Our very close friends Jim and Joyce Blakeslee are celebrating the recent arrival of their first grandchild. Noah Lee Goff arrived at the Fair Oaks Hospital in Centreville, VA on Tuesday, July
Last week in July and the last week for my various lilies in the lily bed. The ones that have a heavenly scent have already lost their scent. We are down to the last blooms and the spent blooms. August will mean time to cut back the stalks that are leaning and let the remaining stalks gather energy for next year. In the meantime I have lots of crepe myrtle bushes that should be in bloom come August. This year's botanical play is marching on in the July heat and humidity.
I've reached the age where the children of my friends are starting families. Case in point is in the above photo that shows mommy-to-be Natalie with her mother-in-law and my good friend Anne. Thirty five years ago Anne threw me a bridal shower in Germany. And yesterday Anne threw a very lovely baby shower for Natalie.
From left to right: Natalie's Mom, Natalie and Anne. This will be the first grandchild for both grandmothers-to-be. Are they ever excited!
There were lots of packages and bags to open.
There was lots of yummy food at the brunch. The food finale was this cake decorated in pink.
Anne's son Patrick, the daddy-to-be had to work but Anne's other two children were there to salute Natalie. From left to right: Michael, Anne and Michele.
And here's Mary and Tony who used to live right down the hill from us in Burke Centre in the 1980's. Tony retired and he and Mary moved to Atlanta to be closer to their two married daughters. They also have a son who has become a caterer in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.
Just had to add a photo of this gift that someone brought for the baby girl that's coming soon. Isn't this the most adorable piggy bank complete with tutu and ballet shoes. What little girl wouldn't enjoy putting her small change in this piggy bank.
This is the last Sunday in July for 2009. Wow! Summer is flying by quickly. It is also the last day for the famous Tour de France Bike Race for 2009. I have enjoyed watching the riders bike thru France. Beautiful landscapes from the mountain alps to the flat farmlands featured each day and charming old towns and villages in the midst of it all. My favorite day was when the riders rode thru French-Comte where both my material and paternal ancestors immigrated to the U.S. Both the Dapores (Despoires) and Garietys (Cariteys) came from Frahier, France which is in French-Comte and not far from the city of Besencon, France where the race rode thru the city and to the finish line for the day. I've learned that Besencon has been a famous clockmaking center in Europe for generations. Probably because French-Comte is very close to Swizerland which is also a famous clockmaking center for Europe.
Take a look at this trio of runners from left to right: D.J., Maura and Cindy. These three super moms and members of my local book club ran in a local 5 mile? race. Now that's the way to stay in shape. Awesome ladies. You rock!
Skywatch Friday = Blue Skies Over The Castle
Jack and I walked inside the Smithsonian Castle and discovered this pile of junk. What's this I wondered to myself. (You never know what the Smithsonian will put on display next.) This pile of junk was a marketing scheme for the IMAX movie currently playing at the Smithsonian: The Night at the Museum. Have you seen the movie? I haven't but the trailer for it says that Larry Daley a security guard sneaks into the Smithsonian to rescue Jededivah and Octavious who were shipped to the Smithsonian Castle by mistake.
Next to that pile of junk Jack and I discovered this authentic judge's table from past American Idol shows. Apparently American Idol donated this table when they had to create a bigger table this past season for the fourth American Idol judge, Kara DioGuardi.
If you read the above sign you will learn that the Smithsonian has a personal connection to American Idol thru a final contestant this season Anoop Desai. Anoop has worked on the Smithsonian Folklife Festival for the last three years.
Here's an old photo circa 1952/53.
The little girl with the long black hair is yours truly and the lady laughing is my sister-in-law Esther who was waitingfor Carl to finish Air Force duty so that she could marry him. That was back when we still had that beautiful collie dog. And before my father tore off the back porch and summer kitchen to build a family room and big garage addition to our Sears four square house. The summer kitchen is to the left. This is where we would dress butchered pigs in the winter and can food in the summer on the big black and chrome wood stove.You can see in the photo a reguler barn sliding door on this summer kitchen. That was to make it easy for delivery of all the firewood that big old wood stove used when it was in operation. There was a narrow curved staircase that led to a low ceiling attic in the the summer kitchen and that's where my mom stored all her canning jars and extra junk. I always was a little squeamish up in that attic because I had heard my father say that long ago a man had hanged himself up in that attic.
The porch connected the summer kitchen to the main house. It didn't have glass windows---just screens. It was very cold in the winter and but very nice in the summer. When a rain would cancel a day in the field my father liked sitting on an old walnut church pew on the porch. Below the porch was a cistern where we collected rain water for special uses since this part of Ohio has always had very very hard well water.
Now the well was just to the side of the old summer kitchen but you can't see it in the picture. We kept a tin cup by this well and everybody used the same tin cup to get a drink from the well. But nobody got sick from drinking from the same cup. Seems strange now. When we had well problems we called Joe Voisard to come out. Joe was the local plumber and the father of one of my classmates Steve Voisard. When Joe Voisard and my father were working on the well I stayed away because both would be fired up to solve the well problem.
The porch had a hand pump for pulling rainwater up from the cistern. We did lots of pumping with that green hand pump. Mom had a mirror on the wall next to the pump. I can remember my Mom combing her hair here and then putting on her hairnet. She always wore a hairnet! This is also where Dad and the boys would wash up before coming into the main house after being out in the fields harvesting hay and straw. When we had hay making and silage making days the hired hands (local boys around Russia) would also clean up here before coming in for a big lunch of fried chicken with mashed potatoes and gravy and at least three vegetables plus homemade bread, pie and cake. And if the field work went on till early evening we had another big meal with the same type of food for dinner. Mashed potatoes and gravy twice a day at our house in those days. LOL! And we never had a dishwasher or an automatic clothes dryer. My father always had the latest farm machinery but the house was a different story. I washed and dried many a dish behind those three windows to the far right. The view from those windows was of our old tobacco barn that my father used to store grain, the nursing cows with calves and the last horses on the farm. But that's a story for another day.
Final note: Carl and Esther's oldest son Tom and his family now reside in this turn of the century farmhouse. If walls could talk, there would be lots of stories this house could tell. Like the time my brother Harold who was a sleepwalker climbed out of the boys room bedroom and was walking around the roof of that porch in his sleep. Good thing harold was asleep because he had a fear of heights.
They say it comes in threes. Well, I guess it has. This summer the home break downs have come in threes. First, Memorial Day weekend when I had house guests the air conditioning up and quit. It took about five days to find and get a repairman to fix it. Then last week both the refrigerator and the dishwasher in the kitchen stopped working. We have been trotting down to the basement each day to put food in the extra fridge we keep there just for "crisis use" and we have been washing all our dishes by hand. I forgot what that was like! It takes time and I think more water and soap. So yesterday we had two different Sears repairman at our door. It cost $70 just to have them come out to the house to tell you what your problem is and then it cost a lot more for them to fix the problem. Jack was hoping that one man could repair both items but no such luck. So twice yesterday we paid $70 for that Sears truck to pull into our driveway. But now we have a refrigerator that keeps food cool in the hot summer heat and a dishwasher that not only stores dirty dishes but washes and rinses them too. So I hope we have no more "it comes in threes" this summer. By the way, do you like my little black French frogs sitting by the front step? I 'm so grateful that I once again have working appliances that I feel like hopping around like a frog chasing a bug. Now look below.
Jennifer had these yellow lilies at her old house and they were gorgeous. We'll have to plant some Asiatic lilies at her new home soon. Have a great Wednesday everyone. As for me I'm going to put some food in the fridge and throw some dirty dishes in the dishwasher today.
How many of you doing this My World Tuesday meme happen to be U.S. federal employees? If so, have you heard of NARFE? NARFE is the National Association of Active and Retired Federal Employees. It is the only organization that is working to preserve and protect the retirement benefits of active and retired federal employees. Besides doing that the organization is a great way for retired federal employees to get together to both socialize and to become educated on current issues. The Manassas Chapter of NARFE has had some very interesting speakers this summer.
Here is Commander John D. Hooper, USCG who spoke to the Manassas chapter in June on how the U.S. Coast Guard is protecting our maritime frontier here at home and overseas.
Our Adventure Story
to meet up with Jeanine and Bryan in Mickey Mouse ears
and Jeanine's roomie, Maria, also in Mickey Mouse ears
to have a Thomas the Train Birthday Party for little Jack.
So what did little Jack Aidan promptly do?
especially after some snuggle time with Mommy.
Then it was time to check out that cake with Daddy
and put your hand in the icing while trying to grab that little blue train.
Aunt Gigi (Jeanine) was recording all this with her Canon Sure Shot.
And so was Mommy with her Canon Sure Shot.
Now Jack Aidan can be the repairman on a Thomas Train with all his new work tools.
And when little Jack gets tired of drilling he can run to the dining car on the Thomas train and
Then it was time to get in the very long line to ride the train at Burke Lake Park.
Then it was time for Jack and the gang to ride the old carousel while Daddy and Bryan did some shooting with the Canon Sure Shots. Smile this time you come around. Understand?
Grandpa brought two blue frisbees along to the park for Terry and Bryan to be boys.It was fun throwing the frisbees in the shade of the tall trees. 
Here Terry is using a fast curve throw in hopes that Bryan will miss the catch.
But somehow our little man ends up with both blue frisbees.
All of June had an abundance of rainfall. July the first came and someone turned off the water spigot.
I have also been watering some newly emerged plants like the pink zinnias in the bird feeder bed. Even the birds like the fresh wet ground for digging in the dirt for worms. But notice how our grass is no longer spring green. It has that middle of July look and will no doubt look even worse before the September rains kick in. Virginia soil is clay soil so when you get a dry spell you are walking around on clay bricks. Hard, hard, hard.
This is our reproduction of that famous Savannah statue that figured in the book Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. Hmmmmmmmm.......maybe that title also describes my garden. LOL!
Jack and I couldn't wait to give Jack Aidan his train set so we went over, gave it to him and stayed for an impromtu birthday dinner. Smile for the camera everyone.
Impromtu birthday cake was a breakfast muffin with two tall green candles. Jack is getting excited now!
Then Mom and Dad decided that he could open one more gift. A Bob the Builder tool kit has a hardhat and a tool belt. Soon as little Jack saw the picture on the box he said "Bob"!
Here's our little builder in his hardhat.
Happy Birthday Jack Aidan!
Look at you.
Garden Blogger's Bloom Day
