Down in the Valley

 Yesterday She drug me to the Shenandoah Valley Fiber Fest in Berryville, Virginia.

 It was Sunday. There was football on. 

What a way to waste a day.

 I could be on the couch with a bag of chips.

 I was in a bad mood all day.

 This pretty much sums it up for me.

A Three Lobster Weekend

Labor Day for most people involves picnics and days at the beach. Even thought it's been forever since I have labored on anything, I rewarded myself with three of these tasty crustaceans that happened to be on sale at the grocery store.

Love, Dad

 I sure haven't been the best dad in the world.

 I admit I was pretty stupid when it came to knowing what little girls needed.

 All those years fly by and before you know it they are all grown up and gone and all you have is a box of old photos and memories.

I wish I could go back in time and say and do all those things dad's wish they had of and didn't for one stupid reason or another.

It's too bad dads have to be men. It's too important a job to goof up.

I want to thank someone who's having a birthday today for putting up with me all these years. You may not have gotten the best dad in the world but I sure got the best daughter!

Happy Independence Day

 Even though we have our town fireworks on the 3rd, it has become a tradition to have crabs and a cookout on the 4th.

 The menu is not sophisticated.

 You just need plenty of newspaper.

 The yard provided the centerpiece.

 

 The refreshments were the usual suspects.

 The dessert was spectacular.

 The entertainment was provided by the new grandson.

 Sparklers came out after dusk.

Everyone got into it.

Everyone.
You can't help but turn into a kid again when you are holding a sparkler.
Happy 4th!

Window Nation

 

 At almost exactly 9 am, the first of two crews from Window Nation showed up to put in our new windows and sliding glass doors.
 

 

 In no time at all we had a house full of windows waiting to be put in.

 While they were getting set up I made sure everything was right. It was.

 I gave them a hand by removing all the old storm windows and screens. I like to keep busy.

 Soon we were seeing a lot of this. They were extremely efficient. I couldn't believe how fast they worked.

 By noon the other crew had arrived with the big bay window.

 The old one was taken apart piece by piece.

 I was really interested in how all this was done and the crew was nice enough to let me see what they were doing up close. I got a good education.

 The hole that was left behind looked enormous.

 After a bit of leveling, the new window was ready to be put into place. They made it look effortless.

 Out in the driveway they had set up a work place to custom make all the aluminum that was to cap off the windows and doors. The amount of detail they went to was unexpected but very appreciated.

 The sliding glass doors were the next to be done and they also went in without a problem.

 By 4:00 all that was left was the clean up. They left the place spotless and hauled away all the old windows.

I was sorry to see them go. I had a great time. I learned a lot about window installation and had fun trading jokes with the guys. I won't be needing windows or doors anytime soon but I wouldn't hesitate to call them again.

 Now all that's left is to take off the stickers....

....and put all the stuff back up on the windows.

 That's too bad because these windows are really too pretty to hide.

House Warming

 Daughter and Son in Law invited the family over to see their new house. The house I have been working my butt off to get ready for the big day. Don't even ask me how long I had to wait for the new counter top to show up on Friday.

 I enjoyed every minute mouthful of the celebration.

 I like anything off the grill.

 Even vegetables.

 It was the day after Mom's 94th birthday so we had cake.

We also had plenty of new family members to meet for the first time. A new house and new babies-those kids of ours are doing all right.

A Day to Remember

 Our little beach town has outdone itself this Memorial Day weekend.

 In addition to lots of events in town, they offered up an award for the most patriotic decorated yard or business.

 Everyone seemed to get in on the contest.

 Red, white and blue was everywhere. I wonder if they will leave it up through the 4th of July?

 Back at home, we burned stuff up on the grill.

 Veggies for Her.

Brats for me. The weather was cold, too cold for Memorial Day. There was no one at the water park or on the beach but it was a perfect day for a fire.