important stuff

Now that my summer has quieted down some, I feel I need to get back to some things I've neglected in the busyness of beautiful warm days, playing with grandchildren, and visiting family and friends. Like writing here. Like cleaning my bathroom. Like vacuuming.

Okie dokie, well I can cross one thing off my list.

Hello.

I think I'll go have a nap.

How I spent my summer vacation

grandma camp

Sunrise means the adventure begins...

Skatebord surfing

Sharing a secret with Great-Grandpa

Sharing some sister time

Nummy
things to eat

Cartwheels...this kid is the
fastest, bestest cartwheeler
in the universe!!!

Building sand castles is very important and takes much concentration

The turrets have
to be just right...
















And the moat
must hold back water...

The walls
must be
straight and tall

And we'll line everything
with rocks...
lots of rocks...

Camp food can't be beat...

We pick cherries
to share with friends
so many cherries
so many friends

Lions and tigers and . . . a princess?

A moment to contemplate the universe...

They stop when they drop...sunset is welcome.

The end

Cherries

Harvest was the worst ever. Not because there were no cherries or that the cherries were damaged by rain or hail. Because everyone had the best harvest ever. So by the time we began picking cherries, the packing houses were full and we had no where to send them. There was one estimate that 100 tons of cherries are falling off the trees right now. Just in our orchard. And there are dozens of other ranchers in the same situation. There was no where to sell them so there was no money to pick them so there will be no income from harvest this year. Instead of a 10 to 14 day harvest, ours lasted 4 days before the packing house closed us down. Will we even make enough to cover the expenses incurred for the picking we did? For the upkeep of the orchard? To cover the expenses of caring for the trees until next harvest, which we hope will be a great (financially speaking) year. We don't know yet.

It is blasted hot here, over 100 for the last week and predicted for the next week. Right now we really are in rancher's hell. More fruit than we've ever had. No way to get it off the trees and to the consumers.

Dad says: "Next year. Maybe next year."