The mighty oak...

We are most fortunate to have this beautiful oak tree on our property in front of our home.

I love it in all seasons... and here it is in its glory .... all the branches... but where are the

leaves???...

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Of course. You knew that.

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And one of the perks of having the leaves fall from all our trees (we have lots between the back of our home and the river) is actually seeing the river again!
That's why we call our "four season porch" the "river room" - however, during the summer months we perhaps should call it the "tree house room."
Once again, it is living up to its name: the river room.
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And before we know it, all these branches will be laiden with snow-
oh, so pretty!
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The last vestiges of summer... waiting for the first hard frost...

How long ago??

It's reunion time!

We were the first freshman class to ever attend our brand new high,

and thus, the first class to have completed all four years in the new

school.... so we had to come to the football game to see how things have changed.

Well, lots had changed, including a football field with artificial turf;

and as many cheerleaders as all the senior girls in our class...

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My, how time flys!

We were the class of 1965!

Do the math..... we graduated 45 years ago!

okay, that can't be true...
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Oh... I guess it IS true.

There are pictures to confirm it...

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So, my dear spouse willingly dressed up and took me to a

wonderful reunion, meeting many classmates for the first time in all these years!

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We posed for pictures in our fancy clothes....

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Including, of course, the shoes.

It's all about the shoes.
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The room was set beautifully, thanks to the hard work of

my dear classmates.

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It was just the best to see former classmates!

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On Sunday, which was the tenth day of the tenth month of the year 2010...

at 10 seconds after 10 o'clock in the morning..

We met again for a delicious brunch.

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(it was not the whole group from the previous evening, but a pretty big group, none-the-less)
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The guys posed.

Ah, yes,

there would have to be a favorite picture from the weekend...

and this is it.

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Just a bunch of hot tamales.
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It was a weekend that couldn't have been better.

Someone just turned ONE

Oh, how fast time flys! This little sweetheart is now one year old!

How did that happen so fast??

Happy Birthday!

Grandpa and I love you to pieces!!
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John Deere, the old and the new...

Here is W. on my brother's restored John Deere 820...

it's a beauty...

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but it was the brand spanking new John Deere that was used to pull the hayrack today.

(Gus and Harley, the new Belgians, had a Sunday afternoon to relax.)

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Ah, yes, .... you know the words....
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A. Good. Time. Was. Had. By. All.
:)

A beautiful day

It doesn't get much better - today was near perfect:

sunshine, warmth, picturesque land...

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The views in all directions on brother John's farm were

just dandy for pictures...

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However, it was the people that made the day special!

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A good time was had by all.

Again.

Bonus

Unplanned family time - what a bonus!

We headed east on a trip and it worked out perfectly to meet this happy group of grandchildren for supper at a town close to the interstate where we were traveling.

We were all happy about it too!

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It was an added bonus to see this little bundle of joy!

They change so fast and we hate to miss any of it!

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Grandma and grandpa with sweet little grandchild number 10.

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A good day for a run!

Last Sunday was the Twin cities marathon and a 10 mile run.

It was an early morning start for the runners; and nice morning fresh air for those standing alongside the street to cheer them on!

Our daughter-in-law S was the runner.

Here we are waiting anxiously for the moment she will run past us.

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The proud hubby and son wait for her...

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She went by before we knew it! I didn't have my camera ready....

AGH.

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Our next stop was the state capital grounds where the races conclude.

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We were not the only ones there....
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Despite the crowd, it was well-organized alphabetically for meeting family and friends.

Our runner completed the 10 mile course successfully and found her happy family.

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It was a great morning to celebrate together as a family.

S's parents were there to cheer their daughter on too.

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Way to go.

Two bumpa's! Two nanna's!

This past weekend we stayed overnight at our son and daughter-in-law's home near "the cities."

Both sets of grandparents stayed overnight, in fact!

And one little boy was soo happy about that fact; he kept saying

"two bumpa's (grandpa's) ... two nanna's" !!!

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And for the bumpa with the mustache, he was "bumpa mustache" - and our grandson would put his little finger under his nose to signify that mustache.

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I am married to "bumpa, no mustache."

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We grandma's were simply "nanna's"...

and we loved it.

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Happy Birthday Alison!

Happy Birthday today to my dear niece Alison!

Happy Birthday Jill!

Happy Birthday today to my niece Jill!

You will always have the distinction of being the first grandchild in the Crater/Jones family!!
How special!

Happy Birthday Stacey!

Happy Birthday Stacey dear!

Wasn't it great we could pose for a picture together this year?

Just so I could put it on the blog! ha ha.

Have a wonderful day!

Ah, New Jersey...

In case you only think of New Jersey in terms of the New Jersey Turnpike,

you are totally missing the REAL New Jersey....

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This land, once owned by our ancestors, is now my brother's farm.

One of my favorite places to be!

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We've had lots of good family times here: this is from 2004...
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and this from 2007...
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soon to be photographed in 2010!
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Ah, fall in New Jersey.
It doesn't get any better...

Congratulations to Robyn

Reading Eagle: Jeremy Drey

The Greater Reading Chamber of Commerce & Industry honored its 2010 Rising Star Award winners Tuesday at the Reading Public Museum Planetarium. They are, from left: Kim Woerle, owner of Evoke by Design; Patrick J. Dolan, president of Dolan Construction Inc.; Kristin Kramer, director of marketing and development at GoggleWorks Center for the Arts; Keith Mooney, attorney at Barley Snyder; and Robyn Jones, associate publisher of Berks County Living magazine.

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Congratulations to my niece Robyn for being named one of the 5 "Rising Stars"!!! You have always been a star in our universe!!

Way to go.

I forgot to add that Patrick Dolan is my niece Stacey's cousin on her mom's side - (and Robyn is her cousin on her dad's side) - amazing, Stacey has two cousins honored as Rising stars. Sweet.

Well, sweet... I love surprises!

Our eldest son was in the area for a job related reason and called to say they could stop by on their way home.... what a really good surprise!

We had supper together, played some toys, and got into jammies..

well, someone got into his pajamas...

He was all smiles tonight and I just had fun taking some pictures.

The digital camera has that annoying delay, so it is hard to get the picture just when the cutie smiles... but here's a few...

Playing with Grandma's Mayflower ship.
It only comes out in the fall. Seasonal toys...

Things are looking up.

Notice how he has lined up all the trucks behind him and the little cars near him.

Very organized little fella.

Did I mention how much we love being grandparents?

Yup, we sure do.