One More Catch-up!

Okay- It's been too long, and we've been busy! Kate and I are leaving today for our trip to Europe, so I've been packed and ready and finally found some time to dedicate to blogging! After hearing about how awesome the cliff jumping was, the rest of our family decided that they couldn't last another week without having the chance to jump into the lake themselves. So off we went and did they ever have fun- once again, I was the photographer...

Erin and Bekah take the plunge.

The Water's great!

Bathing beauties.

We have found a mother lode of wineberries on our property. They are very similar to raspberries, and they are wonderful baked in a tart!

yum.

Isaac spent a week going to day camp with the Scouts. The final day of the week I went along, as did many parents, to see what they'd been doing all week.

Target practice.

Nice tight grouping!

Slushie tongues.

The flowers in the yard continue to put on a changing show for us. A number of our plants attract butterflies and are courted by the delicate creatures all day.

Nothing plain about these Black-Eyed Susans.

Milo has found a new comfy spot- infact he was just there as I began this post!

On Saturdays we make the "Amish run" to hit the various market stands for fresh fruit and veggies, flowers and baked and canned goods- yummo. We recently came upon miles of Amish teens(?) on a group bicycle ride. The girls were all in pink dresses. You figure it out...

And this, of course, is a regular sight.

Bekah and Erin went away to camp for a week; a first for them. Yes, they had a great time making new friends and doing all the camp stuff. They came home with many silly songs for every occasion.

One of Erin's activities was Ukranian egg painting!

The Kelly and Noble girls. The Nobles have gone to this camp for years and are the reason we chose it in the first place.

Our neighbor, Nancy, invited us to come to the annual folk music gathering on her family's farm down the hill from our home. All day as we worked outside we could hear the music drifting up on the breeze. It's an invitation only affair, so we were honored to join the audience. When we got there, way down in a creek valley and under giant trees, the "festival" had been going for a day and a half already. A casual atmosphere prevailed as the musicians played and sang.

The kids were thrilled to find that an absolutely awesome rope swing was in use off to one side! Erin and Isaac took turns with a crowd of other kids climbing the ladder and taking the plunge!

we enjoyed watching them almost as much as they enjoyed the swinging!

When this fellow took the stage with his Sitar, I was overwhelmed with the feeling that I should be in an airport handing out flowers...

This family was a blast. In true American folk style, they delighted us with "I'll Fly Away" and "Cotton Eyed Joe". Our toes were tapping as they clearly enjoyed themselves onstage.

One last blast as a group before Kate and I fly away. Jim found an old-style amusement park that doesn't charge admission or for parking, merely the rides you choose and whatever food or beverage you require. Knoebels is a couple of hours away, but the drive is lovely. We enjoyed ourselves for the brief time and are determined to go back.

That's all for now. I will be trying to post updates from our trip through Europe as we travel. Kate is bringing her laptop and we both have cameras, so evenings in the hotel- now and then- we will blog!

"Just a few more weary hours and then, I'll fly away...!"