You can feel the storm just looking at the photo. My favourite kind of picture.

trailrunner - tasty looking frittata. Recipe?

What a great thread. I feel like a bit of a voyeur. I have nothing interesting to post - if I knew how. I know trailrunner has told me how and in the fall when it starts to rain I will explore that. July this year gave us a record month of sunshine (411 hours) for July and a month of absolutely no rain which is an alltime record for all months. And on the west coast of Canada (think PNW weather) that is saying a lot!

All that to explain that time on the computer is short and time outside is long.

Our first grandchild is now 6 weeks old. This little slice of life is is pure joy. Here she is entertaining us with a variety of faces. How cute is that?

bl I will hold you to it please do post photos...as to the frittata...all you do is scrub yellow or red potatoes and dice them...saute in EVOO and add diced red onion and bell pepper. Salt and pepper. Pour over beaten eggs and top with grated cheddar or your favorite cheese...top with thinly sliced Roma tomatoes. Run under the broiler till bubbly. I just make it up as I go along and use whatever is in the fridge. Sometimes I add mushrooms etc. It all works. For us I use 4 potatoes and 5 eggs...need to be sure the skillet can go under the broiler. Also we have 1/2 left for lunch tomorrow.
Here are pics of my day...we have an auction at our UU fellowship every year . We offered a pool party. Here is a pic of the fantastic Sangria ! I got it of off NYT dining. It is a great recipe ! I can't stress how good and easy. I will link recipe on next thread if yo want it :) We had home made tortilla chips, and guacamole and salsa...all DH and I made black bean salad and he made the burgers and I made mile high Strawberry shortcake...what a night. They were here from 6 PM till 11:30 !!

I also am baking my bread for a local farmer's market. Here are 2 loaves of Oatmeal bread for a customer. Old tried and true recipe. Molasses and brown sugar and soaked oatmeal . If you are interested it is an easy recipe. Will link it too...we just need to start the next "slice of life". I sure have loved the pics of the babies and everyone's sharing of their pieces of their lives. Thank you for coming together here on GW. c

{{!gwi}}