Change

Our roads sometimes turn in ways we do not see. Change can bring the snow after the wind has stripped the trees of their color. 

And sometimes change can bring the moving van. 

Yes that's right, we are moving on. To another resort where we will have more stories to tell. So stay tuned for some changes in 2014! 

But until then, I'm trying to keep the baby off the boxes! 

Heaven help me! She climbed up there herself! Yikes! 

This stack has grown. And our holiday décor has a different look about it than past years. 

Enjoy your simple moments, they are fleeting! And may you have a wonderful holiday season! 

Remembering All - All Saints Day - A Day I Will Never Forget

This is such a fun time of year!  Full of fun Halloween activities. I'm trying to get the pumpkins carved and snacks made for school parties. But I have been remembering a Halloween that meant more to me than all the candy and carved pumpkins combined. 

I was 19 years old and I had the opportunity to go on a trip the Paris with my college. It was a trip for the interior design department of which I was a part. 

In grade school I had a dear friend who was French and she was here while her parents worked. This of course was when I lived in Palo Alto, California. But anyway, we went to school together in kindergarten and first grade. We were best friends. Then she moved back to France and we were pen pals for many years. 

Because of this early association with France, it had always been on my bucket list. 

The trip was guided and included all the main attractions. The Eiffel Tower, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Louvre to name just a few. We also travelled out to the country to visit some Chateaux, and a few hunting cottage... If you could call it that. 

On our way back we made a stop that was not on the schedule. The guide saw the sign for the town of Oradour-sur-Glane and since we were passing buy, asked the driver to make a stop. This small village is now a memorial to those who lost their lives there during World War II. 

You may have studied the massacre in school. 

If I remember correctly, as it was exactly 20 years ago Friday, the Germans marching from Normandy were told that a German from another Battalion was captured and being held in Oradour-sur-Vayres. This group sealed of Oradour-sur-Glane, having confused it with the other village. You can guess the rest. The tour guide informed us that there were only 2 survivors, who had hid in the bell tower. 

I'm not sure if that is true. 

The women and children were locked in the church. The men were taken to a barn, and the town was looted and then burned to the ground. In all, 190 men, 247 women and 205 children were lost that day, in June of 1944. The original town has been left untouched.

As it was All Saints Day, there were lots of people there. The graveyard was full of flowers. No one was taking pictures. I couldn't not. Although my cheap camera was awful, these are some of my favorite photos. I edited them with Snapseed and now I love them even more. 

There was a cafe next to the church and the skeleton of the wire chairs and tables were still out front. 

In this home, there is still a sawing machine in the window sill. 

I studied the Holocaust extensively in high school, (a story for another post.) so this first hand experience touched me greatly. 

The US is very good at creating holiday traditions for children, whose dentists benefit more than anyone.  I am not against the usual traditions, but this year we are going to take a few moments to remember those we love who have gone before us.  

The traditional beliefs are that the veil is very thin around this time of year, Samhain is the name, pronounced sah-win or sow-in. It starts at sunset on October 31 and lasts until November 1, although it has been celebrated longer. Extra food was prepared for loved ones and seats were left for them at the table. Food was also buried, for those who didn't have loved ones to remember them. To ward off evil spirits, pumpkins and other gourds were carved. 

We have an Indian graveyard on our property. I told my children that we should take some apples to leave by the gate. They were thrilled.  And I am, in writing this post, sharing this day, that always makes me think of a small village in France.

Doesy-Doe to the Rodeo

Welcome to the Rodeo: July 4, 2013!

Little town has got one of the greatest 4th of July Rodeos around. In fact, there are so many entries that they end up sending them away. One of our wranglers even tried to enter, but you have to do it at least two months in advance so she couldn't join. 

Now last year I started my own little judging here on the Blog. I love to see just how high and how low these great cowboys, and cowgirls can go! So let's have a look see!

First up is how high. The broncs can really kick it! 

And there's a lot of them this year, so enjoy. 

One thing that really struck me was the strength of these men as they held on. These days they wear neck braces to help support themselves, but still, they gotta have some serious core body strange!

I think this has to be the best bronc shot we got. This was a beautiful horse, 

and after he did throw the monkey off his back, he pranced back to the pins. 

It looked like he was saying, "Oh yeah, I got this!"

Catching some good air, and sit'n pretty too!

And this next fella was ready to take him right outta the gate. 

Now don't forget the bulls! Just because these boys are big, doesn't mean they can't get up there. 

Please note how this cowboy is holding on. I think it's interesting also that he's got his boots tied on. 

I'm not sure why? Do any of you know?

The bulls really gave a good show this year. It was a fighting bunch! 

These two are just made for each other. 

But the winner of "How High Did They Go" has to go to this poor bull rider. 

He got some great air before he eat some serious dirt! And don't worry for the clown, he's a professional at getting out of the way!

Now on to Dust! Or in this case, "Eat My Dust." Barrel Racing is one of the most competitive events at a Rodeo. The times comes down to less than seconds and they have to stop and grade the dirt so the riders have an even playing field. A whole around a barrel can cost them time. 

Anyone can make dust on an arena of dirt on a hot summer's day, but it's the speed that can really make these athletes impressive. And by athletes, I mean both the rider and the horse. 

The cost of a turned barrel is seconds deducted. She no long has a chance. 

But the barrel racers aren't the only ones who can eat dust! 

Now we didn't have any clear shots of snot like we had last year. I guess we were a little farther away this time. But I did love the sequences of these next shots. And as I said last year, it's not that you will be getting snot in your pockets, it's really that you pissed of the cow… or horse…. or bull… 

In the second shot, see how high the cowboy got, but he still held on! 

In fact, He held on, until he had to be helped off! 

This next sequence was of the cowboy eating dust, and therefor, 

also got some snot in his pockets. I'm sure. 

Don't worry, both the horse and the rider walked away. Them's some tough boys!

And it wasn't just the horses out to get 'm! This is where the rodeo clowns come in! What a job they have, getting the bulls to run them down and not the rider! Don't worry, all were fine in the end.

This white bull may have looked like a mean son-o-a-gun, but I've got proof that he was really a lover and not a fighter. But that's got to be another post. So stay tuned. 

So let's hear it for the clowns, because in the end, 

I think they are the winners of the "Snot in Your Pocket!"

I hope you've enjoyed this years rodeo! We did! 

So what do you do on the 4th of July in your town? 

America the Beautiful

Oh, beautiful for spacious skies,

For amber waves of grain,

For purple mountains Majesties

Above the fruited plane!

America! America!

God shed his grace on thee,

And crown thy good with brotherhood 

From sea to shining sea.

OK, technically, this last shot is of a lake. 

I have pics of the Atlantic, 

but I just wanted to get this post up for the 4th of July and so I used what was handy. 

This is my favorite Patriotic song 

and I always think of it as I'm driving to and fro seeing these stunning views. 

May your holiday be wonderful! 

And stay tuned for my ever enjoyable 4th of July Rodeo Judging post 

which will be coming early next week! 

(You can check out last years winners here)

Enjoy the weekend! 

The Leprechaun At Our House

He was at it again this year. 

Not nearly as funny as last year, which you can see here. 

But still, lots of fun. 

I spent the day before St. Patrick's Day making shamrock cookies for the kids at church. I was teaching and wanted to give them a treat. Adventure Man asked if there would be enough for his sunday School class (he teaches the 14 to 17 year olds, bless his heart!) plus there was a potluck afterwards so I was doing double duty. All in all we had about 90 cookies. 

And we only came home with one! Thankfully! 

This year he came in through the heater vent. 

And yes, it's quite dirty around there. Don't judge. 

He jumped up onto the counter. Walked across the counter top and got into the cookies.

He did leave the kids some chocolate coins.

As he went by, he stepped on my open cookbook. 

Opened to my mother's corned beef recipe. 

He jumped up onto the cabinets and onto the stove hood. 

Where he climbed into the cupboard over the stove and up through this hole. 

What a silly little thing he is! 

The Rain In Disney and Other Stuff

We had a great three days in Disneyland with the rest of Southern California. It was pretty crazy, but we loved it. 

Except the part when we lost our nine year old in the crowd. I had finally started seeking out a "Cast Member" to report our missing child when my oldest daughter spotted her with an older couple who were trying to help her find us. She was in tears. It was horrid! We made sure that even the big kids had hands to hold after that!

The last day it rained. This ended up being a blessing as it was a Saturday and yet the park seemed very empty. We had anticipated it and I had on my rain pants and jacket when we boarded the boats of the Jungle Cruise. I was so glad! The seat I sat on was right where the water kept filling in the roof and with every turn of the boat I got a bucket full in my lap, on my head and down my back. But I  was perfectly dry! I can't say the same for the poor people next to me!

We sought shelter in Turtle Talk with Crush after that. We took a couple of drawing lessons and by the time we were done, the rain was gone the sky was blue and the crowds were history.

We headed for San Diego after that.

A Circus and The Pass

Donor's Pass

Donor's Pass. If you know your history lessons then you know that Donor's Pass in the Sierra Nevada Mountains can bring on hardship. You might even be forced to eat your kids. Well, if you were early pioneers crossing it on foot in the dead of winter. But in our SUV, it's quite harmless. Unless it's closed for the night. Which it was. 

When we arrived in Reno we could have made it to family's house with no problem and even through the storm without a second thought, if there had been a storm, which there wasn't in Nevada. But the Pass Police felt that most of the California Drivers weren't experienced enough to get though so they closed it that night. 

We stayed at Circus Circus. This seemed fitting for our own Circus Act.

The buffet was way more expensive than we remembered it as kids. But our kids seem to think it was the "most fancy place they had ever stayed in." But while we were staying in the supper fancy hotel room with the acrobat paintings and the contortionists in the Midway, our little Bunny learned that hotel room doors are really easy to open! YIKES! Thank goodness for the latch at the top of the door! 

LA trafic. 

Our doors at home are hard to open, they have to be, or the 50 mph winds would be beating them down daily. We weren't prepared for our own little Houdini to put on a show of her own! Sadly, this was just the beginning of her disappearing reappearing acts! 

We made it home in the early afternoon on Christmas Eve in spite of the Holiday travelers who also were trying to get home for Christmas. We had a wonderful holiday with sisters and cousins and nieces and Grandma and Papa. 

The day after Christmas we headed South with the rest of the State of California. And on to Anaheim.