Look who had a birthday - again!

Marshal's favorite dinner, tortilla soup.

Swedish Gravlax, GAPS recipe, with the fresh caught salmon.

It is very good.  Marshal was transported to an Okinawan sushi bar and was missing the wasabi.

Lydia gets to light the candles.

Gabe has a Happy Birthday song tradition of punctuating each phrase with his loaded cap gun.

What's inside this triple wrapped mystery present from Gabe?

A handmade duck tape billfold complete with junk mail fake credit cards and $1 bill!

Outdoorsmen's Catch

First Chinook Catch with Cousin Steve.

I think they weighed in at 10 and 18 pounds.

They said it was the best outdoor fun they had had in their life.

Pleased as punch!

Steaks and fillets coming up.

A friend had this trophy set of antlers - Marshal's first Bull Elk from September 2008 (on blog) - professionally mounted for Marshal.  He brought them by a couple weekends ago, and we just hung them in the family room.

I was going for the old English look, antlers and Royal Albert china.

Dinner Surprise

I call this dinner surprise, for it was as much a surprise to me as the rest of the fam who might have asked what's for dinner.  I had no idea what I was going to come up with when the dinner hour rolled around - oh so quickly as it always does.  I was inspired by the thought of tuna melts, my garden kale picked yesterday, a bag of first peas in the vegetable drawer, and finally Gabe appeared with a couple turnips pulled from the clinging soil.  Voila!  Dinner.

Socks

Gabe and Lydia rescued a forlorn kitten off the highway on the other side of the state with Grandma and brought it home.  Socks is his name.  Sorry the pics below do not display his white socks or his coon tipped tail.  He is a spunky, playful, endearingly social, curious, and courageous critter.  He seems to have made both dogs and our temperamental cat, Tigey, friendly.  So far this cat is a survivor, and even though I'm usually quite indifferent to cats, this one makes me smile.  With freedom to explore today, Socks found the watering can just right for curling up in, napping, hiding, and playing peek-a-boo to charm us all.

Happy Reunion - Caleb's Family

Look who showed up!  What a cutie!

Gabe loves these weary travelers, cousins Ezekiel and Silas.

Arriving to Grammy's.  Brother Caleb with his precious family escaped the Colorado fire, unplanned, and came to visit, which was planned.

Caleb, lookin' good and a happy papa with his little girl, Vera.

It's so late, and the darlings are feeling it.  Silas just ricocheted between the fridge and the kitchen island.

That's all folks!

Somehow I missed getting beautiful Katie in the camera frame.  I'm hoping for another chance before the return trip to Colorado!

A July 3rd Birthday

Birthday girl, Naphtali, and her daddy.

Jemuelle, happy baby.

Youngest cousin, brown-eyed baby, Felicity.

Abijah so cute with gift opening excitement.

Surrounded by onlookers.

Birthday girl's cousins, at least half of them!

Mama Meg lights six candles.

Happy Birthday song and blowing out the candles.

Beautiful Naphtali is six!

Cool twin sisters born on my wedding day!

What is sweeter than cousins and cupcakes?

Mother-Daughter Tea

In this case the youngest daughters came up with the idea to entertain the mothers with tea.  It was a special little time with Grammy's daughters and daughters' daughters together.

Three darling hostesses and servers.

Tea time with honey-lemon biscuits and tea cookies.

A little luncheon to boot, Blue Willow china, and wildflower bouquet.

Jemma too, happy with tea cookies.

Mother-Daughter Tea

Future Homesteaders

Last week was moving day for Luke and Kim.  They packed out and headed east to the farm to settle down and call it home.  I hear they were greeted by grass in the yard a mile high and weeds just as high and thick in the garden soil.   They quickly realized they had their work cut out for them.  I hope they have fun and enjoy an abundance of fruit for their labor.

Checking out the 9 half grown chickens ready to travel to final destination.

A friend's horse trailer is loaded with the household goods.

Almost ready to roll, striking out on their own.  Don't they look like some good homesteaders?