Grandkids’ Visit – Part 2

Posted on July 14, 2025 by Robin

This and the last post are really just my way of keeping a scrapbook. This is part two of the grandkid’s visit.

Grandkids eating lunch with a view of the California State capitol in the background.

I chose the State Capitol as our destination for one of the days they were here. I had to look this up. Capitol: the building where lawmakers meet. Capital: the city that is the seat of government. So this photo shows the kids in the Capital (Sacramento) in front of the Capitol. After snacks, we wandered through the Capitol. I hadn’t realized that there is a big part under renovation. The politicians are mostly at another building right now but the old Capitol is open for visitors.

There are many room to view and museum type displays in some of them. You can wander through the building with or without a tour guide. The dome is impressive.

Kirby sitting on the ground with two Jacob sheep on halters.

Back home, Kirby spent time each day with the sheep that were going to the show in Oregon.

Two kids standing in the aerial yoga fabric nets while the instructor shows how to hold on.

I set up a private lesson for the kids at YogaCoreFit in Vacaville where I go for pilates workouts.

Two kids in the hanging fabric baskets at an aerial yoga studio.

They offer aerial yoga but the kids classes are on weekends and we couldn’t make those. So Kasen and Kirby had a private class with Carol, the owner.

At an aerial yoga studio with boy hanging upside down and his sister and grandmother next to him.

The kids really enjoyed this. Kirby says that when she grows up and has a horse ranch she will also have this aerial gear to use.

Family photo of two adults and two kids and a dog.

We visited my brother and sister-in-law in Fairfield.

During the second week of the grandkids’ visit Kasen went to stay with the other grandparents in town and visit with lots of cousins while Kirby went with Dan and me to Black Sheep Gathering in Oregon. Blog posts here.

We got back late Sunday night and took Monday to recover and continue the visit with Farm Club friends who were in Oregon with us or stayed here to take care of the place while we were gone.

Two kids and two adults standing in a pool of water surrounded by forest trees and granite rocks.

On Tuesday we squeezed in a visit with Matt and Kaleena near Pollock Pines.

Two girls dressed in pink with a spotted Jacob lamb.

The cousins came to visit Tuesday evening because Kasen and Kirby were leaving on Wednesday. This is play time with Sparky.

Week With the Grandkids – 2

Posted on April 9, 2025 by Robin

I took photos the first day the grandkids were here and shared them in this post. The focus for the next few days was the barn and lambs.

The kids traded off feeding times for Sparky–at least the two mid-day feedings.

No one volunteered for early morning or late night.

We went to Fairfield to have lunch with by brother and sister-in-law. Dave makes sure the GREAT part of Great-Uncle Dave is not forgotten.

On the Sunday of the kids’ visit we went to Jepson Prairie for a docent-led walk through the reserve. The docents scoop aquatic creatures from Olcott Lake prior to the tours and share the containers with the public.

Kasen is looking at a Pacific Chorus Frog.

The view is filled with a flower called Butter and Eggs .

The view to the south shows Mt. Diablo which features prominently is my photos take Across the Road. The clumps of flowers are California Golden Violet.

It is notable that the grass and other plants don’t grow as tall as at other sites. This area dries out quickly and plants have adapted to a short season.

Back at home some of the cousins from Sacramento came to visit.

The weather was nice enough for a snack on the deck.

More lamb feeding.

This photo features Jade and Sparky. I can tell that Sparky will someday replace Jade as the farm’s most friendly sheep.

November Adventure – Ironman Arizona – part 3

Posted on November 30, 2024 by Robin

I left off in the last post with Chris starting the marathon, the third part of the Ironman that was two weeks ago.

This photo is about a half hour into the marathon.

This is a screenshot from my phone very nearly at the end of the whole thing, but I’m including it here to show the course and to show how spectators are able to track their athletes through the day on this app. The blue line in the river (which is truly more of a lake here because of a dam) is the swim course. The green line is the bike course and the red one is the run. It was complicated. The runners first went out and back on the red line that goes to the top of the photo. Then they cross the river and make the loop where it says 129, go down to the bridge at the bottom, run along the river, do that out and back part again and do this whole course three times. On the last one they turn where it says 123 and run to the finish. As spectators we try to position ourselves in strategic places to cheer them on.

This view shows the transition area where all the bikes are and where the athletes had lined up along the river before the start of the swim

Meryl and Katie and the kids and I walked across a bridge to position ourselves where we’d see Chris twice as he went around the loop on this side of the river. Kasen made sure he got a High 5 in when he could.

This was the best place to be with the Kasen and Kirby because there was a sandy beach for entertainment. It’s a long day for everyone, but especially for the kids.

More High 5’s for Uncle Chris from the kids. This is about two hours into the marathon.

At this point I walked back over to the other side of the river where Dan had been greeting Chris as he ran by. Meryl, Katie, and the kids stayed here until closer to the time Chris would finish.

The view back across the river. That arched bridge is the one I had just walked across and the kids were on the beach below there.

This is at about 3-1/2 hours.

The marathon finish.

Total time for the whole event: 11:49:56.

Meryl and Chris wearing a well-deserved finisher’s medal.

The family (except Dan snuck out of the photo). We went back to the hotel where they were all staying. The grandkids played in the pool and the big kids sat in the hot tub while we all rehashed the day. We got together Monday morning for about an hour and then we all had to go our respective directions. Katie had to get a rental car to get back to Safford, Arizona where her car had been towed the previous day after breaking down about 2-1/2 hours from Phoenix (and I had driven to pick up her and the kids, but that’s another story). Meryl and Chris visited a friend in the area for a couple of days and then made a trip to the Grand Canyon. Dan and I had to get home by that evening.

I took this photo just inside California at 11:40. We got home about 8:30 that evening. I sure enjoy hanging out with my kids. I wish we could do it more often.

Granddaughter Visit – Around the Farm

Posted on August 2, 2024 by Robin

The weeks between Convergence and State Fair were super busy, but I tried to do as many things with Kirby as we could fit it. She learned to spin. As with most beginners the biggest challenge is understanding the relationship between amount of twist necessary to create a stable yarn and the diameter of the yarn. It helps to use fiber that is easy to spin. Carded Jacob fiber fits that criteria.

Of course we spent time with sheep. Jade is always the favorite. We spent every morning that Kirby was here working with the lambs that would be going to the fair. Maybe I didn’t get photos of that.

I wanted to do some dye projects for my fair display. Kirby learned something about preparing indigo for the dye pot.

I do the cold fresh leaf method.

State Fair time is when the blackberries are ripe.

We picked blackberries together.

It is a challenge when we have irrigated because the blackberries are on the other side of the ditch. Its a good thing that I had an extra pair of rubber boots to share.

Kirby and I spent time in the barn sorting and cleaning the horns and skulls to use for our touching table at the fair.

Kirby likes to catch chickens as well as sheep.

Visiting Family in Texas – Part 1

Posted on April 14, 2024 by Robin

I shared one blog post in the first few days of my latest trip to Texas. That was all about flowers and I never got organized enough to do another. I’ve been back in California now for four days but for three of those days I had Covid. I’m still trying to catch up. I’ll be sharing some family photos here.

The day after I arrived Kirby had softball practice after school. She is the catcher for her team.

Kirby can certainly throw the ball better than I ever could.

At home with the bunny.

Outside with the goats. The original goats came from our place. Blog post here. Why is it that since the pandemic started our only road trips have always involved hauling animals around the country?

These are mostly outside cats who get to come in when it is particularly cold.

Two dogs are Josie and Alice.

On Saturday there was a softball game. Katie helped Kirby warm up while Kasen was off playing with friends.

Kirby as catcher.

Kirby at bat.

After the game we went to find a place where Kasen could work out the way he wanted to.

That’s doing pull-ups and running.

Kasen challenged Uncle Matt to a race. Matt gave him a head start.

More next time.

Kirby Says Goodbye

Posted on August 9, 2023 by Robin

The day after I got back from Black Sheep Gathering in June my granddaughter started her visit with us. She had traveled to California from Texas with her other grandparents who live nearby and was with them for the first week. Since then she has mostly been here, but visited in town with the other grandparents and cousins periodically. Kirby was eight when she got here but had her ninth birthday last week during the fair.

It has been seven weeks that Kirby was here with us. I wrote about some of our adventures in previous posts, but most of the time was spent here at the farm.

Kirby had a birthday party with her cousins at the other grandparents’ house and got plenty of presents. But last week a birthday present came from Aunt Kaleena and Uncle Matt. It was a box of three Squishmallows. She had received one from her Great Grandmother a few days before. Kirby was thrilled. I was amused at how she used books and boxes and cloth napkins and towels to set up a dining table for the Squishmallows. She found small dishes in the kitchen and fed them all lettuce with ranch dressing. She spent quite a bit of time feeding them and the next couple of nights brought them to the dinner table to share her dinner.

It’s a good thing there is a queen size bed so they all could fit.

Matt told Kirby that if she left one here when she went back home he would take it on adventures for the rest of the summer and send her pictures. Matt supervises air attack watches over wildfires from the air so we will all look forward to hearing about these adventures.

The time came for Kirby to return home. It was a long wait while her dad was on the road.

We got in a couple more walks across the road.

She spent time with her favorite sheep. They are everyone’s favorites because they are so tame. That’s Jade in the middle. Her daughter, Hazel is near the gate and Hazel’s 2023 lamb, Harry, is in front. Harry was turned into such a pet by Farm Club members that I made him a wether. Kirby picked all the leaves she could reach to give them treats.

Even the goat, who can be somewhat intimidating, got goodbye scratches.

Hazel and Jade were joined by Lavender.

Now Harry is back in the mix.

A last hug for Jade.

Alice, one of the family dogs, made the trip from Texas.

Texas Trip Revisited, Family

Posted on December 9, 2018 by Robin

The last blog post about my September trip to Texas was mostly my favorite flower photos. Here are my favorite family photos.Kasen was about 21 months.

Kirby is was four and a little bit.I think that I would have loved to have a trampoline when I was a kid.

We visited the pumpkin patch to choose pumpkins and try to get a family portrait.First, a chicken picture.

I don’t think it was possible to get everyone looking in the same direction at the same time. But a beautiful family nevertheless.

Texas – All About the Grandkids

Posted on October 15, 2018 by Robin

Less than a week and a half from the end of our road trip to Washington I flew to Texas for a short visit with the grandkids. I had to fit that in before Lambtown and the start of breeding season.

I got there on Thursday. The flight was in time for Katie to meet me in Austin and then pick up Kirby at school (pre-K now) and take her to her dance class.I had to hide behind another window because Kirby kept looking through the door.In the middle they changed from tap shoes to ballet shoes. The teachers helped each kid get the shoes on the right feet. They stuffed the bows in the toes of the shoes. Kirby didn’t like that and twice she pulled the ends of the bows out and I saw her twisting them around each other in an attempt to tie them. Eventually the teacher tied them and left them out–I think she tied a double knot. I meant to try and teach Kirby to tie a bow while I was there but actually I think she is too young. Next time…unless she already knows by then.

On Friday Kirby went to school and Mom and Dad were at work. Kasen usually goes to day care but he stayed with me all day.He is very self-reliant for a toddler and can entertain himself well.I enjoy taking the kids outside for at least part of the time. The weather this day was very pleasant.We walked to the end of the smaller road where it meets the main road. Kasen loves trucks and tractors and anything with wheels. So we started watching and listening for trucks.I moved him to the bank on the road where we could watch both directions (By the way, look at all those flowers–it’s been raining in Hill Country.) I’d hear a vehicle and ask if it was a truck or a car? “Car.” We waved. Some of the trucker’s blew their horns. This entertained Kasen for at last half an hour.
The road home.Back home with a favorite book, “Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What do you see?”.Outside again.Katie and Kurtis have set up a play area for the kids–easier to keep track of them at this age than having them running through the dry grass and having to watch out for snakes and fire ants and scorpions.They love the trampoline and I love the trampoline because the kids are contained. (I thought I had better photos but now that I see these iphone photos on my computer I realize that none are sharp.)The sandbox (built by Papa Dan) is also a big attraction.Back inside with puzzles.You can hear when someone comes in the driveway. “Mama” or “Dada”!Time to go see who it is.It was Mama with Kirby. Time for the trampoline (champerline according to Kirby) before dinner.Kirby orchestrates the play time. “I’ll be the princess and Kasen is the prince and you be the dragon (or alligator or monster) and you try to get me.” Or “You be the alligator and you are sleeping and I’ll be the princess and I’m going to get you.”All I really wanted to do was to lie on the trampoline and look up at this amazing oak tree.Sunset view.I found this creature on the wall of the mud room. That’s one thing I don’t have to worry about here.Friday night was movie night. Ice cream and popcorn and getting to sleep in the living room. Kirby chose a Starwars movie but really only wants to see “the princess” and Darth Vader. Pumpkin Day. We went to a local nursery to find pumpkins.After pumpkin selection we went to the chicken yard to select a couple of new chickens to replace some that had been killed.Does someone have an attitude? The look on Kirby’s face reminds me of one of me at that age when I was looking at my little brother.

This was a short trip. I hope to see these kids again in January.

Grandkids Across the Road

Posted on July 1, 2018 by Robin

While the grandkids were still here we made an excursion Across the Road. I hadn’t wanted to take three dogs and the two kids on my own because of the part where we have to walk on Meridian Road. There isn’t a lot of traffic but the cars are fast and there isn’t much of a shoulder to walk on. I didn’t want to pull the wagon where Kason was riding and hang onto three leashes, all the while trying to get the dogs off the pavement when cars came. (The dogs want to stay on the pavement because they have learned that when they walk off the pavement they are apt to pick up puncture vine burrs in their feet.) By the way, Rusty shared some photos of this in his blog.

The wagon worked well for Kasen and had the added benefit of taking all the necessary things like water bottles and the doll.

Meryl and I traded off with the wagon, but part of the point of this walk was for Kirby, wearing her black and pink Nikes, to run with Aunt Meryl.

Eventually Aunt Meryl tired and needed a ride. Time to go home. Kirby started to pout because she wanted Sawyer’s leash. I let her take Rusty and all was OK.

Grandkids and the Gravel Pile

Posted on June 20, 2018 by Robin

What better place to entertain an 18-month old than a gravel pile with tractors? These trucks and tractors have been in the garage for 25+ years Hose off the spiders and they’re as good as new.

Watching kids can be exhausting. Notice what Ginny is looking at–that’s her ball right next to Dan. Kasen found the ball-thrower. That kept Ginny entertained even though Kasen wasn’t able to throw the ball very well. See Rusty’s blog for more photos.

Meridian Jacobs' Blog

Life on the farm and at the loom.

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