meeting more family

yesterday staal and i drove to his brother and sister-in-law's place in the foothills near o'neals.  the landscape is a lot like catheys valley except that there are a few more trees and the rock outcroppings are granite instead of slate.  it was the first time i'd met them---they were quite welcoming and we had a nice day visiting.

not long after we arrived staal's brother had enlisted his help in putting together the new barbecue.  it was a lot of fun watching them work---they're a lot alike (definitely brothers) and both very handy.  mike has a business designing and building antennas.

below:  brothers, mike ("mick") and "freddie", wrestle the grill while sister-in-law, myrna (recovering from a hip replacement), her brother, frank (who stopped by with his wife), and whiskey the cat look on.

 

with only a minimal amount of swearing (not at eachother) they got the thing put together...

  

while we were there i got to meet peter, the peacock, who was a bit put off by zane's presence.  

zane was a bit curious about peter but much more interested in running around and keeping the squirrels in check.

the picture doesn't even come close to showing his magnificent plumage

i also got to meet cousin, barby (pictured below), who happened to be in the neighborhood on her way back home to seattle.  she's a gardener and a lively personality---enjoyed meeting her.

wish i'd gotten more pictures but i was enjoying the visit and almost forgot i even had my camera.  

they're a lovely bunch of people and i'm happy i got to spend the day with them.  thank you all and a speedy recovery to myrna.