Friendly Guys

The very heavy rain we had this week kept

my walk in the woods on the main path.

I did find evidence of someone being very busy!

~

It could have been this guy looking for food...

...a Pileated Woodpecker!

I don't have to leave the house

to view nature though.

My porch sees quite a few...

friendly guys...

looking for food.

Sometimes...

I leave an apple or two .

I know...

I forgot to remove the sticker...

but if he can chew on our cedar steps...

he can probably handle paper too!

An Eastern Towhee and a

Red-bellied Woodpecker visit often...

along...
with these 3 little Downy Woodpeckers,
but today...I think I saw 5.

This one seems to be a little shy...peeping...

before.....he raised up high.

Now...

this little friendly guy was never shy!

It's Dustin Benjamin...

~

our very first.....Grandchild...

and our daughter's first...of 2 sons!

Dustin will be turning 23 on Saturday...

January 30th!


He has always loved outdoors.

Maybe it all started...

while sitting on this log...

at a state park.

Climbing trees...made him smile...

it was a favorite thing to do.....

or just sitting outside with that smile...

in his jeans and yellow shirt...

Yellow hair even made him grin!

Cousin Amanda....and he...

grew up best friends!

I babysat them both...some days they

coincidentally...

...dressed in the same colors.

Dustin loved riding his bike..

with training wheels...

when older....it became a dirt bike!

He enjoyed this shiny red sports car too.

Amanda & Dustin...matching clothing again.



Now older....he drives an ambulance!

The fact that he had EMT training

proved to be lucky for me...

I broke my ankle 2 years ago...

when I fell from the steps in the dark.

It was very early in the morning...

before dawn...

when called...Dustin arrived within

minutes...

carried me to the car...

and drove us to the hospital.

All the hiking I do outside...

and...

I break my ankle in our house!


Dustin gets credit for helping me

become familiar

with the woods that surround

our home.
We took walks together...

and I learned...the lay of the land.

~

He often led a group of cousins...

and my mother(Grannie) as well.

When young...

he could only go to certain areas by himself.

Dustin and Grant...Brothers

Dustin was allowed to cross the field

and go down to a creek.

He once carried a huge rock...

up the hill...from that creek.

It now rests on top of others

in the flower garden!

~enlarge to see~

When older...

he started exploring...

on his own...

back in the deeper woods...and

other creeks behind the house...
sometimes...I went too.

Once...several years ago

we found an old pipe...

coming straight out of the hillside...

with water spilling out of it...

into a large metal container...

like a natural spring...I thought!

I was never able to locate it again...

in all the undergrowth...

to show Andrew and Dylan.

Then last week...

in the snow...I found it...

frozen...but dripping.

~enlarges~


The metal container is an oil drum...

cut lengthwise...

very old and rusty...

both pipe and drum.

It's just a memory I have with young Dustin!

Then came high school...

and friends.....

they had a few bonfires in the field...

he was a Junior Fire Cadet at the time.

Now...his brother Grant is one.

Dustin even participated in the

training of search dogs in the field once.

He pretended to be lost in the woods...

and waited there...

until rescued by numerous ...

different dogs.


Dustin is a well liked...very friendly guy!

Happy Birthday Dustin !!!

We Love You

.....Together = Team

The end of January brings thoughts of Spring!

We have "SIX" birthdays within the next 30 days.....

which sees us through the month of February and

brings us March.....the month of Spring!

Although...

the view out my door, in March

has been known to sometimes...

be this...

...I'm hoping this year....

it will be more like this!

So the very first birthday...

of those six birthdays, within the next 30 days...

~

will be Tuesday, Jan. 26th...

our grandson Nick's 16th Birthday!

Nicholas Ford Ryan

This is Nick up front...

with his older brother Nathan(aka Nate)

This is from Nick's Kindergarten days!

A photo of Nick...at the start of the drive...

taken by sister Amanda...

just after they moved in...next door!

There was a time...
when I saw him and his cousins...
almost every single day.....together!


Here are some of them on an uprooted tree!
Nick is in the yellow hat!


Andrew-Dylan-Katie-Grant-Nate-Nick



Hanging out together...under the Walnut tree!





Playing corn hole in the shade with cousins.





Being together...
has provided many opportunities
to learn to be...
a good sport!





Which defines Nick well...
at this point in time...
A Soccer Player...No. 7!



I spent part of Sunday afternoon watching

him play.... indoors of course!

Early photos of Nick...

He runs extremely fast....

Is light on his feet....and turns on a dime....

Comes from behind...

Steps in fearlessly....

to retrieve that ball...

It's nice to see Nick win trophies....

and become part of a team....

but it will always be....

at least for me!

Nick on my porch....

or...

Nick and Nate....

in my best memories...

...and times with Alivia...in the pool...

...or with cousins...

...walking up the drive...in 2004

or like last summer....

so just make sure.....to do it some more!

And by the way...You take cute photos...

Wet or Dry!

Happy 16th Birthday Nick !

We love you!