Cheesecake & hooters

Last night we had dinner at my in-laws (this is the lovely peaceful view off the deck in their backyard). My mother-in-law is an amazing cook and I always tend to overeat. We have rules for eating at each others' houses. We never let the visitor do any work, no cooking, no cleaning. Occasionally, I cheat and bring dessert. Last night I brought the cheesecake. Homemade with delicious graham cracker crust, milk chocolate cheesecake, & marshmallow meringue topping. Magnifique!

I didn't have a chance against this cheesecake. It was Smores Cheesecake and it was delicious. All three times I've eaten it in the last 2 days. I should be ashamed of myself, but it was just too yummy! I just finished a huge piece. Bigger than the one pictured above. These are Javier's fingers. I think he may be trying to send me a message about taking too many pictues.

My mother-in-law loves owls (hooters!) and she's accumulated quite a collection of pictures and sculptures. I was commenting how admiring many bloggers would be of some of her pieces and Javier suggested doing an "owl" post in honour of this collection. I only know the origin of a few of these pieces, but they are all darling.

These two little guys came home from New York on a recent trip my in-laws took. I put the spoon behind them to illustrate how tiny they are. They are made of glass.

They live on the kitchen window ledge with this little wooden owl. Isn't he lovely?

These guys live on top of the cupboard overlooking the kitchen and living room.

This sweet little guy lives on the piano.

These two pieces are waiting to be hung on the wall.

A close up photo of the smaller owl. Guess who embroidered this?

This was her first owl, starting the whole collection.

And this one lives on the mantelpiece.

Incidently, my mother-in-law was also my brownie leader when I was a young girl. I think the proper title is "Brown Owl"! I guess the tradition started early!