Yellowstone Trip

We just returned from a week-long trip to Yellowstone National Park. It was a long drive, but we had a wonderful time. We met some family and friends there and ended up with quite a large group which made it even more fun, and a bit challenging at times.

We stayed one night in Jackson, WY, and the next day Alyssa and Colonel Vincent took a rafting trip down part of the Snake River where they saw bald eagles, osprey, deer, white pelicans, beaver lodges, and frogs. While they were gone, Jonathan and I napped and walked around the quaint town. Here we are standing by one of four huge arches made entirely of elk antlers they shed each year.Then we drove through the Grand Tetons and up to Yellowstone. The flowers were at their peak and were just gorgeous!

The kids enjoyed playing in the water, playing on the rocks, watching fish in the water... and did I mention playing in the water? Of course, no one got wet.

While in Yellowstone, we stayed in a cabin in Canyon Village and made day trips from there to see sights around the park. Over the next few days, I will post some pictures of our excursions.

Canning Apricots

This week, Alyssa and I picked apricots to can. We were able to make 13 pints of jam and 35 quarts of apricot halves - plenty to enjoy and share later on. Yum!

Goodbye to an old friend and hello to a new one

Two weeks ago, a tragic accident took the life of our big guard dog Zack. We are missing him. Well, most of us are. I think Posy, our cat, has not spent too much time mourning his absence, but the rest of us have. We got him when we were in Canada eight years ago. While he had his faults, he was a very smart watch dog who alerted us by different barks to various situations.Zack (right) with Buster

Colonel Strong Vincent wanted to get another puppy right away, while I was more hesitant. A puppy can be a LOT of work to train properly, and an intelligent dog, such as we wanted, needs a lot of attention and work daily. It's like having a two-year-old in the household, and I already have a human one to care for. I wasn't sure I wanted something more to take my time. But yesterday, after looking at a litter of border collie puppies and a litter of Australian Shepherd puppies, I was easily persuaded to get one. We settled on a 12-week-old male Aussie which we have named Cody. He seems like a very intelligent and eager-to-please little puppy, and we are looking forward to working and playing with him. Here are some pictures of our new little charge.

We've only had Cody a day, but he is already learning how to sit, come, and fetch a rope.

Cody exploring the yard.

Buster, our other dog, has taken to him quite nicely and will enjoy the companionship I believe. We all (except Posy again) are glad to have a new little furry friend.

A Very Hoppy Birthday

Jonathan celebrated his second birthday over the weekend. He is just starting to really talk, and "froggie" is one word he can say - although it sounds more like "foggy". Any time he sees a frog, he points to it excitedly and says, "foggie!'" So I decided to put on a frog party for him. After consulting my sisters, my mom, and the internet for good ideas, I decided to make a cake depicting the life cycle of a frog. Everything is edible except the two plastic frogs, the toothpicks, and candles. You can see the pictures enlarged by clicking on them.
Also, various food items on the menu got renamed to be "froggy friendly." Among other things, we served "lily pads" (sliced cucumbers) and "toadstools" (fresh mushrooms) with dip from a bell pepper frog.

We also served "flies" (raisins) and "frogie tongues" (fruit roll-ups) with "pond water" to drink (lime-ade and 7-up with lime sherbet on top to make it "scummy."

Colonel Strong Vincent got into the action by blowing up 360 balloons to create a "frog pond" for the little froggie guests to hop around in. He got to use his compresser which made it even more fun. To complete the pond atmosphere, he put on a tape of pond and water sounds while the little frogs played in the balloons.
Jonathan really seemed to enjoy his birthday and so did Alyssa and the guests. Here are a few more pictures of the fun. You can click on the pictures to enlarge them.
Blowing out the candles.


Alyssa covered her eyes to count to 20 while the guests hid in the balloons. Then Jonathan copied her and said, "Two, five, eight, nine."

Kitchen Transformation

A few weeks ago, I decided to paint my kitchen blue. I've been itching to do it for a long time and finally decided to go ahead. I have a lot of blue and white pieces that already decorate my kitchen, and I thought dark blue walls would really show them off nicely. I love the results. Here are the before and after photos.

Camping at El Capitan State Beach

This past weekend we went camping at El Capitan State Beach about 17 miles west of Santa Barbara. We had a lovely weekend with perfect weather to enjoy the beach and surrounding area. Alyssa's favorite activity was riding the tag-along bike behind her daddy on the numerous bike paths. Jonathan rode in a little bike trailer behind me. He really enjoyed riding, too. On Sunday we found a wonderful little trail that meandered through an old sycamore forest with HUGE old trees. The trees were so large that many big branches draped on or near the ground and spread out over 70 or more feet. Beneath the branches were periwinkles and nasturtium in profusion. It was like walking in a fairyland forest. The end of the trail came out in a grassy area right next to a rocky and sandy beach. The kids had fun playing on the shore for a while before heading home.

Santa Rosa Plateau - Part 2

A week ago, we had the privilege of meeting my friend Elizabeth Joy (from Wildflower Morning) and her family at the Santa Rosa Plateau for an enjoyable day hiking and picnicking together. I had not seen her for quite a long time nor met her family. We were blessed with perfect weather and it was so much fun to catch up and do a bit of reminiscing. The flowers were still beautiful, but we only saw a couple of fairy shrimp left in the vernal pools. There were lots of small garter snakes swimming around hunting for food.


It was so much fun to see you again, Elizabeth Joy. Let's get together again!

Alyssa turns 5

I can't believe that my little Alyssa has turned five already! We celebrated her birthday last week. She wanted a ladybug party, so we invited some of her friends to join us. We decorated little bug boxes and learned about the life cycle of the ladybug. We had a cake decoraged with little m&m's I had painted with dark chocolate to look like ladybugs. Then at the end, all the kids got live ladybugs to take home in their decorated bug boxes. The kids really seemed to enjoy it, and several parents said how much they liked it, too.

A Feast for the Eyes

On our way down to the Santa Rosa Plateau on Sunday, we passed hills in the distance covered with poppies. So on Monday we decided to go on a poppy hunt to try to get up close to a beautiful patch somewhere. After a bit of searching, we were rewarded when we finally found a dirt road that followed the bottom of a hill covered with poppies, bluebells, and other wildflowers. It was a royal feast for our eyes and was overwhelmingly beautiful. Alyssa and Jonathan enjoyed climbing around in the sea of flowers.

God is an incredible Gardner! He must enjoy creating such beauty.

Gorgeous Santa Rosa Plateau

On Sunday we visited one of my favorite springtime spots here in Southern California - the Santa Rosa Plateau. It is now an ecological preserve, but the history of the place goes back a hundred years or more. The beauty is unbelievable! It reminds me of the few times I have had the priveledge of walking in the Alps - the high grassy meadows with scattered trees and rolling hills with snow-covered mountains in the distance. It's hard to believe there is actually a spot like it in Southern California, but here it is, green and unbelievably gorgeous this time of year with a wide array of wildflowers not seen too many other places. Here is a sampling of the beauty we encountered.

Pinks

Chocolate Lilies

Shooting Stars

Another fascinating thing about the plateau is the springtime vernal pools that dry completely by summer. But now the waters are teaming with small creatures including fairy shrimp, copepods, and planeria.

Spring Has Sprung!

Spring has sprung into full swing down here in Southern California. This post is in honor of Week 8 at Wildflower Morning's wildflower challenge.

Because we have had rain there are new wildflowers appearing every week. This past week, my two favorites started blooming - the California poppies, and the bluebells. Above us on the hills, large patches of purple appeared and I couldn't wait to go see them up close. This past weekend I had opportunity to do that. Here is what they looked like:Once up in the hills, we found lots of other wildflowers blooming, too. Below are forget-me-nots with chia. Second picture below is brodea I believe.

Here is a view of our house from a hill above us. We are so blessed to have space around us to roam while living in the midst of city. And it is especially nice right now because the hills are green and the temperatures are still too cool for rattle snakes to be out.

Wildflowers in Winter - Kid's Art Entry

Wildflower Morning is hosting her seventh week of her Wildflowers in Winter project. Week 7 is a children's wildflower art contest. Here is her website for more information. So, my daughter went out and found some California poppies blooming on our property and decided she wanted to paint them. Here they are:

California Poppies - painted by Alyssa (age 4) with finger paints

Here is where she picked them. They are so bright and cheery! I always love it when they cover the hills in cheery orange. God is a wonderful Gardener!