On Memorial Day, during the afternoon, Chelsea and Andy loaded up the old 91 Nissan pickup, shoved in a couple of kayaks, and headed for the North Elkhorn Creek, up near Frankfort, Kentucky. After slipping into the water, we paddled on the fast flowing high water--with just a few ripples--for a nearly seven mile ride. Andy managed to get caught in the overhanging tree branches, but Chelsea saved the day by saying the camera! It was a great way to cool off!

Easter with Beck, Wayne, Abigail, and Adam

Don't they look pretty! The photo of this happy family was taken in the front yard of their McDonough home after we all went to worship as a six-some. We heard a quite remarkable sermon by Dr. Marsh, his last as the Smith's interim pastor.

Here's Chelsea with her track coach, Bob LaDeur. Chelsea was on the winning 4 x 100 meters relay team, being the third leg, at Wednesday's Regional Track Meet. She also came in second in the 200 meter dash. On June 2 and 3, her team from Model Lab School will go to the State Track Meet in Lexington, Kentucky.
Way to go, girl!

Sitting Pretty

During the first three weeks of May, we were down at the lakehouse, fixing things up. During the renovations, things got moved around a whole lot. For example, while all the work was in progress, once in a while we were without a commode or two. Not to worry! We just took them outside on the deck and used them for deck furniture.

During the past three weeks the lakehouse underwent some major renovations. New ceramic tile went down in the kitchen, the hallway, in the sunroom and bathrooms. Then we cut off the top half of the "tower" in kitchen and laid a beautiful black granite countertop over the island and countertops. O boy, does it all look good!







But the best "good-lookers" were Polly and Kurt who stayed for a week and did yeo-people's work, setting toilets, plumbing in new sinks, painting window frames in the sun room, mowing yards, fixing and setting steps, and a whole bunch of other stuff. Thank you, Polly and Kurt!

May 19: Akeelah and the B

This afternoon we went to see Akeelah and the B, a pretty good movie! Having seen Oprah interview Keke Palmer as the young star of the show, we were delighted to find it still showing this weekend.

One of the better movies we've seen this year, this heart-warming and inspirational story is about a girl who, despite all the hardships at home, finds a way to utilize her skill at Scrabble. With a little help from her coach (Laurence Fishburne) she not only learns a lot about language, but she also comes to appreciate the environment around her. She finds out that she is rich in ways she did not realize. Although some critics rated the film as B, we all found it pretty difficult to find fault with this flick. There's something in it for everyone (even a few surprises). Both Angela Bassett and Laurence Fishburne are "awesome," as Chelsea put it. We were particularly impressed with Keke Palmer. She really is good! Rent the DVD when it comes out!

The Lady of the Lake rides the waves!

On Mother's Day, June and Andy went to church with Becky, Wayne, Adam and Abigail, eating lunch at their home. Later in the afternoon the whole family gathered at the lake to take a few rides on June Bug, with her namesake at the helm. June did an admirable job ferrying us around. Now all we need to do is get her a harbar pilot's license!

Repairing June Bug

For several weeks Andy has been working on June Bug, an old (but solid!) pontoon boat he bought on eBay. After Stan brought the barge to his muffler shop in Macon (thanks, Stan!), Andy and Al, one of Stan's crew, removed and cleaned the rails, pressure-washed the flooring carpet, brightened up the pontoons a good bit, installed new furniture on the deck, and cleaned up the canopy. Then when Polly and Kurt arrived from Louisiana, we brought the shiny new party barge up to the lake. It was fun!

Amy's newest addition: a "cari-oke"!

Here's a note from Amy, Kevin, and the kids:

Just wanted you to see our latest addition. He is REALLY cute, but very sleepy. He is eight weeks old and doesn't have a name yet. We are taking suggestions. He is part cairn terrier and part yorkie. They call him a cari-okie.

Any suggestions for names?

Seth's Graduation

Congratulations to Seth Greene, June's grandson! Seth graduated on Tuesday from the Paul Anderson Youth Home amid lots of cheers, the smiles and tears of parents, sisters, grandparents, and many, many friends. Soon Seth will be living in Jacksonville, Florida, to further his education. Seth, we're so very proud of you! (This photo was taken by his sister, Sara Beth. Nice work, Sara Beth!)