Yard Art

The blackberries have truly burst into color this last week.  I take a trip out and come away with a beautiful bowl in no time.  Yum.

Texas Day Tripping

Today we have the drive back home from Abilene on our agenda and have decided to take a bit of a scenic route and check out a road we haven't been on.  I love these little impromptu adventures and they always yield up wonderful memories through the years.  First stop though is for coffee at this cute little place near Jen's house.  It appears we are the only people needing it this morning.  Such a difference to White Rock Coffee in our hood.  It fits the need and after a warm cup of Chai Tea for me, I am ready to roll.

Bekah is 16 -- No Idea How That Happened - Jon's Camp too

We are on our way to Abilene today but wait -- something else has to be done first.  I am on the DART down to SMU.  Jon is finishing up his Arduino camp and I am lucky enough to get to see his presentation and then take him back home with me.  Mister will be joining us after work for the drive to Abilene.  I've never been to the SMU campus and it is quite lovely.  Since I am early, a wander around is in order leaving me with a chance to watch the hustle and bustle of the camp leaders as they try and prepare for the parents to arrive.

At the appointed time, everyone is brought out to the 100 degree center and the awards presentation begins.  Really?  THIS is where we are doing this?  I try and stay in the shade of a building as much as possible as I can feel my skin frying.  How on earth is Jon standing there with a HAT on?  I am constantly amazed by my grandchildren.  Once the awards are over, we are invited into the classrooms so that they can show us what they have created.

He has built a cool program and shows me how he can manipulate it into doing several things.  It's way over my head, but very cool --- even though he says it isn't working right.  After a bit, we pack everything up and are heading out the door when he is stopped and they take his kit away.  I am in shock and none too happy about it.  I let my feelings be known and we go to gather his luggage and other things before meeting Grandpa.  It's time to hit the road to Abilene.  By the time we arrive there and I tell Jen about having the equipment taken away and she interrupts to tell me that they have already called and informed her that there was a "mistake".  Hmmmm.

Onto other things.  It is Bekah's 16th birthday and I cannot fathom where the years have gone.  I can't possibly have a grandchild that old. Can I?

We are all going to Montana soon for a wedding so while Jen readies the house for the party, I have brought a couple of dresses for Bekah to try on.  One is my senior prom dress and the other is my wedding dress from 35 years ago.  They both fit her perfectly.  She chooses the wedding one and I take the other back home with me.

It's party time.  Dinner is outside in the backyard and everyone laughs and jokes around.  It feels so good to just spend the evening with family.

Fake smile.

Real smile.

After dinner and once everyone is in bed, including Grandpa, three generations get to play around a bit.  I am learning about "selfies" and we take a series of them.  This one is the best.  Yep, imagine what the others looked like.

It's a great chance to just be the three of us and I love these moments more than I could ever express.

What an amazing family I have.

Congratulations Bekah!  Oh -- and slow down with the aging will ya?  I'm feeling mighty old.

Ophelia is ONE! A Trip to Provo for Gammy.- Days 4 & 5

It's BIRTHDAY time!  As i climb the stairs to say good morning to my darling granddaughter, I notice that Cass and Scott stayed up late and were busy as could be.  The room looks wonderful and Ophelia just reaches out and smiles at all the hanging items.

We have a very busy day in front of us with a LOT of cooking involved.  I want to spend a wee bit of time with this precious little one as well so find a few minutes while Cassie gets things started.  We go from pouty to smiley in just a matter of seconds.  Yay.

A Trip to Provo for Gammy.- Days 2 & 3

Everyone knows how much I love the zoo, right?  Well today I am honored to be able to be present for Ophelia's first trip there.  We are off to the Salt Lake Zoo (also new to me) and have a gorgeous day in which to walk around and see the animals.  Hats on and let's go.

O is a big bird fan already and easily spots the bald eagles at our first stop.  They move just enough for her to keep her gaze right on them.  Cassie has the schedule of presentations and we can't stay here long as there is one for seals starting in about half an hour but we want to get a good seat.

I go down to the seating area and procure a couple of wonderful front row spots while Cassie let's Ophelia watch from above for awhile.  There is always movement in this tank and that holds her interest beautifully.  Since we don't have seals in Dallas, I enjoy this show as much as O does.

The habitat right next to the seal tank is the polar bears.  Another one that is equally fun for me.  No bears of any kind in Dallas.  This one is kind enough to put on a swimming show for us as we stand there.  So very fun to watch.  I LOVE it.

Next up:  Grizzly (and black) bears!  Our view is not near as good here but we do get to watch them have a little tussle amongst each other.  There are three bears in the habitat and apparently one is in charge - and it is the grizzly.  No question about it.  It's lunch time -- we're all a bit hungry and want to be finished in time for the bird show that we were too late for this morning.

We finish up lunch, take a stroll around the cats - leopards, tigers, etc. (all to far for O to see) and get in line for the bird show.  The gates soon open and we get super good seats.  Let the show begin.  I have to admit that this is a way better show than the one in Dallas.  I love our zoo, but in this case --- they are beat.  At one point the birds swoop so low that O almost gets "winged".  What a fantastic time.  We laugh the entire time both with the humor and just the sheer thrill of it all.

As the show ends, we head for the elephant encounter.  Interesting point here was when the elephant broke the training tool and then returned the broken pieces to the trainer.  Other than that -- it was just okay.

Perhaps it is just because we are all hot and tired.  It's time to head home I think.

As we are walking out, we come to the primate building and do a little walk through where we spot a baby orangutan playing away all by himself.  Not too sure why he isn't with mom, but he appears to be having fun.

A quick stop for a pic of Mom and Ophelia.  Well, at least we try.

It's been a fun day and our last stop is to check out the giraffes.  They are quite far away though and I am not totally sure if O even saw them.
It's been a fun day - time for naps and to cool off.  After everyone is refreshed and Scott gets home from work, we have a little fun in the back yard.

I managed to get a cute little video to share:

Good morning!  It is day 3 of my trip and we are going to the aquarium today.  O is wearing the dress that I brought but she is not at all happy about it.  It's just too dang hard to crawl in.

We arrive at the aquarium and our first area has us walking through hanging ropes.  As O enters, I try and get a picture but she really could care less.

We come to the turtle tanks and she loves them right away.  She spots them and is soon wanting to be down close and checking them out.  Yay, a girl after my own heart.  Leaving here is not on her wanna do list so we let her look for quite awhile before moving on to another tank.

One area has a ship in it and O is now in charge.  Are we safe?

Cassie spots a snake being shown and immediately heads over there with O.  I am not sure she is as impressed as her momma, but . . .

A few more tanks and we are at a tank with rays.  I gotta admit, I love these animals a great deal too.

It's lunch time and then a movie which O is not at all impressed with.  Naturally.  However, we do find the large shark tank and she does like it.  There is a show taking place shortly though where they are feeding the sharks so the area fills with a ton of people and her attention then fades from the animals to the people.  Time to go.

The touch tank is next and we let her try, but she just wants to splash and the crabby attendant makes her stop.  Drat.  Apparently the water never splashes in the real ocean.

O is getting tired again, so we are heading back to the house.  Naps and then some back yard fun.

Oh my!

We end the evening with a walk.  It's a beautiful night and the neighborhood is quiet.  The fruit trees are having a harder time this year and we don't see a lot of promise.  Last year was such a bumper crop here --- I remember how laden down the trees were.  Our walk is a nice time to just chat and spend time together.  What a wonderful way to enjoy the calm before the storm that is tomorrow.  It's birthday day and there is a ton to do.  I am going to finish O's gift tonight and get some sleep as I know tomorrow will be a long, but fun, day.