Adventure Times SIX!

On a fun-filled Tuesday afternoon, our four

grandkids were joined by Kirby cousins

Riley and Reece. Reece was comfortable 

calling me Grandpa, since everybody else

did.  And Bri insisted that he is my grandson.

No, but he and Riley got the full grandkid

experience this afternoon.

Starting at the tree house.  Claire is perched

on top as Riley and Reece explore.

A different angle, as Claire hugs a tree.

What do you think Reece thinks of all this?

Just a short distance away, Riley tries

the swing.  And what does Reece have?

Claire, in her flowing garb, has just

leapt from the swing in style.

Reece is a nature lover like the rest.  Way to

go Jacob and Carrie.  He LOVES his yellow

magnolia leaf.  And Evan has to find one, too.

Maybe you think Riley has a hurt thumb.

Nope, she's licking blackberry juice.

The first wave of blackberries ripened just

in time for all the kids to eat all they wanted.

 Chow down, everybody.  You don't get a

feast like this every day!

Back near the house, roly-poly bugs are the

next item of interest. And we have them a-plenty.

Now for some rip-roaring swinging.  Let's get

this swing set airborne!

This happy pair, Hunter and Evan travel

miles without leaving this spot.

Next up?  The waterfalls!

Reece likes using a hockey stick to stir

things up, just like the others always have.

Riley says, "Let's see where this path leads."

Evan practices his boat rescues.

Since we played hard at the stream but 

didn't get in, it was water slide/sprinkler

time when we returned to the house.

Some slides were graceful as could be.

Others were simply surprising!

Evan's goal is a two-point landing.

With no bump.

Everybody knows when Hunter slides.

He has perfected his squeal of excitement!

One after another, the kids slide on and on,

scrambling up the ladder or over the walls

for their next turn.

I think we had burned off the calories of

the blackberries by now.

A home-made water slide is quite satisfactory.

In a weak moment, I gave the kids full

charge of the hose.  More squealing ensued!

Time to reload.  And nobody can serve up

great snacks like Grandma.  Three kinds

of fruit and a platter of chocolate chip

cookies.  In fact, there were four kinds of

fruit, because Claire and Riley had kiwi!

Reinvigorated, the girls head out to do some

gymnastics.

This may not be gymnastics, but it's still fun.

And totally out of control.

Yes, that was a great afternoon for all six

kids plus us adults who looked on, smiling.

The next day, Bri and Hunter were back

for more.  And as a special treat, we headed

to Beulah Hill for a change of scenery.

They like these swings better than ours at

home because with longer chains they can

soar much higher.  And at least part of the

time they were synchronized.

I'd like to think this contraption contributed

to Bri learning to bike without training wheels.

Amanda reported that last night at home, Bri

rode for the very first time with no trainers or

assistance.  Fantastic!  With my little invention,

velcro and some tape held a little white bar in

place so I could walk alongside her, helping her

balance.  It was a little odd, but easier than walking

behind her trying to hold on to the seat.

Anyway, congrats to Bri!

And just for a change of pace, she takes

the Hot Wheels for a stroll.  I never know

what to expect, but they're always thinking.

We went inside the church and I gave them

a tour of the ten stained-glass windows, including

one dedicated to their great-great grandparents,

Jesse and Ada McKenzie.

Look closely and you will see accompanists

of the future.  That's Bri on the keyboard and

Hunter on the piano.

Back at home, we had a delicious lunch of

their favorites: pizza rolls, chicken nuggets,

and fries.  I don't mind them, either.

Then it was back to the stream.  And today

we were in swimsuits, so Hunter went on his

very first stream hike.  Bri had tried it for the

first time just a couple of weeks ago, and little

brother is usually not far behind.

Like Mark Twain on the Mississippi, Hunter

sets out to get acquainted with every curve,

sandbar, and especially deep spots.

You explore upstream; I'll head downstream.

These pictures tell about half the story of

our fun.  I'm going to post a separate blog

with selected videos from those two days.

I know a lot of my readers don't have time to

watch videos (that only make them jealous ; )

so that one is especially for family, but all

are welcome.  In fact, most of my readers are

just like family, so come one, come all!