Meet Ranger!

After my friend, Vonnie and her family had to sadly put their lovable Riley down last summer, they immediately decided to get a new "family member".

Here is Ranger..a lovable black lab. He is barely 8 weeks old and just learning to walk. What a cutie he is!!

Trick or Treat...

Saturday was Trick or Treat in our neighborhood. It was super fun because it fell on Halloween.

This ghoulish character popped up on our front lawn!

Here I am in my Halloween finery (3 layers of clothing underneath) getting ready to pass out the goodies to the "trick-or-treaters" brave enough to step up to our front door!

Of course we can't forget the "Master Monster of the House, who lives for this day every year. I think we get the biggest kick out of scaring the wits out of the adults who accompany the little ghosts and goblins..It's truly a Scream!

Fall Foliage at its Finest!

After 2 full days of rain, rain, and more rain, Saturday bestowed some beautiful sunshine on our neighborhood. Bob & I decided to walk to a nearby woods to soak in the color.


A neighbor's beautiful tree in full golden hues.

The woods just about a mile from our house with a creek running through.

I took my camera and looked up to peek through the leaves of this beauty.

The "carpet" of fallen leaves that had every autumnal color imaginable!

We were both in awe at the beauty that Mother Nature bestowed on us this day.

Meeting up with Kim in Madison

Kim's work brought her to Madison this week and on Thursday, Brian, Bob, & I decided to drive up and spend the day with her. Because of the showery day, we thought it would be fun to tour our state Capitol building.


It's funny that none of us had ever really seen this magnificent structure.

We learned that the dome in the ceiling of the rotunda is the largest in diameter in North America.

One of the high courts inside the building.

Kim met up with a very good friend,Beth, whom she hadn't seen in many years . By coincidence she too was in Madison that day. We met her for dinner that evening and spend hours just 'catching up!' When we left for home, we felt it was a really fun day.

More Summer Happenings.

This summer also included a grand farewell to our closest friends, Bob & Diane. Even though they won't be moving South until December, we decided to have our party for them during the warm month of August.

One of our friends baked this beautiful and original cake.

Diane became very teary-eyed through all of the festivities.

All together, I counted at least 60 friends who stopped by to wish the Ciras a fond Farewell!

Good bye and Good Luck to our South Bound Friends! You will be missed.

Pictures of Summer...

Earlier this month, Kim made a visit to Milwaukee. As a family we decided to take a cruise on the Milwaukee Edelweiss which travels along the river.


Before boarding the boat, Bob managed to pose for a picture of he and the Fonz!

Here are Kristine, Brian, and Kim sitting up front enjoying the beautiful weather.

Mr. Shaelin acted as the ship's photographer snapping away at the scenery.

Here is a shot of just one of the many condo units along the Milwaukee River.

The skyline of downtown Milwaukee. It was a fun time on board the Edelweiss.