"Marcella" on Netflix

It's a quick eight episodes of Season One and it's good. It's pronounced Mar-chella. It's a whodunit with many twists. Check it out, if you're looking for some decent, almost-Fall fare.

Sunshine Speaks

Sunny Days, inside 'n' out, here on Golden Pond…

Joe is lovin' his paddle-board…

Late August weather has been nothing short of spectacular…

Giving Thanks for a feel-better month. I love summer!

Serenity Now!

Summer Fast Waning

Late August… Daytime to Nighttime 

Italy

Tragedy has certainly struck central Italy, with the death toll rising to unbelievable numbers. Too sad.
Sympathy. Love. Prayers.

Gorgeous Day on Golden Pond

Summer is waning fast. I write this entry at just a few minutes past eight p.m. and it is already dark. Yuck. An hour earlier than just a month ago. Still, we've a week and a half till Labor Day, so every minute shall be savored. That day symbolizes the psychological end of summer, not the calendar's finale. We are such a comical breed, humans, the way we spin things! But let's talk about gorgeous, late-August days, such as today…

A cool night preceded an eighty-degree day that included warm water and brilliant sunshine. And Joe caught a fish that he later freed. Now this is clearly mention-worthy, as it has truly been the Summer Of No Fish. Seriously. Sportsmen are blaming it on many factors, such as rain-deprived, low lake waters that are extremely warm after a record-breaking, hot July. No fish, no eagles. We've had minimal sitings. Birdwatchers and amateur photogs such as myself are blaming the food shortage, herein. Ah, yes, the cycle of life… so it goes and so it goes...

Sharing our spectacular day, Aubs decided to take the board out for a spin, after which we did some beading and painting. It was fun. Can you believe that our Sugar is heading to fourteen, come November?!? Talk about time flying…

Gav was here, too, but NIK and I were simply not on our game, today. Sorry, Kids… I love you nonetheless. ♥

Not a Fan of KFC but Lovin' Crispy Colonel George Hamilton!

Vicki ♡

Vickster came for the weekend past, providing us with a much needed visit during which to catch up. And catch up we did - my jaw is still tender! 

Mambo always enjoys the special attention, too; he says, "Woof, woof," which translates to "Thank you. Come back soon."

We loved every minute of sunshine. Thanks, Sweetness. We love you to pieces.

Surprise 'Em with Avocado-Hummus Dip

Niece Vicki is paying us an overnight visit, later on; we're psyched. Unfortunately, our other Baby Chloe is quite sick, keeping her and Kim from joining us. Get well fast, Sweet Girl.

Thought I'd give Vick another recipe to add to her growing collection. I'm confident she'll like it, especially for its healthy ingredients.

It is so easy, as avocado can be mashed right in its shell and added to the container of hummus, along with finely chopped scallion (both ends!) and the juice of one lime... no dirty dishes…

Store in fridge and surprise your guests when you plate the "container of hummus" for them to dip into. Great with veggies and chips… or, as a salad topper.

Buon Appetito!

Tulips - Thanks, Zu!

Pal Zu (pay her a visit!) posted this link on her blog, one that I must share with y'all. As summer winds down, I'm already interested in ways to bring bloomin' indoors. Et vous?

Thanks, Zu. ♡

My Favorite Winners… You Know Their Names

Sure, they are ALL winners, just for their amazing athletic accomplishments and perseverance. But my favorites are here. We'll leave the sad Ryan story to the media and celebrate, instead, with positive thoughts. Here's to Brazil and Olympics 2016.

Congratulations to ALL athletes… especially those who demonstrated sportsmanship from the heart!

Inspiration Breeds Inspiration - Color Me ♡

Well, today's entry is inspired by a question from Tigger, 'cross the Pond. She noticed in yesterday's post that the mirror in the photo of the great room's wall has text on it. She's right… look hard to see the blurred lettering.

My friend is curious as to its message. It's an inspirational one that I thought the GrandLoves might enjoy. Words for all, young or old, to live by, yes?! :-) I'll post the text in its entirety here, for all to enjoy. After all, it's tough reading in-the-round!!

"Today is the day to go out and conquer the world. Live your Dreams. Today is a new beginning. Enjoy Life. Stop and smell the roses. Be Young. Be Happy. Be Strong. Be good. Never surrender. Today is the first day of the rest of your life. Lend a helping hand. Help yourself. There is no flying without winds. A journey of a thousand miles begins with one step. Gratitude is the hearts memory. Feel the sunshine. Watch a sunset. Fly a kite.Listen to a child. Work. Play. Joke. Laugh. Cry. Dance. Walk. Sing. Talk. Tun. Jump. Fall. Eat. Enjoy. Soar. Relax. Learn. Teach. Say. Listen. Sleep. Dream. See. Hear. Tough. Exercise. Rest. Grow. Think. Plan. Journey. Explore."

This one's for you, Tigger.

Inside 'n' Out on Golden Pond

Today is an exquisite day. Sunshine, blooms and azure skies, everywhere. Mambo is lovin' the shade.

This morning, I was surprised to find a gorgeous bloom on one of our sweet potato vines. It was hidden under the foliage, so had I not been deadheading other flowers, it would have remained unseen.

Just a little post-discovery, UPS delivered our latest canvas. It was cropped from one of my photos of twilight, a most spectacular time at the lake. We are thrilled with the addition in our great room. See what you think. And if you like, I can only recommend canvas4life.com for about the hundredth time!!

Giving thanks.

Bloomin' Today...

Steamier-than-Ever Heat Wave - Patrick Swayze 'n' Dirty Dancing

So, admit it. You've watched the film 110 times, right? And you still love it. Right twice?  I know, I know… I've been on a real celebrity kick. But hey, it's summer and the livin' is easy, with deep thoughts hibernating till wintertime. Here's the story…

We had a day like no other, this past Saturday. It was a very still 90 degrees with a feel of 99. No breeze at all. Stifling, even here on Golden Pond. We opened the door mid-morning, quickly shut it and proceeded to stay in the lovely air-conditioned house till 5:00 p.m. What to do? "The Olympics," suggested Joe. But I'd pretty much had them, ad nauseum. Let's try Freeform TV. And there he was. Yep, halfway through the movie, Patrick Swayze was dancing his heart out. It then became REALLY steamy around here. We watched, after which I commented to Joe, "You know, I could sit down and watch the entire movie again, right now." Well…

By Sunday, we were back in our lakeside comfort zone. Poor Manhattan, though… a continued nightmare for many days, with 3-digit temps. I digress. We were outside for most of the second weekend day, with Mambo staying cool next to the shaded shrubs. When we finally came in and flicked on the tube (still on the same station), guess what was JUST starting. Yep. You're right. And guess what I did, from start to finish. Yep. Watched it. Ask me how much I love that film, about the very Borscht Belt we live in. But…

I'm upset that ABC is in the process of remaking a new 3-hour film of "DD." There is something so wrong with that, in light or Mr. Swayze's passing way too soon. Even now when I watch, still loving him and the film, there is a bittersweetness about the experience. Too sad. But still, he owns it.

Now, not that I need another excuse, but intense heat brings on scary rains. So, when intense winds and boatloads of water came the next day, I couldn't help but wonder what was on Freeform…

Keith Urban on GMA - Bringin' the Blues to Central Park this Morning

Whoa! Haven't loved something new as much as this in a long, long time. I don't buy into Keith as Country. More Crossover, if you ask me. But you didn't ask me, so maybe it's just the whole rocker package that's so appealing to moi. But this song? It has completely won me over. And talk about steaming up the park even more than the tropical heat can...

"Blue Ain't Your Color," perhaps; but today, it sure is mine. Enjoy!
(Vid won't open on your device? Try this link)

"St. Vincent" 'n' Peter Dinklage

It's the scriptwriters' fault. Yep, I can no longer watch "Game Of Thrones" with one of my favorite actors, Peter Dinklage. Heads flying are disturbing to me… and, there's just so much I can absorb with hands covering eyes. Soooo, I'm forced to find sweeter fare on the late summer evenings that we find ourselves watching TV. Thus…

Bill Murray and Melissa McCarthy in "St. Vincent" on Netflix. What a keeper. The same story told a million times over, but this time with a twist and a fabulous ending that includes a looooong Dylan song. Two words…

Watch it!

Momma Nature 'n' Shades of Green

First sighting of the season happened this morning. He cooperated for a few iPhone captures. Gorgeous.

More from the Rump… More Frightening, too...

Praying the words are penetrating the brains of people of all political persuasions. This is nothing short of terrifying.

LakeScapes

Love the Battle Of The Clouds going on here. We were sitting on the dock last Saturday when these big guys came rolling in. So which one won, you ask?? Well Big Black moved on, allowing White 'n' Fluffy to take over, after which the water sparkled and resident sunfish made an appearance. Yep, they thought Joe's toes were bait.

Clearly, bare toes are a part of summer, as ugly as they may be. I've learned to accept my gnarly, bumpy ones, reminiscent of my beloved Dad's. Of all things to inherit, but ya gotta love 'em, especially when they're painted red.

We love Lake Livin'!!

Celebrating Bri's 46th ♡

This year, we celebrated backwards birthdays. On Saturday night, before heading to Lyla's festivities on Sunday, we lit not-quite-46 candles for Bri's August 8th special day. We had Kell blow out a few candles, too. I was in the hospital on her July day and we never properly acknowledged it. To say her gift was late this year is putting it ever so mildly, but we love her nonetheless! It was a fun occasion...

When we arrived at the Old Homestead, Aubs and Gavin greeted us from the pool. Ah, now that was nice to see again. It was the perfect late afternoon/evening for a swim, as Momma Nature provided us with clearing and lovely weather, after a rather threatening day.

I'd read Todd Miner's article in New York State's CONSERVATIONIST magazine (below) that morning; it reminded me so much of something Brian had said as a very young boy. Ever observant about everything, this is the child who excitedly pointed out a full moon to me, as we rode the Holiday Mountain chairlift, one night when he was about ten years old. Well, that's how every little detail of life is looked upon, including our yard on Stacey… he dubbed it "Jungle Habitat" for all the wildlife we enjoyed for over forty years. You'll get the connection...

Gavin is clearly his son. He never misses a thing, inside or outside of the house, often taking a tour to see, "What's new, G'ma?"

Ever enterprising and ever enthusiastic, always having time to lend a hand if we need it… Brian is special and deeply loved. Our firstborn. 46. Hard to believe how time flies when you're having fun and lovin'…

Happy Birthday, Honey.

We love you so much.

Keep on being excited about everything that comes your way. 
♥

LYLA Turns Four! ♡♡♡♡

Precious girl, absolutely FULL of personality and smiles! This past Sunday, the 7th, was Lyla's fourth birthday. We spent a delightful day at Christian's and Dawn's, where the kids were SO excited to have us… and, we were SO excited to be there.

Needless to say, we were wined and dined like royalty. Grillmeister Christian had his super-sized Weber filled to capacity. And for the family insiders, he even made tip-tips. :-) Dawn had baked not one, but three cakes to please all tastes. Her stab at decorating Lyla's main cake was great, with Hunter singing her praises, repeatedly. Special boy. Chloe added her super-duper robot (made from Ly's empty shipping boxes from various relatives) to the party mix. Clearly an imaginative artist.

As for Lyla, well I'm here to tell you that the Little Princess clearly knew that it was HER day. This variety of excitement could not even be surpassed on Christmas morn! So adorable and smart as a whip. Kisses and hugs were flying in the room, as she opened her gifts. What to play with first? Ah, yet another new dolly won the spot!! I think lovely G'pa Frank takes the prize for his choice.

A great day. So thankful for our awesome family and five GrandLoves. Not exactly sure just what we'd be doing without them all. Giving thanks and…

L♥VING LYLA… Muah! 
Happy Birthday, Sweetness!

Lunch

We had company, yesterday, as we enjoyed lunch on the deck. Sweet.

Our gorgeous Mandevilla vine with its trumpet-shaped flowers is the closest we'll get to the tropics, this year.

Gram, Gramps 'n' our Gavin Shadow

Ah, one of my favorite topics concerns just what comes out of the mouths of babes, bringing me to Wednesday night's call from Gavin:

"G'ma, can I come over tomorrow? I need a day off from camp."

"Of course, Honey. It promises to be a gorgeous day; we'll have fun."

"Thank you. I'll bring my new Monopoly game, so that we can play."

A plan was hatched for yesterday. And we did have fun. As soon as Bri left, out came the new version of the game. TOTALLY fun! And fast. And winnable. Or lose-able, as was the case for moi in two games. This kid understands strategy:

"G'ma, you know you could have saved that card for later use. That's how I won the last game."

Oooh-kay, time to hit the great outdoors and check out the punkin' patch, where our fascination was captured by Joe...

"G'ma, let's take a picture of our shadows. You don't have to smile in shadow pictures or ski helmet/goggle pictures."

What a great vantage point for an 11-year-old to take a photo of his own, showing just how beautiful the water is on a brilliant day...

Time to board, swim, kayak and fish...

Wonder of wonders! Golden Pond gave up one of its prized possessions; this after a catch-less summer.

But the men gifted the scaled one back to its environment, paying it forward. After all, it's truly about the catch and not the keeping.

Precious boy. Affectionate beyond words. Literally. While there ARE many words…

"I love you, G'ma…."

…there are also countless hugs and kisses. What an uplifting day. Giving thanks.

TO NOTE:

Ahem. You might have noticed that I'm quickly becoming the shortest member of the family. Gav has me by an inch, now. And don't for one minute think that he's not measuring and reminding. I need higher heels and a fluffier hairdo. :-)

♥