Bluegrass Beaches

Hooray for friends coming to town!  Thank you unnamed grocery chain for sending unnamed employee to San Diego on business in which unnamed wife may or may not have tagged along.  My dear friend (shhh, Kendra) came to town from Kentucky for a few days of beach and sun before having baby number 4! So much fun to see you guys!

Construction Crew

I love it when Chris pulls out the tools and lets the boys build stuff.  They LOVE it, and I get to sit inside and sip tea!  OK, I came outside to snap a few pictures to make it look like I was involved, but I was really inside sipping tea.

Do you see the ball strategically placed?  He's no dummy.

Pencil behind the ear, just like Dad.  In the "ready position," just like Grandpa taught Dad.  This is serious business.

Academics

Here are the boys on their first day of school.  Kindergarten and 2nd Grade, respectively.  I am so proud of these guys!  While they're with me homeschooling most of the time, they do take a few elective classes at a brick-and-mortar school.  It is such a pleasure and honor to teach these fine academics.  I know I'm biased, but they're basically geniuses.

Good Things Growing

See my blue bird in flight?!  I love my birds.  It's not nesting season for them, but they show up every few days or so to check up on their house.  I assume they're making sure it's all set to go for Spring.  We'll leave the light on for you, sweet bird.

Now as for the gophers...no love here.  A gopher swallowed down this marigold in one feel swoop and was never seen from again.  Are marigolds poisonous to gophers?  I don't know, but good riddance.  You're kinda cute, but stay away from my plants!

Have I shown you my raised bed?  I'm pretty darn proud of it.  All of the soil is homemade compost, and here it's full of butternut squash and a few pumpkins.  And yes, where the raised bed meets the original soil is covered in wire mesh to keep the aforementioned gophers out of my beloved veggies.

Rancho de Los Quiotes

We also took Miss Bryn to the Leo Carillo Ranch Historic Park in Carlsbad.  Why haven't we gone here sooner...a step back in time 15 minutes from home.

Reclaimed Wood

When Miss Bryn was in town, we took her to the Batiquitos Lagoon Ecological Reserve.  I thought we were going for a nice nature walk, but it turns out we were going for a lesson in architecture...

Green Builders.  Grandpa would be proud.

Round the Barrels

We took our little cowboy to see his first rodeo.  What am I getting myself into?!

Just in case you were wondering...this is the kind of dog I have in mind when our sweet Roger passes this life.  An Australian Cattle Dog.  Two of them.  Good dog.