Cape Cod Visit

My sister and her family are currently camping on Cape Cod with a friend and her son. After umpiring Monday night I headed to PTown for a quick vacation warm-up. I went armed with supplies for a project to do with the boys, who are now 9 and 7. Below are a few shots from our wonderful day together.


First step to the project was having the boys (Sassafras Mama's JT and my nephew D) draw pictures of what they like to do on 'The Cape'.

I don't have any in process pictures of the project, but both Sassafras Mama and the fabulous Shelley (D's mom) took a bunch, so you should expect to see them once they return to civilization.


Two of the six shirts we silk-screened. The blobs are the result of trying to silk-screen on a picnic table, without a flat surface. From my perspective the project was less than successful, but the boys pronounced them "awesome" which is all that really matters. The object between the trees is a tent, and the people on the right are speeding downhill on bicycles.


After we finished with the shirts we headed to the pool at my hotel. D spent most of the time on the pool deck.


JT, meanwhile, spent most of his time jumping off the edge trying to catch the ball D was throwing.


Check out the dimple!


Future tennis star.



We wrapped up the day with several games of Stratego. And Wednesday morning I headed back to reality.

The Garden

July 7 Update: S sent me the names of the flowers I didn't know. They're appended below.

We had dinner with our friends B and S tonight. Among their many talents, B and S are incredibly good gardeners. Their yard is always a treat. And coupled with our first sunny day in forever the opportunity to sit amongst the luxurious greenary was one not to be missed. I took my camera along and now you can share some of the beauty as well. Click on the pictures to see them larger.

And by the way we had a lovely evening with our friends.


Clivia - this sits at the edge of their yard offering a splash of color to the dark greens of this shady spot.


I don't know the name of this one, which sits at the edge of the driveway.
Update: Nicotiana


I found this little one hiding under a bush in the front.


Day lily.


Pink roses and yellow primrose.


A delicate pink-purple frond.
Update: Astilbe


Purple blooms.
Update: Angelonia


This spiky red flower was a bit past its prime.
Update: Bee Balm (Monardia)


A bit of garden whimsy.


B reflected in Amy's sunglasses.

Unique's Photo Challenge: Rust

Rusty Warning seen in a Cambridge sidewalk.
This sign was installed in the last year - so there's no reason for it to be rusty.

See more Rust at Unique's Photo Challenge.

Happy Birthday Shelley!!!!

The fabulous Shelley is celebrating her birthday today.
In honor of the day I share this photo of her laughing with her boy.
Cape Cod 2007

Visiting TD and Family

We spent last weekend visiting my brother Tom and his family (wife Cheryl and son N). We had the honor of being the first overnight guests in their new house. N was particularly excited to have overnight guests. In between fixing some things in the house, and trips to the hardware store I took a few pictures of N, though none of the house.

Making lists on the computer with Amy.
I don't know how this started but it kept us all busy for quite a while coming up with words that begin with P.

King of the Stairs.

Hard at work in the sandbox.

Running across the yard to fill his bucket.

A Bit of Sun on a Gray Day

We added sundrops to the garden this spring, and despite the drenching we've been getting one has decided to bloom.

A closeup view, those are raindrops at the edges.

PhotoFriday: Metal

Metal Fish Detail
This is the tail of the fish outside the seafood restaurant in the building I work in.
This photo was taken in November 2007.

New Post On Woodworking Blog

I just put up a new post on my woodworking blog.