::road trip::

We just got home from our very first road trip.

It was my Mother, Lily, Max, and myself.

Josh and Q flew out and met us in Colorado.

Our goal was to stop at all the ridiculous places we were curious about on our way.

Our first stop was at the World's Largest Wind Chime.

Laugh - but it was awesome.

The same town had the World's Largest Golf Tee - so we checked that out too.

Then we drove on and got the chance to go up in Arch.

 

The kids loved it so much that they couldn't even pose for a picture at the top.

We had dinner at a fun local place in Kansas City, then drove till we found a hotel to pass out at.

The next day we had to make a pit stop in Abilene, KS

Home to the oldest carousel in the country.

$2 each bought us a ride. 

The attached pioneer village was adorable and we really enjoyed exploring it.

Latter that night we picked up Josh and Q at the Denver Airport and drove up to Fort Collins to spend a night at my sisters house.

Then it was off to the meat and potatoes of the trip -

LaGarita Ranch in Creede, CO.

We were meeting up with our Arizona family for a reunion.

See the ranch horses off in the background?

Quinny fell in the pond within about 20 mins.

Josh proud of his climb.  He and Max made it to the very tip of that ridge behind him.  

One evening the whole crew ended up at our little cabin.

Look at all those glorious shoes.

On my night to help cook I made oven smores for desert.

Quinny loved that idea. 

We had some fun playing in the Rio Grande.

Josh threw a rock in next to Lily and gave her a surprise.

Quinny liked the no seat belt rule on the two mile driveway.

Daddy and Max built a raft to let sail on the ranch creek.

While waiting for the rafts launch Lily had to dunk her head in the water.

The ranch had hundreds of humming birds that were everywhere.

We found the storage in the cabin to be just perfect. 

A second boat launch was in order.

Maxs knows it made it all the way to the ocean. 

 

My cousin Erin took this wonderful picture with the horse I fell in love with.

I always was a sucker for a grey.

We dropped Josh off at the airport and we headed to our next big stop...

My poor little mother made it all the way around the strenuous trail!

I was impressed.

I loved Mt Rushmore!

It was such a cool thing to see.

But Sir Q lost his mind.  

He walked that whole trail by himself and then had a total nervous breakdown.

I tried to carry him out but he started trying to punch and pinch me.

I put him down and felt so frustrated.

Then a stranger who was in the area for bike week walked over and tried to pick him up.

If you know Q you know he has severe stranger danger.  

He took one look at her and ran behind me to hide.

He managed to walk out holding my hand like a normal human till we were almost to the car.  

Then he lost it again...

But that lady bought me some time and I want to send her a cyber fist bump.

My mother has always wanted to see Crazy Horse.

We headed over to check it out.

Q and I napped in the car while the rest of the posse looked around.

  

 Miss Lily got a dream catcher to bring home with her.

Major cuteness. 

  

We had to stop in at Wall Drug on our way home.

That place was a total blast.

I love a good tourist trap.

  

Max had been on watch for an "American Bison" and he was glad to finally see one.  

After many more hours in the car we stopped for dinner and stumbled across this crazy little park.

It has all sorts of vintage playground equipment.  

Those kids got some serious sillies out.

Then we drove till we couldn't see straight any more. 

The kids were starting to get snippy with each other so we pulled over for a stop.

We ended up at the birth town of President Herbert Hoover.

Such a random stop, but so pretty.  

Q could only manage to keep one shoe on.

Here are the monkeys a few hours from home.

They were worn out but happy.

Me too. 

::fair 2013::

 Here we are trying to get our projects in to be judged. 

The stroller had to carry the glass table.

Indoor projects are scored like this -

Blue = you did the project as it was supposed to be done

Red = you were close

Yellow = you were not very close

participation = you sucked, but try again

If you get a blue you can advance from there

You can get Honor Group = you did the project better than it required

Champion = you were the best in your age group

Grand Champion = you were the best in all the project

 Lily got a blue and honor group on her modeling of her skirt.

All that acting paid off.

 Blue on her skirt construction.

Blue and Honor Group on her collections project.

 

HER CAKE GOT BLUE - HONOR GROUP - CHAMPION

AND!!!  She got picked to go to State Fair

 

Her lady bug got Blue

 

And she loved doing it.

Woodworking got a blue.  

 

Her recycling project got a blue

And her Dad made her a stand for it.  

  

Electrical got a blue.

 

My Emma got blues for both her pictures and Honor Group for her color picture.

 

Then she got a blue and honor group on her glass table.

She got Blue - Honor Group - Champion - GRAND CHAMPION on her pickled pineapple.

She did all her indoor projects with her Mother and they did a wonderful job. 

 Then it was animal time.

Emma showed for her first year in Senior Showmanship.

She ROCKED IT!

That girl fought hard and she was pulled out of about 30 for the top five.  That judged worked them over, the class was 35 mins long, but she held on hard.  I was so proud of her for being in the top five.  It's kind of hard for a 5ft 10in girl to do showmanship on a pygmy but she made it look good. 

Then my Lily went in for showmanship and she choked.  She walked in with 25 other kids and lost her focus.  She struggled.  But she is just a little baby beginner and she learned a lot - and showed when she went in the next day for sheep.

Look at that face!!!  
She busted her little tush.  
She brought the heat.  
And she made the first cut down to 10 in her first showmanship class, and that thing was packed.  
She didn't make top five, but I was thrilled with her focus. 

 

Then it was time for her lamb to be judged...

 

Champion!!!!

It really doesn't matter that it was out of two.  

Let's skip that part.

Let's just focus on that happy face.

She loves showing sheep and I can't wait to get a few more.

Princess Annabelle was very popular at the show.

Everyone in the sheep club was so nice to us.  

 

The next day was Pygmy time!

Emma won Junior Wether with her little guy.

 

Meanwhile across the fair Lily got disqualified for a too heavy rabbit.

She shrugged  and said - can we go back to the goat barn?

We are done with that project.  

It's not for us.

So we did.

And she rocked it out with her little doe.

Second place and then Reserve Junior Pygmy Doe.

Very nice.

Emma's little doe got fourth - which was just fine.
  

 

Then the Beast Bo went in and cleaned up.

He won his wether class.

Then went back and won Grand Champion Pygmy Wether!

We have been trying for years to get that illusive prize.

We had to go in at the very end of the show against the Grand Champion Boer Goat and the Grand Champion Dairy Goat for Supreme Champion.

We didn't win but it was still a wonderful experience.  

I hope we make it back soon. 

 Last of all was the Poultry Show.

All you do to show waterfowl is put them in their cage and keep them alive all week till they are judged.

They judge them in their cage.

And those babies showed them how pretty they are.

The male got blue-honor group- champion medium duck - grand champion waterfowl.

The female got blue-honor group-reserve champion medium duck - reserve grand champion waterfowl.

Basically - they were the two best ducks at fair.

Who knew?

I just thought they were pretty to watch play in their kiddie pool.

The males have a curly tail feather and are brighter green

 

This was our best fair ever.  How are we ever going to top it?

Don't worry - I already have some ideas :)

::mid season garden 2013::

 My Cottage Garden a few weeks ago...

My Cottage Garden today.

It is going CRAZY!  

I don't want to jinx things but this has been our best year of weather since I have been gardening.  

Perfect rain amounts with just the right amount of sun.

Then a few not raining but cloudy cooler days - perfect for weeding.  

The lavender is having a wonderful year.

But the parsley I planted snuggled up next to it has a serious lavender taste to it.

Whoops.  Lesson learned.  

You can see that I weed matted my tomatoes this year.  The amount of weeding that has cut out of my life is wonderful.  

 

I have two 4ft/4ft boxes that I am using to rotate cilantro through.  

We eat a large amount of cilantro and I have never grown enough.

This year I split the two boxes into four triangles and am rotatating planting through them.

The side with flowers is the section that I am letting go to seed so I can harvest seeds for next year.

The little guys are the newest cilantro babies coming in.  

I have had five planting this year already.  

 A baby bush watermelon coming on strong.

Look at all those green tomatoes waiting to turn red.

Stop waiting - TURN RED already.  

What in the world am I going to do with all that eggplant?  

Get ready work - these puppies are coming your way.  

Early Orchard Garden

Early Orchard Garden

The Orchard Garden doesn't want to be left out.  

It look pretty too.  

I usually don't weed it - it gets treated with a sink or swim vibe.

But this year I started weeding it one day and couldn't stop.

After four weeks and over six hours of very disjointed weeding - it is finally done.

Just in time to start over... which is not going to happen.  

If it can't make it from here it's just not meant to be.   

 Look at it going crazy!

All that broccoli is starting to fill my freezer.

The six tomatoes are strong and full of fruit.

Those green beans are on a six foot brace and they are way over and beyond it.

Then look at that melon patch behind the beans!  

Just the melons take up a space that is about 55ft by 18ft.  

I am really hoping for a ridiculous amount of melons. 

 Walmart had blue berry bushes on clearance.  

I bought them out and started a second row.  

Good thing the hay that got ruined in the flood is still laying around - perfect mulch. 

 The sukkah is still begging for some attention but that is coming.

The gardens are so pretty all together.  

I love how this place is starting to really come together. 

::save the blues::

Look at all those flipping berries!!

It was about two year ago that we planted our first blue berry bush, but we haven't had many to eat yet.  Finally - good weather, tons of grass mulch, and luck have given us a decent crop.  Which just makes me want more.  I think our farm birds have their eye on them too.  I am not going to net the plants, it defeats the concept of a friendly funny farm with short people picking food and eating it.  But I needed to do something.  

On one of our little farm walks I came up with an option. 

  

We put a few old T posts in the ground, grabbed the ribbon tote, and went crazy.  .  

 And it is actually working!

The wind moves the ribbons around and the birds stay away.

It looks so pretty in motion all day.

It helps reinforce to my neighbors that I am a crazy hippy.   

The short people have easy access to blue heaven.

Zen