Although Rumor has It

 

That this guy's birthday was yesterday, it is actually today. I want to wish him a very happy one, even though he is far from home and everyone misses him a whole bunch.

Have a great birthday, Alan, we love you a lot!

While the Computer is Functioning for a Minute

 

A very Happy Birthday to the guy who can do it all!

Love you, Alan, and your wonderful family. 

If you see this Fine Fellow Today

Wish him a very Happy Birthday! What a difference he has made in our lives here at Northview.

I Know Where I was

30 years ago today.

Happy Birthday, Alan, hope you have a great day. Can't thank you enough for all the crazy fun we have had. 

Love you,

Mom

If you see this guy today.....

Wish him an amazing and memorable birthday.

He is such a wonderful dad, a great brother, a sweet, kind, and generous person, and all around good man....

We love you, Scott. Happy Birthday!

Kidnapped

I was snatched away in a pickup truck last Wednesday afternoon and taken far from home.

My captors tortured me all week. At night I was imprisoned in an air conditioned room...they bought an AC just for my stay....and slept on a bed as soft and fluffy as a summer cloud. They spent the daytime hours showing me around the Finger Lakes region and feeding me. 

This included the older pirate's amazing cooking while the younger pirate supplied triple berry crisp that was to die for. She makes a mean dessert I gotta tell you.

Somewhere along the way, the older pirate became an inventive, and clever cook. From sammiches piled with amazing deli meats to ribs he smoked personally and at great length, there were tempting treats every day. A good thing I was released without ransom or I would not be able to get out of this chair.

And the coffee was outstanding. I am not a fan of perked coffee, but they get it right. A big step down going back to instant this morning....

Sam

Cam

Thor

There were dogs. The kids' dogs are friendly and funny....not to mention gorgeous. I love them and miss them already.

Skulldoggery being planned here I'll bet.

The pirate crew took me to the Windmill on my birthday, the Fourth, and bought me a banana plant, along with a really nice lunch/breakfast.  Hope I can keep it alive for a while, as I have killed a couple of other bananas over the years. ***Montgomery County needs to pay attention and establish such an enterprise. We have plenty of Amish craftsmen and gardeners and lots of English farm product entrepreneurs as well. We could do that here for sure.

There were birds...birds everywhere. They took me out to Mossy Bank (and never once threatened to throw me off even though I had been driving them nuts for days) where we heard Blackburnian and Black-throated Green Warblers and saw Hermit Thrushes and a Red-breasted Nuthatch.

We ventured out on Canandaigua Lake on their boat, the Goblin, where we fished and looked at birds and houses on cliffs with elevators down to the water and staircases built right into the cliffs and found Purple Martins too. I found the stairs and trams fascinating. Talk about going to great lengths to get to the water! The trams are especially cool. Cabin 1 at Pecks could use one of these, although I don't see it happening any time soon.

They took me to Wegmans. Why is there no Wegmans closer than Syracuse? Why? 

Then there was a nice party, where I learned the delights of playing corn hole. Who knew? The kids have talked to me about it since the first time the older pirate met the younger pirate, but I just didn't get it. 

I get it now. I laughed a lot and had a go at tossing the bean bags a couple times. Didn't get any on the board, and nearly hit the Camaro once, but I am sure I will get better with practice.

They are planning on bringing their boards down so everyone here at Northview can play. I can't wait. The boss is going to love it and will prolly play like a pro. All that baseball he played when younger and that awful, deadly arm he always had ain't gonna hurt him any.

Anyhow, if you missed me over the past five days or so, I was busy having a great time with Alan and Amber and her family and their lovely and lovable doggos, Cam, Sam and Thor.

A small part of the view from Mossy Bank Park

The kids were so kind to me and entertained me with so much fun that I am still grinning.... and I have a heck of a lot of photos to edit yet.

There are two downsides though. Having spent so much time enjoying their company, I miss them more than ever. Usually I just accept that video chat and lots of texts and phone calls are a pretty good way to keep in touch. However, there is simply nothing that will replace real hugs and face-to-face talking and listening. With their schedule the way it is, especially Alan's work, I am afraid it is going to be a while before I get to enjoy the real deal again.

And while I was gone the House Wrens took over the sitting porch and the ornamental bird house there and I am no longer welcome. Maybe I will just go back to Amber and Alan's pleasant porch. They make S'mores there. 

Thanks kids, for a wonderful weekend...you can kidnap me any time you want to. I love you guys.

Thanks also to the girls and their dad who kept things going at home while I was otherwise occupied. Came home to a cleaner house than I left, laundry all done up, and a generally welcoming situation.....good deal....

Happy Birthday

To our youngest, but not leastest. Over the past year he has married a wonderful young lady, adding a delightful family to our extended one, purchased a house, albeit four hours away, and also acquired a couple of good doggos.

We miss him and Amber as well, but we are darned proud of them.

So, happy birthday, Alan, hope you have a wonderful day. 

The Sun Wasn't Up

But the son was.....

Congratulations Alan and Amber

Yesterday two of my favorite people were married in a ceremony that was solemn, yet silly, poignant, and fun. I took too many photos to reasonably fit here, not to mention very many terrible videos with almost no sound....

Thus I made the kids their own blog of the wedding and rehearsal.

You can view ithere: Alan And Amber Together Forever. Hope the title is prophetic as they are a wonderful pair of people. 

If I missed you in the photos, I am really sorry...I was having too much fun to capture everyone and every moment. 

Congratulations to you both, and welcome to the family, Mrs. Amber Lynn Friers.

A Very Important

Wedding to attend this weekend, and not one iota of fashion sense in my entire make up. As far as that goes no makeup either. Nope...well maybe some sunblock lip gloss left over from two years ago, but that's it.

I have put off shopping.

And put it off.

And put it off.

I have a kind of a nice, green long sleeved shirt that fits my "style" pretty well and really doesn't wrinkle too badly. And it's clean. Kinda plain though, not unlike the person who wears it.

What to do, what to do. I will be dancing with the groom and all.

Not to mention gaining a red-headed daughter we have all come to love and enjoy. I hope they are okay with birder chic. 

This Weekend

Our boy and his lovely girlfriend came home...which in itself was delightful. Made me really happy. They went right out for a rainy Saturday, enjoying our woods and fields and just getting out on the land after too much time in big cities here and there. Then Sunday they took me up to Montezuma for a spin around the wildlife drive.

Great Egret Photo by Alan

Finally got Northern Shovelers, which have been eluding me all year, and as we turned the next to the last corner we were treated to a ballet of fifty or so Great Egrets capering among a motley crew of ducks and shorebirds.

Also by Alan

They were literally breathtaking and gasp-and-point inducing. I suppose it is trite to love these huge, clumsy, yet elegant and graceful at the same time, white-feathered birds, but I always get excited when I see one. Seeing that many all at once was wonderful.

Thanks for a great day, kids. I loved it.