ARGH!

If I could figure out who the culprit is, I'd give someone a piece of my mind!  What a dad-blamed nuisance!  Someone started using my credit card number over the weekend--apparently to try to buy an Iphone, because that's the kind of charges that were made (apps and equipment).  Fortunately, I monitor that card fairly carefully because it WAS my primary card, so I've gone through the rigamarole of cancelling the card and trying to remember who has charges outstanding (season tickets for a couple of things for next season, for example) and giving them a valid card number.  When I get the new card, there are several places like my prescription place that have to be notified!  What an aggravation.  At least I caught it before too much damage, but...  This kind of crook needs to get a job--and a CHEAP phone with their own money!

Rattling Around

The house seems almost empty this morning.  Steve and Julie were here from Saturday until this morning, and it was so great to have them.  We did the Annapolis Secret Garden Tour on Sunday, which was nice, but it was VERY hot and we didn't quite finish it before we had to search for cold drinks and less heat.  Yesterday we cruised around downtown Annapolis, checking out the shops.  I should do that more often.  I discovered a neat tea and spices shop I didn't even know was there!

This morning they left for Michigan and a visit with Julie's mom Joan.  I miss them already, but I know I have to share!

 Safe journey, Steve and Julie. 

A Week at Nags Head

A delightful way to spend a week in late spring is to be at the beach with family whose company you enjoy.  I was blessed to have this chance at the end of May, spending that week in Nags Head, NC with sister Pat and her husband Bob, two of their children and the spouses of those children, and five of their seven grandchildren.  We had a spacious house on the beach and a swimming pool just out the back door.  Dolphins swam by and put on performances that seemed to be just for us, sometimes for twenty minutes or so at a time.

The first night we celebrated Emily's second birthday.  She hasn't quite mastered the art of blowing out candles, so Ava and Elizabeth helped out a bit.

The children (and adults) enjoyed the beach in the morning before the days got too hot and the little ones got too tired.  Emily and her bucket and shovel were very busy.  Sometimes she did it solo, sometimes with the help of the cousins.

Elizabeth had a whole village of sand castles, and she decorated them with shells and whatever else she could find.

Jake liked the ocean as long as he was close to daddy--or the waves didn't come too close to him!

When the sand and heat got to be a bit much, the gang retreated to the pool, where they were content to spend hours.  The pool came equipped with a slide, and with a daddy or mom at the end of it to catch the younger ones, they had a splashing good time, although Ava and Elizabeth could also manage splashes into the pool on their on, too, thank you very much!

Baby Abbie got some pool time occasionally, but she was most often found snuggling with one of the grown-ups.  Here she's getting a big kiss from her Aunt Jen in one shot and sharing deck time with Grandmother Pat in the other.

We fed stale crackers to the laughing gulls and watched the beach replenishment process(toward the end of the week, thank goodness).

The "mother ship" that hauled the sand from far out and then piped it back to the beach

Moving the retrieved sand into place

A good time with loving family and good weather--even if there was occasional smog from a forest fire to the west of us across the sound. This group offered lots of opportunities for photos.  If you are interested in seeing more of them, try:  https://picasaweb.google.com/ejoyce2 .