Our Last Full Day at the Ranch

Tomorrow we go into town for Karen’s cousin’s funeral. Jason and I will hang with the kids while everyone else attends the funeral. Joni (Karen’s cousin) went in for a routine test last week, developed an infection and died within 24 hours after. They’re still trying to figure out what happened.

Today, though, was a fantastic last day at the Ranch. Kiley and I slept in until 8:30 (the boys don’t sleep in here, they get up early to play with their PaPa)…he normally feeds them Cheetos and Pop for breakfast…no wonder they like getting up and hanging with him.

The boys found a Turtle this morning during their outdoor adventures and have kept him, along with a baby Turtle they found, in a box all day. Ian also has a small collection of bugs in jars that he’s been gathering. I’m not sure where they’ll go in the trailer.

Once I was up, I worked out in the shop getting the camper and the truck ready for the long trek back to California. We changed the oil, checked all the stuff you need to check and greased all the joints. I also did some minor maintenance work on the trailer.

The real challenge was getting Kiley’s cedar chest (a gift from her Grandparents) full of family mementos in the already full back of the truck. I think it’s well protected and will make the journey. One of the cool finds was an antique firehouse water pail.

Kiley spent much of the day doing the laundry. Fortunately, it’s dry and windy, so she can hang lots of it outside to dry faster than even the dryer could dry it.

Ian went into Martin with Kiley’s dad to have a friend “fix” one of the cats. Ian insists he’s going to be a vet when he grows up, so he went along to comfort the cat during the trip. Of course, PaPa had to take him out to eat…they had corn dogs, French fries and….Mountain Dew! I asked why he gave him Mt. Dew and he said, “Well, ‘cause he wanted it of course…” I guess that’s the privilege of being a grandparent.

After Tom got back, he drove Brendon and I up the river. We dove in with our inner tubes and floated down river, past the house and to a spot that the boys have called the “Sand pit.” Tom and Ian met us there (Ian didn’t want to float). The deer and horse flies were thick…I imagine our legs will be full of bites tonight, but we had a great time floating. The river has a shallow sandy bottom, much like a southern California beach on the sand is even nicer. It’s pretty cool.

Once we were out, we walked up, still wet, a little canyon where the rains had washed it clean of grass, bushes and trees. It’s basically just a huge sand box. Tom took a nap in the shade of the face of the cliff while the boys and I played in the sand.

Then, I had the privilege, once we were back at the house, of pulling out the compressor and blowing all the sand off of them. That’s the nice thing about it here, they never get muddy, it’s always sand. Just dry them off and blow them off.

Now, we’re finishing up the day with homemade ice cream. Woohoo!