We have lived here for eight years and had the gutters cleaned once. The gutter cleaners were here for only 30 min so we figured we aren’t getting many leaves in our gutters. So five years go by and we decide to check the gutters ourself to see what is going on up there. The challenge is we are both afraid of heights. The back of the house is three stories high. It was a nail biter and I know we both earned some gray hairs today! The kids thought it was exciting to see Daddy way up there!
Hope you are all doing OK and that Ann made the transition home.
Praying for you, missing you and looking forward to “Take 2 A Visit from Rob”.
i’m sitting here trying to catch up on the day’s e-mails and i realize i can’t see. there’s something on my glasses. if you have the honor of wearing glasses, you know this is annoying. i take them off, and there it is: his wee fingerprint almost perfect on the lens. he’s getting so big so fast, but this is a reminder of his smallness still. i was told the middle kid sometimes has a hard go of it in a family with three. it’s just not so here. i look at the boy with stars in my eyes. he really is the smile in our every day.
girls’ night away, two hour drive alone, a beautiful cabin in the woods on acres of land. some time at the spa, a dinner out, a Bloody Mary, and new friends. a little bit indulgent. so necessary.
some mornings are just hard to get out of bed. I need to start a new project I guess…
i was into forts as a kid. my back yard growing up was only an acre, but in my memory it was huge, and vast, and interesting. me and three neighborhood boys built forts there, and those fragments of memories stay with me. i’ve wanted something like that for my three, but it didn’t come to me obviously until a few weeks ago. there’s a corner of our yard way in the back that is edged by a few feet of woods and a huge pine. the swing set and sand box are nestled in there too. it was so apparent. and so now they have their own spot, with a stick tee-pee and shovels to dig. i’m having as much fun out there as they are.
Before our trip, I envisioned posting this picture to the blog with the title “magical”. Magical doesn’t quite capture it. Sure there were magical moments, there were also moments of crazy fun, scary fun, wonder, frustration, whining, tantrums (we had it all), crowds, heat, you get the picture. The best way to sum it up is “The Amazing Race”. Each morning started with a map spread out laying out the route/plan for the day. Then we walk/ran to complete it all and check that day off. CRAZY!!!
i wonder if they intended for it to be so pretty
obviously not my photograph (recording devices not allowed in the symphony hall) but I did want to share the genius – very inspiring.
missing you all – but hoping that two of you are enjoying your vacations, one of you gets well soon and my other friend is having success with her kiln.
something i always assumed florists did, before i became a florist, yet this was a first for me. went in search of mango-colored zinnias at the farmer’s market. had to buy a full bunch to get maybe 5 wedding-quality ones, but it’s worth it….
believe it or not, i have no plans to wash these tonight. see, i told you i could do it.
my summer goodbye is putting the beach towels on the top shelf of the closet
sometimes the moments don’t require words.
forget the fact that two minutes prior, she was screaming, laying on the ground of the orchard, flailing.
september has pretty much whipped past us, blowing through our house like some tornado. this weekend we will take the time to see the colors. the apple picking after school on Monday was absolutely needed.
i am trying really hard to do it all well right now. i’m usually quite successful, but after awhile you do hit the wall. everyone does, i suppose. there’s only so much breath in you, so much strength, so much energy, so much time.
seriously!
the caretaker sees us and lets Finn walk the goat to its outdoor pen every visit now. seriously: are there laws against domestic goat raising? he’d fit right in at the dog-park, i just know it.
the sermon today was about living as if you were dying… appreciating the moment. amen. but some are easier than others.
i am not sure how the little guy got all the way up to my office window, but i am glad he did.
in more ways than january, it feels more like the beginning of a new year…
on the way up there, there was a tree so bright orange and red i drew my breath. clad in bathing suits and Crocs yet we’re launching straight into fall. i almost wished we were heading out for a hike in our boots and wool sweaters. but then i remembered what little time we spent at the beach this summer, and it felt even better to swim and bury each other in the sand, maybe our last time this season.
done. over. bride happy. sue happy.
some things are just right, you know? other things, perhaps not so much. but it all seems to work out.
tonight i thought i’d made a mistake. i’d left for my run 10 minutes later than planned. the sun was nearly setting when i headed out. but there was the most spectacular full moon, and i saw an owl fly right overhead. pretty amazing, and maybe a sign that all will be, at the end, just the way it’s supposed to.
this whole parenting thing has been a surprise. none of it’s been especially easy or expected. not one of the three took a pacifier, and they all have a fondness for strange animals: goats, sharks, flamingos. there is no puppy love around here, save for Maverick. i’ve stopped anticipating most things.
which for the Checota’s means a good ol’ dog grooming. in a truck. in their driveway. my kids couldn’t handle all the fun.
sadly it isn’t often we are in sync these days – god help me when she is a teenager! But this morning was magic.
I finally unpacked today – the montana blues seem to be wearing off a bit…
the inside of an old fishing boat docked at the north east end of Washington Island (which is an island off the northern tip of Door County, which is at the northeastern most tip of Wisconsin). it’s seen much weather, i reckoned. i had this insane desire to take that steering wheel off and carry it back home with me to Milwaukee. it was so cool.
I am not sure I really want to live on the west coast (but I might), I just want to plant the things they do. So for 6 months a year, the succulents are my agaves.
yesterday was our annual “mom’s only at the beach” day. It is a treat every year. Late afternoon and evening, dinner and drinks, feet in the sand, sun setting and no kids to watch, feed, etc… Hurricane Bill passed us by yesterday so the surf was the biggest I have ever seen – it was amazing to watch.
obviously I will miss the lake and dock, the skiing, the smell of the mountain air, the hikes right from our door, being checked out from it all, etc… but, I will also miss this big sink. next year she will probably be too big…
for you jo… early morning ride to the boat ramp to take it out for the season
you could tell from the changing sky it was going to do something, and then it started raining hard, but there was still sun. i was outside hanging a sign on the playground when i looked up. i had to let everyone know. so they all ran out into the parking lot to see it: what an amazing double rainbow. it will be a good school year.
i suddenly realized they didn’t know how to ride an escalator properly, hardly ever having had the chance. so we parked the stroller and went up, down, up, down, up and down once more until they got it.
This was our first day of vacation on Cape Cod last week. The day was overcast and humid. I was feeling gray and kind of stormy that our vacation wasn’t blessed with sunshine and blue skies. I walked to the beach and the ocean matched my mood perfectly.
long day of wounded squirrel drama…really not so fun.
after a long and unpredictable day, the beasts and i took a walk in the rain at the park. not surprisingly we had the whole place to ourselves and it was perfect. also, not surprisingly, the camera was at home. again. so i have nothing but words and a memory for time well spent….
he got a little too close to an undetected bees nest on our deck this morning. they get him every summer, as edible as he is. there were 12 bees just sitting on this hive. it’s a wonder we hadn’t noticed it yet.
sorry people…..i don’t have children so more dog it is. it’s a sickness, i know.
an old passion revived and another thing the four of us can do together
are one of my favorite things ever. even the kids stopped and watched in silence. they feel like soldiers to me, brave and strong. it’s like history walking out of textbook pages right in front of you. Irish Fest rocks. i haven’t missed a year since we moved here 10 years ago.
while owner dies laughing.
if adopt-a-goat were possible, i’m pretty sure he’d be ours. what’s more fun than anything else is watching the kids grow into themselves. this one loves goats; the other one, hammers. and the girl: her bathing suit. that makes one farmer, one construction dude, and an Olympic swimmer in my future. right on.
please…..don’t remind me that it’s august already.
soothed the reunion night hangover.
I have a goal this summer to take the girls into Boston one day a week. Guess what we did this week?
our first rainy Saturday morning all summer. funny, though, when you look for it, color pops amidst the gray. yesterday was a big day. no big deal in the end, really, but i did have to let go – finally. and all is well.
this morning was cool and overcast but pleasant. as I was drinking tea and watching the girls play on the beach in their pjs, I noticed that Lambeau continuously wags his tail the entire time we are down at the dock. it got me to thinking, how can I instill that genuine appreciation & happiness in my children…
we had a lovely walk with a new friend. here’s Frankie. had it not been for all the excitement of the creek, we would have had a cry-free dog-park adventure. fortunately, she recovers quickly.
Six hydrangea bushes. Anxiously awaited their blues and purples. One bloom only. Could it be the gardener?
13 years of a good marriage AND my oldest friend visiting…
8pm: a break in the sky, and a break in the chaos of this day.
there was rice everywhere. but it was one of those days where when the kids asked, i allowed. we worked outside in our PJ’s until lunch. the best part of the day was the toad, but the peas were a close second.
checked off three more from our List-of-Things-to-do-This-Summer: farmers market, kite-flying at the lake, and backyard campfire. sometimes i wonder why it takes so long to do the ‘to do’s,’ but summers do fly. hello, August 1st. tomorrow we cut back the garden to plant for fall.
my camera is not the best so this picture doesn’t quite capture the amazing colors of the sky. These are Boston’s twin towers — International Place I (left) and II (right). Robin and I met on floor 28 of International Place I in 1992.
a beach in Wisconsin. quite wonderful, actually. and i agree with you about the corduroy. in July.
These are the oldest seats in all of major league baseball. They were installed in Fenway Park in the 1930’s. The rest of the park has been rehabbed since the new owners took over in 2002 but these seats remain. They are solid oak with wrought iron arm rests and legs. They are INCREDIBLY uncomfortable to sit in but their history makes up for it.
today it houses sunflowers. it’s such a perfect vase; thanks, Robin, for sending it to me last summer.
i am remiss to admit our burning bush has turning leaves this afternoon. i do believe this summer is confused.
but i am not ready to discuss Halloween. so from here-on-out, i refuse to go shopping until October 1st.
I was reminded that in one moment life can be altered so…
there were so many words to say about it. to keep it short i’ll share this: you see these planes fly overhead, so much more closely than anything real-seeming, and you imagine the person flying it. for a moment i wanted to drop to my knees and cry with pride. because even though yesterday it was an air show, what they are trained to do with those planes means much more.
said the egg lady after i picked out my pretty dozen. i liked this one because
it was small and so blue, but after the way too detailed story of how it
came into this world, i didn’t know if i should clap or throw up a little.
24 hours without kids, in our own town, our own house. ran into an old friend at target, 3pm. three hours later we all met up for dinner. the margaritas were awesome; the conversation hysterical. and then we got to go home to peace, quiet, and the chance to sleep in.
trying to treasure the good moments even if they are followed by bad ones…
beautiful and slightly grotesque at the same time
is a lightweight prefabricated structure of corrugated galvanised iron having a semicircular cross section (according to wikipedia), since you asked
i asked them why they were so well behaved at dinner. he said ‘we are all so tired.’ i’ll have to keep that in mind.
a bowl of pretty figs makes me happy.
i’m not sure how i never noticed them before, especially the yellow against the sand. but then again: think about how many times in a day greatness passes us by, our minds otherwise preoccupied with tasks. it’s a lesson.
two date-nights in a row. sunsets and yummy drinks outside, friends laughing new and old. catching up on everything between then and now. it was a great birthday party.
We went into Boston the day after SailBoston was over. It was amazing. We not only got to see 8 of them in port, we also got to watch them sail away with their sails unfurled.
between clearwater junction and great falls. my favorite and most familiar drive.
really bad days make good ones all the more good. thankfully, there were flamingos. i’m looking forward to tomorrow.
while the necessity of a larger van could be seen as a step towards success, as the driver it felt like a punishment.
is a good defense
The Verriers visit to Montana in 2008 was almost taken down by two 3 year olds and 1 cute pair of flip flops. This year we outsmarted them!!
i went into the day with no expectations, and i found it so much easier to just enjoy, even though what i thought would happen, didn’t.
old enough to have one, but not too old either. I love his sensitive side…
who would have thought a geometric coloring book could be so fun
i tell you: if i could get away with it, i’d have a rooster and a few chickens running around my suburban backyard. i’m secretly plotting just how to make that happen.
the crowds weren’t bad. the food was really good. the company: so necessary.
In Milwaukee, thousands of miles away from south India, I met a 75 year old lady who used to be a teacher at the same boarding school I went to for two years...what a small world we have!
a random eagle photo to break the “friend series”. (wish I would have had my other lens at this moment…)
he’s taught me about motherhood and caterpillars, and he seems to know more than i do about both.
in the way. next time… stop and realize maybe they are not.
you should have heard them squeal with delight when my father passed out the balloons to the boys and said, ‘Go get your dad!’ of course, they promptly did.
the day was chaos, but the painting was fun. i wanted stars; they wanted hearts. at least the moment was theirs. happy 4th.
a drive. crane mountain. bear sighting. finding the lily pond. tailgate picnic.
flute lessons today. i said, ‘ why not?’ it seems to be just as important he learn to love music as much as it is he learns to play.
….and the king is in the counting house…counting all his money!
watching wimbledon on television in london is much cooler than watching from home…..
morning does make everything a little less difficult than the night before…..
i woke with strep throat. but even when you feel badly, the day must go on.
time has such an impact on our lives. is it possible for anything to remain the same?
i’ve had three nights of dreams about moving. always to an apartment in an unfamiliar city. with carpet. every day here feels more right, finally after two years.
I held her hand as we walked through the park this evening. it was nice… even if she was confused.
last summer, i cared. this summer, i just don’t. i mean, i’m healthy. and i still get carded for beer.
one would think that this would reduce the amount on the floor and furniture…..sadly, no.
i would have complained about the heat, but there was a puppy. he says we should wait two more years. i’m not sure i can.
something about tonight made our new friends feel old, like we’ve done this for years.
a jeep adventure. over a mountain & around the lake. and ice cream.
impromptu. the kids barely ate but played well. we had grilled corn on the cob Indian-style. all were tired by 8pm.
he was desperate to keep him, but the boys settled on two tadpoles instead. who we will promptly return to their rightful home in the morning. that was our deal.
Precious moments
My dad and Sorina spending time together…
blog post ever. i had another post planned but thought that since this is big personal milestone for me, i should mark it with an ode to my trusty mac. 
this is the road in front of our home where the dogs and i often take a quick morning walk to work out the kinks…
the smell of mountains. not sure how to describe it – fresh, sweet, pure? anyway, its one of my favorites.
today is the fourth firing of my new kiln….firing days are long and intense at times but always exciting…
i love hand-me-downs. this table isn’t necessarily my style preference but it’s handy, and sweet. it came in bright girly colors and now matches her bedroom.
i usually gauge the passing of the summer season as the natives bloom….already the serviceberry, violets and arnica are on their way out…now it’s the time of beargrass. it only blooms once every 7 years so each year is a different pattern out the window. this year is a quiet one…sometimes it is like fireworks all through the forest.
our usual Friday, but this time we threw in ice cream afterwards. we found a huge piece of driftwood he swears came from a Pirate Ship. he asked if he could take it home. i obliged, as long as he carried it up the long, steep hill to the car. he worked so hard to do it.
we are are a group of women, connected through friends-of-friends. we live in in various places. and we all enjoy taking pictures; sharing; being inspired. this summer photography blog represents a circle of experiences during ten weeks of this summer.
at home.
SNOW!!!!!
of Heidi Haugen pottery. BEAUTIFUL!!! 
a great tshirt. a great motto.
good friend, foliage and my favorite city
Off to her LAST first day of pre-school. 
only three more boat days – where is the sun?
but not really
makes me feel both young and old…
thats all….i just love them.
from thunderstorms and fireworks
their driveway…
a perfect example of a lazy summer day…
looking behind, looking ahead…
not a bad idea.
fortunately…i love machines.
how long will she remember the sweet peas…
every evening and always looking this pathetic.
my allergies are worse at night.
but not dead yet..
the work after work…
even the awesome firework display did not compare…
it still squeaks and that’s all that matters…
early. done. good.
it all went wrong. even the littlest of things.
jo
rob
sshunta
sbittner
hhaugen
ziamaskara
mtinmke
mdverrier