September is here, and that means this is probably the last post I will make before I return home.  HOME!  Yay!  I think being here in the states is absolutely GREAT when we're traveling and visiting, but just sitting here in our half-home is often disconcerting to me.  I don't do well if I don't have a plan for the day - something to DO besides just sitting at my computer all day.  I. Get. Bored.  Bleah.

So today, my goal is to write in my blog.  NOT my favorite thing to do, but it IS fun to get responses from you...my loving friends.  (Notice I didn't say friends and family?  Because #1. FAMILY often doesn't even read this stuff and #2. They most likely would not respond if they did!  I'm just a little OTT with everything.  Sigh.)

I could complain a bit about this Blogger.  I just changed my settings to make my blog wider.  BUT...this part where I'm doing the composing DIDN'T get any wider, so it's going to look different when it's published - which means I probably won't format it correctly.  It's quite discouraging and frustrating.  But I will blog on...

OK, let's see...I left you in Los Alamos where I had neglected to take photos of Jonathan and family - problem solved! Can you believe how tall Cael is getting?

Jonathan, Cael and I went to the same funny little mini-golf course I was on with Connie and her grandies.  We played once through in the normal way but since it's a VERY straight up and rather boring course (which I'm not complaining about since it's a FREE place to play) on the next round we had to give it something different for oomph.  So we played "horse".  Whoever won the hole got to choose how to play the next hole.  We played backwards through our legs, on one foot with one hand, making the ball bounce off the wall, and here's a photo of Jon using the club as a pool cue for his turn!  That way to play was MUCH more fun.

We had some great moments with friends.  Here are a few gals at the local coffee spot.  Del Rauber, Connie Witt, Melissa Alexander, Judy Crocker and Cookie Halsted - all Chamisa friends!

Then we spent some time in Albuquerque with Thomas and Sara and their boys, 

Sky and Forest.  Below is the scene that reoccurred almost every night as Thomas and Chris solved all problems - if only one of THEM were king of the world!

But now here's Sky being king of the world - though upside down!  Pretty cool trick, huh?

We then hurried back to Colorado because Chris had bought a boat - sight unseen!  He's REALLY happy about it, and so am I.  The guy who owned it before put ALL KINDS of lovely little touches on it, and he was engineering inclined, so he took REALLY good care of it! 
It's a 26 foot MacGregor, and we will be using it to "sail" the Erie Canal and the Great Lakes.  Looks like fun, yeah? In this photo, the mast is down to facilitate trailoring (and going under low bridges!)

This is looking towards the bow - with the V-berth at the top of the photo.

This is looking aft - see Chris in the cock pit?  Behind the ladder is a huge king-sized berth with EXTRA cushioning, which is where we will sleep.

Of COURSE we got to spend a bit of quality time with the grandies.  Both Jude and Lily had birthdays while we were here.  I made Jude a cloth "paper doll" with velcro clothes to dress.  He was MUCH more interested in the streamers I used to wrap his gift!  haha.

For Lily's birthday, I made here a tiny little pocket (from a drawing that she had made of herself) for her to put her teeth in for the tooth fairy.  It was an interesting process - and she had never HEARD of the tooth fairy, so I had to do some explaining as well.  I don't think she's much interested right now, so hopefully she'll have some experience at school to make this more valuable for her.

Now I just have to throw in a BUNCH of photos of the kidlets - because they are so CUTE!

We had fun at the fountains in Old Town Fort Collins one hot day.  Everyone rode their bikes over and the kidlets splashed in the water.
     Love this face!

Chocolate Face!

SUPER LILY!

This is one of my favorites.  Jude was playing "monster" - see his monster face?  And GrandPat was pretending to be surprised (and scared?) when monster pulled the blanket off him!

I have found a fun MWF water exercise class (on Fridays we play water polo) that ALSO has a craft group! AND...every Monday they meet for coffee and donuts.  Hah!  (That sort of defeats the purpose of the exercise, but it's fun.)

OK - that's enough now!  I'm pretty sure you won't hear from me again unless you check in to Facebook.  We're scheduled to be home on September 28th - so I'll see all you Aussies in October - yay!

Los

So - onward and upward.  I arrived in Los Alamos and was happy to kiss my honey.   The plan was for him to "work" at Los Alamos (though he's not geting paid) to get some encouragement and camaraderie - and that went well.  Things are progressing well with his work.  He was a "guest scientist" and can now use the name of the institution on his papers, etc.  He'll most likely come back next year with good vibes all around.

Connie Witt (AND Larry - but he happened to be not at home) are SUCH good friends for allowing us to hang out at their condo WHENEVER we are in LA - whether they are at home there or not!  They are SO appreciated.  


I feel a fool (well THAT'S not new) because of COURSE I went to visit Jonathan and Victoria and Cael - but did I take photos???  Nooooo.   But it was great to see them, and I'm sure I'll see them again so I can adjust my lack.  The weather has been fine wherever we go.  I took some pretty spectacular photos of the sunset over the mountains - and even that didn't do it total justice, but it's not bad from the front windshield while driving up the mountain, huh?

  Connie was spending time with her grandkids the last few days before they had to go to school, and I was allowed to play with them, too!  We did several fun things - like play mini-golf and go to the rodeo.  (Yes, there IS a rodeo in Los Alamos - for what it's worth.)  So, even though I don't have photos of my grandson, Cael, I have photos of Connie's grandkids!  Sorry, buddy - doesn't mean I don't love you!

Here's a few of my favorite photos of the rodeo.  They had all the events, so above is the junior bull-riding.  I don't know ANY of these people.  The little girl on the right was SORT of entering the watermelon-eating contest.  She was still munching away, one delicate bite at a time, WAY after the winner was announced.

I think this is a very clever horsey costume from the clown who was trying to entertain in an interval between events.

 This is my favorite photo of the barrel riders.  I have one of a gal who was much more intense, but I just love the juxtapoition of colors in this one.

Here are Addy and Coulter with me at the mini golf/ playground.  Why in the world did I not get a photo of Connie???  I think I will go find an old photo and put it in here.  And since I'm up to that, I'll find one of Jonathan as well. 

 THERE we go! - That makes me feel a bit better.  And, I promise that I will get REAL photos of them before this trip is over.  Meanwhile this reminds me that I better get some photos of where I am NOW.  All I have so far is this funny bunny photo of my great nephew Forest.

While in Los Alamos, we visited lots of friends and ate quite a bit.  While we were dining at Carol and Ed Storms house in Santa Fe, they shared their hummingbirds with us - they were quite prolific!

And, in looking for things to do, I found a little group at a craft shop where I shared the entrelac I am working on at the time.  I haven't decided if I'm turning it into a blanket or a stole for me.  Whaddya think?

OK - NOW I'm off to go take some phtoos of the rest of the folks HERE - so I can include them in the next blog.  I'll see you in another week or two.  Love and light and don't forget to write.

Kathy

OK, OK, I'm still here.  My excuse for not blogging is just that we haven't done anything really exciting, although we've done fun things - they are the kinds of things that we all just do in a day-to-day life.  But OK, OK, I'll put it down.  Maybe if I include a lot of photos, it will LOOK exciting!  

After Michigan, we stopped in Cleveland, Ohio, to visit Chris' long-time colleague Bill Harter and his wife, Carol.  We had about three days with them, and while Chris and Bill talked science, Carol and I went looking for things to do.  We played tennis one day, went antique shopping one day (sorta) and did some just hanging out.  

Here's Carol posing with a giant shoe chair - I especially thought of Jackie Ostilla with this one.

Chris had a MUCH more positive reaction with Bill than with the Candian guy. Bill was quite intrigued with what Chris was doing and they discussed it diligently.  That helped Chris keep a more positive approach.  Yay!

Travelling back across country from Ohio to Colorado is no big deal for us, as we get along well even in confined spaces, but this first day it was no fun!  First we had a half-hour traffic tie-up and then we had a TWO HOUR parking lot - both because of overturned trucks!  

And, going through Iowa and Nebraska there is almost nothing but corn!  I tried to get some photos of the interesting patterns on the cornfields, and believe me, I took myriad photos, but this is the best I got.

We got back to Fort Collins, and Chris left the next day to head to Los Alamos where he would be "working" (but not getting paid) at the National Science Laboratory as a "guest scientist".  I stayed in For Collins for the week to play with the grandies.  That was great for all of us, I think.

Lily is going to be five in September.  Jude just turned three.  Owen is one and a half and is NOT happy about being held this way - trying to wriggle out!

Here is the biggest kid of all - my goofy Aaron!

I tried to bring some kind of project
for them to do every day - here Lily is making door
 hangers  from a foam kit for each of the kidlets.

 

Owen is playing Fire Fighter on the back patio.

LOOK at all that curly hair! 

On this day I took sticker books for Lily and Jude.  Jude is totally engaged,, and Lily worked really well, but at this moment, she is playing with the pipe cleaners and strainer that I brought for Owen to play with.  Owen had lost interest and was goofing off on his own.

               

It's no wonder they have gorgeous kids, right?        Lily is a sweetie and she loves her Tutu

After a week of play, I drove down to Los Alamos to meet Chris. It's an eight-hour drive, so I stopped often since I was driving alone.  I stopped to get petrol, to have lunch, to buy munchies to keep me awake, to have a little snooze, and to take photos.  So it actually took me nine and a half hours.  One stretch of the road is called "The Cosmic Highway" and I was tickled with this sign.  I loved the bikini on the alien!  Well, it IS summer time, ya know, so what did I expect??? 

I stopped at another place to get gas, and take photos of the BIG birds in front: 

The big chicken!

The big flamingos!

There was a big  pelican, too, but my photo wasn't very good.  

And the best bit is that it's called...

So this is for my sister, Joyce - does it count???

I'm going to stop here, just so people won't think I've dropped off the face of the earth.  I'm not caught up yet, but I'll continue working on it and then maybe you'll get to read TWO blog posts in as many days.  Whaddya say about THAT?

Love and light,
Kathy