Apologies for the delay in posting ...

here's a short recap...
1. Labour Day was fun & we had a great time at the cabin. View some of our photos here.
2. Kids are back in school & doing well. We just had first quarter reviews with their respective teachers.
3. The kids were pirates again this year. We also went to get pumpkins and of course, Pizza Pumpkin Night.
4. We went to have dim sum at Shangri-La and then to my parents' house for Thanksgiving Dinner. It was a blast, and we had a wonderful dinner prepared by Fai and Tien. Also, I finally learned how to play Euchere. Pictures here. Wahoo!

... oh and the house?
1. The old boiler has been removed and replaced.
2. Porch is almost done ... looks GREAT!
3. Exterior of the house and garage have been painted.
4. Interior walls have been installed with Georgia Pacific paperless moid and moisture resistant drywall. They are also primed.
5. Getting ready to get floors on the first floor. Obtaining quotes now...

July Fun & Late Summer Fun

Well, apologies for the long delay between postings, but we have been busy! Fai was home visiting from her Peace Corps adventures in Mali. We have been diligently working away at the house removing the front porch and getting it rebuilt among other things. Fourth of July was way cool. We went up to the cabin and had two sets of guests (Auntie Marilynn, David B, Olivia and Amelia) and then my dad, Tien, Fai, Aunt Lily and Eddie. Sheesh ... It was busy, but fun! Beautiful weather, good company ... you really can't beat that. I posted pictures on my Photobucket site here. I hope you enjoy them!

The kids are still spending their Summer vacation with me which has been interesting to say the least! The Art in the Park where Anita infamously performed for a crowd in 2005 happened in July as well. See below:


The kids decided to make money and use our driveway / front lawn as a make-shift parking lot on Friday and Saturday during Art in the Park. They made $ 25.00 USD altogether for two days worth of work. Not too bad! :O)

Tony Bennett Live @ The Detroit Opera House (06.15.2007)

MJM and Yummers went to see Tony Bennett perform live at the Detroit Opera House on Friday. I had to study for an exam, so I did not go, and Yummers went in my place. From the pictures and video that MJM took, it looked like it was a fun show.

They were back by 9.45 PM! Minnie and I went to see Music in the Park and had a blast! We stayed there until about 9.30 ourselves.

In any case, enjoy the pictures and video!

We had Row H tickets on the main floor. Here is Yummers in her seat!


The great Tony Bennett himself.


A cool arty farty picture of Mr. Bennett.


A song clip for your enjoyment!

Last Day of School (06.15.2007)

The kids finished another school year which is really hard to believe. I'm proud to say that they advanced another grade... Thank goodness. :O)

Anita doing a fun activity on the last day of school.


Minnie and his buddy, Adam, on the last day of school.


The kids in front of the sign.

Gratuitous Garden Pictures (06.06.2007 - 06.17.2007)

Some more pictures of the backyard for your enjoyment!

The kids picking the tomatoes from the Dwarf Tomato plant...


... which went really well with my salad!


The Chive plant with its pretty purple blooms.


Blooms from the Catalpa tree in our yard.


Close-up of our Redwood Rose.


Close-up of our Polareis Rose.


Close-up of our Eureka Rose.


Close-up of our Souvenir de Mal Maison Rose.


Close-up of one of our orange daylily blooms.

MRM's First Tooth (06.05.2007 ~ 06.06.2007)

Minnie's had a loose tooth for a while that has simply not wanted to come out. This has been going on for almost three months now. Finally, Minnie decided to use a pair of tweezers and "operate" on himself to pull the stubborn tooth out. I finally interjected and said that I would pull the tooth out for him. With a little twist, the stubborn tooth came out with minimal pain. Yippee! Minnie's first tooth!

BEFORE: Minnie tries to operate on himself.


AFTER: Mom yanks out the tooth.


Minnie's tooth is in a (plastic) tooth!


"Look what the tooth fairy left me!"


The Tooth Fairy pays out!

Gratuitous Garden Pictures (06.04.2007)

Some more pictures of our backyard in bloom... Enjoy!

These peonies are from Roger & Granny's house in TN! They smell heavenly and are very beautiful.




Our little crop of strawberries from the strawberry plants we bought at Eastern Market on Flower Day.


More beastly Polaris roses.


These are climbing roses that we dug up at someone's house from Freecycle.


We bought this little dwarf tomato plant at Eastern Market on Flower Day. Some of these will be perfect with our salad.

@ the Cabin (06.01.2007 ~ 06.03.2007)

We spent the weekend at the cabin with Roger & Granny. It was a blast! The weather was great, and the cabin looked fantastic.

Celebrating in style when we arrived at the cabin ...


The morning after: The kids and "Hoppy the Happy Frog" who they found in the creek behind the cabin.


Granny & the kids hanging out in Suttons Bay.


We took the boat out on a ride in South Lake Leelanau. It's looking quite dark up there, doesn't it?


Yes, Minnie was driving the boat ... and driving it quite well!


Dinner served on Saturday night by MJM: Lamb, Hamburgers (with Oat Life cereal ~ Perfecto~), Chicken Breast and Pork Chops. It was a delicious feast with enough for lunch the next day ... and dinner the evening after!


... and don't forget the grilled Cedar-Planked Salmon. We purchased some cedar planks from a local lumberyard on the way to Suttons Bay and soaked them in a cooler first...


Then, MJM cooked the salmon right on top of the cedar plank.

Gratuitous Garden Pictures (05.29.2007)

Flowers ~ plants ~ blooming ~ what can be better than this colourful delight? Enjoy!

Our William Baffin rose bush has done remarkably well this year.


One of our two Polaris rose bushes has started flowering. These things are beasts!


The peony bed is starting to bloom.


A delicate iris in the front yard.


Basil plants for our pesto sauce.

Memorial Day Weekend 2007 (05.24.2007 ~ 05.28.2007)

Although our Memorial Day weekend was fun last year (links 1 / 2 / 3 / 4), we also had a blast this year at the cabin!

Here are the kids on the pier by the little beach on Thursday.


The kids found an injured sucker fish that washed up on the beach. It was still breathing, but it did die when the kids brought it back to the cabin. Dad told the kids that they needed to take it back to the lake and let it reclaim the fish.


An annoyed Minnie who wants to catch a fish! We did go fishing on the boat, but alas, no bites.


We saw this swan family a number of times when we went riding in the boat. This is our first encounter, and the male ventured close enough to the boat (not pictured) to warn us to stay away from his family. This picture shows a baby catching a ride with either its mum / dad. CUTE!


We drove the boat to Leland several times over Memorial Day weekend. It's a short boat ride from South Lake Leelanau North to the middle where Leland is located. Here is a pretty flower picture snapped by MJM.

Flower Day @ Eastern Market (05.20.2007)

We went to Flower Day again this year. Like last year, we woke up bright and early to make our annual pilgrimage to Eastern Market to buy our herbs this year. It was a nice warm relaxing morning with plenty of fine greenery and foliage to view and purchase.

We just parked the car and walking into the melee.


This is an eye-catching graffiti piece.


I don't even want to know ...


Cute kids!


The kids with our basil and dill plants so far.


Close-up: Mr. Min


Close-up: Ms. Anita


Poor little piggie!


I can't remember what this flower is called ... but it's quite pretty, don't you think?


A cool shot of this overhang and all of the activity.