It's been a good summer.
An incredible summer, actually.
We enjoyed several lazy mornings (for which some of my friends say I should be grateful!)
And while we fit in a few "lasts" before school begins for Lindsay, they were not our focus. Instead, making fun memories and enjoying being together was our goal. We even made a few "firsts"...
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| Riding the train around Gilroy Gardens |
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| The Panorama Wheel |
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| Kimberly drives her first car! 1920's roadster |
While spending a couple of days in Gilroy we ran into some car trouble. Too bad we were a mere mile and a half from the Factory Outlets! School shopping was our goal anyway, so we enjoyed walking though several stores while waiting for our car to be repaired. I'm very thankful that we were not stranded halfway from nowhere when the fan in the engine began to sound like a semi truck going down the highway.
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We had a little midnight excitement one night...
Hearing a commotion after 12 o'clock a.m. from the parrots we are bird-sitting, I groggily peered through the blinds to find a raccoon prying open a window and making his way inside our garden shed where the birds are kept. Throwing on my ancient bathrobe, I hurried to the front door and carefully stepped outside, knowing the raccoons around here tend to run in groups. When I didn't see any more around, I went for the water hose, spray nozzle set to "jet", and the hard rake. Sure enough, by banging on the back of the shed and spraying the metal with high powered water, and making enough racket to wake the dead, I scared three of the critters out of the shed. Cautiously opening the door with my rake, I made sure I couldn't see more before entering to assure the birds' safety. Then I locked all the windows and moved a heavy pot in front of the door to hold it shut.
Back to bed I went.
Two minutes after my head hit the pillow, the birds were at it again. This time, while looking through the window of the shed, I spied three more pairs of eyes. True story. And I had bravely entered the "raccoons den" while they had been holed up somewhere in there, watching my every move with their beady eyes. Thank goodness for the brown bathrobe... they must have mistaken me for a bear...
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| My raccoon scaring tools of choice |
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And the big finale of this summer culminated with the
Carnival and Circus Party
at Alan and Melanie's house.
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| Lindsay and Corrine ride the train made by Alan Payton |
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| Kimberly the Clown |
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| The cousins |
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| Cameron the Clown |
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| What a fine looking couple! |
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| Friends! |
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| Some "carnies" - Nelson and Cherisa |
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| T. Ryan - the Magician with his little zebra |
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| Tall Man Swift |
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| The Zebra Stevens' |
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| One of the lucky goldfish winners! |
Between costumes, food, games, and friends, the event turned out even better than we could have hoped! A huge thank you to all of you who helped out, asked or not! You made it all come together and we couldn't have done it without you.
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It's sad to tell you goodbye, summer, but a new season is ahead of us with it's own sense of adventure and promise. New experiences lie before us in many aspects of life, some known, and some unknown. But the Creator of the heavens and earth knew about them even before time began, so we are trusting that He has it all under control.
