Friday, July 31, 2015

July 31, 2015

We went swimming again today.  This pool is much bigger than our last one- we can all fit in it and not be standing on top of one another.

July 30, 2015

My nephews came over for a swim now that the pool is ready to be used.

Wednesday, July 29, 2015

July 29, 2015

Today is our 20th wedding anniversary.  We took the kids out to eat, and stopped on the way home to buy ice cream and toppings for sundaes.

July 28, 2015

My new view on my deck.  We got the pool filled this morning, and started work on getting the filters running.

July 27, 2015


Sunday, July 26, 2015

July 26, 2015

I saw a bumblebee today that is about twice the size of a normal bumblebee.  There's one of each size in this photo. 

July 25, 2015

We started filling the pool.  It would cost $400 to have pool water brought in, or for about $40 in softener salt and some electricity, we can spend a few days filling it with a garden hose.  Day one (about 12 hours) got us 12 inches.  My daughter is already playing in it though.

July 24, 2015

We got the pool laid out today.  My husband began work on a pergola above part of the deck.  It should cut down on the amount of sun and wind we get on the deck.

July 23, 2015

We went bowling today.

Wednesday, July 22, 2015

July 22, 2015

We got the sand laid down today.

July 21, 2015

We're back to working on the pool.  We used a transit to try to get it fairly level.

July 20, 2015

We found this rock in our ground.  It looks like a rock in a rock.

Monday, July 20, 2015

July 19, 2015


July 18, 2015

Bumblebees have always looked so soft and fuzzy to me.

July 17, 2015

We headed home today.  This campground was nice, but this site was rough to back into.  It was hot while we were here, which made the swimming pool nice and warm- no need to adjust to the water temperature.

Saturday, July 18, 2015

July 16, 2015

We went on a train ride today in Chattanooga.  It was a short ride, but then we got out and saw the engine get turned around on the turntable.  Then they took us on a short tour of their repair/restoration facilities.  Afterward, we went to Lookout Mountain.

July 15, 2015

Today we visited the U.S. Space and Rocket Center in Huntsville, Alabama.  It was a really interesting place.  Behind us is a Saturn V rocket.

July 14, 2015

Our first stop was Mammoth Cave in Kentucky.  I was there once when I was little- the only thing I remember was the entrance.  Now, they have several tours, and we went on the Domes and Dripstones tour.  (It's in a completely different area than the one I went on as a kid- that tour is now the 'historic tour'... which I guess means my childhood is now far enough away to be history.)  We took a bus several miles to the entrance, then went through some doors and down some narrow, wet, aluminum steps... for a solid 10 minutes.  We had to duck and squeeze through some areas, and the steps went over some deep pits before getting to solid, dry ground.  The picture shows where the steps finally opened up, most of the way it was half this width.  We went through a dry tunnel and ended with an area of stalagtites and stalagmites.  After the cave, we headed south toward Chattanooga, Tennessee (although our campground was in northern Georgia.)  We drove through a bad storm, got ahead of it, and were able to back the camper in and get it leveled before the storm caught up to us.

July 13, 2015

We headed out on vacation today.  Most of the day was packing and driving.  My daughter spent some time making a chart of the color of cars that passed us.  White was the most common color.

Monday, July 13, 2015

July 12, 2015

My yellow squash have lots of squash this year.

July 11, 2015

We got our "Grandpa and tractor" baby picture for my niece today.  She seemed to like the steering wheel.

July 10, 2015

The neighbor is finally getting around to mowing the hayfields for silage.

Friday, July 10, 2015

July 9, 2015


July 8, 2015

I bought some new shoes recently.  I broke down and got expensive ones, hoping they will last longer and better than my last pair.

July 7, 2015

I had my suspicions there was a finch nest in one of my pine trees.  I finally found it on a lower, outer limb.  The bird didn't look too happy about having his photo taken though.

Wednesday, July 8, 2015

July 6, 2015

There is too much rain in the forecast, so we're going home to wait for clear days.  We got the hay in from the worst fields, there's just the smaller, nearby fields left. 

July 5, 2015

We got the last of what is mowed baled today before the next rainfall.  My younger son prefers the 'follow the baler' job, keeping bales from rolling away and out of the next windrow. 

July 4, 2015

It rained hard yesterday evening, so no hay today.  We took the kids to a spot with a tall waterfall (with all the rain, I knew it wouldn't be dry!).  It's a steep drop getting down to the stream, but the kids were excited and had fun.

June 3, 2015

Here is my dad mowing on a steep hillside.  It's been raining a lot, so we had a hard time finding a dry spell long enough to dry the hay and get it in before the next storm came along.

July 2, 2015

It's time for hay again. 

Wednesday, July 1, 2015

July 1, 2015

My sister's goats had babies.  They're little, and soft, and cute, and fun to watch run around.

June 30, 2015

Today's thunderstorm.

June 29, 2015

I made a soft bag to go over our new towing mirrors.  They came with a handy bag, but just laid in there together and I didn't want the mirrors to get scratched.

June 28, 2015