Quickberry, Quackberry, Pick me a blackberry!

Rumble and ramble
In blackberry bramble
Billion of berries
for blackberry jamble

(from Jamberry by Bruce Degen)

Blackberry pancakes.....Solomon approved.

Wisconsin ....smell the dairy-air.(hehe, i stole that from a cheddarhead t-shirt)

It has been a long time since my last post....and I have way too many pictures to prove it(as you will soon find out). Our trip home to Wisconsin was lovely and It was so wonderful to see all of our family! It was a lot of traveling though and it took me a while to recover....hence the delay in my posting. I am so proud of my kids for being so good on the trip down to the wedding in Iowa..it was a LONG drive..We got lost in the middle of nowhere on the way back while the sky turned an eerie shade of pinkish red as a thunderstorm rolled in. I can't tell you how many nightmares I have had that begin the same way. But we made it.
It was so wonderful to see good friends and family, some for the very first time. As always time went WAY too fast and we only got to do a handful of things we had hoped to do.
It is kind of like giving birth....going home that is....you forget all the pain you went through(travel woes) as time goes on and only remember the wonderful moments, and before you know your doing it all over again.
Hopefully our dear family members will come visit US next.

Wildflowers on the bluffs near La Crosse.

Sophie and her grandpa...on a rare break from Guitar Hero.

Solomon ...so tiny in the firetruck.

Promises kept to my dear Sophie, I can't believe I can still skate.

This made me so happy, It has been ages since I last caught a toad(or even seen one for that matter).

Swimmin with Nana..

Faerie sandcastles.
Trempeleau .....I try to see this place with fresh eyes and find peace with past.

A dear friend who was lost way too soon.

Sophie enjoying the view from Forrest's overlook .

Oregon Country Fair 2009

Hello! The fair this year was wonderful. We all had a great time. I had been preparing for weeks to sell a few things at the fair but after the last minute trip planning and deciding to go a day early I just didn't have the time to make that happen this year. On the bright side I will have several new things on my Etsy shop in the very near future.
We camped at Quiet Camp this year which was quiet the first night...maybe only due to the rain outside. A really sweet couple camped next to us, they had two little girls who became instant friends with Sophie. They shared their pancakes and cocoa for breakfast, and the mama did Sophie's hair and painted her face for the fair.The perfect camping neighbors really...unlike the loud annoying teenagers on mushrooms on the other side(but that's another story).
We left a day early .....only to avoid a huge rainstorm on Sunday...I heard it was quite the muddy mess. Whew..

I loved the sink at our camp.

The only thing this picture needs is bubbles.

It was a long walk from camp to the gates.

The man-powered Hippypotamus.

It was the 40th year of the fair!Make way....

...make way...

....make way for the magic......

...of the dragon.

This cute lady painted many a boob.

Look, even Jimi Hendrix was there....

This is my favorite costume.

Finally, a little space to run free.
I love this sign....

Solomon: A self portrait

I love finding random pictures by Solomon on my camera. Lots of slobbery chin close ups and photos of the couch and blurry pictures of the floor. But I just had to share this one.

Half Birthday Celebration

Hurray for the sweetest boy I know! 18 months already?!
Solomon is a very busy little guy. He loves cuddling up to read books although he lacks the patience to finish one. He is saying several new words a week. Tonight before bed he touched my head and said "head" and then he poked my eye and said"eye" and then "Euce"(gross).He is deadly afraid of bugs, mostly house flys.

We celebrated the day with a trip to the zoo with Sophie , and then we walked down to the toy store in the evening to let Solomon chose a new toy. He happily found the stroller at the end of the store and couldn't give it up. He tried it out with his monkey when we got home. I am sure it will get a lot of use over the next few years. Good choice Sollie.
Thank you for coming into my life. Here's to you babe.

I mean, come on.....

Goat buddy.

Trying out the goods.

To Market, To Market

Another visit to the market, Happy Belated Solstice!

Solomon had a great time dancing to the African marimba band. What a cute little monkey!

The doughnut lady (check out her glasses).

We like to play at the Waldorf School playground after the Market.

Look what I found,,,a five foot tall Hollyhock! Yes, planted from seed this year! My Hollyhocks are 2 inches tall that I grew from seed. SO I am thrilled, I planted it out front and am hoping it will thrive there. It seems everything I plant out there dies,although the daisies are still doing well. Wish me luck.