I Hear Summer's Swan Song and the Beginning of the Snow Bird's Gentle Melody In My Ear...

As promised a few shots of the family gathering....it's the first one we've had in a few years...it was lots of fun and the weather co-operated as well....the best shot is of five generations represented by my mother..my sister Donna...her daughter Chirsty...her daughter Ashley...and her newborn daughter Madeline named after my mom...We all had a great time playing volleyball..my side lost twice..thru no fault of mine of course..by that time all the old farts were so tired we could hardly breath....after some rest and food we got a little batting practice started...My son Kevin's kids are all into sports and are very good at it....Kevin pitched and we all took swings at the ball...emphasis on "swings"....I surprised myself and actually hit some major league shots over everyones's heads...well maybe not major league...more like local picnic league...my daughter-in-law Dianne actually did pretty well for herself....look at that form...she had some good hits...for a girl... as my grandson said.....Ah...the male chauvinist lives on...some of us still cling to the hope that all is not lost...that we can still open doors, still say hello with a head nod, and still have hope that not all women want to be 100% equal if it means that men will stop treating them as ladies and adoring them for their kinder, gentler ways.....however more and more women relish their right to unequivocal equalness...I actually had a women sneer at me as I held the door for her...as if, with that one look.. she was saying, "Yeah..what generation are you living in pig, I can handle this door and anything else, without your help"....I hope the day never comes where all women feel the same way...I don't think it will happen...most women like the added attention as long as it's with respect....they just won't admit it out loud...

I got word from my friend Richard down in sunny and hot Englewood that I had missed Pioneer Days a local event and parade that salutes the founders of the town....one of the events they have are cardboard boat races and I'm amazed at the detail of some of these craft....as you can see most of them don't make it to the finish line...hell most of them don't make past the point of impact with the water...some people must have a lot of free time on their hands to come up with something like this pirate ship...I hope it won...it would be ashamed if it sunk at the starting line...

Suzy's daughter and daughter in law both had babies in the last two weeks...here is one of them I think this one is Grace...she is now ahead of me in the grand kid count...but I'm not worried...I've got six kids she only has three...in another few years I'll be swamped in curtain climbers...aren't grand kids great...you get to feed them and play with them and then give them back to mommy and daddy to take care of until you want to play with them again....

Travis sent me some great pictures of his new duties in the desert...he's still training people on weapons and getting them qualified on the range...but get a load of the range...its like the Air Force just dropped them in the middle of the desert and stuck a few lights and little else in the sand dunes....he was in the desert at Edwards but at least that desert had some scrub cactus and other scenery...I'd hate to wander to far from this range... even a few hundred yards and you would never find your way back if the wind was blowing....Travis is settling in and looking forward to his duties and the chance to get some more on line education in his free time...doesn't he look like the perfect poster boy for an Air Force ad...that's my boy...please keep him and all of our service men and women in your prayers.....

I finally heard from Kyle...he is registered in school in Cheyenne Wyoming and will be majoring in conservation and wildlife management...he sounds happy and content and he is doing very well in school...swears he will get a 4.0 average...way to go Kyle...I sent a book to his English teacher who requested one after Kyle bragged about it...I hope she's not disappointed....Kyle only sent me one picture...a few friends and he visited a nearby gravel pit turned into a park...looks like a very beautiful place...they had a good time...he has some good friends out there that seem to be looking out for him...I've heard that Wyoming people are some of the best at making people feel welcome...I guess that's true....

Guess that's it for now....I will be getting a mention in the Rochester paper about the book and the upcoming book fair at our local library...my publisher is still shooting for the end of October for book two....that will be great!

Til Next Time

Semper Fi

Monk