Jenny's Bridal Shower

Jenny's bridal shower was a big success!
What a mountain of presents!

Everyone got a kick out of this unique gift from Aunt Karen. The plaque (which matches the wedding invitations) describes which color candles to burn for which occasion like first anniversary, first fight, fifth anniversary and all sorts of other occasions. Very clever. Helen's friend did a wonderful job of welcoming us to her beautiful home.

Jenny's all set to open our gifts.

She's reading Grandma's note about the Norwegian cheese knife.

Jenny loves the knife and is looking forward to buying some cheese to use it on!

This gift was from me, Carolyn and Sheryl.

Wearing the traditional bow hat and holding a bow bouquet.

Two of her bridesmaids were there - Megan and Dana.

Happy mother and future mother-in-law with a very happy Jenny.

All of Helen's hard work and planning were appreciated.

What a nice spot to pose for our family picture. It was a cool day compared to our recent heat spells.

What a wide range of ages in this picture!

Vintage Baseball

Milford's Centennial Celebration was this weekend. There were many festivities in town yesterday, including a parade and fireworks. Today we went to the Ridge (where Jim and Jason played baseball for many years) to watch the Milford Muffins vs. the Flemington Neshanocks. Our team was made up of mostly young people who had never played 1864 baseball before, hence the Muffins name. The Neshanocks were founded eleven years ago and most players have been on the team for five years. When we left after a few innings the score was "a lot to a little" as the manager and founder in the picture above described. He spoke to everyone in the stands, telling all about the history of baseball (no, not invented by Abner Doubleday) and all about this team. They go to games and tournaments in many states. They've recently been to Cooperstown (Hall of Fame), NY and are going to play in a tournament in Gettysburg, PA soon.
The ump was always a leader in the community who dressed up for the game. He stood to the right or left side depending on if the batter hit left- or right-handed.

The batter is called a "striker". They play with a ball that's softer than a baseball but they don't wear gloves! That was challenging for the Milford team. If you catch a ball after it bounces once the batter is out but the runners can advance. There were a lot of different rules in 1864. It was interesting to learn about the evolution of the game.

His mustache gives him an authentic look.

It was a fun Father's Day outing!

Beaverkill Blast

John, Jason and I had a wonderful time camping alongside the Beaverkill River in the Catskills this week. We were there during a heat wave. Temperatures rose steadily from Sunday through Thursday when it was at least 92 in and out! The thunderstorm that afternoon was most welcome. So, while we didn't play ball, we did fish and walk every day. We also ate every meal but breakfast outside and had a campfire every evening. Of course our chairs kept inching farther and farther back from the fireplace. Every morning I walked up a big hill, then down a big hill to the covered bridge and from there up another hill to this beautiful pond. Last time I saw it in the 1980s it was filled with gray, dead trees. Now only a couple of trees remain and the swamp has turned into a pond. There were many bullfrogs and some turtles in the pond. Every day, depending on the wind I suppose, the algae on the surface was a different pattern. This day it covers most of the pond in a swirly pattern, very interesting. The house by the pond is owned by the Adams family - direct descendents from President Adams! What a beautiful place to live.
Then I'd walk back to the bridge and watch people fishing.
John's just about to land one in the net.
John and Jason have this spot to themselves. Weekdays are quiet in camp and in the day use area, that's why we go from a Sunday to a Friday.
There are several signs explaining this historic area.
While I'm sitting on my favorite flat rock watching the guys fish I'm also watching the plentiful birds feeding on insects over the river. Cedar waxwings darted back and forth frequently and then perched on a tree just over my head. We also saw a pair of Baltimore orioles but weren't able to get their picture. We watched a grackle feed her baby many bugs. We also spotted kingfishers, kingbirds and many robins.
Site 90 was absolutely perfect for us! Being right on the river was a special treat. Listening to it was especially peaceful. There was plenty of sun every morning to charge our solar panels. In fact, after the temperatures rose we were wishing for more shade on the camper. We were always able to find shade to sit in. It was a little bit cooler closer to the river. One afternoon an eagle flew overhead. We had the pleasure of meeting the friendly couple camped next to us. We talked frequently and shared many stories, lots of them about fish!

Jason's sitting on a big rock watching John fish around the bend. John caught many big ones in this spot! It's downriver from our site.

The cool river beckoned to me and Jason on more than one occasion! I found the perfect rock to sit on to cool off.

Each evening we heard what we thought were loud tree frogs and wondered where they were. Then one evening they hopped right through our site! It was amazing to watch as toad after toad hopped by. Some were doubled up - the male is riding the back of the larger female. The next morning John saw them in the river's edge near where he was fishing. What an experience to see so many toads laying and fertilizing their eggs!

Please read more about these fascinating animals at this good website: http://dougwechsler.com/toad/toad_life_cycle.html

This lonely male is still calling to attract a female.

The strings of eggs laid by the female are then fertilized by the male. Jim and Jason always had fun playing with tadpoles and toadlets on our many summer vacations all those years ago. Now we know a lot more about the species and understand when and why they are at the Beaverkill! How many toads can you spot in the above picture?