The power went out with the hurricane. And we lit the candles.





Rose before the sun :) but were happy to play camping.





we spent a lot of time together.





Playing games.





And word puzzles.





The debris we cleaned away.





And still more time to play.





The creek took on the look of a river.





We spent time with friends and tried popcorn successfully over the fire.











Breakfast made by Jeremy. Over the fire, nothing quite like it.






empty plates filled

















And then again more time to play and get very dirty.











Again, futures considered and being prayed about.





And watching hearts and hands jump in to help where they could.






It's a a lot I'm still taking in. But it has been a week I won't soon forget.

~Cassandra

Pages of Summer

Community day brought an opportunity for Cotter to play with our church's worship team at the firehouse. Some of the other highlights were being able to walk the llamas and getting soaked by the firemen's hose.

Bella had an obsession with Franky the llama. We'd walk away, only to have her run back to him when we were and even were not paying attention!

Freckles enhanced by the sun are beautiful!
Playing in the hose





Hannahbanana and Jake.

Through Hannah's Eyes

Hannah takes a lot of family pictures here. She has been commenting to me that she is feeling sad that if she goes away for college, this may be her last year apple picking with us. *Can't even get started about that without getting tearful. A couple of days ago she went out with the camera, and I love seeing our world here through her eyes.

Reboot

Jeremy planned a trip to get us away for a day. It was beautiful. It was special. It was needed.

Sometimes in the grind of days: frustrations, hurt feelings, life worries, big questions, disagreements; life's true purpose and purposes of my days gets lost in the muddiness. Then, without reason, or foreplanned knowledge, just a Hand that prearranges lessons for a life, perspective whispers.













Thank you Lord for:
~blessings and joy not because I deserve it or worked for it
~tallest mountains
~deep crevasses with swirls of marble
~The God who made this world, has the wisdom needed to steer through life
~gifts given to men to create, paint, make music, build and design
~ long lasting engine on a very used car that takes us over tall peaks
~colors of large paintings at the Clark Museum
~An understanding patient man
~quiet, stillness, peace
~picnics
~vision that wraps its arms around my shoulders and says, "keep walking"