Larry and Cassie have been on a Church league softball team this Summer. Larry took these pictures (and 45 others) of the playoff game. Our team was cut with this game. The Score was 0-0 into the last inning and was decided at 2-3. It was both teams at their best.
The team is in red. Cassie decided she was in a torquoise-y type day. 
My daughter the athelete. How does this happen?
Yep, she bats too. 
Here she is being too cool on 1st base.
Somehow this cicada found it's way to the porch. I think the finger belongs to Matthew. The photography belongs to Cassie. There is also a video of it emerging from it's cocoon. It is July 17, 2007. Does it seem a little on the late side to you too?
Kristie took pics of her flowers. These flowers squeezed out the monarda she spoke of as invasive. There are hollyhocks in the back that I missed weeding out of what never turned into this year's tomato patch. In front of those are the rabbit repelling marigolds that the rabbits frolic in. The tall greens are from a single obedience plant that was a 'gift' in a nursery order I made. The flowers are spikes of lilac... in a few weeks. The weedy looking stuff is actually garden herbs.
Below is a combination of colors that can only work in nature, wild day lilies and purple coneflower. I have seen bees collecting from these flowers. These flowers have overgrown my service walk. Look closely and you can see a Japanese Lantern in the very front of the pic. It is green. Soon it will be the same orange as the lilies. It is a toss up as to which is more invasive. This is what I wanted.... flowers so hardy they can survive a husband with a lawn mower.
Two cousins, Larry and Tim facing the camera. Uncle Lawrence and Howard on the other side of the picnic table. It was HOT!!
A closer view of Larry and Tim.
This is James sitting with a friend.
These are the pics that show a quick view of what the children did while out today. This is Keegan checking out Lake Michigan from the bluff above the beach.
Here are Kaliegh and Lucy checking out the lake from the shore.
Here are tired children using the path to return to the car.
One of my favorite things to do is watch the planes take off and land. This was after the beach visit.
This is a large lake with an undertow. I was hesitant to let them go in above their navels. Above is Keegan checking out the lake. He is quite comfortable in the water. Below, Cassie and Kaleigh joined him. First just wading, then with their t-shirts on and soon after in full swim gear.
There is a small tidal pool on the beach that the children were investigating. Lucy got a small cut on her foot. She kept her shoes on after that, but still played a few minutes in the water with the bigger guys. 
It was a beautiful day for playing on the beach. Everyone had a quick sub sandwich lunch, rubbed on sun block and went off to the beach at Grant park. There is a path with a wonderful stair case that wraps through the forest. I took that. The children took a more direct route Cassie learned when she ran cc in this park. Below is Cassie somewhere leading the way down the hill, Keegan behind her in the shadows and the two girls right behind, still in the light.
I caught up with them checking out the beach from the pier.
Kaleigh and Lucy checked out the water while Keegan was cautiously checking out every aspect of the terrain from the pier.
Sugar + Alcohol = K.O.
This was a meerkat exhibit. Lucy had to stand on her tippy toes to see it.
This is the children at a wayside just before we got the the Jelly Belly tour. I asked for one 'nice pic' and one silly one. Guess which is which.
Here they are after the tour. They were really good. We came away with a treat for 'mom and dad' and one for the Mineraths because I will not let them eat their jelly rats here. Ewwww!!!
More uploads later. My car is done!!
Fed and happy. Larry lit the grill. Phil cooked Italian sausages and hamburgers. I scooped the H2O melon.
Later we saw the fireworks at State Fair park. These last 2 days I have seen fireworks from closer up than ever before. Tonight I had to tilt my head back. 
It started raining with lightening about 1/2 an hour before the anticipated start of the event and then kept up the off and on light rain for the balance of the evening. 
There was not as large a crowd as I remember in the past.... It might have been the weather or, just maybe the spot Gary staked out of prime viewing realestate made it seem that way. 
The fireworks came from the North of the War Memorial, the South of the War Memorial and from the top of the old First Wisconsin building. We had 270° of excitement.
We walked in from the McArthur square parking lot to make sure we avoid gridlock. There was very little of that because the police kept everything running smoothly. 
We all slept well last night.
