Sunday, July 8, 2012

Summertime on the Farm

Summertime Saturday... the boys were bringing their families out for the day and Dayle put a big pan of BBQ boneless pork ribs on the grill to slow cook in homemade BBQ sauce. A car pulled in the drive and a man got out and he brought this to me - it is a hand carved rendition of the sign I designed that was placed on the highway here.  It had been made and awarded to him at his retirement in 1990 with the Oregon Dept of Transportation.  His name is Bob Sandman.  He decided that I should have this as he knew I drew it.  Wasn't that nice?  I will treasure this and pass it down to my kids.
Dayle boiled the red potatoes and the eggs out on the BBQ side burner so we didn't heat up the house - it was going to be a warm day.  He also simmered the orange baked beans outside while tending to his BBQ ribs.  They turned out tender and juicy!  I made the potato salad, with chopped red potatoes, chopped eggs, celery, chopped bread and butter pickles and a bit of minced onion - then added the pickle juice to mayo and some mustard and stirred it all up.  A summer feast!
Above is Beth, Shawn's wife - below is grandpa, Travis and his wife Kristi. 
Grandson Michael.. yum yum.  The little boys were at a little table, but decided that playing was more fun than eating. :-) 
For dessert we cut up a ripe watermelon and the boys had fun eating their slices. 
Sweet and juicy! 
 The roses are enjoying the sunny weather and are blooming.. this is my "4th of July" rose.
Our hardy fuchsia is huge and blooming beautifully. 
The garden is lush and green from a record rainy June.  The sound of water from our waterfall brings a melodic tone to the scene. 
We all just hung out and relaxed all day with the boys running about having fun.  This is Kristi's VW bus, she handed out boxes of "poppits" - little exploding things that you throw and they make a popping sound.  As you can see, my son Travis is throwing some at me in this photo!  I had fun throwing a bunch of them on the walkway, too.
The boys had fun all day climbing up on the stump from the old maple tree that we had removed last year.  Grandma made them pose for a photo. :-) 
After this photo I did a walkabout in the yard and here is a pretty pink rose - one of the ones Travis planted in the yard for us after Kristi removed them from their front yard.   
Is there anything prettier than a pink rose bud? 
My "Scentimental" rose.  I love stripey roses! 
Each rose is totally different in appearance. 
Grandpa said.. who wants ice cream?  WE DO!!!  He dug scoops for us all and added Hershey's syrup and we also added homemade raspberry freezer jam on top.  YUM!  Before we could grab it, Caleb snatched up the empty Hershey can and was licking the drips off. :-) 
Grandpa decided to help him out getting the last drops out of the can.  
Awwww.. 
The warm rays of sun shone through the red maple as we enjoyed the afternoon and evening on the deck. 
The Rose Campion was glowing in the sunlight so I zoomed in and shot this image. 
Even the koi enjoyed the day as we tossed them some food.   
We even enjoyed one big firework rocket that Travis brought out, that was fun.  Not sure the horses next door thought so. :-)  I hope you're enjoying your weekend!  Tonight we're treating my sister and her husband to a steak dinner to repay them for all their efforts on planning our tours of WA DC and Gettysburg, and doing all the driving and navigating.  Do you have any fun plans for the summer?  ((hugs)), Teresa :-) 

17 comments:

  1. Teresa, your family looks so happy. I bet you had a wonderful time sharing the beautiful day together. You and Dayle are such wonderful parents and grandparents, your family is blessed to have you both.
    Have a yummy steak dinner,
    Meredith

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  2. Boy, do I ever want to come to dinner at your house! Yum. I love the photos. You live in the most gorgeous place. Talk to you soon. :)

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  3. Looks like a perfect Saturday to me. But, you already had me at slow cooked in homemade BBQ sauce. What a fun day had by all. We are just now today recovering from the heatwave. Actually, threw open all the blinds and spent most of the day surveying the grapes of wrath fields of damage from the heat. My yard, not too bad, other's...well, that's another story.

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  4. Hi Teresa looks like a beautiful way to spend a Saturday. You all look so happy. Still no real sign of summer here. Yesterday was a mix of sunshine and showers also supposed to get cooler. Maybe we will get a fab late summer. Love the carving. Love Anne x

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  5. I think your blog is the very best on the internet. Your photos are always so awesome. I do look at your blog every day. Your photos from the D.C. area brought back many memories as I am from Baltimore. We would take school field trips to D.C. I love your farm, and your pond. How about the recipie for the baked beans, with orange, sounds delicious. Thanks Cathy

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    1. Hi Cathy, how nice of you! Nice to meet you! Here is the recipe you requested:


      ORANGE BAKED BEANS

      1 (1 lb 15 oz) can pork and beans or baked beans
      1/4 cup catsup
      1/2 small can of frozen orange juice (the secret ingredient)
      1/2 cup brown sugar
      1 Tablesp minced onion
      1/2 teasp Worcestershire sauce
      Orange slices

      Stir all ingredients together in 1 1/2 qt casserole. Bake uncovered at 375 degrees for 1 hr 15 min. Top with slices of orange. Double or triple batch if needed.

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    2. Thank you Teresa! I will start taking the time to comment on you blog more. Have a great week with your lovely family. Baked beans is my all time favorite. Yummy!!!
      Cathy (ed4448) I go by this on flickr and Ravelry

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  6. This post is the closest I have got to seeing Summer this year. Thanks for sharing it looks wonderful! xxx

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  7. The wood sign is great!!! how thoughtful guy!
    The potato salad sounds amazing.... mmmmm!!!! I could live on potato salad!
    What a fun day you had!

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  8. What a wonderful day!! Congrats on your sigg... That's amazing!Oh.. almost forgot... I L O V E the bus!!

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  9. I enjoyed my visit with you today :) Thanks for sharing some of your family time with us! What a great gift Bob Sandman brought you!!! Isn't it wonderful that we humans have the capacity to appreciate beauty and share it with each other?
    The next summer adventure we have planned is to enjoy the visit of my niece and her girlfriend who are driving up from northern CA on July 22nd to spend a few days.
    We are so enjoying the warm weather! We need to head to the Sandy River and visit Dodge Park :)
    Hugs from Gracie <3

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  10. What a delicious weekend! I am going to try that Orange Baked Beans recipe. It sounds great. I love the pictures of your farm. Lovely! Have a great week.

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  11. What a perfect day! I absolutely love every picture of the farm and your garden! And I agree with what Kashi says ;-) xxxx

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  12. Teresa, I'm having awful trouble some days when I try to leave you a comment. Just sent one and it seems to have gone to the never never. Wondering if this one will work ????

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  13. Had to log out of gmail and back on with my usual email addy !! Anyway,at least I'll know for next time. xoxox

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  14. Good Monday to you! Loved so many things about this post-from the deliciously pink rose (love, love) to the 'Adventures of Caleb + Chocolate" (this made me laugh out loud) to the VW bus (ah, the 60's and 70's)!
    Summer plans? Well we'll (hopefully) continue our once a week day-trips to various places around the PNW (I keep a list of possibiities)--exploring new places and spending time, too, at loved familiar ones. Our daughter plans a visit out here soon (but not soon enough for me)...and that will man even more trips to see the sights she loves!
    Have a good day!
    Blessings,
    Aimee

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  15. Such adorable grand kids! Love all those photos! They will grow up with great memories of time spent with you guys!

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