Getting the water lines up

Getting the water lines up

There are 26 acres of hay on Grandpa's property here.  The fields in this high desert are irrigated by the Tumalo Irrigation District which sends ice-cold snow run-off, from their reservoir, down the miles of irrigation canals

 ... to us!

The water is "turned on" at the end of April each year.  Once this water is on, it fills the ponds and can be pumped out to water the fields.  

The metal pipes have to be put out, the pump has to be repaired, primed, and started.  Valves need to be fixed, seals repaired, and lots of other little maintenance issues.

Burnell and Dwight working on the lines ... father and son...

... while the next generation puts out the pipes.

Orin - the Hurdler

Me and my photography, again ...

Wyatt's gotta lean the ropes, too.  

Dwight and Chance - having a blast, as usual!

Burnell - the veteran - teaching Orin how to operate the motor that moves the entire wheel line.  This is serious business!

Ty watching from a distance ... can they do it?

And the water is UP!

Now it's time to PLAY!

The pond overflowed and made a shallow little pool for Vienna to play in!  She loved wading around in the sun-warmed water.

Earthworm hunting!

There's always time for hugs and kisses!

Big brother Orin helping Vienna around the field.

Chance takes his turn at the wheel ... imaging he's on a racetrack no doubt!

Love this shot

Work's done ... 

Yes, this happens 'round here ... and she LOVES it!

Spring has arrived! Dragging the field

Springtime 'round these parts means getting the fields ready ... and playing OUTSIDE!!!  Yeah for sunshine and the warmth it brings.

Burnell (our soon-to-be 10-yr-old) gets to start off the prep by dragging the hay fields.  After the horses have been on the fields "fertilizing" all winter, we then have to help spread the organic fertilizer around. :-)

I remember when I used to drive our tractor in NY.  So fun!

 Picture-perfect days.  Looks like a couple of geese have decided that our pond is the perfect place for nesting.

Dirt + Water = MUD

I guess I can't keep her clean forever. :-)  

 Quint finds some eggs in the haybarn.

I love that Grandpa & Gram's place here has a sandbox!  The children play for hours.  One of THE best "toys" you can give a child. That and a trampoline.  Hours of fun ...

 Time for some water on these hot spring days.  And since the pond is still ice cold, we'll revert to the hose on the slide.

 The master-minds at work.

Practicing my photography ... 

And there Ty goes!

Oooohhh ... it's still COLD! :-)

Planes, sunsets and a Sand City - final beach days

We're back home now, but I had to post a few photos from our last days on the coast.

On one of the rainy days, we visited the town of Tillamook (home of the famous Tillamook Cheese Factory).  We didn't visit the cheese factory this time, but instead chose to check out the AIR MUSEUM!!!  What's cooler than planes??

 I had no idea that the museum building was actually a hanger that was built during WWII to house 9 helium blimps!!  

We watched a video that told all about the history of it's building.  

• It was made from WOOD, since all the steel was being used to build ships and such.  
• It is 190' high! with no supports in the middle.
• They actually built 2 of these hangers, the second in just 9 months!  However, the first burnt to the ground after it had been used to store hay.

Check out how HUGE the blimps are used in the war (compared to the Goodyear blimp that we all know and recognize)

We were allowed to go inside the "Mini Guppy" which is like a flying hanger.  The back end of the plane folds out and is loaded from the rear.

Here's some cute photos of the boys trying out the cock pits.  I can just see Quint in a uniform flying a helicopter.  Ty, I could see as a wild fighter jet pilot!

I took about 50 pictures of sunsets.  Such beauty and majesty ... I couldn't get enough of it - even though we kept trying to capture it.  Dwight shot this amazing display with his iphone.

This is one of my favorites as well.  

OK, THIS IS AWESOME!!!  I could have watched Dwight and the boys play football every day.  It's so fun to have the boys old enough to understand the game, work different plays, sack the quarterback, throw amazing passes ... The cheerleader in me came out again in a big way.  LOVE, LOVE, LOVE watching this!

YEAH!  Get him, Burnell!

What's a windy beach without a kite???  And see how bright and sunny it was ... AGAIN??  We were so blessed with so many sunny days.

 I do believe that the massive sandy beach is God's playground.  There is seriously endless opportunities for fun and creativity - for every age.  On this day, we decided to bury all the children. :-)   

Where's QUINT???

"Has anyone seen my legs??"

"Aahhhh!!!  There's a fly on my face!!"
"I'll get it!!!", Mama grins and ... Whack!!! (Vienna liked trying to get the flies, too)

That's quite the race-car!

On our final day, we pretty much had the beach to ourselves.  The Tierra Del Mar strip of sand is quite large, especially during low tide.  And it was SUNNY AGAIN!

I took TONS of photos of this darling little model who gave me dozens of photo ops!  Typically, she was looking at the sand (or eating it!), but here is a fun moment of sheer joy where she's looking at me. :-)  Enjoying the sand between her toes, running from waves ... sheer delight!

The sand also makes a life-size canvas for drawings ... and tic-tac-toe!  Daddy's the best!

Our final WAHOO was to build a SAND CITY!  We all pitched in.  Dwight manned the building of the massive moat and city wall, while the rest of us worked on the "castle."

Isn't it rad? (to use of term from my era)

Washing all the bedding and sandy clothes took us back to a Tillamook laundromat.  We filled 5 triple loaders and a couple double loaders.  Yeyeah!  I could use some of these in my house, baby.

Final parting shot of the morning, as the sun came up over the beach house and illuminated God's great handiwork.  Bye-bye sand and ocean.  You were marvelous neighbors.