We have been going to this show for as long as I can remember.

 We even camped there one year…

That was the best at night watching the spark show and sitting in the pavilion listening to the blue grass music.

Only now that I have my own family, do I really appreciate my Parents.

 How hard it had to be for them to work two full time jobs

 and still make sure that we went out camping almost every weekend during the summer.

Well the Old Engine Show is one of the things they dragged us to faithfully every year

and I intend to repeat that torture with my children… MUhahaha!

One of the thrills that they didn’t have when I was younger.
The club has restored this old engine and two passenger cars.

Our tickets to ride.

Free rides for all!

There is a Old fashioned print shop on the field now…

Those are my favorite, the print shop, black smith, leather workers,

carvers, rug hookers, weavers…

Unfortunately my camera batteries went dead before we got there.

After the train the kids did a small fry tractor pull

We wandered the artisan area and listened to a dulcimer player,

Ate lunch and walked part of

the flea market…

Grandma and Grandpa wore us out so we left them to it and headed home…

Before my batteries went out though I got a couple of tractor pictures…

hmmm…. I wonder why I took these particular tractors.

It’s because I love red tractors! What were you thinking? 

Is there something you LOVE from your childhood that you continue to do?

Well, we just got back from HERE…

I’m really tired… will be taking a nap now.

Just a couple of the pictures I took yesterday.

*************************EDIT***********************

Better?

Nap was good.

FISH, FISH, and MORE FISH!!!!

Every year for the last 16 years my Pop’s work has had a fishing tournament founded and put together by him and a couple of his friends.

This year there were forty-four guys in thirteen boats.

It was in Frankfort/Elberta, on Lake Michigan.

One of my favorite places. (Who am I kidding…What isn’t my favorite place!)

It was also the first year that Charlie got to be on his Grandpa’s team in Grandpa’s boat.

Ben, Cooper and I got the easy job of showing up to hold the pavilion at eight in the morning.

The tournament ended at 11:30.

Teams started showing up at noon,to eat the yummy food that Bob, from the companies HR department, has been cooking for ten of the years they have been having the tournament.

The tales rolled in of who “chummed” the water, my son being one of them;

who got a fish on, then lost a pole because the fish took off with it when they switched hands.

(If your ever fishing Lake Michigan and catch a salmon with a pole attached to it I know who it belongs to.)

Pop and the Satisfaction team where the last to come in.

Until they arrived,rumors were flying about the number of fish they had caught,

 ranging anywhere from seven on to fourteen.  

Someone claimed the Satisfaction team was sitting at the harbor with a “Will Buy fish sign!”

Food eaten and all teams in…

The fish came out and the weighing began!

There were fish…

fish…

and more fish!

Team satisfaction took first prize for trout.

Charlie caught the biggest fish in their boat out of the…

THREE… that they caught.

There was over three hundred pounds of fish caught total.

Every one received prizes.

Charlie was the second to last ticket drawn.

He received a very cool lantern,

He wasn’t terribly upset about being last then.

He was even happier when Grandpa gave him his share of the team winnings!

(They took first in trout…Did I say that already?)

Charlie can’t wait to get into another tournament.

Even if he did yack in the morning.

Grandpa thinks it was because he was in the front of the boat in the cabin…

I think it’s because he woofed down a ton of Zingers… While he was in the front of the boat.

How did we spend the four hours before the boats came in…

Well, there was a train play set and a sand box for Cooper…

Ben had his book and games on his laptop…

And I had my camera…

Those will wait for tomorrow!

Hope you guys are having a GREAT weekend!

ANG

This Sunday will be the anniversary of Groucho Mark’s death.

Here he is singing Lydia The Tattooed Lady…

I wonder why I like this song so much? Hmmm…

Only Ben really knows about the tattoos’… ;-b

It is SEEDSOWER’S Birthday today too!

Since she isn’t tooting her own horn…

I’ll toot it for her!

Happy Birthday Beth!

Today is my Baby’s birthday!

When we got married I made the mistake of letting him know  it bothered me that I was older then he was. 

I had always thought I would marry someone older then me…

He is 2 months and twenty-five days younger then I am…

Today the older woman comments end… I can pretend once again for the rest of the year…

That we are age equals.

(Of course, when and if he does refer to me like that it is only in the nicest way.) ;-b

We have been friends forever

You hold my heart.

Thanks for  sharing your life with me.

ALL of it…

Happy birthday Ben! !

The family was tucked into the car and happily headed home from shopping, when all of a sudden a piercing shriek comes from the back seat!

Daddy turns to sooth the offended and scold the offender by loudly proclaiming “No! No hitting!”

To which the typical mule headed two year old just as loudly proclaims “YES!”

To which Daddy responds “NO!”

A volley of “Yes’s” and “No’s” Are thrown across the seats until the Daddy yells… “Yes”

To which the toddler without pause yells… “NO!”

 In perfect cartoon parody… the two continue their verbal battle reversing rolls several times, until they tire.  

The Daddy sighs and  proclaims ”It’s nice to know he wasn’t truly taking a stand on hitting.” 

He leans back in his seat feeling secure in the knowledge that he isn’t  raising a future menace who thinks it’s all good to commit assault on others.

 Instead he is just raising a Tom and Jerry addict.

I LOVE MY LIFE      

As long as you keep searching the answers come. ~ Joan Baez, folk singer

This makes me feel better… You guys make me feel better too.

I’m thinking it would be a good thing to stop thinking about myself so much.

I first saw this posted on A GREAT XANGANS site… It’s just a great reminder.

What do you do when this happens?