Fence readiness 2

It's been a while since the landscapers have been here. Today they double-dipped by removing stumps and debris and leveling the ground along the line where the new fence will be, while simultaneously leveling an area behind *Fowl Countenance's house. Here are before and after shots. "Before" is taken through the sun room screen, hence the hazy appearance. I was also half asleep, so that could account for it, too. Miles and Hannah would've enjoyed watching the worker driving the little New Holland loader. He was moving FAST.

It's hard to tell much from these shots, but the ground is now leveled off and stumps are gone. Hurray! Here's hoping the next phase will begin before the weeds make their way through the newly-flattened dirt. I'm never too optimistic about these projects moving along at a reasonable pace. Cindy, I hope your landscape work is near completion and that you traded out the plants you didn't like for some you DO like!

*Name has been changed to discourage legal action.

Neighbors from the past

Time for another stop on the Spring Valley Tour. I found two "new" old postcards online this weekend, so that means another trip to SV to take current pictures of the sites. For now, I'm sure you're chomping at the bit to learn about the former Brinn home.

The Brinns had a lot of money and lived in this formerly dark brown house that was an empty lot and one house away from where my family lived on Huron Avenue. I walked by the Brinns' every day on my way to Ward School or to play with Cindy, Merry, or the Esklunds--the Honey Bee Path (another story for another time) ended where their yard began).

I think Mr. Brinn was an attorney, but I'm not entirely sure. Mrs. Brinn had lavender hair. I AM sure of that! She was one of those regal older women who wore silky dark-print dresses, sparkly brooches, nylons with seams, and sturdy black leather pumps. For all I know she was only in her 40's when we were neighbors, but she seemed much older. Either the Brinn children were grown and gone, or there were no Brinn children, but in any case, if my mom (Grandma Bene) went visiting we kids stayed home. I vaguely remember going inside the house once when I was looking for Mom to ask her if I could go to a friend's house, and I recall a living room with elegant, dark furniture. I also remember my mom shooing me out so I wouldn't leave any fingerprints on the polished wood. In my imagination I picture a dimly lit entry way into the Brinn home with a carved ebony table holding an ornate bone china calling card dish. I'm sure it didn't exist, but the mere thought of Mrs. Brinn conjures up a level of sophistication that wasn't present elsewhere in our neighborhood.

One of my memories of Mrs. Brinn really didn't involve her at all. Our house at 608 North Huron had a side door that led into a small landing. Going straight ahead up a few steps took us into the kitchen, and a turn to the right led to the somewhat creepy basement where Dad (Grandpa Charlie) took his showers in the summer after full days of carpentry work with other teachers who had to find extra income to subsidize low teacher salaries.

Dad's usual habit was to leave his khaki work clothes in the basement next to the washing machine, take a quick shower, wrap a towel around his waist, and head upstairs to the second floor bedroom area to get dressed. He had to pass the side door on his trek up the basement steps and of course on hot summer, days the screen door provided a cooling breeze into the house. One July day as Dad was finishing his shower, my mom signaled to me to come to the kitchen and told me to watch and listen. Dad made his way up the basement stairway, and just as he approached the screen door my mom said in an animated voice, "Oh please come in, Mrs. Brinn!" Dad shot past the screen door, up the three steps into the kitchen, and around the corner like a rocket, sure that Mrs. Brinn had seen something that Mr. Brinn might not have paraded around as casually had he been in front of a screen door!

Of course Mrs. Brinn wasn't standing outside, nor was anyone else for that matter, but it was funny as heck to see Dad zoom past us.

Minnesota Square Park

Miles has been in St. Peter since Wednesday, first with his Grandparents Grimmius, and now at our house. He had lots of fun with G & G Grimmius, Putter, and Uncle Wee-oh.

This morning Miles and I took a little trip around town to see what the rerouting of traffic looks like now that the work on Minnesota Avenue is about to start. People are driving through stopsigns more than usual, even the ones that have been in place for years. I think it is going to take a while before St. Peter residents get acclimated. There is a four-way stop at the intersection of College and Washington now that will be a challenge for local drivers.

Our destination was Minnesota Square Park, where Miles had fun on the swings and also watching some bigger kids go around and around on the merry-go-round. Playground equipment isn't the only thing that kept Miles interested. The pavillion offered an invitation for climbing steps (in the stickiest areas, of course) and getting on picnic table benches and following the not-yellow-brick "road" around the structure.






We've spent a lot of time looking at the desktop pictures change minute by minute on my computer, and laughing at Baby Owen and Baby Ethan, and saying hi to Hannah. Oops... a little boy just woke up from his nap. I'd better go and get him!

Photos

I've been looking at this picture of Uncle Tanner and Baby Ethan, thinking it looked familiar.

So I went back through pictures from the summer of 2007, after Hannah was born, and found this... an early uncling photo of Tanner and Hannah!


This makes me wonder what other partner poses exist in the pile-o-photos taken over the last few years. While this isn't humorous like the Owen/Paul G. and Winston C. comparisons, it's fun anyway. For me.

Fence readiness I

The cousins were here!

Thanks, everyone, for a great 4th of July weekend! A special thanks to the four cousins for being so adorably patriotic. It wasn't easy choosing poses from the 50 or so in this series of shots (I'm not even going to try choosing from the other 450 or so pictures taken over the weekend!), so I'm curious to see what shows up on the O-Town and Oliver Avenue blogs.

Owen, Miles, Hannah, & Ethan

The cousins are coming!

Yesterday and today I spent time with two little boys who are looking forward to meeting Lead Cousin Hannah on Thursday. LC Hannah and her able Assistant Cousin, Miles, will have their hands full training Ethan and Owen in the fine art of Cousinhood!

In the spirit of the favored photography style of Auntie Elisabeth and Auntie Annie, the babies practiced taking photos of themselves. Their aunties are famous for doing this, as you will see below.

How do we work this thing? Is the flash off?

There, we're both lookin' pretty good now!

Owen, stop giving me the raspberries!

That's enough, Ethan! We'd better call it quits before
Grandma finds out we have her camera.

Hey, wait a minute! Our aunties
have been doing this for years. Take a look...

Two sissies

Two sissies at the beach