Family Adventure in Stonington, Ct.

The whole fam together ~ this doesn't happen to often!

Ashley ~ trust me ~ she was being a wise guy!

Approaching all these BIG black birds standing at attention was a little scary!

He was ready to POUNCE! I backed off!

Frank trying to keep up !

This looks like a dinosaur head to me ~ what do you think?

My handsome boy Franky.

It felt like our heads were gonna hit going under!

Me and Frank : )

It was so exciting to be so close to this bird ~ he was HUGE!

Our Sweet Duo Tony and Cher Bear

My Beauty Jaci Sue ~ hey are those my earrings????

Aren't they adorable !

HEY! I didn't know they made battery's too! And below ~ a self portrait of Frank's mouth ~ tee hee!

Such perfection can't be planned! All 4 of my kids ~ Frank and myself ~ and the love of Cheri's life Tony ~ (7 altogether) decided to have a day together to celebrate Frank's 47th birthday. We drove 90 minutes north to Stonington, Ct. to go kayaking. The starting point is a saltwater channel and ends up on the Narragansett Bay. We traveled through a bird sanctuary and amazing views. We went under bridges including the a train bridge. We had the boats for 4 hours so towards the end ~ we got silly and tryed to match all the points of the kayak's like a star. Then we went under the tiny private piers the homeowners had for their boats. You had to flatten yourself out flat so your head wouldn't hit the pier!

See the island with the black birds on it? I was approaching this far ahead of the others. The birds all started to stretch out their wings as I got closer. It was scary but I haven't felt such excitement rise up inside of me in a long time.

It was so satisfying to try something new! I have been in a real funk and this was JUST what the doctor ordered!

Not since I tryed crazy quilting for the first time have I encountered something I KNEW had to be a part of my life forever!

I see a kayak with my name on it in my future : )

By the way ~ what NEW thing might you try this summer?

What's Happening In My Garden This Week

The Garden Ferries are finding wonderful places to hide is the garden this week. Lilly Pads, hollyhock, daisy's, cone flower, hydrangea, lupines, and butterfly bush are all in bloom. The green tomatoes and funky looking mushrooms are delightful places for them to sit a spell on a steamy summer night. The butterflies can't hide their excitement as they travel from blossom to blossom. Heaven has arrived in my garden!

Scenes From The Circle Line, NYC

I thought you would enjoy seeing some of the sight's from "The Circle Line" cruise ship in New York City. Jaci was visiting this past week so I happily made my second trip to the city in 3 days to show her and her friend some of the sights. This is a wonderful 3 hours cruise around the entire island of Manhattan. I highly recommend it! Also note one of the most beautiful sights ~ the beautiful sculpture atop Grand Central Terminal.

The New York City Waterfalls Exibit

I wanted to share this wonderful exhibit I went to see in NYC on Sunday.They are a series of waterfalls on the Hudson River that will be in place until Oct. 13th. All the info can be found at this link http://www.nycwaterfalls.org/ These pictures were taken just off South Street Seaport.I love the foggy scene with the Statue of Liberty in the background. I never fail to get a chill when I see her lovely image.What about the stunning Brooklyn Bridge! We had awful thunderstorms but the sky's cleared just in time for our 30 minute boat ride.The last picture was taken at Bryant Park. The building looked like a stunning diamond standing tall as dusk approached.

Love You!

Dearest Summer ~ My Garden Welcomes You

What Are You Doing On The First Day Of Summer?

My son called me on my birthday in March and asked me that question. He had just purchased 2 tickets to see James Taylor at Jones Beach on Long Island, NY ~ on the first day of summer! This was a chance for us to have an adventure like the ones we used to share when he was younger.I booked a room at a nice hotel and planned a whirlwind kind of day!

We took the car on the ferry to Port Jefferson ~ from there this Mom put metal to the petal to make to the next ferry on the other side of Long Island in Patchoug. We took that 25 minute ferry to a glorious paradise of my youth ~ Watch Hill on Fire Island. This part of Fire Island has no cars, one bar/restaurant, state camp grounds, and mile after magical mile of white sand and Atlantic Ocean.

We sat on the outdoor deck of the bar - drinking beer and listening to a live band that just happen to show up as we got there at 2pm. We walked 2 miles on the beach and talked about everything under the sun. My son sees the good in people so conversations are always positive with him. We even found a piece of beach glass! We laughed out of control when this guy who seemed to think he was SO cool walked by us with a big tag hanging from his butt ~ from a discount store.

At 6:45 ~ we got back on the ferry to our car and headed to Jones Beach for the 8:00 concert. WHAT a venue for a concert! It is right in the water! Our seats were AMAZING!!! Right in front! He confesed just how much he had paid for those tickets! Boy was I glad I booked us at a nice hotel!

James Taylor was better and crisper than ever. He sang all his classics plus everything from Broadway tunes to The Dixie Chicks. He sang "Sweet Baby James" ~ a song I used to sing to my brother James when he was little.

We got back to our room after midnight. The next morning we had a great breakfast and hung around Port Jeff until the 1:00 Ferry.

This will go down as one of the top week-ends in my life. Time spent with my preciuos son requires no words ~ we understand each other so well. Thoughts of him bring tears to my eyes. He is my special treasure from God.