September

Lincoln has had more than its share of rain during September--which was great for the new grass I am trying to grow after the grubs ate half of our front lawn.

Nearly 4 inches in a couple days left us with a small stream in the back of the house.

We had a great evening with Jeff, Lindsay and Celeste!

Lindsay turns 30!

This is not what one wishes for right before leaving town for 10 days.

Kitchen faucet that leaks both above and below the counter.

Of course no parts can be found for a 7 year old faucet that has been discontinued.  No new parts will match the old.  Cooking without water and doing dishes in the basement are inconvenient at best.  Thankfully with two plumber trips and new faucet, handles and sprayer ($$$$) we now have running water in the kitchen again.  What a concept!  "One does not miss the water until the well runs dry."


This fall Rusty and I were thrilled that my sister, Dar, and her husband, Tom, joined us on our Boundary Waters trip in northern MN.

Dar and Tom get their fishing licenses at Piragis.

We enjoyed this view over Shagwa Lake after a nice dinner at The Ely Lodge.

The next morning we had the traditional breakfast at Brittons and then drove northwest for 50 minutes up the Echo Trail to our entry point.

Steve, Dar and Tom paddling down the Little Indian Sioux River

On day two the fishing began in earnest.  We caught 9 fish, mostly northern and bass.

Tom was the super fisher-person of the day.  Bass as big as a toaster!

Thank goodness Steve could be counted on for cleaning and fileting the fish.

Dar takes her turn doing dishes

There's always time for some philosophical discussions.

This was our island home for five days.

Our campsite on the island

We set up base camp on Shell Lake and day-tripped into nearby lakes.

Me, enjoying a calm day.

Rusty paddles his wooden canoe.

Dar stayed bundled up--I think it was a bit chilly for her.

Most portages were a little rocky

This portage had huge boulders.

It's not easy to carry a canoe or a pack over rocks like these.

Loving every minute.

Getting ready for happy hour

Steve did the cooking.

Steve's home grown zucchini on the grill.  Yummy!

a beautiful evening

Rusty and his pretty wooden canoe

Dar caught several bass   (okay, maybe not the biggest, but the tastiest)

This rushing waterfall was at the peak of a portage where we had lunch.

lunch on the go

3-person canoe paddling in the wilderness

last portage of the trip---all uphill

Many thanks to Dar and Tom for making this especially memorable!


Meanwhile, back in Lincoln...

one of the last Veronica blooms and a fall butterfly

The original wheels on my 9 year old Felt bicycle have almost 15,000 miles on them, so I did an upgrade.

Mavic wheels with red hubs---sweet!

Rusty's hip has been giving him difficulty for some time now.  He says, "My infrastructure is crumbling."  On October 18 he will have hip-replacement surgery.

August, staying home

April, May, June and July each had a significant travel adventure.   August has been a mostly stay-at-home-and-get-caught-up-with-friends month.

August has been a "toes up" month.

I've spent plenty of mornings and evenings enjoying the new Le Beanock (half beanbag, half hammock).  Whether it's a morning cup of coffee or an evening glass of  wine, I enjoy looking out over the garden.

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I especially like seeing all the lovely visitors to my flowers.  The hummingbirds, gold finch, butterflies and bees are all very attracted to my my large zinnia bed.

All these gorgeous flowers are from the seeds I harvest from the previous year.

Our oak tree was finally big enough to host its first robin's nest.

This little guy (center) was the last to leave the nest.

Even the humble day-lily is pretty.

I celebrated my 69th birthday with a 30 mile bike ride in the morning and then dinner with Rusty at Dish, our favorite restaurant.

Me and my favorite guy!

We've become acquainted with Phil and Barbara Heckman through church and various music performances.  This lovely couple invited us to dinner at their condo on top of The Stuart Building in downtown Lincoln.

 Our fellow diners were fascinating individuals who are currently directors in local theater.

Barbara (center) was the most gracious of hosts!

Phil and Rusty get to the finer points.

Rusty and I attended our very first concert at The Pinnacle Bank Arena.  (I know, we're probably the only people in Lincoln who waited this long to see the inside of the new arena.)

It was a night of fun with Earth, Wind, and Fire.

It's always fun for us to meet up with Lou, Karl, Dave and Sue.  We keep the dinners simple, but the company and conversation are extraordinary!

Lou & Karl

Sue and Dave

Di & Rusty

Rusty sits in regularly with Peter's band at Blue Bloods.

I had an unfortunate incident with my contact lenses and ended up tearing the cornea in my left eye.

It took me "out of the game" for nearly a week.  No biking with one eye!

Rusty said I looked like the Uni-Bomber.

The Rusty White Quartet performed at Blue Bloods--first time for Rusty being the star performer and the band leader at the same time.

Olivia's birthday isn't until Sept. 8, but I paid a visit to KC and we celebrated just a little early.

I love spending time with Reece and Pierce.

Pierce doing the birthday dance for his Mama.

Olivia loves watching the boys perform for her.