Saturday, April 25, 2015

The Big Ride!

Spring is the perfect time to take to the mountains and go four-wheeler riding.  The air is warm, the bugs are at a minimum, and the mud is just begging to be splattered everywhere!  "Mama " and "Papa G" organized the ride the day before. I was so excited that I baked brownies.  Then, I thought chicken salad would be nice.  On top of that I made peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  Nex, I added grapes and crackers.  And yogurt.  And I did all this before JR and I decided we would join the ride.  Must be the spring fever kicking in.  Anyway, the rest of the family was ready to ride at 10:00 AM.  But.......since JR invited his sister and brother-in-law, we were running a bit behind...I won't go into details but it can take those two men FOREVER to decide if we should take the Mule or four-wheeler, the green trailer or the red trailer, etc. etc.   (Sadly, JR's sister became sick and only her husband, Uncle "W", was able to join us.)  Eventually, having packed every drink, snack, first-aid kit, wet wipe, cup, jacket, emergency flare, blanket, toothbrush, bear gun, camera,  etc. known to mankind, we were ready to catch up with the rest of the riders -- maybe!


HUNTING FOR THE FAMILY


 Unloading the two four-wheeler s.  


 Following Uncle "W" down the mountain side.


 It was good to know that an "outhouse" was nearby.
NOT that anyone of us would be seen within 20 feet of it!!


 Crossing a creek.....


 Yes, we did find the rest of the group as they were eating lunch! 
 Hooray! Lunch time! 


 I was in flower heaven enjoying the abundant wildflowers - purple, blue, lavender!


THE RIDERS

 "

 "D" and the "Pooh"


 "Big A" and "Little A" - riding buddies.  

 "Papa G", "Big A", and "Little A"!  1-2-3!

 "JR" and me - and my camera!

 A selfie...."Pooh" and "Mama T".

 Brother and sister..."Pooh" and "Big A".


 Uncle "W"



PICTURES FROM THE RIDE
 - in no particular order.

 A rocky trail...

 An amazingly green clearing........
We were all wondering if there had been a cabin on this very spot a hundred years ago......


 A quiet trail among the tall trees.....


 A "selfie" in the works.


Exploring a cave.....



A great place to cool off and take a shower!



 "D" found a baby bat in one of the caves!  (I much prefer flowers to bats!)

"Pooh" received a bouquet of wildflowers from "D".
Awwwww..... Sweet!





 Gorgeous blue wild flowers lined the banks of the creek... The photo is a bit blurry since we were traveling at a high rate of speed - probably 5 MPH!


 These lavender wildflowers were everywhere!


 "Papa G" discovered a "lucky" chestnut.




 The Great Explorers!  Need I say more???


 Stopping for a body stretch and attending to nature ...

 "Papa G" got quite a bit of mud on his shirt and raced to the creek to wash it off!


 An abandoned camp fire....

 Serenity......
Even now I can hear the chirping of the birds and the bubbling of  the creek.



 "Big A" met up with some of his friends from school.  (Yep, that's mud on the back of "A's" jeans).  Now I had to wonder if the parents approved of their son driving that pretty truck along these bumpy, muddy, trails???  Hmmmmmm.

 Getting ready to forge the creek....

 So many trails.......

So many decisions.....Left?   Right?



 "JR", Uncle "W". and I met up with another group of riders on our way in as we were hunting the rest of our group. That was one muddy looking four wheeler!  The group was really muddy looking too!!  Not the friendliest looking people, but then again it was hard to tell since there was so much MUD covering their faces.  I really wanted to snap a photo but was afraid they would throw me in a mud puddle.....so I didn't.  We were out numbered 3 to 1!    Sometimes, I practice common sense.

We traveled across some muddy areas and up a very steep, gravelly incline.  Definitely out of my comfort zone.  You will have to take my word for this because I was closing my eyes and holding on for dear life with both hands, making snapping pictures impossible. The worst part was coming back down --  slipping and sliding on the gravel with the side of the ravine only inches away!  I don't remember much except yelling, "SLOW DOWN! SLOW DOWN!"   Brave me actually hopped off the four-wheeler a few times and took to walking - especially when it was time to cross a deep, wide mud puddle that has a history of burying riders never to be seen or heard from again!!  That's me......SUPER WOMAN to the core!!



HEADING HOME

 On our way back to civilization....


 We made it back to the top of the mountain....I was so happy to see those blue skies!


 Loading the ATV's up and heading home!

 (I followed the guys home in our van because I didn't want to risk riding in that tiny back seat.  Just some more of my common sense kicking in!!  Plus I got to "dig in" to the leftover snacks - without having to share!)

I wish everyone,Blue Skies, Warm Temps, and Mountain Trails!
(And Chocolate!)

Dee Dee

   


Saturday, April 18, 2015

The Great Egg Hunt - Easter 2015

Oh My!  This blog is about two weeks late but here it is anyway!

After a Friday of clouds, wind, rain and storms, the Saturday before Easter dawned clear, sunny, and breezy with a high in the mid 60's.  Perfect weather for an Easter Egg Hunt and lunch in the sunshine.
The "Little Cowboy" invited two of his best buds to come and hunt eggs with him.  There is nothing like three preschool boys running around the farm to make a heart sing!

The Thursday before Easter, the Little Cowboy dyed eggs.  He's getting pretty good at it.

First, you set up the table adding vinegar and water to the bowls...


Next, you add some food dye to the vinegar and water.......


Then you drop in the egg.....just use your hands!


Stir the eggs around for a few minutes.......


Keep stirring until the eggs are brightly colored.....


The work goes faster if you use your hands!!


Now here's a perfect green egg!


Last, line them up and wait for them to dry.



Saturday - the day of the BIG HUNT!



Three large Easter Baskets for the pint sized guests to take home; three pails to hunt lost eggs; and a bunny cake to eat for dessert!

The little guys ready to hunt eggs....


Moms, dads, and friends tag along....


"I found one!   I found one!"


"Let's see what's inside the eggs."


"I think there's something moving in my pail!  Maybe it's a baby dinosaur!"


The official Easter Egg count....and the winner is???.....Imagine!  All three little cowboys found the same number of eggs.  (I smell an Easter Bunny at work here!)


After the hunt - Enjoying a lunch of chicken fingers, slaw, baked beans, deviled eggs, banana pudding, BUNNY CAKE, and tea!  I wish I could take credit for all the cooking but I can't.  However, I did bake and decorate the cake, make the banana pudding, and fix the deviled eggs and purchase the tea.  Four out of seven "ain't" so bad!



Once everyone was fed, it was time to open the eggs and count their "bunny money".


That's Big A in his green and white cap - forever with a basketball in his hand! That's Meme T trying to loop her camera over her head.  Which reminds me.....It's hard to host an Easter Egg Hunt AND take pictures.  I wound up grabbing for my phone instead of my camera - mainly because my camera was buried somewhere under all the Easter madness.  I found it a few days later!

JR and his happy, tired, aching, exhausted bride!  Okay, maybe no longer considered a "bride" but who's counting?  Or is that "whose" counting?  Or "who is" counting?  An English major I am not!!


A trip to the farm would not be complete without a ride on the Mule.  Mud puddles here we come!



And they are off and running!


Uh Oh!! These two little guys spotted their Easter Baskets.  


No way is this Easter Basket getting away.


"I'm just going to put it in the car so the Easter Bunny doesn't come back and get it!"

"Hey, I know.....let's put ALL the Easter Baskets in my mommies car! So they don't melt."


Easter Morning!


When the Little Cowboy woke up Easter morning, he followed the bunny prints from his bedroom to #2 Easter Basket! (Please ignore the Little Cowboy's mismatched pajama outfit ----- it's a long story.)


"Hmmm.  Lots of neat stuff in here"


The Little Cowboy "reading" with Papa before leaving for church.




Spring has indeed arrived and the promise of resurrection, in this life and the next, is all around us.  
Blessings to all, 

Love,
Dee Dee