John's Selfies

Mom and son

John likes selfies.  Okay, to be clear on this...he's been taking selfies long before I ever knew there was a word for this.  He's been taking them since before we knew each other (going back over 25 years now...)

We have 35 mm camera photos he took of himself from trips to DC and maybe even one up on the silo back at the farm.  I know I've seen a few selfies from his way back past before.   Now that the technology has made it easier we have LOTS of selfies.  I will be at work and get a text message from him and it's often a selfie.  I, myself, don't have the skill or the interest to master the "selfie".  I've tried a few.  They didn't please me.  'Nough said.  

But John.  Yes he loves them.  Here are a few I found while looking through the photos from this year.

The first group is during a trip back home.  If you were "lucky" enough to get close to him--you got photographed.  I think Judy was clever enough to avoid him....

Gotcha Raymond

Sister Annie

Sis-in-law Rosie

Brother Chris

Sister Mary

On our anniversary

On the ropes course with us---c'mon John!  What's taking you so long?

Out golfing with friends

babysitting

Grandson!

Out fishing.

In california (okay this one was with a timer)

At Arethusa Falls

Good looking Son

Happy Father's Day

Me too

Me Three!

Me four!  Happy Father's Day John.

Hiking

Father's Day 

Beautiful View from here

One of the new old favorite past times is to go walking, geocaching and hiking now that we have a dog in our lives again.  For the different special occasions where we actually all gathered together this year and asked what people wanted to do--the answer came back the same a few times.  Go for a hike.  We do live in a beautiful place for this activity.  So here are some photos from hikes in the spring and fall this year.  

"But I don't want to hike anymore.  C'mon in--the water is nice."

We're hoping that with a little more training this pup can become a real good citizen for hikes.  Right now, squirrels are too interesting and we're quite certain we'd lose her if she was off the leash.  Someday maybe she will get the hang of it.  She is a fairly "low energy" dog and gets tired.  The kids took her up Mt. Major one day when John and I were both at work.  I warned them that they might have to carry her.  I think they did for a little bit!  (up the steep rocks) She gets tired and hot and thirsty easily.  If we come across water she will lay down in it and not want to leave.  We think her mixed breeds are German Shepherd, Pyranese and Labrador Retriever.  It's a weird mix of personality for sure!  So the water loving long haired beast does this lie down in the water thing as often as she can.

The view of Luck Now Castle "Castle in the Clouds" while taking a break 

Father and son on the Birthday hike

Right near the geocache

New trails to explore in our town this year.  

Loving the foliage

Welcome New Grand Baby!!

Congratulations!

Happy Grand dad with the new one

Welcome to the newest member of the family!  This year has been memorable in many ways, especially in the addition of our second grand son.  The new parents, J & C, did great in getting him to the world and ready for grandparents to enjoy him.

 He is such a sweet child with very little fuss (but he may be tired from the ordeal).  His brother was quite excited to have an addition to the family.

This time-elapse photo allows us all to see how everyone did this summer, as we enjoyed a day at the beach & playground area of Odiorne State Park.

Photos from this week

Someone was cold on his walks to school

So I knit something to keep him warm

Raccoon tracks

First trifle (raspberry) in our new trifle dish we got for Christmas!  Thanks Amy!

Sticky Snow!  So pretty

Beach ride on Wells Beach in Maine.  Beautiful waves coming in!  Last hurrah before this parking lot becomes to snowy to visit again until spring.

Loving every minute of the beach ride.

Puppies make good pillows...

January

Lilac bush with buds, dried flowers and ice.

Beautiful icy landscape

 We enjoyed some snow and then an ice storm during the week between the holidays.  We got about 6 inches or so of snow at first so our youngest got to spend the better part of one of his school vacation days learning to ride his new (used) snowmobile!  He took to it like a fish to water--no surprise there.  We hope that he will enjoy winter trail riding on the wonderful trail system we have right here where we live.

I enjoy when there is a whole cycle of life captured in a photo like this lilac bush which had plumped out it's buds during that warm spell in December.  Just behind it are the remnants of what was flowers and then seeds perhaps? of the plant.  Now it's all coated in ice and waiting for the next cycle in it's life.

The whole landscape was coated with ice on my way to work that morning and I felt the need to stop and appreciate it before heading to an office for the next 8 or 9 hours.  Such a beautiful world out there.

First ride on the Polaris

Knit lace shawl

I have been knitting and made several gifts for the holidays this year.  Some of which I forgot to photograph!  Here are 3 of the finished items.  I also "whipped up" a neckwarmer for our middle son who reported that walking the 20 minutes from the room he rents just off campus to work last Tuesday in -3 temperatures found him wanting more winter clothing.  He was c-c-cold.  With any luck the addition of a neckwarmer that covers his face, more Smartwool socks and a nice polar fleece coat to go in his down coat will help him out in the next weeks of cold weather!

Tasha in her new slouchy hat

Hubby sporting his birthday scarf

December

Still too nice to shop

It was an unusually warm December.  I found myself gravitating to the trail instead of to the shopping malls.  I had my "last hurrah" of 2015 ride.  5 times I think.  Each time I thought that would be it for the year and then we'd have yet another gorgeous weekend.  I love this view of Mt. Chocorua from Pocket Mountain where I was riding.  This property has a lovely trail through it but this ride was the last weekend of deer hunting with rifles so I stuck to the dirt roads for my ride.  I enjoyed every minute of the ride--thinking it was the last one for 2015.

Our "perfect" tree

What a nice group!

We managed to find all of the boys available to come with us to pick out a tree this year.  What a surprise.  With our oldest son working nights and our middle son in the finals end of his courses we didn't expect to have a family outing this year.  We ran all over that Christmas Tree Farm this year in search of the perfect tree.  I'm not sure that we found a perfect tree but it was the perfect one for us.  The boys were all giddy and running through the trees.  I'd be trailing along behind them and get the feedback from other families about the kids.  I said, "even in their 20's they become little boys when they are together."  One man said that was true of his little boys in their late 30s.  That is a nice thought indeed.  I hope they always are little boys when they get together.

Solstice wish balloon

We hosted a Solstice Party again this year.  We chose Tuesday the 22nd and that was so that our oldest son could join in.  We thought it might be "shooting the party down" to have it on a Tuesday night.  And then on that particular night we had downpouring rain for our bonfire.  I dutifully made two large crockpots of soup, a double batch of gingersnaps and began to clean the house for warming guests that might still arrive in the storm.  The weatherman did say there would be a break in the weather later on...
Well!  Much to my surprise we hosted near 40 people and the weather did break.  What started out as an inside party moved outside 1/2 way through as the men somehow got that bonfire burning.  We even had totally clear skies and were able to send up wish balloons as there was little to no wind!  Who would have imagined such an event.  I still can't believe that night.  It was a wonderful time.

Millie just keeps getting bigger

Our "Little" boy and his "Little" puppy just keep on growing.  His gift for Christmas was to come downstairs and give me a hug to which I exclaimed, "did you grow again last night?"  I couldn't reach his shoulder to hug him without him stooping.  Something seemed different.  So I measured him on the wall where we've kept a running tally of their heights.  Yup.  A full 6 feet tall now.  John double checked for me as I was not standing on a step to mark the line.  Still 6 feet and a tiny bit more.  I think it was his best Christmas present of the year.  He stood very tall that day when we celebrated the holiday with extended family.  Very smiley and very tall.

The packaging is still the most fun of all.

Day after Christmas - had more of an October feel to it!!

Some things stay the same.  The packaging is still the best toy ever.  Especially when there is a puppy to play in it with!

And there actually was a last hurrah ride.  My neighbors joined me for a day after Christmas ride.  We were only out a couple of hours for a slow wander through the trails and around a remote pond and back again.  It felt like October with 50 degree weather.  I enjoyed the bald eagle that soared just overhead as we were tacking up to get ready to ride.  It was a wonderful, last hurrah ride after all.

Fall

Here comes the ball...go get it!

Fall has been a whirlwind around here.  Soccer had me logging a lot of miles on the truck between working more, shorter days so that I could get to the field and running home in between to walk Millie.  Many weeks I drove over 450-500 miles in that old truck of mine.  I hardly had any time in the saddle at all!  This boy really enjoys playing soccer.  A new coach this year and some changes to practice times were quite a struggle but we made it through and I think he enjoyed it.

Riding with friends in Tamworth

I did find one Tuesday to sneak off with friends for a day of riding in Tamworth.  It rained but we loved the trip anyhow.

Millie at 6 months

That puppy keeps growing and growing.

Millie at nearly 7 months

My happy hubby just out of the helicopter

We did find time one weekend to go to the Sandwich Fair.  The weather was beautiful and the foliage made for a wonderful trip.  We enjoyed the antique car parade and the helicopter ride.

Someone really liked the chopper ride!

Fun photo of John took of me taking the photo above...

 October also found us car shopping as the Jetta hit it's credit limit on repairs.  No more registrations needed for that car so this Honda Civic is John's new ride.  His old Civic is shifted to the college boy for now and I'm still in the truck--which is also being quite spendy lately...but new or newer ones are just a bit over budget at this point!  Happy commuting John!

John's Civic