You Don't See That Every Day

We managed to squeeze in a new park this week. Amidst the packing and sorting and cleaning and shopping that is necessary to prepare for the first camp out of the season, we stopped and took an hour or so to visit a new park in town. Not only new to us, but basically brand new to the community also. We call it the Spinning Park. Not it's actual name, but it's how we identify it. Why? Because it is full of spinning toys! There is a skateboard like structure. A DNA-shaped like structure that spins. A large circular, tilted structure that spins. And a little cup that you sit in and get sick , er, spin around and around while calling, "help!get me out of this!" Thankfully there were some slides and baby swings for the younger set.   One drawback, no bathrooms. I sure hope they put something there ... I really like to have a place to take the kids (who always seem to need to go about 10 minutes after we arrive). ...

I couldn't get any of my early attempts at a post to be just right. So I mushed a bunch of thoughts all together here on one. I've got many things running through my head, and many events running through my life. Running being one of them - which is where I do some of my best thinking. I haven't been on a run in 3 days, so you can get the brunt of how my mind works if you're so inclined to read on: I'm reading the classic book, Little Women. We watched the 1994 movie this week, and I was struck by how odd it seemed in relation to my memory. Not that my memory is very good, but I do recall the book being different than the movie ... go figure. And as I read I have concluded that yes my memory is intact. On this issue anyway. The book is so so so much better than the movie. Which is often (but not always) the case when Hollywood tries to capture a book in a movie.  Summer around here seems busier that the school year! What? Why? I'm suppose to be relaxing in the...

Last week my kids had VBS each morning. Which left me and Little K. with time to run errands and do 'fun' stuff like that. So I have been a bit remiss in blogging. And then the cousins came to visit. Since these are the Wyoming cousins, the beach was a natural choice. They don't have much in the way of oceanfront views in Wyoming. the beach! The day turned out to be one of the nicest ones yet! Sunshine, a little breeze, and glorious sights. We ran on the sand, played in the water, climbed the driftwood - carefully. We ate lunch at Mo's; because any trip to the beach without clam chowder from Mo's would just not be a complete trip. look at those tiny footprints the driftwood was across the tidewater but not deep enough to deter the waders and climbers After lunch we decided to try a different beach; one with a river instead of a bay.  When we got there the first thing we saw was these beautiful kites. Actually since I was driving, the first thing I saw...

It was the second week of our 'summer experiment' to try different parks. Except we went to a park that we love and have been to a few times. It's in a neighboring town, near my in-laws. So we stopped at Grammy and Grandpa's house first for a short visit. And a turkey chase. You can just barely see the turkey feathers behind Grammy's right hand. And of course, the kids love to slide down the handrail at the steps from the house to the yard. They have a gorgeous view from their backyard. But then we were on to the park - for teeter totters, merry-go-rounds, slides, (but no swings - they were right above icky mud puddles), and rock throwing. There is a terrific bridge over a creek that the kids love to throw rocks off of. They hope to go wading there this summer ... we'll see. Even Little K had a great time this park day. Her brother and sisters love to take her on the slides. So each had to have a turn going down with her. Her facial expres...

It's time again for a spotlight of the blogs I read. Those ones listed over there under "On My Break". In the past I've told you about Nate's Nonsense , Knit Together , and Bluu Hipp o. So today I'll feature 3 of the places I like to go -- Uniquely Normal , Pie in the Sky , and I Can do All Things (now renamed The Holy or the Broken). First, Uniquely Normal . It's a blog by a relative of mine. She actually chose to come into the family by marrying my cousin. (I can kind of understand that .... I still shake my head at my sisters-in-law though. As wonderful as I think they are, I can't imagine what they see in my brothers. Really don't know ... but that's beside the point.) Anyway,  this cousin-in-law of mine intrigues me with her thoughts and viewpoint on life. I don't always agree, but I enjoy reading about her day to day life, and since they are basically newlyweds (1.5 yrs qualifies as new to me!) it is interesting for me to read about...

We went to weed again. The farm is bursting forth with a plethora of little shoots of vegetables. And Weeds. So many weeds. Today I worked on the carrots. The row goes on forever, and a half. My dad surprised the girls with this tent. There had been a 'threat' of rain here in our valley, which never materialized. So dad set up this tent for the littler girls to have a place to hang out. And in case of sunshine, a place to play and watch the Little K so I can actually do some work. (side note: this tent is very, very old. My dad thinks it is the tent my grandparents stayed in while they waited for their house ... back in 1924!!! I can't imagine living in this for 3 months!) The tent worked out perfectly. The girls spent a long time sweeping it out and cleaning it up. And then they played with K in it for hours. Of course there were plenty of bathroom 'breaks' and question-to-ask-Mom breaks. But overall it was a success. I took this shot of Grandpa and little...

Here's one my son told us recently. Not sure which book he got it from ... Three blondes went to an IQ specialist to have their intelligence measured. The specialist asked the first man, "What is 3 + 3?" The man answered, "Friday." The specialist moved on to the second man and asked him, "What is 3 + 3?" The second man answered, "465." The specialist sighed and moved over to the third man, and again asked, "What is 3 + 3?" The man sat quietly for a minute and then finally answered, "6." The specialist looked shocked and said, "How did you know that?" And the third man said, "Easy, I just subtracted 465 from Friday."

Our goal this summer it to get to as many parks in our town as we possibly can. We've been to a few of them, over and over and over. But I am hoping to discover new favorites to go to. So we've made some lists and printed up maps and will be checking them out, and rating the parks. Today we tried a brand-new-to-us park. It is an older park, with wooden structures and teeter-totters, but it was a lot of fun! It got an average rating of 8 (out of 10) from the kids. We had swings to jump from, dirt to play in, and teeter-totters to try out, There were hills to run down, and paths to follow, picnic benches to try out, and even a gazebo to explore. We had a virtual game of tennis, along with a cheerleader and an on-court fan/obstacle. Overall, a successful park exploration day.