We went for a little walk this afternoon, and our cat, Woody, came along. He usually doesn't want to come with us, especially if we are walking on the road, but today we went down our neighbors' driveway and he couldn't resist and came galloping after us. I'm sure he has visited the Randalls many times and probably knows the way as well as we do, but it seemed to be an adventure for him. We went all the way to the water - and took some pictures.

There was a very large gaggle of geese - I couldn't count all of them, but there must have been at least 20. There were some ducks, too, and I have to say, with all those birds hanging out, the dock is a big mess. Woody was interested in the birds, of course, but as soon as we had taken our pictures and headed back up the hill, he was ready to leave, too.

It was a little cooler today than it has been, but all three of us were hot by the time we got back home. It's a good climb from water level to our house - about 1200 ft, in elevation, I think. There was quite a lot of activity on the water - we saw some tubing going on and there was a very pretty sailboat, and just as we were leaving, a pontoon boat came down the channel.

This is a picture of our very old hydrangea bush. Some years, like this one, it is loaded with blossoms - and other years there are only a few. This is going to be one of the "loaded" years, I think. It still has some filling out to do, but it appears to be quite a bit ahead of most years.

We're looking forward to the first of our garden peas tomorrow. I like them cooked with potatoes with a big chunk of butter and some milk added. That combination is my "comfort food." I like potatoes just about any way you want to serve them, but there's something special about those big hot chunks of mealy white potatoes and the bright green peas in all that buttery milk that just brings back a raft of great memories of my childhood. It's a wonder the potatoes make it into the pot because I really, really like them raw, too, with just a little salt.

I also like fresh lettuce and radish sandwiches. With mayonnaise and a tall cold glass of milk. That's right up there with sardine sandwiches on my favorite food list. And smoked herring. I remember my grandfather Bolton getting a fairly large wooden box of herring in the mail. He looked forward to that and we all got a little piece of the leathery, salty fish. Most of my cousins had no taste for it, but I always liked it, especially with a piece of strong cheese. I don't have smoked herring much any more - I try not to eat things that are too salty these days - but it's fun to remember some of the things from our childhood, even if we can't or don't do them any more.

Did you notice there is a comment from Pat Parizo on Sandy Beach Road that there is a child's float at their house? It apparently floated away from someplace and became lodged at the Parizo's dock. Pat sent a photo. Somebody will be missing it, I'm sure. Contact information is on the "Comments" page.