WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

Olympic Dreams

I always complain about the Olympics, because usually, they come at a time that interrupts some show I am really into at the given time......However, I have been a good and loyal American this year, and I have been doing my part in watching and cheering on Team USA. I find myself watching things like fencing and water polo.....totally engulfed in sports I know absolutely nothing about, but I am so excited to watch. I tend to be a Winter Olympics girl.....I always dreamed of being a gold medalist in figure skating.....growing up in the mountains made all those winter sports seem more attainable for me. I didn't grow up anywhere near a gymnastic arena....I always loved watching the sport, but I just couldn't connect with those athletes like I could the ice skaters.....that is, until Nadia Comaneci came along. I vaguely remember her in the 1976 Olympics....okay, I was one, I have not memory of the actual event, but I loved watching footage of her, and the cheesy made for t.v. movie of her life was my favorite. What a story! I still just love Bela Karoyli and his wife....who could forget this shot:

Well.....I think I have discovered a deep family secret....................

I think my father is really Bela Karolyi.

You see it.....don't you? Still not convinced?

I tried to find a shot of him making his "frustrated coach" face.

Some people insist that LaToya and Michael Jackson are actually the same person....that's why it is so hard to find a picture of both together......all I am saying is, just try and find a shot of Bela and Dad.......

Ladies and Gentlemen.....THE BEATLES!

Okay....so its not exactly The Beatles, but around our house, Joe McDermott is put on the same pedestal...right up there with Elvis and Bono. Kaelan is a HUGE fan.....if you haven't heard of him, well.....we can't talk to you anymore.

Not really. However, you do need to know the depths of the love Kaelan has for him. Joe is a local artist who has been given accolades worldwide. His hits include, "Everybody Plays Air Guitar", "I Am Baby, I Am Trouble", and our favorite "Intergalactic Ice Cream Ship". Well, we catch him when he is in town, and last weekend we scored some tickets to Austin Kid's Day where Joe and his band "The Smart Little Creatures" were performing.

So...this is Joe McDermott....

I kind of think he looks like this guy from "Revenge of the Nerds"......

The Wiggles, Mickey Mouse and Little Einsteins all together on stage would not hold a candle to Joe McDermott....she danced and sang.....stared in awe and kept turning to me and smiling the whole time. The Biscuit Brothers and Auntie E performed later, but they just didn't set off the same spark in Kaelan's eyes.

After the big rock concert, we took her over to get a "rock star tattoo". She chose a butterfly...very punk. We hope to catch Joe again at the end of summer.....she is becoming quite the groupie.......

Dog days of summer....

He's alive....really....don't worry. This is how Poncho sleeps nowadays. He's like 117 years old in dog years....so, we will cut him some slack.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

Do you hear that buzzing sound?

We had a neighborhood movie night last Saturday evening.....actually, a birthday bash for Ann and Andy, so that meant we were all out in the driveways....lots of us having a grand old time. In all that traffic and chaos, none of us seemed to notice that a bee colony was forming right in my front yard. I do recall someone asking if anyone heard a buzzing sound, but none of us really heard anything, so we blew off the notion.

It wasn't until Sunday evening that the vast swarm of bees was noticed. While Doug and Andy moved the chairs back on to our deck, Andy happened to glance at our tree and see this:

This is a real photo of what was in the tree that night....I was not amused. I immediately told Doug he needed to call the Bug Dude and get him to take care of this pronto. I had flashes of making the nightly news after getting swarmed by honeybees as I carried my dry cleaning from the car to the house. Not many bee keepers are available on a Sunday evening....heck, no bug or insect people were available, so we left frantic messages and waited for someone to contact us. Even the kind folks at 3-1-1 were not helpful....they did tell us to call back if someone or something living was attacked.....thanks.

By the next morning, I had calmed a bit, and I decided to make a few more calls for help before Kaelan and I set out for our daily agenda. I did a quick peep out the window to see if the bees were still there and this is what I saw:

**Okay, so this is NOT an actual photo of what was out there.....the truth is, I was NOT about to go out there and make this a photo op.** This is, however, an approximate view of what I witnessed....I think there was even more bees, but this is sort of what the swarm looked like.

Well, yes.....I freaked. Just as I was reaching to call 9-1-1......I noticed the machine flashing, and I checked the messages and heard the voice of my bee saviour.

So....the bee specialist came out and set up a secondary hive, and later came and picked up the bees. By the time we got back from our day out....the bees were gone. I never actually saw my "hero", as he came in and took care of everything while we were away from the house. He called and checked on us later.....and made sure all the bees were gone. This is how I picture him:

My hero!