Exciting + Scary = FUN FUN FUN

I am a summer baby and this year for my birthday I went on a white water rafting adventure. Bill and I traveled to a remote spot in Canada on the Rouge River and experienced the ride of our lives. At times it was very scary, when I was under a churning mass of water and had no idea which way was up. Most of the time it was incredibly exciting! I learned that if I listened to our guide and followed his instructions even the scary parts turned into a whole lot of fun.
Can you find me? I'm in the back of the raft right in front of our guide.

Summer Fun

What do you like to do on a hot summer day? One of my favorite activities is skiing . . . on water and snow! My family has a summer camp on Woodbury Lake in Vermont and we love to get together on beautiful days and play in the water. My children like tubing at high speeds and jumping over huge waves made by the boat. I much prefer skiing on calm water and making my own spray.

We also have a pair of loons with a baby spending the summer on the lake. They are quite content to bob in the water as we ski past them. Sometimes we get a close look at them while kayaking. Not too close though . . . wouldn't want to scare the baby. Early in the morning we can hear their calls to one another. Click here to listen for yourself! Loon wail

Art Pad

I found a super fun web site that has a very simple drawing program. The great aspect of this program is that you can replay your painting and watch how you created your work! Here's one that I made for you . . . click here . I hope you try this out for yourself. You can even email pictures that you make! Here's the link to Art Pad. You can find it on the sidebar as well.

Eleanor & Ginger

Do you have any pets at home? We have 2 cats named Eleanor and Ginger. Eleanor loves to be with her people and will let us do just about anything to her. She is pretty much a princess so the crown is an accessory she is accustomed to wearing on a regular basis. Ginger is a real scaredy cat. She likes to hide in closets and drawers. She does come out early in the morning and meows quite loudly until someone pats and talks to her. Guess she is a morning "person"!

Happy Birthday America!

The 4th of July seemed to begin on the 2nd of July this year and s-t-r-e-t-c-h all the way through the 4th! We started celebrating with a family gathering at my nieces new house and proceeded to unload 2 large trucks full of furniture. I worked in the kitchen helping to unload box after box after box and finding places for every dish, glass, bowl, pan, and kitchen gadget under the sun. We all had a grand time cleaning, eating, unpacking, and laughing together.

The following evening we went to Burlington's Waterfront Park to listen to music and watch the sensational fireworks. While we were waiting the seagulls and ducks performed a few acts of their own. Alita managed to snap this picture of a seagull blocking out the sun. Pretty neat!!

Alita was hard at work in the kitchen the next morning creating mini cupcakes which she frosted to resemble the American flag. They were almost to good to eat . . . somehow we managed to empty the tray before the day was done.

When you're at the library look for this funny book about a stubborn mule who almost ruins the 4th of July Jake Johnson: The Story of a Mule .