Summertime fun

Sometimes I am good at keeping up with pictures and sometimes I am not . . .

Roan Mountain has a Rhododendron Festival in June, and that's where these pictures were taken. We only live about 45 minutes away. We've never lived so close to a vacation destination. :)

You would not believe the crazy faces Ryan was pulling to get this picture.

Carl discovered some pipes Ryan had bought for installing sink in our basement. They turned out to be the best toys ever. In addition to being protective arm-wear, they could be made into all sorts of "instruments."  My favorite was the two 90 degree angles - you would think that singing straight into your own ear would encourage you to lower you volume, but that was not the case. Here he is with the alpine horn version complete with arm protectors.

We got to tour the Bristol Motor Speedway with the summer reading program at Amber's library. The kids had a great time, and I was only slightly nervous (white knuckles gripping handles) when they took the 15 passenger van for a spin on the steeply sloped racetrack.

It is so good to have the summer off.  I think most of our yard's rocks and sticks have traveled over 5 miles and still end up at home.

We have a great train park near our home that we discovered this summer.

Who can deny the fun of cousins and a slip and slide?

Apparently Ryan had this same park growing up and got a little teary eyed when he saw it.

What faces! What a life!