Gertie has been dressed to reflect the Summer days we are in...BD thought she should reflect the beach attitude she has...I think she should be placed standing in front of a hi-intensity sun lamp, dripping with sweat, gasping with difficulty in an attempt to inhale the humid, heated air that comes in almost palpable chunks...ah, Summer...bah, humbug!

This is the Great Room...no pictures up yet, but we will get them up in due time...kind a' bare right now, huh!

The work area...BD's son is helping us to secure our network..he is very good at IT stuff...which makes his task difficult as BD and I are much less than his equal...

Ah, moving! This is the office over the garage...still stuff everywhere...

Hoss and Gertie have become fast friends...Gertie is sometimes somewhat slow....

Gertie stands guard at her post on the hearth...

My Grandson Hoss is now taking Karate...he is becoming a very confident and gentlemanly little guy! He came to visit in his Karate uniform...he didn't do harm to Gertie...

She wanted to walk by herself down to the lagoon in the park we went to on Sunday...BD was one step ahead of her, though! Grab them straps!!

She also likes to make bubbles!!

She had a little trouble with the shades...

Birthday gift opening!!

Sarah and Dave are wonderful parents and it shows in their kids and how they behave around them and with them...

She stayed real close to Dad most of the walk...Sarah is the trail blazer with Isaiah.

She got bit by a mosquito while walking in the woods by the river (and so did BD)...she had 3 or 4 big lumps...but she had a wonderful time showing them off!

At first, she wasn't really sure whether or not I was a good thing or not...but she warmed to me over the week-end...

He is not much smaller than her!

Big Sis and Little Bro...

This is Isaiah...he is a big, big boy...he is just 3 months old...he ate both of the boxes of Cheerios behind him...just kidding!

BD and I went to Portland, Oregon to visit Miss Ellen who was having her 2nd birthday on Monday, June 27th...

There are no street lights in the community...stars and moonlight are the evening illumination for our sleep...

Another sunset...we had several nights with a display unlike any we had had for months...

Here is the last shot...it was a surreal picture in the sky...almost like there was a second sky of pastel blue behind the pink of the sun...

Last gasp...

Okay, last one...

Just when you thought it was nearly impossible to paint any more color, more clouds caught fire and glowed as embers from Heaven...

BD still not moving...

Little more...sorry for so many, but this was almost spiritual in it's intensity and beauty...

Not done yet...

Can you see BD at rapt attention???

This was the beginning of the finale..

This went on for about 15 minutes...what a show!

It was something to see...

More color...

Another sunset starting...from the front porch again. This particular evening was especially magnificent...

Another shot of the grassy area...a little, aluminum push mower will fill the bill here...maybe 30 minutes of work! Still, had I had my druthers, I would have had pine straw here too...don't want to mow even this much grass!

Like I said, little grass...the rocks surround the 2 round tops to the septic system filters...the little island is covered in pine straw (what else?), and we are going to plant some ferns and other little cover types to make it really attractive...

View from the deck...the property is on a hill, so there is little grass, but lots and lots of pine straw. BD says she has never seen so much pine straw used like this before...we have lots and lots...oh, I said that.

This is the deck that connects the whole house...it is like a wrap-around porch but with this part open to the sun/moonlight. It is a lot bigger than I had imagined (nearly 600 sq ft), but it is a super place to cook burgers and hot dogs...BD got me a Weber charcoal grill for Father's Day and last Thursday before we left for NYC Melissa and Hoss came over and we christened the grill...the burgers, the first I had cooked on a charcoal grill for 20 years or more (had gas for that long), were scrumptuous!!

BD is checking to make sure I got it back together correctly...I did...but I am not allowed to touch it now...there are a lot of things I refrain from touching or coming close to any more...

We bought a little nik-nak for the front porch...it holds a little planter pot...of course, when I first saw it I wanted to move it so I picked it up by it's head, it came apart, and the pot broke...thank goodness for gorilla glue!!!!

BD and her broom...for sweeping.

The front porch...we are waiting until September or October to stain/finish the porches and deck so it can weather and settle for a while...

Completed driveway...bush roses in the planter circles, and a crepe myrtle straight ahead...

Long ways down to the mailbox...good exercise....my butt will rival J. Lo's in a few weeks...

Beginning of a sunset from the front porch...

The forlks in the forefront are happy because they have just gotten their money from the closing Attorney (Eileen is our Real Estate Lady and has become our neighbor and friend, and Bruce built one heck of a house!...we are happy because we are now homeowners!!