Is it love that brings you here or love that brings you life.....

I think I am socially bankrupt....the fun on this island just never stops. We woke up this morning to rain and when I peeked in at the girls they were sleeping so soundly that I didn't wake anyone for church. I believe I will find some "service work" to do this week to earn that spot in heaven!!

Here are the girls all decked out in their dresses for the big wedding yesterday. Jacey really lucked out as we had cold lousy weather on Friday and rain this morning. Yesterday was BEAUTIFUL....good for you Jacey (as well as mom and dad Steve and Debbie).

This is just part of the magnificent gardens that surround June Augusbury's beautiful waterfront property. This was the view as you drove up to the house. The grounds were beautiful. As well as June's own hard work in maintaining the gardens, many kudos to Harry and Urch Slate who do such a magnificent job in keeping the grounds!!!

Along with her handsome husband, Jayce was also gifted with these two beautiful stepchildren. Abbey and Emerson did a great job in acting as Flower Girl and Ring Bearer!

Serving as Maids of Honor were the other 2 beautiful Donaldson girls, Jayce's sisters, Stephanie and Jamie.

I loved the fact that the family was so involved in the ceremony. Here is Kristin Marra (cousin) reading one of the scriptures.

and Uncle Jeff who did a magnificent rendition of Paul Stokey's Wedding Song....and YES, I cried! Great job Jeff!!!

and here is the happy couple reciting their vows....in the 90 degree weather!

I love this picture of Jayce with her mom and dad!

Phil and Yuvonne Marra, the proud grandparents join them in this picture. The beautiful St. Lawrence River in the background, added such a peaceful presence to the event! There is nothing quite like a wedding on the river!!

Salt and I, actually, had to leave the reception early as we had committed to a dinner party held at our friend Louise Ford's. Weezie and Peter just recently returned from their home in London, England.

Peter cooked the steaks to perfection.....

Weezie looking serious.....

but when she left the girls on the porch and joined the men for dinner she had a BIG smile!!

Also in attendance were Lauren and Renalto Sarti, Jim Adamson, Cliff and Debbie Coffey and Lauren's friend Kim Hewett, visiting from VT...

And last but not least....here is Rachael having her driving lesson from Grandma!

We hired Erika Luce to babysit Emma and Rachael while we were at dinner. I didn't think to get a picture of her but I am sure we will have one in the near future. She will be living on the island until Labor Day and is willing to babysit whenever!! She is as cute as a button and the girls LOVED her. She came armed with all kinds of games, played "charades" with them and took them to Potter's Beach. Right after she left, Emma gives me this very coy look and says, "Grandma, I think you and Poppy deserve to go out more often"....then she fessed up... she really wanted to spend more time with Erika!

Oh me it's do or die....I've got to learn that auction cry!

Last night was the annual Turkey Dinner and Auction at the church on the island. The girls had been going all day, so I suggested they take a nap before we took off again. Of course neither of them were tired...NOT...Emma didn't even get her bed pulled out!

Here they are riding to the church in back of the pick-up truck.

Skip Tolette once again served as the auctioneer....

Weather was beautiful.....

and with a broken wing she still sings.....

Crazy and wonderful day on the river yesterday! The morning started out with me dropping the girls off at the schoolhouse for their craft day. After that my babysitting was relieved for the rest of the day by Betty, who picked them up and took them to their swim lessons. I was then able to attend the weekly coffee, which was held at Margaret Taylor's this week. The turnout was I believe the largest yet, as there were 31 in attendance.


Pictured below are Janet Gregware (Janet and her husband own Northern Marine where our son-in-law Frank is employed). Janet is getting ready to donate her hair, for the third time to the Locks of Love program which is the organization which makes wigs for cancer patients.


Sitting next to her is Gwen Taylor, who will be joining us along with her husband Bill and the Rossmasslers for dinner on Thursday evening.

Bev Davison gives a big smile to the camera as she catches up with Janice McPhail's busy schedule.
Shirley Taylor, Margaret's daughter-in-law is always responsible for putting on the best parties! She is pictured with Lauren Ennis who just recently returned for the summer.

and the Mrs. Luce and Schwartz

And of course the "Queen of the Hop"....our close friend and hostess, Margaret Taylor visiting with Frances Rossmassler.

After swim lessons, Betty came back to the house with the girls and while they rested up from their busy morning, worked a couple of hours helping me prepare for dinner with our friends Clay and Kay Cole, along with their 2 daughters Amber and Aaron and their niece, Megan Pickett.

While we were on the deck straightening up, this Palliated woodpecker flew into the window and knocked herself silly. We concerned at first that she had broken her neck....the girls however, nursed her back to health. They had made Grindstone Island treasure chests at craft school so they padded one of them with a washcloth and began feeding her drops of water. Once she came around she took off, with we think no serious injuries. Another "Grindstone" adventure for the kids to pack in their memory bank!!

Rachael with the patient.....

Amber Natali, Aaron Kolle and Megan Pickett....right after a big BBQ rib and chicken dinner....


Kay and Clay Kolle....Clay, along with being a great friend is also our CPA....and as you can see with a great sense of humor!!

Here is our precious Emma singing God Bless America at the Adamson's post 4Th of July annual fireworks display. Raising Emma has been a challenge for everyone involved....she has always been a cyclone out of control but has had so much self confidence and zest for life. In trying to discipline her and yet NOT break her self image or love of life has been interesting, to say the least. As she approaches her 9Th birthday this year, I believe we are over the hump. She is the light of our lives, polite, focused, doing well in school and has an amazing wit and sense of humor. Last night she stood up in front of the entire crowd, smiling and singing loud and confident! We are all so proud of you Em!!!

The fireworks display just gets better every year. Thanks Jim, Ellen and Daniel for a great time! We are blessed with wonderful friends!!!

You can't have your cake and eat it too....

The girls had another baking day today. We decided to make something that Pop would like for dessert....they decided on a chocolate cake with homemade chocolate frosting. Rachael then added pecans. Pop is still working and the girls are drooling, waiting for him to come home!!!

It seems they are always hungry after all the swimming they do.

They are headed to bed early tonight as tomorrow is going to exhaust them. They have their craft school, swim lessons, Potter's Beach and fireworks at the Adamson's. Rachael is waiting (impatiently) for Friday as she is going to have her first lesson on driving the 4 wheeler.

Salt found a trailer for our Logic, so looks as though we will be trailering it to Florida for the winter. After boating with the Jackson's through the Dora Canal (where the African Queen was filmed) www.lakecountyfl.gov/boating/the_dora_canal last winter we are anxious to have a small boat in Florida. Along with fishing expeditions, we will look forward to grabbing friends and cruising to some of the many waterfront restaurants along the different lakes. We were very surprised at all the fresh water lakes in our area! It should not have come as a surprise since we live in "Lake County".....duh!

We are still undecided about what we want to do about a boat in the Bahamas??? We are just so busy this summer, we know it won't happen by this winter!!

Yeah...and in the end, if my ship doesn't come in, I'll just buy a big boat...

I tried to get Rachael to drive the boat but she was a little hesitant. When I told her I NEEDED her to so I could put the bumpers out she took the wheel....I may not get it back!!

You're gonna miss this...you're gonna want this back!

The kids are back home and busy as bees! They started 2 weeks of swim lessons (5 days a week) and will be going to the School House for craft classes on Tuesday and Thursdays. I am so grateful to have this quality time with the grandchildren and know the memories they are creating on the river and the island will stay with them forever.

Rachael started out in the same swim class as Emma, but since she is more advanced, they moved her up to another class. Yesterday she was bored, today she was TIRED.....but she loves it!

I caught Em going off the board, but Rachael went so fast, I only caught her splash!


After swim class we took them to the Riverside Cafe for lunch....Rachael needed time to review the menu. Emma however, will probably start growing feathers soon as once again she ordered
"chicken fingers".


This is one of our favorite summer time restaurants....sitting on the deck you can watch all the big ships travel the shipping channel.....

Here are the girls this morning at the school house. This is the one room school house where Mike went to 5th grade when we first moved to the island. Emma's Aunt Urch teaches the classes and is a gift to the island children. She has the patience of Job, is so talented and gives so much love to these children. The classes are growing larger every year. She now has two different age groups and the one Rachael and Emma are in had over 20 kids in it today.

Here is Rachael with her finished face plate. She is SO proud of it.....I tried to get her to leave it for our house but she is taking it for her bedroom. Actually I think that's pretty cool....now every night when she turns off her light she can think of Grandma and Pop!!!

It's much prettier without the plate but it was still not completely dry so she didn't want to move it!

It is extremely hot here today....we're headed down to the river to cool off!!!

Let freedom ring....Happy Fourth of July!!

Happy Fourth of July to all and Happy belated birthday greetings to my brother George. Sorry we missed your birthday George, but it would appear you had a good time without us. We will catch you for dinner in the Cape next week!!

Love your gift!!

Before we left for our trip we took pictures of the girls and ironed them on shirts so they could paint them while at the park and have them for the the 4th celebration!

Finally we are in the boat and on our way to the state park (Grass Point) where we spent the first 2 nights. Pop stayed on the island and worked while the girls and I stocked the motor home.

While we were at Grass Point, Pop came over to have dinner with us. We took the girls to Foxys, to carry on a family tradition. When Betty and Mike were little we took them once, every summer to this restaurant on the water. They ALWAYS ordered a mud pie which comes with a fishing bobber on top.....I know Mike is chuckling as he reads this because the trip was always such a highlight of their summer on the river. He is also probably wondering why the bobbers are only half the size.

And here they are modeling the new T-shirts They were insistent on getting them large enough to use as sleep shirts!

Starting their hooked pillow projects.....

This is Patty....she and her parents were camped next to us at the state park. Patty's parents were both Colonels in the Army. Her mom was stationed at Fort Drum for a couple of weeks.
Her father was joking about the tough life Patty had being raised by 2 Colonels. Our kids would not think it was a joke!


This is the morning we finally left for Tag-a-Soke. the girls thought it was so cool that they didn't have to get up and get dressed before actually taking off.


Here they are about half way there when they decided to go in and take a nap. This is definitely the BEST way to travel with kids!!!

Campfires every night....and of course smores!!

And after the kids were all tucked in the adults were still enjoying the fire.....


I love this picture of Emma....she wanted me to take a picture of her with her shirt after she had finished painting it. I guess she figured if she puffed her chest out I wouldn't miss any of the name or picture.


While a the campgrounds, the girls took advantage of a ceramic class. Here are the molds they picked out. The finished product will render puppies.....


Here are the "guys" bonding over of all things....Limburger cheese, onions and rye bread! The wives made sure they were way away from the site of the clambake!!


Donna, cutting onions getting ready to prepare her Italian Greens....


And here are the girls with their finished ceramic puppies. check out the matching 4th of July bathing suits!!

In keeping up with their cooking classes...we planned a whole 4th of July theme. Here is the "flag cake" they made and decorated. Notice Grandma (with her A personality) did not sort through the blueberries to make sure there were 50 perfect berries nor did she measure the slices of strawberries. Everyone loved it!

Here are their fruit kabobs which were inhaled before they even hit the table!

and the girl's favorite.....jigglers!!

On Saturday we visited the amusement park at Sylvan Beach. Emma still is not keen on the roller coasters....she prefers the smaller rides. Rachael and Mia, however rode the roller coaster several times.

Saturday night was the scene of a large dance.....while Emma showed her skill with the "Cotton Eyed Joe"

Rachael and Mia preferred to be "wallflowers". That won't last long!!

Fourth of July camping trip was a huge success. We missed so many activities on the river but enjoyed our time with our Florida friends. Thanks Dave and Diane Kone for a great time!