Cran-Hill Ranch

Reflections from Joe...

For years, we have set aside a weekend of camping at Cran-Hill Ranch with the Koopmans family. Here are some highlights of CHR 2016.

One of our favorite rituals is the pony rides. 

This year, our ponies were Duke, Rosie, and another we can't seem to remember.

Koopmans and Puplis; the next generation.

The petting zoo is another fun stop to make.

We found a large-scale chess board and pieces. A fine addition to the ranch this year! Claire and Henry have been learning the game and it was special to watch them play.

Hang on, George!

A second day of pony rides.

We will remember this as the year we introduced Casey and Laura to “Guillotine”. 

With the warm weekend, we were grateful for the relief of the lake. Neat to watch our kids grow in confidence in their abilities in the water.

Claire's rock collection

A sweet tooth satisfied!

Some of the best memories are made in an open field with a Frisbee.

A post-dinner wagon ride makes for easy smiles

George and Sam seemed fascinated with the strong horses. 

News of an impending thunderstorm helped us to decide to pack up a night early. In retrospect, it was an unfortunate but wise decision. 

Our summer weekend at CHR is something we look forward to every year. The kids especially look upon the place with such wonder. What a gift it is to see the world through their eyes.

July Pictures

Oh sweet summer days...how we love you.

Catching fireflies

Our new yard seems to be a haven for them.

Claire and I went to see the play Charlotte's Webb at the Circle Theater.

Claire waited for an autograph from her favorite character, Charlotte.

Washing the van with Dad.

Fourth of July fun. 

George figured out the water guns at Gpa and Gma's house.

Sparklers

Watching the fireworks from my Grandma's backyard.  

Perfect seats!

Halfway through the fireworks, the kids fell asleep.

Fun on their scooters

Claire enjoyed another year at Spring Hill Day Camp.

At their Closing Ceremony, she received the Wisdom award.

Claire's group  -   all friends from church.

Their counselors said it was the best group they had ever had!

Church Ladies Slumber Party

I think it was really supposed to be for adults, but I asked if I could take Claire, and they were happy to have her.  I'm glad I did as we had such a great time.

Pictured above, we were split into teams and were challenged to decorate our angel food cake with an assortment of goodies.

Claire and Mary were the masterminds in our group.  Here they discuss strategy.  Thanks to Claire's design, our cake won the "Most Patriotic" award.

Soaking our feet as we prepared for pedicures.

The boy came downstairs one morning wearing nothing but

 his sword and shield.  I'm saving this one for his future wife.

What is this??

Who tried to take a bite out of our wrapped  cheese? 

Okay, I think I know.

Swimming Lessons at Briggs Pool

Longing for his day in the pool.

This would be Henry "jumping" off the diving board.

Henry was terrified to go down the big slide, but he did it.  And he was so proud!

He came.  He saw.  He conquered.

Both kids PASSED!

And, of course, along with summer fun, there are also summer projects.

The big one was to waterproof the basement.

Dad and Joe work in the trenches, preparing the wall for waterproofing.

Take note of the front steps.  Do you see them?

Well, now you don't.  

That wasn't really supposed to happen, but our plumber maintains it was a blessing in disguise as we are now able to fix the rotting beneath the front entry way.  I am just so grateful no one was hurt in the process.

Assessing the situation.

The kids don't seem to mind the mess.  In fact, I think they like it a little too much.

Watch that first step out our back door.  It's a doozey.

This was a hard project for George to sit by and entrust to the adults.

He had a serious case of Project Envy.

Well, that was our July.  I will have a separate post for our pictures from 

Camp Cousin as well as Cran-Hill Ranch.  So stay tuned!