It Was Warm Today....

...but not warm enough to go swimming.....but a girl can wish can't she!!!

Fun at the Neighberhood Playground

Hangin Out on the Couch

........part of our time is spent on the coach watching videos of the Zoe and Addy Show or clips of little Eloise from France. Last night we watched a Disney movie called Holes.

We were joined for supper last night by our friend Casey. The kids love Casey and his dog, Rex, who is extremely well behaved.

Meanwhile....Back Home.....Zoe is featured in the Advocate...

........as a member of the 5th grade band featured in the Advocate article here.

We've Arrived At Virginia Beach ...

My first job as Grandpa in Residence.......was to get up at 4 AM and take Meg and friend Chritin to the Norfolk airport.......Off they went to Rino Nevada to visit friend Cindy.....new with child......

....later I enjoyed being read to by Alyssa.....

......and having "shoe tie" services rendered.....

Today We Took The Girls To An Indian Pow Wow at Red Wing Park

Living near Flint Ridge as we do I have visited these gatherings in Ohio......

.....but never saw costumes as beautiful as these. I paused for a moment to reflect on the fact that these people are who the first settlers down the Bay at Jamestown encountered when they arrived here in America.......

Fierce.....yet stunning......

.....as Indians danced and displayed their costumes....

....an osprey flew over head with its freshly caught meal which seemed so in keeping with the "native...feathered".. theme of the day....

....HOWEVER....NOT so in keeping with the native theme of the day....the Indian Taco stand or even the purple Italian Sausage Stand with French Fries.....

.........I didn't think the American Natives and the French got along so well.......wasn't there a war between them or something???...someone please shed some light on this.....

Hailey to Soccer.....

One of the purposes of this blog is to communicate to Meg in Reno that we are getting Haiely to her appointed rounds. SSSSoooo here Meg is proof that we got her to her soccer game as listed on page four of your written directives.....

.........and proof also that a good part of her time "on the bench" was spent playing in the sand and.......

......yep....you guessed it......... but ......"the other girl did it first!"

A Wonderful Thing Happened To Us On Our Way To Virginia Beach.....

It happened at the County Seat retaurant in Powhatten,Virginia. For well over a year Pat and I have developed an online friendship with an amazing gal, fellow Christ Follower and single Mother of 5 children named Beth Brawley. I discovered her blog while visiting another blog of Nature writer Julie Zickefoose. Beth was working her way through some heavy life trauma and her authenticity and way of expressing herself gave me a lot of help and insight which I applied to the work I was doing with others going through some overwhelming life issues themselves. Before long we were emailing and I was hooking her up by email with a couple of them directly. Pat and I would both read and enjoy her writings........then the opportunity came..... to meet her and her family......... live and in person....... on our way to Virginia Beach. This was something new for us....we who have met and made friends....and family...... with numbers of people......were about to meet with someone we knew so well ....but whom we'd never met!!!

.........and then.....THERE THEY WERE....all 6 of them.....live and in person.......and we never stopped talking.....and we stayed up late....enjoying the JOY afforded to those of kindred Spirit...........

.....and laughed.....and learned.....and grew. You can read Beth's account of it all here.

Beth is One Extraordinary Person....

..............we found out even more so when we accompanied her to Wednesday evening worship team practice. She asked a simple question about how God communicates with us.........

....a young man named Christian spoke up as did many others of ways they connect with God......

......and one of those ways is through music........as was heard and felt by those in the room as Beth lead in song and prayer....

......while an admirer watched from the back!

While Beth Belts It Out......

....the boys play a game of silent ping pong on the side to "occupy themselves"......

Ian.....Remind me to show you this when we get back....you and Ben will love it!

Daniel and David share stories with me in the living room..

....talk about neat kids.....We just fell in love with these two guys.......

....they reminded us so much of our own boys when they were this age.......

...........guitars and scateboards.....it's all that simple at this stage of their lives!

the girls enjoyed the dresses sent to them by Roy and Patty VanAtta...

.....Sarah, Shannon and Sidney were thrilled to get dresses from friends they had made in Ohio and who we know.

....and finally...the modified style show!

....and then it was off to bed in our own private cottage in the woods...

........We stayed the night at Beth's parents house in the woods they had vacated for a trip of their own. Thanks Beth (and parents) for a most wonderful time!....until we meet (face to face) again....

Bill The Science Guy.....

This morning Bill The Science Guy was called on to make the point with kids that God has created some pretty AMAZING stuff. With some experiments.......

......and some prestidigitation.....the point was made........with some words of amazement from the man himself.....

........Pat's Dad!

In Answer To Heather.....

The other day Heather came to the house proposing a "Life Prolonging Workoout" plan she had designed just for me. She stayed and taught me proper techniques and worked out with me which was very motivating. It was simple and takes just 20 minutes.

It included modified pushups..........

.....running up and down steps......

.........and JUMPING JACKS......Something I haven't done since I coached! She sent a follow up email to check my progress....or lack thereof! Although I didn't "get right on it" I do intend to make it a part of my daily routine. Why? (she asks!!) I need to maintain a healthy lifestyle! (Not just lose weight). I am glad for her and all my kids who all walk the walk as well as get on their dad's case about his walk.....er.....I mean RUN!

They're Back....

That's right....Ive seen frogs in both ponds this week. Although these are shots from last year....I am anxious to get some fresh shots soon.

Adele's 10th Birthday

A party was thrown last night for Addy's first double digit birthday......

......she was crowned birthday queen.......

....the kitchen was abuzz..... Wes wrote this "poem" to his darling daughter I thought worthy of a post.........

The Pizza Meister At Work...

Wesley's speciality.....Homemade pizza....made in the madness and mahem of 12 girls in the kitchen....all talking at the same time.....louder and louder.....

........the pizza is ready......but the noise finally gets to him........

.........and order must be restored!

Willow Shares a Secret...

.......finally....all 12 girls retire to Grandpa's tent in the back yard for a good night's sleep......YEAH RIGHT!

Oh How Anxious We are To go To France in June and Pick Up Where We Left Off!!!

Off To Serve...

Our Marine Grandson-in-law is off to serve in Afganastan. I realized when we visited him last month how dedicated and committed he is to the cause of freedom. Join us in praying for our troops and especially for Nate....AND CHELSEY!

Oh Where...Oh Where Has Our Skybus Gone...??

......oh where oh where has it gone???

.......sadly missed.....

Spring Has Arrived Around the Botanical Gardens....

After a Long Hot Day of Work Around Bill's Botanical Gardens.....

..............there's nothing that quiet refreshes.....or..... HYDRATES.....like a tall cold thirst quenching drink of BOTTLED WATER! But never fear......I didn't BUY this bottle.....instead it was given to me as a gift in time of need by my dear Pastor and friend who walked away muddering some scripture about ..........and if a bottle of water I've given to one of the least of these my brothers.............

Just Had To Share This....

We just love my Brother and Pat's Sister and are so glad they get to spend time in real PARADISE........Hawaii !!! Look at this picture and you can see two happy people.....both with the environment......and each other!

OK...I Just Had To Do This....

Some years ago I saw something for the first time I just couldn't believe.....A BOTTLE OF WATER ON SALE FOR $1.00 per pint! It just blew me away. I vowed there a vow that I would never buy a bottle of something so free flowing and free on the planet! And then it went crazy! Bottled water everywhere.......
Although I have in a pinch drank water from a bottle in the convenience of the moment I HAVE NEVER PURCHASED A BOTTLE FOR MYSELF!

.....and today I recieved this from a friend.......

I'm afraid that I have some bad news. Although drinking bottled water may seem like a harmless, even a healthy, thing to do, it's actually a really bad habit. Those bottles of cold, crystal clear, fresh spring water may become considerably less appealing if you consider the following factoids (courtesy of the Center for a New American Dream, Grist, and Treehugger.)Purity* 25%-40% of the bottled water sold in the U.S. is actually just tap water (in a plastic bottle.)* Tap water is actually more strictly regulated than bottled water. The EPA monitors all tap water while the FDA regulates only some bottled water.* A four-year study of bottled water in the U.S. conducted by NRDC found that one-fifth of the 103 water products tested contained synthetic organic chemicals such as the neurotoxin xylene and the possible carcinogen and neurotoxin styrene.

Cost* Tap water costs roughly 1 cent a gallon; bottled water costs up to $10 a gallon (WAY more expensive than gasoline!)

Drinking* the recommended daily amount of water using bottled water can cost up to $1,400 per year; drinking the same amount from the tap costs around 59 cents for the year, according to the New York Times.* Americans spent $15 billion on bottled water in 2006.

Waste* It takes THREE gallons of water to produce ONE drinkable gallon of bottled water.

86% of plastic bottles in the United States never get recycled.* Bottled water has a huge carbon footprint both from the production of the bottles and from transporting them all over the country and world (water is very heavy).Okay, now that your eyes are open (and you're thoroughly depressed), here's the good news -- drinking bottled water is a pretty easy habit to kick!

This is one habit I don't need to kick.....how about you????

Bill's Botanical Nursery

..............We have about 250 plants sprouting under controlled environments in the kitchen......

.....eventually they will take their place in pots, planters and in the landscape itself..........

.......to provide beauty and tranquility to those of YOU who visit Bill's Botanical and Pat's Secret gardens........ And you're all invited my friend!

Bring the Spring....

....tulips are beginning to pop through the mulch along the front steps......

.....last year's primrose are beginning to bloom......

..........and Pat bought these jonquils to enjoy in the dining room and then find their place under the tree on the back hill.

Other Signs of Spring...

.....some primrose plants waiting on the porch to go into the ground next week......

.........and in the pond.......the fish become active......

..........they have grown and provide colorful accent and interest..... (I heard this language on HDTV!)

The Kids Trip To Chelseys

Wes, Cheryl, Zoe and Addy took a chunk of spring break to fly to California to visit Chels and Nate. Nothing like a Dad's boy with his boy!

.........loving adventure.........

....the GRANDdaughters.........

........and our "kids" enjoying time together.

After Breakfast With Tevis Today.....

....we went to Brendon's preschool chapel service. Brendon listened attentively to the story about fishing and fisherman and Jesus and Peter.... Megan....well....she just looked cute as always!

.......and then came the announcement that there was going to be a special upcoming Grandparents Day....this was his reaction.....I think I may get invited!

..........and then a few verses of that old favorite, "This Little Light of Mine" that brought back some fond memories!

..........I will say that as evidenced in this picture....Brendon put everything he had into this song....(unlike the young man to his left!!)