First Fishing Trip of the Year

This past Saturday, we left in the morning to try out fishing in Lone Pine. We stopped at our favorite Tuttle Creek, but unfortunately, other people had the same idea, so it was very crowded, and the only 4 unfortunate fish that we saw were trying to be caught by all of these people.

So we had our lunch:
and headed off to the Tuttle Creek catchpond, but it was full of algae and the people we saw who were fishing weren't catching anything. We hung out there for awhile and just enjoyed the day and then headed to the Lone Pine Film Museum that we have never been to. The amazing Alabama Hills are in Lone Pine on the way to Tuttle Creek, and many, many a movie has been filmed there. Recently, Jeff and Isabelle watched "Tremors" together, so it was fun showing Isabelle the spots where it was filmed. And, here it is in the museum:
Melina's favorite part of the museum was the 2 horses outside. She has a very loud "whinney" that we hear every time she sees a horse.

To end the day, Jeff dropped me off at the Pizza Factory, while he took the girls to the park (the parks are always so much better than in Ridgecrest--and not just because they are new and different--they really are better!). I waited for our pizza, called Jeff when it was ready, and then we headed back in the direction of home to explore Ash Creek, where we ate our dinner and briefly explored the area.
Then we headed home! A great day, but I was tired!

Mischievous Mellie is 20 Months Old

Melina turned 20 months old last week. One word that best describes her: MISCHIEVOUS!! (even though she looks like a sweet angel in this picture)

Friday Wildflower Hike

We went on a hike with friends this past Friday morning to Short Canyon (about a 30-minute drive) to see the wildflowers. Usually poppies will cover the sides of the hills. Either we were too late, or perhaps too early??, or perhaps no poppies at all this year, a big difference from our hike last year:


Regardless, we did enjoy a beautiful day and the kids had lots of fun. Isabelle ended up hiking with the big kids--they went about half an hour beyond us (the moms bringing up the end of the trail with babies on our backs (or fronts). I was so proud of her!! She did fantastic. Here's a picture of Isabelle scaling the rocks with some of her friends:
I can't say Melina enjoyed being in the front carrier very much. She really wanted to be out running with the other kids.

Farmer Boy

We finally finished reading "Farmer Boy" the other day. Isabelle didn't seem to care for this one as much as the other books in the series. She eagerly asked me to start reading the next book this morning, however, and so we have begun reading "By the Shores of Silver Lake." We've read the first 2 chapters so far, and I had to tear her away to leave the couch.