Smells Like Teen Spirit

Amira jumped right into June with a post-graduation 8th grade trip to Washington, DC and New York. She went to the capitol, many museums, Arlington Cemetery and saw lots of monuments in the first part of the trip. As she traveled up to NY in a bus with her companions, they were treated to ferry rides to the Statue of Liberty, Ellis Island, World Trade Center, Wall Street, Ground Zero, dinner in Little Italy and a Broadway play, Hello Dolly. She also got to take boats out in Central Park. It was fast paced!

Upon her return, we had planned a family camping trip up to Lake Siskiyou (right in the shadow of gorgeous Mt. Shasta). But, alas, family members dropped out of that trip like flies. Rex couldn't take that weekend off work, so he stayed home. Michael was compelled to take a job in San Francisco that weekend. Valerie had "forgotten" that she had a sheep/livestock judging event in Oregon that whole week. So, I let Amira invite her friend, Sarah, along for a "women's weekend camp trip".

Amira and Sarah are professional campers. They got their tent set up lickety split. While I was still struggling with mine they set up the camp kitchen. We roasted s'mores under the stars that night. And might I add, those girls volunteered to do the dishes that night. Seriously, I didn't even ask. I was in heaven!

The following morning we made an awesome camp breakfast and then packed down to the beach at Lake Siskiyou where we spent the entire day. There was a little "beach Yoga" to start. We played in a raft that we brought along. And then the girls spent the rest of the day on some floaties (slides and docks and other inflatable toys) while I sat on the beach with a book. It felt like a real vacation.

Sunday morning we packed up camp relatively quickly and treated ourselves to breakfast at the Original Black Bear Diner in Shasta City. This is becoming a tradition now that we have done this twice. I kind of want to go back and stare at the mountain, stars and water again. It was kind of magical.

When we returned to the valley, the cousins (Maya and Anya) came down from Oregon for a visit. There was much splashing in the pool, painting of the nails and a trip to the movies.

Picture above are the cousins with Anya and Maya in the front row. Age ranges from 10-18 this year. Wow!

And now we are getting ready for another week of real summer vacation. Mmmmm! Summer vacation!! Feels so good.

It's been a relatively quiet post school-year lull here at Tifftown. I've been catching up on actual work. I'm less interrupted now that I don't have to jump up and coordinate something or drive somewhere with the frequency that I do during the school year. And in those down moments, I've taking to sitting on the back patio and looking out over the garden and listening to the fountain trickle. It's like a much needed waking nap.

Rex is off with his friends at Six Flags and San Francisco to celebrate graduation. He sent us this photo of himself with the Golden Gate Bridge in the background. Looks like he couldn't have asked for a better day in the city.

Valerie has been out working in an almond orchard daily. She has been earning money by pruning the almond trees and generally working on her blisters, calluses and sunburn while building character. Today she smartly left wearing a hat, long sleeves and long pants. Her first days in the orchard she looked more like she was dressed for the beach. But now she looks like a proper field hand. No photos of that girl for this blog post.

Sometimes Shutterfly sends me "memories" of some number of years ago. Below is a memory from five years ago of Rex and Valerie out shooting ground squirrels in an orchard. Also captured are flowers from our yard frolicking in the new pool. 

 As it is June, it is boysenberry time. Our neighbors have always provided us with berries from their yard. Good neighbors! We loved them so much we also planted some in our yard. Really, I cannot get enough. They left on vacation this year for Oregon and asked us to go into their yard and pick their berries and eat them. Yes, please and thank you! So, it's also pie season here!

Amira is on her post-8th-grade-graduation trip to Washington, DC and New York. Below are some photos I was able to collect from other people on the trip who kindly shared them. You have to look closely for Amira in the group photos, but she is there. Clockwise from top: Wall Street Bull (NY), Einstein Statue (DC), White House (DC), Some museum or something, and Statue of Liberty (NY) with her friend, Lakeyn.

Trips, trips and trips! How fun for these kids. 

Michael is hanging back to earn money to support these adventures. On his off-time he digs in the yard on a quest to get the gophers that seem to elude him, hits golf balls at the local greens, stacks and chops firewood for next winter, repairs sprinklers so our plants will survive and plays guitar. 

We have a few family trips scheduled for the summer. We'll be staying in state for them. Before we know it the summer will pass and Rex will be living on his own down in Southern California, Valerie will be a senior and Amira will start her freshman year of high school. 

CLASS OF 2018

Oh my! Rex (and his girl friend Dylan) are pictured in the collage below graduating class of 2018 from Chico High. Rex is the 2nd generation Wilhelm to graduate from this school. He sat with all of his College Connection (a group who finished their senior year at the local college instead of at the high school) friends, including his girl friend, during the ceremony. We got a close up of his cap complete with logos from his beloved car as well as the institute (UTI - ha ha) that he plans to attend in the Fall down in Long Beach.

I didn't expect to be so overwhelmed with emotions. But as I eagerly tried to pick him out in a crowd of 461 students all dressed like handmaidens, flashes of his first day of kindergarten and the first day I held him in the hospital after his birth all flooded my mind. 

After the graduation the high school parents put on a "Sober Grad" party at the fairgrounds for the seniors where they are basically allowed to bring only their phone and get locked in for a party from 11pm-5am. For the last year he insisted that he didn't want to go because it sounded like jail to him. But right after graduation when he saw all his friends headed there, he miraculously happened upon an extra ticket (not available at door) and got in. I understand that there was karaoke, raffles, poker, roulette, climbing wall, sumo suits, giant balls they could wear and slam into each other as well as other activities. He said he won two of the raffles that night for a total of $270 cash. Now, that's one lucky duck!

Pictured below is a collage of his graduation complete with Dylan adjusting his lei before walking on. In the group photo he is in the center wearing the lei next to a guy with beard and glasses. (Thank goodness for Michael and his great camera with long lens. We were up high in the bleachers).

I loved watching the legs and feet that were visible beneath the gowns of the graduates. Lots of flip flops. Only in California!

The following morning we were up and back out of the house early for Amira's 8th grade graduation. It was less crowded by comparison and definitely had a different energy from the high school graduation the night before. Now she and all her friends are looking forward to high school. Most of them (but not all) are headed to Chico High where we can look forward her graduation in four years.

Our end of the week excitement wasn't entirely over though. Amira had a few graduation parties to attend before coming home to grab a few hours of sleep before heading back to the Junior High to depart at 2am for her 8th grade class trip to Washington, DC and New York.

Here she is with her friend, Lakeyn, just after 2am all tagged and ready to head out for some adventure.

Needless to say, we are all a little exhausted and looking for a break from our usual routines. This morning Michael and I sat and had coffee and enjoyed a cool morning breeze in a quiet house. Valerie is still sleeping (or possibly just hiding in her room). Rex is at work as a referee down at the paintball park. Amira is on a flight to DC. Michael looked out the front window and noticed some quail in the front yard. Magical little visitors!

Lastly, in farm news, last weekend I was shocked to see a turkey back in my garden. Michael had put all the poultry behind a six foot fence and there was some wing clipping involved for good measure. How could this be? "Turkey in the garden! Turkey in the garden!" I exclaimed hysterically. Rex looked out the back door and said, "That's not one of ours. It's a wild turkey hen."

Here she is strutting on the opposite side of the fence from Major Tom. Of course he was showing off for her. Our other turkey hens were not pleased with the interloper. The outlander soon took off over the back fence. My garden is a bird magnet. (Well, last year it was a gopher magnet ...)

This place is like Wild Kingdom, I tell you!