Where Kitty?

How did this happen? Let's rewind a little...


While working in the backyard on Saturday we suddenly realized Emmett was gone. "Travis you left the front gate open!" Actually, he had it completely off it's hinges for legitimate work reasons. "Go look out front!" I went to check inside. After canvasing the house and coming back out I spotted him. He was in the neighbors backyard that backs against ours but is separated from us by the creek.

He was petting their kitty.
He was not about to listen and come back when there was a kitty to be petted.

Travis had to climb down the retaining wall, climb down into the dry creek bed full of cut blackberry vines, climb up the slope on the other side, grab him and come back. Emmett did it a second time a little later. That second time, as Travis trespassed in their backyard, he got to meet the neighbor (who's nice and completely understanding).

Fast forward to yesterday. I'm chatting with Carson about who knows what when he suddenly throws in "Well, Emmett's outside."
"What!" Commence running during which I call back "Where outside?!"
"The backyard"
ARGH.
There he is on the other side of the creek, inspecting the empty kiddie pools. At least he listened and came right back when I called (due to no kitty in sight.) Unfortunately, after all the nice weather we've had it had rained that morning so it was all muddy.

He slid down the slope from the neighbors yard then needed some guidance finding the spot he could climb up on our side which is a lot steeper.


Up he comes


Yes Emmett, whatever you're saying, now just get up here!


Thank you. Those aren't you're shorts, no wonder they're falling off.


I had to text Travis about it, so I took this with my phone to send him. So there we have it. That's how you get muddy socks (left from church the day before) and scraped up shins. Was he upset? No he was perfectly content and just asked me, "Where kitty?"

Aumsville Corn Festival 2010

Time for another parade! Saturday Aug 28th was Aumsville's annual Corn Festival. Since Dr. Travis is currently doing the most hours at our Aumsville office he was the front man driving the tractor for this parade.


Our float also had a mascot appropriate to the Festival this year!


Ben found this corn costume last year but only Avery and Alli tried it on for part of the parade and weren't really visible on the float. But now meet Christina, daughter of Travis' assistant Cynthia.


It takes a special someone to willingly put on a corn costume and prance around...


Thanks to Christina's pizazz we also had two pictures in the Statesman Journal (Salem's newpaper) gallery of the Corn Festival. Check them out here.

Carson and Emmett really enjoyed the frisbees we were tossing out


They're fun to look through too.


Emmett particularly enjoyed the candy. I do not even know how much that kid stole and ate without help...


Carson enjoyed the candy too


Avery enjoyed the candy too, but to throw it along with the floss!


Dr. Ben helped throw the candy too. Unfortunately for me, shortly after I took this picture I took a shot to the end of my eyebrow from Ben hurling the candy hard across the float to the people on the other side. Thanks for the goose egg...


Um, not sure what Carson was doing with these two tiny pieces of hay, but he was working at them for a while...


When we finished the parade I found Emmett with one of these that he had discarded earlier... and sticky fingers... and hay stuck to him... and apparently me saying, "No, dirty, yucky" has no meaning when I'm also taking a picture of him...


The pictures don't show it well, but his lips were very yellow and gooey.


And for whatever reason that made him stick his lips out until I got him wiped up. Such cute lips.


Then Avery wanted to try on the corn costume.


Like I said, it takes someone special to want to wear this...


Another fun parade! Next up, the Sublimity Harvest Fest!

Dunes!

We finally made it to the dunes this summer! Last weekend we headed out on Thursday evening (because who doesn't love setting up a tent in the dark) with Travis' parents and met up with Kevin and Katrina who were staking everyone's place at Winchester Bay. Bright and early Friday morning Travis unloaded our trailer and Emmett could not wait to go for a ride!


Let's go!


Carson was less enthused. The quads and sand rails scare him but he'll ride in Papa's Polaris Ranger happily.


Good morning Katrina and Julie!


Miss Julie loves her doggies


Good morning Sonny


Whoa, good morning Spike


Meanwhile, Avery and Ben had snuck away to "check things out" on the Ranger. At one point Kevin was asking Travis where Ben was because he was chomping at the bit to get out there. When I informed them that he and Avery had already taken off the guys couldn't get on their quads fast enough to go out too. Avery came back with this thoroughly sand scoured crab shell that managed to find its way to the middle of the dunes.




Travis and Kevin had found Ben and Avery and came back with them so we could all head out together. Emmett could not wait! He's such a bobble head in the helmet! And how cute is he with the little swim goggles on to keep the sand out. (Why spend a bunch of money on riding goggles when these work for the kids just fine)


And look how cute he is with his short little legs, they barely make it out of the bucket seat!


Since my little camera is still out of commission from the Shotgun Creek trip it was nice that DeAnna brought her little camera out for some pictures on the dunes.
Avery in Travis' rail, Emmett in Ben's rail and me on a quad.


After a while we stopped and chatted and Emmett got fed up with waiting but his poor little bobble head had taken enough bouncing so we decided to put him in the Ranger with DeAnna and Carson.

When we were headed back in Ben spotted a lug nut in the sand and thought it might be Travis' and sure enough when we caught up to him it was and we found him like this. He'd lost 3 of 4 lug nuts! (that's actually happened on that back left wheel before, we don't know what that wheel's issue is!)


And Carson and Emmett had fallen asleep!


Oops, I'm being chastised for taking a picture of sleeping boys when they wanted me to come put the wheel back on while they held the back end up.


Wheel on, camera back in hand.


Back in camp they did a better job of getting it put back together.


Emmett, that is Julie's seat. Do you have to climb on (into) everything just because you can?


I thought this face was pretty dirty...


...but sure enough he got it dirtier. And this picture neither does the dirt justice nor was he done getting even dirtier at this point! I still can't figure why he always had a perma dirt mask.


Mmm, foil dinners.


So yummy!


The flash makes it look darker out than it is, but Carson is pointing out the first stars to come out.


Angela, Shane and Alli arrived that Friday evening to stay just one night, so Saturday morning the kids all loaded up to go to the beach which Avery had been dying to do all the previous day. The seat Ben added to the back of the ranger made it perfect so all four kids could ride.


We went and played on our quads and rails while DeAnna sat with the kids at the beach.

I really like this moment she caught, it's too bad Carson is blocking Alli just then.


Because he thinks he's a dog.


Saturday night the boys were playing on the quads while waiting for dinner. Can't you just hear Carson saying "vrrrrrrooommmm!"


Whoa, Carson's a crazy driver!


Then it was time to break out the new Lensbaby! This was the opportunity I was waiting for!




Hey, look, there's me checking my Lensbaby pictures.


I just think this is a funny moment DeAnna caught Sunday morning. What does Carson do if you try to monster truck it over him and his truck?


After breaking camp we went for just another Sunday drive in the park, right? That's Ben, Kevin and Travis from the top of the hill down.


Travis thinks he's cool.


That's okay, I think I'm cool too. This trip was actually the first time I got to ride some quads I could jump with! Yea for first time jumping! It was a lot of fun and easy on the little lightweight Yamaha Blaster that's only 200cc. The Polaris I'm riding here is 500cc though and wow can you feel the power difference. It's also sooo much heavier and you can feel it especially turning. With all that extra power it's a little scary especially trying to jump it and only getting on it the first time Sunday morning, I definitely took it easy. I need more time to play with a bigger engine quad like that!


Ben got his iPhone out and got some pictures that morning.


For the last run of the day just Kevin and Katrina and Travis and I went out on the rails and Ben took the Ranger. This was a picture from the day before, but it's what I looked like when I went for a ride on a sand rail (or was I going to rob a bank? the boys thought I was hilarious when I "held up" the motor home like this.) The sand rails can really blow sand at you. I've literally been bathed before. It ends up in every orifice. I don't care about the sand all over me except washing sand out of my hair for a week is aggravating and I don't own a hat like the others were wearing. I've also decided I like to breathe without the grit so I wore the second handkerchief with the added bonus of keeping the sand out of my ears. (The boys' ears are still getting sand out of them a week later!)


This is Kevin and Katrina driving Ben's sand rail coming down the hill and Travis and I in his rail. We like hanging along the top of the bowl as long as we can before going down. You can't do that with a quad!


Taking a moment to ask Kevin if he'll count the lug nuts on the left tire when we turn around (yeah, we kept having to tighten them back down but at least we didn't loose any more.)


But then...

The tow-er:


The tow-ee:


Travis' rail has a thing about blowing condensers for no apparent reason. He did bring an extra one to the dunes but it was back at camp and since we were going to head back to camp and load up to go home soon we decided to just tow. First Kevin and Katrina went scouting to find the easiest route (we were pretty far back in) and then I jumped in the Ranger with Ben for the ride back (being towed is not a great ride, I've been in that seat more than once before). They were doing okay but then there was a spot Kevin hadn't noticed on his scout and they had to gun it over a jump. Both rails got some good air and it was just plain ridiculous looking (and painful for all involved since it wasn't how you'd typically take a jump!) After that I told Ben to give me his phone so I could get pictures while he drove. I guess that's what happens when you don't take it easy on a Sunday.


Then it was back to camp to load up all the rigs. Between us all there were 2 sand rails, the Odyssey (which Travis only took out once because it's really bumpy and the sand was pretty chewed up) 6 quads and the Ranger. It was SO nice this being the first trip when there was enough, and the right kind of rides for everyone.