A GREAT 4TH OF JULY…IN SPITE OF THE RAIN

Saturday, July 6 - We had a wonderful 4th of July. Carrie arrived home on Tuesday night, so we decided to have a few family members over for a cookout. No 4th of July celebration would be complete without a few games of Bocce.

The teams.

The cheerleaders…actually this team will play the winners.

Dad shows the "boys" how it is done.

Yes, it rained again. But the game must go on. A little glass of "spirits" helps too.

Some one, most likely Carrie, had the bright idea of having a running race around the house. The ages ranged from 27 to 60. We just hoped no one got hurt. Not sure our insurance would cover a fall during a running race…lol

These two were among the youngest and neither one won.

Of course sparklers are a family tradition.

We also enjoyed the fireworks at a nearby country club.

Hope everyone had a safe and joyous celebration.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y'all back real soon. Have a great day!

A WONDERFUL MORNING WITH FRIENDS

Tuesday, June 25 – We met fellow bloggers and traveling friends, Margery and Paul, Living Our Dream,  this morning for breakfast at Der Dutchman in Walnut Creek. We enjoyed lunch last year at this same Amish Restaurant with them. Since we wanted to do some exploring in Amish Country today, we opted to meet early so we could look around later.

We really enjoy visiting with Margery and Paul. Not only are we both RV'ers, but we have many other common interests. Thanks for a wonderful morning of fun and fellowship!

After breakfast we headed into Berlin to do some strolling through the many shops and enjoyed people watching. We left town pretty much empty handed right before a big rain shower opened up. The shower followed us most of the way home, which is good since we really do need some rain.

Some sights of Berlin.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y'all back real soon. Have a great day!

SIPPO LAKE PARK

Monday, June 24 - We took a little field trip and break from working around the yard and visited Sippo Lake Park this afternoon.

The park consists of 202 acres of deciduous forest, wetlands, old fields, and mixed shrub areas. The area features a variety of habitats for wildlife viewing.

There are over 5 miles of hiking/walking trails through the forest and grasslands. There is also a 100-acre lake where one can fish (bluegill, crappie, carp, catfish, yellow perch, and bass), launch a boat, or simple enjoy walking around the beautiful grounds..

We found the Sanders Wildlife Rehabilitation Center especially interesting. Located in the Sippo Lake Park, The Rehabilitation Center is fully dedicated to wildlife rehabilitation. A trained staff of volunteer veterinarians care for over 2,000 sick, injured and orphaned native animals each year with the goal of releasing them back to their natural environment. The center also houses non-releasable wildlife that are used as program ambassadors.

The Center is open to the public and you can see most of the animals in pens. There is an intensive care unit that is closed to the public.

The Exploration Gateway at Sippo Lake Park is a center of nature, culture, and life-long learning established in June 2007 as a partnership between the Stark County Park District and the Stark County District Library.  Portions of the facility are available to the community, including three banquet and meeting rooms and a Video Conference Center.

The Gateway also is home to Perry Sippo Branch Library, Congressman Ralph Regula Canalway Center, FeLeap’s Lily Pad Gift Shop,  and Herbert W. Hoover Foundation Science Classroom.

The only wildlife we saw during our visit.

We walked the mere five miles of trails. It was a beautiful day and a great day to take a break.

The End

We apologize for not thanking our readers in our last blog for giving us the name of our new little bird.

Male Rose-breasted Grosbeak

Also, thanks to those who tried to help us with out unidentified weed. We are using full-strength Roundup with some Dawn mixed in. Marsha sprays everyday. We THINK we are finally getting a hand on this pain-in-the-neck.

Thanks for stopping by. Hope to see y'all back real soon. Have a great day!