No truck? No problem

Aaron recently purchased the Mazda from Will...and I really think Aaron enjoys driving around in it. 

"Except for the rust, it's a great car!" He tells me enthusiastically. I have a feeling we'll have that car well into when we're married. What is it about that car?! Whoever buys it can't seem to get rid of it or sell it!

On his way home from our place this last weekend, Aaron found a 4-wheeler he really liked...except he didn't have the proper hauling vehicle or equipment.
That wasn't a problem for long!

I'm thankful he only had to drive about 30 miles like this. I just had to laugh and shake my head when Aaron sent me this pic.

The Titanic

Today on the drive home from the Memorial Day services I read an interesting, short, non-fiction book.  It was written by one of the survivors from the Titanic, Lawrence Beesley.

I have seen the movie 'Titanic' and while there are events that occurred in it that are true, there also were things that were fictionally documented.  For example, Lawrence Beesley tells of how calm and and how much respect for authority the passengers on the Titanic had.  They did as they were told and waited in silence for each order they received from the officers. "Similarly, the engineers below, the band, the gymnasium instructor, were all performing their tasks as they came along: orderly, quietly, without question or stopping to consider what was their chance of safety". (Beesley, 128)
Also, I didn't realize that the main reason a lot of the lifeboats were only half full was because people simply refused to get on. Lawrence Beesley talks of how safe and lighted it seemed on the big "unsinkable" ship and when faced with the choice to get into a small life boat and row into the darkness, many people refused the latter. 
One last bit of information I found interesting was that the iceberg field the Titanic was in when it sunk was 70 miles long and 12 miles wide. Wow!

Another gorgeous sunset

I think sunsets are my most favorite thing to take a picture of. Here are three different shots I took from this evening.

I wonder if sunrises are just as beautiful? Maybe one morning I'll have the motivation to get up early enough...

It was another great evening! 90+ degrees during the day...but the evening cooled off nicely. Nice enough for me to saddle up Tobey and ride for a bit. 

I think grandma enjoyed watching. I know she often times tells of how much she loved to ride horse when she was growing up.

Thanks mom, for thinking of bringing out the camera!

The perfect evening

This morning/afternoon = drizzly, cloudy, and very windy

This evening = clear, peaceful, and simply beautiful

Now, while looking at the picture above, imagine the sound of loons.

I'd say it was pretty close to the perfect evening!

A Friend like Henry

Lately I have been really interested in non-fiction books. There's just something about reading a true story about real people or events that actually happened.
The latest book I've read, which was exceptional, was about an autistic boy and the golden retriever his parents got for him which ends up unlocking his world.  It's called A Friend like Henry by Nuala Gardner.
I don't know very much about autism so it was interesting to learn that:
"Autism is diagnosed when there are deficits in three main areas. The first is the inability to communicate both verbally and non-verbally.  The second area is lack of imagination and flexibility of thought. The third is the inability to socialize, make friends, and make sense of the world we live in." (Gardner, 8)
Like I mentioned above, Henry unlocked Dale's world in so many ways.  Here is a clip I found that gives a brief summary of what the book is about. There is so much more in the book though -- I  recommend reading it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vJSu3G0U5SY