The Travel Log - The Ranch Part II

Back in the saddle again. We had a nice time in Anaheim, although I believe the conference which I love so much, has shrunk. I really missed some of the vendors and speakers I have seen in the past and hope they return next year.

So, weeks after I promised, I am finally getting around to posting photos of our day at the Carlsbad Ranch. Here are the highlights in photos.

The kids loved playing in and around Hepzibah, my late grandfather's truck. I spent many days riding beside my grandfather in Hepzibah when I was a little girl, mostly en route to Lake Casitas in Ojai, CA, where we would spend afternoons on the lake in his little fishing/row boat, the Suzyann. My grandfather was a good man and seeing his faithful truck again made me realize how much I miss him and my grandmother.

These are views of the swimming hole and BBQ area. The porch was in a little bit of disrepair (Ken called it his next project) because--get this--one of the horses got loose and walked on the boards. It then got confused, couldn't get out and had to be rescued, leaving some damage in its wake. These things don't happen at my house. But, granted, my uncle never finds a bottle of tabasco sauce in his bathtub and wonders through what bizarre set of circumstances it got there, so we all have our issues.

The ATV. What fun we had on that. We have GOT to get ourselves one of these! This is Ken and Joey, following is me and Julia, then Jay and Sam. Lindsey rode too, with Ken. You will notice in the photo of Jay and Sam that the bottom of Jay's pants are wet. Hmmm...turns out that standing up in the canoe when your eldest son is eagerly pulling it out of the water wasn't such a great idea. We enjoyed this situation immensely, Jay not as much (although he was a good sport about it).

Some canoeing shots:





The kids prepared for an evening back at the swimming hole roasting hot dogs and marshmallows. Here they are with Ken loaded in the back of his truck for the ride down (although it is an easy walk, they were all tired by this time).


The Roasting. S'mores really are good, I was reminded that night.

For the finale, a shot of the beautiful, open interior of the ranch house, where we stayed. Deana's mother is an artist and it shows in her decor. The house itself was a vacation for us.

Next up in the Travel Log: don't mess with Texas!