John on his way to tennis

Teenagers

one of the few times we get to see all their teeth. yes!

this was a few seconds later. ups and downs of siblings.

Finally figured this thing out!

Jen singing Wicked, "I'm Not That Girl". Excuse the shaky photography please.

 

 

And then there's Cinderella in "Into the Woods".

I can't believe this...

http://news.aol.com/story/_a/cartoonist-doug-marlette-dies-in-crash/20070710164709990001

I actually met this man a few months ago. He spoke at our elementary school and I spoke with him and helped him carry a box of his books to be signed to the front of the school. He was so kind and funny. He personalized the autograph of a first edition of The Bridge thusly:

"TO JEANNETTE-      

    FELLOW DESCENDANT OF COTTON MILL WORKERS! BLESS YOUR HEART!        

                               DOUG MARLETTE"

This is exactly how he signed it, all caps and with the mispelling of my name. Who was I to correct him, right? Anyway, with all his success and celebrity he took time with everyone who wanted to talk to him after his moving speech. He was a Pulitzer Prize winner after all. What a sad day.

 

Summertime Reading

Books I've read this summer:

     

March by Geraldine Brooks-simply loved it, historical fiction, my favorite style right now.

The Secret Life of the Lonely Doll by Jean Nathan-a biography of Dare Wright, very well written and fascinating

Ocracoke in the Fifties by Dare Wright-who the biography above was about so I very much enjoyed this book as well

Nights in Rodanthe by Nicholas Sparks-this book drug on and on to be so short, not a fan, only read it because we saw the house on the OBX where the movie, starring Richard Gere, was filmed.

   March             

One more addition that I had forgotten about. I also finished up Answered Prayer by Truman Capote. I started this one a few months back after I read In Cold Blood (which was excellent). I suppose I was expecting something with a more cohesive story. It was an unfinished work of his and based on true life situations he found himself in, with thinly veiled characters. It was interesting but not really my cup of tea. It did feel incomplete. Capote was a fascinating figure, to say the least.

New Bird

Check out this new bird in our front yard. What a pretty bird and he sat there for so long so I could take lots of pics. Wonder what he is? I am beginning to believe he has a nest near the weeping willow as I saw him fly to it and then he was in the tree this afternoon. He almost looks like a roadrunner in this shot. Also, check out the oregano. That and rosemary, the only things growin in my yard this spring. Everything else is the same size it was when I planted it. Guess we need to refresh the soil a bit.