Life in the Bristolwood

Today was a very boring day in many ways.  The rain that was forecast came in the form of drizzle throughout the day.  As it fell, the snow decreased a good deal.

This afternoon, Mark and I watched the Buffalo Sabres play the Philadelphia Flyers.  In the first period, it looked like Philly was going to run away with the game.  I wasn’t so sure I had the heart to watch the game, but I was sure glad I hung in there!  In the second and third periods, Buffalo really poured it on and wound up winning the game 5:3!

After the game, Mark had a “little problem” to attend to.  Our truck needs to be inspected, but a couple weeks ago, the “check engine” light lit up on the dashboard.  Mark went to Advance Auto and the fellow there diagnosed the problem as an O2 sensor.  Mark went online and discovered changing the sensor was similar to replacing spark plugs.  He read as much as he could and decided it would be worth a try to fix it.

This afternoon, Ben went out with Mark and worked under the truck replaced the faulty sensor.  Sure enough, once the code was cleared on the monitor,  the error code disappeared!  Great job, Ben!  I am glad Mark has that do-it-yourself attitude.  Ben is learning so many new skills and practical knowledge that will certainly help him later in his life!

I spent a couple hours in the garage and got chilled to te bone. When Ben vame in after fixing the O2 sensor, he asked if pizza would be okay for supper.  I gave him a big thumbs-up, as I had not planned anything.  Mark and Ben drove on up to the store and they said the error light never came back on, so hopefully, the problem is resolved!

Tomorrow, our rain is supposed to turn to snow and we are due to get several inches….

Today, the kids had to go to Canandaigua for school.  Mark took them again, and again, I stayed home.  It was the first day that I stayed on my feet the entire day and worked around the house! 

When I say that it was quiet today, I mean really quiet! 

Last night, as I placed my head on the pillow, I could not help but wonder…..When will *it* start again? But, for the first time in a long time,  I did not cough until tears ran down my cheeks!  Nor did I gag or choke…It really was gone! I did awaken once during the night with a slight cough, but immediately fell back to sleep.  And what a lovely sleep it was!  I got in an entire eight hours.  That in and of itself is very unusual for me.  Ah, blessed sleep!

Today, I did four loads of laundry, folded them and put them away.  Don’t let all this activity fool you, though. When Mark and the kids arrived home again, I was pretty exhausted, but managed dinner.  And throughout the day, no more coughing!  I think it really is gone….for good!

Okay, enough about being sick!  I am so tired of thinking about it, so…

While I was lounging about, Mark and Ben were kind of busy!  They worked out in the garage a couple of days, building a headboard for Ben’s bed.  I was pretty impressed! It is just pine, but that was what Ben wanted, as his plan was to paint it black.

Ben wanted to paint all his furniture black with the thought that it will make his room appear bigger.

The bed is now all painted and I will be showing it sometime soon.  Although black seemed a bit much, I have to admit, the whole thing is looking pretty classy!  That headboard has a shelf and below, a door with a piano hinge…it swings down so Ben can store goodies and treasures in a very large space!  When he told me to come have a look at it when he had it hoisted in place one night,  I was shocked when he opened that door and pulled his electric guitar out!

Ben’s room really is a “work in progress”, but he is pretty happy and is certainly learning some really great carpentry skills!

Oh, and I cannot forget my deer!  The deer that I photographed yesterday was back again, munching and pawing around the same place.  I hurried and grabbed another apple and she once again happily accepted my gift!  I went upstairs and grabbed my camera, but the SD card was in the computer.  Being tired, I just couldn’t see myself making another trip upstairs, so I sat down and just observed!  That deer ate the apple, then lingered on and on for over an hour, staying not too far from the house!

do not live in houses made of snow!

The weather here went “balmy” on us Thursday and Friday.  It was so warm, I was actually working outside with just a sweater on instead of a heavy jacket! 

Mark sadly watched as all of the wonderful snowmobiling snow evaporated or melted away….

Yesterday, I had planned to take a drive down to see my Amish friend, Eunice.  Mark decided he would like to go as well, so we left the kids at home to do some studying.  As we drove south of Naples, we were shocked to see several inches of snow remaining on the valley floor running down towards Bath.  Our snow had melted to the point that we could see grass and I even spotted crocuses or tulips poking through the soil in the garden.  Interesting!

The forecast for today called for scattered flurries…showers….whatever.  Last night, as I went to bed, the wind outside was so loud, it sounded as though it was mercilessly beating the house and everything else in its way! I awakened throughout the night to the sound of loud gusts. Our lights dimmed a bit at one point, but our electricity didn’t go out.

When I woke up this morning, the first thing that hit me was that it seemed chilly in the house.  I hadn’t made a fire in the stove since yesterday morning, and when we went to bed, it was still warm.  This morning, however, it was cold! I got up and could see snow “pasted” all over the windows!

I went downstairs with the Scottie boys and was surprised to find about five inches of snow on the ground! The boys were not too interested in lingering outside, so I grabbed firestarting stuff and we headed inside!  The house didn’t want to warm up as quickly as usual, as the wind continued with us throughout the entire day.

Mark and Ben ran to Canandaigua at about 3 this afternoon, and Mark said the roads were not that good! I shoveled about a foot of snow off the sidewalk in front of the garage as well as the porches and ramp.  Wow! Where did all that snow come from, anyway?

I took another photo of Ben’s snow house (remains) from the ramp.

I also was able to (barely) capture a couple of photos of my little Murphy.  We let him off lead and he raced around the yard like a greyhound!

As you can see, the low undercarriage caused a bit of overworking the “engine”, causing the pink tongue to hang out!

Mark was only gone about three hours, and when he came home, he said the truck was sliding a bit on the pavement.  The roads in Canandaigua were “messy”, but downright “dangerous” in our neck of the woods!

A ood night to pick up a good book and snuggle!

I know many folks suffer from depression during the winter months when daylight and sunshine are at a premium, but I find myself envigorated, regenerated,  and just feeling so good.  The short days don’t bother me and when the darkness creeps in earlier and earlier in the day,  to me, it almost feels like a cozy warm blanket covering me, making me feel snuggly and satisfied.  I find no sense of guilt putting my labors to rest earlier than in the long days of summer.

This morning, as we drove Michelle to school,  we had to stop at the other end of our road.  Sometimes photography is mandatory, after all!

The beauty of such a sunrise just speaks volumes to me of a Creator who delights his creation with colors and textures to excite one’s very soul.

Mark and I dropped Michelle off at school, then I had to run into Lowe’s to grab a paint pad. I smiled as I saw their offerings of snowblowers all lined up in front of the store.

Mark suddenly felt an urgency to head on home. The small amount of snow we have received has excited him to no end,  making him feel  anxious to ride those new snowmobiles.  So anxious, as a matter of fact, he talked me into climbing on board and taking the sled for a spin around the yard! It was truly fun, but I was so unprepared, wearing a skirt and no hat or gloves! (What must the neighbors have thought?…..Aw, who cares, anyway? )

After my maiden voyage on the sled, Ben got his turn.  Being 100% boy, Ben loved riding the machine and within just a short time,  looked as though he had been riding for a long time!

Michelle advised me the above should be our Chistmas card this year!

Well, here is to more snow and more fun in the snow!  We cannot ride the snowmobile trails in New York state until after December 20, when hunting season ends.  Not wishing to hurry time any faster than it naturally flows,  I must admit I am a little excited myself.  We plan to join a local club and go on rides with other folks from the area.

No, I have been here. I have just been overwhelmed by day to day life in general.  As I watched the days passing by one after another,  I decided I would wait until December first to begin posting once again.

In all honesty, life has been so full of this, that, and the other thing, I just thought a break would be beneficial to my overly-stimulated brain cells!  I keep bumping into myself coming and going and I was feeling a bit “fragile” to be perfectly frank.  Life has been one activity followed by another…most not lending themselves to my photography addiction and that made me feel so distraught! 

Soo….where do I begin?

Well, a couple of weeks ago, Ben and I began working on painting his bedroom.  Poor Ben. He had been given a small room and it was painted a (very!) pale pink color on the walls.  I loved that pink, as it really didn’t appear to be pink. When Ben was about ten, he decided pink was not his choice of color.  Taking matters into his own hands (quite literally, indeed!) he worked frantically, using an office stapler to mount newspapers and old maps to cover what he insisted was a hideous color.

Ben learned how to not only spackle, but also repair walls with some major flaws in them! He worked for a long time, removing those small staples and filling in the holes.  He had also made some larger holes in the walls so he learned how to repair those as well. 

After visiting the home centers a few times and bringing home scads of color chips to mull over, Ben decided on a color called “Fretwire”.  *as in the wire used to form the frets on a guitar*  I thought the color might also be called buckskin, as it reminds me of that color. (really dating myself here…remember when there *weren’t* zillions of colors available?)

Here is a photo of the freshly painted room.

This photo seems a little light to me, but you can see it looks very nice with the moulding and floor. Too bad. Well, about the floor, anyway, as Ben wants to put down some carpeting.  Argh. Oh, hey, Ben’s ceiling isn’t boring white, either!  The color is Swiss Coffee.  Doesn’t that sound like something one would want to awaken to?

Mark and Ben have some plans for building a bed and finishing the room.  I will show photos as the room progresses.

This is the time of the year when we begin to think about decorating.  One of the projects we undertake is a Christmas wreath on Mark’s dad’s grave.  Al really loved Christmas, so this is really special. This year, I asked Mark if we might try doing the wreath ourselves.  We usually go to a business across the road from the cemetery, but I thought we might try our hand at this.  As it worked out, we bought a gorgeous wreath from Wegman’s.  The only thing I had put on at this point was the bow. (and yes, most always a lovely plaid!)

Michelle saw me decorating the wreath and thought she might like to give this a try, so I stepped aside. This is what she wound up creating.

I was thrilled with the end result, as was Mark.  The most surprising outcome of our do it yourself effort is that it cost about one-half of the price we typically spent.  And, it had a lot more decorations!

Thanksgiving was the 25th of November this year.  Carly had asked if we wanted to join her and her family at her in-laws’ home this year. Wow, Carly offered to make the entire feast (with lots of helo from her three kids) and I wasn’t about to let an offer like that go! 

Madeline and Cy are the most awesome hosts and we spent the hours talking and laughing, sharing stories and just having so much fun!  Carly and the kids were bustling about in the kitchen when we arrived and it was awesome watching them work!

So, here are some photos of the most awesome feast!

That turkey could not have been any more perfectly browned! It looked like something from a magazine!!! (Carly used some recipes she had found in magazines to prepare this amazingly executed fare.)

Carly spent so much time creating this fit-for-a-king meal.  The bread used in making the stuffing was made by Carly! Carly’s Sarah has an allergy to soy and soy-based products, so Carly is careful about making food without those culprits.  It is tough sometimes, but she has been doing it long enough that it isn’t so taxing anymore.

Oh my, those devilled eggs were good! Carly made the mayonnaise used in making them as well since most mayonnaise contains some soy or soy products. The stuffing to the left of the eggs was awesome with cranberries and pecans included! On the very left of the photo is the delicious cranberry sauce she made.

By the way, isn’t that table elegant?  Madeline had created a most beautiful atmosphere in which to enjoy the meal! I loved the colors….everything really was picture-perfect!

The one dish I loved that I probably overate on was Brussel Sprouts and grapes.  I thought the combination really different, but it was lip-smacking good!

Oh, the rolls behind the Brussel Sprouts and Grapes were my (humble) contribution.  Carly had initially asked me to make an apple pie, but later asked if I could bring rolls instead. I love making rolls, so I was happy to do so.

Mmmm….there was rice with cranberries as well. There were amazing bite-sized biscuits with Chai and cranberries and simply amazing mashed potatoes with celery root.

The flowers on the table just added to this special meal!  Everything was fantastic!  I enjoyed this day so much. It was obvious that Carly and the kids had put a lot into this special holiday. Carly also made the most scrumptious pumpkin pie!

After a most filling meal, the women retreated to the kitchen to put away leftovers.  The kids went to the family room to enjoy some Wii games and Mark and Ben visited with Cy for quite some time. Cy had set up his bass guitar, thinking Ben might like to give it a try.  Ben thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity and was impressed by some things Cy showed him and Mark.

It seemed like the time flew by…as always, times flies when the occasion is enjoyable!

Thanks again, Madeline, Cy, Carly, and all who contributed to make this day one of the most memorable ones we have enjoyed!  I am just sorry this is so late!

Today was another one of those crazy days! 

When I saw that the weather was going to be sunny and nice this morning,  I decided I should try to give the camper a quick “once-over” wash job.  I didn’t have time to do a more thorough job,  so I grabbed a brush made specifically for washing RV’s and quickly brushed off as much dirt as I could.   When I was about halfway through the task, Ben came out and helped….we were done in about half an hour.

Ben made a fabulous salad for everyone for lunch, then it was time to gather all the tools we needed to begin painting Ben’s room.

We started painting at about 3 pm even though I had hoped to begin much earlier!

A short time after beginning our painting, the phone rang and Michelle came into Ben’s room to tell me my friend Eunice was on the phone.  She was calling from Ronald McDonald House and my heart fell to the floor as I wondered if little Baby Susanna is okay.

As it turned out,  Susanna has pertussis and was struggling a bit with breathing. Eunice and Noah called their doctor and she sent them to Buffalo Children’s Hospital. Eunice said the good news is that Susanna hasn’t needed oxygen at all today.  Eunice is speculating that if Susanna doesn’t need oxygen for a certain period of time,  she will be released from the hospital.

I explained to Eunice that Ben and I were painting and asked if I could call back later.  Eunice said that was fine, so I continued to paint.

A little while later,  another call came from the Ronald McDonald House.  This time, Mark answered the phone and Eunice said she had gotten a call from someone sounding like me that needed help. She wondered if I had called and if I was all right.  Mark assured her Ben and I were painting, so I had not called.

After Ben and I finished with the paint project, we cleaned up the brushes and rollers and put things away. I was exhausted, but Mark said I should call Eunice.  I did call and we talked and giggled for probably an hour. 

I mentioned the call she made earlier and she began giggling.  She said when she received the call, Noah was down doing their laundry while she rested in their room at the Ronald McDonald House.  The phone rang and she immediately thought it was me calling her for help!

When Noah returned from the laundry room, she told him what happened….he began laughing and told her it was HIM!  She said he often plays jokes like that.  We giggled some more and Noah got on the phone to tell me he was trying to cheer Eunice up….laughter IS the best medicine, after all!

I’m still chuckling over Noah’s little prank!

Shopping is far from one of my favorite things to do.  I have become miserably inept at it, as a matter of fact!  I often think some of the smartest shoppers are those who frequently glean the ads from stores, planning a stategy,  and then venturing forth, knowing exactly what they are looking to purchase.  I guess that requires a good bit of logic, and I fail when it comes to such sensible purchasing power.  I am, it seems, a sucker.  I am the one that large corporations hire expensive marketing people to lure….easily swayed by verbiage and packaging that a savvy shopper would pooh-pooh!

There, I’ve said it! 

Mark, on the other hand, is one of those shopping elite, who spends hours researching and reading not only marketing blurbs, but also reading customer reviews.  He is able to weigh claims to cold, hard facts and formulate his own theory.  Mark is able to cut through the balogna and buy with confidence.  Oh how marketing must shudder seeing a well-educated shopper like Mark!

After doing much research,  we went out shopping today for a snowmobile.  There are four major manufacturers from which to shop-Arctic Cat,  Polaris, Ski-Doo, and Yamaha.  Mark and I found a brand new holdover sled that we thought would make a nice second sled for the kids and me.   It was an Arctic Cat with a small engine and one of the large dealers had it listed.

Mark and Ben had a quick bite to eat at McDonald’s before checking out our first stop. Ben laughed as we pulled into a parking spot while he and Mark ate.   This pair of gulls had found a perfect resting place to check out customers who might have a tidbit for the scavengers.  Ben said at least the car was white…

We arrived at the dealer’s shortly before lunch time this morning.  We strolled out back where the snowmobiles are stored and began looking at their inventory.  Now, Mark, Ben, and I were all looking together.  We sat on several models,  looked under the cowls at engines,  and asked a lot of questions.  The net result of visiting this dealership was that the salesman was full of hot air.  And himself.  We unanimously agreed that this dealership was nearly falsifying information to get customers inside their doors.  This stop was not without some good, though, as Mark also sat on some machines and reformulated his thinking on what might be best for his needs.

Mark said there was another dealer not too far from the first and he wanted to check them out as well.  This dealership was much more palatable.  Although selling older machines that were used, there was no air of balogna and the salesman,  who just also happens to be the owner,  was truthful and to the point.  He seemed almost cold,  but without a lot of words,  we knew he wasn’t stretching the truth.  He allowed the integrity of his inventory to speak for itself. 

After our second stop,  we stopped in the small town of Spencerport briefly while Mark fiddled with the GPS.

I’ve mentioned before how valuable I find storyboards located along points of interest.  This one provided information once again…I never knew why Rochester was termed the “flour city”.  Matter of fact,  I wasn’t even sure if it was “flour” or “flower”!   Well, thanks to this sotryboard,  I am now the wiser!

I love that one can get a self-guided education! Boy, would it be fun to drive the length of the Erie Canal and stop in all the towns.  I think one could reap a wealth of information! 

You might have noticed from my photos that today was dismal, dreary,  and drizzly!  I think it might have even qualified for the Scottish term “dreich”,  as it was also chilly and well, miserable!  Perhaps it wouldn’t have seemed so bad if I hadn’t had a headache.  This wasn’t just a headache, but felt like someone had placed visegrips on more than one point on my head!

We stopped at Taco Bell for lunch,  hoping some food would lessen the throbbing I was experiencing.  Taco Bell has these ridiculous lunches for $2.00.  I like one that comes with a gordita.  I got the $2.00 lunch which also included a soda and a small bag of Doritos. 

Eating was so satisfying and I chuckled as I munched, thinking this food was like comfort food.  I was almost convinced the headache was going away!  Then, when my food was all gone,  I realized I was still hungry!  This caused me to do something I have never, ever done before!  I actually ate a second gordita and bag of chips, giving Mark my soda! 

We had one more stop to look at a snowmobile Mark had found on Craig’s list,  being offered by an individual.  This was a bit of a drive,  and so I closed my eyes in the back seat and relaxed. 

We arrived and the young man selling the machine brought it around on the grass so we could see it.  He pulled up near Mark and as soon as the machine stopped,  out hopped a little field mouse with a wee baby attached!  Mark said it almost looked like the mouse was giving birth,  but it might have been nursing.  In any event,  the mouse ran under a car and hid. 

Lucky me to have had my camera all ready to go! By the time I kneeled down on the wet ground to photograph the tiny duo,  Mrs. Mouse had picked up her youngster in her mouth and was darting about, trying to find a safe place!

The young man selling this particular machine was honest and very willing to show his machine, even mentioning things that needed to be attended to, as he hadn’t driven the unit last year.  Mark chatted with this fellow for quite a while and as they spoke,  the rain picked up and turned from drizzle to actual rainfall.

It was an interesting day out-interesting seeing people at their best. And worst!  All in all, it was a day in which we learned some and realized one can never really shop solely by research, nor recommendation!  It was a day when Mark and Ben learned lots of new things.  And me?  Why, yes!  I might just have become a better shopper myself!

Before I upload all my photos from the SD card into the computer,  I thought I would have a little looksee. Wow. In looking back at everywhere we went,  I miss these places.  Even though we are “rural”,  we have neighbors nearby. In Lewis County, it seems one can travel a great deal before running into civilization.  There is so much pristine beauty and people seem sometimes few and far between.  Considering the harsh nature of winters there,  I guess this area just isn’t that much of an attraction.

Having noted the winter conditions at Lewis County, we were advised that winter weekends can be horrific, as people travel from far and wide to the Tug Hill Plateau with their snowmobiles in tow.  We were told if we ever think about snowmobiling there,  it is best done during the week after all the “city hillbillies” have returned home.

The photos I took might not all be at Lewis County, as we did some traveling elsewhere during our visit. These are some of my favorites and believe me, they probably will make no sense at all!

An odd assortment of photos, I know, but some that I rather liked. Funny thing is, while looking over my photos, I found a series of a day trip we took I had forgotten about!  More on that tomorrow!

Ha! That is what Mark’s advice is, anyway!  Silly me…I listened to the forecast on the radio for Rochester and the northern Finger Lakes region.  I guess my mistake was that hearing the word “rain” sent up flags for me not to commence painting this morning.  The problem was,  I missed the “areas of localized showers” in the report.  Mark just got on the computer and looked at weather maps with radar.  There was nary a spot of showers to be located on the radar screen.  Ah, the Age of Technology.

I was at the dentist office this morning before 8:30.  The dentist said my gums are healing well, but.  Yeah, but.  I asked about the “but” and it seems I have a divot in my gums where the dentist might have to “suture in some more tissue”.  Why does that sound so intolerable……and gross?  Argh.

I got home at about 11 and made something to eat and then when Mark assured me there was no chance of rain,  I ambled outside to grab all my painting goodies and began painting where I left off last week.  I am painting with a deep dark brown and I needed to finish a post,  some places on the railings that were missed by the brush, two wide boards under the porch that run horizontally, and the six eight by eight posts (vertical) upon which the porch is built. All is finished except for the six posts!

After I began painting, Ben came out and joined me.  I was thrilled for the help as he had no qualms about climbing up on the ladder to reach the higher areas.  I don’t really like standing on ladders! We worked on getting the railings touched up and I finished the post on the porch.  The stain began to look like we were going to run out by the time we finished everything but the six posts.  I told Mark and he and Michelle ran to Canandaigua this evening to pick up some more stain to do the posts.

After the posts, we will stain the floor and the porch will be completed except for the little detail work I plan to do on the finials. As all the brown stain has gone on, the porch looks so much better! I cannot wait to finish this task as it has been overlooked for several years now.

The hard part of painting today was the heat! It was so very, very hot.  When I finished cleaning up and putting things away, my face was beet red when I looked in the mirror.  I had (thankfully) made a meatloaf in the slow cooker, so I made some new potatoes and green beans to go along with it and Ben and I ate outside on the back deck.  Mark and Michelle hadn’t arrived home and they said to go ahead without them as these two painters had worked up quite an appetite!

I’m not going to add any pictures here tonight as things have taken some twists and turns!  Ben had a letter to write and wanted some solitude,  and I was not getting any relief from the heat this evening.  We decided to head out to the camper and turn on the air conditioning.  We had just gone out when Michelle came knocking on the camper door telling me my Amish friend had called.  We ended up talking for over an hour again and in my rush to get the SD card from the Nikon, I grabbed the wrong card! ( Yeah, I had left two cards sitting on the night table. Oops!) Not too sure anyone wants to see snow photos from last winter! (Why have those images not been uploaded to the desktop and the card reformatted anyway?)

Well, tomorrow is another day and I figure painting the posts should not take much longer than two or tree hours. We have not picked up the floor stain yet as we are trying to think what a good color would be….we have tentatively decided a light color that closely matches the color of the wood will work well as it might not show dirt as much as a darker color.

Tomorrow’s weather forecast calls for sun. Believe it or not?

Did the title of this entry totally pique your curiosity?  Let me explain.

Today was one of those days that we seemed to scramble about, but got little done.  Well, Mark and I, anyway.  Ben kept asking us if we would hurry so he could get out in the woods to cut some trees that had fallen over the winter.  We did get out,  but it was well after lunch.  Ben was just happy to cut.  Before he left the house, I told him he ought to try out Mark’s old lumbering boots.  Mark had ordered them from a fancy lumberjack catalogue many years ago.  They were well used by Mark  and when he suffered the spinal cord injury,  the boots were placed in a corner of the basement where they have sat for almost eleven years.

Although the lumberjack boots fit Ben, he found them to be uncomfortable, as the heel kept catching on twigs and such, causing him to nearly stumble. 

Mark watched Ben cut this pretty large tree.  It actually had “twin” stumps, so it was as though Ben was cutting two trees at once.  I think this tree will yield over a face cord of firewood.  It came down this past winter, along with two other large trees in the same area.  They had been standing dead on the stump for a number of years and they will make for some very well seasoned firewood.

I sat and watched Ben cut for a while, but then spotted a small area of May Apples.  There is something about the little leathery umbrella-like green leaves of this plant that fascinate me.  (to say nothing of the fact that next month they will sport a sweet little white flower on each plant) Well, I wandered on over with my trusty Panasonic camera to do a photo shoot!

Yes, the greenery of these plants is attractive,  but, well….even against the trunk of a tree,  and the spent leaves, they do get a little boring.  Hmmmmmmmm……….

Lying down on the ground,  I tried to look upward under the wee umbrellas.  Well, it didn’t take long to figure out there was no way I could crawl under them.  So, I did the next best thing. I set the camera down on the ground and got it to focus on the leaves, and snapped it!                               

Of course, one of the main attractions that caught my eye was the sun playing on the leaves of the plants. And the next photo did a great job of capturing the sun filtering through the leaves.

The next photo is one of my favorites of the day with the (huge) trees above putting the May Apples in perspective.

Ben cut for about an hour, then he had to quit so he could get ready to go down to Naples for a concert tonight.

We dropped the kids off and then took a leasurely drive to Geneva.  We got a bite to eat, then went to the Tractor Supply store there and looked around.  We picked the kids up down in Naples at about ten o’clock.

Hope you are having a wonderful weekend!