Say Cheese!

Snapping a posed photograph of one grandchild can be a challenge. They never really want to do what you want them to do. Then add two more grandchildren into the mix and they all have their own ideas of where to look - everywhere except at the camera! So how do you finally get a good photo of three grandchildren all looking in the same direction at the same time. Simple: You take lots and lots of photos (105, to be exact) and, if you are lucky, one will turn out to be the perfect photo.

The first challenge is to get them in the same place at the same time. They all have different nap schedules, so when one is up, the others are down and vice versa. And then there are cranky times, teething, and just plain stubbornness, both on the part of the grandchild and, I dare say, on the part of the photographer. Short attention spans are also a problem, and the grandchildren start to wander off. Parents chase them down and put them back into position. In the process, one of them disappears.

The end result? A lot of absolutely hilarious photos and, maybe, a few really good ones.

And, ultimately, the best ones usually turn out to be the ones you took earlier in the photo shoot.

Camping in Coeur d'Alene

Since we hadn't camped in quite a number of years, with the exception of a weekend camping trip with Ruth to a campground in Glenns Ferry, we weren't sure how the experience was going to turn out. Here are some photos of our campsite.

Have you ever noticed that when you buy a tent, it comes in a compact little bag. Then when you set it up and take it down, you stand back and ask yourself, "How is that going to fit into that little bag?" Les demonstrates how to make it work.

Coeur d'Alene

After nearly 20 years of living in Idaho, we finally took the time to visit northern Idaho for a few days. We discovered a land that was absolutely gorgeous with blue skies and beautiful lakes. We found a campground that was located a few miles east of Coeur d'Alene (Wolf Lodge Campground) to make our home base. From there, we spent three days traveling around the area and enjoying the sites.

Train ride at Silverwood Theme Park

Mackenzie River Pizza Company (very good!)

Boat cruise on Lake Coeur d'Alene

Waterfall into Lake Coeur d'Alene

Chickadee nesting in a tree trunk next to our campsite.

Mr. and Mrs. Owl and Family

For several years, I have driven down the same road to and from work. One day this spring, before the trees started to sprout leaves, I saw something that looked like two large nests in a tree on the side of the road. As I looked more closely, I realized one of the objects was an extremely large nest and the other one that looked like a nest with actually a very large owl.

Sitting on the nest was a beautiful female Great Horned Owl. They don't really have horns; it's actually tufts of hair. In the nest, being kept warm and safe by the mother owl, were two white, fluffy baby owls.

Sitting on another branch a few feet away was the male. As we walked closer to the tree, he would fly off to try to lead us away from the nest. They were both very attentive to the protection of the nest and the babies. As we walked around the tree, they remained alert to our every move.

As I did a bit of research on these owls, I learned that their habitat includes all of North America and much of South America. They usually "steal" nests of other birds to use for laying their eggs. They are also very solitary, spending most of their time alone except during nesting season.

These birds are HUGE! I would guess they were 18-24 inches in height. They were certainly an awesome sight to see, both sitting in the tree and soaring across the landscape.

Coloring Easter Eggs

Here are some important guidelines for coloring Easter eggs with a three-year-old:

#1 - Be sure the child is covered from head to toe in something that protects their clothing. They have a way of getting stuff everywhere.


#2 - Make sure the adult who is supervising the child is covered from head to toe in something that protects their clothing. They have a way of getting stuff everywhere.


#3 - Use only hard-boiled eggs for this project. Raw eggs create a real mess, especially when handled by a three-year-old being supervised by her grandpa.


#4 - For extra safety, ensure that someone is supervising the adult who is supervising the child. That way, you have a responsible adult to clean up the mess.


If you are lucky, you will end up with beautifully-colored eggs like these AND a clean kitchen.

Flowers

I have nothing really extraordinary to say as my thoughts are very simple today. I'm home from work and just trying to relax after such a frustrating week at work. So I pulled out my camera and looked at some of the photos I took this week.



Ronnie brought these beautiful, yellow tulips to me on Easter Sunday. They are absolutely gorgeous. It's amazing how soft and fragile they look, yet they are able to stand up against wind and rain.



The pink chrysanthemums were given to me by Les last week. Their color is brilliant and the flowers look great sitting in front of the fireplace in a clear glass vase with a pink bow around the neck of the vase.

Big Sister, Little Brother

Just looking at this photo, I can tell that these two children are in for a very exciting future, and it reminds me of my childhood.

I was the big sister, and I used to put my little brother through all kinds of silly things. At least, I did until he got bigger than me and could beat me up!

At one point in my life, we lived in a neighborhood where there were no girls my age to play with, so I used to play with my little brother and his friends. I was 10 or 11 years old and my brother was 7 or 8 years old. On one occasion, I remember that I dressed them all in my dresses and, somewhere, I still have the photograph.

When our parents divorced, we became latch-key kids--walking home from school to an empty house--for a short period of time. Our dad was usually home within an hour, but it's amazing the amount of trouble you can get into in an hour! And I'm pretty sure that I was probably the instigator of our mischief.

One time, we explored all of the cabinets in the upper-reaches of the kitchen, like the cabinet above the refrigerator. We had always wondered what was up there, so I pulled a chair up to the cupboard, climbed up and opened the door. I remember finding some magazines that I had never seen before and my dad's service revolver. I was pretty sure we weren't supposed to see that stuff, so I put everything back and shut the door. I am also certain that my dad never found out what we found out that day. (Unless, of course, he reads this blog!)

When my brother and I had an argument, we would chase each other through the house and try to hit each other. I remember one incident where we had been playing pool and my brother got mad at me. He chased me around the house with a pool cue. I ran into a bedroom and slammed the door shut, and he promptly jabbed the base of the pool cue through the door. The thin plywood on the door splintered and left a 2" gash in the door. Needless to say, our mom wasn't too happy with us. For years, the door had an orange, vinyl flower adhered to the door to cover up the hole.

Fortunately, as we grew older and somewhat more mature, we actually started liking each other. We played tennis, went to the movies, spent the day at Disneyland and did a lot of other fun activities together. When my brother played in various sporting activities, I was his biggest fan.

In the photo above, I see a hint of the fun that these two children will enjoy as they grow up. And they will, indeed, grow up. It'll be a joy to watch the two of them together.