Christmas 2008

Some Serious Bed Head

Festival of Trees Parade, Davenport, IA

It was cold.


Only in Iowa.

Variety

I never cease to be amazed at the variety of God's world. I've never seen a pinecone like this one until my last trip to Oregon!

Two Roads

ROAD LESS TRAVELED

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth

Then took the other as just as fair
And having perhaps the better claim
Because it was grassy and wanted wear
Though as for that, the passing there
Had worn them really about the same

And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet, knowing how way leads onto way
I doubted if I should ever come back

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence
Two roads diverged in a wood
And I took the one less traveled by
And that has made all the difference


Robert Frost (1920)

Skyward

Oregon

Roadside

On the wind

Metamorphasis

As a follow up to the last post with the cicada skins, my Hero caught this one coming out of it's skin last night. This is something you don't get to actually witness very often.

Summer, Bugs, Frogs and a Boy

Just a warning up front: the last picture is gross. I mean really, snotty, boy gross.

The lazy days of late summer offer many opportunities for boys to explore and learn about the world around them. Cicadas are funny little creatures that are born and live underground feeding off of tree sap from the roots. When they are ready to morph into winged adults, the nymphs come out of the ground and climb up any nearby tree or plant or even fence and shed their skin. They leave behind a great sci-fi shell.


My grandboy was completely fascinated. It took a lot of explaining to convince him that this was not a live creature, and then even more for him to believe that it was not a dead bug.


I tried and tried to get him to pronounce ci-ca-da, but it kept coming out mikayla.


This just isn't the image that Mikayla brings to my mind.




But he enjoyed it.

Then, a few days later he discovered that our yard has an entire community of frogs inhabiting it.
Maybe his mom should have wiped his nose before she snapped this picture. Ya think? It does say "All Boy" though. Oh, and when he saw this picture he found it necessary to remind me that those are the frogs' butts in the picture.

What?!

This boy is always moving!

Wordless Wednesday

My granddaughter, 2 months, 8 days.

Now this

First there was this. Now, this is what happens when a 4-year-old dresses the dog.

A marigold afternoon

You can't see me!

When 4-year-olds dress themselves

Yes, the shirt is on inside out.

Hi there!

Dandelion

Mrs. McGregor?

Butterfly and Queen Anne's Lace