Geocaching in Iowa

After the G'kids' daycare we stayed in the campground and did some geocaching across the border in Iowa.

the black sheep of the family

lots of cattle feedlots and hog operations

smelly country

not much for interest on the two days other than the wild roses

growing along the county roads

I am trying to show the corn is waist high 

before the 4th of July

much taller than the corn in our area of the state

the final cache on the Happy Trails series

a hidden ammo can full of stuff

putting it back after signing the log book

what better place to hide the final cache????

the end result of our Iowa adventure

Camping with The GrandKids

We offered to help with some G'kid daycare by staying in a campground near their home and keeping the G'kids one at a time, overnight. We did it that way for two reasons...25' is not a lot of room and it would give each of them some special one-on-one time with us. The two of them rolled a dice to see who had the highest number and would get to stay first.

Miss W got to stay first. We made s'mores with Chocolate Stripe Cookies. OMG! So good! We also did the regular graham crackers and chocolate crackers as we had to limit the number of cook s'mores.

roasting marshmallows over the propane fire pit

Miss W ate at Hu Hot for dinner for her special meal

watching TV the next morning before going home

time at the campground playground on day 2

Mcbe eating a roasted marshmallow on his camp over

Mcbe got to go to breakfast at Perkins with us as his special meal 

day 3 at a neighborhood park

Mcbe being brave on a wobbly walkway

Playgrounds are worth a couple of hours of time, especially when other kids are there and willing to play.

It went so well, we will certainly do it again.

Spring Flowers #4

The posted photos were taken on June 22 when we got home from our trip to the Black Hills and after the Family Reunion weekend and just before we left for several days on another adventure.

Champagne Bubbles Poppy

I got to see the Oriental Poppy flowers!

the plant had something like 17 blooms

one of the Icelandic Poppies is red

the Evening Primrose was just beginning to bloom

the first of several Asiatic Lily plants

the Indian Blanket from seed

given to me by my cousin

don't know what this is called

it adds color and interest to the perennial flower bed

lots of Asiatic Lily buds

Because we are planning to be around more this summer (no long trips) I had decided to add some tomato and cucumber plants to the back flower bed. I did this last year and we enjoyed the fresh veggies. So Memorial Day weekend I planted 3 cucumber plants along the trellis. I noticed before we left for the Hills, the plants looked sick...dead looking, chewed or broken off...so I bought a couple more cucumber plants and replanted. When we got home from the Black Hills, the same thing...chewed off, broken and dried up looking. This time I found a hole under the railroad tie base. I plugged the hole with a rock. The next day, a new hole appeared. I bought two more plants and visited with someone who shared I probably needed some rodent deterrent. I purchased rabbit sprinkle and small rodent sprinkle stuff. And I placed the large cans around the 3 plants.  There will be an update on the animals and the cucumber plants AND the flowers in another post.

A Family Gathering

This is the third time my siblings and their off-spring have gathered at Storybook Land in Aberdeen for a reunion weekend. We do this every two years hoping the 10 grandkids and the 17 great grandkids can all attend and re-connect. That hasn't happened yet, although we have come close to 100% attendance.

This park is awesome. It is free (a cost for the 4 available rides: train, merry-go-round, roller coaster, & balloons) with lots for the little kids to do. There are also pay-for options for the older kids. They chose to go fishing this year. There are picnic shelters to reserve and party rooms for rent. We choose the room because it has AC and is close to the bathrooms. Convenience.

entrance to the park

10 of the great grandkids are under the age of 10

Mcbe enjoying the ride

7 of the 8 in attendance under 10 

crazy mirror at the maze

the third grader and the second grader

siblings at the end of the train

three generations playing pinocle

more pinocle players

youngest generation played BINGO

checking out the water creatures

not old enough to run with the bigger kids

wanted a horse ride

Miss W with the chickens

rainbow provided by Mother Nature

the great grands all enjoyed the hotel swimming pool

after a day running and playing in the park

and some swim time Sunday morning before everyone

headed home

these two are enjoying some kuchen, a reunion tradition