Grammy Rae's

Grandchildren 24/7

2013-04-02T12:27:00.001-07:00

Over a month ago I took Ryker to Utah with me for a break and get some wedding stuff finished. We had a great time and he was a wonderful trooper as we hit four airports and three flights. He deserved the time we spent at Chuck E Cheese.

It was nice having help also. Ryker here is giving Whitni some driving lessons. It was also good to see how great Whitni's soon to be husband is with kids. Even though physically
I was exhausted mentally I enjoyed the world through Ryker's eyes.

Aaron and DeAndra left for a few days of rest and relaxation and worrying about their children. We spent the first day doing church, Easter egg hunt, and some rest.

Day 2 was spent at the park and Lakeview. They are always great babysitters. This little girl slept 11 hours straight,

Superman is always around to help in times of need.

Lindsea and Travis are always a great source of some help.

Hudson is up to the task of keeping his cousins entertained. We'll see how well the remaining days go.

2012-10-27T20:46:00.004-07:00

Last post I showed the down side of the fires and all the smoke.

This picture is the upside. Beautiful sunrises.

A four generation picture.

Giving help in the sewing room. Sometimes you just have to decide what needs to be done versus who needs to be held.

The soccer dude who could not believe his dad wanted him to play with rain boots.

Cute little sight that graces our floor.

Another cute face that blesses our house.

A Breath of Fresh Air

2012-09-24T17:29:00.000-07:00

What I would like to see.

What I get to see.

Smoke, smoke go away!

The Next Steps

2012-06-10T13:00:00.000-07:00

So much has happened in the past months. As I sit in a hospital doing nothing and school is out I will now try to recreate all the great happenings in the last few exciting months.

Yes I know you all probably are aware that Dale came to an agreement with the county and all accusations against him were dropped. It's wonderful having that all finished and in its place is this "beautiful" flying helicopter.

Many of us have taken turns being his copilot. Rock usually wins out and navigates every flight.

Aaron and DeAndra had beautiful Jensley the day before Dale's birthday. This was one of my favorite pictures. I know Aaron used it but I love the sweetness with Ryker, the contrast between brand new baby feet and two year old wonder.

Her dark hair was a pleasant surprise. He peacefulness was just what DeAndra ordered and deserved.

Next it was Marissa's graduation from nursing school. Here she is trying to convince us she learned and is smart.

It's wonderful to see the support of family. It's always fun to have these great people at anything I attend.

During the graduation all nurses read the creed or promise or something like that. It was pretty special to see both Marissa and Mom read this together.

Another special person who showed her support. What would I do without her help and love?

One of the greatest moments was spending time with KC. He is going back to school in computer stuff. I wish I could say more but I know he can look at the computer and spout words that mean nothing to me but will help the computer do what I want it to do.

There is the diploma. She is a graduate. She took her NCLEX (some nursing boards that say you are now an official nurse) and passed. She can now look for a job after she is done sacrificing her time babysitting in Hawaii.

It is always fun to spend time with Sherry and sew some new creation. This was our project. They are practical and have a sort of whimsy to them.

Still with me?

The girls gave Lindsea a baby shower that was fun. They always do things in a big way that make me smile. Having rubber duckies in the drink was fun. Too bad the drink didn't taste good and just became a swimming pool for the colorful birds.

Hudson is going to be one well dressed baby between family, Gloria and DeAndra and the sweet friends at the shower. He is also the reason I sit in the hospital. For a run down of this drama hit Volle's Volleys on the right of my blog to read the exciting tale. I am so grateful he at least waited until school was out so I could help and be around. All is going well as of now.

Nick has a new job at Boeing and is learning the craft of looking busy while being bored. Hopefully he can get his training soon and actually be working. He is loving the independence and has his own apartment with furniture he purchased himself. Can't wait to see his bachelor pad.

Whitni is working this summer waitressing, running around with little boys and doing all the last minute stuff people need finished.

This shows to me the beauty of being a grandma. This sweet munchkin is caressing my face. He does this especially when he is tired or in a new situation. I love the fun of being with each one of them. This summer is the summer of the grandkids!

Amsterdam Fun! Scenery

2012-04-21T21:04:00.000-07:00

During vacations I like to practice with my camera. It seems it is the only time I have to sit and play with the features. During the cruise I was able to take it one more level and actually took a class. It was short, but I did learn some new things to try. Here are my efforts:

In portrait mode.

Sunset fun.

Up close and personal.

Zoomed in.

On the way north from Curacao we were on the sunset side, so evenings were great.

The England pose.

I still have a lot to learn. This means I need to go on more vacations!

Amsterdam Fun! Curacao

2012-04-15T21:10:00.001-07:00

Curacao is a much larger island than Aruba. It is greener and more colorful.

The leader was getting bad headaches from the white building glaring from the ocean, and so he ordered the buildings to have color.

We took another tour, but this time the driver was mute. She didn't speak unless you asked her a question.

One of the stops was a liquor maker. So now you know why mom and Dale were hanging out at the bar.

We sat and waited a long time for the pedestrian bridge to open. We watched ship after ship come through hoping the bridge would move into place. Finally we gave up and took the ferry, only to watch the bridge move as we floated on the water.

Another stop was some caves. Usually inside a cave it is very cool. This cave was the opposite. It was hot and muggy. They did have fans along the way, which felt great. It was a great stop.

Dale and I took a walk along the floating bridge, actually we went about a third of the way, took the picture and walked back.

Our ship from the floating ferry.

A dangerous shot from our tour on the bridge. A different angle of our ship.

Curacao was a great stop, but again what do you do for a week here?

Westerdam More Fun!

2012-04-10T21:15:00.000-07:00

These are some pictures from the first formal night.

Dale loved that he went on vacation and had to get dressed up to eat.

Since the deck is not cooperating with my hair we had to take it inside.

Aruba was the next stop, a small island that has recently embraced tourism.

We took a ride with a very talkative cabby. I'm not sure how much of what he said to believe. Above is their national forest. It is totally cactus and rocks. Aruba is all cactus.

A city shot.

Big rock and cactus, it is actually a cactus fence.

These two trees show us all which way the wind blows. Aruba was good for a few hours, but I can't see myself spending any more time. Send me to Half Moon Cay and the flour sand instead.

Westerdam Fun!

2012-04-09T21:18:00.000-07:00

For one week Dale and I enjoyed a week of relaxation with my mom and dad on the Westerdam in the Caribbean. Our first port of call was a privately owned island by Holland America (cruise line) called Half Moon Cay. It was amazing. The sand was like flour.

This was an island to retire on!

Inside the ship was a bar with live music so this part of the beach was great because the sounds of the singers and musicians drifted to the shore.

I'm not sure you can really appreciate the beautiful blue this water was. Totally relaxing with lots of sun. Dale enjoyed floating on the water. The rest of us enjoyed reading on lounge chairs.

Thank You to Gordons

2012-01-29T20:14:00.000-08:00

This has taken too long, but I wanted to express my thanks with my efforts. Kelli and Steve got us a Whoopie Pie recipe book and pan for Christmas. My efforts are messy and hopefully with practice they will look more uniform, but they still tasted great. I wasn't aware of all the possibilities there are to make, even some with jalapenos and herbs, of course with a cream cheese filling. Thanks Kelli and Steve!!!

Little Helpers

2011-12-12T20:25:00.000-08:00

It's good to teach them young. Of course they are the ones making the mess, but they are more than willing to clean it up.

I just have to lower the standards a little.

The celebratory cheer!

Summary

2011-10-30T17:05:00.000-07:00

Dale and I took a weekend and headed to Salt Lake. We enjoyed hanging out with our kids. They do know how to have fun.

The purpose of the trip was to visit KC and his girlfriend, Heather. We had a great time and totally enjoyed having her with us.

She became like a daughter to me, at least in the mind of a very talkative quilt shop owner, but I'll take it.

This past week author, Avi, came to talk to the students in Manson. I have read Something Upstairs by him every year during our Revolutionary unit. I have enjoyed every book I have read written by him.

It was exciting to listen to him tell of his life and then answer endless questions from the students.

This past weekend we went to Spokane for a sibling dinner. I enjoyed the food and the company.

All of Dale's brothers and sisters were there with all the usual joking and teasing.

On our way home from Spokane the next night we helped the sorely missed grandkids trunk or treat.

Rock was totally in character as Buzz Lightyear.

Ryker let us put the lion suit on. If you haven't seen how he reacted the first time this suit was put on look at Aaron's blog. It was a riot.

This has been our month. We have enjoyed visiting with lots of family and friends. Bonnie and I took in a musical in Seattle and also a quilt show in Wenatchee. Parent conferences are over and now relaxation can seep in.

Genius

2011-09-28T18:22:00.000-07:00

My son has it.

Yup, that's a fork that he's using to dunk the Oreo.

Dreams

2011-09-11T16:36:00.000-07:00

Scrolling through pictures on Facebook Saturday night this was one of the pictures I saw. It is the only link I can think of for my dream.

In my dream Helen and Leo were able to come back to earth for one day. I remember sitting next to Leo and asking him for advice. I can't recall what I was asking, but I remember the wonderful feeling of having this special gift of talking to him one more time. And as I was talking to him Helen sat nearby smiling. I'm sure just enjoying watching her family. It all felt so real, that when I woke I laid in bed reliving the feeling of being with them.

I am grateful for the knowledge that one day I will be able to visit with them again and have it not only feel real but truly be real.

Boston

2011-08-21T17:11:00.000-07:00

dIt is Boston history time, which we've really crammed into one day.

We spent most of the day on a trolley bus. It helped the aching knees.

The Old North Church was one of our first stops. This is where Paul Revere watched for the lanterns, you know "one if by land, two if by sea." So how many did he see?

Two exactly, well not these two. This is Paul Revere's pew or room at the Old North Church.

Walking the grounds

Lunch was at the Union Oyster House where we met up with an old roommate of Marissa's with her husband.

We were also right next to John F. Kenndy's favorite booth.

Next was Faneuil Hall. I loved the beauty of the building.

We then went to the State House. We didn't pay the extra admission to go into it. When I tried to take a picture of a picture outside the familiar head had to claim its place.

Another stop was the USS Constitution, Old Ironsides

It took a lot to drag these two to his side for a picture.

We got on an old destroyer before I figured out that this couldn't be from the time period we had been visiting for the past week, but Marissa was willing to deface the ship for a picture.

A theme is born. The USS Constitution is a beautiful ship. Ninety-five percent of it has been restored or redone, but it is a great looking ship.

We waited for a family with little kids to get their picture. The girls were not to be outdone.

Our game at Fenway didn't exactly go as planned but we did see the ball field.

A little night vision. I realized there was still so much to see, but after 10 days of walking and visiting we were a little tired. I did go back the next day, thanks to Dale's patience, and visited the State House with the required money for admission.

This is the picture I took the day before with Marissa's head. Whitni and I took the Boston Massacre tour, well worth the admission. It will help my lesson greatly. Can you see what doesn't belong in the picture above? It is outside and is a reflection. The old and the new. I thought it was cool.

Cape Cod/Plymouth

2011-08-19T09:48:00.000-07:00

We drove from Philadelphia to Cape Cod. I did not realize how close we came to New York until we hit the traffic. We turned and there was the big city.

We decided with the horrific traffic we were already a part of that New York would remain a skyline.

We finally made it to Cape Cod, a very touristy place. We enjoyed visiting the Brewster Branch with some familiar faces - at least the first Mrs. Granny Smith, not from Washington but from Cape Cod.

It is green everywhere. We enjoyed the ocean and the dramatic skies.

On our Sunday drive we did happen upon a lighthouse that is still being used.

Beautiful girls, wonderful ocean waves and those dramatic skies

Monday was our Plymouth day, but the dramatic skies got the best of us. It rained. It poured. We did get a glance at Plymouth Rock. So it is not as big as some of us thought, we can say we saw it.

We were pretty soaked by this point and decided to do Plymouth Plantation the next day.

We ended up at an indoor museum with many tourists with the same idea. Whitni and I gave up on this glassblowing demonstration, being too short and in the back. I'm sure it was fabulous.

It was a beautiful day for Plymouth. We did see a lot of places, however, where the previous day's rain washed parts of the trail away.

We started at the craft house. This gentleman was making a chair that he sells for $4000. They also make them for the displays and houses on the plantation. There was also a young man making cups out of clay. It was interesting to see how fast he could make a cup. The one we saw was the ninth.

The girls tried to made friends with this young family.

The village.

Dale volunteered to man the cannons against enemy fire, usually that means his daughters.

We aren't dressed properly for this time, but with our simple minds and honest hearts I think we will fit in.

Whitni got some long awaited revenge in this humble home. I think she's enjoying the 17th century.

I decided to try out one of the woodworker's chairs. I do appreciate carpet, electricity, and plumbing.

From the pilgrim village we then went to the Wampanoag village. Marissa had a battle with a worker at Jamestown who belittled her question about using only shells to scrape out the canoe. She felt redeemed here watching these young natives scraping it out with sticks and tomahawks.

This young man needed to go back to wherever he came from because he did not seem to be enjoying his summer, but he did allow the picture.

This young man, however, loves his job. This was where all the fun was. They are playing a game here where the fun comes in distracting your opponent. The tourist won this game, much to the surprise of the native.

We do need to get this poor girl out to a farm more often.

We enjoyed a visit with the gentleman in the center. They stay completely in character with their great English accents.

The Mayflower II is a small ship. Imagining the 102 passengers below deck most of the time is hard to imagine. These two would not have survived!

We were excited to see our deckhand on board the Mayflower in this cutout, but here as a pilgrim.

A beautiful day with lots of history seen.

Philadelphia

2011-08-14T17:50:00.000-07:00

We drove to Philadelphia from Washington D.C. Traffic is something Garmin and I don't like. So when we ended up right next to the sports complex just as a game was ending traffic was everywhere. Eventually about 11:30 at night we pull into our hotel in downtown Philly. The girls were excited to see how high up we were.

The next morning we headed to the Independence Hall center. Our first visit was the Liberty Bell.

It was very interesting to read the history of all those who call it their Liberty Bell. It is a hope for many who don't share in the same rights as others.

This view was a little disappointing. The top floors of Independence Hall are being remodeled due to a proper drain never being installed causing some rot. They did put up a mesh hanging at least that gives you an image of what it might look like.

Our tour of the inside of Independence Hall was full of great history. The chair at the top to the right of Marissa's head is the actual chair George Washington used during the writing of the constitution. It was so exciting to be where so much of our history took place.

We took in the gallery of portraits. These were amazing to see of pictures I've used in my lessons. Above is Martha Washington.

Marissa conned the park rangers to do a portrait of her to add to the gallery.

She will add a whole new dimension to the gallery.

Next to Independence Hall is the old Congress building. This room housed the first meetings of the House of Representatives. Where the ranger is standing is close to where John Adams took the oath for president. History!!!!

Upstairs is where the Senate held their meetings, decorated much nicer. Most of these chairs were the originals.

Our next stop was a true Philadelpia steak sandwich. We were told to go to Jim's Steaks. Quite colorful, busy and loud.

The girls had theirs with Whiz, Dale and I stuck with Provolone. Both were pretty good. (I'm sorry Philadelphia, but I'm an Italian Place girl through and through.)

A very popular place.

The girls had some places they wanted to see. They took their dad, I took my tired feet to the hotel.

The girls went out by themselves to a cafe, but worried a little since there was a curfew at nine for teens due to the flash mob problems. One cop did look long and hard at them but they got back okay.

Goodbye Philly.

Yorktown/Washington D.C.

2011-08-13T06:56:00.000-07:00

After Jamestown we headed to Yorktown - a quartet of tired soldiers.

Some of us took our fatigue to new levels.

As you can tell Yorktown didn't like us too much.

I did learn the uniform trim color tells where the soldier is from, if we could only remember where each color was from.

The girls have a lot of their father in them.

It just doesn't seem right to have a weapon taller than yourself.

They had been getting along so well.

We left the perils of war behind and headed to Washington, D.C., on a new kind of war - traffic and an annoying Garmin who kept taking us far from our intended destination.

Lincoln proved very calming to our nerves and the girls also got a little excited with the cute guard standing nearby.

Enjoying being together!

It looked close enough to walk, but we went to the war memorials instead.
Vietnam War Memorial

It's a more reverent atmosphere here and way too many names. It sure hits you how much death occurred during this time.

Korean War Memorial

This memorial evoked many emotions, many of those emotions shown on the faces of these statues.

Beautiful water feature at this memorial.

A great statement to start a Veteran's Day lesson.

National Law Enforcement Memorial

This memorial was set more in the city, but worth the effort to get there.

They make it very easy to find names of those you knew or loved ones of those you know.

We did a few etchings and just enjoyed the peace of this memorial.

Washington was a great stop. We really could have stayed longer, but Philadelphia is calling us.

Jamestown

2011-08-12T07:45:00.000-07:00

Today was Jamestown, but we hit a roadblock when we decided we needed a local experience in the ER. We enjoyed the cushy chairs in the waiting room while Lindsea and Travis enjoyed the peace and quiet to themselves. Luckily Lindsea got some pain relief and was sporting enough to spend a few minutes at Jamestown.

Whitni enjoying the hospital art.

Marissa, never to be outdone by anyone.

Did I say she was a trooper!!! It was great to have them both with us.

I Spy - Pocahontas

Pocahontas

Whitni's feet have actually stood where Pocahontas once walked.

As I was taking a picture this face showed up. I guess I was neglecting her, but I thought it turned out pretty well.

I don't know who thought this would be a good idea. Luckily, she doesn't have a clue what to really do.

Sadly, we had to say goodbye to the fun couple. Thanks for joining us!!!

Day 2 of Jamestown.

Dale, inwardly, is showing his excitement.

A bandolier, a skunk and a willing helper.

Do you think they were born in the wrong century?

Enjoying the costume or the young man helping them?

The Susan Constant

Marissa has taught her dad all she learned about cannons.

We had a great time in the villages, the ships and watching many demonstrations. It has left me with great resources for school and many memories.

Williamsburg

2011-08-11T05:28:00.000-07:00

The trip started with a familiar couple sitting down by us in the Atlanta airport. Upon second glance I was so excited to recognize Lindsea and Travis. What a great surprise. They apparently had been planning it with Dale for months. After that the day was all down hill with delays, sitting in an airplane on the tarmac for two hours, and getting to the condo at 1 in the morning.

Our color for the day is green. There should be a few pictures you can spot it in. Two beautiful daughters giving me something fun to photograph.

Three gorgeous girls to have fun with.

Our first day - Williamsburg.

The governor's palace. It is hot and humid, but at least on this day there was a nice breeze.

Their horses reminded me of someone I know. I'll try to remember who.

500 weapons graced the walls of this palace. I was hoping Dale was not getting any ideas.

In the ballroom of the palace the gentlemen were taught how to properly bow.

Our animated tour guide indulging the tourists with their weird requests.

Kodak moment.

Marissa was getting a little out of control so we put her in the corner where she promptly found some children's blocks. She was excited and spent some time creating.

I enjoyed listening to the basket weaver. The process is interesting, but too involved for a simple project.

The palace is behind us in the background.

I'm glad they had these pillories handy for disrespectful daughters.

I should have been more grateful for their presence on the trip.

Marissa explaining why this day is all about her.

We were so excited to have Lindsea and Travis, but they did travel a little snug.
I'm finally here!!

Grand Canyon

2011-08-10T05:53:00.000-07:00

In order to start blogging the current vacation I still need to finish the last one.

Mom, Dad and Sherry were nice enough to drive the couple hours it took to the south rim of the Grand Canyon. It was very pleasant weather, great food, and wonderful scenery.

The Grand Canyon can give a mother nightmares. I remember having many after visiting with our kids many years ago. While buying souvenirs I saw a book that detailed all the deaths that have happened at the Grand Canyon. One of the reasons that many die is the daring ways people try to get that perfect picture. I then looked through my pictures and saw a couple that were lucky.

The gal that is lower is posing for what I assume is her boyfriend. When I zoomed in I was amazed at how little the ledge she is standing on is. Please do not try this while at the Grand Canyon. Relieve your mothers of this stress!

Mom and Dad

One place I wanted to see is the hotel El Tovar. I had read a series of books set in this hotel. We ate lunch here and did a bit of shopping. It's going to so interesting to read this series again with some reference of what they are talking about.

Thanks family for wonderful memories. I really enjoyed this time with you. I'm ready to do it again.

Vacation - 4

2011-07-16T11:08:00.000-07:00

The vacation has long come and gone but I do want to get the rest written.

We were meeting Kelli and Jenni's families at Montezuma. We went to the well and they were at the castle. Turns out they are not at the same place. We took advantage at being at the well and hiked to view the history.

Behind mom and dad above is this little abode. It is hard to imagine raising a family in this dwelling set in the hillside. I freak out with the kids on flat surfaces I can't imagine that worry.

This little lake has water that comes from below if I remember correctly. Formed long ago by the collapse of a limestone cavern, over one million gallons of water a day flows continuously into the Well. It is called Montezuma's Well, but Montezuma was never anywhere near it. Some explorer misnamed it, not knowing it was the Sinagua people.

We left the cave and met with the families at Montezuma's Castle.

What fun. Tyler introduced us to the many wonders of Oreo cookies. Besides it deliciousness you can also play games with them. Put an Oreo on your forehead and with only your facial twitches move it to your mouth. I saw Tyler achieve this twice, of course I saw it hit the ground many times.

Sherry, always a good sport, gave it a try. It may look like she succeeded, but alas no. It flipped off her tongue onto the sanitary picnic bench.

This is perched up on the hillside, which again gives me shudders imagining raising a family in a hillside dwelling like these.

They used to let visitors climb some rickety ladders to go into the ruins, but the travelers damaged them too much and the park rangers have not let people go into them since the 1950's.

It was very impressive to see what people can do with their resources.

Photo-op time.

Junior Ranger and his sidekick. Carter was very funny running around the station and then pushing himself back against this mural ready for his photo moment.

A morning full of hot sun over one hundred degrees and lots of walking leads to a bench full of dehydrated exhausted travelers.

Vacation -3

2011-07-07T16:59:00.000-07:00

One of our days in Sedona was to Chapel of the Holy Cross. It is very interestingly perched in the rocks.

Just after we walked up the hill, finally making it to the top and the marvelous view, my batteries ran out. I was pretty disappointed and trying to plan my plea to my sisters and parents on why we needed to come back.

To my delight and my family's great relief the church had a gift shop in the basement which sold batteries. So now a bevy of beautiful photos.

In the gift shop we found postcards with this rock formation. I believe it was called "Madonna and Child". I was thrilled to see it right off to the left of the church.

View from the top side.

Troopers!

Beautiful country with gorgeous women. After the church, shopping was on the schedule. But first, lunch at a very "close" restaurant.

It's great finding out all a camera can do, like timed pictures. I just need to figure out how to place it a little better.

More to come, yea I know you can't wait.

Vacation -2

2011-06-29T18:05:00.000-07:00

Our first adventure in Sedona took us up a very windy road past Cottonwood to a semi-ghost town of Jerome, Arizona. It used to be a mining town, but now seems to be an artist colony.

The winding steep roads were exciting with my sister's stick shift so I was glad I was not driving.

The state park was closed so we didn't see much of the mining history, but here is what we would have seen had it not been closed.

We saw signs for a Ghost Town. We were kind of wondering what kind of place we had come to when you could see maybe a hundred abandoned vehicles and junk sitting everywhere as we drove in. We were ready for an adventure and an adventure we were going to have.

Dad had had to endure many shopping trips in the morning and a quilt store on the way to Jerome so we didn't fault him when he found his "quilt store" in abandoned old cars.

This photo was in an old dentist office featuring many of the old tools they may have used. See how close you think they came. I personally like the bottom one better.

We did need more hands, but it was fun.

Tragedy did befall us. Sherry inhaled wiggly bugs. If you look close enough you can see the teeny black dot. I'm glad it wasn't the tarantula I thought must have crawled up her nostril.

Kelli also experienced a trauma. On our way through the rusted machines a big wasp swooped down on her unprotected hand and stung her. Jenni saved her and found ice for the reddened skin, but Kelli was a little spooked the rest of the walk. Anything that moved sped her to a safer place.

The mine entrance near the Ghost Town.

All in all it was a great day.

Summer Fun - 1

2011-06-28T09:09:00.000-07:00

Warning: This is the my scrapbook of my two weeks vacation. Read at your own risk.

I spent the first week of my vacation down with my parents in Utah. My main focus being my four kids living here.

One day was spent at Sherry's mountain "cabin". The girls and their grandpa enjoyed a long four wheeler ride through the mountains.

Mom enjoyed finding a quiet place to read.

It has been fun visiting, shopping and eating with my kids.

I enjoyed watching Nick play softball. It brought back memories of watching him at home and watching my brother Rob on the same field. I couldn't find anywhere to take a picture without the fence so it is there.

It was the last game of the year for them so I took advantage of the photo op.

The second week of my adventure takes place in Sedona, Arizona. Our trip to this beautiful place was gorgeous. Lots of construction and lots of time watching Sherry pass multiple cars at a time (okay it was a passing lane).

I'm loving the red rock look.

My traveling companions.

My sisters and I took a walk in the bearable temperatures around our "glorified trailer park" resort.

I didn't realize the walk was to be from one vending machine to another. (Okay, she was buying water for us.)

Dad's breakfast was waiting for us when we got back. I figured out how to use the time on my camera but we need to find a different angle next time. It was 106 yesterday. Just a side note.

Release

2011-06-16T19:21:00.000-07:00

The seniors had an auction to earn some money. Dale bought this beautiful young lady to help in the yard. I had heard she knew how to cook Chinese food (she is from Taiwan). So cooking dinner for us was the plan.

Above she is laying rice on a roasted seaweed sheet. She adds the ingredients below...

rolls it up and they become these good looking rolls.

NO raw fish for us, the seaweed is fishy enough. Dale added a lot of Yoshida's Sweet and Savory sauce and really enjoyed it.

These wontons were my favorite. They had sausage and cabbage and we dipped them in the Yoshida's.

A favorite of the boy's was the Egg Drop soup.

Dinner is served.

The release part of this blog involves school being over!! I spent the day doing recess duty for a much smaller group of boys - mainly two special towheads.

New Bike. He was so excited to be going to school to ride it he woke me up at 5:30 ready to go.

Ryker found probably the only mud puddle in the playground but sat for a long time throwing mud around.

The helmet stayed on throughout the day, even though it was Rissa's.

For his aunts, and anyone else interested.

Babysitting has never been so much fun!