Easter in Duncan (a catch up post!)

Every couple of years the Duncanites try to move the easter egg hunt to my house.  My tiny 1/3 of an acre isn't nearly as fun as risking pokes and scratches on acres of desert landscape.  The weather is always lovely and cool with just the right amount of sunshine.  The lilac is always in bloom and so are the orchids, besides at this point it is long standing tradition.  Nona always does some fun $5 dollar money eggs the kids really look forward too.

Baskets ready?

Ashlee and I always hide the eggs.  Over the years we have developed a few favorite hiding places. This year Ashlee thought it would be fun to throw eggs into these large briar patch full of really scratchy, pokey plants.  Poor McCoy (below) is right in the midst of them trying to get an egg.

Fighting hard for the egg

Declan fighting his own fight for the egg

Archy gets the easier turf since he is younger and finds one on the woodpile

                                Sometimes you gotta climb trees to get to the good eggs

Archy in Mulberry Tree

 A wee butterfly stops by to say hello!

Lilac bush in the front yard

After all that hard work it's time to check out the loot and eat the chocolate before it melts more!

Left to right back row: McCoy and Archer

Front row: Zany, Declan, and Quinton

After all the hunting was done we headed out to visit Grandpa Agle's grave.

Putting in new flowers

Forks up for Grandpa who was a Arizona State Sun Devil, too!  

We miss you!  It's a good reminder at Easter,

 that it's only temporary we'll see and be with him again.

Noon Creek Picnic & Ladybug Saddle Hike

Spring in Arizona is a glorious thing, not because we had a hard winter but because we know: Summer is Coming.  Hot, hot days like today where it got a up to a 117 degrees and all of us just stayed inside the whole day and didn't go swimming even.  It was just too hot.  I tried not to feel guilty about it; I figure when it is in the single digits back east during winter people just hunker down and stay inside too.  Thankfully days of 117 are not to often.

This day when we all (including the Germaine's) went on a picnic it was in the low 80's just right for a hike and a picnic.   Noon Creek Picnic Area is a short drive up the mountain.  It got its name from back in the pioneer days, when the women and children would escape the heat by traveling up the mountain for the summer and half a day's journey by horseback would land you at Noon Creek where I supposed the pioneers ate a picnic lunch too.

Pa and Nona enjoying the day

Eddy and Zany 

The boys has so much fun climbing over the rocks

Quinton center, McCoy right, Archy middle, Eddy back

Zany trying an acorn, rare where we live, but quite abundant at Noon Creek

After our Picnic, we decided to check out some hiking trails

As the boys hiked they looked for javelinas since they saw quite a bit of javelina droppings.

What's this hiding in the brush?  

Not a javelina but a friendly Quinton

When we came to the Ladybug Saddle Trailhead our party separated. Most went back to our pinic spot and the rest (Ashlee, Rhiannon, Declan, and Quinton) went on to hike.

Ashlee and Declan

A rare photo in the wild of Ashlee, who usually is the designated photographer but I seized the camera so I could take photos of her trying out her new black diamond poles.

Lovely specimen 

(You say that when you don't know what the proper name is)

Dec, Ash and Quint

Quinton and Declan (red shirt) considering the descent

Another photo of Ash

We were happy to discover running water and a waterfall.

Declan crosses after Quinton

You wouldn't kick a guy while his down would you Quint?

It was a very nice hike and would be even more beautiful in the fall with the leaves changing colors. I am always wanting Ashlee to take up hiking with some plein aire painting.  That's my dream we hike, then we set up our little easels and portable paints and companionably paint together and then resume our hike.  Don't worry I'll talk Ashlee into it one of these days, sisters who hike/paint together, stay together (I'm pretty sure)!

Easter

Better Late Than Never!!

Due to unforeseen circumstances (and more than one person being sick a few times) Easter was much delayed this year. There was almost mutiny from the Kids several times over. In the end, there were a few good things to take away.  Everything was half off!! Lots of Candy. In fact, for the first time that I was aware of, the Easter bunny put out pre-made baskets. He told me those were 75% off.

 
Here is the gang with there baskets!

McCoy searches for his egg in the desert.

Declan can't decide which way to go.

Here is quint, Who I might add had the hardest time finding his metallic egg. There are special eggs for each kid, so that the prizes are evenly distubuted. Quint was searching and searching until the wee hours. In fact he even used a flashlight. though not unlike the little ones, Eddy was able to help him track it down.

Declan does some advance scouting for the rest of the hunters.

Zany reaches up high

Zany was very into finding eggs. I must tell the Easter bunny next year to hand out sturdier baskets.

Archy spotted this one, up high all by himself.

Not an Easter without a bunny to nibble on.

Spring Cleaning at the Germaine's Emporium

In between all of the fun we have been having, we have actually got some work done. I am like my sister in that I really like to rearrange things. Also it is very easy at our store for it to become a bit of a mess, and unorganized. Once agian it is really hard to take pictures as you go, in fact I forgot all about one area until we were done. Luckily I was able to fine one from a while back.  

Goodbye, christams area! We have further plans for our christmas products, hopefully that project will be done sooner rather then later.

Our New cheery area, as I like to call it. Lots of bright colors in this area. 

I am quite taken recently with the combintation of Red, Green and Yellow. 

Here is another of my favorite things, miniatures. Most of these are vintage Renwal  with a few others mixed in. 

We put the cheery melamine (no brown or muted avacodo green here)  in this section along with the yellow enamel pots and pans. 

This area has been on my mind for awhile. See that blanket all bunched up in the foreground?
No one ever returns it properly to the quilt rack. 

This one is not going very far

It shall just  replace these two small tables. I need to repaint the yellow table anyway as I ran out of paint the first time. 

Like magic the John Deere Shelf has taken thier place.

Once agian a fail on keeping up with a project thru pictures. Pa sanded this ole door, painted it and built feet to make it stand. I wanted a way to hang vintage kitchen untensils.  He also hung tin signs and lots of hooks. 

All finished! We still need one more tin sign, to be hung.

And the other side, I am pleased how it turned out and since this picture was taken all the hooks have been filled.  We still have lots to do before the heat gets us, stop by and check it out!

Disneyland-part two

Towards the evening in Disneyland, if you look closely you'll notice a phenomenon occurring all over the park called meltdown time.  Children who have had more fun and junk food than is normal often forgoing their usual nap hit the wall of exhaustion and so crying and maniacal behaviors occur.  Ashlee saw one mom dragging her son on his knees because he refused to walk.  Zany hit her meltdown mode at the Dumbo ride.  All day we had pretty much walked right on any ride with barely a ten minute wait, not so for Dumbo.  Zany saw the Dumbo ride and went crazy wanting to ride it so badly.  We got line and stood and stood meanwhile every new batch of riders that got on the ride while she didn't set her off in a rage.  To distract her I had Quinton put her on his shoulders.

(Note:  It is very hard to capture good photos when you rush from one ride to another but this is the best we got.)

  

Declan on the photo-op Dumbo

Nona and Pa waiting to see all their grandkids ride on Dumbo

Declan (left), McCoy, Zany as though caged, Rhiannon, Quinton and Archer

You can tell by looking at us that we are so tired of our tedious wait having been spoiled by getting on all the rides so fast.

Quinton explains to Archer how to fly Dumbo

All smiles now

I always want to spend more time in Fantasyland but for some reason it gets pushed to the end of the list. We made sure to get to Fantasyland but we didn't have enough time to ride everything. I had never ridden on the Storybook ride before and I found it enchanting.  It was quite my favorite ride.  The element of danger, possible capsizing if you party was not coordinated enough to stand at the same time, just added to the fun of the ride.

McCoy and Archy heading into the whale

What sweet cottage, Zany just loved it 

Lovely miniature castle,

 who says there isn't a career to be had in miniaturism

 I forced Quinton to ride the carousel can't you tell he is thrilled.  He would much rather have been doing Disneyland with a fellow teenager but since no cousins were to be had, he had to endure the kiddy rides. 

Declan & Quinton

Zany was in heaven riding her horse

Everyone else left to go ride Indiana Jones and so I took Archy and Zany on the teacups.  The teacup ride is quite beautiful at night with all the hanging lanterns lit up.  

Zany and Archy on the teacups

Have you ever wondered how Disneyland knows exactly how long of a wait you will have before you can ride a ride?  They select a very special person and scan a pass give it to that person and then when that person gets on the ride they scan that pass again and that info appears as the wait time.  Quinton, lucky guy, was selected to be that special person.

Quinton with the special time pass

At the end of the night shortly before the park closed, we watched Fantasmic.  The fireworks at the end of the show wowed everyone especially Archer and Eddy.

Archer (former firework hater) and Eddy

Leaving the park to get back to the hotel was one of the longest, coldest walks Zany has ever experienced but she would do it again in a heartbeat to go back to Disneyland.

Zany 

We haven't even been to the California Adventure side of Disneyland who knows the fun that awaits-someday!