Tidal Pools at Pismo

On the spur of the moment yesterday, we decided to head off to Pismo for a little summer fun. We arrived there at ten and played until two. This particular beach has a tidal pool where we get to touch anemones and pick up hermit crabs. We even saw an eel! We brought sandwhich fixings and ate on the beach.

The water was freezing to me, but as you can see, the kids didn't care. Kelly and her friend Franny played in the water, explored the tidal pools and goofed off. Johnny and Laine had a nice mix of playing in the sand and in the water, and Joe spent almost two hours just body surfing. I enjoyed watching them and soaking in the cooler weather and hearing the sound of the waves. It was very calming and peace restoring to my soul.

On the way back yesterday, we took highway 41 from 101, which was a mistake, because poor Kelly got really car sick on that stretch of road. Next time we will take 46 to 41 and make everyone much happier!

Puppy Love!

Here's a photo of our new little puppy. Indy went with Patrick to the mountains when he moved up there a month ago. I found I just couldn't take being alone when the kids went up, so I adopted a puppy from the SPCA. Her name is Abby, and she is a lab mix. I think she might be part German Shepherd. She's very smart! And much calmer than Indy. She likes to hang out with me, and loves fruit fresh from the tree almost as much as Indy. When we adopted her, they said she was a "young adult." But when they fixed her, they said she's more like 4 months old. She likes to chew, but fortunately hasn't been too destructive.

Indy still visits every now and then when Patrick leaves town. Now he has a new buddy to play with when he comes!

I'm very glad to have this new little friend, especially since our cat Timmy died on fourth of July weekend. We were all devastated to lose him...he was such a wonderful kitty. Our other cat, Hailey, hangs out at our neighbor's house more than ours...their two little girls hand feed her and cater to her every whim...which Hailey, who is almost too fat to move, just loves.

Family, Family

Here's a photo of the kids with my parents when we went to visit them in Twentynine Palms about six weeks ago. Does anyone else besides me feel a little weird about visiting the old home town? Of course, I grew up in a smaller town than most. The town is growing up though...even though part of me expects to run into the same people at the same places, it's a whole new city in many ways, and all the new stores feel a little out of place. It feels even more foreign to me now since my parents haven't lived in the house I grew up in for several years.

I love seeing the kids explore the little city. This trip, I took them into the Joshua Tree National Park (which will always be the National Monument in some part of my mind) and we explored rock climbing in Indian Cove campground area. We looked at plants and bushes, chased a few iguanas, watched lizards and birds evade us, and tried to catch sight of some other creatures. We discovered the "magic spot" that I had to stand in to receive a Verizon signal. We stood nearby as braver souls than us climbed up sheer rock facings with grace and enthusiasm. I remembered coming up to this campground as a youth for family and church gatherings, for occasional camping, and lots of rock climbing.

We decided to head back there in the fall and set up camp, soaking up what will be by then a little welcome warmth, and lay back under the tremendous stars overhead and count our blessings. I remember my first feelings of closeness to God coming under those magnificent desert stars. It was then that I learned to taste of humility and dependence upon God, though it's taken me all this time and I still haven't got the lesson down perfectly yet. I'm a slow learner I guess.

Love and hugs to all!

Family Fun for the Fourth!

Yikes! I can't believe I'm trying this blogging stuff. Here it goes though. Everyone always complains about the lack of information about what's happening in my life, so I'll try to keep you all updated. With work like it is, I can't make any promises, except that I am thinking about each of you as I go about my daily life, even when I'm too busy to call. I do put in a few words in your behalf upstairs when I think of you!

This fourth we spent hanging out in Disneyland. Kelly was at girls' camp, so she missed it, but we had a great time, and it wasn't as horrible as I thought to get on the rides. It was a bummer that the fireworks were cancelled mid-show due to high winds at higher altitudes, but we still had a great show, and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

I am so grateful to live in the U.S. I can't help but feel patriotic as I hear all those patriotic songs. It was so wonderful to see Disneyland celebrate America. They even passed out very nice flag pins to us. I loved seeing all the people wearing red, white and blue. We are so blessed! I hope your fourth of July celebrations were all awesome and full of fun, too!