June, a very hot month

According to today's newspaper, June was one of the hottest on record with over half the days over 90 degrees.  The grass is brown around the edges and the much-hated grasshoppers from last year have already started to devour my beans.  The tomatoes, however, are looking great!

We decided we'd had enough of charcoal grilling and purchased a gas grill.  We find we enjoy cooking out many times during the week since it's so easy.

Grillin' chicken.

This year I again joined the National Bike Challenge, which encourages people to ride bikes often and log their miles.  There are competitions and prizes for states and cities of comparable sizes.  Since I was able to ride every single day in June, I earned bonus points for our Just Sayin' team.  I rode 585 miles in June, and am well over 1800 miles for the year.  It's been a great way for me to get back in shape!  My goal is to be able to ride a century (100 miles) during the Cornhusker State Games.



Now that school is over for both of us, work on the canoe has resumed.  For protection, the bottom of the canoe receives a graphite-resin coating.  It will be below the water line, and not spoil the look of the cedar strip wooden boat.

Rusty uses a laser on a jig to mark the line for the graphite-resin coating.

It felt like we were birthing a baby when we wiggled and jiggled the canoe up and off of the mold.

The canoe sits next to it's mold.

Although it looks a lot like a canoe, it's a long way from begin finished!  The inside of the boat is much harder to scrape and sand than the outside.  Then begins the process of cloth and resin.  Then more sanding, etc. etc.

Hand-carved seat with natural cane.

I spent months caning the two seats that Rusty carved from walnut.  There was lots and lots of swearing, as the natural cane needs to be pulled taught, yet snaps if it's pulled too hard.  Most caned seats are done in a square or rectangle pattern.  As you can see in the picture, this one was a little more difficult.


On a beautiful summer evening, we attended a First Plymouth Sunday outdoor service. First there was food and drink, then music, then a short sermon from Pastors Jim and Jacob.

Eddie Brown connects with the crowd.

Fun music!

Gretchen has taken 3 obedience classes, but I'd be the first to admit she has a long way to go.  She's in her teenage years (almost 10 months) and often tests her will against ours.

She's compliant here, but not willingly so.

When she's worn out, she's a delight!

Rusty visited his daughter, Anna, in NYC this month.  She had surgery last month to (again!) remove a tumor on her pituitary gland.  She seems to be recovering well and the doctors believe they got all of the tumor.

Rusty wasn't interested in most of the touristy things, but they had a fun day in Central Park.

Rusty got to meet Anna's girlfriend, Michelle, who is very sweet and makes Anna happy.

Michelle, Anna, Rusty

Anna lives with Michelle's family (the Bobrows) on Long Island, near Queens.  Rusty got to meet all of the family, had dinner with them, and went to a Mets game.

Richard Bobrow, Rusty, Michelle, Anna

Cute couple!

Rusty and I celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary with a 3-day trip to Ponca, NE.  We rented a cabin in Ponca State Park, which is truly one of Nebraska's gems.  The park has over 1400 acres of heavily forested rolling hills and is gorgeous!  It offers swimming, boating, fishing, shooting, horseback riding, hiking, an education center, and much more.

The sculpture near the entrance depicts the three primary eras of natural wildlife history in the region.

Lookout over the Missouri River.  The Iowa side is where Sgt. Floyd from the Lewis and Clark Expedition lost his life due to a ruptured appendix.

We stayed in a rustic cabin.  With a screened porch, air-conditioning, stove, refrigerator, bathroom and shower, it didn't seem rustic to us.

This park also has modern cabins, which look to be nicer than most people's homes.  Give Ponca State Park a look when planning your next group event!

While staying in Ponca State Park, we took a day-trip to Ashfall Fossil Beds.  About 12 million years ago, a volcano in the southwest corner of Idaho erupted and sent volcanic ash over a very large area.  One or two feet of the ash fell on prehistoric animals in what we know today as Nebraska, suffocating and killing them all.  Now the area is owned by UNL and paleontologists are working to uncover more of the skeletons.

A UNL paleontologist answers questions for us.

bones of a barrel-chested rhino

Rusty observes the skeletons of prehistoric animals

Outside the building, near the prehistoric watering hole, are the remains of many animals.  Camels, 3-toed horses, etc.

Back in Ponca State Park, we hiked up to see a tree that is 372 years old.

On the last day of our trip we stopped at Bancroft, NE to tour the John G. Neihardt Center.

The Sacred Hoop Garden

Two roads cross the Hoop of the World, one from east to west,and one from south to north.

Like sunrise and sunset, life appears to progress from east to west on a hard black road of worldly difficulty. The red road from south to north is one of spiritual understanding.

Where the two paths cross each other is holy; there springs the tree of life to shield us, filled with leaves, blossoms and singing birds.