I enjoyed a wonderful trip with friends to Seattle, Victoria and on the Rocky Mountaineer train to Kamloops and Jasper and then by bus to Lake Louise and Banff. We flew home from Calgary. We all absolutely loved everything--the people we met, the food we ate and the spectacular scenery. Here are a few pics

Young bear along the road to Lake Louise

View from the train showing some of the car we were in--we highly recommend Rocky Mountaineer.

Sunrise at Lake Louise. We stayed one night at the Chateau Lake Louise--just wonderful!

Thank you, Canada, for a wonderful trip.

Maire, I live just ten minutes from exotic Manayunk. We should have met up! Your daughter has great legs, btw. Bet she got them from you. I love the fabrics and the charred wood. I do hope you will be posting pictures of the new place. Will it have such an inviting pool?

i am enjoying these pics very much. Love little Jake.

oh, I spent time picking fabrics, too. Here' what I chose for the porch furniture.

Kitchenwitch, I first fell in love with the Griffins when I saw Verdell (sp?), in the movie "As Good As It Gets". Jake is sweeeeet.

me too, i live near Manayunk!! ill have to remember that place, Maire, do u remember the name of it? we went to FL to visit DD while she does her clinicals for OT

first one is at Lauderdale-by-the-Sea and 2nd one is at Del-Ray beach.

hanging down at Morgan's Pier, its almost under the Ben Franklin Bridge!! beautiful moonlit night in Philly.!

What amazing summers you all are having! Due to an extended leave from work over the spring, I don't have time to go play this summer. :( I did have a few weekend outings-a concert in Seattle, my neice's wedding in Big Bear CA. This weekend my son and I are going to the coast to visit my daughter (and deliver some furniture) so we might get a couple hours to play out on the beach before we head back home.

I did get to spend a glorious 30 hours with my sweet baby grandson while his parents were out of town at a wedding. Just the boy and I, and it was great. He's the sweetest baby.

My big event this summer will be the total eclipse. Then it's back to just the same old same old. But next summer I've got plans to enjoy myself! Some travel is in the works.

dedtired and sprtphn - I hadn't been to Manayunk in ages and DH decided to use the Navigation in his car which hadn't been updated in a while. It was an interesting trip since we drove around for a while and his 'turn left in 500' turned out to be a one way street and we would have been going the wrong way.

We managed to find the place - Manayunk Lumber. There were hundreds of beams to look at. After about 5 minutes they all started to look alike. But DH was very happy. I'll have to take a picture when they finally put the mantel up.

Dedtired - I love your fabric selection. Your porch furniture will look so sharp.

Sprt - Neat shots of the bridge. You have a great photographer's eye.

Maire

thanks Maire, and i await for the finished photos!! enjoy the rest of your "working" summer. i am thrilled for u that things are getting accomplished!!

LOVE your blue PA stone, LOVE LOVE LOVE!!! new home is going to look FAB!!!!

Sprtphn, I recognized the Ben right away. Nice shot.

I love seeing everyone's adventures. My words aren't as eloquent as Maire's and I haven't been on any wonderful trips. How I'm spending my summer vacation (not me personally but supervising the contractor):

Things are progressing nicely, and we will enjoy a much-needed vacation in September. During construction, our wonderful friends are letting us use their second home complete with an amazing view and pool and only a short distance from our home. They don't spend the summers here. In a way, it feels like a little vacation!

We aren't traveling this summer. We've had some fun evenings out. Foreigner and Cheap Trick Concert at Bethel Woods(and we are going back to see Santana in 2 weeks!). Dinners and lunches out with friends. We are camping this weekend.

I've been working on our front gardens:

And we are building a fence on the other side of the house so I'll have a secured place to garden without worrying about the deer. This is my dh and dd working on it:

I've been to a few weddings this summer which is kind of unusual. Here's the wedding venue I was at last weekend - a historic resort on a lake in MN.

Paddle boarding on Lake Erie. On our area of Lake Erie paddle boarding is a new thing so I have been getting lots of questions and comments.

We live here for about 12 weeks in summer after escaping the Florida heat near Naples FL.

Erie has been temperamental this summer. One day calm and the next day 6-7 foot waves. Weather has been the same 86 and humid one day and the next 68 and windy.

All in all a good summer.

Robo, thanks for starting such a fun thread! I do have to tell you, though, that every time I head back to this thread to read the latest posts, I first have to take another peek at your Penny covered in mud. So funny and cute! It always makes me smile.

This is fun!

I already shared some pics from our trip to Korea. Here's Maui, where we stopped for a week after Korea.

And a great show from the hydrangeas at our beach house (in New England, not Hawaii!).

Yes it is a fun thread Robo! Sue, your blue hydrangeas are beautiful. I have white and pink. Hmmm I may need blue too! My pink is potted so I could do that with a blue one.

We rarely travel in summer, preferring spring and fall. I love the slowed-down pace of summer though. Many complain of the heat/humidity in the south, and it can be bad, but I still love summer. Our summer has been a tad bit milder this year (low 80's this weekend!!) and lots of rain early summer has so far kept us from a drought. Good for the gardens and flowers too. We spend lots of time at the lake and our nearby mountains are an escape with the heat is too much.

We did put up a pergola on our back patio (took down the arbor) and got a shade top for it (think heavy duty sunbrella). Bought a few new pieces of outdoor wicker, a rug, etc. and have enjoyed that area.

We had a thunderstorm pass north of us earlier this month, and I got some cool cloud pictures. This first one is the strangest cloud I have ever seen.

A couple of minutes later, this same cloud looked like this:

And then, off to the right, I saw this - also very cool. Somehow it reminds me of the Last Supper:

We returned home a Sunday after spending 17 days in Akron, Ohio where I volunteer at the All-American Soap Box Derby. Always a great time seeing many friends we've made from around the country. This year we took our Bingo for the first time. He was the best little traveler and became quite the celebrity. I spent much of my time in the Derby office and Bingo moved right in making himself at home.

ESPN was around for 3 days and interviewed my brother, nephew and great niece for a story that aired on Saturday. 3 generations of racers! After living out of a hotel room and eating out every day, I was happy to be home...until next July when I'll be back at it.

Been reading all of these posts and looking at the pictures with interest! I was feeling a little drab and dreary the day I posted this so I have really been uplifted by all your interesting and various adventures. I'm trying to respond on mobile so it involves a lot of scrolling!

delilah66 I hope you had a great week with your friends and didn't hit the booze tooooo hardcore! You already made a pretty good start!

outsideplaying, stunning wedding photo! What a gorgeous setting. That lodge is amazing as well. Haven't spent much time in the mountains, actually I've lived my whole life probably 500 feet from sea level. But I would love to visit and see some of that gorgeous scenery for myself.

Dedtired, your trip looks amazing. Those gorges are so impressive. I would love to visit Spain and Portugal, especially the countryside.

arcy, that park looks so much like Nova Scotia! Very familiar scenery. Gorgeous! It's amazing to me how much a giant lake can feel like an ocean.

maire your entry made me laugh out loud, I've been there! Like last year when I painted half of my cottage by myself on beautiful summer days. That vintage wood is gorgeous, no wonder your husband is so pleased! Hoping we get to see some pictures of the final product… Hint hint.

terriks thanks for sharing photos of your interesting journey! Do you find the walking very meditative? Ever get the urge to hitchhike? It's an amazing trek!

Junco- sounds like the trip of a lifetime! I'm trying to convince my in-laws to go on the Rocky Mountaineer so I can live vicariously through them. I think they would have a great trip and could even combine it with an Alaskan cruise perhaps. They are just getting back today from a river cruise in Europe and I am really enjoying the few pictures and news they have sent along.

Dedtired I think your furniture is gonna look great! Very fresh.

sprtphntc7a love those Florida pictures! I hope you enjoyed your trip. What a good excuse to go visit your daughter.

jana I really enjoyed your in progress shots! Such a blessing to be able to move out and into a very comfortable home! It really makes the renovation process so much less stressful, like takes it down from a 15 out of 10 to an 11 out of 10.

Lex your garden looks great! Love that fence too. I have been sorely neglecting my gardens this summer. To the point where my husband actually offered to go out and do some weeding! Might even take him up on it.

3katz another beautiful lodge! Did you like the setting? We have some historic lodges in Nova Scotia but nothing so nice. In fact the one that I have stayed at most often keeps burning down!

Cmm I would be intimidated to paddle board in any but the calmest of waters. Have you found it challenging with the waves? I did take a dive off the board the other day when I tried to stand up with my dog on it. So for now if she's on board I kneel, but when I'm standing I feel like a great big sail for the wind.

thanks Lynn :) she is a happy girl and happiest covered in dirt it seems!!

Beautiful pictures Sueb! Your hydrangeas look amazing, do you fertilize them with aluminum? I've never been to Hawaii and it's definitely on my list. I half heartedly planned a trip this winter that fell through.

littlebug is that an anvil cloud? Flattop thunderstorm cloud? I saw of those form over my head when I was working in a shelterless bog in Ontario. I got myself back to the car pretty quick!

Nhbaskets that doggy is pretty cute! I have to confess that I had to Google soapbox derby. Looks like an exciting and creative pastime! Have any of your family gone on to be car racers?

Robo, I had to look up Anvil Cloud! Yes, I guess it was. We got no rain at all but about one county north of us got lots.

I tried to take a picture of the happy field play crew this morning but I have a feeling my future does not rest in pet photography.

25 weeks!

Sueb, beautiful hydrangeas! Don't they change color depending on the soil acidity?

Littlebug, I love clouds, too! Your photos are great.

Looking good, Robo!

Donna

Robo you look great!

Wow, the little fellow is growing! You look so adorable, Robo. I think those middle months of pregnancy are the most fun. You're over the morning sickness and exhaustion and not so huge that you are uncomfortable.

Great pictures everyone! Robo, you are beautiful pregnant!

I had a fabulous vacation in Wales, Ireland and England. As usual though I packed too much in and hit the wall when I got home. Had a very painful Fibromyalgia and RA breakdown with loss of brain function. The good news is that I'm coming out of it and will try to get to the gym later. Swimming has helped greatly. I will try to post pictures later as most are on husbands phone.

Thanks to our nephew bumping us up to first class (had the honeymoon suite lol) my spine was rested for the trip over.

I do have a picture of my new shoes I bought in Bath though. The shops there were great and I found these made in Spain ones that fit my foot like a glove. It's the only thing I bought but did enjoy browsing.

We met up with the family in the mid Cotswolds for four days toward the middle of the trip and it was so very nice to see them. Lots of fun!

Wonderful photos, everyone!

Robo, you look BEAUTIFUL at 25 weeks!!!! I am over the moon with joy for you. You radiate good health and happiness!

Love these photos. Besides a quick trip to the desert, we don't vacation this year until October. Lots of work travel, but that doesn't count. I am trying to get back to sewing and finally found a dress form last weekend.

Her name is Heddy and here she is helping me fix a botched beach coverup. I had to pad her with a yard of batting so she looked like me. That's why some is sticking out of her spanx. DH helped by telling me I needed more padding. Truth!

Robo, glad you Googled the Soap Box Derby. My family has been involved since the mid-60's. We have done very well nationally with a World Champ (nephew), 2nd Place (brother), 3rd Place nephew) and 9th Place (niece). I raced in the early 70's when girls were first allowed. I'm now on the Board of Directors for the International Soap Box Derby. Yeah, it's in my blood.

Great pictures, all. Robo, I just wanted to say you were born to have dogs. You obviously trained your dog to perfection. Penny will be about a year older than your baby, just like our first dog was a year older than our first born. The dog lived to be 16, DS was 15, and it was quite a loss, but great memories left.

Oakley unfortunately my dog is super ill behaved :( extremely barky and a food thief. We are working very hard on the "no bark" command but it is a slow road. But she is very sociable and I trust her around all people incl. children and dogs.

Barking at passerby at our our rental cottage this weekend...>:(

The barking is the poodle side. They are very vocal. I've never been good at training the "no bark". Taught the Yorkie to heel and sit/stay before eating, but barking was outside my skill level.

Robo-you are so lovely.

Sueb-Your hydrangeas are gorgeous!

Robo, when you say food thief, do you mean counter surfer? Where you can't leave any food on the kitchen counter? We have two dogs like that now, it is a PITA. They are impossible to train. DH can't even leave the room for 2 seconds or the dog will eat his sandwich. lol

Sue, stunning hydrangeas!

Robo, congratulations!

Oakley, have you tried the pennies in a plastic bottle trick?

http://www.canineminded.com/stop-dog-jumping-countertops/

Just got home from the beach. The week went too fast as it always does. We've gone on some day trips to amusement parks and pools. We still have a few more things we're hoping to squeeze in before summer comes to an end.

I've enjoyed reading and seeing everyone's summer adventures. :)

What a beautiful photo, shee!

Yes Penny is a terrible counter surfer esp. with my husband, she always seems to take him by surprise.

We went over to PEI this weekend to see he musical Million Dollar Quartet: very fun!!

Stayed in the middle of farm country and woke up with the roosters.

One thing we always enjoy on the island is driving their designated scenic heritage roads. This one has been in use since the 1770s.

Lobster roll with a buttered toasted hotdog bun, real mayo, lobster, sprinkle paprika and nothing else, just the way it should be. And delicious local oysters.

Tidal river in an oceanside bird sanctuary.

Gorgeous riverside nature hike.

Cindy, I've sneaked up on Wolf a dozen times and slapped my hands and said "NO!" to him, and it doesn't phase him in the least. He's a chow hound, the type that behaves as if they've never eaten in their life. His brother doesn't do it.

In the evenings the cats shared a can of food on the dryer where it's always been safe. Until Wolf. Then I put it on the kitchen counter, pushed back, and he got it. Then I put heavy objects in front of the food, he scoots them over because they slide on the granite. lol.

The cat food is now in the big corner between the stove and sink. Nice, huh? grrrr. Only the evening canned, he doesn't bother with their dry food on the dryer.

My summer so far - this is how it's been the last two days!!

Wow. I recognize those boxes, jaka! After 3+ years, I still have some that are unpacked!

Shee - he's getting so big!!

Thanks Robo!

Tina - Indeed. I wish he'd knock it off. :)

My activity today. Hiked to the top of Multnomah Falls and jogged down.

I am just loving seeing what everyone is up to so much!

Just hosted our first ever lobster boil! It went well and I think our guests had fun. Perfect evening for it, warm and just breezy enough to keep the bugs down.

We just got back from Cape Cod and enjoyed some wonderful lobster. Yours looks so good Robo, just might have to steam some tonight! We made a paella while on the Cape, but mostly we lounged around on the beach, rode bikes and ate out!

Gosh, I have tried three times to post photos without success, but I have sure enjoyed everyone else's. I already planned to add a Brussels Griffon when my nest is empty, but now I am wondering whether it's too late in life for me to acquire a lake cabin and plan a trip to Spain, too! So many good ideas for summer enjoyment here. We are a lucky bunch of humans. I hope to return to this thread in February when spirits are as low and be reminded of better days ahead.

Thanks for the comments on our hydrangeas...it's all just luck, or the effects of salt air from the ocean! We have the same hydrangeas (only a few) at our full-time house and this year, they have NO flowers.

We just spent a few days visiting family in Minnesota. We had a lot of fun on the lake in my cousin's back yard.

And enjoyed a tour of a local creamery/dairy farm.

LOL Sue, if you only knew how close those pics are to my real life! Re the hydrangeas, I've been wanting to add some oak leaf hydrangeas and figured out just the spot. Won't plant till fall though.