You can buy these wooden things almost anywhere, but good luck having the tools and manpower to put one together! But it's done and Stella is enjoying it. She's outside by 8:30 in the morning.
Chris (John's brother) helped John get started and got the tower (where the slide comes down) part started, but the rest of the job was completed by John and a retired handyman here it town. His name is Carman, and he did the work practically for free. He did, however, spend the entire time teasing John about his carpentry skills and his old "antique" drill! He's a pretty gruff old guy, and teased John a lot about constantly referring to the instructions. But I could see John was a great assistant! I think Carman just enjoyed the chance to pick on a lawyer!
John spent the entire day today putting on some of the last pieces, including the climbing wall and climbing rope.
Even A.J. is helping to break in the playset!
Stella and A.J.'s Grandma Kathy, my mother-in-law, paid us a nice visit today. She was in Battle Creek for a graduation party. One of John's first cousin's lives here in town, and one of her stepchildren had a high school graduation party today. Kathy rode out here with her sister, Coletta, who as you can see looks a lot like Kathy! Here is A.J. with his great-aunt Coletta.
And here he is with John's cousin Teri, who's so much got the California glow that you'd swear she was only 25! She loves babies (she has 2 teenage children), and had no trouble warming up to Albert John!
And here's a picture of me and Stella just because she's my best girl!
The best news of all is that the weather's been nice and we've enjoyed a break from the heat. It's been a great weekend for hanging out in our own backyard.
5 comments:
Karmel,
A fantastic playset for the kids! It really looks neat and the one picture now serves as the background for our desktop. Crystal even had me do a 5x7 so she can take to show her sisters and the girls at work. What a great innovation to the back yard.
This Carman guy sounds a lot like your Grandpa Addis, my father. Your typical consumate handyman. Course Dad was never gruff. But he would have stacked it on John about being a laywer the same way Carman did.
Sorry you never got to know my dad better for you were only ten when he passed away. He was pretty sick the last two years and the majority of the time you did spend with him you were too little to remember. You liked everyone in the family except Uncle Donie - who at the time looked like he was doing an audition for "I was a Teenage Werewolf."
Congrats to John - the carpenter. I would have gladly loaned him my tools by I don't exactly live right down the block.
Eating fresh picked tomatoes right off the vine - delicious. Gave your Aunt Edie some french green beans, fresh dug potatoes and burpless cucumbers. She stopped by to change after church so she could go out and weed eat around Jennie's grave.
Heating up in Kansas. Take care of that special family.
Love ya,
Dad
Love the playset and the great pictures. Who says lawyers can't be handy at home? Miss all you guys and hope to see you soon, Joe Dad
What cute pictures! I miss all my aunts and uncles and cousins and hope I get to see them sometime soon!
Karmel,
Did fail to mention about John being an attorney and kidding him -Dad would have accepted him as one of his own like all the rest of us has. It is great having neat children, but the strong fountain was built upon the man you married.
The little girl that follows me around and asks four questions a minute and I explained that it filled the lapse of not being with Stella, the little girl asks questions just like you did at that age. Maybe that is another reason I adore her so much.
Unlike some adults who say, "You ask too many questions!" I always answer every one. Many are perpllexing to the little three year old - for instance when she asked about my compost pile and I began to explain the chemical composition and the way the bacteria and enzymes break down the matter into a rich addition that is later added to a gardening space. She gave me the most perplexed expression! But none-the-less, just like you once, another question followed.
Our entire meal last night was essentially all garden and would have been except that Crystal informed me that we were not going to commence raising hogs!!!
I often praise your family and you, but I don't want to neglect the attorney that loves his children so much that he ventured into parts unknown to build something his children can play on. You married a good one.
Love,
Dad
Just to let everyone know, I meant that John is a strong foundation upon which to build a family around. I did not mean fountain. Kansans are not illiterate, it only looks that way at times.
Lonie R. Addis
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