The Boilermaker Weekend

UTICA

BOILERMAKER

15K

ROADRACE

SUNDAY, JULY 11th

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I'm off today with two boys in tow to head up to Utica for my race packet. This Sunday is the race that I have been prepping for and I am beginning to get sweaty palms. I know I can do it...but it is always pre-race jitters.

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Utica is where I attending college for a year before deciding that Advertising and Graphics was not for me. I was more of a fine arts person and should have headed in that direction. But I did enjoy exploring Utica when I was there and I look forward in seeing my old dorm and campus. I haven't been back in many years.

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So the kiddo and I and his friends are heading up north today. Our first stop is the Herkimer Diamond Mines so we can mine for our fortune. Hopefully the rain will hold off for us! After that we will head over to Utica for the Expo of shopping and race packet. I am looking forward in seeing some new running things and I hope they have some Vibrams there for me to try on. What are Vibrams??? A type of shoe that allows you to run barefoot it that makes sense. A couple of friends who are running in the race on Sunday have started using them and I want to see what all the hype is about. I'm not sure if this old girl can handle running barefoot, back in the day I could, so I just want to try them on.

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The photo above is all of us who are running in the race on Sunday. There are many more people from this area going but in this photo is...

Ashley of Neverhome Maker, me, my cousin Lindsey and her hubby John and Stephen of Neverhome Maker. Hopefully we will be able to find each other after the race to hang out and enjoy our stories of the race.

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Happy Friday all!!

Sometimes...

Sometimes I wish I would remember to take my camera every where I go. You never know what you may come across. This morning while heading out I was intrigued with all the beauty around me. The way the morning sun was sitting in the hot haze was simply beautiful.

Baby Flight

This week has been a little nutty with no school in session, my great aunt returning back to the hospital, training for a 15K race next Sunday, home life along with many other distractions.

This, though is a positive distraction that I have been watching for several weeks. In the shed off the back of the barn are barn swallows. There have been nests there for years, painted over and unoccupied...that is until this year. I noticed while feeding the goats that the swallows were flying over my head, protecting the nest but it wasn't until I found a little egg on the ground that they actually decided to call is home.

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I pitched a ladder and went up for a sky view of the nest and there were several eggs in there. I did leave the nest alone until the babies were bursting out of it.
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The above photo is of the parents circling in protest of my being there...

I just love these babies...I saw at least four crammed into this tiny nest.


As of yesterday...the babies took flight.
I hope that in the future they remember this place and lay more eggs.

Weekend Fun!

After a very full day of work on Friday I was treated to my very first time going to the Dick's Golf Open. We thought we would try and get there for a little golf but there were so many people there is was a little impossible to get to the green. We hung around near the food and beer tents for a while and saw some familiar faces and then headed to the 18th green for an incredible concert.
Rob Thomas of Matchbox 20 came to little old Binghamton to play for a huge crowd. They had predicted 8-10 thousand people and I believe that they were all there. I was having so much fun with Todd and friends and we had a pretty good place to stand but....I wanted to get a little closer. So I grabbed a girl that I know and pushed our way a little closer.

I had left my camera in the car because I didn't think you could bring it in but I did have my phone with my camera on it. These images although nothing what I would have like to have taken, are pretty good. I especially like this one and the very first one.

Here is Rob thanking his awesome band...I am so happy I went to this concert. His voice is amazing and truly an wonderful artist!

The following day was a graduation party that we were invited to for two really great kids. Dan lives across the street from us and we have known him since he was 3. Their moms had wanted a cake with their images on it sculpted out of clay playing one of their favorite things...the xbox. So Todd and I worked for a couple hours making these great little figures.

Notice Tyler on the left side of this cake...see his hat. They had described it to us because it is his favorite hat that he has lost. He was so thrilled when he saw it...

Dan on the left wears tye-dyes mostly and Tyler loves his red under armour shirt. Todd was so creative and made the Monster Energy drink cans, A&W soda bottle, the bowl of chips and the TVs. I'm so glad he helped me with all of it...he's a great partner and we both laughed a lot during this creation.

He are the real life Dan and Tyler!!!

Congratulations guys!!!

We are proud of you both!

Creative Thursday

I haven't really been able to focus on pottery lately because I have been extremely busy helping take care of my great aunt. She is very ill and in need of 24/7 care so while trying to hire a couple of extra hands, I have to fill in. After this post I will be heading out for a full day of helping her out. It has put quite a stiffle in my creativity but last night I went to pottery class with a positive attitude and produced the above image. It was a quiet night with very few people in there so I was able to concentrate and focus on things I wanted to make. In the middle of class a friend of mine came in and we had such good laughs. It was great to see her and catch up with her and her four children's lives, it is always an adventure (right Jenn). She always makes me laugh and believe me I needed it.

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I have a show coming up fast and furious at the end of next month so I need to get my tail in gear and really start pumping out some pottery. I have many, many ideas brewing, but it is just finding time right now to execute! It may come to be some early mornings and late nights for me.

Onto the above photo which by the way was a little bit of an undertaking. I have this garden behind my house that was there when we purchased it from my in-laws. She is a big time gardener and has some great plants in there. It was slightly unruly back in the day so the year after we were married...I tackled that garden and had it really looking spiffy. I had paths running through it, with great plants and even better mulching. Well over the years the kiddo came along, then life, then sports and then more life. Needless to say this poor garden has been neglected for years. What you don't see is behind this garden...this is what I am talking about. Behind those ugly arborvitae is the "GARDEN OF WEEDS". What a scary place to be...but I am determined to get the upper hand this year.

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Thus, the front of the garden which faces the backside of the house. I pulled almost everything out on the left side with the exception of a few lilies and I did leave the bleeding heart too. On the right side are some trillium's and lamium under the tree. I planted 5 new hostas, rebuilt the stone way framing the backside of this garden and mulched like crazy. I had some large rocks laying around so I used them to create a walkway to the mess. My thought was to put a gate at the end of the stone walkway but I like the looks of the bird bath in the opening.

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I will post some photos of the unruly mess when I can actually make my way in there. But for now I am viewing the peonies popping their heads over the weeds...

...sigh...

there is never enough time in the day!

Monday's Pets

As I was walking around the yard today I realized that I really needed to capture some animal moments...

The above photo is one of the two Rose-Breasted Grosbeaks that frequent the feeders. They are so pretty to watch...very graceful flying with their beautiful colors showing in full force.

Next onto the milkweed that is invading my yard. I don't have the heart to pull it out because the monarch butterflies love it and lay their eggs on it. It is almost time to start seeing them fluttering around the yard.

Now here is my buddy...

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I was in my garage tonight working on some pottery and he was hanging out under the feeder filling his cheeks. I went into the house to get my camera and perched myself on the driveway and waiting until he was comfortable with me being there so I could snap a few.

This one cracks me up with his little miffed mouth...

Now he finally was comfortable with me that he filled his cheeks not quite full.
I am determined to get this little one to eat from my hand before summer is over!

Under the Weather

I'm feeling a little under the weather so I thought I would show you some photos from around the farm. Every year chickadees make a nest in a bird house that my in-laws made for me on Christmas. I always enjoy watching them fly in and out of the house creating their one of a kind nest. From eggs to hatching is only less than 2 weeks. From hatching to fledging the nest is basically a week. It makes me so sad when they finally do leave the nest but I was fortunate this year to see them right before they took their flight. There were about 6 babies all crammed together in the nest.
This little guy took off right after this photo...

and I chased him all over the yard. Finally I caught up with him and took him back to his nest. Shortly after, the parents kicked them out...most likely because the big, bad monster bothered them. I know I shouldn't be bothering the nest, but it is nature and I enjoy it so much.

From our bedroom window you can watch the birds eat and the chipmunks hunt the ground for discarded seeds. This parent was feeding one of its babies...

So cute to watch the baby flutter its wings and hop all over to make sure the parent fills its belly.

Here is one of our chippies that frequents the yard. Every morning I leave them 2 pieces of my banana for breakfast in hopes that one day I might be able to hand feed them.

Look at that cute little face....

And now to the spider monkey, Stitch. He has taken to climbing the window to get a better view. Just look at those back toes gripping on....