Highlights of Bluegrass, continued

Our absolute favorite act of the weekend was this band, called The Bluegrass Brothers. This group, fronted by a dad and his two sons was just amazing. Raw, gritty, full of energy. We loved them.

One of the audience sports their t-shirt.

Highlights of Bluegrass Festival 2010

We enjoyed the variety of music and presentations among the groups. Here are some of our favs.

New Found Road

Played the banjo like I've never heard before.

Blue Moon Risin

Kenny and Amanda Smith Band.

 Fantastic vocals and harmonies.

Rhonda Vincent and the Rage

Queen of Bluegrass

The Bluegrass Express Tour Bus

Jim and Fay Wilder, organizers of the event for many years.

Blue Grass Festival 2010

I have been a fan of Bluegrass for a while. It was probably ingrained in me due to my father forcing us to watch Hee Haw every week. I started really appreciating it when I lived in Maryland for a short time and found some Bluegrass pubs to frequent. Michigan is not a hotbed for Bluegrass so I had not had much exposure to it over the last 20+ years. Last year my hubbie and I took a roadtrip south with a rental car that included free Cirius radio. We listened to a dedicated Bluegrass station most of the way to Atlanta and back. With our renewed interest we explored the internet and found a Bluegrass festival in Michigan. Well, it was this past weekend, and boy it was a blast. Held in Charlotte which is just south of Lansing and about an hour from our house. Three days of music and some great acts. It will probably be on our to do list for a few years.

Camping was available so we decided to try out our "bargain" popup camper that we got a a yard sale for $100 a few years back and hadn't yet used. It may not be the prettiest thing, but it worked. This was Fuzzy's first time camping and my first time in something other than a tent.

Our neighbors babysat Drizzy and we brought Chloe with us since she is more portable. She got used to the volume and started to enjoy the music as much as we did.

Pat Winter's Summer Giveaway

Pat Winter is having a summer giveaway on her blog. Go here to check it out. Deadline is June 25. http://gatherings100.blogspot.com/

Saturday Dog Day Afternoon

I had a nice surprise yesterday afternoon when a good friend and coworker stopped by with her boyfriend. We had a nice chat and eventually moved out to the front porch. She got out her camera and snapped these pics of the "kids" for me... Thanks Paula!

Take Chloe to Work Day

I have been experimenting with taking Chloe to work with me. So far so good, I got her a little crate at a garage sale last week. When I brought it home she went right in. I think she must have been crate trained by her previous owner. I was pleased that it was a positive space for her. I made her a little pad for the inside and got a few toys. Today was her second day at work. She has been so good. She rarely makes a peep and most clients don't even know she is there. If they are ok with dogs I let her out and she usually jumps in their lap. This works especially well with teens, they tend to let their guards down more. Even though she doesn't do much she is very tired when she gets home and sleeps quite well.... I am fortunate, even though the office is in a busy area the back parking lot backs up to woods so I can take her out for a walk every few hours. The walk is good for both of us, keeps me awake and alert and gives both of us a little exercise. Here is a pic of her crate and her half shut-eye nap. She had her head in a soft ring toy she uses as a pillow.

Fairies Fly Home!

My fairy blocks from the round robin flew home today. Here is a sampling of the work of the wonderful ladies. Thanks to Rita, Carolyn, Lauri, Cathy, and Maria!

Cathy's Art Nouveau Block

Here is my work on Cathy's Art Nouveau block. I hand dyed and beaded the lace.

Ain't she cute

Ok, I'm a new mom. I have to brag and take pictures. You have to admit, she is adorable.

Cool School

One last shot from our trip to the thumb this past weekend. We passed by this wonderful elementary school.

I visited their website, and found that the windmills provide some of the energy for the school. What a great real learning experience for those children.

Polish Stonehenge

My back has been giving me problems over the past two years and I have not been able to plant some vegetables that I would like. My husband had the idea to make a raised garden so I wouldn't have to bend over as much. Of course being a recycler and free-thinker, he couldn't just do it like the magazine. So he had the idea to use cinder blocks and odd pieces of lumber... The result is what he refers to as his Polish Stonehenge. It won't be in Better Homes and Gardens, but it works. I have tomatoes, peppers, and zucchini planted. We found the scarecrow at a garage sale for 25cents....

Chloe in the Window

Here is what was waiting for me when I pulled in the driveway when I got home from work today. You have to admit, she's a cutie!

Sights in the Thumb

On Saturday we traveled to the "thumb" area of Michigan to get Chloe. On our travels we took the back roads, of course!  These are a couple of the sights that we saw and Fuzzy snapped.

My husband is a dog lover too and has a black lab at home. We saw this guy at a garage sale who greeted us with his pet monkey!

Two garage sale cuties!

No, this is not an altered photo. We had to snap this barn copping a lean.

Have you ever seen a statue wearing a raincoat?

Meet Chloe

Yup, she's ours.

We brought home our new family member on Saturday night. I kept her given name and added Michaela as a middle name in memory of my son, Michael. She is 4 years old, lively, affectionate, and we love her already!

New Family Member?

I am so excited. I have been looking for a little dog of my own for the last 2 years. We have a black lab, that my husband brought into our family, but I wanted my own dog. Something small, cuddly, cute, female and preferably not too sheddy.. I have put some parameters on petfinder, they send me a daily post of new rescue dogs in a 60 mile radius. Usually they are either the wrong size, sex, or are already adopted before I contact them. Well I may have lucked out today. I saw this little one and called this morning on it. She is in Elkton Mi, which is about 2 hours, but they are holding her for me until I go for a look-see this Saturday.. Her name is Chloe and is a Bichon Frise...Update in a few days......