We did a lot of home projects over our holiday weekend. Friday I mowed all our lawns while Kathryn and Eric went shopping. Saturday we went to the family picnic at Mark & Danielle’s new home. It was windy, but the temperatures were moderate – especially when the sun was out. We played boccie, extreme croquet and took a short hike on the Poison Ivy Path. Below Nathan and Eric join the big boys for some lawn boccie.

Matt, Mark, Frank, Cody, Nathan, Eric and I used the whole lawn for some extreme croquet. The game lacked a little something which I attribute to the sprawled out nature of the course (note to self: next time compact the course to increase the potential for collisions); the “I’ll knock you through the wicket” approach taken by a certain pair of brothers; and finally, my own “the game be damned- I will get them for that” strategy that had me break course and go head hunting (note to self: head hunting ruins the game for the head huntee).

Saturday we worked cutting wood in “cookout corner” – our picnic grounds in the 40 acre wood across the road. We mostly dead wood and had a small cook fire to roast hot dogs and marshmellows.

In the afternoon we went to Syracuse and delivered Izzabella’s birthday presents. We hung out at the park with Ed, Kelly and Bella. Eric and Bella worked out the swings –

while Ed and Kathryn debated the new world order.

Below Bella models her crown and earrings that Eric gave her.

Monday morning we went birding. We took the call tape for the golden winged warbler and blue winged warbler across the road and called in a Brewster’s or Blue Winged warbler. Later Kathryn packed for their trip to Seattle and I worked on a new trail through our woods. The “Ridge Trail” forms a connection between our new Trillium Trail and the Musical Rocks Trail. I moved the downed tree tops and brush to a point that I could get my tractor and brush hog through. Then I mowed the trails through the woods. I capped off the night by taking Ibuprofen and hitting the hot tub.