A touch of fall

The weather has decidedly cooled the past two days. We have been busy at home this week. Gary has started a new bed of perennials and has been busy doing yard and garden work. Louise is back to knitting again. Today we spent a great day with Meghan and Ryan, starting with a breakfast by Chef Gary of blueberry pancakes, and scrambled eggs for Ryan. We watched a movie this morning, The Greatest Show on Earth. The kids seemed to enjoy this old circus story. This afternoon we went to Portage where they played near the water, but did not venture in to swim as the air temperatures was a bit cool. Last night we covered the tomatoes, cucumbers, and some of the flowers as frost was predicted. It is hard to believe that we have gone from sweltering to frost danger in one week! Lastly we share a picture of Steve McQueen protecting Louise's sneakers.

Weekend Again

This has been a busy week, and here it is the weekend again. Bob is driving north and will be here tonight. The heat is still with us with humidity at incredible levels. We have spent the week at Portage Lake, but came home today to take care of things here. The powdery mildew is killing the squash patch, and has started in the cucumbers. Fungicide doesn't seem to have helped, and spraying milk on it from internet advice didn't help either. Today we harvested, as you can see. The tomatoes in the raised bed are ripening and they are loaded in nice tomatoes. The cucumbers are just beginning to produce, as the zucchini and yellow squash are probably near an end. We even thinned a few carrots that are very tasty!

Busy Weekend

This weekend was special because of the August Festival and the reunion of all of the Cole boys and their families at the lake. The weekend was hot, sunny, and full of fun. It began with a trip to Woodland to see Meghan playing soccer. We all met at the house, visited, ate, and planned further activities. Next came the parade. here you can see Gary riding in Uncle Ralph's truck, and the jet engine that Matt displayed for the Loring Heritage Center. Saturday afternoon the Coles and their friends took over Portage Lake. As you can see from the pictures, fun in the water for young and old was the theme of the day.

Forty-three Years

We have spent this week at the camp, and the weather has been perfect. Last week the high water caused the wharf to break up, but Matt and company fixed it last weekend. You can see Gary standing on it. It is a perfect day here - sunshine, a nice breeze, the lake like glass, cool enough to be comfortable. Does it get any better than this? Today is our anniversary - 43 years. We do plan to go out to dinner tonight.

You see some pictures here of a small black bear. Andy had this bear brought into his shop to be recovered with fur from a coat. That has been Gary's project for the past few days as the bear was returned to good repair!

Water and Sun

Tuesday the sun came out! Gary and Louise went to Portage with granddaughter Jessica to spend time with Jon and Erin. It was a beautiful day with boating and swimming and lots of fun in the sun. These pictures show you a bit of what the day was like. Jon and Erin left for Portland this morning, but a great time was shared over the days they were here.

Weekend Adventures

Cloudy weather and showers have not prevented the Coles from having an exciting weekend. Jon and Erin came up to the camp, Matt and Jo, Andy, Ryan and Meghan spent an afternoon and evening cooking out, boating, enjoying games, knitting, and a campfire. These pictures show the highlights of the day. Today we joined Jon and Erin in a Farm Day visit to Knot II Bragg Farm in Wade, where Natilla gave an herb walk and we enjoyed a couple of hours with nature.

From Andy crawling under the wharf to find the lost light to the yummy cheesecake JoAnna made, it was a great time for family.

Matthew's Birthday

Today is Matthew's birthday! This collection of pictures from the past don't begin to show how he has brought smiles into the lives of so many people. We see him here on earlier birthdays, but we couldn't find pictures of the most memorable one - the day the dump truck backed into our yard loaded with sand. He thought we were giving him the dump truck! We have a picture of him going to school for the first time, a picture with his bicycle, his twenty-first birthday, and a birthday at Gallup's Animal Farm. There are pictures with is little brother Jon, and with his own son, Ryan. Matt is a great

son and we want to honor him today and wish him a truly great birthday!