One of my Grandfatherly duties is reporting to Wes and Cheryl's to do wake up duty when Chelsey has to be at work. That means getting to awaken the girls and "monitor" morning preparations for school. They are so cute and innocent in the mornings.
Adele sleeps with her Adelle Penguin. She is her companion in the mornings and accompanies her through morning wake up and preparations.
....and then it's down the floor and out the door!
Jennifer has become a great friend and fellow blogger. Unfortunately her computer has gone on the fritz and she will not see this until it gets deglitched!
At the end of a wonderful birthday weekend Pat was serenaded by the girls......
more gifts....
and a closing hug!
Adele draws a tough defensive assignment! Below, Coach Weaver reestablishes his role by instructing his players with the words, "You do the playing and I'll do the coaching!"
As many of you know our son Sam (not to be confused with Son of Sam!) has been involved in two movies and Ben Parillo is a good friend of his. We met Ben first when he was in Granville as a budding actor in the movie Capt. Jack with Sam. Pat and I reconnected with Ben in L.A. when we visited Sam. We've seen Ben appear occasionally in comercials on TV. Wednesday night as we watched CSI/NY...... THERE HE WAS..... OUR FRIEND BEN! (Anyone want to play 6 degrees from Ben Parillo??!!) 
Ben portrayed a killer in the show but that was not revealed until the end. In this scene he is being charged with the murder.......and then.......
you could text the answer to the question and be entered to win $10,000! Do you think if we said we KNOW Ben Parillo that it would increase our chances to win the 10 grand?? Hey Ben....when you read this would you please enter a comment so that people will know we're not making this up????? PLEASE........
Totally looking forward to our family fun in the sun getaway to Destin Florida in July. This scene in our bathroom holds memories of our past trip and excitement and anticipation of the trip to come.
Besides our two kids and their families who live locally, we have two childen and two grandchildren in Virginia Beach and two children and one new grandchild in Malakoff France. This is the way we stay in touch! Thanks to the modern marvels of blogs and web cam communication we are able to come this close to "being there." Anytime we get new blog shots or a Skype call we are both all over it. We ooohhh and aahhh over every new picture of the grandkids. We love getting glimpses into our kids lives and life endeavors. For those interested in a glimpse as well, tune into Meg and Dave's blog at:
The girls took the floor Saturday at the LV Panther gym. Play was spirited with athletes plying their skills on the hardwood. Zoe was a defensive and rebounding whiz as can be seen in these live action shots.
We got our first real snow of the season which produced the opportunity for me to capture these scenes.
The waterfall and stream along our back deck grabs and holds my interest at all seasons of the year. Now that weather is cold enough it begins to form ice crystals and patterns that invite the use of the word "palisade."
The sound of the flowing water tantalizes and soothes the mind.
Harry Lauder Walking Stick twists and turns. I think Harry Lauder was "the crooked man who had a crooked stick."
The "feathery" pattern of this ornamental grass......
and the pattern of......well.....ME!
This evening I said to Pat, I'm going to Dawes for a walk. I'm always glad I've taken the time to make the trip and this evening was amply rewarded with these scenes.
.....my favorite tree in the whole Arboretum at sunset.
Yes, that's correct...I have a little sister. I was made aware of the fact today that her face has yet to appear on my blog. We will end that drought as of now. She was born when I was in the eighth grade and was Dad's favorite (and only!) daughter! She now operates the Fountain of Youth (true...just look at her!)
Licking Valley Biddy League is underway and two stars are emerging in the ranks. Although the picture quality and selection was thin I wanted to at least show a couple of shots. Here, Adelle, (on the right) who was a scoring wonder in the previous game awaits the opportunity to put the moves on the girl who is closely guarding her.
Zoe, (on the left) a rebounding and defensive specialist, plays also on the Panther Traveling Team. Note the vigilant Coach Weaver in the background shouting encouragment to his budding stars. More action shots will be appearing so stay tuned.
Each morning my internal alarm goes off at about 6 AM. I awaken to the smell of fresh hazelnut coffee that Pat has put on to brew the night before. A cup of coffee, a morning read next to the fireplace in the livingroom is a great way to start what is a snowy morning here on Pleasant Chapel. First thing in the morning is when I choose my attitude and purpose for the day. What new adventure will the day bring? It is here that I will make decisions that will determine how fulfilled I will feel at the end of the day when the lights go out!
WE GATHERED....WE ATE.....WE LAUGHED.....WE CRIED....(OK...not really!)...AND GOT TO BED EARLIER THAN EXPECTED!
Why do I feel OK this morning......because in the great scheme of things....the Buckeyes getting their butts kicked is no big deal. We all have bad days now and then. What was important was that those gathered to watch the game made Stan, our Chinese long time friend, feel comfortable and accepted into our Ohio Culture! Just a slight eye adjustment helped him feel a part of the group!
OK.....so pardon the recent shift from nature and beauty to "ancient history".... but it's just where my mind is of late! I came across this photo in my quest to figure out who I am, how I got here and who I got here with. This was the first day of my second year of teaching. Notice the "thirsting for knowldge" on children's faces. Note the well decorated high interest classroom learning environment! (OK...the building had just opened...no time for that yet.) Note the shelves in the back of the room just brimming with hands on science equipment. This was 8th grade science at it's best! The first student to the left of the model currently attends our church and is 53 years old! This coming Tuesday I will stand in front of 100 Northridge Middle School students and teach the 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens. I still have a passion to teach!
87 Years in good health (except for the shinner!) is something to celebrate. Daddy (as he is affectionately called among us) enjoyed having his wife and kids around the table for a meal at the Olive Garden.
