Friday, July 6, 2012

Back to work in the Garden (The Vacation is over)

As the title says, back to work. Mommy went back to work and Daddy and I are back to work in the Garden. We had two weeks worth of weeds to pull and a few things to fix.
I have taken over watering. I have to keep the plants green.
Here I am watering the green beans.
Sometimes Mommy is home and watches me.
Me passing the onions. They have flowers on top.
The corn when we first got back.
The corn coming in good we already have some ears growing.
The pea disaster. The peas were planted too close together, Daddy did not listen to me. So they got so heavy, they broke the string and fell in on themselves. What will we do? Stand by for the answer.
The carrots are a jungle, the harvest will be good.
Me on my break with the broccoli behind me.
If you ever wondered how broccoli grows, you know now.
The broccoli, peppers and pumpkins. The pumpkins don't want to stay in their area. I am not sure if Daddy should have  planted the super pumpkins.
We still have 3 plus months til the harvest/carving. So I am afraid they will be able to put me inside again.
A view of the crops.
The green onions.
Our one sun flower, we planted them last year. This one came up with the watermelons.
At the work bench waiting for a team meeting.
The corn, Daddy relocated some corn to fill it in and make room for the new pea planting area.
More ears of corn.
We harvested the peas we planted in April. We got a lot and have been eating them for dinner. Then we turned up the soil, made rows and put in better string. This time we spread them out so they would grow better. By September, we will have more peas and be eating everything else too.
It is a lot of work. We enjoy it, it is a guy thing. At least in our yard. Mommy is more the supervisor and Daddy and I do the work. The good news is we all get to eat it.

That kid (Part VII Vacation)

Have you even been the part of that kid on an airplane? We, as of our last trip, we have. Yep, the flight home from Georgia to Utah was one to remember. Mr Christopher made a lot of friends, especially the lady and her 12 year old in front of us. He kicked chairs and unplugged head sets and just otherwise made his presence known until 15 minutes before we landed. Then he fell asleep.
Mr C doing the cup dance with extra cups provided by the flight attendant.
Just being silly or is it....?
Who needs a seat?
If you drop crackers you're supposed to stomp on them, right?
Did you know if you scream into a cup it is even more annoying than screaming alone?
And two cups is even more fun for me!
A view from above of my seat. Yep, it is all mine now. Daddy can stand outside the lavatory.
We did make it home with that kid. The good news is he did sleep through the night. Guess he got it all out during the flight.

Thursday, July 5, 2012

A few places Daddy visited (Part VI Vacation)

It would seem on every vacation we take, Daddy can find a cemetery to visit. This time we found two. First we visited Andersonville National Cemetery and the National POW Museum in Andersonville, GA. It is off the beaten path to say the least.
Andersonville is the site of a American Civil War Prisioner of War Camp. It was operated by the Confederate Army to hold Union Soldiers.  It became one of the most horrid sites of the war, thousands of Union Soldiers parished due to illness and mistreatment. It was a very befitting site for the National POW Museum.
One of many monuments on the site of the old POW Camp.
The inscription on the marker.
A little known fact of history, this marker honors the memory of 9 Amercian Service Members who lost their livies on August 5th, 1945 in Hiroshima, Japan, while being held as Prisioners of War.
As Daddy says, there is always something for everyone at historic sights. Since I am too young to understand, I enjoyed a few doggies I found.
A mural in the museum.
A sea of white stone, one for each POW who died at Andersonville.
More grave markers.
Six unknown Union Soliders buried shoulder to shoulder, known only to God. As they lived, they died.
A view across the cemetery.
Workers cleaning the cemetery on a hot humid Georgia day. These workers honor the commitment made by President Lincoln 150 year earlier. Their sacrifice will never be forgotten.
On another day, we traveled out to Fort Mitchell, Alabama. There, Daddy visited the Fort Mitchell National Veterans' Cemetery. It is across the river from Columbus on the back side of Fort Benning, GA. It was open in the 1980s to accommedate large Veteran and Military Population of the area. It is one of 131 National Cemeteries maintained by the Veterans Administration (VA).
Since this is a newer cemetery, the vast majority buried here did not die in battle. However, a few did and they are in the company of many men and women who distingished themselves in service of our nation.
Here is the grave of Captain Narvie Nowling Jr, who fought in both Korean War and Vietnam War and is the recipient of the Silver Star, Bronze Star and Purple Heart.
Sergeant Jerry R. Evans fell in Afghan War.
Sergeant Johnny W. Lumpkin fell very late in the Iraq War.
Staff Sergeant William J. Lines, served in Vietnam and is the recipient of the Distingished Service Cross (Second only to the Congressional Medal of Honor) and Bronze Star.
A view across one of the sections.
The stones through the trees.
As I said, this is a new cemetery. Still, it is a very peaceful and beautiful resting place set aside to honor the memory of men and women who served our nation in peace and war. The four men above are but a few who represent the honored traditions of the Armed Forces of the United States of America. If for a brief moment only, pause and reflect on thier sacrifices as yet another Independance Day passes and we remain a free nation. The Home of the Free, because of the Brave.

Better late then never, the Cousins (Part V Vacation)

While I was in Georgia, I got to spend some quality time with my cousins and trust me, there are a lot of them. Not all were here, so here are a few of them!
Here is Jonathan, Drake and Jacob, and that is me with my back to the camera.
Here is me in orange and Drake, Jonathan, Jacob and Zachary.
Here we are on the bouncy thing.
Here I am running around!
Here I am again! Action shot...
and yet another. I was putting on a show!
He is me, Dalton, Gage and my aunt Bernie. I am the short one.
Me and Jonathan.
Here is Daddy's uncle Bill, Aunt Stacy, Jonathan and me. I am the short one.
Just more family, got a big one.