Our Rose of Sharon

. . .did very well this year in spite of the nitrogen-robbing raw wood shavings I ignorantly piled around it this spring.  Remember when?

Olivia's 75th Birthday at Our House

The Magician delighted children, teens, adults . . .

Sadie's painting: tulips, sunflower, pine and hearts . . .

The Bonfire

Long time friends:  Leona, Olivia, Judy Baker

Chaz Sez: Picasso

At times we meet 

Those who find themselves 

Horrified by the personal lives of 

Artists & writers I personally am neutral 

On this subject 

I personally Say yes they are such twits 

But man look at this ART 

I don't care about these themes 

When I think about Picasso 

I just would like to spend a 

Few days with him and his boys 

Working on art 

Talking about  Painting & 

Geometry & and Girls 

Having crazy famous and brave 

People dropping by in the mornings 

Afternoons spent our on the 

Veranda with Dora & Lee & Nusch

Sunning ourselves and comparing 

Stories about the 

Minotaur and walking around the studio filled with canvases 

And being shown the magic pieces     

Meanwhile, back East . . .

More flooding from a second tropical storm to the west and a hurricane to the east, a foot of rain the past day or so.
Just a bit of water backing up in a basement drain and water in the garage, hopefully that will be it.
Looks like we will top what Agnes did in 1972 and have the wettest year on record, this after no rain in June and July.

Tim took the photo of the Delaware River on his way to a meeting at Columbia Law School in New York today, we shall see if he gets back to Baltimore tonight for a flight to Boston tomorrow morning to meet with New England Journal of Medicine again I think.


Lynne

In Work

Riches 2 (My Fabulous Figs 2)

(p.s. I just can't resist painting heart-shaped fig leaves for some reason.)

What I Heard at 4 AM Outside My Bedroom Window

THIS went on for over 30 minutes.

Playing the 'Big Uke" in Winthrop

Just a Photo from Last Week Inside Chaz's Studio

Lori Sez: Look who it is!!!

Not sure what happened. Vets are scratching their heads too.  Maybe the weekly adequan shots from last June to Jan.  Who knows but I am going with it!  A couple months ago he was able to eat hay again, very exciting!  Then my father in law, Harv, grew tons of carrots for the horses this year and about a month ago he tells me how much THAT horse likes carrots.  I said no he cant eat the stuff.  Harv said I was nuts, that guy loved 'em.  So I took a handful and sure enough he gobbled them down! Last summer, fall and winter he couldn't eat much of anything but a mash.  I had only exercised him on the ground since last summer and fall he was not safe to ride since he would fall if his head turned left.  Now I had to get on him!  He is doing great!  THere of course is still a "glitch"  in his range of motion in his head, neck, but he doesn't seem to be in any pain like he was last summer and he sure seems like he is having fun the couple races I took him to!  Could hardly keep him out of the arena!  I am taking it a day at a time, but praying the future holds many more runs for him!  If not I am thankful I at least got a chance to get back on him.  Fingers crossed and not giving up on him again until he tells me he is done!  Thanks Harv!  Lori

M and J and Horse

Melanie and Julia and unidentified Arabian horse in front of the farm a little while ago.  (Just look at the pale yellow house and see how small the rhododendron bushes are in front of the living room window.)

The Dock Workers at the Lake

Chaz and John bring it up to spec for another year.

Lori Writes: Papa's tractor saves the day!

So on with our venture into making hay.  It has been great, we have made the best hay I have ever fed.  Harv knocked down the whole field then I got on the tedder to spread it out.  All was going well and then WHAM it felt like the whole front end broke, I about peed my pants!  I mashed the brakes as I watched the tire roll out in front. That is where the tire landed too about 15 feet in front!  So we pulled the tedder off and brought out Papa's International to save the day!  Now we just have to fix John's before we need the baler! 

Chaz Dreams: LAST NIGHT

I dreamt last night that I was

alone with Walt Whitman on an

old wooden schooner out in the

long island sound Walt was

reciting out loud Oh Captain My Captain

and the boat was strangely becalmed in

the waters and I was 

staring intently at Whitman staring into

his eyes as he so plaintively made

the spirit of Abraham Lincoln come alive

to me and I cried as Lincoln's body appeared

before Walt and I appeared so I could really

understand the creases and lines on his

face caused by doing all that he could to

hold this country together in a time of chaos

The boat rocked in the waves and the ropes flapped

for lack of wind Life had gone out of the sails just

as the spirit of America had lost it's wind

when Lincoln was assassinated

As the heat of the day began to bear down 

upon us Whitman leaned over and whispered

"You know the Civil War never ended.  The

War was only suppressed until now."

Charles

From Eason, July 31st

I Shout "Thalassa! Thalassa!"

. . . after driving for 5 long hours, then stumbling around the corner of the little house to this stunning view of the sea . . .

Big man, but the BIGGEST cedar!

At old homestead in Quinault rainforest

Worker guy lighting his barbeque

Fabulous breeze and Eliot gets his kite to do some acrobatics into the sunset.

A few days vacation with Eliot, Kyra, Eason and July at the Pacific Ocean.  Splashing in waves, kite flying, hiking in the rain forest, uke playing . . .

For more photos go here . . .

Just a Great Photo

Julia took this of Slavko (or at least his head)  and Nada at home in Milna.

Hallelujah! Finally Fabulous Figs . . .

For years I have brooded over my little fig tree that Pavle planted at Brizak's End.  I would watch it carefully, water it well, tie it up securely and hopefully.  Each year it was the same:  no figs.  Last year, after feeling a rush of joy at what I thought to be a lone fig but turned out to be a leaf curled in the shadow, I abandoned hope.    It was, as Ivo once said, maybe just a decorative variety.  What a bitter joke!

But then, this year, Julia sends me unexpected tidings.  I own a fertile fig tree!!!!!  No more swiping the neighbors figs when I think they are not looking!  (Just kidding?)   I have my own! I am a rich man!!!

Blake, Tate, Tim

Before heading home, Tim makes it to the Tate Gallery to see some Blake originals.

Tim writes:  Beneath the small painting (bottom) 
Blake wrote in easy to decipher script  
"everything is an attempt to be human"   

Unkie Calls Home

Tim  was out quite late, they had martinis at the Duke's, where James Bond drank them in the movies, Tim didn't but everyone else did, then they went to the Ritz in Mayfair but decided it was a bit too posh and settled on dinner at the Dorchester, waited on by 5 waiters, he had Chateaubriand. He got back to his room around 1 am, he is going to try to get up and go to the Tate tomorrow before he flies back. He is happily enjoying this trip which seems to be a bit of reward for all his hard work.

that is the latest.

Lynne

Photos (from top):

Old Oxford main street
Oxford University (Harry Potter?)
Fish n chips in pub at same location since 1484

Unkie in UK!

Uncle Tim is in the United Kingdom for a few days for some business with Oxford University.

Despite having thrown his back out at work the day before he left and being "sick to his stomach today from the pain meds" Lynne says, he was determined to do a couple of hours sightseeing.

Here's his photo of Westminster Abbey, looking suitably Gothic under lowering skies,  and to prove he was really there, a photo of himself before the doors leading to the famous Poet's Corner.