Sights and Sounds of Summer

A Day of Goofy Family FUN!!!

We spent another afternoon yesterday with Marty's family. After watching "Mama Mia" everyone wondered outside. While Mike and Debbie played pool in my inlaws' game room, Marty and my father in law Freddie pitched horseshoes. Billie and I chatted while all this was going on and I suggested we join the horseshoes when the guys finished. I hadn't played in YEARS and as I tried to remember exactly when I'd last played, I realized it was when the kids were little and she'd hosted a family reunion at her house in Wyoming. That was a long time ago, so I held no high hopes of doing well with horseshoes this time. Marty and I played against Billie and Freddie and we lost. I made a few points but mostly any points earned were by Marty. Then Marty and I played Mike and Debbie and Debbie and I scored more points than the fellas! My grandpa (who first taught me to play horseshoes when I was small) would have been proud! We were definitely on a roll! There was much heckling from both the guys and the gals. The horseshoe fun had to end all too soon so we could eat dinner and head to town for an evening of bowling. We sure got some goofy shots while we played though!



Marty sent his horseshoe flying. He and I played against Freddie and Billie.





Freddie's turn.







Our spectators, Mike and Debbie. At times they looked like the paparazzi!








It's been years since I've done this, but apparently I've still got it! :0)








My mother in law Billie shows us how it's done.










Mike and Marty crack me up with how serious they take all their games. The look on Mike's face as he concentrates is so funny!







Marty shows Debbie and me how to measure for points.







I scored a point! Woo hoo!







And I got a RINGER!!!! Even though Debbie was my opponent, she celebrated with me. We had so much fun being so goofy all afternoon!





Debbie had a victory dance when she scored.





What fun times families can have together!!!

Play Time!!!

School's out, summer's here, the pool's up! We enjoyed a really fun day with family and close friends. Marty finally had a day off so he could enjoy playing in the pool so we invited some friends and family over to just play and hang out. Our friends Jason and Erica and Mathew, Cameron and Riley; along with Marty's brother Mike, his wife Debbie, their son Tony, and daughter Cheyenne all came over. Bill and Denise and their girls wanted to come too but Maggie had dance recitals today so they're coming tomorrow.




Jason couldn't stay long because he had to go to work. :0( Hopefully he can join us again soon and not have to rush off.





The men did all the cooking and got everything ready for dinner so all the ladies could relax. Thanks guys!!!

Erica and I relaxed on our floaties while the kids played in the pool.

Mathew got ganged up on in a noodle war. Seems unfair for both Mike and Marty to team up against him! But anyone who knows Mathew knows he probably had it coming. :0)

There really was quite a noodle war going on for a while.

Riley, Cameron and Erica.

My beautiful niece, Cheyenne.

The guys rolled Erica over and....

...over and over on her floatie. She'd come up only to be pushed over again! She was pretty water-logged!

Mike and Debbie...and Cheyenne really is in there too. She just got flipped off her floatie.

Mathew, my newphew Tony, and my brother in law Mike. It was sure good to see Mathew and Tony hit it off so well!

See, Marty did get to relax!!!!

Heather is definitely her mother's daughter. She spent much of the day sitting in the shade reading a book.

My nephew Tony.

We got out of the pool for an early dinner. It seems we all worked up quite an appetite!
Mike, Debbie and me.

As soon as dinner was over the teenagers watched a movie and Riley and Cameron got back in the pool. They kept us entertained with all sorts of tricks.

Pyromaniac Erica helped Marty start the fire to roast marshmallows.

Mathew tends to shy away when the cameras are present but he happily posed for one photo.

Cameron, me, Marty, and Erica as we roast our dessert!

Me, Marty, Cameron.

Me and Marty.

Erica and me.

Heather....under Erica's influence???

After Mike and his family had to head home the rest of us, full of marshmallows, just relaxed on the porch. Marty lit all the citronella candles and it was a very nice evening!

Erica and I captured a very sweet moment shared by Heather and Riley in the candlelight.

We so enjoyed having you all over. Thanks for coming, we'll have to do this again soon!!!

Check out Erica's blog for more photos of our day.

Our Walk at Fort Sam

We are childless this weekend as Heather is enjoying herself on a band trip to South Padre Island! Friday night we were invited to have dinner at Mike and Debbie's (my brother in law and his wife).



After a wonderful meal I suggested we take a walk and everyone agreed. It was a beautiful evening and Mike and Debbie's new house is near a very pretty golf course. Someone please remind me next time, no matter how cumbersome....I may just want to take along my zoom lens!!!

On our walk we kept finding golf balls everywhere. Marty juggled some of them he found.

Mike and Debbie.

"Helllooooo, whatcha doin'?"

Marty and me.

It was beautiful out and the reflections in the ponds on the golf course were great.

Marty just chillin' while Debbie and I snapped photos near the water.

As I was heading to the other end of the pond/lake to photograph some pretty flowers nestled on the banks I stopped to take these photos on the way.

I never did make it to the end to take the photo I wanted. My biggest fear while I'm out taking photos is that I'll see or even step on a snake. Marty's always telling me I don't watch where I'm going. Right after I snapped this photo and continued walking along the water's edge I almost stepped on a huge snake laying right next to the water. He scared me and freaked me out and I went the other way and and refused to go back for the photo I wanted. Mike, Debbie and I walked in the opposite direction. Marty, of course, went over to see the snake. There were 2 laying side by side, not just one and he thinks they were water mocassins. He scared them into the water but we still refused to venture back over there. Mike was sure I could have gotten a cool photo of the snakes! I told him I didn't want to even look at pictures of the snakes!

We kept hoping the crane would stay still long enough for us to get close enough to take some good pictures of it, but he was way too skittish and kept flying off.

The cemetery on Fort Sam