Missouri pre-Easter

We begin this post with a picture of a moth. Not because it's a Missouri moth, but because its camouflage looks like a twig off of a tree. Very impressive, Mr. Moth! Alas, your camouflage fails you when you land on a screen door.


Here's a view from the drive up. We think this is Kansas. But it's still beautiful.


The second night we were up in Missouri, John and I drove two hours over to Hannibal to attend a retirement party for my beloved English professor from Hannibal LaGrange, Dr. McNutt. We had a great time--it was rather like a family reunion--chatting with friends and former professors. Here is Dr. McNutt with our crew of English (and formerly English) majors.


We returned home late Friday night, then all sorts of family members came up on Saturday and by Sunday, we were preparing for Easter the next week. Here are some snapshots of our egg-decorating party. Don't be troubled if everybody looks a little grim. Egg decorating is serious business.


It requires a small amount of adult assistance.


And long periods of thoughtful concentration, as Brooke here demonstrates. (Thanks to Neal and Theresa for coming up for the weekend and providing their two adorable little girls for photo shoots.)


But the final product is worth it! Aren't they lovely?


After decorating the eggs, it was time for the annual Plastic-Egg Filled With Candy Easter Egg Hunt (or the PEFWCEEH). Like every good hunt, helmets and hounds were provided.


I forgot to mention that Amadeus came with us up to Missouri. He demanded to be part of the PEFWCEEH, as well. I'd like to say that he found us some good eggs, but alas, all he found was Noah.


Would you like to try a poisoned app--er, egg, Nana? *Cackle, cackle*


Even the sick babies got to join in (referring in this instance to Caleb, not Ryan).


And don't forget the tractor parade! Oh, the memories you can create when a beat-up old golf cart is stranded, only to be pushed to safety by a big blue tractor.


After the golf cart was secured, Uncle Pat took a very excited Madison for a ride, as well.


After all the excitement, everybody needed a good stretch. Here are Seth and Ryan practicing their yoga moves.


Amadeus really enjoyed Missouri. He loved playing with Mom and Dad's little Westie, Dexter, and trying to run with the big dogs. But there were some adjustments. No longer puppy extraordinaire, Amadeus found that he had become just one more hound.


Sigh. . . .


But lest, good viewers, you think he suffered too much by being merely 'one of the canine crowd,' let these pictures assure you that he was not entirely out of the spotlight. Here he is making friends with the children. . .


. . .slithering out of Steph's grasp. . .


. . .bringing Papa down to his level. . .


. . .and in general getting himself into some extraordinary positions.


It's enough to wear a pup out, which made for a very quiet ride back home.

The Lab chronicles, continued

Since Amadeus is supposed to be a purebred Lab, we thought we'd chronicle a few of his more dignified, breed-worthy moments. It's worthwhile, by the way, to click on the pictures in this post and zoom in so you can get a better look at the flowers.

Here he is admiring the wildflowers Tom planted.


And also the naturally occurring flowers in our front yard.


Aren't the flowers lovely? Our yard is an explosion of color every morning.


But all dignity and beauty is cast aside when the urge strikes to suck blood from a duck.


On Saturday, we all took a trip out to the birthplace of Texas, a place called Washington on the Brazos (where they signed the Texas Declaration of Independence from Mexico). It was a neat place, although because Amadeus was with us, we didn't visit any of the museums. We did get lots of compliments, though, from everybody from middle-aged ladies to a gang of biker guys.

Does anybody remember that walk we took with Katie (dog Katie) in Pershing Park? She got so tired and her feet were so hot on the boardwalk that we had to carry her. Well, it was pretty much the same story here.


This is a reconstruction of the hall where they gathered to sign the Declaration. Apparently it was merely a partially finished gun-smith's hall. That explains a lot, really. . .


Okay, now it's time to bat your eyes and take a nap. Love you guys and thanks for enjoying our puppy with us!

Slide show

I thought you guys might enjoy a few glimpses of Amadeus' favorite game with John. Watch for the belly slide!

More Puppy Pictures!

We thought everyone might enjoy some more pictures of Amadeus. He's had an exciting day today, playing with rope, going for a long walk, and enjoying some beautiful weather.

Beware the creature in the dark. . .


Don't fear. He's only after the nyla-bone.


Not such a scary monster, after all!


After an intense hour or so of playing, Mr. Amadeus needed his rest. Here he is snoozing in his crate.


He's not all dignity all the time, however. Look at that tongue!


After a long, refreshing nap, Amadeus went for a walk to get used to the leash and also enjoy some of the excitement the pasture has to offer. These thrills include cow patties, sticks, and clumps of dirt. Bring it on!


So much land for such a little fellah.


Chillin' with John


And finally, life in the wild! He had a great time leaping and bounding in the tall grass.


That's all for now, folks. Hope you're having a lovely Saturday!

Amadeus, amadeus

Here is a video of Amadeus in action - sort of. This is at the end of the day for him, so he's laid back, playing with John.

We have a puppy!

We did it! We finally got a puppy! His name is Amadeus and he's a purebred Black Lab. He's nine weeks old and very adorable. We just got him today, so let the training begin! Here are some pictures of his first couple hours at his new home. There aren't a lot of pictures of him on the ground because when we put him down, he won't stay still long enough for a picture. But when you pick him up, he's like a ragdoll. Right now he's taking a nap, which is why I can get away with this post.

Here he is, relaxing after an exciting car ride home.


Posing for a few pictures. . .




And realizing that he's going to have a hard life here at Casa Scholl.

Birthdays

Hi all,
I know I promised Tyler that my next post would be of cows, but that will have to wait. I thought instead that I'd put up pictures from John's b-day party (Jan. 16) and Mimi's 94th party (Jan. 30th). And in the middle is one picture that doesn't fit either theme. See if you can figure out which one it is.

Thanks to an earlier inspiration from Tyler and Jerilyn, I decided to throw John a surprise cheese party for his 31st birthday. Everyone who came brought a special type of cheese. It was lovely! And the best part of it is, we got to keep the leftovers. We were eating expensive cheese for a week!


Ah, just like the old days. Both Chris (left) and Keven (kilt) went to school with John and Rob. As you can see, they had plenty to chat about.


Kevin had just come from a bag-piping gig, so he did us the honor of a live performance. The kids--at least two of them--were practicing their highland fling.


Tom and the kids break-dancing to the pipes.


My first turkey! I found it on sale after Thanksgiving and froze it. Last week I thought I'd cook it, just for practice. It turned out pretty well for a first try, I think.


Last Saturday we celebrated Mimi's 94th birthday. She's still going strong, living on her own and still driving. Her nephew and his wife happened to be in town, so we all went out to lunch.


A rare moment: Charlie with a camera.


Mimi's nephew Bob, Mimi, and Bob's wife Carol. They live in Austin. You should google Bob's father, RH Bing. He was one of the most brilliant mathematicians of his day--he even has his own wikipedia page.


It was a chilly day, so the ladies all brought out their long coats. Don't they just look like winter flowers?