Playing with Phoebe and Frances and a Big Yellow Spider

Today I played with Phoebe and Frances and we saw this really big spider with yellow stripes and spots. Phoebe didn't want to go anywhere near it. I took a picture of it but it's not ready yet, maybe I'll have it on the next entry. Dad is currently pounding on the wall with a big black hammer for whatever reason, I don't know why. It sure is nice to be home. Our garden was a big success. We just picked two cucumbers, I had part of a Zebra tomato this morning and some cherry tomatoes and a strawberry.

I've Got Ants in my Pants!!

We went on an early evening walk today because we're going to meet Lily at an opera. We got fancy drinks at this place and then went to a park to climb trees. At the park there were a lot of good climbing trees and also millions of ants. There was this one colony that had already developed it's tunnels to the required extent, and were storing food for when there wouldn't be a plentiful supply. All the ants were walking on a path that they made that was actually pretty long. Some of the ants were carrying things more than thrice their size. Here is a video of them:

Lemon Lake

Today we rode the canoe over lemon lake. The lake is flooded in the summer, so we like to paddle across it and imagine what it was like in the winter. there are some parts of the lake the lake that have trees growing in them and I can't see the bottom of. There are also parts of the lake that are so shallow that I can reach out over the side and touch the grass, yet we were able to paddle in that section. When we got out and hiked around Dad pushed over a few burnt trees and made a big cloud of dust. We also saw a fawn, but no mother deer.

Aunty's Lake and DEEER

Today we went to my great-aunt's lake. I rode on the inner tube and rode the boat around with my 5-year-old second cousin following me around playing a game where he's batman and I'm a pirate. I convinced Dad, Aunty, and Johnny to try riding on the inflatable whale that tips over all the time. It was very funny to watch. Back at Nana and Papa's house we saw a mommy deer nursing a fawn. It was REAL neat. The fawn was drinking milk and the mommy deer was licking the fawn's bottom. When the mommy ran away the fawn couldn't keep up and got lost. It actually walked up to us! Honestly, Ruth said that it was 12 feet away from us. She is saying "IIIIIIIIII VOOOOW THAAAAAT..." right now. And when the fawn went away it bounced up and down instead of running away it bounced up and down with it's legs perfectly strait.

Alpine Slide

Today we went to Purgatory Ski Run and, of course, in the summer it's a bike run, but there's also lots of other things to do; like the alpine slide, the bungee jump, the climbing wall, the put-put golf course, and the marmots. The marmots aren't technically an activity; they're little cute animals that look like this:

The alpine slide was my favorite activity. You ride the chair lift up half a mile, you get a sled, and you ride down. The design of the sled is interesting. It has a brake lever that when you push forward lowers the wheels and makes the sled go faster and vice versa. I got a rope burn on my second or third time down because I didn't have both hands on the lever. That was the only time Ruth got to the bottom before me. We think that was because I am heavier. The bungee jump was my second favorite,and almost my favorite. You wear a harness attached to two cords that are hooked on to two poles. You can get really high if you ask. The put-put golf course was kinda fun, especially the levels with tunnels. All in all, a trip to Purgatory in the summer is almost as fun as it is in the winter.

Fangorn

Today Ruth and I played in deeper Fangorn then we ever have been. We like telling storeys about very unfortunate princesses who fall to grave misfortunes.

Airport again

We got home without any major delays, except for the little one where on our first flight (from Chicago to Los Angeles). There was this woman with a dog in her purse walking up and down the aisle looking for a seat. This wouldn't have mattered so much if that wasn't our first plane, but it was our first plane and we had to run to catch the next one. We were all a little surprised we made it. And we weren't the last ones on, even. Here is a picture of the clouds viewed from my window:
Almost the moment we arrived at the house, Ruth and I went out exploring in the forest we call Fangorn. We got pretty far with the help of a old wooden board we used as a battering ram. Ruth and I found a few tics on each other when we came home.