We got there pretty around 9:00 Friday night so there wasn't much to do then except chat for a little while and then head for bed.
When we woke up Saturday morning Maylin decided she would take her spot in Uncle Roger's chair and read the paper for a bit. :)
She looks so tiny. I just love the spunk this little girl has!
For lunch we went to my cousin June's carry out store for a great lunch!
Maylin and Pierson were thoroughly enjoying their pizza. I had a great BLT sub... yummy! Mom had a 'walking taco'. A small bag of Frito's with your normal taco toppings. Pretty delicious.
Pierson enjoyed sitting between Great Grandpa Shultz and his Great Uncle Roger. What a fun lunch!!!
Maylin particularly loved the desert! And what better than sitting on cousin June's lap to do so. What a mess this little girl is inside and out! :) I wouldn't have her any other way.
After lunch we stopped by Grandpa's house/farm. I wanted the kids to experience a taste of the memories I have of playing on the farm. (Minus being chased by bull's and slinging moss all over themselves, popping tar bubbles and much much more!) Grandpa, at age 92, took the kids on a walking tour to the pond and over the creek to the tree house. It was a 95 degree day that left all of us hot and sweaty, but Grandpa took it like a Champ! He is utterly amazing! I hope I am as strong and agile as he is at 92.
The kids each took turns walking with him and holding his hand. He has such a strong yet gentle demeanor which gives a comfort and peaceful feeling to anyone who has the pleasure of meeting him.
Maylin was the first to cross the infamous Telephone pole bridge with a little assistance. If this bridge could talk it would be laughing at how many times we almost fell off of it, how many times we got trapped by the cows on either side of it, and how much slimy moss from the creek had been caked on it. We used to spend hours back there. Only occasionally did we need Grandpa to come with the truck to rescue us from the bulls. :) Those were the times we got in trouble. :)
Grandpa had better balance than any of us crossing this bridge. He crossed it like he does it every day.
The next stop was the tree house which was built "after my time". It was built for the great grand children. Maylin was checking out the inside before going in. She didn't spend much time in there. "A Yot of Bugs" she said.
Pierson was pleased with his ladder climbing abilities. He didn't care for the bugs either. :)
This makes my heart happy. Pierson was so curious about Grandpa. He spent a lot of time just looking at him. Then he would look at me and smile as if to say "I love Great Grandpa Shultz".
Pierson was pleased with his ladder climbing abilities. He didn't care for the bugs either. :)
This makes my heart happy. Pierson was so curious about Grandpa. He spent a lot of time just looking at him. Then he would look at me and smile as if to say "I love Great Grandpa Shultz".
One of the many fields of Queen Ann's Lace which Grandpa says are just wild carrots.
For those of you who have been following the blog for a while you know about my failed attempts to dye 'Queen Ann's Lace'. I have memories of Grandma picking the beautiful white "weeds" and dying them by putting food coloring in the water they were sitting in. This failure has haunted me for months. I still can't imagine why it doesn't work.
What I didn't remember about the process was just how much "Queen Ann's Lace" there was in Ohio. There were fields of it and many of the roads were densely lined with these dainty white flowers. There they were, just mocking me. Waving in the breeze as if to say, "Ha Ha Ha, you failed!" :) I was torn between admiration of their beauty and disgust at my inability to recreate Grandma's dying techniques. :)
Finally we came back around to road in front of the house. We stopped for a while to look over the bridge and look for crawdads. There were a lot of them and they were pretty big. Probably about 3-4 inches in length. Grandpa said the creek had been empty of wild life for a while so it was good to see them coming back. He said they would come first then the fish and snakes and turtles would be back. I am not sure about how I feel about the snake part of it. We used to play in that creek for hours as kids trying to catch crawdads without getting pinched. Pretty sure I didn't have snakes on the mind then!
Grandpa and Uncle Roger were pointing out the crawdads to the kids. This is the bridge that used to be covered with tar and gravel. In the summer my cousin's, sister and I would go out there and pop all of the boiling tar bubbles. One time we were covered in Tar and were afraid we would get in trouble so we snuck in the house to try to clean up with out anyone finding out. Needless to say we made a mess of the bathroom and got in a little bit of trouble with Grandma.;) From then on we were more careful not to get tar on us but it sure didn't stop us from going back. :)
Then there was the cellar door. I am not sure what it is about this door and these steps but they sure draw children to them. Luckily the door was open so the kids weren't tempted to slide down it on their bottoms. Some people might tell you that you can get splinters in your hinney that way! :0
Finally we came back around to road in front of the house. We stopped for a while to look over the bridge and look for crawdads. There were a lot of them and they were pretty big. Probably about 3-4 inches in length. Grandpa said the creek had been empty of wild life for a while so it was good to see them coming back. He said they would come first then the fish and snakes and turtles would be back. I am not sure about how I feel about the snake part of it. We used to play in that creek for hours as kids trying to catch crawdads without getting pinched. Pretty sure I didn't have snakes on the mind then!
Grandpa and Uncle Roger were pointing out the crawdads to the kids. This is the bridge that used to be covered with tar and gravel. In the summer my cousin's, sister and I would go out there and pop all of the boiling tar bubbles. One time we were covered in Tar and were afraid we would get in trouble so we snuck in the house to try to clean up with out anyone finding out. Needless to say we made a mess of the bathroom and got in a little bit of trouble with Grandma.;) From then on we were more careful not to get tar on us but it sure didn't stop us from going back. :)
Then there was the cellar door. I am not sure what it is about this door and these steps but they sure draw children to them. Luckily the door was open so the kids weren't tempted to slide down it on their bottoms. Some people might tell you that you can get splinters in your hinney that way! :0
Soon it was time to go back to Aunt Nancy's house.
be still my heart.
They were in love with Grandpa within minutes.
Of course we had to get the 4th generation in front of the Shultz sign.
That evening we were back at U Roger and A Nancy's house. 2nd cousins Colt and Jami came to wear my two out just in time for bed! What a blessing our first day was.
They were in love with Grandpa within minutes.
Of course we had to get the 4th generation in front of the Shultz sign.
That evening we were back at U Roger and A Nancy's house. 2nd cousins Colt and Jami came to wear my two out just in time for bed! What a blessing our first day was.
More about the rest of the trip to come.
3 comments:
Oh the happy memories this post brought up! And I just love that your kiddos were captivated by Grandpa and his quiet ways!
How blessed you all are to have a man like Grandpa as a role model for your children. I was so happy to see how much Maylin and Pierson related to him and accepted him immediately. Sure they could sense his love and gentleness. Love the pictures and the memories that they brought with them.
These are such wonderful pictures. I feel like you captured a piece of Americana. Your grandfather looks like such a sweet man. Your children are having so many nice experiences this summer.
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