Another "Grand" day for Gramma

As predicted, Saturday was yet another fun-filled day.

Aunt Amy came over early, and wasted no time getting the cookie baking started.

Rolling Dough Balls

Pressing them flat

Don't they look like cookie pros?   

The end result were delectable shortbread cookies, but you'll have to take my word for that since we were so busy enjoying them that I forgot to take a photo.

There was a game of Jenga

Then we headed outside for some baseball with Gramma G pitching

but her sidekick got a bit distracted

After Aunt Amy gave her some batting tips, it was time for this cutie to try a swing or two.

 She hit it!

Then, she tried her hand at some pitching.

Ok, so perhaps she needs some practice. 

Then it was time for some swinging

where a little caterpillar decided to drop from a tree and join along.

It was really moving fast, making it a bit difficult to photograph, but apparently squinting made it easier to see.

Of course, we couldn't pass on some slides.

Doesn't that look like fun?

We bid Aunt Amy good-bye and kept busy waiting for PapPap to show up.

These two made some awesome garlic bread to to with the homemade spaghetti made from Gramma G's home grown tomatoes. 

Finally, Pap Pap G arrived and we enjoyed another great meal, followed by some of that home made peace ice cream from yesterday.  Yummy!

Then it was time for the ultimate evening excitement, which involved the full moon

Pap Pap G......  and a telescope!

It was an exciting moment for Pap Pap and his grandson while they analyzed the craters in the moon, but, alas, the clouds moved in.....so, unfortunately,  there was no star gazing!

But that left more time for Pookie stories from Pap Pap G.

What better feeling can there be, than hearing strings of giggles echoing down the hallway?

Yep, it was certainly a fun day, can't you tell?

Fun Times with the Grandkids

Mommy and Daddy are out gallivanting themselves, and you know what that means!

Fun with Gramma G!

We started out the day making blueberry muffins

 which have been proclaimed to be "the BEST blueberry muffins EVER!" by this little cutie.

Then we headed outdoors for some baseball where Gramma G was the pitcher, tossing balls at this little fellow who managed quite a swing  (and, just for the record, let me mention here that it's not  easy to take a picture and pitch at the same time....at least it wasn't for me! )

and little sister was happy to retrieve the fly balls.

We took a pleasant walk in the afternoon as the weather was just perfect!

Then, it was time to concentrate on some culinary delights for dinner:

Corn on the cob with Chicken haystacks,

which involve piling lots of yummy foods into a stack, then enjoying the results.  They were a BIG hit.

But, the 'creme de la creme' was the home made peach ice cream for dessert.   They patiently waited while the ice cream maker churned out the delightful concoction that they had help to mix.

I never saw two more delighted faces than when I scooped the treat into little bowls for their enjoyment.

Obviously, it was good down to the last drop!

We certainly had a grand time today, but tomorrow will be even more exciting.  

Aunt Amy is coming over in the morning!  And Pap Pap G will be popping in later in the day.  It's guaranteed to be another fun-filled day, no doubt about it!

Knoebels

Yesterday was a fabulous day to spend at Knoebels Park.  The humidity was low, the skies were blue, and the temperature was just right!  You couldn't ask for a better day, and since it was the Fairchild Semiconductor Family Picnic, Marty and I found ourselves making the drive to the happy event.

And, apparently, it was Family Fun Day for a lot of people, because the traffic was horrendous, taking us way over 2 hours to arrive at our destination.

But once we arrived, we were greeted with a friendly smile, lunch on the company, and gratis tickets for both of us to go out and enjoy the day.  How could you beat that?

We used to make the trip to this park annually with the kids, but, alas,  those fun days are way behind us.  And, to be quite frank, most of the rides that the kids thought were fun now look like sure-fire ways to cause bodily harm!  

So, what do two Empty Nesters do at Knoebels when there are no kids for entertainment?

Our first choice was the Haunted  Mansion, always a safe bet,  and just as amusingly scary as always.

Then, onto the antique cars, which seems a bit silly to be driving as an adult when one can drive a car anytime one chooses.  But, the roadway was scenic, the bumps bumpy, and the shaking from the car stayed with my legs for a few minutes afterwards!

We thought the boat ride would be cool, but the line was always way too long.

Should we try the teacups?

No way!  But Marty did take a great photo.  Too bad you can't see our matching Fairchild Semiconductor tee shirts!

The only logical destination for us was the Vintage carousel.

This had always been a fun ride for the kids.  Once through the entrance gate, the kids would always run to get a horse on the perimeter so that they could reach and grab for the brass rings which pop out on a wooden arm after the carousel begins to turn.

Apparently, this was just as fun for Marty, as he wasted no time heading for one of those horses himself,  so that he could grab the brass rings when it was time. 

I opted for an interior horse, which did NOT go up and down.    That was enough fun for me, plus it made it easier to use the reverse setting on my phone,  so I could capture some photos of Marty in action.

He managed to grab five, which obviously made his day.

At this point, Marty decided that he would dare the Phoenix, which he rode alone, as I knew better than to even think about getting on.  And, from the stories I heard from the youngsters coming off the ride, I know that I made the best decision, which was seconded by Marty after he managed to survive the apparent sensation of being thrown from the car during the ride.  We'll see what aftermath results from that experience!

Finally, I gave into riding the Ferris Wheel since the seats are heavy duty with umbrellas overtop, preventing one's riding partner from attempting to make the seat swing like a pendulum.  Now, why would I worry about such a thing?  If you have to ask....you don't know my husband.

While we were waiting in line, I couldn't help but shudder at the thought of getting on this ride:
Straight up:

Straight down:

Not to mention the rotating curves after the descent.  This sparked sufficient fear in my heart just looking at it!

Finally, we were on the Ferris Wheel, enjoying the breeze and the views.  I just knew better than to look down, as I do have an extreme fear of heights.  But distances didn't bother me, and here you can see a wooden roller coaster nestled among the trees.

This photo is testament to the absolutely gorgeous day that we had.

Aahh.....and here you can see Marty's Fairchild Shirt.  

Would I do this again?  Maybe.....but I sure would love to have some little ones along next time.

And, so, I share a photo from the past:

Nothing beats Clowning Around at Knoebels with a kid in tow.  

And, no....Marty doesn't count!

Bird Crazy

Or, should I say "Crazy Birds"?

There has been quite a bit of unusual activity around here lately, so I thought I'd take the time to share some recent entertainment.  Just be sure to keep in mind that it doesn't take much to amuse us, which you may have figured out on your own if you are a regular follower of my blogs.

Not too long ago, I was busily involved in a project when I realized that I could hear birds chirping, rather loudly, somewhere nearby.  Now, that isn't out of the norm around here, and, at the time, I didn't bother to investigate as I was engrossed in my work, and , as evening fell, I became distracted and the noise was quickly forgotten.

Until....the next day....when I was sitting at my computer in the living room and I would have bet money that I had birds in my house, the chirping was so loud.  Curious, I slowly turned my chair around, and lo and behold, I saw this just a few feet away from me.

I'll admit that I did have to stealthy tip toe to another room to grab my camera, but I managed to do so without disrupting mama.

Now, I don't know about you, but I thought that was pretty cool.  Don't think you can get much closer than that!

One thing I learned about little baby birds.  They don't chirp until mama bird shows up.  They keep quiet, nestled down in the nest, and when Mama shows up, those little mouths can make quite a bit of racket!

They were around for a little more than a week, then, one day....the chirping was gone...and when I peeked, there was no sign of them.   Once again we were empty nesters.

I diverted my attention by keeping a sharp eye on the garden to be sure that potential invaders weren't scoping the place out.  I did manage to spot this little guy hanging out suspiciously near the entrance:

But once he figured out that his means of entry had been thwarted by the addition of a metal fence, he set his eyes (or should I say teeth?) into better things.

If there is one thing that we are NOT lacking, it's apples for the taking.   He must have a sweet tooth, because I've spotted him and a friend many times in search of the fallen fruit.  I'll bet he puts a few pounds on by the time the summer is over.

But this blog is supposed to be about birds....

I bought a new feeder for the goldfinches as they didn't seem too happy with the old thistle feeder.

Perhaps they like the color of this one because they are suddenly frequent visitors.

As I was enjoying their delightful call the other day,  I was startled by the rustle of feathers, and when I turned to look, I spotted this creature on my  hanging basket.

Now, this wouldn't be the first time that I had a bird show an interest in that plant.  In fact, I had what I call "Crazy Birds" in love with it when I first hung it up outside.

There must be something appealing in there, as these guys had a field day pecking away at the plant.

And this mystery bird actually grabbed a flower himself while scoping out the other feeders. 

Then, quick as a flash, he flew over to the empty sunflower feeder,  followed within seconds by a friend

who landed so fast that it set the feeder into a pendulum motion!

I've never seen anything like it.  They were busy birds, hopping to and fro, as if in desperate need of nourishment.  One of them even attempted a sample from the hummingbird feeder.

But, despite a concentrated effort on his part, he had no luck extracting the elixir that was just beyond beak's reach.

I don't know about you....but I'd say that was crazy!

And, now there were three of them, although I did not manage to get a photo of all three at the same time, simply because they wouldn't stay in one place long enough to grab a photo!

One of them even joined the goldfinch, who was perfectly happy to share.

Within minutes, they were gone.  Apparently they didn't enjoy what was on the menu.

But, this little guy did!

Call me crazy, but that makes me happy!