Ice cream

There's always a reason for ice cream if you're creative.

Monday afternoon Julie, Betsy and I painted the walls in a bedroom at Aaron's house. We painted most of the walls pink with one accenting green wall.

Julie and Aaron picked the paint to coordinate with electric pink shag carpet Aaron inherited from our grandparents' house. The combination is unusual.

It reminded me of ice cream--mint chocolate chip ice cream and cherry ice cream... it convinced me that Aaron will need artwork to hang on his bedroom walls...it inspired me to photograph ice cream...it gave us an excuse to eat ice cream.

Creativity is yummy!

The end

Lazy T

Our church's annual outing to Lazy T Ranch was a few weeks later than originally planned. It was a little chilly for camping, but we added vegetable soup to the menu and packed extra sweatshirts. With extra blankets and layers of clothing, I was plenty warm Friday night when I slept out on the porch of the cabin.

Saturday the rain held off and Brother Byler led devotions, Galilean style, from a paddle boat in the pond. Later in the morning we canoed down the creek and arrived back in camp to devour a lunch of chili and nachos.

Green pastures

Color tour

Michigan Welcome Center

Clare, Michigan

Amanda and I went on a color tour Thursday afternoon. It was a little early for the best of autumn colors, but we spotted a few brilliant yellows, oranges and reds as we drove. We also discovered a round barn, an old schoolhouse, and three bodies of water, including one Great Lake, on our drive. So despite the lack of color, our tour was a success.

Round barn

On 66, north of 10

Trees near the schoolhouse

Old schoolhouse

On 66

Lake Missaukee

Lake Missaukee

On 55 near Lake City

Houghton Lake

Lake Huron

East Tawas

Lake Huron

East Tawas

East Tawas

Taste

Open wide your mouth and I will fill it.

Psalm 81.10 NIV

Orange

I missed the actions shots--my siblings stooping to cut pumpkins from the vine, tossing them to each other, stacking them on the hay wagon, and finally arranging them in rows near the granary. I settled for pictures of the pumpkins themselves.

Gourmet

There's a reason it's called "Gourmet."

It's been a terrific sweet corn season and Dad is still picking ears of corn from the patch.

Slurp

Cruise 'n car color

Music from the 50’s blared across blocks lined with old cars and swarming with enthusiasts and one girl with a hulla-hoop Saturday morning at the Cruise 'n Car Show. After I dropped off extra berries at the market, Julie and I walked up to the downtown. I am terribly ignorant about cars and failed to appreciate the significance of the event…but I do know my colors and I enjoyed the car show in my own way.

There were plenty of cameras, some as big and as fancy as the cars, at the show so I didn't feel conspicuous with my Rebel, though I was the only female snapping pictures. I had just finished photographing the orange car when a gentleman approached me.

"Excuse me, if I can ask, what are you taking a picture of?"

I tried to explain. "I don't really know cars, but I liked the color and I wanted to get the shadow."

He looked from me to the car and back at me. "Whatever you want, honey," he said, shaking his head.

Fruitful

I am the vine; you are the branches.

If a man remains in me and I in him,

he will bear much fruit;

apart from me you can do nothing.

John 15:5 NIV

Rule of thirds

...or third person singular

Story

There's certainly a story that goes with this photo. I'm not entirely sure what the story is, but I know my uncle could tell it. We heard a lot of stories last week when my uncle was fixing vehicles. One had to do with a dead skunk in the trash can that smelled so awful it made the garbage man puke. For revenge the garbage man stuck the skunk in the mailbox. But really, you have to hear my uncle tell the story...or maybe you'd rather not.

Morning market

For the first time in four years of running the blueberry farm I helped to sell berries at the farmer's market. With everyone else in school, our family's blueberry crew has dwindled to Betsy and I for the past two weeks. Rather than open the farm for you-pick customers, I set my alarm for 4:50 a.m. and Betsy and I hauled eighty quarts of berries to the market.

It was still dark outside at quarter to six as Betsy arranged blueberries on the table while Sam, a fellow vendor, stacked quarts of yellow and green beans. Later in the morning Sam's wife arrived and spent the morning selling green and yellow beans, sweet corn and flowers.

After setting up tables, arranging blueberries and hanging signs, Betsy and I took a breakfast break before the market opened. I sipped raspberry tea while Betsy enjoyed a mug of hot chocolate. When the wind picked up later in the morning we plugged in the electric tea kettle for a cup of hot chocolate to help warm ourselves.

The only people in the market at six-thirty were sleepy-eyed vendors, some who had driven over an hour. The minutes between finishing setting up one's wares and when customers arrive are the time vendors walk the circle to chat with friends and check prices.

The sun arrived with the first customers, Wednesday morning. The market runs from seven until noon on Wednesday and Saturday mornings May through October.

For a few minutes the sky was blue and pink with the sunrise. As the morning went on, it seemed to get cooler instead of warmer, even though the sun was up. By the middle of the morning I had layered my hooded sweatshirt, a zippered sweater and a fleece jacket.

It was a slow market, even at eleven o'clock the walkways weren't crowded. Saturdays are always busier and often there are so many people you have to dodge elbows and slip around strollers.

An hour before market ended, I retreated to the cab of the truck to warm up. Betsy sat on the tailgate as she waited for customers. A pile of empty quarts sits in the backseat, ready to be refilled with berries. We did okay for a Wednesday, though we didn't sell all of our berries. We brought sixteen quarts home to put in the freezer.