Riley, Dog Model

This dog...I don't know how he could possibly understand posing for pictures.

 But he's just so darn photogenic...at least when he stops moving for long enough to snap a picture.

 I have no doubt that this has been the best year of his life.  He is loving all the lake time.

 Even now, when we think it is way too cold to swim, he wades in as far as he dares.

October Is My Favorite Color

I took a bunch of pictures Saturday, and every one of them makes me happy.  While David was working, I took Gracie to the vet and Riley to the groomer.  While Riley was busy getting cleaned and trimmed, I cleaned up the house and took a few fall pictures.

 I don't spend much time at home at this time of day, and I love the light coming in.

 Once David got home, we headed to Farm Fest to look around and have a corn dog.  The weather was absolutely perfect for fall.  Then we headed to the lake to find that these goofs were dressed alike. ;)

 Riley got a new bed.  I was afraid he'd ignore it, but he seemed to like it!  Nothing beats a clean dog in a new bed!

It was a great weekend from beginning to end.  I really hate to see it end!

Birthday Month

September is birthday month at our house.  I turned the big 4-0 this year, or as my friend Krista says, "are you FINALLY turning 40?"  That's the great benefit of being the youngest of your group of friends.  Forty for me wasn't a big deal by the time it's my turn. ;)

We celebrated with Mom and Dad before our birthdays with the famous chocolate cake, then spent David's birthday weekend at the lake eating out, at Bass Pro Outdoor Days, and at Silver Dollar City.  My birthday fell on a Tuesday this year, and my friend Christina took a day off work to take me to lunch at my favorite tea room and spend the rest of the day antiquing.  David took me to dinner that evening.

So far 40 is starting off to be a wonderful year!

Summer Wrap-Up

I've been too busy having fun this summer to blog much, so how about just a few pictures instead?

 We've continued to have fun decorating the cabin both inside and out.

 And are enjoying cruising around the neighborhood in a golf cart!  I'm not a very good golf cart driver, but have so far kept it out of the lake. ;)

 We've discovered a couple of dog-friendly boat up places to eat or snack on the lake.

Watched a few sunrises and sunsets.

 And enjoyed time with friends.

 Riley has loved his summer of swimming at the lake, but he and his shadow were also pretty excited about the dog swim at the local pool!

 I don't think I've ever been less anxious for fall to arrive.  This is one summer that I'm sorry to see end!

Sweet Summertime

 One day last week I had pineapple whip for lunch - delicious!

We celebrated my Aunt Connie's birthday,

 my friend Robyn's birthday,

 and spent some time on the water.  I enjoyed seeing the fall stuff out at Hobby Lobby, but for the moment, I'm very happy to be enjoying this summer! 

Somethin' 'Bout a Boat

What a weekend it was to enjoy a new boat on the lake!

 Nice to have a cozy place to rest after an afternoon on the water!

4th of July

We had a spectacular 4th of July weekend full of 

 food

 friends and family

 and fireworks!

News from the Fremont House

Last weekend we stayed home from the lake so that David could work and I could have a small garage sale with friends.  I decided I needed a little apron to hold money and such, but didn't want to pay for one.  I haven't sewn anything in several months, but it was fun to put this together out of supplies I already had.

 We didn't make a fortune, but had a great time!

 Early Friday evening I'd realized that the upstairs AC wasn't working.  A professional diagnosed our fears...it was time to retire the nearly 40 year old unit.  In the few days between diagnosis and replacement, it was too hot to sleep upstairs, so we set up camp in the living room.  Now that it's fixed and we can move back upstairs, I can say that camping in the living room was kind of fun!

 We also attended an anniversary reception for my friend Christina's parents, who were my second parents growing up.

Then on Monday, we saw James Taylor in concert!  He was a great entertainer and we really enjoyed it!

One STRESSED-OUT puppy.
Thanks for the sail T.H.

Lake News

We missed very few weekends at the lake since Mom and Dad bought the cabin, and we're loving it!  We spent Father's Day weekend here last weekend.

Mom and Dad got beautiful new furniture for the porch.  Perfect for taking a nap under the ceiling fan!  Or at least it will be once it cools off a bit!

 The other pennant arrived - Portland, ME - to go above the window.

This guy isn't too sure about getting around on Todd's boat, but I think he enjoyed it!  He leaves behind enough dog hair to build another dog!  Sorry Todd!

Hill Country

We had some time before the reunion, so after pondering our options, we decided to explore the little town of Salado.  

 This is just what a church should look like. :)  It's the Methodist church chapel.  They had a much larger newer sanctuary as well, but are clearly taking great care of this older one.

 There were quite a few antique stores and we had a good time exploring them.  I found this neat fishing creel and David got an older Coleman lantern - both are cabin-bound.

 David had been looking forward to seeing his Grandad's old truck.  It had been sold to a neighbor long ago, wrecked, and eventually bought back by one of David's cousins, who has it more or less running.

 Lots of time was spent looking under the hood and checking it out.  It was great to see so many of David's cousins, as well as meet an uncle and a cousin I had not met before.

 This is David and his Aunt Evelyn, and her little dog Heidi.

I took lots of pictures of the truck and have had fun working with different filters to make them look old.

Hope we get to go back next year!