CUCARACHA!!!!!

cu-ca-ra-cha: a Mexican ballroom and nightclub dance!

Three more days and I'll be walking this beach!!!! and having a few of these!!

With my fave peeps from Washington state!! Ole!!!

Bubbling with BOY Joy!!

What could make this YaYa even happier than having sweet Lilli in my life?? AND getting a brand new daugther-in-law in May?? Why........getting another grandchild that is a BABYBOY!!Yep, our oldest son and his bride found out today that their lil bean is of the male gender!! And being the mother of 3 boys...........well........it's taken me right back to that day in April of 1979 when I found out I was pregnant with that first boy of mine!!And ya know what? After everything your children put you thru in their growing up yrs...the calls from school, the ocassional beat the bully up, the getting caught with the cigarettes and the beer, the driving tickets and the insurance claims...even the calls from the cops.......when you get the news of their new babies and the happiness in their voices and hearts............Well, you realize it's all been worth it. That THIS is the reason we had children. To not only fulfill OUR lives, but to teach them about completing THEIR lives with children of their own. To complete the circle of life. Sigh..............I've been a blubbering fool all day long. And NEVER been happier!!

(except, of course, for the day I found out the very same news of Lilli!!)

It's Shellbelle's Birthday!!

That would be that crazy Mermaid over at Shellbelle's Tiki Hut!! She is a shelling sistah and as crazy as they come. She is nuts over recollections of her past and makes some amusing, thoughtful posts about it on her blog. Where she comes up with some of the images of the past...I have no clue. But I do know I love to read her words. Always thought provoking. Always funny. Always entertaining!!Happy Happy Birthday, my friend!! Wish I could be there, in person, to eat cake with you!!

Because I can't, I will send this great thought your way................because it's what really matters anyway!!

Linking up with Loui at Mountain Mermaid, who is hosting this fun birfday partay!!

So what exactly does one do when camping?

Well....there's a whole lotta staring at this.... from here... and watching the sun's magic dance seduce you into a trance!

As well as ms. sophiejane and her fancy pants!(couldn't resist that, it was all just starting to rhyme!) And then there are the monkeys! Monkeys? you ask? Why and where would monkeys figure into this camping scenario?

It all began back in 1983, when our oldest was 3 and middle boy was 2. Our first camping tripWe went to the camping store to see what we needed/could afford! for our trip. The monkeys called my name and I just had to have them. My boyfriend saw my desperation and bought them for me...will never forget that first night out under the stars with our "monkey lights" shining in all their glory...and you gotta know that this was waaaay before anyone, meaning me, ever put up a million Christmas lights any and everywhere! It became an act of righteousness that the very first thing to do once we hit the campsite was to hang the monkeys. They traveled everywhere with us...even when the boys becan to camp without us, the monkeys went with them too. Everybody loves the monkeys! Now, at campgrounds, people have exquisite sets of lights of all colors and shapes and sizes. We have monkeys! So, several hours into our trip the other day, I thought to myself .. crap. Forgot to remind him to get the monkeys. When I asked him, he said he forgot. But you know what I'm gonna tell ya.....while I was inside putting away groceries once we had set up camp, he was outside hanging our monkeys!! Meant the world to me!! We haven't camped in prolly 15 yrs. so yes...I'm happy to say they still make me very happy and sentimental. Sitting outside under those lights brings back flooods of memories of my boys zipping thru those campgrounds on their bikes, fishing with their dad, the smell of bacon sizzling on the griddle on top of the picnic table....wonderful, happy memories!

So it is with great pride, that I present to you......OUR MONKEYS!! As the days fade into night, the sun slips into its bed of darkness for slumber. And just as beautiful as a crystal clear sunrise is......so are these sunsets!! The last of the boaters scurry home using those last sunrays as their beacon of light...ahhhh.....

another day of bliss!!

Happy 30th Birthday to my number 2 babyboy!

~Because I love him more than to the moon and back.....

~Because he makes me so dingle dangle proud of him as an independent son, husband and father...

~Because he is such a loyal brother and their best friend as well.....

~Because he promises me that he watches for snakes and tells me to do the same.....

~I wish for him the best day ever....days, months, years.....with laughter that never stops!!

your mom and dad love you!!

Head 'Em Up.....Move 'Em Out!!!!

Well, tomorrow the rubber will meet the road!! That would be us....the cap'n and I...doing our first shake-out cruise!! In the motorhome!!We call it that because it's a short trip planned to work the kinks out. You know...don't wanna get toooo far away from home...well, just in case!! It's been fun getting her stocked and ready to roll. We are going to Lake Ouachita for a few days up in Arkansas. It's a beautiful lake and is kinda special to me.........that was one of our stops on our honeymoon!! The actual campground we're going to try out is Brady Mountain. And there is the cutest lil restaurant at the marina within walking distance!! (don't wanna dirty up that kitchen in the motorhome! heh)
Sophie has a new summer haircut and is all primped and ready to roll with us......I'll take loads of pics when we're "on the road again"!!!

Summer Bounty!

Home grown tomatoes, fresh squash and zuchini, cucumbers and cilantro....mmmm, summer foods are sooo good!

Sunny Summer Sunflower!

We have a sunflower field on some property we own, which is prime for photo shoots if you can get there at the perfect time. When they are holding their heads high toward the sun, as though being pulled by an imaginary string anchored by Mr. Sun himself, it's a sight to behold!! Throw a little girl into the mix and well............that sight becomes pure magic!!

And Once Again...........We Have Been Blessed!

In case you're wondering why the cap'n is goofing off with a crazy beard- like something..... Take a look at this!!! I'M GONNA BE A YAYA TO GRANDBEBE NUMBER TWO!!!! We got a visit from my oldest son and his babymama today with the news that she is 10 wks. pregnant with a little pirate!!!!!! Arrrrgh!! WooooooHooooo! They surprised her parents with their news yesterday on her daddy's 60th birthday and then came here to tell us. How cool is that??!!! And lemme just show you how excited I was after they told us.........this is the pic I took of her calling the rest of our family to tell them......no, it was not planned to be out of focus. That's just how much I was screaming and hollering with joy!How much do I love my boy and his sweet wife?? Undescribable!

Take a Ride with Me!!

Our lakehouse is actually on a little river with many tributaries that run back into the swamps. It's always a treat to take a ride back thru there because, depending on the water levels , it always looks different. And kinda creepy in its own beautiful way! I prolly have no less than 1000 images of those swampy waters but every now and then, I like to take some more. You never know what you might come across each time you visit...like these lil beaver buds playing on a log!

But yesterday, all I saw was beauty!

and here's the close-up of what I was trying to capture..

That's actually water but it's covered in duck week right now.

One more of flying egrets

And maybe one of the best?? A father and son fishing together! As we passed them, the little boy looked into our boat and saw me only with a camera around my neck and asked, "Ya'll aren't goin' fishin'??" Totally incomprehensible to him!

Happy 4th of July!!

During a time of celebration of the independence of our country, what does it really mean to you? Why.......family and friends, of course! And swimmin'! And fishin'! And eatin' cake!

Even thinkin' your daddy is just the doggone best!!

But please DO remember: "Those who expect to reap the blessings of freedom, must, like men, undergo the fatique of supporting it." ~Thomas Paine~