Travis Airforce Base Museum

Yesterday the boys (Caden, Hunter, and Haydn) and I had a delightful time at Travis Airbase here in Fairfield. Friend Len, a retired Airforce man, escorted us through the museum and explained in detail many of the types of planes and artifacts lovingly displayed. I had recently read the book "Hell above Earth," the true story of American bomber commander Werner Goering, nephew to Herman Goring (Head of the German Airforce). Many planes were mentioned and shown and I was intrigued and wantd to know more. Hence the trip and with an expert in the Air Force.

Len and boys

B-29 Superfortress 

Caden and Haydn

Riding the bomb

Wannabe pilots Caden and Hunter

The wilds of Green valley

I majored in Zoology and it seems that I am still majoring in animals as you will see by the following posts.

We four adventured into Rockville Park and headed toward Sunset Cave.  After climbing in and around that enjoyable site, we made it up Cascade Trail and on to the lake at the top.  Here Hunter, Caden, and Haydn are selecting Rush reeds for raft building, the small kind.

 It appeared that each of these water fowl had lost a partner or parent so this is now a famiy grouping: farm goose, Canada goose, and two young Mallards.

Love this beautiful Great Egret.  How lucky we are to have wilderness so very close.

Grandson, Hunter, is trying to live up to his name. He loves to watch survival shows and wants to bag wild animals. He brought several traps to my back yard because I was tending him and his brother, Haydn, and cousin, Caden. They all are in on the adventure. Many hours have been spent setting them up in JUST the right places, with food and even hiding them with leaves, etc. Hunter and some friends also made several noose traps. He checked these daily. His friends even droped by to check up on them.

One afternoon when the boys were up a the Bennions, I called Holly and told her that we had a cat trapped. She said this out loud and I heard Howard wildly laughing in the background. Hunter had been hopping for a racoon. Since I did not know how to undo the trap, Holly came and did so.

Black-tailed deer

One morning, early, I looked out the front window and saw two deer wandering around. I got the camera and followed them from window to window and took these two shots. Instead of deer in the headlights, it was deer through the window. Look at the buck with tall fuzzy spikes.

Wild Fowl

The next day the boys looked out the back and had me come.  Sure enough, a mother wild turkey and her 2 little ones were trotting through the back yard.  I had seen them cauiously crossing Green Valley Road several times the week before.  Now they were discovering my area.

Here Kitty, Kitty

This morning I looked in the trap and saw a black and white animal.  Hmmmmmm.  I called Hunter and showed him.  "How are you going to get him out?"  I asked.  "Dad will do it.  He will shoot him!"  he answered.   "Oh Yeah, I am sure he will love to do that! Also the yard people are coming and do NOT need to be sprayed!"
       Howard actually did shoot the skunk, and we bagged it and later the county animal people retrieved him.

The traps are now back at the Bennions!  Now both places smell a bit.

All that is left is for me to find a fox and kits or a cougar like some neighbors have!

Texas Time

I spent three weeks in Texas with the families of two of my sons:  Andrew and Quentin Morford.  Along the River Walk in San Antonio, Texas, Daphne and Jona paused for a photo shoot.  We had fun walking around and eating at one of the MANY resturants.

Of course we visited the Alamo and enjoyed the history and artifacts.  This old Live Oak tree was amazing.

I got to see and hear Daphne sing in a school chorus, see both Jona and Daphne at swim team, and watch as the kids prepared their mom a mother's day breakfast with their dad. 

As usual, I got to read books to the kids, always a fun time.

I also got to see first hand the busy lives the wives of my sons have as they prepare to head up the PTA this next year at their Spanish Emersion Elementary School.  WOW, talk about full lives!

At Quentin's I resumed reading from "The Little House On The Prarie" to a captivated audience of the older boys, Taran 12 and Kieran 10.  Taran quiped, " I don't want anyone else to read this to me but YOU Grandma!"

Taran played his trumpet at a fantastic school band concert that sounded much better than my high school band ever did!

I walked little Carsten to the local Willow Book store for story-time each week.  Also got to be in on the garden plot of the Girl Scouts that Michele leads for her daughter and friends.

Here are the 6 Texas grandchildren all with eyes glued to the computer: 

 Carsten almost 4, Daphne 9 1/2, Aislin 6, Kieran 10, Taran 12, and Jona 6.

What lively, bright, and thoughtful children these are.  All learning to perfect their swiming on the swim team.

While in Texas I got to camp out with the Ward Scout troop with my son and grandsons.  Quentin took me birding at Edith Moore park, and we had Sunday dinners with both families.

Boy Fun in Colorado

Here are three of my Colorado grandboys cooling off on their slipery water slide on a hot May day.  This is in Castle Rock, CO and they live at the edge of a housing area with hills and paths behind them.  You see Damon, 7, Kelton, 3 1/2, and Tyson, 9, having a gleeful time  

Ten year old Connor and his dad, Nick, have just created a wonderful Water Rocket and are testing it out.  It shot at least 100 feet in the air.  Much fun!

Perhaps you can see the garden in back of the guys. I helped pland some seeds and then so did Sara. Just this last week, June 6th or 7th, I asked Sara how the seedling were doing as well as the tomatoe plants, etc. tht were doing well when I left. She said that much is up and all is well. About one hour later she e-mailed with the horrible news that half-dollar size hail had decimated the whole garden and beautiful peonies and bleeding hearts as well! Something akin to the Utah crickets but no gulls were in sight!

I had the fun of reading many stories to the Warnick boys.  I am so very glad that all of my grandchildren love to listen to books as well as to read them.  I sure do!

A grandson's eagle project

My son Marsh's son, Chris, has worked on his eagle project for months, drawing up the plan and getting it OKed by the city of Genola, and then having the ground leveled, prepared, the framework done, and then gravel put in for a very large 3way Basketball court at the city park.  Saturday, June 2n, was the day for the pouring and at least 9 -10 cement truck loads were used to complete the court with 8 inches of the mud!  Here you see Chris using a hook to pull up the wire mesh so that it can lodge in the middle of the cement to give the slab structure.   One can see how big it is as well as the people and equipment in the background.  LOTS of professionals and Ward men and young men volunteers.   I believe it will be dedicated near the 4th of July.    WAY TO GO, CHRIS!  He is 15 1/2 yrs old.

Homestead time in Utah

Here I am playing a neat plant game with James, Emma, and Chase Morford who live at "The Homestead" in Genola, Utah. It helps us learn what herbs help with different ailments and conditions. The kids help with the chickens by feeding, watering, and gathering eggs; feed and water the pigs, the rabbits, the goats; while their older brother, Chris, feeds and waters the 40 sled dogs. At this writing their parents have arrived in the Ukraine finishing the adoption process for Ruslan and Nastia who are 15 and 10.

Here is an adorable little creature, 2 year old Lucy Jane.  What a ball of smiles and cuteness.

Twelve year old Patty Lynn loves the panio and spends hours perfecting her favorite pieces.  Here she is playing one her dad wrote when he was a teenager, "Sunrise for Sara" after he and his sister, Sara, watched a lovely sunrise while camping in the Tetons.