Life in the Bristolwood

Yes, I am back after a little “vacation” of sorts.  I was getting a little overwhelmed by obligations and situations and just needed a little time off!  So, I guess my New Year’s might include a resolution to do a little better with the blog.

It is so late (2:17 AM) and the kids had friends over for a little get-together.  The friends left a little after 1 AM, so I am zonked!!

May your new year be filled with blessings from above,  may you find peace, love, happiness, and most of all, security in who you are!

I just wanted to let my reader (or is it up to two?) know that I am still around.  My internet connectivity has been a bit sketchy, making me edgy!  I will be glad to get back home, for sure.

Our trip to Kingdom Bound was awesome, but it is every year.  We are all pretty tired, but it was so much fun.  We would never be able to attend so many great concerts any other way, so it is a fantastic vacation!

Will be posting again soon!  Until then…..

 oh dear!  I can hardly keep my eyeballs open! 

The following are photos taken at the Glenn Curtis Museum in Hammondsport, New York.  If you have any interest in the subject of flying, this would be a terrific place to visit!  If you really enjoy flying,  you might want to allot  more time than the hour to hour-and-a-half suggested by one of the ladies  when we called to see how long it might take to visit the museum.  Also, be aware that the museum not only is restricted to the subject of flying….it also houses many period antiques and artifacts that are interesting to the observer!

A little about Glenn Curtiss….the man was just totally awesome.  He was born in Hammondsport and as a young man developed a passion for speed.  By his early twenties, he owned three bicycle shops. He produced bikes with motors installed and at one point, during a race in Florida,  he was clocked as  “the fastest man on earth”  at 136 MPH.

Curtiss’  love of speed thrust him into the world of flying where some of his ideas still remain. He teamed with the likes of Alexander Graham Bell and much like Bell, was restlessly seeking to improve the world around him.  Curtis also loved photography.  He lived a very full life, although he passed away far too soon at the age of 52.

If you would like to know more about Curtiss, his inventions, and his life, visit the museum….you really will be glad you did!

I just do not feel like talking….well, or writing tonight.  I am sleepy after spending much of this day running about.  I did indeed go shopping, AND I found not only sundresses,  but also a couple of skirts and some tops!  It was nice finding so many clothes all in one store!  Love it.

I will post tomorrow when I am more coherant!  Right now, I am just tooo sleepy!

Last Thursday as Mark and I waited for the kids at school, we pulled into a lot at the north end of Canandaigua Lake. I was happy to see the Canandaigua Lady was back in the water, removed from the state marina parking lot where she had been dry-docked for the winter for a makeover. Part of that makeover was a new paint job!

Now I am very excited because this entry is not only being sent from my phone, but I took the above photo with my Nikon D-SLR, using a micro SD card inserted in an adapter! The blur in the photo was a brief snowsquall….yes, it has been that chilly!

Yesterday, I transplanted a dozen little tomato seedlings I had planted only a little more than a week before. With the cold temperatures we have had lately, the stove has been keeping stoked. The warmth in the living room sprouted the seeds in record time…the packet said 7-10 days, but my plants appeared in 4 days! When I did the transplants, I buried nearly all of the stems so they will develop new roots for healthier and stronger plants.

On another note, I am posting this entry from my cell phone. How cool is that?

Yesterday was Ben’s day!  He has been suffering with a miserable cold, so perhaps it was not quite the day he had hoped for.  I do think he had an okay birthday, though!

Michelle has a bowling class at the local bowling alley in Canandaigua.  She had arranged for four of Ben’s friends to meet us at Tom Wahl’s for a little birthday celebration.  Ben was totally clueless about it, so it worked out well.  He most definitely was surprised!

My last post on this blog showed us traveling by snowmobile through blizzard-like conditions.  Yesterday, the weather was so warm…the snow is greatly diminishing!  We are supposed to have warm weather today and tomorrow, with the temperature dropping into the more seasonable (freezing!) range on Saturday. This is that weather rollercoaster that is so frustrating this time of the year!

Last night when we got home from Ben’s birthday to do,  he got a call from Kyle, his nephew.  The two young men chatted quite a while and when I went to look for Ben, I found him stretched out in a chair on top of his ice house!

Yes, that is the moon over Ben’s shoulder!  I should have grabbed a tripod, but I wasn’t sure how long the guys were going to talk!  I do think that after today’s warm temps, Ben shall not be sitting on top of that house anymore! 

Happy 16th birthday, Ben!

Since my friend Eunice is Amish, she doesn’t allow herself to be photographed.  She knows how much I love photography and I even gave her a photo of the tiny fawn I had found in the woods.  There was one moment during one of my visits when she looked so pretty with her sparkling white Kapp on her head and she leaned forward, bringing tiny baby Susanna up to her face.  At that time, Susanna didn’t weigh even four pounds, but her tiny face came almost nose to nose with her mama and her eyes focussed and studied Eunice. Oh, how I longed  to capture that moment, but it was not to be.  I would never ask Eunice to allow something she feels is wrong.

Having explained the above, I received a letter from Eunice last week.  I was so surprised, as we have not written to one another for awhile. We both knew she was going to be very busy with a new baby that had some catching up to do, as well as keeping up with a young man two years old! I do try to visit at least once a month….Eunice said in her letter to let her know when I am coming so she can have some snacks ready!

After finishing up her letter,  I turned it over, seeing something on the back.  Oh, how precious!!!

I guess if I cannot have a photo, a tracing of those little hands is really special! (Eunice was holding Baby Susanna on her arms, so her writing is a little hard to read)

I can hardly belief we are wishing one another Merry Christmas, but even more startling is the fact that we will soon be entering 2011!

From our family to yours,

                                                MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

It is nearly impossible to get a decent family shot with two crazy kids and two restless Scotties!

And speaking of Scotties…our Angus was in the Christmas spirit as he watched all the hullabaloo. He is so cute.

and accommodating….

We had a lovely celebration at home today. Michelle’s friend, Jacob, stopped by for a couple hours, but we had a very relaxing day.

And so, I pray that all my Dear Readers had a wonder-filled Christmas as well!

We are currently camping amongst a forest of beautiful pine trees! It is so serene….so beautiful…and the scent of the pines is refreshing!

It would be nice if the internet offered “smellavision”, but I think pine trees can be found in nearly every area of the world…

Everyone got up early this morning and we headed out the door, as we had an adventure planned. Mark was in the truck….Michelle got in. I was locking the camper door when something caught my eye!

As you can see, these birds were not the least bit intimidated nor frightened by my presence!  What a radical difference from our wild turkeys in the Bristolwood!