Countdown

Jill's Journal: My parents live way, way out in the country. Never was this more apparent than when four elk bucks were spotted in the valley this past week. It may be difficult to see in the photo, but the rack on the buck that’s second from the right is especially huge.

We’re down to our last hours in Tehachapi – and California, actually – and I find myself feeling very melancholy about leaving. It’s not because we want to live here, because we really don’t even though this is a tremendous state with so much to offer. It’s 100% because so many of our loved ones are right here. It’s amazing how much more important family becomes when kids are involved. These last months have been so, so precious. We’ll treasure them always.

Grandparents are the Best

Jill's Journal: We’ve had so much fun being with my parents during our time in Tehachapi and have gotten a million things done, including steam cleaning our carpets, defrosting our fridge and freezer, and all those satisfying things that take a ton of time and effort but can be hard to find room in the day to do.

But if Rob and I have enjoyed being here, it doesn’t compare to the happiness it’s given the girls as they’ve pretended to be farm girls and soaked up time with their grandparents.

A ride with Grandpa…

“Farm” chores for Grandpa…

Photo by Beppy

And more work for Grandpa. These girls are trying to earn money for some big purchases they have planned and caught on pretty quickly Grandpa pays more generously than anyone else when it’s his granddaughters. Boy, oh boy, has he been popular as they’ve clamored for their turn to “work” for him!

Photo by Beppy

The girls have had an equally wonderful time with Beppy indoors. Just look at this fruit salad Beppy and Erika made for dinner one night. Isn’t it the cutest thing?

Ahhhh, grandparents. There’s not much better than grandparents.

A couple of Saturdays ago... the Chili Cook-off

The day before Father's Day Erika and the boys took a trip to town to see the Tehachapi Chili Cook-off and Car Show. It was a small town-type fair with merchandise booths, a kids' play area and more chili than I've ever seen.

We charged Erika with making sure that Arden didn't get lost. She was on top of her job the entire time, and didn't let him straggle into the crowd one bit.

First stop for us was the car show. The locals gather their collective rides and show them off on the streets. We saw everything from '39 Mercs to a custom '76 Jet boat.

Arden showed Erika what a "Rumble seat" was in a car. Hopefully he'll be the only boy ever to do so. ;)

I also heard him say to her, as he walked toward the '55 Chevy, "Here's one from Grandpa's generation." Erika has a new respect for the age of that car. ;)

No word on who won the votes of the public, but Arden and I had our favorite, pictured here. It is a 1937 Oldsmobile and it was just neat to see. A daily driver, this car is unlike any that I've seen before, and I've been to a lot of shows. To me it was both elegant and futuristic for the time, a real treat.

No question which car was Erika's favorite. This pickup was PINK!

Next stop was to go taste chili. They fundraise by selling "tastes" for a buck per dixie cup serving of several different types of chili. It was interesting to try the different types and tastes side by side, and makes for a great way to raise money for the local causes.

Erika's favorite moment of the day was getting her snowcone from Grandpa. Erika chose Blue Bubblegum, and from the look of it enjoyed just about every bite - blue tongue and all.

Last Stop in California

Jill's Journal: We’ve been in California a really long time. With the exception of three months in Oregon and five or six weeks in Nevada, we’ve been in “Cali” since arriving on the West Coast almost 19 months ago. We feel like we’ve covered this great, varied, and gargantuan state pretty well – from north to south, from east to west, from ocean to deserts to mountains – and although you can never see absolutely everything, we’ve had a pretty fulfilling (and wonderful) time here.

We have one final order of business before exiting the Golden State and that, of course, is spending time with my parents near Tehachapi. Life is never dull with three little girls around, as my Dad could attest when he found his cowboy boots (above) gaily decorated with bows. Rumor is the girls may have had some help from a visiting Aunt Kristi. Now Grandpa sure adores his granddaughters, but no word yet on whether he’s willing to actually wear his boots in such a fancy state.

Giant Birds and Tiny Horses

Jill's Journal: Many of the farms in the Santa Ynez Valley welcome visitors and tourists, which is simply bliss for our farm-loving, animal-loving little girls. And while they certainly enjoyed feeding the ostriches and emus at Ostrich Land, Erika, Madelyn, and Victoria went absolutely gaga over the miniature horses at Quicksilver Ranch.

First, the ostriches -- these big birds are not the friendly type and are extremely aggressive eaters, so it actually takes a lot of courage for little kids to offer food to them (and hold the bowl still while the birds attack it). Ostrich Land itself doesn’t hold much charm, but the girls actually remembered quite a bit from the wonderful and informative ostrich breeding farm tour we took last year in Tehachapi. They could identify which birds were female vs. male and remembered quite a few of the unusual facts and breeding information we learned there. Maybe things do sink in!

As fun as it is to feed an ostrich, it doesn’t seem to compare to the wonder these little girls have around miniature horses. Quicksilver Ranch is a breeding farm with a staggering 65 head of minis. I can’t imagine a cuter thing to breed and raise. These little guys and gals are off-the-charts adorable and even the stalls, fencing, and feeders at Quicksilver are mini-sized. A very kind lady at the farm answered several questions for us. Madelyn was especially enamored with “Macho Man,” pint-sized even by mini standards, and Erika fell for a blue-eyed paint. Naturally, they wished with all their hearts to take their picks home. But Victoria? When asked which one she would have liked to take home, she sighed and with a sly grin said, “All of them.”

It’s a New Year

Jill's Journal: It’s been two glorious blog-free holiday weeks since I’ve written and we should be wrapping up our time in Las Vegas right about now. Because, if you know Southern California and the Barstow/Calico area I wrote from last, you know there’s really no where to go but Vegas from there. And that was our plan. Really, it was. But, as I told my Mom, this trip seems to change our plans more often than a 10-year-old boy changes his underwear.

Long story short, we didn’t make it to Vegas. No, instead we ended up seven hours west of there on California’s Central Coast. The night before we left Calico, my sister called and mentioned how nice it would have been if we were on the Central Coast instead of Vegas for her birthday on the 21st. That got the ball rolling…

We stopped over back in Tehachapi for two more fun nights with my parents…

…before continuing to Templeton/Atascadero near the California coast to surprise the girls’ Aunt Kristi for her birthday. It was quite the surprise! The girls were sipping chocolate milk at a table in her local Starbucks when she walked in. So, so fun.

And then, since Kristi and Adam were hosting Christmas this year and the rest of the family was arriving a few days later, well, it just made sense to stay and enjoy one more holiday with these wonderful people.

One of the highlights for the girls was coercing Beppy, Grandpa, and Uncle Adam to do a craft with them. I don’t think I’ve seen my Dad or brother do a craft – EVER – so it was quite the picture-worthy moment. (It may have sent me and Beppy into uncontrollable fits of laughter. Just maybe.)

There was a highlight for me too…the Central Coast is all about a casual, outdoorsy, wine-tasting lifestyle and would you believe some of the wineries welcome horseback riders? My lovely sister had an extra horse for a few days and we stole an afternoon to go riding among the grape vines. Sweet. Last year she took me riding on the beach and this year at a winery. I could get used to this.

An afternoon spent on a little hike with Kristi’s Adam and Cobin the puppy ranked pretty high up there too. Our girls are seeing it as their personal mission to ensure this puppy gets plenty of kid practice before Kristi and Adam’s baby arrives in the spring.

So yes, it was really a wonderful Christmas season for us. And while Vegas can maybe rival the occasional 75 degrees (in winter!) we saw on the Central Coast, there’s absolutely nothing that beats family.

“The Fog Comes on Little Cat Feet…”

Jill's Journal: Remember what I said about the beautiful afternoon sunshine in Tehachapi? I take it all back. This is what it looked like this afternoon. It’s so foggy that might be the Golden Gate Bridge out there, for all I can tell! Crazy.

Golden Sunlight

Jill's Journal: As has happened so frequently on this journey for the past 18 months, our plans have changed a bit. I suppose that’s one of the benefits of having a superbly flexible schedule! We’ll now be spending an extra week in Tehachapi, California, with my parents.

Tehachapi, or technically the community of Bear Valley Springs, is the only place we’ve paid a return visit to thus far. Last year, we were here in the throes of winter, but this time, we’ve been fortunate to make it for the tail end of fall instead. And what a lovely season it is. Afternoons are often bathed in glorious, golden sunlight. Autumn may be manifested in different ways all over the country, but is it any wonder it ranks as most people’s favorite season?

Guest Post by Beppy: Tangleweed Farm and Family

Jill's Journal: After my parents went on an Alaskan cruise this summer, I’d asked my Mom to write a guest blog post for us. She didn’t do it, but (even better) surprised me with one today! I’m so thrilled to have her speaking in her own words on here about our day together. I love the thought of the girls reading them someday. Thanks so much, Beppy! :)

Today was the day to explore Tangleweed Farm, a family-owned farm in Tehachapi with lots of fresh produce. The produce is grown organically, harvested, and sold right at the farm. John and Laurie Thorpe started the farm as a homeschooling project in 1999. Jill talked about homeschooling and travelling with Laurie while the men talked about crops and farming with John. I tried kale right from the plant and it had a wonderful, sweet flavor. The girls found a pond to explore and rocks and sticks to pick up. The weather was perfect.

It will soon be time to say goodbye to the last of our family after Thanksgiving. We will miss the grandkids ringing the doorbell and spending the afternoons with us. As each of our family members left this weekend, I felt like they were leaving home for the first time. But, we treasure the time we get to spend as a family and look forward to the next time.

The Day After

Jill's Journal: No Black Friday shopping for us the day after Thanksgiving. Lunch at a local winery in Tehachapi sounded much more appealing.

Our ranks may be diminished…

…but we still have fun.

Add in some playground time for the kids…

…and everyone is happy.

Life is good.