Skyline Cafe

Just to let everyone know that Tammy has joined us in the blog world. She just started her blog two days ago so it is very new!! Welcome Tammy and we are looking forward to great things from her. You can find her link on the main page of this blog and I'll also add a link so you can check her out right now!!
http://skylinecafe.blogspot.com/

My Dad, 87 Years Young!!

Recently my Dad read an article in the newspaper about an 87 year old women who lives in town. The writer of the article (which I didn't read by the way) stated that even at her age the lady gets out in her garden to work everyday!! I guess they wrote it in a way that made it sound very unusual. I know it is hard for "young" people to understand how much a person over 60 can do but sometimes I am amazed at how little they think their elders can do.

Now my dad was a little "upset" about the way the piece was written. Now I say he was upset but I'm sure he would say he wasn't but I can't really find the right word for what he was feeling. He couldn't find the right word either it was just that he felt something about it and it wasn't completely good.

A few days after he read the article he asked me to take a picture of him working on his fence. Now you have to understand, he has been rebuilding his front fence for a month now. He has been tearing down the old one, digging deep holes for the new posts, painting and hammering it all together. All this by himself. He has been working on it steadily even if it hasn't been as fast as he could have 20 years ago. This would be a large undertaking for a 40 year old and as everyone knows, he isn't 40 anymore! (His baby, me, is way over that already!!)

In honor of his very hard work and his never say die attitude here are the pictures of the very young at heart man, my dad.

Click to enlarge pictures

Kody's Visit Week One

We got into town on Saturday and we haven't stopped since! On Sunday Kody and I went over to Tammy & Jim's to visit for awhile. As Jim had homework to do Tammy joined us for a hike in the Conejo Botanic Gardens. Luckily Tammy remembered the Kids Adventure Garden so we went over there first.

Tammy & Kody having High Tea

There is a table set up with a Tea set and Kody settled down and made tea for Tammy and me. He had a great time. I guess before the freeze this year the table was under a honeysuckle vine but most of that was killed off so the table is out in the open now. We sat there for awhile while Kody "made us tea" . He thought it was great fun. Next we came across a large dragon but luckily it was friendly!

Kody taming the dragon!

After that we hiked though the main gardens for awhile. We got home in time to see Beach Gramma come and visit us. That rounded out the day and it was time for sleep!!

Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday we went to the park! We would walk Beardsley down to Glenwood park and then come home and drop him off and go over to the park at the library or Conejo Park depending on what he wanted to do.

At the Library Park

At Conejo Park where his mom and Uncles used to play!


Parks are great places. Most of the time there were other kids there that he could play with or at least near. Kody really needs to have people around to talk to and play with. This worked out great for both of us! There are so many things to climb on and under and swing on etc that the "all tired out fairy" comes to call.

One of the many Potty breaks!!


On Friday Gramma Carolyn or as they call her "Beach Gramma" and I took Kody up to the Santa Barbara Zoo. It was a little overcast and cool when we got there but it turned out to be a perfect day in all ways. We had a great time walking around and seeing the animals. They even have a playground there that he wanted to stop at twice! Yes, I would say he loves parks!

On the firepoll at the zoo

When we got there they told us that the penguins were going to be fed in a few minutes so we went right up there thinking that would be fun to watch. We got there a couple of minutes early and Kody watched them get a couple fish and then he was out of there! Oh well, you never know what will interest kids. Here are a few of the animals we saw.

Elephant of course

Humboldt Penguins
River Otter
Lion sleeping right next to the glass



On the toy train waiting for our turn on the "big" train

The Big Train that goes around the outside of the zoo. It seemed to go faster this time then I remember. Maybe the kids are so used to Disneyland little rides just aren't good enough. But then again maybe I just don't remember it correctly!

Kody very carefully "driving" at the zoo playground.

All in all it was a great day!!

Kody's Summer Visit 2007 #1

One of our grandsons, Kody is visiting with us for two weeks. I flew up to Utah on Thursday, May 17th to pick him up and then we flew home again on Saturday the 19th. It was Kody's first airplane trip and first time he had been away from his mom and dad for more than a weekend (without his sister) so we were wondering how he would do. We didn't need to wonder.... He is doing Great!! He has been a very good little boy and has had his "listening ears" on most of the time. We are having a fun time even if I'm a little tired most of the time!!!!! It is Hard Work having a kid and don't let anyone tell you it isn't!!

I was a little worried about getting though all the lines and then making the very long walk at Salt Lake Airport in time to make the plane. I was rushing everyone out the door so we would have plenty of time and of course there weren't any lines at all!!! I think we made it thought the security line by 11:30 am for a 1pm flight!! Now what was I going to do with a four year old all that time. Of course it was Salt Lake so what is there right near the gates? A wonderful kids play area!! We spent 45 minutes happily playing there so we had almost no time to just sit and wait.

Play area in the Salt Lake Airport

Sitting eating snacks in the preboarding area.

One of the good things about traveling with a young child was the fact that we could preboard!! It was a good thing as Darcy and Scott were out of ink in their printer and we forgot to get some when we went down to the store. I really like Southwest Airlines but I sometimes think that the first come first seated is a pain in the seat area. So far I haven't had a problem as I get there so early and always get my boarding pass the day before but.....

We stood by the windows and watched our plane come into the area and then watched as it hooked up with the walkway. He enjoyed watching all the workers helping the plane come in, unload the trash and fill up the gas tanks and load the suitcases on the plane.
We got good seats near the front and he got to sit by the window and watch all the houses and cars get little as we flew higher and higher.

We had fun looking out and finding roads and swimming pools and desert areas. There is a lot of desert area between Salt Lake and Las Vegas our first stop. We sat next to a very nice Gramma who took our picture.

All in all it was a wonderful experience. We flew into Las Vegas and had about an hour there and then we flew the 40 minutes into Burbank. On the first plane he talked the whole time! It don't think he was quiet for more then 4 minutes the whole hour and 40 minute trip. I had bought him a new coloring book with toy dinosaurs and a few new cars so he played with them for awhile but most of the time he was talking about the plane trip and what was out the window and who was in the plane and what they were doing and how we were going to take two planes and then he was going to California and that he was four years old what we were going to do when we got to California who was going to pick us up etc. etc. I think you get the picture!! We got on the second plane in Las Vegas and he was asleep before we took off and didn't wake up until just before we landed. Thank goodness, I didn't know what else I could talk about!! That flight is short, just 40 minutes.

After we landed we had to wait for another hour for a second plane from Las Vegas to get in with our carseat and suitcase. I was sure it wouldn't come in but it did. The airline gave us a $50 travel voucher for having late luggage so that helped!!

That is the first part of Kody's visit and hopefully I will get the rest about the Zoo we went to the parks we have seen and all the people we have seen since he has been here very soon. Right now it is off to watch Shrek and get a little boy to bed!!

Cousins Visit

My dad had two of my cousins visiting him yesterday. Cindy is Dot and Dick's daughter and Jeanne is Marge & Roscoe's daughter. Where I have seen Cindy quite a bit in the past few years I hadn't seen Jeanne since 1984 when I went back east for my Grandmother's funeral. It was fun seeing both of them again and catching up with a little of their lives. Most of the time I have no idea who they are talking about though!

Cindy is on the left and Jeanne is on the right. This was after we had a great dinner at my dad's of pizza and salad, that the cousins made, some wine & ice cream and a big candy bar from Trader Joe's.

Hopefully it won't be another 24 years until I see them again!!

Kody's Fourth Birthday Continued

We had two days of Parties for Kody's birthday. On Friday he came home from school with his birthday hat on. Isn't it just great how kids "smile" for a picture!

That evening we went out to Noodles and Company in Layton for dinner. The food there is great but I don't think we will go there on a Friday night again. It was busy and they just couldn't keep up with the orders. After a long wait we got to eat and not everything was that warm. Oh well we will learn that Friday is a bad restaurant night!!

Here Kody is taking a Happy Birthday call from one of his many fans!

Shannen and Jessy looking beautiful as always.

Shannen talking to her dad. She looks happy doesn't she! We came home from dinner and had presents for Kody.

He got lots of neat stuff of course. Luckily Shannen got him two cars as that is all he was asking for!! I don't know what he would have thought if he didn't get those. We gave him lots of Power Ranger clothes and toys. He likes to wear his Power Ranger Tshirts all the time and he only had two so now he can go half a week before Darcy has to wash again! He even got Power Ranger undies!!
On Saturday evening we went out to Layton to a skating center for his kids party. There were 12 kids there and a bunch of the moms and dads. The place has a lot of bouncing areas and a Pirate playground area for the little kids and then the games and the roller skating area. As you might guess with all those things going on and lots and lots of kids there was lots and lots of noise!!! All the kids had lots of fun and I know that was all that was important!

Here he is waiting for his friends to come to the party.

Friends eating pizza

More friends eating pizza

Kody eating pizza too.

Kody just being Kody

Jessy and her friend Missy

The Happy Parents

The Dinosaur Cake

Kody blowing out 4 candles

And the fun stuff of opening Presents!!!!

All in all he had a great birthday. I wonder if he will remember any of it when he is in the 30's! I guess it doesn't matter if he remember the birthday he will remember the feeling of his childhood and this has to be a good memory.

Kody Is Four!

Just a couple of pictures from the morning before Kody went to school (with his brownies!)

Signing I Love You!

Showing how old he is.

Ready for school with his " It's my 4th birthday ribbon on.

Thursday in Utah

Today was the first day I spent alone since I got here. Darcy has taken most of the last two days off so we kept busy either shopping or goofing off. So today I was home alone without a car and it rained in the morning. I finished one book the night before and then went ahead and reread it in the morning! It had taken me several weeks to get through it just reading once in awhile and when I finally sat down and read for several hours I found I was really enjoying it so went back and reread it!! Oh what was it you ask? How to be a Bad Birdwatcher by Simon Barnes. Think what it said to me was just get out and look. Enjoy being part of nature.
Well, after I had finished the book I decided to do just that and I got out and had a short walk up the street and into the local cemetery to check out the mountain and see if there were any birds around. Luckily by that time it had stopped raining so I didn't have to get wet!!
The first thing I noticed was all the American Robins. They were everywhere. I think I must have seen at least 30 of them in the very short walk I took.

They sounded like they were laughing at times. I had never heard them sound like that. I haven't been out with that many of them. Normally we get one or two in the yard for maybe a week in February. This year I didn't notice any but I wasn't out in the yard much so I might have missed them.
That is the only bird I got any pictures of but I did see a few more. House Finch, House Sparrow, Scrub Jay, Black Capped Chickadee, Starlings, Downy Woodpecker, and some Bushtits. I think that is it. Not many but lots of fun looking. I took some pictures of the mountain in back of the house. Everyone knows how much I love taking pictures of mountains!!

As you can see the snow is just about gone from area. When I got here on Tuesday there was enough snow on the front lawn to sled down. Today there isn't any left at all! There are just a few patches left here and there. It has been in the upper 50's and mid 60's most days and with the rain last night and this morning it has melted most of the snow. I wonder if they will get anymore of it or if this is it for the season. I guess there is always a chance of a late March snow storm.

If you look across Salt Lake you can see that the mountains on Antelope Island still have lots of snow on them.

After I got home Jessy came home from school and got ready for a birthday party that she went to this evening. I think they were going ice skating but I'm not real sure on that. It might have been roller skating.

She just got home and said she had a great time. I didn't talk to her as it is past her bedtime so she was off to bed right off. I'm sure I will get the update tomorrow morning.

Darcy, Kody and I went over to Darcy's coworkers home for a short visit this evening. Her grandson and his mom are moving to Kingman, Az and he is friends with Kody so we went over so he could say goodbye. Somehow I don't think Kody understood that he was saying goodbye but he had lots of fun playing anyway!
When we got back Kody and Darcy made up his brownies that he is taking in to school to share for his birthday tomorrow. He had lots of fun making those!!

Mixing on his own

Mixing with Mommy

And the all important LICKING THE SPOON!

A Trip to the Gardens With Beverly

On a very windy Friday morning Grandpa, Bev, Tammy and I had a great hike up the hill at the Conejo Botanic Gardens here in Thousand Oaks (click on the title and you will go to the Garden's web site).
It was wonderful weather except for the cool wind. As you tell by what we are wearing it wasn't all that warm for most of the hike. When we got to the other side of the hill the wind died down and we were much, much warmer. It must have been in the 60's.

Here is the Brother & Sister picture. Bev is the baby in the family being 6 years younger than Grandpa.

Beverly is out from New Hampshire visiting for a couple of weeks. It has been great seeing her again and I'm having lots of fun talking to her! I do hope she plans on coming back out next year. Maybe we will be able to give her hot weather next year! Next week should warm up so maybe she will be able to get warm yet.

Grandpa, Bev and Maggie

We were sitting under the arbor that the passion vine is on. Their's is still green so I guess the freeze didn't kill it. I lost all the leaves on mine. I do think the vine is still good and that the leaves will come back. It just doesn't look as good as it did 2 months ago.

Tammy, Bev & Maggie.

Tammy has been out of work for a couple of weeks (I think) with a sore arm. She has been getting PT for it and will be going back next week so she will be able to see how it feels then. We were glad she was able to join us and help with the names of the plants we were looking at!!

Tammy and Bev walking and talking........

A couple of the plants that were in bloom.

Some of the birds we saw: California Towhee, Yellow Rumped Warbler, Western Bluebird, White-breasted Nuthatch (Tammy spotted) Dark eyed Juno, two Whitetailed Kites chasing two Redtail Hawks out of their area. House Finch, Anna Hummingbird, Bushtits and Crows. That is all I can think of right now. We weren't really doing much birding as we were doing alot more talking than anything else!!