Weekend catch up

So many of you who know us through FB know we had a birthday party for Miss Lilly Saturday (in the park... I think it was the 22nd of July...)

Alas, due to the fact that a: it's been to hot outside to use it, and b: I was in forget-my-head mode all day, my camera batteries were dead.  So Laurie took a few, but after she dropped a frosting-heavy cupcake on her phone, her pics got a bit "ghosty":

But my daughter Shenan captured the winner as Peanut kept trying for my blueberry caffeine juicer:

I have to tell the story of a little neighbor of the kids' who is a bit... well, clingy.  She's 8 years old, and makes like everyone she meets is the love of her life, which gets her chased away by a lot of people.  But I figure I have some karma to work off from the way I was with my brother in law as a little brat, so I generally don't mind.  We were a few yards away from what would later be the main event- the park's splash pad- and she was in a hurry to get someone, ANYONE, interested in moving up the proceedings.  Unfortunately for her, we adults were content in the shade, ice cream, cupcakes, and presents had yet to be divvied up, so no one was particularly interested, including myself.

I was sitting at a picnic table with KC, casually jawing about stuff the rest of the assembled multitude cared little about, when little blondie throws her arms around my neck from behind and innocently says, "I want you."

I sputtered out an "EXCUSE me???", KC laughs and says, "I'll bet you haven't heard that for a while!"  She continued to try to dislodge me from my seat in her little kung fu grip, and say's "You're too strong!"  To which one of us- I forget whether KC or me- said, "That one, either!!"


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Later that night as the air cooled to within breathable limits, Scrappy and I made a 10 PM walk.  Without light there was no need to bring the charged but still-useless camera, so let me tell you the fun.

On hitting the Plex grounds, Mr Groundhog runs past.

Down the road, Mr Bat circled overhead, keeping us bug free.

Three quarters of the way to California Road, at least two deer silhouetted in the lights of the new barn.

At the point where the swamp spills over California Road, a bullfrog- I am not exaggerating, fully the size of Scrappy's head- takes three hops in front of us, splashing down right in front of Scrappy.  Boofus casually sniffed the huge amphibian, who then decided he'd stopped in better joints and took two more hops into the swamp.

On the way back, one deer runs across the Plex's south lot.  Later, at the edge of the new soccer fields, three more looked at us in the darkness.


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Monday though, it was nice enough for a daylight walk.  So we set out, curious at what we'd find after a Sunday afternoon t-storm that flooded the back yard for several minutes.

The Bunny Summer continues...

We ended up walking past him from about 5 feet away.  Scrappy was oblivious, so Bugs didn't care.

This one, though, Boofus saw him take off- which was interesting enough to run after him for about 5 feet.

And while we got some wind, we got a lot more rain.  In the woods, apparently, things were reversed.

Actually got a swallowtail to pose...

Not near the water damage I was expecting.  Lots of tie-dyed mud, no ruts.

Coming to where Dead Tree Road exits the woods, a whole herd of deer!

two does, two fawns- who posed...

...and a young buck, who did not.

Mr Indigo Bunting followed us around

Lotsa frogs at the swamp- but the turtles cleared out when the algae got thick

In case you ever wondered how thick high-tension wire was...

Which leads me to a quick work update:  They aren't doing much during soccer season.  This means the gates are still closed (except the ones I keep leaving open) and the road needs fixed back up, and three or four old towers and most of the platforms still need removed.  However, intrepid walkers can make it down quite easily through open gates and shredded fencing.