High in the Trees

High above the forest floor
The bridge to a beautiful view

With a little help you can fly

I enjoyed the zipline on a my trip to Asheville, NC

Just Hanging Around

Smile pretty for the camera
Who needs a hammock

Just a little fella

The Path to Craggy Pinnacle

The Sheltered Path
Standing Guard

Twists and Turns

The path to Craggy Pinnacle, Blue Ridge Parkway, Asheville North Carolina

Waves Upon the Land

Layers of mountains undulating across the earth
The blue waves cresting to the sky

The pinnacle

The winding road

A recent trip to Asheville, North Carolina was good for the body, mind, and soul

In the Garden

The first blackberries from the bush i planted this spring
Squash blossoms are not only pretty, but pretty tasty as well

Can't wait for BLTs

Addicted to the River

I have been kayaking on the Allegheny River every chance i get. I find it both relaxing and exhilarating. If i could do this every day i would.

Wildflowers along the shore are just one of the beautiful wonders to behold. I have been fortunate to see my favorite bird, the heron, on all of my trips on the river at least once. Like a statue standing along the shore patiently waiting for the unsuspecting fish and then majestically flying to the sky when I've come to close. I've tried unsuccessfully to photograph this magnificent animal, but my camera is not so great and by the time i get my camera ready its too late. One of these days I'll get a good shot.

On a trip down the river someone commented how this driftwood looked like a woman sprawled out. This trip i decided to snap a pic. Hmmm, not to be crude, but they were mistaken its a man !

On the Water

I have been enjoying life on the water this summer, although not as much as I'd like. After years of wanting a kayak I finally have one. In fact the name of my blog was inspired by my desire to be on the water. I may not use an oar, but I thought it had a better ring to it than Paddles in the Water. I've put on 20 lbs the last couple of years so maybe I can just paddle my ass off !

,I spent a lot of summers camping at Willow Bay with my family as a child. Dad would take me and my sisters out on the the boat and we'd zip along the water, the spray hitting our faces on hot sunny days.

The pace in the kayak is mostly mellow, but not always. This is my friend Tina Riel Philips going for another round over the fast water we encountered on the Allegheny River. She was amazing- her first attempt landed her in the cold water, but she kept her sunglasses, paddle, kayak, and her composure. I hope to have many more adventures on the water this summer. Now if only i had a good water proof camera to capture the herons and other glorious sights along the way.

Visitor to the Garden

I think this visitor enjoys my hydrangeas as much as I do

S'more Fun

It may not be chicken, but it's still finger lickin good
Having more fun than you can poke a sharp stick at

Connor and Evan had a fun time making s'mores, but I was a nervous wreck trying to keep them a safe distance from the fire ! When it got dark they tried to catch the sparks that flew in the air, crazy boys !!!

Inspired By Nature

Kaylee took a ceramics class at school this year and she recently brought home these projects.

The rhinocerous beetle is very life like.

The catus is very beautiful and has amazing detail. Too bad a few spines broke off in transport.

Kayaking at Sunset, Willow Bay

After much anticipation I finally had the time to take my new kayak out. The wind made the water a little choppy, but that just meant I had to work a little harder. This is a new venture for me and a friend, but one I plan on enjoying for years to come.

Hospitals Smell Funny

What a hectic last few days. My father was transferred Tuesday from our local hospital to Hamot in Erie for what they thought was a stroke. After MRIs, CAT scans, x-rays, sonograms, ecocardiagram, heart monitor, blood work, blood work, and more blood work we know he didn't have a stroke, but don't know the cause of his "episode". He felt weird and fell which resulted in 2 compression fractures of his vertebrae. He had slight facial palsy upon smiling, couldn't track with both eyes, and had double vision. On Thursday those symptoms were all gone. They discovered his bladder doesn't empty, but they don't know why ! All these tests seem to tell us was what wasn't wrong. No stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes, tumors, or enlarged prostate. His cholesterol is very good-HDL high and LDL low. He did have a bladder infection so he needs to return Monday to have "cement" injected into his vertebrae because they wanted him on antibiotics for a few days. Dad said he felt kinda wobbly when he walked to the house from the jeep. His back hurts, but hopefully after Monday's procedure it won't. I'm relieved my father didn't have a stroke, but I don't like the unanswered questions ! One good thing- he's not smoking, hopefully he stays a quitter !

I See Spring Has Arrived

Kaylee worked long and hard on this amazing drawing. The photograph doesn't do it justice- the eyes lose that sparkle and the colors don't look as vibrant.

Gone Wireless

This is my new computer and my old cell phone. The old computer went all viral and although I wanted to wait until the back to school sales I bought a laptop and wireless printer. Loving the ability to pick up and go anywhere. After a lot of work Jason got the old girl going again and now Kaylee has her own computer and won't be touching this one! Also got a new hard drive for the old laptop last Friday, Garret put it in, and low and behold she works too ! Garret is home from school so went from no computers to four !

Monday there was no school so thought I'd do some cleaning and plunk-cell in a bucket of water. We all got new phones- Garret's didn't ring most of the time, Chris was using an old one since he gave up his to Kaylee when hers stopped working (after being dropped too many times) then she did the same to his so, I bought her a used razor. Kaylee and I both got LG Neons, a phone for texters. Well, don't like the phone so much. In fact after 3 1/2 days in rice the old girl works and my sim card is back in. I did finally figure out the important to me features on the new phone, but as a phone its weird. Don't Know if I'll just pack the new one away and save it for later or what I'm gonna do.

I don't have much patience to figure new things out- probably because i just don't have the time. Laptop is windows 7 and the old was XP- I would just rather use what I already know. I do like the webcam-Kaylee and I had a riot when we checked it out for the first time.

A lot has happened and I need to get caught up and post the goings on-hopefully soon.

Happy Easter

Kaylee explored new techniques to decorate eggs. She painted the black egg and did a little etching and embelishment. The other egg she dyed in coffee and painted. My little artist is at work now making more.

My kids may not be little, but the Easter Bunny still pays a visit. Wish I had time to make my own candy...maybe next year.

Everyone have a Happy Easter!

Rest in Peace Computer

2010 has not been a good year for my computer. First a virus reeked havoc and then well who knows. Shannon's fiance' is trying to resuscitate the ol' girl. Didn't plan on upgrading to a new system until the back to school sales, but may not have a choice. The situation isn't as dire as say the loss of a washer or dryer, but i do miss having access to my own computer! So i'm out of touch, not in the loop. Never had much time to blog, but if i really wanted to at least i could! So i haven't dropped off the face of the earth i'm just in a dark cave trying to find the entrance!