212:365 The Pumpkins are coming!

The pumpkins are starting to blossom. I'm looking forward to seeing how big they can get. They'd better hurry though.

211:365 Leisure

This is such a nice place to spend a summer evening.

210:365 Flower

Isn't she lovely?

209:365 Flower

I made it home in time to attend a photography workshop tonight. They've had the workshop every Thursday night in July and this is the only one that I've been home for. These are some flowers that I was practicing on while I was there.

208:365 Sharing

These two are sharing the toys. I love the look that they are exchanging. Jeff, Derek, Payton and I went out to Dead Lake today to visit with Jeff's family. There were a lot of nieces and nephews there that we don't get to see very often. Lavonne and Lefty were there also. It was a beautiful day, and we ended it by going for a ride on the pontoon.

207:365 Sharing a laugh

We made a quick trip to Fargo for a couple of days. Derek and his munchkin are sharing a good laugh.

206:365 Peas

The peas are ready. We were hoping that they would be ready when the kids were here last week, but I guess they had their own agenda. Go figure.

205:365 Where's Brandy?!? =D

I'm posting two pictures today!!

I laugh every time that I look at this photo. I didn't realize it until I uploaded this photo to my computer, but Brandy is trying very hard to get herself into this photo. There is a much nicer photo of Elaine and Jenna which I will also post, I just had to laugh at Brandy. Elaine, Jenna, Brandy, Jeff (Jenna's boyfriend) and the kids and I spent the day driving along the Bear Tooth Highway to Cook City. We made many stops along the way and had lunch in Cook City. We stopped in Red Lodge on the way home to buy some candy at the candy store. It was a great way to spend the day.

204:365 Coooold Chick

Auntie JenJen got a pool from one of her friends to set up for the kids. She filled it up and put the cover on hoping that it would warm up enough to swim. Kids are very resilient and will swim anyway. Just look at the smile on that face, she was having a great time.

203:365 Cool Dude

He's a cool dude alright, and a sweetheart on top of that. Yeah, I'm just a little bit prejudiced. =D

202:365 Kids

Brandy and her mother-in-law make an annual trip with the kids out to Laurel, MT to visit Auntie JenJen. This year I was lucky enough to be invited along on the trip. This is the field right across the street from Jenna's house. What a view that she has every day. The mountains (not shown) are off to the left of this view.

201:365 Tex

I spent the day packing and cleaning and didn't think about photos until I got to Brandy's. I was losing light fast, so I hurried outside and snapped a photo of Tex. He's such a pretty dog.

200:365 Plane

This could quite possibly be the worst photo that I've taken this year, but it is the only photo that I took today, so this has to do. This is a model of a plane that Jeff found when we were at the air show in Glendale this past winter. I can't remember what type of plane that it is, but it is something that he had been kind of looking for for a while.

199:365 Purple Flowers

These are the purple flowers in the front yard of the house where my grandma used to live. I was a few days late in getting the photo, as they were already starting to fade. Lora takes care of the yard now, and she has it looking pretty spiffy.

198:365 Lonely Game

Everyone has gone home, and the game sits just waiting for someone to play.

197:365 Sunset Photos

Brandy, Macy and I went out this evening to get pictures of the sunset. Macy took her own photos on her mommy's camera. What fun!!

Onions, It's a Guy Thing??

This year the onions seem to be especially strong, but that doesn't stop Papa Jeff from going out to the garden every day to pull an onion and eat it right there on the spot. One of his childhood memories is going to the garden with his Grandpa Louis and eating raw onions. I guess that he is trying to pass this tradition on to his grandsons, and it is one that they seem to enjoy. Payton took it upon himself to go pull this onion to eat.

196:365 The Whole Fam Damily

This is our last night that we will all be together for this family vacation. =( We've had a great week just hanging out with each other. Today we went to the water park in Mandan. It's the first time that I've been there, and I will definitely be going back. Macy was really bummed, because she was not tall enough to go on the big slides, but she had lots of fun in the river and on the little slides. Jeffrey was really brave and went on all of the big slides. He was full of smiles when he reached the bottom. Abby went on the big slides, then decided that she would rather float down the river and go over the waves, and we all took turns hanging out with Payton in the little pool. He really enjoyed splashing and kicking. We came home and started the fire so that we could toast marshmallows and make s'mores. It's really been great week and I'm bummed that it's gone so fast, but so happy to have had this time together.

195:365 Fishing

Jeff and I celebrated our 33rd anniversary today. It was a pretty laid back day at home with all of the family, just the way that I wanted it to be. We went to Turtle Creek this evening to do a little fishing. We caught all kinds of fish, but nothing that we brought home. I don't think that Abby would have let us bring home any fish anyways. She loved catching the fish, but made sure that we let them go back in to the water. What a sweetie.

194:365 Zoo

I really would like to have a nice photo of all four grandchildren together, but it is just not meant to be. They will agree to pose, but by the time that we get everyone together, the first ones there are fidgety and moving around and we just can't get them all looking at the camera and smiling at the same time. This is not a great quality photo, but I love it anyway because they are all together and having fun!!

193:365 Motorcycle Fun

Uncle Derek was busy a lot this week, giving rides on the motorcycle. I'm not sure who enjoyed it more, Derek or the munchkins??

192:365 River

Can you believe that I had grandchildren visiting me and I did not snap one photo of a child today?? Neither can I!! It turned out that we all ended up in Bismarck or Mandan this evening. I rode along and took a stroll along the river to snap a few photos. The bugs are definitely out. This is along the path in Sertoma Park. The volleyball courts and walking path are under there somewhere.

191:365 Happy Birthday to Me!!

Derek and the kids came from Fargo today. They are going to spend the week here with Grandma and Grandpa. Brandy and the kids are coming on Tuesday, then Tyler will join us on Thursday. It's going to be a GREAT week!! The kids are helping Grandpa out in the garden here. They are picking carrots and eating them right out of the garden.

190:365 Quentin & Jeff

We called Quentin and Joyce this morning and invited them out to supper. We wanted to go for a ride up to Riverdale and have supper at the new restaurant there and we knew that they had not seen the dam yet. Well, Quentin ended up buying supper! We will have to invite them along more often. =D It was nice to spend the evening with them, and Quentin is doing great since his surgery.

189:365 Sunset

Jeff and I went to a movie tonight and this was the sunset happening on our way home. I stopped along the side of the road to capture a few shots of the fantastic colors.

188:365 Mary

Mary was in Wilton visiting her mother for a while. The three of us went for a drive up to Garrison Dam. We stopped for a bite to eat then drove around Riverdale and out to the dam around sunset. It was a perfect evening.

187:365 Photoshop CS5

This is what I want my next major project to be. I want to really learn how to use Photoshop CS5. I'm thinking that if I read a few pages a day, I should be done with it by 2015. Maybe. =D

186:365 Rose

I love roses! Especially pink.

185:365 Tubing

Macy wasn't very sure about tubing when it started out, but her daddy went slow and gave them a nice smooth ride. She was having fun in not time at all. Her brother was a little bored though.

184:365 L&C State Park

This little munchkin loves riding her bike. She rode all day long back and forth between camp and the beach. I was surprised at how long she would sit here and people watch. This shot was late in the evening after her shower and she is in her jammies.

183_365 Lewis & Clark State Park

This is what Brandy and I often look like. Not only do the kids have a mom that always has a camera, but a grandma that always has a camera. It's no wonder that they run when they see the camera pointed at them. =D

182:365 Water Fight

Jeff and I stayed with the kids this afternoon, while Brandy was at her class. It was a nice afternoon and we decided to have a water fight. Jeffrey knows what is about to happen, but Macy hasn't figured it out yet. He has just a little bit more experience than she does. =D

181:365 Badlands

We took a small detour on the way to Brandy's and drove through the north unit of the Badlands today. It is about as green as I've ever seen it, and so pretty. I want to go back some time and hike a couple of the trails. Maybe later this summer.

180:365 Camper

We are getting ready for the Fourth of July campout. It's the first time that we've had the camper out this year. Should be lots of fun!!

179:365 Salad

I had my first salad from the garden tonight. YummO!

178:365 Pond

I walked up to the pond tonight at sunset, but while on the way I ran in to someone that I hadn't seen for a while and stopped to talk. By the time that I got going again, I had lost some of the light that I was looking for, but I was still able to get a few good shots.

177:365 Broccoli

I have broccoli growing out in my garden. It is almost ready to cut, and I can't wait. I've also learned that once it is cut, it will continue to grow smaller chutes, so I'll have broccoli for a while. YaY!!