Lily Surprise

 Suprise Lilies and Ingrid at basketball practice.

 Astrid at practice.  They go to the same place just practice with different coaches.

 I made zucchini bread again.  Getting tried of it but have lots of squash. 

 More lilies and Astrid pushing the basketball down the court.

Camping Out

 Clayton and Greta are having nutella.  Sigrid loves it.  Looks like they are dipping fruit in it.  Some on the face so it must be good.  Erin is having to keep them a little quiet...I think Greg worked all night.  So she set up a tent.  Greta and Clayton are camping in his room.  

On Top

 The pool where Sigrid had her swim meet was near a earthen dam.  Astrid ran non stop to the top!  Sitting around is something she is not good at.

Swim to Win!

Sigrid is swimming in Alma this evening.  Pop is there...as is Mom and Astrid.

Things change

 Same tree 1982 and 2014.

 Front of this house 1982 and 2014.

Early Morning Visitor

 Sigrid came early and she and her Pop built her a bird house...it is already up in her yard.

I got these veggies today.  Put the green beans in the freezer.  Also, picked several ears of corn this evening.  Great meal tonight!

 Sigrid let my chickens out this morning.  While we were snipping beans on the porch this Cherry egger came up and was trying to get an easy breakfast.

Two New Houses

 Sigrid stayed home today and I am sort of glad because I bet she would have my blue Blue Bird house on a tree in her yard.  But she was busy today and Larry put them on my tree.  I sure like them.

Volleyball Camp This Week

 Astrid is at the Tech Volleyball camp this week.  She is with the High School.  I watched today.  Volleyball is not her favorite sport, but she is good at it and she has grown a little taller.  She is one of the tallest girls now. 

Sigrid Sewing Ingrid Bouncing

 Sigrid is designing clothes.  She bought the t shirt and then sewed a pocket on it also made head bands to match.  Ingrid is the tallest girl in 7th grade basketball.  She has a beautiful shot, but really she could care less about basketball.  She hates being compared to her sister and being called by her name!  She says "I just don't answer if they call me Astrid".

Green Forest Bank -- 1915

Scoop It Up

Clayton got to see this on his trip. It is a shovel or scoop call Brutus.  He was thrilled to see it.  Biggest one in the world I think Erin said.
Located at West Mineral, Kansas

Big Brutus put the oooohs and aaahs in the backyard of the Heartlands!!! Miles before you reach this retired giant — you can see it on the horizon south of West Mineral, Kansas. Standing beside it makes one aware of how fragile he or she is.

The statistics give the hard cold picture —

Bucyrus Erie model 1850B
largest electric shovel in the world
16 stories tall (160 feet)
weight 11 million pounds
boom 150 feet long
dipper capacity 90 cu. yds (by heaping, 150 tons 
— enough to fill three railroad cars.)
maximum speed .22 MPH
cost $6.5 million (in 1962)
There is more to Big Brutus than cold steel and long shadows falling across the Mined Land Wildlife Area. Big Brutus is not just a symbol of the past, but an eternal tribute to the mining heritage of Southeast Kansas and to miners all across this nation who toiled to support their families.

On July 13, 1985, Big Brutus was dedicated as "a Museum and Memorial Dedicated to the Rich Coal Mining History in Southeast Kansas."

In September 1987 The American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) designated Big Brutus a Regional Historic Mechanical Engineering Landmark, the 10th since 1971 to be so designated.

Splashing Fun

 Looks like Clayton and Greta are having fun.