The highlight of our summer is when my stepdaughter Stars (now 16 years old) comes to visit. Here she is hugging her friend Ch.
313. Fireflies and fireworks
Fireflies giving us a 4th of July fireworks preview at B.'s parents' home in Springfield, South Dakota. Then Rodney and Tyler bought huge packs of fireworks and TJ and the other cousins set them off in the backyard.
314. Mulberry-picking
My sister-in-law Josey took the girls mulberry-picking. They all came back with purple-stained hands and feet -what a sight!
315. The Missouri River in flood
Visited Gavin's Point dam, on the Missouri, to see the huge amount of water being released - reminded me of being up close to Niagara Falls, with all the thundering noise and mist. Everywhere along the Missouri there was flooding, some parks completely under water.
316. Submerged forests
B. and I went canoeing. Along the edge the the flooded lake, we paddled through a partially submerged forest - beautiful and a little eerie.
317. Muddy trucks
Stars has her driver's permit so she's doing lots of driving. Her friend Ch. has her own truck and they went out "mudding" on the dirt roads, then come back and washed off the truck and filled our driveway full of mud, too.
318. Dog-lovers in drive-thrus
Stars says "only in Wyoming" when you go through a fast food drivethru for a hamburger, do they offer your dog a piece of bacon, too.
319. Hearing someone else play my piano
Chesca always plays our piano when she visits - she writes, plays and sings her own songs. I love to hear the beautiful music on my seldom-used piano.
320. Rediscovering old favorite songs
Discovered that Stars loves Toto's song "Rain in Africa" - which was my favorite song back when I was13.
321. Gymkhanas, or games on horseback
All four of our girls, from ages 10 down to 4, got to participate at this summer's gymkhana at our county fair. Wikipedia describes a gymkhana as an event (often for children) "that includes timed speed events such as barrel racing, keyhole race, egg and spoon race, flag race, and pole bending. All of these events are designed to display precise, controlled actions and tight teamwork between horse and rider at speed, although most clubs offer a variety of classes, allowing riders to compete at the speed level they are most capable of, and comfortable with." Which in our case also meant that the two older girls could lead the twins on their horses for their events. Here's a picture of the girls with all the ribbons they collected!
Blaze says "If had a genie, my first wish would be to be beautiful, and my second would be that whoever I touched would become beautiful and cured of any sickness. Then I'd pass the lamp on to a friend and she would use her third wish to set the genie free (because I'm too selfish to do it)" !!!!
323. Thrummingbirds
This has been a summer full of hummingbirds! I kept hearing them all the time, but seldom saw them, so we bought a feeder and set it out - even then you barely catch a glimpse of them, they come and go so quickly. I think they should be called thrummingbirds instead; their wings make a metalllic thrumming sound.
324. Horseback archery
Read about the Atilla the Hun (research for my book) and how horseback archery was a long-lost art that is now being rediscovered. I love discovering neat things during my research - this was something bpth B. and I could relate to since we love horses. Horseback archery requires the same "muscle memory" also required for riding a bike, roping cows from horseback, pole-vaulting and many other activities.
325. Blankets and stars in the backyard
B. and I lay on a blanket in the backyard at night to look at the stars
326. Audrey Hepburn quotes
"For beautiful eyes, look for the good in others; for beautiful lips, speak only words of kindness; and for poise, walk with the knowledge that you are never alone."
"When you have nobody you can make a cup of tea for, when nobody needs you, that's when I think life is over."
"You can tell more about a person by what he says about others than you can by what others say about him."
