And the winner is...

As the month comes to an end, it never slows down. We ventured to Indianapolis with The Gannons for the Allstate 400...affectionately know as the Brickyard 400. We had good seats (Thank You again, Kevin Rutt) at the very top of Stand C. The breeze never stopped, which allowed us to burn without feeling it, oh yeah, forgot the sunscreen. The race would have been good if not for the competition cautions which were 8 of the 11 cautions. James' driver couldn't get to the front of the pack, but Heather's driver prevailed and came away with the victory. Better luck next week for Tony Stewart. Yes, I do wish luck to hubby's driver. Watch his video debut performance...of course this video is extremely old, but I do still enjoy it.

July's been busy

Where has this month gone. We had company for the 4th, as grandma and Aunt Amy were in town. Ann participated for the first time in the fireworks. The sparklers were the big hit once she understood the concept. James had gotten some small fountains and noise makers, which Ann is still leary of. Ann ended up taking Grandma into the house and watching out the back door.

Due to work Ann and I spent a week at Grandma's in Syracuse. She kept Grandma hopping and ended up at the beach a couple of days. There is no fear of water with this child. Amy and I also took her to Indiana Beach and to a water park. We had difficulty getting her to leave either place. However, once in the car and 3 minutes from the place she was out cold.

Always the little helper, whether needed or not. Now if only that would last through the teen years.

James also had mini vacation this month. He and 2 co-workers took a motorcycle ride to Gatlinburg, TN. They rented a cabin and proceeded to do day trips to several of the towns surrounding Gatlinburg. He actually wants to take me with him...get this, he said I would like it because of all the touristy shops. Now I take that as acceptance to the fact I'll spend money.

I'm sure the 2nd photo I've included with this section is a little misleading if you haven't been to this part of TN. US 129 is affectionately known at "The Dragon". This is due to there being 318 curves in about an 11 mile stretch of road. There are actually photographers at some of the corners taking pictures as drivers ride by. One day James decided to try to find his photo on this website. To my shock and amazement there were 140 pages of thumbnail photos that he was going through and that was just from his particular that he rode through.

Beaver Island

Beaver Island, May 2008

We once again made our voyage north to the family cabin on Lake Geneserath, Beaver Island, Michigan. As everyone else was beating the heat we were putting fires in the wood stove at night. The comfortable weather did not stop Ann and James from playing in the water or from me jumping knee deep in the water to get Ann back on her feet. Ann kept everyone hopping, including all of the neighbors who became her adoptive "grandmas and papas". By the time we had to leave Ann knew deer, birds, butterflies and chipmunks and would ensure everyone knew she had seen them.