Who's Your Driver?.....

This past weekend Brian headed down to the Indy 500 with a few friends...

It was a little different than the last time we were there together (for the Indy 500 1/2 marathon in 2007-no drinking, no race cars, no "fans" just running)...

Much like my Vegas weekend there are a ton of funny pictures that are not "blog appropriate" so these will have to do...above: a picture with a true "fan"!

"What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas"....

This past weekend I went to Vegas with 12 of my best friends to celebrate our girlfriends bachelorette party...the bachelorette and I above!

But as the old saying goes, what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas! So these are the only pictures you will see of our amazing weekend!

It is a weekend I won't soon forget!

Natural Resources Day...

We had our final Leadership Grand Traverse day session today...it was Natural Resources Day!

It was a beautiful day to explore Northern Michigan and all the wonderful natural resources it has to offer..the watershed, the farms, land conservation, rivers, hiking trails, etc!

One of the farms we visited that will be preserved as farm land for years to come thanks to the Land Conservancy...

The view of East Bay from the shores of Acme...with 1 more mile that will be added to protected shoreline!

Kids Creek redevelopment...once was eroded due to the buffalo farm that owned the land! Now being protected and the buffalo are being controlled with a fence...

A crazy looking fungus growth at Kids Creek...

The fungus looks like the rings of a tree stump...

The Boardman River Nature Trail, Dam and Lake...

A beautiful river that winds through town and by our house: people kayak, canoe and fish on it...

"I think having land and not ruining it is the most beautiful art that anybody could ever want to own." Andy Warhol

"We have fallen heir to one of the most glorious heritage a people ever received and each one must do his part if we wish to show that the nation is worthy of its good fortune."

~ Teddy Roosevelt

Patio & Landscaping DONE!!!

So you may remember the backyard patio project we started last summer? Well if not here is a little reminder of where we started....

Then we completed the patio (as pictured above) but the plants that where left were out of control and growing for years..so we did a little destruction late last summer! And left a blank canvas for us to work on this Spring...

Waalaaa! What we did: replanted grass, added bushes/plants like ornamental grass, hosta, a magnolia tree, hydrangeas, wine & rose bushes, and a couple fun little purple plants...

Here is the transplanted birch tree that was previously by the garage..hopefully happier in this location. It is surrounded by peonies, iris, day lillies and rose bushes...

Our other river birch tree surrounded by ground cover, hosta, the purple plants and hydrangeas.

The focal point is our magnolia tree (can't wait to see what it looks like when it grows!) surrounded by hosta, wine & rose bushes, ornamental grass and day lillies..

And finally our maple tree...

We are SOOOO happy to be done! and wipe our hands clean of dirt! We can finally relax in our backyard oasis that we have created! Come enjoy with us: have dinner on our deck, a little bonfire at the patio fire pit, lay out and catch some rays on our sun patio or take in the smell of the flowers or eat a veggie in our garden!

Garden Update:

Here is a little update on the garden:

above- the peas are growing!

above: the radishes are growing-although I am leery of their success..we transplanted the plant the birch tree that was growing in the middle of them so it will be iffy.

above: the garlic, lettuce (hasn't come up yet from seed) and the peppers are going gangbusters!

above: the summer squashes (haven't sprouted yet), broccoli, cucumber and fingerling potato plant are thriving!

The Cherry Blossoms Are Here...

The cherry trees are blossoming!

This can only mean a couple things:

Out of town visitors are just around the corner,

Cherry Festival is in sight,

and summer fun is HERE!!! Woohoo to Summer!! Bring on the heatwave, fun in the sun and the cherries!!

Grow Garden Grow!

Maybe...

Possibly???

I hope so!!!

So here is a little update on my garden..as all plants and seeds are planted! I know a little before the Mother' Day deadline but we have been having great warm weather (70+ today!) and lots of rain so I figure it can't hurt. Plus, the seeds I have planted earlier in the month-peas, carrots and radishes are starting to come up! So here is the final tally of fruits & veggies we "should" have from our bountiful harvest sometime this summer: broccoli, yellow summer squash, zucchini, jalapeno, hot chili, and bell peppers, celery, green beans, carrots, Roma tomato, beef steak tomato, 3 types of lettuce, garlic, cucumber, radishes, pumpkins, strawberries, and mini watermelons!