Lots of new construction at Swan Creek.

The big home on the left was gutted by fire and is being remodeled.

Looking East.

Our place is about two miles from the Idaho border.

Some of the maple trees were changing day by day.
meditating?

Barbara saying goodbye to Becky, Madds, Cam and Kate.

Cam, Barbara, Becky, Kate, Madds

The scene at 6,ooo feet elevation evolves and surprises constantly...

R & R: Tricia reading Les Miserables and LaVerne making an afghan.

Tuff feeling retired, July 30, 2009

My fast shutter setting stop-motion captured the wing just as this male Broad Tailed hummer was coming up to land on the feeder at BearLake. His little feet hadn't grabbed the bar yet.

My family nickname Tuff or Tuffy had its origin in two things. Originally, my sister Joanne named me Tuff when I was a toddler after a 1940s Tom and Jerry comic book character named Tuffy Mouse who ran around in a diaper, and who Jerry called 'Tuff' (see examples below). About that same time, my brother Joe had learned a song he played on the piano called "Tough Guy Levi" - I think Uncle Mack sang it when he dropped by the house and had taught it to him. I loved that song because I thought it was about me. My mother always spelled my name Tough, like in the song, and everybody else spelled it Tuff like in the comic books. Either way, they used to say "Tuff, show us your muscles!" and I would clench my fists and pump up my arms and stick out my 'chest' (my belly really) and they would feel my muscles and get a big kick out of it - kind of like a baby brother dog trick.

1908 sheet music for Tough Guy Levi:

http://dl.lib.brown.edu/repository2/repoman.php?verb=render&id=1131130341687236&view=pageturner&pageno=2

Jerry and Tuffy Mouse in a 1940s comic book