Our glorious weather continues.. Mild,
sun shining day, a group of new friends and an unexplored trail - the perfect set up for a fun afternoon. The boys all ran ahead, exploring, investigating, and scouting out potential fort locations. For the most part we managed to keep the troops on the trail, to the relief of one young man who was very concerned about the poison oak potential. His
Mamma had taught him to stay away from any off trail and when any of the larger, older boys wandered off, he quickly admonished and encouraged return by the threat of poison oak.
At the very end, all the kids were a bit worn out from hiking and wanting to play rather than marching on, and the fallen trees seemed the perfect spot for some good old boy fun. Even young Mr Cautious threw worries to the wind and followed Lukas , Noah and their friend Joe up and over, down and behind, under and up again - and these were the tired boys just a few scant minutes ago?
It was finally time to head back to civilization, hands filled with warm black mud clay balls, bare legs scratched from old, dry branches but happy and content. Back home it was 'go directly to shower, do not stop anywhere, but proceed directly to hot water and soap.' Since Noah has had his own fair share of encounters with poison oak,
he willingly washed himself with
Technu to prevent the evil of the woods to dampen his fun hike. There was only one small problem... one must wash the entire body, not just the front in order to get rid of all the oil from poison oak.... Noah learned this lesson the painful and uncomfortable way - as he is now is showing off a full court attack of poison oak.
Will this stop him from hiking, no! But it is time to pull out the big guns - Ivy Block - to see if that will keep the enemy at bay. Otherwise, we are up for any suggestions! Yes, I realize we could have worn long pants, but it is warm here.... :-)
Lukas and Bob helped prepare for our weekly Classical Conversation class by jointly painting a landscape using water colors. Noah quickly realized there was fun going on and wanted to add his two cents - or rather three brush strokes to the sea scape. The final product is hanging up to dry..
Bob has mastered the making of the perfect waffle. On Saturday morning, always confident Lukas set out to improve perfection. He decided to add cocoa to the waffle mix, yielding a dark brown/golden waffle with just a hint of chocolate. For a first try it was not bad, but it certainly did not improve the already perfect waffle, and why even try? Oh to have that much extra energy to not even leaving perfect alone. .....
he willingly washed himself with Technu to prevent the evil of the woods to dampen his fun hike. There was only one small problem... one must wash the entire body, not just the front in order to get rid of all the oil from poison oak.... Noah learned this lesson the painful and uncomfortable way - as he is now is showing off a full court attack of poison oak.
Noah has certainly picked up some om his Mamma's less desirable traits.... and it played out loud and clear when he helped put away groceries. To save money we bulk shop when items we commonly use are on sale, and this was one of these times, so there was a lot that needed to find a home. Noah eager to help climbed up on a chair to survey the storage possibilities and quickly declared: This is a mess! So out with all the items, group like items together and re-stack the cabinet.
Newly stuffed, and self assured Froggie opted to write a guest commentary on the blog. He claims he is the only one in the family who has yet to write a blog entry, and he did not want to be left out.
Both arrived in our home shortly after the boys.. and have been with us ever since. Bear is going on 10 years and Froggie is almost 8 years old- so it was about time for a 're-stuff.' Now they are once again fluffy, soft, cuddly and shapely - the limp floppy arms and legs are but a fleeting memory.
Saturday night we made sushi for dinner. It was a fun way for all of us to hang out, and work together in the kitchen. Lukas and Noah brought out the white board for the menu, Lukas kept track of our charges, and Noah not only mastered holding the chop sticks properly but also rolled his first Sushi creation. Both Lukas and Noah took great pride in their very own rolls, with some practice I think we can hand over the Sushi bar to the boys and Bob and I can sit at the counter and simply eat and enjoy.
Since it was lunch time, and we had worked hard all morning we stopped at Ghiradelli Square for some refreshment and samples... Nothing like good chocolate for lunch, capped off with an In and Out Burger adn Soda. Famed In-and-Out are not yet in Monterey so it is a treat. Back at the hotel, the children prompted by Bob played a fun game of Twisters on the hotel carpet - the hotel was recently renovated and featured bold graphics all over - walls, flooring, beddings and accessories - and some pretty bold colors as well. Not a subdued, boring standard hotel decor. The children giggled, laughed, and squealed as they jumped from circle to circle, held hands while moving and trying to not get kicked out of the game.
Monday morning was a bit foggier, and the fog seemed to linger a bit. Ducking into a Maritime museum we learned that it was free admission day on the ships at the dock - an old Schooner, a ferry and two other ships. Jackpot, for boys who love ships, old history, and pirate stories. Lukas was fascinated by the small row boat on display, it held two people that crossed the Pacific - 189 days at sea.
e
more fun. 
