Ski Boat

The boat has finally been christened as a ski boat. When Amanda and the gang were here in July, a group went out and got Amanda Skiing and Wakeboarding.

Back at the Lake

I am back at Lake Almanor and having fun with Jim, Carole, Karen, Kimber, Charlie and Yum Yum. Here are a few pictures around the house and some taken by Karen on 3 hour run she and Charlie took across the hills south of Highway 89 and Karen and Kimber on a horse ride. The girls also went kayaking at Plumas Pines resort. Oh, we also now have television and unlimited long distance telephone.

Kowgirl Kimber

Karen's Horse

Kimber, Karen, Carole and Jim

The new satellite antenna.

Charlie

Charlie with his running shoes on.


Local Flora


Butt Lake from above

Local Fauna

Being a Mom

One of the great things about being a Mom (besides having two wonderful children) is being a Nana. I have seven of the most wonderful grandchildren in the world. Is my perspective slanted perhaps? Anyway, S and A along with their spouses have raised a group of well behaved (most of the time), loving, fun, interesting, exciting, smart, beautiful, you get the picture, children. The Giggle of Girls (Katelynn, Emily, Beth and Hailey) are headed for Maryland right now and I miss them very much. The W Gang (Tyler, Ashley and Aiden) are in Templeton.

Katelynn, 10 years old, is the first grandchild and will therefore will always hold that special place in my heart. She and I went on the trip of a life time on board an aircraft carrier from Hawaii to San Diego with her Daddy. Katelynn has been such a special help to her Mommy and Sisters during Daddy's military absences. Katelynn also helped me very much last summer when the Giggle stayed at Lake A, so Mommy could meet Daddy in the Orient.

Emily, 8 years old, the second grandchild, is so special in her appreciation of music and dance, something in which Nana has no talent. One day while playing dolls with the girls in Chula Vista, Emily instructed me to hum or sing for the doll I was holding. After a few minutes, Emily suggested that she should do the humming and singing. Good choice. My most recent vision of Emily was in Carole's garden, where Emily danced and sang in an environment much like the "Secret Garden."

Tyler, 5 years old, is grandchild number three. He was the only grandchild that I was actually present at birth. I was one of the first faces that he saw in this world. From the time he was very little, he loved anything with wheels. I followed him around and around the house in Atascadero while he pushed anything that rolled. He is also an accomplished puzzle person, one of Nana's passions. He can put just about anything together, or take it apart.

Elizabeth (Beth): is 4 year old grandchild number four, born in Maryland, so I didn't get to see her until she was a couple of weeks old. I went back to help J after S went back to work. The excitement of the trip was not the laundry or housekeeping, but the Hurricane. We only lost power for a few hours, but the trip back to Baltimore was very interesting with no stop lights working. Beth was very easy to take care of as a baby. She has gotten much more active as a young lady. She is the one with the multiple band aids and bruises. She is every one's friend and loves her snacks very much.

Hailey: is 2 years old and grandchild number five. She was also born in Maryland, just before the family moved back to California. I went back to help J bring the two littles (Beth and Hailey) on the airline while the two bigs (Katelynn and Emily) drove with S. It was a rough trip for all, but one of the memories was one of the stewardesses commenting on Hailey falling asleep in my arms while I was also napping. Hailey and I really bonded last summer while the girls stayed with me in Lake A. She really took off walking, talking and going in the lake during the week J was gone.

Ashley: grandchild number six is 17 months old and part of a pair. She was born a couple of minutes before her brother. She is the one with the smile for everyone, but can be a drama queen if necessary. She will sit in any one's lap, even strangers at the park. As an infant, she did not want to take a bottle, so that was a challenge for a Mom trying to get a little break from twins. I really need an Ashley fix, which I will get in a week or so.

Aiden: grandchild number seven, and the other part of the twin set, is the last of our grandchildren. Aiden is very careful about who he warms up too. I am blessed to be one of the special people in his world (so far). He seems to like old ladies. He is big and strong and loves his Mommy very much. I can't wait to see him really walking (running) when I get down to Templeton.

"Old" Friends

One of the highlights of our recent trek through the northwest was re-connecting with friends we have known for a long time. Papa had not seen some of these folks for years. In Oregon, Carole and Jim (1973) gathered together their daughter Kate (one of Scott's first babysitters) along with Greg (1965) and Cathy. We had a wonderful visit and a lot of laughs.

Jim, Kate, John, Cathy, Greg and Carole

StringerZoo on the Move

On April 26, the Stringer Zoo left Chula Vista and headed for Maryland the long way around. Papa and I were able to catch up with them in Mount Shasta, CA and follow them to Hillsboro Oregon and Port Angeles Washington where we said our tearful goodbyes as they made their right turn toward the east coast. Here are a few pictures taken along the way.

The Zoo's new home.

The Giggle of Girls and Great Grandma

The Tortoise and the Hare at Turtle Bay

Hailey Hanging in There

Four Generations

The Girls and Their New Friend in Hillsboro, OR

The Giggle of Girls and Garden Gherty at Jim and Carole's

Eli and Abby Having Fun with Emily Opal and Papa in Mount Shasta

More Fun at Turtle Bay

New Bedroom

As part of our pre-retirement planning, we replaced our 40 year old bedroom furniture. The brass bed is old, but the wood furniture is new. Yum Yum seems to like it.

The Island

It's not Hawaii, but I really love it. I found it at the little furniture shop in Chester and it is perfect for the kitchen. Very heavy. Mike V, his brother Dick, and friends Jim and Mike went and brought it from town on Mike's flatbed trailer. Happy Birthday to me.

The Desert

Our family and friends know how special Yucca Haven is. Situated in Morongo Vally west of Yucca Vally, this cabin was built on homesteaded property by Aunt Melissa in the 40's and 50's with the help of her sisters, her students and hitchhikers that she held at gunpoint. The basic cabin is built from concrete and bottles of varying shapes and colors, set neck to neck. The foundation was built using native "sand" which has started to crumble because of the dirt, but based on the history, it should last another 50 to 100 years. The majority of the bottles are round clear glass coffee jars, but the shapes and colors of many of the bottles give the cabin an extraordinary ambiance in morning and evening light.

I have early memories of going to the desert with Aunt Melissa. I think I was about 5 years old. We would stop at the "Diner" in San Gabriel Valley for breakfast and drive out Hwy 10. Home cooked meals with Aunt Melissa were always interesting. Fried carrots is the meal I remember best. Greasy orange things. I am amazed that I still like carrots. There was an outhouse and a "potty" bowl at the desert for nighttime.

After Aunt Melissa could no longer visit the desert, "Grandma and Grandpa" took over the maintenance and improvement work. We helped with the initial cleanup and desert rat elimination. Grandma and Grandpa installed a septic system, and created a kitchen and bathroom (indoor plumbing) and finished the back porch to include a bedroom with two twin beds. They installed a hot water heater in the bathroom, and a primitive stall shower. There was no sink, so brushing teeth, shaving and washing hands was done at the kitchen sink.

When Grandma and Grandpa decided that they no longer wanted the responsibility of ownership and maintenance, we took over. John and Les spent a week grinding the residue concrete from the interior side of the bottles so we could start to paint. (There is more to that story) Les, Lynn, John and I started the slow process of applying paint and then wiping the bottles clean. We also painted the ceiling and moved the water heater to the back porch. There is now a small sink in the bathroom.

Oh, the picnic table. There is a long picnic table with benches that stays in the cabin while we are not there. It goes outside on arrival, and has been the scene of many group meals, evening cocktail get togethers and used as a star gazing platform.

This is a very abbreviated visit to the desert. Many special days have been spent enjoying the views, air and sounds (or quiet) of the desert. The pictures below were taken last year. We now have television, stereo CD, VCR and DVD. I'm not sure that is really a good thing.

Christmas in April

I cleared off the back deck and most of the front deck today. I uncovered our Christmas Tree. It is still very fresh, but a little smashed from being under three or four feet of snow. The snow continues to melt, but I think it will be a while for the large deep areas to melt.

Spring is Here (Or Maybe Not)

I arrived at Lake A on March 21. Isn't that the first day of Spring? The snow has gone down about a foot, and I have moved most of the ice off of the driveway and the walkways. The stairs to the decks have been shoveled (with Tyler's and Lynn's help). The first picture (Mount Stringer) was taken shortly after I arrived, and the rest were taken today. It is still freezing every night, but the temperatures are warming up a little during the day. Yesterday was wonderful. I could finally smell the pinetrees. Tyler, can you see the top of the Christmas Tree coming out of the snow on the front deck?

T's 5th B'day

On March 19, Tyler celebrated his 5th Birthday, and had a "Transformer" party with his friends. Nana was lucky enough to be there on her way Lake A. Mom made a Transformer cake that was enjoyed by all.

Legoland

On March 2, the entire crew (except Erik who was working the outage) went to Legoland. We had a lot of fun. Even the twins found things to do. Fortunately the lines were not too long and the weather was great. The S Zoo brought a very yummy tailgate picnic. The W Zoo and the elder S's stayed at a nearby hotel, and drove home the next morning.

Digging Out

The tools.

No more plow berm.

I can get in the front door now.

I guess the decks are next. Maybe tomorrow?

The trail to the propane tank.

You should have seen this yesterday.

I should have taken a picture.

The drain box was under a foot of ice.

The meter box and water valve were under

2-1/2 feet of ice and snow.

My other new best friend!!!!!!!!