Another morning on the farm

The girls finished up their shifts at the Agricultural Farm this week. A few more shots from this bucolic setting...

(you can click on the pictures to enlarge them)




Yep, they're scooping up you know what...



They've enjoyed this immensely. Who wouldn't love spending the morning with Mrs. Ryan?!

At the museum...

To the Godspell Cast

A taste of farm life

For three weeks, the 4H club that we belong to, "Back In Time," has responsibility for caring for the farm animals at the Agricultural Farm. The kids in the club take morning or afternoon shifts. This morning was our first shift. We met Cindy, our fearless Back In Time leader, early this morning and she walked Janelle and Evelyn through the care of the calf, cow, pigs, and goats.
Cindy has named the 2 week old calf Chloe. She sucks down two of these huge bottles.
Fresh straw for the Jersey cow.
Pumping water.
This cow watched intently as Evelyn filled up her breakfast bucket.

On to the little piggies...

...and over to the goats.




Cindy told me she often has her quiet time in that red chair. It's so quiet, it was hard to believe we were right in the heart of Montgomery County, and not far from our own backyard.
I must admit, it was a very refreshing way to start the day.

NCAA - The Big Dance

I've filled out my bracket. Have you?

PVAC Champions slideshow

I took over 1,000 pictures of the Middle School Girl's basketball team this season. Janelle and Kendall compiled this slideshow for our end-of-the-season team party. The music they used was part of the Cougars' warm-up CD.

Slowly but Surely, or A Girl and Her Cello

Meet Evelyn's cello teacher, Josh. Evelyn participated in a Violin Camp last summer, but quickly decided that the cello would be her instrument after watching Josh play. Most of the cello music she plays are pieces she has played on the piano so she plays them primarily by ear. In an effort to get Evelyn to truly read music, Josh recently wrote a short Etude for her. He wrote it in the car between his many classes. (I guess when you're a practiced musician you can do that sort of thing!) It has no particular melody to it so she has to figure out each note as she plays. She practiced it all week and played it for him during her lesson yesterday. His response? "Great job, Evelyn. Now play it this way," and he proceeded to turn the paper upside down. It became an entirely new piece. Thanks for being a great teacher, Josh and for keeping Evelyn on her toes.Performing at her recital accompanied by Josh.
A few weeks ago Evelyn pushed through a lesson but was struggling with a cold. Josh said, "Since you're not feeling well you can sit on the couch and I'll give you a little concert." He played what I think is the most beautiful cello music ever written, The Prelude to the First Bach Cello Suite. Amazing and inspiring to hear up close and loud in my living room! Ask him to play it for you.

My baby girl

As a photographer, I am always behind the camera and rarely have my picture taken which is fine with me. Recently one of my all-time favorite photographers took a picture of Elise and me when she was in her friend Lauren's wedding. Andy Alonso is a wonderful photographer whom I've known since I was a teenager. His expertise is sports photography, but he has done many weddings at CLC. I love this picture of my 19 year old baby girl! Thank you, Andy.

National Pig Day

You do realize March 1st is National Pig Day, don't you? Thought not. Neither do most people - except the Riddlesbergers. Each year on March 1 for about the past 15 years we receive a visit from Scot, Beth, Nick and Abby with a pig cake in hand. For some reason we always forget this is coming. (We tend to celebrate major, important holidays - like Christmas.) This year we decided to catch the Bergers off guard. We ate dinner in the dark in the dining room to get a better view out of the front of our house in order to see their headlights as they drove up our street....filled balloons with confetti and as they drove into our driveway we snuck around the back of the house. As they went to the front door, we quietly filled their car with confetti and snuck back around the house.
When no one answered the door they came back to their car...

Not a huge sabotage job, but at least we stirred things up a bit. You have to understand this family. They are the supreme rulers of practical jokes. Especially the unassuming ringleader, Beth. This is a woman who year after year in the dorms at Celebration would turn to me at 11:00 at night and say, "So what are we going to do tonight?" I'm a little nervous what next March 1st holds in store for us.
(We're praying for you, Nick.)