Just thought I would post a picture to cool us all off---it is steamin hot here in Northwest Ohio! And on a sadder note----Pudge Rodriquez has been traded to those Damn Yankees. Please say it ain't so.

My Bike Cam Video

Here it is-----My Bike Cam!! I know Adam will be impressed with this---but I have to give credit where credit is due. I saw this video idea on this great site called Photojojo.com and then Dan installed it on my bike. I thought it would be great to act like I was running joggers over and show the look of pure terror on their faces, but after all this is a family site(I am kidding). Next project from Photojojo? Aerial photography with a Kite Cam. So---just push the button and you can come along on our bike ride!

Ahhhh. Sunday. This morning was my favorite Art Show of the summer. The Art on the Mall at the University of Toledo. It was a spectacularly beautiful day too. We bought a few birthday presents for others and strolled around enjoying the sights. Hope your weekend was fun too----it is just a shame that it comes to an end!

Another Saturday at the Farmer's Market

The beauty of having a camera is that you don't have your own picture taken very often! But tonite over dinner--or rather, over drinks and appetizers---Dan grabbed my camera and took my picture. Another Saturday at the Farmer's Market. Today I found a Defiance Ohio Dairy Farmer who makes his own cheese. And it was delicious. Also---we bought Goose berries and made a pie. A first for us--Dan likens it to Rhubarb----a little on the tart side. And what was on the CD player!! Kurt Elling. He is a Chicago based Grammy nominated Jazz vocalist. Very smooth. We saw him at the Art Tatum Jazz Festival several years ago and thought he was great. He comes to Toledo to take lessons with Jon Hendricks--a local legend.

Sometimes you have to step out of your routine and mix things up a bit. Last nite---on a perfect summer evening---Dan and I packed a picnic lunch of Subway and disguised some white wine in a thermos and headed to Toledo Botanical Gardens to listen to Jazz in the Garden. Ramona Collins with her sultry sexy voice was the featured performer and it was wonderful. A great crowd sitting under the huge trees. We needn't have worried about "disguising" our wine though because the people next to us popped the cork on a bottle of Dom Perignon! It was a perfect evening and we plan on doing it more often.

It Really is a Small World!

This is the reason I love keeping a blog. After I posted pictures of our rainbow several days ago, 2 of our nieces(2 sisters) sent us pictures of double rainbows they had observed. The first is from Donna Helle who lives in a nearby suburb and the other is from Diane Anderson who lives in Virginia. It really is a small world! Thanks for the pictures! I was so happy to get them, I am posting from work!

More Reasons We Love Summer

Yes there are more reasons!

1. Our niece, Diane Anderson in Virginia said one of her favorite summer things was watching her kids in the sprinkler. I started thinking---adults should run through the sprinkler too. I think I will try it.

2. Our niece, Donna Helle remarked that she saw the same rainbow from yesterday's picture and Diane sent me a picture of a rainbow over her mountain view. Rainbows! Full of promise!

3. Jazz and dinner enjoyed together out of doors. We are packing a picnic supper and going to "Jazz in the Garden" Thurs at Toledo Botanical Gardens.

4. Sunflowers. Nuff said---they don't need explaining.

5. Grilled vegetables--esp veggies from the garden

6. Discussing the Tigers(win or lose) at work with fellow fans.

7. Listening to the Bull frog in the pond at nite while I am falling asleep.

8. Lightening bugs------it is a mating signal you know. Careful Matt-no comments that have to be edited.

9. Chocolate Ice Cream in a cone. Or---a medium cup with 3 different kinds of Gelato. Preferably fresh Ginger, Chocolate and Coconut.

10. Listening to either Santana, Jimmy Buffett or Bob Marley. Music that is made for summer.

10 Reasons We Love Summer

It's been HOT. It's been MUGGY. And I was in Vegas where it was HOT HOT HOT(I know, I know-"but it's a dry heat") But you won't hear me complaining. In fact--here are 10 reasons I love this time of year.
1. Summer Street and Art Fairs. What a great place to buy beaded jewelry and just to people watch.
2. Knitting and watching the pouring rain while the door is open. And not to mention the smell of rain
3. Eating dinner outside---okay and drinking mojitos on the deck too.
4. Meeting friends and coworkers on Friday evenings on the deck of the local Mexican restaurant.
5. Having a Teacher Husband who is off for the summer work on projects around the house. Such as trying to find his lost putting cup in the pond.
6. My Garden and all the tomatoes, zucchini and peppers coming in. And fresh salsa with fresh ground pepper!!!
7. Flowers in hot tropical colors like Fuschia, and Orange
8. Being able to hop on my bike and leave all stress and cares behind
9. Summer evenings listening to Rod Allen and Mario Imbemba on Detroit Fox announce the Tiger games. And Rod saying "you can't sneak cheese by a rat"
10. Thinking about all of you and hoping you are enjoying your summer too!

Mothers Keep Us Humble

This is the Blackberry-Blueberry Pie I made yesterday after my trip to the market. I think it is quite lovely and so I thought I would take my mom a piece---kind of an offering to the goddess of baking, if you will(she used to be an excellent baker). I cut a wedge and we took it to her---complete with camera to record the moment when she would nod her approval. She put the fork to her lips, swallowed and said----"nothing out of the ordinary" I think you could actually hear the wind coming out of my sails. But then she looked at me sheepishly and said "did you make this---I hurt your feelings didn't I--I don't want to do that!" We all had a good laugh. Nothing like a mother to humble us!

Erie Street Farmers Market Bounty

Following in my Mom's footsteps, I went to the Farmer's Market EARLY!Sorry Dan for making you get up! But look what we found. Indiana Melons, Local grown red cabbage for steaming, new potatoes for salad, radishes for salad, green beans for steaming and also spinach. Not sure what the apricots and peaches will be used for yet. The blackberries are grown by a high school classmate of mine and will go into a Blueberry/Blackberry pie and we are trying something new tonite--Swiss Chard cooked in olive oil and garlic. And we also bought organic beef from a local producer. But the BEST part-----the hydroponic producer of veggies and the organic meat producer will be at the market YEAR ROUND!! With just a small amount of effort, we can use local foods 12 months of the year. Oh, and Dan wanted to put his empty wallet in the picture but I wouldn't let him destroy my "still life of produce".

Zucchini Boats

It is opening week of "zucchini season" and already we are being taken over by squash. Tonite we had zucchini boats, and this recipe is a winner-you can find the recipe here! Come over and we will send you home with a zucchini. Visit for a few hours and they grow so fast, we will send you home with 2 of them!

Foxes in Pearson Park

While riding our bikes through the park, we noticed 3 foxes on the edge of the clearing. I tried to sneak up behind them to take the picture. First one looked at me and then the other came out of the bushes. They both had an expression as if to say "Look-there are 2 humans".

Tribute to Georgia O Keefe

Nobody sees a flower - really - it is so small it takes time - we haven't time - and to see takes time, like to have a friend takes time. -Georgia O KeefeWhat I most appreciate about keeping a blog is that I isolate moments of my day in my mind that are truly special and may be worth writing about----and in a way that is why I like to crop my flower photographs. It shows a small beautiful feature that is often taken for granted when we look at the larger showy flower. The first picture is one of the day lillies one the side of my house and the bottom picture is the middle of my coneflowers. Look closely at your day---the beauty is there to be found and enjoyed!

It's Vegas, Baby!

We just returned from Vegas(baby!). We did it all(baby!) Everything from hiking in Red Rock Canyon to seeing Bette Midler at Ceasar's. It is hard to believe that these 2 pictures are only 15 miles apart-quite a contrast. The top pic is from the top of the Eiffel Tower at the Paris Casino and the bottom is from the Keystone Thrust Trail at Red Rocks Canyon. What's the matter--you didn't really think I would post the pics of the pole dancers in our hotel lobby did you!?!

We are having a photo contest. I may have mentioned this before, but Adam who is our contest director would like me to mention to anyone(friend, family or stranger) that if you would like to enter--jump on board. We take turns throwing out a word of the week and then all participants submit a suitable picture. Judging follows and a "traveling trophy will be awarded. Since this is my blog, I am showing you my winning entry from "Wings" week. Interested? Join us!

I've been reading a lot lately about the 100 mile diet and it just make sense to support local food producers. So, if I am going to try that, now would be the time to start with the local produce bursting onto the scene. Today, I got up at 6:30 and went to the Farmer's Market and found 1. the last of the sour cherries of the season. The early bird got the worm on this one because they were selling out FAST. 2. Red Beets---which we love to roast and 3. Sugar snap peas------fresh peas are a continent apart from canned or frozen. I am not sure if I can follow the 100 mile diet 100% but I am going to do as much as I can---even if it means canning and freezing. Nothing like supporting the local economy!!

Through the years we have celebrated Independance Day in various places. One year we drove from New Hampshire to Maine and it seemed like we ended up watching every small town parade in between(and loving every decorated bicycle, marching band and VFW chicken barbecue that we saw). And 2 years ago we spent the 4th in Boston watching the Independance Day parade that ended with the reading of the Declaration of Independance from the Old State House-not to mention watching the 211 year old USS Constitution make it's annual 1 mile journey into Boston Harbor to turn around(the mile journey allows it to maintain it's active status as a Naval ship and also it rotates it's position at dock to weather better). Anyway---those were all fun---but the best 4th of July is spent with family at friends at the Annual Gross Family 4th of July Party. As always----4 o'clock on the 4th. And to those family members who are out of town and weren't able to attend-----we missed you from the bottom of our hearts and thought about you often(and talked about you in good ways!). You know who you are-----Roger, Diane, Beth, Holly, Mark and Adam.

I love this video. It reminds me of the old cartoons of people counting sheep when they can't sleep. It was taken last Sunday when we visited Malabar Farms. The sheep were in the meadow and as we watched them--they all wandered over--they probably thought we were going to feed them. In the background you can hear the hens in the chicken coop.