This weekend started a bit crazy, really bad traffic and I forgot my phone at work, but things picked up afterwards! On Saturday we went to the Fall Festival at Tower Hill Botanical Gardens. The kids were pretty well behaved, we went on a hay ride, did some crafts and enjoyed some snacks. My only wish was that Hazel was more up to long walks in the woods as it was really pretty up there.

After church on Sunday we went to soccer tournament to see Evan play and visit a bit with our family. When we got home and were putting Hazel down for her nap we could not find her favorite lovey, Blue Doggie. I was pretty certain we left it at the soccer event, so I hopped in the car and drove back to the event. Meanwhile unbeknownst to me as Meg and I only had one cell phone between us Meg found her just after I left. :( It was a long journey back and forth for gas I say! Oh well. Blue Doggie was found and that's what counts. Meg went to do some errands in the afternoon and Henry, Hazel and I "worked" outside. I took up three stumps (with some digging help from Henry), Henry swept the driveway ("This is a really big job, Dad!" "Hazel's going to help in a few minutes.") and Hazel played with her babies.

Last night after supper Henry told Meg he wanted her to write down some of his stories. Meg wanted some Duck stories, but instead he told a few about trains. She wrote them down (I'll transcribe them here later). He then told her he wanted to write his own. He wrote "I GO TRAIN HOME!" We helped him with the spelling and I had to write the A and the M, but we were super pleased. He then drew pictures with us (recognizable ones) of a couple hot air balloons with fires in them and wrote "COW," "DUCK" and few other words. I'll put pictures up tonight or tomorrow.

This morning Meg e-mailed me this gem:

The world according to Henry, as described to Hazel, "Dinosaurs aren't alive anymore. They died a long time ago. Like a hundred years ago. Then there were people. And then cars and trucks. And then it was like it is now."

1 large dollar was a 40% silver dollar (1971S-Ag circ.). That's the first new large dollar I've found since January, 2008! It is also the first 40% silver dollar I've found. Such dollars were minted just for collectors and originally were packaged cellophane with a blue plastic disk and so they are sometimes referred to as Blue Ikes.

Note: I'm not really pleased with our new camera for macro shots. These two shots are the best I could get, but the depth of field and focus are not what I would have liked. I have to do some more research, listen to Meg and get a better camera for us!

8,000 half dollars produced one 90% silver half (1964), fifteen 40% silver halves (2 x 1966, 7 x 1967, 3 x 1968D, 3 x 1969D), four proof halves (1974S, 1985S, 1986S, 1991S) and one British penny (1912). The British penny is really cool. It is in much better condition that the previous George V penny I found.

12,650 pennies turned up eighty-two Wheats (including one Steelie), one hundred six Canadians, five US dimes, one Trinidad and Tobago 1¢, one Bermuda 1¢, one Barbados 1¢, one Irish penny and one plastic penny.

1917(2), 1920, 1925, 1934, 1935, 1935D, 1939