Some highlights from our holiday weekend thus far.  None of these pics are my own.

Geocaching:

These are some painted girls on a log.  We had hoped to see FOUR, like someone else did when they came before us, but we saw one, which was still pretty cool.  At another place near us, there is an old snapping turtle named Mosshead.  I always assumed because he was so old.  But when I finally saw him, and his neck was as big as my forearm or bigger, I saw that he did, indeed, have moss on his head.

A typical find on a geocache excursion.  The dog tag is a "travel bug" that gets moved by finders from cache to cache and gets its travels logged for people to follow.  This weekend, we found one that has travelled 14000 miles since 2004.  Pretty cool.

4-H

A fancier version of the mum garden the boy planted with 4-H.  They also made a little picket fence, and he was so proud of using a NAIL GUN that he bragged to me - "hey mom!  bet if you knew I was gonna use a NAIL GUN, you wouldn't have let me come, huh?"  Well quite damn possibly.  But I didn't say that.  I HAD already said to another mom, "omg, timmy is holding the nail gun right at the other kids and he HAS HIS FINGER ON THE TRIGGER!"  She said its no big deal, because it will only shoot when it is pressing on something.  I thought, hmm, but, malfunctions, no?

The incomparable apple cider donuts that we took to 4-H for snack.

Tractor Pull

Antique Farmall tractors competing for trophys at a genuin Tractor Pull.  I have searched the web every way I can think of to find a picture of the kind we have, but can't find one.  If you've never been, a tractor pull is a competition to see which tractor can pull the heaviest load the farthest.  The loads increase in weight as they go along, to make it harder, and test the driver's skill at not tipping over.  At our tractor pull, the increase in weight occurs when people step onto the sledge the tractor is pulling.  They step on in sequence, each waiting their turn, rather like a well measured line dance. 

Farmers have their favorite tractors, of course.  And a Farmall driver might wear a tee shirt that says, "Tractors are like watermelons - Keep the Red, Throw out the Green!"  Oh, SNAP, John Deere!

Sausage and peppers sandwich I was looking forward to getting at the Tractor Pull.  Looking forward all day!  And when I got there, they were taking down the tent - though there was hours left of the Pull - because they had sold out.  Seems to me next year they gotta sell tee-shirts, if they are going to get a response like that.  Maybe *I* will sell tee shirts.  There we go.

Dinner:

Spaghetti carbonara. Made it last night using a rather more complicated than usual recipe, but the difference is so worth the effort.  But we substituted bacon for pancetta.  Never substitute bacon for pancetta, bc pancetta is not smoked.  Especially, don't substitute fancy smokehouse bacon....  Well, now I know.

 Pies:

 You better believe that next year we will put little leaves around the crust.  What a charming accent that we did not think of.  Keith made two homemade pumpkin pies.

Apple Streusel Pie - the easiest, best apple pie I know.  We did not go apple picking, because we ran out of time.  So we bought them at a cart that sits on the side of the road and goes by the Honor Method of payment.  Same as the eggs we bought, at a gorgeous, giant stone house, where they scrape by selling eggs and veggies and sheep wool to citiots and some of us locals.

Chocolate chess pecan pie.  Deeeeeeeeeliiiiiiiiiiiicious.