Spring Break

     Depending on where you live spring break might have already come and gone. Our grandson's break was last month. He got to take a ski trip to Jackson Hole, Wyo. 

     Our granddaughter lives in California, her spring break was last week. She went on a family RV trip to San Diego.

     Warm or cold fun was had by all. When I was in school in So. California, our spring break always fell the week before Easter.  In high school it was the in thing to return from break with a tan. Fortunately my grandmother lived at the beach. Even more so was the fact she welcomed myself and two or three of my friends into her home for a week. We saved our money so we could buy groceries for the week. We planned and cooked the meals during our stay. When my grandmother headed off to work we would head to the beach. Most of So. California had their spring break at the same time, so there were lots of teenagers hanging out.

     Back in the 'olden' days we didn't have a handy phone to snap photos and take selfies. I always brought along my trusty little Kodak with black and white film. Of course after we got home we had to wait while the film was developed. My photos weren't always that great but they still provide some fond memories.

We enjoyed our time at the beach. But also just had fun in general.

Here we are at the end of a week of sun and fun. Our friend Larry, who had a car, came to pick us up and take us home.

In case you don't know that's me far right. Don't we all have a nice tan. Before the days of sunscreen.

A thought to ponder: "We didn't realize we were making memories, we just                                            knew we were having fun."

Participating in: Grand Social, Wined Down Wednesday

Great Way to Start the Summer

     I haven't posted anything in quite a while. Other things kept getting in the way but mostly I haven't been in the blogging mood. The daughter and granddaughter were here for an end of school visit. So I thought I'd share some of the fun things we did in the short time they were here. 

     A morning walk along the city pathways was a nice way to start the day. Besides the lovely scenery,

we spotted a deer.

I also had the opportunity to take a group photo.

     One of the days we went to lunch at the Bradford Brinton museum. Look at the view we had while eating. 

This is the art museum where the bistro is located.

Here is a shot of some of the grounds and the house (taken a couple months ago). You can tour Mr. Brinton's house with all it's wonderful western art. It is worth a visit if you're ever in the neighborhood.

While driving home we passed an alpaca ranch. So of course we had to stop and say Hi. The kiddos really enjoyed looking at them.

A visit to the local nursery means you have to sit in the giant chair.

We of course made a visit to the park swimming pool and to the ice cream stand afterwards.

Sunday brunch with all the family is always nice.

The visit wouldn't be complete without a water fight with balloons and the hose.

And to top off the visit the grandson had a baseball game.

As with most visits this one was way to short. But we did manage to pack some fun activities in and make more memories. 

A thought to ponder: "Take care of your memories, for you can not relive them."

                                                                                                  Bob Dylan

Participating in: Share Your Cup, Wined Down Wednesday, Our World Tuesday, Grand Social

Summer Memories

       I can't believe it is October already. I never did post anything in September. I guess I was too busy preserving the bounty of our garden and fruit trees. Also working on fixing up a used popup camper we bought, that's a topic for another time. Today I thought I'd go over a few fun happenings during the summer. 
   In June my sister and her husband stopped for a visit on there RV adventure to North Dakota and Canada. We enjoyed seeing them and exploring some of our local scenery.

The brothers-in-law

This is what they were perusing. 

     In July our daughter and family came for a visit. Also her 30th high school reunion. Wow, were did the time go. The cousins were happy to get together again and had a wonderful time hanging out.

Just a simple walk was an enjoyable way for us to spend time with them.

     One of the big events here in the summer is the rodeo and carnival.  So of course we had to take advantage of the activities. Here's a photo of our rodeo princess. 

The kids had fun on the carnival rides.

Also tried their hand at winning a prize. And of course carnival food.

I enjoyed watching the grandkids enjoy themselves and catching the fun with my camera.

     August is the month we like to take the grandson on a little trip. A last hurrah before school starts. This year we took a camping trip to the Black Hills in South Dakota. 

The campground had lots of activities for kids.

    Something fun we did while in the area was take a ride on the 1880's steam train which runs between Hill City and Keystone. 

The trip takes an hour one way. They have a recorded commentary that plays during the ride that tells about the history of the train and the area. If you're ever in this neck of the woods be sure to visit and have a fun and informative ride through the Black Hills.

We also paid a visit to Wall Drug in Wall, SD.  The drug store was started in the early 30's and became a must stop for people traveling through the Badlands. They promised free ice water to all travelers passing through. See full story at Wall Drug history. It's a little kitschy but a fun place where you can sill get a free glass of ice water. Here the grandson is riding a "jackalope" and waiting for the T-Rex feeding time. 

     And just to make sure we got a little education in, we visited a small but very nice natural history museum in Hill City. Black Hills Institute of Geological Research

     The summer went by way to fast, but we made many wonderful memories. The best part was having both our children and their families together.  Because of this and also the fact that this August marked our 50th wedding anniversary we had some family pictures taken. Credit for the following three photos goes to Melanie Araas of 3 Willow Design. 

A thought to ponder: "Memories are special moments that tell our story."

Participating in: Grand Social, Seasons, Share Your Cup