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Some folks in our neighborhood really get into the spirit of Halloween. This was a clever decoration -- the head (with two faces) on the big one turns around and the lid on the smaller one lifts as a black cat rises up -- cute.
I'm still not too good with nightime photos so these aren't the best quality, but I couldn't resist -- with and without flash.
Remember those little noises I said Lew was making the other day?? Well, they grew into one big ruckus and surprise, surprise, a Wii remote was sitting on my desk yesterday morning - an early Happy Birthday to me!!
He's the only person I know who can mosey into the local WalMart and mosey on out with something that the whole rest of the country is still having a hard time getting their hands on!! And for about half the price, too. The man is ridiculously lucky!
Today he went out and picked up the pretty pink skins too. Fun stuff! :)
The boys will be leaving tomorrow and taking their Wii system with them. They both excel at most games, but I bowled my best game tonight - a 267 - so I can hold my own in that area. It's really quite a remarkable piece of technology, and we've had lots of family fun with it.
Lew has been making little noises about getting one... we shall see. :)
As I've posted before, grandson Michael is enthralled with puzzles of all kinds. Not content to just work the puzzle, he wanted to know what makes it do what it does. Soooo, he took the whole thing apart, found out what makes it tick, and of course, put it all back together again! That's my boy! ;)
Michael has always been very good at solving puzzles... trick, mechanical, assembly, etc... so the Rubik's cube was right up his alley. After figuring out the regular 3x3 version, the 4x4 was only slightly more challenging. The kid is is a master puzzler!
A rainy day kept us inside with Yahtzee, and after baths, a repeat viewing of "Beetlejuice" is on the agenda.
As we work our way through the games, tonight was Monopoly's turn. For a change, I won! :)
Exhibiting a bit of brotherly teamwork, the boys working on one corner of a 1000 piece mystery puzzle. A gift from my sister when she came down earlier this year (thanks again, Lonnie!) it included a short story, along with a mystery to solve from the clues in the finished puzzle. The solution to the crime was somewhat convoluted, and not one we would have reached on our own, but it was challenging and we all had fun with it. Lew has the finished product on his blog.
The grands have always enjoyed playing cards and board games and UNO is usually the first thing to get pulled out when they come to visit. Even though we have a newer one, this well-loved, dog-eared, old classic deck is the one we always turn to.
When we weren't eating or playing cards, we worked this cool jigsaw that my sister, Elaine, provided. A cinema trivia puzzle, it came with 100 questions to answer about the stars shown when we finished putting it together. Unfortunately, I neglected to take a photo of the finished product, but we did finish and it was fun!
In weather fit only for ducks and boats, I reverted to some playfulness and asked Lew to float one of the grandkids bath toys in our driveway "lake." Staying low (and dry!) on the porch, I imagined our much-in-need-of-a-mow grass as "shore growth," and got a miniature lakeside effect. Imaginary, of course. ;)
So I'm sitting at my computer last night (well, actually about 1:00 am this morning,) putzing around and playing a game. About the time Lew comes walking out of his office to go to bed, I looked up and noticed what I thought was a big ol' bug latched on to the outside of the patio door. On closer inspection, we discovered this cute little odd-colored frog critter peering back at us. Instinctively, I grabbed the camera to get a shot. Clearly, Project 365 has me well-trained!
Monopoly game tokens have changed shape and composition a bit over the years, but as long as I can remember they've been made of some kind of metal. I think the original 1935 version had pawn-shaped, multi-colored wooden pieces, and then again during the 40's when there was a metal shortage due to WWII. When I was a kid, they were some kind of lead or pewter color, but this deluxe version, which also has an additional moneybag piece, is goldtone.
You learn something new every day, and my something new for today was a Hi Cop Stop sign, (minus the "reserved parking" part) as we approached a Welcome/Rest stop along the highway. Wondering what the heck a Hi Cop Stop was... a place to say "hi" and get to know the local constabulary? A hi-gh concentration of policemen? A private police party spot? ... 
... we pulled in to investigate and maybe say "hi" to a trooper. ;) The more we thought about it, the more we remembered that this particular rest stop, on Route 70 near Myersville, was the one where the Beltway snipers, who killed 10 and critically injured 3 in their 2002 killing spree in the DC/MD/VA area, were apprehended. Upon further consideration, we decided it was probably a bit of both the first and second guess, but it tickled my funny bone at first glance.
Taking advantage of a gorgeous spring day without rain, we went for a drive and ended up at the Roddy Covered Bridge spanning Owens Creek in Thurmont, MD. Built in the 1850s, it's one of the six surviving historic covered bridges in Maryland, three of which are here in Frederick County.
On the way home from the cherry blossoms on Saturday, Lew had me snap this photo to send to his friend, Bobby. The name itself was cute and funny, but I had a hard time wrapping my brain around a wheelchair accessible port-a-potty... I think I'd rather pee my pants!
A different take on the spring theme, this is the grandaddy of them all - an 'original' Slinky from back in the day when they were still made of metal. This one, complete with box and still untangled and working, not only withstood my son's rough handling, but has survived the grandkids too.
Unable to decide on which photo to use today, I decided on both...
Usually around this time of year, we see a lot of Easter bunnies. Frederick, however, celebrates their own way... betcha don't see too many Easter bears where you live!! ;) This dapper dude, in all his sartorial splendor, welcomes you at the Frederick Fudge and Ice Cream Co.
I'm betting not too many of us have green claw-footed bathtubs full of greenery sitting outside our front doors either! This one adorns the sidewalk in front of an antique/garden shop.
A fleet of creative transportation vehicles for the Legolanders who live and travel around our house... especially when 2 grandsons visit. ;)
Some folks in our neighborhood really get into the spirit of Halloween. This was a clever decoration -- the head (with two faces) on the big one turns around and the lid on the smaller one lifts as a black cat rises up -- cute.
I'm still not too good with nightime photos so these aren't the best quality, but I couldn't resist -- with and without flash.
1st game
2nd game
3rd game
He's the only person I know who can mosey into the local WalMart and mosey on out with something that the whole rest of the country is still having a hard time getting their hands on!! And for about half the price, too. The man is ridiculously lucky! 
The boys will be leaving tomorrow and taking their Wii system with them. They both excel at most games, but I bowled my best game tonight - a 267 - so I can hold my own in that area. It's really quite a remarkable piece of technology, and we've had lots of family fun with it.
As I've posted before, grandson Michael is enthralled with puzzles of all kinds. Not content to just work the puzzle, he wanted to know what makes it do what it does. Soooo, he took the whole thing apart, found out what makes it tick, and of course, put it all back together again! That's my boy! ;)
Michael has always been very good at solving puzzles... trick, mechanical, assembly, etc... so the Rubik's cube was right up his alley. After figuring out the regular 3x3 version, the 4x4 was only slightly more challenging. The kid is is a master puzzler!
A rainy day kept us inside with Yahtzee, and after baths, a repeat viewing of "Beetlejuice" is on the agenda.
Exhibiting a bit of brotherly teamwork, the boys working on one corner of a 1000 piece mystery puzzle. A gift from my sister when she came down earlier this year (thanks again, Lonnie!) it included a short story, along with a mystery to solve from the clues in the finished puzzle. The solution to the crime was somewhat convoluted, and not one we would have reached on our own, but it was challenging and we all had fun with it. Lew has the finished product on his blog.
The grands have always enjoyed playing cards and board games and UNO is usually the first thing to get pulled out when they come to visit. Even though we have a newer one, this well-loved, dog-eared, old classic deck is the one we always turn to.
With the temperature climbing upwards to almost 90 today, and the humidity climbing right up there with it, we stopped by the Frederick Ice Cream Co. to enjoy a refreshing ice cream cone. Lew had a German chocolate cake cone and mine was a p'nutty cone - butter pecan ice cream with various nuts, chunks of chocolate, and caramel mixed in. Yumm-ee!
You may remember the chicly attired bear that greets you at the entrance; keeping current with seasonal trends, the dapper dude is now ready to beat the heat in his fashionable shorts/swim trunks.
Looking up over the door, you'll also spot an oversized model ice cream cone.
When we weren't eating or playing cards, we worked this cool jigsaw that my sister, Elaine, provided. A cinema trivia puzzle, it came with 100 questions to answer about the stars shown when we finished putting it together. Unfortunately, I neglected to take a photo of the finished product, but we did finish and it was fun!
In weather fit only for ducks and boats, I reverted to some playfulness and asked Lew to float one of the grandkids bath toys in our driveway "lake." Staying low (and dry!) on the porch, I imagined our much-in-need-of-a-mow grass as "shore growth," and got a miniature lakeside effect. Imaginary, of course. ;)
So I'm sitting at my computer last night (well, actually about 1:00 am this morning,) putzing around and playing a game. About the time Lew comes walking out of his office to go to bed, I looked up and noticed what I thought was a big ol' bug latched on to the outside of the patio door. On closer inspection, we discovered this cute little odd-colored frog critter peering back at us. Instinctively, I grabbed the camera to get a shot. Clearly, Project 365 has me well-trained!
Monopoly game tokens have changed shape and composition a bit over the years, but as long as I can remember they've been made of some kind of metal. I think the original 1935 version had pawn-shaped, multi-colored wooden pieces, and then again during the 40's when there was a metal shortage due to WWII. When I was a kid, they were some kind of lead or pewter color, but this deluxe version, which also has an additional moneybag piece, is goldtone.
You learn something new every day, and my something new for today was a Hi Cop Stop sign, (minus the "reserved parking" part) as we approached a Welcome/Rest stop along the highway. Wondering what the heck a Hi Cop Stop was... a place to say "hi" and get to know the local constabulary? A hi-gh concentration of policemen? A private police party spot? ... 
... we pulled in to investigate and maybe say "hi" to a trooper. ;) The more we thought about it, the more we remembered that this particular rest stop, on Route 70 near Myersville, was the one where the Beltway snipers, who killed 10 and critically injured 3 in their 2002 killing spree in the DC/MD/VA area, were apprehended. Upon further consideration, we decided it was probably a bit of both the first and second guess, but it tickled my funny bone at first glance.
Taking advantage of a gorgeous spring day without rain, we went for a drive and ended up at the Roddy Covered Bridge spanning Owens Creek in Thurmont, MD. Built in the 1850s, it's one of the six surviving historic covered bridges in Maryland, three of which are here in Frederick County.
On the way home from the cherry blossoms on Saturday, Lew had me snap this photo to send to his friend, Bobby. The name itself was cute and funny, but I had a hard time wrapping my brain around a wheelchair accessible port-a-potty... I think I'd rather pee my pants!
A different take on the spring theme, this is the grandaddy of them all - an 'original' Slinky from back in the day when they were still made of metal. This one, complete with box and still untangled and working, not only withstood my son's rough handling, but has survived the grandkids too.
Usually around this time of year, we see a lot of Easter bunnies. Frederick, however, celebrates their own way... betcha don't see too many Easter bears where you live!! ;) This dapper dude, in all his sartorial splendor, welcomes you at the Frederick Fudge and Ice Cream Co.
I'm betting not too many of us have green claw-footed bathtubs full of greenery sitting outside our front doors either! This one adorns the sidewalk in front of an antique/garden shop.
A fleet of creative transportation vehicles for the Legolanders who live and travel around our house... especially when 2 grandsons visit. ;)
