CHICA

Chica has started moving her entire toy "box" around the living room. I'm not sure what she is trying to tell me but it sure is cute!

LUNCH WITH FRIENDS

I had lunch today with some of the ladies I used to work with at the Department of Agriculture. Left to right: Rebecca Land, me, Yolanda Pereda, and Connie Morrill. They were all hired as Agriculture Inspectors for the emergency Med Fly Team and only Yolanda is still with the Department. Rebecca went back to school and is graduating with her associates degree next week. Connie moved to Boston to be near her daughter but returned to Yuma and now she and her parents are moving to New Mexico. We had a really good time and decided we would do lunch at least once a month when I return in the fall.

Is it Summer Yet???

Yesterday we, hopefully, had our last snow storm for the season.....

A funny looking elk showed up also. It is actually a displaced Bighorn Ewe hanging with the Elk. Her closest habitat is probably Hells Canyon or the Seven Devils. It's the first time I've ever seen one around the cabin!

SUMMER IN YUMA = RATTLESNAKES!

Chuck, our neighbor here in Yuma, has spotted four rattlesnakes in the last couple of days. This one was in the wrong place at the wrong time (or maybe the right time)!! He measures 53" and has 15 rattles.

HEADED FOR IDAHO

Just a note to let everyone know that Loren and Rica headed for Idaho this morning. He plans to stay in Ely tonight and then on to his son Rick's (Fruitland, Idaho) tomorrow.

SPRING BREAK - DAYS 4 THRU 7

Both David and I got sunburned so the next two days Loren and I took the kids to a great park across the river so they could burn off some energy. They also spent a lot of time on the computers playing games and giving the G's a little respite. Grandpa has taken each of them on numerous rides on the RAZR and our neighbor, Sandi, took them all for a long walk, back to the park and out for ice cream. David and I went to breakfast at the new casino and then gambled and visited for several hours. On Thursday night Celie stayed with her Grandma Sissy and the rest of us went to Texas Roadhouse for dinner. It was a nice end to a really nice visit!

Miranda totally engrossed in one of the computer games.


Left to right: Cactus Miranda, Jackrabbit Jonathan, Camel Alyssa, and Turtle Celie.

Celie exiting the dragon slide on a very breezy afternoon.

What a handsome dude!

Alyssa and Miranda playing Hide and Seek.

SPRING BREAK - DAY 3

Today David joined the kids for an afternoon of swimming and hanging out while Crystal enjoyed some time with friends in Yuma.

David and Celie enjoying some up close and personal time.

Celie holding her breath under water.

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Jonathan practicing his backstroke.

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David keeping a close eye on Miranda.

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Finally a picture that includes Alyssa! She is just too busy being a little mermaid.

SPRING BREAK - DAY 2

David and Crystal joined us for lunch and then Crystal and I went swimming with the kids. The water was too cold for me but the kids had a blast!
Mom and Grandma having a good time watching the kids.

Double trouble....

What a beautiful smile! Miranda was absolutely freezing but just loves being in the water.

Celie getting ready to take the plung.

SPRING BREAK - DAY 1

Jonathan sporting a new haircut (bribed with a new pair of shoes).

Celie and Rica getting reacquainted.

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Loren and I and David and Crystal took the kids to the Yuma County Fair. After going through the animal barns and some 4-H exhibits, the kids each tried their hand at decorating their own cupcake.

Celie chowing down!

Miranda working on a gumdrop.

Alyssa showing off her creation.

Not to be outdone by the girls, Jonathan decorated one too!


We then entered an area designed just for kids to learn more about agriculture and just have some (free) fun.

Miranda headed straight for the sand box.

Celie did an excellent job with the hula hoop.

Jonathan tried his hand at milking a cow. He also dressed a scarecrow and roped a calf.

Alyssa and Miranda painted some beautiful flowers.

Celie really liked the pink pedal tractor.

Jonathan won this prize with his dynamite aim (and making a water run for the operator).

Miranda discovered that some of these things are a little difficult to get out of!

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After spending all afternoon at the fair, we headed to Round Table Pizza for dinner and then home to watch a movie.

SHUFFLEBOARD TOURNAMENT

Our last shuffleboard tournament each year is a "novelty" tournament. We play two frames sitting on chairs, two frames playing with our left hand, two frames where we score only if the puck lands on a line, and two frames where we only score if we land in the "kitchen" (which is normally a minus 10). Anyway, we had a lot of fun and I had one of my best games with a score of 64.

The Ref...

Shooting left-handed...

Shooting from a sitting position is quite awkward!!

What form!!!

SPRING FLOWERS

Just had to share this picture of cactus flowers. We walk past a lot of these when we are out walking the dogs and it never ceases to amaze me just how beautiful they are.

RICA AND CHICA

What a beautiful little girl!

Tennis anyone?

Couldn't resist snapping this picture of Rica sound asleep in their toy box. How cute can you get?

Loren and I attended the Idaho Picnic today with our friends Claudia and Allen from Idaho Falls. Allen retired from the City of Idaho Falls and Claudia is a retired teacher. They are a lot of fun!! (Claudia's cousin, Diane Blume (Garcia), worked for Loren at the Idaho Department of Administration - small world). We didn't know another soul at the picnic but had a good time anyway. Next year we will invite more of our Idaho friends!

OBEDIENCE TRAINING

I have been taking Rica to Basic Obedience Training for the last seven weeks and tonight she graduated!! She learned to heel, sit, down, stay, and come. We started the class with seven dogs and tonight "graduated" only three - Rica, a border collie and a blue heeler. Here she is with her graduation certificate (she is completely exhausted after the hour-long class!!).

CRAFT WORKSHOP

When we first started coming to the park they had craft workshops every Monday afternoon but hadn't had any for the last few years so I volunteered to try and get some going this year. This afternoon 13 of us made No-Sew Fleece Ponchos. It only took about 1-1/2 hours and they all turned out really nice. It was a little too warm (88 degrees) to be wearing them though!

YUMA KENNEL CLUB AKC DOG SHOW

I showed Chica at the Yuma Kennel Club AKC Dog Show this morning. It was a first for both of us and we learned a lot and had a blast! She got First Place and Best of Breed ribbons for the Chihauhau group and First Place ribbon for the Toy group (she was the only Toy in the competition) but lost out Best of Show to the Border Collie. She also got a nice "silver" canister for her doggie treats.
Strutting our stuff...

The exam...

The competition....

The result....

Updated Photo

Here is an updated photo of Chica and Rica. They love sitting in front of our little electric fireplace on cool mornings. We just weighed Chica and she tipped the scale at 49.1 ounces! We are still keeping our fingers crossed that she will reach 4 pounds so we can breed her. It is amazing how patient Rica is with Chica, especially considering she is still a puppy herself!

They play really cute together (haven't had one major skirmish!).