July 11, 2007  

    We went to Amherst NH to see the Fourth of July parade.  Souhegan Valley Chorus had a booth on the Amherst commons to recruit new members.  The men are singing "Goodnight, Sweetheart, Goodnight" in the picture.
    Sarah's and Matthew's families came to our house for the afternoon of the Fourth.  Here's a group shot of Crystal with daughter River and Sarah with daughter Addy.  River tried out our new "baby" swing.  At one point, Addy and River joined Sarah at the piano.  The three cousins played nicely together, opening their Fourth-of-July presents.  Alex tries out his new flying bubble maker.  Here it comes!  At twilight Alex and Addy waved sparklers.
    Every other Sunday evening Lynn and I sing a cappella with a Tenor (John Stafford) and a soprano (Jane Curran).  Here's a recording of us singing "I Believe."
    I've built shelves in the family room to hold Lynn's quilting fabric.  The back board is cut to follow the contour of the logs.
    Some more shots of animals on the property: an eastern milk snake (pictures 1, 2, 3), a hummingbird, a deerfly (working his way down through the hairs on my arm), and a moth camouflaged as a stick.
    Some more shots of wildflowers: hop clover and red clover, whorled loosestrife.  A bumblebee got the pollen sacks on his hind legs loaded from a rose.  We found a few quarter-inch wild strawberries growing in the lawn.  The fruit trees we planted in the front yard are starting to bear fruit—some pears and a cherry.

Feature - In the 1950s Red Skelton recorded the lullaby "Little Babe" with the David Rose orchestra.

Quote for the Day -
    My candle burns at both its ends;
    It will not last the night;
    But oh, my foes, and oh, my friends—
    It gives a lovely light. 

                - Edna St. Vincent Millay