Boyett Bandwagon

Sadly

2012-01-29T08:25:00.000-08:00

In October I snapped a photo of my husband and his 8 siblings surrounding their mother's coffin. As I did so I wondered when we would see them all together again.... maybe a wedding of a nephew???? Sadly, they will never stand as nine again. The youngest, Doug, passed away very unexpectedly yesterday. We will miss him.

Not bad for a camera phone!!!

2012-01-27T16:18:00.000-08:00

Do you see the RI Red in this puzzle??

. Bucky is popular in Wisconsin

Taken with my New Phone

2012-01-27T16:12:00.002-08:00

All photos taken with my new phone. Finally I can download from the phone. The phone also allows me to use special effects on the photos, thus three different ways to view the trees at Mary's house.

Two Trees

2012-01-27T09:39:00.000-08:00

Which one do You like??

2012-01-24T07:06:00.000-08:00

Based on photo taken on trip home from Door County, WI

Puzzle

2012-01-21T19:40:00.000-08:00

There is always a puzzle being put together in the common area. Ilene, the puzzle queen, is in charge, but we all help. This was a 1,000 piece puzzle with all the state flags and capitals. Notice little RI in the first row???

Snow

2012-01-21T19:31:00.000-08:00

This photo is around the corner from us. Residents of Middleton are fined if their sidewalks are not cleared within 24 hours of snow. View from second story stairwell

view from front door

See the High School???

2012-01-21T19:21:00.000-08:00

This is the view out our bedroom window. Unfortunatly a screen distorts the image, but you can see the second story of the high school between the black pipe on the roof of the house and the pine tree. You may have to enlarge it to see it, but it is really there. Ted passes 6 houses to get to work.

Common Area Apt. Living

2012-01-21T19:14:00.000-08:00

Our landlord was a local builder in Middleton. Before our building sat on its' lot, there was a movie theater here. He was the owner of the theater. That explains why a very old movie projector sits in the foyer of our apartment building.

Door Co. State Park Scene

2012-01-19T19:28:00.000-08:00

Remember, it was ZERO degrees outside today.

Go Figure

2012-01-19T12:55:00.000-08:00

No clouds, baby blue sky, bright sun, long shadows and ZERO degrees out!!!!

My Creations

2012-01-19T12:42:00.000-08:00

What are you going to have for dinner when it's zero degrees outside? Lentil Soup, of course.
grilled cheese on Cosco's whole grain bread... topped with kimchee

Jesse's Creations

2012-01-19T12:38:00.000-08:00

Apt. Living

2012-01-18T12:18:00.000-08:00

Everything we need in a small space

This is the 2nd. bedroom AKA Ted's office
We love our GIANT walk in closet. It totally eliminates the need for bedrom furniture.

Walking to the Burn Pile

2012-01-14T16:01:00.000-08:00

Evelyn's furry friend

2012-01-14T15:25:00.000-08:00

Walk up Mary's Hill

2012-01-14T14:48:00.000-08:00

Saturday at Aunt Mary's

2012-01-14T14:37:00.000-08:00

The Shoe Box - Black Earth, WI.

2012-01-14T14:33:00.000-08:00

Oliver especially loved the train set in the kids section of this giant landmark

Door Co. State Park Scene

2012-01-13T08:58:00.000-08:00

what else am I to do on a snowy day???

Weird Teeth

2012-01-13T08:57:00.000-08:00

Finally!!!

2012-01-13T08:51:00.000-08:00

These last two shots were taken as I walked to Jesse's house yesterday.

Happy B-Day Kevin

2012-01-10T19:12:00.001-08:00

Key Lime Pie from the Hubbard Ave. Diner. Delicious!!

Bubbles in the Tub

2012-01-10T19:08:00.000-08:00

Governor Nelson State Park, WI.

2012-01-05T14:03:00.000-08:00

This State Park is 10 minutes from J&K's. Today was 40 degrees. Wisconsonites are shaking their heads at the relatively mild weather we've had so far. (I'm not complaining .) Madison is built around two big lakes. Mendota and Monoma. The view from the park looks across one of them. If you enlarge the second photo you can see the statehouse centered on the horizon between the two trees.

Lake Michigan

2012-01-05T13:50:00.000-08:00

Two paintings done from a photo I took at Whitefish Dunes State Park in WI.

Which do you like best, top or bottom??

Olbrich Gardens

2011-12-31T10:23:00.001-08:00

Jesse and I took the kids to a Christmas train display at Olbrich Gardens in Madison. Oliver is obsessed with trains so although the display was modest it was a great success. There is also a rain forest there. We had to shed our coats, it was so humid/hot in there.

Laurie's Winter Garb

2011-12-28T18:33:00.000-08:00

This is my usual get-up as I walk to Jesse's or the library or the pool. Notice anything new (besides the coat)? You'd dress like this, too, if it was 18 degrees outside!!

Two Christmas presents

2011-12-26T19:34:00.000-08:00

Pez in her stocking

2011-12-24T19:27:00.001-08:00

Christmas Eve Dinner

2011-12-24T19:19:00.001-08:00

stuffed pork loin roast, cranberry-grape salad, green beans, biscuits

Chef: Laurie

Laurie's New Stocking

2011-12-24T19:15:00.000-08:00

seamstress: Jesse...... This is a gorgeous work of art!!

Drawing

2011-12-24T19:11:00.000-08:00

Little Redfish Lake, Idaho

Can't Believe it!!!

2011-12-16T17:32:00.000-08:00

Am returning to Wisconsin tomorrow. This was not a scheduled trip but Ted's surgery was much more complex than we imagined. It took three hours. Both the flexor and the extender on his left index finger were severed and had to be attached by a hand surgeon. It is difficult for him to do much with his left hand so.... I am returning. Not sure how long I'll be there. I am actually looking forward to spending Christmas with Ted and celebrated by buying myself a new Lands End parka that is rated to minus 20. I'll need it. I took my father to renew his driving license today. He passed the written test with flying colors. The driving test will be in February.

Alisal Pool

2011-12-11T08:09:00.000-08:00

I swam for 30 minutes in this pool, then sat in the hot tub. Needless to say, the pool gets a lot more use in the hot summer months.

Alisal hike #2

2011-12-11T08:03:00.000-08:00

Alisal Hike #1

2011-12-11T07:59:00.000-08:00

Who (What ) is this???

2011-12-11T07:50:00.000-08:00

Girls on Vespas

2011-12-11T07:48:00.000-08:00

At the Vespa dealership in San Luis Obispo

Fancy Headband

2011-12-11T07:45:00.000-08:00

Avila Beach, CA.

2011-12-11T07:40:00.000-08:00

Gum Ball Wall

2011-12-11T07:30:00.000-08:00

This is a well known and old landmark in San Luis Obispo.

Buddah's Hand

2011-12-11T07:20:00.000-08:00

What fascinating fruit!! One of my parent's Asian neighbors gave this to my parents. It has a citrus smell. She told us to put it in a jar with water and leave it near a door to bring us happiness. This particular specimen is off a ten year old plant . Pretty cool.

Unexpected

2011-12-08T07:18:00.000-08:00

Recieved a phone call last night from Madison that I thought was a joke. Turns out it wasn't. My hard working husband was working too hard again. It was late in the day and the scissors slipped and cut his index finger, severing the tendon. He was calling from the emergency room where they put 6-8 stitches in. Luckily Jesse drove with him. Surgery will be scheduled for right before Christmas. What a bummer.

Safe N Sound

2011-12-05T21:14:00.000-08:00

Arrived after two very uneventful flights. I was shocked to have to stand on the tarmac in Denver in 9 degree weather though, as I waited for my curbside carryon. Luckily I had mittens with me. It was freezing. Super Shuttle whisked me to 240 in record time. It was 30 degrees at 11:00 when I left Wisconsin and a balmy 54 in CA.

Question

2011-12-02T11:50:00.000-08:00

How can you tell that this tree was decorated by a Wisconsonite???

Ted's Tiny Tree

2011-12-02T11:43:00.000-08:00

Our apartment is tiny so anything over 8 inches was out of the question. This tiny guy was perfect, complete with ornaments, tinsel, and a stand. All we had to add was a string of lights.

Beetle Puzzle

2011-12-02T11:29:00.000-08:00

After stuffing ourselves with turkey we sat down and put together a 300 piece puzzle in 2 hours.

Chazen Museum of Art in Madison

2011-12-02T11:14:00.000-08:00

The Saturday after Thanksgiving Ted and I went to two museums in downtown Madison. The first was the Chazen Museum of Art which is operated by UW. In October they opened a new wing and the exhibits were incredible. The top photo in this post is a closeup of the bottom photo. The artist was Tom Uttech. I know very little about him, but I loved this painting. I would recommend that you look up his work on the internet. The second Museum we went to was the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art. The Building was great but the art was very contemporary and most of it was not that engaging to either of us.

Hiking with the Girl with the Beautiful Umbrella

2011-12-02T11:02:00.000-08:00

Ted and I walked around some very close ponds the weekend before Thanksgiving. It was drizzling so Evelyn brought her gorgeous umbrella.

Helping

2011-11-16T13:46:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, after doing the waterwalking class AND swimming 40 laps, I helped Ted change out the lane lines. The entailed being in the water almost 2 more hours and dragging lanes from one end of the pool to another. I didn't really mind at the time, but after also walking 4 miles, I was exhausted and fell asleep fully clothed at 7 pm. I haven't been that worn out since seventh grade!!

Savory Green Onion Noodle Cake

2011-11-16T13:35:00.000-08:00

I was going to e-mail this to Teddie, but someone else might want to try it. It's taken from a cookbook I'm giving her for Christmas. (I am horrible at keeping presents a secret!)

4 eggs
1/2 cup chopped green onions
2 Tbs. chopped cilantro
1/2 teas. grated fresh ginger
8 oz. cooked, rinsed and drained thin spaghetti, tossed with 2 teas. sesame oil
salt and pepper
3 Tbs. peanut oil
Hoison sauce

Beat eggs. Add cilantro, ginger, and spaghetti and seasonings. ( I skipped salt)
Spread mixture in medium hot pan with half of peanut oil. Let cook till set and nicely browned.
Then carefully, with help of a plate, flip the fritatta like food and continue cooking. Ted and I drizzled hoison sauce on the top of our pizza shaped pieces. Kind of like a cross between spaghetti and quiche.

2051 - view #2

2011-11-12T13:27:00.000-08:00

view from the patio - which do you prefer??

Fun with Grandma Lalee

2011-11-12T13:24:00.000-08:00

2051

2011-11-06T14:16:00.000-08:00

Update

2011-11-06T07:32:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Ted had a swim meet all day and Kevin was dissertating all day so Jesse and I took off with the kids on a field trip. We headed north thru the small towns of Dane and Lodi and ended up at a scenic spot called Merrimac. There we took a free ferry across a beautiful river. The ferry only held 15 cars and the ride took all of 4 minutes. From there we went to another town where we let the kids play. The playground had a spring fed swimming pool that must have been 65 years old. Not very appealing to me!! Then we headed to Parfrey's Glen, a beautiful spot at the end of a 1 mile trail. I've taken pics of each of these activities, but I forgot my USB cable to connect the camera to the computer. I am babysitting Evelyn while her parents and Oliver go to church. (She is sick again...) Ted is at another swim meet.... Hopefully he will get an assistant someday . My goal is to post pics by 5 pm today. Weather, so far, has been great. We haven't turned our heat on yet!

Saying Goodbye

2011-10-21T13:31:00.000-07:00

For Teddie

2011-10-21T13:26:00.000-07:00

Aunt Jody ... don't get too close!!

Poolside in California

2011-10-21T13:01:00.000-07:00

It sure was nice to sit in the sun by the pool AND to SWIM outdoors during our very short and hurried visit to California last week.

October 13th. Artwork

2011-10-21T12:44:00.000-07:00

Observation Tower, Potowatomi St. Park, WI

2011-10-11T12:00:00.000-07:00

Potowatomi State Park, Door Co, WI

2011-10-11T11:28:00.000-07:00

The water in the distance on the 1st. and 3rd. photo is Green Bay. In the last photo Ted is standing at the trailhead for The Ice Age Trail, a 1,000 mile trail that winds through WI.

Cave Point County Park, Door Co, WI

2011-10-11T11:13:00.000-07:00

2011-10-11T11:12:00.000-07:00

Whitefish Dunes State Park, WI #1

2011-10-10T13:05:00.000-07:00

Whitefish Dunes State Park, WI #2

2011-10-10T12:54:00.002-07:00

2011-10-10T12:54:00.001-07:00

Whitefish Dunes State Park, WI #3

2011-10-10T12:41:00.001-07:00

This park is on the east side of Door County on Lake Michigan.

The photo of the two of us is atop a 95 foot sand dune.

Coast Guard Station -Sturgeon Bay, WI

2011-10-10T12:17:00.000-07:00

This was a bit unusual because of the raised catwalk that led to the mini lighthouse on the rocks. We guessed that it is used when the waves crash over the concrete pier. How would you like to walk on that in a blizzard!!!

Drive by Sunsets

2011-10-10T12:11:00.001-07:00

Both taken out of a moving car!!

Tip of Door Co. & Newport State Park

2011-10-10T12:00:00.000-07:00

The first photo is of the ferry that goes to Washington Island off ther tip of Door Co. The bottom photo is of Ted sticking his big toe in Lake Michigan at Newport State Park.

Observation Tower Peninsula State Park

2011-10-10T11:44:00.001-07:00

At least two of the state parks we went to had observation towers. These structures were so tall that they moved (slightly) in the wind. The views were spectacular. Click on the pics to make them bigger and they're FANTASTIC!

Peninsula State Park, Door Co, WI

2011-10-09T07:58:00.000-07:00

Laurie"s Friends

2011-10-09T05:57:00.001-07:00

Both spotted in Middleton, WI

Arboretum - Univ. Wisconsin #1

2011-10-09T05:45:00.000-07:00

Jesse and Oliver and two friends took me to the UW's Arboretum the first day I arrrived. It was gorgeous and not at all like most Arboretums I'd ever visited. This was 1200 acres right in the middle of Madison that backed up to UW. It was bisected by a highway so we had to walk under a dark tunnel to get to the other side. At one point I got separated from the girls, but we managed to find each other again. Trails were well marked and I was impressed with the brilliant and varied leaves. (You can pretty much figure out how I felt by all the photos!)

Arboretum - Univ. Wisconsin #2

2011-10-08T19:20:00.002-07:00

2011-10-08T19:20:00.001-07:00

Arboretum Univ. Wisconsin #3

2011-10-08T18:52:00.000-07:00

Arboretum Univ. Wisconsin #4

2011-10-08T18:45:00.000-07:00

More Artwork

2011-10-08T18:33:00.000-07:00

Waverider's Lament

2011-09-23T12:07:00.000-07:00

Quick September slip slides by
Swallowed by a cloud filled sky
Those of us who ride the waves
Lament each passing darker day
Reluctantly we pack away
Towels and chairs, but still we crave
Salty wetness swirling round
Foam and speed and rhythmic sound
Sand and spray and sun galore
Rising waves forever more

Summer 2011

2011-09-06T12:37:00.000-07:00

I have finally figured out how to download photos from my new camera to the blog. It was a hoop jumping task and I still don't have it correct... but at least I've been able to put a few photos up. These drawings are in the wrong order. Suffice it to say that they were all drawn in the past 3 months. Can you tell which were done at Zion's Camp in New Hampshire??

Missed

2011-08-29T19:21:00.000-07:00

Hurricane Irene hit us, but not full force. We had lots of leaves, sticks and branches down, but the power outages were fixed quickly and we had very little rain. It all fell on the west side of the storm. Many of my friends in Narragansett were still without power today. I'm having a tree guy come soon to prune back the huge oak by our front door, as a precaution.

Folklife Festival in Ridgeway, WI

2011-08-21T15:57:00.000-07:00

Sorry these are sideways... just turn your heads sideways....

If you click on the above photo you will see a farm... very close by.

The playground was in the middle of rolling farmland.

Aunt Mary invited us to go to a festival close to her house on a site called Folklore Village. It was very picturesque and low key. We had a great time!!

One for John-Pop, the other for Josh

2011-08-21T15:53:00.001-07:00

Church neighborhood

2011-08-21T15:37:00.000-07:00

In the first and the 3rd photo you can see the LDS church bldg. that we attend on Bear Claw Way in Madison. It is an interesting neighborhood. (you have to enlarge the photos to see the bldg.)

Catch-Up (Sort of)

2011-08-10T14:31:00.000-07:00

Swimming every morning in the Middleton Cross Plains Aquatic Pool. Walking everywhere and needing afternoon naps. Happy to be with you know who. Left my USB cable in RI for my new camera... so we are still trying to figure out how to solve that!!! Weather is gorgeous, but it is great to have an air conditioning. We see Evelyn and her family almost daily... that's great.... Yesterday I had Jesse and the kids over for lunch after E's swimming lesson. I should come home fit as a fiddle!!!

Looks Like a Radish??

2011-07-14T16:48:00.000-07:00

The other day I was thinning out the swiss chard and came across these radishes... or so I thought. The leaves didn't have that sharp taste that a radish leaf does but the red part sure looked like a radish, no?? After slicing the little devils I discovered that they were an heirloom beet that I'd forgotten I'd even planted. I ate a few raw thinking it was no big deal. About an hour later I felt like my throat had been rubbed raw with caorse grained sandpaper. So I began trying to soothe the pain by eating spoonfuls of honey, yogurt, and ice water. Nothing helped. Yuck. I was miserable for one whole day and will never eat another raw immature beet again.

Painting with SKLT

2011-07-14T16:34:00.000-07:00

The painting below is based on the photo above it

all the stuff I had to cart in

Today I went painting with 5 other folks courtesy of the South Kingstown Land Trust, of which I am a member. I missed the first week, but today we went to Patch Pond, a beautiful spot that the SKLT has an easement to right off Route 1. It was a gorgeous spot. This is the first time I have ever gone painting outdoors with others. It was very relaxing and I'm trying my darndest not to kill my paintings byknowing when to stop. (I ruined the above painting when I got home.... by adding more....) I met some interesting people and was exposed to 5 other different styles. I had fun!!

Day in Newport

2011-06-07T13:03:00.001-07:00

First Beach, Middletown, RI - looking back to the northeast

same beach looking toward the Atlantic

We ate our lunch at Sacuchet Point. This was the view one direction

If you click on this photo you will see Second Beach in Newport and St. Georges School
This was the view the other direction as we ate our lunch.

I spent the morning helpiong my friend, The Plant Lady, help with some of her accounts. She had sprained her back and could not handle the watering cans. We had a ball!!

Our Yard

2011-05-28T15:09:00.001-07:00

Waging War

2011-05-28T15:05:00.000-07:00

I've tried insecticidal soap and oil to get rid of the worms that are eating the roses. Today I applied Penzey's ground chipolte. This is my science experiment for the year 2011. Results to follow. Hopefully the leaves don't burn!!

2011-05-28T15:03:00.000-07:00

SKLT Henry Browning Trail

2011-05-08T03:52:00.001-07:00

Rhode Island is filled with rock walls.

Ruins -looks like a basement

Want to guess what these three stones were used for? (They were not the steps into the house)

My good natured hiking buddy crossing a creeklet

Click to enlarge. There was so much going on on this rock.

The trail was well marked with blazes and easy to read signs This was the beginning of the 2 mile loop.

Not sure what these tiny bright green leaves are, but when the sun caught them just right they looked like butterflies.

There were also feathery pine seedlings

Ted and I drove 10 minutes from our house to check out a 4 mile trail that is maintained and owned by the South Kingstown Land Trust. It was a gorgeous day and we only passed two other hikers. We're anxious to return in a couple weeks to see everything greened out. Just one more reason why we love where we live. (This was my Mother's Day activity - one day early.)

YW hike to the Narrow River

2011-05-03T18:14:00.000-07:00

Recycling Red Hard Boiled Eggs

2011-04-25T18:36:00.000-07:00

The eggs soaked so long in the dye that the color went thru to the white of the egg. These pastel beauties are topped with hot pepper rings!!

Easter

2011-04-25T18:25:00.000-07:00

Visitors

2011-04-23T12:29:00.001-07:00

on a rainy day before Easter

Walk for Shelter

2011-04-22T07:45:00.001-07:00

A group of us supported Walk for Shelter. We walked/ran 3.1 miles and raised over $200.00 for people who need assistance with housing.

Dyeing Red Greek Easter Eggs

2011-04-21T20:18:00.000-07:00

It seemed simple enough - I was going to make 12 deep red Easter eggs for my YW lesson on Sunday. Three hours later, and after much aggravation and a lot of laughing, I finally achieved my goal. I still don't know why the red dye didn't work, but I suspect that brown eggs would have worked better than the white ones. Let me know if you have any other ideas. Happy Easter!!

My second trip to the store was to buy more red food coloring AND a bunch of beets. I thought for sure that the red beet water would made the eggs a deeper red.

They still looked more orange than red....

Since I had two extra bottles each of blue, yellow and green AND since Theo came to visit... we ended up making some blue and yellow eggs, too.... Keep in mind that I only really wanted to make 12 deep red eggs...

The stove top was quite colorful, but there were no deep red eggs

These were the eggs that never got any redder. Perhaps it was the beet juice or maybe I put too much white vinegar in the solution.

My hands were redder than the eggs!!

These look like they were laid by anemic flamingoes. By this point I've tried almost everything to get these to turn red. I'm getting frustrated and have spent most of the afternoon on this silly task.

Not what I envisioned!!

Closeup showing all the marks left by the spoon.

After two trips to the store and totally messing up the kitchen I was beginning to think that blue eggs were gorgeous, then I decided to try one more thing.. Voila. Finally I had the deep red eggs I had wanted. These look exactly like the ones I remember from Easter in Greece. (Ted had to go to the store to buy me a sharpie!!)

I got a bit carrried away with the blue guy.

P.S. Do you think we can eat eggs colored with sharpies???

P.P.S The red eggs represent the blood Christ shed on our behalf.