Clouds Over Kentucky

I saw this unusual cloud on the Pennyrile Parkway in Kentucky. Nature is amazing, isn't it?

A Blue Ridge Mountain Storm

In the Blue Ridge Mountains,

storms blow in very quickly, but don't usually last too long.

It's a pretty majestic sight to watch the weather roll through.

Photoshop Fail

They used a photo to of a pretty woman to try to make smoking an e-cig look as sexy as possible ... but the graphic artist forgot to airbrush out the fingers ... now mysteriously growing out of her elbow!

Hiking the Benton-McKay Trail

Coming down is a lot more fun than climbing up!

Toccoa River Swinging Bridge

This is one of our favorite places.
It's so beautiful and serene.

My Phone is Dyslexic

It's supposed to be "said".

Olivia is a Koala?

And all this time I thought she was a cat!

A Hike With My Sweetie :)

We're hot and sweaty, but I think it's a pretty good photo of us.
How sad is it that my hair looks like a birds nest ...
and it's still one of my better pictures?!!

Proof My Kids Aren't German

My kids think "shhh" means be quiet a moment ...
and then make as much noise as possible!

A Very Knotty Tree

Very unusual!

What Would You Name Your Cabin?

If you had a cabin nestled into the side of the Blue Ridge Mountains of Georgia, what would you name it? My sweetie chose to name his "Go Away"!

Tubing the Toccoa River

While at the cabin with another couple, we spent one afternoon tubing on the Toccoa River. The four of us tied our tubes together and lazily floated downstream. Like the good folk on Gilligan's Island, we chose the 3-hour tour and had a blast ... until we got out of the river and everyone realized how sunburned they were. Next time, we'll probably choose kayaks. The tubes were lots of fun, but not so easy to steer around the rock. We'll also make sure to use plenty of sunscreen!

The Nation Mourns with Chattanooga

Yesterday we drove through Chattanooga on our way home from vacation in the Blue Ridge Mountains of Georgia. The flags at half-staff were a sober reminder of the terrorist attacks just a few days prior. The innocence of this picturesque town nestled in the mountains has been forever shattered.

I find it unconscionable that soldiers are not allowed to carry firearms to protect themselves. We send these men and women to the most dangerous places in the world, yet do not trust them with guns here at home to protect themselves. That is beyond stupid. It's ludicrous ... and it should be criminal that "we" (I am not included in that "we") force our military to become sitting ducks, unable to protect themselves.

Indiana Governor Mike Pence has authorized arming the Indiana National Guard at state facilities and recruiting offices. Pence released a statement which said, in part, "As commander-in-chief of the Indiana National Guard, I will not permit our citizen-soldiers to remain unable to defend themselves and our citizens at facilities in our state. Hoosiers may be assured that those who have stepped forward to defend our state and nation will have the ability to defend themselves."

How sad that state governments are forced to defend our soldiers because the federal government refuses to allow them to protect themselves.

While on Vacation

My bestie ran into Tonto,

and her husband ran into Elvis!

Karate Cat

If you ever can't find Olivia, she's probably in Thing 3's old room, lying in the box of his karate belts. This has become her favorite spot for naps. It doesn't look that comfortable to me, but she's got a giant house full of other choices and this is where she goes, so I guess it must be comfy enough!

Solving the World's Problems

After dinner the other night, our men went into the living room to solve the world's greatest problems. Okay, that's not quite true. At this point in the evening, they weren't exactly trying to solve, or even discussing, the world's greatest problems ... they were really just trying to land an airplane without crashing on a flight simulator app.

It's Not a "LAUNDROMAT", It's a "LAUNDRO MAT"

I saw this sign the other day and had to take a picture. I don't really know what the difference between a "Laundromat" and a "Laundro Mat" is ... but I'm guessing it's a significant number if IQ points!

Homemade Peach Cobbler for Breakfast?

Yes, please!

Herd of Deer, Grazing in the Fields

My sweetie and I went out for ice cream the other night and saw a herd of deer grazing in the fields. I don't recall seeing this many deer together at one time this close to the city before.

If this isn't funny to you

... ask someone who was a child during the 70's or 80's.

Or, you can click here.

Grilling Out With Friends

We got together with some close friends the other night. We grilled Italian chicken, garlic roasted asparagus, potatoes with butter and onions, fresh corn on the cob, kale salad, and Waldorf salad. Despite stuffing ourselves silly at dinner ... we all found room for dessert of chocolate chip cookies and strawberry shortcake. Yum!!

I know what triggers the heaviest rain ...

Both opening my front door and turning off my car seem to be triggers for torrential downpours!

Somebody Was Jealous

Thing 1 put teeny-tiny Gus in what is either a babydoll shirt or the tiniest dog shirt they make ... and Roo started crying. He cried and whined until Thing 1 put a t-shirt on him. Dogs are so silly!

This is Hard to Believe

Gus LOVES His Roo

Little Gus ADORES his big brother Roo

Roo loves Gus, too. He's always very gentle and sweet with the little guy, but I swear I've seen Roo roll his eyes when that silly puppy won't leave him alone! Gus is always underfoot ... so much so that poor Roo has to be careful when he sits or lays down to make sure he isn't going to sit or lay on Gus.

Gus's adoration for Roo has been good for training. Gus watches Roo and copies his every move. If Roo pants, Gus pants. If Roo is excited, Gus is excited. House training Gus was a piece of cake ... since Roo doesn't use the bathroom in the house, neither does Gus. Pretty amazing for a baby puppy.

Louie (the cat) used to be Roo's nap buddy, but Louie isn't a fan of Gus. Gus is just a little too "busy" for Louie's taste. But, one day Gus will have spent his puppy energy, and I all three boys will cuddle up for long, lazy naps together.

If There is a Nap Going On ...

Olivia generally finds it ... and joins in.

Fourth of July Fireworks

On our way home from dinner in Owensboro, as we were headed towards the downtown area on Waterworks Road, we could see people setting off fireworks all over Evansville, just above the treeline. I didn't get any pictures of that, and I wish I had ... it was really cool.

The fireworks at the riverfront in Evansville started just before we hit the downtown area, so we slowly meandered through through streets, stopping a few times to take pictures. I used to bring the kids downtown for the fireworks every year when they were growing up. Every Fourth of July, we'd spend the day swimming, then clean up and go to the fireworks in the evening. 

I always brought a boatload of sparklers for the kids to do while we waited for the traffic to clear. I also brought a bucket and filled it with water for the kids to drop the sparklers into when they were spent. My dad would have been proud of me for that!