Thankful Thursdays !

Grandson: a son of a son or daughter (noun)

This Thursday I am thankful for Grandsons. Tom and I have two. Spencer D. and Luke. They both have added much amusement, tender moments, and lots of love. The photo to the right reminds me of a moment with Spencer when he would not, for the life of him, leave a lamp alone in our living room. Tom ended up being stern with him and he cried. I hated to see Spencer cry. It just broke my heart. He had one of those pitiful cries. He has grown into a great kid. He loves to talk and he always has an invention or two he wants to share. He is very gifted musically and artistically. I love to watch him in the plays he participates in. The first one was at church, and Grandma thought he was the best actor on the stage ! And of course we only want the best for him.

Luke is 3.......need I say more. He always has a twinkle in his eye. You can see the wheels of mischief spinning round and round. He is too smart for his own good. Like all young children, he wants to be with the big kids doing exactly what they are doing. He is all boy. He likes the outdoors, teasing and getting into something he knows he needs to leave alone. His two sisters (Cassidy and Lauren) teach him some silly and hilarious things. He loves his Papa! He has always been a Papa's boy. He is at the age where things he says and does is absolutely funny. You shake your head wondering what on earth he will do next. I cant wait to watch him grow. I wish sometimes they could stay little, but then we would miss out on them growing and maturing.

It is fun to watch both the boys spend time with Grandpa. A special time that they will be able to treasure for a lifetime. So many times we gloss over the bits and pieces of our life and concentrate on the daily routine things in our lives. We need to take time for the special people in our lives and let them know just how important they are. No matter what is happening in your world, take time to look at your life and give thanks to the Lord for all He has provided and given you. Your blessing will enrich your life.

Stereogram or Magic Eye

I love to look at the stereograms (or Magic Eyes as some people call them). There are some that I am not able to distinguish what is in the photo. I enjoy looking through books of them and see just how quick I am able to pick out what the picture is. I did not realize they are made in the same way the photos were prepared to be seen with the old stereoscope.

Do you remember the 3D movies they used to have? That is the same technique. We see in 3D because we have two eyes, each giving us slightly different views of the same scene. Now you know how stereograms and Magic Eyes are created. The picture is moved just enough to create the 3D effect. Below are some very simple stereograms. See if you are able to see what is in each picture.

1. Has a rubber duck in it.

2. In this one is a little deer.

3. Has a rabbit.

4. In this one is a heart.

5. Has a pair of scissors.

6. In this one is a circle with a W in the middle.

Now wasn't that fun?

Long drive and other things

For the love of golf !

Tom loves golf. That is not an understatement ! He watches golf, putts in the living room, practices in the backyard and teaches our grandson golf when he is at our house. Tom loves to golf with his friends, mornings at Honeywell Golf Course. He will talk golf with any person who will listen. Golf fits his competitive personality for sports. Recently Tom participated in a Senior League competition. He did rather well. He tied for first place and hit the longest drive on hole 12. Below is a portion of the article from the Wabash Plain Dealer.

"Honeywell seniors, Etna ladies compete
From staff reports Friday, July 25, 2008 7:35 PM EDT

In local golf action on Thursday, Dave Barrows, Tom Oldencamp, Dave Thornton and Webb Thrush shot a 5-under-par 30 to tie for first place in the Honeywell Senior League. Tom Mahan and Ross Trump were also tied.
Shooting a 4-under-par 31, and in third place, was Bill Kingery, Steve Anderson, Norm Bell and Jay Fennel.The longest drive competition which took place on No. 18 and was taken by Chuck Ravenscroft. Mahan had the longest drive on No. 12."

He also took part in the County Tournament on Saturday and Sunday this weekend (July 26-27). It is divided into two days, in which players play the Etna Acres course one day, and the Honeywell course the next. Tom came in second place after Jeff Bosler, a teacher at Southwood High School. I thought he did rather well for himself, considering he thought he didn't play to well at Etna Acres.
Sports

By the WPD staffMonday, July 28, 2008 8:31 PM EDT

In the senior gross flight, Jeff Bosler took home honors with an 81 (76 net). Tom Mahan shot an 82 and Brad Bozarth shot a 75.

R.I.P. Randy Pausch

You will be greatly missed Randy

This man was very inspiring.

Please take the time to watch the video, or watch his lecture at this web link.

http://www.thelastlecture.com:80/

Life is precious...take time to enjoy it shared with your family.

Thankful Thursdays

I didn't have to give much thought to Thankful Thursdays this week.

Tom was trimming some trees in the back yard last week. It brought back memories of Rick and Stephanie climbing out on a limb on a tree in the back yard. How the limb held them I don't know. Looking at the tree today, I don't see a branch strong enough to hold them! I loved to climb trees when i was younger. I remember a Herring family reunion that Jane and I spent most of our time in the trees with the boys. We had a Sycamore tree in the cow lot next to the drive where we lived as kids. It was perfect for climbing. It had alternating branches that provided us with an unqualified ladder for a tree top view. The imaginations of children is a vast world of make believe. I don't remember specifically what Jane and I saw from the top of the tree. It could have been just the challenge of conquering the tree itself. Trees provided us with imaginary houses, flowers, shade to play in and some trees we knew to stay away from! The dreaded 'Sticker' tree in the front yard. Since we were usually barefoot, the 'Sticker' tree was known to hurt bare feet. Rick must have taken his love for playing in trees from his wonderful mother. You could almost always find Rick (when he was young) in a tree playing with a rope hauling something up^. I don't remember what he did with the stuff when he finally got it up in the tree. Below are a few old photos of Rick with Stephanie and Kevin in one photo also.

Rick in a tree

Rick in a tree again!

Stephanie, Kevin with Rick

Rick is the one jumping.

Thank God for trees. They give us shade, a place to play, building material, help us to have a healthy climate and shower our planet with beauty.

Help......It is after me ! ! ! ! !

HELP..........

I AM AFRAID...............

My goodness what in the world is this? I have researched the net for answers. I have check university records, the Lock Ness Monster sound recordings, Sea biologist notes and information on sounds of the deep. I am open to any and all suggestions on how to identify the creatures. I do not believe I have ever heard sounds like this before in my life. It might be a sick whale or cow. Either one, they may need help. I would send a rescue squad, but I have not the foggiest of ideas where to send them. People on the south side of Wabash have reported hearing the noises deep at night. Is this some sort of night creature that wanders the streets of Wabash? Tom is so frightened that he refuses to even listen to them any more. He is having nightmares. He thinks one of the noises sounds vaguely familiar. I don't recall hearing it when I have been with him. Where on earth did he hear the noises????????? I think the noises have recently been reported in Michigan also. Could the creatures be something from the depths of the Great Lakes? If so does the heat affect it? Will it appear and be heard when the weather cools? Should I report it to the police as breaking the noise ordinance late at night? But where do I send them? I am seeking assistance from any source or any person.
I have included a sound track of the noises for anyone that wishes to help.

Thee Noise

Trying to not let anyone see that I am shaking in my shoes!

Thankful Thursdays

Today's post is all about Tickles.

Tickles not only make you laugh, they sometimes make you cry. Adults tickle babies to hear them laugh and to see the smile on their faces. Sometimes there is even a twinkle in their eyes. For me tickling has always been about fun. I prefer the kind of tickling where there is space allowed for tickling back and movement. My grandson Spencer folds up in a ball at the mere mention of the word tickle. He is probably the most ticklish person I have ever seen.

I used to be very ticklish, but I have learned how to make myself resist the laughing part.

We use tickle in our everyday language....for example, someone can be tickled pink. Is that because they cant breath or they are red in the face from laughing so hard? I have heard the expression 'tickled to death'. We can tickle someones fancy, tickle the ivories, we can be tickled by someones antics, our throats can have a tickle, the grass can tickle our feet.

Being thankful for Tickles is a fun way of expressing our enjoyment of life.

Nathaniel Hawthone's Passages from the French and Italian note-books, 1864: "Something that thrilled and tickled my heart with a feeling partly sensuous and partly spiritual."

Today I am very thankful for tickles . . . .

Everyone to the front.....

Front porch ....

We decided to tear off the old porch that we had had on the front of the house for over 17 years, and add a more substantial porch for the house. The original porch was built by my Dad and Tom. It was made of treated lumber. It was given different looks over the time it was standing. Tom looks at homes on his way to work. Sometimes that is a good thing, sometimes it causes me headaches !!!!!!!!!!! Just kidding. Here are photos of the porch under construction and after finished.

Pool Party

Sunday July 13th, Barbara and Rob invited the family to their home for a pool party. We had a carry in with lots of good food. Too much was left over again as usual. The kids were more concerned about swimming and playing in the water rather than eating. You need not go if you didn't want wet. Below are a few photos from the fun day in the sun and pool.

Dad and Mom/with Matthew

Dad

Mom and Matthew

Fun in the pool

Some of us never grow up ! ! !

Some people didnt want to spend all their time in the water, so they played in the air.

Amanda and Kyle enjoying the activities in the pool

One little person got to lay around and just look cute