Summer 2013

Summer arrived at the Birdwell's Nest!  John got the pool up and running. He even got to enjoy it a bit before he set out for Sea.  John would spend his summer in the Indian Ocean! 

 In the mean time, Ellie and Sandy got some pool time!  The guys and i taught Ellie to get in and out of the pool using the ladder!  I'm sure Sandy will be  using it next summer as well!  Eva and Pickles are content to watch from the deck! Pickles doesn't do water and Eva only does warm water with bubbles and a double pedicure better come with it! 

 Ellie, sits in Dad's spot, patiently waiting for him to come home...

 and she waits.....Ian photo bombs....

A ball to push around the yard might help the time pass until Dad gets home...

 Arrick brought home a new buddy! Pickles!  She's a sweetie and loves to play and wrestle with Ellie!  She's a month older than Ellie so the youngin's do their tearing around outdoors!

 Naps with Ian are the next best thing to napping with Dad!

 Sandy takes a nap because watching those pups wears her out!

 Ian and his kitty Whiskers.....He loves his kitty!!

 We spent the summer working in the yard...helping pass the time until Dad gets home!

 Summer soon fades and I took Ian back to Mason.  We moved him into his apartment that he shares with his three friends.

 This is their living room.  New traditional dorm furniture! wooohooo!

 Ian collected coasters from  his trip to Belgium so he framed them for some wall decor'!

 Another shot of  his dorm, from the living room! Not a bad apartment for four guys!! He is on the ground floor and gets along very well with his roommates!

Arrick and I attended the Symphony in the park this fall.  They finished renovating our city park and it's so lovely to go to the Farmer's market and other events out there now!!  

 Arrick and Zach, wait for the music to begin!!  Sadly, a fierce thunder storm rolled through, and after only two sets, they cancelled the rest of the show due to the foul weather.

Dad's home!!!  John arrived home Mid September so we though it prudent to have the puppy reunion outside!!  I think the pups were glad to see Dad!!  only Sandy and Ellie made it out the door!  Eva and Pickles had their reunion indoors!

Ellie....

There once was a tiny black and white Staffordshire Terrier that needed a home. When she crossed our threshold, she was a mere 4 weeks old and homeless.  She resided with us a wee bit but was back before we knew it. It didn't work out at her planned forever home, but by then, she had tugged at John's heart strings and she was ours forever...or we were hers! 

 Ellie, short for Elvira (she was a biter with those sharp puppy teeth) snuggles up to Eva. 

 She and Whiskers try to bond.....yeah...not so much...

 John and Ellie, the best of buds!!

 Sandy and Ellie, snuggle up on a chilly day!

 Flat out crashed!!!

Ellie enjoying a chewy on Whisker's scratching pad....this probably won't end well! 

 Whiskers sought out a quite secluded place to nap....or just getting back at Ellie for invading his scratching pad!

 Yes, she has her own pool.  Well actually, it's allof the girls pool...but Ellie enjoys it the most!!

        napping while dad plays a game!

 She doesn't miss much!!!  She's growing so quickly!! Stay tuned for more pictures!!

Winter 2013

I'm afraid I've neglected our blog!  John was at sea this winter and we seemed to be quite busy with getting Ian  from school and just life in general.  I didn't even take many pictures this Christmas which isn't like me at all.  This picture of Whiskers was the only contender for the blog, I'm afraid!  He even looks sad about it! 

 Upon John's return to the states, in February, we took a trip to see Ian and have some family time. It'd been since July since John had seen Ian so a visit was over due!  We decided that we'd venture to Mount Vernon, George Washington's home and final resting place. Here is direct view of the main house.

 This room is off the garden and was the hot house.  A fire in the next room complete with ventilation system, kept this room at a tropical temperature!  Quite a luxury!!

 The slaves quarters, one of many rooms.  The women were housed seperately from the men. 

 I was wandering ahead of Ian and John and met up with Martha Washington herself!

 The grounds near the house and other outbuildings.  quite organized and well laid out!

                                                a view of the main house!

 Waiting on the front porch to see inside the President's home.  What a wonderful and beautiful view!

                                                The other side of the main house...

                                        A view of the front river side of the home!! 

 Looking upriver on George's front yard  if you look down you will see a low brick wall.  There is  drop off there...keeps the live stock off the front lawn...what a novel idea!  No livestock remains for guests to step in while enjoying the view!!

 One of our Former president's carriages! 

 His every day ride, quite practical and gets the job done!  Sort of like a sports model! 

 The stables!

 George's first resting place....

 George and Martha's final resting place....simple, yet elegant!

 We saw these lovely little houses scattered about the grounds.  After doing a bit of reading, they were privies!!  wonderful idea and quite nice!!

 After a brisk walk about Washington's grounds and home, we ventured back to Ian's apartment.  He lives in campus housing but has 3 other roommates.  They have a 2 bedroom, 2 bath apartment and it's quite nice!  He lives in the lower level...C.  C'mon in!!

 The dining and living combo...Ian said he's working on decor...this summer he said he will work on some things for the walls..

 The full kitchen!  John is making the boys dinner and he's putting the cake I made in the oven!

 They have a washer and dryer....

 What a great visit we had with Ian and his three roommates.  We shared stories and had a great meal John made and a cake.  The boys were wonderful hosts and I'm so pleased that Ian has made life long friends as I had while I was in college.  I'm not going to guess or even imagine the antics they have shared as I had with my college friends....I can wait to hear of those maybe 10 years from now!! LOL


While On our visit to Northern Virginia, we stopped in to see my dear friend and sister, Paula and her girls!!  She has a new addition to her family.  Isabella!!  She wasn't but a few months old in this picture if that.  John kind of hogged her.  He LOVES babies and babies love him!!  Look, it's John in his natural  habitat!!  She's adorable! He's kinda cute too!! :)

 Paula amusing Isabella!!  Love this....I wish we lived closer to Paula...I miss the fun we had.  Looks like I need to make more trips up to DC!! :)