#132 Spelling Errors (Theme #297)

The title of this freecycle ad caught my attention first, then when I went to the ad itself, I found it peppered with additional misspellings.

#131 Recycled (Theme #254)

re·cy·cle
To recondition and adapt to a new use or function

My son recycled some aging/slightly stale (leftover from Mother's Day) hot dog buns for lunch today. He made them into cheesy garlic bread. Very tasty!

#130 Kite (Theme #164)

I was driving past a college campus the other day and saw some guys flying these huge kites. It was very windy--a storm was blowing up--lightning was flashing behind me as I took the pictures. The fellow with the yellow kite was actually airborn for a few seconds.

#129 Orange (Theme #213)

A very happy orange gas tank--despite the fact it seems to be "living" in a junk heap.

#128 Dangerous (Theme #74)

This picture should be enlarged to see the poorly drawn details of this dangerous experience. A couple weeks ago, we were on our way to our son's piano recital. As we approached this yard, a man was riding his lawnmower up the grassy bank (see poorly drawn arrow by skid marks in the dirt). My husband and I both said at about the same time--"that looks dangerous!" About that time, the mower flipped over--trapping the man underneath it--right near the drop off to the ditch below (see poorly drawn illustration). We stopped--another vehicle who saw it also stopped--and helped the man get from under the mower and back up the bank. His arms were scratched up (which he said was from mowing around trees) and he seemed a bit shaken up. Just a bit further, and he and the mower would have gone over the ledge to the ditch--a drop of 8 or 10 feet--doubtful he would have walked away (even shakily) from that.

#127 Footwear (Theme #107)

Footwear for sale at the Colonial Fair--perhaps the Colonial version of Crocs?

#126 Fashion (Theme #93)

Clothes like these were once the height of fashion--no more--unless you are a re-enactor.

#125 Magical (Theme #179)

This magician at the Colonial Fair asked this little boy in the audience to assist him. The magician started out with a single length of rope which he cut into smaller pieces and then tied into the rope above.

Then he placed the rope in a bag and had the boy shake it up. When the boy took the rope out of the bag, it was in one piece again.

#124 Button (Theme #38)

Buttons for sale at the Colonial Fair.

#123 Cutlery (Theme #73)

Cutlery (and a few other items) on display in a merchant tent at the Colonial Fair.

#122 Tools of the Trade (Theme #332)

My son and I went to the Bledsoe's Fort Colonial Fair on Friday afternoon. There, we met a French lace merchant (who came to our country to escape the French Revolution--only to find that there were no lace makers here--so he was having to teach lace making so that he would have lace to sell). He showed us the tools of the trade and demonstrated and explained the process of lace making. He said a child of three--if they knew left and right and could count to four--could do it.

Even though this particular piece of lace required 160 bobbins, he only worked with four at a time. A piece of felt covered the bobbins he was not using so they wouldn't get in the way. The lace pattern is on the roll in the center of the pillow. As the strands of thread are twisted, pins are placed into the blue paper on the roll to keep the holes in the lace open. As the lace is made, the roll is turned and the pattern repeats. He explained that the ability to make lace was desirable for a woman as it made her a more desirable marriage prospect since she could bring in some money for the family.

It was a very interesting demonstration.

#121 New (Theme #198)

These are the two newest members of our family--Pepper (above) and Socks (below).

When my neighbor (for whom I had been caregiver for several years) died in March, I inherited his cats. I took care of them for several weeks at his house while the family was getting the estate settled, then brought them home between our trip to Michigan and our camping trip.

Pepper has settled in quite well, but Socks is having more adjustment problems. He hides most of the day--comes out for a while at night--once in a while shows up in the daytime. He was used to being able to come in and out through a cat door but can't do that here because of our dogs.

#120 Fire or Flame (Theme #100)

One of the requirements for the Camping Skills I honor was to build a fire with one match. These girls are proudly showing off their fire. It was later used to cook supper (see below).

Another thing our Pathfinders needed to do to get their Camping Skills I honor, was to bake bread on a stick. We thought we'd have them wrap their bread (crescent rolls) around their hot dogs--making a bun--then they could cook both the hot dog and the bun over the fire. Some did better than others, but it was fun all around (even if the bread wasn't cooked!)

#119 Outdoor Cooking (Theme #220)

We took our Pathfinder club camping at Mammoth Cave National Park in Kentucky this past weekend. While there, we fixed our club's favorite outdoor meal--a hobo meal.We take aluminium tins and fill them with potatoes, onions, broccoli, and whatever other vegetables are in season (these had squash, bell pepper, and carrots)--and a piece of vege-meat.

Add water, oil, seasonings...

wrap the whole thing in heavy aluminum foil and label with each person's name.

Then, place the packets on hot coals and cook for 30 minutes. Yummy!

#118 What's Inside? (Theme #358)

I was looking out my son's window this morning at the birds--glanced up at the Starling nest--and found the missing snake from Friday.

That was not what I was expecting to see inside this hole! I don't think I'll be sitting on the porch swing for a while!

#117 Distorted (Theme #78)

My son's face through a glass block at a Subway restaurant in Battle Creek, Michigan.

#116 Curvy (Theme #72)

Looked out the living room window this morning and saw this snake on the front porch! My dad and brother and I got out the field guide and decided that it was probably a Black Rat Snake--harmless to humans, but unnerving to see on the front porch! The dogs hadn't even barked at it.
For more about this little adventure, click here.
No time to repeat the details as we are off on a Pathfinder camping trip and have to leave in a few minutes.

#115 Bodies of Water (Theme #29)

Our Pathfinder group "discovers" Lake Michigan.

Unfortunately, due to time constraints, this was as close to the lake as we were able to get. The access road to to the building in the distance was closed and we didn't have time to hike down to the lake.

#114 Swim (Theme #313)

One of the things the Pathfinder kids enjoyed on our trip to Michigan was the chance to swim in the motel pool.

#113 Kids These Days (Theme #163)

Saturday afternoon was the Division Level of Pathfinder Bible Achievement at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan. Twenty-six teams from all over North America (Washington, Oregon, Arizona, Texas, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Quebec, Pennsylvania, and of course, Tennessee) were there.

There were ninety questions on 2 Chronicles chapters 10-39. The team with the highest score set the standard for what place each other team reached. If a team achieved 90% of the highest team's score, then they got a first place. If they got 80% of that highest score, they received a second place. All others got a third place. Of the 26 teams there, 17 teams achieved a first place, 6 teams earned a second place, and three teams achieved a third place. Our team was a third place team.

This is our entire group--Pathfinders, staff, and one mother/daughter pair that helped with luggage, etc.