But you can't make me blog...

if I don't
You cant make my hand type something it wont
Here in the park, in these summer hours
I will turn on my 'puter and I'll feel the power
And you will, oh you will
But you cant make blog, if I don't

Ah Bonnie... so versatile.

So, I have been away for far too long. Although the tree scaling post was awesome, it will not be my final blog. My final blog will probably be able something excessively lame, like how much I like gold sandals, because I will be an 80-year old woman living in Texas. So no fears. But you can't make me blog. I blog what I want, when I want! Cuz I am SASSIE!

The truth is, there is a ton to blog about! So much has happened: my ninja gear has come in...we had a heck of a storm last night... Summer bowling league has started...I rode a tractor... we had a Lewis family reunion that was awesome (the only way it could have been improved? a little less rain!) So this will mostly be a blog of catch up and pictures of the happenings... this blog is going to take me at least 30 minutes to complete.

The Ninja gear.
It's freaking awesome. Well, most of it - the ninja grappling hook is so much fun. I am not strong enough to use it completely as designed, but I have a lot of plans for altering the methods. The toe spikes are a little out of touch - they tie onto your shoes or boots with wimpy shoelaces- so when climbing vertically, your shoes slides backwards and the spikes stay in the tree. I have some alterations for this - I think I also have to accept that until I am stronger, I will need to use the ladder to get up the tree, then the ninja gear to scale it higher. Here are several photos of the first and only (to date) attempt with the gear.


Preparing to climb, installing Cyborg Ninja Monkey gear.


Proving I am not a ninja by requiring help from my brother in law, Steve, and niece, Molly. I love the cigarette, I hate the facial expression. You could've at least tried to make it look easy.


Showing my technique. Questionable at best.

I would like to say for the record - I did get up the tree eventually....and like I said - alterations will be made and there will be success.

Riding a tractor
I have done this on several occasions, but I've never had anyone around to take a picture.... I look just right on a tractor!




Summer bowling
It's 9-pin no-tap, so it should in theory be much easier. But the few weeks off have made me lose what little skills I have... so my first night, I set a very low average...I would bet around 95. So that leaves plenty of room for huge handicaps!! :)

Stormy weather
So it's tornado season here.. and yesterday the conditions were just perfect...luckily nothing really bad here happened except some downed limbs...which I have yet to clean up! Sorry all of these are so fuzzy - the wind was still really blowing when I went to take pictures. We got (I would guess) about 2 inches in about 10 minutes. Somebody's mesh sun shade (like a tent) blew away - so put on my rain coat and dragged it back and secured it, but when I finally got inside, I looked like a humongous drowned rat.



This is the limb that fell on my parents motorhome...



My foot for perspective.

Family Reunion
It was awesome. It was great to see Mom, Dad (who will be back in a few days), Mike, Tara, Erikka, Steve, Molly, Cari and Grandma. At the last minute, Grandma Rae was able to make it out. We literally took hundreds of pictures. I will try to share a few of the best ones here. Mike/Tara, Steve/Erikka, Cari... CDs with all the pictures are on the way to you. And for $10, I will send copies to anyone else :)

Me, Dad, Erikka:


For Mike:


Without Ninja gear, Cari was by far a better climber than me. Monkey.


Erikka, Baby Wareham (hiding), Steve, and Molly.


I tried to teach Molly to say that Kansas was paradise. Step one of that is relaxing in the hammock. You can't do that with shoes on... even if they're crocs.

Mike and Tara. Adorable.

Paradise. I think this was probably actually taken at Tara's at Thanksgiving, but I couldn't resist.

She really is incredibly strong...when we were trying to get her in her raft in the pool the first day... well, let's just say it didn't happen. But she's clearly one of the coolest people I know... one of her favorite songs is "hello, goodbye". I have some recordings of her singing... maybe I'll make something and YouTube it.

The pool was the best of times and the worst of times. Molly would put her feet in, despite the all day clouds, declare it 'just right!' and then fight viciously when we tried to put her in the raft. And when Zach and Brooke would go home, she would ask, "Where's Booke?"



And here's the main event, the coup de grace, the gravy, the icing. The family:

Now- a bit of seriousness... I love my space... and I have to admit, I was happy to get my bed back and a little bit of my routine is falling back into place. But I see that picture...and I tear up. I love all of you guys (all my people - not just the pictured ones) and wish we could all be in the same place forever. Well...maybe not the same house, but the same county would be cool.

Love.