Time Spent with Mimae and Pop Pop

Several weeks ago, our family traveled to Inverness to help Mimae and Pop Pop (daddy's parents) with some spring cleaning about their grounds. We had a lovely time serving them!

Daddy and his noble father.
Here we find Pop Pop's workshop. Think you not it a most interesting shape? Mimae said it holds up very well to hurricanes, I guess the wind just blows around it.

Pop Pop is an avid guitar player and has several beautiful guitar bodies like this that he works on. I love the carved eagle bridge, it's so unique!

Here we find the tractor shed. It also houses lots of Pop Pop's tools.

The wash house and green house.
Momma's artistic flair.

Mimae has many lovely plants that she diligently tends.

Clover

Gorgeous!

I don't know what this striking plant is.

A charming wagon

Olivia was having great fun with Pop Pop's grabbing tool. She went about grasping things such as hands, feet, oranges, and even B.B. :)
Huzzah! We got to jam with Grandpa! Pop Pop used to fiddle with his grandfather Delmar Stone. It is fun to continue the legacy and learn a lot of family history at the same time! Come to find out, Great-Great-Grandpa Delmar was a 6 ft 4 inch Scotch-Irishman with flaming red hair.
I think our playing put B.B. to sleep. :D
Now for a brief intermission from playing. Mimae and Pop Pop showed us a program from a church show they had once. We were thoroughly confused about how to pronounce one last name.
Okay, we will give blog recognition to the person who can tell us how to pronounce the last name, third up from the bottom: Hrynczyszyn. :D :D
Like father, like son.
Playin' a Polka...

Olivia learning the art of crochet at Mimae's knee. Precious moment.

The next day, we all threw ourselves into work around the house. What fun!
Daddy and Pop Pop worked on jacking up the trailer. The settling trailer had pulled away from the addition built around it, letting in cold air and small pests. Praise the Lord, they got it fixed!

In addition to stabilizing the foundation, windows needed washing. Momma and Emily diligently performed that task.The Stone family patriarch overseeing the activities.
The bliss of modern day clothes washin'.
Sigh... :)Fantastic job Daddy! Nobody jacks up a house like you do!!! :D
Still washin'...

Mimae sweeping after the house was raised.

...and washin'. :) The widows were spotless and beautiful by the time Mom and Emmy finished. Well done, I say!
I spear-headed the kitchen clean-up.
Hi B.B.!!
We brought Mimae a rose bush. The blooms reminded us all of brilliant Florida sunsets.
We were so blessed by spending time with Mimae and Pop Pop! They are such a joy to all our hearts. God bless them!

~Anna

Our Voyage to the Youth Convention & Touring D.C.

On December 30th; Daddy, Emily, and I traversed the eastern seaboard terrain in a long journey to Baltimore, MD. Our trek, however, took a detour to VA first to stay the night with a host family before trekking onward and upward. :) Above (or is it below?) are the pictures of our time at one of our host family's favorite eateries...The Silver Diner.
Our driver, doing what he does best!
The Silver Diner...obviously! ;)
Daddy in front of the eatery.
Making a song selection. In the right side of the picture, we see Daddy's hand gesticulating about how these musical contraptions used to be the rage in his day.
Daddy and Eric. We stayed with Eric and his brother's family the night past. The arrangements were lovely and we are very grateful!
Look at 'em muscles!!!

After parting ways at breakfast time, we headed to D.C. for some capitol sightseeing! What a lovely time was had. Here are pics from our lovely jaunt.

On our way to the District of Columbia
Washington Monument and the Jefferson Memorial
Smithsonian Institute of...Something (?)
Neat...
The mall...it looks like the color of the road is split just down the middle

So begins our family photo-shoot in front of the Capitol building...

...And so ends our family photo-shoot. :D :D :D
Washington Monument, meet the Stone Monument. :D :D
Shadows on the steps

Emily and I
Another view of the Smithsonian.
Daddy wonders if they are rewriting American History during the renovation.
Hmm, they're admitting that they don't even understand how evolution could have started on it's own in the first place. Interesting.
Daddy with some iron man...Harry Winston, methinks.
The Hope Diamond, 45.2 karats of shiny...rock.
Daddy and Emily with a Giraffe skeleton. We took this picture for Olivia who loves Giraffes.
Silhouette

Later in D.C. we met up with the Blizzard family and Hailee Mann. Clockwise from the top: Peter, Sharon, Hailee, Emily, me, Matthew, Miss Susan, and Anna :)


Leisurely sauntering down a gravel path
Sunset in our Nation's Capitol

And...another view of the Smithsonian. I couldn't help it!!! The building is so magnificent, 'twould be a shame not to take several pictures of it!
One last view of the Capitol building.
Bye D.C.!!!!

~Anna

On to Baltimore we go...