Kitchen Demo and Swimming!

A quick week with Adam taking Wednesday through Friday off so that he could work on the kitchen. The weather has been dry and warm and we have been having fun in the pool.  We hope that our family and friends had an enjoyable 4th of July and a good week!!

Thunder keeping Ayson company while Ayson played on his X-Box.

Pretty coneflower

July 7, 2022 garden!  We think the plants have survived the "deer phase" (where the deer eat all of the tasty shoots/stems

Adam started to work on the kitchen BUT it is also prime blackberry season so the kids helped make blackberry jelly.

Pool shinanigans

Cannon ball!

Kids playing nicely together - MUST document

Random hummingbird photo

On Saturday early evening, the water temp was 89 degrees!!! However, the air temp continued to go down.

By this picture, the air temp was 69 degrees and Addie is complaining because the air is cold and Adam wouldn't let her down. 

Front garden sunny

We no longer have barn beams on the ceiling in our kitchen and dining room - Adam hated the beams

A crazy tall milkweed plant taller than Adam.

Corn height - even after getting chewed by deer earlier this summer 

Gorgeous Saturday evening!

Our table getting repaired.

The table leg broke and Adam glued and screwed it back together

The table on its side adds a special "something" to the demolished kitchen and dining room.  

Ayson trying to touch the rafters.

Sunday downtime

4th of July Weekend with Annie and Bob at Lake Bonaparte

During the last week of June, we played outside, ate ice cream, and picked berries.  We spent the July 4th weekend with our friends, Annie and Bob.  We had an amazing visit with them at their camp at Lake Bonaparte.  The kids slept in the bunk house while Amy slept in the main camp with Annie and Bob in the "Eternal Sleep" bedroom.  We had SO much fun - thank you, Annie and Bob!!!

Warning, there are many photos so sit back and enjoy!!!  

We hope that our family and friends had a relaxing, fun, and safe holiday weekend!!!

Lilies are blooming!

The milkweed smells amazing!

Backyard flowers

Kiddos in the pool

Ice cream :)

Ayson learning how to drive the lawnmower.

More ice cream

Picking mulberries from the tree next to our garage.

More pool time!

Lake Bonaparte!!!

It was like being in the Adirondacks without being in Adirondack State Park!  The rocks were cool and we heard loons everyday. 

Bob built a tram from the parking lot down to the camp.  Of course the tram was a highlight for the kids!

Gorgeous flowers

Swimming in Lake Bonaparte!  Ayson (black tube) swam over to the help a neighbor girl (most left tube in the picture) join us on the raft.

Haha.  Then the kiddos swam to the neighbors area to play on the bounce water slides...all the kids swimming away....

to play next door.

Our version of Cousin It :)

A damselfly resting on Ayson's arm

Dragonfly on the side of the boat

Cruise around Bonaparte Lake with Captain Annie!

Addie and Adam riding the tram :)

Bob let Ayson play with his remote control speed boats!  So cool!!!  Thank you!

Cool map of Lake Bonaparte on the wall.

Look close - two adult loons with at least 2 babies are in the photo!!!

Sunday morning sunrise picture from Adam

Sunrise Picture from Amy :)

Pretty moth

Addie's favorite part of the trip was feeding the chipmunks :)

Chipmunk taking the peanut

and stuffing it in its mouth

While Addie and Annie stayed with the chipmunks (and Ayson was still sleeping), Amy and Adam went for an early morning kayak.

Cool rocks

Chatting before breakfast...Ayson just woke up

Fishing!!!!

We all went for a kayak to an outlet of the lake.  Addie started out on her own but then Adam had to tow her :)

A beaver dam stopped us from going further -but Bob, Ayson, and Amy did try to get over the beaver dam with no success.

But the fun did not end there!  More fishing....

Followed by tubing with the neighbors

The older kids caught some air!

Check out Addie's legs - they are off the tube - hahaha.

Followed by playing on the tube

AND resting

while Ayson went for a ride on a little boat

THEN more fishing...from a dock

and from a kayak

and more fishing from a dock and kayak

Meanwhile, the girls relaxed on the deck

Annie took us for a boat ride to see a few of the neighbors jump off a rock cliff.

Then it was time to get the fire going for smores :)

While the fire was getting started, the kids played a few rounds of hide and seek.

While the adults chatted around the fire.

More loons

Smores with Keebler cookies - yum!

Hugs!!!

Duck family floated by before the fireworks.

Lights (flares) around the lake 

Bob was instructing Ayson and Adam on how to whistle with their fingers.

Great way to end the day!

Amy startled a great blue heron that was on the dock as she went down to watch the sun rise.

A GREAT time for a peaceful kayak.

Addie and Bob feeding the squirrels - check out Bob's t-shirt :)

Annie told the kiddos to sign the loft room and Amy and Adam signed the back of her bedroom door :)

We rounded out our weekend with more fishing

and Amy got on the paddle board for the first time and did NOT fall in :)