Turks head.

Here is a close up of their beautiful and difficult Turks head weaving. It marks the center of the wheel so you know the rudder is amidships.  

Brian's pride and joy

While Ben and Nancy were gone to Missouri, Brian spent several hours stitching a suede cover onto the wheel of our sailboat. ( he had removed it and taken it home). He did a beautuful job. After he reattached the wheel we had to tie a Turks head knot at a certain place on it. Brian thought I could do that with my experience with stitching, embroidery etc. but I could not make heads or tails of the directions. Thankfully Ben figured it out and he and Brian were able to do it. It was really more like macrame, one thing I never could do. 

Trip to Branson

One day we drove to Branson. It was really hot and we decide to skip Siver Dollar City this time. We did a little shopping, played miniature golf etc. We thoroughly enjoyed our time with Norm and Betty and look forward to visiting them again. 

Shootin Range

The first day at Norm's he and Betty took Ben and I to a shooting range in the Mark Twain National Forest. Norm helped Ben zero in his new sight on his 22. We all got to do some shooting. We then drove around to see some of the country side. 

Dooley

Ben had a great time with Norm and Betty's dog Dooley. Dooley took quite a liking to Ben. They did a lot of running and playing hide and seek together. He has quite the personality. He even winks. 

Norm and Betty

Norm and Betty live in the Ozark Mountains about an hour east of Branson. They have a neat log house with a great view. We had a great time with them and wish we could have stayed longer. Maybe next time Brian will be able to go too. 

At the Top!

This is proof for all who know Nancy's claustrophobic tendencies that she made it to the top. What mother's do for their children. It was a beautiful view. We made sure we took a picture of Busch stadium where the Cardinals play for Jamie. You could also see the Old Courthouse below where the famous Dred Scott trial took place. Definitely a lot of history in a small area not counting the beginning of Lewis and Clark's Expedition. The museum under the Arch is impressive. 

St. Louis arch

Ben and I drove from Grandpa's the first day to St. Louis and went up in the arch. It was a beautiful day . The little car you ride in to get to the top is very claustraphobic. Like getting into a 50 gallon drum. But we survived and even met a nice couple going up and a nice father /son coming down. Ben took this great photo from the base. 

Trip to Missouri

My ( Nancy) brother Norm and his wife Betty retired this last year to Missouri. Since we had not seen their new place yet Ben and I decided to visit them for a couple of days. Brian had to stay home and work. :( . To break up the 1400 mile trip we stopped at Grandpa Price's in Ill. coming and going. Here's Ben with Grandpa. 

Designer Firepit

Nancy decided that we should have a firepit in our backyard. That way we could roast hot dogs, marshmellows and have other families over. It is also a great way to get rid of all of our dead wood and fallen tree branches. That way we done need to rent a wood chipper every 3-4 years to grind them all up. 

National Honor Society Member

This year Ben was invited into the National Honor Society. As long as he maintains a certain grade point average and does a specified number of hours of community service each semister he will be allowed to stay in. 

Black Powder Shotgun Shooting! 

Marksmanship Campout

Ben's last campout as a boyscout included an afternoon at the Rockford Sportsman's Club where we had a chance to watch a "Cowboy shooting" competition. Afterward they allowed the boys to shoot some of their pistals and shotguns. Here Ben is siteing his 22 Magnum. He just recently bought a scope for it and took it to his Uncle Norm's in Missouri to practice with it. 

Ben's Jazz Band Concert, May 2006

Ben completed the school year with a Jazz Band Concert. They all dressed up in Hawaiian shirts and played great music from TV and movie themes. They played "Autumn Leaves" and Ben and some of the other kids played extemporaneous solos. It was a great time and fond memory. 

Mother's Day

We had a wonderful Mother's Day together; Church, Brunch out and time to rest and enjoy each other. The pink dogwoood behind us was a gift from my Mother, and we have taken pictures by it each Mother's Day with Nancy's Mom and my Mom when ever they were over.