Camping and Fishing

We went on a camping/fishing trip in Matagorda Bay with our Bubela family this weekend to celebrate Fathers' Day with Billy. We had a great time - here are a couple of pictures:

What? No Allergies?

So I went to an allergy specialist today at the advice of my primary care physician because I come to see him a few times a year for allergy symptoms. They did the allergy testing on me (mildly uncomfortable and itchy) and it turns out that out of 72 different substances that people are commonly allergic to, I am allergic to NONE of them. Not a single one. No mold, no cedar, no plans, no pets ("slightly" allergic to American Elm and cats). Can you believe that?

Evidently lots of people who have "allergies" in fact have allergy-like symptoms that are triggered by changes in the weather, such as barometric pressure, temperature and humidity.

Okay, I'm sure you're bored by now, but I thought it was really strange.

An Ode to Fathers (especially mine!)

A Daddy is so many things to a little girl: her hero, the man she can count on to protect her no matter what, someone who is patient with her and teaches her things - someone who is willing to read the exact same bedtime story forty times in a row (ring any bells, Daddy?)

To all fathers: thank you for being someone your child can look up to - there are very few jobs in life more important than that. To MY father: I'll always call you Daddy, and you'll always be the first man I ever loved.

What would we do without Daddies to show us how to make faces like this?:
And of course, Happy Fathers' Day to my other father: thanks to your guidance, my husband is a kind, caring, and loving individual. He is a wonderful example of what it means to be a man.

I love you both!

A Turtle! (and one smart dog)

So I'm in my office working away and Madison is throwing a FIT at something she sees outside. This is not out of the ordinary, but finally she whines for so long that I look up, and lo and behold, there is a turtle crossing the street right in front of the window! I ran very fast to get the camera so I can take these pictures:


I didn't have anything with me for reference but his shell was about 12 inches in diameter and he was very shy once he realized I was there (as you can see). I took a couple of pictures and left so that I wouldn't frighten him too much. I'm pretty sure he was headed from the Wigleys' ever-diminishing pond to the river. I told Madison she is a very smart puppy!

Congratulations Kenan

We received some wonderful news on Friday - Kenan has been promoted to Director. It is a very big step in his career and I couldn't be more proud. We plan to celebrate this coming weekend with a nice dinner out. Here is a picture that I took of him and Madison today:

New Feeder

Here is the new feeder that Kenan built this weekend. He is still going to stain it, but it has all-new features: the legs are staked into the ground, the top is rounded for more stability, and it now has a 200-lb capacity. The animals are already back, having discovered that everything is okay again ;)

Notice the nice-looking grass - the yard lady mowed the whole thing this weekend (and I have the farmer tan to prove it!)

Hog Invasion

Just when we thought we were so lucky because hogs don't seem to be a problem here...last night our feeder was literally destroyed. Here are some pictures of the carnage:


We're going to build a new one that's weighted down at the corners but I'm all for eliminating the problem at the source if you know what I mean ;) What I really enjoy the feeder for is watching the wildlife that come to visit - especially Ferdinand! Oh well - we were planning to get bids for a perimeter fence anyway - guess we'll start now!