Cora and the Corapillar

Cora came to visit while her mom and dad went out to a movie and dinner. She is teething again but she was a very good girl. She only fussed a little bit twice. We played and talked and read.


See this ball? I can throw it! I just don't know where it will go.


Even though I like my name sake, the Corapillar, I still really like these balls that shake, rattle and roll. Sometimes they fly!


I'm going to get up while holding this little puffer fish. Just watch me pop up.


See how easy that is. This is standing. Now I'm moving my feet while standing. When I get good at this I think I will be able to get around the room holding on to furniture.


See how well this works. I'm pretty proud of this. It makes me want to bounce and holler.


Uh-um! Good! Kinda salty like anchovies; but texture is like oysters. Good thing I practiced with my tongue all these past months.


Grandpa, can I wipe my mouth here on your knee?


Thanks! That feels better.

And she plays nicely. Gotta love this girl!

Logan Came To Our House Today

Well, she came with her parents. What a little doll. She came in all smiles and happy to come to Grandpa. She was just as happy to go to Grandma too.

Kyle and Sarah had been to Delavan, WI for a week-end get-away to celebrate their SECOND ANNIVERSARY. My how time flies. They forgot to take their camera so they purchased a disposable camera and wanted to burn up some film on the BEST subject.


I might be prejudiced butI think she is a pretty girl.
Look at that smile.


Her parents looked pretty good too. Glad to see them all and had a nice visit.

Then it was feeding time for the little angel. She was trying something new! Uh-um Good!
Well not to Logan!


Logan said, “This pureed chicken white meat makes me PUKE!”

I was just taking pictures when it came back up. I'm sure this photo will be blackmail worthy when she is a little bit older.

This experience turned her off of food. She likes peas, normally; but not this evening. She gagged on peas, she gagged on formula! Eventually she was able to take her bottle. Poor thing.

A Political Tangent

It occurs to me the G. O. P. wants things both ways and always to favor them. They were quick to trot out the tragic Downs child of Mrs. Palin. My what a wonderful person. She is the "perfect" running mate as John McCain said.

She has a litter of kids, is ultra conservative, is Pro-life with a personal tragedy to prove it. She has strong family values, is a life long member of the National Rifle Association, promotes hunting of Alaskan big game. She is young to balance John being old. Female to draw Clinton supporters.

Oops. There is a matter of a 17 year old daughter who is pregnant. She must be a Democrat, because Republicans don't have sex. But that should be off limits. Kids should not be political targets.

I couldn't agree more. They shouldn't have paraded the Downs child out either. I think it is unscrupulous to have played that card also. The IQ, health and activities of their children are not political fodder. It should have been more than enough to have said she has five children. End of story.

Palin's 17 year old should be allowed her privacy. She needs her mothers and her fathers love, support and reassurance. I would think that she is resentful that her mother has caused the public display of her indiscretion. It would be like having your mother telling the world, on the evening news, that you had a crush on Billy or indelicately told of her first period.

I don't think it is all the fault of her mother. The media bears a huge responsibility for this. They should have known that this girl had no part in the battle and NEEDS her privacy. If they were to perform their due diligence in the investigation of the candidate there are either other issues in her past to indicate her quality of parenting, managing or life style or there is nothing to discredit her. They should have dug deeper, they should have dug somewhere else.

This is just my opinion, but I don't think the media should keep harping on this girl. They should be looking at the lies about Palin's green record, the lies about her ear mark record. The conduct of her office of mayor, her conduct as governor of Alaska. How big a deal is Alaska. She hired lobbyists as mayor of Podunk (pop. 8000) to secure $11 million in earmarks. Hmm, $1375 for every man, woman and child. As the governor she refused an ear mark of $300+ million for the infamous 'bridge to nowhere'. Yeah! Isn't she an agent of change and a stand up governor? Well, she did keep the money, just not the bridge project. Technically 'she' didn't keep the money, she had Alaska keep the money.

At least we only have two months to endure the campaign rhetoric and sort out enough facts to make an intelligent decision. Let's hope there are no lurking skeletons in the closets to break the hearts of the voters.

Labor Day Week-End End

Monday was beautiful again. It was the best weather for Labor Day that I recall in several years.

The group is in a rut. Lots of 'beach time'. This was Pottawatomie Bayou Park. At least it was grassy.


This was no one we knew. It is a picture of the park and bayou.


We don't get up from ground level very well. Some still sit in the sun while others chase the shade.


Kathy and Paul come back from a dip. Judy and Phyllis went too.


Again this is a total stranger. But she was so cute I just had to take her picture carrying her fish back to the lake.

Busy Sunday

Sunday we got up and all went to Muskegon, in two vehicles, for the 'Lakefront Spectacular'. The paper made it sound terrific.

We couldn't find it, the art & craft fair. We could find the lake front. We eventually saw a Fire Station and asked for directions. While we waited in the vehicles another pulled in and a lady got out. Just then a fireman came out pointing in the direction we should go. The lady asked the same question and he said, "Just follow them."

So off the three vehicle caravan went, blindly following the leader. Only the leader heard the directions. It was quite a ways that lead to a tent full of folks. I think we disturbed their Sunday service. We all backed out of the lot and drove around to the other side of the park

It wasn't as big as we expected. Nor was it as 'spectacular' as the paper made it sound.


These wooden roses were the most artful thing I saw there. They were made from wood shaving rolled up and dyed. Or dyed and rolled up. (Click on any picture to enlarge it)


Then we walked to the channel. There was a lot of boat traffic.


Then back to the house for lunch. Quaker like the girls made lunch on one side.


The guys waited on the other side.

The covey scattered like quail. Some went to the antique mall, some tried to recover. Roger and I went to the Grand Haven lakefront to take a walk. The weather was great again. We were both there to 'take a walk' so we didn't poke along.


The beach was lined with people.


As we walked out to the lighthouse the beach was loaded all the way out to the park we were at on Saturday.

As it turned out Roger had also wanted to take a walk. His company is sponsoring a wellness campaign and he is supposed to walk every day. We went around 10,500 steps. He now knows that he needs to start farther away to reach his 15,000 step goal. that is a big goal.

Labor Day In GRAND HAVEN, MI

Know by the Light that this IS Grand Haven.

The sky was sapphire, the sand was soft, the wind was west and the waves were warm.


Not my kite (yet). It looks like it would be a good traveler with no battens. It flew for hours. Many folks like to just run up a kite and anchor it while they are on the beach.


Some just sit to be irradiated. Some play in the lake. Some make shade. There are a lot of ice chests. It wouldn't surprise me if the commercial ice capitol of the world is Grand Haven, MI. Some set the baby in the sun. And the Grand Haven beach has 25 or more volley ball nets. Don't for a minute think that it was the Olympic mania or NBC's love of beach volley ball. This was happening before that.


Most of the courts were full of beautiful young people who appeared not to have feet. Yes, I said NO FEET. I took many more photos of folks buried to their ankles in the soft sand than I caught in stride showing their feet. But they all showed a lot of skin. I hope they were dipped in SPF 85.



This house is just across the street from the beach. A beautiful view of beautiful Lake Michigan. I wonder if they appreciate the setting as much as I think I would. Or do they grumble about the traffic, the hoards and the constant, consistent views.


But here sits the council of former 'beautiful people'. We sit in the shade (or the crazy ones in the sun) and converse about our kids, our grand kids and our health, diagnosis and prognosis. We are old and immobile, but enjoy the mix of views, opinions and counsel of friends. We don't get together as often as we did when we played a 'volley ball like' game in our youth. I need the balance brought, by good friends, to my cynicism.


The wind died down so that I set my kite loose to climb readily into the beautiful sky. And this blue sky is not aided by polarizing filter! It would have been nearly black with a filter.


As we left the beach we saw a wedding on the shore. Or perhaps just the photos were being taken there.

The remainder of the weekend was fun. I was too busy living it to take a lot of pictures.
Thanks to great friends I am renewed. Ready for another 50 days of work.

A Stay at Home Week-end

Saturday after I mowed the lawn I sat down to enjoy the pond. To my surprise we have a frog again. We had a large one and a medium one in the old pond. Alas they were disturbed when the pond was rebuilt and we haven't seen them since.

Now suddenly here is a medium sized frog in all his glory. Where has it been? Did it walk here or is there a frog bus? What ever! Here he is.



The plants are doing well. They are not all over the place and the pond is clean. Only clear the skimmer net every couple weeks and it is so easy now. It has experienced some evaporation in August. Not much rain in weeks now. I added a couple of inches a couple of times. The sounds are good and visually it is very pleasing. I sit on the garden bench and wish that we had friends to share it with. We are going to have to plan somethings.



There is some algae and it is getting 'naturalized' the fish are thriving now. They are getting more brave and come out to feed. They have areas to hide in the rocks. I usually sit down and throw the pellets in one or two at a time. The current sweeps them into the filter if I just dump a bunch in before the fish can eat them. If I sit and throw them in they get almost all of them in 5 minutes.

Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum

The full Lincoln Family. These excellent wax figures stand in the court of the museum. You may photograph only in this atrium area; not in the exhibits or theaters. Many visitors pose with these life size figures for pictures. That always seems odd in a way. Obviously we are not contemporaries; but, people want to make a connection with history (or is it greatness).



In this theater, the story of or is it the portrait of Lincoln is told. There are screens on the left and right and ancillary images are displayed there as the story is told. The seating has motors connected underneath that shake you as the cannon fire and the cavalry charges. The stage apron opens and smoke rings from the cannon float through the theater. It is a very entertaining presentation about Lincoln's image and how it was shaped by events in his life.


This theater presents Ghosts in the Library. Done with special effects that uses projection to bring to live images that seem so real. The plot is explaining the function of the library and museum. How the artifacts are acquired and shared. You really ought to see it.

We have seen it twice and I would gladly see it again.



There is no photography 'in' the exhibits, but I took this photo from the atrium. This is Mary Todd Lincoln's dress. Also in that exhibit were dresses of Mrs. McClellan, etc. They are displayed in the open so you can really see the detail in fabric and construction. There is NO touching and NO photography.

There were people who think that doesn't apply to them. Invariably it has been middle aged to older women. It takes only moments for security personnel to reach them and reprimand them for their transgression. Last visit it was touching the fabric or leaning into the space too close and the sensors go off the guards are guided by and observer to the offender.
This visit it was a woman about forty taking pictures, the guard made her leave the exhibit.

This is a temporary exhibit area. The last time was dresses of the first ladies This time it was of Mrs. Lincoln and her contemporaries.

One of only five Gettysburg Address in Lincoln's own hand was also displayed. It is really a well done museum.




Here McClellan and Grant have coffee on the porch of the white house. I could walk right up to them and stare at what would be a offensive distance. They look remarkably real. The skin detail, the hair.


John Wilkes Booth evil wretch! Obviously guilty even here.





Across the street is the restored train station that Lincoln gave his farewell to Springfield address at. It is now used as a visitor center.

It's A Great State Fair -- Just like the musical

The Illinois State Fair
August 16th, 2008


The carnival used to be down in Happy Hollow. They still call this 'Happy Hollow' but 'tis not in a hollow as can be plainly seen. But we don't do rides.

But a lot of folks do.


We do the Dairy Building,

Where we found the butter cow. This year the cow expanded to a pastoral scene with tree, log calf, and skunks. The lady who make these travels around the land creating these for over forty years.

We also 'found' a delicious cream horn. It was wonderfully flaky French pastry stuffed with rich, buttery, ice cold whipped cream. It was outstanding!


These are called the '25 barns'. They are lettered from A to Q, are all brick with concrete floors except in the two strips of stall area in each.

When I was sixteen I got a job at the fair for the summer. I was on a crew of laborers who worked twelve hour days preparing these and other buildings by sweeping the floors day after day using floor compound until we brought up a shine on the concrete. Some of the buildings had over 3 acres under roof. An acre is 46,560 square feet. That is a lot of sweeping.



Here sits Sally on a huge bale of hay. I'm glad I never bucked bales this size.


Here's 'Turkey in the Straw' in picture rather than song.


This horse was perpendicular to the aisle. The little girl grabbed a lead and swung it gently round and round just brushing his flank and he kept moving over. When she stopped he started to step back into the aisle and she just leaned against his flank until folks passed. He didn't have a clue he could knock her out of his way. And she had no trepidation at all.


This is an Ayrshire cow. I always liked their markings. It's as if the dye bleed on the cloth a bit. You can see the 'shadow' around all their markings.


These were pretty heifers. I like the soft blending of their colors.


LINE UP -- I bet the farmer recognizes each one.


This little girl is ready to enter the show ring. Another child who is growing up around stock and is completely comfortable controlling an animal many times her size. Good for self-confidence.


This is a picture of two things. 'Happy Hollow' today which holds a handful of hokey shows like a 'gator rassler' and a petting zoo, and a small menagerie. And the exhibition hall on the hill. the original hall burned many years ago and was rebuilt. This is one of those three acre buildings with a mezzanine. I think the architecture of the buildings on the fairgrounds is really remarkable.

We rode the sky trams from one corner up to the grandstand and back. This is the crowd at the high dive show. It was a big draw. As we rode over I could not for the life of me see the folks talking, singing or diving. Must have needed to get the 'special glasses' to make them visible.

This is the Fire Museum now. In my day it was the public safety center. The fire and first aid station were here and the windows under the canopy were manned by state police who would take complaints and give directions. The action there was always impressive to me with the police coming and going.

'Tex' found him some shade to stand in. It just seemed like a good image to me. Notice the sign in front of him, "No golf carts beyond this point". Also notice the golf cart just past it to the right.

These signs are all over the fairgrounds but so are the golf carts. I don't understand.

This is down the street in front of the Coliseum on the left and the row of '25 barns' on the right.

The Coliseum is used for horse shows.

As you can see the grand stand is practically empty. The sprint cars were done racing and they were setting up for the stage show. They have top name acts through-out the fair.

This is looking back to the East, carnival on the left and Food-O-Rama on the right. We do food rather than the rides.

These are $3 farm trains. You can pay your $3 and ride them around the grounds all day.

This is looking South to the Main Gate. It is just by the brick building in the distant right top corner. The Ethnic Village is to the left and the Exhibition Hall is the brick building on the right.

A two tractor parade at Farmarama Lane. Look at the gray tractor closely. He is driving one handed and talking on a cell phone. Wonder what that sounds like on the other end?