Casita Construction

Saturday, July 28, 2007
Thursday, July 26,2007

The floor construction for David's mom's little casita officially began construction this week. Wood for the floor was delivered Wednesday and David started hammering it all together Thursday. He's been working really hard dispite the scorching temperatures this week (103 degrees). We'll have to buy stock in the Gatorade company! By 7:00 p.m. today he had completed all in the top picture plus the plywood stacked on the left side is now hammered on the bottom of the frame. He lifted the section in the picture up with the forklift and put it on jacks while he hammered on the plywood. Next is plumbing, then floor insulation, then the actual plywood floor. I think he's going to be really sore tomorrow because of all that hammering and lifting.

Hogwarts

I took this picture of Oscar and Karrie Sunday, while they were at Hogwarts enjoying Harry Potter's new adventures. The rest of us had a nice time too, enjoying Nathan's ice cream and cake birthday celebration.

Another Load

Monday morning David headed up the canyon again with this trailer which is storing Ryan and Karrie's stuff while they build their home. It has been at our place since they sold their house in Rosedale. David had borrowed the truck to take the bulldozer up to Ryan's place, so he thought he might as well take the trailer up while he had it. Everything went fine up the canyon and he was back home before I got home from my mom's house.

Silverado

The kids had a lot of fun riding in the Silvarado pickup. Kacy preferred talking on the radio to driving, and Will tried to convince Spencer it was his turn by blocking the road. Jared and Ed were happy for any rides they were allowed. When the battery ran down, they just pushed it.

Ryan's Pad

Saturday evening David and I headed up the canyon to Ryan's. He's been using the bulldozer to dig down two feet for the sub-floor of his home. David help was needed to make sure it was level. According to the laser level, they were not more than and inch off anywhere when they finished.

Here they are double checking measurements,

and getting some shade from the 'dozer.

Kacy is standing where her new bedroom will be.

David and I nicknamed Ed "Bulldozer" while we were there. He was rolling, tumbling, running, sliding and whatever else there is to do in the dirt. Here he is enjoying a popcicle coated in dirt. The mounds of dirt behind him are not mountains, but the dirt displaced by Ryan.

Amber's Baby Shower

Saturday morning Nathalie, Jocelyn and Monica hosted a baby shower for Amber. It was held in Nathalie's pretty backyard.

Amber received some great gifts for little Preston Irwin , who is expected to arrive next month.

All those who attended enjoyed this yummy fruit/ french toast kabob and some delicious quiche made by Monica.

As the sun got higher, some of the ladies scooted closer to the fence for some shade.

Fun with the kids!

On Nathan's birthday he, Spencer and Jared came to my house for a sleepover while Jocelyn and Oacar went to the temple. We had sundae's to celebrate after pizza for dinner (his choices). We made alien pancakes with syrup, whipping cream, jam and sausages for breakfast. I watched them until that afternoon so Jocelyn and Jill could go shopping for the rest of their girls camp craft supplies. A few minutes after the boys got picked up, Karrie dropped off Kacy and Ed so she could take Will to the doctor for an ear infection. So, I had lots of fun playing with the grandkids!

Happy 6th Birthday Nathan!

Have an INCREDIBLE Birthday!

Nathan's a great kid and we love him sooo much. He's full of fun, expressive, smart and has a wonderful sense of humor.

Some of his favorite things are his family, playing games, riding his bike, cheese, grapes, taquitos, bread, ice cream , the colors red, black, grey and white, watching funny shows on TV,

drawing pictures, and telling and hearing stories and jokes. He's also a good helper in the kitchen.

Click to play

NathanNathan

Home Safe

David and Oscar made it home safe last night around 12:30 a.m. Jocelyn had just called me to see if I had heard from them. She had not been able to reach them by cell phone, but reception in the canyon is often bad. I had gone to bed earlier, since I had to work at the temple this morning, but couldn't get to sleep, so when she called I had been asleep about 15 minutes. I told her I would wait a few minutes and then call Ryan to see when they had left. David had told me not to expect him until midnight. I tried his cell first, and he answered from our driveway. Everything had gone well. It took about twice as long for him to drive up the canyon because he went slow and took lots of turnouts. It only took him 10 minutes longer than usual coming home because they didn't have the trailer and could go faster. Now, Ryan will be busy making use of the equipment. I'm so excited he's finally getting started!

P.S. I hopped in the passenger seat of the truck before they left yesterday to check it out and had fun playing with the seat adjustments. The seats are adjusted by air and are a riot to use. I'll have to let the grandkids have some fun before David returns the truck. I put the seat up so far my feet were dangling.

Bunting Trucking

David is licensed to drive semi trucks with trailers and today he got a chance to use his skills. He and Oscar left a few minutes ago to take this baby up the canyon to drop off at Ryan's place so he can get started on his house. I tried to convince him to take the long, safe way...but he just waited for the daytime traffic to die down and headed up Kern Canyon with Oscar for company. I hope all goes well, 'cause I'll be worried until they get back. I know David is probably a good driver, but there are places in that canyon that are kinda tight for a small car and it's dark.....

David & Amanda's visit

Here's a picture taken when David and Amanda were in Bakersfield last week. The highlight of their visit was the twin announcement, so I kind of forgot to post anything, but we were so happy to see them again, even if for only a short time. In this picture, David's using the drill press in the Bunting garage to drill holes in...yes...you guessed it.... golf balls. Shaun is supervising, since he did the same thing the previous week.

Our visit to Baker's Acres

After arriving home last Thursday morning from Arroyo Grande, we started repacking to attend a reunion with the Baker clan in Beaver, Utah at Baker's Acres. We packed up the pork loins for the barbecue and the peaches and strawberries for cobblers and pie and headed out early Friday morning for Utah. After over 8 hours in the truck, it felt good to get out and stretch our legs. Then, we headed for the ATV's.
The facility needed some repair, so those who attended were happy to help with the work. New stairs were built and painted for the restrooms, laundry room and the back door of the main house. Also, a ceiling fan was installed in the eating pavillion, which was appreciated by everyone. It was over 90 during the day, but cooled down at night. Pictured above are Steven, Carolynn, Wayne (Wendy's husband), and Tom (Jane's husband) who all worked on the stairs. David assisted Mike in installing the fan.

This is for Jocelyn. I promised her a picture of Katie and Alan's five month old twin boys, Ethan James and David Alan.

David and I took pictures of all who attended.

Barbara, who will be 87 this year, couldn't wait to try out the rope swing over the little pond. There was also a rowboat available to those who wanted to enjoy a little water sport.

The deer couldn't really be called "wildlife". I think they were almost domesticated. They came to get the rolled corn left by the stream. We saw several every day, including a fawn with it's mother.

Larry provided us with some entertainment by setting up a row of Diet Coke bottles and letting the kids drop in Mentos. As you can see, this causes a geyser. Lance (Buffy's friend) perfected the technique by puncturing a small hole in the lid and using a paper clip to drop several in at once, which made the stream of cola go 20-30 feet high.

We had a great time, and it was fun to see everyone and spend some time with them. The fires didn't hinder our travel plans, but I guess some of the group had to take a 4-5 hour detour on the way home from church Sunday. Thanks, Barry, for inviting us!

July 4th at the beach

David and I decided to go to visit the Beach Bunting's for the 4th of July this year. We went to the temple Tuesday morning together and left for Arroyo Grande after my shift ended around noon. David spent the afternoon taking a nap and listening to a book on his MP3 player, while Vickie, Becky, Mariah and I prepared food for the annual Bunting July 4th bonfire at Oceano Beach. They have a Beach Bean recipe that I hope will be posted on their blog. It has been developed over the last few years to perfection. As the evening progressed, John put the burgers on the grill. We ate them and also enjoyed sampling the yummy beans. We did save some for the bonfire. After dinner, David, John and I took a little field trip over to check out Lake Lopez as a possible site for a future family reunion. The last picture above is the swimming area there. It was dusk when we arrived and very pretty. We returned home to greet Leo who arrived late from work. Then, we all went to bed so we would be ready for the the big day which has become a tradition. Usually there are 20-50 friends who come to share the fire and also bring potluck food to share. Becky and John arrived at the beach at 6:00 A.M. to stake out our "territory" with caution tape. They stayed all day to protect the space. The rest of us arrived in the afternoon and sat arround in the sun talking, reading and baking. Leo only supervised the fire building this year because he had an injured knee and was hobbling around with the help of his walking stick. It was windy this year, but as the evening approached the wind died down and the fog arrived. We thought we had a PRIME spot, but because of the fog, we didn't actually get to see the fireworks from Pismo Pier. We did, however have a wonderful display all around of legal and illegal fireworks provided by everyone on the beach all night, so we were all satisfied with the bonfire celebration. We also cooked WOOFUMS over Leo's fire. If you look carefully at the group picture above you can see one in the foreground being toasted and ready for filling. Thank you Leo, Vickie, John, Becky and Mariah for letting us share your tradition!!! (Especially Mariah, for loaning us your bed!)

Season's first Peach Cobbler

Sunday we had the Uncle Dandy, Aunt Anita, Aimee, Shaun and Cooper along with David, Lindsey, Jimmy, Granny and my family for the first peach cobbler of the season. We had a great time. We thought Stu and Ann might show up too, since they were in town, but they didn't. I got this shot of the back of everyone's heads. You can see Uncle Dandy was a hit with the kido's, as usual.

Fireworks at the DAM and SUNSET at home

Saturday David and I took the cook trailer up to Lake Isabella for the Kern Valley Ward to use for their annual fireworks spetacular at the dam. They grill up some yummy food and then watch the show over the lake. It was kind of windy when we got there, but I understand that later the weather was great. On the way home David and I took the old Bodfish/Caliente road, which I had never traveled. It was very scenic and enjoyable. We picked up some septic system diffuser thingies at Ramey's place in Caliente and arrived home in time for a beautiful sunset.

100 Words Every High School Graduate Should Know

The Editors of America Heritage dictionaries have completed a list of 100 words they recommend every high school graduate should know.

" The words we suggest," says senior editor Steven Kleinedler, "are not meant to be exhaustive but are a benchmark against which graduates and their parents can measure themselves. If you are able to use these words correctly, you are likely to have a superior command of the language."

I don't know about you, but there are one or two words on that list I don't regularly incorporate onto my blog, and I might have to look up some if a fellow blogger did have the acumen to inculcate some of them, but my brain is rather vacuous.