A Rainy Day At The Lake

There aren't a lot of standing bodies of water in my part of the country. Okay, our neighborhood does have a lake, but it's totally man-made and artificial-looking (at least it's pretty and has a nice jogging trail).

However, there is another large-ish body of water not too far from our home; it's Lake Patagonia, just a short drive outside of Nogales, Arizona (the town straddles the international border, but the lake is entirely on the US side). Technically, this lake is also man-made, but it was formed when a creek was dammed, so I find that a shade more "natually occurring" than the "dug a hole in the ground" variety of lake I usually see around here.

Oddly enough, our family had never visited Lake Patagonia before, in all our years of living in this area. I thought it might be a fun adventure for the family to take a trip there during the summer. I decided to do just a day-trip for our first visit, to scope out the park and see if a longer trip would be an option in the future.

Apparently, I am a persuasive person, because after I shared my idea with a few friends, they all thought a lake trip was a good idea too. Such a good idea, in fact, that they got the word out to about a dozen other families, and before I knew it, the lake trip had become a multi-family affair. In fact, of the seven families that ended up going, three of the families ended up doing me one better, by camping next to the lake the night before the rest of us arrived! We had no problem with the trip becoming more large-scale, though. Quite the opposite: we were excited to spend time with our friends in a new, exciting location!

The drive to the lake was simple enough; it ended up being about an hour and fifteen minutes. The elevation at Patagonia Lake State Park is higher than that of Sahuarita by nearly 1,000 feet, so the temperature was noticeably cooler when we arrived.

The lake was at a pretty low level; the picnic areas were all some distance from the water line on the day of our trip. June had been a particularly hot month, and this may have contributed to the low levels. However, there was still enough water to splash around in, and the kids took full advantage!

That tiny blond head in the water is Lorelai, swimming her heart out for the opposite shore.

The lake was a good opportunity for the girls to put their new-found swimming skills to good use; in fact, Lorelai and her friend Sydney managed to swim clear to the opposite end of the lake (with some flotation assistance, but mostly through sheer force of will). They spent their time on the opposite shore diving off the large rocks into the deeper water, and worrying both their mothers who waited anxiously back at the picnic site.

Everyone brought their own picnic lunch (the campers had made a large dinner together the night before), and the kids somehow found time to eat some food in between splashing around and digging for "seashells."

Probably the most exciting event of the day for my girls was a trip out onto the lake in the inflatable canoe, brought by our friends the Carlsens:

Hopefully, if we are extra nice to the Carlsen family, they will let us borrow their awesome boat next time we come to the lake as well! Maybe I will make them cookies or wash their car or something.

Here I am, chillin', right before all the craziness began.

Right as we sat down to eat lunch, things got very interesting., thanks to the miracle of the Arizona monsoon. There had been clouds in the sky all morning, but we'd managed to ignore them. Around midday, those clouds moved in quickly, making sure to be noticed! We heard some thunder roll, and then (with no other warning) the rain started coming down. We scrambled for shelter, and some things got left behind. Our girls forlornly watched a forgotten flotation "noodle" as it floated alone across the lake, battered by the rain. Who knows if it was ever rescued?

Did it ever pour! Thankfully, our well-prepared camping friends had set up canopies lakeside, and most of us managed to huddle beneath them for a while while finishing off our (now somewhat soggy) lunches. Then we waited for a little while...and the rain started falling harder. And we started hearing more thunder, and this started to make some of the littler kids cry. And then the older kids started to want to get in the car. And the adults all decided that it was time for everyone to make a break for it.

It was quite the messy, wet, muddy retreat to the cars when we all decided to flee. The rain was coming down so hard I could barely see from all the water dripping into my eyes. Plus, Celeste had to run all the way through the parking lot with one shoe on, because we'd lost her other one (luckily, we found it in a rain-sodden pile of supplies before we left). Once the girls were safely in the car, drying off and changing into what few dry clothes we had left, I was forced to make a few more wet, slippery trips down the hill towards the lake, to pick up our cooler and all the rest of our supplies.

The rain tapered off for a bit just before we left the lake, but all the families had come to the unspoken conclusion that we'd all had enough fun, and it was time to head home. In fact, the intrepid camping families had been rained on twice; there had also been an intense storm the night before, which made some tents leak and made lots of the littlest campers wake up terrified and crying. I felt bad for them, but was also inwardly relieved I'd just decided to come for the day. If I ever camp overnight at Lake Patagonia, I'll be sure not to do it during the monsoon season!

The storm followed us home; rain poured on the car for the majority of our return drive. Even though we were safe inside our air-conditioned car, seeing so much rain (for us dry-weather people) made us somehow feel as if we were still wet, even after an hour and a half of driving. When we finally got home and peeled ourselves out of our seats, we spent a long time hauling in all our wet gear, drying ourselves off, and resting from our crazy trip. But we all agreed it was a fun, exciting adventure we'd like to try again soon. Some of our friends are already planning another trip in October. Maybe we'll join them...and maybe we'll even camp overnight this time!!

Happy Fourth Of July 2013 (One Week Late)!

Quick Fourth Of July post!

I don't have much to say about our family's observance of Independence Day; I suspect we celebrated it just as many other in America do...lazing around most of the day, then having a barbecue in your backyard, inviting a bunch of your friends over, and setting off a few fireworks.

We were really lazy this Fourth of July. Nathan and I both took multiple naps(!) The girls played upstairs most of the day. I eventually rolled off the couch and took the kids swimming at the pool for an hour or so, but that about did it for our physical activity for the day.

Since our propane grill is still pretty small, we borrowed another from a friend who was out of town. We invited over a few families, including our new next door neighbors the Gillespies who (as luck would have it) are also members of the church! (another family joined us later that night for the fireworks). It was nice to have a bunch of people over again; Nathan and I have been a bit more reclusive this year than we were last year, and I've enjoyed getting to know some new people, as well as strengthening the bonds with some old friends.

Dinner was great; the conversation was stimulating; the food was delicious. Then it was time for the kids to roll out their patriotic show for all the adults. My girls had been preparing for it all day! They invited their friends to join in as well. The program opened with Lorelai and friend Sydney waving an American flag together singing the national anthem. After that, the program degenerated a bit, as Lorelai began singing her own patriotic song that she composed herself. It's (how do I say this?) not terribly cohesive.

 And here's the big finish, with all the kids participating!

 

Right after that came the big finish, with all our kids and all their friends doing a mini-parade in our living room, using every single toy instrument we own. It was loud; I'd wager the whole neighborhood heard us. But at least it was festive!

After all that, it was time to head outside and set off some fireworks.

The sparklers may have been the kids' favorite part!

Special thanks to our neighbors one street over for setting off all the big illegal fireworks for everyone to enjoy! :)

The kids oohed and aahed, Nathan and I kept the show coming, and everything went off without a hitch. When the last sparks had finished flying, everybody went inside and had some dessert, then stumbled off home to bed, tired but happy.

We're so thankful for the opportunities we have in this wonderful country. The USA isn't a perfect place, but it is still ridiculously blessed, especially compared to many other places in the world. I don't know what I did to deserve all the opportunities and blessings I've had in my life, but I know that my living in the United States of America is a big reason why I've received many of those blessings. I'm happy that I live in a country where I can believe as I wish and live the way I choose. I hope everyone around me remembers their blessings on this day as well.

Our Recent Family Fun Friday Adventures

Last summer, I decided to initiate the Barrett Family Fun Fridays as a way to get some bonding time in with the girls, by doing unique activities and growing closer as an immediate family. This summer, our Family Fun Fridays have not been quite as well thought out--nor have they been strictly "family-only" affairs.

But there's nothing wrong with that! In spite of being a little less ambitious and more time-constrained than last summer, our Fridays have turned out pretty well so far. Here's what we did on the last few Fridays:

1. Grocery Shopping!!

Okay, I admit it...we didn't do anything exciting on Friday, June 21st. Nathan had his board game night, and the kids and I (after a long day of grocery shopping and running errands) crashed and watched a bunch of television ourselves. But this day was bookended by our trip to the circus on Thursday night, and a free movie screening early Saturday morning. So a lazy Friday between two big events is just what we needed.

2. Celebratory Trips to a Museum and a Dairy Queen

Okay, this is more like it. This Family Fun Friday (June 28) got started a bit late, since Lorelai and Celeste had their final swimming lesson of the summer that morning. The day was further complicated by the fact that we had another kid along for the ride...our friend Kent Perry, whose parents had to go out of town on an errand. The Perry's are some of our oldest friends in Arizona; I've known Kent ever since he was born! Plus, the girls love him (Aurora even says she's going to marry him someday) and are always happy to have him over. Since it's likely the girls will never have a biological brother, I have comforted them somewhat by telling them that Kent is their "brother from another mother." So for this day, he became an honorary member of the family!

Since the girls completed their swimming lessons on such a high note, I declared that we'd go out to celebrate with ice cream, and a trip to the International Wildlife Museum, one of my girls' favorite places to visit. But since we were all still at the pool, the kids all insisted on swimming for "just a little while longer first." That "little while," of course, turned into a good hour and a half, by which time we had to get some lunch before going anywhere else. On the way to the museum, we stopped for a bite to eat in a Carl's Jr, whose children's play area had no A/C. Ugh...sooo hot!

Luckily, things went swimmingly once we finally got to the museum:

After we'd had all the taxidermied animals we could handle, we found a nearby Dairy Queen and the kids all got their ice cream. I accidentally forgot to order for Celeste at first; I'm not used to ordering for four kids! Luckily, her ice cream was delivered quickly and all went well.

Despite the busy day, the girls were all prepared to goof off with Kent for the rest of the night. Unfortunately, his parents had to show back up and spoil their fun. But they'd certainly had enough craziness packed into this Friday to last a few days.

3. Visiting Trail Dust Town as a Family

Although this Friday morning (July 5) had been a very quiet one (mostly due to post-Independence Day sluggishness), we ended the day on a lively note, with a trip to Trail Dust Town, a miniature Western village that includes stores, rides, a museum, decorations, performers, stunt shows, and a famous local steak restaurant (Pinnacle Peak). Luckily, Nathan got off work early that day, so we were able to make the evening a family affair.

The Trail Dust Town village is nestled right in the middle of Tucson; it's a quaint mini-theme park that's been around for forever, slowly being swallowed up by modern urban sprawl. It's kind of an Old West version of Denver's Casa Bonita, only not so tacky and gross. It's mostly just corny and a little abandoned (many of the shop-fronts' windows are empty; it may be struggling to find enough business). But it certainly had its charms as well!

The girls in the pokey

Calamity Lorelai

There were several carnival-style rides there; the first thing we did upon arrival was take a mini train ride.

 

The train took us through an old cemetery, a mine, and a pirate cave, as well as around the whole complex. There's a fort near the entrance of Trail Dust Town that also sits along the train tracks, so the girls insisted on staying at the fort to watch the train pass by before doing anything else.

 

Lorelai's not actually sad; she pretending to be a prisoner in the fort's "jail."

There was also a carousel and a Ferris wheel that the girls simply had to ride on.

Kind of tacky, don't you think? Didn't matter; the girls loved it!

Probably the favorite part of the night for our family was the Wild West stunt show, which featured stuntmen overacting badly, mugging for laughs, and occasionally firing off prop guns, "punching" each other, falling down wells, or falling off tall buildings. There was a huge fireball at one point, too. My girls aren't in love with loud noises (Lorelai in particular was pretty scared of the gunfire), but the silly humor of the show kept them interested enough that they really ended up enjoying themselves.

Here's the "facade" in front of which the stuntmen do their show. At one point, one of them falls all the way off the hotel roof; another one swoops down on a rope. Fun stuff.

And did we go to the steak restaurant, after all was said and done? Nope; we were cheapskates that night! Instead, we left Trail Dust Town and went out to a Boston Market nearby (it still satisfied everyone; we aren't huge steak-eaters). However, we were pleasantly surprised by Trail Dust Town; it's pretty affordable overall, and the kids loved it. There was a Museum Of The Horse Soldier that we want to check out next time; in addition, we might even spring for a steak dinner, if we're feeling wealthy enough.

Only a few more Fridays to go until the end of school! Let's see if a trip to Phoenix this Friday (the 12th) will create some fun memories.

Three Outings, With Varying Degrees Of Success

It can be hard to think of things to do in the summer...especially in Arizona, where doing anything outdoors (besides swimming) isn't a great option. So sometimes, every time I get a flyer for any kids' activity (no matter how far away; regardless of my daughters' interest level), I will go out of my way to seek it out. Because, it might be fun, ya know? It sure beats staying at home all day.

Anyway, sometimes these activities work out, and sometimes they don't. Here's a few we tried in late June.

1. Geodes from Bookmans

Our family loves Bookmans, a chain of secondhand book/DVD/music/etc. stores throughout Tucson. It turns out they have a Children's Summer Program, with a different activity each week. It's a bit of a long drive to get to Bookmans nowadays, so I decided to check all the activities and possibly only go to one or two of them. The one that sounded the most interesting was, "Be Your Own Geologist."

Ever seen those little round stones that, when you crack them open, reveal lots of shiny crystals? They're called "geodes" (or "dragon eggs," if you find them at a Renaissance Festival), and you can buy them online in a variety of places, or at any number of conventions or festivals. Well, some Bookmans staffer thought it would be a great idea to get a bulk order of these little geodes, give a short kid-friendly lecture on geology, then break the geodes open and offer them to the kids in attendance. It would be fun and educational!

On paper this idea sounds really good. In practice, sadly, it didn't work out that well.

First of all, about 500,000 children showed up for this particular activity; it was probably a massive fire hazard. Secondly, the poor activity leader didn't really know what to do with the geodes. I have a feeling the store manager dumped them in her lap and said, "Here! Do this activity!" and forced her to figure it out on her own.

She brought a rubber hammer to crack the geodes...and then she tried breaking them directly on the carpeted floor. As you can imagine...no luck. Then she put a cloth around the geodes...then she put cardboard between the geode and the floor...still no luck. Many parents tried their hand at breaking open a rock, pounding mightily, but to no effect...all while the hordes of wiggly children grew noisier and more restless. Those geodes were tough little suckers!

In the end, another employee (possibly a maintenance guy?) was brought in, with a "real" metal hammer, and he started making progress. Unfortunately, the geodes didn't crack perfectly in half like they do in all the pictures...they shattered into several rough chunks. Oh well...at least we could see crystals!! I grabbed a few in my fist and we got the heck out of there. I have a sinking feeling there weren't enough geodes (even in chunks!) for all the kids there.

If nothing else, my girls were able to buy a new book or two, which we always end up doing at Bookmans anyway (I even scored a copy of The Phantom Tollbooth, because no family should be without that book!). The girls also took a minute to cuddle with the stuffed animals. And to be fair to the embattled activity leader, she did lead off the event with a short description of geology and how geodes are formed. She was trying!! It's not her fault she was in over her head. Still, not an activity I'll be repeating.

2. Free Screening of Monsters University

Our local movie theater, in partnership with a local health-care company, offered three free screenings of the latest Pixar movie to hit theaters, Monsters University. A free showing...on the film's opening weekend! Not only that, but the theater was offering free snack packs for everyone in the theater! That's a small soda, small popcorn, and fruit snacks! Plus, the health-care company was sponsoring several booths & games outside the theater before the showtimes! It all seemed too good to be true.

For many would-be theater-goers, it was too good to be true. Word got out about this event fast; apparently, people were camped outside the theater at 6 am (on a Saturday...ugh!) waiting to get seats. Demand was much higher than anticipated by the theater, and so they had to open a fourth showtime to try and accommodate everyone. I'm not sure how much this put back the theater financially. My lazy self waltzed up to the theater about 9:45 am, and scored the very last seats to the very last show. Boo-yah! The theater had run out of wristbands, so they had to mark our arms with marker. I saw people being turned away just minutes after we arrived. Whew!

However, it was still a badly organized event. I don't blame the theater for this; the health-care company had clearly not planned for such crowds. All the games & booths had left by the time we arrived, except the free dental screenings. So my girls had to entertain themselves by letting dental hygienists poke around inside their mouths.

 

We had to wait in line for more than an hour just to be sure of getting a seat. The girls, as you can imagine, got bored and started running roughshod throughout the theater. I couldn't do much without losing my spot, so I had to settle for glaring angrily at them most of the time. Finally, after we all got our food, we were shuffled into the theater...and couldn't find any seats together. Aurora and I sat in the very front row, with Celeste a couple of rows behind and Lorelai several rows after that. It made the girls very nervous to not sit with me, but they (mostly) got over it once the movie started rolling. As it turned out, it was a good thing I waited in line as long as I did; there were something like thirty people after me who didn't get seats, and squatted on the floor of the theater until the ushers made them leave...after being given a pass and being promised a seat. Ouch. I really hope those poor people got a voucher or something!

So, despite all the waiting & the crowds, we still managed to watch the movie for free. I was pleasantly surprised by the film...I had low expectations going in, but it was better than I had expected. Not a masterpiece of storytelling, and sort of lightweight for a Pixar film, but it was a film that had simple goals, and it more than exceeded them. The character work, animation, humor, and emotional impact was great, as is usual for Pixar. I will happily own it on DVD.

After the movie, my girls got their "Monsters U" student ID cards...

Unfortunately, our trip devolved into chaos at this point. Celeste & Aurora both wanted to peer through the window from the outside (like Lorelai had), but both were too short to get their faces into the frame. In their struggle to climb the wall, they devolved into swinging fists and screams, to the annoyance of the passersby, while I waved my hand frantically, trying to shush them, from inside the building. Mother of the Year!! Ugh. Luckily, they finally let me take their pictures inside, and that mostly worked.

3. Ronald McDonald Comes to the Library

"Ronald's" appearances have become a tradition in Sahuarita; he shows up at some event or another about once a year. The last few years, he's come to the Green Valley Library, a favorite story-time destination for our family. I don't know who "Ronald" really is under the makeup and clown suit, but he's a pretty funny guy. He tells some silly jokes, performs several magic tricks, and sneakily encourages the kids to read more books and learn about their home state of Arizona.

This particular visit was especially cool because Lorelai got to be one of Ronald's helpers! She an another boy helped "handcuff" Ronald...which, of course, he managed to wiggle out of.

After the magic show was done, Ronald sat and visited with every child one on one. He was very patient and friendly, and even had a few extra magic tricks to share with some of the kids. He was a lot more interesting than, say, a mall Santa, who doesn't usually make much conversation.

Celeste watched Ronald "remove" his thumb, and she was blown away!

 Aurora really wanted to see Ronald, but when she got up to him, she was petrified and almost burst into tears. In the picture above, you can see her holding up three fingers...this is Aurora's traditional greeting. Every time she meets a new person (and I mean EVERY time), she says, "Hi! (holding up three fingers) I'm three! And when I'm five, I can take a shower!" Truly, there is no more anticipated event in a young girl's life than her first shower. At least that's how Aurora sees it right now.

Sooo shy...Aurora is this close to running away screaming. Daddy would probably have encouraged her to run, since he hates and fears all clowns. Watching Stephen King's IT as a child really messed him up. But Ronald is no Pennywise.

While all three of these activities were enjoyable (to some degree), we learned that some summer activities are more enjoyable than others. I'll leave you to decide which one you think we liked best.