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

This guy is picking me up Friday at 5 minutes to 5 to head to the river and our houseboats. Yep, Bruce is going to be busy working on countertops all weekend, and I am missing our boat, so I'm hitching a ride up with Louie. I will get some more cleaning done inside and sorting through crap, and maybe even scrape some paint on the walkways of the boat that need re-painting. I miss my boat and am not going to spend another weekend at home cleaning and doing laundry all weekend. I am so looking forward to a quiet, solo weekend just doing whatever the heck I want. And Bruce and the boys will fare just fine at home I am sure. Not sure what they will actually cook and eat, but hey, that isn't my problem. I feed them a good, hot meal every day that I am home. Everyone have a great weekend! I might even throw a fishing pole in the water like Bruce does! And I even bait my own hook and take my own fish off. Who needs a man anyways??????? I guess I do Friday afternoon unless I want to dr...

The weekend that we helped Louie & Helen with their ceiling and moved the boats, we also went up town Lansing to eat at TJ's and it was awesome. My camera batteries died so I didn't get all the pictures that I wanted, but here are a few that I snapped at the restaurant. The food was good as ALWAYS, and we are just glad that the houseboating season has begun and we have a nice place to go to for dinner when we are preparing our boats for the season, and when we just don't feel like cooking during the season. We are glad that Lansing welcomed us all back as usual. Cannot wait for the summer temperatures to arrive so that we can get rid of all these sweatshirts! Isn't it bikini season soon?????????? Okay, not so much for most of us. But at least it should be t-shirt and short weather soon, right? RIGHT??????

So I gave the guys their choice of burgers on the grill or homemade pizza and they chose pizza. Kyle decided that he was going to make it for me. So, I got the crust ready and spread out on the bricks, and then he went to town. I had the sausage browned, peppers and onions chopped, and everything else ready to go for him. Lets just say that I thought the pizza was the best ever. The boys however said that they couldn't tell the difference from mine. I think they were just being nice because Kyle seasoned the pizza sauce on his own, and I personally think that it had a little something that my normal out of the jar sauce doesn't. The pizza was great and I am so glad that he is interested in cooking and experimenting in the kitchen. His Grandpa Bill was a great cook and I'm hoping my boys will love creating things in the kitchen like I do. When you throw the right ingredients together how can you go wrong? Thank you Kyle for showing interest. It means the world to m...

So today was my birthday. My 42nd birthday . Just another day as far as I was concerned. Our family doesn't make big deals out of birthdays usually. Just the way that we are. Of course when the kids were little and such it was a big deal . But now, well, just not so much. At work today my friend Julie called to see what I was up to and to wish me a happy birthday. Then later she called while I was filling up my car and told me to meet her in Dewar at Kathy's for a birthday drink. Well, I hadn't seen Julie or Kathy for quite a while so how could I refuse? When we walked in our friend Carol Wermy was there so we chatted with her for a while and I got my free b-day drink from Kathy. I then said that I needed to leave and visit my SIL Helen as I had talked to her earlier also and told her I'd stop by after Dewar. So Carol & Julie went on their way to G'ville and I headed to Louie & Helen's. My oldest brother Dave called me on my way to Helen...

Took this picture (and many more) of this eagle when we were on our houseboat ride last Sunday. There were quite a few of them flying around when we went through the "natchway". I took a ton of pictures but the sun, yes I said sun, was blinding me so I just had to snap away and hope I got some good ones. I haven't messed with any other pictures but lets just say I think I have enough eagle pictures to put together a book. Guess I just think they are cool and like to take pictures of them. Could be worse-I could take pictures of people passed out or something when at the river having a good time. Oh wait, I do that too when given the opportunity! Everyone have a great weekend despite the weather forecast around here. Sunny days will come again soon. But not soon enough!

Here are some pictures that I snapped last weekend of the ceiling project in Louie & Helen's boat. It will look great when done and was a good project to get taken care of early in the season. Their boat will be better than new with the new support I'm sure. Had a great weekend helping out what we could!

If you've never been to this place-Lansing, Iowa-you need to check it out. What a beautiful little town in northeast Iowa. And it is already crazy busy on the weekends. ALWAYS something going on for everyone. I snapped this picture on a houseboat ride with Ray & Tracy today. Someone converted this old (REALLY OLD) building into condos or apartments and it looks really cool right along the river. Wouldn't we love to rest our heads here! Well I guess we will have to settle for resting our heads on our houseboats. They may not look fancy and such, but at least we all can call it "home" for the summer. And we cannot wait EVERY weekend to get back to our summer homes!