Grandma's Girdle

Votes are in and have been tabulated...and I am an expert as I was one of the hanging chad vote counters of the Gore/Bush 2000 Election debacle in Florida.This item is in fact the remains of a girdle owned by my mom and strung up by my parents good (?) friends over 30 years ago. Now, I know you are curious so I went right to the horse's mouth for an accurate explanation...

It appears my parents had a rockin' New Years some time in the late 70s and my mom decided to let it all hang out and take her girdle off. JUST KIDDING MOM! Actually, she just wanted to take the medieval contraption off after a night of partying (and hopefully made the decision to never wear one again). Her only problem was she forgot all about it.

And as good friends will do, they presented it to her ceremonial style one night when they were vacationing in Chincoteague. She grabbed and hid it, but to no avail. Late night thievery struck and my mom found herself staring at it the next morning - nailed 30 feet up a pine tree.

Years passed and the joke faded away but the girdle has remained. A true testament to Playtex quality and my mom's good sense of humor.

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Butterfly Rescue

The other day a blur of orange caught my eye as I was passing by a window. I looked up and saw a monarch beating its wings between the glass and the screen, trapped inside. A closer look revealed that it had hatched from a chrysalis that you can see hanging here. There was slight opening between the screen and the wall - big enough for a caterpillar to get in but too small for a butterfly to get out.Olivia helped me capture the butterfly and release it outside. It sat there awhile, probably a bit dazed and confused and tired. I was pretty happy to see a successful hatching. I have planted Milkweed outside and each year the monarchs gobble it down, lay eggs and hatch caterpillars. Twice we have found chrysalis' attached to various parts of our house and twice they have died. Here is our first success, that we know of...

Fay who?

Cabin fever is setting in as we have been trapped indoors for a few days now with Tropical Fay spitting and blowing all over us. For the most part, this has felt like any other rain storm for us. We lucked out a bit by having the eye pass right over us so we didn't get as much rain or wind as some of our unfortunate statewide neighbors... 30" in Melbourne!
We did lose power last night and had a tree go down, but no big deal, it was dead already and needed to get it out. We were just happy that we don't have to deal with putting up shutters anymore!!So, we enjoyed playing games, reading books and watching the ridiculous weather reporters play out the drama on TV... I'm including an email quote - from a good friend/former colleague of mine from Palm Bay who went through the worst of it - about the reporters... "One reporter was sitting in a canoe, expounding on the necessity of the canoe so he could wave his arms and show us the flooded street in front of him. Just then, three kids came running by, splashing him as they ran by in the ankle-deep water. It was obvious that the canoe was sitting firmly on the ground beneath it. I thought I would cry, I was laughing so hard!" It is strange the need they feel to make it more dramatic than it is... the real news is riveting enough.

The kids played on the computer...Baked cookies...This is the Florida version of a snow storm except that we can't make snowmen or go skiing. The kids love going out in it though and spent a good part of the day playing in the warm rain.A dragonfly waiting for the rain to stop... (you probably need to click on this pic to see it)A puddle party...unfortunatley somehow I managed to film this on super fast speed but you get the idea...

First Day of School 2008

It is hard to believe that Back to School is upon us. We were fortunate to have a very care-free summer so I am a bit sad to lose that freedom. Olivia is entering the first grade at Talbot Elementary and Grant is off to PreK-3 at First Presbyterian. Olivia loves school and is very ready. Grant spent three weeks at his new school in a camp program this summer so he is familiar with his teacher and classroom. There are only 8 kids in Grant's class and many only go half days which is perfect for him. We met Olivia's teacher last Friday and we like her - she seems to be a warm person, which I think is important at this age. But mostly what excites Olivia about this year is that her good friend Thalia is in class with her, as well as a few other girlfriends. So, while I forewarned the teacher about Olivia's gift of gab with friends, I'm afraid Olivia would talk to the wall if she had to.
Here's to a great school year...

So Long Summer

The final part of our final summer vacation was spent just as it began, by eating and drinking. First a seafood feast - Old Bay seasoned shrimp, crab claws (Jonah crabs Dad, not Stone crabs), and clams steamed in rosemary, wine, garlic, butter.... YUM YUM! Look at these people go! The only thing left were shrimp heads and full stomachs.And of course we ended it all with smores. The pursuit for marshmallow happiness begins...Grant didn't have the patience. He would touch the marshmallow to the coals, immediately pull it out, call it good, and request a sandwich to be made. Technique is lost on a 3 yr old who lives for sweets.Let me teach you the ways my son...You know things are getting serious when the head lamp is being used!Yours too can look like this if left alone to make smores in the dark with Uncle Kevin...Goodbye Summer...

Refuge Hike and Drippy Whippy

The weather was beyond beautiful during our trip to Virginia - somewhere in the 70s and low humidity - not very typical Virginia-in-August at all. However, the mosquitoes were as vicious as ever. So, armed with bug spray, we took a hike through the refuge in hopes of seeing some wildlife, especially the wild ponies that Chincoteague is famous for. I grew up fantasizing about owning one. They have a "pony penning" day every year where the local volunteer firemen play saltwater cowboys for a day and round them up, swim them across the channel from Assateague to Chincoteague and auction them off to the highest bidder. Proceeds go to the fireman for both new equipment and care of the ponies. Those that aren't sold swim back to their home on the refuge. Although we saw some in the distance on the way to the beach another day, no luck this day. But there was a lot of poop and Uncle Jim had Grant convinced it was from rhinoceroses.At the overlook where Grant was sure he saw camels in the distance. Has this kid been to Africa in a different life?Team tired...And no trip to Chincoteague would ever be complete without a trip or two or three to Mr. Whippy.Mr. Whippy sure has grown up since the days it was a simple walk up ice cream stand but the drippy Whippy tradition continues.

Free Ride

Since crabbing was a bust, the kids quickly found themselves taking advantage of the park nearby... same park we met the Redskins cheerleaders. Chincoteague is not a big place. I love these pictures b/c the kids were having the time of their lives on a simple tire swing.

You can see it in their faces...And hear it in their voices... if only the video wasn't so huge and I could upload it. I might try to find software to edit it and try again.

A big shout out to Karen's muscles for making this all happen.

Feeling Crabby

We started off the day with high hopes...Reeling them in s-l-o-w-l-y...Another empty basket...Are you sure there are crabs out here??...Umm, I think this line is in knots...Success, at last! Well, sort of...At least the other animals that day were interesting. Check out the Assassin Beetle...

The kids took to jellyfishing instead. The catch of the day...Moon Jelly...

Beachin' it... again

We sure have had our fill of the beach this summer... I guess it makes up for us moving away from it, a little. My whole family was able to make it for a short week stay at my parents friends' cottage in Chincoteague, VA. The beach itself is on Assateague Island National Seashore, connected to the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge. I grew up vacationing with my family at this beautiful, remote (more so back then) place and my parents are entering their 36th year or so of visiting. I recall one summer we went there seven times so I guess my beach-filled summers started young.
All the cousins...Danielle, Grant, Braden, Olivia, Robert...Uncle Kevin was a champ at braving the cold water (hey, compared to FL water it was COLD) to hang with the kids. Too bad he didn't realize Olivia loves the ocean and isn't an easy one to manage in the water. I'm pretty sure he wasn't having as much fun as they were.For a place with almost nothing there, there is much to do... if you enjoy hanging out with nature. And nature comes in a variety of forms. When I was about 10 yrs old, on one of our extended hikes to remote areas of the beach, my friend and I happened upon a topless woman. We were mildly humored by this but thought no more of it. A bit later we were passed by two jogging topless women (ouch!). We started to think about this a bit more when were exposed to a man coming over the dunes in nothing but hat and sunglasses. At this point we realized we had entered a place we probably weren't meant to be. Hmmm, exactly where did Assateague get its name from anyway?? Since that time, public nudity was made illegal but people still do it all the time. In fact, this past week there was an article about a couple who was charged. And as it turns out, this couple owns a resort on the border of Mexico and Belize that Don and I have been to - Playa Sonrisa - a clothing optional resort. HOWEVER, during our visit it was El Caracol, not Playa Sonrisa, and it was not clothing optional.
So, if you are a nature lover of all kinds, Assateague is for you.

Now for some nature photos of the non-human kind.

Coquina clams were a big hit. Note the muscular foot extended out of the middle one...Thousands of them lie just below the surface and just as the pounding surf exposes them, they immediately burrow back in.Check out the footage...unfortunately the quality didn't transfer when uploaded, but you get the idea.


A crab...Don and Kevin went clamming across the dunes, bayside. They got all of one...Hey, how'd this nudist get in here! It appears Danielle wanted to keep with the island tradition...

National Night Out

Did you know that Tuesday, August 5 was National Night Out? We didn't either but it has apparently been around awhile as this was the 25th one. Cities from around the nation partner with their police force to create a free event for citizens in the community. We happened to be vacationing on the eastern shore in Chincoteague, Va and since much doesn't happen in Chincoteague we decided to check it out. It was very home-towny and fun. I suppose the highlight was meeting two Redskin cheerleaders who I'm sure were thinking, "What in the world did we do to be sent to the middle of nowhere to sign autographs?"Jumping to safety from a burning house...Danielle, Olivia, Braden, Grant...

Mount Vernon

We arrived Saturday night to visit my family in Virginia. While we usually spend most of our time relaxing by the pool or strolling through my parents gardens (yes, i said gardenS!) we also try to take advantage of the infinite historical places to visit. Today, Grandma, Don, Grant and I traveled to Mount Vernon while Olivia stayed behind to have fun with cousin Danielle, and to harass Grandpa.I hadn't been there since I was 10ish yrs old so I had forgotten most of the details. One thing George Washington was proud of and wanted everyone to know was that he considered himself a farmer, first and foremost. His property extends over 8000 acres and was divided into five farms - each with its own overseers, workforce of slaves, livestock, equipments and buildings in an ideal location near the Potomac River. I HIGHLY recommend Mount Vernon to anyone who visits the DC area. How about this for a backyard view...George and Martha's Tombs...Grant and Grandma visit the "Necessary"... P.U.!!The new education center built two years ago is excellent and very kid-friendly even for a 3 year old.
Grant holding "Washy's" hand...Blueskin, one of George's two fave horses. An actual stuffed horse...Grant having a sniff of whiskey that George distilled...I do solemnly swear...Grant playing dress up...And the beautiful, huge pecan tree...