Final Curtain

 After learning that Merle had passed away yesterday, I thought I'd post a few photos, including this shot of my sister's canvas.  Below, is one of Myra's very first paintings, from many, many years ago. Merle Howe was a fixture here in Tunbridge...from a lifetime of dairy farming to effortlessly crooning romantic ballads, awash in a pink glow on stage, the way I first remember him as a child, he was a unique, gentle, charming soul who left a lasting impression on all who knew him. His chuckle could warm a cold room just as well as his hard cider could, and his weathered features only seemed to grow more handsome as he aged. He and my Grampa used to tell stories about their younger days, playing baseball together, and other mischief you can imagine two Howe fellas getting into. Somewhere up there, there must be an orchestra tuning their strings for a rendition of Moon River, awaiting the grand entrance of a grand man. So long, Mr. Eightball. You won't be forgotten. Not ever.

Best Buds

Zoo

 The Roger Williams Park Zoo is just a few minutes away from my aunt and uncle's house, so over the kid's spring vacation we headed south to see green grass and some animals to boot!

Battleship Cove

 One of the last places I, personally, would choose to visit is a naval museum (in the pouring rain, no less) but the boys are crazy for ships and submarines and tanks and all that stuff, so I pretended not to be dying of claustrophobia as we toured miles of creepy space, under water and full of weird smells and sounds!

 There were a dozen different ships to tour, some of them absolutely massive and able to hold thousands of people so we got lost several times.  There was nobody else around except way back at the ticket booth near the shipyard's entrance.  At one point we were in the middle of a submarine that went on, I swear, FOREVER and being a paranoid person, I wondered out loud, "How the heck would they get someone out of here if they were hurt?  And how would the staff even know?"  Eli grinned and said, "Mom, the SS Lionfish is from like 1940 and I read it was mostly original, I bet it's ready to start leaking..."  My response: "Walk faster, you guys!"

A Tisket A Tasket...

 Well, we've got lambs and Easter baskets so...clearly the two need to be combined!

Bill's 90th Birthday

 Bill's a true Vermonter, theater legend, producer, director, farmer, actor, politician, baker, potter, sailor, world traveler...  His 90th birthday party found him spry and wry and looking ahead to many more years of the same!  Happy birthday to our dear Bill Blachly!

Fox

Ghost fox, passing through this morning in the snow.  During the last few years, as my life happily takes a new, healthy direction, there is something every single day that stops me in my tracks with wonder as a rush of thankfulness hits me.  Love, peace, kindness, hilarity, honesty, dreams, respect, joy, family, laughter, beauty, empowerment, understanding, knowledge...I am very grateful to have these.  I can do so much more than I ever knew.      

I didn't really need neatly combed hair anyway...

General Cody was getting picked up today, but first my boys got to explore his taxi, a Lakota Eurocopter.  I was saying: "Oh Lord!  PLEASE don't touch any of those switches, guys!"  Because if anybody's kids could accidentally fly off in a helicopter, it would probably be mine.