family adventure with little people

I'm visiting youngest daughter. She has two little people in her house and I had forgotten how tired you get with the schedule you must keep for little people. I will need some R & R when I get home. The schedule I'm talking about starts a bit before 6 am and is non stop all day. So here are some photos for you to enjoy. I've had such a fun time here. It's only 3 hours away but I don't see them near enough!

I came by train, my first U.S trip by train. Not only was it well priced but they were very nice and it was only $5. for me to take a big wooden garden box on the train! That was after I had already put 3 large bags into check in for free!

I sat down in a cozy seat, started knitting and before I knew it I was there.

Let me say "Take the Train!"

The family waiting by the tracks and watching the metal recycling plant crushing big trucks.

Click to enlarge and see that great pile of metal junk

Wow

we got all the bags and surprise garden box all in the car

and it's time to take Grammie to the house. The trip wasn't without event

A large truck carrying what appeared to be a large plane body tried to make his way through town, not easy to do and we watched

Papa had made a gardening box for the family and after naps we put it together.

Nothings more fun for little people than tools. Big people love tools too!

The next day we made our soil.

It has been into the high 80's since I got here so work is really hard in this kind of heat

So is play as we found out a day later

She looks trapped doesn't she.

This is a neighborhood wood hunt we went on.

Found tons of bits of wood all over. Still lots of building going on here.

Natalie and I practiced our "Raspberries"

The next morning while it was only warm we went to the park right by the river

We tested the slides

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We tested the river water

We laughed

Picked the wild flowers, and met a Fairy furniture maker

Logan took mom on a wild slide ride!

Then mom took Natalie on a wild little slide ride

We steered the boat one way

We steered the boat another way

And another way!

As the heat grew we kicked around the cotton wood fluff, sneezing....

more and more Cotton Wood

We traveled the hot, very hot river trail looking for rocks to toss in the water

Looking up and down the river full of fly fishermen

The pure joy in finding the rocks and the river

Sitting on the fallen log as promised

We hiked back in the heat and sought comfort under the cotton woods

Hope that Claritin holds on.

We even poised for the camera propped on the picnic table

More adventures with the little people tomorrow.

nothing makes me sadder

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Today we buried my last goat, Gracie. I keep looking out to the lean-to to see if she is standing there. I think I will do that for a long time. My upstairs bathroom has a window that looks out over the whole property and I loved looking to see where she was peacefully nibbling.

I love goats and they will keep a soft spot in my heart forever. Smart, clever, and such a sweet goat was Gracie. We don't know what she died of but it clearly seems possible it was age problems. She wasn't eating well all week so I began making a moist gruel. I added baking soda and a fresh mineral block. She still wasn't eating her hay and very little of the mash.

Gracie and I had some really nice time together this week sitting by each other, she wanted her neck rubbed and she seemed very under the weather. It was a surprise to find her dead but then that is always a surprise isn't it!

Our ever kind neighbors helped with what needed to be done. Everyone should own a backhoe don't you think? It was a beautiful sunny happy day and the contrast of feelings today were hard.

Just had to say how much I loved this goat! What really good times I've had back in the pasture with her. How nice it was that she thought I was her herd and always looked for me in the kitchen window, and kept her ears tuned to my voice. If I called out "Gracie" she'd look up and give that kind look she had. I will sure be missing her.

Bye Gracie


yes she always knew where the goodies were!

Crash and burn fun

It was our last day to visit the Santa Clarita family.

Just a few hours and we needed to get on our plane and go home. It is the custom with youngest daughters family to take a walk before we leave for home. Something to transition the act of saying good byes.

So off we went with Flynn and Penny, papa (bleach boy) , grammie (me) and mom and dad.

It was a big adventure! The boys running and chasing each other with monster like cries!

Eden and the baby were playing their own peaceful game.

Flynn is a master at jungle gym escapes!

Watch out for the monsters....

The adventurers poise for a brief moment

Then the battle continues!

It's wild, it's crazy. Who will win? Who will die?

It's a chase!

But here at the wall it ENDs.

I hear a crack,

I see blood,

there are tears and our son picks up little warrior and home we head.

As it turned out no teeth were sacrificed in the battle, but now we know why everyone has lips.

They are to protect our teeth when we want to bang them into a brick wall.

Flynn was still so upset when we left for the airport. Even several cold pops didn't make him feel much better. However a ride in the car put him right to sleep.

Sadly we missed saying our good-byes

So kisses on sleeping cheek was all we could leave Flynn with.

Bye Bye little man

A day at the beach

Thurs we packed a lunch and hopped into the two cars, ladies and baby in one, men and three year old in the other. It is an hours drive to Ventura beaches. You drive through such dry brown hills. Avocado's and oranges are the only colors that reach past the brown. Every where you look there are little stands selling fruits and honey. As we pulled out of the hills and suddenly saw the beach my heart beat so hard it seemed to match the crashing waves. What excitement to once again be on the Southern California beaches. Bleach boy once surfed the Ventura county line but this was my first time to this pretty northern beach.


Of course the children were all asleep after the hours drive


There was plenty to explore and we stayed all day


If you click to enlarge this photo you will see a sea gull eyeing our lunch fixings!

Too bad. No surfing today nothing but windy chop!

The baby was very upset with the loud crashing of the waves so mom kept her bundled and away from the water until she fell to sleep again

Only son got an important phone call for work and he is under the baby blanket trying to see a pocket P.C screen in this bright sunlight

Bleach Boy and Flynn

I was testing the waves seeing if they would brake near but not on me.

Flynn decided to join me

Soon the tide began coming in so I stepped up higher and took this photo of Flynn almost too late to run away!

Lunch
Oh remember I told you my son liked to make wild and crazy looking shirts? His favorite has always been Hawaiian shirts so if you find one to pass along he'll wear it to the studio for work I'll bet!

Flynn had been throwing sand in the water to see it splash all over,

His dad is trying to show him the wonders of tossing one little rock

Ready....Set......

TOSS!

Looked to be some grand parents playing with their grand kids

They didn't know what sea weed was good for so Only Son showed them the wonders of sea weed, at least he didn't show them how to eat it as he had while living in Japan

A big wooden play boat was discovered!

It had a rope swing that everyone had such a good time on!

Bleach Boy catches Flynn on the end of the ride.

The silver on the water is warning us we still have an hours drive home

Good-bye pretty beach

I asked Eden how she found such a lovely beach. She said she went online and looked up pretty beaches!