Garden Bounty

Lesson I have learned... Stagger the planting!

Our beans are being harvested, roasted, and gobbled up.
Our first zuchini has been harvested, with a bazillion more to go.
Our first few fingerling potatos have been pulled, cooked, and devoured.
The blueberries are slowly ripening and being popped into waiting mouths.
Tomatoes are ripening and peppers are starting.

 

Tamlin has been fairly fascinated with the garden and the idea that we grew our own food and get to eat it.  Jude is excited that food is right there to eat when he wants to try it...though he only nibbles than tries something else.

Brian's thoughts:
Harvesting continues; green beans, Italian rose beans, fingerling potatoes and our first zucchini all picked today.  We roasted potatoes, beans, zuke, and radishes together with a bit of Montreal steak seasoning and deliciousness followed :-)

Trip to see the family and Geneva on the Lake

 

 With the weekend off, I drove over to see some of the family... especially my pregnant sister :-)  (Isn't she glowing!)
The little ones had fun playing in the kiddie pool and we all had fun sitting in the shade and squirting them with water.  Later, we all headed down to Geneva on the Lake for a bit of nostalgia. All of us who grew up around here have fond memories of strolling the strip here.  Many places haven't changed at all over the years.  The fun house mirrors in Eddie's Arcade are still there...

 Woody's world arcade is still there...complete with some of the same old games from yesterday. Both boys had good times playing skeeball and winning prize tickets.  We came home with some awesomely annoying whistles and metal rings...

 Of course we all had to eat at Eddie's Grill.  Mom and Dale ate with us too...enjoying foot long fried hot dogs, greasy fries, and fresh squeezed lemonade.

Awwww....

The great days of summertime...

I love creating these memories with my family :-)

Swimming in Lake Erie - 2014

At the end of June...we were already swimming in Lake Erie :-)
We like to spend the evenings after dinner down at the beach.  We walk the breakwall, watch the boats, wave to the boaters, count the birds, jump the cracks, walk in the sand, find sea glass, jump in the waves, get wet, squish the sand between our toes, give piggy-back rides, smile, giggle, laugh, and enjoy the sunshine!

I love being on the Lake...
As does my whole family :-)

High Five

Swapping high fives are all the rage at our house.

High Five

On the Side

Down Low

Whoops... Too Slow (pull hand away so you miss the hand slap)

And... thanks to our neighbor...we have another verse...
Break the pickle (holding index fingers together and other person breaks through them)
Tickle tickle!

Except, our boys have their own version...

Tamlin:  Break the knuckle
Jude: Break the mickel

But they both love the tickle tickle part.

:-)

Slip 'N' Slide is OUT!

 It's hot.
Hot, Hot, Hot.
The ol' slip 'n' slide has been unfurled.
Best $1 spent three summers ago.
Both boys are big enough to actually slip down the slide this year :-)

 Tamlin decided he needed to fling the Frisbee down the slide and then fling himself down after it.
"GOAL!" he exclaimed when he reached the Frisbee.

Jude wants to be just like big brother, so he had to crawl after his own Frisbee :-)

 

Two wet, slightly chilled, but happy boys.

Our garden is growing and growing!

I am so amazed how well the gardens are doing! With our current cycles of heat and rain, the plants have all thrived.  The weeds have tried to get ahead, but Brian and the boys have kept them at bay.

The onion leaves are huge...The bush beans all have flowers on them. The carrots are growing and have already been thinned.  The various squash plants all have flowers and huge leaves...and even some baby fruit like this little cucumber. However, the leaves have started to shade the pepper plants, so transplanting might be needed soon.

Most of the tomato plants have flowers on them, and a few have the beginning of fruits.  Even the tomato plants that were eaten early-on by rabbits/squirrels have tried a second go at things and are surviving enough to produce flowers.

Our little blueberry bushes have blueberries ripening on them.  I hope to get them before the squirrels discover that they are edible.

 

Our four pea plants are vining up the fence. Tamlin is showing off how tall they have become!

On the swingset, the upside down tomatos also have flowers and fruit starting.
The potato plants are growing and flowering. Tam and Jude are showing how many potatoes they'll eat (5).
 I can't wait to taste the salsa!