Changing Play :: Phases of Youth

We don't go to the mall very often at all. I require a really good reason (some call it desperation) to get me there. It might even be a phobia of sorts.

Anyway, we went. And I did have a good reason (and that's why I had my camera).

As I was resting, due to the tremendous toll such a venture takes on me, I was trying to ignore the fact that my kids were embarrassingly ruthless in their attempt to find coins--even if they were wedged between a concrete pillar and its base requiring tools to pry them out. (Tools=wooden skewer + straw)

Since our children have outgrown their interest in taking a spin in the mall ride-on machines, they now look at that kind of area as a gold mine of coinage.

Unfortunately, this is nothing new for us. Here they are last fall at the South Rim of the Grand Canyon enjoying its natural beauty and splendor.

Yep--soda machines tend to be good coining grounds too.
Hey kids, let's go look at some 200 million year old rocks. Kids?

As I observed the general area at the mall, I also appreciated the differences between some of the phases and ages of the kids there.

There were a couple of male teens who probably would have been too embarrassed to search for a few coins, so instead piled into this "bus" and started making urgent calls on their phones.

Afterwards, one proceeded to, uh...fall out of the bus (a long, agonizing tumble) onto the floor.

Which was followed by a set of claps coming from female teen onlookers. (Oh, that lovely awkward age!)

Our kids didn't even notice the scene.
Because they were busy finding loads of coins.

Who could blame them really? Between all four of the kids, they found nearly $3--a small fortune to them.

Refreshingly, there was the token youngster who still gets thrills from actually riding the machines. She has yet to learn about coins and cell phones...and growing up.

Adventure gear

Sandals scrubbed and drying in the sun


Monkeypacks all in a row


A few things for the hands, mind, and mouth


Sun hats clean and good to go


Lights, cords...action!


An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered.
- G.K. Chesterton

A purposeful adventure is extraordinary!

Gotta love adventures of ALL kinds!

More summer fun...

When the Friday night lights turn back on at the stadiums around these parts, we don't rush into our storage bins to air out our winter sweaters.

Nooooooope....not for a few more months anyway.

Ugh!

You don't have to remind us in these parts that it's still officially summer.

We try to make the most of it and continue with our summer fun...


Our lake-jumpin' monkeys plus one.



Ridin' their rock 'n' roll water taco...into the night.


So, what else do we do around here when we're two days away from reaching the all-time hottest summer record? (We're currently at 67 days of 100+ temps this year; record is 69.)

Go spelunking, or course!


Construction crews found this cave system when they were building I-35. After they drilled down to a sufficient depth, they poured concrete for bridge supports. They kept pouring and pouring...and pouring--then got suspicious.


They found a pretty neat cave, no?

Have you ever been in complete darkness?

An outing with Dad

Over the weekend, Joe took the kids to the Wurstfest for the annual 10-day "Salute to Sausage."

Pictures speak for themselves.

This is something that Joe allows the kids do when I'm not around. He lets Kathleen take a picture of Jimmer wearing his "meat mask"--created while they were eating lunch on the way to the Wurstfest, about an hour-long drive. This makes me so proud (sniff, and another tongue-in-cheek sniff).Joe did defend himself by telling me that he thought the mask Jimmer said he created was made out of paper.

One of their first stops after getting to the festival was to purchase some of these goodies.
Fried pickles.

Then, I'm afraid, they didn't stop with the fried foods. They forged ahead and made it to the next oily stand. As you can tell by the look on Jimmer's face, they really didn't need this fried, sugary treat. I think his eyes were still rolling in the back of his head from the pickles.I would have never thought to batter and fry Oreos.
Nope, couldn't stop there. They had to experience the fullness of what this German festival had to offer. So they continued on their journey, then stopped to taste a...Belgian waffle.

Waiting to take a ride on the Ferris wheel.
I'm not sure how this could conceivably happen, but the kids ended up getting hungry after running around a bit. So, the boys settled on having sausage on a stick.
The girls opted for corn on the cob--on a stick.If you're from Minnesota or Texas (as in state fair fare), you are aware this is something you just can't pass up--food on a stick.

This is also something you can't pass up--getting a picture of a guy, as Jimmer says, in leather shorts (lederhosen) with long socks.
Or a guy in lederhosen playing the accordion.(The women wear dirndls. Together, lederhosen and dirndls are referred to as Tracht.)

They also got to hear someone play an alphorn.

Observing all the people with in their bavarian clothing, listening to the different bands, and watching other people being silly with their interesting hats was a lot of fun for the kids.

This is what happens after our children get loaded up with lots of food and treats. They run like the wind! Just look at their eyes--glowing with energy to burn.
Mikey asked why everyone was drinking so much beer. He told me that most festival goers didn't even use glasses. They just drank straight from the 64 oz. pitcher. (If you're wondering, Joe drank Dr. Pepper from a cup!)

A wholesome outing, Dad style!

Texas Parks & Wildlife Expo

Our kids always look forward to October when they get to see some wildlife at the Expo.

It's not every day they get to handle a shark...
or see a bald eagle up close...
or feel the sliminess of a spotted moray eel.
Eeek!

They even got to play with a fire hose to put out a "fire."
Round 'em up kids!

A clue as to where we're headed now...

Hey kids, please find your birth certificates and show them to the border patrol officer!

Again, these are not my pictures. (Thanks internet.) We are actually in places that have no internet service, so this was a pre-scheduled post. Photos later...

A clue as to what we're doing now...

...and where we're headed.




(Disclaimer: These are all photos I've filched off the internet)

NW Vacation: Day 6

Grandpa Terry and Grandma Doogie told us they planted a pine tree in their back yard every time a grandchild was born. (Besides our four, Doogie's son, Luke, has 2 children.) So, we took pictures of the kids next to their trees this morning. They planted 3 Black Hills Spruce trees, and one Colorado Blue Spruce tree for our kids. Here they are with their trees in the WAY back yard--just beyond their fence.


By the way, they do have quite a bit of lively fauna here. That's why they have fenced in their yard. Their cat also appreciates the fence since she was attacked by a coyote a few months ago while she was sitting right outside the fenced area. Amazingly, she attacked the coyote back and got loose. Almost unheard of!

Here's the view of the trees from near their house.

Late last night we heard a pack of coyotes howling. Well, I guess when they're by themselves they howl. I'm not sure how to describe what they sound like when they're in a pack. They kind of howl/bark/talk. I guess you'd have to hear it for yourself. If I hear it again, I'll try to capture it on video.

NW Vacation: Day 5

Today, we went to Grand Coulee Dam, the 2nd largest concrete structure in the world. Until a couple of years ago, this dam was the largest in the world since its completion in 1941. Now, the Three Gorges Dam in China is the largest.For my husband, a bridge builder and concrete expert, this was a fun day! The amount of concrete in this dam could make a sidewalk around the equator--twice! It was built not long after the Hoover Dam. In fact, many of the workers on the Hoover Dam built this structure as well.
We went down into the dam where the huge turbines are located. Here are the kids on the elevator going down.
Okay, more educational info...

The Grand Coulee Dam is a gravity dam, which means that it needs to be a large size and shape so that it will resist overturning. Therefore, it has a VERY large base under water. The Hoover Dam is an arch-gravity dam, which means that it is a combination and directs most of the water weight against the canyon walls and can be thinner than a gravity dam (not as much bulk).

On the way back to Chelan, we stopped at Dry Falls, which (although it is now dry--and has been for thousands of years) is ten times the size of Niagara. Dry Falls is thought to be the greatest known waterfall that ever existed.The geology is very interesting in this part of the country!

Of course, when we returned home around 5:30 PM, the kids got in a few hours of swimming! Jimmer fell asleep on the way home and for the rest of the day...and now is sleeping through the night. Another full day!