To the Farm we go...

After going to and from the beach, and in between painting rooms at the house, we made a much-needed trip to the Farm. The Farm=Booneville. We, as most dog-owners do, refer to special places by names that might not mean anything at all to anyone other than the said dog. Look how HAPPY Mo is when we're headed to the Farm. He LOVES it! We do too!

Our entertainment was provided by our very own father/in-law and his band, The Good Time Bluegrass Band. What fun! Scott and I headed to Hinkle Creek and enjoyed a GREAT meal, and then an evening of some fantastic music. I tried to upload some video, and hope to figure that gadget out soon. I was very impressed with Gerald and his band. I knew that Gerald is very talented, but I had not heard him play with a group or in front of an audience. When he took the stage, his entire personality lite up! I was also so proud because he played the mandolin, when he taught himself in just a few months! I really enjoyed the concert and was very glad to be there. What a treat.

Sunday we went to Gerald's church, then Carol joined us for lunch. She had been with Cindi, but made it back in time to spend some time in the garden with us. Gerald enjoys gardening each year, but this year seemed to be a little more challenging due to the weather (extreme heat, lots of rain, then no rain, and even more heat). We got there just in time to benefit with some melons and squash. The next month, Gerald mowed down the remains of the garden and decided to start again next year.

We had a GREAT trip to the Farm--and Mo, no doubt, had a great time in the country!

No oil...but lots of activity

Okay, so there were signs of the natural disaster. We did see lots of helicopters and crews monitoring and preparing for the event of oil/tar reaching the beach. It was kind of weird to be sun bathing and then see tractors transporting dozens of men to and from their areas on the beach. It made me thankful for what we do have, and that others were ready to jump in so that I (and you, too) can continue to have the beach that we so love.

Look at all those men in yellow vests....

Rumor had it that these men were "practicing" for clean-up. Interesting that they were paid great amounts to practice.

Beach Trip...Splish Splash

Our second beach trip to Destin was fantastic!!! No oil here--but lots of excitement and enjoyment! A great vacation/work trip :)

View from our room

Scott body surfing

Got him!

We LOVE the ocean and are so thankful that we can enjoy it. It is our hope and prayer that the oil disaster is quickly and carefully resolved so that we can continue to vacation here. We also have the people that live and work on the Coast in our thoughts and prayers, because they are the ones who make our vacations so enjoyable.

4th of July

It seems that we were in need of a low-key celebration for the 4th of July this year....so we headed to Birmingham to visit Brad and Bentley, and were treated to a day of relaxation at the Brimingham Country Club. Nice. We loved it! Golfing, sunning, eating, reading, swimming, drinking, and napping were all marked off our list. Perfect. Thank you B and B for hosting us!!

CANNNNNNNONN-BALLLLLL turned CAN-OPENER!

We got a quick visit in with the Sheheane family. I had to share a picture of my best friend's precious baby, Claire. She is such a doll and I love her much! Wells, her 2-year-old,was way too busy to pose for a picture :)

And since we were feeling patriotic, we made a quick stop on our way out of town to visit a statue (the closest we could get to Lady Liberty). This is not just any statue--it's the world's largest cast iron statue and considered one of the most memorable works of civic art in the United States. It is the Vulcan, and it's worth a visit. Scott and I first visited the Vulcan on Valentines Day in 2005 on one of our weekends while long-distance dating, so it's doubly special for us.