Market Place

This is the first time PBVAC have been asked to come to a picnic at the marketplace parking lot.  Thursday our cruise ended there where they had set up a tent and prepared hot dogs, potato salad, chips, water and pop.  We lined up and had a mini car show where people came by and looked at our vintage and classic cars.  This was the first cruise that the Green Bean went on with all the mechanical things fixed thanks to Stu's Repair.  I am feeling a lot more confidence in the car and had more fun driving it. 

Two kids on Monday

Tallan and Kohan -- Cousins

On Monday my kid load doubled.  Kohan my other great nephew who lives in Iowa came along with Tallan for me to watch.  So we had our meeting to discuss the day and  Kohan suggested a nature walk.  So we decided to go to Lake Bemidji State Park and do the bog walk.  That was just the ticket.  We finished just in time to do lunch and then rest before we went swimming at Grant Lake.  The boys loved both activities.  You can see in the picture the  pile of electronics they brought with them but found little time to use them. 

The bog walk was wonderful.  We saw loads of animal life.  Also, many plants.  They both loved looking at all the signage that identified the plants and animals.

storm

These are pictures of my yard.  The storm Monday night was terrible.  I have five trees down.  Let the clean up begin.  All my yard must be swept with a lawn sweeper.   I have swept my sidewalks.  Now I am going out to wash all my window again.  I had just finished doing that for the second time before the storm.  But it is not cool to have pine needlesnd bark stuck on your windows.  Then the tree cleanup. Before the storm I had hired someone to cut down two dead jack pines in my yard.  I guess he will just have more work to do. Of  course those two dead jack pines didn't fall to the wind, Only the good trees fell.  My yard isn't bad, my neighbor has it worse as one of his big trees hit his house. As I talk to people and drive through Bemidji I see the damage.  There was a curfew set last night in Bemidji.  No driving between 8:00 and 6:00 Tuesday morning.    Crews were out fixing all the lines and Picking up branches.  I didn't get my power back on until 3:39 Tuesday morning. As the reports came in there were places that had it much worse then I did.  My brothers house had a huge pine hit it.  The roof has some damage but  it  minimal

Parade

Bemidji High Band

Friends

Linda Lemmer

Paul Bunyan's birthday cake.  It is in Minnesota red and black plaid

It  was hot.  But luckily my two friends and I found a piece of shade which made watching the parade bearable.  It lasted for an hour and 20 minutes.  Since it was Paul Bunyan 75th birthday there was a cake float.   This is the Year of the Legend.  This parade had it all -- bands, floats, clowns, flags, military, horses, and much more.  Although like many things in or country we choose a date to celebrate our independence.  The true date is July 2nd when the Declaration of Independence was signed.  Happy Fourth of July everyone.

Cucumbers

I planted my cucumbers the end of April in pots inside.  I then transplanted them outside and had to cover them three times because of frost.  I found this ladder at the neighbors as he was disgarding it.  He was reluctant to give it to me as it was so rickety  He said it can't be used as a ladder.  I told what my plans were so he gave it to me willingly.  I am training the cucumbers to grown up the ladder. At first I used the drill sargarent method and tried yelling at them to grow up the ladder.  Finally I had to tie on the vines with soft fabric ties so as not to  cut into the vines thereby damaging them.  So far so good.  I wondered if  they will grown enough to cover most of the ladder.   Now look at the results.  I ate my first cucumber July 2nd.  It was delicious.

bowling balls

I make garden art out of cast off bowling balls.  They are more strudy then gazing balls.  Coming from North Dakota were hail is a weekly event I found this a better alternative to the glass ones.  The best part about them is finding creative cantainers in which to display.  Attractive and repurposed.

Farewell party

The chair person for the Lutheran World Relief is moving to Moorhead.  So a going away party was in order.  All the quilters and packers where invited to say goodbye.  She has done such a good job of organizing this ministry.  It was held at a home on Bass Lake.  It rained just before the party started, but then cleared off just in time for everyone that wanted to be outside was able to.  I heard that there were 33 there for her farewell.  Joanne will be missed by us  and the church.