Night Blooming Cereus

We have these two dead looking cactus, called night blooming cereus in our front yard, far up near the fence, in a very inaccessible spot. Each year they bloom just once in the dark of night. This year we have 10 blooms. It is pretty awesome!

Cody Promoted from 8th Grade to High School

Can you believe it? Cody just finished middle school and will go to high school next year. He is our oldest grandchild, and we are so very proud of him. This is a kid who has survived leukemia and all the associated physical complications in his short life. He is a survivor, and he is our dear grandchild, and we just feel so very blessed...

Retirement Isn't Always Fun!

Well, we enjoy retirement, but you should know about the bees......
We have been fighting bees in our gables for over a year. We have tried everything we know. They just like our house! We have taken everyone's advice and tried every remedy that we know of. Any ideas? Here is Denny up on the top of a ladder spraying them with wasp and hornet foam,hoping they will get annoyed and leave!

A Quick Getaway to California Coast

We decided last minute to help drive Joni as far as Ventura (HWY 101) on Sunday. We wanted to get her through LA traffic, and we knew once she was on 101 she would be fine. We took the fifth wheel and parked at Emma Woods State Beach, intending to take a bike ride the next day. Brian, Chandra and the kids surprised us with a quick visit, and we were able to play in the water and go out to eat at Joe's Crab Shack.
There was a very odd odor at Emma Woods when we were trying to park. We got kind of busy parking and forgot about it somewhat, but it was very pervasive, and as the wind changed, it got much worse. We soon found out there was a dead Elephant Seal on the big (as big as a horse!). It was a terrible smell. We found out that California has decided they cannot afford to dispose of such dead sea creatures, so it had been on the beach for 10 weeks! We commented to the campground host that he should tell people before they take those camp spots. He said, "Believe it or not, the smell has gotten a lot better!" Well, we had a great bike ride (34 miles.....) went to Santa Barbara and looked around in the evening, and then headed back to Tucson.

Grandchildren are just wonderful

I just heard William Paul Young speak (on the web). If you have never listened to him, you really should. He is a very humble and Godly man. He had some fun things to say about being a grandparent. We now have seven grandchildren and we are just delighted with them. They range in age from 9 months to 14. Some of the highlights of the past few months have been:

• Trying to get all 7 grandchildren to pose for a picture day before Christmas (not easy).
• Andrew calling me to discuss the Redwall Series, which we are both reading
• Jackson telling us that every time his brother hits him he has to give him a dollar (but he clarified that a "high five" doesn't count)
• Caitlin's 11th birthday party at our house today
• Visiting Sophia in Houston and keeping her home to play with us while mommy and daddy went off to work.
• Getting our pictures taken together with Sophia for Mother's Day
• Cody playing his guitar for us.
• Having each of the grandchildren come down to our RV while we were camping together and having breakfast with us.
• Watching Kinsey and Ashley play with their friends at Lake Havasu.

We thoroughly enjoy having the time to spend with each of them...
I think Denny would tell you also that we receive extreme joy watching our children be parents. We just could not be more blessed...