What a whirlwind! There were days at home, working my herbs and tomatoes -- and enjoying plenty of gazpacho.
There was a terrific folk festival with wonderful music under the stars.
And plenty of farmer's market visits -- this little girl was savoring the sweet black cherries at one vendor's spot, much to her mother's chagrin!
Rick and I enjoyed some wonderful dinners outside -- at least the grill will keep going for awhile, even if the chillier evenings bring dining inside!
Rick was volunteering at the bike races held in Lansing -- some of the races decided state championships.
It was great fun to watch lots of bikes racing for glory. Not quite the Tour de France, but it would have to do!
Then there was a visit to Columbus to visit friends Lin and Larry. Of course, shopping and lunch were involved!
So was making art with Lin's two grandchildren. We did drawing, journal making and tag making...
... and topped it off with Scrabble!
It wouldn't be summer without art camp. That's when my friend Kate heads to the lake and we create all the art we can manage in a few days.
Lots of it is prep -- I worked on canvases, journals and a swap. More of that to come! We both did plenty of gelli-printing!
On the last day of art camp, the sun came out. And, we noticed a beautiful heron had shown up more than once.
I wonder if he is related to Harry? The distant cousin from the north perhaps?
After art camp, I returned home, repacked my bag and headed to Cleveland to celebrate the upcoming wedding of my cousin's son Mark with the lovely Ms. Katie!
Yes, count down is right!
The tables at the shower were lovely with a bird house motif.
If you look at the mason jar favors, they were cupcakes, layered with delicious icing. Katie's mom made 80 of these with her elf-helpers. And they were fabulous and wonderfully cute, tied with colorful ribbon and a wooden spoon for easy eating!
The best part, of course, was being with my family, both just hanging out...
...and at the shower.
And I definitely enjoyed the wildlife in the cousin's backyard. I'm not sure they are so enamored with the deer eating birdseed and hostas as I was!
It wouldn't be a visit to Cleveland without catching up with my friend Jane. We did so in style at a Japanese restaurant.
And then home and back to the lake again -- with you know who expressing her displeasure in being confined in her travel box for the better part of the road trip. She looks so sweet and innocent with that cute face and big purr -- but trust me. She knows how to rattle the cage.
It's time to savor the last minutes of August, make more art and wait for Rick to arrive from his bike ride.
Where did August go?