Annual Monster Bash, 2018

All 3 of our grandsons were born in the summer. The two youngest have July birthdays 4 days apart, while the oldest grandson was born in August. So, every year daughter Courtney and her patient husband Michael throw the monsters a birthday bash.

Camden and Jensen, ages 5 and 4 respectively, enjoy their cake at their bowling alley party.

This year, they decided to have the party at the local bowling alley in Big Spring. It was a fun day not only for the kids but for the adults as well.

Michael's family turned out in force: his 2 brothers, their wives and children, and Michael's mother and her husband. An employee of the bowling alley was assigned to this horde, and I know that poor girl does not get paid nearly enough. She stayed right with the kids and helped them bowl and did her best to corral them. It's pretty hard to herd a gang of cats, but she did an exceptional job. The adults also bowled, and that was a shameful exhibition. I'm glad my son-in-law isn't a professional bowler, for the family would go hungry. I started to suggest he use one of those racks and a lane with the railings to keep the ball in play.

Camden really seemed to enjoy bowling.

Jensen and his follow-through.

This was the first time Donna and I had gotten out of San Angelo in quite a while. On the way up, we stopped at the produce stand in Sterling City and bought some cantaloupes, a melon, some tomatoes, and a few cucumbers. We've been stopping at this stand for years in our travels up to Big Spring to see the kids, and we are usually pretty satisfied with the quality of the produce there.

The countryside looked bleak. Here it is nearing the end of July, and the heat has been oppressive. All the grass is burned up. I don't know what the cattle and other livestock are eating in the pastures, for there just isn't much out there that is alive. Here in San Angelo, we have topped out at 108 degrees for the last 4 days in a row.

Back at home, I continue to enjoy my morning walks. Right now, I'm really on the alert for the small family of hawks I mentioned in a previous post. I can hear their calls -- sort of a piercing whistle, from a high to a lower sound -- and I can really hear their wings as they fly through the trees. The flap of their wings is definitely heavier than the normal birds we have around here.

Some times they just move through the trees around the houses; other times, they are soaring above the subdivision looking for small rodents, little dogs, grown cows, old fat men like me, and other prey. Funny thing, since the hawks have moved in, I've not seen a single skunk or ring tail cat. Coincidence? I guess we know who is really in charge around here.