Another Great Day!

Wow! I just wish every day could be like this one--warm, sunny, breezy, low humidity. Tomorrow is supposed to be back to hazy, hot and humid; so we all enjoyed the break today. They don't happen that often here in the Northeast, at least not until Sept. and Oct.

Happy 4th!

High and Dry in the SUN!

YES! The SUN came out today--all day! It was glorious! Rick cut the grass, the cats were happy to be hunting outside, and I got to do some crosswords in my favorite lawn chair in the SUN! We all enjoyed it to the max, especially with more rain in the forecast. Meanwhile, sadly, whole towns along the Delaware River are dealing with the worst floods in years with road closings everywhere.

We are so grateful to be living in such a beautiful spot next to a whole State Forest of trees filled with birds singing in the SUN! Glorious indeed...

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

Here at Fox Mountain we're making the best of a l-o-n-g period of rainy weather, going on for nine days now, with no end in sight. Without exaggeration, we've had only about 20 minutes of sunshine, most of which was on Fathers Day (the 18th) and showers are forecast to continue through another week. Thankfully, the temperatures have only been in the 70's and low 80's, so at least we don't feel like we're living in a steam bath. It's just dark, damp and dreary...

Everyone is looking forward to sunnier days again, especially our three cats!

To Every Thing There is a Season...

For the nine days we were in Prague, Fox Mountain was blessed with a lot of rain and cool temperatures; ideal weather for grass. It really needed to be cut when we got home. We use our Troy-Bilt lawn tractor (a 1997 model with many hours of service) to cut the the lawn and it seemed to be up to the task with its' usual efficiency.

But, after cutting half the lawn, the mower began to slow until it was just creeping along. Then a warm oily fluid sprayed on Rick's ankles from under the deck. The transmission had exploded...

Replacing a lawn tractor transmission is expensive (more than half the original cost of the mower) and a dicey proposition at best (it could happen again). So, after some intense shopping, discussion and careful procrastination, we bought a new mower.
The new mower has a 22 horsepower engine (as I recall, more than one of our old cars), cruise control and an automatic hydrostatic transmission (which means no shifting or braking). And, thankfully, it fits in the tool shed where the old one was stored. It also has a cup-holder that will hold a bottle, a cup, a glass and ice.

And it came with a John Deere hat. Is that cool or what???

Home Again!

The first thing we encountered on returning home was the anger of all three cats! Cricket in particular was very loud in her scolding of us for leaving her couped up in the house for an entire week. Now that we've been back a few days, they are quite happy again and back to their routine of going in and out at least 10 times a day.

Meanwhile, we've had time to reflect on our trip as we recover from jet lag. I already miss Laura, Chris and Owen after having spent so much time with them. I especially enjoyed singing with Owen who would finish E-I-E-I... with "Owen" and a giggle every time. He sure is a delight!

I've already forgotten what Laura taught me on how to post photos (no surprise there) but I'm sure I'll figure it out again soon. Meanwhile, I'm still working on getting reacclimated to our time zone. My muscles are sore from all the walking we did on those Prague cobblestones, but it was worth it. Rick and I both had a wonderful time!

Back in Prague!

Rick and I have arrived safely in Prague after a peaceful (but long!) flight from JFK. After settling into our apartment (pictures will be posted later) we walked over to Wenceslaus Square to get oriented. Rick took this picture of me from the balcony of the National Museum overlooking the huge Wenceslaus statue and the boulevard below.

After a few days of drizzle and cool weather, we spent a beautiful sunny day at the Prague Zoo, one of Owen's favorite outings. The zoo is set up in such a way that you can get up close to the animals--like a glass thickness from a tiger's head! The animals looked content in their environment; all in all, a good zoo by any standard. Since it isn't high on the list of tourist spots, it was not crowded at all. Oh, the hot dogs (Klobesa) and beer (pivo) I had for a late morning snack hit the spot!

Rick and Laura enjoyed the outing too. Owen was happy to be out of his stroller for awhile, and behaved very well. It was a delightful morning, followed by a quick ride home and another outing for Rick and I at Vysehrad for the afternoon. Of course, we had to have a late lunch there. Rick found an Italian restaurant on the castle grounds where we had pasta and wine. Laura says 2 lunches in one day are totally acceptable!

More to follow...