Hiking Gear

After a 5 hour hike in our mountains with Dickie and Susan last Sunday, Dickie bought me a gift of walking sticks and a fanny pack for my camera.  They will be used often and with thanks. 

Rain Deluge

On Sunday evening, as we were preparing to have guests for dinner, a rain cloud enveloped us with 63mph winds.  We got at least 3" of rain in less than an hour.  Wind was blowing the rain and hail horizontally, so we had water coming in around the front door and the sliding doors on the north side of the house.  Cousin Dickie, Susan, Elizabeth and Katherine jumped right in and helped mop the floors with towels.  As the rain passed, we had a clean floor!

The real damage from the rain was to our road.  With our mountains of rock, there was incredible runoff that knocked a tree across our road and washed the surface off most of our 2.5 mile driveway, so jagged solid rock is now exposed in many places, with the road narrowing in places to barely the width of my Hummer.  We will need a dozer to help us push enough dirt back on the roadbed for it to be easily passable again.  Papa has been out on Fergie, yesterday and today, trying to make improvements to the road. 

There is additional damage in every creek on the ranch, where fences cross.  Papa spent time yesterday at one creek crossing where the water got up to 15' deep.  Since we bought the ranch in 2003, we've never had a rain like this one!  We are grateful for the rain.  Grass is growing!

Summer Sunset

Tarantulas

Tarantulas have been crawling about the patio since the rains have started.  They are really ugly!

Mountain Caves Hike

We have several shallow caves on the ranch.  On Sunday, cousin Dickie, his wife Susan, and I went on a 5 hour hike to three caves.  There are red marks on the wall of one of them, along with a tell tale sign of Indian habitation, a grind stone. 

Cousin's Visit to the Ranch

Every year, we say in our Christmas letter, "come see us at the ranch."  We've had a few friends and family take us up on the offer.  Lulu's cousin Dickie emailed in the spring that he would like to bring his family to the ranch for a few days this summer.  Dickie, wife Susan, and daughters Elizabeth and Katherine, arrived on Friday for a long weekend at the ranch.  We all hiked together, Papa rode horses with Dickie, Elizabeth and Katherine rode with Carly and again on Oscar and Pablo, we enjoyed meals together, played Cranium, and had a wonderful time.

On the last night they were with us, we had the worst storm since 2003, with 63 mph winds and close to 3" of rain in a very short period of time.  Our road washed out, so Dickie helped Papa cut up a tree that fell across the road and throw rocks off the 2.5 miles to the green gate. I drove them off the ranch at mid morning today, with another rain storm spilling over the mountains behind us.  We hope cousin Dickie and family will visit us again!

Happy 1st Birthday Emerson!

Emerson turned 1 on July 23.  Claire and David threw an elephant themed birthday party for her at their home in Amman.  She clearly had fun with her birthday cupcake!  Happy Birthday Emerson!

Sleeping Baby

I am back on the ranch after my return from Austin, staying with Whitney's family after Greta's birth.  This is my favorite photo of little Greta.  Sleeping babies are perfect!

Bees on Agave Flowers

There is a magnificent blooming agave in my agave garden at our front door.  Bees were buzzing around the freshly open flowers this morning. 

The Morning After

We got 1.25" of rain late yesterday and into the night.  The storm was beautiful to watch!  This morning the sun was peaking through and kissing the tops of mountains all around.  It was a beautiful morning!

Heads and Antlers

As we hike on the ranch we often find horseshoes and sometimes bones and antlers.  We have a designated place for the old horseshoes, on the fence of the Rock House.  Sometimes we drag animal heads and antlers home too.  Papa hangs them on the outside wall of the tack room. 

Planning for Aunt Rhea's 90th Birthday

I am so grateful for the relationship I have developed with Aunt Rhea over my life.  Aunt Rhea is my Dad's older sister and she will turn 90 on September 11.  She and Uncle Wayne moved to Ocala, Florida early in their marriage and had three daughters, my cousins, Renee, Jane, and Debbie.

Through the years, going to Aunt Rhea and Uncle Wayne's house was filled with wonderful memories of preparing and eating meals together.  Aunt Rhea was an adventurous cook.  As a child, I remember eating in their dining room at Christmas time with a 20' tree next to the table, having a piece of the tallest coconut cake I had ever seen. The first time I ate paella was at their house in Ocala in the late 70's over a weekend spent with them while I was in college.  Preparing the paella took all day and I had never tasted anything like it.  The preparation was as memorable as the paella! 

When our firstborn, a daughter, came along, we chose the most elegant name we knew, Audrey Rhea.  Aunt Rhea is and always has been the most elegant woman I've known. 

Aunt Rhea's biscuits were the lightest, fluffiest I've ever eaten anywhere.  Biscuits were always on her menu.  After my girls came along in the 80's and we visited in North Carolina, Whitney and Claire were a bottomless pit when Aunt Rhea's biscuits were on the table.  Even as preschoolers, they recognized they were quite special and not served on every table! 

We visited Aunt Rhea and Uncle Wayne at various times of the year in North Carolina.  On one of those trips, raspberries were ripe in the garden and Dale was the first to volunteer each morning to go out to pick.  Not many raspberries made it to the table.  Aunt Rhea sent Papa a jar of her homemade raspberry jam for Christmas for years.  That jar of jam was treasured by Papa and all the rest of us!  Eating it was a special occasion at our house. 

One year over a Thanksgiving weekend spent with Aunt Rhea and Uncle Wayne, my teenage girls went through Aunt Rhea's recipes and wrote down many of their favorites, which are standards at holiday time and other special occasions throughout the year.  Chocolate chess pie, squash souffle, cinnamon rolls, and peanut butter cookies are a few.  What a privilege to make Aunt Rhea's recipes!

My cousins have planned a 90th birthday party for Aunt Rhea at her home in North Carolina.  I made Papa and my air reservations this morning, so we can be part of the party. 

At The Marie Selby Botanical Garden in Sarasota, Florida, 1993.

Cooking Every Day

After 30+ years of preparing meals almost daily, sometimes it's fun to try new things.  

Over the years, I have clipped recipes from magazines and have a recipe file that I go through a couple of times a month for ideas.  I regularly look at www.epicurious.com and www.foodnetwork.com for recipes.  As Papa and I get older, our meals have changed a bit.  

We are conscious of eating lots of fruit and vegetables, plenty of calcium and folic acid, 

and getting plenty of exercise.  I want our meals to be yummy and interesting too.

Handmade Quilts and Blankets

My Grandmother Perkins was known for her quilting. She won the top quilting prize at the Chicago World's Fair in 1933. I grew up with Grandmother's handmade quilts always on my bed. My mother also quilts and she has made hundreds of quilts over the years. She also crochets and makes beautiful blankets. I enjoy using many of her quilts and blankets, as do my girls.  The largest thing I have made is a white baby blanket for our firstborn, Audrey. Whitney now has that blanket and is using it with Greta.  This is a small sampling of the handmade quilts and blankets in Whitney's home.

Present for Big Brother Toby

I flew to Austin to help Whitney with the new baby.  Grammar sent a gift card for Toby to choose a toy at Target after Greta was born.  Corey took Toby to choose the gift and they returned with a remote control car that turns over and reverses.  It's pretty exciting!  Toby didn't quite figure out how to push the buttons to make the car go in either direction, but he figured out very quickly that if you push the buttons, the car goes FAST!  He loves it!

Sweet Baby Greta

Adorable Squared!  

So far so good!  She's a great baby.  Mama Whitney is doing well too

Strawberry-Yogurt Popsicles

Strawberry-Yogurt Popsicles
makes 4-6, depending on the size of your molds
1 pint strawberries, cored and quartered
1/8 cup sugar
2 tablespoons water
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 cup Greek style yogurt

Bring the strawberries, water, and sugar to a simmer in a medium sauce pan. Simmer for five minutes, or until strawberries are very soft. Pour into a food processor, add the lemon juice, and pulse a few times, until fruit is almost pureed but not liquified. Chill in the refrigerator until cool.

Stir the yogurt into the strawberry mixture until combined. Pour into molds and freeze for at least 8 hours or overnight. To remove, run some warm water over the outside of the mold until you can gently pull the popsicle out. 

Toby and I made these yesterday.  They are yummy!

Butterfly

A bonus of living on the ranch, far from civilization, is noticing the little things.  This butterfly sat on our patio for close to an hour yesterday.  So delicate, with beautiful markings.  Exquisite!

Greta Nell

Whitney and Corey welcomed Greta Nell into the world this afternoon around 1:20 p.m. She weighed 8 lbs. 11 oz.  Welcome Greta!

Monsoon Season

At last monsoon season seems to have arrived in southern Arizona!  Until yesterday, we had only .4" of rain at the ranch in 2011.  The last measurable precipitation was on December 31 when we had a few inches of snow.  Summer monsoons are particularly nice as the clouds build through the day, then in late afternoon wind begins to blow and rain often comes, cooling the air for hours.  Love waking up to morning temperatures in the 60's!

Raggedy Andy

While Audrey was at the ranch a couple of weeks ago, we looked through some things I have at the ranch.  Grammar had kept my Raggedy Ann and Andy for over 50 years and sent them to me a couple of years ago. Audrey loved them plus she found a long lost bear that she wanted for her new baby.  Later, while going through a box of Audrey's baby things, I found a pair of rabbit fur booties that were hers.  Today I sewed a double sided cotton/flannel receiving blanket.  

All fun stuff for a new baby!

Lollipops

Remember your first lollipop?  William wasn't so sure about his.  Adorable! 

Flowers that Attract Hummingbirds

We enjoy two flowering plants in our house garden from early spring to late fall, desert willow and red yucca.   Both attract hummingbirds.  

July 4 Memories

We moved into Highland Park in Dallas, in 1988, just as Audrey was going into first grade and Claire and Whitney were going to kindergarten.  Highland Park had wonderful July 4 parades with everyone joining in.  People would drive their boats and trucks in the parade with children sitting on top throwing candy and patriotic music blaring.  As the parade was winding down, all the spectators would join the back of the parade on bikes, skates, or on foot and go to Goar Park for a picnic, where clowns would be face painting and making balloon animals, people would toss frisbees, and play various ball games.  Our next door neighbor invited us a couple of times to Dallas Country Club for dinner and to watch the fireworks on the golf course.  It was a lot of fun!

When we moved to Sarasota in 1992, I got together with a couple of neighbors and we organized a neighborhood entry in the July 4 parade downtown, with kids on bikes and roller blades, and adults carrying an enormous American flag.  We all wore red, white, and blue, with kids decorating their own t-shirts.  Later in the day, kids paraded through the neighborhood on bikes and parents gathered at a neighbor's home on the bayfront for a potluck dinner and to watch fireworks over Sarasota Bay.  The potluck dinner and fireworks party continued for years and may still be ongoing.  It was a neighbor gathering and celebration we always looked forward to.  Happy July 4! 

Leather Stamp

Papa has been doing leather work for over a decade.  To date, he has made seven saddles, all bearing his own stamp. Note: there is a spelling mistake in the stamp, so its all the more valuable!

Lulu as Photographer

Papa and I returned to the ranch yesterday after Audrey flew back to Chicago.  We are tidying up after the branding and a few days away from the ranch.  Mary emailed a photo of me that she took at the branding a week ago.  Papa gave me a Nikon D90 a year ago for my birthday and I am enjoying taking photos everywhere.

Expecting a Baby

Audrey and Dan announced on Mother's Day that they are expecting a baby, due in December.  

Audrey is starting to show a bit.