"Oh well, I was just trying to make a tributary."

The lake in blue and black.

What usually happened to the ball despite Mr. Raine's careful illustrations of how to spike. :-)

"Dad, please... please! I'm sure it would work.

Warning Label: Warning! Do not hold fireworks in hands while detonating.

"...and the rockets red glare..."

"...the bombs bursting in air..."

Gave proof through the night
That the fourth was soon there.

July 4th

I was feeling more like having pictures taken of me than taking pictures myself. ;-)

Which is why there are no pictures from the family gathering we went to and only a few from the celebration at the Stoltzfuses. Here, folks are gathering ammunition for what I have heard called "the Great Balloon Toss of '09."

Considering it was such a momentous event, it is a shame I got so few photos.

Click here for my friend's very complete coverage.

Awards for the winners of the men and boys' shooting contest.

That's my brother!

This photographer was being so annoying that he was locked up behind bars. He kept right on shooting though. ;-)

Well, we've been hearing about an awful lot of shootin' but here's more.

Mr. Rea's pretty incredible water balloon cannon!

Since those of you who have a special interest in the photos from this event have probably already seen over half a dozen photos of this technological marvel, I will stop with these. :-)

Speaking of Technological Marvels...

The old way things worked: soda bottles, sore backs, sticky fingers, and bad odors.

Let me introduce you to ground-breaking inventor Conrad Martin, as well as his latest invention of the Potato-Bug-Sucker-Machine!

Here's the new way things work:

Leptinotarsa decemlineata

Going... going...

Gone!

Warning: A willing (and patient) assistant to hold the bottle upright and keep a lookout for the bugs being missed is a vital component of this wonder machine (and, at present, is not available for purchase at any known location ;).

Yeah, there's a few bugs in the system...

...but nothing a little duct tape won't fix.

Mom waxes eloquent on the follies of the wonder machine. :-)

Candace and Dad Go Deep Sea Fishing

Trust me, it's not often that only two of the family are allowed to go off and do something without the rest of us! :-)

But who am I to be jealous? I went on this very same boat with the very same Dad two years ago.

Barnegat Light - more memories.

At this point in the trip, Uncle John was apparently the most interesting subject for photography.

Much more picturesque in my opinion. :)

Fisher man, fishing boat, fishing tackle... all in one! Creation always outdoes man.

This photo tried my resolution not to be envious. There's something incredible about being out on the ocean, riding the roller coaster of the waves, having the breeze spit foam into your face, etc.

Uncle Ivan - the one who put the trip together. Yeah... he's a character. :-)

Candace caught a small fry right through the eyes - the type of thing you cannot do if you try.

Aunt Anna in for the long haul.

Dad sells fish all the time. This was a great opportunity for him to find out where fish actually come from. He probably thought they come out of a warehouse or something. ;-)

Candace got to experience something I didn't: fishing in the dark. It's one thing to be able to see nothing but sea all around you, but it's another to be able to see nothing but nothing.

Butchering Blues

Candace and cousins.
You should have seen this photo before I corrected all the red eyes!!

Cameras tend to pop up on occasions like this. People that I didn't even know had one suddenly do.

Aunt Anna - very young at heart (which is why she was along - not that that applies to everyone who went along ;-)

Garage Update

Pouring Flooring

Dad and the first driver didn't appear to have much to talk about. ;-)

2nd driver - different story.

This guy isn't just standing about watching; he's still working hard!

Uhh... most of the time, that is.

And he does spend a good deal of time anticipating the luxuries to come.

Mowing the floor?

Working his way up.

Conrad went to such heights to get this picture that I had to post it.

Vans in Vogue

(This was probably the most expensive day of the project: builders, plumbers, electricians, heating guys, etc. The amazing thing is that almost everyone who worked on this project was our relation in some way.)

Lunchtime - what brings them all together.

Blowing insulation (in the summertime at that!) must be one of the least desirable jobs imaginable.

The stage we are at now.
I believe this guy would be at home on a stage; he's a regular clown. He's got the personality, he's got the stilts, he yodels while he works, and he has a hat full of tricks.

We all thought the stilts were pretty interesting. Earlier, when the insulation crew was here, one of them was an Amish man on stilts. We thought it would make a great picture! But, knowing that Amish don't always appreciate getting their pictures taken (yes, we know things like that ;-), Candace asked him before she did. He said, "Well, I'd rather not, but if you really want to..." After that, we couldn't decide if we really wanted to.

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God Bless
~Carmen~