Castle Dearing

Kingman

2011-04-25T08:55:00.000-07:00

This was our first stop on this years spring break trip. More to follow.

Locomotive park in Kingman on our way to The Grand Canyon

To Santa Barbara on a Mission!

2009-04-13T17:48:00.000-07:00

For spring break we packed up the car and headed south to Santa Barbara where Harv's Mom and her husband Allen flew over from Texas to meet up with us. We spent time getting caught up, playing games and doing some sightseeing.

One of the main things we wanted to do while "down south" was visit the San Bu enaventura Mission. Both of the kids did their 4th grade report on that mission and we've been planning to visit, but never got around to it. Harv's Uncle Paul and his wife Carrie met up with us for a tour of the mission and it's grounds.
Buenaventura is famous for being the only mission with wooden bells.

Since we were actually staying in Santa Barbara, we couldn't pass up visiting the Santa Barbara Mission while we were there.

The next day we wandered through Solvang .
We had lunch,
did some shopping,

and met some interesting people... And yes, we found yet another mission! Solvang is home to the Santa Ines Mission.

The next day we decided to go across the park from our hotel to visit the Santa Barbara Zoo. It's a much smaller zoo than say L.A or San Diego, but they have over 500 animals and you only have to trek across 30 acres as opposed to 100 like the others.

We did spend some time actually on the beach, but it was very cold and windy so it was not nearly as much time as the kids would of liked.

On our drive home we followed the "El Camino Real" (highway) and watched the bells go by every mile or so to mark the path of the missions. So we decided to stop at one more mission on the way home. This one was the San Luis Obispo Mission.

We had a fabulous time!

Sierra's School Concert

2009-03-06T11:49:00.000-08:00

It was a bittersweet night as Sierra had her last band concert.

2 months ago Sierra's teacher introduced them to the Bass Clarinet. It has the same fingerings as a Clarinet and it has a reed, but that is where the similarities end. It's actually considered a Brass instrument not a woodwind and it's about 3 times the size of the Clarinet (it has it's own kickstand to hold it up).
The kids who were interested took it home and tried it and brought it back the next week. Sierra, however, took it home and has been playing it ever since.
When I went to return her Clarinet (since she wasn't using it) the guy at the music store was highly impressed and said that they don't generally offer a Bass Clarinet until high school because it's such a hard instrument to play. The younger kids just don't have the increased lung capacity and mouth control that it takes to pull it off until they've been playing for a few years. So when I told him that she hadn't played anything until 6 months ago he was amazed. That's my girl! Sweet!

Now for the bitter...
Due to California's financial crisis, education is being hit hard and any "extras" are the 1st to go. As we were at the band concert a few miles away the school board was informing everyone of all the cuts that were to be made, including the music program, class size reduction program, sports, 12 teachers, and that the only middle school in the county(where Deven attends) will be shut down entirely. And that's just the tip of the iceberg, the list goes on and on. What now???

Snow!

2009-02-27T13:15:00.000-08:00

We have had a few big storms come through in the past 3 months and have even had a couple of days off from school to enjoy them.

I mean what could be better than having a sledding run right in your own back yard!

Except maybe one...

With fewer trees!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

2008-12-18T13:20:00.000-08:00

Click on the picture to see Santa and some of his more talented Elves.
It takes a while to load depending on your computers speed, but it's fun.

2008-12-18T11:21:00.001-08:00

Well, we're back to work on the kitchen. Last year we had the old tile counter top replaced with new Corian solid surface. They are wonderful! So this year we decided to have the cabinets resurfaced as well. You can't tell much from pictures because the color is almost identical, but they are beautiful. No more water damage stains, all the doors close without having to smack them a few times, they wipe clean, and they don't whine when you open and close them!
OLD-------------------------------------------NEW

Wizard enjoyed a week of
roaming through the empty cabinets.

Graduation Celebration!

2008-12-18T10:42:00.000-08:00

Ok, this time it was my turn to graduate!
In November I became a State Certified Nursing Assistant (CNA) with the idea that I would work doing home health care during the day while the kids are in school.
Little did I know that just before I graduated our home health department here would be doing a complete revamp of their system and now have almost no clients left. So for now anyway, I don't have a job.

In the mean time, I work at the nursing home at our local hospital on an as needed basis. Which basically means that they call me if someone calls in sick and if I'm avalible, I go help.
I'll be much happier when they get home health straightened out so I can spend more 1 on 1 time with the patients.

This is me with my sister-in-law Donna
who was in the class with me.

Halloween

2008-12-18T10:26:00.000-08:00

This year we had a Gypsy and what might be called a
"defunct snake charmer" for Halloween at our house.
(Sorry, the photos aren't that great)

Deven's costume even won him a prize at school!

Band

2008-10-02T19:31:00.000-07:00

Sierra decided she wanted to try band this year at school so the teacher assigned instruments based on what the kids thought they might be interested in learning. Sierra chose the clarinet so we rented one for her to use for the year. After her 1st class, (they only meet once a week) she came home all excited because she was asked to try out for the advanced band. I thought she must of misunderstood her teacher because she has never even seen an instrument up close before much less played one. But it turns out she is a natural at it!
Here are some of Sierra's creations about band;

B is for band
A is for actually fun
N is for never want to stop
D is for determined

C is for concerts all the time
L is for like you should so try it
A is for a very fun thing to play
R is for really fun
I is for i don't want to stop
N is for never give up
E is for ever tried the clarinet
t is for then try it

Movin' on up

2008-08-27T20:52:00.000-07:00

Tonight our 1st Class Scout was promoted to the rank of "Star"!!!
Six months of being a Star and he will advance to the rank of "Life" (he already has all the required badges he just needs to "do the time") and 6 months later... "EAGLE"!! (the highest rank in scouting and only 2% of scouts make it to Eagle) He only has 1 more badge required for Eagle and a big community service project to tackle, but he's well on his way!

CAMP GRISSOM 2008

2008-06-27T19:31:00.000-07:00

This years Camp Grissom went "Hawiian style" and was held in Texas with all the usual faces as well as some new ones. Word of mouth from past years events created such a buzz that this years event was expanded to include friends and co-workers.
There were numerous events to keep the campers occupied that included the Hula Hoop ho-down and the bubble blowing brigade.
There were also team events that pitted friends & loved ones against each other such as the water balloon toss and the spoon water relay.

We were awarded prizes for all sorts of things including the best decorated flip-flops and hats.

It was such a wonderful day filled with crafts, playing, eatting, and making new friends because let's face it, that's what camp is all about right? We even finished off the festivities with a mentos and soda extravaganza to thrill the crowd. We can't wait for next year!

Well, he did it! And did it with GUSTO!

2008-06-07T10:42:00.000-07:00

We attended Deven's 6th grade graduation/achievement ceremony this week and were pleasantly surprised at his awards. Ok, well, honestly, it was more like totally caught off guard & floored!
The video camera started to give the low battery warning 10 min into the program so we shut it off so we were sure to catch that critical name call and hand shake moment. We weren't too worried because although he's been doing much better recently, he's a struggling student with C's and D's. So now we were taping just the announcing of the award and then shut it off quickly (to save the battery) if there was not a chance that it would be for him.
So then they start with "These children put heart into practicing hard to be the best that they can be. They pay attention to detail and are willing to spend the time needed to get it right..." "Oh Please" Harv and I roll our eyes and give a collective "Phfffffffffft, yeah right, save the battery." "DEVEN DEARING" What the??? Did he say??? We were scrambling to get the photo. Wow!! We did have time to compose ourselves (and have cameras at the ready) when he was awarded "Perfect Attendance" because we knew that was coming as I was at the pizza party for all the "Perfect Kids" (Sierra included) the day before, but the rest of the evening we were content to turn off the camera and politely clap for other peoples kids and their writing awards, math awards, etc. In fact when they got to the honor roll we thought we should change the batteries in the digital camera so we wouldn't miss the big moment coming up next when (you guessed it) "DEVEN DEARING" Was that??? You're Kidding??? Oh my God! Our Son?? OUR SON!!! AAAAAAHHHHH!!! "Way to go baby!!!" Deven was just as floored as we were.

It's finally over!

2008-06-07T09:32:00.000-07:00

The last day of school was Thursday June 5th. Woo Hoo!!
The last month of school is always crammed with all the end of the year field trips and class parties as well as all the last minute things that have been put off or just plain forgot about till the end. And with 2 kids I have to do double duty! It's been getting progressively harder to split my time between Sierra's and Deven's classes and I have had to miss one's field trip or party due to being at the other's. Well enough of my woes and on to the year end round up.
Sierra ended the 4th grade with a bang! She received 3 certificates at their awards ceremony for:
*Serving on the Student Council
*Perfect Attendance (this included a trip to the local pizza parlor for a party)
*HONOR ROLL!!!!!! (all A's and B's)

That's My Girl!!! Way to go Si Si!!!!!

Mission San Buena Ventura

2008-06-06T19:47:00.000-07:00

This time it was Sierra's turn to do a Mission project. She decided to go with the more traditional "cardboard" construction rather than the "gingerbread" approach that Deven took 2 years ago. (Thank God) She did however choose the same Mission that Deven chose previously in hopes that since the real one was down by our friends in Southern CA. that we will be able to visit it (and them) over the summer.
Sierra (and I) worked really hard on it and it turned out great.
The Mission San Buena Ventura has since been demolished and parts are being used to cover the ground in our garden to keep the weeds from growing. Who knew this project would be educational as well as environmentally friendly.

2008-06-05T12:11:00.000-07:00

One of Deven's last big school projects was to make a model of an Egyptian pyramid. They learned allot about ancient civilizations such as how they lived, the goods they traded, and obviously, how they dealt with their dead. They also learned a bit about hieroglyphics (Spelling?)

1800's Adventure

2008-05-23T16:09:00.000-07:00

We have news of yet another school field trip to share.
This time it was an adventure for the whole family! We got to participate in the "Yosemite Environmental Living Program" where Sierra's entire class of 4th and 5th graders (as well as Deven and a few of us adult chaperons) went to the Pioneer Yosemite History Center Village in Yosemite National Park to live as the settlers did in the 1850's. We were all given names of actual people from the time to research and portray while we were there.
Harv and I were Alex & Catherine Black who owned and ran the Black Hotel, (also called the Lower Hotel) one of the 1st hotels in Yosemite.
Deven was Dr. Lafayette Bunnell, part of the "Mariposa Battalion" who were the 1st people (other than Indians) to enter the valley. He was also credited with naming it "Yosemite".
Sierra was Lady Constance Frederica Gordon Cummings, a rich artisan who was famous for her books of watercolor paintings of Yosemite.
We dressed the part, cooked on the wood stove, chopped the wood, as well as carried buckets of water that we pumped from the well for drinking, cooking and dishes. We did crafts from the time period, made a triangle dinner bell from steel at the blacksmith forge, learned what it was like to be a stagecoach driver and got to take a ride in one! We then topped the night off with a barn dance before retiring to the log cabins to sleep on the floor in sleeping bags.
We made a hearty breakfast in the early morning and after cleaning up we had a town meeting to discuss how the different groups of people felt Yosemite should change (or not). The hardest part was the set up the adults did to keep the illusion of 1850 alive. Everything (such as milk, butter, bread, spices, etc.) had to be taken from it's original packaging and put into metal pitchers, mason jars, and baskets. Refrigerated items had to be stored in wooden barrels with blocks of ice to keep it cold.

We got home exhausted, filthy, and looking forward to our 2008 version of pizza, a shower, and a warm bed. What an adventure!

Do you agree?

2008-04-25T15:43:00.000-07:00

These meters analyze facial features to decide who the child looks more like, Mom or Dad. I think considering the amount of work I had to do to get them here, the scale should be tipped in my favor!

Mariposa History Lesson

2008-04-12T19:18:00.000-07:00

On Friday Sierra's class went to the Mariposa Museum & History Center. Being that we live in the Sierra foothills, most of our history revolves around gold and gold mining.

It's really interesting to learn about the various ways they got the gold from the earth. The kids of course, are more interested in the gold panning and how much their haul is worth.

Off to visit with G.G...

2008-04-10T19:37:00.000-07:00

Our kids were very excited to learn we would be going to visit G.G (Granny Grissom, Harv's mom, who lives in Texas) over Easter vacation. What I neglected to tell them was WHERE we would visit them. So when the plane landed in Florida instead of Texas and "Mickey's Magical Express" (not G.G.) picked us up at the airport, they were totally floored to discover that the "visit" would take place at WALT DISNEY WORLD!!!
The kids are at the best age for it, where they were tall enough to ride all the rides but not yet totally mortified to hang with the family.
We stayed at one of the Disney hotels called "The Pop Century Resort" that had memorabilia from the 60's through the 90's all over the place. A Giant Big Wheel, Rubix Cube, & 8 track tape surrounded the resort.

One of my favorites was this huge Mickey phone. I still have the 1 I got when I turned 16. (it's a bit smaller though)
The giant people lining the sides of the photo are part of a massive fooseball game as well.

We spent one day at the Magic Kingdom where Deven was made "Prince for the day" because he pulled the sword from the anvil! This got him a round of applause from bystanders & got his whole family a behind the scene trip to the front of the line at the ride of his choice. (saving us 110 min wait at Pirates of the Caribbean)

The next day was Epcot where you can easily spend 1 day just visiting the countries but we managed to fit in quite a bit more. We even ran into some vikings from Norway before stopping for dinner inside the Aztec pyramid in Mexico.

The last day of our whirlwind vacation we went to Animal Kingdom where we went on a safari and saw lots of interesting animals. We even ran into a Yeti on our expedition to Mt. Everest and we took a trip back in time on a really cool dinosaur adventure.

Even the dinning can be entertaining at WDW. We had 2 meals at a family restaurant inside the Wilderness lodge where they would have impromptu pony races on stick horses around the tables with the spectators whirling napkins over their heads and cheering them on.
If you ask your server for ketchup be prepared... They will turn around and yell to the entire restaurant "Hey, this guy wants ketchup! Who's got the ketchup?" this is followed by a mad dash from diners from around the room bringing you armfuls of ketchup bottles netting you a table full of ketchup! By the time you coax it out of the bottle someone else has made the request and you have to recruit help to get all those bottles to another table quickly before you're accused of holding out on everyone and are visited by the sheriff.

We had such an amazing time! It was a fast paced vacation full of fabulous memories that will last a lifetime! Thank you G.G and G.P!!

2008-03-12T15:40:00.001-07:00

On February 29th Harv and I had our 4th wedding anniversary.
It may not seem like a big deal to most people but it's taken us 16 years to do it!

Student of the month

2008-03-12T13:36:00.000-07:00

Sierra has done it again! This month at school she was recognized as a Student of the Month. She received a bookmark, a certificate that reads ,
"In recognition of a positive attitude, good character, and responsible citizenship."
As well as a bumper sticker for her Mom & Dad that says "I'm a proud parent of a TERRIFIC KID"
Way to go baby!!
Now if she could only keep her room clean...

Challenger Space Learning Center

2008-03-12T10:56:00.000-07:00

Deja vu' you say? Isn't this already on the blog?
Well Deven went last year so now it was Sierra's turn.
Sierra was the Data officer and sent messages back and forth from the space shuttle to mission control.

She was also very instrumental in saving the shuttle from near disaster when they encountered a carbon dioxide overload and only had seconds of air left!

Finally!

2008-01-24T13:57:00.000-08:00

Just after Thanksgiving I got a huge early Christmas gift. New Counter tops!
We were going to have them put in before we even moved in to this house but life got in the way and it got put off for a while. (3 or 4 years)
The old tops were tile (which I loathe!) in a cream color with a dusty rose accent stripe and tan colored grout (well, in some places anyway). The grout was a dingy gray in most areas because no matter how much scrubbing, bleaching and resealing we did it would not look clean.
The new tops are Corian, in a blue/gray speckled (like granite) color. It was a big expense especially because we have allot of counter space. About 30 feet actually, which includes a desk area as well as an island in the middle. In fact, it was kind of an ongoing joke because each time a new person would show up (starting with the salesman) they would all say "Wow, you've got allot of counter space!" which was kinda scary coming from people who remodel kitchens for a living.
It is beautiful, all one piece, no seams or groves, and no nasty germ ridden, e-coli hiding grout! It took a week for the demolition, blueprinting, plumbing and reinstall to be completed but it is FABULOUS!

A First Class Scout!

2007-12-20T10:08:00.000-08:00

Last night was Deven's Boy Scout court of honor where he received the patches for everything he's earned since their last court of honor. He has gone from the rank of Boy Scout through Tenderfoot and Second Class Scout and is now the rank of First Class Scout. He also has earned 7 new badges for:
Swimming
First Aid
Emergency Preparedness
Environmental Science
Community Citizenship
National Citizenship
World Citizenship

He has been a busy boy!

Jaws of Life

2007-11-19T20:45:00.000-08:00

Harv and I spent our Saturday training with the "Jaws of life". We got to help turn an old station wagon into a stylish convertible! Ok, maybe a not so stylish convertible. Whatever the case, you can't beat cutting up cars into little pieces for a stress reliever. Definite road rage relief!

School Pictures are here

2007-11-13T11:06:00.000-08:00

Here they are, in all their glory, Deven (age 11) and Sierra (age 9).
They go in phases with one being taller than the other but right now they are running about the same height so I get allot of comments about them being twins.

Happy Halloween Mateys!

2007-11-07T10:01:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's still called Halloween where we are (not a "Harvest Festival" or some such thing like that) and the kids still get to dress up at school and even get to parade through downtown where the community lines the street to watch.
In our neck of the woods trick-or-treating is not really an option in most neighborhoods since your nearest neighbor is usually 10 minutes away. So we drive 20 minutes to take the kids "down town" where they have an area that is blocked off to traffic (about 6 square blocks) for the kids to go house to house (even the local businesses give out candy). There is also a Halloween carnival at the fairgrounds that is an option for some.

We all made it through unscathed, with the only complaint being tired feet, and a couple of pieces of candy before bed seems to cure that pretty quick.

Come fly away...

2007-10-13T19:19:00.000-07:00

last weekend while I was off at a "pioneer training" weekend H arv took the kids to our small local airport for the annual fly in. The kids got to participate in the Young Eagles program which introduces kids to the world of flight. They got a tour and explanation (inside and out) of a Cessna 205, as well as a 25 minute ride around the scenic Mariposa foothills.

My how you've grown!

2007-09-28T07:37:00.000-07:00

Remember these precious little babies?
This is Mystic (Brown) and Charger (White)
when we 1st brought them home at about 10 weeks old.

Well, here they are today at 10 months old.
They weigh about 80 pounds each and they're
not done growing yet, just look at those paws!

Labor Day Parade

2007-09-14T16:36:00.001-07:00

This is a shot of us in the annual Labor Day Parade.
I'm driving the 1st white vehicle with Sierra along to work the lights and siren. Next is Harv in the red engine and if you look real close you can see Deven riding on top behind Harv's head.
Most of the Mariposa County equipment is white (as you can see down the line) but Harv's station has one of the last red engines left in the county so it's really sticks out.

This is a close up of Deven from the local paper up on the red engine. Sierra would of been there too but it was 107 degrees out there and 15 min. before the parade she got a nose bleed that didn't want to stop. So, the poor child was doomed to ride with me in the air conditioned truck covered with ice packs. ( luckily it stopped as soon as we started rolling)

Slow news day

2007-09-14T16:08:00.000-07:00

I'm the one in yellow putting on my gloves.
This car veered off the side of the road and took a header straight down a 60 foot embankment.
They were VERY lucky in that the guy in the photo was the most injured of the 4 people in the car and although it looks bad, he only had minor cuts and bruises.
But they will all be feeling it in the morning.

Boy Scout Camping Trip to Iron Lakes

2007-08-08T10:18:00.000-07:00

This is just a short note because I wanted to post some pictures of Iron Lakes where Deven and I went camping with his boy scout troop. To get there, we went to Bass Lake and turned north. The closer we got the worse the roads got. We actually drove to about 200 yards from the lake but my jeep saw some of the first true 4 wheeling it has ever seen. I wanted to get a picture of the jeep with only 3 wheels on the ground but I was afraid to get out of the car. Deven swam most of the time we were there but there was also some hiking and fishing. We are looking for more places to go and I will keep you posted.

She finally did it!

2007-08-07T17:03:00.000-07:00

Sierra has been wanting to get her ears pierced for over a year but has never been able to get past the "But, it's gonna hurt" part. I always told her when she asked (over & over & over again) that it felt like pulling a loose tooth. There would be an "OUCH!" then it would be done. That was enough to make her want to think about it for a month or so before she brought it up again. Apparently, the fact that she was going to be the big "9" the next day was a turning point for her.

The boys were gone on a Boyscout camp out so my Mom, Sierra and I were going to hit the road for some girls only birthday shopping when Sierra said "Can I get my ears pierced while we're out?". Since this had happened a zillion times in the past I just said "sure" and didn't give it another thought. Then she asked again at another store, "Do they pierce ears here?" so I told her we could check into it at the mall, but again, I was sure when we got to the "But it's gonna hurt" part it would be dropped again. We got in the mall, to the store, picked out the studs, signed the paper work, and she was in the chair with little purple marker dots on her ears when she started to get nervous. I told her to just do it and get it over with because you could see in her eyes that she was not gonna last much longer and she started with the "wait... not yet... just a second" and then BAM! It was over. (Thank God) She was very brave and now is an expert on cleaning and turning her little pink gemstones.

Camp Grissom 2007

2007-08-02T11:37:00.000-07:00

Wow, where do I start? We had 10 people (all related in one form or another) 3 cars, 1 National Park and 4 days to cram with tons of fun. It was wonderful!

We went to Kings Canyon / Sequoia National Park where we stayed at the John Muir Lodge in Grants Grove. We hiked, rode horses, hiked, played games, hiked, did some spelunking (cave exploring), took lots of pictures, hiked, did some scavenger hunting, and then hiked some more.

It would take me hours to include everything that went on so I'll just give you the highlights.

We hiked to visit all the important Giant Sequoias like the "General Grant" tree that is the earth's second-largest tree. It is 267.4 feet tall, 107.6 feet around and is about 1,800- 2,000 years old. We also visited with "General Sherman"," The Sentinel" and the "Fallen Monarch" which used to be the local hotel, bar and restaurant back in the early days.

We went to Crystal Cave for some Spelunking. It takes about 25 min to hike down the steep 1/2 mile trail to the spiderweb gate at the opening of the cave. You then take a 45 min. guided tour through the 48 degree (year round) cave. Not a trip for anyone with claustrophobic tendencies. Some of the formations are absolutely breathtaking. It's very damp inside and you can hear the constant trickle of water as it continues to flow through the caverns just as it has been doing for hundreds of years. You also can get an occasional drip on the head from the stalactites still forming above. It's so amazing in there that you forget about the steep 1/2 mile hike (all uphill this time) back to the parking lot.

We (all 10 of us) also took a horseback ride through the trees.
Our trusty steeds carried us through the forest over all types of terrain and even through the middle of a fallen tree. We treaded on single file for more than an hour (although my behind swears it was much longer) with only the occasional stop for a horse to take care of "Dust Abatement" or "Soil Rejuvenation" on the way.
It was so serene along the way that you could almost imagine yourself as one of the early settlers packing everything you owned on to your horse and setting out to look for that perfect spot to start a new life.
Our thanks go out to Computer, Streak, Willy, Baker, Rosie, Chip, Lucky, Befuord, Levi, and Roper for the wonderful adventure.
Some of the most memorable events of our trip were the scavenger hunts. Paul and Carrie (Harv's Uncle and Aunt) devised 1 hunt for the kids and 1 for the whole gang.
The 3 kids were each issued a notepad, pen and a key chain size digital camera. On the notepad was a list of things they needed to "acquire" such as; a bug, running water, a fallen sequoia, lichen, etc. Staying true to the "Take only memories, Leave only foot prints" philosophy they could take a picture, make a sketch or document the time, place or any details of the sighting. They had all day to "capture" everything on their list while we went exploring through the park. The hardest part was keeping track of the camera and notepad while switching from car to room to bathroom, and then back to someone else's room or car. In the end they learned allot, had allot of fun and even got to keep the cameras! (thanks P&C!)

The other hunt was for the whole group. We were split into 2 teams of 4 and again had a list of things to find with our digital cameras. This time however, the items on the list were not as self explanatory as on the kids list and we had a 35 min. time limit.
We, as a team had to first decipher what the thing was before we knew what to look for. We needed to find such things as a "rainbow bee" (which happened to be a Fresno Bee newspaper box that had the word "Bee" in 4 different colors). Also a "Ursus americanus protection device" (a bear proof food box) and a "liquid temperature regulating device" (an ice chest)

When it was all over, the teams were separated by only 1/2 a point, the winners were named, (named Tina, Sheila, Deven and Alex that is!!!) and the ribbons were presented at the awards ceremony that evening. We all had such a good time that I'm sure this will be talked about for years to come.

IT'S A GIRL! (Girl Scout that is)

2007-06-11T19:30:00.000-07:00

On June 6th Sierra had her promotion ceremony to celebrate bridging over from a Brownie to a Jr. Girl Scout! She has earned all kinds of badges this year and attended lots of events. (Not to mention selling 180 boxes of cookies!) She's planning on continuing in the fall, as long as it doesn't conflict with playing soccer. Way to go Sierra!!!!

Camp Green Meadows

2007-06-11T18:59:00.000-07:00

We have been so busy around here lately! Last week it was time for the 3rd graders to go to camp and I got to tag along as a chaperone for the 2 day 1 night event. Sierra and I spent the day hiking and learning about nature and the Mewok Indians. We did Indian dancing, face painting and even ate a bug! In the evening we went on a night hike and had a campfire where we sang songs about "scat". Ahhhh 3rd grade, it doesn't get much better than that.

Graduation Celebration!

2007-06-11T17:17:00.000-07:00

Castle Dearing proudly presents:
Tabatha Ann Nolen
(with her Dad Hal (my brother) and Mom Donna)
We are all so proud of her! She's not only stunningly beautiful but an amazing person as well! She's planning to attend Bible College for a year and then possibly go into nursing if nothing else strikes her fancy first. Congratulations Tab!

We're still alive!

2007-06-04T21:40:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, I have not been keeping this updated as often as I would of liked to but life got in the way and I haven't had much time to sit in front of the computer lately.

There is so much going on lately I can hardly keep up with it all but here are some highlights!

MARCH:
Sierra was student of the month for February!
Sierra and I went on an overnight trip with the Girl scouts (more to follow)

APRIL:
Deven was Student of the month at school!
My parents went to Hawaii to celebrate their 42nd wedding anniversary!
Both kids went to the dentist and there was only 1 cavity (we won't mention any names)
Deven's class went to a Civil War reenactment camp to learn about the war.
Harv was promoted to Capitan at his Fire Station!

MAY:
Harv turned 44!
Deven's class went to the NASA Challenger Space Learning Center (more to follow)
My puppies now tip the scales at over 55 pounds each! (more to follow)

Houston, we have a problem...

2007-06-04T20:52:00.000-07:00

Deven's class has been very busy lately. Last week we took a trip to the Challenger Space Learning Center in Atwater, CA. It was really fun!

The kids got to re-live the challenger mission (as it was meant to happen) from the viewpoint of a mock space shuttle and mission control.

They all had their specific jobs to do from communication, data, life support, remote and so on.

They had to keep in constant contact with their
counter parts on the ground who were answering their questions and monitoring their progress.

At one point the kids in the shuttle had an airlock emergency that set off alarms and a count down with only 2 minuets of air left to fix the problem! Luckily, the kids in Mission Control were able to walk them through the fix and all was well.

A Civil War in our own back yard

2007-06-04T20:13:00.000-07:00

In April, we had a group come to town that did Civil War reenactments. They set up huge camps with over 100 people on each side in period costumes with horses and cannons to actually reenact the battle each day over the weekend. It was quite a sight in our little town.

The best part was the day before the battle when Deven's 5th grade class got to tour the camps and learn allot of "behind the scenes" information. They got to talk with the people in charge of communications and found out how they sent messages across the battlefields.
They learned what it was like to be a medic on the field and got to see 1st hand the tools that they used. They were amazed that they were more apt to cut off a limb than to "waste" the time to try and save it.

We were able to speak with the ladies in camp that described what their day was like and the clothes they wore (and made). The kids could not believe that they were treated like 2nd class (or lower) citizens just because they were women.
It was a very interesting trip.

Long Barn Trip

2007-06-04T19:48:00.001-07:00

I got to go with Sierra on a Girl Scout adventure in March. We went to a place called Long Barn which is about 2 1/2 hours from here in the Stanislaus National Forest. We shared a room with 7 other girls and 1 other mom for the evening where we ate and played games till all hours.

The next day after breakfast, we went ice skating for a few hours and then headed off to Columbia National Park (just above Sonora). We spent the rest of the day there wandering through the old gold mining town where we had lunch at the local saloon and even did some gold panning.

National Fire Academy

2007-03-15T11:45:00.000-07:00

At the end of February I attended the National Fire Academy in Emmittsburg, Maryland. It's kind of the motherland for firefighters. It's a 107 acre training center for firefighters as well as anyone in the emergency management services (FEMA).
On our way there, my 2 companions and I had an unscheduled layover in Dallas due to shearing winds and were the last plane allowed to land. All flights to or from the airport were delayed and eventually canceled. We ended up getting a hotel room (others weren't so lucky) and coming back at the crack of dawn the next day to chase stand by flights all day because a huge storm had socked in the entire Eastern 1/2 of the US. A very long story cut short... I made it there long after the 1st day of class ended wearing my "BITE ME" shirt that I picked up at the gift shop of "Joe's Crab Shack" where we had dinner the night before in Dallas so I would at least have a clean shirt(luckily, we did get our luggage the next day) What a trip!
The academy is also home to the National Fire Fighter's Memorial which is similar to the Veterans Wall. Whenever a firefighter is killed in the line of duty the flags are flown at 1/2 mast and their name is added to the the list of the fallen. It's very moving. Durring the 7 days I was there, the flag never made it to the top of the pole. In fact, in the 21 days I have spent there over the past 2 years, I have only seen the flags all the way up on one of those days.

Who's that kid?

2007-02-22T19:47:00.000-08:00

Today I had a big "Mommy Moment". About 3 months ago my beautiful baby girl (8 years old) decided she wanted her hair cut short. NOOOOOOOOO!!!!! I vetoed that immediately! Although it is a battle most mornings with brushing, her hair is beautiful! It's like spun gold and is almost down to her behind. I started telling her that I would cry like a baby and her PaPa (my Dad) would constantly call her a boy and generally tried to discourage her at all costs. After about a month of getting over myself and coming to grips with the fact that it is "HER" hair after all, I gave in. So, we talked about it and decided that if she was going to do it, it should be for a good reason so she decided to donate her hair to make wigs for kids who lost their hair due to cancer. It took about 6 weeks to get the extra inch that she needed to make the 10" required for donation but the day finally came. So here she is, before, during and after. And... I was a big girl and didn't even cry!

Now that's allot of cookies

2007-02-22T19:12:00.001-08:00

Thanks to many generous cookie eaters, Sierra sold 120 boxes of Girl Scout cookies in 2 weeks! On Wednesday, her Grampa Allen, G.G.(Granny Grissom),(who are visiting from Texas) and I, schlepped & sorted a trailer load of cookies for her entire troop before bringing home her cookies to sort, bag & write thank you notes for. What a day!! Now we get to deliver them and collect the money.

There's nothing more precious than a sleeping baby

2007-02-09T12:42:00.000-08:00

The puppies are doing really well. Their names are now inked as "Charger" (Boy/white) and "Mystic" (Girl/tan) They slept outside all night for the 1st time last night and don't seem to be mentally scared by it. Now maybe Harv and I will be able to get caught up on some sleep that we've lost taking them out every 2-3 hours every night.

Typical Saturday at Castle Dearing

2007-02-04T12:20:00.000-08:00

I just wanted to show everyone one of the things that we do on a typical Saturday.
That's Deven stacking wood in the woodshed behind the splitter and Tina cutting wood to be split. I am not real sure where Sierra is but that was true for most of the time.
And to think, I was happy not to have a yard that I had to mow. :-D

IT'S A BOY!! ( Boy Scout, that is)

2007-02-04T10:47:00.000-08:00

Last night was a huge night for Deven. He was promoted at the Blue and Gold banquet where he was one of 2 boys (the 3rd was home with the chicken pox) who crossed over the bridge from Cub Scout to become a full fledged Boy Scout.
He was presented with an award for outstanding leadership as well as 18 academic pins and 23 belt loops for learning about many things such as computers, music, geology, heritages, astronomy, geography, maps, compasses, art, different languages and cultures, as well as about 9 different sports. He got so many belt loops that he can't fit them all on his belt! In fact, he and one other boy received an award for excellence because they earned ALL of the possible awards in those categories while a Cub Scout. And last, but far from least... he received his Arrow of Light which is the highest award a Cub Scout can receive.

Oh, and by the way, the Dearing family was presented with a patch and each member of the family received a pin for the BSA Family Award. It is for accomplishing all of the steps to become a Boy Scout together as a family.
When Deven works on a merit badge, the whole family works on a merit badge!

The Puppies Are Here!!

2007-01-27T17:43:00.000-08:00

We brought home two new members of the family today.They are Lab and Pyrenees mix. The white one is a boy and the tan is a girl.
No names thus far, but we are leaning twords Duchess and Charger.
If you have any suggestions that go with our castle theme, feel free to let us know but keep in mind that they will grow up to be well over 100 pounds so Pixie and Tiny may not be good options.
More to follow

It's that time of year again!

2007-01-25T10:02:00.000-08:00

Yes, it's that time of year again and Sierra is out pounding the pavement selling the ever popular Girl Scout cookies. The poor kid really has to work for her orders because she is one of the only girls whose parents don't work at offices where they can sell lots of cookies for her. Not to mention that up here door to door sales are not an option when your nearest neighbor is 1/2 mile away. We have until Feb. 2nd to sell, sell, sell, so wish us luck and we'll let you know how we did when it's all over.

2006-12-31T17:00:00.000-08:00

NEW LAWS IN CALIFORNIA
TAKE AFFECT ON JANUARY 1, 2007

The new law, SB 1806, will bar owners and guardians from leaving animals unattended in a motor vehicle "under conditions that endanger the health or well-being of an animal due to heat, cold, lack of adequate ventilation, or lack of food or water, or other circumstances that could reasonably be expected to cause suffering, disability, or death to the animal."

Peace officers, humane officers and animal control officers may remove animals found in such situations. The animals may then be taken to a veterinary clinic, shelter or other place for safekeeping. Owners or guardians will not be able to retrieve their animals until they pay for the costs of such care.
First time violators face fines of only $100 unless the animal suffers serious injury. If the animal does suffer serious injury, the animals' owners or guardians can be fined up to $500 and imprisoned for up to 6 months. Also for a second and subsequent violation owners or guardians will face fines up to $500 and imprisonment for up to 6 months.

Bill SB 1578
The new law will limit the circumstances under which Californians can tether or chain dogs. With few exceptions, "No person shall tether, fasten, chain, tie, or restrain a dog, or cause a dog to be tethered, fastened, chained, tied, or restrained, to a dog house, tree, fence, or any other stationary object."

Under the law a person may be issued a warning or charged with an infraction or misdemeanor. An infraction is punishable by a $250 fine. A misdemeanor is punishable by a fine up to $1000 or 6 months in jail or both.

The law signals a recognition by Californians and others around the country that tethering or chaining dogs is cruel and inhumane and fosters aggression.

Papa got run over by a reindeer

2006-12-23T10:03:00.000-08:00

We decided to have some fun with "Grandma got run over by a reindeer" so we changed the words to make it work for my Dad and sang it to the family on Christmas Eve. It's all a bunch of inside jokes so if you know him it's pretty funny, so it may not make much sense to the general public, but here it is:

Papa got run over by a reindeer

Going to a call on Christmas eve

You can say there’s no such thing as Santa

But as for me and Papa we believe

He was sleeping when the call came

And we’d begged him not to go

But he didn’t have his ears in

So he ran out of the door into the snow

Santa’s sleigh knocked off the light bar

To say the least he was perturbed

The S.O. didn’t buy his story

So they booked him in as mentally disturbed

Papa got run over by a reindeer

Going to a call on Christmas eve

You can say there’s no such thing as Santa

But as for me and Papa we believe

Now we’re all so proud of Memaw

She’s been takin’ this so well

See her in there on her cell phone

She’s got listings that she really needs to sell

It’s not Christmas without Papa

And Lady thinks she’s gonna starve

And she just can’t help but wonder

Will they give all of the leftovers to Harv

Papa got run over by a reindeer

Going to a call on Christmas eve

You can say there’s no such thing as Santa

But as for me and Papa we believe

Now the ham is on the table

And Donna’s green bean casserole

We’ve got Tabby’s mashed potatoes

Now who we gonna get to burn the rolls

He has warned all of his colleagues

There is something you should know

When a reindeer sees a red light

To pull over to the right he doesn’t know

Papa got run over by a reindeer

Going to a call on Christmas eve

You can say there’s no such thing as Santa

But as for me and Papa we believe

Castle Dearing

Kingman

To Santa Barbara on a Mission!

Sierra's School Concert

Snow!

MERRY CHRISTMAS

Graduation Celebration!

Halloween

Band

Movin' on up

CAMP GRISSOM 2008

Well, he did it! And did it with GUSTO!

It's finally over!

Mission San Buena Ventura

1800's Adventure

Do you agree?

Mariposa History Lesson

Off to visit with G.G...

Student of the month

Challenger Space Learning Center

Finally!

A First Class Scout!

Jaws of Life

School Pictures are here

Happy Halloween Mateys!

Come fly away...

My how you've grown!

Labor Day Parade

Slow news day

Boy Scout Camping Trip to Iron Lakes

She finally did it!

Camp Grissom 2007

IT'S A GIRL! (Girl Scout that is)

Camp Green Meadows

Graduation Celebration!

We're still alive!

Houston, we have a problem...

A Civil War in our own back yard

Long Barn Trip

National Fire Academy

Who's that kid?

Now that's allot of cookies

There's nothing more precious than a sleeping baby

Typical Saturday at Castle Dearing

IT'S A BOY!! ( Boy Scout, that is)

The Puppies Are Here!!

It's that time of year again!

NEW LAWS IN CALIFORNIATAKE AFFECT ON JANUARY 1, 2007

Papa got run over by a reindeer

NEW LAWS IN CALIFORNIA
TAKE AFFECT ON JANUARY 1, 2007