Grandpa Turns 80!

Grandpa, also known as Dad, Orv, or Great-Grandpa, recently became an Octogenarian!  To celebrate this worthy event, the family gathered in San Diego and Coronado for a days-long celebration with lots of fun and lots of food.  And lots and lots of food!

Dad with his three children; Connie, John, and Jim, looking through photographs of by-gone days.  They look pretty serious.  It must be a photo of when everyone was 20 pounds lighter.  Except Connie, of course.

Here's Great-Grandpa on the day of his party with his two littlest boys.

Four Generations!!!  From youngest to eldest:  Patrick, Gilbert, Kristin, John, and Orv.

               Dad with his three kids on Coronado.

Grandpa with all his grandchildren except Amanda, who was missed very much!

                    Lovely Molly with her birthday boy.

The other beautiful Scherrer sisters:  Laura, Sarah, and Lisa.

                               He doth protest too much.

Gilbert enjoys his vantage point atop Uncle Eric's shoulders.

A beautiful San Diego sunset makes for a great photo of Grandpa and the kids.

Let's Go!

                                                 As they say....

           "You are now free to move about the country."   

Hey, Hey, Hay!

No, Fat Albert didn't drop in, but we got a nice, fat harvest of hay!  Off of approximately 7 1/2 acres, 6 of it being grazed upon, we got 280 bales.  The front 1 1/2 acres yielded most at 180 bales, but it didn't have our little trio eating on it, and that ground has always grown better grass than the field out back.  

We were thinking about trying for a second cutting until yesterday when Justin, as he was weed-eating the fenceline, came upon a 6-foot Diamond Back!!!  Fortunately, his encounter was without incident.  I think we'll be keeping those fields SHORT this summer!

       One of the 2 1/2 flatbed loads of hay.

Love & Acceptance

You really must click on this photo to enlarge it for the full effect, because then you'll find the sweetest picture of a mother's love and joy, and a daughter's love and contentment as illustrated through a tree toad.  

Thanks to my family for this precious photo.

Republic of Texas

There are some of us who've known all along that there really IS a Republic of Texas, even if it exists only in hearts and minds.  But, now we die-hard Texans can rest assured that there really is a Republic of Texas.  Really.  Land, and everything.  It's small (if anything in Texas can be small), but it's there!

According to the marker below, as early as the beginning of the 18th Century, Spain and France were fighting over Texas.  (Who wouldn't?)  When the young United States bought the Louisiana Territory in 1803, the Texas border was still in dispute, so leaders agreed to a neutral area between the Hondo Arroyo and the Sabine River.  In 1836, when Texas won its independence from Mexico and became a Republic, it appointed a joint commission with the U.S. to define the border.  Granite markers were set up, and this is the only known marker remaining.  It is also the only international border marker within the U.S.   In fact, when my uncle drove next to this marker in his work vehicle while inspecting pipeline, the truck's GPS sent a signal to the home office that he had left the country!
Does this mean that Patrick is the current President of the Republic of Texas?
And finally, while we are confirming facts of the past and present, we must also consider the Jackaloupe.  Here's one "in the flesh".  How could you possibly doubt its existence?
Many thanks to family - who was having way too much fun on the Texas-Louisiana border - for these fun photos.

Eventide

After the Rain

A few days ago, we had a rain-filled day.  One of those ground-soaking, steady pouring rain days, and you could see the earth soaking up its fill.  Just as evening was coming on, the clouds broke and brought glorious golden light to the wet landscape.  

                                                      "Aw, shucks."
                                     Rhododendron blooms.                                           Rhodie close-up.                       The clematis are bursting out.                           Sun-dappled evening in the garden.
                                             Rosebud raindrops.                                   Thomas Affleck after the rain.                                     A tribute to the Great State.