It's that time again

On Tour

At the lake

Baseball?

Jamie Comes to Visit

On our way to the pumpkin patch!

We had to do a lot of running. Unfortunately the pumpkin patch was full of predators and we were herbivores. Scary stuff.

Jamie said he wanted a pumpkin as big as the car, but when it came time to choose he went for the small ones. Easier to carry!

heh

One of Grandma Frey's favorite poems

A Vagabond Song

There is something in the autumn that is native to my blood—

Touch of manner, hint of mood;

And my heart is like a rhyme,

With the yellow and the purple and the crimson keeping time.

  

The scarlet of the maples can shake me like a cry

Of bugles going by.

And my lonely spirit thrills

To see the frosty asters like a smoke upon the hills.

  

There is something in October sets the gypsy blood astir;

We must rise and follow her,

When from every hill of flame

She calls and calls each vagabond by name.

-- Bliss Carman

Murphy and Murphy Builders

Heat!

Update: Enlarge this photo and look at all those parts and pieces and wires and tubes. Dad did every bit of every one of them, wiring, plumbing, fastening, testing, rethinking, repairing, thinking again, making it work. He's been working on it for weeks, and as a result, the house is now toasty warm and so is the water, in a much more efficient and sensible system than what we had before. Those four green doohickeys to the right of the boiler are circulators, making zones: basement, first floor, second floor, hot water.  Off to the right where you can't see them are the hot water heater and the sump pump, also entirely tamed and tailored by Dad. What's more, Dad made Culligan keep coming back until the new water system now actually works and we have fresh, clear, tannin-free, iron-free, tasty water. He's a whirlwind!

Yes, that's Mom. With a Sawzall.

That's Mom, too!  (:

Chaos.

Stairs.

Buh-bye, carpet.

The Living Room Project

Want something done?  Hire Mom.

The Boiler Project

Unless it's a modulating, condensing, propane-fired boiler.  Then you'll have to hire me.

TV from My Youth

Don't miss the one in Santa suits at 6:25

Just a fun little thing

This trite little meme came across my facebook feed tonight (minus the blue stuff, which I added). I glanced at how dark Montana was (yes, it's dark there) but also noticed the huge patch of light next to it. There's no city there, I said. Or is there? It's bigger than the Boston metro area!

Here's a link to the original photo this was taken from, from 2012. It's a fun image to look at in general.

Caleb's wish is my command

To shelter Caleb from memories of Cape Cod menus, here's a selection of pictures from summer at the Reservoir.

Two moons.

Late-season blueberries.

New boiler (hung on that wall by Dad and me.)

New propane tank.

That's Jenni's husband Scott with the level.

New stairs to the second floor.

N

This picture is blurry, but it shows where the stairs come down into the living room.

Camping fun.

A few shots from the Cape

One of many lobster rolls. This one had a ton of meat and was delicious, but not the best I had. It was served at a pier where you could watch seals swim while you ate. 

The rest of the pictures are from our day in Provincetown. In the evening we walked the causeway, a one mile rock wall across P'town's harbor to protect it from shifting sands and erosion. It leads to beaches on the other side of the harbor, and takes about 45 minutes to cross. 

Looking back at P'Town about halfway across. The water on the left is protected behind the wall, on the right is the harbor. The tide is going out, and there is a current of water flowing through the rocks from the left to the right. You might notice the left side has a higher water line than the left, and the currents on the right that aren't on the left.

This is the far end, looking back at Provincetown.

We found a family of foxes living on the dunes.

On the walk back the the sun was going down.  Given the opportunity I would walk it again at fully low tide. There were tons of seabirds, crabs and shellfish, and other interesting things to look at.

We left P'town and hit up a drive-in theater on the way back to our hotel in Yarmouth for some dinosaur action. Don't tell Jamie.

Most of the rest of the vacation was spent at beaches or restaurants, and didn't really lend itself to pictures.

Blue Angels

It's not the same as being there in person, but here is a little taste of the Blue Angels at the Atlantic City Airshow (as seen from Brigantine beach)!

Hysteria is a Communicable Disease

Apply it to whatever you want.  Chemicals, antibiotics, overpopulation, fracking, global warming, the Ozone layer, acid rain, nuclear power... 

I'll gladly pay you Tuesday

for a hamburger today!

Meet Jake

Introducing the newest Bencze, Jake!

He's our 12 year old 90 pound mutt!

He loves the lake.

He's very good at Clue.

He all ready loves Mom.

He's also very patriotic and noble. 

He loves Jason more than he loves me, but I'm not jealous.