Amber Alert

Well, maybe it is more like a green alert...for a missing turtle.   Panic.

 Their little log house was moved from it's usual spot and Walter was gone!  I combed over ever inch of their garden box and Walter was definitely missing.   I had to verbally tell myself not to panic as I thought through what could have happened...what could get in the yard that was big enough to haul off a 5 inch turtle.  If it was a cat, it could probably just get it out of the box but not carry it totally off...so I started looking outside the box. 

There he was...in the pot of Rosemary that sat next to their garden box.  Relief.
I rejoined Walter with Sig and they seemed as happy to see each other as a couple of turtles can get.

A few minutes later I went outside to feed them some leftover zucchini out of the fridge.
 And I found Walter trying to climb out of the box...again.

Hummmm.   Do we have a delinquent turtle testing his boundaries or just an adventuresome one that just want to know whats on the other side.  Either way it's time to lower the dirt in their box.

One Picture...

to describe our yesterday, this moment 

...and probably the rest of the day.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.

Happy Birthday America

 We had a typical 4th of July planned...Parade, swimming, BBQ with friends and fireworks.

Then Jake came home for work on the 3rd with 4 comp tickets to Celine Dion and our plans suddenly changed.

Our friends that we had invited over graciously and understandingly agreed to move dinner up to a late lunch and then they enthusiastically agreed to take little Ethnie for the evening.  We owe them big time.  Thank goodness they're baby hungry for some grandkids of their own.

 So here's how our 4th of July went...

5:45 am we were up and running...Karl run a 5K fun run while I ran over to pick up Ethnie so Jake and Steph could go to work...as a Super hero and character director...she told all the super hero and cartoon character where they needed to be when.

8:00 am    Off  to watch the parade...totin' a little person.  So fun!

 E loved the parade and watched it quite intently.

 ...until she conked out.  Having so much fun is exhausting.

 Everybody wanted a picture with Captain America!

 12:00 home to do some last minute clean-up and food prep.

2:00 pm  enjoyed a  Shrimp-boil  and good conversation with great friends.

5:45 pm  off to Celine

 We decided this was an event to get gussied up for.  And it was an event.

Celine put on an amazing show .

Note:  no one is seating behind us...ya' can't get any higher.

We were in the rafter but for this show it was the best place to be to see the whole, over-all laser and stage magic.

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Happy Birthday America,

Hope your 4th was just perfect too.

Producing Produce

 Loving the tomatoes this year.  

This has been our best tomato year yet.

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Making Salsa with  home-grown tomatoes, jalapenos and onion .

We did have cilantro...but it went to seed with the hot weather.

 I guess Karl's getting pretty good at it.

.

He brought this home from the Salsa competition at work.

 He likes HOT salsa and this one was way too hot for me to taste

 

'

 And our zucchini is being a zucchini

  ...it's giving us more than we can use.

Hike-n-Hike

 I may have forgotten to mention...I have a new calling.  

Primary 2nd counselor...over cub scouts.

Cub Scouts is a train wreck...a chaotic train wreck

...an amusing chaotic train wreck.

 Our first pack meeting is Cub Scout hike. 

 

 A family hike. Complete with a jogging stroller and a scoot bike.  Our communication may have been lacking not to mention that the hike, though only about a mile in and a mile out, was not a paved path.

 Our cub committee chairman, is wonderful.  If there is a person that can can organize a train wreck...it is she.   And she is trying.   

 

 She tried to tell the cubs/kids that we were not "certified" for climbing and to come down off the rocks.  

 

 Like telling a pack of monkeys not to climb...but monkeys actually listen better.

  Karl can't go on a hike without marking the trail.  

He has two ways of doing that...this is one way.

 After we had said goodbye to the cub scouts and shipped them down the mountain with their parents, Karl totally surprised me by saying " that really wasn't much of a hike.  Let's hike Fletcher Canyon.

  So we did. About two-thirds of it or until we decided we had burned up the morning.  Time to get back to reality and chores.  

Hiking with Karl is a work out.   He hikes like a "cow to the barn.". No stopping to take in the scenery or lolly-gagging for pictures.

 Okay...we took a few pictures.

And I've had a good workout.

A fun trip to NO WHERE

Saturday sadly we said our good-byes to Paragonah 

and Karl's family.

  But we were kind of excited to drive to our next new adventure...

.

 Amargosa NV

 to the Longstreet Inn and Casino where Karl's band had a gig.

 The stage was on platform behind the bar in front of a large window.

 

 For being in the middle of NO WHERE...this place was really nice.

 and very interesting.

.

 As usual...in place of a monetary payment they got paid "in kind"

...free dinner and rooms for Saturday night.

 They played 3 hour-long sets...

to one local couple that loved them,

 a smattering of  tourists and the employees.
It is the off-season for Death Valley.

 Sunday morning we headed out to see Death Valley Junction

 And the famous Amargosa Opera House

I would have loved to go inside and see the paintings

but alas...it was early Sunday morning.

 Then we headed home...

for church.

A Paragoonah Reunion

 

  We met Karl's brothers and sister (and spouses) at Clare's little home in Paragonah. 

 Love that place!

We always have a great time with Karl's family. 

  

Our first adventure was exploring  a historical Indian site.

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 This rock is said to be an Indian version of the game "Mancala".

Beautiful evening views.

 The next morning we went out 4 wheelin'.  

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 A Geo-Cache hunt.  

BINGO!

At the spring

Picking watercress

 Karl working on his dutch oven potatoes.

Can't gather at Clare's without a game of Horse shoes.

 Show and Tell...Something inherited from their parents

 '

 

 And no family gather is complete without Karl and Clare Jammin'.