Old and new haunts.

Well, we have been having a great visit with the new grandson and since I am a new granny I get to whip out the pictures and show everyone every time everything he does because it is great and amazing and I bet no baby has ever done anything like that before kinda thing!

He should probably be in the record books or something!



heh heh.

and David and I are enjoying re-visiting many of our old haunts



while having fun finding some new haunts.

While on the west coast we took a trip... a trip within a trip... trippy eh?

Anyway... first we went up to Oregon for a little golfing and sightseeing. We took the camper and truly lucked out in finding a campsite at South Beach State Park. Summer time on the coast of Oregon is wild... if you plan on going to any of the state parks make a reservation! Like I said we lucked out. We got one of the last sites for one night only... but we planned on being in the area for two nights. So in the morning we checked out and made a u-turn around the ranger station and checked back in for another one night stay as their midnight computer check had shown a cancellation. It was a great park with nice trails and a beautiful flat beach.

David, Delta and I walked the beach

and this lady below apparently could not find a dog to walk...
so instead she walked her pony on the beach:

and of course, David golfed.

I don't golf... yet.

The only golfing I have done up to this point involves castles with moats, fiery volcanoes, and scary-ass clowns with mouths that chomp down on the neon blue golf balls if you don't hit it fast enough. Pretty traumatizing really.

While in Oregon we actually visited a couple of courses...

One on near Newport:

and the other near Portland:

and then we traveled on back down south through the redwoods to Mendocino County. We stopped at Prairie Creek State / National Park along the way. In his wanderings David (and Delta) came across a little hidden pond in the redwoods and a couple of trees he just had to show me.

We wandered like criminals off the well marked path and snuck off behind the ferns to a gorgeous redwood vignette. The spot just opened up before me and took my breath away.

There are NO forests like the redwood forests and I think everyone should see them at least once... at least then you would understand why people are so awed by them. I grew up spending time near these forests and I am humbled every single solitary time I am near them. I am pretty sure I have said that before but geez.

Anyway, what David wanted to show me was of course off the path... near a crystal clear pond surrounded by the huge ferns that grow near the redwoods. He had first stumbled upon the pond which was a pretty sight alone...

BUT then he turned and saw behind him a very large maple tree. This maple had grown up right next to a decent sized redwood tree.

The maple had twisted and turned and forced it's limbs in impossible angles to grow, and prosper, and live in the shade of this redwood.

The maple has obviously survived but I have never seen branches contorted on a maple like this one had. Here you can see part of the maple with the redwood behind it.

I like to believe it was a friendly competition not a struggle for survival. I also like to believe that the maple knew all along who would eventually win this race to the reach the sun but he gave it his best shot anyway.

The scope of these trees are hard to put into perspective in a photo, so I climbed up as close as I could get and David took a picture from a different angle so you can kinda grasp the scene. Behind me in the photo below obviously is the base of the redwood... to my right (the left side of photo) is the trunk of that large maple. Coming down into the photo on my left (right side of photo) is part of a branch of that maple.

I would love to see these trees when the maple has turned in the fall!
Humor me... just check it out once more... this is wonderful but just imagine it with the maple leaves yellow, red, and orange!

Later we made it to the Mendocino coast.

While there David golfed a little more at the Little River Inn.
Here is a shot of Little River Inn's golf course.

David met his friend Doug the premier super-duper cabinet man for a round. It is the only course on the Mendocino coast I guess and it has quite a view... of course the day they played it was a bit misty and foggy... not quite like the picture. Isn't that always the way on the coast though?

David and I traveled into the town of Mendocino to one of our old hang outs and to go to the farmer's market and the beach. First the hang out for the fabulous bloody mary's, a nostalgic game of pinball, and some tunes on their great jukebox...

This bar has been here for ages... I believe it may even be seen in the James Dean film East of Eden. My folks remember when James Dean was in town filming and as they were teens at the time it was a pretty big deal.

Eventually we made it to the farmer's market and the beach.

Note: If you look very closely behind me in the parking lot you can see a couple of sheriff vehicles in the parking lot. We hit the beach at just the right time, a rather professional type motorcycle rider was (carefully) doing some tricks on his bike in the lot while his buddy was filming it and although they really were being careful... I guess they are not supposed to do that... AND it was 'ticket people who had their dogs off leash on the beach day'... so... Delta remained on the leash and tried to play in the sand. Hmph. Party poopers.

Anyway, at the market we stocked up on goodies and traveled back towards the Trailer by the Sea to rest up before the music festival. Here is a tip about Farmer's Markets folks... just because it is someone selling at a farmer's market it does not mean the veggies etc are organically grown. ASK... you might be surprised. If I am going to pay a bit more for veggies at a market like that they better dang well be organic otherwise what is the point eh?

Anyway... all that golfing and haunting is simply exhausting!

So the next day after our farmer's market breakfast it was
on to Caspar for a little Mendo-relaxation.

No... not that kind of relaxation.. geez.

This kind of groovy relaxation:


Look... David is about ready to break into a dance!!!
Well.. almost.
Well... maybe not.

Along with seminars inside the buildings about self sufficiency and how to grow.... vegetables... it is a music festival. Both Saturday and Sunday there are a long list of musicians who play hour sets while folks visit, dance, eat, and hula hoop. We have gone to the festival before and have always enjoyed ourselves. A couple of our favorite bands/artists were :

The Blushin' Roulettes (click on the picture for their website):


they are kind of blue-grassy old-timey.. I dunno how to describe it but they are great. A local band too!
And then we also really liked Lila Nelson:

They did a couple songs together and we had actually seen a sneak peak of both of them the night before at Dick's in Mendocino. There was also a calypso band, a Senegalese drum group, a cajun/zydaco band, raggae, world groove, etc. Good fun... and interesting folks.

This man loved to dance... I think he dance to nearly every song while we were there... I just loved him. He moved so freely and with such joy to all of the music he reminded me of a bird... very Jonathan Livingston Seagull-ish in my mind. I read Jonathan's story when I was a kid but I remember that he loved to fly... more than anything and he did not care what the other gulls thought.

Anyway... we had a great time and then headed back to the family for more visiting and the beginning of our plan for our trip back to Michigan. We think we will head the southwest route and see some of the canyons down there that folks talk so much about... maybe even take a run into Taos.

How is the grandson and daughter you ask? ;)

they are tired...
and beautiful.

* NEWS FLASH *

I had been working away on my latest post to update folks on our quick trip out to California from Michigan but before I could complete it we had a not so much of a surprise arrival.

I will add that post later but right now this one trumps in spades.


As of Sunday, August 16, 2009 at 1:46 p.m.
we have a new family member.

Please join us in welcoming

Donovan Chance Huggins

8 lbs, 4 oz, 21 inches long

Here he is with his tired mother. She did VERY well and true to her... she did not make a peep during the whole thing. My Dad... or I guess I should now say Great-Poppa said she "Injuned up" and got down to business! She was in labor for several hours but when it came time to push... that lasted about an hour and like I said she was silent. The doc even asked me if she was normally so quiet.

Heh heh. I think Dad was right.

I think the doc was a little concerned. Just for info, Amber is not really quiet she has plenty to say when it needs to be said... believe me.

And here is the proud Daddy Kevin. For those who don't know Kevin he has lived around this area for awhile and currently works as a security guard out front of a chain grocery store in a town north of where they live. He has been in security for awhile and enjoys it... has eyes on working in corrections possibly some day. He is quiet like Amber but when I turned to him and asked what he thought about his son... he did not take his eyes off him, smiled and simply said,

"He's amazing."

and here I am... hogging my my grandson Donovan and sitting next to the proud Daddy Kevin. He was taking a picture of Amber I think who was crashed out exhausted.

Oh my... what a boy...

and look how good he listens to Granny telling him stories! Amber's Dad Fred and his wife Tina came to visit later that evening. They have a couple younger ones themselves (16-18 months and another one 10 years old I believe) and even so, her Dad said he was going to take that boy home with him when he left. He just loves the babies. That side of the fam is spread out far and wide but they have been sending lots of love Amber's way and will be visiting asap. Donovan has more great grandparents, Aunties, Uncles, cousins etc., to visit when everyone can connect.

And now some Great Grandparents...

and of course some Aunties squared:

All unwrapped.... He has his momma's eyes.

Isn't it amazing how you can truly fall in love at first sight...

I fell in love with him like I fell in love with his mother.
Blammo!! and I was smitten. We all are.

Congratulations Amber and Kevin...
and welcome to the world my sweet little man,
we have been waiting for you!

and now... commence with the spoiling!

We gotta go now... hey hey

We just might have a visitor arriving sooner than expected...

and we all area pretty excited about that... especially Amber Lee who has been suffering through 190 degree weather and is ready to pop.

Truth is... we all wanna hold him so she needs to just let it go. Quit being so selfish... pop him right out and pass him around!

Oh... how easily Grandmas forget.

So... we are packing our knapsacks again...
this time just 3 of us...

*sniffle*

and heading out to greet him... oh yeah and to see everyone else too!

By the way... Anne Geddes takes the most beautiful baby photos!