Driving...

overwhelms me a little. Due to chronic hand pain, I put off learning to drive for A LONG TIME. I got my license last year, so I have been driving for a while, but only locally, so my experience is very limited. So it was quite the adventure driving for over four solid hours, followed by driving through the city...at night, to make things even easier. The first part, through the wilderness, was pleasant enough, while the latter portion was terrifying, though not as bad as I had suspected. I said many a desperate "oh God!" (prayerfully, mind you) as cars darted to and fro. I followed carefully the advice of Papa and Max, who gave oddly similar speeches about remaining confident, and going with the flow. I think I need a St. Anthony bumper sticker :)

I am extremely fond of my sweet-tempered new car.........I have a feeling she will be a very dear friend over the next few years.

I followed my mommy the whole way. And yes, that helped with nerves *sheepish grin*

Maddelyn and Sarah (behind the camera of course) were my charming travel companions. We enjoyed spending several hours chatting and catching up on each other's thoughts, and recent experiences. And we all sang at the top of our lungs. It was a wonderful opportunity for quality time.

Boating!

Also on my last day at home, I had the wonderful experience of going boating with all my siblings (excluding Matthew who is on a Switzerland adventure), my dad, and a very generous friend with a boat.

It was a gorgeous day!

Maddelyn helped Malachy apply sunscreen

Malachy was thrilled for an opportunity to drive "All by Myself"

There was a smorgasbord of food :)

I love this picture!!!!!!! I love my dad!!!!!!!



Everybody got a turn to get towed. It was extremely fun! Garrett and Sarah took the prize for daring (gulp), but I was able to go surprisingly fast myself. We used a smaller floatie than shown in the above picture, and I held on with all my might. Ironically, after surviving water up my nose, swinging in a wide circle, and bouncing on turbulent waters, I fell off the moment the tube came to a dead stand still.

Maddelyn was a bit grouchy when she "had" to take a turn. she sat in the center, refused to hold her feet out, and went about as slow as the boat could manage. She "proved" herself later on though :)

My sweet sisters

Garrett on the test run. Hang on!

I felt such an interesting combination of exhilaration and peacefulness. It was a perfect "last day"

Thank you so much, Terri, for sharing your boat and your time. We were all so excited.

Cruising Along

The scenery...

...was exquisite. The water was so cold it knocked one's breath out. Needless to say, we stopped several times for swimming. Fortunately the day was quite warm.

We even saw bald eagles, and a sandhill crane

Oh Garrett


Everyone. Exhausted, and thoroughly happy.

My last day at home...

was wonderful! In the morning I walked around Heart's Haven taking random pictures. I will miss it so :)

A pear from our tree :) (duh)

My mountain

Mom and Maddenlyn were brushing and cleaning Strider's coat. Ricca came for a visit and sat in the shade with them.

Strider - the happy woofie



The bell by our back door.

Ah...

Pure...

Bliss!

The Garden and Chicken coop

My pretty new car next to "Beauty"

the lovely antique sleigh bed (it was my great-grandfather's) that I am using while at school


My dad and Garrett fixed it up--

Thank you, Papa!

Thank you, Garrett!

And Thank you, Dan, for the wood!

Happy Birthday, Tilly! Spending time with you today....from quilt stores to yarn stores, to cheesecake, to wearing our recently tie-dyed t-shirts...has been indescribably wonderful. Kindred spirits, indeed :)

Another Sunny Day on the Coast...

We awoke at six am (except for Sarah, who didn't want to leave the comfort of her sleeping bag) and drove to a local bird area to watch the geese take off on their daily expeditions. The official sight was closed, so we drove on a dusty little country road to the back, and stood shivering in the stillness while the sun came up. Unfortunately, all the geese must have been sleeping at the opposite end of the park. We did see them, in breathtakingly large masses, but they were rather far away. There were times when the geese formed dark clouds on the horizon. It was beautiful, but odd......it looked as I had imagined the pestilences descending upon Egypt. Anyway, the sounds, and smells, and sights of the morning made it worth sacrificing a bit of sleep. Just as the sun rose, a herd of cows on a nearby hill began a chorus of noise. We also saw ducks, and pelicans, and great blue herons.

this is a mild verson of what we saw live

Later in the day, we drove to Fern Canyon. Having never been there in spring before (our usually visits are Oct/Nov) it came as quite a shock. The sweet little stream that meanders down the center of the canyon was more a river, gushing powerfully from wall to wall. All the quaint bridges had been removed for the season. So unfortunately, we weren't able to walk through the canyon fully, though we did a great deal of wading (I think my feet might still be numb!). When we finally decided upon the path as our course of choice, we had to squish through mud several inches deep. Needless to say, everything was wet, green, and lush. Garret was crossing a particularly deep section, and his foot got caught. He then fell full length into the Icy water. Malachy got similarly doused. He was trying to jump over a small side stream, but didn't quite make the other side, poor fellow. His pants were then so heavy that it took all his energy (and not always successfully) to keep them from falling off. During the day's adventure, we saw elk, wildflowers, mushrooms, and many gorgeous views of the ocean. I think everyone is slightly worn out :)

Somehow the abundance of these signs makes me nervous.....it is like arriving in Yellowstone and seeing the poster of a visitor being gored by a bison....................

Uncle Steve told us about this great road, with splendid views. It was spectacular. He forgot to mention, however, that the road was still under construction, and there were steep cliffs, and one way lanes....Gulp.

Now how does that work?

These were so cute!

We found dry land!!!!!

I wish we had brought rubber boots....

Malachy found this darling little daisy, and brought it to me. Naturally mom was standing nearby with the camera. Malachy is so sweet about that sort of thing. One of my mom's friends calls the little treasures her children bring her from the outdoors "Dandelion Offerings." I have always found that terminology appealing.

It is a part of this world.....but not entirely.....

Beatrice Potter would have felt compelled to stop and sketch this specimen.

What promise of spring!

The Inseparable Six

(inseparable in spirit, at least)

The road, and the thick foliage, is so enchanted. It seems just as 'pretend' as a ride at Disneyland.

"Did everyone read the sign.......Garrett? Malachy??"

One of many

Oh, for glorious sunshiny days......

....near the beach *Sigh*