NEIGHBORHOOD GANG?

Neighbor and friend, Jan Stewart is the hostess with the mostess. If anything is going on, it is always at her house. I don't know how she does it. Always throwing a bit of a party together at the last minute, with just the neighborhood "gang" as she refers to us. Never thought I'd be a gang member at this age.


This is the other Jan. A positive thinker and healer, petting Mikey. And I don't think there is a tattoo among us, unless Mikey has one.


Brian, and Becky listening to Jim expound on something. We all live close to each other.


Karen doesn't like her picture taken and kind of hid. But, I got her anyway.


We ate outside because the weather was so beautiful.  I just got a new haircut and got skinned, but the gang saluted my birthday.
Jan has a pond where a mountain lion, the coyotes, raccoons, and foxes come to drink. I'm so grateful to her for supplying water to the wild animals that frequent our neighborhood because the creek isn't flowing.  The power authority has cut off the water that used to flow behind her house. I remember when Big Dick Hogan lived across the street, he used to go up to the flume and kick out a board to keep a small trickle of  water coming down Peppermint Creek. He moved away twenty years ago. So Jan's pond is essential. I heard the lion squalling as we sat. Jan claims it will come and drink with her quietly sitting on the deck, but not when she has a group of noisy people talking. I think the lion wanted us to leave, so we did. It was a beautiful moon and starlit night. Perfect. Thank you Jan.

THE FUTURE GENERATION

Jim's grandson Eric, turned thirteen, on the eleventh. The mighty "Casey" couldn't blow his candles out. (Eric is an avid ball player and fan.) Of course, some of the candles were the type that don't go out, a set-up by Mom, Wendy.
We helped him celebrate by having dinner earlier in the evening at Harbor Seal, then home for cake, ice cream and presents. Typical, I suspect. Some things never seem to change.

Sports items dominated the scene, with this grand Mets sweatshirt, official baseball shoes, and shorts. The Mets happen to be his favorite team.

The kids are wonderful together, loving and playful with each other. They all appear to be best friends. Its nice to see and feel your future is in good hands with the next generation coming up...except...its hard to understand how tied they are to their phones, like the device is a body part.

  Jaime had on her two inch heels for the evening and stood up to brother Eric, and measured. You see that cord hanging from his ear? I think its music and phone all tied in together. Parents have to say, "...text you'll contact her later..."  SOME things do change.
I guess we used to scare our parents into thinking the world was coming to an end with our music and dance and cigarettes and haircuts. And, we turned out pretty well.

Yesterday was a work day. Jaime had never been for a ride in a motor home, so she went with us to get propane, empty the tanks and fill with water. All a bit of a revelation to her, as we prepare to leave Ivoryton. Jocelyn and I picked berries a couple days ago, so Jaime and I decided to go for a pick-your-own peaches, but the trees were practically stripped. What we bought was quite luscious though, a variety I'd never heard of and promptly forgot. Then we went to the recycling center.

 Then later, since the weather was blessedly cool, we went for a nice bike ride to town and back.

While downtown we checked out this clever sculpture. Its a face entirely made up from numbers one through ten.

There aren't many places to shop in Ivoryton for a kid, but Jaime likes Gathers, an antique store that also has candy and ice cream. She got her candy bar and we called it a day.