Thursday, July 31, 2014

by the beautiful sea...



What a fun day we had today!!! Linda K... one of our puppy raisers, invited us all to come to her local library and help her with the children's program... naturally about.. service dogs!!! I packed up Danny, Camille and Livy (who are not service dogs, but do qualify as therapy dogs) and we headed out. 

Linda S. and Rick joined us with Moxie and Otis and all of us arrived to the greetings of a pretty big crowd. The little library was packed. Course the dogs thought all of this was just great.....


Linda wisely opened the program with meets and greets.... the kids do so much better at listening once they have had their hands on the puppies. And I think the puppies do better too, once they can greet all the folks.....


Camille and Livy wormed their way right in as well. After everyone had some time to get to know each other, Linda went into the program side of things. She had a great presentation and then we did question and answer after. People were really interested in the dogs and their work and it was fun to answer some pretty interesting questions....


A bit more visiting afterwards (Livy never seems to get enough attention...)


Or Danny for that matter... but next stop.. Linda's house for some yummy lobster roll....

She also took us on a little tour of the island. I have been to many of the islands around here but never this one. And though I have lived by the ocean for my whole life... I have to say, I never get tired of it's beauty or forget how blessed I am.....
Ed and I are going to have to come back some Sunday and visit again.. there is much to see here. 


This is a bronze statue of a lobsterman, in memory of those who have been lost at sea doing this type of work......


Perfect spot for a photo shoot .. Camille, Danny, Moxie, Livy and Otis...... 


Danny asking Livy... "how long do we have to be good and do this stuff..."


One of the things about our coast line, is all the natural "things" we have. Places that have been carved out by the ocean into all kinds of cool things... this one being "the Giant Staircase"...  it was a pretty walk out to it....and I was excited to see it...











But when we arrived, and I saw this.. well, it's about as close as I chose to go. IF I had gone in closer (over that edge) there are rocks lined up as neat as can be... just like a staircase.. and all made by the ocean. Since I am not a fan of heights or the possibly that the ocean would come up and snatch me away... this is all I can show you... because I was not getting any closer. 


So, another day of "perfection".. good friends, dogs, food, fun and even touring some parts of the state that I haven't seen..... amazing!!!!

Friday, July 25, 2014

Storyland on a Sunday...


In keeping with our "new" tradition of taking the grands each summer to Storyland.... Today was our adventure!!! It was a perfect summer day.. Ed is feeling very good after his surgery this past week.... so, we packed it up and headed out. First stop.. breakfast!!! at one of our favorite places, The Miss Wakefield. I was hoping to get a shot of both Abbie and Reagan with Mr. Moose... but Reagan would have nothing to do with him. As you can tell by the look on Abbie's face... excitement is in the air!!!!

She even picked up one of the brochures from the "tourist rack"  to plan her day as we drove along!!!! This year she is "big enough" to do it all, and I dare say, Papa and I will be "running".....
Now, one of the first things you MUST do upon arrival.. is have your photo taken in the photo frame!!! Some day, I am going to take the time, and see if I can find ALL the photos of the "frame"... that is ... the ones of when I was little and went.. and then when our girls were little and went... and now of course... the GRANDS!!!!

My usual rule is NO PARENTS!!! because, really, how can you properly spoil the grands if the parents are there watching. But since this is Reagan's "real" first year and (sadly) there will be some things he can't do just yet... it was better to have "the parents" come along.  But, in the years ahead.... we'll have  to think about the "no parents" rule again.....


and of course, we must have our photo with the "grands"......

The day was filled with lots of rides... my fav.. the carousel.. we must always ride it, at least twice!!! 

Abbie and I were racing... she is very certain that her horse won..... and if you notice, we picked horses that "matched" us!!!!


I will say, have some parents along this year actually turned out to be a very good idea. Because I didn't have to ride every ride, and Nate was such a good sport about going on all the "scary" rides with Abbie....

Abbie was pretty excited, because really... this year there wasn't anything that she couldn't go on. And she felt quite grown up that she could go and Reagan couldn't on some...

I love how Storyland has worked so hard to stay with the "modern" and yet keep their eye on the family. There were plenty of rides that Reagan could do.. and since this little boy is all about tractors... well,  you know this had to be done!!! He could even "drive" it by himself... course getting him off the ride was another story!!!!

The day was warm enough that even the water rides were on the list.. so while Reagan and I watched, the family hit the water rapids...... 


The day went really well... just as one little boy was running out of steam.. Abbie had pretty much done all the rides and was ready to do a bit of shopping and head for home. So dear Storyland, you have done this family well... generation number three has come to visit....








and as the Flagg family headed for home.. Abbie, Baby and Papa hopped in the beetle and headed our for ice cream!!!!!!

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

a visit to Lahey..


Today finds Ed and I at the Lahey Clinic. Ed's heart has been "acting" up again for the past few months and his doctor thought it might be time to do another ablation on his heart. He had this done about three years ago, and we were told then, that sometimes they have to be "tuned up" after a bit... well.. his needed to.  I remember when it was done the first time, I was totally freaked out about the whole idea. But, really, it was pretty "simple" and Ed felt soooo much better afterwards. Today, it felt "almost" routine. 

Ed went down last night and stayed over, and early this am I was on the road to be there while it was done. He was in good spirits when I caught up with him and we stayed together until it was time for him to go in. 

While I waited, I remember that Pastor Jane and Ginger were not that far from the clinic. I wished I had contacted them and "scheduled" a visit... so on a whim, I emailed Pastor Jane and just told her that Ed and I were here.  Just a few minutes later, I received a note back from her... saying that she was on her way over to visit. 

Now, Lahey is a big place, and I wasn't even sure how we could find each other, but I went down to the lobby and heard that little "Ginger whine".. and sure enough there they were. Ginger was so excited to see me (she has never forgotten me!!) and their visit made the time go by so fast!!!! 

Course, Ginger also did a lot of visiting with everyone else.... all who came threw the lobby had to stop and talk... which meant, Pastor Jane and I didn't get much of a chance to chat!!!
Before I knew it, I was being paged that Ed was out of surgery and all was well. 

He stayed overnight and I will go back tomorrow and bring him home. He's feeling better already, and so am I.....














































Friday, July 11, 2014

catching up on summer....


My "poor little blog"... I feel like I have been so busy this summer, that this is one of things that gets pushed aside. But, I love keeping it, and often find myself going back over the "stories" that I have written. So, since I haven't had a minute to write... here's a picture story just to catch me up. 


I LOVE this photo of Ed and Reagan... I love seeing Ed in his uniform... I think he always looks good......


But, sadly, the uniform came out for a not good reason. We said "goodbye" to a friend and fellow fire fighter this week... Brian Starkey.  Brain was only 44 years old.. and poor health took him away much too soon. In honor of their friend.. the fire fighters decided to give Brian a full farewell service... and as hard as these things are to watch.. it is such a tribute of love from them all.....











The town was brought to a complete halt when the procession came threw.  I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised that many of the tourist waited quietly and patiently as it came threw...... (tourist don't have a great reputation in town....)

One never enjoys something like this. Brain left his wife Bonnie, three grown children and three grandbabies... so very sad.  I didn't get any photos, but I did bring Danny along with me, and I have to say that I really feel he brought comfort to many of the people who petted and asked how my puppy raising "thing" was going.......

It has been - so far - a beautiful summer. We headed down to the beach one evening and saw this beautiful full moon. I guess the moon this month and next are going to be amazing due to their position in the sky..... I'll be watching for them!!!


Course you can go to the beach without some ice cream and a walk along..... Reagan loves walking along the beach.. and that's Diana and Patrick there with Kass... they will have a little on with them next year.... Diana is having a little girl in December!!!!


Speaking of "little"... we have six new keets (guinea hens).... a friend of mine had ordered a batch but didn't need all those babies, so I split the order with her.....










They're so cute, and Abbie loves to play with them. We'll keep them "inside" for about six weeks... then move them to the outside pen. They might get a bit of free range before the cold weather sets in, but if not... I'll have a nice batch to add to the flock next spring. Have to say, they do a great job of bug control here on the farm..... even if they are a bit loud!!!! 






The bees are doing very well.... and both hives are as busy as can be. I know for certain we'll get some honey out of the second year hive, and perhaps a little from this years.  I try not to "bother" them too much, but I so enjoy going into those hives and seeing what they are up to..... This is a nice frame of honey in the works.... 







and the other morning, I looked out and saw two "mother turkeys" and their brood. I think I counted around 25 chicks between the two of them. They hung around the farm for a few days, and then - I guess - headed to parts unknown.. but they sure were fun to watch. 


From here, summer just look busier and busier....fall will drop in on us before we know.. but I am using up every moment I can.......

Saturday, July 05, 2014

the traveling wall


So, if the week wasn't busy enough.... we had the chance to go and see the "traveling wall".. which is a 1/3 scale of the Vietnam Wall in Washington DC. This particular wall is going to be retired very soon, so this will be it's last visit here. The wall was set up in the Cabela's parking area, so Linda was asked to have some of the service puppies there as part of the ceremonies and to also be "comfort" to any of the folks who were coming to visit. 


The real wall in Washington is very impressive, and we visited it just a couple of years ago, when we went down for the wreaths Across America.  This wall is just about as nice and I love the way it was set up. 



It certainly touched the hearts of many people... I don't know how many came to see it, but I would have to guess a couple thousand anyways.....
It was nice to see one of the "wreath" trucks... which I dare say we'll see again in December. We're hoping to make another trip down with the wreaths this year.... time will tell.....

I had Danny with me, of course, but what was really cool was.. I had Rylie with me when we visited Washington... and since Rylie and Danny are half siblings... I wanted to "re-create" this photo.... 
We brought Abbie along and tried as best we could (to a four year old) explain what it was all about. Ed found the name of a young man that our family knew, and showed Abbie how to do a "rubbing" of his name. She was very interested and good, and I think she really tried to understand what this was all about. 
We haven't had any rain all week, and wouldn't you know, we had to deal with some today. But Linda just set up a nice tent and had all kinds of information about the service dogs to share. Getting the word out to our veterans about service dogs is important.. many didn't even know that much about them, so we handled out all kinds of literature. 
For anyone who lives around here, these ladies will look familiar... They are called the Freeport Flag Ladies... and every Tuesday... rain, shine, heat, cold.. no matter what, they stand together and hold the flag for all to see. I'm not sure how long they have done this.. I think they started just after 9/11... but they have not missed one Tuesday since.. and have become a bit famous because of it. So, we just had to have a photo of the service puppies and the ladies.....

Danny had a grand time meeting and greeting all the folks......

He certainly knows how to 'work the crowd".....


nice to see so many people, taking the time to come out and see the wall. So much work went into just getting it here, never mind all the set up, manning it and the like........

I have to say, though, the day did get be rather long. There were many speeches made, lots of people to talk with... and these two... just wore out in the end....

Danny and Otis... showing their love and support.....


This veteran really took a shine to Danny. He didn't know about service dogs, and said "if I could have this dog , I would have one in a minute"  sadly it doesn't work like that, but who knows... maybe Danny placed a little "seed" in his heart.......

It was quite a day.... one I will remember for a long time.....


Since the 4th was a little rainy... the folks around the lake decided to post pone the boat parade until Sunday (the 4th being a Friday). Bright and early in the morning they began to line up......


Abbie, the doggies and I all went down on the dock to watch the parade and wave to all the boats that joined in......


(I think Livy was happy to know I wasn't taking her there to swim....)

It was a fun parade... I think I counted 30 boats... some were decorated, and other were just there to join the fun.....


(don't know if this is a good thing or not.......)

It was such a pretty day... but a bit sad too... because this wonderful week has come to a close. I'm hoping we get to spend more time up to camp this summer, but the truth is... we have so much lined up.. it's going to be hard to even get back there....



puppy love.... Abbie tells me that Livy had a great time at camp.....












But ol' Silver seemed happy to see us pull up to the farm......