Sunday in the park

Today we went to Brighton Park to hang out and eat Dinosar BBQ.....some of Rochester's best.

also fed the ducks......

played bocce ball.......

played with Uncle Fred's Hess trucks.......

ate lots......

Lily joins the Girlies

yummy cake.

Letchworth State Park

Yesterday we hiked through Letchworth State Park, a beautiful NYS treasure that is a photographer's dream.

There are high, middle and lower falls

All empty into a gorge as deep as 550 feet.  The Grand Canyon of the East is an apt description.

We hiked up these steep, slippery "steps".

Looking down from the stone bridge

Niagara Falls.....day 2

Another clear and lovely day....where has this weather been all summer?  Began the day with a trip down Cave of the Winds where despite raincoats and special shoes we got VERY wet!

Maid of the Mist

Under the Falls at Cave of the Winds

At Maid of the Mist we got more wet as the boat we were on traveled into the Falls!

Niagara Falls.....day 1

We arrived in Niagara Falls today with the Haarhoffs.  We are staying on the American side.  Here are Keelyn, Kylie and Ella standing in front of the Horseshoe Falls.

The weather is lovely....we have finally gotten away from the heat and humidity that has been our beach summer.

The lights on the Falls are spectacular!

Walk to the nature center

Walked to the nature center this morning to photograph our local osprey.  As a bonus, this egret posed for Jim's camera......

Love this picture!

The osprey built their nest in a tree despite stands provided by the nature center.  They have raised their family and are now "empty-nesters".

HaPpY BiRtHdAy, EVA!

We always celebrate Eva's summer birthday at Aunt Becky's back yard pool.  Today was hot and muggy and the pool was perfect!

That's Eva in the sun glasses....she is now 12 years old.

Her cousins Kylie, Keelyn, Ella Layne, Jack and Will surround her.

Theatre night

Tonight we went to see Cabaret, presented by our local theatre company.

As usual, the acting and singing were well done.  I had forgotten how dark this musical is, set in the early days of Nazi occupation of pre-war Germany, showing how insidiously the persecution of Jewish people began.

This and that

We took another trip up the road last evening to view our favorite osprey's nest again.  This time the photos clearly show the osprey family (parents on right and left, juveniles in the middle, one of them  stretching his wings).

Click on the picture for a clearer view.

Jim is entering a local book store photo contest in which the photo must contain the store's book mark.  Here is what he has so far......

Checking out the osprey

Last evening when we were dining out at Bluecoast Restaurant we saw an osprey's nest out on the bay.  We believe there were 2 juveniles in the nest and watched the parents feed them.

We returned tonight to photograph them at sunset.  Think that those are the juveniles in the nest.  Not sure where the parents have gone.  They are both looking right at Jim's camera.

Take some peaches........

Thank you, Southern Living for this yummy recipe:
PEACH UPSIDE-DOWN CAKE

4 medium peaches (about 1 1/2 #)

Cut into  1/3 inch wedges

and add 2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

Cook 1/2 cup sugar in a 10" iron skillet about 10 minutes until it becomes a deep amber color. 

 Immediately add 1/4 c butter and vigorously stir.

Arrange peaches and sprinkle with 1/2 c packed brown sugar.

Mix batter for cake:  1 vanilla bean, 3/4 c sugar, 1/2 c butter, 2 eggs, 1/2 c sour cream, beaten together, then add mixture of  1 c  CAKE flour,  3/4 tsp baking powder, and 1/4 tsp baking soda.

Pour batter over peaches and bake for 40-45 minutes at 350 degrees. Invert onto platter.

Enjoy it warm with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side.

Fireworks

We ended a very hot and busy day with a glorious display of fireworks.  This year we sat about 3 rows away from the spot where they were lighted, so they were a brilliant display just over our heads.....sitting back in our beach chairs and looking up and there they were!

We and so many others were dazzled by the show.

4th of July parade

Bethany Beach is about as down-home as it comes, so the 4th of July holiday is steeped in tradition.
First off is the parade that starts at noon-sharp and lasts as long as there are people who march on foot, on bikes, and in their pick-up truck floats.

Beginning of the parade

Our local Delaware national guard

Music

This gentleman brings his carousel organ every year

Bands

Fancy