AMANDA

 

Last night, Duane's granddaughter, Amanda, graduated from high school.  What a proud moment. 

 

 

Amanda has truly become my granddaughter as well.  She came into my life when she was four years old, and has been in my heart ever since.

 

 

She was such a sweet child, and has grown into an extraordinary young lady.

 

 

She has become a shining example for her sister Valerie and her cousin Madeline to follow.  Not only has she gotten straight A's throughout her school years, but she has unfailingly been kind, gentle, sincere, and an upstanding Christian.

 

 

She has even caught the eye of the son of her pastor at church.

 

 

But, she's not always serious, and loves even the most insignificant competition.

 

 

And, is always fun to be around.

 

 

Oh, did I mention that she is also beautiful?

 

 

So, whether she's riding off into the sunset, singing in the choir, or doing calculus, we are so happy to have Amanda in our lives.  God Bless You Sweetheart!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Maddie

It's amazing to me that my granddaughter Maddie is turning 10 years old this year.  She is such a delight, and so precious to me.  The following photos will show why I love her so much.  They are not necessarily in chronological order, but they capture those instances that filled my heart with love.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEETHEART!!!

 

 

 

 

The Backyard

 

We love our backyard.  There are many aspects to our yard.  This is a view of the pool from the "Way Back", a term we've been using to separate the regular yard from the rest of the acre of property.

 

 

In the "Way Back" are many trees such as the Arizona Tree on the right with its yellow blossoms.  Through the trees you can see our garage with the apartment on top.

 

 

Here is another view of the Arizona Tree----so named by our dear friend Marian who gave us the tree and told us it came from Arizona.  The bees, especially the big black ones just love it.  In the foreground you can see our Tulip Tree with its purple blossoms.  It was what we call a "volunteer".  Many things begin growing in our yard that we didn't plant.

 

 

A volunteer from many years ago is this fig tree.  We like most of the fruit that our trees produce,  like----lemons, limes, plums and avocados, but we have just never gotten into figs.  This is just a small sampling of the hundreds of figs we get each year.

 

 

To keep everything healthy and happy needs a lot of TLC, like hand watering.  Farmer Duane is an expert at this.

 

 

In addition to fruit, we grow vegetables in the "Way Back".  Here you can see our cucumbers and zucchini doing beautifully.  Once again, Farmer Duane has been the key factor in their success.

 

 

Many pests threaten our vegetables----squirrels, rabbits, crows, so we need to get creative.  Nothing like a watch goose for this.  This bed has not yet fully sprouted.

 

 

One tree that doesn't need much help is the lemon.  It is ever bearing and we have lemons like these all year long.  What a blessing!

 

 

Not all vegetables are grown in the "Way Back".  We don't take any chances with our tomatoes and peppers, so we grow them in pots on our patio.  As you can see, the tomatoes are doing nicely.

 

 

At the end of a long day of gardening, that pool looks mighty nice!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wine a Little, You'll Feel Better

It is no surprise to anyone who knows us, that Duane and I love wine----especially Woodbridge Cabernet Sauvignon by Robert Mondavi.  So, at the urging of my son Adam, and daughter-in-law, Melissa, we have been trying to "branch" out a little. 

 

After one of Adam and Melissa's trips to wine country, they gifted us with a bottle of Fess Parker, complete with Davy Crocket's coonskin cap, and etched glasses.  Yes, Fess Parker started his own winery in Santa Barbara, and played the legendary Davy Crocket for many years on TV.

 

 

Since then, Duane and I have done a little tasting on our own, and have discovered the magical and extensive variety of wines at the some of the thousands of wineries in California.

 

 

Pictured here is Leoness Cellars in Temecula, California.  It is a quaint and beautiful spot with gorgeous landscaping, a chateau setting and a fabulous restaurant.  On a whim we decided to visit this winery which is one where Adam and Melissa are members.

 

 

When we let Adam and Melissa know we were in Temecula, they couldn't wait to join us.

 

 

We met them at Callaway Winery, which was one of the first in Temecula.

 

 

There, we had our first glimpse of an automatic wine tasting machine.  You just slide your credit card, and are able to taste as many varieties as you wish.  This comes in handy when there are 3 deep at the wine tasting counters.

 

 

Adam also told us a lot about the different types of grapes, and we got to see the various vines.  Here's Duane in front of his fave----cabernet.

 

 

Although it was a cold and windy day with many clouds, the vistas were amazing, and here you see a smattering of the grape vines that populate thousands of acres in the area.

 

 

Our last stop that day, was at Europa Village, a fairly new winery where Adam and Melissa are members.  They actually participated in the harvest one night, and are shown here with their friends Gregg and Rachel.  I wonder if we will end up doing this someday too???

 

 

Now we are getting all sorts of wine gifts----this one from son Scott and family.  I'm happy to say that we have also become members of the Leoness Cellars Winery and are awaiting our next shipment soon. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Ducks Ducks Ducks

We definitely have a duck theme going on in our lives.  I've always liked them, and my favorite child's book is Make Way For Ducklings.  For Easter, when I was a child, my parents would present me with live baby ducks.  They would be cute for a while, then grow into the larger white variety.
My Uncle Leo would then come over and tell us he was taking them to a farm............hmmmmm.

 

Duane loved ducks at an early age too.  He took a different approach, however, and started hunting them when he got his first shotgun.  In Wisconsin, they were plentiful, and his mother loved making a duck dinner during hunting season.

 

 

Duck hunting requires lots of equipment, including the latest in camouflage sportswear.

 

 

You also need to indoctrinate the younger generation in the fine points of shooting.

 

 

Duck hunting can be peaceful and beautiful at dawn, especially with a loyal dog at your side.

(Paul's dog Jake in lower right corner.)

 

 

Ducks are everywhere in our house, and even in our pool.

 

 

Just had to get a duck chlorinator last year.  The problem was that it attracted real ducks and they can make a real mess of your pool.

 

 

When all is said and done, it's great to have the hunter become the cook.

 

 

Then, when hunting season is over, it's back to Make Way For Ducklings!