~~ODNEAL FAMILY BLOG~~Port of Readlyn, Iowa

These are all the snapshots from last weekend at the river. Enjoy and I hope everyone has a great weekend! Weather sounds awesome for Sunday. Good day to be on the beach!

Yep, this beautiful boat went by the sandbar on Sunday. I immediately got on my cell phone and ordered one just like it. It will be delivered to Lansing on Saturday morning complete with staff. Oh yeah, and then I woke up and realized it was just a dream. Damn! But seriously this beauty did go by the sandbar. Wow! I couldn't imagine the room to wander around in that thing. Someday maybe. Yeah whatever-it's good to have dreams though, right? Even if they are unreachable the way the powerball has been treating me!

Saturday we were all out at the beach to enjoy the nice weather so I snapped some pictures (yeah I know-shocker!). Jr & Joey came out with the fishing boat and visited with us for the afternoon. Then when we went back in on Sunday afternoon Helen & I just put out some snacks and gave Jr his Father's Day card. Any excuse for snacks and beverages! So, hope you had an enjoyable and memorable Father's Day Jr! And I hope the bars I made didn't kill you like you said they would!!!

So yesterday we were out at the sandbar and Louie had a minnow trap that had about 15 minnows in it. Or should I say "had" minnows in it. Our friend Kevin walked up to his boat and pulled up the bucket and this ugly snake had climbed up into the trap and couldn't get back out. And he ate ALL of the minnows. We released him onto the beach and he apparently had a very nice lunch as he looked plenty fat! Click on the picture to see closer just how scary he really was! Always an adventure at the river! Luckily noone was hurt for these pictures including the snake. And hey, the minnows wouldn't have survived until next weekend anyways!

Today is Ty's 14th birthday so look out world-he will be driving everywhere very, very soon. Happy Birthday bud. I can't believe my "baby" is 14 already. Don't get any older, okay? Love you!

A rare sight at our house. Both mine and Bruce's vehicles spotless inside and out. Just had to take a picture of it since it happens so rarely. I think Kyle was supposed to get his done that day too, but went golfing instead! Everyone have a great weekend! Weather sounds wonderful and we are heading to the houseboat soon. Very soon!

Some flowers to brighten everyone's hump day. A long day for me as Vicki is off today so stuck here 10 hours. Yuck! I'll get her back though. I take many more days off than her. So ever have one of those days that is going pretty good and then something comes up that just unsettles you and you aren't exactly sure why, but it definitely makes you feel very anxious? That is me today. Oh well. Tomorrow is one day closer to the weekend and the river. Hope the rest of the week flies by for everyone. Enjoy the sun and the peonies since they don't stick around very long at all!

Ty and some buddies (Zach, Kenny, and Carter) played some driveway basketball last night at our house. It was a nice night to be outside enjoying the weather. They had a good time I think, and Bruce once again thinks Ty should have stuck with basketball. Personally I hope he wrestles again next year. Guess we will leave that up to him to decide! I won't voice my opinion on that one-it is ultimately up to him.

Boy did this week seem to drag on and I am so glad it is Friday. We are heading here this afternoon and I cannot wait. Sounds like beautiful weather finally and we can actually stay on the beach and have a campfire. Tyler, Kyle & Taylor are coming too. Everyone have a fun, happy, sunny weekend!

So here are a couple pictures of the strawberry bed after we weeded a couple weeks ago, and some green berries. Then the last two nights we have gotten a bowl full of the scrumptious things to eat. And I didn't do anything to the picture of the bowl of them. They are that bright and beautiful. I am picking up some vanilla ice cream to put some over for dessert tonight per Bruce's request. Yum yum!

Okay not totally "wordless". My cast iron big pot outside my house by our deck steps. So pretty! But VERY heavy and almost impossible to move. It was my Mom's a very long time ago and I plant flowers in it every year and think of her everytime I look at it. Especially when the hummingbirds enjoy the flowers!

Once again tried to get a good picture of the moon over the Lansing bridge Friday night. It didn't turn out too bad for being my cell phone camera. The bridge just looks so pretty at night I'm sure there will be many of these pictures throughout the summer so get used to them!

Let's just say that Helen had so much fun on Saturday at the river that well......she kind of lost part of the day. These pictures I snapped on my phone can prove to her that yes, she was dancing on her boat to Aretha Franklin I believe it was. Way too funny! Gotcha Helen!

Relaxing and enjoying life up on the Mississippi. Hoping for a sunny, dry weekend but the forecast wasn't all that promising. We will enjoy ourselves anyway with good friends, family, and much fun. Hope you have a nice weekend, too! Do something fun!

Tyler helped me in the kitchen last night make some rice krispy treats and scotcharoos. We took the bottom of the boxes in the pantry and mixed it with rice krispies in order to have enough for a pan. For some reason noone wants to eat the cereal at the bottom of the box so I always make bars with them and then they eat it up! Ty did a great job and I think learned quite a lot. It is nice to have help making stuff once in a while. I have to admit I sampled a scotcharoo this morning (had to make sure they were edible!) and they are very good. Planning on taking some of each to the river with us. Tyler was thinking of Grandpa Jr. while he was stirring and making them! (Grandpa Jr. loves them!) Thanks Ty for all the help! Enjoy the treats this weekend and eat them all up before I get back home. Please!

Sharon wanted me to post another picture of the wall awards/pictures/etc. so I am because I had forgotten there was some on my little camera. So here is some snapshots before the party started of the decorations, bon fire ready chairs, and one picture with Ashley's head cut off when she was getting all the pictures ready for me. Yep I think everything looked pretty nice and Kyle had a great turnout! The wall/table Sharon wanted me to show!

Okay so really only people that were at Kyle's party can appreciate what a huge improvement the garage was from these pictures. Some of them show the during process of sheeting with plywood. And of course the "Honey Doo" sign got moved to the shop. It was from our first houseboat-that was the name of it. I didn't get very many pictures of them working on it but it sure looks much better. Bruce didn't want to put all the crap back in but we had to put some back or he wouldn't be able to use his shop for anything. Nice improvement!

Okay so I have a lot of different pictures that I have not posted and finally put them onto a cd so that I could get them off of the camera and load at work. Here is a couple of pictures of Tyler's last Jr. High track meet. It was May 14th. The 2nd picture is of him starting his run for the long jump. Used my little camera and not very good at catching shots exactly when I want to! Obviously Ty is in the gold.