Two Dances

This morning we went to Tropic Star for Joe Saltel's A-2 Donut Dance. It's held in a really nice hall, with a great wood floor. We get to dance with lots of our Advanced dancing friends. As you can see, the hall is already decorated for Christmas. Ten squares were on the floor. Joe played around with some any hand swing and mix--pretty straightforward. He also did some as couples zig zag and zag zig--not so easy to see.

One of the couples we danced with was Keith and Gail Lindeman. Her badge says she's a tram interpreter for Valley Nature Center. It turns out that they work at the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge. We chatted for a while. They said most of the park is still closed because of flood damage, but limited tram tours are resuming, and there will be some walking tours into the park. The trams can't go far, because the roads suffered lots of flood damage.

Zeta (in the striped shirt) is undergoing cancer treatments in Harlingen. She dances with George. Also in the square are Max and Susan and Trevor and Karen.

Karen leads line dances between some of the tips. Joe is the smiling caller, who always keeps things light.

Karen models her (very) fringed Western jacket.

Judy and Lois smile for the camera.

We danced the fast tip at the end with Linda and Terry, Max and Susan, and Harold and Dorothy. It's always exhilarating to succeed in keeping up with Joe--and always due to great teamwork. Lots of fun.

We packed our lunch and ate at Tropic Star before driving across the street to Pharr South for Randy Dougherty's C-1 workshop. I asked Randy to workshop step and fold and step and flip. He pointed out that step and flip involves the very same flip movement as flip the diamond. Flippers end up on the line of dance, so step and flip often ends in a Z formation. Step is a smaller move than circulate, too. All very enlightening. He also workshopped some unusual stretch calls.
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Thanksgiving Redux

Well, I couldn't stand it. For me, one of the best parts of Thanksgiving is the leftovers. So I bought a small turkey (7.25 pounds, didn't know they came that small!) and fixed turkey and gravy and dressing and sweet potatoes and crustless pumpkin pie for dinner today. Now the fridge is full to overflowing of turkey broth and all the other leftovers.

Ken and I played pool again today. I won three out of three--miracles do happen. I would never play if anyone was watching--it would be too embarrassing. We play so seldom that we're always sadly out of practice.

One of the couples in the park has a very productive grapefruit tree, so they are begging people to cart away grapefruit. I didn't have to be asked twice. We love grapefruit, and these are very flavorful ones. That's an advantage of being in this semitropical climate--lots of fresh fruit and veggies, almost like Southern California.
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Lazy Day

Wow! I actually slept until 10:30 this morning--not something I like to do. Usually I wake up by 8:00 at the latest. Guess I'll have to start setting an alarm clock. Maybe it was my body getting rest to continue healing from the respiratory thing, which is nearly gone now.

We didn't do much today. Spent some time trip planning and then went over to the spa for a while. Met a very friendly couple, Laura and Dan, who are buying a place here. They're retiring the end of this year and plan to have a New Year's Eve party/retirement party with their friends in Washington State before heading back down here.

Ken recorded the Michigan-Ohio State game, so we were able to fast forward through most of it to minimize the pain. Ouch! Michigan's quarterback is great, but he can't win games without some help from his receivers and from the defense. Oh well, next year will be another chance.
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Cold Front

The weather today has been very different from yesterday's. We woke up this morning, turned on the heat, and jumped back into bed while we waited for it to warm up a bit. The wind was whistling and rattling everything through the night and morning, but by this afternoon, we had a break. The sun was shining, and it was 60 degrees. We decided to take one long walk while we had a chance.

This morning we went to Darryl Lipscomb's A-2 dance at a new location. The dance has moved from Mission Bell in Mission to Our Savior Lutheran Church in McAllen. The RV park decided to raise the rent, which is too bad, since the wood floor there was the nicest place to dance in the area. The church has a large gym with tile over concrete. At least we have a place to dance. Today there were ten squares. That number will continue to rise as Winter Texans flock back to the Valley, fleeing the cold northern weather.
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Happy Thanksgiving! Happy Anniversary! Happy Birthday!

Today is, of course, Thanksgiving Day, but it's also Ed and Julie's 10th anniversary and Debbie Frith's 33rd birthday. Hope it's a great day for everyone.

It's definitely one of the easiest Thanksgivings on record for us. The owners of the park contributed turkeys, and volunteers made roast turkey, stuffing, gravy, and mashed potatoes for dinner today. Everyone who attended was asked to bring a side dish to serve 12. We brought fresh baked French rolls (from H.E.B.,) along but we did bake them!)with butter pats. The feast was spread at 3 p.m., and we all gathered, taking some time first to remember all we have to be thankful for and to wish peace and health for all the people living with war and violence and natural disasters and sickness.

As usual, there was plenty of food to share, and we got to meet some new people at our table, including Dave and Edie, Tom and Sharon, and Ruthi and Frank. Ruthi is an entertainer and will be putting on a show here Saturday night. She is in much demand in the Valley to entertain all the Winter Texans.

We talked to several people and left messages for others. Michigan is expecting snow tonight. We're expecting a cold front to hit, but that basically means that the high tomorrow will be 56 degrees. That's 35 degrees lower than today, but nothing like the 32 degree high for Muskegon tomorrow! Beth has a case of the crud, so she and Aunt Iris ate a quiet dinner together.

Iris roasted a turkey and made some other dishes to take to church. Her church feeds lots of folks on Thanksgiving, and they just aren't getting as many volunteers as they have in the past. Uncle Jesse may get to retire again. The church where he is filling in as pastor is voting on a new applicant this Wednesday.
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Laundry Day

Not much happening today. We did our laundry. While the loads were in the washer, Ken beat me at two games of pool. I almost won the first one, but then scratched on the 8 ball, darn it!

We spent some time out by the pool reading and relaxing in the hot tub. It was hot and sunny today, but windy. Tomorrow we're expecting a cold front. At least it won't be 10 degrees and snowing, like it was in Portland when I talked with Chris and Annie yesterday. Read more!

More Dancing

Today was our first Tuesday of square dancing for the season. At 10:00 a.m. we danced advanced at Tropic Star in Pharr to Joe Saltel, with ten squares on the floor. We saw some of our old friends, including G. W. and David and George and Zeta. The last tip is a super fast open tip (called "hot hash"), which we always enjoy.

At noon we went to the nearby Taco Fiesta with Hardy and Judy and G.W. and David for lunch. Ken and I shared the grilled chicken breast with mashed potatoes and gravy and green beans, Texas toast, and a "dinner salad" (a little shredded iceberg and a pale tomato slice, no dressing). It was okay, and we had plenty to eat, but we didn't know that chicken breast could be that tough! The big advantage of going to this restaurant is that the afternoon dance is across the street at Pharr South.

At 1:00 p.m. we moved to Pharr South to dance C-1 to Randy Dougherty. There were three squares on the floor. We did okay, considering that we haven't danced in so long. Ken said that he would have been more embarrassed, except that other people were making plenty of mistakes too.

On our walk this evening we saw several large birds flying overhead. One had a long curved neck and appeared to be a great white egret. Lovely sight.
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Dancing!

Today we went to our first square dance since last April. Fortunately we had friends to help us through! Afterward we consoled ourselves that it hadn't been nearly as bad as it could have been. Darryl went easy on us, and some things just came back (like bike riding?). Others weren't so smooth--but we'll have time to practice.

I'm still feeling under the weather, so the rest of the day I didn't do much. Tomorrow we have a morning dance with Joe Saltel and an afternoon dance with Randy Dougherty. We'll have lunch with our friends in between. Read more!

Annie and a Flood

Chris sent out Annie's school photos today. She's in seventh grade, bright, curious, an avid reader, and definitely her father's daughter. 

This afternoon we went to Bentsen Rio Grande Valley State Park for a special presentation on the effects of the summer floods there. Hardy and Judy were there too, so we got to visit with them. We were glad they'd let us know about the program.

In July, Hurricane Alex filled the Rio Grande River over flood level, and the dams and floodways were full. Water came up almost to the top of the newly raised levees, flooding nearly the whole park. We saw a slide show on the flooding and then walked out to the Ebony Grove with a naturalist.

The ebony trees will benefit from the flooding, which used to occur every few years before the dams were put in. Since the water has receded, naturalists have seen bobcats and javelinas, which evidently survived in the trees, and heard the chachalacas. We saw our first green jays of the season at a newly opened feeder. The park will come back, but it will require a lot of work to reopen it to the public.

Looking down the road beyond the barricade.

You can see the high water line on the trees.

Overhead, we saw a Crested Caracara in flight. (I got this photo off the web.)
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The Dallas Brass and Old Friends

I mostly rested today, hoping my cold or whatever it is will get better. Ken worked on photos and ripped DVDs.

Tonight we joined our friends, Hardy and Judy, at the McAllen Civic Auditorium (not to be confused with the new convention center) for a concert by the Dallas Brass. The performance was creative, very entertaining, and often amusing. The five brass players demonstrated their versatility by playing different instruments, including a flugelhorn and piccolo trumpet, the latter of which was made to sound eerily like a clarinet in a Benny Goodman solo part of Sing, Sing, Sing. The lone percussionist had a chance to shine in a percussion piece called Xylophonia.

The theme of the show was a history of American music, so it included patriotic tunes, including Yankee Doodle and the military hymns in a tribute to veterans and their spouses in the audience. The Marine Corps hymn had only a very few people standing, illustrating the Marine motto "The Few. The Proud. The Marines" admirably.

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We're Back in the Valley

We've arrived in the Rio Grande Valley, welcomed by balmy weather. This will be our third winter here. Ken drove the whole way today while I continued to nurse my darn respiratory infection. The trip was uneventful, through mostly flat land covered by mesquite, but Ken was happy to see the first palm trees.

We ate our lunch at another "picnic area." At least the weather was more pleasant than yesterday.

We're glad to be sitting still for a while and looking forward to seeing some of our Valley friends soon.
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Georgetown to Three Rivers

We left Georgetown this morning, with Lee driving. My respiratory infection seems to be getting worse, so we stopped to pick up some stronger medicine. I'm thinking it's a sinus infection, so I started to take some antibiotics, too. Hope they work. Ken drove most of the way. We stopped for lunch at this "picnic area" on I 37 south of San Antonio.

We're spending the night at Tips Park in Three Rivers, which is on US 281, our route down to the Rio Grande Valley. We've been to this park twice before, so we knew pretty much what to expect. I called a couple of days ago, and the hosts were expecting us. We think they don't get too much traffic here, though it's a pretty spot. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately for them, it's in the shadow of a big Valero refinery. They seem to have several long term guests (refinery workers?), and they say they need more spaces, which are being added right now.

Our walk took us to the nearby banks of the Frio River. A sign in the campground warns of alligators, but we haven't seen any yet.

We did see some large birds, probably vultures, circling overhead, and this one, evidently drying its wings.

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Lewisville to Georgetown

Today was our first long travel day in a long time. Well, long for us. Our trip was about 200 miles and took us five hours, with stops. We got a pull-through site at Berry Springs RV Park, where we've stayed before.

This time we unhitched and set out to get diesel and bread and to visit one of the campgrounds on Georgetown Lake. Vern and Mary told us how much they had enjoyed their stay at the lake, and we think we might want to stay there next spring.

When we got to Cedar Breaks Park, we were told that the campground is closed while the Corps upgrades all the sites from 30 amp to 50 amp electricity. It was late afternoon, so we got our diesel and groceries at HEB. It was easy to tell the store was in the Austin area--lots of organic foods were available.
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Rings and Things

Today was our last day to visit Ed and Julie and the kids. We went over in the afternoon and traded photos. Then we all headed to the jewelry store in Grapevine where we would see "the RING." Julie's parents rode with her and the kids, and Ken and I drove our truck. Ed was coming from work to meet us.

Ed is giving Julie a new wedding/engagement ring for their tenth anniversary, coming up in a couple of weeks. They custom designed it and used gold and stones from some earlier rings, plus a new center stone. It's lovely, but they had to send it back for a minor repair (one of the small diamonds had fallen out and needed to be replaced). It should be ready in time for the big day.

Then we all went to Uncle Julio's in Grapevine for dinner. It's a fine dining Mexican restaurant with Vegas glitz. Ed used to work there.
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Trip to Ikea

We made a trip to Ikea today to pick up the FRACK extension mirror that we tried to get the last time we were here. Success! They actually had it in stock, along with a couple of other small things we needed. Now I just have to figure out where to install it so it's usable and doesn't interfere with anything else.

This evening we came over to Ed and Julie's. When we walked up to the house, we were surprised to see a Honda with Florida plates in the driveway. Julie's parents had arrived for their visit, a day before Julie was expecting them. It was nice to see Martha and Jerry again. They were tired from their long two-day trip. Martha has a new look--no glasses. She recently had cataract surgery, and so far she is pleased with the results.

Ed had to go to a party at the Main Event to celebrate Park Place being named one of the five best places to work in the Dallas area. He didn't get home until after 8:00 p.m. Julie's pretty much frazzled, because Jesse hasn't been letting her have a moment's peace. He is just irritable and out of sorts.
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Dinosaurs Unearthed!

Today I went over to Ed and Julie's and we all drove to the Museum of Nature and Science at the Fair Park in Dallas. We went, of course, to see the traveling exhibit, Dinosaurs Unearthed! with its spectacular animatronic dinosaurs, including a full-size T-Rex roaring in the lobby. That convinced Sam that having his dad carry him was a good idea!

The kids enjoyed the dinosaur exhibits, but Sam remained disappointed that there was no brachiosaurus--until Julie found a stuffed one for him in the gift shop.

The kids spent time in the children's areas, including the Urban Farm and the Backyard. We all watched a science experiment demonstration featuring three major concepts! Density, acid/base, and polymers were all demonstrated with household products. Cate walked away at the end with a bouncing ball made of Elmer's glue and borax with some blue food coloring. It wasn't clear how much the kids understood of the concepts, but they all certainly enjoyed watching and helping with the experiments.

One new permanent exhibit is on the human body. One of the items it features is a giant nose that sneezes very loudly at intervals (illustrating one way to get rid of infectious agents). The sound was quite startling, and we left after a bit.

Then we all drove to Quiznos for supper and to the Orange Peel Frozen Yogurt and Donuts shop for dessert. It's a friendly place, and the kids love it. You take a cup and fill it with your choice of yogurt flavors and toppings--and there are lots of choices. It's priced by the ounce. A large flat panel TV displays a slideshow of customer images.

If you look closely, you'll see that yogurt "is helpful in indigestion of food."
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Photo Shoot!

Ed and Julie and the kids got all dressed up to take their Christmas photos. Actually, Ken took them, using Julie's new camera. Kelley came over for one last visit, and we all drove over to the creek. The setting was popular--in one spot we had to wait for another family on the same mission to leave. It was hard to find a place where the whole group would be in the shade. Mottled sunlight isn't good for portraits! Ken managed to get some really nice shots.

I took a few candids with Ken's camera, too.

Julie took this one
Later, Julie took the kids outside and shot lots of photos of them individually and together. In some of them, the kids are being a bit zany!

Kelley stayed to eat butternut squash soup, Amy's chicken patties, and salad for lunch. She definitely takes after her mom. When we were done eating, a colorful little mound of red and yellow and green chopped bell peppers sat in the bottom of her salad bowl. She had to leave after the meal: she had "lots to do."

Ed decided to take Cate with him to visit a coworker in the hospital. This lady, who has just had surgery, is an honorary grandma to Cate. She makes a fuss over her when Ed takes her to visit the Park Place dealership. Since we had some time, the rest of us decided to make another trip to Costco. This time Julie had one thing to get . . . but she didn't get out for under $100. We just barely got out for under $200, most of which was for vitamins, fish oil, calcium, and Preservision. It takes a lot to keep an older body in tune!

When we all got back to the house, it was getting too late for Ed and Julie to go to a movie, so they just went out to eat while we babysat. It was one of the easiest babysitting jobs ever. Julie fed Jesse and put him to sleep before they left, and he didn't stir the whole time. Cate and Sam and I played Wii balance games. Sam really needs some games geared to his level. He's getting pretty disgusted with his Mii hanging his head and pounding the ground, poor guy. Cate really enjoys the penguin feeding game.
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Chili Cookoff!

This evening we all went to Sam's school, Reading Friends, for a fundraiser for their playground. The theme was western, and everyone was invited to wear their western duds. Activities for the kids included milking a cow, roping a steer, and sitting in a saddle.

A banjo playing storyteller gathered the kids around the "campfire," holding Sam's rapt attention.

The "quarry" room had materials for kids to design and decorate pavers for the playground. Cate decorated hers with butterflies.

We all ate hot dogs and chips, seated around tables designed for preschoolers in tiny chairs. One room was lined with tables with 11 entrants in the chili cookoff, showing off their recipes and offering samples, which everyone was invited to evaluate. I really liked the white chicken chili.

Another room held items for a silent auction. Ed won three of the silent auction items, including a large chest of dress up costumes for boys, which both Cate and Sam really liked. My favorite item was a pizza and a tee-shirt from Turner's Pizza.

Jesse has a winning smile and twinkle in his eye. He knows when he's the center of attention. Ken took this photo when we were preparing to leave for the school.

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Bargain Hunting

Today I went to the CCA Resale shop in Lewisville to drop off some items and browse the store, only it turned out that it didn't open until 1:00 p.m. for some reason. So I went to Thrift World on Main Street, stopping first and the nearby Big Lots. My best find was a Rummikub game at Thrift World, which I picked up for Ed.

After that I went to Tom Thumb. When I got in the truck, I was surprised to find that I had been bargain hunting for almost three hours--too much of a good thing--so I hurried home.

We went over to Ed and Julie's for dinner and a visit. Ken won both rounds of Rummikub, playing with Ed's new game. Cate was partnered with her dad, and Sam decided to be my partner, announcing that it was because I brought the Wii game over!
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Workday

Today we stayed home to get some things done. Not mostly exciting things. We needed to dump our tanks, since we don't have a sewer hookup at Lake Lewisville. We got our trusty blue boy (portable waste tank) out of the truck and hooked it up to our sewer hose. First we filled it with gray water (from the sinks), just to be sure we had the routine down. Next we got braver and took a tank full from the black water (toilet). All went well, except that wrangling the tank around left me needing a break. Even a small tank like our 15 gallon job gets very heavy quickly when filled with liquid at around 8 pounds per gallon.

After lunch we decided to take another load over to the dump station, but one of the plastic fittings on the cap broke, so we made a trip to Mays RV. While we were there, of course we decided to look around. We didn't think we needed anything else, but you never know. I spotted a really neat little wooden table in their lounge area, just the size we needed to fit between our recliners. When Ken asked where they had gotten it, the woman who was helping him said that it was a damaged piece from one of the trailers they had sold, and she offered it to him for $15. We jumped on it. Now all we have to do is get it refinished in light oak instead of cherry. It fits perfectly between our recliners and even has a magazine/book rack on the bottom. The damage is just a bit of splitting on the underside of the table which will never be noticeable. Yay!

When we finished the dumping chore, we decided to reorganize our truck box and the sliding tray in our storage bay, in the process cleaning up and getting rid of some things we didn't need. We had a brief scare when the truck box wouldn't open. Once before we had to have the rivets drilled out on the latch, but this time after a few tries, we got it open. We sprayed silicone on the mechanism, at least the part we could access. We're hoping that will keep it working smoothly.
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Costco and Kelley

Julie and Jesse and I went to Costco this morning, leaving Grandpa Ken home with Sam to have fun. Cate was at school. I stocked up on some things that are hard to find in south Texas. Julie actually got out of Costco for under $100. Needless to say, I didn't.

Kelley came over to visit after her classes. She brought along the fixings for an apple tart. As soon as the kids heard that Kelley had arrived, Sam said he wanted Kelley to take them to the park. Kelley and Cate and Sam and I walked over to the nearby playground, giving the kids a chance to run off some energy and Kelley and me a chance to chat.

For dinner, Julie fixed spaghetti with a very unusual sauce:  Dave's Gourmet Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce.

Ken made the salad, of course, and I made some turkey meatballs and heated up some whole wheat French bread. Everything was yummy. Kelley's delicious apple tart with ice cream topped off a great dinner.

Kelley even agreed to play a round of Rummikub, which Ken won. Kelley said she'd come back this weekend 8-)
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Dentist Visit

 Well, I thought I had an appointment this morning for additional views to follow up on my mammogram. When I got to the hospital, the person checking me in very nicely informed me that my appointment is actually for Friday. They couldn't do the additional views today because the radiologist isn't there.

We did have dental appointments this afternoon for our overdue cleanings. We chose Dr. Michael Colangelo's office in Grapevine because he is in the Cigna network and got good reviews online. The experience lived up to the glowing reports. Nice office, friendly people, and a great hygienist named Debbie.

Afterward we went to Ed and Julie's. Julie had gone to pick Cate up at school. She stays late on Mondays for a science program. Cate had homework to do--with a little direction from Mom.

Meanwhile I got to play with Jesse. He's been feeling out of sorts, probably from a combination of teething issues and adjusting to the time change. I got the job of keeping him happy while Julie helped with the homework. The most successful tactic for pacifying a fussy Jesse was giving him Baby Mums, his favorite treat. He really likes crunching them with his new teeth.

In the evening, we sat down with Ed to play Rummikub, which he said he hadn't played for years, if ever. We gave him strategy tips. Evidently we did a great job, because he wiped the floor with us! After two rounds with very small scores (Ken won the first and Ed the second), Ed caught both of us with hands so full of points we didn't bother to count.
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Sunday Visit and Concert

We started the day out like any Sunday--except that we had forgotten to change our clocks last night. Of course, most of our clocks are smarter than we are and updated themselves in the night, but the little battery operated alarm clock by my bed is still low tech. That alarm goes off at 9:00 a.m. every morning, and that's what woke me up. I was a bit startled, because I expected my Droid alarm to go off at 8:00 a.m. What could have gone wrong? Did I mention the clock by my bed is a few minutes fast? The Droid alarm dutifully went off at 8:00 a.m. CST. We got an extra hour of sleep--Yay!.

For brunch we had Three-Minute Spinach Quiches, one of our favorite recipes. Then we headed over to Ed and Julie's. Cate ran out to tell us that they were going to the circus! The kids were very happy to find out that I had brought the Wii game.

For lunch, Ed grilled salmon with pineapple slices again--always great. Ken made the colorful salad. While we were cooking, Sam was having fun playing with his little brother. Jesse was sitting in the high chair, and Sam bounced up an down in front of him, to Jesse's great delight.

After lunch Ed and Cate and I played Ingenious. I was the first winner, with Cate second and Ed the "first loser"! Ed and Julie took the kids to the circus, which had the kids very excited all day long.

This evening we drove to Denton for a concert at the university, at the newly renovated Paul Voertman Concert Hall. The concert was a faculty recital, with five very diverse performances.

The first piece was a trombone fanfare--Ken's favorite. The second was a piece for amplified flute and percussion, titled "An Idyll for the Misbegotten." Before the piece, these lines by the composer were spoken:

Mankind has become ever more "illegitimate" in the natural world of the plants and animals. The ancient sense of brotherhood with all life forms (so poignantly expressed in the poetry of St. Francis of Assisi) has gradually and relentlessly eroded, and consequently we find ourselves monarchs of a dying world. We share the fervent hope that humankind will embrace anew nature's "moral imperative."

The piece itself was evocative of a dying world and generally discordant and unmelodic. Interesting, but for us, the best part was the percussion, performed by one very large drum center stage and two banks of percussion instruments, one on each side.

Next was a piece called "Gerry Rigged" for clarinet and 8-channel interactive electronics. Very experimental, and not something we were really prepared to enjoy except as a curiosity.

Third was a series of songs in German (translation kindly provided in the program) entitled Liebeslieder Walzer, Opus 52 by Brahms. The singers were a mezzo soprano, a soprano, a tenor, and a baritone. The songs were a series of counterpoints between the women and the men. I enjoyed the performance more than Ken did.

After the intermission, the final piece was Piano Quintet in G minor, Opus 57, by Dmitry Shostakovich. I liked the piano playing, and the musicians were all good, but by this time Ken and I were both ready to head home, so it wasn't our favorite.

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Taking a Walk

We went over to Ed and Julie's house today. You'd think by now I'd remember that the first thing the kids would ask was "Grandma, did you bring the Wii???" I said I'd bring it tomorrow.... along with the Ingenious game.

When we got to the house, Ed was watching the Illinois-Michigan game on the big screen TV. Ken quickly became engaged in watching and cheering for Michigan (of course). Neither defense showed up for the game, so it was very high scoring, ending up at 67-65 after three overtimes.

Jesse is, of course, growing quickly and learning new skills, which he was proud to show off--like making a clucking noise with his mouth and waving bye bye.

Ed and I took the kids and dogs for a walk/ride. Ed pulled the green wagon with Sam riding in it some of the way. Kate rode her bike. Bijou and Charlie eagerly led the way. We ended up at a playground, where Ed played Angry Birds, Bijou and Charlie were teased by a squirrel, and the kids played on the equipment, showing off their skills and having a great time. I snapped photos of this moving ensemble/menagerie and did manage to capture a few good moments.

Later, Julie went to get her hair done, and I fixed dinner: Betty MacDonald casserole, refried beans, squash and onions, a small chili casserole made from poblanos grown in their garden, shredded lettuce, chopped tomatoes, chips, and a couple of small fiery red peppers for the brave. Cate even tried some of the Betty MacDonald casserole, but Sam ate mac and cheese.

After cleaning up the kitchen we played Can't Stop!. Cate came very close to winning, making it to the top of two numbers quickly and then needing to roll only one more four to win. Somehow I came from behind, closed out the fours, and ended up winning the game.
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