The Weekend of MayToJune

These are the times that we live for, really. Times like this, simple times but so keen that they chisel, not write, in our memories. Not big deals. Probably nothing special.

Just the reasons for our being.

Kelsey, Jax, Grace, Adam, Lynda, Scout, Emma -- Big Basin State Park, California, June 1, 2008

This past weekend, Adam and Lynda brought Grace and her friend, Scout, down to Boulder Creek for the weekend. (Grace is my granddaughter, Adam's niece, Doug's daughter, and Scout is that special friend we all wish we had when we were five. Lucky Grace: for her, Scout is real.)

Grace (in pink) and Scout

Scout loves animals -- so, of course, she loved Ft. Harrington. Emma loves little girls -- so, of course, she loved Scout.

Emma and Scout

Grace and Scout gathered eggs from our girls on Saturday evening:

Adam, Grace, Diane, Scout, and the spaniels. Note Scout's stylish footwear. And that all of her gathered eggs are in one basket.

Ever since this entry in SherWords, Adam had been itching to get at the Brown Box of Lost Photos. Here, he dives into it:

Adam, Diane, Lynda, Scout, and the spaniels

Treasures he found there include:

... himself in 1981, and...

... his brother (as an infant) with their Uncle Bob Kroeger, forty years ago. Bob is now, among many other things, the only professional croquet player I know. Note that baby Doug is swaddled upon a guitar case, a simple variation of Chekhov's gun.

Later that Saturday evening, after Lynda, Adam, and the girls had retreated to their rented cabin in Boulder Creek, the animals all seemed oddly agitated and happy simultaneously. Here, twitchy, nearly-feral Finn (the orange one), approaching his first anniversary here in the Fort, snuggles up with big, goofy, wonderful Cooper:

Finn and Cooper

The next day (today, June 1st), we all went for a little walk in Big Basin State Park, only a few minutes' drive from Ft. Harrington and Boulder Creek. This little outing proved well the fundamental nature of Cavalier King Charles Spaniels: they are bred to adore children.

Jax and Emma. They are both offspring of Sandy Drake's Kanga (officially, GardenGate Beach Rose), SierraView Kennels, Fresno, California.

Scout and Grace, Big Basin, June 1 2008.

When Diane and I take the dogs for their walks, Kelsey is, of course, all business. ("Of course" because old Kelsey is all whatever-he-thinks-business-is all the time, awake or asleep.) The little spaniels, though, are usually kind of put out about the whole dirt and exercise and trouble thing; they'd rather be at home resting on their pillows or eating bon-bons or whatever.

Except when children are involved. Then they spring into excitement, puppy-hood, and mega-sparkles. Really. It's like somebody flips a switch.

Jax and Emma were in spaniel heaven this afternoon, each having a five-year-old girl at the other end of the leash!

Scout and Jax.

Grace, Scout, and spaniels

Scout and Emma

Grace and Jax

An image branded in memory. (Needs to be viewed at higher resolution -- click on the image -- to be appreciated.)

While all this was going on, Adam was wielding a video camera. A five-minute video (and audio) amalgam of our time in Big Basin Park will appear here when I figure out how to make that sort of thing work here on Blogger now:



Coda: Brian, I haven't forgotten the astronomical posts I've promised you, and they will appear, I promise again. Life, as you know, just sometimes gets in the way, and sometimes joyously.