Green again

Old barn

Volleyball

Green

Burn

There was a significant brush pile at the edge of the property when we bought the Cookie House. It's been growing ever since. The pile is too close to the trees to burn safely, so I've been hauling armfuls of branches to my fire ring. 

Projects

I'm finishing up an assessment class this week. Next up, grammar and children and young adult literature.

Just looking

(Don't worry, Julie. He's not coming inside.)

View

I almost feel like I'm sleeping in a tree house. 

Garden

Dad rototilled my garden this week. Each year it gets a little bigger. 

Apple blossoms

Bouquet

Asparagus

Taste of summer

Sniff

Growth

Gray

Lilacs

Farmer's market

Apparently I only go when it's raining.

Dorm room

I staked a claim on the desk in the corner near the window.

Our office has been relocated to the dorms while our hall is being renovated. Our new digs are pretty sweet--we have a window, a kitchenette (with stove, sink and microwave), an adjustable thermostat (with air conditioning that works) and a private bathroom!

Orange

Happy dog

Sky

Design

On the road

Niagara at night

Bed & Breakfast

Villa Alexandrea

Niagara Falls

Julie, Libby, Amanda and I soaked in the majesty of the Niagara Falls over the weekend. Julie had attended a week-long conference in Ontario, Canada and we decided to meet in Niagara for a short vacation. 

Getting to the Falls on Friday proved to be a bit of a hassle. First, there was a run-around with the Secretary of State over Libby's Enhanced Driver's License (they decided to hold her official card until her birthday at the end of the month). Then, after we cross the border with her license and birth certificate, we took a wrong turn that led us into Toronto traffic, which was the worst traffic I have ever driven in. But, we made it. As we walked toward the Falls on Friday night and I heard the thundering of the water and felt the mist in the air I could feel my stress dissipating.

It was a wonderful weekend, full of sister and friend time, lots of water, sunshines and international cuisine (Lebanese, Mexican and Greek).  We made it home Sunday evening after an uneventful drive and border crossing. 

The Niagara Falls, which consist of three falls shared by New York, USA and Ontario, Canada, are some of the most spectacular falls in the world. Water from Lake Erie flows down the Niagara River and drops more than 165 feet at the Falls before entering Lake Ontario. 

Rainbow Bridge

The Rainbow Bridge linking Ontario, Canada (left)
with New York, USA (right) near the Niagara Falls

Frills

Boxes

Wrapping paper can transform copy boxes into fun storage boxes.

Once again, I packed the items from my desk at work into two boxes and hauled them home. This move was less traumatic than last year's job insecurity, though.

The offices and classrooms in our hall are being renovated over the summer, and so everyone who works on the second or third floor (including the president of the university) is being temporarily moved to the dorms. 

It seemed easier to take my boxes home for the summer than to pack them up and have a moving company move them across campus to the dorms and then back to our office in the fall. However, I did my share of packing and sorting as I helped to prepare the items in the tutoring room for the move. We had to decide which material to discard, which to move to the dorms, which to put into storage, and which to move to our temporary home in the library. 

Baby leaves