Lil' Red Gets a Big Brother

On Thursday we said good-bye to the Kodiak Brown truck. It has served us well, taking us to the Northwest last August, camping in the Black Hills and other camping parks, and on many geocaching adventures. There was nothing wrong with the truck. Hubby just got an itch.

A new Ruby Red truck, 2016 F150, has taken the place of the 2014 truck. I am certain Big Red will serve us just as well on camping trips and geocaching adventures. It will be put to the test next month!

I wonder if Lil' Red will be jealous when she sees Big Red sitting under the car port in a couple of months???

Day 2 of Camping at Newton Hills

This post is all about the grandkids. They are the only ones I have AND the camera battery died rather early on Day 2. These are the only photos I got.

The kiddos had gone on a hike with their mom earlier in the morning. (Daddy had to go to work during the day.) When they got back from their hike, it was G'pa & G'ma time. We were ready because we had been able to sleep in AND we had our morning coffee.

she had done this so many times, she developed a blister

not the dare-devil like his sister

I had helped him hang upside down, 

but no one was there to take the photo

then I 'taught' him how to 'jump' down from the platform

I don't think he did it more than twice

sitting on his sister's bike

sibling love

throwing a baton at G'pa's kubb

he throws left-handed & writes right-handed

she throws right-handed & writes left-handed

our travel trailer in the background

Miss W had lots of opportunity to ride her bike on the safe, long road in our camping section. It was a great practice area. The kiddos were befriended by two girls who were camping with their grandparents in our area. The four of them played exploring games in the woods and rode their bikes around the camping area. The kiddos had a great time, as did we in the well-kept, large spaced camping spots. It was a fun summer camping trip, even with the hot, humid weather.

Day 1 - Camping at Newton Hills

Earlier this summer plans were made to camp for two days with the grandkids and their parents at one of the many South Dakota State Parks, Newton Hills. We had never been to the park before and the kids had only been once, for an afternoon picnic. We brought our travel trailer and parked in a space next to their cabin. This was our first together camping trip.

Since it was a middle of the week camping trip, the park did not have many visitors. It was easy to keep an eye on the kiddos. We were very close to a playground, some woods for exploring, and a road which made an excellent biking path for the grandkids. Our camping area was huge (there are several camping areas at Newton Hills) with lots of green space, restrooms and clean & spacious bath houses. There wasn't a fire ban last week, so each evening we had a fire and S'mores.

Here are some photos from Day 1.

we were introduced to the lawn game, Kubb

roasting marshmallow for the S'mores

kiddos got to roast their own

sign of a good S'more

smile and a dirty face

G'pa had colored fire sticks for the fire

another happy camper

the color sticks were a hit

My Flowers

I have posted very few photos of my flowers this summer because
1) there haven't been many flowers
2) I haven't been home a lot
3) there haven't been many blooms when I have been home
4) it has been HOT and DRY
5) I haven't been home to provide much TLC
6) I moved many of them in May...and probably shouldn't have
7) and did I mention, I haven't been home a lot????

The perennial flower beds are holding their own. A small rabbit is slowly, but surely nibbling away on several of the lilies that looked so very good in early June. (The few I did see!) The heat killed the Icelandic Poppies, again. I will try again next spring, but plant them in a different location. I also tried some Oriental Poppies, but I am not certain the 3 plants will make it to next spring. Of well. The flower gardens are an ongoing project.

What has finally made a splash of color are the Gerbera Daisies I planted in pots. I carefully searched greenhouses for complimentary colors and planted accordingly.

the bright pink appeared this weekend

the medium pink color appeared mid-week

there is a paler pink somewhere in the planter

just not blooming NOW

(it was when I planted it; see Still More Flowers in May)

finally, all three colors in the yellow/orange family planter

blooms from earlier in the week

the left one is actually cream color, not white

I bought a vining plant in May

love the little yellow flowers with their dark centers

no name other than vine plant

it has gone crazy this summer, despite very little TLC

The Martha Washington Geraniums are alive, but have not done very well. Everything else in the pots have taken over.  I had such high hopes and expectations back in May Still More Flowers and in early June B-Day post.  There is always next year!

Central City Cemeteries

Geocaching in the Central City (Colorado) cemeteries was the second or maybe main reason for spending the Fourth of July in the old mining town. Our research showed about four cemetery geocaches. Our friends, Neil and Marlene, shared the cemeteries were a MUST DO because they were rather unique. I so agree. Unique because of their natural/nature state, because of the number of them in an almost ghost town, and unique because of their history.

Our tour guide mentioned 11 cemeteries. There were several more out in the area mountains, but I was excited about the six we did find.

lots of native flowers growing 

interesting fencing

old cracked/broken headstones

interesting headstones

Kitty was the wife

LOVED the flowers

Knight of Pythias

normal entrance, lots of natural flora

Catholic Cemetery

climbed a staircase over the fence to get in

Hubby walking the 'road' to the cache

small, pink flowers

35 years old, probably a miner

coke oven in the Catholic Cemetery

German immigrant

another interesting fence or

headstone barrier

Odd Fellows Cemetery founded in 1865

we climbed steps over the fence to enter this one, too

a couple of tree trunk headstones

couldn't enter this one, gate locked

hadn't thought of cemeteries as private property

I do now!

the gate to the closed/locked Masonic Cemetery

the most unique one of the day

a cemetery for one person

Clara A. Dulaney, daughter

age 1 year, 5 months, 12 days

her grave site was well-kept

more CO flowers

So climbing steps to go over fences to enter a cemetery was something new. I think there were two reasons are this. The first is because there was a very popular dirt bike track near three of the climb the steps cemeteries. I suppose not everyone would respect the final resting places. Two other nearby cemeteries were not gated or fenced or locked and the dirt bikers had not been in them, that we noticed. The second reason is the private property issue. Other folks had used the steps and were walking among the headstones, some looking for the oldest headstone in each cemetery. It was only the one fenced, locked-gate cemetery that had the private property sign posted on the fence, the Masonic Cemetery.

The fun, winning few minutes we spent at Easy Street Casino and the interesting, unique cemeteries in Central City made 2016 Fourth of July a memorable one.