Christmas colors

Earlier this month, one of the Little Prince's brackets came loose. When they re-glued it, he got to change his colors. The top is all one red band called a Power Chain. It is starting to close the gap between his two front teeth. See the little bit of green on his bottom teeth? Must be close to Christmas!

Perfect ending

Thursday was the company Holiday Party. It was a fun time with lots of great food, a live band and good company. What I found in my bed when I got home after 11pm made for the perfect ending to a fun evening: the Little Prince fast asleep. So glad he cooperated with his dad and went to sleep relatively early. In past years, I have come home to find him still wound up tight and bouncing off the walls. Apparently, he fell asleep listening to the Eagles on Thursday Night Football. Whatever it takes, I say.

It's that time of year

It's the Monday after Thanksgiving and all three of us have the day off. The Little Prince is off because school is closed. I am off because the Little Prince is off. My sweetie is off because it is the first day of some type of hunting season. Not sure which one, because we are not hunters. However, we will take the day off. And, believe it or not, we did take the day off. We had absolutely nothing planned. No basketball, no Little League meetings, no church meetings, nothing. We had lunch at the mall and purchased new lights for the tree.

And because we had off, we had the time to put this lady at the top of our tree. She watches over all our many decorations each year. She was given to us by my sweetie's parents when they stopped putting up a tree.

The tree is filled to overflowing with ornaments. Many, like this toy soldier, were made by my sweetie's grandmother when he was the Little Prince's age. The dog is one of a Hallmark series called Puppy Love. Since 1994, I have purchase one for my sweetie. That's how long we have been together. Other ornaments include "Our First Christmas", "Baby's First Christmas" and "Our First House". Each year, since 2006, we have added a ribbon, attached to a card and signed by the Little Prince that reads: "This ribbon is very special, you see. Untie it, and it's the same size as me!"

Treasured Memories - Moments of a Lifetime

Life passes so quickly and there are so many things I want the Little Prince to know about my life. Each week, I reflect on one question and answer it here, hoping to create a treasure chest full of glittering memories for the Little Prince to enjoy.
9.

What is your favorite holiday? How do you celebrate?

My favorite holiday is definately Thanksgiving. The three of us travel down to my hometown to celebrate with my family. Most of my sisters live close by, so there is always a big crowd with lots of cousins for the Little Prince to play with.

There are cute Thanksgiving decorations and, of course, a family tradition. For the past 4 years, everyone has written something that they are thankful for on a strip of material. This year, it was made into a table cloth.

This is a close up of the section from 2006. The Little Prince traced his hand and wrote his name and I wrote what he was thankful for (Mom-Mom and Pappy). This year, each person got a handmade name card, made by the younger children. They are laminated so we can use them again next year.

I love the smells of Thanksgiving that make themselves known as you are walking up the driveway. All the girls (and guys) help out by making turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, stuffing, ham, green beans, corn, sweet potato casserole, fresh rolls and cranberry salad. Oh, and desserts which include, but are not limited to, blueberry pie, pecan pie, pumpkin pie and brownies.

Each year, I get to see the newest little ones (this little angel just turned 1 in October). The Little Prince spends most of the visit, after eating, playing outside with his cousins. They run and jump and scream as much as they can. The rest of us stay inside and play games and put away the leftovers while we catch up with the latest news. Before the first people had to leave, we all gathered around the piano and sang one of Dad's favorite songs, "All That Thrills My Soul Is Jesus". Even though he is not physically with us, he is a part of each of us and always in our hearts.

Best of all, Thanksgiving is another chance to be with Mom, whom I love dearly. Now that all her girls are grown, she can enjoy the day without having to worry about doing any of the work. For so many years, she worked for us. Now all she needs to do is sit back and enjoy herself and the wonderful family she and Dad raised. It is worth the 2 1/2 hour one-way drive to spend this special holiday with the family I love.

What have I read?

Got this from Rachel M. It was fun!

The BBC believes most people will have read only 6 of the 100 books listed here. Instructions: Bold those books you’ve read in their entirety, italicize the ones you started but didn’t finish or read an excerpt.

1 Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen
2 The Lord of the Rings – JRR Tolkien
3 Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte
4 Harry Potter series – JK Rowling
5 To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee
6 The Bible
7 Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8 Nineteen Eighty Four – George Orwell
9 His Dark Materials – Philip Pullman
10 Great Expectations – Charles Dickens
11 Little Women – Louisa M Alcott
12 Tess of the D’Urbervilles – Thomas Hardy
13 Catch 22 – Joseph Heller
14 Complete Works of Shakespeare
15 Rebecca – Daphne Du Maurier
16 The Hobbit – JRR Tolkien
17 Birdsong – Sebastian Faulks
18 Catcher in the Rye – JD Salinger
19 The Time Traveller’s Wife – Audrey Niffenegger
20 Middlemarch – George Eliot
21 Gone With The Wind – Margaret Mitchell
22 The Great Gatsby – F Scott Fitzgerald
23 Bleak House – Charles Dickens
24 War and Peace – Leo Tolstoy
25 The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Douglas Adams
26 Brideshead Revisited – Evelyn Waugh
27 Crime and Punishment – Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28 Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck
29 Alice in Wonderland – Lewis Carroll
30 The Wind in the Willows – Kenneth Grahame
31 Anna Karenina – Leo Tolstoy
32 David Copperfield – Charles Dickens
33 Chronicles of Narnia – CS Lewis
34 Emma – Jane Austen
35 Persuasion – Jane Austen
36 The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe – CS Lewis
37 The Kite Runner – Khaled Hosseini
38 Captain Corelli’s Mandolin – Louis De Berniere
39 Memoirs of a Geisha – Arthur Golden
40 Winnie the Pooh – AA Milne
41 Animal Farm – George Orwell
42 The Da Vinci Code – Dan Brown
43 One Hundred Years of Solitude – Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44 A Prayer for Owen Meaney – John Irving
45 The Woman in White – Wilkie Collins
46 Anne of Green Gables – LM Montgomery
47 Far From The Madding Crowd – Thomas Hardy
48 The Handmaid’s Tale – Margaret Atwood
49 Lord of the Flies – William Golding
50 Atonement – Ian McEwan
51 Life of Pi – Yann Martel
52 Dune – Frank Herbert
53 Cold Comfort Farm – Stella Gibbons
54 Sense and Sensibility – Jane Austen
55 A Suitable Boy – Vikram Seth
56 The Shadow of the Wind – Carlos Ruiz Zafon
57 A Tale Of Two Cities – Charles Dickens
58 Brave New World – Aldous Huxley
59 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time – Mark Haddon
60 Love In The Time Of Cholera – Gabriel Garcia Marquez
61 Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck
62 Lolita – Vladimir Nabokov
63 The Secret History – Donna Tartt
64 The Lovely Bones – Alice Sebold
65 Count of Monte Cristo – Alexandre Dumas
66 On The Road – Jack Kerouac
67 Jude the Obscure – Thomas Hardy
68 Bridget Jones’s Diary – Helen Fielding
69 Midnight’s Children – Salman Rushdie
70 Moby Dick – Herman Melville
71 Oliver Twist – Charles Dickens
72 Dracula – Bram Stoker
73 The Secret Garden – Frances Hodgson Burnett
74 Notes From A Small Island – Bill Bryson
75 Ulysses – James Joyce
76 The Bell Jar – Sylvia Plath
77 Swallows and Amazons – Arthur Ransome
78 Germinal – Emile Zola
79 Vanity Fair – William Makepeace Thackeray
80 Possession – AS Byatt
81 A Christmas Carol – Charles Dickens
82 Cloud Atlas – David Mitchell
83 The Color Purple – Alice Walker
84 The Remains of the Day – Kazuo Ishiguro
85 Madame Bovary – Gustave Flaubert
86 A Fine Balance – Rohinton Mistry
87 Charlotte’s Web – EB White
88 The Five People You Meet In Heaven – Mitch Albom
89 Adventures of Sherlock Holmes – Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
90 The Faraway Tree Collection – Enid Blyton
91 Heart of Darkness – Joseph Conrad
92 The Little Prince – Antoine De Saint-Exupery
93 The Wasp Factory – Iain Banks
94 Watership Down – Richard Adams
95 A Confederacy of Dunces – John Kennedy Toole
96 A Town Like Alice – Nevil Shute
97 The Three Musketeers – Alexandre Dumas
98 Hamlet – William Shakespeare
99 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory – Roald Dahl
100 Les Miserables – Victor Hugo

I've read 16 books on this list so I beat BBC's record!!

I've been busy

Busy running. Not the kind of running where I get exercise and become super healthy. It involves basketball practices and fast food dinners. And juggling homework, husband's overtime and many, many basketball practices. But the Little Prince is having fun, meeting new people and making new friends. And his team is 2-0.

The big screen

The Little Prince finally made it to the big screen as part of the orthodontist's "New Faces in Braces" marquee. His second check up went well. Along with a new wire to tighten his teeth, he got to pick new band colors. He chose Metalic Gold. Close to brown, I guess.

September Birthdays - Part Four

I really enjoyed the Ornamental Gardens. I never remember seeing ornamental grass that was almost twice as tall as me.

This tree looks like a giant, leaf-covered rock. To the left, you can see a doorway of sorts. When you enter there, you are under the tree where they have a little table and chairs set up. It's like a treehouse on the ground. Under the tree, you can look up, up, up to the very top and imagine climbing up there. Looking out, you see the rest of the world go by through waving, curly leaves.

This little girl seemed to capture the mood of the day. Carefree and joyful with the wind in her hair, she reminded us of our childhood. For just a moment, we were taken back to those worry-free days when we spent as much time as possible outside enjoying God's creation and our only responsibility was to soak up the sun.
Part One photos here. Part Two photos here. Part Three photos here.

September Birthdays - Part Three

This bright, beautiful yellow flower helped us complete our Scavanger Hunt. Each of us had a copy of this hunt, along with a colored pencil in the shade of our favorite color. It was so fun! We found everything except for the monarch eggs.

Beautiful colors on these ornamental peppers. They look like jewels among the green leaves.

Can you see us in the gazing ball? We're there, looking at the reflection of the leaves and surrounding scenery.

Part One photos here. Part Two photos here.

September Birthdays - Part Two

There were several of these unique benches throughout the garden. If it was not so cold, it would have been a lovely place to sit and rest and take in the scenery. But we needed to keep moving.

The Butterfly House was closed for the season. Instead, they had a bonsai display set up. This was the smallest tree there. I took so many photos, it was hard to choose just two.

This display is a miniature forest (click to enlarge). It was amazing to see what they created on such a small scale.

Part One photos here

September Birthdays - Part One

I have 8 sisters. One sister lives in LA and has a birthday in October, one lives in IL and has a birthday in November and one lives in WV and has a birthday in December. The rest of us live relatively close and try to get together during our birthday month. There is a January birthday, 2 May birthdays and 3 September birthdays. For the September birthdays, we decided to meet in Hershey, eat at Red Robin then visit Hershey Gardens. Trying to coordinate the Saturday schedules of 6 married women, some with children, is not easy. It was October 30th before we were all free.

Upon entering the gardens, this was there to greet us. There were many carved pumpkins throughout the gardens. I saw some carved with the Eagles, Steelers, Penn State and Notre Dame logos.

Look at these beautiful roses. One for each of us sisters and our mom. So beautiful!

I was amazed that there were so many roses still in bloom. When I left my house that morning to meet my sisters, it was 32 degrees. I was concerned that we would be meeting to look at cleared grounds and a few mums. But we were not disappointed. More photos to follow.

Treasured Memories - Moments of a Lifetime

Life passes so quickly and there are so many things I want the Little Prince to know about my life. Each week, I reflect on one question and answer it here, hoping to create a treasure chest full of glittering memories for the Little Prince to enjoy.

8.

Do you and your mother share any interests? Tell about your relationship.

Mom is a wonderful seamstress. I can remember as a little girl, sitting next to her sewing machine watching the wonderful outfits she created. She made most of my dresses growing up, including this one. Mine was blue and white and my little sister's was red and white. She made the bridesmaids dresses for my wedding, as well as for several of my sisters' weddings. When I was in college, I wrote one of my papers about her sewing table.

Making kitchen curtains and hemming the Little Prince's pants is pretty much the extent of my sewing expertise. However, as you can see by this photo from 1998 (I think), Mom and I have a great time when she comes to visit and we do one of my sewing projects. We were putting together patches for a lap quilt, which I still keep in my truck. It comes in handy when the Little Prince gets cold or wants to keep the sun out of his eyes so he can take a nap on road trips.

Mom and I have a great relationship. She was a true mother when I was growing up and now we have become wonderful friends. I wish I could see her more often, but we get to talk several times a week. She has great knowledge and advice on a wide variety of subjects: the latest news, cooking, sewing (obviously), raising the Little Prince, etc. It makes me feel very special to know that she will always make time to talk to me no matter what time I call or for what reason. She never seems to be too busy to chat and I love that! Love you, Mom, my friend.

Race for Education

Run up the hill.

Walk down the hill.

Get a hole punched in your name tag, then start all over again. For 1 hour. Why? The school's annual Race for Education. Letters are sent to friends and family and pledges are made, either per lap or a flat donation. Trophies are given out for most laps run and checks are given out for most money raised. Last year, the Little Prince completed 33 laps. This year, however, he was more chat and less race, so he only made 28 laps. But they all had fun.

The best part, though, is the water, grapes and pretzels afterwards.

Treasured Memories - Moments of a Lifetime

Life passes so quickly and there are so many things I want the Little Prince to know about my life. Each week, I reflect on one question and answer it here, hoping to create a treasure chest full of glittering memories for The Little Prince to enjoy.

7.

Describe your Sundays as a mother.

Unless we are sick or out of town, every Sunday morning is spent in Church. If we have time, the Little Prince likes to make scrambled eggs for lunch.

***

As for the rest of our Sunday afternoon, it depends. Back when the Little Prince was younger, our Sundays were spent taking naps or quietly visiting with family while he took a nap. These days, since it is soccer season, we spend the afternoons at the game watching the Little Prince run and kick. The past couple of games, he has been goalie.

Next month starts baseketball season and then baseball will start in the spring. Remember those days? I'm sure next year will be much the same.

***

If for some reason we do not have anything happening on a Sunday afternoon, we would probably spend our time together just hanging out. If the weather is nice, we may go for a drive.

***

Before bedtime, we check the Little Prince's backpack to make sure we have everything signed and ready for the next day at school and he fills out his lunch envelope for the next week.

A day at the Faire

While waiting in line for our taco salad, we spotted this beautiful orange tree. It was a sunny but windy day at the Pennsylvania Renaissance Faire. Without the Little Prince, I might add. He got to go last time and did not complain at all to spend the day with Mom-Mom and Pappy. He only made one request, which we granted.

He wanted some Blueberry Honey. When we picked him up this evening, he asked me if we remembered the honey. My answer of "yes" won me a big hug. He wanted to sleep with it tonight, but I thought that might turn into a sticky situation.

Misty morning

Can you see the mist in the tree? You may need to click on the photo to enlarge it.

It was caused by a very cold morning (36 degrees) plus the dryer vent. The Little Prince noticed it when he went out for school.

He also noticed the lovely dew in the grass. It almost looks like ice. When we left the house, the neighbor's black metal mailbox was covered with dew and steaming in the sun. By the time I got back home, it was completely dry.

A perfect Saturday

What could be more perfect than a Saturday with blue skies...

and a baseball in the freshly-cut green grass?

A buddy to share it with.

Heading north

We headed about an hour north tonight for a Straight No Chaser concert. What fun! They were amazing. The Little Prince caught some Zs on the way up because it was going to be a late night. As an added bonus to the awesome concert, we got to see the Budweiser Clydesdales. They were in town for the Octoberfest.

One month later

It is hard to believe it has already been over a month since the Little Prince got his braces. Today he went for his one month check-up. Can you tell what new colors he got? (click photo to enlarge) Since this was his first time back, Dr S said they would only be changing the bands. Next month, they will tighten the wires as well.

On the way to the appt, (which was actually not until Wednesday -- SOMEBODY put it on the calendar wrong) the Little Prince planned his color choices for the next 8 months. November = brown for turkeys; December = red and green; January = white for snow; February = red for hearts; March = green; April = blue for showers; May = pink for flowers (when I questioned that one, he informed me that boys were allowed to like pink and purple); June = blue because that is his birthday month and blue is his favorite color. It will be interesting to see if he sticks with these color choices. I really do hope he changes his mind for May...

Treasured Memories - Moments of a Lifetime

Life passes so quickly and there are so many things I want the Little Prince to know about my life. Each week, I reflect on one question and answer it here, hoping to create a treasure chest full of glittering memories for the Little Prince to enjoy.

6.
Where do you like to go to eat out? What do you order?

What a delicious question! There are so many places I love, I cannot pick just one. I love Red Lobster's Stuffed Mushrooms, Garlic Cheese Biscuits and Endless Shrimp. I don't have a favorite dessert there because I never have room. I've shared what we like to eat in the summer. We love Red Robin, as you saw earlier. I get the Whiskey River BBQ Chicken Wrap and New England Clam Chowder and we share the Towering Onion Rings. For my birthday, the Little Prince and my sweetie took me to the Outback for a Bloomin' Onion and some steak and shrimp on the barbie. The Little Prince let me have some of his Speckled Dog Sundae.

More birthday fun

Even though my birthday is past, I still celebrate. I met two of my sisters in Hershey for lunch. Can you guess where? We had good eats: bacon cheeseburger, cobb salad, Whiskey River BBQ chicken wrap, New England clam chowder and a freckled lemonade. The Little Prince was quite sad that he did not get to go. He loves their towering onion rings. But he'll get to go next time, I'm sure. Just as I am sure there will be a next time...

Treasured Memories - Moments of a Lifetime

Time passes so quickly and there are so many things I want the Little Prince to know about my life. Each week, I reflect on one question and answer it here, hoping to create a treasure chest full of glittering memories for the Little Prince to enjoy.

5.
How did you become engaged?

A very interesting topic, especially considering the last question. Reese and I went to the City Park quite often during our 3 years of dating. We fed the ducks and walked the paths looking at the beautiful trees and gardens. One evening during our walk, we stopped at our favorite garden. We sat on a park bench talking and suddenly, he knelt down on one knee in front of me. He told me how glad he was that we had become friends. Then he asked me if I would be his friend forever; if I would marry him. All together now, "Awwwww". I said yes and here we are, 13 years later. Still happily married and with the Little Prince as a bonus.

Perfect for fielding

Tonight was a perfect night for practicing some fielding at the ball field. I especially enjoyed it since I got to sit in the shade in the outfield and take pictures.

Dad gets to minister to the wounded. The Little Prince was trying to catch a fly ball and it missed his glove and hit him on the hip. Fortunately, it was a T-ball, which is a bit softer than a regular hard ball.

Treasured Memories - Moments of a Lifetime

Time passes so quickly and there are so many things I want the Little Prince to know about my life. Each week, I reflect on one question and answer it here, hoping to create a treasure chest full of glittering memories for the Little Prince to enjoy.

4.

What was a favorite place to go with your family when you were young?

First of all, I am still young, even though I did have yet another birthday yesterday. And as the birthday girl, I am choosing to post a Treasured Memory early this week.

***

My fondest memories are of the Sunday afternoons we spent at the City Park. Sometimes we would go after lunch to spend the afternoon in the Museum, to feed the ducks, to swing on the swings or just run around. My favorite times were when we would stop at KFC first for a bucket of chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy and eat them at the picnic table in the Park. I suppose they were my favorite times because they did not happen very often. That made them even more special. But no matter where we are or what we are doing, any time spent with family is special. Being the birthday girl just adds a little more sweetness. Be sure to tell your family that you love them, every chance you get.

Treasured Memories - Moments of a Lifetime

Time passes so quickly and there are so many things I want the Little Prince to know about my life. Each week, I reflect on one question and answer it here, hoping to create a treasure chest full of glittering memories for the Little Prince to enjoy.

3.

Tell about favorite games you played as a child.

I grew up without TV, so my sisters and I had many games to play. The ones I remember most were card games like Uno, Old Maid and Concentration and board games like Sorry, Candyland and Clue. We had imaginary friends and they had friends: JB and NaBe (the twins) and their friend, Snowball. They all had such amazing adventures. We spent hours outside using our imagination to ride horses and take shopping trips. Down the road from our house was a huge pit. We called it "the hole". There was a section in the middle that was almost always filled with about 6 inches of water. We put on our jelly shoes and went wading or captured tadpoles. We explored up and down the sides of the hole and through the surrounding trees on our bikes. Soon "the hole" became "Spain" to us. I'm not really sure about the story behind that, maybe we were studying Spain in school? Whatever the reason, it was a wonderful place for hide-and-seek or cops and robbers.

The Little Prince has a totally different lifestyle from mine. He has TV and video games and also participates in sports. But we still try to keep a bit of the "good old days" alive. We play Uno, Old Maid and Crazy Eights. He has his dad's Shoots and Ladders game as well as Sorry Sliders, a cooler version of Sorry. This past week, the three of us played Monolopy. As you can see, it's not the original Monolopy we all know and love, but the concept is the same. The Little Prince old enough now to understand the rules, sort of, and begs to be the banker, which allows us to sneak in a little bit of math practice.

Soccer scenes

We've been having some beautiful weather for soccer practice. The sky was so lovely last Monday.

I can't decide which is more interesting, though. The clouds or the girls' socks. I love the colors!

Treasured Memories - Moments of a Lifetime

Time passes so quickly and there are so many things I want the Little Prince to know about my life. Each week, I reflect on one question and answer it here, hoping to create a treasure chest full of glittering memories for the Little Prince to enjoy.

2.

Tell a courtship story about your parents, how they met, etc. Then tell the same about you.

My Mom and Dad met at Church. Once or twice a year, Mom and her family drove to Hagerstown, MD, to go shopping in the big city. While there, they would visit with Mr. Marquiss, who was the editor of the "Way of Truth" magazine that her family read, and his sister. Mom said she knew Sister Ruth had several boys and thought it would be nice to meet some of them. She didn't think she had a chance, however, because there were so many girls in the congregation.

***
One day, Mom and her family went to a campmeeting in Burnside, PA. There was a dinner on the grounds, but the family was eating their lunch in their car. Imagine her surprise when my Dad came over to the car and asked if she would like to sit with him in Church that night! She does not remember much of the service, but was very proud to be sitting next to such a handsome young man.

***

Three days letter, she got a letter in the mail from this young man asking if she would like to be his friend. And the rest, as they say, is history. They got married, had 9 girls (I am #8) and many more adventures that she tells of in her own collection of Treasured Memories.

Reese and I met at Church. The Youth Group was having a special service one Wednesday night and a friend of ours (who is now the Little Prince's godmother) brought him to meet some nice girls. We were introduced after the service. I did think he was cute, but never imagined anything more would come of our meeting.

***

Several days later, I got a call from our friend, inviting us to the zoo with her and some family members. "Just as friends," she said. We went the following weekend and had a wonderful time. He asked me out to dinner and then ice cream and then miniature golf. Three years and one day after our first date, we were married.

Air ball

See the ball in the trees? It was kicked by the Little Prince. Before every practice, he plays goalie. Every ball he saves, he boots to the other end of the field. The kids are exhausted before practice even starts. But, they enjoy it, I suppose, because they track their ball down and get in line for another try.

Treasured Memories - Moments of a Lifetime

Time passes so quickly and there are so many things I want the Little Prince to know about my life. Each week, I reflect on one question and answer it here, hoping to create a treasure chest full of glittering memories for the Little Prince to enjoy.

1.

Tell how you feel about water - playing in it, seeing it, using it. Tell about various bodies of water you have seen and an experience or feeling.

I never learned to swim, but I like to float and don't mind being in the water as long as I know I can touch the bottom. I like to walk along the beach and feel my feet sink in the sand as the waves go out. I like to watch waterfalls and the sound of the surf is very relaxing. Our sound machine is set to "surf" for sleeping. There are so many ways we use water, but my favorite is using it for drinking. Nothing more refreshing than cold water on a hot summer day.

***

In December of 1984 or 1985, I visited the Cayman Islands with my sister, Rebecca, and a couple cousins. We drove down to Miami, FL, then flew over the Atlantic Ocean to the Islands. As you can see from the photo above, the ocean was beautiful. We spent a lot of time at Seven Mile Beach. I would definately like to go back.

***

In August of 1997, Reese and I went to Niagra Falls for our honeymoon. We had a hotel room overlooking the falls and it was amazing that the water never, never stopped flowing. It just never ran out. During our vacation, we took a walk through a small town and I got to wade in Lake Ontario. Very cool. Reese was worried about dirty medical needles. Apparently, there was a dirty needle scare for the area.

***

In August of 1999, we spent our 3rd anniversary in Yellowstone National Park. On our anniversary day, we took a picnic lunch to Silvan Lake. Just before dusk, we saw a grizzly bear. Fortunately, he was swimming away from us.