July Begins on the 4th!

Rugby's parade featured patriotic horses,

Lyman's Clydesdales,

a "float-ing" Museum,

           an old "hearse," (local funeral director)

and an invitation to go "hog wild" for next year's fair.

Local police are making sure the crowd behaves

   especially Rick, our Lebanese "cousin"

  An old Rugby-Wolford fire truck still runs,

 and the sheriff is checking up on the police car.

The "Stars and Stripes" stole the show.

Windstorm last night broke a few branches
on our trees. I picked up four wagon loads!

RJ and Julia "Fishin' in the light"

(Do you know the song "Fishin' in the Dark?")

Luke, Mary Kate, and Spongebob

RJ and Julia make smores the "modern" way

Biking and hiking keep Claire, Lydia, and Cecelia active!

Finally got the garden weeded on July 9th...
everything is "late" since I planted late!

Bob's college roommate Jerry and Sue 

stopped by for a visit on the 11th. 

They live in Glenwood, MN.

We took a rock rake (that's Bob pulling it ahead of me)

and I pulled a header trailer out to Jimmy and Kelly 

in Killdeer this week and spent time with the kids (me)

and helping get stuff ready for harvest (Bob).

Our oldest and youngest grandchildren: Ariana is 16;

Mary Kate is almost two months old in this pic

that was taken the weekend she was baptized.

Quiet time with Mary Kate

Gee, she's cute. Should I kiss her?

Awww.....

Mary and her little lamb!

Yes, I did sing the song to her. :-)

RJ's prize fish!

Granddad is baiting the hook for Julia

Sara made masks for all "the girls"

This funnel cloud missed us!

Trina and Annika came with a U-Haul to take

Aunt Nell's bedroom furniture from my basement 

to Iowa.  Annika helped me make fatire after supper!

She also helped eat them! :-)

Trina loaded up Aunt Nell's bedroom set

and made it home safely after meeting

Ana and the girls for lunch at a park in MN.

She left Annika at Ana's for some cousin time.

Jett and Tom unloaded the dresser which

was headed for Annika's bedroom. I think

we all have a little bit of "Aunt Nell"

in our homes.

Flower bed west of the house....

Bob brought wildflower seeds from Texas!

Sara's FFA wheelbarrow blooms :-)

RJ and Julia had a "peachy" day

We could not go to RJ's

First Communion...

just immediate family

and Julia's "babies"

RJ's celebration was supposed to be

on April 26th, but it was rescheduled

for July 24th.

June: Finally, Spring has Sprung

😏A re-tired garden.... an experiment

to try to keep the weeds out

A garden-planting hazard...yuck

This unlucky egg fell out of the nest

RJ's last day of school was actually May 29th,

but I just found the pic!

Julia "graduated" on the same day.

Ana's girls celebrate the last day of school!

Lake Metigoshe sunset on the way back 

to the camper after playing pickleball

Always something that needs repair...

This time we hired Dave S. and his helper from Rugby

Getting new shingles...just on half of the roof.

Bob and the grandkids did the other sides

a couple of years ago.

Spotted this rainbow on the way home from Rugby...

Finally got to play pickleball outdoors in Rugby with friends

from Maddock, Cando, Wolford, and Rugby! 

Meet "Fauci" the newest member of Donna's family!

We had a busy week: Bob brought Matthew and Luke 

home from Jimmy's. We took them to the lake

on Saturday.  Here they  brave the cold water

at Lake Metigoshe.

Luke's sand piles

Matthew's moat

Walking on water :-)

We went to 8 p.m. Mass and when we got back,

the kids were hungry again, so we had

hot dogs

and smores....Take note--it's 10 p.m. and still light outside

Back to the farm on Sunday...the boys discovered

a lot of "old" toys, so they got creative.

Tom and Trina and family arrived on Monday.

Annika and Luke rode the scooter,

The parade started later with Jett, Caiden, Tom,

Matthew, Ariana, Annika, and Luke driving

Bob's "toys"

Caiden and Luke created a "car town"

Anni and Luke "swam"

On Wednesday, Tom, Trina, Ari, Anni, Jett, and

 Matthew drove to Killdeer to meet Mary Kate. 

Trina and Mary Kate greeted Bob, Diane, 

Caiden and Luke on Thursday.

Luke and Mary Kate

Kelly said that Jimmy fell asleep while

trying to outstare Mary Kate

Anni and Grace in the pool at the Aquatic Center

Some of the kids played pickleball, some went golfing, 

swimming, and to the playground at the school...

Matthew, Luke, and Caiden at the pool

Swinging Matthew

Anni and Grace sliding

Grampa Dan brought a tire hub and lots

of firewood, so we had more smores....

on Friday night

"Cool" smores firepit

Saturday was Baptism day for Mary Kate

at St. Joseph's in Killdeer. 

She got all dressed up in the Baptismal gown

that her Great-Grandma Mary (Bob's mom)

had made 54 years ago for her first granddaughter

Grace and Annika got dressed up, too

Kelly's dad is a deacon in the Catholic Church, 

so he baptized Mary Katherine

Deacon Dan had help from Ari and Andrew

Mary Kate with Jimmy and Kelly

and her godparents,

Tom and Trina

and her grandparents Dan and Nancy

and Bob and Diane...we are a lot happier than she is

at this point!

Cousins present were Andrew, Matthew, Caiden, 

Jett, Ariana, Annika holding Mary Kate, Grace, and Luke

Tom and Trina's family

Jimmy and Kelly's family

Since we could not attend Ariana's

Confirmation on June 18th in Iowa,

we took a picture in Killdeer.