Easter Basket

The Easter bunny was here !

Take the wrappers off first !

April or December ?

April showers bring May flowers.
April Show brings May ?



One snow storm was not enough for these flowers. They don't look any better this time.



A lovely Michigan spring

The Easter bunny was easy to track in the snow. Shaun liked his Easter presents I did not like the snow later in the week.

Happy Easter !

Indian spring (the first spring snow after it has been 70 deg).

The daffodils do not like snow!


The flowers are now frozen


I should have picked them before they froze.


The snow is deep where the crocuses were last week.


Snow in now covering the crocus.


Warmer days before Indian Spring

Happy Easter! The weather was great before Indian spring. Monday it was almost 70. Shaun and I were outside hitting golf balls in shorts. Less than a week later we have winter coats and boots out again. We got about 5" of snow and the forecast is for cold and maybe more snow. When I posted the ice pictures I had hoped the spring was going to be here soon. Spring was here for a couple of days and then in good old Michigan fashion Winter has returned again. I hope it is the last blast before balmy weather. Wishful thinking on my part?

Pancakes and Stuff

I don't think anyone could eat another thing!

There is always a funny story.

Can anyone beat the Playstation Master?

DDR (Dance Dance Revolution).

Who is the best dancer?

Sunday the 31st we had brunch with pancakes, pig in the blankets, and fruit. Mom and Dad, Joe and Lori, and Dane and Bea came to enjoy lunch. We had fun and did some dance dance revolution. The weather was nice and we had the hope that spring was here. It only took a couple days for winter to return.

Butterfly Fun

Butterflies at the Fredrick Meijer Gardens are out for spring. Shaun and I went to see the butterflies with Joe and Lori this morning. I wasn’t paying attention and did not hang up my coat so I had the camera, camcorder and a coat to keep track of. Consequently it was not easy to get good pictures and my camera does not zoom enough. The butterflies were awesome and my favorites were the large brilliant blue ones. They did not sit still to photograph however. I am not sure if they were new this year but they had clearwing butterflies that were cool. I did get a few nice shots and some from out in the gardens. See Butterflies & Meijer Gardens for the rest of the photos.

The Ice Age

The ice pictures have arrived. There was a lot of ice hanging on the front of the house. I took a couple pictures with Shaun and posted them on the last post. The ice was melting and the sun was setting giving a cool backdrop. The sky was blue with nice clouds and the photos turned out kind of cool. The ice has melted and the temps should be in the 50s next week. We may finally be coming out of a long winter. March should be out like a lamb according to the wives tales. We will have to see. See pictures under Ice 1 and Ice 2.

March Snow

Shaun and I spent some time out in the March snow. The snow was packing and we had a snowball fight and then rolled snowballs down the hill. As you can see Shaun did a little rolling down the snow bank. The afternoon light was great and you can see some of the ice that was hanging off the house. I took some more pics that I will post later of the ice. See Shaun in the Snow for more pics.

In Like a Lion !!!

In like a Lion out like a Lamb? That is what they say about the month of March. I sure hope so because I am completely sick of winter. The average temperature is supposed to be in the 40’s but the snow keeps falling. We have gotten more snow in march than some whole years. I did the driveway twice yesterday and once today. As soon as I finished the snow started again and the wind started to blow. Will spring ever come? See Like a Lion for more pics.

Frosty Morning

This morning was foggy and frosty. I was able to get a few shots when the sun rose to give a little light thru the frost covered trees. Hope you all enjoy! See Frosty and Frosty II.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MOM !!!!

Sunday we had a birthday party for mom. We had a “homemade” brunch with pancakes, pig in the blankets and fresh fruit. We had plenty of laughs talking about the olden days snowmobiling up north and how old we all are. It seems like yesterday was 20 or 30 years ago in some cases. I remember snowmobiling up north in the ridges and with Dane, Bea, Willie and Marge. That seems like a long time ago and it was. I especially remember pumping water in the winter for everything. I never liked pumping the water.

Well I guess we should get back to mom’s party on Sunday. We had cake and ice cream and sang a poor version of happy birthday. Joe and Lori came down and Dane and Bea came all the way from Allendale. I took a few shots to post and happy birthday mom. See Mom B-DAY.

Late Afternoon Sun

I wanted to post some pictures that I took today. I love the late afternoon sun any time of year because the light is warm. It wasn't warm but I needed to get out of the house. I haven't been to work in almost three weeks and am getting cabin fever. Physical therapy has been unpleasant but I hope to be getting better. The VUE is a total loss and I am getting the van ready to be my full time car. I splurged and put in a new stereo with a CD deck that will play mp3"s. I think the breaks will have to be done before I go back to work. It was nice to take a little walk and hope you all enjoy the pics. See Sunny Afternoon.

Here comes the Sun

The sun came our after a heavy snowfall. The trees were beautiful and the sky was blue. It did not last long and the snow is busy falling again today.

WINTER BLAST

A blast of winter.

No more snow in my face.

Games and no school.

Well so much for our nice warm winter. It has been colder the last few days than it has been in years. The snow keeps piling up. I am really glad that I got the cab for my tractor to keep the snow and wind from freezing me to death. The boys did not have school and are busy with the playstaion and the computer. So long for now I have to go blow snow. See Winter Blast Photos.

Its all upside down

There was nothing out of the ordinary about Monday January 28th, however before the end of that day I would encounter a multitude of kind and caring strangers. It was a snowy evening and I was on my way to pick up my son from his mothers house. The roads were slippery and snow-covered so I was traveling about 30mph. My SUV was handling the conditions reasonably when suddenly the SUV started to veer to the left. I was unsuccessful in correcting the slide and slid across the road into a rather deep ditch.

My car entered the ditch almost head on. The next few minutes are fuzzy because my car flipped over and I was left hanging upside down with my face against the roof by the visor. When I was able to get my wits about me I realized that I was upside down and could not see anything. I started to access the situation and realized two things. First I needed help to get out of the car. Second I needed to let my loved ones know that I was probably all right but would be late.

I was able to reach my cell phone in my coat pocket and call 911. There was a problem however, was not sure of the name of the road I was driving on and could not remember the last cross street. I called 911 and started taking to the operator. I was vague on my location and tried to describe the road I was on when I went into the ditch. The operator was patient and listened to my description. The description I was giving was not going to get help to my location.

This is where I started to receive help from kind and caring people who stopped to help. I was able to give a 911 an exact location to send help. A very friendly man opened the back of my car and came in the car to see if I was all right. I did not feel any pain and I was conscious and told the man that I was all right so far. I told him I had to try to call my son and let him know that I was going to be late or not able to get him that night. I also called my parents to let them know I was OK and would call later. I was not really sure that I was or would be ok but I did not want them to worry about me.

I don’t remember anyone’s name that helped me that night. I don’t have any idea how many people stopped to help. I remember hearing many voices outside the car. I could hear the concern in their voices when asking if I was all right. It was a tremendous help to me knowing people were there while hanging upside down in my seatbelt. I will be forever in debt to the people who time to stop and “hang” out with me until they got me out of the car. It took about 40 minutes from the time I went into the ditch until they cut off the door and got me out. When I finally was helped out of the SUV I felt dizzy and disoriented from hanging upside down for all that time. I was placed on a board with a neck collar and sent to Holland Hospital. I could not see anything except the snow falling from above. I was able to briefly see my new friend’s face that spent the most time in the car. I do not to remember his name and because I was on the board I did not see anyone else who was there to help me.

Several months ago I stopped to help a lady whose van had stopped in the middle of the intersection of 96th and Perry in Zeeland. Another man stopped as well and we were able to push the van out of the intersection and on to the shoulder of the road. She borrowed my cell to call family to come and get her. She was very thankful and I remember saying that I hope someone will help me out some day if I need it. She thanked me again and I went on my way. I realized Monday night how powerful sharing kindness and help to a stranger in need can be.

I want to publicly thank everyone who helped me out on Monday evening. Thank you to everyone who was on the scene. As I said earlier I was not able to see who was helping and supporting me while I was trapped. Thank you to every person who stopped. Thank you to all the rescue people for doing an awesome job. Thank you for a warm ambulance ride to the hospital. Thank you to everyone at Holland hospital for carefully checking me out. I hope you all felt good about sharing your kindness, support, professionalism, and skills to help a stranger. I consider you all friends and will be out there to help you or someone else out when I get the chance.

I am thankful that I was not severely injured. I got out with a strained back and neck muscles. I can’t be more adamant about everyone wearing his or her seat belts. I don’t let anyone ride in my vehicle without buckling up. I am sure I would have been more severely injured or killed if I was not wearing my seatbelt. I was lucky to have someone above looking out for me. I was equally lucky to have plenty of friends there at the accident scene helping me. I want to encourage everyone out there to help some one in need. It can be as little as holding a door for someone or as large as helping someone hanging upside down in their car.

Saturday the 4th I was driving on Chicago Drive on my way to get the remaining items that were scattered in the VUE. I passed a car that had gone off the road and into the snow bank. I did a Michigan turn and went back to the car to see if I could be of assistance. The gentleman had shoveled around his car but it was off the road far enough that someone was going to have to pull him out. I said that I didn’t think we could push it out and asked if had called someone. I offered him my cell and he asked me to punch in the number he had written down. He called his brother to come and thanked me with kind sincerity. So in a small way I have started to pay back the kindness that was shown to me.

Monday January 28th will be a day that I could remember as the day I had an accident and wrecked my car. I will however remember it as a day that I was able to see first hand what great people we have in our community. These great people show us what it means to be great citizens and help our fellow man.

Thank you to all my friends!

A Hotel with a pool!!

It has become an annual event to stay at a hotel with a pool on Christmas break. I am behind on posting because I have been a little lazy. I thought I would catch up with a post and some pictures for our stay at the Holiday Inn South. Shaun, Justin and I stayed at the Holiday Inn South so the boys could enjoy the pool and waterslide. We had a good time and the boys enjoyed the pool. They had just as much fun exploring the hotel and acting private investigators. See pictures under Holiday Inn South.