A Summer Evening Drive

A couple nights ago our neighbor (Sandra) came knocking on our door and asked if we'd like to go out for a ride in "The Chevy".    Of course we would!!!    It was fun to get out in that car and go through the county roads in our lake area.    We saw lots of deer out grazing in the evening fields.  We ended up in a little town of Dorset where they have mostly eating establishments.    We treated Doug and Sandra to a dish of ice cream.     I had to get a picture below of the dice hanging on the window.    The only thing missing was a key chain that had a rabbit foot.    This is a beautiful restored 58 with red interior.   It sure gets a lot of attention when you stop at an ice cream shop!!!!  

 

August 25th

We have enjoyed spending a few days in Hudson with the Slangers.   They are getting to know the area well so took us to some wildlife areas and parks.  It was especially fun to be with them over Vic's birthday.   Early this morning I wished him a Happy Birthday and his response was, "I don't want to be 76".   

The cake choice was a good one - the famous Whole Foods Chantilly Cake.  I highly recommend it.

 

Neighbors

 Our neighbor, Doug has been struggling with leg and back pain for about 16 months.  He has been doctoring with the best doctors, had some surgery and more recently was doing serious physical therapy.   He decided to switch to a doctor and therapist in Park Rapids and was so impressed with the care he was getting.   The doctor recommended a shot but after trying several he wasn't too keen on trying another one but finally agreed to it.    His wife stopped over when we got back to the lake to tell us how well Doug was doing.  Vic said, "I'll believe it when I see the two of you dancing on the deck"......well, pretty soon we got a text saying - "come out on your deck".   Sure enough - there they were.......

Spring Project

35 years ago we put in this landscaping in our yard.   The railroad ties we used to border the back of the area had rotted and needed to be replaced.  (Vic said things just don't last like they used to).  He hired a friend who needed a job to help him.     It is a lot of work but for a change we are at our home in GF and not at the lake in May so think we will get a lot more outside jobs done.  

It Must Be Spring

Moving into our sunroom is a huge day for me especially.   We don't like to make the move too early when night temperatures are still so cold but this morning I heard these words, "I think we could move into the porch today."     Vic knows that is something I have been wanting to do since we got back from Arizona early March.     I snapped a couple pictures when Vic was taking a break in the middle of the move.     If you look closely you can see small patches of snow outside.   Also, we are so grateful that the sump pump is working great and has kept the lower level of our house dry.  You can see the blue hose out the window.

For the record......

This is to record the weather after we returned from Arizona........

Picture Number 1 taken on March 19
Picture Number 2 taken on March 28
Picture Number 3 taken on April 3

Special Days

We had 3 very special days with Carrie.   Rob had a few days between flights and stayed with the kids while Carrie flew to Arizona.    We had the most wonderful time taking her to places we enjoy going, spending as much time outside as possible and eating at some fun restaurants. 

The first time I came to the desert when my Mom was here in the 80's I wasn't so sure I liked it, but after the 2nd visit I fell in love with the cactus and warm sunshine.   They say there are over 300 days of sunshine in Arizona and that feels so good in the winter months.

We went to the Desert Botanical Garden the second day Carrie was here.   We had never been there and couldn't believe how much time we spent walking through all the loops and checking out so many different desert plants.   The blooms hadn't started yet but it will be very pretty this spring because of decent rainfall.    Vic is checking out the very large organ pipe cactus.

Vic has enjoyed the time he has spent with his high school best friend, David Finger.   They were roommates at Iowa State and David was in our wedding.   After we left Iowa we didn't have much contact with him until our Steamboat Rock High School Reunion.   He settled in the Tempe, AZ where he was a mechanical engineer for a large corporation.    He met Nancy after he moved to Arizona and they now live in Gilbert so we have seen them several times this winter.    Nancy is a really neat gal that I have enjoyed getting to know better.