Soccer Tournament

Rachel enjoys playing soccer very much and she is getting better and better at it each year. Saturday was her tournament day. It was a very nice day, sunny and not too cold. Mom and Dad came over and watch two of the games with us.

She played three games. Unfortunately, their team did not make into the finals, but she played well and enjoyed herself. She especially liked the colorful hair that everyone had. You have to love spray on hair paint.

You played hard this season, Rachel, way to go!

Fair Day

The Friday of our local fair has been our annual day to go to the fair. The main reason being....tractor pulls. Now I am not sure if all parts of the country have tractor pulls, but if you don't, you really are missing out. :-) This is one of my favorite events at the fair.

The fair is a wonderful outing for our family. It is often hard to find something that will appeal to the younger guys and to Bess. The fair fits the bill. There are so many different things to see that everyone is content.

We met up with Mom and Dad who were also at the fair and watched the first class of tractors. Think large farm tractors with very big engines, lots of power and tremendous noise. We come prepared with earplugs.

The orange vehicle behind the tractor is the pulling machine. As the tractor pulls it down the track, the weights move forward causing more drag and making it harder to pull. As you can see the front end of the tractors often pull off the ground. The black smoke is caused by the mix of diesel fuel and water. I don't understand how these tractors run, but it sure is fun to watch.

Of course, a snack of fried dough is always required. Dan had more powdered sugar on him than in him.

The small steam engine area is a perennial favorite for Brian. It is quite interesting to watch all the engines working. I had to chuckle at his photo as Bri and Gabe strike the same pose.

These bags of onions were stacked next to an "onion bloom" concession. There were bags and bags.

We ate at a booth set up by a local BBQ place. It was very good. Dan was reluctant to eat. When we were almost done, he threw up. Poor guy. Thankfully we were outside. I guess he had too much fried dough. He still has a hard time deciding when to stop eating something. He was much cheerier after that.

The oxen demonstration was very fascinating. These docile creatures are so impressive in how they work and follow the voice commands of their owner.

As we were getting ready to leave the fairgrounds, we came upon an elephant, camel, horse and dog show...quite the combination. I have seen elephants many times before, but I never tire of their size and quiet dignity. They are such magnificent animals.

This particular maneuver was amazing to me...one elephant crawled under the belly of another.

As we headed to the car, I looked back and saw the moon coming up and the bright lights of the Ferris wheel. The beautiful end to a very nice day.

60th Anniversary Ball

Recently, Brian and I attended the 60th Anniversary Ball of the base where he works. It was a wonderful event. There were people dressed from 1940s on up.

Quite a few retirees where there, some from WWII.

The meal was catered by several local restaurants. They had a terrific swing band and a singing trio reminiscent of the Andrews Sisters.

The event was held in one of the base hangers. If you have never attended a military function, you are missing out. The place was buzzing with 800 people but when the call to attention was heard, the place was immediately silent. The presentation of the colors and the singing of the national anthem causes shivers. I love the ceremony of the military.

Afterward they opened one hanger door and out on the tarmac were a row of vintage warplanes. They had them all lit up with ground lights. Of course, all the flyers wanted to go drool over the planes. They were pretty impressive and the history behind the planes is amazing.

P-47
P-51
B-17
B-25

We had a terrific time. It was so nice to have an evening out with good food, friends, music and of course airplanes!

Recital

Bessie had her year end piano recital tonight. She had a some very difficult pieces this year and for a while, she wasn't sure if her teacher was going to let her do one. She worked so hard and really advocated for herself with her teacher, letting her know she wanted to do the piece and felt she could do a good job.

We all went, including Noona and Papa. The Littles were very good and stayed quiet through the whole thing.

She played Sonatina by Kuhlau, Shenandoah and Two Country Dances (duet) by Beethoven.

She did wonderfully! We are so proud of how she took the challenge, practiced hard and despite her teachers misgivings, played the piece very well!

Bess, all concentration

Bessie and her teacher, Miss Polly

Bessie and Victoria, another student
Happy and Relieved!

Brian stopped on his way home from work and got Bessie three beautiful lavender roses. We managed to keep them hidden until the end of the recital. She was so pleased!

Mercy Me

Bessie and I went to a music concert last night with a group from our church. It was so much fun. It was held at a local theater that is quite old. They have refurbished the whole place and it is beautiful.

We saw Mercy Me, Audio Adrenaline and Aaron Shust. The show was very good, although louder than my taste prefers. I love Mercy Me and Aaron Shust was good. Audio Adrenaline is good, but a lot more heavy metal than I like, but Bessie thought they were great.

Mercy Me always puts so much more into the show then just the music, sharing a lot of personal testimony.

It was great to be able to spend the time with Bessie. She does so much for Brian and me, helping with the kids and doing things around the house, that I was happy to be able to do something that I know she would enjoy and being able to do it together was even more special.

We had very good seats upfront in the balcony, which in this theater is quite close. It was a great night.

Mercy Me