Clematis - I wait all year for this showy cascade. About the time these drop off, morning glories will appear. Easterly facing, it gets better every year.

Let's see, son is back from camp. After 5 loads of camp laundry it appears the only thing that didn't make it home was the beach towel. Oh, well. I must say that digging wet, muddy, paint strewn, crud war leftover strewn, and general body odor aromatic clothing out of the duffle bag, has been known to be worse -- much worse! This year the only thing that really hinted at camp were the socks.

Twas a very busy day at the office today and I'm absolutely pooped. I've got way too much to do at home over the next few weeks and no time to get it done. Oh, I'll figure it out somehow.

Not much news to tell. Garden looked a little peaked today. It needed the rain that was promised.

By the way, I think that Vroom Vroom girlfriend moved out, along with her child and pooch. Vroom Vroom himself hasn't been seen in two days. The grass got mowed two weeks ago but the weeds in the beds are reaching up to the windows. The mystery continues...............

I cleaned the fountain this weekend. After taking several photos I realized they were appearing a tad murky, due to a bit of bleach clouding the water. But I was pleased with this photo. I had turned off the pump but, as I snapped the shot, a lone drop of water hit the surface. It reminds me of a suction cup used to hang a suncatcher in a kitchen window.

Northern Lake Michigan rocks and iron slag & a lone broken Indiana geode in the upper right corner.

Today is my father's 70th birthday. Dad's been a loving and giving father all these many years. I couldn't have asked for better and I am truly blessed.

Luv Ya, Dad!

I have 2 buddies who visit me frequently throughout the day and evening. Generally, they just hang around. Though skiddish, they are both used to humans on the patio. Bunny allows about a 3 foot distance. I can't get close enough to Chipper where my 5x zoom is helpful. Obviously, the red eye reduction on my camera didn't perform well. Other than that, I love my new camera and find it very handy. I will always wish for more zoom, however. One can't get enough.

I had a really cool weekend, working with dear friends toward a common goal. Everybody pitched in and things came together rather well.

Thought I might share a photo of my soul sister's rock garden. It has developed into a beautiful blend of succulent color and texture.

Number one son was asked to take all trash out to the bin this evening. He complied without issue. I thanked him after his chore and stated that I would return the favor by washing, drying and folding his dirty laundry 8>)))

Congratulations Julie Ann!! We are so very proud of you!

It was a lovely Sunday afternoon to celebrate Julie's right of passage. She's a good kid, or rather a fine young woman. With the exception of clean rooms, what more could moms ask for, right Con?

Party was a success. Many happy visitors and lots of good chow. As with any good dutch girl, Connie provided more than enough with leftovers for all.

I failed miserably at getting a photo of 3 of the most memorable characters of the day. I'm hoping my buddy Tom can help me out with that one. If you visit and they're here, well, he did it. If they're still not here when you come, oh well....

Imagine my surprise when I ripped my grocery list from the pad last night and found this. After quickly disqualifying two likely candidates I have determined that a gremlin visited my house last week Saturday while we were away.....

Memorial Weekend, 2006

What can I say? I had 2 glorious pool days, perfect pool days as they are affectionately known. Sun, warmth, and an 80 degree pool which I had the pleasure of christening this year. I'm nicely toasted. Thanks, dear friends -- it's always a pleasure. Aahhh......

We had a lovely visit with plenty of yummy food. I even had the pleasure of 2 naps. With 1 day left of my holiday I'm staring at 7-8 loads of laundry with the washing machine & dryer chugging away. I'm already looking forward to next weekend, even though I'm not quite done with this one. If the sun presents himself, maybe a trip to the beach tomorrow will be required. Oh, darn.....

It's trash day. That's about the most exciting thing I can say about any Wednesday. People talk about it being hump day. For me it is definitely a hump kinda day, every single week.

Nothing much to say, so I won't say much more.

Ed and Baxter at Saugatuck Dunes beach 2 weekends ago.

Ciao!

Well, we did it. If you've ever been to my house you will agree that this is an improvement. This morning we ripped out rotted railroad ties, removed a 5 ft cone shaped evergreen, removed every perennial, rock, stone, hen and chick from the bed. Next came a trip to Lowes for 34 paving bricks and a trip to Huntree Nursery for 160 pounds of topsoil, 3 dune grass plantings, and 2 additional perennials. The fun part was putting it all back, including most of the large rocks. The small stones went back into other beds. Not bad for a day's work.

The honeysuckle will need to wait for another day. One day I'll take photos when the sun is in a different position. Late afternoon is not the best time of day to take a photo of the front of the house.

MY HAPPY PLACE....

Hallelujah, the rain finally came to an end. It was a gorgeous day. I spent most of it on the patio, planting 3 flats of annuals I purchased yesterday. Then, I allowed myself the joy of spending time and guilt-free bucks at Jonker's Gardens. More annuals, vegetables, and lots of perennials. More planting....including a long awaited lavender wisteria.


Ed scrubbed the fountain. I cleaned out the tubing. It's bubbling away nicely....

After a hike through the Saugatuck Dunes, I'm bushed....Dinner was burgers on the grille and leftover corn on the cob. Yum.

I have high hopes of re-building the flower bed near my garage door tomorrow. That is after we cut down the evergreen that has taken over the place. I also need to transplant what appears to be a honeysuckle that was found sguished between two large evergreen trees at the back of our property. It's amazing that it has survived all these years.

Thunderstorm due tonight.

Oooh, one more thing. I changed my settings regarding comments. Anyone should now be able to leave comments without registering for a blog. Try it out. Hint, hint, hint....

I was going to blog a bunch this weekend but, quite frankly, I just don't feel like it. Thought I would share a photo of the treasure I found yesterday while hiking at the dunes. This lovely 5.5" morel mushroom was found along the trail. It appeared to have been freshly picked and recently dropped. Tis a beauty.

If I could figure out a way to put a slideshow on my blog, I've got this great succession of sunset photos I took this past weekend at Oval Beach in Saugatuck. The sun ended up looking like an uncooked egg yolk on the surface of the lake. Way cool.

It's been a very wet, very soggy couple of days around here. My lilacs are hanging low with water. They're in full bloom and I'm drying to get them into my house but they're soaked at the moment.

Tomorrow is my 25th wedding anniversary. Boy, oh, boy. It's an amazing thing. Tonight our big date was a trip for our usual anniversary Italian dinner at Via Maria. A great restaurant in the building where my husband worked when I met him. Very strange. Great meal, great wine. We were entertained by an accordian player who played wonderful Italian love songs, dressed as a Dutchman. Then it was off to the Evergreen Commons with the old folks for an evening of the Windmill Chorus. An awesome display of barbershop quartet. Tonight the theme was 'Irving Berlin'. Wunnerful, wunnerful..... Saw 2 highschool classmates; and 2 others I know in the Chorus.

Enroute home we had the pleasure of watching the neighborhood around Van Raalte Avenue putting out their tarps and lawn chairs. These folks are aggressively marking their territory, roping off sections for themselves, for the Muziekparade on Saturday. No rain or cold will slow this parade down. I marched, danced, and drove in rain and cold many a year. Miserable but always having fun.

Jah, I know. I haven't posted in days. What of it?

Did I mention that it's Tulip Time in Holland? Somehow I completely forgot it was a parade day today. The Volksparade, to be exact. Therefore my child had a half day of school, which I also forgot. Not that this was a problem, however. It just reminds me that my brain is running at warp speed.

A tradition amongst the locals is to eat out at least one night during the festival, dining downtown at the vendor wagons. Or, as they are more affectionately known, the junk food wagons. No doubt this is a tradition amongst any local population who provides a human gathering large enough to support a small carnival, fair or parade. Except maybe, Anchor Days in Empire. Anyway, tonight was my night to stop with child in tow at a perfectly respectable elephant ear establishment run solo by somebody's great-grandma. She made delicious ears. We went home with 3. I soon remembered why I don't eat that stuff.

WOW! What an incredibly gorgeous day it's been. It started early for me. After throwing in a load of laundry I headed off to the grocery store. Realizing I had my 35mm camera in the Jeep along with a fresh roll of film, I took a side trip to the tulip plantings near Window on the Waterfront. The sun was shining down on rows and rows of color. The tulips are perfect.

A lengthy trip to the grocery store included a trip through the garden center where I found a few of the perennials I wanted for the fence area. A ride through the Douglas and Glenn areas this afternnoon included scouting for the perfect trellis. While we found several that were appealing, the prices weren't so the hunt continues. After ice cream at Earl's Berries, we headed home with more perennials from Huntree Nursery. One can never have too many.

Although I found my list of chores lengthy today, I did take some time to sun my buns. At maximum exposure I furthered my splurge with a nap. Ahhh..... Dinner tonight will be chicken and corn on the cob on the grille. The sun is dropping slowly into the west and I might just be tempted into a ride to the beach for a sunset. We'll see.

Did I happen to mention it's Tulip Time in Holland?

Gert & Neil

This blogging thing can lead one to an obsession. As if I need another obsession. I missed a couple of days due to the flu and a night out with the girls. I chastise myself needlessly for the lapse. All the photos I've been capturing over the past couple of weeks have a purpose, as well as the snippets of my day I wish to blog. Things are getting backed up.

Enough, already. Like the tulips? Did I tell you it's now officially Tulip Time in Holland? I heard the rockets red glare of the fireworks last night as I was trying to go to sleep. Friday night out with the girls and I'm already in bed by 10:00. Pathetic.

Yesterday was Jeannine's birthday. She's a wise young woman of thirty-something. I'll be kind and not share what I know about the 'something'.

Then, there's Jamie. Remember, 'low and slow'. This photo puts a tune back in my head that was brought to my mind recently:
' Through early morning fog I see
Visions of the things to be,...' - Name that tune! (T&C, please abstain)
You know, it took me a few moments this morning to remember why I took a photo of this wall. Ah, hah! It's Jamie's wall of fame. If you want to know more, you'll have to ask her yourself.

A very fine evening at Tavern on Kraft where the hummus plate is out of this world and the pool table was available. These ladies are quite special. They keep me sane and grounded in the neverland of chaos we work around daily. Lady Lyn, you were missed.

So, after spending a few moments this morning downloading photos, writing part of this blog, and taking a photo of the apple tree in bloom on my patio, I headed to Grandville to meet my mom at her church for their annual Mother & Daughter Luncheon. The church ladies always put on a lovely do with an interesting theme. This year it was a tea. Thus, the hats. Quite a variety of hats were doned. Many beautiful tea services were on display. The food is always wonderful and the fellowship with these ladies is quite special. Here is me next to my Aunt Carol (right) and my mom, Barb (standing).

After spending a few hours with family and friends playing high society ladies at tea, I switched to cargo pants and garden clogs. Off to the landscaping supply outlet for 35 more landscaping bricks and 4 bags of cocoa mulch. Time to landscape the new fence. I won't bore anyone with a photo, as there is nothing planted yet. The hard work is completed. Picking out the perennials, the trellis, and planting is the fun part. When that's done, I'll bore you with a photo.

Ooh, one more tid bit before I sign off for the evening. While I doubt you can see him very well, he's just right of the feeder. A male hummingbird in my yard yesterday, May 5. A whole tree filled with apple blossoms where he could join the drone of mammoth bumblebees, but he chooses the feeder. What a treat.

Happy trails. I'm bushed!

'Big Al', aka Albertus Van Raalte, our founding father.

Not bad for a Tuesday, I'd say. It rained ALL day. Except when it was time to leave work and travel toward home. The sun poked through the clouds and 'voila'! The break in the weather prompted me to make a pitstop enroute home. I made a visit to our Centennial Park to take a few tulip photos. How many photos of tulips does a woman need, anyway? But seriously, they're pretty.

I was very pleased and surprised to find evidence in my garden today that 3 out of 3 ferns planted last year decided to return to me. Such is the joy of spring!

Speaking of spring, the carnival rides have arrived, as well as junk food wagons. The tulips are blooming and the city is being scrubbed from stem to stern. Although Klompen Dancing begins May 3, the true kick-off in my mind is the Fireworks Display Friday, May 5. For me, from that moment, it's Tulip Time in Holland through Saturday, May 13. My wedding anniversary, by the way. And a BIG one at that. Reminds me of my honeymoon weekend. We slept in a tent at the Saugatuck KOA. As we were living in Fort Wayne at the time, we came home to Holland for a family visit and Tulip Time. Pathetic, aren't we?

More on tulips and Tulip Time in the coming days. http://www.tuliptime.com

In Holland, Michigan today we hit a high of 60 degrees. It was overcast with a consistent drippy drizzle and slight wind. Twas not a lovely day. It became a rather lazy day for everybody.

Thus, as the sun goes down on this very dismal day, I offer a warm and clear late July sunset, viewed from the beach at Glen Haven, Michigan. The southern tip of South Manitou Island is viewed in the distance to the right.