Visitors....

Finals week ... by the end my room was a disaster. My space just didn't work any more ... I needed too many books close by but their "home" was across the room. I rearranged it -- total disaster. So I begged for help from a nearby "efficiency expert"; and afterward a couple of his friends offered their opinions of the new digs ... OT is quite comfortable and Nelson seems pleased with his contribution, but Bart ... well, he's still checking things out.
A couple days later, OT has claimed his space and moved in.
And Bart? His apparent sigh leaves me thinking he's not too sure yet ....
Nonetheless this is the new arrangment...that's my study chair, behind the fan. And my books are now right beside me. And my bed ... well, it's no longer against the neighbor boy's bedroom wall, amplifying the sounds of boys being boys.

Liza Grace Goes to School

Oldest grandchild Eliza Grace started kindergarten Thursday, August 25. She'll turn five on Sunday. These photos are copied from her daddy's website; if you'd like to see more go to: http://homepage.mac.com/steverinojohnson/iblog. I think she's absolutely adorable...but also she chooses to be her own unique self in her own unique style, and that's awesome, too. I used to tell my girls, "You can wear whatever you want to school, as long as you don't look like everybody else. I want the teachers to notice you so you'll get more attention." I hope Liza never does follow the fads when it comes to style and apparel choices.
What a gorgeous morning near the Blue Ridge Mountains of Virginia -- Momma Anna Maria is holding Eliza's hand who told me, when asked how she felt about school, "I'm a little bit excited and a little bit scared, too." I told her I felt the same way, very excited but also a bit scared about her going to school. (What I didn't say, but felt, is that I also felt very old -- it's one thing to have grandchildren, but to have school-aged grandchildren is something else). Maggie, in red, is following along behind.
Liza getting on the bus. Daddy Steven, on his blog, said that the driver missed their stop. It was an hour and a half past the drop-off time before a frightened little girl met up with her parents. When asked all she said to me, "It was a lot of fun." Then she told me about a craft project she'd made at school--something about dipping her hand in pant and then leaving a print on paper? Anyway the 2d went without incident and Eliza arrived home on time.

Yes, that really is a catfish on the far left side. The rest of these beauties are now between 6-12 inches long. And they eat like teenagers -- 3 to 4 handfulls at a feeding, and then an hour later acting like they haven't eaten for weeks.
Look closely...this baby was no longer than my thumbnail when first seen a month ago. Now he and 3 brown babies enjoy life in the stream. About four more babies, thumbnail-size, have been seen in the big pond. The fish food, about pea size, is hard, but softens fairly quickly. Babies can nibble at it and do all right. But the adults swim up with their mouths opened up as wide as their bodies and gulp four or five pieces at a time. Last Friday, though, at feeding time Nelson saw one of the babies trolling near one of the big fish. Small flakes of fish food passed through the big fish's gills and the baby ate those nibble-sized flakes.

Crosswinds Prayer Garden Update

A view of the stream between the two upper falls and the lower falls into the pond...I don't think anyone guessed it would fill in quite this well in the first year. (Note: to really see the stream, you might need to click on this photo to enlarge it).
The falls area...from berm to bridge.
And next year...when plants have the full growing season in which to do their thing, it will even be better. Already this prayer garden has far exceeded my dreams. God has blessed the work done. And if He cares this much about a few plants and fish, "which neither toil nor spin ... ," how much more does he care for us?

Mom

Entering the prayer garden Thursday eve...the rose garden is the first glimpse of what's ahead. Back in June, even the first part of July, it didn't look like these poor things would survive the transplanting. Every time I visited I cut off more and more dead till there was just nubs & a few twigs, but since then the roses have bloomed several times! Even the shrub roses (the ones with the real small flowers) have had two distinct blooming seasons.
This is a brand new part of the garden ... The three spikes are climbing roses just begun this summer. For some reason, more than any other part of the garden, this area reminds me of Mom, who loved roses. These are big, full blooming, traditional scented roses -- very sweet, but also tones of wood & earth. Any every time I see another bloom, I wish Mom could see it, too. And then I laugh at me ... the roses she's smelling in heaven are far more incredible than anything that can be grown on earth!

Mom...this one's for you...

Finals Week Chaos

Right in the midst of trying to print out forms and cheat sheets for my final projects, my printer died and I had to get a new one. That project added chaos upon chaos. My brain, unfortunately, feels just as cluttered as my room. I finished one project today, but still have one more project, two papers and two exams all due by midnight tomorrow night. (photo by Nelson).

out on a ridge...

See the two white spots on the grass in front of the trees on the ridge? The smaller dot is Bart and the taller is me, gingerly stepping out as far as I dared on the four-foot-wide trail, undercut by about two-feet on each side, leaving only a two-foot-wide safe hiking trail. Nelson took this and the next several photos last Sunday while we hiked in Chimney Bluffs State Park near Sodus Bay. Click on the photo to enlarge it and see it easier.

In a tree at Sodus...

This tree was a very comfortable fit -- dry, completely hollow and still standing, unlike many (like the tree behind) that have fallen from the ridge above as nature continually crafts sculptures from the sand, carving out cliffs, undercutting ridges and pulling out trees.

Seams of clay ... more from Chimney Bluffs

The clay in these seams felt just like the "slip" Anna Maria used to bring home for clay sculptures, and it was just as slippery, too, as I discovered and nearly landed on my bum.

The throne ... Chimney Bluffs near Sodus Bay

Even this massive "throne" isn't big enough to seat the Lord God Almighty!

The pinnacle ... Chimney Bluffs near Sodus Bay

Beach view...


and ridge view

The fortress at Chimney Bluffs, Sodus Bay

from the top...

& from the beach.

Chimney Bluffs at Sodus Bay -- from atop the ridge

Sodus Bay - Chimney Bluffs State Park

Chimney Bluffs State Park on Sodus Bay was a great way to beat the heat Sunday. The people (and the dog) in these photos give a glimpse at the height of these nature made sand sculptures. (photos by Nelson).

Me and my girls....

On July 17, my daughters and granddaughters were all together on the same day....Oldest daughter Anna Maria from Virginia is on the left, next to AM (on my lap) is her daughter Magdalena Hope (age 3). Maggie's sister, Eliza Grace, who'll be five later this month, (right) is sitting on her Auntie Ana's lap. Auntie Ana is from Hornell. (photos by Nelson Bowen).

Fourth of July weekend

Fourth of July ride from Pittsford to Rochester...Nelson took this photo near Brown's Race.
They might not ask for directions, but Nelson and Steve did at least study a map!