Chautauqua Lake

We had a great weekend camping in Chautauqua. It's one of my favorite places to go. The weather was beautiful. We had campfires, ate s'mores and went for walks. We did some hiking at the Jamestown Audubon & Wildlife Sanctuary and saw Liberty the eagle:



The muscles are damaged in her wing and she is unable to survive on her own. What an awesome creature. We also saw frogs playing tag in the lily pads but I couldn't get a picture of that.

After we packed up the camper to come home, the boys decided they wanted to go fishing. So we stopped at the lake . It was a great day for it (although a little windy).

Here's my husband's great catch...

Am I blessed or what?!? (good thing we weren't counting on that for dinner)


Z caught an abundance of fish mostly pumpkin seed and J caught a couple also (I guess he wasn't in the right spot).



After a couples of hours it was time to come home, unpack, put stuff away in the kitchen, put stuff away in the bathroom, put clothes away, clean out the cooler and whatever else. I love to camp but all that packing before and after is not my favorite thing. And then there's all that laundry....

wordless wednesday

A Mother's Love

A Mother's Love

A Mother's love is something
that no one can explain,
It is made of deep devotion
and of sacrifice and pain.
It is endless and unselfish
and enduring come what may
For nothing can destroy it
or take that love away...
It is patient and forgiving
when all others are forsaking,
And it never fails or falters
even though the heart is breaking...
It believes beyond believing
when the world around condemns,
And it glows with all the beauty
of the rarest, brightest gems...
It is far beyond defining,
it defies all explanation,
And it still remains a secret
like the mysteries of creation...
A many spendoured miracle
man cannot understand
And another wondrous evidence
of God's tender guiding hand.

Helen Steiner Rice

Even a Dandelion Can be Pretty