SUMMER TIME ----------- HAPPY TIME

                        This is how I feel anyway and even Donna is agreeing with me. Lots of people around here complain about the intense heat and drought we have endured for the past 10 weeks without relief in sight. Not me. We had so much going on and we made the best out of the sunny weather. Either we stayed cool inside or hung around some kind of a water source.

                          4th of July we are keeping cool with ice cold brewsky !!

Exploring down town St Charles

Two fisted

Checking out the ride

Donna won at the golf video game, we played a golf course in Zermatt Switzerland.



We started with taking Jacob and Luke to the water park. It took Donna quite some convincing to bring me to the public water park. She succeeded and I went. To my surprise, it was quit pleasant and I actually enjoyed myself.

Entering the water park

Waiting for the bucket to dump 250 gallon of water

Luke is showing off his back stroke

Trying to teach Luke to swim 

Donna controlling the boy's

Needed a snack after his swim lessons

I was pressured by Luke to go through the tube tunnel

Luke is figuring out how to take advantage of my presence

Guess who is Luke riding on?

Pizza for dinner

Tired after all day swimming

So is Luke

After a good night sleep and a big breakfast there are ready to go again

                        Next we had a surprise party at our home with Eric, Karla, Gina and Daniel. Eric got hold of some great beef tenderloin wrapped in bacon and I contributed some grilled vegetable baked in puff pastry.
It was a great dinner. We had lots of drinks and ended up playing cards. Nobody won, because we had to stop playing,  partly because it was getting very late that night and also some players had trouble seeing the playing cards.

Starting of with Chardonnay

Happy Gina and Donna

Preparing the grilled veggie

Ready to be wrapped in puff pastry

Intense Russian Rummy

Some snacks to keep up the energies

Seventh inning break, (watch the clock)

End of the game



                       Then came the time of Daniel and Gina's departure to Costa Rica for a week of r and r.
That meant we had to baby sit Nitro. To make him really feel good we had to take him every day to Daniels and Gina's home so he would not forget where he lives. I would go early and Donna joined me after work and we truly enjoyed their pool.

My honey looking awesome just for Nitro

To much training and playing made us sleepy

Very relaxing afternoon at Gina and Daniel's house

Even Nitro knows how to relax

Cooling of between reading

No time for reading

Always ready to play

We left the pool sparkling clean for Gina

                        As I wrote before, we went to North Carolina when Gina and Daniel returned from their Vacation and now we are all back in our homes again and celebrated the ending of this summer with a tasty cookout at Daniels Saturday. Jacob and Luke stayed over at our house the night before and traveled with Donna and me.

It looks like they're ready for bed

Luke knows how to entertain himself

There watching a movie on TV

Arriving at there house, everything is still nice and clean

Donna looks like she had a long night baby sitting Jacob and Luke

Same as Karla and Eric, recuperating from the Casino night

Jacob and Luke are ready to play all afternoon

Brian and Windy are well rested

Enjoying the afternoon

The party starts

My favorite picture "Pura Vida"

Daniel preparing dinner, while Gina is making sure everything taste good 

Standard Hot Dogs for the kid's

Eric looks very satisfied with his dinner

Karla and the frog

Brian is up to no good

Even Karla thinks its funny

an other successful night

Cooling off before going home

Daniel is thinking about joining them in the pool

Midnight swim!!

                         As you see in the pictures, I was not lying when I said happy time. Everybody seems to be having a very joyous summer.  (Perhaps we should cut down just a little bit on the Bacardi!! (well, maybe not!!))