Bike Run Season In Full Swing

As the temperature has warmed up, bikers have come out of the woodwork. And so have bike runs, of which there seem to be an endless supply. Joe's been on three (I think) so far and it's not even summer yet! (By the way, that's Joe's bike right up front.)

These pics are from this past weekend's Ronda Hitchcock Poker Run, which was organized by Joe's cycle club, Worn and Weathered. It may not be logical, but I like it better when Joe rides with a group - at least if something happens, people will know right away. You know what I mean?

Joe has the best time on these runs. He gets to hang out with his new friends, and riding his bike just puts him in such a good mood. Dangerous to the body, healthy for the soul I guess.

There are more runs coming up for the summer, all of them raising money for various charities and scholarship funds and even signage to promote awareness. And in case you were concerned, the pictures taken on the road are not taken by Joe while he's riding - one of the ride-along wives takes them from the back of the bike.

Richmondville Day

It was time for Richmondville Day again on Saturday. I know I've missed one or two of these, but Xander has been a regular since he's been a year old. This year Joe missed out because he was on a bike run. Xander and I set up our camp chairs right in front of my mother-in-law's house, a prime parade spot. Xander was so excited to see the Richmondville Fire Department marching up the road to start things off.

Of course, for Xander the big deal is catching all the candy and swag that gets tossed out. It actually wasn't much this year - the parade was smaller than usual - but he did get a bunch of lollipops, gum, tootsie rolls, and even some pens and a clip for holding sunglasses to a car visor.

Then it was time to hit Main Street. Jean has already visited a few rummage and lawn sales before the parade started, but there were countless more to be had. I made sure Jean took a picture of me and Xander, since I'm usually so busy taking the pictures I forget to be in them.

Joe's Uncle Paul spent the day with us, which Xander seemed to enjoy. Jean bought him a hot dog for lunch and some cotton candy, and Uncle Paul contributed the fried dough Xander just had to have and then only ate one piece of. I ended up wearing most of the confectioners sugar because it was so windy.

Down at the school they had two bounce houses set up. Xander made three seperate trips inside, because that boy can bounce all day! The lines were long because there really wasn't much else for the kiddies to do. There were supposed to be pony rides, but they dropped them from the schedule.

We ran into a lot of Joe's family as we made the rounds - Andy, Angie and Josh, Dave and his kids, Uncle Sonny and his family, and Destiny and Jeanine and the kids. Eli and Mo took a spin in the bounce house together and Jean managed to snap a picture while I was off browsing one of the clothing stands.

The only sour note of the whole day was that we didn't see Mike, Jean's soon-to-be ex-husband. Xander kept looking for him and asking about him, but if he was there we sure didn't run into him. Otherwise, it was a fun day.

After Uncle Paul left, we watched a movie at Jean's and had a quick dinner. Then it was time to head home and wait for Joe to get back from his ride.

Minekill Falls

Memorial Day was sunny and warm (some might say humid) and I decided that we needed to leave the Big Blue Barn for a while. So we went to Minekill Falls, which is a nice little hike through the woods to the bottom of the falls.

Xander had a great time playing in the water, climbing on the rocks, and trying to catch tadpoles. I took a bunch of pics and Joe just soaked up some sun.

There were two baby ducks down there, they were so cute! Didn't see a momma, though.

The hike back up wasn't quite so fun. It's all uphill, and I'm all outta shape. Plus Xander had a meltdown when no-one wanted to carry the sticks he'd collected. Even so, it was a nice interlude in the middle of the day and I'm glad we went. It was good to spend some low-key quality family time.

Baby Shower & Family BBQ

Saturday was a big day, and a long one. Krissy and I had run up to Albany the night before to get everything we needed for the baby shower and family BBQ - I didn't get home until midnight! I also had a great time - my sister-in-law is hilarious when she drinks Mtn. Dew!

Saturday morning I was over to her and Eli's house to help get the baby shower all set up. Things got cooking about 1:30 when Dad and Dina finally showed up.

The shower itself went well. We had plenty of food, and there were a ton of really cool baby presents. Dina made Dad sit in on the gift opening with her.

And of course it wouldn't be a baby shower without a ribbon hat! Krissy's mom did such a great job putting that together, it was the prettiest ribbon hat I ever saw. :)

Once the shower guests had gone, it was time to get the family BBQ underway. Uncle Andy had brought Meme's coleslaw and some ribs covered in a spicy new sauce he found in a magazine. Aunt Marge's contributions (able to feed at least 100 people, LOL!) were ten pounds of Meme's potato salad, a huge pot of fruit salad, and a crock pot full of baked beans. Not to mention two cakes. I made a big bowl of macaroni salad and a tray of brownies.

It was fun getting to hang out with everyone! Even Dad got into the act, running the kids around the yard in their wagon.

And the kids had a blast all day, playing out on the trampoline and with the wagon. Even though Andrew is 14 now, he hung with the younger kids all day. What a guy! They all played outside until after dark.

I had a really great weekend, but I sure was happy to go home at the end of the day!