lovebirds

This july my family made the hard hard decision of moving my 94 almost 95 year old grandfather to a convalescent center for better care. He is still well generally (except for being almost 95), but needs more can than can be provided by family at home. The center-- while institutional for sure, is nice. It is only a 10 minute drive from home and the care provided is loving and kind. The head nurse on Grandpas floor is an Ethiopian fellow who made us all feel like we could take a deep sigh of relief despite the hardness of the decision to have grandpa there. It has a nice garden area outdoors, a sweet little aviary indoors, and the pond across the way has a family of 5 swans and 6 ducks... So there are interesting things to d0 when you go and visit. My uncle took this photo of a pair of lovebirds in the aviary on one visit.

And another pair in the garden... :) These ones have been together 65 years!

Uncle Johnny and Denise came to cheer grandma and grandpa on... along with my cousin Cheryl and her husband Dallas and their three boys Landon, Coby and Ty. We had some wild and fun evenings out back... It doesn't LOOK so wild, but it was a little wild... what with crazy sprinklers, 5 round shooter guns (just noise makers, not really shooters), and whoopee cushions that auntie annie bought the boys. What a fun aunt... :)
Oh, and a beautiful snap of my brilliant mother....
She and auntie Annie cooling down with icy mango mojito drinks on a toasty summer day.
My goodness, if I was COLD at the beginning of the summer... I was HOT at the end! Packing was a pleasure in the upstairs of a 100-year-old house in 100 degree heat and no AC.