Thursday, July 10, 2008

Camping


It's another camping weekend starting tonight. Our second of three this summer. We're headed to Lake Shetek. No rain in the forecast. Hope our site is shady. We've never camped up here before so we are checking it out with friends. I promise, of course, to bring you back some pictures. This is my favorite thing about summer... camping, fire cooking, friends and family. The plan is for some biking, hiking, canoeing and of course-Reading. I have Lisa See's Snow flower and the Secret Fan, To kill a Mockingbird and the Atlantic Monthly Magazine in my bag. I also need to catch up on some daily reading so I have lots to do.

Wednesday, July 9, 2008

An Evening Bike ride

Hey! It's a beautiful evening. come along with me on a bike ride. Let's head to the puddle jumper
Down the street.
Past the fire house. Trucks are out. Fire in Alton tonight.

Trail head begins here. It will be a great ride. Downhill most of the way.

Share the road with others

Elderberries in bloom
Wild Plums


Take time to rest along the way
Acres and acres of cornfields
Hey! Meet up with friends. They can share the ride

Past the golf course
Bed and Breakfast to be
A perfect night for balloons too.
End of the ride.
Hope you'll come along with me for real some time. I can't describe the sounds and the smells or give you the sensation of sun on your face and wind in your hair. This is the best!

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Summer Daze

Hey look at this! Can you see black shingles to the top of the roof?! Hurrah! Ron finished with the house last night. Shingles are all picked up too. Though he still has a few rows on the garage and he has to put the cupolo back on. He is only slightly bent over and moving very slowly and akwardly because of this. "Ron. Does your back hurt?" I ask. "You're walking funny." "No." he tells me. He's just fine. Doesn't know what's wrong with my eyesight because he walks just fine. Hmph. We still have another project on the docket for the summer... painting. We have the color picked out. A plan laid.
And hey, look what's volunteered to grow up right in my flower garden! A single hollyhock! Now where did that come from, I wonder. I certainly didn't plant it there. Though, it's a flower that might be one that the former resident of this house would certainly have enjoyed I think. Anyway, I get to enjoy it for now. I dug out a walnut tree, too that some squirrel must have planted in that garden. Tried transplanting it, but it's pretty dead right now. Oh well.



Monday, July 7, 2008

Gutted


Some extra pictures available here after the fire. L & Ks did a fire sale this morning from 5 am- 10 am. Then their insurance adjusters come in. We won't know if they'll be rebuilding, retstarting, restoring or coming back in general until insurance stuff is figured out. Statistics that I heard claimed that only 50% of businesses are able to come back after major damage like this. With 3 places gone now, you would hope that at least one of them will be able to rebuild. What a hole that would leave if the block remains empty. For now things seem quiet. Next week they are bringing in a crane to take everything out of this building for examination as to what caused the fire. That should prove interesting, at least from this spectator's point of view. I'll have to remember my camera on those days.

Sunday, July 6, 2008

The Little Fireworks

I was in bed by 10 on the 4th of July. It's getting as bad as New Year's. The kind of "been there, done that" sort of thing. But we did spend part of the day with Nate and Kristin...and the other half we spent roofing! (Though what this 'we' thing is I'm not sure. I wasn't up on the roof!) We are getting closer to being done. Anyway. Here are a few of our exciting Fourth of July shots: