xFlies

Evelyn and Gavin had a blast catching butterflies and dragonflies. This friendly butterfly has found a home on Evelyn's knuckle. However, it was agreed by all that the creatures would be released from captivity by days-end.

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POOF! and off it went!

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Although, it appeared that Evelyn was a bit reluctant to release the dragonfly...and the dragonfly didn't seem to want to leave. But sadly, they eventually parted company.

Turtle Hunting

Here are Richard III, Evelyn, and Frances returning from a spin around the pond in persuit of turtles. Many hours were spent turtle hunting from the canoe.

Generations of Gardeners

Great Grandmother Frances is showing young Frances how to properly carve out a weed from the garden. They both share a love for gardening.

Eager Helpers

Amelia and Evelyn detected a spider web in Aunt Cynthia's much cherished Cleopatra lamp, so here they are helping her finish the dusting. As much as Cynthia tries to stay on top of her household dusting, she always manages to forget a lamp or two, or three...

Fun with Butterflies

Here are Amelia and Frances Price enjoying a visit with their Great Grandfather on the porch swing.

Beautiful Amelia is pictured here, standing next to the Coreopsis (which by the way is Fran's favorite perennial). It didn't take Amelia very long to notice that the Coreopsis is home to several, very friendly butterflies; which by the way are unaware of our newly arrived visitors.
If you look closely, you can spot two or three butterflies hiding in the blossoms.Evelyn quickly spotted the butterflies, and was very careful as she gently lured one of them onto her finger.

CAUGHT!! GOTCHA!! ...the butterflies can't get can get past these darling girls. What fun we had catching butterflies.

Smell the Roses

We were so thrilled to have the tea roses greet us this lovely Sunday morning, that we just couldn't resist taking some pictures to share with fellow bloggers.

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Happy Fathers' Day

Pictured here is Dick on Fathers' day, wearing his favorite suit and cap.

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A Room With a View

Each morning the colors of spring greet us at our bedroom window. We look forward to the pink tea roses, which should be making their seasonal debut any day now.
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Gorgeous Irises

Glittering Gladiolas

Fragrant Honeysuckle (a favorite among the hummingbirds)

Colossal Turtle

Pond turtles will lay their eggs in a hole carved out by the mother in the middle of the night. So, imagine how thrilled we were when we became aware of this colossal turtle still laying her eggs early Saturday morning.
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Females produce 5-13 eggs per clutch. They deposit eggs either once or twice a year.
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Some hatchings overwinter in the nest, and this phenomenon seems more prevalent in northern areas. Possibly, winter rains may be necessary to loosen the hardpan soul where some nests are deposited. It may be that the nest is the safest place for hatchlings to shelter while they await the return of warm weather. Whether it is hatchlings or eggs that overwinter, young first appear in the spring following the year of egg deposition. Individuals grow slowly in the wild, and age of their first reproduction may be 10 to 12 years in the northern part of the range. Adult turtles may survive more than 30 years in the wild.
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Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_pond_turtle"

The Bucket

What is Cynthia carrying in the blue bucket?

Please vote in the Poll.

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Oasis - Hello!

On the day of the launch, Oasis was navigated into her slip at Winthrop Harbor, Illinois - as shown here in this clip:

The Launch

During the harsh Chicago winters, Oasis is stored in dry dock at a marina in Waukegan harbor; in late spring we gather for our traditional harbor launch, then we sail Oasis to her slip at Northpoint Marina in Winthrop Harbor, Illinois.

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One activity that's a particular favorite among the crew is the ceremonial pitch-n-fetch. As Oasis pulls away from the dock, the crew pitches a fender into the water, leaving the person remaining on the dock (Cynthia) to rescue it with a boat hook.

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Pictured here with Dick is Rick Miller (a good friend of Sanctuary Pond), relaxing on Oasis' fly bridge just before the launch.

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It's Clifton's Birthday Today

Clifton is also a resident of Sanctuary Pond and today he makes his debut appearance on this blog. Chique, our mascot, was also on hand to celebrate Clifton's birthday. It has now become a tradition to have your birthday picture taken with Chique.

Memorial Day

This is how we spent our Memorial Day:

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Fran found time to clock some miles on her pedaler..

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Dick went to the local nursery to pick out some Early Girl tomato plants. He's shown here with a spade in hand and the Early Girls secure in their cedar barrels.

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Charlie visited the Animal ER as a consequence of aggressive grooming by his handler. To thwart any legal action brought forward by PETA bloggers who might happen to stumble upon our blog, the handler/groomer shall remain anonymous. Charlie is resting comfortably and is expected to make a full recovery!

Shoes

"How should we spend our economic stimulus money?" has been a topic that has weighed heavily on our minds lately. So, this weekend we decided that the best way to help our economy recover from the recent sluggishness was to buy new shoes. Check them out!

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Dick's new Nike Air shoes

Fran's new Crocs

Little Limpy

Earlier on this blog, we reported on a little gosling that sported a very severe limp. His right leg appeared to be bent upwards and sideways, so he limped.
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Good news to report now, little "Limpy" appears to have made a complete recovery. He/she scoots around and swims just as well as the others. We can't even tell them apart; they are all very lively. The adults pay very close attention to the little ones, and never let them out of their sight.

Happy Birthday

We celebrated Dick's birthday today with a cake (fresh strawberries w/buttercream frosting) from his favorite bakery. He is pictured here with the Sanctuary Pond mascot - Chique (pronounced "Chick.")

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Do you think they have the same barber?

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Also sharing the spotlight (and the cake) with Dick and Fran is Chique.

Mother's Day Visitors

Keith and Deb stopped by for a Mother's Day visit. As you can see, the Tina Crabapple is in full bloom. The perfect backdrop to a wonderful photo on a very special day.

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Keith and Deb weren't the only ones who stopped by to wish Fran a "Happy Mother's Day." Peep and Creep just couldn't resist; they wanted to take part in all of the fun. Hey, no ducklings yet?

The First Batch of Little Ones

The four little goslings are already swimming - and they're just two days old. They won't let us get too close now, but we'll soon earn their trust. Hopefully, we can get better close-ups. The goslings are yellow and fluffy, and they hop around along the edge of the pond like jumping beans.

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We’ve just observed that one of the four goslings has a severe limp. His right leg is bent sideways, and unable to sustain weight when he walks, so he limps. This must account for why he appears to be hopping – poor little guy! He lags behind the others when they’re on shore, but while once in the water he swims as well as the others. He favors his dad, while the others stay close to mom.

The Laudress' Helper

One of Fran's favorite chores is doing the laundry, especially Dick's blue jeans. She considers laundry as proven therapy for any housekeeper. But what could be more fun than having a helper. Look who's helping Fran with the laundry. Can you spot Charlie?