Melissa's Baby Shower

Jan's pictures of Melissa's baby shower can be seen by clicking on davepics link.

Horicon Marsh / Beaver Dam

Despite the weather, Outlaw4 and Inlaw4 went to Beaver Dam for a photography class taught by Dave Edward of the WI DNR. It rained all day but we drove through Horicon Marsh and took a few photos anyway. Better luck next time!

Lisa visit at U of I

Inlaw4 and I went to Champaign on Friday and spent the night at the Hampton. We had a snack on Friday night with Lisa and caught up with her again on Saturday. We toured the campus which is something we haven't done since her freshman year. It was supposed to rain but the weather turned out to be great. U of I played MSU in MI. THEY WON! It was the first time they've won at MSU in 17 years. Here are a couple pictures of the campus and there are more on Shutterfly (follow the link).

Summer Flowers 2006

This year was a little different from past years. Usually we have our plants in by early June. We didn't get everything planted because the roof was replaced and then the tree was removed. But, as you can see, Jan did a great job with them again.

Noisy Weekend

The Rockford Air Show was held at the airport this weekend. On Friday they were flying over our house. I managed to get a couple shots of the planes but the real thrill was hearing them. On Friday we must have heard a dozen sonic booms. We didn't make it to the show but I think we'll definitely put it on our list of things to do next year.

Another big spider

Hi everyone, Sorry we haven't posted to the blog lately. The other night we were outside on the deck and Mr Spider came out to dine. The next day I found his hiding place. The days are getting colder and I suspect Mr Spiders days are numbered. He's a big one that's for sure.

Crop Walk

Hi Everyone! Once again Jan and I are participating in the Crop Walk with Court Street United Methodist Church. We've walked 4 out of the last 5 years. Crop Walk works towards eliminating hunger and strives to promote self-help. They also provide emergency funds throughout the world. Our goal this year is $250.00. If we make this goal an anonymous donor will match it. We're hoping you will be able to help us out. The walk is scheduled for October 15th. If you would like to sponsor us we would really appreciate it. Give us a call so we can fill in our pledge sheet. Thanks, Jan and Dave

Rain, rain, rain and more rain

Last Monday it looked like it was going to rain and when it did it really let loose. We were fortunate. We got some water in our basement but that was it. Some of the neighborhoods close to us had water damage that included basement walls falling in. We've been running the de-humidifier and fans to dry out and we're in pretty good shape.

Darby Family Picnic

I added about 30 pictures to the Darby Family album. You can use the link on the left side of the blog to view.

Bigger Backyard Visitors

It rained hard here yesterday afternoon but surprisingly we had a couple unexpected visitors. We feed the birds and some of it falls on the ground. This attracks squirrels and chipmunks. Well, yesterday the chipmunks (maybe it was a mouse) attracked a Red tailed hawk. Lunch was served and he / she waited around for desert. To the best of my knowledge none was served. We also had a mom raccon and her babies pass through. However, I think they are living under the deck. Now that's a problem.

A little more of Severson Dells

It was neat to see the deer and the scenery is wonderful too! One of the trails took us through the woods. When we came out we walked along the prairie. I think we'll be spending a little more time out there.

Severson Dells

Jan and I went to Severson Dells last Sunday. SD is a forest / nature preserve southwest of Rockford. Jan's former employer, Fred Kalivoda, past away in August of 2005 and his memorial service was held here. It has several trails which all link together. They offer owl walks, Dr Pond Scum and other weekly events at the Education Center. We took the kids out there when they were younger. We also took Rusty out there. When we returned to the parking lot he ran to the car, sat down and refused to move. He was done walking and ready to go home. Anyway, on our walk Sunday we saw a couple deer. It was great. They finally decided they'd had enough of us and ran away. The first one shows a deer jumping over a fallen tree with tail held high. I'm sure Jess has seen a couple of those before.

End of July 2006 Fun

28th Birthday Laura Aug. 22, 06 ---Damon & Laura July, 06 Three Lakes

Backyard Visitors

We have 3 feeders in the backyard and they are attracting a variety of birds. They really like the safflower seed and Niger seed. Fun to watch!

Happy Birthday!

Guess who turned 21 today!

The Picnic Files

Here are a couple pics I thought you might enjoy.