Memorial Day Weekend 2013

Last year, beginning with Memorial Day, I got behind on my blogging and did not post ANY of our summer vacays.  HUGE regret, so I'm trying to kick off the summer on schedule with my blog.  :)

We headed out of town mid-afternoon on Friday to Santa Anna.  Tess was chill in the back seat w/ complimentary petting by L.

Saturday Morning Hike at the Ranch

Tanks just beg to have rocks thrown into them.  (Carol, you can have them for a work weekend-diving for rocks?-in a few years.)

Off to find critters!

Our first scorpion we found under a rock.

Dung beetles are always a fave!  (I recently learned that rolling dung actually serves two purposes; one being protection/food for their eggs/young, and the other is that it keeps their feet cool when the ground is hot-they'll alternate pushing with their front and back legs.  I think that's more of an issue in Africa, but interesting still.)

A boy in his boots kicking rocks

Following Daddy

I knew when I took the pic that there would be no way I'd capture the beauty, but I tried.  Love this land!

Missy and Tess had a blast running all over the ranch, taking everything in.  They were most inconvenienced when we made them pose for this pic.

This was Missy's first trip (besides camping) and she was perfect.

Our family get-togethers always include lots of firearm activities.  This year we took it to the next level, adding explosives.  Um, yes, please!

Here the guys are setting up the target.

Heading back to the truck, Red Ryder in tow

Trey & Say-rah

Hots Lined Up!  (I'm videoing over his shoulder.)

Checking out the Hole

Mollie giving L a lesson

J w/ his Red Ryder & Ears

L Climbing the Dam

Mollie & J

Hots & Brandon

Because there's no such thing as too much practice

Check out this series:
Aim & Fire

Did I hit it?

Nailed it!

Hots Ready to Go

 J w/ Daddy

Hard to see, but he tore it up.  :)

L rocked the red ears.

 Mollie & L (w/ Maggie, Missy's new BFF)

Again

Checking the Aftermath

L washing his hands (w/ a little help).

The annual rattlesnake hunt.  This year we got one!  Hard to see, but you get the idea.

The boys have almost always gone with us (Kaydie has kept them a few times, but we definitely took L when he was in his infant carrier back in the day.) and get so excited.  When we got back to the lodge, J wanted to hold the snake.

Cousin Julie skinned it-she's a pro-and Aaron marinated and grilled it.  Most of us cousins tasted it and it actually wasn't that bad.

Sunday we climbed the mountain, which now means we drove up the caliche road, got out mid-mountain, and hiked around.  Back in the day we climbed it straight up.  Well, from bottom to top, anyway; no roads back then.  Now it's being mined (??) for limestone, so the evidence of that is there.

B & J

B & L w/ J in the foreground

Hots & Me  :)

Missy on a Rock

I spy...

Grandmama (on the L above & pictured here) & Sue (on the R above).

Climbing Huge Rocks

Don't look down!

Kaydie will climb anything!

There are fossils everywhere and I'm sorry I didn't take more pics of them.

Family Photo!  Will this year's be better than last year's?  (When L cried, flailed, and refused to cooperate.)

Nope.

Me w/ Sweet J

J & Kaydie

Family Photo w/ our Favorite Child all Who Chose to Cooperate

Daddy & L

Mollie brought her dog, Maggie, who played w/ Missy the whole weekend.  Here they are at the tank by the lodge.  They played and played and played.

And swam

And swam

And played some more

Back to the ranch to blow things up

Aunt Say-rah helping L up the dam.  (We always call her Say-rah when we're in SA.  Aunt Barbara would want it that way. :)

Before

After

Aunt Say-rah w/ J & L

On Sunday night Trey sang and played his guitar.  J lost another tooth that night so Uncle Trey sang him a song.

The boys showed off their dancing skills, which they obviously got from their parents. Sorry, guys!

And Hots grabbed the snake off the grill, taking it to the next level.  So I sent his mother a pic, asking, "Who is this guy?"  I think she was concerned.

The Bell Girls' Men

Grandmama having a great time.  :)

I am thankful for a family who loves getting together (& blowing things up) and that my kids have the blessing of growing up with a close extended fam (Brian's side, too, I might add).  We love you all and look forward to Thanksgiving!