The Good Old Summertime

We'll know it's truly summer again when the annual 4th of July fireworks display of Hydrangias and Fairy Roses burst into bloom under the Mimosa in our backyard.

Since I obviously jinxed our weather back into the windy, rainy pattern with my Spring pictures, I hoped maybe I could encourage warmer, sunny days with some Summer pictures! If not, at least it's nice to reminisce! Dennis and Marci at the Oregon Gardens

Labor Day weekend.

The men of the family, Dennis, Jeremiah, Josiah, & Grandad with the power saw (again!) are all gathered around to help put our 14 year old Sunset Maple out of it's misery. It was a sad day when we realized it was not going to ever leaf out again! The ice and snowstorm of the previous winter did it in. We missed it's shade all summer and it's beautiful bright red leaves this last fall. BUT...in it's place is the Red Bud that we can hardly wait till Spring to see bloom for the first time! One of the fun things our whole family loves about summer is the car shows! This particular one was in the Dallas City Park during Summer Fest the end of July. That's Marci and Carissa with one of our favorites. (Notice how much taller daughter is than mother!)

And what is summer without nice, hot, lazy afternoons spent on the porch swing reading a book, or ...taking a nap!
(Notice the Red Bud in the background. It has some growing to do to shade the porch!)