A hot tub will do. . .

Amy and I had a good time walking around at the summer solstice happenings tonight. We heard some good music. Had some good food. Watched some people sway in the breeze. Very cool.

It got chilly though, and on the way back to the car I noted that I really wished that I knew someone locally who had a hot tub. My back was hurting again after standing for a couple of hours on the street to listen. My one friend with a hot tub lives over an hour away.

After pondering that one for a few minutes (Amy noted that she doesn't know anyone around with a hot tub either), I said, "well, that's when it would really be nice to have a guy to go home with. . .someone warm and cuddly." Sigh.

Amy agreed that she'd take the (right) guy over a hot tub. Still. The hot tub might be easier to come by.

Hence, Amy's comment, "A hot tub will do. . ."

Anyone know anyone locally who has a hot tub in case of chilly weather emergencies?? Until then, I'm sitting here drinking (decaf) coffee and hoping that Gizmo is laying on my side of the bed to warm it up.

Check out: www.meikomusic.com and www.myspace.com/chrisroachmusic.com

Unexpected Progress.

Yesterday morning, mom called me and asked if I had plans for the afternoon/evening. Having my parents over was an unexpected treat.

Except for the fact that it was 90 degrees out. And my parents think that if they visit they need to address any (and ALL) house projects. At their age, and with my dad's heart problems, neither of them need to be out working hard in that weather. Still, they're both stubborn and - want to feel useful? - and the projects at my house drive them crazy? Etc.

So. As much as I tried to divert, cajole,and give orders, my dad spent almost 7 hours on my garage roof scraping off moss and then bleaching the roof to prevent re-growth. He also cleaned my gutters while he was up there.



My mom and I mulched and then created a new flower bed that improves the beauty of my yard immensely.


I even have a guardian caterpiller welcoming people as they pull in the driveway.

During the process, mom told two friends who stopped over that I need to find a husband to do things like my roof.

Whatever.

When we had dinner I told dad that maybe he should be more invested in identifying potential son-in-laws. Not much was said after that.

Gizmo, well, he sat inside and chilled. When I came home for lunch (before the work party began), he was sitting at my feet as I worked on the computer. He got interested in the camera when I tried to take pictures of him curled up below.

Babies are cute...

. . .no matter how ugly.

If you recall from a previous post, some creative robins decided that a boat motor was a pretty good place for a nest. That's true, unless you intend to put the boat in the water soon!

Daddy wasn't very happy with me checking things out.
(Mom was around too, just not in these pictures)


See? Ugly but cute. Especially the way they cuddled together. (slight problem though. . .they look more like ostrichs than robins. I wonder if the eggs got switched, and how long they'll fit in the nest. . .?)


Dad stuck pretty close to me, while mom generally watched from farther away. Here, he was about 4 feet away from me on a tree branch.


FEED ME! FEED ME! (so it's not just Gizmo, huh?)



Baby three was hatched the next day. Next week is moving week, since the boat will be in use. Hope they're ready for the move to their new nesting location by then!

Summer times. . .

Summer brings travel. It was so nice to see Layne again, and to meet her sister, Cat. Two very cool people.

Layne with one of her fans. Can you spot the object that I tried to move after this picture, and got caught setting up a shot??


The main cat in my life. Not happy that I am also gone a lot in the summer.

Catchin' waves. . .

Waves are cool.
They make brilliant sparkles, intriguing shadows, soothing sounds. . .the currents of air can even hold us up in the sky.



(well, generally soothing sounds!)






In case you ever wondered what a walk on the beach can look like starting at 5:15 a.m.... The cottonwood trees add another interesting dimension - even though this IS Michigan, that's NOT snow!

Loon-y times from the archives

Back in April, I went to my first (of many, I hope!) Loon's game and was THRILLED to use the "big camera." Here are a few of my pictures:

Hey catcher, watch your head. . .



Flags at half mast, reminding us that, while baseball is fun, it's not the whole world.



The bigger picture. . .waiting to hit, waiting to come home. . .hit the ball!