Past scenes from a Chicago trip

I LOVE to take pictures, but editing, printing, saving, and storing them off the computer takes more time than I like.

I've been cleaning/storing photos off the computer and trying to catalog ALL my old memory sticks, so I know which pictures are where when I want to see one again.



I found these and couldn't stand to put them away again, so I'm sharing them today.

(They are all pictures from August, 2007, when we were there for one of John's cousin's weddings.)

Blake trying to eat his grandma's cell phone

This is my sister with her two grandsons, Izaac (in the rocking horse) and Blake in her lap.


Blake is 4 months old. Izaac is now 4 YEARS old!

Blake and his great-grandmother are talking things over in her kitchen.


Blake attempting to stuff his whole fist into his little mouth. He almost succeeded...
Here's a 21-second video of Blake trying to chew on his grandmother's cell phone. Blake had been staring at a picture of himself she had just taken.

Marty is HOME!!!

Our son-in-law, Marty, came home to Carroll today and there was a homecoming ceremony at the football field in the hot sun!

He's been deployed since last the first of August last year and spent most of that time in Afghanistan.


The governor of our state attended the ceremony also. (He's in the back left corner of this picture. You can click on it to see it bigger.)

The cats don't enjoy the 'dog days' of summer!

Noel went out for a total of about 5 minutes, then played coy when John took these pictures of her in the hallway upstairs.



Bogie couldn't decide whether he was going to join the 'twins' (George & Gracie) on the hot pavement or come back into the cool kitchen!




This is how fast the camera lens fogged up when I pointed it outside to take a picture of Gracie on the steps to the "Prairie Room".

Totally fogged lens--in less than 15 seconds! So back inside we both went (camera and me!).

Georgey stretches out after Gracie left for the steps, and Bogie went back inside the house.

Stanhope Library/Community Bldg. Open House

Last Saturday (Watermelon Day in Stanhope) the new library/community building was open so the public could peak inside. It's beautiful and spacious (compared to the old building!), and it was air-conditioned! (it was very hot Saturday--like it STILL is today-- 81 degrees at 8am with 92% humidity!)





The meeting room is really nice, too, and the Stanhope Alumni Dinner was held there last Friday evening to a crowd of over 200 people.

Stanhope, (IA) Watermelon Day Parade, 2011

The Hamilton County (IA) military family support group.

A little one enjoys (?) his first Watermeon Day (cutie Jayden!).

It was already 87 degrees outside with 90% humidity (at 10am!!), but then the clouds cooperated and hung over the parade, so it was more bearable to sit and watch!

Darla is "Lion of the Year" this year, and used to be my kids' piano teacher!

This is the float that (other) people at my church created.

LOVE the inflated cow on top of this car for the Stanhope Locker (meat, prize-winning smoked meats, etc.).

I happened to be sitting across from the building with Stanhope's logo on it: "A Slice of the Good Life!". Makes for nice framing of this picture.

'My' deer visitor strolls through again...

I looked out the window and saw the same deer (it looks the same size, etc.) as I saw a few weeks ago, strolling past the apple trees in the yard.

I took the top two pictures from inside, and then tried to quietly go outside and see where it was headed, but even though I was quiet, it took off down the road!

While I was out, I snapped a picture of one of John's tomato plots.

Scenes from Fremont, NE, on 7/4/11, on our drive home.

Izaac (great-nephew) enjoys a day at the lake with Uncle John