Tomato Season

Equestrian Girl and I hit the farmer's market and bought some tomatoes.  

The first night we had panini's with chicken, bacon, onion and tomato.  Oh, and cheese.

For lunch I made us bowls of bruschetta to have with the bread which was just lightly toasted.

Dinner went a little lighter on the tomato with a grilled corn dish that also had avocado, red pepper, onion, lime and cayenne pepper.  We also had little pieces of leftover pork chops and 7 grain pita bread.

Scott and Motocross Boy/Man were racing.  It think they had hot dogs for all three meals.  LOL!

Photography...

While I enjoy taking pictures, I don't consider myself a photographer at all.  I seldom think about composition or anything like that.  And half the pictures are on my iPhone anyway.  The other morning I snapped this pretty sunrise picture.  It was pretty but much like the other 100 sunrise pictures over the Detroit River I've taken.  Not all that special, right?

And then something told me to look UP.  I raised the field of vision just over the sun and clicked.  Ahhhh, I like this!!!

A Little ME Time

It's not often I find myself home alone without much to do.  But that's exactly what happened Thursday last week.  I had done a pit stop at Costco and knowing I was home alone for dinner, I bought a Cesar Salad.  After putting everything away, I grabbed a magazine, my salad and a water bottle and hit the beach at our lake.  Ahhhh.  I found my Zen there.

Turning 16....

My boy turned 16.  Sigh.

It wasn't a big party or anything.  Just a regular day almost.  Almost.

We didn't even wrap his present.  I couldn't find the wrapping paper that I had to move recently.  Though the big box wasn't exactly easy to open.

There was another box inside but the labeling on it pretty much gave it away.  Arai makes helmets.  Really, really GOOD helmets.

Helmets that will protect this 16 year old brain!

Love you, Austin!!!  

Work, work work but time to smell the roses

Last weekend I spent hours and hours scrubbing the horse trailer.  You can see some of the before and after results below.  Yes, this is the roof which meant I was standing on a ladder.  It also meant going up and down and up and down the ladder many, many times.

First wet it down with the big car wash brush and soapy water.  Then scrub it with a scrubby and Soft Scrub.  Then more soap and water on the brush.  Then rinse well.  Two feet at a time.  And when it was all done, go back and wash down the gray sides to make sure none of the soft scrub dripped down on it.

And while this wasn't actually time to smell roses since I don't HAVE any roses, I did spot this pretty butterfly/moth.  She was enjoying the mist from my hose and then sat around in the sun drying out her wings.  She must have needed a shower!

New Mode of Transportation

If this little guy could just make it to Detroit in an hour or less...

This is my friend Sheri's mini donkey and cart with her "nephew" driving.  I think I need this set up for when I'm too old to ride!

Girls and their horses...

This is what girls do to dry their horses after a bath...

Garage Sale-ing in Downtown Howell

Last weekend Equestrian Girl and I zipped out to downtown Howell where a few stores were having an "alley sale".  As I was told, it was stuff from their basements and things they just needed to get rid of.   We were sort of looking for possible display rack type stuff to use at horse shows but instead found this wheeled "tool" chest that had been used by a makeup artist.  It has a little glitter inside but still in GREAT shape and very usable.  $15.

But this was the find that we were most excited about.  She didn't come with the bikini top but Equestrian Girl felt she was embarrassed without one.  She will be very handy to use for displaying show shirts and other tops for both pictures and at sales.  Only $5!!!

Popsicles!

Found these platic popsicle holders for about $3 and boy have they been a hit!  I wish I had bought 3-4 sets.  I blend up a bit of fruit with some milk or juice and VOILA!  This set is watermelon and strawberry.  The ones before that were banana, strawberry and chocolate!  YUM!

Moooo!

Love these Oreo cows!

Deeeetroit Pics

From the number of pictures I take of the Detroit River you'd think I actually spent most of my day watching but I really don't.  Lots and lots of these big freighters slip by without me ever seeing them.  I did catch this one early one morning while spending my ritual 2 minutes chilling by the window when I get to work doing my zen thing.  I liked the contrast of the two tiny boats that were speeding up alongside of it - neither of which was actually all that small.

The city bathed in the early morning light, streets and parking lots empty...sad to think about how dismal Detroit is just blocks away from here and now in bankruptcy as well.  I did my part.  I let them keep ALL my city taxes and didn't file for a refund for the days I didn't actually work in the city.

That's the BCBSM tower and parking garage on the left side of the picture.  I prefer the river shots of the sunrises but there is something kinda special about this view too.

A Beautiful Evening Sky

My specialty seems to be sunrises which I find extra special because so few people ever see them, especially in the summer when the sun comes up so early but every now and then, an evening sky catches my interest.  I was leaving the Washtenaw County 4H fair one evening and this sky roped me in.  The colors were just so cool.

I need to go back and edit out the electric/telephone  wires in this one but that sky!  Oh my!

A little further up the road I was passing the big Baptist Church.  The driveway leading up the hill was lined with light posts (you can see them on the left in the picture) and the sky behind it was so pretty I had to stop.

I drove up the drive to get a better shot which turned out not to be so much better because the didn't have the texture and contrast id did from further back.  I was also disappointed that the steeple didn't have a cross on the top.

Salsa Time!

Back when I had a huge garden I used to make tons and tons of salsa and can enough to last us through winter.  Since I have to BUY tomatoes now, the volume is much smaller but I still made a few varieties that lasted us about....a week.

And now it's avocado season so guacamole is on my mind!

Grandpa Time

EG calls him Gran-Paaaaw.  She helped him pick out an iPod to use while he's on his treadmill and then helped him connect it to his MacBook and iTunes.  Quality time together!