Favorite Toy

This week's Round Robin Photo Challenge is to show a favorite toy. This teddy bear is not only one of my favorites, but was a favorite of my sons too. I have had the stuffed bear ever since I can remember, which is a very long time as I am sixty-two. As babies , each of my sons adopted the little bear as his own. Perhaps, this memory endears the bear to my heart even more. When our second child was born, our oldest child, Dean, left his teddy at the home of friends, who were watching him as his brother was being born. The little teddy bear was his nighttime security object so my husband, Daddy D, made an emergency trip to retrieve his teddy for a sound night's sleep.

Pictured here with three-week old Dean is the little teddy and two other favorites, a lion that played, "You Are My Sunshine" and Claymore C. Bear. The latter two toys have since bit the dust.

Then, when Dean's little brother, Luke, came home from the hospital and was crying as newborn babies do, the almost three-year old boy reached into the baby buggy, patted his little brother, and said. "Don't cry baby. Here's teddy." The memory brings tears to my eyes.

For the past several years, the little stuffed bear has been residing in the bottom of our school clock in the living room. If you look closely, you might notice that Teddy has a haircut. Little brother, Luke, gave the little bear a buzz at one point, something he did to himself...more than once.

Both sons are now adults and fathers to our wonderful grandchildren. Perhaps, we should dust off the old teddy bear and have meet a new generation of children. To see more favorite toys, visit Carly at Round Robin Photo Challenge.

Round Robin - Public Art

For this week's Round Robin, participants are displaying public art. My public art picture is located in St. Joseph, Michigan on the Silver Beach along the scenic blue waters of Lake Michigan. The sculpture is And You, Seas created by Richard Hunt. The statue was commissioned in memory of Patrick J. Kinney for his life-long interest in sculpture and in sailing. Soaring more than 40 feet above the water, Hunt's nautical design can be appreciated from all angles and directions, but it is especially captivating from the lake guiding and welcoming boaters to the Port of St. Joseph along the St. Joseph Channel.

For a list of other participants, visit Carly at Round Robin Photo Challenge.

Round Robin Challenge: Weed Gone to Seed

Today's Round Robin challenge is to post a picture showing that, "Weeds Can Be Beautiful Too." A weed, of course, is merely a wildflower in the wrong place. Pictured here is a dandelion relative, Yellow Goatsbeard, Tragopogon pratensis, that has gone to seed.


For a list of other participants, visit Carly at Round Robin Photo Challenge.

Round Robin: A Day in the Park

Today's Round Robin challenge is to post a Perfect Scene Captioned. My photo is shot from a gazebo at Deep River Park in Lake County, Indiana. Both the park and the gazebo have a special place in my heart. The park is home to the historic mill in the background and site of many fond memories . Additionally, our son, Luke, and our daughter-in-law, Bree, were married in the gazebo almost two years ago on a cold and rainy day in May.

In addition to the mill, the park features wooded trails, maple syrup festivities, vintage baseball, and cross country skiing. My husband and I enjoy visiting the park any time of year, and any day in the park always turns out to be a fine day.

Round Robin Challenge: Landmarks

The Round Robin Challenge (pop over and sign up for this challenge or the next one. ) this time was suggested by Carly:

Again, let's take an opportunity to show off our hometowns. I live in the
Bay Area, so I have no real shortage of recognizable landmarks, so what I would
do is try to show those landmarks in an interesting lighting circumstance, such
as a sunset, or under special lighting conditions. But I want to see other
places, and the landmarks that make those places so special. A beautifully
designed building, an incredible bridge, or a monument of some sort, or maybe
even an unusual road sign. It's all good!

This is my first entry in the Round Robin Challenge. Although technically this is not my hometown, but the pictures are from the area that I have called home for the last forty some years. The three pictures displayed here are from the local Deep River Park. The park is the site of a historic mill, John Wood Mill.

The gazebo on the park grounds is the location of many weddings including the ceremony of our son, Luke and his bride, Bree, on May 12, 2006.