Restoring a 65 Chevy Impala

The Castle's

Stacy, Zoey, Scott, Jack

The welcome committee at the Castle house - no need to beware though,
Tiffany, Zoey and Jack are just big happy dogs!

Zoey and Jack never get tired of each other and

my reluctant daughter
poses for the camera. Dogs never sigh at you for wanting to take their picture!

Scott gears up to work on the 65 Chevy Impala that he is restoring.

There is a lot of sanding to be done.

This is some kind of hydraulic system in the trunk.

Is that a coffee can in there?

That reminds me of the Dogde Dart I drove when I was 19. I took it to a mechanic once because I was away from home and they were laughing and asked me who normally works on my car. I said 'My dad, why?' and they pointed to a coffee can that was serving some purpose with the engine. Ingenious! That's what I say!

See the sparks fly...

The man center in the shop.

Scott's derby car sits outside the shop.

Look not in my eyes, for fear

LOOK not in my eyes, for fear
Thy mirror true the sight I see,
And there you find your face too clear
And love it and be lost like me.
One the long nights through must lie
Spent in star-defeated sighs,
But why should you as well as I
Perish? gaze not in my eyes.

A Grecian lad, as I hear tell,
One that many loved in vain,
Looked into a forest well
And never looked away again.
There, when the turf in springtime flowers,
With downward eye and gazes sad,
Stands amid the glancing showers
A jonquil, not a Grecian lad.
--A. E. Housman

Chocolate chip cookies 101

What you need to get started - the KitchenAid really helps!
Put flour, baking soda, salt in a seperate bowl and set aside.
Cream your butter - use the real stuff for the best cookies.
Add sugar and beat it!
brown sugar too...
The key to the whole thing...good vanilla.
4 eggs...
now add flour mixture
finally the chocolate chips.
Voila' a big bowl of dough!
Chocolate chip bars.

Not nearly as tender and romantic as cookies,

but I discovered too late that my cookie sheets
are still at my daughter's house.

Habitat For Humanity

Paul - our crew boss and Brian taking a little break. Paul has been working on this house for seven weeks already. He spends time here after work evey day and the weekends. He relies on a multitude of volunteers to see this project through to completion.










Jack, Paul, Dennis and Brian - still smiling at the end of the day! Paul asked us to bring gloves, brooms, masks, patience and good attitudes. We had all of that in abundance!

We insulated the main floor of the house so masks and
gloves were an important part of our uniform.

Paul taught me how to use some noisy,
electric saw thing to cut out the windows.
It took every bit of strength I had to hold
on to it and not cut into the house.

I couldn't get over the great view and kept commenting on it to everyone, including Deb, the new owner. Might have been nice had someone clued me in that the couple is blind. Oh well, it's a great view and a lovely breeze from way up on this hill.

Dennis working hard up in the house while the rest of us take a break.

Lunch arrived and the tired crew takes a break. This is a great group of people and was a very rewarding experience.

The other Dennis - he's been working so hard
and has a kind word and smile for everyone.

Deb and her husband are
looking forward to move in day.

We learned how a house is wrapped. A pretty good wind is blowing at this point, which made this process a little tricky.

After a little trial and error they worked out a system - team work at it's best! The old saying "many hands make light work" comes to mind. My job was to help smooth out wrinkles and hand them staples...and so the nickname 'staple girl'.

The first corner was the hardest...

Paul checking on his crew below. We had an accident free day - Patti holds up the ladder for Brian. She also worked hard at getting all that insulation installed. The insulation material is pretty toxic stuff - itchy and scratchy too - so we needed a breather after that. Patti is wearing her mask on her head while she takes a coke break.

Our day jobs are sitting at a desk so we look pretty good out there. I thought we made a great team!

Thanks for inviting us for the day Paul. You are doing an awesome job an admirable service to the community! You inspire the spirit of volunteerism in all who work with you.

All Gods' children singing Glory, Glory...

Larry and Gary working through some rough spots at our first choir practice of the season at my house. Those tenors sounded especially beautiful tonight. I've been missing that peaceful feeling that floats over me when our voices all become one.


I got side-tracked by our smallest singer and forgot to take any other pictures. It's all about you Yogi! He was a quick study and learned the song faster than we did.








Yogi gets comfortable in my big leather chair while having another burger.



He likes getting his picture taken too! A delightful child with lots to say...

Greg on Lake Michigan

Greg at the wheel...
Beautiful shot Lisa!
Sunset - Lake Michigan - August 2005
Thanks for sharing Lisa and Greg - I look forward to that ride!

A day in Stillwater by Lisa

Here's my new purse, jeans, and sweater; all purchased in Stillwater for under $50!! A bargain...check out the new hair, too. Whoa. We drove a circuitous route, winding through Winsconsin on our way and passing over the Mississippi River twice.
The sky over Stillwater, just before the thunderstorms came in. Kind of ruined the new hair. We thought it was going to be sunny all day and weren't prepared for rain. Were annoyed by exuberant red hat ladies in the consignment store. They were most effusively hoping to sell us a hairy scarf that can be a hat, a shawl, a dress, even a broach whatever the occasion demands. We resisted.

Here's John singing late into the night on Friday. We serenaded the neighbors with "King of the Road" and are certain they enjoyed it. Especially the guy next door who showed his appreciation by operating his jig saw right outside my window at 6:00 am. Yeah.

A wild rice festival! Who wouldn't love to go to a wild rice festival?? We were sorry that it was next weekend, though. Wonder if there's a wild rice queen?


The mighty St. Croix river. Is that also the Mississippi? A branch? A bay? Whatever....I'm from Michigan. Bodies of water need to be pretty big to impress me. Not that the Mississippi is not large, but is a river a similar body of water to a lake?