December 4, 2004 - Lake Minden, Nicolaus, CA

This will be a rather eclectic entry.  You see, we both enjoy this Thousand Trails preserve, and we really enjoy son Rick, his wife Lynn, and their charming daughter, 16-month old Alexandria that they call Lexi.  So we'll have pictures of all that.

But first, permit me a moment of nostalgia.  These are a couple of shots of our first RV.  A '60s something VW bus.  In 1979 or so, I'd built a counter, sink, stove, bed, and a bit of storage along with a porta-potti.  After I'd built the engine up a tad.  Couldn't quite do a wheelie, but I could get a chirp from the tires on a fast shift to second!  And that was on dry pavement too, not on ice.  On the left is a typical Alaska RV park.  No, not really.  There were a bunch of us simply gathering for some fun on the property of Dave and Thea Nutter in Hope, Alaska.  On the right is where the poor bus had to live during the winter.  VW busses weren't known for their ability to provide adequate heat in this kind of weather.

Hey!  Looky there!  We gots some class in the old joint!  Barb put together this table cloth for us, and it really dresses the place up--and reversible too.  And then breakfast with the kids.

Lexi was at her best.  Break out the camera, and she turns into an actress.  She really gets off on people enjoying her.  Mimics actions and lots of words.

The show was non-stop, and we did nothing to discourage it, believe me.  How could you not grin back at a face like that!

Then it was off to the Christmas tree display.  Lexi really wasn't about to have anything to do with the guy in the red suit, white beard like Grampa or not.  Santa had a great natural beard, and a wonderful personality to go with it.  He wasn't very busy, and would walk around, giving Lexi the opportunity to warm up to him.  No soap.  So, he told Rick and Lynn to sit in his chair and he turned his back to them, and after they got settled, he turned around and there's the family with Santa.

At the park, there's this small lake full of carp, bass, catfish, and probably some other fish.  The herons are always around; once there was a huge flock of white pelicans--feasting on fish--which we'd never seen here before, and this is the first time we've ever seen the otter.  It had a big fish up on the swim platform, and was ignoring both the heron and us.

The otter finished its fish and went back for another one, and while watching each other, they seemed to tolerate one another.

But then the otter decided it wanted the platform to itself, and chased the heron off.

Then after chasing off the heron, the otter just rolled around and was grooming itself and goofing off being an otter.

Then it headed over to the boat dock, but didn't climb up.  It just went swimming about catching little fish and crunching them up.

A quiet day at Lake Minden........and a busy one in the office--Rick's.  And look at that.  The man can multi-task.  He's getting something on the computer, and clicking his pen at the same time.  Actually, we're quite proud of him.  "Information Technology Coordinator" is the title, and there's a bunch of initials after his name.  When I asked where his suit and tie were, he said something I'd rather not put down here.

Lynn and Lexi hadn't seen his new office either, so it was sort of "family day" there for a couple of hours.  And the charmer went to work immediately, and had gathered quite a crowd.  Since she doesn't come into the office real regularly, lots of people hadn't seen Lexi walking, and she really put on a good show.

And of course, daddy is justifiably proud.  Hats might not be her favorite piece of apparel, but her dad's propeller beanie fit her to a tee.

When you're her size everything is big, and when you're constantly learning, everything is interesting.  And even a game of peek-a-boo is a big deal.  And don't ask me what the story about the pink flamingo is.  I don't know, but if I learn, I'll tell you.

Having a kid around the workplace can give you a perspective of your co-workers you may not have had before!

Someplace along the line, she got a hunk of cheese, and carried it around for a good bit before dad rescued it.  And of course, hugs all around.

And then it's off to the Historic Folsom street fair.  And see that jacket Lexi's wearing?  It used to be Lynn's! 

Grandma got into the spirit of the season....with Lexi's hat!  It has been years since I saw the fun of a bubble machine.  Being around little people who are filling their empty bucket of a brain with memories sure brings back the memories in this bucket brain of mine.

When was the last time you thought a line marker was interesting.  And she knew it was "yella".  And that mask almost (but not quite) made me wish we had a house on a foundation so we could display a real Santa for Christmas.

Everybody was having a good time, particularly the passenger.  And Grandma wasn't the only one with a cool hat.

Nothing like a private (well, not totally private I guess) concert of Christmas music played on a Chapman Stick.  This was the first time I'd ever seen one other than on the cover of the CD's Rick has given us.  We love the sound of these odd instruments.

We've been to Historic Folsom before, many times, but never for a street fair.  Lots bigger than we'd expected.  And then a stranger loaned Lexi her push toy duck, and it didn't take long for that little girl to figure it out.

One of the side benefits of wandering around with Rick and Lynn here was the privilege to meet some of their friends.  We ran into two different couples who both had kids about the same age as Lexi.  We learned later the moms knew each other from some sort of moms group.  This little guy was enjoying the music and finally smiled.  His folks were complaining he'd been a grouch and not smiled all day.

Tomorrow the plan is to go visit the Jelly Belly factory and pick up some Belly Flops.  Yeah, of course we'll be taking the camera!  What kind of proud grandparents would we be without the camera?